Henry Carter Hull

One of the towering figures of Russian literature, Fyodor Dostoyevsky depicted with remarkable insight the depth and complexity of the human soul. In this literary classic, he focuses on Prince Myshkin -- a nobleman whose gentle, child-like nature, and refusal to be offended by anything has earned him the nickname of "the idiot." Returning to Russia from Switzerland, where he underwent medical treatment for a number of years, Myshkin learns of his...

Helen Vardon finds herself in a predicament after overhearing her father and a man named Otway arguing about funds that have gone missing from a trust. Believing that it's the only way to save her father from going to prison, Helen agrees to marry Otway, who's many years her senior. But their matrimony precipitates a series of events that culminates with Helen being suspected of murder. The only man who can crack this quandary is Dr. John Thorndyke-expert...

In 1872 Phileas Fogg wins a bet by traveling around the world in seventy-nine days, twenty-three hours, and fifty-seven minutes.

The classic children's tale of a man who could walk with the animals, talk with the animals, grunt and squeak and squawk with the animals ... John Dolittle was not your average doctor. He was known as a quiet, capable physician who lived a simple life in a simple house with his sister. His true love was for animals. He even kept a menagerie of wildlife in his very home, which ended up scaring away his two-legged human clientele. But after his parrot,...

"A family of six is shipwrecked on a tropical island. They must work together to start a new life filled with exploration and adventure"--

Based on the true story of Alexander Selkirk, who survived alone for almost five years on an uninhabited island off the coast of Chile, The Mysterious Island is considered by many to be Jules Verne's masterpiece. Published in French as L'Île Mystérieuse in 1874, this novel is a sequel to Verne's earlier Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. After hijacking a balloon from a Confederate camp, a band of five northern prisoners escape the American...

Three of Dickens's most compelling orphan protagonists'Oliver Twist, Pip, and Esther Summerson'in three of his greatest novels. Perhaps no writer in the English language is more closely associated with orphaned characters than Charles Dickens. The trials and dangers for children without parental protection play a significant part in nearly all his work, as both a source of highly entertaining melodrama and pointed social criticism. Oliver Twist :...

Although better known today for his novels, in the 1920s F. Scott Fitzgerald ranked among the top writers of magazine fiction. Fitzgerald represented the dreams and aspirations of the post-World War I generation in his life as well as his works. With his glamorous wife, Zelda, and his cosmopolitan social circle, he projected the perfect image for narrating tales of restless youth in a hectic world. These short stories offer insights into many themes,...

A tragic story of infidelity, murder, and a mother's love in turn-of-the-century France. When Jacqueline Floriot's husband, Louis, finds her in the arms of another man, she and her lover flee the house. Two years later, Jacqueline returns, hoping to reunite with her young son, Raymond. But Louis, overcome with jealous rage, sends her out into the cold of winter without so much as a glimpse of her child. His merciless act sets off a tragic chain of...

Noted for his sympathetic portrayals of the downtrodden members of nineteenth-century Russian society, Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881) has exercised immense influence on modern writers. His fiction, rich in philosophical and psychological insights, anticipated the development of psychoanalysis and existentialism. This anthology offers an excellent introduction to Dostoyevsky as well as a portable collection for readers already acquainted with the Russian...