A Century of French Fiction: Balzac, Flaubert, Stendhal and More - by Benjamin W. Wells PhD Purchase through Amazon Benjamin Wells takes on an epic task: to catalog 115 authors, and 688 pieces of writing. Rather than focus on the popularity of the piece or the author, Wells groups them together by place or birth, historical context, and writing style, choosing to spend the most time… Continue reading A Century of French Fiction: Balzac, Flaubert, Stendhal and More
A Fox-Hunting Anthology: Selections from the Writers of the 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries - by E. D. Cuming Purchase through Amazon Edward William Dirom Cuming was born in 1862, the son of the late Colonel Edward William Cuming. He studied at private schools and then began working in business overseas, primarily in Lower Burma. Soon, having enough wealth, he was able to pursue his passion of writing. He served… Continue reading A Fox-Hunting Anthology: Selections from the Writers of the 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries
A Whistling Farmer - by H. W. Randolph Purchase Henry Wheeler Randolph was born in 1851. Not much is known about his life. However, through this book of his poetry, much can be gleamed from him and the circumstances of his life. His poems touch on lost love, farming, criminal justice, the Civil War, religion and the pleasures found in… Continue reading A Whistling Farmer
Adirondack Summer, 1969: A Novel - by Alan Robert Proctor Purchase through Amazon “In Adirondack Summer, 1969, Alan Proctor has fashioned a marvelous world that invokes nostalgia and realism (and even magical realism) to superb effect. It’s a poignant, playful, intensely imagined book, written with grace and good humor and the kind of sentences all writers ache to produce. Highly recommended,… Continue reading Adirondack Summer, 1969: A Novel
All Flowers Bloom - by Kawika Guillermo Buy it here Winner of the 2021 Reviewers Choice Gold Award for Best General Fiction/Novel In a cruise ship stateroom, a soul awakens in the afterlife, still dressed in the Roman servant garbs of his previous life. He can’t remember much, but a silent woman stands out in his memory: his first… Continue reading All Flowers Bloom
American Indian Love Lyrics: and Other Verse from the Songs of North American Indians - by Nellie Barnes, Foreword by Mary Austin Purchase through Amazon The verses selected reflect a variety of subjects, including friendship, sadness, nature, special places and religious beliefs. Although the book is old, it remains a notable source of information on Native American verse. The selections were chosen by Nellie L. Barnes and are sourced from… Continue reading American Indian Love Lyrics: and Other Verse from the Songs of North American Indians
Backgrounds of Literature - Hamilton Wright Mabie, A.M., L.H.D., LL.D. (1846–1916) was an author and lecturer. He attended Williams College and later Columbia Law School. However, he hated practicing law and started working at a weekly magazine, Christian Union, later renamed The Outlook. Mabie edited a series of volumes for Doubleday, Page & Co. called Every Child Should Know.
Bought and Paid For: A Story of To-day - by Arthur Hornblow and George Broadhurst Purchase George Howells Broadhurst was born on June 3, 1866 in Walsall, England. In 1882, he moved to the United States and became a playwright. He was successful, and moved into other aspects of theater production, such as being a producer, theater owner, and manager. He owned theaters across… Continue reading Bought and Paid For: A Story of To-day
Bound to Rise, or, Up the Ladder - by Horatio Alger Jr., Introduction by Dr. Wallace E. Boston Jr. Purchase The young Horatio Alger heroes often sold newspapers or delivered telegrams, a reminder of how technology has moved on. Alger’s tales created youthful heroes whose persistence and pluck triumphed over enormous odds, often having to educate themselves by a flickering candle and late at night.… Continue reading Bound to Rise, or, Up the Ladder
Brave and Bold, or, The Fortunes of Robert Rushton - by Horatio Alger Jr., Introduction by Dr. Wallace E. Boston Jr. Purchase The young Horatio Alger heroes often sold newspapers or delivered telegrams, a reminder of how technology has moved on. Alger’s tales created youthful heroes whose persistence and pluck triumphed over enormous odds, often having to educate themselves by a flickering candle and late at night.… Continue reading Brave and Bold, or, The Fortunes of Robert Rushton
Bugle Echoes: A Collection of the Poetry of the Civil War - Edited by Francis F. Browne Purchase through Amazon | Purchase through CreateSpace Bugle Echoes offers a vast collection of poetry illustrating the lived experiences of the Civil War. The collection was edited by Francis Fisher Browne (1843-1913) who fought in the Civil War as a soldier in the Forty-Sixth Massachusetts Volunteers. His father, William Goldsmith Browne,… Continue reading Bugle Echoes: A Collection of the Poetry of the Civil War
Chinese Nights Entertainments: Stories of Old China - Collected by Brian Brown, preface by Sao-ke Alfred Sze Purchase through Amazon “In a small country town in China there lived a great scholar named Kno Tzu Chien. This sage was an authority upon the old classics, and he also loved the folklore and fairy tales of ancient China. On winter evenings the home of… Continue reading Chinese Nights Entertainments: Stories of Old China
Chita: A Memory of Last Island - by Lafcadio Hearn Purchase On August 10, 1856, the Last Island hurricane ravaged the Louisiana coast, claimed at least 183 lives, and split an island in two, officially known as Isle Dernière, but commonly referred to as Last Island. A ship, The Star, was scheduled to pick up vacationers, but ended up being blown ashore,… Continue reading Chita: A Memory of Last Island
Contemporaries of Shakespeare - by Algernon Charles Swinburne Purchase Algernon Charles Swinburne was born on April 5, 1837 in London. Having been born into a wealthy family, he enjoyed extensive education, learned multiple languages, such as French and Italian, and knew them well enough to win awards for writing poetry in those languages. Swinburne did attend college, but did… Continue reading Contemporaries of Shakespeare
Dante and His Time - by Karl Federn In Dan Brown’s book, Professor Langdon tells his Harvard class that “Dante’s Inferno is a landscape so rich in symbolism and iconography that I often dedicate an entire semester course to it.” While taking Dr. Langdon’s course on Dante is impossible, there is no better guide to the references in Brown’s novel… Continue reading Dante and His Time
Dialogue in the Greco-Roman World - by Leslie Kelly, Ph.D. Purchase through Amazon This short book is designed to introduce students of ancient history to the genre known as “the dialogue.” This literary form went through periods of popularity and decline in ancient Greece and Rome but it was present from the classical period through late antiquity and carried over into… Continue reading Dialogue in the Greco-Roman World
Edwin Arlington Robinson: A Poet’s Brave Departure - Purchase through Amazon Edwin Arlington Robinson (1869-1935) was born in Maine to a family that wished he was a daughter. Several months after his birth, fellow vacationers named him by drawing his name out of a hat, since his family had failed to give him one. Edwin Arlington was the name selected, though his family… Continue reading Edwin Arlington Robinson: A Poet’s Brave Departure
Espionage! - by H. R. Berndorff, Translated by Bernard Miall Purchase through Amazon | Purchase through CreateSpace Hans Rudolf Berndorff (1895-1963) was born in Düsseldorf, Germany. From a young age was a journalist with an interest in the bizarre and adventurous, including shipwrecks and piracy. During the Nazi era he published a number of popular novels that steered… Continue reading Espionage!
From the Heart of Israel: Jewish Tales and Types - by Rabbi Dr. Bernard Drachman Purchase through Amazon Rabbi Dr. Bernard Drachman was born on June 27, 1861 in New York City. He received his early education at High School, Jersey City, NJ, and the Hebrew Preparatory School before going on to earn his B.A from Columbia College. Afterwards, he earned his rabbinic ordination from… Continue reading From the Heart of Israel: Jewish Tales and Types
Hymns to the Gods & Other Poems - by Gen. Albert Pike Purchase on Amazon | Purchase on CreateSpace Albert Pike (1809-1891) began writing as a youth, and “Hymns to the Gods” was his first published poem when he was only 23. He subsequently became a contributor to Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine after his book, Prose Sketches and Poems Written in the Western Country,… Continue reading Hymns to the Gods & Other Poems
In the Great God’s Hair: Translated from the Original Manuscript - by F. W. Bain Purchase through Amazon F.W. Bain translated this work from the original Sanskrit, and offered this as an introduction, “The name of the little Indian gable, here presented to the lover of curiosities in an English dress, is ambiguous. We may translate it indifferently, either: The New Moon in the hair of… Continue reading In the Great God’s Hair: Translated from the Original Manuscript
It Can Happen Here: A Novel Look Backward - by Max J. Skidmore Purchase It Can Happen Here is set in the near future following the term of a rogue president. Its protagonist has kept a detailed journal of American politics of the period. He responds to numerous requests from family and friends for descriptive analyses of the 2020 elections and the resulting first… Continue reading It Can Happen Here: A Novel Look Backward
Jack’s Ward; or, The Boy Guardian - by Horatio Alger Jr., Introduction by Dr. Wallace E. Boston Jr. Purchase The young Horatio Alger heroes often sold newspapers or delivered telegrams, a reminder of how technology has moved on. Alger’s tales created youthful heroes whose persistence and pluck triumphed over enormous odds, often having to educate themselves by a flickering candle and late at night.… Continue reading Jack’s Ward; or, The Boy Guardian
Kingsglaive’s Exploration of World War II, Cultural Trauma, and the Plight of Refugees: An Animated Film as Complex Narrative - by Amy M. Green Purchase Kingsglaive’s Exploration of World War II, Cultural Trauma, and the Plight of Refugees: An Animated Film as Complex Narrative posits that the 2016 film, tied narratively to the video game Final Fantasy XV, merits far more critical attention that it has received. Given that Kingsglaive is both CGI animated and… Continue reading Kingsglaive’s Exploration of World War II, Cultural Trauma, and the Plight of Refugees: An Animated Film as Complex Narrative
La Máquina Oscura - by D. G. Sutter Purchase through CreateSpace | Purchase through Amazon The ground rumbles. The humming beneath begins, a droning monotonous tune that will one day drive us mad. The machines rise and steal oxygen from the air, rotating at dangerous speeds and emitting lethal radiation. Upon the return home to the small village of Montejo de la… Continue reading La Máquina Oscura
Lyrical Forms in English - Norman Hepple compiled this work as a means for readers to appreciate the lyrical form of poetry in English, and includes authors from Ireland, Scotland, the United States and other English speaking regions. The selections Hepple chose are divided into five categories, Song-Lyric, Sonnet, Ode, Idyll, and Elegy. Within each section, Hepple offers a historical overview, and each highlighted work is arranged in chronological order.
Old-World Japan: Legends of the Land of the Gods - by Frank Rinder Purchase on Amazon | Purchase on CreateSpace Frank Rinder (1863-1937) was the art correspondent of the Glasgow Herald and adviser to the National Gallery in Melbourne, Australia. He had the luck of a substantial bequest to the gallery, which enabled him to be aggressive as its agent. His other books included a history… Continue reading Old-World Japan: Legends of the Land of the Gods
Outlines of Gaelic Etymology - by Alexander Macbain Purchase Alexander Macbain was born July 22, 1855 in Scotland into poverty. His native language was Gaelic, but he attended local schools and learned English. He assisted with the Ordnance Survey in Scotland and Wales from 1871-74, but he enjoyed school and returned to earn an MA in Philosophy from King’s College.… Continue reading Outlines of Gaelic Etymology
Paddle Your Own Canoe - Purchase through Amazon Edited and Introduced by Wallace Boston The protagonists in Horatio Alger stories are often, if one may play on a metaphor, up a creek without a paddle. In this celebrated Alger novel, the young hero is comfortably ensconced at the Essex Classical Institute until misfortune makes his expensive education impossible. If the… Continue reading Paddle Your Own Canoe
Phil the Fiddler: The Story of a Young Street-Musician - by Horatio Alger Jr., Introduction by Dr. Wallace E. Boston Jr. Purchase The young Horatio Alger heroes often sold newspapers or delivered telegrams, a reminder of how technology has moved on. Alger’s tales created youthful heroes whose persistence and pluck triumphed over enormous odds, often having to educate themselves by a flickering candle and late at night.… Continue reading Phil the Fiddler: The Story of a Young Street-Musician
Roads of Adventure - by Ralph D. Paine Purchase on Amazon | Purchase on CreateSpace Ralph Delahaye Paine (1871-1925) owed part of his swashbuckling success as a writer to connections forged at Yale’s secret society Skull and Bones and to an early friendship with the publisher William Randolph Hearst, for whom he covered the Spanish American War as well… Continue reading Roads of Adventure
Shakespeare and the Makers of Virginia: Annual Shakespeare Lecture, 1919 - by Adolphus William Ward Purchase Adolphus William Ward was born on December 2, 1837 in London to a family of means. His father, John Ward, was an English diplomat. After his schooling, he being a professor of history and literature at Owens College. He also helped to found Victoria University and Withington Girls’ School. Additionally,… Continue reading Shakespeare and the Makers of Virginia: Annual Shakespeare Lecture, 1919
Shakespeare Problems: Shakespeare’s Fight with the Pirates and the Problems of the Transmission of his Text - by Alfred W. Pollard Purchase through Amazon Alfred William Pollard, 1859-1944, was a prolific writer who specialized in literary history. He became well known for elevating the study of Shakespeare, through encouraging rigorous examination, study, and sourcing of material. As a distinguished bibliographer, Pollard rose to be Keeper of the British Museum. Additionally, he served… Continue reading Shakespeare Problems: Shakespeare’s Fight with the Pirates and the Problems of the Transmission of his Text
Social Satire and the Modern Novel - Purchase through Amazon Arnold Bennett wrote thirty novels but has been somewhat neglected by modern critics. He was ahead of his time in appreciating Joyce, Lawrence, Faulkner and Hemingway. His work is characterized by social irony without bitterness, and satire without nastiness. As this novel suggests, perhaps he has more in common with E.M.… Continue reading Social Satire and the Modern Novel
Songs of a Sourdough - by Robert W. Service Purchase through Amazon Robert Service was born in 1874 and grew up in Scotland as the oldest of 10 siblings. Even as a child he craved excitement, but his energy was channeled into the quiet life of a bank clerk. He did enroll in the English Language and Literature program at… Continue reading Songs of a Sourdough
Springfield: The Novel - by William Morris Purchase through Amazon “So why for God’s sake,” asked Mike Hanlin in his avuncular manner, “did Mary kill herself?” Hanlin, the seasoned ex-diplomat, perceptive but bewildered, finds himself stalking a dangerous unknown killer. The plot and setting are classically American with the pillars of the Catholic Church compromised and the establishment confused… Continue reading Springfield: The Novel
Stamped: An Anti-Travel Novel - by Kawika Guillermo Buy it in print | for Kindle Winner of the 2020 Association for Asian American Studies Book Award in Prose Award-Winning Finalist in the Fiction: Literary category of the 2019 Best Book Awards sponsored by American Book Fest Exasperated by the small-minded tyranny of his hometown, Skyler Faralan travels to Southeast Asia with… Continue reading Stamped: An Anti-Travel Novel
Stories from the Diary of a Doctor: Snippets of Early Medicine and Life in England - by L. T. Meade and Clifford Halifax MD Purchase through Amazon Clifford Halifax was actually the pseudonym of Edgar Beaumont (1860-1921). Interestingly, he used this name only when writing with L. T. Meade. Beaumont was indeed a physician operating in the UK and wrote a variety of works related to being a physician, including This… Continue reading Stories from the Diary of a Doctor: Snippets of Early Medicine and Life in England
Tales of Old Japan - by A. B. Mitford Purchase through Amazon | Purchase on CreateSpace Sir Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford (1837-1916) was raised to the peerage as Baron of Redesdale in 1902. He was also a Knight of the Bath and a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order. After joining the Foreign Service in 1858, Lord Redesdale was posted… Continue reading Tales of Old Japan
Tales of the Mermaid Tavern - by Alfred Noyes Purchase The Mermaid Tavern was a real place in London. Among other frequenters, a group called the “Fraternity of Sireniacal Gentlemen”, met monthly. They were famed literary figures of the Elizabethan period, Nov 17, 1558 – Mar 24, 1603. In this work, Noyes writes chapters celebrating these figures, including Shakespeare. Alfred Noyes… Continue reading Tales of the Mermaid Tavern
The Black Tortoise: Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond - by Frederick Viller Purchase Frederick Viller is the nom de plume of Christian Herman Sparre, a Norwegian Commanding Admiral and a member of Parliament. Sparre was born on July 30, 1859 in Norway to a prominent physician father, who also was a member of Parliament. Sparre was a graduate of both the Norwegian Naval Academy… Continue reading The Black Tortoise: Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond
The Enemies of Books - by William Blades Purchase William Blades was an bibliophile and book collector of the 1800s. Born in 1824, he was a printer and a bibliographer. His father owned a printing business that Blades was apprenticed into, and it became known as Blades, East & Blades. He was especially passionate about collecting and preserving works by… Continue reading The Enemies of Books
The Fire-Fly’s Lovers: And Other Fairy Tales of Old Japan - by William Elliot Griffis Purchase through Amazon William Elliot Griffis (1843-1928) served in the Union Army during the Civil War, then graduated from Rutgers University in 1869. He was a tutor for Taro Kusakabe, which opened up a world of opportunity for him in Japan. In 1870, he was invited to reorganize Japanese schools by… Continue reading The Fire-Fly’s Lovers: And Other Fairy Tales of Old Japan
The Garden at Rose Brake: Garden Writings of Danske Dandridge - Collected and Introduced by Justin McHenry Purchase Caroline “Danske” Dandridge (1854-1914) was a prominent West Virginian poet and historian of her generation. In numerous articles published in the leading gardening magazines of the time, Dandridge brought readers to her country estate on the outskirts of Shepherdstown, West Virginia. A place she called Rose Brake. The Garden… Continue reading The Garden at Rose Brake: Garden Writings of Danske Dandridge
The Image and Other Plays - by Lady Gregory Purchase Isabella Augusta, who went as Lady Gregory, was a famed Irish dramatist. Deeply involved in all things theater, including being a theater owner. She primarily was a writer, and received much accolades for her work, later being recognized for spawning the Irish Literary Revival. In part, this was due to her… Continue reading The Image and Other Plays
The Jesters: A Simple Story in Four Acts of Verse from the French of Miguel Zamacois - by John N. Raphael Purchase through Amazon Miguel Louis Pascal Zamacoïs was born on September 8, 1866 into a family of artists. He himself became a writer of many types, including journalism, writing for the paper, Je suis partout; multiple novels; operas and numerous other pieces for the theater, including Les Bouffons; and poetry, such… Continue reading The Jesters: A Simple Story in Four Acts of Verse from the French of Miguel Zamacois
The Life And Works Of Charles Lamb: The Essays Of Elia - by Charles Lamb Purchase Charles Lamb (1775 – 1834) was a popular English author of works for both adults and children. His siblings were fairly spread out in age, so his elder sister Mary, 11 years older, became his closest friend. She taught him to read and would later author books with Charles. Lamb was… Continue reading The Life And Works Of Charles Lamb: The Essays Of Elia
The Memoirs of Constantine Dix - The Memoirs of Constantine Dix is a collection of Edwardian crime short stories with a unique twist--the protagonist is Constantine Dix, an English clergyman, who appears to be an upstanding citizen, but he is actually an accomplished thief with an excellent cover.
The Passing of the Storm and Other Poems - by Alfred Castner King Purchase through Amazon Alfred Castner King was known as “the blind poet of Colorado,” having lost his eyesight in a mine explosion while working as an assayer in Colorado. After the accident, he moved to Grand Junction where he helped in the construction of apartment buildings, which helped pay the bills… Continue reading The Passing of the Storm and Other Poems
The Story of Ab: A Tale of the Time of the Cave Man - by Stanley Waterloo Purchase through Amazon Stanley Waterloo was a writer of many types of media, both fiction and non-fiction, and of books, essays and newspaper articles. Born in 1846, he showed a great deal of promise. He was to attend West Point, but due to an injury, Waterloo did not. He instead went into… Continue reading The Story of Ab: A Tale of the Time of the Cave Man
The Tin Box and What it Contained - by Horatio Alger Jr., Introduction by Dr. Wallace E. Boston Jr. Purchase The young Horatio Alger heroes often sold newspapers or delivered telegrams, a reminder of how technology has moved on. Alger’s tales created youthful heroes whose persistence and pluck triumphed over enormous odds, often having to educate themselves by a flickering candle and late at night.… Continue reading The Tin Box and What it Contained
The Torch of Liberty - by Frederic Arnold Kummer, Illustrated by Kreigh Collins Purchase on Amazon | Purchase on CreateSpace The Torch of Liberty features several Greek stories highlighting the development of democracy. The illustrations in this volume are by Kreigh Collins (1908-1974) who created the comic strip hero Kevin the Bold, and whose papers are collected by the library of… Continue reading The Torch of Liberty
The White Morning: A Novel of the Power of the German Woman in Wartime - by Gertrude Atherton Purchase through Amazon Born on October 30, 1857, in San Francisco, Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton was fortunate enough to be raised by her grandfather after her parents divorced when she was two. Her grandfather was Stephen Franklin, a relative of Benjamin Franklin, was deeply committed to her education. After completing school, she… Continue reading The White Morning: A Novel of the Power of the German Woman in Wartime
The Wizard - by H. Rider Haggard Purchase on Amazon | Purchase on CreateSpace The Wizard was serialized in the African Review and then published in full in the 1896 issue of Arrowsmith’s Christmas Annual. The hero, a missionary named Owen, has to endure various trials at the hands of African tribal magicians, and discovers his own ability to… Continue reading The Wizard
The Young Vigilantes: A Story of California Life in the 1850s - by Samuel Adams Drake Purchase on Amazon | Purchase on CreateSpace The California Gold Rush really was a bonanza. Between 1849 and 1855 more than $400 million dollars was gathered by the miners; once adjusted, it is a sum today reaching into the trillions. It was a social phenomenon marked by the carnivalesque. In his work… Continue reading The Young Vigilantes: A Story of California Life in the 1850s
Three Wonder Plays: The Dragon, Aristotle’s Bellows, The Jester - by Lady Gregory Purchase through Amazon Isabella Augusta, who went as Lady Gregory, was a famed Irish dramatist deeply involved in all things theater, including being a theater owner. She primarily was a writer, and received much accolades for her work, later being recognized for spawning the Irish Literary Revival. In part, this was due… Continue reading Three Wonder Plays: The Dragon, Aristotle’s Bellows, The Jester
Told in the Hills: A Novel - by Marah Ellis Ryan Purchase through Amazon Marah Ellis Ryan was born on February 27, 1860 in Pennsylvania. She wrote a great deal, especially under the pen name Ellis Martin. She is most well known for living with Hopi in Arizona. She was an theater actress for five years, but then she went on to… Continue reading Told in the Hills: A Novel
Trail of the Lonesome Pine - by John Fox Jr., Illustrated by F. C. Yohn Purchase through Amazon The Trail of the Lonesome Pine is set in the Appalachian Mountains and examines a long-standing family feud between the Falins and the Tollivers, somewhat based on the life of “Devil John” Wesley Wright. The work examines the impact that industrialization and mining… Continue reading Trail of the Lonesome Pine
Whimsical Madam New Orleans: Short Stories from the Times-Picayune - by Carmelite Janvier, Illustrated by Standish Buell Purchase through Amazon Carmelite Janvier came from a wealthy family and enjoyed all its trappings, along with her siblings. Born to Charles Janvier and Josephine Celeste Bush, she enjoyed life as one of eight children. However, it was the opulence that came to hurt her. Specifically, when Janvier… Continue reading Whimsical Madam New Orleans: Short Stories from the Times-Picayune
Wine, Women, and Song: Medieval Latin Students’ Songs Now First Translated into English Verse with an Essay - by John Addington Symonds Purchase John Addington Symonds was born on October 5, 1840 in Bristol, England. He became well known as a poet, researcher, and teacher. Biographers have often remarked on Symonds’ bisexuality as being a significant influence on his life. He was in multiple relations with men and women throughout his life. These… Continue reading Wine, Women, and Song: Medieval Latin Students’ Songs Now First Translated into English Verse with an Essay
Westphalia Press 