"The first taste I had for books came to me from my pleasure in the fables of the Metamorphoses of Ovid. For at about seven or eight years of age I would steal away from any other pleas...
The ideas of Plato (c429-347BC) have influenced Western philosophers for over two thousand years. Such is his importance that the twentieth-century philosopher A.N. Whitehead described all subseque...
This powerful novel, Tolstoy’s third major masterpiece, after War and Peace and Anna Karenina, begins with a courtroom drama (the finest in Russian literature) all the more stunning for being...
The Return of Arsene Lupin (1917) is a novel by Maurice Leblanc. Blending crime fiction, fantasy, and mystery, Leblanc crafts original and entertaining tales of adventure starring one o...
The Return of the Native is widely recognised as the most representative of Hardy's Wessex novels. He evokes the dismal presence and menacing beauty of Egdon Heath - reaching out to touch the lives...
Revenge: A Tale of Old Jamaica (1919) is a novel by H. G. de Lisser. Born and raised in Jamaica, H. G. de Lisser was one of the leading Caribbean writers of the early twentieth century....
The Reynolds Pamphlet (1797) is an essay by Alexander Hamilton. Written while Hamilton was serving as Secretary of the Treasury, the Pamphlet was intended as a defense against ...
Richard II is one of Shakespeare’s finest works: lucid, eloquent, and boldly structured. It can be seen as a tragedy, or a historical play, or a political drama, or as one part of a vast dram...
Richard III is one of the finest of Shakespeare’s historical dramas. Although it has a huge cast, Richard himself, gleefully wicked, charismatically Machiavellian, always dominates the play: ...
In 1870s Utah, a beautiful young rancher becomes the object of desire for a local polygamist eager to make her one of his many wives. She successfully rejects his advances with ...
When Bertie Wooster, a blundering, but well-meaning bachelor, returns home to London after spending time in the Canes with his aunt and cousin, he discovers that his valet, Jeeves, has been advi...
Rip Van Winkle is an easy-going Dutch American settler living in New York. Though he is happy to help his friends, Rip Van Winkle is unmotivated to complete the much-needed repairs or chores for...
During the catastrophic economic depression of the 1890s, young Jack London found himself in the same situation as many others--homeless and unemployed. After a failed American investment and cr...
Roads of Destiny (1909) is a collection of short stories by American writer O. Henry. Inspired by his experiences as a fugitive and in prison, these stories address themes of crime, pover...
Francis Osbaldistine, the son of an English merchant, had always been different than the rest of his family. With an opposing temperament and religion than his father and younger brother, Franci...
Robin Hood is the best-loved outlaw of all time.In this edition, Henry Gilbert tells of the adventures of the Merry Men of Sherwood Forest – Robin himself, Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarl...
From its first publication in 1719, Robinson Crusoe has been printed in over 700 editions. It has inspired almost every conceivable kind of imitation and variation, and been the subject of plays, o...
Rolling Stones is a vast selection of O. Henry's later works covering a variety of topics such as fear, heartache, friendship, love and even murder. It's a worthy addition to his l...
The Romance of Lust (1873-1876) is an anonymously written pornographic novel. Published by infamous London pornographer William Lazenby, The Romance of Lust appeared in four volume...
After meeting a mysterious stranger, a sickly woman drinks a powerful potion that opens her eyes, heart and mind to the wonders of the supernatural. Once she's been exposed, she's eager t...