Faithful family employee Thady Quirk recounts the decline, over four generations, of the Rackrent family. Through gambling, hapless litigation, and general extravagance the Rackrent's ruin is accomplished, but Thady is steadfast in defence of his masters. With the short novel Castle Rackrent, Maria Edgeworth is said to have originated a number of literary genres and subgenres, including the historical novel, the Anglo-Irish novel and the "Big House"...

Melmoth the Wanderer (1820) is a novel by Charles Maturin. Written toward the end of Maturin's life, Melmoth the Wanderer was the author's fifth and most successful novel. Inspired by the story of the Wandering Jew and the Faustian legend, the novel is a powerful Gothic romance divided into nested stories, each one delving deeper into the mystery of Melmoth's life. Often interpreted for its criticisms of 19th century Britain and the Catholic Church,...

Florence, only 13, knows that of her Aunt Julia's many suitors, the best is the ungainly Noble Dill. Although he is an outcast, the innocent Florence sees that he is the only one without unfortunate oddities. This book is a laugh, as the young protagonist causes all sorts of trouble for Aunt Julia.

"After her first trip to a beauty parlor Junie decides she wants to work there, and she practices on her bunny slippers, her dog, and herself with disastrous results"--Title verso page.

Elegantly styled, Camus' profoundly disturbing novel of a Parisian lawyer's confessions is a searing study of modern amorality.

Stoke the fire, grab a cup of hot cocoa, and curl up with this heartwarming Christmas tale from beloved American author Booth Tarkington. Set in an unnamed state in the Midwest, Beasley's Christmas Party follows the adventures of a journalist who has just moved to town to join the staff of the local newspaper. Soon after arriving, he becomes aware of an interesting and eccentric local character named David Beasley whose political prospects

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This wonderful Scottish tale from 1893, not so expansive of theme and scope as some of MacDonald's lengthier Scottish stories, is yet poignantly moving in its own way. The descriptions of the highlands and the lives of its people are the equal of those in Castle Warlock and What's Mine's Mine. Who, after reading the story of Kirsty Barclay in Heather and Snow, will forget her brother Steenie's cry after "the bonny man!" Indeed, Kirsty is one of MacDonald's...

American novelist Booth Tarkington's life spanned the period 1869-1946, giving him a unique insight into the United States as its culture underwent a number of rapid changes. In the humorous novel Harlequin and Columbine, Tarkington explores the cult of celebrity that began to flower in earnest in the early decades of the twentieth century, using the character of an egotistical actor, Talbot Potter, as the focus of his gentle but hilariously

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These two classic works capture the tide of world events even as they unfold the compelling tale of a single American family drawn into the very center of the war's maelstrom. The multimillion-copy bestsellers that capture all the drama, romance, heroism, and tragedy of the Second World War -- and that constitute Wouk's crowning achievement -- are available for the first time in trade paperback.