'The Plattner Story and Others' contains seventeen short stories by H. G. Wells. It presents the readers with a variety of classic Wells tales, including, 'The Plattner Story', a tale of multiple dimensions of time and space; 'The Apple and Purple Pileus', a wonderful example of vintage sci-fi, and 'The Jilting of Jane', a typical Wellsian tale of love and betrayal. Originally published in 1897, this fantastic collection is highly recommended for...

Dick and Nicole Diver are a glamorous couple who take a villa in the South of France and surround themselves with a circle of friends, mainly Americans. Also staying at the resort are Rosemary Hoyt, a young actress, and her mother. Rosemary becomes infatuated with Dick and becomes close to Nicole. Dick toys with the idea of having an affair with Rosemary. Rosemary senses something is wrong with the couple, which is brought to light when one of the...

Bored of the parties and luxuries that come with her socialite lifestyle, Claire Boltwood longs for something more authentic in her life. Desperate for adventure, Claire and her father decide to travel from New York City to the Pacific Northwest in their automobile, a new privilege enjoyed by the rich. Though he is a clever businessman, Claire's father knows nothing about cars, so he encourages Claire to drive, challenging the gender stereotypes of...

John Stuart Mill's resolute dedication to the cause of freedom inspired this 1859 treatise. Discussed and debated from time immemorial, the concept of personal liberty went without codification until the publication of this enduring work which applies an ethical system of utilitarianism to society and the state which to this day remains well known and studied. Mills (1806-1873), a British economist, philosopher, and ethical theorist whose argument...

She (1887), an intoxicating mix of adventure, fantasy, and romance, is an underappreciated classic of English literature. Among his most successful works, She-which was inspired by Haggard's experience living in South Africa-helped the author establish his reputation as a leading writer of his generation and an invaluable pioneer of the lost world genre of fantasy fiction. Horace Holly, a young Cambridge professor, receives an unexpected opportunity...

The Bishop and Other Stories (1919) is a collection of short stories by Russian writer, Anton Chekhov. The title story of the collection, originally published in 1902, finds the author at his most introspective. Written while Chekhov was dealing with the long term effects of tuberculosis, a period in which he began to accept the inevitability of his own death, "The Bishop" is a meditative story that follows a dedicated man who, in the face of oblivion,...

Mortal Coils Aldous Huxley - Mortal Coils is a collection of five short fictional pieces written by Aldous Huxley in 1921. As a Hollywood screenwriter Huxley used much of his earnings to bring Jewish and left-wing writer and artist refugees from Hitler's Germany to the US. He worked for many of the major studios including MGM and Disney. In 1953, Huxley and Maria applied for United States citizenship. When Huxley refused to bear arms for the U.S....

O. Henry delivers a popular selection of character-driven stories that capture the humor and heart of everyday citizens as they face unusual or extraordinary circumstances. He offers a unique point-of-view creating a dynamic narrative full of twists and turns. Sixes and Sevens features 25 of O. Henry's most notable works. This includes "The Last of the Troubadours," "Makes the Whole World Kin," and "The Duplicity of the Hargraves." Each story is...

The fifty empty freights danced and rolled and rattled on the rough roadbed and filled Jericho Pass with thunder, the big engine was laboring and grunting at the grade, but five cars back the noise of the locomotive was lost. Yet there is a way to talk above the noise of a freight train just as there is a way to whistle into the teeth of a stiff wind. This freight-car talk is pitched just above the ordinary tone-it is an overtone of conversation,...

In "Psmith in the City," the adventure continues, following the novel's namesake and his cricket-obsessed companion Mike Jackson in their new life in finance at the New Asiatic Bank. As is expected, hilarity ensues when their passion for cricket becomes an obstacle to successful employment. In this novel we see all of Wodehouse's comic genius and mastery of farce. Wodehouse is no moralist, zealot, or philosopher-he is a humorist, and a brilliant one...