Inspired by the developments in cryptography and the gradually emerging detective fiction, "The Gold-Bug" surely got mixed critical reception from the public. Hailed as both "ingenious" and "trashy", the story's influence cannot be neglected, and surely Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" can vouch for that. What is more, the use of cipher in the story brought to the fore the interest in puzzles and hidden objects that would later be developed...

The $30,000 Bequest and Other Stories is a collection of thirty comic short stories by the American humorist and writer Mark Twain. The stories contained span the course of his career, from "Advice to Young Girls" in 1865 to the titular tale in 1904. Although Twain had ample time to refine his short stories between their original publication date and this collection, there is little evidence to suggest he took an active interest in doing so. "A Burlesque...

Originally published in 1853, author Nathaniel Hawthorne delivers a vibrant selection of mythological tales inspired by some of the most popular figures in Greek lore. Tanglewood Tales is filled with whimsical characters and their fantastical stories. Nathaniel Hawthorne brings Ancient Greek mythology to life in this collection of Tanglewood Tales. The author reinterprets the stories for a younger audience with a broad appeal. The book contains heroes...

From the day of its troubled publication in 1900 to its inclusion in Modern Library's list of Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century, "Sister Carrie" has been a source of controversy and debate. Regarded as the "first masterpiece of the American naturalist movement," this 100th Anniversary Edition of the classic includes material by the author and a new introduction by the definitive Dreiser biographer.

With compassion, wit, humor, and intelligence, these stories explore the gray areas of our lives. Echoes of myth, fairy tale, and fable flavor them, underscoring the eternal nature of both the human condition and storytelling itself.

"Alaska, 1974. Ernt Allbright came home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes the impulsive decision to move his wife and daughter north where they will live off the grid in America's last true frontier. Cora will do anything for the man she loves, even if means following him into the unknown. Thirteen-year-old Leni, caught in the riptide of her parents' passionate, stormy relationship, has little...

From the moment Madeline Hammond steps off the train in New Mexico, she walks straight into trouble. Almost tricked into marriage by a handsome, drunken cowboy, Madeline quickly realizes she has a lot to learn if she is going to survive life on her brother's ranch in the southwestern territory.