Washington Irving's delightful account of a festive Christmas holiday includes five incomparable essays. Written well over a century ago, Irving's sketches «celebrate the celebration» with heartwarming descriptions of Yuletide events. Irving recalls with warmth and wonder his many colorful experiences of a traditional Victorian Christmas while a guest at an English estate–from the Christmas Eve trip by a stagecoach filled with «rosy-ch ...
This pioneering book was the first to recognize Native American oral verse as a vibrant part of North American literature. First published in 1918, its ancient and modern songs were translated by the era's leading scholars and poets. The depth of its authenticity is matched by the scope of its variety, which covers both personal and ceremonial life.All of North America's major tribes are represented here. Traditional poems from people ...
G. K. Chesterton, the «Prince of Paradox,» is at his witty best in this collection of twenty essays and articles from the turn of the twentieth century. Focusing on «heretics»—those who pride themselves on their superiority to conservative views—Chesterton appraises prominent figures who fall into that category from the literary and art worlds. Luminaries such as Rudyard Kipling, George Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells, and James Mc ...
"It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt."«When in doubt, tell the truth.»"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."One of America's greatest storytellers, Samuel Clemens had something w ...
This select anthology spans 200 years of Anglo-Irish literature by women writers, ranging from the age of Romanticism to the modern era. Its short stories recount episodes of direst tragedy and triumphant heroism, offering a remarkable depth of experience. Rich in the splendors of Gothic fiction, the tales abound in family curses and haunted manors, melodramatic acts of wild passion, and frequent visitations by ghosts and other supernatural crea ...
An indispensable source of advice and inspiration for aspiring writers, this anthology features observations on the craft of creating fiction, by classic and contemporary authors. A literary feast of artistic practices and philosophies, its absorbing essays offer a vast array of personal reflections, suggestions, and critiques.Featured writers include Edgar Allan Poe, Henry James, Joseph Conrad, Kate Chopin, and Robert Louis Stevenson. Jack Lond ...
This collection of thirteen captivating tales by Irish authors illustrates both traditional and modern approaches to the Celtic art of storytelling. Spanning two centuries, it features stories by Maria Edgeworth and William Carleton from the beginning of Irish prose fiction in English; retellings of traditional tales by Lady Gregory and Standish O'Grady from the great age of the Irish Literary Revival; and contributions from many of the 20t ...
Like much of G. K. Chesterton's fiction, The Ball and the Cross is both witty and profound, cloaking serious religious and philosophical inquiry in sparkling humor and whimsy. Serialized in the British publication The Commonwealth in 1905-06, Chesterton's second novel first appeared in book form in America in 1909, delighting and challenging readers with its heady mixture of fantasy, farce, and theology. The plot of The Ball and the Cr ...
A corral of cattle rustlers, outlaws, and other desperadoes ride the range in this bronco-busting anthology of nineteen tales set in the Old West. Spanning the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the diverse stories prove there's no «average» cowboy, but a wide range of rugged individuals. Yet these vividly portrayed characters all seem to possess a sense of freedom, a strong relationship with the land, and a desire to live by their own sta ...
