In the first of L. Frank Baum’s time-Honoréd „Oz” novels, country girl Dorothy Gale and her little dog Toto are caught in a tornado, they and their Kansas farmhouse are suddenly transported to the fantastical Land of Oz where Munchkins live, monkeys fly and Wicked Witches rule, wild beasts talk, silver shoes have magic powers, and good witches offer protection with a kiss. Desperate to return to her native Kansas, and, aided by the Good Witch of the North, she and Toto – to...
Ojo the Unlucky, a Munchkin boy raised in isolation in the Blue Forest by his taciturn Unc Nunkie, finds himself setting out on a quest through the wider world of Oz in this seventh entry in L. Frank Baum’s series about that magical country. The reader accompanies Ojo, the Glass Cat and the Patchwork Girl on a journey to find five magic items in the wonderful Land of Oz to restore to life Ojo’s Uncle Nunkie and the Crooked Magician’s wife, Margolotte, who turn to marble whe...
In this witty and imaginative tale, the Royal Historian of Oz, L. Frank Baum, takes young readers back across The Great Sandy Desert for more exciting adventures in the wondrous Land of Oz. Old friends such as Dorothy, the Wizard, and the Cowardly Lion reappear, along with endearing new characters – the Glass Cat, the Hungry Tiger, Little Trot, Cap’n Bill, the Lonesome Duck, and others. In this story, Ozma’s kingdom is threatened once again by Nome Ruggedo, the dastardly fo...
The Tin Woodman, assisted by Woot the Wanderer, the Scarecrow of Oz, and Polychrome, the Rainbow’s Daughter are on an adventure searching for the pretty Munchkin girl that the Tin Woodman loved before the Old Witch of the East turned his body to tin, causing him to lose his heart. In a series of adventures sure to thrill „Oz” fans both old and new, these beloved friends face such challenges as a selfish giantess and a group of quarrelsome dragons – all to fulfill a promise ...
The ninth book the action of which takes place in the wonderful Land of Oz is indeed a masterpiece. The mix of Oz and non-Oz characters into one story was the result of the request made by Baum’s readers and a great invention that gave birth to a story that captivates any reader, child and adult alike. This was published in July 16, 1915 and has been on record as being Baum’s personal favorite of his series. The story this time around revolves around Scarecrow and his adven...
Finally, I met with one of the most famous plays of Shakespeare. In this work, important and interesting topics are touched: the hypocrisy of people in pursuit of wealth and power, blinding deceitful speeches and disregard for the true virtues of the soul, cruelty and hot temper, deceived hopes and disappointment in loved ones. As for the king himself, Lear appears to be a rather absurd, selfish and domineering old man, who is too used to universal worship and has lost touc...
The Tragedy of Titus Andronicus – an early and very harsh play of Shakespeare. There is no subtle treatment of the characters in it, but it is saturated with bloody events. Based on the traditions of the ancient theater, it represents fictional characters, driven by an inexhaustible thirst for revenge. But, most importantly: the time is now different, and the passions and vices are the same.
A diamond is stolen from the English country estate of Lady Verinder and the renowned Sergeant Cuff is brought in from London to help solve the case. The diamond, said to bring bad luck to its owner because it was stolen from a temple in India, was given to Lady Verinder’s daughter, Rachel, on her 18th birthday. It was bequeathed to Rachel from her uncle (who stole it when he was a young soldier) on his death. The story unfolds through several narrators, all of whom know a ...
Join Dorothy and the Wonderful Wizard as they take Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on a fabulous tour of Oz. During their journey they encounter such amazing and amusing people as King Kleaver with his Spoon Brigade and Miss Cuttenclip of the land of paper dolls. Aunt Em and Uncle Henry also meet old friends like the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, Jack Pumpkinhead and H. M. Wogglebug T. E. But while Dorothy and her friends play, the wicked Nome ...
If you like the books by Iain Lawrence „The Wreckers”, „The Smugglers”, and „The Buccaneers” you’ll love the adventures of Sam Steele. „The Boy Fortune Hunters” series began in 1906 with the novel „Sam Steele’s Adventures on Land and Sea” (later re-published as „The Boy Fortune Hunters in Alaska”). The series lasted six novels, ending in 1911 with the novel „The Boy Fortune Hunters in the South Seas”. Here, Sam Steele and crew are shipwrecked on a forbidding and mysterious ...
„Kandyd, czyli optymizm” – oświeceniowa satyryczna powiastka filozoficzna francuskiego filozofa Voltaire’a – opowiada o wymuszonych wygnaniem podróżach młodzieńca imieniem Kandyd. Przemierzając lądy i morza, przeżywa on nieprawdopodobne przygody, które wystawiają na próbę jego wiarę w to, że żyjemy w najlepszym ze światów. Utwór stanowi dialog z oświeceniowymi poglądami filozoficznymi.
First published in 1896 and considered one of Robert Barr’s best works, this historical novel set in London at the beginning of the 20th century and centering on an industrial strike and a love triangle. The men in Monkton and Hope’s factory strike. Sartwell, their manager, refuses to compromise with them, but discusses the situation with Marsten, one of their number, who clings to his own order, at the same time that he avows his love for Sartwell’s daughter Edna. Sartwell...
Sam Steele is now captain of a ship – an old and battered craft, but his own command. He is sailing it around South America to California. A storm forces Sam’s ship to the Panamanian coast. There, the travelers encounter the Techla Indians, descendants of the Aztecs. The Techlas are hostile to outsiders; Sam and his crew are tempted by the Indians’ abundant gold and gems. Traveling ashore in Moit’s amphibious auto, the Americans attempt to manipulate the Techla, without suc...
Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. The author behind one of the most beloved childhood fairytale characters of all time was known for his joyful embrace of youth and creativity, but there were dark elements surrounding his life that remain mysteries. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical island of Neverla...
Robert Barr has been almost completely overlooked by critics and anthologists of Canadian literature, in part because, although he was educated in Canada, he spent most of his life in the United States and England. However, since most of his serious novels are either set in Canada or have some Canadian connection, Barr deserves attention. „The Measure of the Rule” is a 1907 coming-of-age novel about a country teacher who migrates to the city to study engineering, but is for...
L. Frank Baum, the author of the famous „Oz” books, wrote a number of series for children (and occasionally, books for older readers) under a variety of pseudonyms. Among those you can find many examples of adventure fiction, including this, the inaugural title of the „Sam Steele” series. Sam Steele is the son of a sea captain; his father is reported killed in a shipwreck, and Sam is quickly cheated of his inheritance. Now an orphan, he meets his maternal uncle, Naboth Perk...
If you have interest in finance, mining and sailing which is largely centered around those 3 topics in this novel, you are welcome! „Young Lord Stranleigh” is a thrilling tale of romance and suspense by Robert Barr. Some very sharp City of London operators think that rich Lord Stranleigh, a Bertie Woosterish West End fashion plate, is an easy mark to make some money. There is a potential gold mine in Africa, for example; a dilapidated but workable cargo steamer The Rajah, t...
This greatest political novel of Robert Barr’s most beloved books has been written in years. Barr was a Scottish-Canadian author who relocated to London in 1881 where he founded the magazine „The Idler” in 1892 in collaboration with Jerome K Jerome. In 1895 he retired from its co-editorship and became a prolific novelist. „The Victors: A Romance Of Yesterday Morning & This Afternoon...” is a stirring story of a „boss” and others. Patrick Maguire, big, brawny, and smooth...
Two works of 1829 brought Balzac to the brink of success. „Les Chouans”, the first novel he felt enough confidence about to have published under his own name, is a historical novel about the Breton peasants called „Chouans” who took part in a royalist insurrection against Revolutionary France in 1799 that occurred in the region between Brittany and Nantes and Balzac places his story in this accurate historic contest. Balzac is one of France’s greatest storytellers and this ...
Another enchanting tale of juvenile literature from the creator of „The Wizard of Oz”. L. Frank Baum dedicated the book „Queen Zixi of Ix, or The Story of the Magic Cloak” to his oldest son, Frank Joslyn Baum. In it, the queen of fairies creates a magic cloak which grants its wearer a single wish. Meanwhile, an orphan boy becomes the new king of Noland and his sister gains the cloak which is stolen by the Queen of Zixi, who wishes her mirror to show her as the beautiful you...
Originally published in 1906, „John Dough and the Cherub” remains a whimsical fantasy tale for all ages, by the author of the classic „Oz” books. John Dough is a gingerbread man who has come alive because the baker who made him poured – quite unwittingly – a great quantity of the precious Essence of Vitality into the dough from which he was formed. John escapes from several people who want to eat him, and arrives on the Isle of Phreex. His new friend and constant companion ...
Danger, intrigue, and adventure await you in one of L. Frank Baum’s rarest works! Baum published the novel under the pen name „Schuyler Staunton,” one of his several pseudonyms (Baum arrived at the name by adding one letter to the name of his late maternal uncle, Schuyler Stanton). „Daughters of Destiny” unfolds in the Middle Eastern country of Baluchistan and is an exciting page-turner from start to finish. Conflict occurs when the American Construction Syndicate wants to ...
Need an adventure story with plots and counterplots? Intrigue? A love interest? Politics? Murder? Follow our young American hero, Robert Harcliffe, as he goes on the adventure of his lifetime. A young man just out of college goes to Brazil as secretary of the prime mover in the revolution, and by so doing begins a series of adventures that run from tragic to comic, ending with the success of the conspiracy, a straightening out of many tangles, and the marriage of the hero t...
„Modeste Mignon”, by Honoré de Balzac (1846). The heroine of this romance, a young woman of romantic temperament Modeste Mignon, lives in a small city in northwestern France. She has the religious faith of a child, while her mind is exceptionally well informed in many ways. The young girl, daring in her simplicity, enjoys the writings of the famous Parisian poet Melchior de Canalis and imagines herself to be in love with him. However, he is not moved by her attentions. He i...