IT'S TIME TO GET OUR PUBLIC DOMAIN BACK!
Why should Canadians wait until
2043
to see the public domain titles of
2023?
The Trudeau government took them away from us!
We want them back.
Immediately.
A four times indicted American autocrat
+ a weak, bullied Canadian government
+ weak, bullied Canadian opposition parties
= lasting damage to our heritage
No one spoke for or listened to Canadians
What Canadians need to do:
(1) Get rid of the 20 year copyright extensions in Canada and in the U.S.
- it's not about Americans versus Canadians, but corporations versus everyone else
(2) Make sure that the Prime Minister and Parliament serve Canadians,
not foreign tyrants
(3) Rewrite NAFTA so it's a genuine, willing partnership of equals
- not a coercive instrument to turn other countries into U.S. colonies
A Tale of Two Countries and of Two Autocrats
How the Ukrainian government handled Putin
They completely rejected his attempts to take over their country.
How the Canadian government handled Tr*mp
Simply rolled over and played dead. In the NAFTA "negotiations" Tr*mp
sought control of Canada's copyright laws, and got that and more.
Our government thinks we're a U.S. colony, imposes U.S. laws on us, and
takes away
our
property, the Canadian public domain.
It's time for Canadians to behave like Ukrainians!
Do you belong to a federal political party? Your party supported Donald Tr*mp's takeover of Canadian copyright law -- a direct attack on our country, and on your rights. Between elections is an excellent time to work within your party to correct this scandalous behaviour and restore Canada's copyright laws to what they were before Tr*mp's mugging of the Canadian people. Why should Canadians wait until 2043 to see the public
domain titles of 2023?
Canada is not a colony. We are a sovereign nation.
It's time to act like one. And for our politicians to behave accordingly.
* * * *
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New releases / Nouveautés
EPUB
Most of our ebooks are available in the convenient and popular EPUB format. For information on EPUB, see this
Wikipedia
article.
In it you will find a
useful list of software
to use with EPUB, generally free of charge.
La plupart de nos livres numériques sont disponsibles au format EPUB.
Pour de plus amples renseignements sur ce format (et les logiciels EPUB,
généralement gratuits), vous n'avez qu'à consulter
fr.wikipedia
.
2023/12/03:
ONE YEAR AFTER PUBLISHING HIS FIRST NOVEL, FREEMAN WILLS CROFTS PUBLISHED HIS SECOND MYSTERY. HE WAS ALREADY A MASTER OF HIS CRAFT !!
Crofts, Freeman Wills (1879-1957)
[Irish engineer and mystery novelist]
Wikipedia
The Ponson Case (1921)
[Crofts' second mystery novel. As it opens, we are introduced to
Sir William Ponson, who "had retired from business some ten years
before our story opens and, selling his interest in the large ironworks
of which he was head, had bought Luce Manor and settled down to end his
days in the rôle of a country squire." Very much "a self-made man", in
Crofts' words, and one presumably accustomed to living life on his own
terms. And yet in spite of his wealth, "he remained a simple, honourable,
kindly old man, a little headstrong and short tempered perhaps, but anxious
to be just, and quick to apologise if he found himself in the wrong."
Could such a man have mortal enemies? Since he's the main character
of a mystery novel named after him, the answer could well be yes!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #72235]
2023/11/20:
INTRODUCING DON DIEGO VEGA, BETTER KNOWN AS... ZORRO !!
McCulley, Johnston (1883-1958)
[American novelist]
Wikipedia
The Mark of Zorro (1924; first serialized in 1919 as The Curse of Capistrano)
Wikipedia
[The Spanish language is by no means a mere historical relic in California,
but a daily living presence on the streets and in the homes of Los Angeles
and San Francisco. For that matter, we hear it on the streets of Montreal
and Toronto! This famous novel has inspired many sequels and adaptations,
and is set in the mid nineteenth century, the final period of Mexican rule.
Don Diego Vega, known as Zorro ("the fox"), attempts to counter the misdeeds
of the local Mexican administrators, with considerable success.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #61620]
2023/11/10:
OUR FIFTH MYSTERY BY YORKSHIRE'S J. S. FLETCHER !!
Fletcher, J. S. [Joseph Smith] (1863-1935) [English novelist
and historian]
Wikipedia
In the Mayor's Parlour
(1922)
[A mystery novel from J. S. Fletcher is always something special.
Naturally there is a murder at the centre of this fine novel, and
if you have identified this victim as the Mayor in the title,
congratulations on your sleuthing! He is indeed John Wallingford,
recently elected mayor of the ancient town of Hathelsborough.
Now you have enough to start with: enjoy the novel!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #25424]
2023/11/01:
CHARLES DICKENS' THIRD NOVEL IS AN ETERNAL CLASSIC:
NICHOLAS NICKLEBY !!
Dickens, Charles [Charles John Huffam] (1812-1870)
[English novelist and editor / romancier et éditeur anglais]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
Nicholas Nickleby (1839; with a later Author's Preface)
Wikipedia
[Novel, Dickens' third, continually famous since its publication, and
often adapted to stage and screen. Its full title is The Life and
Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Containing a Faithful Account of the
Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings, and Complete Career of
the Nickleby Family, virtually a summary in itself. But the Wikipedia
article includes a fuller description. And there's a lot to summarize:
no fewer than sixty-five chapters, describing how our hero lost his father
at a young age, and the many events that followed. The Project Gutenberg
US ebook includes the many illustrations by Dickens' favourite artist
Hablot Knight Browne (1815-1882) ["Phiz"]
Wikipedia.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #967]
We also offer the handy text-only Adelaide ebook:
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Traduction française par
Paul Lorain (1799-1861)
Vie et aventures de Nicolas Nickleby
(1885)
fr.wikipedia
[Le troisième roman de Dickens. Le très jeune Nicholas Nickleby perd
son père; sa famille déménage à Londres, où son oncle bien nanti lui
offre... plus ou moins rien. Prochaine escale: le Yorkshire!]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
2023/10/26:
OUR SECOND TITLE BY THE ANGLO-ARMENIAN SATIRIST MICHAEL ARLEN !!
Arlen, Michael (1895-1956)
[English novelist, playwright, and essayist]
Wikipedia
The Green Hat
(1924)
Wikipedia
[Certainly Arlen's most famous novel, set in a world similar to the
early novels of Evelyn Waugh, namely London of the 1920s; later
successfully adapted to the stage and the screen. The film, A Woman
of Affairs, was released in 1928, and starred Greta Garbo, John
Gilbert, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. It changed the names of all the characters, and omitted controversial topics, such as sexual orientation
and recreational drugs. For all that, best stick to the novel!)]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #71913]
2023/10/16:
IN 1925 JOHN DOS PASSOS PUBLISHED MANHATTAN TRANSFER, HIS
PANORAMA OF LIFE IN NEW YORK CITY. AND AMERICAN LITERATURE WAS NEVER
THE SAME AGAIN !!
Dos Passos, John [American novelist and poet]
(1896-1970)
Wikipedia
Manhattan Transfer
(1925)
Wikipedia
[Novel, in three sections, which describe life in Manhattan across the
decades, through the eyes of characters of different ages and social
classes. "Just to rub it in, I regard 'Manhattan Transfer' as more
important in every way than anything by Gertrude Stein or Marcel Proust
or even the great white boar, Mr. Joyce's 'Ulysses.' For Mr. Dos Passos
can use, and deftly does use, all their experimental psychology and
style, all their revolt against the molds of classic fiction. But the
difference! Dos Passos is interesting! Their novels are treatises
on harmony, very scholarly, and confoundedly dull; 'Manhattan Transfer'
is the moving symphony itself." (Sinclair Lewis, Saturday Review,
5 December 1925)]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #71853]
2023/10/11:
THE BOOK WHICH FIRST BROUGHT FAME TO SWEDEN'S
SELMA LAGERLÖF !!
Lagerlöf, Selma [Selma Ottilia Lovisa] (1858-1940)
[Swedish teacher and author; Nobel Prize in Literature, 1909]
Wikipedia
The Story of Gösta Berling
(1891 [Swedish original: Gösta Berlings saga]
Runeberg
;
1898 [this translation])
Wikipedia
[Selma Lagerlöf's first novel, to this day the most famous of her many
works. In 1890 she entered the first part of the book in a literary
contest, which she won, and the entire book was published the following
year, then subsequently turned into a 1924 film (starring Greta Garbo!)
and a 1925 opera by Riccardo Zandonai. This translation by
Pauline Bancroft Flach (1869-1966)
first appeared in 1898, and since then has been reprinted frequently.
As the book starts we meet Gösta Berling, who is conducting a church
service. Yes, he is a priest, but a controversial one, for he has a
drinking habit. Many events ensue, from which we learn that the
Swedish countryside is not as placid a society as one might think!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #56158]
Die treffliche Übersetzung von
Mathilde Mann (1859-1925)
de.wikipedia:
Gösta Berling: Erzählungen aus dem alten Wermland
(1877)
de.wikipedia
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #28751]
2023/10/06:
OUR VERY FIRST ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF AN ARSÈNE LUPIN BOOK !!
Leblanc, Maurice (1864-1941) [Romancier français / French novelist]
fr.wikipedia
en.wikipedia
Arsène Lupin contre Herlock Sholmès
(1908)
fr.wikipedia
[Deux nouvelles de Maurice Leblanc, La Dame blonde et La Lampe juive), écrits dans un style léger et assez amusant, qui mettent en vedette Arsène Lupin... et son illustre homologue anglais Herlock Sholmès!
Faut-il dire que Herlock Sholmès et Sherlock Holmes se ressemblent beaucoup?]
La Dame blonde:
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
La Lampe juive:
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
English translation by
Alexander Teixeira de Mattos (1865-1921)
Wikipedia:
Arsène Lupin versus Holmlock Shears
(1910)
Wikipedia
[The 1910 U.S. edition (the basis of this ebook) has a longer title:
"The Blonde Lady. Being a Record of the Duel of Wits between
Arsène Lupin and the English Detective". In fact it includes
the second novella as well ("The Jewish Lamp"), and is illustrated
by the American artist
Henry Richard Boehm (1871-1914).]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #24839]
2023/10/04:
A COLLECTION OF NO FEWER THAN FORTY COLOUR PRINTS -- FROM
TWO CENTURIES AGO, BUT THEY HAVEN'T AGED A DAY !!
Salaman, Malcolm Charles (1855-1940)
[English art historian and critic]
Wikipedia
edited by:
Holme, Charles (1848-1923)
[English art critic and editor]
Wikipedia
Old English Colour-Prints
(1909)
[Forty colour prints by various engravers and artists of the eighteenth
century, with a very few from the beginning of the nineteenth century.
They are all gathered at the end of the book, after a full-length
discussion by Salaman of the history of colour printing.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #24839]
2023/09/27:
DEUX AVENTURES D'ARSÈNE LUPIN !!
Leblanc, Maurice (1864-1941) [Romancier français]
fr.wikipedia
Arsène Lupin contre Herlock Sholmès
(1908)
fr.wikipedia
[Deux nouvelles de Maurice Leblanc, La Dame blonde et La Lampe juive), écrits dans un style léger et assez amusant, qui mettent en vedette Arsène Lupin... et son illustre homologue anglais Herlock Sholmès!
Faut-il dire que Herlock Sholmès et Sherlock Holmes se ressemblent beaucoup?]
La Dame blonde:
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
La Lampe juive:
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
2023/09/18:
DID ANY MYSTERY WRITER EVER EXCEED THE EASY MASTERY OF
YORKSHIRE'S J. S. FLETCHER ?
Fletcher, J. S. [Joseph Smith] (1863-1935) [English novelist
and historian]
Wikipedia
The Herapath Property
(1921)
[Mystery novel, written in Fletcher's notably attractive style.
Your first question might be, who is Herapath? That's easy to answer:
Jacob Herapath is "a Member of Parliament, the owner of a sort of model
estate of up-to-date flats, and something of a crank about such matters as
ventilation, sanitation, and lighting." As you might guess, he is wealthy.
But he unfortunately is no longer alive. Murder or suicide? That's only
the first of many questions that need answers. "In Mr. J. S. Fletcher's
stories there is no stint of adventure. The solution of this mystery is
most unexpected. The reader will find it hard to lay down."
(Literary Digest, 28 January 1922)]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #25388]
2023/09/12:
FRENCH HISTORY IS PART OF CANADIAN HISTORY -- PARTICULARLY WHEN
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CARDINAL RICHELIEU !!
Price, Eleanor Catharine (1847-1933)
[English journalist, novelist, and historian]
Cardinal de Richelieu
(1912)
[Biography of Louis XIII's chief minister
Wikipedia,
who played an important role in Canadian history as the patron of
Samuel de Champlain, the founder of New France.
The book is carefully researched and attractively illustrated: a
pleasure to read. It was intended for the general reader, but Price
respects her audience, and does not talk down to us or oversimplify.
She was a prominent journalist, critic, and novelist, of outstanding
literary gifts, as this excellent biography makes clear.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #71607]
2023/09/04:
A NICELY WRITTEN AND VERY APPROACHABLE HISTORY OF THE
FRENCH REVOLUTION !!
Mallet, Charles [Charles Edward] (1862-1947)
[English historian and politician]
Wikipedia
The French Revolution
(1893)
[Charles Mallet was a graduate of Balliol College and a lecturer for
Oxford University Extension. The "University Extension" movement,
which continues to this day, seeks to make university-level education
available to everyone, much as Project Gutenberg Canada seeks to
make fine literature available to everyone. And so this beautifully
written account of the French Revolution and its origins, full of
interesting and important information, was published as part of the
University Extension Manuals series, "to aid the University Extension
Movement throughout Great Britain and America".]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #71551]
2023/09/03:
FOR LABOUR DAY WEEKEND, A MYSTERY BY YORKSHIRE'S J. S. FLETCHER
-- SET IN THE WORLD OF ENGLISH THEATRE !!
Fletcher, J. S. [Joseph Smith] (1863-1935) [English novelist
and historian]
Wikipedia
Scarhaven Keep
(1920)
[A classic mystery novel by a classic author. "Mystery, character,
love, a setting that combines the romance of the theatrical profession
with the oddity of a quaint village on the Scottish border: satisfying
ingredients for a detective yarn... here is one that I can recommend
with vigor." ("J. F.", The Bookman [US], March 1922)]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #9807]
2023/08/31:
A BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN HISTORY OF FRANCE (AND EUROPE!) IN THE
SEVENTEENTH CENTURY !!
Wakeman, Henry Offley (1852-1899)
[English historian]
The Ascendancy of France 1598-1715
(1897 edition)
[First published in 1894, this military and political history of Europe
in the seventeenth century was frequently reissued in the decades that followed, and deserved this success: it is thoroughly researched and makes
for attractive reading. Its author was a fellow of All Souls College,
Oxford and taught at Keble College: in his relatively short life he achieved
high eminence and lasting fame as a church historian. But as this book
shows, he was no slouch when it came to political and military history!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #71365]
2023/08/23:
J. J. CONNINGTON'S FIRST NOVEL WAS PUBLISHED IN 1923, BUT
ONE HUNDRED YEARS LATER CERTAINLY SPEAKS TO US, VERY CLEARLY
INDEED. IT'S ABOUT A WORLDWIDE ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHE, AND
HOW A MULTIMILLIONAIRE PROPOSES TO PROTECT HIMSELF FROM IT !!
Connington, J. J. [Stewart, Alfred Walter] (1880-1947) [Scottish
chemist, physicist, and writer of mysteries and science fiction]
Wikipedia
Nordenholt's Million
(1923)
[Disaster novel. Environmental catastrophe has arrived on Earth and
the multimillionaire Nordenholt constructs a refuge for himself and
some others. Not in today's favoured location of New Zealand, but
in the Clyde Valley of Scotland! Parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic
and the behaviour of our modern ultrarich are easy to see. How did
Connington foresee all this? Well, he certainly knew his science:
he was a famous organic chemist. And a fine writer: he went on to
write a considerable number of mystery novels!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #64567]
2023/08/19:
J. B. BURY'S CLASSIC BIOGRAPHY OF SAINT PATRICK:
DEEPLY LEARNED AND BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN !!
Bury, J. B. [John Bagnell] (1861-1927)
[Irish historian]
Wikipedia
The Life of St. Patrick and his Place in History
(1905)
[These days St Patrick's Day is marked by worldwide drunkenness, which
seems strange given the saint's apparent character. He lived in the
fifth century, an age that is not well documented, but Patrick was
certainly a historical personage: in fact, several of his works have
survived to our times! Still, much mystery surrounds various aspects
of his life, and so Bury's famous biography was definitely needed:
it would be hard to imagine a more thorough or more readable study
of his life by a famous historian of late antiquity -- who was himself
born in Ireland!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #71431]
2023/08/16:
THE EARLIEST SHORT STORIES OF ANZIA YEZIERSKA -- WHAT
A BEGINNING TO HER CAREER !!
Yezierska, Anzia (1880s-1970)
[American novelist]
Wikipedia
Hungry Hearts
(1920)
[Yezierska's first published collection of short stories, a considerable
success when published. As you might guess from the title, these short stories are not about the wealthy! They are about a world Anzia Yezierska knew well: that of first-generation immigrants in New York City, very much
like Yezierska and her family when they arrived there in the 1890s.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #41232]
2023/08/11:
OUR FIRST NOVEL BY J. J. CONNINGTON -- A MYSTERY NOVELIST
ADMIRED BY DOROTHY L. SAYERS AND JOHN DICKSON CARR, NO LESS !!
Connington, J. J. [Stewart, Alfred Walter] (1880-1947) [Scottish
chemist, physicist, and writer of mysteries and science fiction]
Wikipedia
Murder in the Maze
(1927)
[Mystery novel, featuring Chief Constable Sir Clinton Driffield. We
begin at Whistlefield, which belongs to Roger Shandon, who is not just
a barrister, but a King's Counsel (KC), if you please! Which is presumably
why he can afford a house like Whistlefield, which has not only a name.
but also grounds, and on those grounds a maze. Which, of course, is
where a murder is discovered. Hence the intervention of Sir Clinton!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #71351]
2023/08/09:
OUR FIRST TITLE BY ANZIA YEZIERSKA, FAMOUS FOR HER PORTRAYALS
OF THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE -- WHICH SHE KNEW ABOUT, FIRST HAND !!
Yezierska, Anzia (1880s-1970)
[American novelist]
Wikipedia
Children of Loneliness
(1923)
[Nine short stories, vividly written, about the experiences of immigrant
children in New York City: much would apply to Toronto or Montreal.
With a notably sincere and interesting introduction, which makes clear
that the stories are rooted in Yezierska's own experiences as a child
immigrant from Poland.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #71361]
2022/08/06:
A NOVEL BY UPTON SINCLAIR ABOUT GREEDY EMPLOYERS, OPPRESSED
WORKERS, AND INDIFFERENT UNIONS -- THINGS REALLY DON'T CHANGE !!
Sinclair, Upton (1878-1968)
[American novelist, journalist, and politician]
Wikipedia
King Coal
(1917)
Wikipedia
[Novel, with a definite social message. An idealistic young man goes
to the coal fields of the American Rockies, seeking not riches but
social justice. He finds that employers are greedy, workers oppressed,
and unions selective about which causes they will embrace. He learns
a lot, though! The book is closely based on actual events, in particular
the Colorado coal strike of 1913-14. With a fine introduction by the
Danish critic
Georg Brandes (1842-1927)
Wikipedia
"Upton Sinclair is one of the writers of the present time most deserving
of a sympathetic interest. He shows his patriotism as an American, not by
joining in hymns to the very conditional kind of liberty peculiar to the
United States, but by agitating for infusing it with the elixir of real
liberty, the liberty of humanity."]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #7522]
2023/08/01:
LE PREMIER ROMAN DE GEORGES BERNANOS !!
Bernanos, Georges (1888-1948) [Romancier français]
fr.wikipedia
Sous le soleil de Satan
(1895)
[Le premier roman de Bernanos. Un portrait de la vie et des croyances
de l'abbé Donissan, et des défis auxquels il fait face: "Le ministère paroissial... est une charge au-dessus de mes forces." Sera-t-il
capable de surmonter ces défis?]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 71272]
2023/07/26:
IN MARCH WE OFFERED YOU A MAGNIFICENT SET OF ETCHINGS BY
GIOVANNI BATTISTA PIRANESI. HERE'S A SECOND SET !!
Piranesi, Giovanni Battista (1720-1778)
[Italian artist and archaeologist]
Wikipedia
Selected Etchings by Piranesi, Series II
([1914])
["The demand which followed the issue of the first series of small reproductions of Piranesi's etchings has tempted the Publishers to put
forth a further selection." And it is our pleasure to present this
second volume. Like its predecessor (which we also offer) it has fifty
plates, and was edited by the English architect and university teacher
Charles Herbert Reilly (1874-1948)
Wikipedia]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #71256]
2023/07/23:
A TRULY EXCELLENT SURVEY OF UKRAINIAN GEOGRAPHY (AND CULTURE, AND
HISTORY, AND LANGUAGE...) !!
Rudnitsky, Stephen (1877-1937)
[Ukrainian geographer and cartographer]
Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine
Ukraine. The Land and its People. (1918)
[Stephen Rudnitsky played a central role in developing the study of
Ukrainian geography. He was born in the Austro-Hungarian province
of Galicia, and studied at the University of Lviv and the University
of Vienna; later he also taught at the University of Lviv ("Lemberg"),
as the title page indicates. The original Ukrainian version of this
book appeared in Kyiv in 1910; in 1915 an anonymous German version
was published in Vienna "with many improvements and additions."
This English version is an authorized translation from the German by
an unknown hand and was published with the support of the Ukrainian
Alliance of America. Less than a third of the book is devoted to
physical geography: the rest is a wide-ranging and very interesting
survey of Ukrainian history, economics, and linguistics.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #71254]
2023/07/22:
TODAY, A NEW AUTHOR: THE ENGLISH ECONOMIST AND HISTORIAN
R. H. TAWNEY !!
Tawney, R. H. [Richard Henry] (1880-1962)
[English economist, historian, and social thinker]
Wikipedia
Religion and the Rise of Capitalism. A Historical Study. (1926)
[Tawney's most celebrated work, originally delivered in 1922 as
the Holland Memorial Lectures. Tawney was a staunch socialist and
a staunch Anglican, and immensely learned, so was certainly an
authority on this topic. And this is his most famous work. It
is about the divorce that arose after the Renaissance between
religious belief and economic action. This is a topic of great
interest at Project Gutenberg Canada. What moral justification
is there for the Tr*mp/Trudeau copyright extensions? None, really.
Actually, what economic justification is there? Again, none really.
But you won't hear any of this from "your" government, nor from
any Canadian political party. Oh no, certainly not! For
they seem interested only in serving rich and powerful corporations,
mostly foreign, not the people of Canada!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #71223]
2023/07/19:
UN TRÈS BEAU RÉCIT DE VOYAGE -- À BICYCLETTE !!
Perrodil, Édouard de (1860-1931)
[Journaliste et athlète français]
de.wikipedia
A vol de vélo: De Paris à Vienne
(1895)
[Récit de voyage -- à bicyclette! "Le 23 avril 1894 était la date fixée pour le voyage à bicyclette que j'avais résolu d'accomplir de Paris à Vienne" -- neuf ans avant le premier Tour de France!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 70989]
2023/07/14:
FIVE YEARS AFTER PUBLISHING THE SILVER KEY, H. P. LOVECRAFT
COLLABORATED WITH E. HOFFMAN PRICE TO WRITE A SEQUEL -- A SECOND CLASSIC !!
Lovecraft, H. P. [Howard Phillips] (1890-1937)
[American writer of fantasy and horror]
Wikipedia
Through the Gates of the Silver Key (1929)
Wikipedia
[The American writer
E. Hoffman Price (1898-1988)
Wikipedia
was himself an admirer of H.P. Lovecraft, upon whom he clearly made a
good impression, for they collaborated on this novella, a sequel to
Lovecraft's The Silver Key from five years earlier (which you
will find in our catalogue). Randolph Carter had "disappeared from
the sight of man on the seventh of October, 1928, at the age of
fifty-four." But this does not mean that his adventures were over.
Quite the contrary! With an illustration by
H. R. Hammond
and cover art by
Margaret Brundage (1900-1976)
Wikipedia]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #71167]
2023/07/12:
A SET OF ESSAYS ON ZEN BUDDHISM BY SOMEONE WHO CERTAINLY KNEW WHAT HE WAS
TALKING ABOUT -- DAISETZ TEITARO SUZUKI !!
Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro (1870-1966)
[Japanese writer on Buddhism]
Wikipedia
Essays in Zen Buddhism (First Series)
(1927)
["Zen in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one's own
being, and it points the way from bondage to freedom. By making us drink
right from the fountain of life, it liberates us from all the yokes under
which we finite beings are usually suffering in this world." Suzuki was
a famous academic, but his opening words make clear that these essays,
demanding at times, are nonetheless directed to a general audience.
Suzuki's first language was Japanese, but he writes a beautifully lucid
English prose.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #71157]
2023/07/06:
AN EXQUISITE SHORT STORY BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN, WITH EQUALLY
EXQUISITE ILLUSTRATIONS BY SHROPSHIRE'S MARY J. NEWILL !!
Andersen, Hans Christian (1805-1875)
[Danish writer and poet; écrivain et poète danois]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
The Nightingale
(1844 [Danish original], 1896 [this edition])
[Short story, The Emperor of China learns of the existence of a
nightingale who lives not in the emperor's magnificent garden, but
in the forest, and wants to know more. Translation by
Henry William Dulcken (1832-1894)
with some fine illustrations by the English designer and illustrator
Mary J. Newill (1860-1947)
Wikipedia]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 71096]
2023/07/01:
HAPPY CANADA DAY! IT'S SIX MONTHS SINCE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
IMPOSED TR*MP'S TWENTY-YEAR FREEZE ON THE
CANADIAN
PUBLIC DOMAIN. OUR POLITICIANS DID NOTHING TO PREVENT THIS. BUT
HERE AT PGC, WE CAN'T FORGET WHAT HAPPENED, AND WE WON'T -- WE HAVE
A DUTY TO CANADIANS !!
Crofts, Freeman Wills (1879-1957)
[Irish engineer and mystery novelist]
Wikipedia
Inspector French and the Starvel Tragedy
[U.S. title: The Starvel Hollow Mystery]
(1927)
Wikipedia
[Mysterious deaths on the moors of western Yorkshire. Inspector French
to the rescue!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #59854]
2023/06/28:
AN EBOOK ABOUT THE DANUBE RIVER! WHAT A NICE WAY OF LEARNING ABOUT
CENTRAL EUROPE'S GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY !!
Jerrold, Walter (1865-1929)
[English travel writer and biographer]
Wikipedia
The Danube
(1911)
[The Danube
Wikipedia
is famously the river of Vienna, but also of Budapest, Bratislava, and
Belgrade. It rises in Germany's Black Forest, close to the French border,
and flows through or beside no fewer than ten European countries, Ukraine
being the easternmost. That's a lot of geography, and a lot of history!
Fortunately Walter Jerrold is an agreeable and very well informed guide. The
book includes thirty illustrations, twelve in colour, by the Scottish artist
Louis Weirter (1873-1932)
Wikipedia]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 70968]
2022/06/22:
A FINE MYSTERY NOVEL BY R. AUSTIN FREEMAN -- FEATURING
DR THORNDYKE, OF COURSE !!
Freeman, R. Austin [Richard Austin] (1862-1943)
[English physician and mystery novelist]
Wikipedia
The D'Arblay Mystery
(1926)
[Novel, featuring Dr Thorndyke and his capable assistant, Nathaniel
Polton. As the story begins, we meet Stephen Gray, "a youngster of
twenty-five, the owner of a brand-new medical diploma, wending [his]
way gaily down Wood-lane, Highgate, at about eight o'clock on a sunny
morning in early autumn.": he is taking a day off, and makes a grisly
discovery. However, he also meets the young and beautiful Marion
D'Arblay: the two events are connected. The famous Dr Thorndyke is
brought in: he teaches Medical Jurisprudence at Dr Gray's medical
school. And things proceed from there!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 70996]
2023/06/12:
OUR FIRST MYSTERY NOVEL BY ANTHONY BERKELEY COX -- A FINE AND
VERY INFLUENTIAL WRITER (HE KNEW AGATHA CHRISTIE AND DOROTHY SAYERS),
AND THE CREATOR OF SLEUTH ROGER SHERINGHAM !!
Cox, Anthony Berkeley (1893-1971)
[English journalist and writer of mysteries]
Wikipedia
Novel published under the name of
Anthony Berkeley
:
Roger Sheringham and the Vane Mystery
[U.S. title: The Mystery at Lover's Cave]
(1927)
[Mystery, skilfully written in a light and entertaining style. As the
novel opens, the sparkling and witty Roger Sheringham has been asked
by the Daily Courier to visit Hampshire to report on an apparent
murder in the small seaside town of Ludmouth Bay. With him he takes
his cousin Anthony Walton. "Although there were more than ten years
between the cousins (Roger was now thirty-six, Anthony a bare twenty-five),
they had always been good friends, and that also in spite of the fact
that they had scarcely a taste or a feeling in common." The two of them
prove an effective and entertaining pair of investigators.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 70877]
2023/05/31:
TODAY'S EBOOK HAS RECENTLY BECOME NEWLY FAMOUS! IT'S ABOUT DOCTORS,
MEDICAL RESEARCH, MONEY, THE REALITIES OF PANDEMICS, AND THE EFFECT
OF ALL THIS ON INDIVIDUALS. THESE ISSUES BECAME NEWLY RELEVANT WHEN
COVID-19 SPREAD WORLDWIDE IN 2020, AND COVID IS STILL WITH US: THE
ISSUES WILL BE WITH US FOREVER. WE NOW OFFER YOU TWO DIFFERENT
DIGITAL EDITIONS OF THIS CLASSIC NOVEL -- TAKE YOUR CHOICE !!
Lewis, Sinclair (1885-1951) [American novelist; Nobel Prize in Literature, 1930]
Wikipedia
Nobelprize.org
Arrowsmith
(1925)
Wikipedia
[Novel about the life of Martin Arrowsmith from his early days in
the small Midwestern town of Elk Mills, which follows him through
medical school, life as a GP, hospital work, medical research, and
bubonic plague in the Caribbean. We see how all these experiences
affect Arrowsmith and those around him, and how he deals with the
ethical conflicts which arise. It is an amazingly comprehensive study
of the world of medicine, is absolutely relevant today, and its fame
has only increased since the advent of COVID-19. Its accuracy is no
accident, as in a short preface to the original edition Lewis recorded
his debt to the famous microbiologist
Paul de Kruif (1890-1971)
Wikipedia
"not only for most of the bacteriological and medical material in
this tale but equally for his help in the planning of the fable
itself--for his realization of the characters as living people,
for his philosophy as a scientist."]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 70875]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]: the Adelaide edition omits
Lewis's gracious acknowledgement of the help provided by Paul de Kruif.]
2023/05/24:
NOUS VOUS PRÉSENTONS... M. ARSÈNE LUPIN !!
Leblanc, Maurice (1864-1941) [Romancier français]
fr.wikipedia
Arsène Lupin: Gentleman-Cambrioleur
(1907)
fr.wikipedia
[Le début littéraire de M. Arsène Lupin! Neuf nouvelles, publiées par le mensuel Je sais tout entre 1905 et 1907. "Et la vogue qu'a si bien commencée le magazine, le livre va la continuer." (Préface de
Jules Claretie (1840-1913)
fr.wikipedia)
Ce qui est bien le cas!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 32854]
2023/05/19:
A UNIQUELY FASCINATING FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT OF THE TRANSITION OF JAPAN
FROM FEUDALISM TO MODERNITY !!
Sugimoto, Etsu Inagaki (1872/73-1950)
[Japanese critic, journalist, and university instructor]
Wikipedia
A Daughter of the Samurai
(1925)
[It's hard to come up with a better summary than what's on the title page:
"How a daughter of feudal Japan, living hundreds of years in one generation,
became a modern American". She did eventually return to Japan for a time,
but while in the United States taught Japanese language and history at
Columbia University. Who better to give us this vivid portrait of Japan's
epoch-making transition from feudalism to modernity? Includes an
introduction by Project Gutenberg Canada author
Christopher Morley (1890-1957)
and a frontispiece by the photographer
Ichiro Hori (1879-1969)
-- celebrated in New York during his time there -- as well as a fine
illustration by
Tekisui Ishii (1882-1945).]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70766]
2023/05/13:
CHARLES III WAS PRINCE OF WALES FOR MANY YEARS BEFORE BECOMING KING.
THE SAME WAS TRUE OF HIS GREAT-GREAT-GRANDFATHER EDWARD VII !!
Belloc Lowndes, Marie (1868-1947)
[Anglo-French novelist]
Wikipedia
His Most Gracious Majesty King Edward VII
(1901)
[Charles III ascended the throne in 2023, at the age of 74. The only precedent for such a long period as heir apparent is Edward VII,
son of Queen Victoria, who became king in 1901 at age 59. "This book,"
states the preface, "originally published as a Life of the Prince of
Wales, has now been much enlarged and brought up to the latest date,
including His Majesty's Accession and the events which followed. Fresh illustrations have also been added." And indeed it has a huge set of illustrations, carefully selected. Belloc Lowndes would go on to become
an extremely famous novelist, and the book itself is beautifully written,
as one would expect. But it is also thoroughly researched, and contains
a wealth of information.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #52237]
2023/05/10:
NOUS VOUS OFFRONS SEPT AVENTURES DE SHERLOCK HOLMES !!
Doyle, Arthur Conan (1859-1930) [Scottish physician and author /
médecin et écrivain écossais]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
Nouveaux Exploits de Sherlock Holmes
[1930]
[Traduction anonyme de sept nouvelles: L'Homme estropié [Le Tordu], La
Cycliste solitaire, Aventure de trois étudiants [Les Trois Étudiants],
Les Propriétaires de Reigate, L'Interprète grec, Le Malade pensionnaire
[Le Pensionnaire en traitement], et Le Problème final [Le Dernier Problème].
Pour de plus amples renseignements, vous n'avez qu'à consulter
fr.wikipedia]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
2023/05/06:
THE THIRD SOLOMON KANE STORY, BY ROBERT E. HOWARD TAKES
OUR HERO TO GERMANY -- TO THE BLACK FOREST, IN FACT !!
Howard, Robert E. [Robert Ervin] (1906-1936) [American
fantasy and horror author]
Wikipedia
Rattle of Bones
(June 1929)
Wikipedia
[The third Solomon Kane story finds our hero in Germany, in the Black
Forest in fact, where he is staying at the Cleft Skull Tavern. Here
he meets another guest, Gaston l'Armon. Any story with names like that
must be special! The ebook we offer you includes the cover illustration by
Hugh Rankin (1878-1956)
from Weird Tales, where the story first appeared, and also the
illustration he created for the story itself.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70653]
2023/05/03:
L'IRAN NE CESSE D'OPÉRER SA MAGIE, SEMBLE-T-IL. CLAUDE ANET
NOUS EN RACONTE LES MERVEILLES !!
Anet, Claude [pseudonyme de Jean Schopfer] (1868-1931)
[Journaliste et romancier français]
fr.wikipedia
Les Roses d'Ispahan: La Perse en automobile à travers la Russie et le Caucase
(1906)
[Récit de voyage, avec plusieurs photos. Un portrait inoubliable de la Perse et ses pays voisins avant le déclenchement de la Première Guerre mondiale, une époque que nous ne reverrons jamais.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 70650]
2023/04/30:
LESS THAN 10,000 YEARS AGO, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO TAKE A FERRY TO GET FROM
ENGLAND TO FRANCE, BELGIUM, THE NETHERLANDS, OR GERMANY !!
Reid, Clement (1853-1916)
[English geologist]
Wikipedia
Submerged Forests
(1913)
[Scientific treatise. The author begins by telling us of parts of
the English coastline where "the fishermen will tell you of black peaty
earth, with hazel-nuts, and often with tree-stumps still rooted in the
soil, seen between tide-marks when the overlying sea-sand has been cleared
away by some storm or unusually persistent wind." It turns out that these
areas were flooded only a few thousand years ago, when sea levels rose
sharply, by as much as 90 feet: up until that point England had been joined
to the rest of Europe by a large area of land which we now call Doggerland
Wikipedia.
This epoch-making and very thorough book wears its years lightly, and does demonstrate that coastal areas can be submerged as a result of changes in geology and climate. Circumstances today are not the same, but one does wonder about the effects of the global heating we are now witnessing.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70654]
2023/04/28:
OUR SECOND SOLOMON KANE STORY, BY ROBERT E. HOWARD !!
Howard, Robert E. [Robert Ervin] (1906-1936) [American
fantasy and horror author]
Wikipedia
Skulls in the Stars
(January 1929)
Wikipedia
[The second Solomon Kane story, introduced by a quotation from the
English poet Thomas Hood (1799-1845): "He told how murderers walk
the earth..." As the story opens, Solomon Kane is on his way to
Torkertown. It is late in the day, and he is advised to postpone
his trip until the next day. But he decides to proceed. Similarly,
there is a fork in the road, and he is advised to take the inconvenient
swamp road rather than the moor road, which is shorter but has an evil reputation: "Some foul horror haunts the way and claims men for his victims." You can guess which road he chooses!
The ebook we offer you includes the cover illustration by
C. C. Senf (1873-1949)
from Weird Tales, where the story first appeared, and also the
illustration created by
Hugh Rankin (1878-1956)
for the actual story.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70540]
2023/04/26:
SIX NOUVELLES QUI METTENT EN VEDETTE SHERLOCK HOLMES !!
Doyle, Arthur Conan (1859-1930) [Scottish physician and author /
médecin et écrivain écossais]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
Souvenirs de Sherlock Holmes
[1918]
[Traduction par
Jeanne de Polignac (1861-1919)
de six nouvelles:
Silver Blaze [Flamme d'Argent],
Le Document volé [Le Traité naval].
Le Gloria Scott,
Le Visage jaune [La Figure jaune],
Le Commis d'agent de change [L'Employé de l'agent de change],
et Le Rituel des Musgraves [Le Rituel des Musgrave].
Pour de plus amples renseignements, vous n'avez qu'à consulter
fr.wikipedia]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
2023/04/22:
AN EARLY NOVEL BY JAMES HILTON, NOT ABOUT A SCHOOLMASTER
(MR CHIPS LAY IN THE FUTURE), BUT ABOUT A BACTERIOLOGY RESEARCHER IN
LONDON !!
Hilton, James (1900-1954) [English novelist]
Wikipedia
Terry
(1927)
[This early novel already shows the smoothness and expertise we are
familiar with from Hilton's famous later novels. This novel, written
ten years before Good-bye, Mr. Chips, tells the story of Dr M.
Terrington ("Terry"), a research-lecturer in bacteriology at University
College in London. A very prestigious position, which he attained in
spite of being born into poverty. Once he has achieved this degree of
success, "after habitually working three times as hard as he ought",
his life begins to change...]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70587]
2023/04/20:
CINQ NOUVELLES QUI METTENT EN VEDETTE SHERLOCK HOLMES !!
Doyle, Arthur Conan (1859-1930) [Scottish physician and author /
médecin et écrivain écossais]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
Nouvelles Aventures de Sherlock Holmes
[1905]
[Traduction par
Jeanne de Polignac (1861-1919)
de cinq nouvelles:
L'Association des Hommes Roux [La Ligue des rouquins],
Un cas d'identité [Une affaire d'identité],
Le Mystère de la vallée de Boscombe [Le Mystère du Val Boscombe],
L'Aventure des Cinq Pépins d'orange [Les Cinq Pépins d'orange],
et L'Homme à la lèvre retroussée [L'Homme à la lèvre tordue].
Pour de plus amples renseignements, vous n'avez qu'à consulter
fr.wikipedia]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
2023/04/18:
WE NOW OFFER YOU TWO SEPARATE EBOOKS OF ROBERT E. HOWARD'S VERY FIRST
SOLOMON KANE STORY !!
Howard, Robert E. [Robert Ervin] (1906-1936) [American
fantasy and horror author]
Wikipedia
Red Shadows
(August 1928)
Wikipedia
[Fantasy story in five sections, starting with The Coming of Solomon.
Yes, this is the first appearance in literature of Howard's
famous creation Solomon Kane: other stories were to follow,
and even a 2009 film. In this story he is in France, where he is
battling the evil Le Loup. "All his life he had roamed about the
world aiding the weak and fighting oppression, he neither knew nor
questioned why. That was his obsession, his driving force of life.
Cruelty and tyranny to the weak sent a red blaze of fury, fierce and
lasting, through his soul... If he thought of it at all, he considered
himself a fulfiller of God's judgment, a vessel of wrath to be emptied
upon the souls of the unrighteous. Yet in the full sense of the word
Solomon Kane was not wholly a Puritan, though he thought of himself
as such." Both of our digital editions include the August 1928 cover illustration by
C. C. Senf (1873-1949).
from Weird Tales, where the story first appeared. The Project
Gutenberg US ebook also includes the two illustrations which the magazine
provided for the actual story: they are by
Hugh Rankin (1878-1956)
Wikipedia]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70570]
EPUB
[Wikisource]
2023/04/12:
A MAGNIFICENT COLLECTION OF DRAWINGS BY THE LEGENDARY MEXICAN
CARTOONIST MIGUEL COVARRUBIAS, PUBLISHED LESS TWO YEARS
AFTER HIS ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK. AND WHAT A COLLECTION IT IS !!
Covarrubias, Miguel (1904-1957)
[Mexican cartoonist and painter]
Wikipedia
The Prince of Wales and Other Famous Americans (1925)
Wikipedia
[In his preface, the famous American photographer
Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964)
describes how eighteen months earlier he had first met Miguel Covarrubias,
newly arrived in New York from Mexico City, looked at the drawings
Covarrubias had with him, and "was immediately convinced that I stood in
the presence of an amazing talent, if not, indeed, genius. That afternoon
he made the sketches for his caricature of me, delivered two days later,
the first, I think, of this New York series." And what a series it is!
The Prince of Wales was not American of course, but was visiting New York.
And a famous Canadian was among Covarrubias' subjects: the film actress
Mary Pickford, born in Toronto!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70493]
2023/04/10:
SIX NOUVELLES CLASSIQUES DE SHERLOCK HOLMES !!
Doyle, Arthur Conan (1859-1930) [Scottish physician and author /
médecin et écrivain écossais]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
Les Aventures de Sherlock Holmes
(1924)
[Traduction de six nouvelles par
Jeanne de Polignac (1861-1919)
,
avec une belle préface littéraire et biographique
par la traductrice. Les six nouvelles: L'Escarboucle bleue, Aventure
de la bande mouchetée [Le Ruban moucheté], Le Pouce de l'ingénieur.
L'Aristocratique célibataire [Un Aristocrate célibataire], Le Diadème
de béryls, et Les Hêtres rouges [Les Hêtres pourpres].
Pour de plus amples renseignements, vous n'avez qu'à consulter
fr.wikipedia]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
2023/04/07:
FOR THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND, A SHORT STORY (NOT SO SHORT, REALLY) BY
H. P. LOVECRAFT !!
Lovecraft, H. P. [Howard Phillips] (1890-1937)
[American writer of fantasy and horror]
Wikipedia
The Silver Key (1929)
Wikipedia
["When Randolph Carter was thirty," this famous story begins, "he lost
the key to the gate of dreams." His waking life had been dull and
unrewarding, but the dreams he had every night more than made up for
this -- until now. What was a man to do? Follow the instructions of
his late grandfather (in a dream, naturally) and find "in an antique
box a great silver key handed down from his ancestors." And this
famous story proceeds from there. The illustration at the start
of the ebook is from the January 1929 cover of Weird Tales,
where the story first appeared, and is by
C. C. Senf (1873-1949).
The drawing at the end of the ebook is from the actual text of the
story in Weird Tales, and is by
Hugh Rankin (1878-1956)
Wikipedia.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70478]
2023/04/05:
WE NOW OFFER TWO DIGITAL EDITIONS OF THIS CLASSIC NOVEL
BY DOROTHY L. SAYERS -- ONE OF HER FIRST BOOKS TO FEATURE THAT
ARISTOCRATIC SLEUTH, LORD PETER WIMSEY !!
Sayers, Dorothy L. [Dorothy Leigh] (1893-1957)
[English theologian, translator, playwright, and novelist]
Wikipedia
New York Times obituary
The Dorothy L Sayers Society
Clouds of Witness (1926; revised 1935)
Wikipedia
[The second Sayers novel to feature Lord Peter Wimsey. As the novel
opens, we find ourselves in Paris, where Lord Peter and his manservant
Bunter are staying at the luxurious Hôtel Meurice, having just spent
three months in Corsica. Really, everyone should be a lord! But
they stay in Paris only a single night: he learns from the morning
newspaper that his brother, the Duke of Denver, has been charged
with murder! Clearly Lord Peter must get back to England and find
out what has really happened.]
The original text, from 1926:
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70432]
The 1935 revision:
"This re-issue of CLOUDS OF WITNESS (which has
received some corrections and amendments from
MISS SAYERS) has for a Preface a short biography
of Lord Peter Wimsey, brought up to date (May 1935) and
communicated by his uncle PAUL AUSTIN DELAGARDIE."
HTML
HTML zipped
Text
Text zipped
[PGC #156]
2023/04/03:
LOUIS HÉMON DÉCRIT SON VOYAGE DE LIVERPOOL À QUEBEC -- ET NOUS
DONNE UN PORTRAIT INOUBLIABLE DE LA VILLE DE QUÉBEC DE SON ÉPOQUE.
UNE FOIS ÉTABLI AU CANADA, IL NOUS DONNERA SON CHEF D'OEUVRE,
MARIA CHAPDELAINE !!
Hémon, Louis (1880-1913) [écrivain français]
fr.wikipedia
Dictionnaire biographique du Canada
en.wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Itinéraire
(1927)
[Récit de voyage. Le 18 octobre 1911 l'écrivain français Louis Hémon
est arrivé à Québec après un voyage de six jours: il passera le reste
de sa vie au Canada. Ce charmant recueil comprend quatre essais:
De Québec à Montréal, Sur la Terrasse, Dans les rues de Québec,
et De Liverpool à Québec. "Que Québec est une cité historique;
la plus intéressante peut-être, historiquement, de l'Amérique du Nord
unique en son genre sur ce continent... tout le monde sait cela. Mais
c'est aussi une cité plus complexe qu'on ne veut bien le dire... Un
Français venant directement de France, au contraire, et qui n'aura
pas eu le temps de vraiment perdre contact avec les choses de son
pays, remarquera surtout dans Québec non pas ce qui est français,
mais ce qui ne l'est point."]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 70094]
2023/03/31:
TO END THE MONTH, A MAGNIFICENT SET OF ETCHINGS BY
GIOVANNI BATTISTA PIRANESI !!
Piranesi, Giovanni Battista (1720-1778)
[Italian artist and archaeologist]
Wikipedia
Selected Etchings by Piranesi, Series I
(1914)
[Giovanni Piranesi's etchings of ancient Roman architecture have been
famous ever since their first publication in the eighteenth century.
This selection of no fewer than fifty of his etchings was made by the
English architect and university teacher
Charles Herbert Reilly (1874-1948)
Wikipedia]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70405]
2023/03/28:
UN CÉLÈBRE ROMAN POLICIER -- OU PLUTÔT UN ROMAN SHERLOCK HOLMES !!
Doyle, Arthur Conan (1859-1930) [Scottish physician and author /
médecin et écrivain écossais]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
Le Chien des Baskerville
(1902 [version originale anglaise] 1905 [cette traduction])
fr.wikipedia
[Traduction de The Hound of the Baskervilles par
Adrien de Jassaud (1881-1937).
Sherlock Holmes et le docteur Watson font face à un cas assez perplexe.
Un grand chien noir terrifie le voisinage de Baskerville Hall dans le
Devonshire: "une horrible bête, noire, de grande taille, ressemblant à
un chien, mais à un chien ayant des proportions jusqu'alors inconnues".]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
2023/03/25:
A VERY FAMOUS PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF ALGERIA DURING ITS COLONIAL DAYS !!
Bodley, R. V. C. [Ronald Victor Courtenay] (1892-1970)
[English soldier and writer]]
Wikipedia
Algeria from Within
(1927)
[Colonies are important to Canada, if only because we live in one: the
United States recently demonstrated this by coercively imposing a
twenty year extension on Canadian copyrights, against the will
of Canadians. The Ottawa administration did what they were told, and
not a single MP, senator, or political party objected. This could
not happen in a truly sovereign nation. Algeria, by way of contrast,
overthrew French colonial rule in 1962: an example for Canadians. France
most definitely does not rule Algeria today, but for more than a century
it did. After his service in the First World War, our author attended
the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, and there he met Lawrence of Arabia,
who advised him to go and live with the Arabs. Which he did, learning
Arabic and living with a Saharan tribe for seven years. This book is
his account of the Algeria he saw, and became an instant classic.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70287]
2023/03/23:
LE PROFESSEUR CHALLENGER ET LE JOURNALISTE EDWARD MALONE DÉCOUVRENT UN MONDE DISPARU DEPUIS LONGTEMPS... TRÈS LONGTEMPS !!
Doyle, Arthur Conan (1859-1930) [Scottish physician and author /
médecin et écrivain écossais]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
Le Monde perdu
(1912 [version originale anglaise]; 1913 [cette traduction])
fr.wikipedia
[Un classique immortel parmi les romans d'aventures, qui a inspiré
plusieurs films et romans. Traduit par
Louis Labat (1867-1947)
avec des gravures executées par l'illustrateur normand
Géo Dupuis (1874-1932)
fr.wikipedia.
Un jeune journaliste irlandais, Edward Malone, doit accompagner le
professeur Georges-Édouard Challenger en Amérique du Sud, où ils font
des découvertes tout à fait étonnantes.]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
Nous vous offrons également la version originale anglaise:
EPUB
[Wikisource]
2023/03/19:
A CLASSIC NOVEL BY W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM ABOUT A STOCKBROKER
WHO LEAVES LONDON FOR PARIS, AND BECOMES A PAINTER !!
Maugham, W. Somerset [William Somerset] (1874-1965)
[English novelist and playwright]
Wikipedia
The Moon and Sixpence
(1919)
Wikipedia
[We often discover that people are not quite who we thought they were.
The hero of this novel is Charles Strickland, "whose youth was past, a
stockbroker with a position of respectability, a wife and two children."
Not someone you would expect to leave his family and move to Paris.
His explanation? "I've got to paint." Which he does, and eventually
moves to Tahiti, for what turns out to be the rest of his life.
The novel has parallels with the life of Paul Gauguin
Wikipedia.
Maugham also drew on his own life experience: he had been born in Paris,
and knew the city well. The novel's mysterious title is easily explained:
there is a proverb that if you look down to the ground looking for a coin,
you will not notice the moon up in the sky. That is, it's easy to miss
what should be obvious, in this case presumably the reasons for Strickland's outwardly inexplicable behaviour. Our text of the novel is drawn from an early reprint of the 1919 New York first edition.]
EPUB
[Wikisource]
2023/03/14:
IN 1913 THE FAMOUS AMERICAN NOVELIST OF SOCIAL REALISM THEODORE
DREISER PUBLISHED AN ACCOUNT OF HIS FIRST TRIP TO EUROPE (IT'S
IN OUR CATALOGUE!). IN 1916 HE PUBLISHED A SECOND TRAVEL BOOK -- THIS
TIME ABOUT A ROAD TRIP TO HIS HOMETOWN: WARSAW, INDIANA !!
Dreiser, Theodore [Theodore Herman Albert] (1871-1945)
[American journalist, poet, and novelist]
Wikipedia
A Hoosier Holiday
(1916)
[For readers not familiar with Indiana, a "Hoosier" is anyone from that
great state -- such as the celebrated novelist Theodore Dreiser. In 1913
he had published A Traveler at Forty, which you will find in our
catalogue. But after the First World War started, travel to Europe was
not so easy to arrange. So instead, he and his fellow Hoosier
Franklin Booth (1874-1948)
Wikipedia
went on a road trip to Warsaw, Indiana, which Dreiser had left some
twenty-eight years before: it is a hundred miles up the road from
Booth's birthplace of Carmel, itself just north of Indianapolis.
It is Booth, a well known artist, who contributed the book's many
illustrations. The trip started in New York City and largely
paralleled the Ontario border to the north. But the trip
was not merely to Indiana, but also to Dreiser's earliest years.
Much had changed, much had not: he stays longer than first intended,
and shares with his readers vivid and pleasurable recollections of
what was already a past age.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70269]
2023/03/10:
COUNT LEO TOLSTOY WAS A VERY GREAT LITERARY FIGURE, AND HE WAS RUSSIAN.
THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT HE WOULD IN ANY WAY APPROVE OF RUSSIA'S
INVASION OF UKRAINE -- QUITE THE CONTRARY !!
Tolstoy, Lev (Leo / Léon) Nikolayevich (1828-1910) [Russian
novelist and social critic / romancier et philosophe russe]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
Two Wars
(1898)
[Here at Project Gutenberg Canada we are planning to continue our
publication of works by Tolstoy and other classic Russian authors.
But this does not mean that we in any way condone the war against Ukraine.
Tolstoy would certainly condemn it, just as in this article he condemned
the recently concluded Spanish-American War, and the Russian persecution
of the Doukhobors. In fact, he helped many Doukhobors escape to Canada!
Our translation is by the Massachusetts-born translator and critic
Nathan Haskell Dole (1852-1935)
Wikipedia]
EPUB
(interim version)
[Wikisource]
2023/03/08:
LE PLUS CÉLÈBRE ROMAN DE NOTRE LITTÉRATURE DU TERROIR -- PAR
LE ROMANCIER FRANÇAIS LOUIS HÉMON !!
Hémon, Louis (1880-1913) [écrivain français]
fr.wikipedia
Dictionnaire biographique du Canada
en.wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Maria Chapdelaine
(version 1916)
fr.wikipedia
["Récit du Canada français" (première parution en 1913), dont l'action
se déroule à Péribonka, dans la région du lac Saint-Jean, où Hémon a
travaillé dans les fermes pour apprendre leurs moeurs. Marie Chapdelaine
est la fille de Samuel et Laura Chapdelaine, a dix-huit ans, et doit
choisir son mari... et son destin.
"Précédé de deux préfaces: par M.
Émile Boutroux [1845-1921]
fr.wikipedia, de l'Académie française, et par M.
Louvigny de Montigny (1876-1955)
fr.wikipedia, de la Société royale du Canada."
Avec des "Illustrations originales" de
Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Côté [1869-1937]
fr.wikipedia]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
English translation:
Maria Chapdelaine: A Tale of the Lake St. John Country
(1921)
Wikipedia
[To this day probably the most famous novel to come from French Canada.
But its author was from France! He came to Canada in 1911, lived and
worked for a time in Péribonka, in the Saguenay, and based his novel on
what he saw while living there. The main character, Maria Chapdelaine,
is eighteen years old, and must choose what to do with her life. In
particular, whom should she marry? And should she stay in Péribonka
or not? The translation is by
William Hume Blake (1861-1924).
Blake was an eminent Toronto lawyer, who spent many summers in the
Charlevoix region of Quebec, not far from Péribonka.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #4383]
EPUB
[en.wikisource]
2023/03/02:
A NOVELLA, LIGHT IN TONE, BY RONALD FIRBANK -- AN AUTHOR MUCH
ADMIRED BY E. M. FORSTER AND EVELYN WAUGH, AMONG OTHERS !!
Firbank, Ronald (1886-1926) [English novelist]
Wikipedia
Caprice
(1917)
[Written in the depths of the First World War, although the novella
is not at all dark in tone: such was not the way of Ronald Firbank.
With a fine frontispiece by
Augustus John (1878-1961)
Wikipedia.
This is the story of Miss Sarah Sinquier, the daughter of Canon
Sinquier. She was born in "the sleepy peaceful town of Applethorp",
but as the novella opens she is about to visit London, which as
it turns out she likes very much. Particularly the West End!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70073]
2023/02/28:
LA PREMIÈRE TRADUCTION FRANÇAISE D'UNE AVENTURE DE SHERLOCK HOLMES !!
Doyle, Arthur Conan (1859-1930) [Scottish physician and author /
médecin et écrivain écossais]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
La Marque des quatre
(1890 [version originale anglaise] 1896 [cette traduction]
fr.wikipedia
[Traduction de The Sign of the Four (1890) par
Jeanne de Polignac (1861-1919).
La deuxième aventure de Sherlock Holmes, mais la première traduite en
français! Le docteur Watson est préoccupé, voire fâché. Trois fois
par jour depuis des mois Sherlock Holmes prend de la morphine ou de
la cocaïne. Comment résoudre ce problème? "Fournissez-moi soit des
problèmes à résoudre, soit un travail à faire, proposez-moi l'énigme
la plus indéchiffrable ou l'analyse la plus subtile, je me sentirai
aussitôt dans l'atmosphère qui me convient. C'est alors que les
stimulants artificiels me deviennent inutiles." Mais l'ennui de
Sherlock Holmes ne va pas durer longtemps. Madame Hudson frappe
à leur porte, portant une carte sur un plateau. Miss Mary Marston
entre en scène!]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
2023/02/24:
DOES A FREE PRESS REALLY EXIST IN CANADA? WELL, PROBABLY NOT.
HOW ELSE TO EXPLAIN THE COMPLETE ABSENCE OF PRESS ATTENTION TO THE
TR*MP/TRUDEAU COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS THIS YEAR?
THEY WERE A HUGE TRANSFER OF PUBLIC PROPERTY TO MOSTLY FOREIGN CORPORATE
INTERESTS.
AND WHAT PASSES FOR "NEWS" SEEMS TO BE EXACTLY THE SAME ACROSS ALL THE
MEDIA. BUT THINGS HAVE BEEN LIKE THIS FOR MANY YEARS, AS THIS BOOK BY THE
FAMOUS AMERICAN FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT GEORGE MARION SHOWS !!
Marion, George (1905-1955)
[American journalist and social thinker]
Social Networks and Archival Context
The "Free Press": Portrait of a Monopoly
(1946)
[The title says it all, and this fine piece of reporting is in no way
dated: the system Marion describes is still very much in place. Marion
was a Communist adherent who did little to hide his beliefs. But he was
also an outstanding journalist, so much so that the newspapers and
publishers of his day went to extreme lengths to make sure that he got
as little coverage and distribution as possible. But they are gone, and
Marion's fine book remains -- well worth your time! He wrote it shortly
after leaving the New York Mirror in 1946 -- a Hearst newspaper.
You'll learn a lot about how the press monopoly came into being, and
you'll be amazed at how durable this monopoly has turned out to be!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70107]
2023/02/22:
ONE OF CHARLES DICKENS' EARLIEST NOVELS (PUBLISHED WHEN VICTORIA WAS
JUST ASCENDING THE THRONE) AND ONE OF HIS MOST FAMOUS ONES !!
Dickens, Charles [Charles John Huffam] (1812-1870)
[English novelist and editor / romancier et éditeur anglais]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
Oliver Twist; or, the Parish Boy's Progress.
(1838)
Wikipedia
[One of Dickens' earliest novels, and certainly one of the most famous!
It is the personal history of Oliver Twist, who is born into poverty
and grows up in it, at one point becoming a member of a gang of young
pickpockets, who turn out to be a remarkable group of characters.
The Wikisource EPUB we offer contains the famous illustrations by
Dickens' friend
George Cruikshank (1792-1878)
Wikipedia.
We also offer the handy text-only Adelaide EPUB.]
EPUB
[Wikisource]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Traduction française par
Alfred Gérardin (1825-1881)
sous la direction de
Paul Lorain (1799-1861)
Olivier Twist
(1893)
fr.wikipedia
[Ce célèbre roman nous raconte la vie et les aventures d'un orphelin anglais, mais finit par nous donner un portrait sans égal de la vie quotidienne anglaise à l'époque de Dickens!]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
2023/02/18:
LA PREMIÈRE AVENTURE DE SHERLOCK HOLMES !!
Doyle, Arthur Conan (1859-1930) [Scottish physician and author /
médecin et écrivain écossais]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
Un crime étrange
(1887 [version originale anglaise] 1903 [cette traduction]
fr.wikipedia
[Traduction anonyme du roman policier A Study in Scarlet, où
Sherlock Holmes et le docteur James Watson font leurs débuts littéraires.
Le docteur Watson se trouve à Londres à la suite de son service militaire
en Afghanistan et fait la connaissance de Holmes, qui "parut ravi à l'idée
de partager son logement avec moi: «J'ai un appartement en vue, me dit-il,
il est situé Baker Street, et nous irait comme un gant...»"]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
2023/02/15:
ELIZABETH GASKELL WROTE MANY FAMOUS WORKS, BUT NONE MORE FAMOUS THAN
CRANFORD -- WHICH SHE CREATED WITH THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF CHARLES
DICKENS !!
Gaskell, Elizabeth Cleghorn (1810-1865)
[English novelist and biographer]
Wikipedia
The Gaskell Society
Cranford
[1853]
Wikipedia
[Mrs Gaskell's most famous novel, written with the encouragement of
Charles Dickens! It describes the busy social life of the village of
Cranford, which is completely dominated by its women: "If a married
couple come to settle in the town, somehow the gentleman disappears;
he is either fairly frightened to death by being the only man in the
Cranford evening parties, or he is accounted for by being with his
regiment, his ship, or closely engaged in business all the week...
In short, whatever does become of the gentlemen, they are not at
Cranford." But the women are definitely there, and this chronicle
of their busy village life is addictive reading. We offer two
separate digital editions. The first is from Project Gutenberg US:
it is based on a printed edition from 1891, lavishly illustrated by
Hugh Thomson (1860-1920)
Wikipedia
and with a fine introduction by
Anne Thackeray Ritchie (1837-1919)
Wikipedia
-- yes, her famous father wrote and illustrated Vanity Fair, which
you'll find in our catalogue! We also offer a handy text-only EPUB
of Cranford from the University of Adelaide.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #57539]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2023/02/11:
NOUS VOUS PRÉSENTONS... M. SHERLOCK HOLMES !!
Doyle, Arthur Conan (1859-1930) [Scottish physician and author /
médecin et écrivain écossais]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
Premières aventures de Sherlock Holmes
[1913]
fr.wikipedia
[Traduction anonyme de sept nouvelles célèbres:
L'Escarboucle Bleue, Aventure de la Bande mouchetée, Le Pouce de l'Ingénieur,
L'Aristocratique Célibataire, Le Diadème de Béryls, Les Hêtres Pourpres,
et Un Scandale en Bohême
fr.wikipedia
avec des dessins tout à fait exceptionnels par
Gaston Simoes de Fonseca (1874-1943)
fr.wikipedia]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
2023/02/08:
OUR SECOND NOVEL FOR ADULTS BY E. NESBIT !!
Nesbit, Edith ("E. Nesbit") [Bland, Edith] (1858-1924)
[English novelist, poet, and political activist]
Wikipedia
Daphne in Fitzroy Street
(1909)
[Novel, written for adults, although E. Nesbit's clear and attractive
style certainly reflects her expertise in writing for children:
a difficult art. As the novel opens, it is an April day, and it is
Daphne's eighteenth birthday: she is at a very special international
school in France for the daughters of the wealthy. This is the story
of her return to England and what ensues. Includes a frontispiece by
the American magazine artist
F. Graham Cootes (1879-1960)
Encyclopedia Virginia.]
EPUB
[Wikisource]
2023/02/03:
UN CÉLÈBRE ROMAN GAI PAR... ANDRÉ GIDE !!
Gide, André
(1869-1951)
[Romancier français; prix Nobel de littérature, 1947]
fr.wikipedia
alalettre.com
L'Immoraliste (1902)
fr.wikipedia
[Roman avec des éléments autobiographiques: un chef d'oeuvre de la
littérature gaie. Au début du roman Michel, un jeune savant, vient
de se marier: « Je connaissais très peu ma femme et pensais, sans
en trop souffrir, qu'elle ne me connaissait pas plus. Je l'avais épousée
sans amour, beaucoup pour complaire à mon père, qui, mourant, s'inquiétait
de me laisser seul. » Il va sans dire que Michel ne se connaissait
pas très bien non plus, mais à la fin du roman, il se connaît beaucoup
mieux. L'action se déroule à Paris, en Afrique du nord, et en Normandie.]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
2023/02/01:
E. NESBIT WROTE NOVELS NOT ONLY FOR CHILDREN, BUT ALSO FOR
ADULTS !!
Nesbit, Edith ("E. Nesbit") [Bland, Edith] (1858-1924)
[English novelist, poet, and political activist]
Wikipedia
The Red House
(1902)
[Novel, one of many which E. Nesbit wrote not for children, but for
adults! Although in the tenth chapter ("The Invaders") the Bastable
family from her children's novels make a short but memorable appearance.
The main plot centres on a newly married couple, Len and Chloe, happily
adjusting to their new lives together, and to their new and beautiful
house. "It has hawthorn hedges, and an old garden with a sun-dial in it,
and roses and jasmines and lilacs and all sorts of sweet-scented things running riot. They have little money, much trouble with servants, and
great joy in doing housework themselves. Dust-pans, scrubbing-brushes,
and brooms are their delights." (The Outlook, 22 November 1902)
A novel written in the same happy spirit as Nesbit's novels for children.]
EPUB
[Wikisource]
2023/01/28:
SOMETHING SPECIAL TODAY: A SECOND DIGITAL EDITION OF A MYSTERY BY
YORKSHIRE'S J. S. FLETCHER !!
Fletcher, J. S. [Joseph Smith] (1863-1935) [English novelist
and historian]
Wikipedia
gadetection
The Charing Cross Mystery
(1923)
gadetection
["Mr. Fletcher is noted among writers of detective stories as being one
of two or three to write good English and to have the knack of making his
people talk like human beings." So commented The Outlook (21 March
1923), in what is clearly meant to be high praise. And this praise was
deserved : how can we explain otherwise the enduring worldwide popularity of
an author who seems to have avoided publicity throughout his writing career?
Perhaps his concentration on the writer's craft explains the excellence of
his novels. As for this novel, it involves the Charing Cross railway station
in London and an apparent murder, and it "is built up in a workmanlike way,
and its surprises are not so startling as to make the reader put it down
with a feeling that he has been fooled or tricked." What more could be
asked for?]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #59893]
HTML
HTML zipped
Text
Text zipped
EPUB
[PGC #647]
2023/01/25:
GEORGE MOORE WAS IRISH, BUT SPENT YEARS IN PARIS, WHERE HE LEARNED
A GREAT DEAL ABOUT FRANCE AND ABOUT LIFE -- AND GAVE US THIS WONDERFUL
NOVEL (REALLY AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY) ABOUT WHAT HE SAW THERE !!
Moore, George Augustus (1852-1933) [Irish novelist]
Wikipedia
Confessions of a Young Man
(1888 English version)
Wikipedia.
[In 1886 Moore first published this autobiographical novel in French,
and two years later in English! By that point he spoke French better
than English, and had gotten to know some famous painters (Degas,
Pissaro, Monet...) and writers as well! An unforgettable account of
artistic life in Paris from someone who was literally there. Our
ebook includes a 1917 introduction by the American novelist and critic
Floyd Dell (1887-1969)
Wikipedia.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #11654]
2023/01/18:
ARNOLD BENNETT'S FIRST NOVEL !!
Bennett, Arnold [Enoch Arnold] (1867-1931)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
A Man from the North
(1898)
[In Canada the centres of literature are Toronto and Montreal; in France
it is Paris; and in England it is of course London. Naturally this
situation creates obstacles for writers not from these centres. So the
opening sentence of Bennett's first novel reads, "There grows in the
North Country a certain kind of youth of whom it may be said that he
is born to be a Londoner." The Northerner in question is Richard Larch,
who in the early chapters of the book moves from Staffordshire to London
in pursuit of a literary career. This obviously autobiographical novel
(which won the praise of Joseph Conrad, no less!) recounts Larch's
subsequent adventures.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #52247]
2023/01/13:
OUR E. NESBIT SERIES CONTINUES, TODAY'S NEW TITLE BEING THE
ENCHANTED CASTLE, MAGNIFICENTLY ILLUSTRATED BY H. R. MILLAR !!
Nesbit, Edith ("E. Nesbit") [Bland, Edith] (1858-1924)
[English novelist, poet, and political activist]
Wikipedia
The Enchanted Castle
(1907)
Wikipedia
[Novel for children and intelligent adults, with illustrations by
H. R. Millar (1869-1942)
from the first edition. Jerry, Jimmy, and Cathy are schoolchildren in
the West of England who are looking forward to their holidays back home
in Hampshire, but at the last moment learn that they will have to stay
where they are through the holidays. This turns out not so badly,
particularly when they start exploring and find an estate complete with
a magnificent garden and an actual castle. Could it be an enchanted
castle? The answer, they increasingly suspect, is yes, it could!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #34219]
2023/01/10:
SECRET SERVICE WORK EXISTED LONG BEFORE JAMES BOND! THOMAS MILLER
BEACH WAS A BRITISH SECRET AGENT -- AND MUCH OF HIS WORK INVOLVED
INTELLIGENCE WORK TO DEFEND CANADA AGAINST THE FENIAN BROTHERHOOD !!
Beach, Thomas Miller ["Major Henri Le Caron"] (1841-1894)
[English intelligence agent]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Twenty-five years in the Secret Service.
The Recollections of a Spy. (1892)
[The author calls this "the story of my eventful life", and his life
certainly was an eventful one. He apologizes for being in no sense a
practised writer, but this apology was certainly not needed: he writes
beautifully about his early life in England, his time in France, his
move to the United States, and his accidental but astoundingly successful
work as a British agent countering the Irish republican Fenian movement
and its raids into Canada. He did not regret the decisions he had taken:
"I can admit no shame and plead no regret. By my action lives have been
saved, communities have been benefited, and right and justice allowed
to triumph, to the confusion of law-breakers and would-be murderers."
The book sold well: our ebook is based on the third edition!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #68765]
2023/01/06:
THIS YEAR'S NEW PUBLIC DOMAIN TITLES HAVE BEEN SHOVED DOWN THE ROAD TO
2043, SO WE'RE NOT PUBLISHING THEM THIS YEAR, OBVIOUSLY. THANKS, JUSTIN!
SAY HI TO YOUR BUDDY "DONALD" -- THE ONE WHO LIVES IN FLORIDA!
HE GOT WHAT HE WANTED, BUT CANADIANS CERTAINLY DIDN'T! SO, WE SHOULD ALL
GET USED TO LIFE IN A U.S. COLONY, FOR THAT'S WHAT CANADA HAS CLEARLY
BECOME, WITH NO RESISTANCE FROM ANY OF OUR POLITICIANS !!
Wells, H. G. [Herbert George] (1866-1946)
[English novelist and historian]
Wikipedia
Tono-Bungay (1909)
Wikipedia
[Novel, but more than just a novel, as we can expect from H. G. Wells!
"Tono-Bungay" is a trade name, as you might guess: it is a patent
medicine. The novel's narrator, George Pondorevo, is invited to help
his uncle Edward in promoting this medicine, and so begins his voyage
of discovery, during which he discovers a great deal about life in
modern times. "Nothing could exceed the sheer radiance of 'Tono-Bungay.'
It is a work that glows with reality. It projects a whole epoch with
unforgettable effect... it is a work of art of the soundest merit, for
it both represents accurately and interprets convincingly, and under
everything is a current of feeling that coordinates and informs the whole."
(H. L. Mencken, Prejudices, First Series [1919]).]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #718]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2023/01/01:
HAPPY NEW YEAR! WE START 2023 WITH THE FINAL NOVEL IN E. NESBIT'S
PSAMMEAD TRILOGY !!
Nesbit, Edith ("E. Nesbit") [Bland, Edith] (1858-1924)
[English novelist, poet, and political activist]
Wikipedia
The Story of the Amulet
(1906)
Wikipedia
[As the third and final Psammead novel opens, the five children's
father is working as a war correspondent in distant Manchuria, and their mother is in Madeira, recovering from a major illness. Consequently the children are "in the care of old Nurse, who lived in Fitzroy Street, near
the British Museum". With the museum being so close, it is not surprising that Nurse's other lodger is a "learned gentleman" who knows a great deal
about Ancient Egypt. At this point it's not giving much away to say that
the novel (1) has much to do with Egypt, (2) features the return of the
Psammead from the first two books, (3) involves considerable time travel,
and (4) is one of the most admired of Nesbit's famous novels.
And it has a magnificent set of illustrations by
H. R. Millar (1869-1942)
from the first edition!]
EPUB
[Wikisource]
2022/12/30:
THE SECOND OF E. NESBIT'S THREE PSAMMEAD NOVELS !!
Nesbit, Edith ("E. Nesbit") [Bland, Edith] (1858-1924)
[English novelist, poet, and political activist]
Wikipedia
The Phoenix and the Carpet
(1904)
Wikipedia
[The five children are no longer living in the country, but strange
events seem to follow them back to the city. They find a mysterious
egg in a second-hand carpet, an egg which then hatches! And so the
Phoenix enters the story. Many adventures follow!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #836]
2022/12/27:
ONE OF E. NESBIT'S MOST FAMOUS NOVELS -- THE INAUGURAL NOVEL IN HER
PSAMMEAD TRILOGY, WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY H. R. MILLAR !!
Nesbit, Edith ("E. Nesbit") [Bland, Edith] (1858-1924)
[English novelist, poet, and political activist]
Wikipedia
Five Children and It
(1902)
Wikipedia
[Five children leave London and move to a deeply rural part of
Kent -- quite a transition! The house is beside a gravel pit,
and in that pit they discover a Psammead (pronounced "Sammyadd"),
a sand-fairy with a quick temper. And the ability to grant wishes!
So start the adventures in this novel and its two famous successors.
Includes a fine set of illustrations by
H. R. Millar (1869-1942).
]
EPUB
[Wikisource]
2022/12/24:
MERRY CHRISTMAS! OUR CHRISTMAS GIFT TO YOU IS A NOVEL BY E. NESBIT,
WITH A FINE SET OF ILLUSTRATIONS BY HER FREQUENT COLLABORATOR
H. R. MILLAR !!
Nesbit, Edith ("E. Nesbit") [Bland, Edith] (1858-1924)
[English novelist, poet, and political activist]
Wikipedia
The Magic City
(1910)
Wikipedia
[A novel about magic and about family dynamics, with illustrations by
H. R. Millar (1869-1942)
from the first edition. As the novel opens, we meet Philip Haldane,
who is ten years old and living a happy life with his half-sister
Helen, who is twenty years older: she looks after him, since both
are orphans. This happiness comes to a sudden halt when Helen
unexpectedly (from Philip's perspective) gets married. One day he
starts to construct a model city on a writing-table, a very convincing
model city. It turns out that this city may be a model, but there are
people living there!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #20606]
2022/12/21:
FIFTEEN SHORT STORIES BY E. NESBIT -- FOUR OF THEM ABOUT THE
BASTABLE CHILDREN !!
Nesbit, Edith ("E. Nesbit") [Bland, Edith] (1858-1924)
[English novelist, poet, and political activist]
Wikipedia
Oswald Bastable and Others
(1905)
[We'd call this the fourth book about the Bastable children, whom we
first met in The Story of the Treasure Seekers, but while the
first four of the stories are about the Bastables, the eleven that
follow are about others. Bastables or not, all of the stories are
well worth reading -- after all, they're from E. Nesbit! And they
come with magnificent illustrations from the first edition by
Charles E. Brock (1870-1938)
and
H. R. Millar (1869-1942).
]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #28804]
2022/12/18:
ARGENTINA'S TEAM HAS DONE VERY WELL AT THE WORLD CUP -- WE HONOUR
THEM WITH THIS WONDERFUL MEMOIR OF LIFE IN ARGENTINA'S COUNTRYSIDE
DURING THE MID NINETEENTH CENTURY !!
Hudson, William Henry (W.H.) [Guillermo Enrique] (1841-1922)
[Argentinian writer and ornithologist]
Wikipedia
Far Away and Long Ago. A History of my Early Life.
(1918)
[Hudson was born in Argentina, and only moved to England when already
in his thirties. But he never forgot his native Argentina, and Argentina
has never forgotten him. "It was never," he says, "my intention to write
an autobiography." However, many years after his birth he found himself
on the southern English coast "laid up for six weeks with a very serious
illness. Yet when it was over I looked back on those six weeks as a happy
time", the reason being that he "fell into recollections of my childhood,
and at once I had that far, that forgotten past with me again as I had
never previously had it", and immediately wrote down these resurfaced
memories: hence this book. This is an era of history which can never
be repeated: Hudson's first-hand account of these years are fascinating
to read and will always be famous, in Argentina and beyond.]
EPUB
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #6093]
2022/12/14:
FOR HOLIDAY READING, E. NESBIT'S MOST FAMOUS BOOK OF ALL !!
Nesbit, Edith ("E. Nesbit") [Bland, Edith] (1858-1924)
[English novelist, poet, and political activist]
Wikipedia
The Railway Children
(1905)
Wikipedia
[Nesbit's most famous novel, in part because of the 1970 film version,
popular to this day. "They were not railway children to begin with,"
are its opening words. And indeed the three children were not: their
names were Roberta ("Bobbie"), Peter, and Phyllis, they lived in a
London suburb and lacked for nothing, until the day when their father
was arrested on an (unfounded) suspicion of wrongdoing, which meant
that the family was suddenly on its own, and had to leave London.
But leaving London meant going somewhere else, and this somewhere
else turned out to be a house in the countryside called Three Chimneys,
near a railway station. "They did not guess then how they would grow
to love the railway, and how soon it would become the centre of their
new life, nor what wonders and changes it would bring to them."]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #1874]
2022/12/02:
THIS NOVEL BY WILLA CATHER WON HER THE 1923 PULITZER PRIZE !!
Cather, Willa [Willa Sibert] (1873-1947) [American novelist]
Wikipedia
Full biography by James Woodress
One of Ours
(1922)
Wikipedia
[The novel which won Cather the 1923 Pulitzer Prize: she wrote most of
it while visiting Canada, and completed it while in Toronto! The novel
tells the life story of Claude Wheeler, whose relatively unhappy youth in Nebraska was followed by a relatively unhappy marriage. Then the First
World War started, which cannot really be said to have been a good thing
for Wheeler, since he did not survive it. However, in the short term
he did find new meaning in life, and clearly he found military life more congenial than civil. Cather's inspiration was her cousin Grosvenor
Cather, who grew up on the Nebraska farm next to hers; after his death in
1918 she found herself thinking about him more and more, which eventually resulted in her writing this novel.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #2369]
2022/11/28:
IS LIFE MERELY A DREAM? IN THE CASE OF HENRY MORTIMER SMITH, BORN
IN THE 1890s, THE ANSWER, APPARENTLY, IS YES! AND WHO IS DREAMING
SMITH'S LIFE? WHY SORNAC, OF COURSE -- BORN AROUND THE YEAR 4000.
SUCH A NOVEL CAN ONLY HAVE COME FROM THE PEN OF H. G. WELLS !!
Wells, H. G. [Herbert George] (1866-1946)
[English novelist and historian]
Wikipedia
The Dream (1924)
Wikipedia
[Not so much a novel of the future as a novel about Wells' day as seen
from the distant future. Sornac was born around the year 4000, and
is a scientific researcher; his girlfriend is a writer and artist
"making stories and pictures of happiness and sorrow in the past ages
of the world, and she was full of curious speculations about the ways
in which the ancestral mind has thought and felt." On vacation they
explore what remains of a small town and railway station destroyed
about two thousand years earlier. "For the rest of the day the talk
was all of the terrible days of the last wars in the world and the
dreadfulness of life in that age." Sarnac then has a very convincing
dream of an entire lifetime of that period -- a life belonging to one
Henry Mortimer Smith!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #69394]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/11/21:
E. NESBIT'S THIRD BOOK ABOUT THE BASTABLE CHILDREN !!
Nesbit, Edith ("E. Nesbit") [Bland, Edith] (1858-1924)
[English novelist, poet, and political activist]
Wikipedia
New Treasure Seekers, or The Bastable Children in
Search of a Fortune
(1904)
[The Bastable children are back for a third set of adventures. They are
an autonomous community, operating independently of the adults around them,
and things tend to happen around them, as this book shows: it starts with
a chaotic family wedding at Christmastime, then H.O. vanishes mysteriously,
leaving a helpful note: "I am going to be a Clown." But he will apparently
be back once he is rich and famous -- welcome to life with the Bastables!
The book has many illustrations by two famous artists of the period:
Gordon Browne (1858-1932)
Wikipedia,
and
Lewis Baumer (1870-1963)
Wikipedia.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #25496]
2022/11/15:
IT LOOKS AS THOUGH THE MAR-A-LAGO PRESIDENT IS GOING TO GIVE THE
WHITE HOUSE ANOTHER TRY -- YES, THE ONE WHO SEIZED CONTROL OF
CANADA'S COPYRIGHT LAWS AND ADDED TWENTY YEARS TO CANADA'S
COPYRIGHT LENGTHS. AND OUR LEADERS STOOD BY AND DID NOTHING!
SOVEREIGNTY, IT SEEMS, INVOLVES APPEARING AT INTERNATIONAL PHOTO
OPS, BUT DOES NOT INVOLVE ACTUALLY STANDING UP FOR CANADA. ANYWAY,
WE'RE PLEASED TO OFFER A SECOND DIGITAL EDITION OF SINCLAIR LEWIS'S
IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE. WE NOW KNOW THAT NOT ONLY COULD
IT HAPPEN, IN 2016 IT DID HAPPEN. WILL IT HAPPEN AGAIN?
Lewis, Sinclair (1885-1951) [American novelist; Nobel Prize in Literature, 1930]
Wikipedia
Nobelprize.org
It Can't Happen Here
(1935)
Wikipedia
[Novel, written during the rise of European fascism, and dealing with
the question of whether an authoritarian regime could be imposed on
the United States. The novel's title suggests it could not; the actual
novel suggests it could. After the election of 2015, we know that it
definitely could: in 1935. eighty years earlier, Sinclair Lewis
had known what he was talking about! The main character, Buzz Windrip,
is elected president on a platform of patriotism and values. Once in
office, he goes in quite a different direction. If his reminds you of
another president, not a fictional one, you're not alone:
Jules Stewart, Guardian, 9 Oct 2016
Malcolm Harris, Salon, 29 Sept 2015
(Note: Canada is important in the novel, as a haven for American refugees!)]
EPUB
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EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/11/13:
A CLASSIC SHORT STORY OF THE SUPERNATURAL BY J. SHERIDAN LE
FANU !!
Le Fanu, Joseph Thomas Sheridan (1814-1873)
[Irish writer of ghost stories and tales of horror]
Wikipedia
Strange Events in the Life of Schalken the Painter
(1851 version)
[Horror story, a particular favourite of M. R. James, no less!
Godfried Schalken (1643-1706)
Wikipedia
was by no means a fictional character, but a Dutch painter. This is
the "fearful story" connected to one of his paintings.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/11/09:
THE BASTABLE CHILDREN ARE BACK! TODAY'S EBOOK IS E. NESBIT'S
THE WOULDBEGOODS !!
Nesbit, Edith ("E. Nesbit") [Bland, Edith] (1858-1924)
[English novelist, poet, and political activist]
Wikipedia
The Wouldbegoods. Being The Further Adventures of the
Treasure Seekers.
(1901)
[Sequel to The Story of the Treasure Seekers: yes, the Bastable
children are back, all six of them! They are resolved to improve on their past history of getting into scrapes of various kinds, and have even given themselves a new name: the Society of the Wouldbegoods. "The way in which their best intentions miscarry, through ignorance on their own part and misconception on the part of their elders, makes deliciously humorous reading..." (The Outlook, 5 October 1901). Our ebook includes the
illustrations for the first edition by the Anglo-American artist
Reginald Bathurst Birch (1856-1943)
Wikipedia.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #32466]
2022/11/06:
THE SECOND MYSTERY NOVEL PUBLISHED BY MARY ROBERTS RINEHART
WAS WELL RECEIVED, AND MADE IT CLEAR THAT MANY MORE FINE MYSTERIES
MIGHT WELL BE COMING FROM HER -- AS TURNED OUT TO BE THE CASE !!
Rinehart, Mary Roberts (1876-1958)
[American mystery novelist]
Wikipedia
The Man in Lower Ten
(1909)
[Rinehart's second mystery novel, set on an overnight passenger train from
Washington to Rinehart's native Pittsburgh ("Pittsburg"); hence the title.
The daytime seating in Pullman sleeping cars is converted at night into two
beds ("berths"), complete with curtains, and the car is transformed into a
place of mystery, a narrow corridor with thick curtains on the side. The
lower berth usually costs more because it is easier to get into. However,
it doesn't offer much protection if there's a murderer on the train!
The novel includes illustrations, most of them signed by the famous American
illustrator
Howard Chandler Christy (1872-1952)
Wikipedia.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #1869]
2022/11/01:
TO START NOVEMBER, OUR SECOND TITLE BY GEORGE MACDONALD, WITH A BEAUTIFUL SET OF COLOUR ILLUSTRATIONS BY JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH !!
MacDonald, George (1824-1905)
[Scottish theologian and novelist]
Wikipedia
The Princess and the Goblin
(1872 [text]; 1920 [illustrations])
Wikipedia
["There was once a little princess whose father was king over a great
country full of mountains and valleys." A promising beginning to this
famous novel, nominally directed to children, but like many "childrens'"
novels equally suitable for adults. And some famous adults have admired
the book, C. S. Lewis, to name only one! Princess Irene lives essentially
alone, or at least so she thinks. Then she makes some curious discoveries,
and things begin happening. And happening. The illustrations in both the
ebooks we offer are by
Jessie Willcox Smith (1863-1935)
Wikipedia,
one of the most famous American illustrators of her day.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #34339]
2022/10/29:
A NOVEL BY PHYLLIS BOTTOME (SHE AND HER HUSBAND WERE TO TEACH
IAN FLEMING GERMAN), PUBLISHED ON THE EVE OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR !!
Bottome, Phyllis (1882-1963) [English psychologist, teacher, and novelist]
Wikipedia
"Broken Music"
(1914)
[Good fortune is rarely complete. Jean d'Ucelles is from an aristocratic
family, has talent (he is a composer), but unfortunately no money, which
does pose a problem. What's an impoverished aristocrat to do? Move to
Paris, of course!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #69246]
2022/06/26:
WILLA CATHER'S SECOND NOVEL -- SET IN NEBRASKA, BUT REALLY IT COULD BE A STORY OF MANITOBA OR SASKATCHEWAN !!
Cather, Willa [Willa Sibert] (1873-1947) [American novelist]
Wikipedia
Full biography by James Woodress
O Pioneers!
(1913)
Wikipedia
[A truly epic novel about a Swedish immigrant family's experiences through several generations. It starts in the 1880s, and is set in the fictional Nebraska town of Hanover, which was very similar to the towns being founded further north in Canada along the Canadian Pacific Railway: "The dwelling-houses were set about haphazard on the tough prairie sod... The main street was a deeply rutted road, now frozen hard, which ran from the squat red railway station and the grain "elevator" at the north end of the town to the lumber yard and the horse pond at the south end." The life of these early residents was not an easy one, but after their father's passing the Bergsons decide to stay in Hanover when many others are leaving. Or rather, Alexandra decides to stay and obtains her brothers' reluctant cooperation. Will things work out financially? And will peace descend on the Bergson clan?]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #24]
2022/10/23:
HAPPY DIWALI! THE BENGALI LANGUAGE IS SPOKEN BY MORE THAN 300
MILLION PEOPLE, AND HAS AN IMPORTANT PRESENCE IN CANADA. SO IT IS
A PLEASURE TO PRESENT A CLASSIC TRANSLATION OF THIS WONDERFUL NOVEL,
WHICH CHANGED BENGALI LITERATURE FOREVER !!
Mitra, Peary Chand (1814-1883)
[Bengali novelist, teacher, librarian, journalist, and social activist]
Wikipedia
The Spoilt Child. A Tale of Hindu Domestic Life.
["Alaler Gharer Dulal"]
(1857 [Bengali original]; 1893 [this translation])
Wikipedia
[The first novel ever to be published in colloquial Bengali, without
literary vocabulary imported from Sanskrit. It was rapturously
received at the time: "We hail this book as the first novel in the Bengali language... a tale the like of which is not to be found within the entire range of Bengali literature," (Calcutta Review). Its reputation has never diminished since. As the novel opens, we are introduced to Baburam Babu, a senior official in the Revenue and Criminal Courts, who "had acquired considerable wealth within a very short time. In this country a man's reputation keeps pace with the increase of his riches or with his advancement: learning and character have not anything like the same respect paid to them." A comment which sets the stage for the drama/satire to come. For Baburam Babu has a son, who "having been indulged in every possible way from his boyhood, was exceedingly self-willed": he is, of course, the "spoilt child" of the title. And what a journey he takes us on! We owe this translation to
George Devereux Oswell (1851-1910)
,
who held an M.A. from Oxford and at the time was attached to the Court of Wards in Bengal; that is, he was involved in the trusteeship of inherited properties belonging to minors. The year after publishing this translation he became the Principal of Rajkumar College in Raipur, which is famous to this day, and was founded by and for the elite of the region. Oswell served there for the rest of his life.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #69173]
2022/10/18:
A NOVEL BY H. G. WELLS -- NOT SCIENCE FICTION,
STRICTLY SPEAKING, BUT CERTAINLY NOT EVERYDAY LIFE !!
Wells, H. G. [Herbert George] (1866-1946)
[English novelist and historian]
Wikipedia
The Sea Lady. A Tissue of Moonshine. (1902)
Wikipedia
["Such previous landings of mermaids as have left a record," this fine
novel begins, "have all a flavour of doubt... But now, face to face with indisputable facts... I see these old legends in a very different light."
Yes, this is a novel about a mermaid, who takes the name of Miss Doris Thalassia Waters when she comes onto dry land, near Folkestone to be
specific, at the time a seaside resort very popular among England's
ruling class. She is in pursuit of an Englishman who had caught her
fancy "in the South Seas--near Tonga". Will she find him? And if
she does, will their attraction be mutual? With illustrations by
Lewis Baumer (1870-1963)
Wikipedia, the English cartoonist and illustrator.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/10/14:
E. NESBIT'S FIRST BOOK FOR CHILDREN, AND A VERY FAMOUS ONE!
SHE WOULD GO ON TO WRITE MANY OTHER CHILDREN'S CLASSICS,
INCLUDING THE RAILWAY CHILDREN !!
Nesbit, Edith ("E. Nesbit") [Bland, Edith] (1858-1924)
[English novelist, poet, and political activist]
Wikipedia
The Story of the Treasure Seekers, being the adventures of the
Bastable children in search of a fortune
(1899)
Wikipedia
["This is the story of the different ways we looked for treasure," starts
this novel for and about children, the first such book by E. Nesbit, whose
later novels include The Railroad Children, "and I think when you
have read it you will see that we were not lazy about the looking." And
so the Bastable children make their first appearance in literature. No
spoilers here: the book's title gives more than enough information, and
you'll know after a paragraph or two whether this book is for you. And
chances are that it will be: its reputed admirers include J. K. Rowling,
no less, and C. S. Lewis!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #770]
2022/10/10:
"IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES..." YES, THESE ARE
THE FAMOUS OPENING WORDS OF TODAY'S EBOOK, A TALE OF TWO CITIES,
CHARLES DICKENS' CELEBRATED HISTORICAL NOVEL ABOUT THE TERRORS OF THE FRENCH
REVOLUTION !!
Dickens, Charles [Charles John Huffam] (1812-1870)
[English novelist, editor, and social activist]
Wikipedia
A Tale of Two Cities
(1859)
Wikipedia
[Canadians are very much aware of how things can change in a neighbouring
country. The US, with whom we had had tranquil relations for two centuries,
elected an autocrat as president, and everything changed. The US even
seized control of Canada's copyright laws, hardly the behaviour of an
ally. So much for government "by the people, for the people"! (Abraham
Lincoln) The neighbours of France had a similar shock with the advent
of the French Revolution in 1789, when they had thought that "things in
general were settled for ever." And this famous novel is about the
Revolution and its effects on the citizens of Paris and London, the "two
cities" of the title. The principal character is Sydney Carton, the "idlest
and most unpromising of men", who becomes a hero by the time the novel ends. The Project Gutenberg US edition we offer you includes the illustrations
from the 1859 first edition, by
Hablot Knight Browne ["Phiz"] (1815-1882)
]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #98]
2022/10/06:
A SCIENCE FICTION NOVELLA BY FLETCHER PRATT !!
Pratt, Fletcher (1897-1956)
[American military historian and science fiction writer]
Wikipedia
The Blue Star (1952)
Wikipedia
[Science fiction novel, one of Pratt's most famous works, set in a universe
not our own: in it there exist the Blue Stars, which are not celestial
bodies, but a special type of jewel: "the witch-stone... barely a finger
joint across, but seeming to have depth, so that even in the candlelight
all the sapphirean fires of ocean and cold hell were in its heart." The
Blue Stars are held only by certain families, or rather by certain women
of certain families, and their power is wielded not by these woman but by
their men, as one of these men is told: "while you wear this jewel, you
are of the witch-families, and can read the thoughts of those in whose
eyes you look keenly. But only while you are my man and lover, for this
power is yours through me. If you are unfaithful to me, it will become
for you only a piece of glass; and if you do not give it up at once when
I ask it back, there will lie upon you and it a deadly witchery, so that
you can never rest again." This leads to some exciting situations!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #56889]
2022/10/04:
OUR FIRST EBOOK BY WILKIE COLLINS IS PERHAPS THE FIRST ENGLISH
DETECTIVE NOVEL EVER WRITTEN -- CONTINUOUSLY FAMOUS TO OUR DAY, AND
LIKELY FOREVER !!
Collins, Wilkie (1824-1889)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
The Moonstone
(1868)
Wikipedia
[Perhaps the very first English detective novel! Dorothy L. Sayers and
G. K. Chesterton thought it probably the finest English detective novel
ever written: a century and a half after it was published, who are we to
disagree? It features an accomplished "amateur" sleuth, Franklin Blake,
and the very capable Sergeant Richard Cuff, called in from (where else?)
Scotland Yard. The Moonstone itself is an ancient gem which had been
stolen by a British soldier in 1799 during the British conquest of India.
(One of the novel's many strengths is its realistic assessment of the
true nature of British colonialism.) But when the Moonstone arrives in
England, the intrigue and violence which have dogged its history follow
it from India.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/09/29:
JOHN BUCHAN'S BREAKTHROUGH NOVEL -- SET IN SOUTH AFRICA !!
Buchan, John [first Baron Tweedsmuir of Elsfield] (1875-1940)
[Scottish novelist; Governor General of Canada 1935-1940]
Wikipedia
Prester John
(1910)
Wikipedia
[Buchan's first true action novel, his first set outside the British
Isles, and his first to achieve large and lasting popularity. The novel
begins in Scotland, in a town overlooking the North Sea, where the young
David Crawfurd, the novel's narrator, has spent his entire life. After
his father's passing he goes to South Africa (a country Buchan knew well)
where he becomes a storekeeper in a remote town where, he is told,
something mysterious has been happening: "You look as if you had a
stiff back, so I'll be frank with you. There is something about the
place. It gives the ordinary man the jumps. What it is, I don't know,
and the men who come back don't know themselves. I want you to find
out for me. You'll be doing the firm an enormous service if you can
get on the track of it." Crawfurd tells us what he discovers, and
the exciting events he witnesses during his investigation.
CAUTION: Certain elements of plot and language may seem racist,
indeed extremely racist, by the standards of today.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/09/27:
A SCIENCE FICTION NOVELLA BY FLETCHER PRATT !!
Pratt, Fletcher (1897-1956)
[American military historian and science fiction writer]
Wikipedia
Potemkin Village (1953)
[What is a Potemkin village? In the course of this science fiction
novella Pratt, a famous military historian among other things, provides
the answer: "Oh, back in the old imperial days an Empress named Catherine
went on a progress through the country to see how it was getting along under
her prime minister, Potemkin. He went ahead of her and had villages set up,
just the dummy fronts of houses, with actors to play the part of villagers."
Can such a deception be engineered centuries later in a Russian space colony
on Venus?]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #69042]
2022/09/25:
ELEVEN YEARS AFTER THE BAD CHILD'S BOOK OF BEASTS, HILAIRE BELLOC
PUBLISHED CAUTIONARY TALES FOR CHILDREN, PERHAPS HIS MOST FAMOUS
BOOK OF LIGHT VERSE -- AND THAT'S SAYING A LOT !!
Belloc, Hilaire [Joseph Hilaire Pierre René] (1870-1953)
[Anglo-French man of letters and controversialist]
Wikipedia
Cautionary Tales for Children (1907)
Wikipedia
[Satirical verses, similar to Belloc's very successful verses about
animals from a decade earlier, but these are about children, and were
"Designed for the Admonition of Children between the ages of eight and
fourteen years." Like the earlier books, it was illustrated by Belloc's
college friend
Basil Temple Blackwood (1870-1917)
.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #27424]
2022/09/21:
OUR SECOND MYSTERY NOVEL BY YORKSHIRE'S J. S. FLETCHER !!
Fletcher, J. S. [Joseph Smith] (1863-1935) [English novelist
and historian]
Wikipedia
gadetection
The Chestermarke Instinct
(1918)
[Yorkshire-born J. S. Fletcher was not a celebrity in the modern sense,
that is, he was not a public figure. He was, however, an extremely
skilled writer of mysteries, which acquired an international following.
This novel shows why! The main character is named Wallington Neale: he
is a bank clerk in the ancient and very quiet market town of Scarnham.
With the passage of time Neale is more and more aware of how monotonous
his job truly is. But this monotony is broken by the sudden disappearance
of his guardian, John Horbury, who had gotten him his position at
Chestermarke's Bank!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #27965]
2022/09/18:
WE NOW OFFER TWO DIGITAL EDITIONS OF JOHN BUCHAN'S FIFTH AND
FINAL THRILLER FEATURING RICHARD HANNAY !!
Buchan, John [first Baron Tweedsmuir of Elsfield] (1875-1940)
[Scottish novelist; Governor General of Canada 1935-1940]
Wikipedia
The Island of Sheep
[U.S. title: The Man from the Norlands]
(1936)
Wikipedia
[Buchan's fifth and final novel starring Richard Hannay, who is no longer
young but whose talents have by no means deserted him, as we discover. The
novel starts in London, but then moves to the (fictional) Norland Isles in
the arctic seas, a Danish possession: one of these isles is the Island of
Sheep. Dark doings are afoot, a considerable challenge even for Richard
Hannay! "Buchan enthusiasts will rejoice to know that this is a Richard
Hannay tale, and that, before the feud is disposed of, the action has
reached from South Africa to Scotland. The author, as usual, states his
case and develops it, relying upon no tricks to sustain suspense. If one
is seeking a high adventure tale with a colorful background, here it is."
(The Literary Digest, 22 August 1936). CAUTION: Certain
elements of plot and language may seem racist by the standards of today.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
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2022/09/16:
IN 1896 HILAIRE BELLOC AND HIS FRIEND BASIL TEMPLE BLACKWOOD HAD GREAT
SUCCESS WITH THEIR BAD CHILD'S BOOK OF BEASTS -- HUMOROUS VERSES
WITH WONDERFUL DRAWINGS. WHAT TO DO IN THE WAKE OF THIS SUCCESS?
PUBLISH A SEQUEL, OF COURSE !!
Belloc, Hilaire [Joseph Hilaire Pierre René] (1870-1953)
[Anglo-French man of letters and controversialist]
Wikipedia
More Beasts (For Worse Children) (1897)
[Further satirical animal verses, nominally directed towards children,
published the year after the success of The Bad Child's Book of
Beasts. As in the earlier book, the illustrations match the poems perfectly, and are by Belloc's college friend
Basil Temple Blackwood (1870-1917). The book includes the Python, the Porcupine, the Crocodile, the Llama, and various other animals.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #27176]
2022/09/14:
WE NOW OFFER TWO DIGITAL EDITIONS OF JOHN BUCHAN'S FOURTH THRILLER FEATURING RICHARD HANNAY !!
Buchan, John [first Baron Tweedsmuir of Elsfield] (1875-1940)
[Scottish novelist; Governor General of Canada 1935-1940]
Wikipedia
The Three Hostages
(1924)
Wikipedia
[The fourth Richard Hannay thriller. Hannay is now married, has a young son, and is living in the Cotswolds. His life is a calm and prosperous one, and his exciting but disruptive earlier adventures are now firmly in the past.
Or are they? Soon enough Hannay finds himself in London, and then in Norway:
his unexpected new adventure has well and truly begun! CAUTION: Certain elements of plot and language may seem racist by the standards of today.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
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[PGC #678]
2022/09/12:
MARY ROBERTS RINEHART WAS PERHAPS THE MOST FAMOUS OF ALL AMERICAN
MYSTERY WRITERS DURING THE
"GOLDEN AGE OF DETECTIVE FICTION". TODAY, WE'RE DELIGHTED TO PRESENT
HER FIRST FULL-LENGTH NOVEL, FROM 1908: A HUGE SUCCESS AND AN ENDURING
CLASSIC !!
Rinehart, Mary Roberts (1876-1958)
[American mystery novelist]
Wikipedia
The Circular Staircase
(1908)
Wikipedia
[Novel of mystery and suspense. "This is the story," the novel begins,
"of how a middle-aged spinster [the narrator] lost her mind": she unwisely
rented a house in the country, a house with a sinister reputation, and sure
enough things started happening. Many things. "A detective story with real humor in it is a rare article, but 'The Circular Staircase' has an ample
measure of that delightful quality. It is also deliciously tantalizing, almost every chapter bringing in new complications and fresh mystifications."
(The Outlook, 19 September 1908)]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #434]
2022/09/08:
A CLASSIC BOOK OF LIGHT VERSE BY THE YOUNG HILAIRE BELLOC,
ACCOMPANIED BY WONDERFUL LINE DRAWINGS FROM HIS OXFORD FRIEND
BASIL TEMPLE BLACKWOOD !!
Belloc, Hilaire [Joseph Hilaire Pierre René] (1870-1953)
[Anglo-French man of letters and controversialist]
Wikipedia
The Bad Child's Book of Beasts (1896)
Wikipedia
[Satirical animal verses, nominally directed towards children.
They appeared shortly after Belloc's graduation from Balliol College,
Oxford. The illustrations match the poems perfectly, and were drawn
by Belloc's college friend
Basil Temple Blackwood (1870-1917)
Wikipedia, who had spent part of his early life in Canada
-- his father, Lord Dufferin, was our third Governor General. The
book was an instant and permanent success, and led to several more
collaborations by the two friends.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/09/03:
WE CELEBRATE LABOUR DAY WITH A TRULY ASTOUNDING EBOOK, MAGNIFICENTLY
ILLUSTRATED, OF ENGRAVINGS AND ETCHINGS FROM THE FIFTEENTH THROUGH
THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURIES !!
Carrington, Fitzroy (1869-1954)
[American art historian]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Art Historians
Prints and their Makers.
Essays on engravers and etchers old and modern.
(1912)
[A magnificently illustrated collection of essays by various eminent
art historians of Carrington's era: these essays "range from Italian
engravers before the time of Raphael and woodcuts by Albrecht Dürer
to contemporary etchings."]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #68720]
2022/08/31:
WE END AUGUST AS WE BEGAN IT: WITH A FAMOUS NOVELLA BY THE LEGENDARY
IRISH AUTHOR J. SHERIDAN LE FANU !!
Le Fanu, Joseph Thomas Sheridan (1814-1873)
[Irish writer of ghost stories and tales of horror]
Wikipedia
Green Tea
(1869)
[Horror story, or rather novella. Dr Martin Hesselius, a wandering
physician originally from Germany, meets a clergyman, the Rev Mr
Jennings, who divides his time between his house in London and his
parish in Warwickshire. When in London, he is well enough, but when
in his parish, he is prone to sudden breakdowns, and now always takes
an assistant with him "to supply his place on the instant should he
become thus suddenly incapacitated." What is Mr Jennings' story, wonders
Dr Hesselius: it turns out to be a strange story indeed, involving
green tea and a small black monkey. But this is no ordinary monkey!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/08/29:
LEONARD WOOLF WAS THE HUSBAND OF VIRGINIA WOOLF, AND WAS
HIMSELF A WRITER, AND A VERY FINE ONE. HIS ONLY NOVEL IS A TRUE
CLASSIC, DEPICTING LIFE IN COLONIAL CEYLON, AND DESCRIBING THE
BRITISH EMPIRE AS EXPERIENCED BY THOSE IT RULED !!
Woolf, Leonard [Leonard Sidney] (1880-1969)
[English author, journalist, and political activist]
Wikipedia
The Village in the Jungle
(1913)
Wikipedia
[Canada is a colony once more, following the 2020 trade "agreement",
which allowed the US, our new colonial master, to extend OUR copyrights
by 20 years, and to restrict Canadian dairy exports to third countries,
and whose other provisions make it quite clear that we're not a sovereign
country any more, but take orders from Washington. The experiences of
other colonized countries are therefore instructive to Canadians, and this
novel about Ceylon (Sri Lanka) is excellent reading. Leonard Woolf had
himself been a colonial administrator there for seven years, learning both
Tamil and Sinhalese, and the novel is written from the point of view not of
the British governing class, but of the people they ruled.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #60627]
2022/08/25:
A BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN (AND ILLUSTRATED!) TRAVEL BOOK FROM 1849 !!
Bevan, Samuel (active ca. 1849)
[English man of affairs and of letters]
Sand and Canvas; A Narrative of Adventures in Egypt,
with a Sojourn among the Artists in Rome
(1849)
[A personal memoir, beautifully illustrated *in colour* and in monochrome,
with an opening straight out of a novel. When we first meet our author, he
is seeking employment, since his old job has vanished -- a common experience
then as now! Over breakfast he sees an ad in the Times: "Wanted
immediately, for service in a foreign country, a gentleman of business-habits
and good address. Salary £250. per annum. All expenses paid." He naturally
applies, and on the basis of a short and strange interview is hired! His
first assignment is to make his way to Cairo, not a simple task; other
events follow. Bevan makes no special claims for his book: "All that
awaits the reader, is a simple narrative of adventures during a few months'
active employment in Egypt" and of what he sees in Italy on his way back
to England. But he is far too modest: what an extraordinary tale it is,
and how outstanding his skill as a writer!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #68780]
2022/08/21:
THE THIRD JOHN BUCHAN THRILLER FEATURING RICHARD HANNAY !!
Buchan, John [first Baron Tweedsmuir of Elsfield] (1875-1940)
[Scottish novelist; Governor General of Canada 1935-1940]
Wikipedia
Mr Standfast
(1919)
Wikipedia
[The third Richard Hannay novel, taking place during the latter part
of the First World War. Hannay has been serving on the Western Front,
with considerable success, and is expecting more of the same, when he
is transferred out of the military and given a new assignment: he must
now work undercover! Many adventures follow, in England, Scotland,
and on the Continent. "Among the best of English stories of spies and
plotting in the great war have been those by Mr. Buchan... decidedly
above the average of its class." (The Outlook, 24 September 1919)
CAUTION: Certain elements of plot and language may seem racist by
the standards of today.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/08/19:
HOW MANY REFERENCE WORKS RETAIN THEIR POPULARITY AND UTILITY NOT THROUGH
THE YEARS BUT THROUGH THE DECADES AND INDEED THE CENTURIES? HOW ABOUT THIS
FAMOUS CLASSICAL DICTIONARY BY CHANNEL ISLANDER JOHN LEMPRIÈRE !!
Lemprière, John (ca. 1765-1824)
[English lexicographer and classicist]
Wikipedia
A Classical Dictionary containing a full Account of all the Proper Names mentioned in Ancient Authors
(1904 edition)
Wikipedia
[Few reference works have equalled the success of this famous book, first
published in 1788 and frequently reissued up to the present day. In his
preface to the first edition Lemprière wrote "it has been the wish of the
author to give the most accurate and satisfactory account of all the proper
names which occur in reading the Classics, and by a judicious collection of
anecdotes and historical facts to draw a picture of ancient times, not less
instructive than entertaining." The place names and personal names mentioned by the Greek and Latin authors remain the same today, and so does the usefulness of this famous work to the general reader.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #68769]
2022/08/17:
WHO BETTER TO OFFER ADVICE ON WHAT CLASSICS OF LITERATURE TO READ THAN
ARNOLD BENNETT !!
Bennett, Arnold [Enoch Arnold] (1867-1931)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
Literary Taste. How to Form It. With Detailed Instructions for
Collecting a Complete Library of English Literature.
(1909)
Wikipedia
[Who better to write an instruction manual for reading classic literature
than Arnold Bennett? He is now himself a classic author, but when he wrote this he was a bestselling author with a massive worldwide following. And
few writers had Arnold's talent for simplicity and persuasiveness, which
this book certainly displays. For obvious reasons, he does not discuss
authors later than the nineteenth century, and he writes from the
perspective of his own period. This does bring an advantage, however:
many of the titles he discusses are available in free digital editions
from sources such as Project Gutenberg Canada and Project Gutenberg US,
and so acquiring a good-sized personal library need not cost you anything!
(Bennett, always practical, pays close attention to how much books actually
cost.)]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/08/15:
THE YEAR AFTER THE SMASH SUCCESS OF THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS,
JOHN BUCHAN PUBLISHED HIS SECOND NOVEL FEATURING RICHARD HANNAY --
A TALE OF WARTIME INTRIGUE SET IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE !!
Buchan, John [first Baron Tweedsmuir of Elsfield] (1875-1940)
[Scottish novelist; Governor General of Canada 1935-1940]
Wikipedia
Greenmantle
(1916)
Wikipedia
[Buchan's second novel featuring Richard Hannay and other characters
from The Thirty-Nine Steps. The First World War is now raging,
and Hannay is in England recovering from a serious wound, when he is
summoned to the Foreign Office. He is needed for a secret mission
behind Turkish lines! CAUTION: Certain elements of plot and
language may seem racist by the standards of today.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/08/12:
TODAY, ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS OF ALL ACTION NOVELS --
JOHN BUCHAN'S THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS !!
Buchan, John [first Baron Tweedsmuir of Elsfield] (1875-1940)
[Scottish novelist; Governor General of Canada 1935-1940]
Wikipedia
The Thirty-Nine Steps
(1915)
Wikipedia
[An action novel which achieved instant and lasting fame as soon as it was
published, and has had a huge influence on subsequent novelists -- and
screenplay writers! In it, as Buchan says, "the incidents defy the
probabilities, and march just inside the borders of the possible."
But real life is full of things that defy probability! The novel begins
just before the First World War, when its main character, Richard Hannay,
has just returned to London from a stay of many years in Rhodesia and
South Africa. Almost immediately, he starts suffering from boredom.
This boredom quickly vanishes when Hannay finds himself wrongly suspected
of murder, and becomes a fugitive from justice! Adventures in Scotland
and elsewhere ensue as Hannay attempts to elude his pursuers.
CAUTION: Certain elements of plot and language may seem racist
by the standards of today.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/08/08:
THE ONLY NOVEL EVER PUBLISHED BY EDGAR ALLAN
POE -- AND IT'S A CLASSIC !!
Poe, Edgar Allan (1809-1849)
[American poet, editor, and author of novels and short stories]
Wikipedia
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket
(1838)
Wikipedia
[Poe's only novel, but a famous one. The hero and narrator is from
the famous seafaring town of Nantucket, then at the height of its
prosperity. Pym's father was "a respectable trader in sea-stores",
so it is not surprising that in his late teens Pym embarks on a series
of adventures at sea. To find out more about these truly astounding
adventures, the simplest course is to read the novel!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/08/06:
AN EARLY NOVEL BY JAMES HILTON, ABOUT A SCHOOLMASTER, BUT
NOT MR CHIPS !!
Hilton, James (1900-1954) [English novelist]
Wikipedia
The Passionate Year
(1924)
[This novel could be compared to Goodbye, Mr Chips from ten
years later, since it takes place at a boys' school in England, where
the main character is a teacher. But Kenneth Speed is at the start of
his career, not near its end, and his adult life has only recently begun,
while Mr Chips was a veteran. But the novel is not chiefly the story of
Speed's career at Millstead, but of his involvement with the headmaster's
daughter, their marriage, and the events that follow as new factors surface.
That's a lot of passion!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #68676]
2022/08/04:
A CLASSIC ADVENTURE NOVEL BY H. RIDER HAGGARD, NO LESS
-- PERFECT SUMMER READING !!
Haggard, H. Rider [Henry Rider] (1856-1925)
[English colonial administrator and novelist]
Wikipedia
Ayesha. The Return of She.
(1905)
Wikipedia
[Not a sequel to She, says Haggard in his introduction, but "the
conclusion of an imaginative tragedy... whereof one half has been already published." Yes, Ayesha is back -- but this book's adventures take place
not in Africa, but in Thibet! (Haggard's exotic spelling of what we call
"Tibet".) "It is a ripe and richly imaginative piece of work: the supernatural elements that pervade it are handled with a sure and effective craftsmanship, and the thrilling and picturesque incidents and episodes of the great quest are told with unfailing vigour and fertility of invention."
(The Bookman [UK], November 1905)]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/08/01:
WE START AUGUST WITH A FAMOUS NOVELLA BY THE LEGENDARY IRISH
AUTHOR J. SHERIDAN LE FANU !!
Le Fanu, Joseph Thomas Sheridan (1814-1873)
[Irish writer of ghost stories and tales of horror]
Wikipedia
Carmilla
(1872)
Wikipedia
[Horror novella with strong lesbian elements, set in the ancient Austrian
province of Styria -- not so very far from Transylvania! Laura, the
narrator and main character, had a Styrian mother but an English father,
who had been "in the Austrian service" and upon retirement had stayed in
Styria, "where everything is so marvelously cheap." And so he naturally
bought an ancient castle! "Nothing can be more picturesque or solitary."
However, this solitude is interrupted by the chance arrival of a mysterious
stranger, who says nothing about herself except that (1) her name was
Carmilla, (2) "her family was very ancient and noble", and (3) "Her home
lay in the direction of the west." Laura and Carmilla cannot possibly have
seen each other before: why then are they both convinced that they have
already met -- in childhood dreams they have never forgotten!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/07/29:
OUR CATALOGUE HAS FOUR TITLES BY ENGLAND'S E. M. DELAFIELD
-- TIME TO ADD A FIFTH !!
Delafield, E. M.
[Dashwood, Edmée Elizabeth Monica, née de la Pasture]
(1890-1943)
[English novelist and essayist]
Wikipedia
The Optimist
(1922)
[The world is full of people who seem to be happy, and in fact largely
are, but who in fact have transferred their stresses to those around them. This gently satirical and beautifully written novel is about one such person, Canon Morchard, and his family.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #68524]
2022/07/27:
THE THIRD AND FINAL NOVEL IN ARNOLD BENNETT'S CLAYHANGER TRILOGY !!
Bennett, Arnold [Enoch Arnold] (1867-1931)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
These Twain
(1915)
Wikipedia
[The concluding novel in the Clayhanger trilogy: in it we learn
about the lives of Edwin Clayhanger and Hilda Lessways after their
marriage, and the discoveries they make about themselves and each other.
The first two novels were a difficult act to follow; did Bennett succeed
in keeping the third novel at the same high level? When the novel appeared
at least one critic seems to have thought so: "there is a power and
security of characterization that is incontrovertible, and an amplitude
of incident so natural and so significant that the sense of life never
departs." (Francis Hackett, New Republic, 4 December 1915)]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/07/24:
WAS THERE EVER AN AUTHOR MORE TRULY COSMOPOLITAN THAN ROBERT SERVICE?
BORN IN SCOTLAND, HE MOVED TO CANADA AND BECAME WORLD FAMOUS FOR HIS
HIS YUKON BALLADS. THEN HE WENT TO FRANCE, WHERE HE WROTE TODAY'S NOVEL,
WHICH WE NOW OFFER IN TWO DIGITAL EDITIONS -- TAKE YOUR PICK !!
Service, Robert William (1874-1958)
[Scottish poet and novelist]
Wikipedia
Life of Service, by Dan Duffy
The Poisoned Paradise, A Romance of Monte Carlo
(1922)
[Novel, a successful one, for it was the basis of a 1924 film starring
Clara Bow! From which you can see that Robert Service, whom Canadians
know chiefly as the poet of the Yukon, was that and much more. Behind
this novel lay a deep knowledge of France, for he moved to Paris in 1913,
where he married in the same year: his wife lived to 102, and died in
1989 in Monte Carlo! So Service certainly knew his subject matter: hence
the easy expertise of this novel about Monte Carlo and its famous casino.
We offer two digital editions of this novel: the Project Gutenberg US
ebook includes an EPUB version of the novel.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #68549]
HTML
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[PGC #482]
2022/07/22:
THE VERY FIRST SHORT STORY EVER PUBLISHED BY EDGAR ALLAN POE !!
Poe, Edgar Allan (1809-1849)
[American poet, editor, and author of novels and short stories]
Wikipedia
Metzengerstein
(1832)
Wikipedia
[Horror story. Poe entered the story in a writing contest, it did
not win, but Philadelphia's Saturday Courier wisely decided
to publish it anyway. "Horror and fatality have been stalking abroad
in all ages," Poe begins. "Why then give a date to this story I have
to tell?" And indeed he does not provide a date, but he does provide
a place, Hungary, where "The families of Berlifitzing and Metzengerstein
had been at variance for centuries. Never before were two houses so illustrious, mutually embittered by hostility so deadly." There is
an ancient prophesy, an ancient tapestry, and much more. In short,
we are very much in the world of Poe's most famous stories, and this
inaugural story reveals him as already a master of horror and fantasy!
The University of Adelaide digital edition includes a fine 1909 colour
illustration from British artist
Byam Shaw (1872-1919)
Wikipedia.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/07/20:
JANE AUSTEN'S FINAL NOVEL, FAMOUS AND JUSTLY POPULAR EVER SINCE ITS
FIRST APPEARANCE 204 YEARS AGO, AND FREQUENTLY ADAPTED FOR STAGE
AND SCREEN !!
Austen, Jane (1775-1817) [English novelist]
Wikipedia
Persuasion
(1818)
Wikipedia
[Austen's final novel, the story of Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth.
When only nineteen, Anne had accepted an offer of marriage from Frederick,
but was persuaded by her family that this was a match below her and her
family's dignity. How time can change things! Some years later the
Elliots are descending into (relative) poverty, so save money by renting
out Kellynch Hall and moving to Bath. Not much of a hardship: their
poverty really was relative. But Bath was very much a social centre,
and there Anne meets Frederick once again. But the Napoleonic Wars
have been good to him: he is now a Captain, and decidedly well off.
A tricky situation for everyone!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Traduction française par
Mme Letorsay
Persuasion
(1882)
fr.wikipedia
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 36777]
2022/06/17:
WILLA CATHER'S VERY FIRST NOVEL, WHICH HAS A DEFINITE LINK TO CANADA !!
Cather, Willa [Willa Sibert] (1873-1947) [American novelist]
Wikipedia
Full biography by James Woodress
Alexander's Bridge
(1912)
Wikipedia
[Bartley Alexander is a professional engineer, and a famous one:
"whatever else he might do, he would probably always be known as
the engineer who designed the great Moorlock Bridge, the longest
cantilever in existence." The Moorlock Bridge is in Canada, and
so is his newest project, which will be the longest bridge in the
world. However, it is a difficult project, and success is not
certain. In addition, he is now married: gone is the world he
knew as a young engineer, and his marriage to the wealthy Winifred
Alexander has its own challenges, including the resurfacing in his
life of Hilda Burgoyne, the London actress who has achieved stardom
in the years since they went their separate ways.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/07/13:
TODAY, A MARVELLOUS SET OF PICTURES OF LANDMARKS ON THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC
RAILROAD LINE BETWEEN SAN FRANCISCO AND PORTLAND, OREGON !!
Anonymous
The Shasta Route in All of its Grandeur. A Scenic Guide Book from
San Francisco, California, to Portland, Oregon on the Road of a Thousand
Wonders. (ca. 1923)
["The illustrations shown in the following pages," says the preface
to this magnificent collection, "are all made expressly for this book
from photographs taken by special artists of the most striking objects of
interest, which abound to a remarkable extent along the Southern Pacific
Railroad, between San Francisco and Portland. Great care was taken to
select only such views as every traveler actually sees along the line."
And this Exclusive Edition was available to purchase only on the Shasta
Route trains! The photographers are anonymous, with the exception of
Chester Mullen
who took a memorable photo of the Lassen Peak, which is not only a peak
but also a volcano, that Mullen caught erupting sometime between 1914
and 1921: the biggest eruption was in 1915. But all of the pictures
are remarkable in their different ways!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #68494]
2022/07/10:
WE'RE NOW OFFERING YOU A CHOICE OF TWO DIGITAL EDITIONS OF CHARLES
WILLIAMS' THEOLOGICAL NOVEL DESCENT INTO HELL !!
Williams, Charles Walter Stansby (1886-1945)
[English novelist, theologian, and poet]
Wikipedia
The Charles Williams Society
Descent into Hell
(1937)
Wikipedia
[Novel about an amateur theatrical production and those involved in it.
But this is a Charles Williams novel, ranging from past to present,
dealing with things seen and unseen. "The ideas are fresh and
resonant, and they are set forth in prose that is often poetry,
and that is shot through with allusiveness and allusions (ranging
from Dante to Shelley). It is a novel that requires rereading, that
penetrates deeply into the worlds of the imagination with the
wisdom, even with something of the inspired frenzy of the true poet."
(Robert Halsband, Saturday Review, 23 April 1949)]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
HTML
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EPUB
[PGC #1111]
2022/07/08:
UNE INTRODUCTION À LA RELATIVITÉ! / AN INTRODUCTION TO RELATIVITY!
TRÈS BIEN ÉCRITE, AND BEAUTIFULLY TRANSLATED !!
Nordmann, Charles (1881-1940)
[astronome français]
fr.wikipedia
Einstein et l'univers. Une lueur dans le mystère des choses.
(1921)
[Traité sur la relativité, par l'Astronome de l'Observatoire de Paris:
un chef-d'oeuvre de la vulgarisation scientifique, qui permet au lecteur
de "monter jusqu'aux splendeurs einsteiniennes par le clair et noble
escalier du langage français."]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no41903]
English translation:
Einstein and the Universe. A Popular Exposition of the Famous Theory.
(1922)
[Written by the longtime Astronomer to the Paris Observatory, translated
by
Joseph McCabe (1867-1955)
Wikipedia
and with a preface by
Richard Haldane (1856-1928)
Wikipedia
who has high praise for the book: "It is the lucidity of the French
author, in combination with his own gift of expression, that has made
it possible for the translator to succeed so well in overcoming the
obstacles to giving the exposition in our own tongue this book contains.
The rendering seems to me, after reading the book both in French and in
English, admirable. M. Nordmann has presented Einstein's principle in
words which lift the average reader over many of the difficulties he must
encounter in trying to take it in."]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #68462]
2022/07/06:
OUR FIRST EBOOK BY THEOLOGIAN AND FANTASY NOVELIST GEORGE MACDONALD
-- ONE OF C.S. LEWIS'S FAVOURITE AUTHORS !!
MacDonald, George (1824-1905)
[Scottish theologian and novelist]
Wikipedia
At the Back of the North Wind
(1871)
Wikipedia
[Fantasy novel written "for children", but don't let that deter you!
Wasn't Alice in Wonderland written for children? Now to the story!
A boy named Diamond, son of a coachman, lives in a room over the stables,
lightly constructed: "For one side of the room was built only of boards,
and the boards were so old that you might run a penknife through into
the north wind." One windy night a knot comes out of one of the boards,
so Diamond plugs the resulting hole with some hay. But the wind
blows the hay out of the hole. And when Diamond replaces the hay, it's
blown out again, and then a third time. At which point a voice is heard:
"What do you mean, little boy--closing up my window?" Yes, it's the North
Wind herself! And she becomes Diamond's friend and indeed teacher, for he
learns important lessons about life as he accompanies her on her travels.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/07/02:
TODAY, THE SECOND NOVEL IN ARNOLD BENNETT'S FAMOUS CLAYHANGER
TRILOGY, SET IN THE SAME PLACE AND TELLING SOME OF THE SAME STORIES
AS IN THE FIRST NOVEL, BUT THIS TIME FROM THE VIEWPOINT NOT OF EDWIN CLAYHANGER, BUT OF HIS WIFE, BEFORE AND AFTER THEIR MARRIAGE !!
Bennett, Arnold [Enoch Arnold] (1867-1931)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
Hilda Lessways
(1911)
Wikipedia
[The second of the three novels in the Clayhanger trilogy, and a
true tour de force of the novelist's craft. It follows the early years
of Hilda Lessways, who in the course of the novel becomes the wife of
Edwin Clayhanger. Their early lives were in some ways dissimilar
(to start with, her family was much poorer than Edwin's) but had some
things in common, since they did after all grow up in the same town.
And so certain events appear in both books, but told from the two quite
different points of view!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/06/30:
IT'S 1880, AND ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON HAS BEEN LIVING IN
THE BAY AREA, BUT WANTS TO EXPLORE CALIFORNIA FURTHER !!
Stevenson, Robert Louis (1850-1894)
[Scottish novelist]
Wikipedia
RLS Website
The Silverado Squatters
(1883)
Wikipedia
[When Robert Louis Stevenson arrived in California, his health, always
precarious, was in crisis. However, with the help of his wife Fanny (they
had recently married) he recovered some degree of health, and resolved to
explore the region north of the Bay Area. He visited the Napa Valley, where
vineyards had recently been planted, and then a mining town called Silverado,
where silver mining had been abandoned, and its settlements left to decay.
"There is something singularly enticing," wrote Stevenson, "in the idea of
going, rent-free, into a ready-made house." And so he and Fanny became
squatters. Of course things weren't that simple, as Stevenson soon
discovered: there was, for example, the question of getting food. His
experiences were certainly excellent material for a book, this book in
fact: a unique record of the early history of modern California.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/06/27:
TODAY, THE FIRST NOVEL IN ARNOLD BENNETT'S FAMOUS CLAYHANGER
TRILOGY, SET IN STAFFORDSHIRE'S POTTERY DISTRICT !!
Bennett, Arnold [Enoch Arnold] (1867-1931)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
Clayhanger
(1910)
Wikipedia
[The first of the three novels in the Clayhanger trilogy, which
tells the story of the family of that name, and is a remarkable
panorama of the social and economic life of their native Staffordshire
at the height of the Victorian era. The first novel is about Edwin
Clayhanger, the son of Darius Clayhanger. Darius, who had been born
into poverty, definitely wants his son to join the family's successful
printing firm in Staffordshire's Pottery District, and he gets his
wish. But when Darius dies, Edwin finds himself wealthy and in control
of his circumstances. Changes in his life naturally follow.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/06/24:
UN TRÈS BEAU LIVRE POUR ENFANTS -- AVEC DE NOMBREUSES AQUARELLES !!
Grandmaison, Marie de [Dufour, Marie-Félicie] (née en 1846)
[romancière française]
En voyage (vers 1900)
[Récit de voyage pour enfants, avec des aquarelles par un peintre
anonyme mais d'un talent hors du commun. / Travel story for children,
with watercolours by an anonymous but very talented painter.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no68356]
2022/06/22:
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON RECOUNTS HIS JOURNEY ACROSS
THE UNITED STATES FROM NEW YORK TO CALIFORNIA !!
Stevenson, Robert Louis (1850-1894)
[Scottish novelist]
Wikipedia
RLS Website
Across the Plains
(1892)
[Robert Louis Stevenson's account of his journey in 1879 from New
York City to San Francisco, written at the time of his journey, but
not published until 1892 along with other "memories and essays".
And what a vivid account it is! Stevenson certainly had an eye
for detail, and was a careful observer of how social groups interact.
He is particularly acute in discussing white Americans' attitudes
towards Chinese-Americans and indigenous Americans "over whose own
hereditary continent we had been steaming all these days." What
better travel companion could a reader ask for?]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/06/19: A FASCINATING ACCOUNT BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
OF WHAT HE SAW DURING HIS PROLONGED VISIT TO MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA !!
Stevenson, Robert Louis (1850-1894)
[Scottish novelist]
Wikipedia
RLS Website
The Old Pacific Capital
(1880)
[In 1879 Robert Louis Stevenson completed his trip across the United
States and arrived in Monterey, which, as the title indicates, had been
the capital of California between 1804 and 1846. Always prone to bad
health, Stevenson was seriously ill on arrival, but did recover:
fortunately for posterity, he was to live fourteen more years, and
would eventually live at the other end of the Pacific, in Samoa.
However, as always, Stevenson did not allow his health problems to
get in the way of his writing, hence this pair of essays, both of
them startlingly relevant today. The first part, "The Woods and
the Pacific", is a vivid description of the region, including
its forest fires: "These fires are one of the great dangers of
California. I have seen from Monterey as many as three at the same
time, by day a cloud of smoke, by night a red coal of conflagration
in the distance. A little thing will start them, and, if the wind be
favourable, they gallop over miles of country faster than a horse."
The second part, "Mexicans, Americans, and Indians", is a demographic
study of the city, its cosmopolitan nature, and the discreet but obvious
persistence of Spanish culture and language. In short, the California
we know today already existed in 1880!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/06/17:
OUR LATEST SCIENCE FICTION MASTERPIECE BY H. G. WELLS !!
Wells, H. G. [Herbert George] (1866-1946)
[English novelist and historian]
Wikipedia
The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth (1904)
Wikipedia
[Humanity no longer looks on "scientific breakthroughs" with uncritical
credulity: this at least is something the last century has taught us.
Consider the long-term consequences, now brutally clear, of plastics,
nuclear power, pesticides, internal combustion, and much else. But
H. G. Wells saw this clearly, more than a century ago: he will forever
be our contemporary, not a mere "pioneer". As for this novel, it is
about Professor Redwood, who is a student of the science of growth:
he discovers Herakleophorbia IV, "the Food of the Gods", which stimulates growth, to say the least. Get a load of those hens! And of those wasps!
Could humans be similarly affected?]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/06/14:
WE'RE NOW OFFERING YOU A CHOICE OF TWO DIGITAL EDITIONS OF CHARLES
WILLIAMS' THEOLOGICAL NOVEL THE GREATER TRUMPS -- C. S. LEWIS
WAS A CLOSE FRIEND OF WILLIAMS AND A GREAT ADMIRER OF HIS WORKS !!
Williams, Charles Walter Stansby (1886-1945)
[English novelist, theologian, and poet]
Wikipedia
The Charles Williams Society
The Greater Trumps
(1932)
[Theological thriller, in which Tarot cards play a major role.
"The book is a kaleidoscope of ideas," says William Lindsay Gresham
in his introduction to the 1950 New York edition.
"It's a slam-bang action-fantasy melodrama too! Williams
is one of those rare authors one longs to know and query
in person about important things."]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
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EPUB
[PGC #1123]
2022/06/12:
A FAMILY SAGA BY ARNOLD BENNETT ABOUT TWO SISTERS WHOSE LIVES GO
IN OPPOSING DIRECTIONS -- UNTIL MANY YEARS LATER, WHEN THEY ARE
REUNITED !!
Bennett, Arnold [Enoch Arnold] (1867-1931)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
The Old Wives' Tale
(1908)
Wikipedia
[Those who are old were once young, and to understand them requires
knowing what their life experiences have been. This novel, one of
Bennett's most famous works, follows two sisters, Constance and Sophia
Baines. Constance spends her entire life in a lightly fictionalized
version of Staffordshire's Potteries District, while Sophia heads
for Paris. But time passes, and after many decades Sophia returns
to where she was born, and is reunited with her sister. Arnold takes
no shortcuts, but "it would be hard to say where there is a repetition
or a superfluity" in the tale of the sisters, and at the end of the novel
"there is nothing about them which we are not grateful for knowing."
(The Nation, 14 October 1909)]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/06/10:
A FINE ALBUM OF PAINTINGS OF THE COUNTRYSIDE AND VILLAGES OF
ENGLAND'S FAMOUSLY PICTURESQUE COTSWOLDS REGION !!
Nicholls, George F. [Franck] (1885-1937)
[English painter]
Cotswolds Water-Colours (1920)
[The Cotswolds are the hill region which separates the Thames and the
Severn. The region is famous for its scenery, which is beautifully
depicted in this album's twenty excellent colour reproductions of
villages and countryside.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #66093]
2022/06/08:
OUR FIRST STORY BY H. P. LOVECRAFT WAS ALSO ITS AUTHOR'S
OWN PERSONAL FAVOURITE !!
Lovecraft, H. P. [Howard Phillips] (1890-1937)
[American writer of fantasy and horror]
Wikipedia
The Colour Out of Space (1927)
Wikipedia
[Short story of fantasy and horror, highly regarded by many, and its
author's own personal favourite among his many stories. It is set
in Massachusetts west of the fictional town of Arkham, where "the
hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe
has ever cut." No one lives there now, "not because of anything that
can be seen or heard or handled, but because of something that is
imagined. The place is not good for imagination, and does not bring
restful dreams at night." But it has not always been this way!
Everything started with the meteorite of 1882: "Before that time there had
been no wild legends at all since the witch trials."]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/06/05:
A CLASSIC NOVEL BY ARNOLD BENNETT, SET AT THE GRANDEST OF
LONDON'S GRAND HOTELS !!
Bennett, Arnold [Enoch Arnold] (1867-1931)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
The Grand Babylon Hotel
(1902)
Wikipedia
[Hotel novel, set in what is clearly the fictional equivalent of the
then recently opened Savoy Hotel in London, and the most prestigious
hotel imaginable: "It was not good form to mention prices at the Grand
Babylon; the prices were enormous, but you never mentioned them. At the
conclusion of your stay a bill was presented, brief and void of dry
details, and you paid it without a word. You met with a stately civility,
that was all. No one had originally asked you to come; no one expressed
the hope that you would come again. The Grand Babylon was far above such
manoeuvres; it defied competition by ignoring it; and consequently was
nearly always full during the season." Now you know about the hotel and
you have sampled Bennett's very attractive style of writing. As for the
plot, things are always on the go at the Grand Babylon -- to learn more,
read the novel! (Or read the Wikipedia article first, then the novel!)]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/06/03:
F. SCOTT FITZGERALD'S SECOND NOVEL -- LIFE AMONG THE YOUNG, FASHIONABLE
AND RICH IN NEW YORK CITY, AS THE FIRST WORLD WAR IS FORGOTTEN AND THE
TWENTIES GET STARTED !!
Fitzgerald, F. Scott [Francis Scott Key] (1896-1940)
[American novelist and essayist]
Wikipedia
The Beautiful and Damned
(1922)
Wikipedia
[Fitzgerald's second novel: its main characters are Anthony Patch and
Gloria Gilbert, who have something but not everything in common with Fitzgerald himself and his wife Zelda. Patch is not himself extremely wealthy, but his grandfather is, which leaves him in the strange position
of being wealthy... but not yet. The couple lead a glamorous life in Manhattan, but as time passes their circumstances become more complex.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/06/01:
TO GIVE JUNE A TRULY EXCELLENT START, THE VERY FIRST MYSTERY NOVEL
BY THE LEGENDARY IRISH AUTHOR FREEMAN WILLS CROFTS !!
Crofts, Freeman Wills (1879-1957)
[Irish engineer and mystery novelist]
Wikipedia
The Cask (1920)
Wikipedia
[Crofts had been a railroad engineer for more than twenty years when
he had a major illness, and wrote this mystery novel, his first, while
recovering. It remains famous to this day. As you might expect,
the plot does indeed involve a cask, a wine cask, but one with some
interesting contents! Railways are often mentioned, as is appropriate
given Crofts' profession -- including the railways of France!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #59854]
2022/05/29:
F. SCOTT FITZGERALD'S MOST FAMOUS NOVEL IS UNDOUBTEDLY
THE GREAT GATSBY. NOW WE OFFER YOU TWO DIFFERENT
DIGITAL EDITIONS -- TAKE YOUR PICK !!
The Great Gatsby
(1925)
Wikipedia
[Fitzgerald's most famous novel, set on Long Island
and in New York City. Its focus is Jay Gatsby, who
possesses vast and mysterious wealth, and who is
observed with simultaneous fascination and scepticism by
Nick Carraway, a recent Yale graduate newly started in
the bonds business.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
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EPUB
[PGC #1619]
2022/05/26:
F. SCOTT FITZGERALD'S VERY FIRST NOVEL -- THE BOOK WHICH MADE HIM
FAMOUS !!
Fitzgerald, F. Scott [Francis Scott Key] (1896-1940)
[American novelist and essayist]
Wikipedia
This Side of Paradise
(1920)
Wikipedia
[Fitzgerald's first novel, about undergraduate life at Princeton
and life in the early twenties, the central character being Amory
Blaine, whose family life and love life the novel follows. The
publisher Scribner's was on the point of rejecting the novel because
of its explicit content, but their famous editor Maxwell Perkins
threatened to resign, and so the book duly appeared, and presented
the world with a more or less accurate picture of how Americans of
Fitzgerald's age and class actually lived: one contemporary reviewer
commented that it was "delightful and encouraging to find a novel
which gives us in the accurate terms of intellectual honesty a
reflection of American undergraduate life. At last the revelation
has come." ("R. V. A. S.", New Republic, 12 May 1920).
Twenty-nine years later, no less a figure than John P. Marquand commented
on how little the novel had dated: "It still remains almost exactly as
the reviewers first saw it, an exceptionally brilliant piece of work by
a precocious young Princeton graduate who was perhaps a genius...
Scott Fitzgerald was writing of a world he knew and of the only world
he could have known at his age, of school and schoolboys, of the Princeton
undergraduate, of the Plaza and the brownstone fronts and the bright lights
on Fifth Avenue, and he confined himself with the instinct of an artist
exclusively to what he had known and lived. He wrote as splendidly as
anyone ever has of his own youth." (Saturday Review, 6 August 1949)]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/05/24:
WE CELEBRATE VICTORIA DAY BY OFFERING YOU A SECOND EBOOK
OF THIS FAMOUS THEOLOGICAL NOVEL BY CHARLES WILLIAMS. IT'S
ALWAYS NICE TO HAVE A CHOICE !!
Williams, Charles Walter Stansby (1886-1945)
[English novelist, theologian, and poet]
Wikipedia
The Charles Williams Society
Shadows of Ecstasy
(1933)
[Novel, actually Williams' first novel, but published some years
after he wrote it. It starts off at the University of London,
where Roger Ingram, recently appointed to the university, is
at a banquet proposing a toast to a famous explorer recently
returned from South America. Of course, this is a Charles
Williams novel, so vaster plotlines quickly emerge, involving
the continent of Africa and the possibility of achieving
personal immortality, for example.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
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[PGC #1399]
2022/05/22:
HERE AT PROJECT GUTENBERG CANADA, WE HAVE A STRONG LIKING FOR
TWENTIETH-CENTURY ESPIONAGE NOVELS: THE EARLIEST ONES ARE AMONG
THE BEST! AND TODAY WE'RE DELIGHTED TO PRESENT ONE OF THE MOST
FAMOUS OF THEM ALL !!
Childers, Erskine (1870-1922)
[Irish author and politician]
Wikipedia
The Riddle of the Sands
(1903)
Wikipedia
[Novel, set largely in the Frisian Islands, very low barrier islands,
easily flooded, which dot the North Sea coast from the Netherlands
east to Denmark. It is presented as a work of non-fiction, featuring "Carruthers" (an assumed name), who has a post in the UK's Foreign
Office. Carruthers accepts an invitation from a friend to go on a
yachting vacation to the Baltic Sea by way of Holland and the Frisian
islands. But something mysterious is going on in the islands --
what are the Germans up to? Yes, this is definitely a novel of
espionage, an early and very good one, continuously famous from
its year of publication right up to the present day!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/05/20:
FOR YOUR BROWSING PLEASURE, A SELECTION OF FINE COLOURED ENGRAVINGS
FROM THE EIGHTEENTH AND EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURIES !!
Paston, George [Symonds, Emily Morse] (1860-1936)
[English novelist, critic, and art historian]
Wikipedia
Old Coloured Books (1905)
[A general title, but the monograph has a very specific topic: the
blossoming of etching and engraving in England which began at the end
of the eighteenth century. The monograph includes sixteen nicely chosen
and beautifully printed colour illustrations.
Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827)
Wikipedia
has pride of place, but other artists are by no means overlooked:
quite the contrary!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #33682]
2022/05/17:
A NOVEL BY WILLA CATHER SET IN THE AMERICAN WEST AT
THE END OF THE RAILROAD BOOM !!
Cather, Willa [Willa Sibert] (1873-1947) [American novelist]
Wikipedia
Full biography by James Woodress
A Lost Lady
(1923)
Wikipedia
[The modern history of Western Canada is largely the history of the
Canadian Pacific Railway and the many settlements founded along its
route while it was being constructed, some of them still quite small,
but some now very large: Calgary, for instance, and Vancouver. The
history of the western US is similar: the railroads came, the settlements
started, and events followed their natural course. Which brings us
to the town of Sweet Water, on the recently constructed Chicago, Burlington,
and Quincy railroad, and to Captain Daniel Forrester, who played a major
role in constructing the railroad, until "the Captain's terrible fall with
his horse in the mountains, which broke him so that he could no longer build
railroads." At which point the Captain retired to his house in Sweet Water,
accompanied by his much younger wife Marian, the "lost lady" of the title.
She is a participant in many losses: the loss of the heroic pioneering days,
the eventual loss of her husband, and the many changes in her life brought
on by these events. Robert Littell (The New Republic, 19 December
1923) comments that Cather "accomplishes exactly what she sets out to do",
and praises "the singular reality and solidity of the heroine, who remains
in our minds as one of [the] most vivid inhabitants of any American novel
of recent years."]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/05/14:
AN ALBUM OF TWENTY FINE WATER COLOUR PAINTINGS -- OUR THIRD
COLOUR PICTURE BOOK BY WILFRID BALL !!
Ball, Wilfrid [Wilfrid Williams] (1852-1917)
[English etcher and painter]
Wikipedia
Hampshire Water-Colours
(1913)
[Similar in concept to Ball's equally famous 1906 collection of paintings
of Sussex. In 1910 Ball had published an album devoted specifically to Winchester, but the books are hardly duplicates. There is much more to Hampshire than Winchester: Portsmouth and Southampton, for example! All three books feature amazingly good colour printing, and we are delighted
to make them available at our customary charge of... nothing whatsoever! Inflation is not part of the universe at Project Gutenberg Canada!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #66098]
2022/05/12:
A NOVEL BY WILLA CATHER SET IN AN AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
TOWN -- AND IN NEW MEXICO !!
Cather, Willa [Willa Sibert] (1873-1947) [American novelist]
Wikipedia
Full biography by James Woodress
The Professor's House
(1925)
Wikipedia
[The professor in question is the grandly named Godfrey St. Peter, who
is of French-Canadian descent, and obtained his doctorate in France.
But he is American, and as the novel opens is enjoying a successful
university teaching career. The Professor is moving out of his old
house, for good reason, for it had many issues and was not a comfortable
place to live. But the Professor finds that he's unwilling to leave
the old house, since that is where he prefers to do his writing.
And yet his new house has "a beautiful study downstairs". All of
which suggests that the Professor has a complex past and present.
And indeed Tom Outland plays a major role in the novel, even though
he died in the Great War: he had been the Professor's favourite student
and had planned to marry the Professor's daughter, Rosamond, who became
his sole heir, and consequently quite wealthy. The novel has a large
and attractive cast of characters, and its plot ranges widely: it
includes an archaeological expedition to the ancient but now abandoned
Cliff City in New Mexico!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/05/11:
A GALLERY OF FIFTY FINE ENGLISH ETCHINGS, FROM THE LATE
EIGHTEENTH TO THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY !!
Wedmore, Frederick (1844-1921)
[English novelist and art critic]
Wikipedia
Etching in England
(1895)
[A monograph about etching in the nineteenth century, with no fewer
than fifty fine illustrations by many different etchers who worked in
England during that period. Of course, not all of them were originally
from England: in particular, between chapters XXII and XXIII there is
an etching by
Elizabeth Forbes, née Armstrong (1859-1912)
who was from Kingston, Ontario, moved to England, and there achieved
a lasting international reputation as a painter and art instructor.
The galleries in her
Wikipedia
article and in the
Wikimedia Commons
are well worth visiting!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #68011]
2022/05/08:
A MASTERPIECE OF SOCIAL SATIRE BY CHARLES DICKENS !!
Dickens, Charles [Charles John Huffam] (1812-1870)
[English novelist, editor, and social activist]
Wikipedia
The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit
(1844 [novel]; 1868 [postscript])
Wikipedia
[The U.S. is now an aggressive colonial empire, and Canada is its colony,
after they forced the Canadian government to accept copyright extensions
and limits on where we could export, all this to enhance the monopolies
held by U.S. companies. Canadians are naturally curious about what happened
to the original thirteen colonies on their way to becoming our colonial
masters. What more agreeable way of learning something of American history
than by reading this fine novel by Charles Dickens? It contains some
trenchant comments on the U.S. based on Dickens' own observations during
an 1842 visit. It is only fair to say that in 1868 after a later visit
Dickens added a postscript commenting on the "gigantic changes in this
country" since his earlier visit, and describing how well he had been
treated during this second visit. However, he left the novel's original
text untouched. As for the novel itself (which takes place mostly in
England), it offers some memorable social satire and has an extraordinary
cast of characters, as one expects from the ever creative mind of Charles
Dickens.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/05/06:
TODAY, THE FIFTH TITLE IN THE "JUST WILLIAM" SERIES, FEATURING THE
IMMORTAL SCHOOLBOY WILLIAM BROWN AND HIS FRIENDS !!
Crompton, Richmal [Lamburn, Richmal Crompton] (1890-1969)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
The Just William books, illustrated by
Thomas Henry (1879-1962)
Wikipedia
Still--William
(1925)
Wikipedia
[The fifth book of stories (fourteen of them!) about William Brown and
his friends. As the title suggests, William's character has not changed,
nor would we want it to. And in fact his character (and age) would
remain the same in every single one of the books, which appeared over a
span of nearly half a century! Summarizing all fourteen of the stories
is impossible, but fortunately the book's Wikipedia article has done
this for us. Still, "Henri Learns the Language" has a special charm for
Canadians, since virtually all of us have had to deal with learning a
second language, be it English or French. But few language students
have Henri's level of gentle determination: "We weel talk an' you weel
teach to me ze slang."]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67238]
2022/05/04:
EL GRAN NOVELISTA VALENCIANO VICENTE BLASCO IBÁÑEZ
NOS CUENTA SUS VIAJES EN INDIA, CEILÁN, SUDÁN,
NUBIA Y EGIPTO !!
Ibáñez, Vicente Blasco (1867-1928)
[Spanish novelist / romancier espagnol]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
es.wikipedia
Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes
La vuelta al mundo de un novelista - tomo III
(1925)
es.wikipedia
[Relatos de viaje del gran escritor valenciano: India, Ceilán,
Sudán, Nubia y Egipto!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67917]
2022/04/30-2022/05/01:
FOR MAY DAY WEEKEND, A LATE AND EXCELLENT NOVEL BY JOHN P.
MARQUAND.
READERS OF CANADA, UNITE!
YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE EXCEPT YOUR FOREIGN OPPRESSORS' COPYRIGHT
EXTENSIONS !!
Marquand, John P. [John Phillips] (1893-1960)
[American novelist]
Wikipedia
Women and Thomas Harrow
(1958)
[Novel, set in the not extremely distant past: for instance, My Fair
Lady is mentioned, which had only recently premiered on Broadway,
and there is a quotation from Time magazine. Tom Harrow is a
playwright who has had three wives and many theatrical successes. He is
now past the height of his career, and of his finances (his marriages
played a major role in reducing his wealth), but what a height it was!
Now he is back in his hometown of Clyde, New Hampshire and is looking
back at his career in show business: the reader naturally accompanies
him in these excursions through the past, and learns much about life in
Manhattan between the wars. "'Women and Thomas Harrow' may prove to be
the best of Mr. Marquand's many books; it is certainly a novel to remember."
(Harrison Smith, Saturday Review, 27 September 1958).]
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2022/04/29:
EL GRAN NOVELISTA VALENCIANO VICENTE BLASCO IBÁÑEZ
NOS CUENTA SUS VIAJES EN CHINA, MACAO, HONG-KONG, FILIPINAS,
JAVA, SINGAPORE, BIRMANIA Y CALCUTA !!
Ibáñez, Vicente Blasco (1867-1928)
[Spanish novelist / romancier espagnol]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
es.wikipedia
Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes
La vuelta al mundo de un novelista - tomo II
(1924)
es.wikipedia
[Relatos de viaje del gran escritor valenciano: China, Macao,
Hong-Kong, Filipinas, Java, Singapore, Birmania y Calcuta!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #63816]
2022/04/27:
EL GRAN NOVELISTA VALENCIANO VICENTE BLASCO IBÁÑEZ
NOS CUENTA SUS VIAJES EN AMÉRICA, EL PACÍFICO Y ASIA !!
Ibáñez, Vicente Blasco (1867-1928)
[Spanish novelist / romancier espagnol]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
es.wikipedia
Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes
La vuelta al mundo de un novelista - tomo I
(1924)
es.wikipedia
[Relatos de viaje del gran escritor valenciano: Estados Unidos,
Cuba, Panamá, Hawai, Japón, Corea y Manchuria!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #63810]
2022/04/25:
A NEW AUTHOR TODAY, JOHN GALSWORTHY: WE PRESENT THE FIRST NOVEL
IN HIS FAMOUS FORSYTE SAGA !!
Galsworthy, John (1867-1933)
[English novelist, playwright, and social activist;
1932 Nobel Prize in Literature]
Wikipedia
THE FORSYTE SAGA
Wikipedia
The Man of Property (1906 [novel]; 1922 [preface])
Wikipedia
[The novel that began it all! As the story starts, we are introduced
to various generations of Forsytes at a family gathering, hosted
by old Jolyon, the oldest male in the family, and we meet
the many Forsytes, among them Soames, old Jolyon's nephew, who is
destined to play a central role in this and in the succeeding novels.
The Forsytes as a group are not truly wealthy, there is no actual family
fortune, and so there is a certain unease in their relations with the
world and with each other. This ambiguity is a primary source of
conflict in every age, then, now, and in the distant past. Hence
Galsworthy calls his story a saga, like the sagas of Viking times a
millennium earlier: "we may be sure that tribal instinct was even then
the prime force, and that 'family' and the sense of home and property
counted as they do to this day." Truer and sadder words were never
written, as is demonstrated by the life of Soames Forsyte, the Man of
Property after whom the novel is named: he is obsessed with the notion
of property and ownership, a sure sign that someone is not truly rich
and certainly not happy. And so with this first instalment we launch
the Forsyte Saga, which was the favourite reading of the Edwardian era, won Galsworthy the 1932 Nobel Prize, and inspired two very famous TV
adaptations, by the BBC in 1967 and by ITV in 2002. In short, this
and the ensuing instalments of the Forsyte Saga are enduring classics,
which never cease to entertain as well as instruct. Enjoy!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/04/22:
OUR SECOND NOVEL BY H. RIDER HAGGARD HAS BEEN CONTINUALLY FAMOUS
SINCE ITS PUBLICATION, HAS BEEN FILMED MANY TIMES, AND HAS INSPIRED
MANY ADVENTURE NOVELS !!
Haggard, H. Rider [Henry Rider] (1856-1925)
[English colonial administrator and novelist]
Wikipedia
She. A History of Adventure.
(1887)
Wikipedia
[Adventure novel, and a very famous one, often adapted to film.
It starts sedately enough: we are at Cambridge University, where
we meet Ludwig Horace Holly. But Holly becomes the guardian of
the young and very handsome Leo Vincey; he and Holly travel to
Africa following instructions left by Vincey's late father. And
here in the Caves of Kôr they meet the ancient, powerful, and
beautiful Ayesha, the "She" of the book's title: many adventures
follow. No wonder the novel has captivated so many readers, and
inspired so many novelists! The Adelaide EPUB we offer you includes
the illustrations from the 1887 edition.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/04/20:
FINE PAINTINGS OF ENGLISH GARDENS BY GEORGE S. ELGOOD -- GARDENS WERE
HIS PASSION, AND HIS PAINTINGS OF THEM BROUGHT HIM LASTING FAME !!
Elgood, George Samuel (1851-1943)
[English painter and designer]
Wikipedia
Some English Gardens (1904)
[Watercolours, reproduced in excellent colour, of, well, some English
gardens. Quite a few of them, actually! The accompanying text is worthy
of the pictures and no wonder, for it is by the celebrated garden designer
Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932)
Wikipedia
-- a perfect pairing, who created a truly marvellous album!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67874]
2022/04/19:
UN ALBUM TOUT À FAIT REMARQUABLE DE DESSINS DE PARIS -- AVEC UN
TEXTE (TRÈS BIEN ÉCRIT, D'AILLEURS) PAR LE DESSINATEUR LUI-MÊME !!
Robida, Albert (1848-1926)
[Illustrateur et écrivain français]
fr.wikipedia
en.wikipedia
Paris de siècle en siècle.
Le coeur de Paris, splendeurs et souvenirs.
[1896]
[Histoire de la cité de Paris. "Textes, dessins et lithographies par
A. Robida". Un véritable chef-d'oeuvre du célèbre illustrateur!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 67853]
2022/04/17:
HAPPY EASTER! TO CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAY, WE'RE NOW OFFERING YOU A CHOICE
OF TWO DIGITAL EDITIONS OF CHARLES WILLIAMS' THE PLACE OF THE
LION -- ONE OF HIS MOST HIGHLY REGARDED THEOLOGICAL NOVELS !!
Williams, Charles Walter Stansby (1886-1945)
[English novelist, theologian, and poet]
Wikipedia
The Charles Williams Society
The Place of the Lion
(1931)
Wikipedia
[Theological novel, with more than a touch of Plato. Why has a lioness
appeared in Hertfordshire? Much action and much philosophy ensue.]
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[University of Adelaide]
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2022/04/15:
FOR EASTER WEEKEND, A THEOLOGICAL NOVEL BY CHARLES WILLIAMS.
WE NOW OFFER TWO SEPARATE DIGITAL EDITIONS OF HIS FAMOUS FIRST NOVEL !!
!!
Williams, Charles Walter Stansby (1886-1945)
[English novelist, theologian, and poet]
Wikipedia
The Charles Williams Society
War in Heaven
(1930)
[Williams' first novel. The Holy Grail ("Graal", as Williams calls it)
Wikipedia,
surfaces in England, with exciting consequences.
"...because it is a much younger Williams writing in the Twenties,
we find many more sardonic and outrageously funny lines
here than in the later books... We could attend a Black Mass
with Charles Williams and come away with him laughing
through our bewitchment."
(Richard McLaughlin, Saturday Review, 1 October 1949)]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
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[PGC #1088]
2022/04/11:
OUR SECOND ALBUM OF PAINTINGS BY WILFRID BALL, THE PICTURES
BEING OF THE BEAUTIFUL CITY OF WINCHESTER IN HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND !!
Ball, Wilfrid [Wilfrid Williams] (1852-1917)
[English etcher and painter]
Wikipedia
Winchester, Painted by Wilfrid Ball, Described by Telford Varley
(1910)
[A set of 24 paintings of the ancient city of Winchester, Alfred the
Great's capital, and one of England's most important cities during the
Middle Ages. The excellent colour plates are accompanied by a fine
text, whose author
Telford Varley (1866-1938)
knew Winchester well, having served for thirty years in that city as
the founding headmaster of Peter Symonds College
Wikipedia.
He is far too modest in his description of what he contributed, saying
it is neither a history nor a guidebook, even though clearly it is both
of these!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67808]
2022/04/09:
A NEW AUTHOR TODAY, AND A FAMOUS ONE! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
GEORGE MEREDITH, AND HIS NOVEL ABOUT NARCISSISM -- VERY
RELEVANT TO OUR AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA !!
Meredith, George (1828-1909)
[English poet and novelist]
Wikipedia
The Egoist. A Comedy in Narrative.
(1879)
Wikipedia
["Egoists" (or "egotists"; both forms are correct) are people who
place their own interests first, so that other people do not seem
real to them, except as aids or hindrances to the egotists' personal
ambitions. This novel is about Sir Willoughby Patterne and his
attempts to find a wife, which prove a struggle, for the woman
he sets his sights on is no fool, and understands him better than
he does. Naturally he does not see any of this. The novel is
perfect reading for our own age, which is riddled with egotism,
thanks to personal branding and similar nonsense, all enabled
and made pervasive by social media. The internal culture of most
companies and political parties accelerates the downward spiral.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/04/07:
AN ART BOOK TODAY, FAMOUS SINCE ITS PUBLICATION, WHICH INCLUDES NO
FEWER THAN SEVENTY-FIVE PAINTINGS OF SUSSEX -- IN COLOUR !!
Ball, Wilfrid [Wilfrid Williams] (1852-1917)
[English etcher and painter]
Wikipedia
Sussex, Painted by Wilfrid Ball
(1906)
[No fewer than 75 paintings of Sussex landscapes in excellent full-colour
reproductions: we can easily believe the publisher's claim that "No expense
has been spared in reproducing the exact colourings of the artists, and the
books are beautifully printed and bound." Wilfrid Ball was in his early
adulthood an accountant, but his natural talent and preference eventually
prevailed, so he became a full-time artist and a famous one. This book
shows why he was and is so famous. The excellent text from an anonymous
contributor gives much useful and interesting information on Sussex's
geography and history.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67784]
2022/04/05:
A NOVEL BY JOSEPH CONRAD, SET IN THE SOUTH SEAS !!
Conrad, Joseph [Korzeniowski, Józef Teodor Konrad]
(1857-1924) [Polish mariner and novelist]
Wikipedia
Victory. An Island Tale.
(1915 [novel]; 1920 [Author's Note])
Wikipedia
[Surely a novel called "Victory", published in 1915, must be concerned
with the First World War. Well, no, it isn't! Conrad finished the novel
on 19 May 1914, and "Victory" was the title he had already chosen, which
he could not bring himself to change once the war had begun. And who can
blame him? The main character is Axel Heyst, born in London, but "directly
his father died he lit out into the wide world on his own", and eventually
found himself in the Malay Archipelago: "Everyone in that part of the
world knew of him, dwelling on his little island." This is the story of
what happened to Heyst and to those he met, in particular the travelling
"orchestra girl" Lena, who changed his life forever. The ebook we offer
you includes not only Conrad's original Note to the First Edition, but
also an extended Author's Note which he wrote for the 1920 limited edition
of his collected works.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/04/02:
TODAY, A CLASSIC SATIRICAL NOVEL ABOUT THREE FRIENDS, THEIR DOG, AND
THEIR BOAT TRIP DOWN THE RIVER THAMES. WE INCLUDE THE FAMOUS ORIGINAL
ILLUSTRATIONS !!
Jerome, Jerome K. (1859-1927)
[English author, editor, and playwright]
Wikipedia
Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)
(1889)
Wikipedia
[Few books of humour have withstood the years as well as this famous
account of how Jerome and two friends, accompanied by Montmorency the dog,
went on a boating trip down the river Thames. What a crew! And what
a trip! The illustrations, classics in their own right, are by Jerome's close friend, the well known illustrator
Arthur Frederics [Frederick Arthur Hipp] (1849-1929).
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/03/31:
TODAY'S EBOOK HAS A VERY SIMPLE TITLE: WILLIAM--THE FOURTH.
IT'S THE FOURTH OF RICHMAL CROMPTON'S FAMOUS SERIES OF BOOKS ABOUT
THE ENGLISH SCHOOLBOY WILLIAM BROWN AND HIS FRIENDS, "THE OUTLAWS" !!
Crompton, Richmal [Lamburn, Richmal Crompton] (1890-1969)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
The Just William books, illustrated by
Thomas Henry (1879-1962)
Wikipedia
William--The Fourth
(1924)
[The fourth book of stories about William Brown and his friends. Rather
than try to summarize all fourteen of them, we'll just give three of the
titles: William and Photography, William the Showman, and
William Enters Politics. Perhaps William would prove more adept
than some of our modern English politicians -- look out, Boris!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #66971]
2022/03/28:
TODAY, A TALE VERY MUCH FOR OUR PANDEMIC TIMES: EDGAR ALLAN POE'S
THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH !!
Poe, Edgar Allan (1809-1849)
[American poet, editor, and author of novels and short stories]
Wikipedia
The Masque of the Red Death (1845 version)
(1845)
Wikipedia
[Short story. The "Red Death" has reached the realms of Prince Prospero,
but he has the answer, at least for the aristocracy. "When his dominions
were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and
light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and
with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys...
The abbey was amply provisioned. With such precautions the courtiers might
bid defiance to contagion. The external world could take care of itself."
Sounds a lot like the arrival of COVID-19 in our own times, with the
well-off secluding themselves and leaving the "essential workers" and
the marginalized to fend for themselves. That hasn't worked out too well
for anyone. As for Prince Prospero... well, read the story! It comes
with three fine illustrations by the Irish artist Harry Clarke (1889-1931)]
Wikipedia.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/03/26:
TODAY, A NOVELLA BY JOSEPH CONRAD! WHO, WE MAY WELL
POINT OUT NOW THAT RUSSIA HAS INVADED UKRAINE, WAS BORN IN
BERDYCHIV -- LESS THAN 200 KM FROM KYIV !!
Conrad, Joseph [Korzeniowski, Józef Teodor Konrad]
(1857-1924) [Polish mariner and novelist]
Wikipedia
Typhoon
(1902, with a preface from 1920)
Wikipedia
[Novella involving, not surprisingly, a major storm in the Pacific
Ocean. It was based, Conrad tells us, on a genuine incident involving
a steamship carrying a large number of passengers from Singapore to
northern China. "I never met anybody personally concerned in this
affair, the interest of which for us was, of course, not the bad weather
but the extraordinary complication brought into the ship's life at
a moment of exceptional stress by the human element below her deck."
And that nicely describes the events of the book, and what faces its
central character, the unforgettable Captain MacWhirr. "MacWhirr is
not an acquaintance of a few hours, or a few weeks, or a few months.
He is the product of twenty years of life. My own life. Conscious
invention had little to do with him."]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/03/23:
WHAT WOULD RUSSIA'S GREATEST NOVELIST, LEO TOLSTOY, HAVE THOUGHT
OF THE UKRAINIAN WAR? HE WOULD HAVE HATED IT, AND OPPOSED IT
UNCONDITIONALLY.
Tolstoy, Leo [Lev Nikolayevich] (1828-1910)
[Russian novelist and social thinker]
Wikipedia
"Bethink Yourselves!"
(1904)
[When in 1904 the Russo-Japanese War broke out, causing tens of
thousands to die, Leo Tolstoy, a fervent pacifist, was furious: hence
this passionate denunciation of war. "Again war," he begins. "Again
sufferings, necessary to nobody, utterly uncalled for; again fraud;
again the universal stupefaction and brutalization of men." Those
reading it will naturally ask whether Tolstoy would have said the
same things about the Russo-Ukrainian war which started in 2022 -- a
very easy question to answer! This translation by
Vladimir Chertkov (1854-1936)
Wikipedia,
and "I. F. M." was first published in The Times (London).]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #27189]
2022/03/21:
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NOVEL BY H. G. WELLS -- ONE OF WELLS'
PERSONAL FAVOURITES !!
Wells, H. G. [Herbert George] (1866-1946)
[English novelist and historian]
Wikipedia
Love and Mr Lewisham. The Story of a Very Young Couple.
(1900)
Wikipedia
[Novel. Its main character, Mr Lewisham, is "assistant master in the Whortley Proprietary School, Whortley, Sussex, and his wages were forty
pounds a year... He was a passable-looking youngster of eighteen".
Wells at that age had held a similar position, and yes, this is definitely
an autobiographical novel, for at the age of twenty-one both Wells and
Lewisham find themselves at the celebrated Normal School of Science,
now part of Imperial College, London. The novel is about love, and
Lewisham is indeed in love with his wife, but her very troublesome family
is a different matter, and his marriage, as can happen, is fatal for his
academic and political ambitions. But Lewisham is a very sympathetic
hero, and the novel is a pleasure to read and was one of Wells' favourites
among his many works.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/03/20:
OUR FIRST NOVEL BY H. RIDER HAGGARD IS (WHAT ELSE?)
KING SOLOMON'S MINES !!
Haggard, H. Rider [Henry Rider] (1856-1925)
[English colonial administrator and novelist]
Wikipedia
King Solomon's Mines
(1885, with prefaces from 1898 and 1907)
Wikipedia
[One of the earliest African adventure novels and surely the most famous
of them all, featuring Alan Quatermain. It would be hard for an Englishman
writing in 1885 not to reflect the colonialism and racism of the time, and Haggard is no exception, but also by no means the worst offender in this
regard, perhaps because he had direct experience of South Africa, having
lived there for seven years. The plot of the novel is not that far
removed from reality, since at the time lost empires were in fact being
discovered, and as for King Solomon, there is a long Jewish history in
Africa from antiquity up to the present day!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/03/16:
NOVELIST GRACE METALIOUS WAS OF CANADIAN DESCENT — HER BIRTH
NAME WAS "MARIE GRACE DE REPENTIGNY". HER FIRST NOVEL WAS
PEYTON PLACE, BUT THIS WAS JUST THE BEGINNING! WERE HER
LATER NOVELS EVEN BETTER THAN HER FIRST? THE ANSWER IS VERY LIKELY
YES -- BUT YOU BE THE JUDGE !!
Metalious, Grace (1924-1964)
[American novelist]
Wikipedia
The Tight White Collar
(1960)
[Grace Metalious was an exceptionally fine writer, with a sound
knowledge of French literature and music, as becomes clear in this
novel. This is not at all surprising in someone of French-Canadian
descent: her name at birth was Marie Grace deRepentigny. Her novels
are of special interest to Canadians, but deserve a lasting worldwide
fame for the skill of her writing and the truthfulness of her narratives.
This truthfulness is what made her novels notorious, but she was simply
depicting life as it is actually lived, which leads to controversy often
enough. Like Peyton Place, the novel is set in New England, this
time in the town of Cooper Station, New Hampshire, a wealthy and unwelcoming
town subsisting off the city of Cooper's Mills ten miles to the north,
where a visitor "would find the factories, the tenements, the sixty-watt
light bulbs in the soiled beer joints, the Canucks and the Catholics.
But Cooper Station was different. It was made up of the people who
profited from the existence of Cooper's Mills and who could, therefore,
afford not to live there." Social conflict, sexual attraction -- human
life itself, ideal material for Grace Metalious!]
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2022/03/15:
TODAY, THE THIRD VOLUME OF E. K. CHAMBERS' FAMOUS FOUR PART
ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH STAGE IN THE TIME OF ELIZABETH I: IT FOCUSES
ON HOW THE PLAYS WERE STAGED, AND HOW THEY CAME TO BE PUBLISHED !!
Chambers, E. K. [Edmund Kerchever] (1866-1954)
[English literary historian]
Wikipedia
The Elizabethan Stage, vol. 3 (1923)
[This third volume of E.K. Chambers' famous work examines the mechanics
of staging plays, both at court and in the theatres, and of publishing
the plays, a topic crucially important to us, for that is how these plays
were transmitted to future ages, including ours! The book ends with a fascinating list of the many playwrights of the period whose names are
known to us, with a short biography and list of works for each.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67462]
2022/03/13:
TODAY, OUR SECOND NOVEL BY JANE AUSTEN -- WHICH SOME CONSIDER HER
MASTERPIECE, SURPASSING EVEN PRIDE AND PREJUDICE !!
Austen, Jane (1775-1817) [English novelist]
Wikipedia
Emma
(1815)
Wikipedia
["Emma Woodhouse," begins this famous novel, "handsome, clever, and
rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition... had lived nearly
twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her."
But as can happen, Emma does not realize that her wealth and social
position are lucky accidents, and not the result of her own efforts
or intelligence. She should certainly not be telling others how to
organize their lives, let alone whom they should marry! But that is
what she does, naturally with limited success. Canadian politicians
are like Emma: they are themselves well off, seem obsessed with "middle
class aspirations", and show little knowledge of or respect for the
working poor. Hence the class divisions, gigantic wealth, and mass
poverty that we now see in Canada. Back to the novel! Some consider
it Austen's finest work, and it is certainly popular, with many TV
and film adaptations, including the 1995 film Clueless, set
in Beverly Hills!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/03/10:
TODAY, A FAMOUS COLLECTION OF STORIES BY RUDYARD KIPLING
ABOUT THE DAILY LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF THREE SOLDIERS IN BRITISH
INDIA !!
Kipling, Rudyard (1865-1936)
[Anglo-Indian novelist and poet; Nobel Prize in Literature, 1907]
Wikipedia
Soldiers Three and Other Stories
(1899)
Wikipedia
[Short stories about life in the British Army in India, originally
published as three separate collections. The stories are about
Privates Terence Mulvaney, Stanley Ortheris, and John Learoyd,
who had already made their first appearance in Plain Tales
from the Hills. Readers will learn much about daily life
within the British Army at the height of the Raj, when the end
of empire seemed impossibly far away, even though it was in fact
only fifty years off. Kipling's representation of the privates'
dialects (Irish, Cockney, and Yorkshire) takes some initial
adjustment, but this soon wears off. What does not wear off
is the very high quality of these classic stories.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/03/06:
THE ORIGINAL AND UNREVISED VERSION OF WILLIAM STRUNK'S FAMOUS
HANDBOOK ON WRITING ENGLISH !!
Strunk, William [Jr.] (1869-1946)
[American literary critic and grammarian]
Wikipedia
The Elements of Style
(1920)
Wikipedia
[Strunk was teaching at Cornell when he wrote this manual for his undergraduate students: it gives a set of rules to assist them in
clear and grammatical writing. These rules deal with such matters
as punctuation and sentence structure, and taken as a whole are
an amazingly useful and coherent set of suggestions for writers.
As revised by one of Strunk's students at Cornell, E. B. White
(1899-1985), a writer at the New Yorker famous for such
children's books as Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web,
it became very popular, and has often been reprinted and updated.
But the original version which we present has much to be said for it:
it is concise, and Strunk's personal voice is unmistakable.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #37134]
2022/03/04:
TODAY'S EBOOK HAS BECOME NEWLY FAMOUS RECENTLY! IT'S ABOUT DOCTORS,
MEDICAL RESEARCH, MONEY, THE REALITIES OF PANDEMICS, AND THE EFFECT
OF ALL THIS ON INDIVIDUALS. THESE ISSUES BECAME NEWLY RELEVANT WITH
THE ARRIVAL OF COVID-19 TWO YEARS AGO, AND ARE STILL RELEVANT TODAY,
FOR COVID IS STILL WITH US. THE ISSUES WILL BE WITH US FOREVER.
Lewis, Sinclair (1885-1951) [American novelist; Nobel Prize in Literature, 1930]
Wikipedia
Nobelprize.org
Arrowsmith
(1925)
Wikipedia
[Novel about the life of Martin Arrowsmith from his early days in
the small Midwestern town of Elk Mills, which follows him through
medical school, life as a GP, hospital work, medical research, and
bubonic plague in the Caribbean. We see how all these experiences
affect Arrowsmith and those around him, and how he deals with the
ethical conflicts which arise. It is an amazingly comprehensive study
of the world of medicine, is absolutely relevant today, and its fame
has only increased since the advent of COVID-19. Its accuracy is no
accident, as in a short preface to the original edition Lewis recorded
his debt to the famous microbiologist
Paul de Kruif (1890-1971)
Wikipedia
"not only for most of the bacteriological and medical material in
this tale but equally for his help in the planning of the fable
itself--for his realization of the characters as living people,
for his philosophy as a scientist."]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/02/02:
OUR SECOND EBOOK BY JOHN STEINBECK IS THE LAST BOOK HE WROTE -- A
WONDERFUL ACCOUNT OF HIS TRAVELS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES IN HIS
TRUCK, ACCOMPANIED BY HIS DOG, CHARLEY !!
Steinbeck, John (1902-1968)
[American novelist; Nobel Prize in Literature, 1962]
Wikipedia
Travels with Charley: In Search of America
(1962)
Wikipedia
[Steinbeck's final book, its title based on Robert Louis Stevenson's
Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes -- which you will find
in the Project Gutenberg Canada catalogue! However, Steinbeck travelled
not with a donkey but with a notably mild-tempered poodle, Charley:
together they crisscrossed the forty-eight states in a newly purchased
and modified pickup truck. And what a journey they had!]
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2022/03/01:
WE NOW OFFER TWO DIGITAL EDITIONS OF THIS CLASSIC MYSTERY
NOVEL BY R. AUSTIN FREEMAN, WHICH HE WROTE IN HIS LATE SEVENTIES,
WITH WORLD WAR II RAGING OVERHEAD !!
Freeman, R. Austin [Richard Austin] (1862-1943)
[English physician and mystery novelist]
Wikipedia
Mr. Polton Explains
(1940)
[Mystery novel. The main character is of course Dr Thorndyke,
but the action is narrated first by the Doctor's servant Nathaniel
Polton, and later by the Doctor's faithful friend Christopher Jervis.
The author describes it as the "story of a simple clockmaker", but
of course it's far more than that, and is in fact one of his most
celebrated works. And he wrote it when almost eighty!]
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[University of Adelaide]
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[PGC #1636]
2022/02/27:
TODAY'S EBOOK HAS HAD A HUGE AND LASTING IMPACT -- IT EXPLAINED THAT
SLIPS OF THE TONGUE ARE NOT AS ACCIDENTAL AS THEY SEEM !!
Freud, Sigmund (1856-1939)
[Austrian physician and psychoanalyst]
Wikipedia
Psychopathology of Everyday Life
(1901 [original German version]; 1914 [this translation])
Wikipedia
[Why do we forget things and then remember them? And why do we have
slips of the tongue? This is the book that made Freud a household name
worldwide, introduced to the world the concept of the "Freudian slip"
Wikipedia
and made Freud a household name worldwide.
This translation of Zur Psychopathologie des Alltagslebens is by
Abraham Brill (1874-1948)
Wikipedia,
who brought psychoanalysis to the United States, and was the first
person to translate Freud into English!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67332]
2022/02/25:
RICHMAL CROMPTON'S THIRD "JUST WILLIAM" BOOK !!
Crompton, Richmal [Lamburn, Richmal Crompton] (1890-1969)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
The Just William books, illustrated by
Thomas Henry (1879-1962)
Wikipedia
William Again
(1923)
[The third book of stories (fourteen of them!) about William Brown
and his friends. In the first story, William decides to write (and
put on stage!) a new play. Many other adventures follow.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #65590]
2022/02/22:
TODAY'S EBOOK BY H. G. WELLS IS AN EVERGREEN CLASSIC OF SCIENCE FICTION !!
Wells, H. G. [Herbert George] (1866-1946)
[English novelist and historian]
Wikipedia
The Island of Doctor Moreau
(1896)
Wikipedia
[An early science fiction novel, hugely successful and enduringly famous.
The narrator, Edward Prendrick, is lost and presumed drowned in the South
Seas, but a year later is found in a small open boat, in good health but
apparently demented, and with no memory of what had happened during the
intervening year. But with him was found his written narrative of these
events -- and what events they were! While still living in England he
had already heard of Doctor Moreau, who had become notorious for his
experiments on animals ("the Moreau Horrors"), and it seems that on this
distant southern island he had taken these experiments to new and horrifying
extremes. We don't need to speculate on how Wells came to write this novel,
for in the 1924 Atlantic Edition Wells himself has answered our question:
"There was a scandalous trial about that time [1895], the graceless and
pitiful downfall of a man of genius, and this story was the response of
an imaginative mind to the reminder that humanity is but animal rough-hewn
to a reasonable shape and in perpetual internal conflict between instinct
and injunction." In other words, this account of human cruelty was
prompted by the trial and conviction of Oscar Wilde, and has to be
considered a defence of gay rights -- this in 1896! Wells did what
he could given the vicious homophobia of his time, hence his indirect
approach. But what a tremendous novel he wrote!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/02/19:
TODAY, THE SECOND VOLUME OF E. K. CHAMBERS' FOUR-PART
ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH STAGE IN THE TIME OF ELIZABETH I --
WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON (1) THE COMPANIES OF ACTORS AND (2)
THE THEATRE BUILDINGS THAT THEY USED !!
Chambers, E. K. [Edmund Kerchever] (1866-1954)
[English literary historian]
Wikipedia
The Elizabethan Stage, vol. 2 (1923)
[The second volume of E.K. Chambers's classic and wonderfully readable
work focuses on the actors' companies, the playhouses they worked
in, the design of these playhouses, and their way of operating.
Much more is known about this than you might expect!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67423]
2022/02/17:
TODAY, WHAT SOME CONSIDER LEO TOLSTOY'S MOST PERFECT LITERARY CREATION,
THE COSSACKS -- INSPIRED BY TOLSTOY'S OWN EXPERIENCES IN THE
CAUCASIAN WAR !!
Tolstoy, Leo [Lev Nikolayevich] (1828-1910)
[Russian novelist and social thinker]
Wikipedia
The Cossacks
(1863 [original novel]; 1916 [this translation])
Wikipedia
[The Russian Empire's nineteenth-century acquisition of vast territories
to the north and the east of the Black Sea had consequences which extend
to the present day. And so this early and excellent novella by Tolstoy
often seems quite contemporary: to start with, not just Cossacks but
also the Chechens play a prominent role! The main character, Dmitri
Andreich Olenin, clearly based on the author himself, is a rich young
man "who had squandered half his fortune and had reached the age of
twenty-four without having done anything or even chosen a career."
He joins the army, and takes part in the Caucasian War. Olenin is
greatly changed by his military experience, and by living among the
Cossacks (the Chechens' adversaries), whose way of life he largely
adopts, although there are limits to how much of a Cossack he can become.
Still, he's quite a different man by the time the novel ends. The
translation we offer is by
Aylmer and Louise Maude (1858-1938; 1855-1939)
Wikipedia,
long-term residents of Moscow, where Louise was actually born: they were
friends of Tolstoy and were his preferred English translators!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/02/15:
WE'D CALL IT A CULT CLASSIC, BUT IT'S SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT!
FROM 1904, WE'RE VERY PROUD TO PRESENT HADRIAN THE SEVENTH,
BY FREDERICK ROLFE -- YOU MAY KNOW HIM AS "BARON CORVO" !!
Rolfe, Frederick William (1860-1913)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
Hadrian the Seventh. A Romance.
(1904)
Wikipedia
[No ordinary novel! In 1886 Rolfe had become Roman Catholic, and had
subsequently enrolled in seminaries on two separate occasions, but
had not completed his studies, and consequently was never ordained.
His life is clearly reflected in the novel's main character, George
Arthur Rose, who visits Rome and through a strange set of circumstances
is elected to the papacy. And the papacy of Hadrian VII (for that is
the name he took) turns out to be unlike any other!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67369]
2022/02/10:
TODAY'S EBOOK IS DON QUIXOTE -- YES, ONE OF THE GREAT
CLASSICS OF WORLD LITERATURE, BUT ALSO A SATIRE, AND A VERY FUNNY ONE,
IN JOHN ORMSBY'S FAMOUS 1885 TRANSLATION. AND WE INCLUDE THE FAMOUS
ILLUSTRATIONS BY GUSTAVE DORÉ !!
Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de (1547-1616)
[Spanish soldier and novelist]
Wikipedia
Don Quixote
(1605 [first part]; 1615 [second part]; 1885 [this
translation of both parts by
John Ormsby (1829-1895)]
Wikipedia
[Novel, one of the great literary classics, but funny, and very
approachable -- hence its enduring popularity ever since its first
appearance. We offer the justly famous Ormsby
Wikipedia
translation from 1865 in a digital edition which includes the fabulous
illustrations from 1863 by
Gustave Doré (1832-1883)
!
As the novel opens, we meet our hero, who
is a member of the minor nobility. He is nearing fifty, has a small
household, and not much money. He does, however, have a great deal
of spare time, which he spends reading altogether too many romantic
tales of chivalry: by the time we meet him he can no longer clearly
distinguish between the fictional worlds he reads about and the world
he actually lives in. And so he conceives the idea of leaving his
home, becoming a knight errant, and righting the world's wrongs.
The novel is the story of how this project goes. CAUTION:
The many illustrations have made this ebook unusually large. It
will require more storage space than is usual, and the download
may take some extra time.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #996]
Traduction française par
Louis Viardot (1800-1883)
fr.wikipedia
L'ingénieux hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manche - Tome I
(1863)
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 16066]
L'ingénieux hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manche - Tome II
(1863)
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 16067]
Texto castellano
El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha
(1605);
El ingenioso caballero don Quijote de la Mancha
(1615)
es.wikipedia
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 2000]
2022/02/08:
WE NOW OFFER TWO DIGITAL EDITIONS OF JOSEPHINE TEY'S FINAL
MYSTERY NOVEL -- WHICH FEATURES INSPECTOR GRANT, OF COURSE
!!
Tey, Josephine [Elizabeth MacKintosh] (1896-1952) [Scottish novelist and playwright]
Wikipedia
The Singing Sands (1952)
[Josephine Tey's final mystery novel. As the book opens, Inspector
Alan Grant's train is arriving in Glasgow from London: he is suffering
from overwork, and his doctor has recommended that he take a break.
But after the train has arrived, one of Grant's fellow passengers
is found dead. So much for Inspector Grant's vacation! "The author's
swan song, but she'll be read for a long, long time," commented
"Sergeant Cuff" (John T. Winterich) in the Saturday Review,
13 June 1953. And indeed she is widely read to this day -- for here
we are discussing her!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
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2022/02/04:
RICHMAL CROMPTON'S FIRST BOOK, "JUST WILLIAM", ABOUT THE ENGLISH
SCHOOLBOY WILLIAM BROWN AND HIS FRIENDS, WAS CLEARLY A HIT -- FOR
LATER IN THE SAME YEAR SHE PUBLISHED "MORE WILLIAM", ITS FIRST SEQUEL.
MANY MORE LAY AHEAD !!
Crompton, Richmal [Lamburn, Richmal Crompton] (1890-1969)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
The Just William books, illustrated by
Thomas Henry (1879-1962)
Wikipedia
More William
(1922)
Wikipedia
[Published with little delay in the same year as Just William,
it is along the same lines as the earlier book -- why break something
that most definitely isn't broken? So no reboot for William, now or
ever. In fact, he remains the same age (eleven) through all the books,
a span of nearly fifty years, though no one in the books ever seems to
notice this.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #17125]
2022/02/02:
BRUSH UP YOUR SHAKESPEARE -- AND YOUR THOMAS HEYWOOD !!
Heywood, Thomas (ca. 1570-1641)
[English actor, playwright, pamphleteer, and poet]
Wikipedia
The Best Plays of the Old Dramatists: Thomas Heywood
(1888)
Wikipedia
[No one today is likely to dispute Shakespeare's preeminence among
Elizabethan playwrights. But many other playwrights were popular at the
time: at least some of their works are certainly worth our time. But how
to choose? For this "unexpurgated edition" in the famous Mermaid Series,
the choosing is done for us by an excellent judge,
Arthur Wilson Verity (1863-1937)
: he was famous for his editions of Shakespeare. A fine introduction
was added by
John Addington Symonds (1840-1893)
Wikipedia,
the famous Renaissance scholar and poet. The edition includes numerous
short footnotes to help with unusual words and phrases. It's hard to
imagine a more attractive or practical introduction to Heywood!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67267]
2022/01/31:
ON THE LAST DAY OF JANUARY, OUR FIRST EBOOK BY JOHN STEINBECK
Steinbeck, John (1902-1968)
[American novelist; Nobel Prize in Literature, 1962]
Wikipedia
The Wayward Bus
(1947)
Wikipedia
[Those who grew up in rural Canada far away from the large cities will
easily relate to this novel about a very small bus service in California,
run from a garage at a crossroads named Rebel Corners. The driver is the
garage owner, Juan Chicoy. Once a day he does a round trip to the coastal
town of San Juan de la Cruz, where his passengers transfer to the Greyhound
bus heading north to San Francisco or south to Los Angeles. His passengers are few in number -- but what a cast of characters they are! And Steinbeck tells their stories as only he can.]
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2022/01/30:
OUR FIRST EBOOK BY RICHMAL CROMPTON! YES, WE'RE DELIGHTED
TO PRESENT THE FIRST OF HER "JUST WILLIAM" BOOKS !!
Crompton, Richmal [Lamburn, Richmal Crompton] (1890-1969)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
The Just William novels, illustrated by
Thomas Henry (1879-1962)
Wikipedia
Just William
(1922)
Wikipedia
[Crompton's first book about William Brown and his friends ("the
Outlaws"); many were to follow. William is eleven years of age, and
within the Outlaws has considerable moral authority, but is not really
in charge of them. He has quick wits and, like many children, a sound
understanding of how adult society really works -- not quite the way
parents and teachers advertise! Popular with children for obvious reasons,
the book, like Kim and many other "children's books", is in fact
written at an adult level. And it comes with a fine set of illustrations by
Thomas Henry (1879-1962)
Wikipedia]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #34414]
2022/01/27:
OUR THIRD NOVEL BY WILLA CATHER! IT FOLLOWS THE PROGRESS
OF THEA KRONBORG FROM HER HOMETOWN IN COLORADO TO LATER FAME AS AN
OPERA SINGER !!
Cather, Willa [Willa Sibert] (1873-1947) [American novelist]
Wikipedia
Full biography by James Woodress
The Song of the Lark
(1915)
Wikipedia
[Novel, which follows the life and career of Thea Kronberg, born in
the small and recently founded Colorado town of Moonstone, which was
not so very different from many towns of the same period in the western
regions of Canada. By a series of fortunate events she moves first to
Denver, and then to Chicago, where she takes singing lessons, which
go well, so well that she becomes an internationally famous opera singer,
but never loses touch with her origins. "This story," Cather comments,
"attempts to deal only with the simple and concrete beginnings which
color and accent an artist's work, and to give some account of how a
Moonstone girl found her way out of a vague, easy-going world into a
life of disciplined endeavor." But surely the most interesting part
of most artists' lives is the beginning, later successes being only the
logical consequence of what has already happened. In other words, Cather
planned her novel well, and was soon rewarded by its commercial success.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/01/23:
TODAY, A NOVEL BY STELLA BENSON! THE ENGLISH AUTHOR AND
POLITICAL ACTIVIST WAS TRAVELLING THE WORLD AT THE TIME, AND ALONG
THE WAY WROTE NOT ONLY TRAVEL BOOKS, BUT ALSO THIS NOVEL -- WHICH
STARTS IN CALIFORNIA, BUT THEN MOVES TO CHINA !!
Benson, Stella (1892-1933)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
The Poor Man
(1923)
[Novel, set in San Francisco and Berkeley, where our author was living
around the time she was writing it. The main character is Edward R.
Williams, who, when we first meet him, has "very little money": hence
the title. The novel's comments on life in the Bay Area seem as true
today as when they were written: the tech bros had not yet arrived, but
San Francisco was already cool. Very cool. Certainly it was a place
where, then as now, it was better to have money. However, although he
had many generous friends, he "was not too proud but too shy" to ask for
money, The fact is that Edward was not socially adept and, in addition,
was partly deaf, not that he thought most conversation worth listening to.
And maybe he was right! He had been born and raised in India, and as the
novel opens he may well be on his way back to Asia -- not India, but China!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67195]
2022/01/19:
OUR FIRST EBOOK BY THE FAMOUS AMERICAN NOVELIST AND ESSAYIST
CHRISTOPHER MORLEY -- AND IT COMES WITH A FINE SET OF
PEN AND INK DRAWINGS BY WALTER JACK DUNCAN !!
Morley, Christopher (1890-1957)
[American journalist, essayist, and novelist]
Wikipedia
The Powder of Sympathy
(1923)
[The title may be obscure, but these sparkling essays are not
(and one of them explains the title!). Since 1920, Morley had been on
the staff of the New York Evening Post: this is his own selection
of columns he had written. And what an exhilarating time it was to
live in Manhattan and be a writer! Morley quickly became famous, and
in these essays it is easy to see why: mostly quite short, they cover
a startlingly wide range of topics literary, historical, and topical.
As if this isn't enough, each column has an accompanying drawing or
cartoon by the celebrated New York magazine and book illustrator
Walter Jack Duncan (1881-1941)
Wikipedia!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67188]
2022/01/17:
RUDYARD KIPLING'S VERY FIRST BOOK OF STORIES !!
Kipling, Rudyard (1865-1936)
[Anglo-Indian novelist and poet; Nobel Prize in Literature, 1907]
Wikipedia
Plain Tales from the Hills
(1888)
Wikipedia
[Kipling's first collection of stories, many of them written in Lahore
for the Civil and Military Gazette, where Kipling was hired at
the impressively young age of sixteen! Still more impressive: these
stories became instant and permanent classics, whose fame endures to
this day. Set in various parts of British India, including the hill
station of Simla, their high reputation shows just how much impact
truly short stories can have!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/01/14:
WHAT BETTER READING FOR A WINTER WEEKEND THAN A MYSTERY BY THE
LEGENDARY SCOTTISH NOVELIST JOSEPHINE TEY ?
Tey, Josephine [Elizabeth MacKintosh] (1896-1952) [Scottish novelist and playwright]
Wikipedia
To Love and Be Wise (1950)
[Mystery novel, featuring Inspector Alan Grant. It is part of
human nature to be at least initially suspicious of those from
distant places. So it is hardly surprising that the celebrity
photographer Leslie Searle is received coolly in the small English
village of Salcott St Mary upon his arrival from Hollywood. Still,
murder seems an overreaction, if it was a murder. It's a good thing
that Inspector Grant is there to help out!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
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2022/01/10:
H. G. WELLS HAS A UNIQUE PLACE IN THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE
FICTION -- BUT HE DID SO MUCH MORE! AS TODAY'S EBOOK WILL SHOW:
PERHAPS THE FINEST OF HIS MANY NOVELS !!
Wells, H. G. [Herbert George] (1866-1946)
[English novelist and historian]
Wikipedia
Kipps. The Story of a Simple Soul.
(1905)
Wikipedia
[Novel (nothing to do with science fiction!), with a high reputation:
the inspiration for the musical Half a Sixpence
Wikipedia
Most would say that sudden wealth is a good thing, but it is a rupture
with one's previous life that risks creating a social/economic distance
from those one has always known. This novel tells the story of Artie
Kipps: raised in poverty, in his mid twenties he unexpectedly comes into
a major inheritance. We learn how he reacts to this change, and what
then happens. Wells (lucky him! And lucky us!) was famous not only
for his science fiction, but also for his social novels in the tradition
of Dickens: this novel shows why.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/01/06:
ALBERT EINSTEIN DISCOVERED THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY -- AND WON THE NOBEL PRIZE! NO ONE COULD EXPLAIN THIS THEORY BETTER THAN EINSTEIN'S FELLOW NOBEL LAUREATE, LORD BERTRAND RUSSELL !!
Russell, Bertrand [Arthur William], 3rd Earl Russell
[Welsh philosopher, mathematician, and peace activist;
Nobel Prize in Literature, 1950] (1872-1970)
Wikipedia
The A B C of Relativity
(1925)
["Everybody knows that Einstein has done something astonishing," remarks
Bertrand Russell at the start of this book, "but very few people know
exactly what it is that he has done." Russell was writing only ten years
after Einstein's discovery of general relativity, but his statement is
certainly still true today. And who better to discuss relativity in a
readable and comprehensible way than the famous mathematician and winner
of the 1950 Nobel Prize for Literature?]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67104]
2022/01/04:
IN MID DECEMBER WE PRESENTED YOU WITH ALICE IN WONDERLAND.
WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEW YEAR WE COMPLETE THE PAIRING, WITH
THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS. BOTH EBOOKS COME WITH SIR JOHN
TENNIEL'S WONDERFUL ILLUSTRATIONS !!
Carroll, Lewis [Dodgson, Charles Lutwidge] (1832-1898)
[English mathematician, logician, and author]
Wikipedia
Through the Looking-Glass
(1871)
Wikipedia
[Or, to give Carroll's full title, Through the Looking-Glass, and
What Alice Found There. Published six years after Alice in
Wonderland, and generally read in conjunction with the earlier
novel, it is written at the same high level, and has some very famous
episodes: Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Jabberwocky, Humpty Dumpty...
In any case, here it is for you to enjoy, complete with the wonderful
illustrations by
Sir John Tenniel (1820-1914)
from the 1871 first edition, as well as a preface added by Carroll in 1896!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2022/01/01:
HAPPY PUBLIC DOMAIN DAY -- AUTHORS FROM 1971 HAVE NOW JOINED THE
CANADIAN PUBLIC DOMAIN!
BUT IF TR*MP'S COERCIVE COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS ARE IMPOSED BY PARLIAMENT
THIS YEAR, THERE WILL BE A TWENTY-YEAR FREEZE ON OUR PUBLIC
DOMAIN -- UNTIL 2042.
FORTUNATELY,
THESE EXTENSIONS ARE ON HOLD
BECAUSE THE U.S. HAS INITIATED A TRADE QUARREL WITH CANADA.
THESE EXTENSIONS MUST BE CANCELLED IMMEDIATELY AND PERMANENTLY
EVEN IF THAT QUARREL IS PATCHED OVER.
THE CANADIAN PUBLIC DOMAIN BELONGS TO THE CANADIAN PEOPLE, EACH ONE OF US.
IT DOES NOT BELONG TO FOREIGN AUTOCRATS AND FOREIGN CORPORATIONS.
Hilton, James (1900-1954) [English novelist]
Wikipedia
Morning Journey
(1951)
[Novel, centred around the making of a film called Morning Journey,
and the interactions between its director, Paul Saffron, and his leading
lady, Irish-born Carey Arundel. In the course of the novel we learn not
only about Hollywood, but also Dublin's Abbey Theatre, London's West End,
and New York's Broadway. This was the world in which Hilton lived: Mrs.
Miniver won him the 1942 Academy Award for best adapted screenplay!]
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2021/12/24:
SEASON'S GREETINGS! OUR CHRISTMAS GIFT TO YOU IS A NOVELLA
BY CHARLES DICKENS, NO LESS! AND ONE WHICH SPEAKS
TO ALL OF US AS WE DEAL WITH THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC AFTERMATH
OF COVID !!
Dickens, Charles [Charles John Huffam] (1812-1870)
[English novelist, editor, and social activist]
Wikipedia
The Chimes
(1844)
Wikipedia
[Or, to give the novella its full title, "The Chimes: A Goblin
Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In".
An impassioned plea for social justice for the poor, with a message
that hasn't dated with the years, we can safely say, as we survey
the deep social and economic divisions in Canada and elsewhere.
The novella was published the year after A Christmas Carol
(also available from Project Gutenberg Canada -- in several languages!)
to which it certainly bears a family resemblance: there are, for
example, ghosts (goblins), each attached to a bell in a local bell
tower. Our hero, Toby ("Trotty") Veck sees "in every Bell a bearded
figure of the bulk and stature of the Bell". The Goblin of the Great
Bell takes Toby through a series of visions of the unfortunate lives
of those around him, until he awakes at the arrival of the New Year.
Are his visions only dreams, or are they realities, which can yet be
changed?]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/12/22:
OUR REFRESHED JOSEPHINE TEY SERIES CONTINUES, TODAY'S OFFERING IS
BRAT FARRAR -- WE NOW OFFER TWO SEPARATE DIGITAL EDITIONS OF
THIS TRULY CLASSIC MYSTERY NOVEL !!
Tey, Josephine [Elizabeth MacKintosh] (1896-1952) [Scottish novelist and playwright]
Wikipedia
Brat Farrar (1949)
Wikipedia
[Mystery novel. Latchetts is an estate in southern England, near the
Channel. It is not the grandest of estates (there is no butler), but
the Ashby family has owned it for centuries, and it is solvent, although
expensive to run. But there's some money to be inherited, as well as the
estate itself, and a new claimant shows up, the mysterious Brat Farrar.
The novel involves intrigue, and indeed murder, or rather murders!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
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2021/12/20:
A FINE ALBUM OF DRAWINGS FOR CHILDREN BY WALTER CRANE !!
Crane, Walter (1845-1915) [English artist and illustrator]
Wikipedia
Legends for Lionel in Pen & Pencil (1887)
[The "legends", as you might guess, are drawings, accompanied by short
texts in the spirit of nursery rhymes. The drawings are gorgeous, as
you would expect from Walter Crane, and were originally created for
his son Lionel. "This book of sketches," wrote Crane. "the offspring
of the odd half hours of winter evenings, was originally intended
strictly for home consumption. One thing, however, leads to another,
just as the sketches did, following one by one as fancy led, till
they filled the book." A friend admired the book and passed it to
the publisher Cassell, who duly published it, thus enabling us to
enjoy the pictures today!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #66966]
2021/12/16:
OUR VERY SPECIAL GIFT TO YOU -- LEWIS CARROLL'S ALICE'S
ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, COMPLETE WITH SIR JOHN TENNIEL'S
FAMOUS ILLUSTRATIONS !!
Carroll, Lewis [Dodgson, Charles Lutwidge] (1832-1898)
[English mathematician, logician, and author]
Wikipedia
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
(1865)
Wikipedia
[It is a hot summer afternoon, and Alice is sitting with her
sister, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes runs close
by her. This is no ordinary rabbit, however: it is speaking to
itself ("Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!"), and then it
takes a watch out of its pocket! And the adventures keep coming
in this evergreen satirical classic, famous in every country: it
is so much more than a children's book! Our EPUB includes the
famous illustrations by the English cartoonist and illustrator
Sir John Tenniel (1820-1914)
Wikipedia.
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Traduction française par
Henri Bué (1843-1929)
Aventures d'Alice au pays des merveilles
(1869)
fr.wikipedia
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 55456]
2021/12/12:
TODAY, OUR REFRESHED OFFERING OF JOSEPHINE TEY'S THE FRANCHISE
AFFAIR -- WE NOW OFFER TWO SEPARATE DIGITAL EDITIONS OF THIS
TRULY CLASSIC MYSTERY NOVEL !!
Tey, Josephine [Elizabeth MacKintosh] (1896-1952) [Scottish novelist and playwright]
Wikipedia
The Franchise Affair (1948)
Wikipedia
[As this mystery novel opens, we meet Robert Blair, a solicitor in the
quiet market town of Milford. But it's not completely quiet -- not when
Marion Sharpe and her mother, the eminently respectable residents of The
Franchise, "the house out on the Larborough road", find themselves accused
of kidnapping! Which is why the Sharpes are consulting Robert Blair. As
the plot develops, others show up -- including Inspector Alan Grant!]
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[University of Adelaide]
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2021/12/10:
TODAY, A NEW AUTHOR -- SWEDEN'S SELMA LAGERLÖF, THE FIRST FEMALE AUTHOR
TO RECEIVE THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE !!
Lagerlöf, Selma [Selma Ottilia Lovisa] (1858-1940)
[Swedish teacher and author; Nobel Prize in Literature, 1909]
Wikipedia
Mårbacka
(1922 [Swedish original]; 1925 [this translation])
[Autobiography, translated by
Velma Swanston Howard (1868-1937).
Mårbacka
Wikipedia
is the country home where Selma Lagerlöf was born; it had been in the
family since 1801. Financial problems arose which led to the sale of
Mårbacka in 1889, but once Lagerlöf had become an established international
author and won the Nobel Prize, these problems vanished, and she was able
to acquire ownership of her beloved childhood home, and stay there for the
rest of her life. This memoir is an evocative account of Lagerlöf's
childhood at Mårbacka, and of Swedish country life at the height of
the nineteenth century. What better way could be imagined of escaping
for a while the crises of our own age than reading this fine memoir?]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #66906]
2021/12/07:
TODAY, THE THIRD AND FINAL EBOOK IN THE WONDERFUL AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL
TRILOGY WITH WHICH LEO TOLSTOY MADE HIS TRIUMPHANT DEBUT IN
WORLD LITERATURE !!
Tolstoy, Leo [Lev Nikolayevich] (1828-1910)
[Russian novelist and social thinker]
Wikipedia
Youth
(1857 [original novel]; 1912 [this translation])
Wikipedia
[The third and final novel in Tolstoy's autobiographical trilogy,
translated by
Charles James Hogarth (1869-1945).
As the novel opens, our hero and narrator, Nicola Irtenieff, is sixteen
years of age, about to take his university entrance exams (which he duly
passes), and is experiencing the pleasures and trials of his increased
personal autonomy, as he meets and sometimes becomes close friends with
people outside his immediate family circle. The novel takes him to the
end of his time at university and to the threshold of manhood.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/12/05:
FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE DURING THE HOLIDAYS, A MAGNIFICENT ALBUM
OF TRULY AMAZING ETCHINGS FROM ACROSS FIVE CENTURIES. THEY'LL
LOOK WONDERFUL ON YOUR TABLET OR MONITOR !!
Carrington, Fitzroy (1869-1954)
[American art historian]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Art Historians
Engravers and Etchers
(1917)
["Six Lectures Delivered on the Scammon Foundation at the Art
Institute of Chicago, March 1916", says the title page, but this
doesn't come even close to describing this magnificent book and
its 133 beautiful illustrations from the fifteenth to the twentieth
centuries. "My sole aim," says Carrington, "has been to share with
my audience the stimulation and pleasure which certain prints by the
great engravers and etchers have given me." He is too modest: his
book is very easy to read but full of learning. For those wanting
even more information, tucked away at the end of each chapter are
admirably complete bibliographical notes by
Adam E. M. Paff (1891-1932)
of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #66848]
2021/12/01:
WE FOLLOW OUR EBOOK OF LEO TOLSTOY'S CHILDHOOD WITH ITS
FAMOUS SEQUEL BOYHOOD -- THEREBY DOUBLING THE SIZE OF OUR
TOLSTOY COLLECTION! WHAT A WAY TO START DECEMBER !!
Tolstoy, Leo [Lev Nikolayevich] (1828-1910)
[Russian novelist and social thinker]
Wikipedia
Boyhood
(1854 [original novel]; 1912 [this translation])
Wikipedia
[Tolstoy's second novel, translated by
Charles James Hogarth (1869-1945)
.
It is a sequel to Childhood, and has the same narrator, who is
now naturally somewhat older. As the novel starts he is starting the
long trip to Moscow from the village of Petrovskoe, where his mother
has just died: he discovers that her passing has affected the lives
of many people, in particular his own. Still, he is very young, and
most of his life lies ahead. In the course of the novel he learns
much about his family, about himself, and about his beloved tutor Karl
Ivanitch, who played such an important role in the earlier novel.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/11/26:
IT'S TIME TO LAUNCH OUR RUSSIAN LITERATURE SERIES!
WHAT BETTER AUTHOR TO START WITH THAN LEO TOLSTOY,
AND WHAT BETTER PLACE TO START THAN TOLSTOY'S VERY
FIRST NOVEL ??
Tolstoy, Leo [Lev Nikolayevich] (1828-1910)
[Russian novelist and social thinker]
Wikipedia
Childhood
(1852 [original novel]; 1912 [this translation])
Wikipedia
[Tolstoy's first novel, translated by
Charles James Hogarth (1869-1945)
Wikipedia.
A wondrously evocative description of early childhood, clearly based on
Tolstoy's own memories. As it starts, the tutor Karl Ivanitch is waking his
charge, the youngest of the family, "just three days after my tenth birthday,
when I had been given such wonderful presents". Perhaps you are already
captivated, and simply must continue reading!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/11/22:
TODAY'S SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL WAS A BLAZING COMET OF ORIGINALITY WHEN IT
FIRST APPEARED IN 1920, AND AT FIRST WAS ONLY APPRECIATED BY A LIMITED
NUMBER OF ADMIRERS -- BUT THESE CONNOISSEURS INCLUDED C.S. LEWIS AND
J.R.R. TOLKIEN !!
Lindsay, David (1876-1945)
[British science fiction author]
Wikipedia
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
A Voyage to Arcturus
(1920)
Wikipedia
[Science fiction novel, accurately described by its title.
But this is no ordinary science fiction novel: the other
worlds described are well and truly "other" -- life as
transacted on them is completely different from Earth.
The book was greatly admired by J.R.R. Tolkien and by
C.S. Lewis, whose science fiction novels (which you will
find in the Project Gutenberg Canada catalogue) show its
influence: they are not as uncompromising as Lindsay's
novel, which is a challenging read, although its style
and vocabulary are impeccable. Few novels are so entirely
original.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/11/20:
OUR REFRESH OF PROJECT GUTENBERG CANADA'S JOSEPHINE TEY
SERIES CONTINUES -- WHAT A LUXURY FOR YOU AND FOR US! WE
NOW OFFER TWO SEPARATE DIGITAL EDITIONS OF ONE OF THE
MOST FAMOUS NOVELS BY THAT SCOTTISH MISTRESS OF MYSTERY !!
Tey, Josephine [Elizabeth MacKintosh] (1896-1952) [Scottish novelist and playwright]
Wikipedia
A Shilling for Candles (1936)
Wikipedia
[Mystery novel, a famous one, featuring Inspector Alan Grant.
The life of a film actress can be glamorous -- and short!
We now offer two editions of the novel: our original ebook,
and also the elegant EPUB from the University of Adelaide.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
EPUB
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[PGC #1310]
2021/11/18:
TODAY, THE FIRST VOLUME OF E. K. CHAMBERS' FOUR-PART
ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH STAGE IN THE TIME OF ELIZABETH I --
THE PERFECT AMALGAM OF READABILITY AND SCHOLARSHIP !!
Chambers, E. K. [Edmund Kerchever] (1866-1954)
[English literary historian]
Wikipedia
The Elizabethan Stage, vol. 1 (1923)
[Literary history, done well, does not date. E.K. Chambers was
astoundingly well read: who today could surpass his direct knowledge
of the history of early English theatre? Add to this a remarkable
elegance of style, and you have a classic for the ages, and a very
attractive read. This first volume is an account of the court of
Elizabeth I, with particular attention to the stage. Note:
The ample bibliography appears at the start of the book, not the end.
The table of contents will take you to the main text of the book.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #66003]
2021/11/16:
THERE ARE MYSTERY NOVELS, AND THEN THERE ARE CLASSIC
MYSTERY NOVELS. AND THEY DON'T COME MORE CLASSIC THAN THE
NOVELS OF JOSEPHINE TEY! IT'S OUR PLEASURE TO OFFER
NOT ONE BUT TWO DIGITAL EDITIONS OF HER FIRST NOVEL, FEATURING
HER FAMOUS CREATION INSPECTOR ALAN GRANT !!
Tey, Josephine [Elizabeth MacKintosh] (1896-1952) [Scottish novelist and playwright]
Wikipedia
The Man in the Queue (1929)
[Josephine Tey's first mystery novel, in which she introduced
her famous detective, Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard.
The queue of the title is a theatre queue in London's
West End: as it turns out, a dangerous place to be.
"This exceptionally good detective story is worked out
carefully enough so that even the Scotland Yard inspector
who takes charge of the case strikes the reader as a
human being, something rare enough among the Scotland
Yarders of fiction... It is recommended to all detective
story addicts" (Saturday Review, 12 October 1929).
We now offer two editions of the novel: our original ebook,
and also the elegant EPUB from the University of Adelaide.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
EPUB
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[PGC #1452]
2021/11/14:
TODAY'S EBOOK IS THE NOVEL THAT MADE MINNESOTA'S SINCLAIR LEWIS
FAMOUS -- AND WON HIM THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE !!
Lewis, Sinclair (1885-1951) [American novelist; Nobel Prize in Literature, 1930]
Wikipedia
Nobelprize.org
Main Street
(1920)
Wikipedia
[Sinclair Lewis was born in the small Minnesota town of Sauk Centre,
which clearly served as the basis for Gopher City, where this
satirical novel takes place. Its main character is Carol Milford, born
in the larger town of Mankato, somewhat to the south, not far from the
Iowa border. As the novel opens, she has just arrived in Gopher City,
having attended a college "on the edge of Minneapolis", and then gone
to Chicago for a year to study librarianship. She is educated and
has a considerable knowledge of the wider world -- so Gopher City
comes as a shock! The novel is particularly accessible to Canadian
readers, since Minnesota shares not only a border but much of its
history and social structure with Canada, from the time not so long
ago when immigration from one country to the other was easy, and
before the friendly border turned into a militarized frontier. This
novel recalls this earlier, happier era. And it is wickedly funny!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/11/11:
IT'S REMEMBRANCE DAY, AND WE'VE CHOSEN A FINE CANADIAN WAR NOVEL TO
MARK IT! THE BEST WAY THAT WE CAN HONOUR THOSE WHO FOUGHT FOR OUR
FREEDOMS IS BY INSISTING OUR POLITICIANS DO THE SAME --
BY NOT ALLOWING
A FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TO DICTATE OUR COPYRIGHT AND TRADE LAWS!
LESS TIME IN TOFINO, JUSTIN, AND MORE TIME SERVING CANADIANS BY
FIXING THE MESS YOU MADE !!
Allen, Ralph (1913-1966) [Canadian journalist, historian, and novelist]
Wikipedia
The High White Forest
(1964)
[The Belgium most people know is the country's fertile coastal plain,
where Brussels, Antwerp, and other famous cities are located. But
there is another Belgium, the eastern section, geographically the
larger part of the country. Here can be found the Forest of the
Ardennes, the "high white forest" of the title, which has many
mountains, rivers, and swamps, a small population, and severe winter
weather. It proved a nightmare for military operations during the
Battle of the Bulge
Wikipedia,
which is the backdrop for this fine war novel, told from the
perspective of members of the Canadian, German, and American armies.
Ralph Allen knew what he was talking about: throughout the war he
reported from Europe for Toronto's Globe and Mail, and his
easy expertise and ample knowledge is apparent throughout the novel.]
EPUB
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2021/11/06:
A FEW DAYS AGO, IT WAS OUR PRIVILEGE TO OFFER YOU LAURENCE STERNE'S
A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY. TODAY, FOR YOUR WEEKEND READING PLEASURE,
WE OFFER HIS MOST FAMOUS WORK OF ALL, TRISTRAM SHANDY !!
Sterne, Laurence (1713-1768) [Anglo-Irish priest,
anti-slavery activist, and novelist]]
Wikipedia
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
(1759-1767)
Wikipedia
[Sterne's most famous novel, a satirical travelogue: it was a huge,
instantaneous and lasting success, and has often been translated:
we offer not only the English-language original, but also a French
translation from 1803. From the beginning, it was published as a
serial, nine volumes, which appeared at intervals, the last of them
being published the year before Sterne's passing. Not surprisingly,
there is no particular indication that this was the end: no doubt
Sterne might well have carried the novel further had he lived longer.
But this does no harm to the novel, which is not an account of Tristram
Shandy's life, but his observations on the people and incidents around
him: his father and his uncle Toby play a major part in these anecdotes.
The novel jumps back and forth as new distractions shift the narrative,
but is not difficult to read, in spite of its age, and its vocabulary
is straightforward, even if the first line of Sterne's dedication
happens to present us with "wight", that is, "human being"! Sterne
was very familiar with the great Renaissance satirists Rabelais and
Cervantes, and he has joined their number as a European classic and
a uniquely entertaining author.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Traduction anonyme française
Vie et opinions de Tristram Shandy
(1803)
fr.wikipedia
Tome premier:
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 61772]
Tome second:
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 61816]
Tome troisième:
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 61856]
Tome quatrième:
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 61905]
2021/10/31:
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! HERE AT PROJECT GUTENBERG CANADA, WE DON'T
OFFER TRICKS -- WE LEAVE THOSE TO OUR POLITICIANS, WHOSE BIGGEST TRICK
HAS SURELY BEEN THEIR TWENTY YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS. (THANKS,
JUSTIN! THANKS, CHRYSTIA! AND PASS OUR THANKS ON TO YOUR BUDDY
DONALD!) BUT WE LEAVE THE TRICKS TO THE TRICKSTERS, WHILE WE FOCUS
ON TREATS FOR OUR READERS -- WONDERFUL FREE EBOOKS! TODAY'S TREAT
IS BY IRELAND'S LAURENCE STERNE !!
Sterne, Laurence (1713-1768) [Anglo-Irish priest,
anti-slavery activist, and novelist]]
Wikipedia
A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy
(1768)
Wikipedia
[Sterne's second and final novel, in the form of a travelogue: it was a
huge and lasting success with the public. More than a century later, it
inspired the similarly titled Our Sentimental Journey through France
and Italy by Joseph and Elizabeth Pennell, which you will find in
our catalogue. The journey is "sentimental" because as the journey
progresses Sterne focuses on the sentiments (feelings) of himself and
those around him, rather than giving a dry recitation of geographical
and historical information about the places he visits. A decision for
which posterity thanks him!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Traduction anonyme française
Le Voyage sentimental
(1803)
fr.wikipedia
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 62013]
2021/10/26:
A TRAVEL BOOK BY THE JOURNALIST ELIZABETH PENNELL AND HER HUSBAND,
THE FAMOUS ARTIST JOSEPH PENNELL, WHO CONTRIBUTED A HUGE NUMBER OF
HIS WONDERFUL DRAWINGS. THIS IS A TRAVEL BOOK FOR THE AGES !!
Pennell, Joseph (1857-1926)
[American artist]
Wikipedia
Wikimedia Commons
The Victorian Web
with
Pennell, Elizabeth Robins (1855-1936)
[American travel writer, art critic, biographer and gastronome]
Wikipedia
Our Sentimental Journey through France and Italy
(1893 version)
[Travel book, inspired by the all but identically named
A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy (1768)
by Laurence Sterne (1713-1768), which you will also find in the
Project Gutenberg Canada catalogue. But unlike Laurence Sterne,
the Pennells travelled on a tandem tricycle. And Joseph Pennell
created a huge and dazzling set of drawings to illustrate their
book! Really, these drawings are the main reason we have added
this book to our catalogue.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #56438]
2021/10/21:
EMILY BRONTË WROTE ONLY ONE NOVEL, BUT NO SEQUEL IS NEEDED WHEN THE
NOVEL IN QUESTION IS... WUTHERING HEIGHTS !!
Brontë, Emily [Emily Jane] (1818-1848)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
Wuthering Heights
(1847)
Wikipedia
[Emily Brontë's only novel, controversial when published because of
its language and subject matter, but now long established as one of
the great English classics. The novel is set in (very) rural Yorkshire;
as it opens Mr Lockwood, a new tenant, is making a call on his not very sociable landlord, Mr Heathcliff. In the course of the novel we shall
learn much about Heathcliff's tumultuous life and how he has affected
those around him. "Wuthering Heights... is passionate and profoundly
moving; it has the depth and power of a great poem. To read it is not
like reading a work of fiction, in which, however absorbed, you can
remind yourself, if need be, that it is only a story; it is to have
a shattering experience in your own life." (W. Somerset Maugham,
Books and You). NOTE: As a special bonus, the EPUB we offer
includes the fascinating 1850 biographical notice by Charlotte
Brontë (1816-1855) discussing her famous sisters and their works.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Traduction française par
Téodor de Wyzewa (1862-1917)
fr.wikipedia
Un amant
(1892)
fr.wikipedia
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 63193]
2021/10/18:
TODAY, GREAT EXPECTATIONS -- OUR FOURTH EBOOK BY CHARLES DICKENS !!
Dickens, Charles [Charles John Huffam] (1812-1870)
[English novelist, editor, and social activist]
Wikipedia
Great Expectations
(1861)
Wikipedia
[Really a novel about class and money -- have things really changed
in England? Or elsewhere, for that matter. Perhaps this universal
theme explains the amazing success of this novel and of the fine movie
adaptations it has inspired. In any case, our hero Pip is an orphan,
living on the coast of Kent with his older sister and her husband,
Joe Gargery, a blacksmith. Pip has no particular career prospects
until the wealthy Miss Havisham becomes his patroness, paying for
his apprenticeship as a blacksmith. But then he receives a gift
from an anonymous benefactor, enough to make him financially
independent. But will this enormous gift truly change his life?
And if so, will it be for the better?]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Traduction française par
Charles Bernard-Derosne (1825-1904)
fr.wikipedia
Les grandes espérances
(1863)
fr.wikipedia
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #17565]
2021/10/15:
FALL IS NOW DEEPENING INTO WINTER: PERFECT READING WEATHER! AND WHAT
BETTER READING THAN A CLASSIC NOVEL BY CHARLES DICKENS ?
Dickens, Charles [Charles John Huffam] (1812-1870)
[English novelist, editor, and social activist]
Wikipedia
Bleak House
(1853)
Wikipedia
[If you're considering launching a lawsuit, you might want to read
Bleak House first! Lawsuits can go on year after year and
produce little except huge legal bills, as with Jarndyce and Jarndyce,
the legal case at the centre of this novel, which touches the lives of
many people. The title may be bleak, but the novel is not, and has
remained a favourite with the public (in particular with lawyers)
up to the present day.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/10/14:
WE CELEBRATED THANKSGIVING BY POSTING THE TIME MACHINE -- NOW
WE MARK THE END OF THANKSGIVING WEEK WITH ANOTHER SCIENCE FICTION CLASSIC
BY H. G. WELLS !!
Wells, H. G. [Herbert George] (1866-1946)
[English novelist and historian]
Wikipedia
The War of the Worlds
(1898)
Wikipedia
[Science fiction novel, which has given rise to many adaptations,
but none of these adaptations surpasses the original, with its famous
opening words: "No one would have believed in the last years of the
nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely
by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own..."
It's difficult to exaggerate the influence of this classic novel,
not only on science fiction, but on the actual development of modern
space travel: Wells had the original vision which started it all!
But it would be an injustice to focus on Wells as a mere influence
on others: this is a truly immortal classic, beautifully written.
If you would like to see the famous illustrations created by Henrique
Alvim Corrêa, greatly admired by Wells himself, have a look at the
French translation listed below!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Traduction française par
Henry-D. Davray (1873-1944)
fr.wikipedia
avec les célèbres illustrations par
Henrique Alvim Corrêa (1876-1910)
fr.wikipedia
La Guerre des mondes
(1906)
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #60656]
2021/10/08:
OUR THANKSGIVING OFFERING TO YOU IS A VERY SPECIAL ONE: PERHAPS
THE MOST FAMOUS WORK OF SCIENCE FICTION EVER WRITTEN !!
Wells, H. G. [Herbert George] (1866-1946)
[English novelist and historian]
Wikipedia
The Time Machine
(1895)
Wikipedia
[Science fiction novella. Wells not only wrote the book, he actually
invented the term "time machine", which has entered the language.
And of course all subsequent time travel novels, films, and stories
are derived from or influenced by Wells' masterpiece, which may be
the most famous science fiction creation of them all. It's not just
science fiction, but also social commentary: the narrator (the unnamed
"Time Traveller") finds that class divisions, which we have certainly
seen widen in the age of COVID-19, will not diminish with the passage
of centuries: instead, the rich and the poor will apparently evolve
into two separate species! Over the course of more than a century,
Wells' great work has not dated at all.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/10/06:
JUST AT THE MOMENT, NONE OF US REALLY HAVE TIME TO SPARE FOR THE
FUTURE -- PRESENT EVENTS ARE EXCITING ENOUGH! THE ENVIRONMENT,
THE PANDEMIC, THE POLITICIANS -- THINGS ARE PRETTY BAD ALREADY.
ACTUALLY, THEY'RE A TOTAL MESS AND A COMPLETE CATASTROPHE.
BUT THINGS USED TO BE DIFFERENT! THROUGHOUT HIS VERY LONG LIFE
H. G. WELLS NEVER LOST HIS LOVE OF FORETELLING THE FUTURE.
WHETHER TODAY'S NOVEL WAS AN ACCURATE FORECAST, WE LEAVE TO YOU.
BUT AS ALWAYS WITH WELLS, IT'S BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN AND FULL OF
FASCINATING IDEAS !!
Wells, H. G. [Herbert George] (1866-1946)
[English novelist and historian]
Wikipedia
The Shape of Things to Come
(1933)
Wikipedia
[Science fiction novel. The diplomat Dr Philip Raven dies unexpectedly
in 1930, but not before entrusting to Wells "a collection of papers and
writings... a Short History of the World for about the next century and
a half." Its origins are suspect: "For some years," Raven told our
author, "off and on -- between sleeping and waking -- I've been -- in
effect -- reading a book. A non-existent book. A dream book if you
like. It's always the same book. Always. And it's a history." A history
which includes the future, from 1933 to 2106! But actual world events
between 1933 and 1936 had matched Raven's book precisely. And so Wells
decided to publish the book!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/10/03:
JACK LONDON'S NOVELS ARE FAMOUS WORLDWIDE, BUT IT CAN EASILY BE
ARGUED THAT HIS SHORT STORIES ARE EVEN BETTER! TODAY'S SHORT STORY
COLLECTION CONTAINS THE MOST FAMOUS STORY OF THEM ALL !!
London, Jack (1876-1916)
[American novelist, political activist, and journalist]
Wikipedia
Lost Face
(1910)
Wikipedia
[A collection of short stories, sometimes quite graphic! This was
noticed at the time: "Mr. London... seems willing to spare us nothing."
(The Nation, 21 April 1910). And it includes the most famous
story Jack London ever wrote, which certainly has an impact: the 1908
version of To Build a Fire. In most of Canada's vast geography,
it is a very bad idea to go for a walk without a companion, particularly
in winter. The more isolated the area, the worse the idea. And few
places are more isolated than the forests of the Yukon!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/10/01:
HAPPY OCTOBER! WE START THE MONTH WITH A COLLECTION OF FIFTEEN TALES
OF THE "UNEXPECTED" -- BY H. G. WELLS, NO LESS !!
Wells, H. G. [Herbert George] (1866-1946)
[English novelist and historian]
Wikipedia
Tales of the Unexpected
(1922)
[Science fiction stories, fifteen of them, where seemingly fantastic
things happen: Wells heightens their impact by placing them firmly
in the world we know. For example, in the first story, The Remarkable
Case of Davidson's Eyes, Sidney Davidson is working in the larger
laboratory at Harlow Technical College, when suddenly something happens
to his eyes. He doesn't lose his eyesight or anything like that, but he
does not see the things actually in the laboratory; instead, he sees
"the sun just rising, and the yards of the ship, and a tumbled sea,
and a couple of birds flying. I never saw anything so real. And I'm
sitting up to my neck in a bank of sand." Quite an opening! And this
is just the first of the stories, with fourteen more to follow!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #66409]
2021/09/29:
IN 1902, CALIFORNIA'S JACK LONDON VISITED, WELL, LONDON,
AND SPENT A MONTH LIVING WITH THE POOREST OF THE POOR IN THAT
CITY. HIS ACCOUNT IS AN ENDURING MASTERPIECE, AND MORE RELEVANT
TODAY THAN EVER, AS WE GRAPPLE WITH THE HUGE CLASS DIFFERENCES
THAT COVID-19 HAS LAID BARE !!
London, Jack (1876-1916)
[American novelist, political activist, and journalist]
Wikipedia
The People of the Abyss
(1903)
Wikipedia
["The experiences related in this volume," writes Jack London in
his preface, "fell to me in the summer of 1902. I went down into
the under-world of London with an attitude of mind which I may best
liken to that of the explorer. I was open to be convinced by the
evidence of my eyes, rather than by the teachings of those who had
not seen, or by the words of those who had seen and gone before."
His explorations were successful, to say the least, and resulted
in this enduring classic, a very readable classic: after all, we're
talking about Jack London! "Mr. London understands and is in
fullest sympathy with the poor and the outcast and hopeless people
he writes about, and records his personal experiences amidst them
with a vivid and unflinching actuality." (The Bookman [UK],
January 1904)]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/09/24:
THE ELECTION'S OVER! IT (1) SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN HELD,
(2) CHANGED NOTHING, AND (3) SHOWED US SOME UNFORTUNATE ASPECTS OF
CANADIAN POLITICAL CULTURE.
IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE! LET'S HEAD BACK TWO CENTURIES, TO A NOVEL
THAT HAS NEVER LOST ITS FRESHNESS AND NEVER WILL: JANE AUSTEN'S
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE !!
Austen, Jane (1775-1817) [English novelist]
Wikipedia
Pride and Prejudice
(1813)
Wikipedia
[Novel, perhaps the most famous novel in the English language, and
certainly one of the most popular. The Bennet family is wealthy, but
their wealth is transient, since the five daughters will not inherit
anything: the estate can only go to a male heir. Hence there is huge
pressure for one of the daughters to marry well, or rather, to marry
someone with serious money. The "pride" is that of Mr Darcy, whose
initial impression of the Bennets is that they are not the sort of
family he wants to be involved with. The "prejudice" is that of
Elizabeth Bennet, who quickly begins to dislike Mr Darcy. The
Project Gutenberg US ebook we present is drawn from an impeccable
source, the 1923 edition of Austen's novels by the textual scholar
R. W. Chapman (1881-1960)
Wikipedia.
For Pride and Prejudice, Chapman principally relied on the 1813
first edition, and included some illustrations from Jane Austen's era.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #42671]
2021/09/16:
ONLY FOUR DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION!
ON MONDAY,
VOTE THE LIBERALS OUT OF OFFICE.
THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN CANCELLING THEIR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS, AND
ENDING CANADA'S STATUS AS A U.S. PUPPET STATE !!
THESE DAYS, CANADA'S PUBLIC DOMAIN FEELS LIKE KABUL'S AIRPORT. WE'RE
TRYING TO RESCUE THE FINAL AUTHORS AVAILABLE BEFORE
THE TR*MP/TRUDEAU
COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS DESCEND ON US, AND JUSTIN TRUDEAU SLAMS THE DOOR
SHUT FOR TWENTY YEARS!
THE ENGLISH NOVELIST E. M. FORSTER IS ONE OF THE FINAL REFUGEES WHO
MADE IT TO THE AIRPORT. TODAY'S EBOOK WAS PUBLISHED IN 1910, AND HAS
BEEN UNDER COPYRIGHT FOR AN INCREDIBLE
ONE HUNDRED AND TEN YEARS.
OF COURSE, IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE. UNDER THE PREPOSTEROUS
TR*MP/TRUDEAU NAFTA SCHEME, IT WOULD BE UNDER COPYRIGHT FOR
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS
-- UNTIL
2041
!
COPYRIGHTS SHOULD BE SHORTER, NOT LONGER. AND THEY SHOULD CERTAINLY
NOT BE IMPOSED ON CANADIANS AGAINST OUR WILL, BY JUSTIN TRUDEAU
AND THE WHITE HOUSE AUTOCRAT TR*MP.
Forster, E. M. [Edward Morgan] (1879-1970)
[English novelist, travel writer, and critic]
Wikipedia
Howards End (1910)
Wikipedia
[Novel, set in England, and involving three families of notably different
economic classes and social views. The book is hugely admired by Forster connoisseurs, and involves many complex and interesting human interactions
in the course of its forty-four chapters! It was the inspiration for the
1992 Merchant/Ivory film
Wikipedia with a formidable cast, including Emma Thompson, who
won the Academy Award for Best Actress.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #2946]
2021/09/14:
ON SEPT 20, VOTE THE LIBERALS OUT OF OFFICE.
THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN CANCELLING THEIR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS, AND
ENDING CANADA'S STATUS AS A U.S. PUPPET STATE !!
THESE DAYS, CANADA'S PUBLIC DOMAIN FEELS LIKE KABUL'S AIRPORT. WE'RE
TRYING TO RESCUE THE FINAL AUTHORS AVAILABLE BEFORE
THE TR*MP/TRUDEAU
COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS DESCEND ON US, AND JUSTIN TRUDEAU SLAMS THE DOOR
SHUT FOR TWENTY YEARS!
THE ENGLISH NOVELIST E. M. FORSTER IS ONE OF THE FINAL REFUGEES WHO
MADE IT TO THE AIRPORT. TODAY'S EBOOK WAS PUBLISHED IN 1908, AND HAS
BEEN UNDER COPYRIGHT FOR AN INCREDIBLE
ONE HUNDRED AND TWELVE YEARS.
OF COURSE, IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE. UNDER THE PREPOSTEROUS
TR*MP/TRUDEAU NAFTA SCHEME, IT WOULD BE UNDER COPYRIGHT FOR
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-TWO YEARS
-- UNTIL
2041
!
COPYRIGHTS SHOULD BE SHORTER, NOT LONGER. AND THEY SHOULD CERTAINLY
NOT BE IMPOSED ON CANADIANS AGAINST OUR WILL, BY JUSTIN TRUDEAU
AND THE WHITE HOUSE AUTOCRAT TR*MP.
Forster, E. M. [Edward Morgan] (1879-1970)
[English novelist, travel writer, and critic]
Wikipedia
A Room with a View (1908)
Wikipedia
[Novel, set in Florence: The view in question is of the river
Arno, which flows through Florence, and the main characters are
a group of well-off English tourists. The novel is not as sedate
as you might think: there is, for example, a murder! The novel
has achieved enduring fame, and is the inspiration for the famous
1985 Merchant/Ivory film of the same name
Wikipedia.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #2641]
2021/09/12:
THESE DAYS, CANADA'S PUBLIC DOMAIN FEELS LIKE KABUL'S AIRPORT. WE'RE
TRYING TO RESCUE THE FINAL AUTHORS AVAILABLE BEFORE THE TR*MP/TRUDEAU
TWENTY YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS DESCEND ON US, AND THE DOOR
SLAMS SHUT.
OF COURSE CANADIANS WANTED NO PART OF THIS GARBAGE, BUT WE DON'T
MATTER: TRUDEAU PAID CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE AMERICAN AUTOCRAT
TR*MP, AND NONE AT ALL TO THE PEOPLE OF CANADA. BUT THE ONE TIME
THE POLITICIANS CANNOT IGNORE THE CITIZENS IS A GENERAL ELECTION.
ON SEPT 20, VOTE THE LIBERALS OUT OF OFFICE.
LET'S END CANADA'S STATUS AS A U.S. PUPPET STATE AND GET OUR PUBLIC
DOMAIN BACK !!
THE FAMOUS PHILOSOPHER, MATHEMATICIAN, AND PEACE ACTIVIST BERTRAND
RUSSELL IS ONE OF THE FINAL REFUGEES WHO MADE IT TO THE AIRPORT ON
JAN 1ST OF THIS YEAR. TODAY'S EBOOK, A LECTURE BY RUSSELL ON FREE
THOUGHT VS. PROPAGANDA, IS EXCELLENT READING AT ELECTION TIME -- JUST
LOOK AT THE POWER GRAB IN JUSTIN TRUDEAU'S OUTRAGEOUS
BILL C-10,
WHICH HUGELY EXTENDS GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF INTERNET CONTENT, INCLUDING
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTINGS !!
Russell, Bertrand [Arthur William], 3rd Earl Russell
[Welsh philosopher, mathematician, and peace activist;
Nobel Prize in Literature, 1950] (1872-1970)
Wikipedia
Free Thought and Official Propaganda
(1922)
[The 1922 Conway Memorial Lecture
Wikipedia
with a short and fine introduction by the psychologist and social activist
Graham Wallas (1858-1932)
Wikipedia.
With the advent of the internet and of social media, government
propaganda has greater penetration and power than ever before, and
society has entered a crisis from which it is not clear we shall
escape anytime soon: this lecture from 1922 is more relevant today
than ever. Profound thought, ease of reading, and brevity are
qualities not usually found together, but Bertrand Russell knew
how to combine the three, as this lecture demonstrates!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #44932]
2021/09/10:
THESE DAYS, CANADA'S PUBLIC DOMAIN FEELS LIKE KABUL'S AIRPORT. WE'RE
TRYING TO RESCUE THE FINAL AUTHORS AVAILABLE BEFORE THE TR*MP/TRUDEAU
TWENTY YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS DESCEND ON US, AND THE DOOR
SLAMS SHUT.
THE AMERICAN POET AND NOVELIST JOHN DOS PASSOS IS ONE OF THE
FINAL REFUGEES WHO MADE IT TO THE AIRPORT ON JAN 1ST OF THIS YEAR.
OF COURSE CANADIANS WANTED NO PART OF THIS GARBAGE, BUT WE DON'T
MATTER: TRUDEAU PAID CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE AMERICAN AUTOCRAT
TR*MP, AND NONE AT ALL TO THE PEOPLE OF CANADA. BUT THE ONE TIME
THE POLITICIANS CANNOT IGNORE THE CITIZENS IS A GENERAL ELECTION.
ON SEPT 20, VOTE THE LIBERALS OUT OF OFFICE. THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN CANCELLING THEIR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS, AND
ENDING CANADA'S STATUS AS A U.S. PUPPET STATE !!
Dos Passos, John [American novelist and poet]
(1896-1970)
Wikipedia
Three Soldiers
(1921)
Wikipedia
[War novel, which Dos Passos was certainly in a position to write,
having seen the First World War close up, as a volunteer ambulance
driver in France and Italy. The three soldiers in question are the
narrator, the sensitive and highly educated John Andrews from New York,
who is by no means enthusiastic about the war, and two of his close
companions. The war turns out badly for Andrews. "There are those
who think that John Dos Passos ought to be sent to jail and others
who hail him as the first of native authors to tell the truth about
the war." (Heywood Broun, The Bookman [US], 5 October 1921)]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #6362]
2021/09/06:
THESE DAYS, CANADA'S PUBLIC DOMAIN FEELS LIKE KABUL'S AIRPORT!
WE'RE TRYING TO RESCUE THE FINAL AUTHORS AVAILABLE BEFORE THE
TR*MP/TRUDEAU TWENTY YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS DESCEND ON US.
THE FAMOUS PHILOSOPHER, MATHEMATICIAN, AND PEACE ACTIVIST BERTRAND
RUSSELL IS ONE OF THE FINAL REFUGEES WHO MADE IT TO THE AIRPORT ON
JAN 1ST OF THIS YEAR, BUT IT WILL SHORTLY CLOSE FOR TWENTY YEARS
WHEN THE TR*MP/TRUDEAU COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS GO INTO FULL FORCE.
OF COURSE CANADIANS WANTED NO PART OF THIS GARBAGE, BUT WE DON'T
MATTER: TRUDEAU PAID CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE AMERICAN AUTOCRAT
TR*MP, AND NONE AT ALL TO THE PEOPLE OF CANADA. BUT THE ONE TIME
THE POLITICIANS CANNOT IGNORE THE CITIZENS IS A GENERAL ELECTION.
ON SEPT 20, VOTE THE LIBERALS OUT OF OFFICE. THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN CANCELLING THEIR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS, AND
ENDING CANADA'S STATUS AS A U.S. PUPPET STATE
Russell, Bertrand [Arthur William], 3rd Earl Russell
[Welsh philosopher, mathematician, and peace activist;
Nobel Prize in Literature, 1950] (1872-1970)
Wikipedia
Icarus, or The Future of Science
(1924)
[Philosophical/political monograph. Lord Russell considers the
role that the sciences play in accelerating the pace of change
in society. But he also considers whether this acceleration
has been a good thing, and concludes that "Men's collective
passions are mainly evil; far the strongest of them are hatred
and rivalry directed towards other groups. Therefore at present
all that gives men power to indulge their collective passions
is bad. That is why science threatens to cause the destruction
of our civilization." Those of us who have witnessed the growing
social disorder in the US, the UK, and elsewhere have to agree.
And Russell was writing this a century ago!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #66225]
2021/09/03:
FOR THE LABOUR DAY WEEKEND, WE PRESENT YOU WITH A MAGNIFICENT ALBUM
OF PAINTINGS BY THE GERMAN ARTIST (YES, HE WAS BORN IN BAVARIA)
EDWARD HARRISON COMPTON !!
A COLONY-WIDE ELECTION HAS BEEN CALLED FOR SEPT 20. ONCE UPON A
TIME WE CALLED THESE "FEDERAL" ELECTIONS, BUT AFTER THE FIVE OTTAWA
PARTIES FORCED THE NEW NAFTA ON CANADIANS, WE CAN HARDLY CALL CANADA
A SOVEREIGN STATE ANY MORE.
SOVEREIGN STATES DON'T LET FOREIGN POWERS REWRITE THEIR COPYRIGHT
LAWS OR OTHER DOMESTIC LEGISLATION.
THE GOVERNMENT AND THE DOORMAT ("OPPOSITION") PARTIES NEED TO RE-ESTABLISH
THEIR COUNTRY AND THEMSELVES BY GETTING RID OF THE ABOMINATIONS THEY PUT IN
NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AGAINST THE WILL OF CANADIANS --
IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
Compton, Edward Harrison (1881-1960)
[German painter]
Wikipedia
Chester Water-Colours
(1916)
[Watercolour album. Chester
Wikipedia
(from "castrum", Latin for "army base") is located in Cheshire, not
far from the Welsh border. As its name indicates, it was founded
by the Romans, and was relatively prosperous throughout the Middle
Ages. Watergate Street, included in this collection, was laid out
as part of the Roman encampment, and substantial sections of the
city's walls survive from Roman times. As you will see, this famous
old city provided excellent material for Compton to paint. In spite
of his name, Compton was a German artist: his father had emigrated
from England to Upper Bavaria where he became a famous mountain climber
and painter, married, and had his family. The son followed his father's
example and became a painter. He trained in England, exhibited his
paintings there, and was presumably in England throughout the First World
War, for this fine portfolio was published in May 1916. The reproductions
are all in colour: if there were wartime production issues, there are certainly no traces of them in this beautiful album.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #66086]
2021/08/29:
A LATE MASTERPIECE BY JOSEPH CONRAD, CERTAINLY INVOLVING
THE SEA, BUT PRINCIPALLY TAKING PLACE ON LAND -- THE FRENCH PORT
OF MARSEILLES, TO BE SPECIFIC! SMUGGLING IS INVOLVED, AND CIVIL
WAR IN SPAIN !!
A COLONY-WIDE ELECTION HAS BEEN CALLED FOR SEPT 20. ONCE UPON A
TIME WE CALLED THESE "FEDERAL" ELECTIONS, BUT AFTER THE FIVE OTTAWA
PARTIES FORCED THE NEW NAFTA ON CANADIANS, WE CAN HARDLY CALL CANADA
A SOVEREIGN STATE ANY MORE.
SOVEREIGN STATES DON'T LET FOREIGN POWERS REWRITE THEIR COPYRIGHT
LAWS OR OTHER DOMESTIC LEGISLATION.
THE GOVERNMENT AND THE DOORMAT ("OPPOSITION") PARTIES NEED TO RE-ESTABLISH
THEIR COUNTRY AND THEMSELVES BY GETTING RID OF THE ABOMINATIONS THEY PUT IN
NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AGAINST THE WILL OF CANADIANS --
IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
Conrad, Joseph [Korzeniowski, Józef Teodor Konrad]
(1857-1924) [Polish mariner and novelist]
Wikipedia
The Arrow of Gold. A Story Between Two Notes.
(1919)
Wikipedia
[Historical novel, set in Marseilles, but principally concerned with
Spain, in particular the Third Carlist War
Wikipedia.
There is a direct line from the Carlist Wars to the Spanish Civil
War of 1936-39 and indeed to the question of Catalan independence
which continues to roil Spanish politics today, and there is a
direct line back to the Middle Ages, when Spain was far from being
a unitary state, but was a group of independent kingdoms
with very distinct religions, languages, and nationalities. So
the Third Carlist War (1872-76) settled nothing, but was a dispute
between two claimants to the Spanish throne, the not particularly
popular Amadeo I, from Italy, and Carlos VII, who was opposed to
liberalism, but in favour of the traditional autonomy of Catalonia,
Aragon, and Valencia: this autonomy had been suppressed many years
before by Philip V at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession.
But Conrad's novel is not about the great themes of Spanish history,
but about individuals, mostly in Marseilles, who are involved in
various ways with smuggling weapons to the Carlist forces in Spain.
The chief of these characters is Doña Rita, born in Spain, but
resident for many years in France, where she takes a chief role
in the smuggling. "The murky intrigues of a royalist uprising
form only the background for a tale of love triumphant, brooded
over by the magic and mystery of the sea. There is something direct
and elemental in the artless infatuation of the young sailor, known
only as Monsieur George, palpitating on the threshold of his first
love, and the experienced Doña Rita... whose youth and innocence
still make answer to the youth and innocence of her lover."
(Literary Digest, 11 October 1919)]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/08/26:
A CLASSIC NOVEL BY JACK LONDON -- IT STARTS IN SAN FRANCISCO BAY,
BUT THE ACTION RANGES ACROSS THE NORTH PACIFIC ABOARD A SEALING SCHOONER
(ITS CREW HUNTS SEAL). ITS CAPTAIN IS THE DECIDEDLY TOUGH WOLF LARSEN,
AND ABOARD THE SHIP IS THE NOT SO TOUGH HUMPHREY VAN WEYDEN, RICH BY
INHERITANCE AND NOT WELL VERSED IN THE WAYS OF THE WORLD. BUT HE'S
TOUGHER THAN HE SEEMS !!
A COLONY-WIDE ELECTION HAS BEEN CALLED FOR SEPT 20. ONCE UPON A
TIME WE CALLED THESE "FEDERAL" ELECTIONS, BUT AFTER THE FIVE OTTAWA
PARTIES FORCED THE NEW NAFTA ON CANADIANS, WE CAN HARDLY CALL CANADA
A SOVEREIGN STATE ANY MORE.
SOVEREIGN STATES DON'T LET FOREIGN POWERS REWRITE THEIR COPYRIGHT
LAWS OR OTHER DOMESTIC LEGISLATION.
THE GOVERNMENT AND THE DOORMAT ("OPPOSITION") PARTIES NEED TO RE-ESTABLISH
THEIR COUNTRY AND THEMSELVES BY GETTING RID OF THE ABOMINATIONS THEY PUT IN
NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AGAINST THE WILL OF CANADIANS --
IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
London, Jack (1876-1916)
[American novelist, political activist, and journalist]
Wikipedia
The Sea-Wolf
(1904)
Wikipedia
[Novel. The "sea-wolf" of the title is not an actual wolf, such as
can be found in the other works of Jack London, but Captain Wolf Larsen,
captain of a schooner which scours the North Pacific hunting seals.
When in San Francisco Bay he rescues Humphrey "Hump" Van Weyden,
a young man who is wealthy by inheritance, from the shipwreck in the
San Francisco fog of a ferry on its way from Sausalito to the city.
The Martinez does not drop Van Weyden off at San Francisco,
but continues the voyage it has started. There is much conflict
between the two men, and Larsen certainly has the more powerful
position, but he is more complicated than at first appears.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/08/20:
FROM 1941, A BOOK BY MARGERY ALLINGHAM THAT IS NOT ONE OF
HER FAMOUS MYSTERY NOVELS. INSTEAD, IT'S AN ACCOUNT OF LIFE IN
HER VILLAGE ON THE NORTH SEA COAST WHEN A GERMAN INVASION OF
ENGLAND SEEMED IMMINENT !!
A COLONY-WIDE ELECTION HAS BEEN CALLED FOR SEPT 20. ONCE UPON A
TIME WE CALLED THESE "FEDERAL" ELECTIONS, BUT AFTER THE FIVE OTTAWA
PARTIES FORCED THE NEW NAFTA ON CANADIANS, WE CAN HARDLY CALL CANADA
A SOVEREIGN STATE ANY MORE.
SOVEREIGN STATES DON'T LET FOREIGN POWERS REWRITE THEIR COPYRIGHT
LAWS OR OTHER DOMESTIC LEGISLATION.
THE GOVERNMENT AND THE DOORMAT ("OPPOSITION") PARTIES NEED TO RE-ESTABLISH
THEIR COUNTRY AND THEMSELVES BY GETTING RID OF THE ABOMINATIONS THEY PUT IN
NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AGAINST THE WILL OF CANADIANS --
IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
Allingham, Margery [Youngman Carter, Margery Louise]
(1904-1966) [English mystery novelist]
Wikipedia
The Oaken Heart
(1941)
[Memoir; not a mystery novel! In 1941 a German invasion of England
was a strong possibility, and the village of Tolleshunt D'Arcy
Wiktionary
on the Essex coast was at particularly high risk. And it is in that
village (called "Auburn" in the book), that Allingham and her husband
Philip lived. This is her account of village life under these very
unusual circumstances. Her writing has an authenticity which is
refreshing after the manufactured history and manufactured debate
we've seen coming out of England in recent years. After all, Allingham
was faced with the very real threat of a foreign occupation, rather than
the decidedly less concrete threat posed by "Brussels bureaucrats"!]
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[PGC #1675]
2021/08/17:
IN THE CALL OF THE WILD, JACK LONDON HAD TOLD THE STORY OF A
DOG THAT JOINED A PACK OF WOLVES. IN WHITE FANG, HE TELLS
THE STORY OF A HYBRID WOLF-DOG WHO WENT THE OTHER WAY. BORN ON THE
BANKS OF THE MACKENZIE RIVER, HE IS PARTIALLY DOMESTICATED BY AN
ABORIGINAL, AND STARTS ON A LONG AND ARDUOUS PERSONAL JOURNEY !!
A COLONY-WIDE ELECTION HAS BEEN CALLED FOR SEPT 20. ONCE UPON A
TIME WE CALLED THESE "FEDERAL" ELECTIONS, BUT AFTER THE FIVE OTTAWA
PARTIES FORCED THE NEW NAFTA ON CANADIANS, WE CAN HARDLY CALL CANADA
A SOVEREIGN STATE ANY MORE.
SOVEREIGN STATES DON'T LET FOREIGN POWERS REWRITE THEIR COPYRIGHT
LAWS OR OTHER DOMESTIC LEGISLATION.
THE GOVERNMENT AND THE DOORMAT ("OPPOSITION") PARTIES NEED TO RE-ESTABLISH
THEIR COUNTRY AND THEMSELVES BY GETTING RID OF THE ABOMINATIONS THEY PUT IN
NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AGAINST THE WILL OF CANADIANS --
IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
London, Jack (1876-1916)
[American novelist, political activist, and journalist]
Wikipedia
White Fang
(1906)
Wikipedia
[Novel, the classic sequel to The Call of the Wild, to which
it bears many resemblances, except the title character is not
a domestic dog that heads to Northern Canada and joins a pack of
wolves, but a wolf-dog hybrid born wild in Northern Canada near
the Mackenzie River, who is gradually domesticated, and goes on
some very long travels, first to the Yukon, and then to the south.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/08/12:
TODAY, A TRANSBORDER TALE LARGELY SET IN THE YUKON AND ALASKA
IN A HAPPIER TIME, WHEN THE UNITED STATES WAS A CLOSER NEIGHBOUR
THAN IN OUR OWN SAD DAYS. YES, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE CALL
OF THE WILD, WHICH BROUGHT JACK LONDON INSTANT FAME WHEN IT
WAS PUBLISHED -- A FAME WHICH ENDURES TODAY, AND SHOWS NO SIGN
OF FADING !!
A COLONY-WIDE ELECTION IS COMING. ONCE UPON A TIME WE CALLED THEM
"FEDERAL" ELECTIONS, BUT AFTER THE FIVE OTTAWA PARTIES FORCED THE
NEW NAFTA ON CANADIANS, WE CAN HARDLY CALL CANADA A SOVEREIGN STATE
ANY MORE.
SOVEREIGN STATES DON'T LET FOREIGN POWERS REWRITE THEIR COPYRIGHT
LAWS OR OTHER DOMESTIC LEGISLATION.
OUR SUGGESTION: THE GOVERNMENT AND THE DOORMAT ("OPPOSITION") PARTIES
NEED TO RE-ESTABLISH THEIR COUNTRY AND THEMSELVES BY GETTING RID OF
THE ABOMINATIONS THEY PUT IN NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AGAINST THE WILL OF CANADIANS --
IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
London, Jack (1876-1916)
[American novelist, political activist, and journalist]
Wikipedia
The Call of the Wild
(1903)
Wikipedia
[For the millions who love Canada and the United States, the last
twenty-five years have been a complete nightmare. Our friendly
border is now a militarized frontier, where passports are now
demanded (for centuries, until 2004, less than twenty years ago,
they were not) and hostile interrogations by border guards have
taken the place of friendly chats with border agents. Still
worse, the Thirteen Colonies have become an oppressive military
empire, which has used a "free trade agreement" to make Canada an
American puppet state, rewriting Canada's domestic legislation against
the will of Canadians: hence the copyright extensions we so often
discuss on this site, and will continue discussing, until these
extensions, imposed by the White House autocrat and weakly agreed
to by Congress and Parliament, are completely and permanently removed.
But the nightmare we see today was only created recently, as will
be seen from the pages of this famous novel, an enduring classic
famous worldwide which takes place partly in Canada, and partly in
the United States.
The story starts in California, in Santa Clara County, where Buck lives.
Buck is a dog, a very large dog, of some one hundred and forty pounds,
who lives on the vast agricultural estate of Judge Miller, where he is
well treated and likes his existence. But this happy environment
was not to endure, "Because men, groping in the Arctic darkness, had
found a yellow metal, and because steamship and transportation companies
were booming the find, thousands of men were rushing into the Northland.
These men wanted dogs, and the dogs they wanted were heavy dogs, with
strong muscles by which to toil, and furry coats to protect them from
the frost." So Buck is kidnapped and finds himself first in Alaska
and then in the Yukon during the Klondike gold rush! As the story
proceeds, Buck feels himself less and less attached to humans and more
and more attracted towards the wolf packs he encounters. He is, in fact,
hearing the Call of the Wild.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/08/08:
TODAY'S EBOOK IS A MAGNIFICENT COLLECTION OF PEN AND PENCIL
DRAWINGS FROM THE FIFTEENTH TO THE TWENTIETH CENTURIES -- THEY'LL
LOOK WONDERFUL ON YOUR TABLET OR MONITOR !!
A COLONY-WIDE ELECTION IS COMING. ONCE UPON A TIME WE CALLED THEM
"FEDERAL" ELECTIONS, BUT AFTER THE FIVE OTTAWA PARTIES FORCED THE
NEW NAFTA ON CANADIANS, WE CAN HARDLY CALL CANADA A SOVEREIGN STATE
ANY MORE.
SOVEREIGN STATES DON'T LET FOREIGN POWERS REWRITE THEIR COPYRIGHT
LAWS OR OTHER DOMESTIC LEGISLATION.
OUR SUGGESTION: THE GOVERNMENT AND THE DOORMAT ("OPPOSITION") PARTIES
NEED TO RE-ESTABLISH THEIR COUNTRY AND THEMSELVES BY GETTING RID OF
THE ABOMINATIONS THEY PUT IN NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AGAINST THE WILL OF CANADIANS --
IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
Holme, Charles Geoffrey (1887-1954)
[Anglo-American art historian]
Drawings in Pen & Pencil from Dürer's Day to Ours
(1922)
["The Studio"
Wikipedia
was a London art magazine published between 1893 and 1964. Its
founder was Charles Holme (1848-1923), who was succeeded as editor
by his son, Charles Geoffrey Holme. In addition to its regular issues,
The Studio from time to time published magnificently illustrated
monographs, some of them, such as this one, very large: it includes
drawings from the end of the fifteenth to the start of the twentieth
century. The drawings were selected by Holme, and supplied with lively
and informative "notes and appreciations" by English painter and designer
George Sheringham (1884-1937)
Wikipedia.
The individual artists are too many to discuss here, but are listed
at the start of the book; most of them have substantial articles at
Wikipedia.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #65836]
2021/08/05:
TODAY'S EBOOK BY RUDYARD KIPLING IS SET NOT IN EUROPE OR
ASIA, BUT IN NORTH AMERICA -- NOT JUST THAT, BUT MUCH OF IT TAKES
PLACE IN THE GRAND BANKS OFF NEWFOUNDLAND. YES, WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT "CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS" !!
A COLONY-WIDE ELECTION IS COMING. ONCE UPON A TIME WE CALLED THEM
"FEDERAL" ELECTIONS, BUT AFTER THE FIVE OTTAWA PARTIES FORCED THE
NEW NAFTA ON CANADIANS, WE CAN HARDLY CALL CANADA A SOVEREIGN STATE
ANY MORE.
SOVEREIGN STATES DON'T LET FOREIGN POWERS REWRITE THEIR COPYRIGHT
LAWS OR OTHER DOMESTIC LEGISLATION.
OUR SUGGESTION: THE GOVERNMENT AND THE DOORMAT ("OPPOSITION") PARTIES
NEED TO RE-ESTABLISH THEIR COUNTRY AND THEMSELVES BY GETTING RID OF
THE ABOMINATIONS THEY PUT IN NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AGAINST THE WILL OF CANADIANS --
IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
Kipling, Rudyard (1865-1936)
[Anglo-Indian novelist and poet; Nobel Prize in Literature, 1907]
Wikipedia
Captains Courageous. A Story of the Grand Banks.
(1897)
Wikipedia
[Rudyard Kipling is often thought of as a supporter of imperialism.
But how then do we explain the pro-Indian feelings so predominant
in Kim? And if he was such an upholder of the privileges of
the propertied classes, how do we explain Captains Courageous?
It is the story of an American rich kid whose character is transformed.
The rich kid is Harvey Cheyne, the son of a California millionaire:
"Built one place at San Diego, the old man has; another at Los Angeles;
owns half a dozen railroads, half the lumber on the Pacific slope,
and lets his wife spend the money..." Harvey is washed overboard
while he and his family are crossing the Atlantic, but he is rescued
by Manuel, a Portuguese seaman who is part of the crew of the fishing
schooner We're Here, sailing out of Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Harvey works on the schooner, and his formerly difficult character
is completely changed by the time he reaches port. Readers of the
novel will be instructed as well as entertained, for it contains
much information about the cod fishery, as well as an enduringly
famous account of how Harvey's parents managed to get from San Diego
to Boston with astonishing speed. If you're a railroad magnate, you
can make some very special arrangements! We present two digital
editions of this immortal classic: an elegant EPUB from the
University of Adelaide, and an illustrated digital edition from
Project Gutenberg US, based on the 1897 Macmillan edition, which
includes twenty-two drawings by Massachusetts artist
Isaac Walton Taber (1857-1933)
Wikipedia]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #2225]
2021/08/02:
WE CONCLUDE THE AUGUST LONG WEEKEND AS WE STARTED IT -- WITH A NOVELLA
BY NATHANAEL WEST !!
A FALL ELECTION IS LIKELY. OUR PARTIES ARE GOOD AT BOASTING, BUT NOT
SO GOOD AT ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING.
OUR SUGGESTION: THEY SHOULD (1) DECLARE INDEPENDENCE FROM THE U.S. AND (2)
REESTABLISH CANADA'S SOVEREIGNTY, BY GETTING RID OF THE ABOMINATIONS THEY
PUT IN NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AGAINST THE WILL
OF CANADIANS -- IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
MAKE NO MISTAKE: IF A FOREIGN POWER REWRITES YOUR DOMESTIC LEGISLATION,
YOU'RE NOT A COUNTRY ANY MORE. YOU'RE A COLONY!
West, Nathanael [Weinstein, Nathan] (1903-1940)
[American novelist and screenwriter]
Wikipedia
Miss Lonelyhearts
(1933)
Wikipedia
[West's famous novella set in the newspaper industry. In spite of her
name "Miss Lonelyhearts" is in fact a man, a not particularly happy one,
who runs the personal advice column at a New York newspaper. He finds
his job stressful, since after a while it is difficult to come up with
original answers for situations which come up time and time again. And
the letters he gets from readers are invariably sad ones, involving often
intractable situations.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/07/30:
AS WE HAVE LEARNED DURING THE PANDEMIC, FILM AND VIDEO NOW PLAY AN EVEN
LARGER PART IN OUR LIVES THAN BEFORE. SO WE NOW OFFER TWO DIGITAL EDITIONS OF NATHANAEL WEST'S FAMOUS 1939 NOVEL ABOUT LIFE AS IT ACTUALLY
WAS LIVED IN HOLLYWOOD IN THE THIRTIES -- FINE SUMMER READING FOR THE
AUGUST LONG WEEKEND !!
A FALL ELECTION IS LIKELY. OUR PARTIES ARE GOOD AT BOASTING, BUT NOT
SO GOOD AT ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING.
OUR SUGGESTION: THEY SHOULD (1) DECLARE INDEPENDENCE FROM THE U.S. AND (2)
REESTABLISH CANADA'S SOVEREIGNTY, BY GETTING RID OF THE ABOMINATIONS THEY
PUT IN NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AGAINST THE WILL
OF CANADIANS -- IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
MAKE NO MISTAKE: IF A FOREIGN POWER REWRITES YOUR DOMESTIC LEGISLATION,
YOU'RE NOT A COUNTRY ANY MORE. YOU'RE A COLONY!
West, Nathanael [Weinstein, Nathan] (1903-1940)
[American novelist and screenwriter]
Wikipedia
The Day of the Locust
(1939)
Wikipedia
[Novel about life as it was actually lived in and around Hollywood, where
West himself worked as a screenwriter, filmed in 1975 by John Schlesinger
Wikipedia.
The US Declaration of Independence famously cites as a basic human
right not actual happiness, but the pursuit of happiness.
Many have moved to California seeking happiness, yet have not
found it. And our hero Tod Hackett discovers that many of those
he encounters "had come to California to die": this is the
world he sets out to explore. He is himself a new arrival,
hired by a studio on the basis of his work as a student at
the Yale School of Fine Arts.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
EPUB
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[PGC #1658]
2021/07/28:
OUR ARTHUR GASK INITIATIVE IS DRAWING TO A CLOSE WITH TODAY'S
SHORT STORY. WE NOW OFFER TWENTY-EIGHT TITLES BY ADELAIDE'S
WORLD-FAMOUS MYSTERY AUTHOR !!
A FALL ELECTION IS LIKELY. OUR PARTIES ARE GOOD AT BOASTING, BUT NOT
SO GOOD AT ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING.
OUR SUGGESTION: THEY SHOULD (1) DECLARE INDEPENDENCE FROM THE U.S. AND (2)
REESTABLISH CANADA'S SOVEREIGNTY, BY GETTING RID OF THE ABOMINATIONS THEY
PUT IN NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AGAINST THE WILL
OF CANADIANS -- IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
MAKE NO MISTAKE: IF A FOREIGN POWER REWRITES YOUR DOMESTIC LEGISLATION,
YOU'RE NOT A COUNTRY ANY MORE. YOU'RE A COLONY!
Gask, Arthur [Arthur Cecil] (1869-1951)
[Australian novelist, journalist, and dentist]
Wikipedia
Australian Dictionary of Biography
The Hatton Garden Crime
(1945)
[A short story, which does not feature Gask's famous sleuth
Gilbert Larose! Hatton Garden
Wikipedia
is an area of central London that has long been famous as a centre
of the jewellery trade. "For many years," the story begins, "Reuben
Leyden had been one of the best-known diamond dealers in Hatton
Garden... almost fabulous sums of money had at times, in the course
of a few minutes, changed hands in his modest suite of rooms." One
day... no, let's stop right there! To learn more, just read this
very short story. Hint: there may be a murder!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/07/25:
TODAY'S EBOOK IS A VERY GREAT NOVEL AND AN ETERNAL CLASSIC: THACKERAY'S
"VANITY FAIR" -- WITH THE AUTHOR'S OWN ILLUSTRATIONS !!
A FALL ELECTION IS LIKELY. OUR PARTIES ARE GOOD AT BOASTING, BUT NOT
SO GOOD AT ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING.
OUR SUGGESTION: THEY SHOULD (1) DECLARE INDEPENDENCE FROM THE U.S. AND (2)
REESTABLISH CANADA'S SOVEREIGNTY, BY GETTING RID OF THE ABOMINATIONS THEY
PUT IN NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AGAINST THE WILL
OF CANADIANS -- IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
MAKE NO MISTAKE: IF A FOREIGN POWER REWRITES YOUR DOMESTIC LEGISLATION,
YOU'RE NOT A COUNTRY ANY MORE. YOU'RE A COLONY!
Thackeray, William Makepeace (1811-1863)
[English novelist, journalist, and illustrator]
Wikipedia
Vanity Fair. A Novel without a Hero.
(1848)
Wikipedia
[Thackeray's most celebrated novel, a true panorama of English society
in the early nineteenth century. In the novel's prologue we find
ourselves in a travelling fair ("Vanity Fair") at which Thackeray has
been presenting his Show; he acknowledges "the kindness with which
it has been received in all the principal towns of England through
which the Show has passed". (The novel had been published as a serial,
and would have been read throughout England.) The Fair represents life
as it is actually lived, and is "not a moral place certainly; nor a
merry one, though very noisy." And the Show is Thackeray's "novel
without a hero". It is not a comedy: Thackeray commenting on his
own role as stage manager comments that "a feeling of profound
melancholy comes over him in his survey of the bustling place."
But this should not deter you from reading the novel! It has
infinite energy, sparkling narrative, and unforgettable characters.
And within its pages people do what people do: plot for their own
advantage, with little thought of others except insofar as it serves
their own interests. Perhaps it should be mandatory reading in our
high schools, since the novel certainly prepares its readers for the
world around them, where few people can be relied on. Certainly not
our politicians, as was shown in 2020 by the "new NAFTA" (yes, we're
talking about the copyright extensions, but much more) and by the
shocking history of the COVID pandemic, where the vast gulf between
the rich and the poor became even clearer than before. As the novel's
main narrative begins, Becky Sharp is graduating from Miss Pinkerton's
academy for young ladies. She is much poorer than her classmates, and
is well aware that she will have to rely on her own wits through the
years to come: there will be no one to help her. Fortunately she is
talented, motivated, and ruthless. And things proceed from there! The
Adelaide EPUB we are presenting to you contains the fine illustrations
created for the novel by Thackeray himself -- classics in their own right!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Traduction française par
Georges-Maurice Guiffrey (1827-1887)
fr.wikipedia
La foire aux vanités, Tome I
(1884)
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #19112]
La foire aux vanités, Tome II
(1884)
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #20864]
fr.wikipedia
2021/07/22:
OUR SECOND EBOOK BY WILLIAM MORRIS CARRIES THE STORY FORWARD FROM
HIS TALE OF THE HOUSE OF THE WOLFINGS !!
A FALL ELECTION IS LIKELY. OUR PARTIES ARE GOOD AT BOASTING, BUT NOT
SO GOOD AT ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING.
OUR SUGGESTION: THEY SHOULD (1) DECLARE INDEPENDENCE FROM THE U.S. AND (2)
REESTABLISH CANADA'S SOVEREIGNTY, BY GETTING RID OF THE ABOMINATIONS THEY
PUT IN NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AGAINST THE WILL
OF CANADIANS -- IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
MAKE NO MISTAKE: IF A FOREIGN POWER REWRITES YOUR DOMESTIC LEGISLATION,
YOU'RE NOT A COUNTRY ANY MORE. YOU'RE A COLONY!
Morris, William (1834-1896)
[English novelist, poet, painter, textile designer,
and social activist]
Wikipedia
The Roots of the Mountains
(1889)
Wikipedia
[Novel, "Wherein is told somewhat of the lives of the men of Burgdale
their friends their neighbours their foemen and their fellows in arms."
It is a continuation of the Tale of the House of the Wolfings:
the descendants of the Wolfings show up as the Sons of the Wolf. As
with the earlier novel, there are many elements in common with The
Lord of the Rings, for which it was clearly a source. Morris's
language has a deliberate antique grandeur, but he ensures that his
meaning is always clear. For example, he renders the first sentence
of the novel that much more accessible by saying "town or thorp" rather
than just "thorp": "Once upon a time amidst the mountains and hills and
falling streams of a fair land there was a town or thorp in a certain
valley." Yes, this sounds a lot like Rivendell!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/07/20:
WILLIAM MORRIS DIDN'T REALLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
MODERN FANTASY. IT'S TRUER TO SAY THAT HE INVENTED IT !!
A FALL ELECTION IS LIKELY. OUR PARTIES ARE GOOD AT BOASTING, BUT NOT
SO GOOD AT ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING.
OUR SUGGESTION: THEY SHOULD (1) DECLARE INDEPENDENCE FROM THE U.S. AND (2)
REESTABLISH CANADA'S SOVEREIGNTY, BY GETTING RID OF THE ABOMINATIONS THEY
PUT IN NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AGAINST THE WILL
OF CANADIANS -- IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
MAKE NO MISTAKE: IF A FOREIGN POWER REWRITES YOUR DOMESTIC LEGISLATION,
YOU'RE NOT A COUNTRY ANY MORE. YOU'RE A COLONY!
Morris, William (1834-1896)
[English novelist, poet, painter, textile designer,
and social activist]
Wikipedia
A Tale of the House of the Wolfings
and All the Kindreds of the Mark
(1889)
Wikipedia
[Novel, which largely created the modern fantasy novel. Its influence
can clearly be seen in The Lord of the Rings: both novels have
a place called Mirkwood, and in both dwarfs play an important role. No
hobbits, though! It is written in a deliberately archaic style, with many
words and usages from early English and other Germanic languages. With
astounding skill and judgment Morris ensures that his archaic language
is consistent, comprehensible, and beautiful to the ear. From the
moment of its appearance to the present day the novel has always had
many admirers, starting with Oscar Wilde!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/07/18:
TODAY'S EBOOK IS A MAGNIFICENT COLLECTION OF FAR MORE THAN A
THOUSAND WOODCUTS FROM THE RENAISSANCE -- THEY'LL LOOK ABSOLUTELY
GORGEOUS ON YOUR SCREEN !!
A FALL ELECTION IS LIKELY. OUR PARTIES ARE GOOD AT BOASTING, BUT NOT
SO GOOD AT ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING.
OUR SUGGESTION: THEY SHOULD (1) DECLARE INDEPENDENCE FROM THE U.S. AND (2)
REESTABLISH CANADA'S SOVEREIGNTY, BY GETTING RID OF THE ABOMINATIONS THEY PUT IN NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AND AGAINST THE WILL
OF CANADIANS -- IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
MAKE NO MISTAKE: IF A FOREIGN POWER REWRITES YOUR DOMESTIC LEGISLATION,
YOU'RE NOT A COUNTRY ANY MORE. YOU'RE A COLONY!
Jennings, Oscar (ca. 1850-1914)
[Anglo-French medical researcher and bibliographer]
Early Woodcut Initials
(1908)
[Monograph "containing over thirteen hundred reproductions of
ornamental letters of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries,
selected and annotated by Oscar Jennings, M.D., Member of the
Bibliographical Society". Because of the many illustrations,
this ebook may take some extra time to load. Dr. Jennings
had a deep knowledge of the history of printing, as is obvious
from this classic work, which at times comes close to being a
history of the invention and early development of printing, with
more than a hundred mentions of Johannes Gutenberg, the patron
of Project Gutenberg Canada! But these studies were not the only
or even the primary field in which Oscar Jennings worked! "For many
years he practised in Paris, and won a considerable reputation by his
writings on the mechanical treatment of diseases of the spinal cord,
and particularly on the treatment of the morphine habit, on which he
wrote several monographs. He was an enthusiastic believer in the
virtues of cycle exercise and, we believe, very successfully reduced
his own weight by this means." (Obituary, British Medical Journal
19 December 1914).]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #65847]
2021/07/16:
TODAY'S EBOOK BY RUDYARD KIPLING INCLUDES FOUR GHOST STORIES...
AND THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING !!
A FALL ELECTION IS LIKELY. OUR PARTIES ARE GOOD AT BOASTING, BUT NOT
SO GOOD AT ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING.
OUR SUGGESTION: THEY SHOULD (1) DECLARE INDEPENDENCE FROM THE U.S. AND (2)
REESTABLISH CANADA'S SOVEREIGNTY, BY GETTING RID OF THE ABOMINATIONS PUT IN
NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AND AGAINST THE WILL OF
CANADIANS -- IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
MAKE NO MISTAKE: IF A FOREIGN POWER REWRITES YOUR DOMESTIC LEGISLATION,
YOU'RE NOT A COUNTRY ANY MORE. YOU'RE A COLONY!
Kipling, Rudyard (1865-1936)
[Anglo-Indian novelist and poet; Nobel Prize in Literature, 1907]
Wikipedia
The Phantom Rickshaw and Other Stories
(1888)
Wikipedia
["Other Eerie Stories", according to some early editions, and
indeed four of the five stories are ghost stories: The Phantom
Rickshaw (it looks like a rickshaw, but is it real?), My Own
True Ghost Story (why should mere death interfere with a passion
for billiards?), The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes (sometimes
it's really not a good idea to go out at night in an area you don't
know, even if the sound of dogs baying at the moon is annoying you), and
"The Finest Story in the World" (Charlie Mears "lived in the
north of London, coming into the City every day to work in a bank.
He was twenty years old and suffered from aspirations." Needless
to say, some strange things start happening to Charlie.) Yet the
most famous story of all, The Man Who Would Be King
Wikipedia,
does not involve ghosts, but personal ambition and imperial overreach.
Two enterprising individuals in British India decide to seek their
fortune over the border, in Kafiristan, part of modern Afghanistan.
They have plans to set up their own kingdom, and at first this
preposterous scheme seems to work, until things go wrong. Very
wrong. Of course, in Afghanistan the collapse of the dreams of
empire is a familiar story, as is shown by the failed attempts at
conquest over the past two centuries by the British Empire, the
Soviet Union, and, as recently as 2021, the United States. Perhaps
the Soviets and the Americans should have read their Kipling! Of
course, you don't have to physically invade a country to make it
your colony, as the US's successful takeover of Canada demonstrates:
the 2020 version of NAFTA, which coercively imposed American copyright
durations and other outrages on our country, is certainly the act
of an aggressive imperial power. Perhaps the Americans will learn
their Afghanistan lesson, and start treating other countries, Canada
included, as their equals, not their subjects. Not a moment too soon!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/07/13:
TODAY'S EBOOK IS FROM OHIO'S LOUIS BROMFIELD AND IS
A FAMILY EPIC SET IN MASSACHUSETTS. IN 1927 IT BROUGHT ITS
AUTHOR THE PULITZER PRIZE !!
A FALL ELECTION IS LIKELY. OUR PARTIES ARE GOOD AT BOASTING, BUT NOT
SO GOOD AT ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING.
OUR SUGGESTION: THEY SHOULD (1) DECLARE INDEPENDENCE FROM THE U.S. AND (2)
REESTABLISH CANADA'S SOVEREIGNTY, BY GETTING RID OF THE ABOMINATIONS PUT IN
NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AND AGAINST THE WILL OF
CANADIANS -- IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
MAKE NO MISTAKE: IF A FOREIGN POWER REWRITES YOUR DOMESTIC LEGISLATION,
YOU'RE NOT A COUNTRY ANY MORE. YOU'RE A COLONY!
Bromfield, Louis (1896-1956)
[American novelist, journalist, and organic farmer]
Wikipedia
Early Autumn
(1926)
Wikipedia
[A novel from near the beginning of Bromfield's career -- it won him
the 1927 Pulitzer Prize! It is a family epic, set in the old but
fictional Massachusetts town of Durham, where the Pentland family
has roots dating back to the seventeenth century. But now it's the
twentieth century, Durham has changed and grown, and the Pentlands,
it turns out, are not immune to the problems which can beset
long-established families dependent on inherited wealth. The novel
features old John Pentland, his alarming sister Cassie, and his son
Anson, who had married Olivia, whom Cassie "had never quite forgiven...
for being an outsider who had come into the intricate web of life at
Pentlands out of (of all places) Chicago." Still, when she arrived,
so did her substantial fortune. By this point you probably get the
picture. Now try the novel, written with Louis Bromfield's typical
combination of elegance and approachability!]
EPUB
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2021/07/11:
"THE RICH GET RICHER, AND THE POOR GET POORER" -- THE COVID-19 MESS
HAS BRUTALLY EXPOSED HOW TRUE THIS IS. JUST LOOK AT THE STOCK MARKET'S
RECORD HIGHS. THEN LOOK AT AVERAGE INCOMES! NO ONE UNDERSTOOD THESE
THINGS BETTER THAN UPTON SINCLAIR, THE AUTHOR OF TODAY'S EBOOK !!
A FALL ELECTION IS LIKELY. OUR PARTIES ARE GOOD AT BOASTING, BUT NOT
SO GOOD AT ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING.
OUR SUGGESTION: THEY SHOULD (1) DECLARE INDEPENDENCE FROM THE U.S. AND (2)
REESTABLISH CANADA'S SOVEREIGNTY, BY GETTING RID OF THE ABOMINATIONS PUT IN
NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AND AGAINST THE WILL OF
CANADIANS -- IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
MAKE NO MISTAKE: IF A FOREIGN POWER REWRITES YOUR DOMESTIC LEGISLATION,
YOU'RE NOT A COUNTRY ANY MORE. YOU'RE A COLONY!
Sinclair, Upton (1878-1968)
[American novelist, journalist, and politician]
Wikipedia
Letters to Judd, an American Workingman
(1926)
[No one has ever had a clearer view of how the economic system really
works than Upton Sinclair. "This book is written and published," says
the author, "as an act of love for America. It is made out of faith
in our country, and in you." He discusses theory versus reality. And
here's the reality: "Well, the first thing the big corporation financier
does is to seek out some form of special privilege, some opening through
which he knows that he can make quick and certain profits." We certainly
see this in the COVID era. Why such vast public subsidies for corporations?
Why did the citizens pay for developing the COVID vaccines, but private
interests ended up owning the patents, with guaranteed monopoly profits
for many years into the future? And why were American commercial interests
allowed to hijack our copyright laws, using open coercion? The
government and all the "opposition" parties just rolled over and played
dead! Excessive copyright lengths are economically harmful, are an
attack on the poor, and do not benefit the original creators, who are (how
shall we put this?) dead. As PGC readers know, public domain ebooks cost
less than those under copyright, because there is no longer a monopoly,
but an open competitive market. Speaking of copyright, there never was a
copyright on Upton Sinclair's fine book: "This book is an act of service,
not of money-making. The work is not copyrighted, and any one may reprint
it. If you want a large edition, the author's plates are at your service
free of cost. Read, and do your part."]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #65818]
2021/07/08:
OUR FIRST EBOOK BY THEODORE DREISER IS NOT ONE OF
HIS CELEBRATED NOVELS, BUT AN ACCOUNT OF HIS TRAVELS IN
EUROPE -- WITH MARVELOUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY PHILADELPHIA'S
WILLIAM GLACKENS !!
A FALL ELECTION IS LIKELY. OUR PARTIES ARE GOOD AT BOASTING, BUT NOT
SO GOOD AT ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING EXCEPT TAKING ORDERS FROM TR*MP,
THE U.S. AUTOCRAT. WHY SHOULD CANADIANS VOTE FOR ANY OF THE PARTIES?
OUR SUGGESTION: THEY SHOULD (1) DECLARE INDEPENDENCE FROM THE U.S. AND (2)
REESTABLISH CANADA'S SOVEREIGNTY, BY GETTING RID OF THE ABOMINATIONS PUT IN
NAFTA AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AND AGAINST THE WILL OF
CANADIANS -- IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
MAKE NO MISTAKE: IF A FOREIGN POWER REWRITES YOUR DOMESTIC LEGISLATION,
FOR EXAMPLE EXTENDING COPYRIGHT DURATIONS, YOU'RE THEIR COLONY!
Dreiser, Theodore [Theodore Herman Albert] (1871-1945)
[American journalist, poet, and novelist]
Wikipedia
A Traveler at Forty
(1913)
[Dreiser's delightfully written memoir of an extended trip to Europe.
And what a time to go! Europe was at its prewar height, and no one
suspected the catastrophe that was about to engulf the continent.
The places he visited included England, France, Italy, the Vatican,
Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands. Wow! What more need be
said? How about this: the book includes drawings by the fabulously
talented American artist
William Glackens (1870-1938)
Wikipedia!
Reviewers noticed that the book, unlike many travel narratives, paid
close attention to all social classes. The Nation (18 December
1913) seems to have liked this well enough: "In the pursuit of knowledge
Mr. Dreiser showed enterprise. His London contacts were carefully arranged, but he managed to quiz a street-walker on his own account. At Paris such
investigations were naturally part of the programme. Into all his
observations Mr. Dreiser carries a keen, quiet curiosity that is pretty
close to sympathy. There is an odd reverence about what can only be
described as prying tactics." But in The Bookman (February 1914),
Stuart Henry was less positive: "Instead of bringing to notice men who are worth while or entertaining, he acquaints us rather with those who can
guide through night haunts of immorality, have sex on the brain or desire
to "lick" foreigners. And for the women of Europe we are freely offered
examples from the various tenderloins who, even for their class, do
not propose much in the way of edification or esprit." But what else
can we we expect or would we want than a balanced view of all sectors
of society? And who better to provide it than the author of Sister
Carrie and An American Tragedy?]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #65765]
2021/07/04:
A MYSTERY NOVEL BY ARTHUR GASK, TAKING PLACE IN 1925, FOUR YEARS
AFTER GILBERT LAROSE HAS MOVED TO ENGLAND TO TAKE UP A NEW
POST IN LONDON !!
A FALL ELECTION IS LIKELY. OUR PARTIES ARE GOOD AT BOASTING, BUT NOT
SO GOOD AT ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING EXCEPT TAKING ORDERS FROM TR*MP,
THE U.S. AUTOCRAT. WHY SHOULD CANADIANS VOTE FOR ANY OF THE PARTIES?
OUR SUGGESTION: THEY SHOULD DECLARE INDEPENDENCE FROM THE U.S. (IT'S
THE FOURTH OF JULY!) BY GETTING RID OF THE ABOMINATIONS PUT IN NAFTA
AT THE COMMAND OF THE FOREIGN AUTOCRAT TR*MP, AND AGAINST THE WILL OF CANADIANS -- IN PARTICULAR, THE TWENTY-YEAR COPYRIGHT EXTENSIONS.
MAKE NO MISTAKE: IF A FOREIGN POWER REWRITES YOUR DOMESTIC LEGISLATION,
FOR EXAMPLE EXTENDING COPYRIGHT DURATIONS, YOU'RE THEIR COLONY!
Gask, Arthur [Arthur Cecil] (1869-1951)
[Australian novelist, journalist, and dentist]
Wikipedia
Australian Dictionary of Biography
Marauders by Night
(1951)
[A Gilbert Larose novel, set in 1925! As the novel opens, a very
serious conference is underway at Scotland Yard. In the Eastern
Counties (Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk) there have been no fewer
than five major robberies. In attendance is Gilbert Larose, "then
in his twenty-ninth year and the youngest Detective Inspector at
Scotland Yard... a good-looking young fellow with a pleasant smiling
face. Transferred from Australia to the Criminal Investigation
Department in London, in four years he had earned an almost legendary
reputation." And Larose's achievements in this case will only
increase this reputation!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
2021/07/01:
NORMALLY, NATIONAL HOLIDAYS CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE. HERE IN
CANADA, OUR POLITICAL PARTIES OPERATE A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY --
SO HERE WE ARE OBSERVING THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF CANADA'S
RECOLONIZATION (THE "NEW NAFTA") -- IMPOSED BY THE UNITED
STATES, WITH THE ACTIVE ASSISTANCE OF CANADA'S FEDERAL POLITICIANS.
MAKE NO MISTAKE: IF A FOREIGN POWER REWRITES YOUR DOMESTIC LEGISLATION,
FOR EXAMPLE EXTENDING COPYRIGHT DURATIONS, YOU'RE THEIR COLONY!
SO FOR CANADA DAY WE OFFER YOU AN EBOOK BY THE FAMOUS BENGALI AUTHOR
RABINDRANATH TAGORE (NOBEL PRIZE, 1913), A FIERCE OPPONENT OF
BRITISH RULE IN INDIA. EXCELLENT READING, AND AN INSPIRATION TO
CANADIANS AS WE SEEK TO RECLAIM OUR COUNTRY'S INDEPENDENCE !!
Tagore, Rabindranath (1861-1941)
[Bengali novelist, poet, and painter; Nobel Prize in Literature, 1913]
Wikipedia
Glimpses of Bengal. Selected from the letters of
Sir Rabindranath Tagore, 1885 to 1895.
(1921)
["The letters translated in this book," writes our author, "span the
most productive period of my literary life, when, owing to great good fortune, I was young and less known.... It so happened that selected
extracts from a large number of such letters found their way back to
me years after they had been written. It had been rightly conjectured
that they would delight me by bringing to mind the memory of days when,
under the shelter of obscurity, I enjoyed the greatest freedom my life
has ever known." The letters were written from various cities in Bengal
and also from the Tagore family's country house at Shelidah (Shilaidaha)
Wikipedia,
which is now a museum commemorating our author. The translation was done
by "one who, among all those whom I know, was best fitted to carry it out",
namely the author's nephew, the political activist, author, and entrepreneur
Surendranath Tagore (1872-1940)
Wikipedia]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #7951]
You will find thousands of other interesting titles at Project Gutenberg's
US and
Australian websites.
Many of the Canadian ebooks listed below were originally created for
these two sites, which have kindly made them available to us.
You will find a large catalogue of excellent titles in French
at Ebooks Libres et Gratuits,
who have also kindly made their catalogue available to us.
Nous tenons à remercier nos partenaires,
Projet Gutenberg US,
Ebooks libres et gratuits
et Projet Gutenberg Australie,
qui vous offrent des milliers de livres captivants.
Les deux premiers possèdent un vaste catalogue de
titres en français. Ce sont nos partenaires qui se sont
occupés de numériser de nombreux documents ci-dessous.
Anonymous
Select Comic Tales. From the Best Authors.
(ca. 1808)
[A collection of tales, mostly anonymous, selected by an anonymous editor, but including stories by
François Blanchet (1707-1784)
fr.wikipedia
and Charles Johnstone (ca.1719 - ca.1800)
Compendium of Irish Biography.
Colour frontispiece and title page by an anonymous artist. All in all, a work with a good deal of anonymity.]
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[PGC #560]
Aunt Ann's Lesson-Book, for Very Young Children.
In Words of One and Two Syllables.
(1822)
[Vignettes intended to entertain and instruct young children, "by a friend to little children."
Includes colour illustrations by an anonymous artist.]
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[PGC #515]
Tales and Novels for Youth of Both Sexes
(1831)
[Tales and historical accounts from French history and culture, published in Paris in 1831, but written in English.
The illustrations include an engraved frontispiece reproducing a work by Charles-Abraham Chasselat (1782-1843).]
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[PGC #549]
The Broken Vase, and Other Stories; for Children and Youth.
(1847)
[Stories for children, with illustrations]
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Story of Simple Simon
(this edition ca. 1850-1864)
[Traditional children's poem
Wikipedia,
nicely illustrated by an unknown hand]
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[PGC #514]
Dan Drake's Rhymes and Dame Duck's Jingles
(1859)
[Illustrated poems]
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Ball-Room Dancing Without a Master, and complete
guide to the Etiquette, Toilet, Dress and Management of
the ball-room; with all the Principal Dances in Popular Use.
(1872)
[Manual]
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Comic Animals and their Adventures. With Alphabet and Rhymes.
(ca. 1880?)
[Alphabet book and children's story: includes illustrations by
G. H. Thompson (fl. 1833-1884)
and Louis Wain (1860-1939)
Wikipedia]
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The Shasta Route in All of its Grandeur. A Scenic Guide Book from
San Francisco, California, to Portland, Oregon on the Road of a Thousand
Wonders. (ca. 1923)
["The illustrations shown in the following pages," says the preface
to this magnificent collection, "are all made expressly for this book
from photographs taken by special artists of the most striking objects of
interest, which abound to a remarkable extent along the Southern Pacific
Railroad, between San Francisco and Portland. Great care was taken to
select only such views as every traveler actually sees along the line."
And this Exclusive Edition was available to purchase only on the Shasta
Route trains! The photographers are anonymous, with the exception of
Chester Mullen
who took a memorable photo of the Lassen Peak, which is not only a peak
but also a volcano, that Mullen caught erupting sometime between 1914
and 1921: the biggest eruption was in 1915. But all of the pictures
are remarkable in their different ways!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #68494]
WAAC: The Woman's Story of the War (1930) [Autobiography: an intimate account of the writer's personal
experience of the First World War. Not your standard war
memoir!]
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Metropolitan Cook Book, Edition of Aug. 1954
(1954)
[Cookbook. published by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company]
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Abbott, John Stevens Cabot (1805-1877) [American historian]
Wikipedia
The Adventures of the Chevalier De La Salle
and his Companions in their explorations of
the prairies, forests, lakes, and rivers, of the New
World, and their interviews with the savage tribes,
two hundred years ago.
(1875)
[History, mostly concerning René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography]
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Abbott-Smith, George (1864-1947) [Canadian theologian and philologist]
A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament
(1937 [third edition: first edition published in 1921, second
edition in 1923])
[Dictionary of New Testament Greek, with many references to how Greek words in the New Testament were used in the Septuagint
translation of the Old Testament to represent their Hebrew counterparts]
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PDF
Because of the specialized nature of this work, and the advanced
Greek and Hebrew typography of the printed edition, we present
this monument of scholarship as a downloadable set of scans
approximately 42 megabytes in size.
You should download the file, unzip it, and use the main HTML
page to navigate to the appropriate pages. As an alternative,
you can download the scans in DjVu format (15 megabytes)
or as a PDF file (54 megabytes).
Acland, Peregrine Palmer (1890-1963)
[Canadian novelist]
The Dusty Bookcase (Brian Busby)
Field Punishment No.1 (James Calhoun)
All Else Is Folly. A Tale of War and Passion.
(1929)
[One of the most famous Canadian novels about the First World War,
describing the experiences of a young soldier, Alexander Falcon, who
finds himself transported from a ranch in southern Alberta to the
battlefields of France, with part of the novel being set at an English
country house, Bendip Towers. No less a figure than Ford Madox Ford
(1873-1939)
Wikipedia
contributed the preface:
"Major Acland's is, I imagine, the first really authentic work of
imaginative writing dealing with the War to come out of one
of the great British Dominions... it will be little less than a
scandal if the book is not read enormously widely. And that is the truth."]
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[PGC #1162]
Addison, Joseph (1672-1719)
[English essayist and playwright]
Wikipedia
NNDB
Cato. A Tragedy.
(1713)
[Tragedy, extremely popular throughout the eighteenth century,
describing the last days of Cato the Younger (95-46 B.C.)
Wikipedia, a leading opponent of Julius Caesar.
Our edition includes some introductory remarks by the
playwright and novelist Elizabeth Inchbald (1753-1821)
Wikipedia]
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[PGC #496]
Aeschylus (ca. 525-456 B.C.)
[Athenian playwright]
Wikipedia
Translations by
Murray, Gilbert [George Gilbert Aimé] (1866-1957)
[English classical scholar]
Wikipedia
Australian Dictionary of Biography
Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) [in German]
-
The Persians
(472 B.C. [Greek original], 1939 [this translation])
[The oldest surviving Greek tragedy. It deals with a contemporary event:
the reaction of the Persian court to the news of the Greek victory over the
Persians at Salamis
Wikipedia, a battle in which Aeschylus is believed to have fought.
The tone of the play is surprisingly sympathetic to the Persians.]
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[PGC #752]
Wikipedia
ancient-literature.com
H. W, Smyth's edition of the original Greek text (Perseus Digital Library)
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The Suppliant Women
(ca. 463 B.C. [Greek original], 1930 [this translation])
[A very early Greek tragedy, notable for the importance of the chorus in the drama.
The daughters of Danaus
Wikipedia
arrive as refugees in Argos, seeking protection from forced marriage in Egypt.]
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[PGC #841]
Wikipedia
ancient-literature.com
H. W, Smyth's edition of the original Greek text (Perseus Digital Library)
-
Prometheus Bound
(fifth century B.C. [Greek original], 1931 [this translation])
[Tragedy. Prometheus
Wikipedia
has given mankind the gift of fire. Zeus in anger has
chained him to a mountain in the Caucasus. Two millennia after the original,
Shelley wrote a famous sequel, Prometheus Unbound
Wikipedia]
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[PGC #751]
Wikipedia
ancient-literature.com
H. W, Smyth's edition of the original Greek text (Perseus Digital Library)
Alain-Fournier, pseudonyme de Fournier, Henri Alban (1886-1914) [Romancier français]
fr.wikipedia
Le Grand Meaulnes (1913) [Roman]
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Albani, Emma (1847-1930)
[Canadian opera singer]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Library and Archives Canada
La Scena Musicale (article by Gilles Potvin)
The Virtual Gramophone (recordings!)
The Virtual Gramophone (biography)]
Forty Years of Song
(1911)
[Albani's own account, profusely illustrated, of her sensational rise to international fame
in the world of opera and oratorio]
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[PG Canada ebook #500]
Voir aussi:
Legendre, Napoléon (1841-1907) [Journaliste canadien]
fr.wikipedia
Dictionnaire biographique du Canada
Albani (Emma Lajeunesse)
(1874)
[Biographie de la cantatrice Emma Albani (1847-1930)
fr.wikipedia
Dictionnaire biographique du Canada
Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
La Scena Musicale (article par Gilles Potvin)]
Le Gramophone virtuel (enregistrements!)
Le Gramophone virtuel (biographie)]
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Allen, Grant [Charles Grant Blairfindie] (1848-1899) [Canadian scientist, novelist, and historian]
Wikipedia
Peter Morton's Grant Allen website
grantallen.org
Philistia (1884) [Novel]
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Biographies of Working Men (1884) [Short biographies of Thomas Telford, George Stephenson, John Gibson, William Herschel, Jean-François Millet, James Garfield, and Thomas Edward]
Text
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Falling in Love, with other essays on more exact branches of science (1889) [Essays on science]
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What's Bred in the Bone (1890) [Novel]
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The Great Taboo (1890) [Novel]
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Recalled to Life (1891) [Novel]
Text
Anglo-Saxon Britain (1891) [History]
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Science in Arcady (1892) [Essays on science]
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Michael's Crag (1893) [Novel]
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Post-Prandial Philosophy (1893) [Light essays]
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The British Barbarians (1895) [Science fiction novel]
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The Woman Who Did
(1895)
Wikipedia
[Novel, controversial at the time of its publication.
Herminia Barton is very well educated, rather poor, and
thinks for herself: she does not wish to marry, a fact which
largely determines the course of the novel.
We include the 1895 title page, which was created
by Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898)
Wikipedia.]
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[PGC #950]
PG US ebook
An African Millionaire: Episodes in the Life of the Illustrious Colonel Clay (1897) [Detective short stories]
Text
Twelve Tales, with a Headpiece, a Tailpiece, and an Intermezzo:
Being Select Stories by Grant Allen, Chosen and Arranged by the Author
(1899)
[Allen's own selection of his personal favourites among the many
short stories he created. In the very interesting introduction he
explains how, essentially by accident, he became a writer of fiction.]
CAUTION: Certain language in this ebook today would be considered grossly racist.
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[PGC #1026]
Hilda Wade, a Woman with Tenacity of Purpose (1900) [Posthumous novel; final chapters completed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930)]
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Allen, Ralph (1913-1966) [Canadian journalist, historian, and novelist]
Wikipedia
Peace River Country
(1958)
[Novel. A family decides to moves to Peace River Country, the vast region
which straddles northwestern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia
Wikipedia.
The move does not go smoothly, but transforms their lives completely!
If you or your family are from any part of Western Canada,
the world described by this novel may well seem familiar:
it is a past still not very distant.]
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[PGC #1615]
The High White Forest
(1964)
[The Belgium most people know is the country's fertile coastal plain,
where Brussels, Antwerp, and other famous cities are located. But
there is another Belgium, the eastern section, geographically the
larger part of the country. Here can be found the Forest of the
Ardennes, the "high white forest" of the title, which has many
mountains, rivers, and swamps, a small population, and severe winter
weather. It proved a nightmare for military operations during the
Battle of the Bulge
Wikipedia,
which is the backdrop for this fine war novel, told from the
perspective of members of the Canadian, German, and American armies.
Ralph Allen knew what he was talking about: throughout the war he
reported from Europe for Toronto's Globe and Mail, and his
easy expertise and ample knowledge is apparent throughout the novel.]
EPUB
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[PGC #1676]
Allingham, Margery [Youngman Carter, Margery Louise]
(1904-1966) [English mystery novelist]
Wikipedia
The Crime at Black Dudley
(1929)
Wikipedia
[Mystery novel: the first to feature Albert Campion
Wikipedia
as a character. Black Dudley is a large, old and mysterious
house in a remote area. Where better to hold a house
party? In the course of which the elderly Colonel Coombe
dies -- but not, it seems, of natural causes! The sleuth is
pathologist George Abbershaw; but among the guests is Albert
Campion, who to some extent steals the show. He was to appear
as the principal sleuth in many subsequent novels and stories
by our author.]
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[PGC #1631]
Look to the Lady
(1931)
Wikipedia
[At the beginning of this, the third Campion novel, Mr Val Gyrth
is homeless and living in the streets of London, whence he is
retrieved by someone who has mysteriously good knowledge of his
circumstances. His rescuer is none other than Albert Campion!
What lies ahead? Mystery and intrigue, of course! All of it
involving a fabled family treasure; hence the novel's US title, The Gyrth Chalice Mystery.]
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[PGC #1652]
Police at the Funeral
(1931)
Wikipedia
[The fourth mystery novel featuring Albert Campion, and taking place in Cambridge,
more specifically at a house named Socrates Close. The house's name is mysterious,
and so are the events taking place in and around it.]
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[PGC #1628]
Sweet Danger
(1933)
Wikipedia
[The fifth Campion novel, which starts in the opulent surroundings
of the French Riviera, and later shifts to a Suffolk village named Pontisbright. But Pontisbright is no ordinary village, and this is
no ordinary mystery novel! The Saturday Review (8 July 1933)
called it Albert Campion's "most hair-raising and side-splitting
adventure... this author makes witchcraft really exciting, a mythical
kingdom really romantic, a mystery both thrilling and hilarious."]
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[PGC #1659]
Dancers in Mourning
(1937)
Wikipedia
[Mystery novel, the eighth to feature Albert Campion, set within
the glamorous world of the British stage.]
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[PGC #1566]
Mr. Campion: Criminologist
(1937)
[Mystery stories. "Bespectacled Albert ambles shrewdly through
one long, six short episodes involving murders, thefts, etc...
Verdict: Irreproachable" (Saturday Review, 20 November 1937).
The long story is The Case of the Late Pig, which we have
omitted for the simple reason that it is already available in our
catalogue as a separate ebook!]
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[PGC #1543]
The Case of the Late Pig
(1937)
Wikipedia
[Mystery novel, featuring (and narrated by) Allingham's famous creation
Albert Campion
Wikipedia.
Obituaries are normally published after someone's passing.
But the obituary for R. I. "Pig" Peters appeared in the newspaper;
then, some weeks later, he died. Naturally the situation
interests Campion: he and Pig had gone to school together!]
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[PGC #1407]
The Fashion in Shrouds
(1938)
Wikipedia
[Mystery novel featuring Albert Campion. Not one murder
to solve, but three, with, as you might guess, considerable
attention to the world of high fashion!]
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[PGC #1637]
The Oaken Heart
(1941)
[Memoir; not a mystery novel! In 1941 a German invasion of England
was a strong possibility, and the village of Tolleshunt D'Arcy
Wiktionary
on the Essex coast was at particularly high risk. And it is in that
village (called "Auburn" in the book), that Allingham and her husband
Philip lived. This is her account of village life under these very
unusual circumstances. Her writing has an authenticity which is
refreshing after the manufactured history and manufactured debate
we've seen coming out of England in recent years. After all, Allingham
was faced with the very real threat of a foreign occupation, rather than
the decidedly less concrete threat posed by "Brussels bureaucrats"!]
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[PGC #1675]
Coroner's Pidgin
(1945)
Wikipedia
[The twelfth mystery in the Albert Campion series. "Pidgin" in the
title and in the novel carries its secondary meaning of "A person's business, occupation, work, or trade"
Wiktionary.
The American publisher chose, perhaps wisely, to use a different title,
Pearls Before Swine.
Now let's discuss the novel! Mr Campion has been out of the country
for three years on a government mission "so secret that he had never found out quite what it was". (Or perhaps the disorder we see at Westminster
these days stretches back to the days of Albert Campion!) In any case, he's back from the mission, even the trip itself lasted a full eight weeks, and
he is taking a bath, having been in London for a whole hour and ten minutes.
Then a murder happens!]
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[PGC #1662]
More Work for the Undertaker
(1949)
Wikipedia
[Mystery novel, featuring Albert Campion, taking place in an area
of London where people are known to disappear mysteriously.
A central role is played by the Palinode family, formerly rich,
more recently not so rich, but now some of their old wealth may
be coming back.]
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[PGC #1656]
No Love Lost
(1954)
[Two mystery novellas. The Patient at Peacocks Hall, is narrated
by Ann Fowler, an assistant GP in a rural medical practice, who has to
deal not only with the challenges of her practice, but also with losing
her fiancé, John Linnett, to Francia Forde, a new and scintillating
starlet -- they'll even appear in a movie together! The narrator of the
second novella, Safer than Love, is Elizabeth Lane, newly married
to the headmaster of Buchanan House, in the town of Tinworth. But the
townspeople are puzzled -- Victor seems to be leading exactly the same kind
of independent life as before the arrival of his glamorous wife from the city.
Both novellas are written with Allingham's usual expertise and style, not
to mention an unusually wide view of the world and its doings: one of the
factors that gives her a special place among the classic mystery authors.]
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[PGC #1642]
Word in Season. A Story for Christmas.
(1965 version)
[A very short story, set at Christmas and featuring Albert Campion
Wikipedia.
An earlier version, A Word in Season, had appeared in 1955.]
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[PGC #1450]
Alloway, Mary Wilson (1848-1919)
[Canadian novelist and historian]
Famous Firesides of French Canada
(1899)
[Essays on the history of French Canada]
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[PGC #443]
Crossed Swords. A Canadian-American Tale of Love and Valor.
(1912)
[Historical novel set during the 1775 attack on Quebec
Wikipedia
by American forces led by
Richard Montgomery
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
and Benedict Arnold
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography,
successfully repulsed by the British garrison under the command of Guy Carleton
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography]
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[PGC #660]
Andersen, Hans Christian (1805-1875)
[Danish writer and poet; écrivain et poète danois]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
Contes merveilleux - Tome I
[Contes]
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Contes merveilleux - Tome II
[Contes]
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The Nightingale
(1844 [Danish original], 1896 [this edition])
[Short story, The Emperor of China learns of the existence of a
nightingale who lives not in the emperor's magnificent garden, but
in the forest, and wants to know more. Translation by
Henry William Dulcken (1832-1894)
with some fine illustrations by the English designer and illustrator
Mary J. Newill (1860-1947)
Wikipedia]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 71096]
Stories from Hans Andersen (1911)
[Stories: illustrated by Edmund Dulac (1882-1953)
Wikipedia]
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Tales from Hans Andersen Forty-Two Stories (1930)
[Stories: translated from the Danish by M. R. James (1862-1936)
Wikipedia]
Andrews, Roy Chapman (1884-1960)
[American explorer]
Wikipedia
An Explorer Comes Home.
Further Adventures of Roy Chapman Andrews.
(1947)
[The author's account of his life in Colebrook, Connecticut
Wikipedia
after his decades of exploration in the Far East]
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[PGC #902]
Heart of Asia. True Tales of the Far East.
(1951)
[Autobiographical essays about various adventures of the author during his
celebrated expeditions to China and Mongolia]
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[PGC #886]
Beyond Adventure. The Lives of Three Explorers.
(1954)
[Biographical sketches of the Arctic explorer Robert Peary (1856-1920)
Wikipedia,
of the African explorer Carl Akeley (1864-1926)
Wikipedia,
and of the author himself.
These short biographies originally appeared in True, The Man's Magazine
Wikipedia
Field & Stream (David E. Petzal)
before they were collected in this book.]
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[PGC #962]
Anet, Claude [pseudonyme de Jean Schopfer] (1868-1931)
[Journaliste et romancier français]
fr.wikipedia
Les Roses d'Ispahan: La Perse en automobile à travers la Russie et le Caucase
(1906)
[Récit de voyage, avec plusieurs photos. Un portrait inoubliable de la Perse et ses pays voisins avant le déclenchement de la Première Guerre mondiale, une époque que nous ne reverrons jamais.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 70650]
Ariane, jeune fille russe (1920)
[Roman: la source de deux films célèbres:
Ariane, jeune fille russe (1932, Paul Czinner)
IMDb
et
Ariane [Love in the Afternoon] (1957, Billy Wilder, avec Audrey
Hepburn, Gary Cooper, et Maurice Chevalier)
IMDb
en.wikipedia
fr.wikipedia]
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Apollinaire, Guillaume (1880-1918) [Romancier et poète français]
fr.wikipedia
Les Onze Mille Verges (1907) [Roman érotique]
fr.wikipedia
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Aristophanes (445 B.C. or earlier - ca. 385 B.C.)
[Athenian playwright]
Wikipedia
Translations by:
Murray, Gilbert [George Gilbert Aimé] (1866-1957)
[English classical scholar]
Wikipedia
Australian Dictionary of Biography
Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) [in German]
-
The Knights
(424 B.C. [Greek original], 1956 [this translation])
[Comedy about the political scene in Athens during the Peloponnesian War
Wikipedia.
A sausage seller becomes a political rival to Cleon
Wikipedia,
a prominent Athenian politician (and an opponent of Aristophanes).
The "knights" of the title are not the mediaeval warriors from a millennium
later, but the citizen cavalry of Athens.
The
Wikipedia
article on the play provides a helpful guide to its many
contemporary allusions; Murray provides a set of notes as well.]
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[PGC #894]
ancient-literature.com
F. W. Hall and W. M. Geldart's 1907 edition of the original Greek text:
Perseus Digital Library
-
The Birds
(414 B.C. [Greek original], 1950 [this translation])
[Comedy. The birds of the world band together to take over
control of the universe from the Olympian gods. The
Wikipedia
article on the play provides a helpful guide to its many
contemporary allusions.]
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[PGC #730]
ancient-literature.com
F. W. Hall and W. M. Geldart's 1907 edition of the original Greek text:
Perseus Digital Library
Arkell, Reginald (1882-1959)
[English novelist and poet]
Wikipedia
Old Herbaceous
(1950)
[The celebrated light novel, featuring Bert Pinnegar, a rather special gardener.
Beautifully illustrated by John Minton (1917-1957).
Wikipedia
Tate Collection]
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[PGC #843]
Arlen, Michael (1895-1956)
[English novelist, playwright, and essayist]
Wikipedia
The Green Hat
(1924)
Wikipedia
[Certainly Arlen's most famous novel, set in a world similar to the
early novels of Evelyn Waugh, namely London of the 1920s; later
successfully adapted to the stage and the screen. The film, A Woman
of Affairs, was released in 1928, and starred Greta Garbo, John
Gilbert, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. It changed the names of all the characters, and omitted controversial topics, such as sexual orientation
and recreational drugs. For all that, best stick to the novel!)]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #71913]
Ghost Stories
(1932)
[Seven ghost stories by a famous master]
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[PGC #1143]
Arnold, Matthew (1822-1888)
[English poet and critic]
Wikipedia
NNDB
St. Paul and Protestantism, with an essay on Puritanism and the Church of England
(1870)
[Two essays on St. Paul's teachings, as they have been conceived, and misconceived]
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[PGC #880]
Atiyah, Edward [Edward Selim] (1903-1964) [Lebanese political activist and novelist]
Wikipedia
The Cruel Fire
(1962)
[Mystery novel, notable in several respects: (1) it is set in Lebanon,
although there is a Hollywood connection, (2) it's not so much about
a murder as the attempt to conceal the murder, and (3) its author was not
primarily a novelist, but an Oxford-educated journalist and sometime secretary
of the Arab League. The novel is nicely written, and succeeds in offering
both entertainment and instruction.]
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[PGC #1537]
Aubert, Albert
[Écrivain français]
L'Horloge qui chante. Nouvelle américaine.
(1843)
[Conte. L'histoire de l'horloger Daniel, originaire de la Nouvelle-Écosse,
et Louise Saunders, une jeune fille de Cleveland.]
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[PG Canada no 955]
Aubert de Gaspé, Philippe (1814-1841) [Romancier canadien]
Encyclopédie canadienne
Wikipedia (en anglais)
L'influence d'un livre (1837) [Roman]
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Austen, Jane (1775-1817) [English novelist]
Wikipedia
Pride and Prejudice
(1813)
Wikipedia
[Novel, perhaps the most famous novel in the English language, and
certainly one of the most popular. The Bennet family is wealthy, but
their wealth is transient, since the five daughters will not inherit
anything: the estate can only go to a male heir. Hence there is huge
pressure for one of the daughters to marry well, or rather, to marry
someone with serious money. The "pride" is that of Mr Darcy, whose
initial impression of the Bennets is that they are not the sort of
family he wants to be involved with. The "prejudice" is that of
Elizabeth Bennet, who quickly begins to dislike Mr Darcy. The
Project Gutenberg US ebook we present is drawn from an impeccable
source, the 1923 edition of Austen's novels by the textual scholar
R. W. Chapman (1881-1960)
Wikipedia.
For Pride and Prejudice, Chapman principally relied on the 1813
first edition, and included some illustrations from Jane Austen's era.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #42671]
Emma
(1815)
Wikipedia
["Emma Woodhouse," begins this famous novel, "handsome, clever, and
rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition... had lived nearly
twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her."
But as can happen, Emma does not realize that her wealth and social
position are lucky accidents, and not the result of her own efforts
or intelligence. She should certainly not be telling others how to
organize their lives, let alone whom they should marry! But that is
what she does, naturally with limited success. Canadian politicians
are like Emma: they are themselves well off, seem obsessed with "middle
class aspirations", and show little knowledge of or respect for the
working poor. Hence the class divisions, gigantic wealth, and mass
poverty that we now see in Canada. Back to the novel! Some consider
it Austen's finest work, and it is certainly popular, with many TV
and film adaptations, including the 1995 film Clueless, set
in Beverly Hills!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Persuasion
(1818)
Wikipedia
[Austen's final novel, the story of Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth.
When only nineteen, Anne had accepted an offer of marriage from Frederick,
but was persuaded by her family that this was a match below her and her
family's dignity. How time can change things! Some years later the
Elliots are descending into (relative) poverty, so save money by renting
out Kellynch Hall and moving to Bath. Not much of a hardship: their
poverty really was relative. But Bath was very much a social centre,
and there Anne meets Frederick once again. But the Napoleonic Wars
have been good to him: he is now a Captain, and decidedly well off.
A tricky situation for everyone!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Traduction française par
Mme Letorsay
Persuasion
(1882)
fr.wikipedia
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 36777]
Auzias-Turenne, Raymond (1861-1940) [Écrivain et
diplomate français]
(gendre de Louis Beaubien [1837-1915]
Dictionnaire biographique du Canada)
République Royale
(1894)
[Essai politique]
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Babcock, John Pease (1855-1936)
[Canadian naturalist and author]
University of Washington
Peace River Joe
(1924)
[A prize-winning short story, dedicated by its author "to my friends in remembrance of many
happy days spent on the waters and in the woods of British Columbia."]
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[PGC #842]
Bainville, Jacques (1879-1936)
[Historien et journaliste français]
fr.wikipedia
Académie Française
Comment s'est faite la Restauration de 1814
(1914)
[Monographie sur le retour des Bourbons en 1814]
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[PGC no 829]
Napoléon
(1931)
[Biographie du soldat et homme d'État français
fr.wikipedia]
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EPUB
[PGC no 739]
Ball, Wilfrid [Wilfrid Williams] (1852-1917)
[English etcher and painter]
Wikipedia
Sussex, Painted by Wilfrid Ball
(1906)
[No fewer than 75 paintings of Sussex landscapes in excellent full-colour
reproductions: we can easily believe the publisher's claim that "No expense
has been spared in reproducing the exact colourings of the artists, and the
books are beautifully printed and bound." Wilfrid Ball was in his early
adulthood an accountant, but his natural talent and preference eventually
prevailed, so he became a full-time artist and a famous one. This book
shows why he was and is so famous. The excellent text from an anonymous
contributor gives much useful and interesting information on Sussex's
geography and history.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67784]
Winchester, Painted by Wilfrid Ball, Described by Telford Varley
(1910)
[A set of 24 paintings of the ancient city of Winchester, Alfred the
Great's capital, and one of England's most important cities during the
Middle Ages. The excellent colour plates are accompanied by a fine
text, whose author
Telford Varley (1866-1938)
knew Winchester well, having served for thirty years in that city as
the founding headmaster of Peter Symonds College
Wikipedia.
He is far too modest in his description of what he contributed, saying
it is neither a history nor a guidebook, even though clearly it is both
of these!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67808]
Hampshire Water-Colours
(1913)
[Similar in concept to Ball's equally famous 1906 collection of paintings
of Sussex. In 1910 Ball had published an album devoted specifically to Winchester, but the books are hardly duplicates. There is much more to Hampshire than Winchester: Portsmouth and Southampton, for example! All three books feature amazingly good colour printing, and we are delighted
to make them available at our customary charge of... nothing whatsoever! Inflation is not part of the universe at Project Gutenberg Canada!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #66098]
Barrie, J. M. [James Matthew] (1860-1937)
[Scottish playwright]
Wikipedia
The New Yorker (Anthony Lane)
Quality Street
(1901)
[Comedy. Our ebook is based on an edition assigned to 1913 which included a marvellous
set of colour illustrations by Hugh Thomson (1860-1920)
Ulster History Circle]
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[PG Canada ebook #648]
Wikipedia
Half an Hour
(1913 [first performance]; 1928 [first publication])
[A one-act play, unusually sardonic in tone for Barrie, as can be seen from his introduction to the play:
"Mr. Garson, who is a financier, and his young wife, the lovely Lady
Lilian, are in their mansion near Park Lane, but they are not at home
this evening to the public eye; they are in the midst of a brawl..."]
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[PGC #876]
Half an Hour : An Aspect of J. M. Barrie's View of Womankind (Yashima Tanabe, 1974)
Half Hours
(1914)
[Four one-act plays]
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New York Times (8 Nov. 1914): review by Hildegarde Hawthorne (1871-1952),
children's author and granddaughter of PG Canada author Nathaniel
Hawthorne
Shall We Join the Ladies?
(1928)
[A one-act play. Barrie's description: "For the past week the hospitable Sam Smith
has been entertaining a country house party, and we choose to raise the curtain
on them towards the end of dinner...Smith is a little old bachelor, and sits there
beaming on his guests like an elderly cupid. So they think him, but they are to be
undeceived."]
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[PGC #874]
Barrière, Théodore (1821-1877) [Dramaturge canadien],
Decourcelle, Adrien (1824-1892) [Dramaturge canadien],
Grangé, Eugène (1810-1887) [Dramaturge canadien], et
Roy, Régis (1864-1944) [Dramaturge canadien]
La tête de Martin: Comédie en un acte (1900) [Comédie]
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Barry, Philip [Philip Jerome Quinn] (1896-1949)
[American playwright]
Wikipedia
Georgetown University
Time (cover), 25 January 1932
The Animal Kingdom. A Comedy.
(1932)
[Comedy; one of Barry's greatest hits]
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[PGC #788]
Time, 25 January 1932
Bateman, Reginald John Godfrey (1883-1918)
[Canadian university teacher and military officer]
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Wikipedia
Reginald Bateman, Teacher and Soldier.
A Memorial Volume of Selections from his Lectures and Other Writings.
(1922)
[An anthology, edited and with a preface by unnamed friends
and students of Bateman at the University of Saskatchewan,
where Bateman taught English.
The anthology includes lectures and essays on Francis Thompson
(1859-1907)
Wikipedia,
J. M. Synge (Bateman was from Ireland), Browning, Wordsworth,
Dickens and Thackeray, some skilfully written poems, and some
wartime items.]
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[PGC #1056]
Beach, Thomas Miller ["Major Henri Le Caron"] (1841-1894)
[English intelligence agent]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Twenty-five years in the Secret Service.
The Recollections of a Spy. (1892)
[The author calls this "the story of my eventful life", and his life
certainly was an eventful one. He apologizes for being in no sense a
practised writer, but this apology was certainly not needed: he writes
beautifully about his early life in England, his time in France, his
move to the United States, and his accidental but astoundingly successful
work as a British agent countering the Irish republican Fenian movement
and its raids into Canada. He did not regret the decisions he had taken:
"I can admit no shame and plead no regret. By my action lives have been
saved, communities have been benefited, and right and justice allowed
to triumph, to the confusion of law-breakers and would-be murderers."
The book sold well: our ebook is based on the third edition!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #68765]
Bealby, John Thomas (1858-1943/1944)
[Canadian fruit rancher and author]
Fruit Ranching in British Columbia
(1909)
[The author's account of his emigration from England to Nelson, B.C. and his subsequent
adventures as a successful fruit rancher. Includes 32 photographs.]
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[PGC #682]
Beaugrand, Honoré (1848-1906) [Journaliste canadien]
fr.wikipedia
Dictionnaire biographique du Canada
Encyclopédie de l'Agora
Anita: Souvenirs d'un contre-guerillas (ca. 1874)
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Jeanne la Fileuse: épisode de l'émigration franco-canadienne aux États-Unis (1878) [Roman]
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Six mois dans les Montagnes-Rocheuses: Colorado—Utah—Nouveau-Mexique (1890)
[Récit de voyage]
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La chasse galerie: légendes canadiennes (1900) [Récits]
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Beaumont, Francis (1584-1616)
[English playwright]
Wikipedia
Fletcher, John (1579-1625)
[English playwright]
Wikipedia
The Knight of the Burning Pestle
(1613)
[Parodic drama, certainly influenced by Don Quixote, first presented in 1607 and published
six years later. We present the 1898 annotated edition by Frederic William Moorman (1872-1919)
Wikipedia,
notable for its deep but unobtrusive learning.]
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[PGC #698]
Wikipedia
Bechdolt, Jack [John Ernest] (1884-1954)
[American journalist, cartoonist, and science fiction author]
Wikipedia
The Torch
(1920)
Wikipedia
[Post-apocalyptic novel, not so very different in tone from any number of recent movies, in spite of its being first published almost a century ago. The "torch" in question is that held by the Statue of Liberty!]
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[PGC #1392]
Beeman, Herbert (d. 1931)
[Canadian businessman and poet]
ABCBookworld
For Our Bureau. Being the Bureau Ballads contributed
to Volumes One and Two of "Via Vancouver," the journal
of the Foreign Trade Bureau of the Vancouver Board
of Trade, by the Secretary, Herbert Beeman.
(1924)
[Expertly written light poems, taking as their inspiration the subject
matter of the weekly Luncheon Lectures at the Foreign Trade Bureau of
the Vancouver Board of Trade. Trade patterns being what they are,
some of the poems are surprisingly topical even today.]
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[PGC #1222]
Beerbohm, Max [Henry Maximilian] (1872-1956)
[English satirist, critic, and caricaturist]
Wikipedia
The Victorian Web
The Works of Max Beerbohm (1896)
[Essays: bibliography by John Lane (1854-1925)]
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Yet Again (1909)
[Essays]
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Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford love story (1911)
[Novel]
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A Christmas Garland (1912)
[Parody]
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And Even Now (1920)
[Parody]
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Lytton Strachey (1943) [Lecture]
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Mainly on the Air (1946) [Radio talks, and some articles]
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[PGC #542]
Belcourt, Napoléon-Antoine
(1860-1932)
[Canadian politician]
Wikipedia
Bilingualism: Address Delivered before the Quebec Canadian Club (1916)
[Lecture]
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Bellamy, Edward (1850-1898) [American novelist and social theorist]
Wikipedia
Looking Backward 2000-1887 (1888)
[Novel: introduction by Heywood Broun (1888-1939)
Wikipedia;
biographical sketch by Sylvester Baxter (1850-1927)]
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New York Times (article by Warren Sloat)
Belloc, Hilaire [Joseph Hilaire Pierre René] (1870-1953)
[Anglo-French man of letters and controversialist]
Wikipedia
The Bad Child's Book of Beasts (1896)
Wikipedia
[Satirical animal verses, nominally directed towards children.
They appeared shortly after Belloc's graduation from Balliol College,
Oxford. The illustrations match the poems perfectly, and were drawn
by Belloc's college friend
Basil Temple Blackwood (1870-1917)
Wikipedia, who had spent part of his early life in Canada
-- his father, Lord Dufferin, was our third Governor General. The
book was an instant and permanent success, and led to several more
collaborations by the two friends.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
More Beasts (For Worse Children) (1897)
[Further satirical animal verses, nominally directed towards children,
published the year after the success of The Bad Child's Book of
Beasts. As in the earlier book, the illustrations match the poems perfectly, and are by Belloc's college friend
Basil Temple Blackwood (1870-1917). The book includes the Python, the Porcupine, the Crocodile, the Llama, and various other animals.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #27176]
Cautionary Tales for Children (1907)
Wikipedia
[Satirical verses, similar to Belloc's very successful verses about
animals from a decade earlier, but these are about children, and were
"Designed for the Admonition of Children between the ages of eight and
fourteen years." Like the earlier books, it was illustrated by Belloc's
college friend
Basil Temple Blackwood (1870-1917)
.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #27424]
Belloc Lowndes, Marie (1868-1947)
[Anglo-French novelist]
Wikipedia
His Most Gracious Majesty King Edward VII
(1901)
[Charles III ascended the throne in 2023, at the age of 74. The only precedent for such a long period as heir apparent is Edward VII,
son of Queen Victoria, who became king in 1901 at age 59. "This book,"
states the preface, "originally published as a Life of the Prince of
Wales, has now been much enlarged and brought up to the latest date,
including His Majesty's Accession and the events which followed. Fresh illustrations have also been added." And indeed it has a huge set of illustrations, carefully selected. Belloc Lowndes would go on to become
an extremely famous novelist, and the book itself is beautifully written,
as one would expect. But it is also thoroughly researched, and contains
a wealth of information.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #52237]
Benchley, Robert Charles (1889-1945)
[American essayist, critic, and actor]
Wikipedia
National Review Online (S. T. Karnick)]
Review of Gordon Daviot's play "Richard of Bordeaux"
(1934) [Review of the New York production of the West End hit
Richard of Bordeaux, written by Elizabeth MacKintosh using the pen name of Gordon Daviot.
MacKintosh's famous mystery novels were written using the pen name of Josephine Tey; and it is under
Tey's name that you will find PG Canada's digital edition of Richard of Bordeaux!]
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[PGC #558]
Benchley Beside Himself
(1943)
[Satirical essays]
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[PGC #662]
Benét, Stephen Vincent (1898-1943)
[American author and poet]
Wikipedia
From Thirteen O'Clock: Stories of Several Worlds (1937) [Short stories]
-
By the Waters of Babylon
[Post-apolocalyptic story
Wikipedia. One of Benét's most famous works.]
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[PGC #689]
Wikipedia
-
The Blood of the Martyrs
[Professor Malzius has been condemned to death; interesting events ensue.]
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[PGC #714]
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The King of the Cats
[The world is a different place for those with tails.]
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[PGC #715]
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A Story by Angela Poe
[A tale of the world of publishing in New York City]
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[PGC #731]
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The Treasure of Vasco Gomez
[Captain Gomez has been marooned by his crew...]
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[PGC #734]
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The Curfew Tolls
[Are historical outcomes inevitable? To what extent are they determined
by chance? This story, set in France before the Revolution, addresses these questions.
The story's title is taken from the opening line of Thomas Gray's Elegy in a Country
Churchyard
Wikipedia.]
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[PGC #743]
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The Sobbin' Women
[A story from the American frontier]
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[PGC #747]
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The Devil and Daniel Webster
[A very famous short story, made into a 1941 film
Wikipedia.
A New Hampshire farmer makes an agreement with a mysterious stranger,
profitable in the short term; then things start happening! In the course of the story Benét demonizes, as it were, a number of historical figures considered in Canada as being among the Loyalists
Wikipedia
who founded English Canada: Walter Butler (1752-1781)
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography,
Simon Girty (1741-1818)
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography,
and Benedict Arnold (1741-1801)
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography]
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[PGC #740]
Wikipedia
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Daniel Webster and the Sea Serpent
[A second Benét story involving Daniel Webster
Wikipedia]
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[PGC #780]
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Glamour
[A budding author moves to Brooklyn and there discovers glamour.]
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[PGC #794]
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Everybody Was Very Nice
[Life, love, and family in the American bourgeoisie]
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[PGC #825]
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A Death in the Country
[A New York lawyer visits the rural town where he grew up. Things are not
as they once were.]
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[PGC #834]
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Blossom and Fruit
[The predictions of youth are not the same as the outcomes of maturity.]
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[PGC #840]
From Tales before Midnight (1939) [Short stories]
Nightmare at Noon
(1940)
[Poem, written around the time that the U.S. entered the Second World War]
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[PGC #818]
Bengough, John Wilson (1851-1923) [Canadian cartoonist and publisher]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Bengough's Chalk-Talks.
A Series of Platform Addresses on various topics,
with reproductions of the impromptu Drawings with
which they were illustrated.
(1922)
[Illustrated lectures]
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You will find an interesting and very readable essay
"A Pioneer Canadian Cartoonist" on Bengough in
Hector Charlesworth's The Canadian Scene (1927),
which includes essays on many other things Canadian.
Charlesworth's fine book is available to you from this site
as a PG Canada ebook, with our compliments!
Bennet, Robert Ames (1870-1954)
[American novelist]
Wikipedia
University of Wyoming
The Desert Girl
(probably ca. 1928: certainly before 1958)
[Novel (Western)]
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Bennett, Arnold [Enoch Arnold] (1867-1931)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
A Man from the North
(1898)
[In Canada the centres of literature are Toronto and Montreal; in France
it is Paris; and in England it is of course London. Naturally this
situation creates obstacles for writers not from these centres. So the
opening sentence of Bennett's first novel reads, "There grows in the
North Country a certain kind of youth of whom it may be said that he
is born to be a Londoner." The Northerner in question is Richard Larch,
who in the early chapters of the book moves from Staffordshire to London
in pursuit of a literary career. This obviously autobiographical novel
(which won the praise of Joseph Conrad, no less!) recounts Larch's
subsequent adventures.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #52247]
The Grand Babylon Hotel
(1902)
Wikipedia
[Hotel novel, set in what is clearly the fictional equivalent of the
then recently opened Savoy Hotel in London, and the most prestigious
hotel imaginable: "It was not good form to mention prices at the Grand
Babylon; the prices were enormous, but you never mentioned them. At the
conclusion of your stay a bill was presented, brief and void of dry
details, and you paid it without a word. You met with a stately civility,
that was all. No one had originally asked you to come; no one expressed
the hope that you would come again. The Grand Babylon was far above such
manoeuvres; it defied competition by ignoring it; and consequently was
nearly always full during the season." Now you know about the hotel and
you have sampled Bennett's very attractive style of writing. As for the
plot, things are always on the go at the Grand Babylon -- to learn more,
read the novel! (Or read the Wikipedia article first, then the novel!)]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Old Wives' Tale
(1908)
Wikipedia
[Those who are old were once young, and to understand them requires
knowing what their life experiences have been. This novel, one of
Bennett's most famous works, follows two sisters, Constance and Sophia
Baines. Constance spends her entire life in a lightly fictionalized
version of Staffordshire's Potteries District, while Sophia heads
for Paris. But time passes, and after many decades Sophia returns
to where she was born, and is reunited with her sister. Arnold takes
no shortcuts, but "it would be hard to say where there is a repetition
or a superfluity" in the tale of the sisters, and at the end of the novel
"there is nothing about them which we are not grateful for knowing."
(The Nation, 14 October 1909)]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Literary Taste. How to Form It. With Detailed Instructions for
Collecting a Complete Library of English Literature.
(1909)
Wikipedia
[Who better to write an instruction manual for reading classic literature
than Arnold Bennett? He is now himself a classic author, but when he wrote this he was a bestselling author with a massive worldwide following. And
few writers had Arnold's talent for simplicity and persuasiveness, which
this book certainly displays. For obvious reasons, he does not discuss
authors later than the nineteenth century, and he writes from the
perspective of his own period. This does bring an advantage, however:
many of the titles he discusses are available in free digital editions
from sources such as Project Gutenberg Canada and Project Gutenberg US,
and so acquiring a good-sized personal library need not cost you anything!
(Bennett, always practical, pays close attention to how much books actually
cost.)]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Clayhanger
(1910)
Wikipedia
[The first of the three novels in the Clayhanger trilogy, which
tells the story of the family of that name, and is a remarkable
panorama of the social and economic life of their native Staffordshire
at the height of the Victorian era. The first novel is about Edwin
Clayhanger, the son of Darius Clayhanger. Darius, who had been born
into poverty, definitely wants his son to join the family's successful
printing firm in Staffordshire's Pottery District, and he gets his
wish. But when Darius dies, Edwin finds himself wealthy and in control
of his circumstances. Changes in his life naturally follow.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Hilda Lessways
(1911)
Wikipedia
[The second of the three novels in the Clayhanger trilogy, and a
true tour de force of the novelist's craft. It follows the early years
of Hilda Lessways, who in the course of the novel becomes the wife of
Edwin Clayhanger. Their early lives were in some ways dissimilar
(to start with, her family was much poorer than Edwin's) but had some
things in common, since they did after all grow up in the same town.
And so certain events appear in both books, but told from the two quite
different points of view!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Friendship and Happiness
(1912)
[Reflections on happiness, with special reference to friendship
and to the importance of Christmas]
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These Twain
(1915)
Wikipedia
[The concluding novel in the Clayhanger trilogy: in it we learn
about the lives of Edwin Clayhanger and Hilda Lessways after their
marriage, and the discoveries they make about themselves and each other.
The first two novels were a difficult act to follow; did Bennett succeed
in keeping the third novel at the same high level? When the novel appeared
at least one critic seems to have thought so: "there is a power and
security of characterization that is incontrovertible, and an amplitude
of incident so natural and so significant that the sense of life never
departs." (Francis Hackett, New Republic, 4 December 1915)]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Things That Have Interested Me
(1921)
[A journal of day-by-day reflections on a multitude of subjects. A type of writing more common
in French literature than English, but none the worse for that, especially coming from Arnold Bennett.]
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[PGC #849]
Things That Have Interested Me. Second Series.
(1923)
[Further essays and reflections. Includes a review of James Joyce's recently published Ulysses
Wikipedia]
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[PGC #858]
Riceyman Steps
(1923)
Wikipedia
[Novel about a London secondhand bookseller, his wife, and his maid.
Winner of the 1923 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction.]
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[PGC #1006]
Elsie and the Child. A Tale of Riceyman Steps and Other Stories.
(1924)
[Thirteen tales about various residents of London, the first of them
being Elsie Sprickett, the domestic servant who had already appeared
in Arnold's well received 1923 novel Riceyman Steps.]
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[PGC #1004]
Things That Have Interested Me. Third Series.
(1926)
[Essays]
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The Strange Vanguard: A Fantasia
(1928)
[Novel]
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Accident
(1929)
[Novel]
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Imperial Palace
(1930)
Wikipedia
[Hotel novel (Bennett's final novel, and his longest), with a multitude
of plots and characters: "rich with good humor and understanding...
a book to be bought, to be read fast or slowly, to he kept and
read again." (Henry Williamson, Saturday Review,
12 December 1930). It was published at much the same time as
Vicki Baum's Menschen im Hotel (Grand Hotel):
both could be called forerunners of Canadian novelist Arthur Hailey's
1965 bestseller Hotel. Bennett must have been fond of grand
hotels: many years earlier, in 1902, he had published The Grand
Babylon Hotel, also available from Project Gutenberg Canada!]
EPUB
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[PGC #1447]
The Night Visitor and Other Stories
(1931)
[Short stories]
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You will find many other ebooks by Arnold Bennett
at Project Gutenberg's
US site.
Benson, E. F. [Edward Frederic] (1867-1940)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
Visible and Invisible
(1923)
[Stories of the supernatural]
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[PGC #1003]
Spook Stories
(1928)
[Ghost stories, as you might guess.]
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[PGC #809]
Charlotte Brontë
(1932)
[A biography of the famous author of Jane Eyre, with a fine selection of contemporary illustrations]
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[PGC #1074]
More Spook Stories
(1934)
[Further ghost stories, written as a sequel to Spook Stories,
which had appeared six years earlier]
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[PGC #1030]
Benson, Louis FitzGerald (1855-1930)
[American church historian and hymnologist]
Princeton Theological Seminary
The Hymnody of the Christian Church
[The Stone Lectures, 1926, Princeton Theological Seminary]
(1927)
[Lectures on various aspects of the use of hymns in Christian worship]
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[PGC #479]
Benson, Stella (1892-1933)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
The Poor Man
(1923)
[Novel, set in San Francisco and Berkeley, where our author was living
around the time she was writing it. The main character is Edward R.
Williams, who, when we first meet him, has "very little money": hence
the title. The novel's comments on life in the Bay Area seem as true
today as when they were written: the tech bros had not yet arrived, but
San Francisco was already cool. Very cool. Certainly it was a place
where, then as now, it was better to have money. However, although he
had many generous friends, he "was not too proud but too shy" to ask for
money, The fact is that Edward was not socially adept and, in addition,
was partly deaf, not that he thought most conversation worth listening to.
And maybe he was right! He had been born and raised in India, and as the
novel opens he may well be on his way back to Asia -- not India, but China!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67195]
The Little World
(1925)
[Travel essays, describing our author's visits to numerous exotic locations.
"Have no fears that "The Little World " is not interesting and well-written and
clever and alive. Stella Benson is never, in any of these respects, a disappointment;
she is too expert a journalist to fail the readers who for her sake alone will wander
through India and China, and go across the American continent, and touch Africa,
and swelter in Aden."
(Saturday Review, 5 December 1925)]
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[PGC #267]
Goodbye, Stranger
(1926)
[Novel]
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The Man Who Missed the 'Bus
(1928)
[Short story]
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Worlds Within Worlds
(1928)
[Travel essays]
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Hope Against Hope and Other Stories
(1931)
[Short stories]
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Bernanos, Georges (1888-1948) [Romancier français]
fr.wikipedia
Sous le soleil de Satan
(1895)
[Le premier roman de Bernanos. Un portrait de la vie et des croyances
de l'abbé Donissan, et des défis auxquels il fait face: "Le ministère paroissial... est une charge au-dessus de mes forces." Sera-t-il
capable de surmonter ces défis?]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 71272]
L'Imposture (1927) [Roman]
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Saint Dominique (1928) [Biographie]
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La joie (1929) [Roman]
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Un crime (1935) [Roman policier]
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Journal d'un curé de campagne (1936)
[Roman: Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française, 1936]
HTML (Ebooks libres et gratuits)
Nouvelle histoire de Mouchette (1937) [Roman]
HTML (Ebooks libres et gratuits)
Réflexions sur le cas de conscience français (1943) [Conférence faite à Rio-de-Janeiro le 15 Octobre 1943]
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Monsieur Ouine (1946) [Roman]
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Lord Berners
(Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson, fourteenth Baron Berners)
(1883-1950)
[English composer, painter, and novelist]
Wikipedia
New Criterion (article by Joseph Epstein)
The Guardian (article by Gavin Bryars)
First Childhood (1934)
[Autobiography]
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Bernier, Hector (1886-1947) [Romancier canadien]
Au large de l'Écueil (1912) [Roman]
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Ce que disait la flamme (1913) [Roman]
Texte
Besier, Rudolf (1878-1942)
[English playwright]
Wikipedia
The Barretts of Wimpole Street. A Comedy in Five Acts.
(1930)
[Play about the initial meeting of the poets Elizabeth Barrett
Wikipedia
and Robert Browning
Wikipedia,
and the events that ensued]
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[PGC #861]
Wikipedia
Bevan, Samuel (active ca. 1849)
[English man of affairs and of letters]
Sand and Canvas; A Narrative of Adventures in Egypt,
with a Sojourn among the Artists in Rome
(1849)
[A personal memoir, beautifully illustrated *in colour* and in monochrome,
with an opening straight out of a novel. When we first meet our author, he
is seeking employment, since his old job has vanished -- a common experience
then as now! Over breakfast he sees an ad in the Times: "Wanted
immediately, for service in a foreign country, a gentleman of business-habits
and good address. Salary £250. per annum. All expenses paid." He naturally
applies, and on the basis of a short and strange interview is hired! His
first assignment is to make his way to Cairo, not a simple task; other
events follow. Bevan makes no special claims for his book: "All that
awaits the reader, is a simple narrative of adventures during a few months'
active employment in Egypt" and of what he sees in Italy on his way back
to England. But he is far too modest: what an extraordinary tale it is,
and how outstanding his skill as a writer!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #68780]
Bibaud, François-Maximilien (1823-1887) [Écrivain canadien]
Dictionnaire biographique du Canada
Biographie des Sagamos illustres de l'Amérique Septentrionale (1848)
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Biedermann, Woldemar von (1817-1903)
[German literary historian / historien littéraire allemand]
de.wikipedia
Goethe und die Fikentscher (1878)
[Biographical essay in German / Essai biographique en allemand]
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Learn German!
Apprenez l'allemand!
Biggers, Earl Derr (1884-1933) [American novelist]
Wikipedia
Love Insurance
(1914)
[Novel, adapted to film no fewer than three times
Wikipedia.
A British Lord falls in love with an American heiress. He decides to
take out an insurance policy against her falling out of love with him
before the wedding. Assorted mayhem/hilarity ensues...]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #56077]
The House Without a Key
(1925)
Wikipedia
[The first of Biggers' six novels featuring Detective-Sergeant Charlie Chan
of the Honolulu police force. Miss Minerva Winterslip, of an old Boston family,
has lived in Hawaii for many years. Her nephew, John Quincy Winterslip, has been
visiting Hawaii, hoping to persuade his aunt to return to Boston. But a murder
happens, and the nephew takes a leading role in the investigation. CAUTION:
If anything, Biggers fought vigorously against the prejudices of his age. Nonetheless.
some degree of racial stereotyping does creep into the novel from time to time.]
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[PGC #1523]
The Chinese Parrot
(1926)
Wikipedia
[The second novel featuring Charlie Chan of the Honolulu Police,
interesting in various respects: (1) it takes place in California,
not Hawaii, (2) the parrot of the title itself becomes a murder viction,
and (3) Chan cleverly makes use of his ancestry to disguise himself
as a Chinese cook! CAUTION: some degree of racial stereotyping.]
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[PGC #1555]
Fifty Candles
(1926)
[Mystery novella set in Honolulu, "a story that stretches
over twenty years, all the way from that bare Honolulu
court room to a night of fog and violence in San Francisco."
However, the novel does not feature Biggers'
famous Honolulu-based detective Charlie Chan!
"A murder mystery told in short space in a masterly manner."
(The Outlook, 7 April 1926)]
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[PGC #1462]
Behind That Curtain
(1928)
Wikipedia
[The third Charlie Chan novel. Our detective is in California,
and so is Sir Frederic Bruce of Scotland Yard, pursuing a cold
case -- which now seems be heating up!
CAUTION: some degree of racial stereotyping.]
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[PGC #1556]
The Black Camel
(1929)
Wikipedia
[Mystery novel. Film star Shelah Fane is vacationing in
Waikiki! Very glamorous... and very dangerous. It's
a good thing that famed detective Charlie Chan
Wikipedia
is with the Honolulu police!
CAUTION: Considerable racial stereotyping.
That said, Charlie Chan is after all the hero of the
novel, and is presented in a positive light.]
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[PGC #1430]
Charlie Chan Carries On
(1930)
Wikipedia
[Mystery novel, involving a round the world cruise.
Inspector Duff of Scotland Yard begins the investigation,
which he eventually passes to his friend Charlie Chan
of the Honolulu police. "For continuous excitement,
masterfully presented, there is nothing better now on
tap than 'Charlie Chan Carries On,' by Earl Derr Biggers."
(Saturday Review, 3 January 1931) CAUTION:
some degree of racial stereotyping.]
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[PGC #1573]
Keeper of the Keys
(1932)
Wikipedia
[The sixth and last of Biggers' Charlie Chan novels.
An opera singer spends a weekend at Lake Tahoe in the
company of four previous husbands, and a prospective
future one. Murder makes an appearance: calling Charlie Chan!
CAUTION: some degree of racial stereotyping.]
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[PGC #1557]
Bindloss, Harold (1866-1945)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
The Cattle-Baron's Daughter
(1906)
[Novel: illustrated by David Axel Ericson (1869-1946)
mnartists.org (article by Thomas O'Sullivan)
Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth
St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, Duluth]
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The Dust of Conflict
(1907)
[Novel: frontispiece by Dunton, W. Herbert (1878-1936)
The W. Herbert "Buck" Dunton Online Exhibit.
Bernard Appleby, a poor but talented young Englishman, arrives in Cuba
on the eve of the Spanish-American War
Wikipedia.]
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[PGC #799]
Masters of the Wheat-Lands
[United Kingdom title:
Hawtrey's Deputy]
(1910)
[Novel: illustrated by Cyrus Cuneo (1879-1916)
Cuneo Society]
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The Protector
(1911)
[Novel, with a frontispiece by an anonymous artist.
Wallace Vane is a successful immigrant to British Columbia, the basis of this success
being a mineral discovery. We follow his adventures in British Columbia, and in the North of England,
which he visits for the first time since his departure at age eighteen.]
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[PGC #890]
Prescott of Saskatchewan
[United Kingdom title:
The Wastrel]
(1913)
[Novel: frontispiece by Dunton, W. Herbert (1878-1936)
The W. Herbert "Buck" Dunton Online Exhibit]
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Brandon of the Engineers
[United Kingdom title:
His One Talent]
(1916)
[Novel: frontispiece by Cyrus Cuneo (1879-1916)
Cuneo Society]
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The Wilderness Mine
[United Kingdom title:
Stayward's Vindication]
(1920)
[Novel]
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The Dark Road
(1927)
[Novel]
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The Lone Hand
(1928)
[Novel; U.K. title The Firm Hand. Mark Crozier has spent his entire life so far in the
(English/Scottish) Borders region — what does his future hold?
Canada shows up in a supporting role.]
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[PGC #994]
Larry of Lonesome Lake
(1929)
[Novel; U.K. title The Harder Way. Lawrence (Larry) Bethune, formerly of England,
is now a rancher near Lonesome Lake in British Columbia. Lonesome the lake may be,
but his life is eventful, and not without romantic interests.]
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[PGC #998]
You will find other titles by Harold Bindloss at Project Gutenberg's
US site.
Binyon, Laurence [Robert Laurence] (1869-1943)
[English poet, translator, and art historian]
Wikipedia
Dutch Etchers of the Seventeenth Century
(1895)
[Art monograph. Laurence Binyon is best known today for his poetry,
but in his early adulthood he worked at the British Museum, specializing
in prints and drawings, and this is his first published work: learned
and yet easy reading. Many illustrations, ideal for displaying on
your monitor or mobile device!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #64570]
Birmingham, George A. [Hannay, James Owen] (1865-1950)
[Irish priest and novelist]
Wikipedia
King Tommy
(1923)
[Light novel, somewhat similar in tone to the works of P. G. Wodehouse.
The Marquis of Norheys, a young and not particularly responsible aristocrat,
becomes a candidate for the throne of Lystria, a country in central Europe.
A country with oil...]
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[PGC #1135]
Bishop, William Avery ["Billy"] (1894-1956)
[Canadian aviator]
Wikipedia
with:
Stuart-Wortley, Rothesay (1892-1926)
[English aviator]
Wikipedia
The Flying Squad
(1927)
[Novel. Two students at Upper Canada College
Wikipedia in Toronto
discover that their Greek instructor was a pilot during the Great War:
he offers to teach them to fly. During the training,
a pilot friend of their instructor stumbles into a criminal
gang while he's out flying...]
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[PGC #914]
Blixen, Karen [Dinesen, Isak] (1885-1962)
[Danish memoirist and novelist]
Wikipedia
Published under the pen-name Isak Dinesen:
Seven Gothic Tales
(1934)
Wikipedia
John Updike (New York Times, 23 Feb 1986)
[Seven novellas, all set in the nineteenth century, in various
parts of Europe, and all with a rich sense of the past and how
it affects the present. With an introduction by critic and author
Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1879-1958)
Wikipedia,
who took a major role in arranging the book's publication,
which brought the author enduring fame.]
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[PGC #1534]
Anecdotes of Destiny
(1958)
Wikipedia
[Five late and excellent stories by Karen Blixen, with a wide variety
of subjects, but all displaying our author's characteristic gifts and style.
One of them, Babette's Feast served as the basis for the 1987
film of the same name
Wikipedia
-- the first Danish movie to win the Academy
Award for Best Foreign Language Film!]
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[PGC #1536]
Shadows on the Grass
(1960)
[Four short memoirs, an epilogue to Out of Africa,
Wikipedia,
the author's famous account of farming in the uplands of Kenya,
published almost thirty years earlier.]
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[PGC #1347]
Ehrengard
(1963)
[Novella: "another of her splendid Gothic tales that combine great
ingenuity of plot with old-fashioned precision and purity of style."
(Charles Alva Hoyt, Saturday Review, 29 June 1963)
Ehrengard von Schreckenstein, as you might expect from someone with
a name like that, is descended from an old and distinguished family, and
as our story opens is the new maid-of-honour to Princess Ludmilla.
One of the main characters is a somewhat dubious painter:
"if Herr Cazotte was famous as a portraitist of fair ladies,
he was no less celebrated and talked about as their conqueror
and seducer, the irresistible Don Juan of his age." For more
information on all this, read the novella!]
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[PGC #1491]
Blot, Pierre (1818-1874)
[French chef, teacher, and author]
Feeding America (Michigan State University)
Hand-Book of Practical Cookery,
for Ladies and Professional Cooks. Containing the
Whole Science and Art of Preparing Human Food.
(1867)
[A full set of recipes intended, in the author's words, to explain
"how to arrange a bill of fare for every season,
to suit any number of guests, at a greater or less expense..."]
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[PGC #762]
Bodley, R. V. C. [Ronald Victor Courtenay] (1892-1970)
[English soldier and writer]
Wikipedia
Algeria from Within
(1927)
[Colonies are important to Canada, if only because we live in one: the
United States recently demonstrated this by coercively imposing a
twenty year extension on Canadian copyrights, against the will
of Canadians. The Ottawa administration did what they were told, and
not a single MP, senator, or political party objected. This could
not happen in a truly sovereign nation. Algeria, by way of contrast,
overthrew French colonial rule in 1962: an example for Canadians. France
most definitely does not rule Algeria today, but for more than a century
it did. After his service in the First World War, our author attended
the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, and there he met Lawrence of Arabia,
who advised him to go and live with the Arabs. Which he did, learning
Arabic and living with a Saharan tribe for seven years. This book is
his account of the Algeria he saw, and became an instant classic.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70287]
Bosse, Sara [née Eaton] (1868-1940)
[Canadian author]
Michigan State University
Watanna, Onoto [Reeve, Winnifred Eaton:
née Eaton, Winnifred] (1875-1954)
[Canadian novelist]
The Winnifred Eaton Digital Archive
Michigan State University
University of Calgary
Wikipedia
University of Minnesota
Ryerson University
Glenbow Museum (photograph)
Chinese-Japanese Cook Book
(1914)
[Cookbook]
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Bottome, Phyllis (1882-1963) [English psychologist, teacher, and novelist]
Wikipedia
"Broken Music"
(1914)
[Good fortune is rarely complete. Jean d'Ucelles is from an aristocratic
family, has talent (he is a composer), but unfortunately no money, which
does pose a problem. What's an impoverished aristocrat to do? Move to
Paris, of course!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #69246]
Old Wine
(1925)
[In 1918, the First World War came to an end, and so did the
Habsburg Empire, which had lasted a thousand years. But although
the Empire was gone, Vienna remained, shorn of its empire. How did
the citizens of Vienna and more particularly the former aristocrats
deal with this cataclysm? In this novel, Phyllis Bottome examines
the question in scintillating fashion. She was in an excellent position
to do so; she spoke excellent German, and was living in Vienna with her
husband, who was in charge of British intelligence in the region.]
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[PGC #1513]
Windlestraws
(1929)
[Novel, written in a light and luminous style as befits a book written during
the Jazz Age. Jean Arbuthnot, the daughter of an Egyptologist, has been hired
as a personal secretary at the very grand country house known as Windlestraws.
Of course, very grand houses come with very grand families, who can be
challenging to deal with. Such is most definitely the case at Windlestraws,
as our heroine discovers!]
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[PGC #1529]
Man and Beast
(1953)
[Five truly short stories, all involving the interactions between
men and animals: in a circus, for example, and other locales.
"Essentially they are psychological tales equally penetrating
with both the human and animal characters... Each of them
introduces a fresh twist of narrative to some classic theme."
(Edmund Fuller, Saturday Review, 27 November 1954)]
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[PGC #1535]
Boucher, Anthony [White, William Anthony Parker] (1911-1968)
[American science fiction and mystery author]
Wikipedia
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
The Compleat Werewolf
(April 1942)
[Science fiction story, one of Boucher's most famous, set
in Berkeley, California. It appears that Professor Wolfe Wolf,
known to his students (he teaches German) as Woof-woof,
is in fact a wolf, or rather a werewolf: this is news to him.]
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[PGC #1592]
Boucher-Belleville, Jean-Philippe [Jean-Baptiste] (1800-1874)
[Journaliste canadien]
Dictionnaire biographique du Canada
Université du Québec à Montréal
Dictionnaire des barbarismes et des solécismes
les plus ordinaires en ce pays, avec le mot propre ou leur
signification (1855)
[Dictionnaire]
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Bourinot, Sir John George (1837-1902) [Canadian historian and constitutional scholar]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Canadian Encyclopedia
The Intellectual Development of the Canadian People (1881) [Historical essays]
Text
Canada under British Rule 1760-1900 (1900) [History]
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Lord Elgin (1903) [Biography]
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Bower, B. M. [Bower, Bertha Muzzy] (1871-1940)
[American author of Westerns]
Wikipedia (B. M. Bower)
University of Oklahoma (Kate Baird Anderson)
Wikipedia (Western fiction)
Wikipedia (Westerns)
The Parowan Bonanza
(1923) [Novel about prospectors in Nevada.
Includes a frontispiece by the American artist Frank Tenney Johnson (1874-1939)
Wikipedia
Sid Richardson Museum
National Museum of Wildlife Art
Christie's]
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University of Oklahoma
[PGC #556]
Points West
(1928) [Western novel. Cole is the son of wealth, but through no fault of
his own this wealth has disappeared. He must take action...]
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[PGC #723]
Hay-Wire
(1928) [Novel]
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University of Oklahoma
[PGC #555]
Rodeo
(1929) [Western]
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University of Oklahoma
[PGC #554]
Tiger Eye
(1930) [Western]
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University of Oklahoma
[PGC #553]
Fool's Goal
(1930) [Western]
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[PGC #526]
The Flying U Strikes
(1933) [Western]
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[PGC #527]
Trails Meet
(1933) [Western novel. Our hero, Jess Robison, a cowboy with talents as an
artist, turns out to have talents as a detective as well.]
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University of Oklahoma
[PGC #666]
Brazil, Angela (1868-1947)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
Literary Heritage West Midlands
National Portrait Gallery (UK)
An Exciting Term
(1936)
[Novel]
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Bridges, Thomas Charles (1868-1944)
[English boys' novelist]
The Wee Web
The River Riders: An Exciting Lumberjack Story
(1892)
[Novel]
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Bromfield, Louis (1896-1956)
[American novelist, journalist, and organic farmer]
Wikipedia
Early Autumn
(1926)
Wikipedia
[A novel from near the beginning of Bromfield's career -- it won him
the 1927 Pulitzer Prize! It is a family epic, set in the old but
fictional Massachusetts town of Durham, where the Pentland family
has roots dating back to the seventeenth century. But now it's the
twentieth century, Durham has changed and grown, and the Pentlands,
it turns out, are not immune to the problems which can beset
long-established families dependent on inherited wealth. The novel
features old John Pentland, his alarming sister Cassie, and his son
Anson, who had married Olivia, whom Cassie "had never quite forgiven...
for being an outsider who had come into the intricate web of life at
Pentlands out of (of all places) Chicago." Still, when she arrived,
so did her substantial fortune. By this point you probably get the
picture. Now try the novel, written with Louis Bromfield's typical
combination of elegance and approachability!]
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Awake and Rehearse (1929)
[Short stories, originally published separately, now collected in
book form by the already famous novelist, taking place in various locales.
"These are stories, for the most part, of women. And what women! Hogarth
and Daumier might have battled for them as models...hags, harlots, spinsters,
hoofers, jeunes filles, grandes dames, priestesses..."
(Gladys Graham, Saturday Review, 1 June 1929)]
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[PGC #1271]
The Man Who Had Everything (1935)
[Novel, set in the U.S. and in France. Tom Ashford is a playwright in early
middle age, and everything in life has gone his way. But success, as can
happen, turns out to have some unexpected aspects. His glittering present
cannot shake off the spell of the past: his early years on a farm in Illinois!]
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[PGC #1597]
Night in Bombay (1940)
[Novel about the guests in a hotel in India: one might say, Grand Hotel moved to the subcontinent.
"This is fiction for fun. And as such it is done with sophistication, good meaty sentimentality, a shrewd
seeing eye for surfaces, and the greatest skill in writing for pure entertainment."
(Jonathan Daniels, Saturday Review, 11 May 1940)]
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[PGC #1170]
Wild is the River
(1941)
[Novel. The "river" of the title is the Mississippi, in New Orleans,
where things are indeed wild, since it is no longer controlled by the
Confederacy, but has fallen to the Union Army. Which does not mean
that things have calmed down, either at the political level or in
the lives of those living in what is still a largely French-speaking
city. The novel is quite a read! "It is entertaining, it has enormous
gusto, swagger, voodoo mysteries, wonderful black women who devise love
potions for good American dollars, aristocratic Creoles, moonlight, fever,
sultry heat... and lots and lots of sex."
(Bess Jones, Saturday Review, 29 November 1941)]
CAUTION: Certain elements of plot and language may seem racist by the standards of today.
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[PGC #1666]
Until the Day Break (1942)
[Our author was born in Ohio, but spent some happy years in
France. His familiarity with that wonderful country is evident
in this novel, not so much a "war novel" as a "novel set during
a war", in this case the Second World War. The novel is set in
Paris, involves wartime intrigue, and features Roxie Dawn, born
in Evanston, Indiana but now a Paris showgirl -- and more!]
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[PGC #1650]
Mrs. Parkington (1943)
[Novel: the basis for the 1944 film of the same name
Wikipedia.
Mrs. Parkington, born in Leaping Rock, Nevada, has ascended
the social ladder and is now a lady of great wealth. But the
children of the wealthy often lack the qualities of their forebears.
"'Mrs. Parkington' is in the old and rich tradition of Thackeray
and Trollope, Howells and Mrs. Wharton... if the book is tuned
to the familiar theme from shirt-sleeves to shirt-sleeves in three
generations, the melody is full-blooded, the interest does not flag."
(Howard Mumford Jones, Saturday Review, 9 January 1943)]
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[PGC #1251]
What Became of Anna Bolton (1944)
[Novel. It is 1937: Anna Bolton, an American by birth, has been
living in "the Europe of the period between wars... that night
and day carnival which preceded the invasion of Poland".
But the world of Anna Bolton was about to change.]
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[PGC #1338]
The World We Live In (1944)
[Nine short stories, set in various locales (the U.S., Monte Carlo, Switzerland...)
and with various sets of characters, but all showing Louis Bromfield's creative
powers and unobtrusively excellent style of writing.]
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[PGC #1252]
Colorado (1947)
[Novel about money and family. Richard Meaney returns to his native Colorado
after three years at Oxford, accompanied by his tutor, Mr. Chatsworthy.
"As swift in pace and as highly colored as a first-rate Western
movie, Mr. Bromfield's latest story rushes with great gusto through most
of the situations which Hollywood has taught us to look for in tales of
rowdy, frontier days... But it is no small tribute to Mr. Bromfield's
vivid storytelling that the reader can put down the book almost convinced
that he has seen rather than read a great part of the novel."
(Pamela Taylor, Saturday Review, 1 November 1947)]
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[PGC #1110]
Kenny (1947)
[Three novellas, each with a link to the Second World War,
but each quite distinct in topic: the first takes its main character
from an Ohio farm to the Pacific war, the second ("Retread")
is about a veteran of the First World War who enlists when the
next war comes, and the third is set in occupied Paris.]
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[PGC #1359]
Mr. Smith (1951)
[Novel. In alternating chapters, Wolcott Ferris describes (1) his upbringing and
his successful but not particularly happy career as a business executive,
and (2) his new existence as an officer on an isolated Pacific island during
wartime.]
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[PGC #1367]
Brontë, Charlotte (1816-1855)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
Shirley
(1849)
[Novel, set in Yorkshire during the Industrial Revolution
Wikipedia]
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[PGC #473]
Brontë, Emily [Emily Jane] (1818-1848)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
Wuthering Heights
(1847)
Wikipedia
[Emily Brontë's only novel, controversial when published because of
its language and subject matter, but now long established as one of
the great English classics. The novel is set in (very) rural Yorkshire;
as it opens Mr Lockwood, a new tenant, is making a call on his not very sociable landlord, Mr Heathcliff. In the course of the novel we shall
learn much about Heathcliff's tumultuous life and how he has affected
those around him. "Wuthering Heights... is passionate and profoundly
moving; it has the depth and power of a great poem. To read it is not
like reading a work of fiction, in which, however absorbed, you can
remind yourself, if need be, that it is only a story; it is to have
a shattering experience in your own life." (W. Somerset Maugham,
Books and You. NOTE: As a special bonus, the EPUB we offer
includes the fascinating 1850 biographical notice by Charlotte
Brontë (1816-1855) discussing her famous sisters and their works.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Traduction française par
Téodor de Wyzewa (1862-1917)
fr.wikipedia
Un amant
(1892)
fr.wikipedia
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 63193]
Brooke, Frances (1724-1789) [English novelist]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
The History of Emily Montague (1769) [Novel: in fact, the first novel written in Canada]
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Brooke, Leonard Leslie (1862-1940)
[English children's artist and writer]
Wikipedia
Harwell Parish
Johnny Crow's Garden (1903)
[Story book with pictures]
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The Story of the Three Little Pigs (1904)
[Story book with pictures]
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The Golden Goose Book, being the stories of
The Golden Goose, The Three Bears, The 3 Little Pigs,
Tom Thumb, with numerous Drawings in Colour and
Black-and-White
(1905)
[Stories with pictures]
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Nursery Rhymes I. Songs and Ditties.
(ca. 1916)
[the first in a set of three volumes of the traditional rhymes, with Brooke's marvellous illustrations]
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EPUB (experimental)
[PGC #580]
Ring O' Roses: A Nursery Rhyme Picture Book
with numerous Drawings in Colour and Black-and-White
(1923)
[Story book with pictures]
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Brooker, Bertram (1888-1955)
[Canadian painter and novelist]
Wikipedia
University of Manitoba
CyberMuse
Think of the Earth
(1936)
[Novel: winner in the year of its publication of the first Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction
ever awarded. An expatriate Englishman has a weekend of self-discovery in Manitoba:
he falls in love, and realizes that he must become less introspective than formerly.]
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[PGC #765]
The Robber. A Tale of the Time of the Herods.
(1949)
[Historical novel, based on the figure of Barabbas
Wikipedia
in the Gospel.]
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[PGC #1013]
Broughton, Rhoda (1840-1920)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
Literary Heritage West Midlands
Doctor Cupid. A Novel.
(1886)
[Novel. Social and romantic doings in Victorian England.
At the novel's beginning stands one of many versions
of a famous four-line poem from late mediaeval Germany
Wikipedia
de.wikipedia]
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[PGC #757]
Brown, E. K. [Edward Killoran] (1905-1951)
[Canadian literary critic]
Wikipedia
On Canadian Poetry
(1943)
[A monograph which won the 1943 Governor General's Award, and deservedly so.
It discusses at length the works of Project Gutenberg Canada author E. J. Pratt,
of Archibald Lampman (1861-1899)
Wikipedia
Project Gutenberg US,
and of Duncan Campbell Scott (1862-1947)
Wikipedia
Project Gutenberg US.
His sympathetic account of the special challenges faced by Canadian literature
is clear, accurate, and well worth reading: "To one who takes careful account
of the difficulties which have steadily beset its growth its survival as
something interesting and important seems a miracle."]
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[PGC #1344]
Browning, Robert (1812-1889)
[English poet]
Wikipedia
Academy of American Poets
Strafford: An Historical Tragedy
(1837)
[Play]
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[PGC #623]
Bruce, James, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine (1811-1863) [Governor General of the Province of Canada 1847-54]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Canadian Encyclopedia
Letters and Journals of James, Eighth Earl of Elgin (1872) [Historical essays]
Text
Bruce, Jean [Brochet, Jean Alexandre] (1921-1963)
[Romancier français]
fr.wikipedia
O.S.S. 117 voit rouge (1956)
[Roman d'espionnage. Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath (alias O.S.S. 117)
fr.wikipedia
est envoyé à San Francisco par la CIA. Agent spécial Enrique
Sagarra «a trouvé un cadavre dans une ruelle de Russian Hill».
O.S.S. 117 à la rescousse!]
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EPUB
[PGC no 1384]
Buchan, Anna Masterton [Douglas, O.] (1877-1948)
[Scottish novelist]
Wikipedia
Ann and her Mother
(1922)
[One of the early Priorsford novels, set in the Scottish Borders region
in the valley of the River Tweed
Wikipedia.
Like all of Anna Buchan's novels, chiefly concerned with everyday doings,
and therefore easy to relate to: unpretentious, captivating, and classic.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #53522]
Pink Sugar
(1924)
[Novel, part of Anna Buchan's celebrated Priorsford series, set in the Borders
region of Scotland. Following the death of her stepmother, Kirsty Gilmour
moves to Scotland, the land of her ancestors, but a country of which she
knows little. Naturally this changes as the novel proceeds.]
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[PGC #1321]
The Proper Place
(1926)
[Novel, set in Scotland. Lady Jane Rutherfurd has to sell the
magnificent family house ("twelve large bedrooms and eight
smaller ones"), and move to the much smaller Harbour House,
far away in Fife
Wikipedia.]
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[PGC #1369]
The Day of Small Things
(1930)
[Novel, carrying on from The Proper Place. Lady Jane Rutherfurd
has found happiness in her new home in Fife, but of course life
rarely remains still, and unexpected events happen. In the agreeable
universe of Anna Buchan, these events are generally happy ones,
and provide an admirable backdrop to our author's beautifully written
narrative of domestic life in Scotland. Her world is not so very far
removed from that of her beloved Jane Austen.]
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[PGC #1411]
Priorsford
(1932)
[Novel, part of the Priorsford series, and consequently set
mostly in the Scottish Borders region, although the first
chapter takes place in southern England. A beautifully
written novel, with Anna Buchan's usual focus on everyday
people and events.]
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[PGC #1335]
Taken by the Hand
(1935)
[Beatrice Dobie has spent her entire life in Glasgow, but
now finds herself alone. In her final days, Janie Dobie
had suggested that her daughter Beatrice consider moving
to London: a new city and a new country! This novel tells
us what comes of this suggestion.]
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[PGC #1370]
Jane's Parlour
(1937)
Leaves & Pages
Reading 1900-1950 — Sheffield Hallam University (Helen C)
[Novel, set in Scotland, with a focus on the events of everyday life —
not necessarily a bad thing, as the novels of Jane Austen demonstrate.
Written in a classic and elegant style, as befits the sister of John Buchan.
But the sensational events found in her brother's action novels are quite
foreign to the sympathetic world of Anna Buchan.]
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[PGC #1189]
The House That Is Our Own
(1940)
[Novel, part of the novelist's famous Priorsford series set in the Scottish Borders, and focusing on
the lives of two old friends, Kitty Baillie and Isobel Logan. In the latter part of the novel,
Isobel makes an extended visit to Canada!]
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[PGC #1292]
Unforgettable, Unforgotten
(1945)
[A memoir of the author's family, especially her beloved brother John, the celebrated
novelist and fifteenth Governor General of Canada, whom Anna visited in Canada.
Illustrated with five nicely chosen photographs.]
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[PGC #850]
Buchan, John [first Baron Tweedsmuir of Elsfield] (1875-1940)
[Scottish novelist; Governor General of Canada 1935-1940]
Wikipedia
Sir Quixote of the Moors.
Being Some Account of an Episode
in the Life of the Sieur de Rohaine.
(1895)
[Buchan's first novel (or rather, novella: it is quite short):
the Sieur de Rohaine has fallen on hard times, and leaves
his native France to live for a while in the Scottish Highlands.
"We understand that this is the first piece of fiction by
a new writer. If so, it is a decidedly promising bit
of work, full of humour and vitality, and it deserves to
be successful"
(The Bookman, December 1895).
Includes a frontispiece by New Jersey artist Walter Conant Greenough (d. 1898)]
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[PGC #1049]
A Lost Lady of Old Years. A Romance.
(1899)
[Historical novel, described by Buchan as an "auld Highland story",
taking place during the tumultuous events of 1745, when Bonnie Prince Charlie
Wikipedia
landed in Scotland and set in play the events that led to
the disastrous Battle of Culloden.]
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[PGC #1007]
Prester John
(1910)
Wikipedia
[Buchan's first true action novel, his first set outside the British
Isles, and his first to achieve large and lasting popularity. The novel
begins in Scotland, in a town overlooking the North Sea, where the young
David Crawfurd, the novel's narrator, has spent his entire life. After
his father's passing he goes to South Africa (a country Buchan knew well)
where he becomes a storekeeper in a remote town where, he is told,
something mysterious has been happening: "You look as if you had a
stiff back, so I'll be frank with you. There is something about the
place. It gives the ordinary man the jumps. What it is, I don't know,
and the men who come back don't know themselves. I want you to find
out for me. You'll be doing the firm an enormous service if you can
get on the track of it." Crawfurd tells us what he discovers, and
the exciting events he witnesses during his investigation.
CAUTION: Certain elements of plot and language may seem racist,
indeed extremely racist, by the standards of today.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Thirty-Nine Steps
(1915)
Wikipedia
[An action novel which achieved instant and lasting fame as soon as it was
published, and has had a huge influence on subsequent novelists -- and
screenplay writers! In it, as Buchan says, "the incidents defy the
probabilities, and march just inside the borders of the possible."
But real life is full of things that defy probability! The novel begins
just before the First World War, when its main character, Richard Hannay,
has just returned to London from a stay of many years in Rhodesia and
South Africa. Almost immediately, he starts suffering from boredom.
This boredom quickly vanishes when Hannay finds himself wrongly suspected
of murder, and becomes a fugitive from justice! Adventures in Scotland
and elsewhere ensue as Hannay attempts to elude his pursuers.
CAUTION: Certain elements of plot and language may seem racist
by the standards of today.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Power-House
(1916)
Wikipedia
[Novel of action and intrigue, the first to feature Buchan's famous
creation the Scottish barrister and politician Sir Edward Leithen
Wikipedia
Leithen lives and works in London, but the novel plays out against
an international backdrop. The "Power-House" has nothing to do with
electricity: it is a secret and sinister international organization!
The novel was, our author states, "written in the smooth days before the war";
in 1916 he published it in book form "in the hope that it may enable an
honest man here and there to forget for an hour the too urgent realities."
A goal, we can safely say, that it certainly accomplished!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #57631]
Greenmantle
(1916)
Wikipedia
[Buchan's second novel featuring Richard Hannay and other characters
from The Thirty-Nine Steps. The First World War is now raging,
and Hannay is in England recovering from a serious wound, when he is
summoned to the Foreign Office. He is needed for a secret mission
behind Turkish lines! CAUTION: Certain elements of plot and
language may seem racist by the standards of today.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Mr Standfast
(1919)
Wikipedia
[The third Richard Hannay novel, taking place during the latter part
of the First World War. Hannay has been serving on the Western Front,
with considerable success, and is expecting more of the same, when he
is transferred out of the military and given a new assignment: he must
now work undercover! Many adventures follow, in England, Scotland,
and on the Continent. "Among the best of English stories of spies and
plotting in the great war have been those by Mr. Buchan... decidedly
above the average of its class." (The Outlook, 24 September 1919)
CAUTION: Certain elements of plot and language may seem racist by
the standards of today.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
A Book of Escapes and Hurried Journeys
(1922 [original edition]; 1925 [this edition])
[A series of essays on twelve famous escapes, ranging from
the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries, and from Central Asia
to the New World. Our future Governor General's abilities as a writer
and as a historian are on full display.
The 1925 edition we used as the basis of our ebook was meant
for school use, and includes a new set of illustrations, and
an epilogue by an anonymous author containing questions for discussion.]
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[PGC #945]
Midwinter. Certain Travellers in Old England.
(1923)
Wikipedia
[Historical novel, set in England and Scotland during the Jacobite
rising of 1745
Wikipedia,
when Bonnie Prince Charlie (more formally, Charles
Edward Stuart)
Wikipedia
attempted an invasion of Scotland with the objective
of gaining the British throne. The novel's main character
is Alastair Maclean, a Scottish exile; the English essayist,
poet, and lexicographer Samuel Johnson
Wikipedia
plays an unexpected role. "Altogether this tale is, besides
being highly diverting, more intelligent than most. It will
and should be read." (The Forum, November 1923)]
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[PGC #1432]
The Three Hostages
(1924)
Wikipedia
[The fourth Richard Hannay thriller. Hannay is now married, has a young son, and is living in the Cotswolds. His life is a calm and prosperous one, and his exciting but disruptive earlier adventures are now firmly in the past.
Or are they? Soon enough Hannay finds himself in London, and then in Norway:
his unexpected new adventure has well and truly begun! CAUTION: Certain elements of plot and language may seem racist by the standards of today.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
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[PGC #678]
Lord Minto. A Memoir.
(1924)
[Biography of Buchan's fellow Scotsman Gilbert John Elliot (1845-1914), fourth Earl of Minto,
Governor General of Canada from 1898 to 1904
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
It was through Lord Minto's efforts that the National Archives of Canada came into being.]
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[PGC #764]
The Dancing Floor
(1926)
Wikipedia
[Buchan's third novel featuring Scottish barrister Sir Edward Leithen:
intrigue in the glamorous setting of the Greek Islands]
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[PGC #1012]
Witch Wood
(1927)
Wikipedia
[Novel about mysterious events in seventeenth-century rural Scotland.
At the time the novel appeared, Samuel Merwin commented that
"His [Buchan's] knowledge and his sense of the past seem to me
to find their best outlet in this new book... He has taken an old
border legend, of a gentle country minister, supposed to have been
spirited away by the fairies in the dark wood of Melanudrigill,
and has breathed an astonishing life into it."
(Saturday Review, 13 August 1927)]
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[PGC #1044]
The Runagates Club
(1928)
[Twelve stories told at the monthly meetings of a (fictional) London dining club,
whose members included some famous figures from Buchan's novels,
such as Richard Hannay!]
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[PGC #1101]
The Courts of the Morning
(1929)
Wikipedia
[Action novel, set in South America, and featuring various Buchan heroes
familiar from his other novels. Some aspects of this novel seem
quite contemporary: Latin American scepticism towards the United
States, drugs ("this continent is the home of drugs"), and a sinister
foreign mining company!]
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[PGC #1439]
The Blanket of the Dark
(1931)
[Historical novel, set in England during the reign of Henry VIII,
vividly depicting both high life and low in the society of that time.
Written in an easy and natural style, not something to
taken for granted in such novels.]
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[PGC #935]
Sir Walter Scott
(1932)
[A biography of the Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)
Wikipedia,
published by Buchan on the hundredth anniversary of the passing of his fellow Scotsman
and fellow novelist.
Includes as frontispiece a portrait of Scott by Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-1873)
Wikipedia
Wikimedia Commons]
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[PGC #960]
The Magic Walking-Stick
(1932)
[Novel for children. A young boy, Bill, buys a walking stick from a roadside
pedlar. He discovers that it's a magic stick that will take the owner
to anywhere he wishes. Adventures ensue...]
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[PGC #1113]
A Prince of the Captivity
(1933)
Wikipedia
[Action novel. Our hero, Adam Melfort, sacrifices his reputation
to save that of his wife. Afterwards, he does some espionage in
Belgium (the First World War is raging). Then, he's off to Greenland!]
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[PGC #1440]
The Free Fishers
(1934)
Wikipedia
[Historical novel, Buchan's last. Anthony Lammas, a young
Professor of Logic and Rhetoric at the University of St Andrews
Wikipedia,
is our unexpected hero in this novel of intrigue, set in
Scotland and England at the start of the nineteenth century.]
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[PGC #1581]
The King's Grace 1910-1935
(1935)
[A profile of the life and times of George V
Wikipedia,
published in celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary
of that monarch's accession to the throne. The few but well-chosen illustrations
include photographs by the W. & D. Downey studio
Wikipedia,
and E. O. Hoppé (1878-1972)
Wikipedia.]
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[PGC #878]
The House of the Four Winds
(1935)
Wikipedia
[The third and final Dickson McCunn novel: political intrigue and daring deeds
in the central European country of Evallonia, with some Scottish visitors playing
a crucial role. Buchan's monarchist beliefs show through — beliefs
most appropriate in someone about to be become the Governor General of Canada!]
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[PGC #1047]
The Island of Sheep
[U.S. title: The Man from the Norlands]
(1936)
Wikipedia
[Buchan's fifth and final novel starring Richard Hannay, who is no longer
young but whose talents have by no means deserted him, as we discover. The
novel starts in London, but then moves to the (fictional) Norland Isles in
the arctic seas, a Danish possession: one of these isles is the Island of
Sheep. Dark doings are afoot, a considerable challenge even for Richard
Hannay! "Buchan enthusiasts will rejoice to know that this is a Richard
Hannay tale, and that, before the feud is disposed of, the action has
reached from South Africa to Scotland. The author, as usual, states his
case and develops it, relying upon no tricks to sustain suspense. If one
is seeking a high adventure tale with a colorful background, here it is."
(The Literary Digest, 22 August 1936). CAUTION: Certain
elements of plot and language may seem racist by the standards of today.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
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[PGC #1011]
Memory Hold-the-Door
[U.S. title: Pilgrim's Way. An Essay in Recollection.]
(1940)
Wikipedia
[Memoir of those incidents and aspects of Buchan's life
which he thought most significant.
"This book is a journal of certain experiences," writes Buchan,
"not written in the experiencing moment, but rebuilt out of memory...
It is not a book of reminiscences in the ordinary sense,
for my purpose has been to record only a few selected experiences."
That said, the book covers the whole span of Buchan's varied life.
It was one of the favourite books of U.S. President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
Includes illustrations by B. C. Boulter (died 1960)
Church of Saint Silas the Martyr, Kentish Town,
Sholto Johnstone Douglas (1871-1958),
Charles Gere (1869-1957),
Sir William Orpen (1878-1931),
and photographs by Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002).]
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[PGC #1160]
Sick Heart River
(1941)
[Buchan's last novel, published posthumously.
American title: Mountain Meadow.
With an introduction by the novelist and biographer
Howard Swiggett (1891-1957).
Sir Edward Leithen
Wikipedia,
the hero of four earlier Buchan novels, is no longer young.
He receives some bad news, and in its aftermath heads to
Canada, where he learns a great deal about our country
and about himself.
"John Buchan could write the English language and his
descriptions of Canada from the woods of Quebec to the
desolation of the Arctic muskeg are beautiful and exciting."
(The American Mercury, April 1941)]
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[PGC #1052]
Buckley, Arabella Burton (1840-1929)
[English science writer]
The Fairy-Land of Science (1878)
[Science lectures for children: includes one anonymous
engraving, and many others supervised by English engraver
James Davis Cooper (1823-1904)
Darwin Correspondence Project]
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Burdett, Osbert (1885-1936)
[English literary critic and biographer]
W. E. Gladstone
(1927)
[A beautifully written biography of the Victorian statesman
William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898)
Wikipedia,
who served as Prime Minister no fewer than four times,
a record unequalled in British history.]
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[PGC #1126]
Burpee, Lawrence Johnstone (1873-1946)
[Canadian historian and librarian]
Wikipedia
Pratt Library
Archives de Montréal
Recent Canadian Fiction
(1899)
[Overview of Canadian novels in English published in the 1890s. Many of the authors discussed
are represented in the Project Gutenberg Canada collection.]
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[PGC #485]
A Little Book of Canadian Essays (1909)
[Essays on Canadian authors
Isabella Valancy Crawford (1850-1887)
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography,
Charles Heavysege (1816-1876)
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography,
Archibald Lampman (1861-1899)
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography,
George Thomas Lanigan (1845-1886),
Catharine Parr Traill (1802-1899)
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography,
John Hunter-Duvar (1821-1899)
Dictionary of Canadian Biography, and
George Frederick Cameron (1854-1885)
Dictionary of Canadian Biography]
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Humour of the North (1912)
[Anthology]
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Contributors:
De Mille, James (1833-1880)
[Canadian classical scholar and novelist]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Canadian Encyclopedia
Drummond, William Henry (1854-1907)
[Canadian physician and poet]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Canadian Encyclopedia
Duncan, Sara Jeannette [Mrs Everard Cotes] (1861-1922)
[Canadian journalist and novelist]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Canadian Encyclopedia
Haliburton, Thomas Chandler (1796-1865)
[Canadian essayist and humorist]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Canadian Encyclopedia
Howe, Joseph (1804-1873)
[Canadian journalist and politician]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Lanigan, George Thomas (1845-1886)
[Canadian journalist and poet]
McCarroll, James (1814-1892)
[Canadian journalist, inventor, and poet]
On the Old Athabaska Trail (1926)
[A retracing of the famous Athabasca Pass fur route
Parks Canada.
The nineteen illustrations include works by Canadian painter Paul Kane (1810-1871)
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
and British military officer Sir Henry James Warre (1819-1898)
University of Washington
Oregon History Project
American Antiquarian Society]
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[PGC #450]
Bury, J. B. [John Bagnell] (1861-1927)
[Irish historian]
Wikipedia
The Life of St. Patrick and his Place in History
(1905)
[These days St Patrick's Day is marked by worldwide drunkenness, which
seems strange given the saint's apparent character. He lived in the
fifth century, an age that is not well documented, but Patrick was
certainly a historical personage: in fact, several of his works have
survived to our times! Still, much mystery surrounds various aspects
of his life, and so Bury's famous biography was definitely needed:
it would be hard to imagine a more thorough or more readable study
of his life by a famous historian of late antiquity -- who was himself
born in Ireland!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #71431]
Busch, Heinrich Christian Wilhelm (1832-1908)
[German caricaturist and poet / caricaturiste et poète allemand]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
de.wikipedia
Wilhelm Busch Geburtshaus
Wilhelm-Busch-Museum
Leibniz Universität Hannover
Zu guter Letzt
(1904)
[Poems in German: the last of Busch's works published during his lifetime
/ Poèmes en allemand: le dernier livre de Busch publié de son vivant]
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[PGC #530/no 530]
Learn German!
Apprenez l'allemand!
Translation:
Plish and Plum
(1882 [[German original], 1883 [this translation])
[Busch's beautifully illustrated collection of light verse Plisch und Plum, translated by Charles T. Brooks (1813-1883)
Wikipedia.
The publisher's advertisements at the end of the book include illustrations by
Sol Eytinge, Jr. (1833-1905)
The Victorian Web
The Vault at Pfaff's (Lehigh University)
and Mary Hallock Foote (1847-1938)
Wikipedia
Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission (Casey Bush).]
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EPUB
[PGC #706]
Butler, Smedley D. [Darlington] (1881-1940) [American soldier and political activist]
Wikipedia
War Is a Racket
(1935)
Wikipedia
[A classic anti-war pamphlet, and a quick but fascinating read.
The retired United States Marines major general, one of the
most distinguished American soldiers of his era, came to see war
as little more than a sinister money-making enterprise: that is,
a racket: "Only a small 'inside' group knows what it is about.
It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of
the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes."]
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EPUB
[PGC #1320]
Byrne, Donn [Brian Oswald Donn] (1889-1928)
[American novelist]
Wikipedia
Changeling and Other Stories
(1923)
[Short stories, with a focus on Ireland]
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[PGC #817]
Blind Raftery and his Wife, Hilaria
(1924)
[A short and wonderful novel set in Ireland during the time of the
South Sea Bubble (1711-1720)
Wikipedia.
Raftery is a blind Irish poet/folk-singer who marries Hilaria, a Spanish woman.
Then they start their travels...]
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[PGC #776]
Time, 29 September 1924
An Alley of Flashing Spears and other stories
(1933)
[A collection of nine of Byrne's stories, published posthumously]
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EPUB
[PGC #779]
Byron, Robert (1905-1941)
[English art critic and travel writer]
Wikipedia
First Russia, Then Tibet
(1933)
[A very famous travel book describing, as you might expect, Russia and,
in a second section, Tibet: two very different places.]
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EPUB
[PGC #1641]
Cagna, Achille Giovanni (1847-1931)
[Italian playwright and novelist / Dramaturge et romancier italien]
Sapere.it
Università degli studi di Pavia [Microsoft Word]
Contrada dei Gatti. Proiezioni. (1924)
[Novel in Italian / Roman en italien]
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[PGC #519/no 519]
Learn Italian! / Apprenez l'italien!
Cameron, David Young (1865-1945)
[Scottish etcher and painter]
Wikipedia
National Galleries of Scotland
Tate Collection
with:
Salaman, Malcolm Charles (1855-1940)
[English art historian and critic]
Wikipedia
Sir D.Y. Cameron, R.A.
(1925)
[Monograph on the famous Scottish artist, profusely illustrated]
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[PG Canada ebook #426]
Campbell, Duncan (1818-1886)
[Canadian historian]
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
History of Prince Edward Island
(1875)
[A history of Prince Edward Island
Wikipedia from 1763 (when it passed from France to Britain)
to 1873 (when it joined Confederation)]
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[PGC #812]
Campbell, Roy (1901-1957)
[South African poet]
Wikipedia
National Review, 15 August 1986 (Thomas P. McDonnell)
with:
Freedman, Barnett (1901-1958)
[English painter]
Wikipedia
Barnett Freedman Archive
Tate Collection
Choosing a Mast
(1931)
[Poem, with two illustrations, one in colour]
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Cantù, Cesare (1804-1895)
[Historien et romancier italien]
fr.wikipedia
cesarecantu.it (en italien)
Margherita Pusterla
(1838 [en italien]; 1843 [cette traduction])
[Roman historique, dont l'action se déroule en Lombardie vers 1340.
Nous vous offrons la traduction contemporaine publiée par L'Illustration en 1843,
avec plusieurs belles gravures.
Project Gutenberg US
vous offre le texte italien du roman.]
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EPUB
[PG Canada no 942]
Carman, Bliss [William Bliss] (1861-1929)
[Canadian poet]
Wikipedia
jrank.org
Far Horizons
(1925)
[Poems]
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[PGC #614]
Sanctuary. Sunshine House Sonnets.
(1929)
[Poems]
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[PGC #635]
Wild Garden (1929)
[Poems]
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[PGC #609]
Carr, Emily (1871-1945) [Canadian painter and writer]
Wikipedia
Canadian Encyclopedia
Klee Wyck (1941) [Memoirs]
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The Book of Small (1942) [Memoirs]
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The House of All Sorts (1944) [Memoirs]
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Carrington, Fitzroy (1869-1954)
[American art historian]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Art Historians
Prints and their Makers.
Essays on engravers and etchers old and modern.
(1912)
[A magnificently illustrated collection of essays by various eminent
art historians of Carrington's era: these essays "range from Italian
engravers before the time of Raphael and woodcuts by Albrecht Dürer
to contemporary etchings."]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #68720]
Engravers and Etchers
(1917)
["Six Lectures Delivered on the Scammon Foundation at the Art
Institute of Chicago, March 1916", says the title page, but this
doesn't come even close to describing this magnificent book and
its 133 beautiful illustrations from the fifteenth to the twentieth
centuries. "My sole aim," says Carrington, "has been to share with
my audience the stimulation and pleasure which certain prints by the
great engravers and etchers have given me." He is too modest: his
book is very easy to read but full of learning. For those wanting
even more information, tucked away at the end of each chapter are
admirably complete bibliographical notes by
Adam E. M. Paff (1891-1932)
of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #66848]
Carroll, Lewis [Dodgson, Charles Lutwidge] (1832-1898)
[English mathematician, logician, and author]
Wikipedia
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
(1865)
Wikipedia
[It is a hot summer afternoon, and Alice is sitting with her
sister, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes runs close
by her. This is no ordinary rabbit, however: it is speaking to
itself ("Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!"), and then it
takes a watch out of its pocket! And the adventures keep coming
in this evergreen satirical classic, famous in every country: it
is so much more than a children's book! Our EPUB includes the
famous illustrations by the English cartoonist and illustrator
Sir John Tenniel (1820-1914)
Wikipedia.
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Traduction française par
Henri Bué (1843-1929)
Aventures d'Alice au pays des merveilles
(1869)
fr.wikipedia
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 55456]
Through the Looking-Glass
(1871)
Wikipedia
[Or, to give Carroll's full title, Through the Looking-Glass, and
What Alice Found There. Published six years after Alice in
Wonderland, and generally read in conjunction with the earlier
novel, it is written at the same high level, and has some very famous
episodes: Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Jabberwocky, Humpty Dumpty...
In any case, here it is for you to enjoy, complete with the wonderful
illustrations by
Sir John Tenniel (1820-1914)
from the 1871 first edition, as well as a preface added by Carroll in 1896!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Carter, John Franklin (1897-1967)
[American economist, journalist, and novelist]
Wikipedia
Published under the pen-name Jay Franklin:
The Rat Race
(1950 Galaxy version)
Wikipedia
[Novel, a heady mixture of science fiction and political intrigue.
It starts in April 1945 when an atomic bomb explodes on board
the U.S.S. Alaska. But the bomb uses thorium
Wikipedia
rather than uranium!
In the explosion's aftermath, Lieutenant-Commander Frank Jacklin
finds himself in someone else's body, and that's when things
really start happening.
The anonymous reviewer at Fantasy Book thought it was
one of the best books of the year: "A fast-moving satire of
American life, sharp, funny, and to the point."
For Groff Conklin (Galaxy, October 1950) the novel
lacked credibility: "There have been incredible pieces of
pseudo-science fantasy in the past... But this book really
should take a prize." As regards the science part, perhaps.
But from the perspective of today, the political intrigues
highlighted by Conklin seem entirely realistic: the murder of
the U.S. president, for example, American citizens not
charged with any specific crime being sequestered in a huge
mental hospital, and so on. Actually, Conklin recognized
that the book "is fascinating reading... Certainly Franklin
wanted to have his readers haunted by the idea that some of
what he was writing was actually true. Maybe it was and just
doesn't sound it." And indeed, perhaps it was true: as an
eminent political journalist and former State Department
employee, Conklin certainly had access to excellent sources!
The source for our ebook is the 1950 edition published by the
editors of Galaxy Magazine, and is described on the front
cover as "complete and unabridged" and on the title page as
"a complete novel", but a note after the title page states that
"This novel has been slightly abridged for the sake of better pacing."
The edition was published during the author's lifetime: presumably
he did the trimming, or at least consented to it.]
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[PGC #1501]
Cartier, Jacques (1491-1557) [Explorateur français]
fr.wikipedia
Dictionnaire biographique du Canada
Encyclopédie canadienne
Relation Originale du Voyage de Jacques Cartier au Canada en 1534 (1534)
[Histoire: éd. Henri-Victor Michelant (1811-1890) et Alfred Ramé (1826-1886)]
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Voyage de J. Cartier au Canada: relation originale de Jacques Cartier (1545) [Histoire]
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Cary, Joyce [Arthur Joyce Lunel] (1888-1957)
[Irish novelist]
Wikipedia
Paris Review interview with Cary
New York Review of Books (Brad Leithauser)
Mister Johnson
(1939 [novel]; 1952 [prefatory essay])
Wikipedia
[The adventures and misadventures of a young Nigerian in the British colonial civil service]
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[PGC #968]
Casgrain, Henri-Raymond (1831-1904) [Historien canadien]
fr.wikipedia
Dictionnaire biographique du Canada
encyclobec.ca (article par Jacques Saint-Pierre)
Un contemporain — F. X. Garneau (1866)
[Biographie de François-Xavier Garneau
Dictionnaire biographique du Canada
fr.wikipedia]
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PG Canada vous offre également l'intégrale du chef-d'oeuvre
de Garneau, son Histoire du Canada
Cather, Willa [Willa Sibert] (1873-1947) [American novelist]
Wikipedia
Full biography by James Woodress
Alexander's Bridge
(1912)
Wikipedia
[Bartley Alexander is a professional engineer, and a famous one:
"whatever else he might do, he would probably always be known as
the engineer who designed the great Moorlock Bridge, the longest
cantilever in existence." The Moorlock Bridge is in Canada, and
so is his newest project, which will be the longest bridge in the
world. However, it is a difficult project, and success is not
certain. In addition, he is now married: gone is the world he
knew as a young engineer, and his marriage to the wealthy Winifred
Alexander has its own challenges, including the resurfacing in his
life of Hilda Burgoyne, the London actress who has achieved stardom
in the years since they went their separate ways.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
O Pioneers!
(1913)
Wikipedia
[A truly epic novel about a Swedish immigrant family's experiences through several generations. It starts in the 1880s, and is set in the fictional Nebraska town of Hanover, which was very similar to the towns being founded further north in Canada along the Canadian Pacific Railway: "The dwelling-houses were set about haphazard on the tough prairie sod... The main street was a deeply rutted road, now frozen hard, which ran from the squat red railway station and the grain "elevator" at the north end of the town to the lumber yard and the horse pond at the south end." The life of these early residents was not an easy one, but after their father's passing the Bergsons decide to stay in Hanover when many others are leaving. Or rather, Alexandra decides to stay and obtains her brothers' reluctant cooperation. Will things work out financially? And will peace descend on the Bergson clan?]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #24]
The Song of the Lark
(1915)
Wikipedia
[Novel, which follows the life and career of Thea Kronberg, born in
the small and recently founded Colorado town of Moonstone, which was
not so very different from many towns of the same period in the western
regions of Canada. By a series of fortunate events she moves first to
Denver, and then to Chicago, where she takes singing lessons, which
go well, so well that she becomes an internationally famous opera singer,
but never loses touch with her origins. "This story," Cather comments,
"attempts to deal only with the simple and concrete beginnings which
color and accent an artist's work, and to give some account of how a
Moonstone girl found her way out of a vague, easy-going world into a
life of disciplined endeavor." But surely the most interesting part
of most artists' lives is the beginning, later successes being only the
logical consequence of what has already happened. In other words, Cather
planned her novel well, and was soon rewarded by its commercial success.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
One of Ours
(1922)
Wikipedia
[The novel which won Cather the 1923 Pulitzer Prize: she wrote most of
it while visiting Canada, and completed it while in Toronto! The novel
tells the life story of Claude Wheeler, whose relatively unhappy youth in Nebraska was followed by a relatively unhappy marriage. Then the First
World War started, which cannot really be said to have been a good thing
for Wheeler, since he did not survive it. However, in the short term
he did find new meaning in life, and clearly he found military life more congenial than civil. Cather's inspiration was her cousin Grosvenor
Cather, who grew up on the Nebraska farm next to hers; after his death in
1918 she found herself thinking about him more and more, which eventually resulted in her writing this novel.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #2369]
A Lost Lady
(1923)
Wikipedia
[The modern history of Western Canada is largely the history of the
Canadian Pacific Railway and the many settlements founded along its
route while it was being constructed, some of them still quite small,
but some now very large: Calgary, for instance, and Vancouver. The
history of the western US is similar: the railroads came, the settlements
started, and events followed their natural course. Which brings us
to the town of Sweet Water, on the recently constructed Chicago, Burlington,
and Quincy railroad, and to Captain Daniel Forrester, who played a major
role in constructing the railroad, until "the Captain's terrible fall with
his horse in the mountains, which broke him so that he could no longer build
railroads." At which point the Captain retired to his house in Sweet Water,
accompanied by his much younger wife Marian, the "lost lady" of the title.
She is a participant in many losses: the loss of the heroic pioneering days,
the eventual loss of her husband, and the many changes in her life brought
on by these events. Robert Littell (The New Republic, 19 December
1923) comments that Cather "accomplishes exactly what she sets out to do",
and praises "the singular reality and solidity of the heroine, who remains
in our minds as one of [the] most vivid inhabitants of any American novel
of recent years."]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Professor's House
(1925)
Wikipedia
[The professor in question is the grandly named Godfrey St. Peter, who
is of French-Canadian descent, and obtained his doctorate in France.
But he is American, and as the novel opens is enjoying a successful
university teaching career. The Professor is moving out of his old
house, for good reason, for it had many issues and was not a comfortable
place to live. But the Professor finds that he's unwilling to leave
the old house, since that is where he prefers to do his writing.
And yet his new house has "a beautiful study downstairs". All of
which suggests that the Professor has a complex past and present.
And indeed Tom Outland plays a major role in the novel, even though
he died in the Great War: he had been the Professor's favourite student
and had planned to marry the Professor's daughter, Rosamond, who became
his sole heir, and consequently quite wealthy. The novel has a large
and attractive cast of characters, and its plot ranges widely: it
includes an archaeological expedition to the ancient but now abandoned
Cliff City in New Mexico!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Death Comes for the Archbishop
(1927)
Wikipedia
[Novel, enormously successful when published and with an enduring
reputation. It is about the Roman Catholic church in New Mexico
in the nineteenth century, and is told through the life stories
of two French-born clergy. Fictional, but based on actual
personalities and events. "Miss Cather is growing restless
in the old forms. The novel irks her... for the 'Archbishop,'
she chooses the method of chronicle history. Instead of providing
suspense and a climax, she depends, like history, upon interest in
men and events. It is the honester way, if you can succeed with it.
She has." (Saturday Review, 10 December 1927)]
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[PGC #1584]
Shadows on the Rock
(1931)
[Historical novel, set in New France during the time of Frontenac
Wikipedia, telling the story of the physician Euclide Auclair,
and his daughter Cécile]
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[PGC #860]
Wikipedia
Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de (1547-1616)
[Spanish soldier and novelist]
Wikipedia
Don Quixote
(1605 [first part]; 1615 [second part]; 1885 [this
translation of both parts by
John Ormsby (1829-1895)]
Wikipedia
[Novel, one of the great literary classics, but funny, and very
approachable -- hence its enduring popularity ever since its first
appearance. We offer the justly famous Ormsby
Wikipedia
translation from 1865 in a digital edition which includes the fabulous
illustrations from 1863 by
Gustave Doré (1832-1883)
!
As the novel opens, we meet our hero, who
is a member of the minor nobility. He is nearing fifty, has a small
household, and not much money. He does, however, have a great deal
of spare time, which he spends reading altogether too many romantic
tales of chivalry: by the time we meet him he can no longer clearly
distinguish between the fictional worlds he reads about and the world
he actually lives in. And so he conceives the idea of leaving his
home, becoming a knight errant, and righting the world's wrongs.
The novel is the story of how this project goes. CAUTION:
The many illustrations have made this ebook unusually large. It
will require more storage space than is usual, and the download
may take some extra time.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #996]
Traduction française par
Louis Viardot (1800-1883)
fr.wikipedia
L'ingénieux hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manche - Tome I
(1863)
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 16066]
L'ingénieux hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manche - Tome II
(1863)
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 16067]
Texto castellano
El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha
(1605);
El ingenioso caballero don Quijote de la Mancha
(1615)
es.wikipedia
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 2000]
Centlivre, Susanna (ca. 1669-1723)
[English playwright]
Wikipedia
The Stolen Heiress; or, The Salamanca Doctor Outplotted. A Comedy.
(1702 [first performance]; 1703 [first publication])
[Comedy]
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[PGC #828]
Chambers, E. K. [Edmund Kerchever] (1866-1954)
[English literary historian]
Wikipedia
The Elizabethan Stage, vol. 1 (1923)
[Literary history, done well, does not date. E.K. Chambers was
astoundingly well read: who today could surpass his direct knowledge
of the history of early English theatre? Add to this a remarkable
elegance of style, and you have a classic for the ages, and a very
attractive read. This first volume is an account of the court of
Elizabeth I, with particular attention to the stage. Note:
The ample bibliography appears at the start of the book, not the end.
The table of contents will take you to the main text of the book.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #66003]
The Elizabethan Stage, vol. 2 (1923)
[The second volume of E.K. Chambers's classic and wonderfully readable
work focuses on the actors' companies, the playhouses they worked
in, the design of these playhouses, and their way of operating.
Much more is known about this than you might expect!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67423]
The Elizabethan Stage, vol. 3 (1923)
[This third volume of E.K. Chambers' famous work examines the mechanics
of staging plays, both at court and in the theatres, and of publishing
the plays, a topic crucially important to us, for that is how these plays
were transmitted to future ages, including ours! The book ends with a fascinating list of the many playwrights of the period whose names are
known to us, with a short biography and list of works for each.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67462]
Chambers, Robert William (1865-1933)
[American painter and novelist]
Wikipedia
yankeeclassic.com
The Literary Gothic
Wikimedia [painting]
The Maids of Paradise
(1902)
[Novel: includes several illustrations of unknown authorship,
and one illustration by Ludovico Marchetti (1853-1909)
Art Gallery of Ballarat
Government Art Collection [UK]
Fine Art Dealers Association]
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You will find many ebooks by Robert W. Chambers at Project
Gutenberg's
US site.
Champlain, Samuel de (vers 1570-1635) [Explorateur français]
fr.wikipedia
Dictionnaire biographique du Canada
Encyclopédie canadienne
Oeuvres de Champlain
[Histoire: éd. C.-H. Laverdière (1826-73: Dictionnaire biographique du Canada)]
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Chandler, Raymond [Raymond Thornton] (1888-1959)
[American novelist and screenplay writer]
Wikipedia
The Big Sleep
(1939)
Wikipedia
[Chandler's first full-length crime novel. Private investigator Philip Marlowe,
making his first appearance in literature, takes on a case of blackmail,
and finds that matters are even murkier than they seem.]
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[PGC #696]
Farewell, My Lovely
(1940)
Wikipedia
[Crime novel. The manager of a Los Angeles club is murdered,
and no one seems to care. No one, that is, except Philip Marlowe...]
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[PGC #1046]
The High Window
(1942)
Wikipedia
[Crime novel. A wealthy widow calls in Philip Marlowe to investigate the
disappearance of a rare and valuable coin, a matter mysterious enough in
itself, but this is only the beginning... ]
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[PGC #1036]
The Lady in the Lake
(1943)
Wikipedia
[Crime novel. The wife of a wealthy Los Angeles businessman has mysteriously disappeared,
having last been seen at Little Fawn Lake. Definitely a case for Philip Marlowe...]
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[PGC #1033]
The Little Sister
(1949)
Wikipedia
[Novel, featuring Philip Marlowe and also the film industry,
with which by this time Chandler was very familiar.]
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[PGC #1279]
The Long Goodbye
(1953)
Wikipedia
Mark Coggins
[Mystery novel, Chandler's favourite among his novels, and winner
of the 1955 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. Private
investigator Philip Marlowe gets involved in a heady set of intrigues
involving a writer, alcohol, Mexico, and, of course, murder. "The
dialogue is as vividly overheated as ever, the plot is clearly
constructed and surprisingly resolved, and the book is rich in many
sharp glimpses of minor characters and scenes. Perhaps the longest
private-eye novel ever written (over 125,000 words!). It is also one of
the best -- and may well attract readers who normally shun even the leaders
in the field." (Anthony Boucher, New York Times, 25 April 1954)]
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[PGC #1522]
Playback
(1958)
Wikipedia
[The last Philip Marlowe mystery novel completed by Chandler,
set in a resort town on the coast of California.
Marlowe is to follow a woman named Eleanor King,
newly arrived in Los Angeles. Whether this is her real
name is only one of the mysteries in store for Marlowe.]
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[PGC #1209]
Chant, Joseph Horatio
(1837-1928)
[Canadian poet]
Gleams of Sunshine: optimistic poems (1915)
[Poetry]
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Charlesworth, Hector Willoughby (1872-1945)
[Canadian journalist and essayist]
Wikipedia
Encyclopedia of Music in Canada
Empire Club of Canada (1932 address by Charlesworth)
Cybermuse (portrait of Charlesworth by Arthur Lismer [1885-1969])
The Canadian Scene. Sketches : Political and Historical.
(1927)
[Essays on Canadian history and literature]
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Chase, Alvin Wood (1817-1885)
[American physician and entrepreneur]
Ann Arbor District Library (article by Grace Shackman)
rdhinstl.com
Dr. Chase's New Receipt Book (1889)
[Self-help manual]
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Chesterton, G. K. [Gilbert Keith] (1874-1936)
[English author, journalist, and theologian]
Wikipedia
The Father Brown stories:
The Complete Father Brown
(1911-1935)
[Father Brown is G. K. Chesterton's famous priest-detective
Wikipedia.
The stories are famous worldwide, and have often been reprinted and
adapted. The five individual collections published between 1911 and
1935 are available from Project Gutenberg Canada as individual ebooks,
but it is our pleasure to offer all five of these books in an elegant
single EPUB edition from the University of Adelaide.]
EPUB
The Innocence of Father Brown
(1911)
[Mystery stories. The first of the five Father Brown
Wikipedia
collections, introducing the celebrated priest-detective.]
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[PGC #971]
The Wisdom of Father Brown
(1914)
[Mystery stories. The second of Chesterton's five collections featuring the priest-detective Father Brown.]
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[PGC #972]
The Incredulity of Father Brown
(1926)
[Mystery stories. The third of Chesterton's five collections featuring the priest-detective Father Brown.]
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[PGC #973]
The Secret of Father Brown
(1927)
[Mystery stories. The fourth of Chesterton's Father Brown collections, constructed as eight individual stories within a story.]
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[PGC #975]
The Scandal of Father Brown
(1935)
[Mystery stories. Chesterton's fifth and final Father Brown collection.]
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[PGC #977]
The Everlasting Man
(1925)
Wikipedia
[Theological work, written for a general audience, and published
three years after Chesterton had joined the Roman Catholic church,
of which he became a strong advocate. It is an overview of human
history from a theological perspective. "The view suggested is
historical rather than theological, and does not deal directly
with a religious change which has been the chief event of my own
life... Much of it is devoted to many sorts of Pagans rather than
any sort of Christians". The book has been greatly admired by
many, including C. S. Lewis, and is written in Chesterton's
characteristically vigorous style, full of illuminating paradoxes.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #65688]
With:
Gill, Eric [Arthur Eric Rowton] (1882-1940)
[English artist and type designer]
Wikipedia
National Archives (UK)
Identifont
Gloria in Profundis
(1927)
[Poem, with two wood engravings]
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[PGC #440]
Chevalier, Henri-Émile (1828-1879) [Romancier canadien]
Dictionnaire biographique du Canada
La fille des indiens rouges (1856) [Roman]
Texte
L'enfer et le paradis de l'autre monde (1857) [Roman]
Texte
Les Nez-Percés (1862) [Roman]
Texte
La Tête-Plate (1863) [Roman]
Texte
Les derniers Iroquois (1863) [Roman]
HTML et Texte
Peaux-rouges et Peaux-blanches (1864) [Roman]
Texte
Jacques Cartier (1868) [Roman]
HTML et Texte
Poignet-d'acier ou Les Chippiouais (1875) [Roman]
Texte
Le chasseur noir (1877) [Roman]
Texte
La capitaine (1878) [Roman]
Texte
La fille du pirate (1878) [Roman]
Texte
L'île de sable (1878) [Roman]
Texte
Le gibet (1879) [Roman]
Texte
Cheyney, Peter [Reginald Evelyn Peter Southouse] (1896-1951)
[English poet and novelist]
Wikipedia
The Stars are Dark
(1943)
[Novel, the second in Cheyney's "Dark" series.
"Dark and devilish doings of British and German spies told
in hard-hitting, effective, and hair-raising fashion.
Verdict: Tops in spy-stuff"
(Saturday Review, 23 October 1943)]
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EPUB
[PGC #1505]
The Dark Street
(1944)
[Novel of intrigue and murder, from Cheyney's "Dark" series. One of the main characters
is named Quayle: his business, we are told, "was nobody's business... It was a
business necessitated by war, by the ghastly mechanics of war, by the scheming,
plotting, machinations, underhand tactics, filthy murders..." He has an employee,
Shaun Aloysius O'Mara, who "played the piano, rode a horse, was a good shot,
could sail a boat. He spoke a considerable number of languages, though very few
people were aware of the fact... and was extremely apt with a hand gun."
After this, who needs a plot summary? By this point you'll know whether this
book is for you! But we'll also mention the mysterious Spaniard Miguales,
who had "fought on both sides in the Spanish Civil War and enjoyed the process."]
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EPUB
[PGC #1504]
Uneasy Terms
(1946)
[Mystery novel: the first of Cheyney's novels to be adapted to film. Colonel Gervase Stenhurst, late of the Indian Army, journeys to London, seeking the expert assistance of private detective Slim Callaghan, who at first is difficult to find (he's having a drink
or two at the Night Light Club in Mayfair), and who when found is reluctant to take on
the mysterious assignment he is offered. But of course he eventually relents, greatly increasing the likelihood that the truth will be found and that justice will prevail.]
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[PGC #1542]
Dark Bahama
(1950)
[The "Dark" in the title is a tipoff: this spy novel is part of
Cheyney's "Dark" series of espionage novels, not so very far removed
from the works of Ian Fleming, his contemporary. And just as
Fleming used Jamaica in some of his most famous James Bond stories,
so Cheyney has here used the Bahamas. The island of Dark Bahama,
our novelist tells us, is beautiful, and the people living there
devote their lives to pleasure. But if Cheyney's mysterious Ernest
Guelvada is there, chances are that there is trouble. And indeed
there is: murder, to start with, and assorted intrigues.
"Pseudo-sophistication, cliché culture", commented the Saturday
Review (3 Feb 1951), but what's wrong with that? Yet the
novel also features "taut narrative and plausible surprise to
last sentence" -- that sounds good! All in all, if you like the
spy stories of Fleming and his contemporaries, you may find this
very much to your taste!]
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[PGC #1667]
Ladies Won't Wait
(1951)
[Spy/murder novel featuring (and narrated by) British agent
Michael Kells, with much of the action taking place in the
glamorous setting of Paris.]
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[PGC #1510]
Childers, Erskine (1870-1922)
[Irish author and politician]
Wikipedia
The Riddle of the Sands
(1903)
Wikipedia
[Novel, set largely in the Frisian Islands, very low barrier islands,
easily flooded, which dot the North Sea coast from the Netherlands
east to Denmark. It is presented as a work of non-fiction, featuring "Carruthers" (an assumed name), who has a post in the UK's Foreign
Office. Carruthers accepts an invitation from a friend to go on a
yachting vacation to the Baltic Sea by way of Holland and the Frisian
islands. But something mysterious is going on in the islands --
what are the Germans up to? Yes, this is definitely a novel of
espionage, an early and very good one, continuously famous from
its year of publication right up to the present day!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Chrysler, Walter Percy (1875-1940)
[American automotive engineer]
Wikipedia
Time, 7 January 1929 [Man of the Year article]
Time, 7 January 1929 [Man of the Year cover]
Time, 26 August 1940 [obituary]
With:
Sparkes, Boyden (1890-1954)
[American journalist]
Life of an American Workman
(1950 edition with new postscript by Sparkes;
original edition published in1937)
[Autobiography of the automotive engineer and founder of
the Chrysler Corporation]
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Time, 30 October 1950
Churchill, Winston Spencer (1874-1965)
[English statesman and historian; Nobel Prize in Literature, 1953]
Wikipedia
Nobelprize.org
Savrola. A Tale of the Revolution in Laurania.
(1900)
Wikipedia
[Churchill's only novel, a political one, set in Laurania,
an imaginary country on the north side of the Mediterranean.
"It is the character of Savrola himself that fascinates us, for we realize that in creating the great republican of Laurania young Churchill was depicting his ideal hero, that he was putting into
words the kind of man he wished to be--that he was, perhaps,
determined to become." (Ben Ray Redman, Saturday Review,
14 April 1956)]
HTML, Text, EPUB, and Kindle
[Project Gutenberg US #50906]
My Early Life. A Roving Commission.
(1930)
Wikipedia
[Sir Winston's account of his life from childhood up to 1902.
"When I survey this work as a whole," our author remarks,
"I find I have drawn a picture of a vanished age." But what
an age it was, and what a fine account Sir Winston created!]
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EPUB
[PGC #1315]
Painting as a Pastime
(1948)
[An essay, first published in 1932, in which Sir Winston recommends
having at least two or three hobbies. Reading, of course, but also
painting--which he personally took up at the age of forty! This
enhanced edition of the essay includes eighteen colour reproductions
of his paintings, which demonstrate how well he had learned his new craft.]
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[PGC #1373]
Clynes, John Robert
(1869-1949)
[English trade unionist and politician]
Wikipedia
When I Remember... (1940)
[Pamphlet: history of Britain's social service and income support programs]
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Cody, Hiram Alfred (1872-1948) [Canadian priest, novelist, and biographer]
University of New Brunswick (see under "Cody")
The Trail of the Golden Horn
(1923)
[Mystery novel, with elements of romance, set in Northern
Canada (Cody lived in the Yukon for some years).
A trapper finds an empty cabin, with evidence of
a crime. We are introduced to a nurse, then to a Mountie,
and matters proceed from there.]
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The Master Revenge
(1924)
[Christian morality play done in the form of a novel]
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Songs of a Bluenose
(1925)
[Poetry]
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[PGC #622]
The Crimson Sign
(1935)
[Historical novel, set in Acadia
Wikipedia
towards the end of the seventeenth century.]
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[PGC #946]
Fighting Stars
(1937 edition)
[Novel]
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[PGC #978]
Colby, Charles William (1867-1955) [Canadian historian]
Colby Curtis Museum, Stanstead
The Founder of New France: A Chronicle of Champlain
(1915)
[Biography of Samuel de Champlain
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography:
vol. 3 of "The Chronicles of Canada".
Illustrations by Champlain himself, and by
C. W. Jefferys (1869-1951)
Wikipedia
Library and Archives Canada,
Balthazar Moncornet (ca. 1600-1668),
and John David Kelly (1862-1958)
Ontario's Historical Plaques]
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Previously available:
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Audio (Librivox/PG US)
Colden, Cadwallader (1688-1776)
[Scottish physician; governor of New York 1769-71]
Wikipedia
The History of the Five Indian Nations of Canada
(in two volumes)
(1747 [expanded second edition];
1727 [original edition])
[The first full account in English of the Iroquois League
Wikipedia;
Colden had the advantage of considerable direct contact
with the League as a negotiator for the British government.
Our ebook is based on the 1747 London edition.]
Volume 1:
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[PGC #822]
Volume 2:
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[PGC #823]
Coles, Manning [pseudonym of English author Adelaide Frances Oke Manning
(1891-1959) and British intelligence agent Cyril Henry Coles (1899-1965)]
Wikipedia
Drink to Yesterday
(1940)
[Neighbours Adelaide Manning, who had worked in the War Office
during the First World War, and Cyril Coles, a career officer in British
Intelligence, in 1940 jointly wrote their first novel (many were to follow)
featuring Thomas Elphinstone Hambledon
Wikipedia.
It is set during the First World War: Hambledon is nominally a teacher,
but in fact the important part of his work takes place during the
vacations -- when he is in Germany! This work behind German lines
is presumably based on Coles' own experience: he joined up as a
teenager, had a phenomenal ability to learn languages quickly, and
did indeed work behind German lines! "Tremendously effective and
entirely thrilling tale of man whose split nationality and tragically
divided personal loyalties changed his whole life." (Saturday
Review, 15 February 1941)]
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[PGC #1670]
Pray Silence
(1940)
[It's hard to give a more accurate and concise summary than the one
provided by the Saturday Review in their 10 May 1941 issue:
"British spy loses memory and turns up decade later as high Nazi
police official. He makes up for lost time." Yes, it's Tommy
Hambledon, of course, in the second Manning Coles novel to feature him,
a novel known in the United States as A Toast to Tomorrow, an
excellent title, since it nicely parallels the title of the first novel,
Drink to Yesterday, which was set during the First World War.
Be that as it may, our hero is as far behind German lines as could be
imagined: Hitler himself shows up as a character!]
EPUB
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[PGC #1671]
Without Lawful Authority
(1943)
[Espionage novel, set during the runup to the Second World War.
Some very mysterious crimes are happening in England. They are not
what they seem: but what are the motives? Perhaps Tommy Hambledon
of British Intelligence can sort out these complexities!]
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[PGC #1610]
Green Hazard
(1945)
[Action novel, set in the year 1941, and featuring British intelligence
agent Tommy Hambledon doing dangerous and important espionage. Then comes
shocking news: Hambledon has been killed, in Switzerland! Or has he?]
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[PGC #1620]
The Fifth Man
(1946)
[Espionage novel, naturally featuring British intelligence
agent Tommy Hambledon. In wartime, a dubious life history
can be the ideal background for espionage inside another
country -- for example, Germany!
"A-1 Spy thriller" (Saturday Review, 19 January 1946)]
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[PGC #1616]
Alias Uncle Hugo
(1952)
[Novel of intrigue and espionage. Tommy Hambledon's latest
assignment takes him to the Soviet Union. The Second World
War is now over, but much intrigue is underway. Kaspar,
the orphaned son of an Eastern European monarch, is living
in the Soviet Union being sheltered by his tutor, who is
passing him off as his great-nephew. This is not a situation
that can last: fortunately Kaspar's Uncle Hugo shows up!
But who exactly is Uncle Hugo, and what is he planning?]
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[PGC #1669]
A Knife for the Juggler
(1953)
[Novel of murder and intrigue, the sixteenth in the Tommy
Hambledon series, taking place in the glamorous settings
of the City of Paris and of the Canary Islands!]
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[PGC #1533]
Not for Export
(1954)
[Spy/mystery novel. Some very sensitive airplane design documents disappear:
who better to find them than British intelligence agent Tommy Hambledon?
Much action in West Germany, particularly Berlin, but Russia also plays
a role. "Familiar mixture of international mayhem and mirth...
Peppy as ever" (John T. Winterich, Saturday Review, 13 March 1954)]
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[PGC #1539]
No Entry
(1958)
[Spy/mystery novel, which begins in the city of Goslar
Wikipedia,
near the former boundary between West and East Germany. The son of the
British Foreign Secretary has mysteriously disappeared while visiting.
Are the Russians involved? To the Foreign Office it seems obvious: the
situation calls for the special talents of Thomas Elphinstone "Tommy" Hambledon
Wikipedia.]
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[PGC #1503]
Collins, Wilkie (1824-1889)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
The Moonstone
(1868)
Wikipedia
[Perhaps the very first English detective novel! Dorothy L. Sayers and
G. K. Chesterton thought it probably the finest English detective novel
ever written: a century and a half after it was published, who are we to
disagree? It features an accomplished "amateur" sleuth, Franklin Blake,
and the very capable Sergeant Richard Cuff, called in from (where else?)
Scotland Yard. The Moonstone itself is an ancient gem which had been
stolen by a British soldier in 1799 during the British conquest of India.
(One of the novel's many strengths is its realistic assessment of the
true nature of British colonialism.) But when the Moonstone arrives in
England, the intrigue and violence which have dogged its history follow
it from India.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Compton, Edward Harrison (1881-1960)
[German painter]
Wikipedia
Chester Water-Colours
(1916)
[Watercolour album. Chester
Wikipedia
(from "castrum", Latin for "army base") is located in Cheshire, not
far from the Welsh border. As its name indicates, it was founded
by the Romans, and was relatively prosperous throughout the Middle
Ages. Watergate Street, included in this collection, was laid out
as part of the Roman encampment, and substantial sections of the
city's walls survive from Roman times. As you will see, this famous
old city provided excellent material for Compton to paint. In spite
of his name, Compton was a German artist: his father had emigrated
from England to Upper Bavaria where he became a famous mountain climber
and painter, married, and had his family. The son followed his father's
example and became a painter. He trained in England, exhibited his
paintings there, and was presumably in England throughout the First World
War, for this fine portfolio was published in May 1916. The reproductions
are all in colour: if there were wartime production issues, there are certainly no traces of them in this beautiful album.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #66086]
Conan Doyle, Arthur
(1859-1930)
See:
Doyle, Arthur Conan
(1859-1930)
Conference on the Medical Services in Canada (1924)
Report of the Conference on the Medical Services
in Canada held at Ottawa, December 18, 19, 20, 1924
(1925)
[Transcript of conference]
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Connell, Richard [Richard Edward, Jr.] (1893-1949)
[American journalist, screenwriter, and novelist]
Wikipedia
The Most Dangerous Game
(1924)
Wikipedia
[A very famous and very influential short story, involving
a special kind of big game hunting.]
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[PGC #1480]
Connington, J. J. [Stewart, Alfred Walter] (1880-1947) [Scottish
chemist, physicist, and writer of mysteries and science fiction]
Wikipedia
Nordenholt's Million
(1923)
[Disaster novel. Environmental catastrophe has arrived on Earth and
the multimillionaire Nordenholt constructs a refuge for himself and
some others. Not in today's favoured location of New Zealand, but
in the Clyde Valley of Scotland! Parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic
and the behaviour of our modern ultrarich are easy to see. How did
Connington foresee all this? Well, he certainly knew his science:
he was a famous organic chemist. And a fine writer: he went on to
write a considerable number of mystery novels!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #64567]
Murder in the Maze
(1927)
[Mystery novel, featuring Chief Constable Sir Clinton Driffield. We
begin at Whistlefield, which belongs to Roger Shandon, who is not just
a barrister, but a King's Counsel (KC), if you please! Which is presumably
why he can afford a house like Whistlefield, which has not only a name.
but also grounds, and on those grounds a maze. Which, of course, is
where a murder is discovered. Hence the intervention of Sir Clinton!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #71351]
Connor, Ralph [pen name of Rev. Charles William Gordon] (1860-1937) [Canadian clergyman and novelist]
Wikipedia
Canadian Encyclopedia
Black Rock: a Tale of the Selkirks (1898) [Novel]
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Gwen's Canyon
(1898)
["Gwen was undoubtedly wild and, as the Sky Pilot said, wilful and wicked."
This short story describes her transformation.]
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[PGC #625]
The Sky Pilot: a Tale of the Foothills (1899) [Novel]
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Michael McGrath, Postmaster (1900) [Novel]
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The Prospector (1901) [Novel]
Text
The Man from Glengarry: a Tale of the Ottawa (1901) [Novel]
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Glengarry School Days: a Story of Early Days in Glengarry (1902) [Novel]
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The Doctor: a Tale of the Rockies (1906) [Novel]
HTML and Text
The Foreigner: a Tale of Saskatchewan (1909) [Novel]
Text
Corporal Cameron of the North West Mounted Police: a Tale of the Macleod Trail (1912) [Novel]
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The Patrol of the Sun Dance Trail (1914) [Novel]
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The Major (1919) [Novel]
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The Sky Pilot in No Man's Land (1919) [Novel]
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To Him That Hath: a Novel of the West of Today (1921) [Novel]
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The Girl from Glengarry (1933) [Novel]
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Conrad, Joseph [Korzeniowski, Józef Teodor Konrad]
(1857-1924) [Polish mariner and novelist]
Wikipedia
Almayer's Folly. A Story of an Eastern River.
(1895)
Wikipedia
[Conrad's first novel, in which his peculiar strengths are already
evident. He wrote English beautifully, and yet he was not from an
English-speaking country, but from Poland, which through almost
his entire life was not an independent country, but a region, split
between the Russian, German, and Austrian empires: in fact, a colony.
This put Conrad in an excellent position to observe and understand
the colonial experience. Almayer's Folly demonstrates this
nicely. It is the first of Conrad's three Malay novels, set in what
is now Indonesia, but at the time was a Dutch colony. Kaspar Almayer
is a Dutch trader who lives with his Malayan wife, by whom he has had
a daughter, Nina. In anticipation of a British annexation of the area
(which never happens), and the resulting increase in business (which
also never happens), he puts up a preposterously large half-finished
house ("Almayer's Folly") as a venue for his business affairs. But
Almayer's delusions are not limited to commerce: his wife is secretly
determined that under no circumstances will their daughter Nina marry
a European. Nina is, in fact, strictly opposed to the European colonial
dream/nightmare, in which Almayer is so deeply invested.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
An Outcast of the Islands
(1896)
Wikipedia
[Conrad's second novel, a sequel to Almayer's Folly. The
islands in question are the Malay Archipelago (modern Indonesia),
where Almayer's Folly had been set. Like its predecessor,
the novel's focus is on a European, in this case Peter Willems.
"The man who suggested Willems to me," wrote Conrad in his 1919
Author's Note, included in our ebook, "was not particularly
interesting in himself. My interest was aroused by his dependent
position, his strange, dubious status of a mistrusted, disliked,
worn-out European living on the reluctant toleration of that
Settlement hidden in the heart of the forest-land, up that sombre
stream which our ship was the only white men's ship to visit."
And, really, there you have the novel. Like its predecessor, it is
a careful examination of what men will do when tempted or pressured,
particularly if the colonial system puts them in a position of privilege.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Nigger of the Narcissus. A Tale of the Forecastle.
(1897)
Wikipedia
[Novella. CAUTION: Certain elements of plot and language may seem
racist by the standards of today. It is truly unfortunate that the title
includes an example of such language, but the policy at Project Gutenberg
Canada is that under no circumstances do we censor what we publish. As it
happens, the novel, if anything, is an attack on the racist attitudes of
Conrad's time: it is the story of James Wait, born in the West Indies,
who is on his way from Bombay to London, gravely ill with tuberculosis,
and of what happens on this voyage. Connoisseurs of Conrad consider it
one of his finest works.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Heart of Darkness
(1899)
Wikipedia
[Rarely have an author's personal experiences been so powerfully
transformed into literature: Conrad himself had captained a boat on
the Congo River, and eight years later he gave the world this classic
novella. In essence, it is an attack on the catastophes that European
colonialism brought to Africa, and centres on the life and death of Mr.
Kurtz, who runs a trading post in a very remote area upriver in central
Africa, and is both feared and worshipped by the people in his trading
area. Not all of the story takes place in Africa. At the beginning
of the story, the narrator, an English seaman named Charles Marlow,
describes how he crosses the Channel to sign his contract, and duly
arrives "in a city that always makes me think of a whited sepulchre...
I had no difficulty in finding the Company's offices. It was the biggest
thing in the town, and everybody I met was full of it. They were going
to run an over-sea empire, and make no end of coin by trade." At the
end of the novel Marlow finds himself back in Europe, and his outlook
has been permanently changed by the appalling things he has seen. If this
happens to remind you of Francis Ford Coppola's film Apocalypse Now
Wikipedia,
that is no coincidence, for this famous novella inspired that famous film!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Lord Jim
(1900)
Wikipedia
[Novel, set largely amidst the islands of the Malay Archipelago.
It can be read as a cautionary tale, showing how important it
can be to resist peer pressure. Very early on in his seafaring
career the title character makes the disastrous error of following
the rest of his crew in abandoning his ship during a storm. Not
just the ship, but its passengers! In a 1917 Author's Note included
in this Adelaide digital edition, Conrad wrote, "As a matter of principle
I will have no favourites; but I don't go so far as to feel grieved and
annoyed by the preference some people give to my Lord Jim." Conrad
thereby has let the cat out of the bag -- it seems that he in fact
had a favourite novel, and that novel is called Lord Jim!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Typhoon
(1902, with a preface from 1920)
Wikipedia
[Novella involving, not surprisingly, a major storm in the Pacific
Ocean. It was based, Conrad tells us, on a genuine incident involving
a steamship carrying a large number of passengers from Singapore to
northern China. "I never met anybody personally concerned in this
affair, the interest of which for us was, of course, not the bad weather
but the extraordinary complication brought into the ship's life at
a moment of exceptional stress by the human element below her deck."
And that nicely describes the events of the book, and what faces its
central character, the unforgettable Captain MacWhirr. "MacWhirr is
not an acquaintance of a few hours, or a few weeks, or a few months.
He is the product of twenty years of life. My own life. Conscious
invention had little to do with him."]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Nostromo. A Tale of the Seaboard.
(1904)
Wikipedia
[Novel, with an Author's Note added by Conrad in 1917. It marks
a transition point in his extraordinary writing career, being
preceded by various sea novels and stories (Lord Jim,
Youth, Typhoon), and followed by the political
novels (The Secret Agent, Under Western Eyes).
Nostromo is an adventure novel, set in a South American
country named Costaguana, which is fictional, but bears an
obvious resemblance to Colombia. There are many shenanigans,
both political and financial, as was the case with Colombia
during the exciting period of the US annexation of the Panama
Canal Zone. The central character, Nostromo, originally from
Italy, is at the same time an important figure in Costaguana, and
yet somewhat apart from its people. "Perhaps the nearest approach
to a brief analysis of the complex web of this book is to say that
it tells how this Nostromo, whose pride and joy, whose whole
stock-in-trade in life, is his integrity, his unblemished
reputation, becomes a thief..." (Frederic Taber Cooper,
The Bookman [US], November 1904)]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Secret Agent
(1907)
Wikipedia
[One of Conrad's most famous novels, but its fame was late in
coming: when published in 1907 it did not sell extremely well,
and reviews were mixed. How things have changed! Now it is
one of Conrad's most famous novels, and it is easy to see why.
It is quite different from Conrad's earlier novels of seafaring,
and instead deals with the very modern world of espionage,
conspiracy, and police surveillance -- with a good dose of
incompetence mixed in. Need more be said?]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Under Western Eyes
(1911)
Wikipedia
[This is a novel of politics, intrigue, and assassination, taking
place in Geneva and St Petersburg, and centred on Kirylo Sidorovitch
Razumov, a Russian university student with a mysterious background.
The "Western Eyes" of the title belong to the novel's narrator, an
elderly teacher of languages who is a longtime resident of Geneva.
"A whole quarter of that town, on account of many Russians residing
there, is called La Petite Russie -- Little Russia. I had a rather
extensive connexion in Little Russia at that time. Yet I confess
that I have no comprehension of the Russian character." Conrad's
father and grandfather had been politically active, which no doubt
explains why in his 1921 Author's Note he said that "My greatest
anxiety was in being able to strike and sustain the note of scrupulous
impartiality... 'Under Western Eyes' on its first appearance in England
was a failure with the public, perhaps because of that very detachment."
But the book ended up a success for Conrad: in particular it went through
many editions in Russia, and has become an enduring classic. Conrad drily
noted in 1921 that "by the mere force of circumstances 'Under Western Eyes'
has become already a sort of historical novel dealing with the past"; that
is, the First World War and the Russian Revolution had changed everything.
But this simply demonstrates how clear Conrad's vision was of where society
was headed. For us today it has special relevance, given the shadowy world
that has unexpectedly emerged around us: autocracies and oligarchies
worldwide, massive state surveillance even in what are claimed to be liberal
democracies, "black ops" and secret prisons, and the rest of it.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Victory. An Island Tale.
(1915 [novel]; 1920 [Author's Note])
Wikipedia
[Surely a novel called "Victory", published in 1915, must be concerned
with the First World War. Well, no, it isn't! Conrad finished the novel
on 19 May 1914, and "Victory" was the title he had already chosen, which
he could not bring himself to change once the war had begun. And who can
blame him? The main character is Axel Heyst, born in London, but "directly
his father died he lit out into the wide world on his own", and eventually
found himself in the Malay Archipelago: "Everyone in that part of the
world knew of him, dwelling on his little island." This is the story of
what happened to Heyst and to those he met, in particular the travelling
"orchestra girl" Lena, who changed his life forever. The ebook we offer
you includes not only Conrad's original Note to the First Edition, but
also an extended Author's Note which he wrote for the 1920 limited edition
of his collected works.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Arrow of Gold. A Story Between Two Notes.
(1919)
Wikipedia
[Historical novel, set in Marseilles, but principally concerned with
Spain, in particular the Third Carlist War
Wikipedia.
There is a direct line from the Carlist Wars to the Spanish Civil
War of 1936-39 and indeed to the question of Catalan independence
which continues to roil Spanish politics today, and there is a
direct line back to the Middle Ages, when Spain was far from being
a unitary state, but was a group of independent kingdoms
with very distinct religions, languages, and nationalities. So
the Third Carlist War (1872-76) settled nothing, but was a dispute
between two claimants to the Spanish throne, the not particularly
popular Amadeo I, from Italy, and Carlos VII, who was opposed to
liberalism, but in favour of the traditional autonomy of Catalonia,
Aragon, and Valencia: this autonomy had been suppressed many years
before by Philip V at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession.
But Conrad's novel is not about the great themes of Spanish history,
but about individuals, mostly in Marseilles, who are involved in
various ways with smuggling weapons to the Carlist forces in Spain.
The chief of these characters is Doña Rita, born in Spain, but
resident for many years in France, where she takes a chief role
in the smuggling. "The murky intrigues of a royalist uprising
form only the background for a tale of love triumphant, brooded
over by the magic and mystery of the sea. There is something direct
and elemental in the artless infatuation of the young sailor, known
only as Monsieur George, palpitating on the threshold of his first
love, and the experienced Doña Rita... whose youth and innocence
still make answer to the youth and innocence of her lover."
(Literary Digest, 11 October 1919)]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Suspense
(1925)
[Novel, left incomplete by Conrad, who gave instructions
that no one was to complete it; but what he left was
in itself a sizeable piece of work. The story is set
in Italy at the very end of the Napoleonic wars, and
features the young Englishman Cosmo Latham, who at the
novel's opening is just arriving in Genoa, not so very
far from the former emperor's place of exile, Elba.
Our ebook includes a frontispiece by the Scottish
artist Muirhead Bone (1876-1953)
Wikipedia.]
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[PGC #1269]
Selected and with an introduction by Conrad's friend
R. B. Cunninghame Graham (1852-1936)
[Scottish politician and author]
Wikipedia:
Tales of Hearsay
(1925)
[Four stories written at various points during Conrad's life, dealing with the sea,
Polish history, and much else.]
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[PGC #1354]
Cornford, F. M. [Francis Macdonald] (1874-1943)
[English classical scholar]
Wikipedia
Microcosmographia Academica. Being a Guide for the Young Academic Politician.
(1908)
Wikipedia
[Monograph on political practices within universities, continually famous since its anonymous
publication in 1908]
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[PGC #889]
Costain, Thomas B. [Thomas Bertram] (1885-1965)
[Canadian journalist, novelist, and historian]
Wikipedia
The Silver Chalice
(1952)
Wikipedia
[Historical novel about the Holy Grail, taking place at various
places around the Roman Empire, including the court of the emperor Nero.
Written with all the skill, smoothness, and historical knowledge we expect
from Costain, it became an instant bestseller.]
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[PGC #1568]
The Darkness and the Dawn
(1959)
[Large scale historic novel about Attila ("the Hun")
Wikipedia,
the founder of a large but short lived kingdom on the northern
boundaries of the Roman Empire. "I wish to make it clear,"
says our author, "that in telling the story... I have adhered
quite closely to such facts as history supplies of that spectacular
conqueror, Attila the Hun."]
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[PGC #1571]
with:
Eayrs, Hugh S. [Hugh Sterling] (1894-1940)
[Canadian publisher and novelist]
McMaster University
The Amateur Diplomat
(1917)
[Novel about intrigue in the Balkan kingdom of Ironia during
the First World War. And it includes a love story.
The "amateur diplomat" of the title is Canadian!]
HTML, Text, EPUB, and Kindle
[Project Gutenberg US #51077]
Courage, James Francis (1903-1963)
[New Zealand novelist]
Te Ara (Grant Harris)
Christchurch City Libraries (Virginia Clegg, Courage's niece)
From a Balcony
(1926)
[Short story. Major (retd.) Lionel Pratts is living happily
in a fashionable area of London, along with his (female)
dog Tommy. And he has a friend, Miss Mildred Gannet...]
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[PGC #1186]
Covarrubias, Miguel (1904-1957)
[Mexican cartoonist and painter]
Wikipedia
The Prince of Wales and Other Famous Americans (1925)
Wikipedia
[In his preface, the famous American photographer
Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964)
describes how eighteen months earlier he had first met Miguel Covarrubias,
newly arrived in New York from Mexico City, looked at the drawings
Covarrubias had with him, and "was immediately convinced that I stood in
the presence of an amazing talent, if not, indeed, genius. That afternoon
he made the sketches for his caricature of me, delivered two days later,
the first, I think, of this New York series." And what a series it is!
The Prince of Wales was not American of course, but was visiting New York.
And a famous Canadian was among Covarrubias' subjects: the film actress
Mary Pickford, born in Toronto!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70493]
Cox, Anthony Berkeley (1893-1971)
[English journalist and writer of mysteries]
Wikipedia
Novel published under the name of
Anthony Berkeley
:
Roger Sheringham and the Vane Mystery
[U.S. title: The Mystery at Lover's Cave]
(1927)
[Mystery, skilfully written in a light and entertaining style. As the
novel opens, the sparkling and witty Roger Sheringham has been asked
by the Daily Courier to visit Hampshire to report on an apparent
murder in the small seaside town of Ludmouth Bay. With him he takes
his cousin Anthony Walton. "Although there were more than ten years
between the cousins (Roger was now thirty-six, Anthony a bare twenty-five),
they had always been good friends, and that also in spite of the fact
that they had scarcely a taste or a feeling in common." The two of them
prove an effective and entertaining pair of investigators.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS no 70877]
Craik, Dinah Maria Mulock (1826-1887)
[English author]
Wikipedia
"Dinah Mulock Craik" [1983 book by Sally Mitchell]
The Fairy Book. The Best Popular Fairy Stories
Selected and Rendered Anew.
(1863 [text], 1913 [illustrations])
Illustrated in colour by
Warwick Goble (1862-1943)
[English artist]
Wikipedia
[Fairy tales, some very familiar, others somewhat out of the ordinary]
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[PGC #763]
Crane, Walter (1845-1915) [English artist and illustrator]
Wikipedia
The Absurd ABC (1874) [Picture book]
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An Alphabet of Old Friends (1874) [Picture book]
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The Frog Prince and Other Stories (1874) [Picture book]
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Legends for Lionel in Pen & Pencil (1887)
[The "legends", as you might guess, are drawings, accompanied by short
texts in the spirit of nursery rhymes. The drawings are gorgeous, as
you would expect from Walter Crane, and were originally created for
his son Lionel. "This book of sketches," wrote Crane. "the offspring
of the odd half hours of winter evenings, was originally intended
strictly for home consumption. One thing, however, leads to another,
just as the sketches did, following one by one as fancy led, till
they filled the book." A friend admired the book and passed it to
the publisher Cassell, who duly published it, thus enabling us to
enjoy the pictures today!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #66966]
The Song Of Sixpence Picture Book
containing Sing a Song of Sixpence;
Princess Belle etoile; An Alphabet of Old Friends:
with the original
Coloured Designs By
Walter Crane
including a preface and
other embellishments
(1909) [Picture book]
HTML and Text
with
Molesworth, Mary Louisa (1839-1921)
[Scottish children's writer]
Wikipedia
A Christmas Child. A Sketch of a Boy-Life.
(1880)
[Children's novel by Mrs. Molesworth, with illustrations by English artist and illustrator Walter Crane ,
engraved by Joseph Swain (1820-1909)
The website of Bob Speel
British Museum, or an unnamed assistant]
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[PGC #630]
The Adventures of Herr Baby
(1881)
[Children's novel by Mrs. Molesworth, with illustrations by Crane]
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Crofts, Freeman Wills (1879-1957)
[Irish engineer and mystery novelist]
Wikipedia
The Cask (1920)
Wikipedia
[Crofts had been a railroad engineer for more than twenty years when
he had a major illness, and wrote this mystery novel, his first, while
recovering. It remains famous to this day. As you might expect,
the plot does indeed involve a cask, a wine cask, but one with some
interesting contents! Railways are often mentioned, as is appropriate
given Crofts' profession -- including the railways of France!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #59854]
The Ponson Case (1921)
[Crofts' second mystery novel. As it opens, we are introduced to
Sir William Ponson, who "had retired from business some ten years
before our story opens and, selling his interest in the large ironworks
of which he was head, had bought Luce Manor and settled down to end his
days in the rôle of a country squire." Very much "a self-made man", in
Crofts' words, and one presumably accustomed to living life on his own
terms. And yet in spite of his wealth, "he remained a simple, honourable,
kindly old man, a little headstrong and short tempered perhaps, but anxious
to be just, and quick to apologise if he found himself in the wrong."
Could such a man have mortal enemies? Since he's the main character
of a mystery novel named after him, the answer could well be yes!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #72235]
Inspector French and the Starvel Tragedy
[U.S. title: The Starvel Hollow Mystery]
(1927)
Wikipedia
[Mysterious deaths on the moors of western Yorkshire. Inspector French
to the rescue!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #59854]
Crompton, Richmal [Lamburn, Richmal Crompton] (1890-1969)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
The Just William books, illustrated by
Thomas Henry (1879-1962)
Wikipedia
Just William
(1922)
[Crompton's first book about William Brown and his friends ("the
Outlaws"); many were to follow. William is eleven years of age, and
within the Outlaws has considerable moral authority, but is not really
in charge of them. He has quick wits and, like many children, a sound
understanding of how adult society really works -- not quite the way
parents and teachers advertise! Popular with children for obvious reasons,
the book, like Kim and many other "children's books", is in fact
written at an adult level. And it comes with a fine set of illustrations by
Thomas Henry (1879-1962)
Wikipedia]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #34414]
More William
(1922)
Wikipedia
[Published with little delay in the same year as Just William,
it is along the same lines as the earlier book -- why break something
that most definitely isn't broken? So no reboot for William, now or
ever. In fact, he remains the same age (eleven) through all the books,
a span of nearly fifty years, though no one in the books ever seems to
notice this.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #17125]
William Again
(1923)
[The third book of stories (fourteen of them!) about William Brown
and his friends. In the first story, William decides to write (and
put on stage!) a new play. Many other adventures follow.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #65590]
William--The Fourth
(1924)
[The fourth book of stories about William Brown and his friends. Rather
than try to summarize all fourteen of them, we'll just give three of the
titles: William and Photography, William the Showman, and
William Enters Politics. Perhaps William would prove more adept
than some of our modern English politicians -- look out, Boris!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #66971]
Still--William
(1925)
Wikipedia
[The fifth book of stories (fourteen of them!) about William Brown and
his friends. As the title suggests, William's character has not changed,
nor would we want it to. And in fact his character (and age) would
remain the same in every single one of the books, which appeared over a
span of nearly half a century! Summarizing all fourteen of the stories
is impossible, but fortunately the book's Wikipedia article has done
this for us. Still, "Henri Learns the Language" has a special charm for
Canadians, since virtually all of us have had to deal with learning a
second language, be it English or French. But few language students
have Henri's level of gentle determination: "We weel talk an' you weel
teach to me ze slang."]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67238]
Crowe, Catherine Ann (1790-1872)
[English novelist and playwright]
Wikipedia
University of Kent
Ghosts and Family Legends. A Volume for Christmas.
(1859)
["It happened," writes Mrs. Crowe, "that I spent the last winter in a large country mansion, in the north of England, where we had a succession of visitors, and all manner of amusements." Among these
amusements were ghost stories...]
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[PGC #938]
Cruikshank, Ernest Alexander (1854-1939)
[Canadian historian]
Library and Archives Canada
The Administration of Lieut.-Governor Simcoe,
Viewed in his Official Correspondence
(1891)
[Lecture on various interesting details of the early history of Upper Canada
(Ontario) which can be found in the official correspondence of John Graves Simcoe
Wikipedia]
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[PGC #445]
The Story of Butler's Rangers and the Settlement of Niagara
(1893)
[History of the Loyalist regiment
Wikipedia
founded by John Butler (1728-1796)
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Wikipedia
and their eventual settlement in and around the future town
of Niagara-on-the-Lake
Wikipedia]
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The Life of Sir Henry Morgan. With an account of the
English settlement of the island of Jamaica (1655-1688).
(1935)
[A very interesting biography of the Welsh privateer
Wikipedia.
The PG Canada catalogue includes The Privateer, a historical novel about
Sir Henry, published in 1952 by Josephine Tey using the pen name Gordon Daviot:
in her Author's Note, Tey describes Cruikshank's work as the "definitive biography
of Henry Morgan...It is dispassionate, exhaustive, and accurate, and will prove an
excellent corrective to both fictional biographies and biographical fictions."]
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[PGC #767]
Cullum, Ridgwell [Burghard, Sidney Groves] (1867-1943)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
The Bull Moose
(1931)
[Adventure novel, set in the Yukon (where Cullum had lived).
A mysterious and dangerous man known as the Bull Moose
has been robbing gold miners. People are concerned;
the police are concerned.]
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[PGC #1139]
Cummings, Ray [Raymond King] (1887-1957)
[American science fiction author]
Wikipedia
The Man Who Mastered Time
(1929)
[Science fiction novel. Time travel can be helpful if you're on a rescue mission!]
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[PGC #1061]
The Shadow Girl
(1962 version)
[The 1962 book version of Cummings' famous novel, first published in 1929 in serialized form.
A custom-built television set does not bring in any of the usual channels. It does, however,
reveal a mysterious girl, and a mysterious tower. What do these visions portend?
Time travel, it would seem...]
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[PGC #1060]
Curwood, James Oliver (1878-1927)
[American novelist]
Wikipedia
Shiawassee Regional Chamber of Commerce
The Ancient Highway. A Novel of High Hearts and Open Woods.
(1925)
[Novel, with four illustrations by Walt Louderback (1887-1941).
The novel is set in the years following the First World War, and describes the adventures
of Clifton Brant, a young war veteran, in the vast northern forests of Quebec.
Curwood's brief preface pays tribute to the memory of his friend Sir William Price (1867-1924)
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Centre d'histoire Sir William Price]
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[PGC #465]
The Black Hunter. A Novel of Old Quebec.
(1926)
[Novel, illustrated by Arthur Ernst Becher (1877-1960), taking place in
1755, on the eve of the Seven Years' War, and telling the story of
Anne St. Denis and David Rock, two young people living in the wilderness
of New France. Anne is sent to Quebec City to be introduced into Quebec society;
she convinces David to follow her. Intendant Bigot
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
and his cronies see Anne and decide to plot to have her fall into his clutches
and to get rid of David. Matters proceed from there...]
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[PGC #718]
The Plains of Abraham
(1928)
[Historical novel, set around 1750. A young boy's parents are killed
in a Mohawk raid. He and a girl in a similar plight are adopted by
the Senecas. They have many adventures, and he ends up as a
participant in the famous battle. This ebook includes the
endpapers, illustrated by an anonymous artist.]
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Wikipedia
D'Annunzio, Gabriele (1863-1938) [Italian playwright and novelist/ Dramaturge et romancier italien]
en.wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
it.wikipedia
La città morta. Tragedia. (1898)
[Play in Italian / Pièce de théâtre en italien]
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[PG Canada #432/no 432]
Learn Italian! / Apprenez l'italien!
Dafoe, John Wesley (1866-1944)
[Canadian journalist]
Wikipedia
Laurier: A Study in Canadian Politics (1922)
[History and political analysis]
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Canada, an American Nation
(1935)
["American" as in "North American" — three lectures delivered by Dafoe
in 1934 at Columbia University and published in the following year with some
additional material. Dafoe "thought the time and occasion opportune to discuss...
the common foundation of early North American feeling and belief upon which
the structures of government in both countries rest." As these lectures
show, Dafoe combined the writing and speaking skills of a fine professional
journalist with a deep knowledge of history and politics: hence, no doubt,
the honour of the invitation from Columbia to deliver these lectures.]
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[PGC #1219]
Dantzig, Tobias (1884-1956)
[American mathematician]
Wikipedia
Henri Poincaré, Critic of Crisis.
Reflections on his universe of discourse.
(1954)
[Essays on the philosophy of the French mathematician
and physicist Henri Poincaré (1854-1912)
Wikipedia, intended for the
general reader]
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Davis, William Stearns (1877-1930)
[American historian and novelist]
Wikipedia
The Beauty of the Purple. A Romance of Imperial Constantinople Twelve Centuries Ago.
(1924)
[Historical novel about the astounding career of the eighth-century
Byzantine emperor Leo the Isaurian
Wikipedia.
"This romance attempts to show forth," our novelist remarks,
"something of the brilliancy, magnificence and teeming life of
Christian Constantinople in an age when London and Paris
were little better than squalid villages."]
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[PGC #1144]
de la Mare, Walter (1873-1956) [English poet, novelist, and writer of stories]
Wikipedia
Stories from the Bible
(1929) [Stories from the Old Testament, retold in modern English]
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[PGC #441]
Best Stories of Walter de la Mare
(1942)
[The author's own favourites among his stories for adults.
Elsewhere in this catalogue you will find many of his children's stories.]
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[PGC #992]
Mr. Bumps and his Monkey (1942) [Novella for children]
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Collected Stories for Children (1947)
Inward Companion
(1950)
[Lyric poems]
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[PGC #908]
de la Roche, Mazo (1879-1961)
[Canadian novelist and playwright]
Wikipedia
The Jalna novels, in the order of the events they describe.
We offer the following titles from the sixteen novels in the series:
The Building of Jalna
(1944)
[Novel, telling of the arrival of the Whiteoaks in Canada, and the founding of
Jalna, their family home: the first of the Jalna saga's sixteen novels. The
sixteen novels in the series were not published in chronological order: this
was the ninth novel, and by the time it appeared the Jalna series was already
famous around the world!]
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[PGC #1361]
Mary Wakefield
(1949)
[The third Jalna novel, taking place in the 1890s,
years before the events described in Jalna and Whiteoaks.
The recently widowed Philip Whiteoak has two young children,
and needs a governess: the young and beautiful Mary
Wakefield, freshly arrived from England. Her arrival
naturally causes great commotion at Jalna.
"Sometimes we have thought we had been given a little too much
of Jalna... this volume convinces us that we really needed
more of the chronicle. Taken as a whole, the work begins
to stand up as one of the best achievements of Canadian literature".
(Allan Nevins, Saturday Review, 29 January 1949).
The novel is dedicated to the celebrated Canadian sculptor
Walter Allward (1876-1955)
Wikipedia, creator of the Canadian National
Vimy Memorial in France.]
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[PGC #1231]
Young Renny
(1935)
[The fourth Jalna novel. Renny and Meg Whiteoak are now in their twenties,
a complicated time of life for anyone, but particularly for Whiteoaks.
Family members of various ages, from the formidable Adeline down,
participate fully in the turbulent but generally happy life of Jalna.]
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[PGC #1238]
Whiteoak Harvest
(1936)
[The fifth Jalna novel, taking place during the
Great Depression, the effects of which are being
felt even at Jalna. It's a bad time to be in
debt, but Renny has a mortgage to deal with --
a mortgage on Jalna itself! Nicholas and Ernest
return to Jalna; perhaps their presence will bring
some calm to the friendly turmoil which, as usual,
is engulfing Jalna. And Finch returns as well.
As with all of the Jalna novels, our author skilfully
ensures that to enjoy the novel you need have no
prior knowledge of Jalna and the Whiteoak family.]
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EPUB
[PGC #1506]
The Whiteoak Brothers
(1953)
[The sixth Jalna novel, principally about the Whiteoak brothers; but their grandmother
Adeline, now nearing 100, plays a memorable role. The plot involves
a mysterious visitor from England, a gold mine, and many other things.
If you liked the TV series Dallas, the Jalna saga may
be exactly your literary cup of tea! The writing could hardly be better, and
the novel does not require any previous knowledge of Jalna and the Whiteoaks.]
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[PGC #1397]
Jalna
(1927)
Wikipedia
[The novel which launched the Jalna series.
We are introduced to the Whiteoak family, and their estate, Jalna,
located on the shore of Lake Ontario.]
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EPUB
[PGC #1028]
Whiteoaks
(1929)
[Novel: the sequel to Jalna, and featuring the same brilliant
set of characters. "The chapters which describe the last days of old
Gran, and which hold us in suspense to learn upon which member of
the great Jalna clan she has bestowed her hoarded fortune, would
alone make the book a welcome acquisition."
(Allan Nevins, Saturday Review, 21 September 1929)]
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EPUB
[PGC #1134]
Finch's Fortune
(1931)
[Novel. Finch Whiteoak, grandson of Adeline Whiteoak, turns twenty-one,
and receives an enormous legacy under the terms of his grandmother's will.
Naturally this changes his life, and also the life of those around him.
"From the first page to the last, Finch's Fortune
holds the reader enthralled."
(Myra M. Waterman, The Bookman, November 1931)]
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[PGC #1102]
The Master of Jalna
(1933)
[Novel. Finch has returned from England and rejoined the rest
of the Whiteoak family at Jalna. Of course, this doesn't mean
that things are quiet and settled — after all, we're talking
about the Whiteoaks!
"In this latest instalment, the family vicissitudes are dominated by
red-haired Rennie — the strongest-willed of all since the
passing of old Gran... he presides at the mansion, raises
horses, decides vital family issues, and keeps the clan together."
(Allan Nevins, Saturday Review, 16 September 1933)]
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[PGC #1213]
Renny's Daughter
(1951)
[Novel, the fourteenth in the Jalna narrative. Nicholas and Ernest
Whiteoak, born in 1852 and 1854 respectively, are now very old men:
the novel largely concerns Adeline Whiteoak, "Renny's daughter", born
in 1930, named after her formidable great-grandmother, and now fully
participating in the never-ending drama of the Whiteoak family and
their life at Jalna.]
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EPUB
[PGC #1449]
Other works by Mazo de la Roche:
Delight
(1926)
[Novel. Delight is not an emotion, but a person:
Delight Mainprize, originally from England, but
now a waitress in Brancepeth, Ontario, where she
finds many admirers. Competition ensues among
the men of Brancepeth: who will win her hand?]
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EPUB
[PGC #1508]
Whiteoaks. A Play.
(1936)
[Play adapted by de la Roche from her 1929 novel of the same name
in the Jalna series. An enormous hit in London's West End, it
was subsequently produced on Broadway.]
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[PGC #1115]
Growth of a Man
(1938)
[Novel, which follows Shaw Manifold from his boyhood in Southern Ontario
to his adulthood as a forester in British Columbia. H. R. Macmillan
Wikipedia,
de la Roche's cousin, and a central figure in the history of British Columbia's
forest industry, appears to have inspired the novel!]
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EPUB
[PGC #1187]
De Mille, James (1833-1880)
[Canadian classical scholar and novelist]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
jrank.org
The "B. O. W. C." A book for boys.
(1869)
[Novel for teenagers]
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Lost in the Fog (1871)
[Novel]
Text
Cord and Creese (1871)
[Novel]
Text
The American Baron (1872)
[Novel]
Text
The Treasure of the Seas (1872)
[Novel for teenagers]
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Oak Island, Nova Scotia:
Wikipedia
Oak Island Treasure
activemind.com
The Living Link (1874)
[Novel]
Text
A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder (1888)
[Novel]
HTML and Text
Behind the Veil. A Poem.
(1893)
[Transcendental poem, influenced by the ideas of the Greek philosopher Plato
Wikipedia.
Discovered among De Mille's papers after his death, and published by
Archibald McKellar MacMechan (1862-1933)
Wikipedia,
his friend and colleague at Dalhousie University
Wikipedia.]
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[PGC #646]
Contributor:
Humour of the North (1912)
[Anthology]
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Decorde, Jean-Eugène (1811-1881)
[Curé, historien et lexicographe français]
Dictionnaire du patois du pays de Bray (1852)
[Dictionnaire: Decorde était curé de Bures
fr.wikipedia,
pays de Bray
fr.wikipedia, Normandie
fr.wikipedia
entre 1836 et 1870. Le français que nous parlons
aujourd'hui au Canada trouve ses origines
en Normandie.]
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Histoire de Bures-en-Bray (1872)
[Histoire: Decorde était curé de Bures
fr.wikipedia,
pays de Bray
fr.wikipedia, Normandie
fr.wikipedia
entre 1836 et 1870]
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Deeping, Warwick [George Warwick] (1877-1950)
[English physician and novelist]
Wikipedia
Countess Glika and Other Stories
(1919)
[A collection of five short(ish) stories, all in a setting of
intrigue, revolution, or war, all ending in romance. For example, the
second story (The Red Shirt) is set in the mid-1800's, during the
Italian Revolution, when the French were attacking Rome.]
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EPUB
[PGC #1051]
DeGuise, Charles (1827-1884) [Romancier canadien]
Le Cap au Diable, Légende Canadienne (1863) [Conte]
Texte
Hélika: Mémoire d'un vieux maître d'école (1872) [Roman]
HTML et Texte
Delafield, E. M.
[Dashwood, Edmée Elizabeth Monica, née de la Pasture]
(1890-1943)
[English novelist and essayist]
Wikipedia
The Optimist
(1922)
[The world is full of people who seem to be happy, and in fact largely
are, but who in fact have transferred their stresses to those around them. This gently satirical and beautifully written novel is about one such person, Canon Morchard, and his family.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #68524]
To See Ourselves. A Domestic Comedy in Three Acts.
(1930 [first performance]; 1931 [first publication])
[Comedy. Freddie and Catherine
Allerton live in what might appear to be perfect happiness in their country house in South Devon.
But their reality is a little more nuanced than at first appears!]
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[PGC #884]
Gay Life
(1933)
[Novel. Hilary and Angie Moon, now married for two years and somewhat bored, arrive penniless
on the Côte d'Azur
Wikipedia.
Then things start happening...]
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[PGC #815]
General Impressions
(1933)
[Light-hearted anecdotes drawn from our author's daily life, with dialogue]
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[PGC #852]
Late and Soon
(1943)
[Delafield's final novel. Valentine Arbell, widowed for twelve years,
is the mistress of a gigantic, dilapidated, and mostly empty English
country house. But her life is not as fully settled as she might think...]
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EPUB
[PGC #1020]
Dent, John Charles (1841-1888)
[Canadian biographer, historian, and short story writer]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Canadian Encyclopedia
Canadian Notabilities, Volume 1 (1880)
[Biography]
Text
The Canadian Portrait Gallery
[A four-volume set of biographies,
many of them illustrated using photographs by William Notman (1826-1891)
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
McCord Museum
and W. J. Topley (1845-1930)
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Wikipedia]
Volume I (1880):
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Volume II (1880):
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[PG Canada ebook #574]
The Story of the Upper Canadian Rebellion, Volume 1 (1885)
[History]
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The Story of the Upper Canadian Rebellion, Volume 2 (1885)
[History]
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The Gerrard Street Mystery and Other Weird Tales (1888)
[Short stories]
Text
Denton, Vernon Llewllyn (1881-1944)
[Canadian teacher and historian]
University of Victoria
The Nova Scotia Eatons
The Far West Coast (1924)
[History of the exploration of the coast of British Columbia to the end of the eighteenth century]
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[PGC #431]
Simon Fraser (1928)
[An introduction to the life and achievements of the explorer Simon Fraser (1776-1862)
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
Includes an illustration by C. W. Jefferys (1869-1951)
Wikipedia
McMaster University (Eric Weichel)
Library and Archives Canada.]
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EPUB
[PGC #605]
Dickens, Charles [Charles John Huffam] (1812-1870)
[English novelist and editor / romancier et éditeur anglais]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
Oliver Twist; or, the Parish Boy's Progress.
(1838)
Wikipedia
[One of Dickens' earliest novels, and certainly one of the most famous!
It is the personal history of Oliver Twist, who is born into poverty
and grows up in it, at one point becoming a member of a gang of young
pickpockets, who turn out to be a remarkable group of characters.
The Wikisource EPUB we offer contains the famous illustrations by
Dickens' friend
George Cruikshank (1792-1878)
Wikipedia.
We also offer the handy text-only Adelaide EPUB.]
EPUB
[Wikisource]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Traduction française par
Alfred Gérardin (1825-1881)
sous la direction de
Paul Lorain (1799-1861)
Olivier Twist
(1893)
fr.wikipedia
[Ce célèbre roman nous raconte la vie et les aventures d'un orphelin anglais, mais finit par nous donner un portrait sans égal de la vie quotidienne anglaise à l'époque de Dickens!]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
Nicholas Nickleby (1839; with a later Author's Preface)
Wikipedia
[Novel, Dickens' third, continually famous since its publication, and
often adapted to stage and screen. Its full title is The Life and
Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Containing a Faithful Account of the
Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings, and Complete Career of
the Nickleby Family, virtually a summary in itself. But the Wikipedia
article includes a fuller description. And there's a lot to summarize:
no fewer than sixty-five chapters, describing how our hero lost his father
at a young age, and the many events that followed. The Project Gutenberg
US ebook includes the many illustrations by Dickens' favourite artist
Hablot Knight Browne (1815-1882) ["Phiz"]
Wikipedia.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #967]
We also offer the handy text-only Adelaide ebook:
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Traduction française par
Paul Lorain (1799-1861)
Vie et aventures de Nicolas Nickleby
(1885)
fr.wikipedia
[Le troisième roman de Dickens. Le très jeune Nicholas Nickleby perd
son père; sa famille déménage à Londres, où son oncle bien nanti lui
offre... plus ou moins rien. Prochaine escale: le Yorkshire!]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
A Christmas Carol
(1843)
Wikipedia
[Or, to give its full title, A Christmas Carol in Prose. Being
A Ghost Story of Christmas. This short novel by Dickens is surely
the most famous of his works. Is a summary really needed? Perhaps
not, but here goes! Ebenezer Scrooge ("scrooge" has long since become
a word in the English language) is the surviving partner of the financial
firm of Scrooge and Marley. It is Christmas Eve, but Scrooge is not an
admirer of that holiday, and tells his nephew, who has different opinions,
that "every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips,
should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly
through his heart." But then Scrooge encounters the ghost of his late
partner Jacob Marley, who warns him that he must change his ways. Over
the next three days he will be visited by three spirits, each with
a message for him!
It is our pleasure to offer three digital editions,
each beautifully illustrated by a famous artist of the time:
From the 1843 first edition, illustrations in colour and in
black and white by
John Leech (1817-1864)
Wikipedia
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #46]
From a 1905 edition, illustrations in colour and in
black and white by American artist
George Alfred Williams (1875-1932)
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #19337]
From a 1915 edition, illustrations in colour and in black and white by
Arthur Rackham (1867-1939)
Wikipedia
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #24022]
Traduction française sous la direction de
Paul Lorain (1799-1861)
par
Mlle de Saint-Romain
et
André de Goy (*-1864)
:
Cantique de Noël [Le Chant de Noël]
(1857)
fr.wikipedia
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #16021]
Die treffliche Übersetzung von
Julius Seybt (*-1871)
de.wikipedia:
Der Weihnachtsabend. Eine Geistergeschichte.
(1877)
de.wikipedia
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[PGUS #22465]
The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit
(1844 [novel]; 1868 [postscript])
Wikipedia
[The U.S. is now an aggressive colonial empire, and Canada is its colony,
after they forced the Canadian government to accept copyright extensions
and limits on where we could export, all this to enhance the monopolies
held by U.S. companies. Canadians are naturally curious about what happened
to the original thirteen colonies on their way to becoming our colonial
masters. What more agreeable way of learning something of American history
than by reading this fine novel by Charles Dickens? It contains some
trenchant comments on the U.S. based on Dickens' own observations during
an 1842 visit. It is only fair to say that in 1868 after a later visit
Dickens added a postscript commenting on the "gigantic changes in this
country" since his earlier visit, and describing how well he had been
treated during this second visit. However, he left the novel's original
text untouched. As for the novel itself (which takes place mostly in
England), it offers some memorable social satire and has an extraordinary
cast of characters, as one expects from the ever creative mind of Charles
Dickens.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Chimes
(1844)
Wikipedia
[Or, to give the novella its full title, "The Chimes: A Goblin
Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In".
An impassioned plea for social justice for the poor, with a message
that hasn't dated with the years, we can safely say, as we survey
the deep social and economic divisions in Canada and elsewhere.
The novella was published the year after A Christmas Carol
(also available from Project Gutenberg Canada -- in several languages!)
to which it certainly bears a family resemblance: there are, for
example, ghosts (goblins), each attached to a bell in a local bell
tower. Our hero, Toby ("Trotty") Veck sees "in every Bell a bearded
figure of the bulk and stature of the Bell". The Goblin of the Great
Bell takes Toby through a series of visions of the unfortunate lives
of those around him, until he awakes at the arrival of the New Year.
Are his visions only dreams, or are they realities, which can yet be
changed?]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
David Copperfield
(1850 [novel]; 1869 [preface])
Wikipedia
[Or, to give its full title "The personal history, adventures,
experience & observation of David Copperfield of Blunderstone
Rookery. (Which he never meant to be Published on any Account.)"
Dickens' eighth novel, probably his most famous one, and certainly
its author's personal favourite. A rich panorama of life in the
early Victorian era, largely inspired by Dickens' own early life.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Bleak House
(1853)
Wikipedia
[If you're considering launching a lawsuit, you might want to read
Bleak House first! Lawsuits can go on year after year and
produce little except huge legal bills, as with Jarndyce and Jarndyce,
the legal case at the centre of this novel, which touches the lives of
many people. The title may be bleak, but the novel is not, and has
remained a favourite with the public (in particular with lawyers)
up to the present day.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
A Tale of Two Cities
(1859)
Wikipedia
[Canadians are very much aware of how things can change in a neighbouring
country. The US, with whom we had had tranquil relations for two centuries,
elected an autocrat as president, and everything changed. The US even
seized control of Canada's copyright laws, hardly the behaviour of an
ally. So much for government "by the people, for the people"! (Abraham
Lincoln) The neighbours of France had a similar shock with the advent
of the French Revolution in 1789, when they had thought that "things in
general were settled for ever." And this famous novel is about the
Revolution and its effects on the citizens of Paris and London, the "two
cities" of the title. The principal character is Sydney Carton, the "idlest
and most unpromising of men", who becomes a hero by the time the novel ends. The Project Gutenberg US edition we offer you includes the illustrations
from the 1859 first edition, by
Hablot Knight Browne ["Phiz"] (1815-1882)
]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #98]
Great Expectations
(1861)
Wikipedia
[Really a novel about class and money -- have things really changed
in England? Or elsewhere, for that matter. Perhaps this universal
theme explains the amazing success of this novel and of the fine movie
adaptations it has inspired. In any case, our hero Pip is an orphan,
living on the coast of Kent with his older sister and her husband,
Joe Gargery, a blacksmith. Pip has no particular career prospects
until the wealthy Miss Havisham becomes his patroness, paying for
his apprenticeship as a blacksmith. But then he receives a gift
from an anonymous benefactor, enough to make him financially
independent. But will this enormous gift truly change his life?
And if so, will it be for the better?]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Traduction française par
Charles Bernard-Derosne (1825-1904)
fr.wikipedia
Les grandes espérances
(1863)
fr.wikipedia
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #17565]
Dinesen, Isak (1885-1962)
See:
Blixen, Karen [Dinesen, Isak] (1885-1962)
Dionne, Narcisse-Eutrope (1848-1917)
[Historien, lexicographe et bibliothécaire canadien]
fr.wikipedia
Dictionnaire biographique du Canada
Historique de l'église Notre-Dame des Victoires,
basse-ville de Québec: deuxième centenaire, 1688-1888
(1923)
[Monographie sur l'église Notre-Dame-des-Victoires
fr.wikipedia
Les églises de Québec
Université du Québec]
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Djurklou, Nils Gabriel, friherre (1829-1904)
[Swedish author]
sv.wikipedia (in Swedish)
runeberg.org (in Swedish)
Fairy Tales from the Swedish of Baron G. Djurklou
(1901)
[Fairy tales: translated by Hans Lien Brækstad (1845-1915);
illustrated by Theodor Severin Kittelsen, (1857-1914)
Wikipedia
Lauvlia (Kittelsen's home),
Erik Werenskiold (1855-1938)
Wikipedia,
and Carl Larsson (1853-1919)
Wikipedia
Carl and Karin Larsson Family Association]
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Doin, Ernest (1809-1891) [Dramaturge canadien]
Le divorce du tailleur. Pièce archi-comique en un acte (1873)
[Comédie]
HTML et Texte
Le dîner interrompu ou Nouvelle farce de Jocrisse. Farce comique en un acte (1873)
[Comédie]
HTML et Texte
Le pacha trompé ou Les deux ours. Pièce comique en un acte (1878) [Comédie]
HTML et Texte
Le Conscrit ou Le Retour de Crimée. Drame comique en deux actes (1878) [Comédie]
HTML et Texte
Dos Passos, John [American novelist and poet]
(1896-1970)
Wikipedia
Three Soldiers
(1921)
Wikipedia
[War novel, which Dos Passos was certainly in a position to write,
having seen the First World War close up, as a volunteer ambulance
driver in France and Italy. The three soldiers in question are the
narrator, the sensitive and highly educated John Andrews from New York,
who is by no means enthusiastic about the war, and two of his close
companions. The war turns out badly for Andrews. "There are those
who think that John Dos Passos ought to be sent to jail and others
who hail him as the first of native authors to tell the truth about
the war." (Heywood Broun, The Bookman [US], 5 October 1921)]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #6362]
Manhattan Transfer
(1925)
Wikipedia
[Novel, in three sections, which describe life in Manhattan across the
decades, through the eyes of characters of different ages and social
classes. "Just to rub it in, I regard 'Manhattan Transfer' as more
important in every way than anything by Gertrude Stein or Marcel Proust
or even the great white boar, Mr. Joyce's 'Ulysses.' For Mr. Dos Passos
can use, and deftly does use, all their experimental psychology and
style, all their revolt against the molds of classic fiction. But the
difference! Dos Passos is interesting! Their novels are treatises
on harmony, very scholarly, and confoundedly dull; 'Manhattan Transfer'
is the moving symphony itself." (Sinclair Lewis, Saturday Review,
5 December 1925)]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #71853]
Douglas, Amanda Minnie (1831-1916)
[American novelist and poet]
New Jersey Historical Society
A Modern Cinderella
(1913)
[Novel]
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Douglas, Lloyd C. [Lloyd Cassel] (1877-1951)
[American clergyman and novelist]
Wikipedia
The Robe
(1942)
Wikipedia
[Historical novel, a massive bestseller written on a grand scale
and with much historical information about the Roman Empire.
After Jesus's crucifixion, the soldiers used gambling to decide
who should get his clothing. This novel tells what subsequently
happened to the robe and more particularly its new owner,
the tribune Marcellus Gallio, and his slave Demetrius.]
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[PGC #1630]
Doyle, Arthur Conan (1859-1930) [Scottish physician and author /
médecin et écrivain écossais]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
Stories and novels featuring Mr. Sherlock Holmes
Wikipedia
A Study in Scarlet
(1887)
Wikipedia
[Few literary events of such magnitude have been as quiet as this
mystery novel's introduction to the world of Mr. Sherlock Holmes.
Arthur Conan Doyle was not yet a professional author, but
a physician living in Southsea when he published this novel in
the Beeton's Christmas Annual for 1887. It is narrated
by John H. Watson, "Late of the Army Medical Department": Watson
was indeed a veteran, wounded in Afghanistan -- some things
really don't change! Anyway, like many before and after him,
he finds London expensive, and is trying "to solve the problem
as to whether it is possible to get comfortable rooms at a
reasonable price" when he learns that Mr. Sherlock Holmes is
trying to solve exactly the same problem. They are introduced,
and agree to save money by sharing lodgings. Dr Watson naturally
has no idea that his new roommate is a consulting detective
("I suppose I am the only one in the world"): the famous partnership
of Holmes and Watson begins!]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Sign of the Four
(1890)
Wikipedia
[The second of the four full-length Sherlock Holmes novels.
It was first published in Lippincott's Magazine as
The Sign of the Four, which seems to be the standard
form used these days, but it was first published in book form
as The Sign of Four. Be that as it may, the story
begins when Miss Mary Morstan visits 221B Baker Street to
consult Sherlock Holmes on the mysterious disappearance of
her father some years before, and the strange events which
followed, which seem to be linked to her father's military
service in India. All this, of course, is masterfully
resolved by Mr Sherlock Holmes with the able assistance
of Dr Watson.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
(1892)
Wikipedia
[Twelve short stories, all of them published in The Strand Magazine
Wikipedia
in 1891 and 1892, and then published as a book, the first Sherlock Holmes
collection: an instant and permanent classic. There is probably no
such thing as a Sherlock Holmes story that is not well known, but the
book does include some especially famous stories: The Adventure of
the Speckled Band, for example, Doyle's personal favourite among
all the stories he wrote about Sherlock Holmes, and A Scandal in
Bohemia. The Project Gutenberg US ebook we use includes the
contemporary illustrations by Sidney Paget (1860-1908)
Wikipedia]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #48320]
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
(1893)
Wikipedia
[Doyle's second collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, twelve in number,
all of them, as in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, initially
published in The Strand Magazine, and all of them famous to this
day: each of them has its own Wikipedia article.) Doyle intended
this to be the end of his involvement with Sherlock Holmes, although
this turned out not to be the case. But some years were to pass before
the appearance of The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1902.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #834]
(includes The Adventure of the Cardboard Box
Wikipedia,
which was part of the first edition, but was omitted from many later editions)
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
(omits The Adventure of the Cardboard Box)
The Hound of the Baskervilles
(1902)
Wikipedia
[Novel, perhaps the most famous adventure of Mr Sherlock Holmes.
In the moorlands of Devonshire, a mysterious gigantic hound seems
to be active. And Sir Charles Baskerville, who had recently taken
up residence in Baskerville Hall, has just died under mysterious
circumstances. Could these two facts be connected? Could the
hound be none other than the fabled Hound of the Baskervilles,
feared for centuries?]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
(1905)
Wikipedia
[Doyle had killed Holmes off in "The Final Problem", the story which had
concluded the second collection, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
But the fans were not happy with his departure, so Doyle relented, and
wrote the stories in this collection, in the first of which, "The Adventure
of the Empty House", Holmes reappears in London, to the consternation and
delight of Dr Watson. This was among Doyle's favourite Sherlock Holmes
stories, as were several other stories in this book: "The Adventure of
the Dancing Men", "The Adventure of the Priory School", and "The Adventure
of the Second Stain".]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Valley of Fear
(1915)
Wikipedia
[The fourth and final Sherlock Holmes mystery novel. Holmes receives
what today we would call an encrypted note, but not the cipher (key) needed
to read it. Will Holmes be able to decrypt the note? Well, really, what
an absurd question to ask! Soon enough, Holmes and Watson arrive
at the village of Birlstone, "a small and very ancient cluster of
half-timbered cottages on the northern border of the county of Sussex."
For at the ancient Manor House a murder has just occurred.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
His Last Bow
(1917)
Wikipedia
["The friends of Mr. Sherlock Holmes", remarks Dr Watson in his preface
to this collection, "will be glad to learn that he is still alive and well, though somewhat crippled by occasional attacks of rheumatism." And indeed
we are glad! He is in fact living in Eastbourne, on the Sussex coast,
then as now a town attractive to the elderly. Despite its title, this is not the last set of Sherlock Holmes short stories, for ten years later The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes was to appear! Doyle had a remarkable ability to sustain the quality of his Sherlock Holmes stories as the series grew. His personal favourites among the Sherlock Holmes stories included two from this collection: "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot" and "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans". Note: the University of Adelaide edition includes "The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" in this collection rather than in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, where it had first appeared in 1893.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes
(1927)
Wikipedia
[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's final collection of stories featuring Sherlock Holmes: published forty years after Holmes' first appearance in print!
All twelve of the stories were published in the Strand Magazine
between 1921 and 1927. Doyle himself thought that "The Adventure of the Lion's Mane" and "The Adventure of the Illustrious Client", both in this
collection, were among the best stories he had ever written about Holmes.]
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[PGC #1274]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Professor Challenger
Wikipedia
novels and stories:
The Lost World
(1912)
Wikipedia
[The first and most famous of the novels featuring Professor Challenger
Wikipedia.
Edward Malone, a reporter, has a girl friend Gladys, who
is somewhat interested in marriage, but "If I marry, I do want to
marry a famous man!" Instead of wondering why he is wasting his
time on her, he asks his editor for an assignment involving
adventure and danger: that will impress her! And so he ends
up accompanying Professor George Edward Challenger to a remote
corner of South America. It's a shock when they encounter their
first pterodactyl
Wikipedia
-- and we mean a living pterodactyl, not a fossil! Much else follows.]
EPUB
[Wikisource]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Traduction française:
Le Monde perdu
(1912 [version originale anglaise]; 1913 [cette traduction])
fr.wikipedia
[Un classique immortel parmi les romans d'aventures, qui a inspiré
plusieurs films et romans. Traduit par
Louis Labat (1867-1947)
avec des gravures executées par l'illustrateur normand
Géo Dupuis (1874-1932)
fr.wikipedia.
Un jeune journaliste irlandais, Edward Malone, doit accompagner le
professeur Georges-Édouard Challenger en Amérique du Sud, où ils font
des découvertes tout à fait étonnantes.]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
The Poison Belt
(1913)
Wikipedia
[Doyle's second novel to feature Professor Challenger, narrated
as before by reporter Edward Malone: three years after the earlier
adventure, it reunites the Professor with his companions from The
Lost World. But this time they are headed not for South America,
but for Professor Challenger's house in the London suburb of Surrey!
Here they will ride out Earth's passing through a belt of deadly poison.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Land of Mist
(1926)
Wikipedia
[After the First World War, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who had
lost several close male relatives in that war, became interested
in Spiritualism
Wikipedia;
and that interest is reflected in this third and final Professor
Challenger novel, which is quite different from its two predecessors.
The Professor is indeed back, although no longer quite the ultimate
alpha male of former years. This change was induced by the death
of his wife in the flu epidemic: "Life had much yet to teach him,
but he was a little less intolerant in learning." Similarly, Edward
Malone is back, "but life had toned him down also, and made him a more
subdued and thoughtful man... his mind was deeper and more active.
The boy was dead and the man was born." The two attend a raucous public
lecture at a Spiritualist Church off Edgware Road, and they start their
investigations into the spiritual world.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
When the World Screamed
(1928)
Wikipedia
[Does our planet, the Earth, have feelings? Professor Challenger
investigates, aided as in all his adventures by Edward Malone,
and a new character, Mr Peerless Jones, a friend of Malone's who
is an expert in Artesian boring, that is, deep drilling, as in
drilling wells.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Disintegration Machine
(1929)
Wikipedia
[Science fiction short story. Professor Challenger
Wikipedia
is introduced to "a Latvian gentleman named Theodore Nemor... who claims to have invented a machine of a most extraordinary character which is capable of disintegrating any object placed within its sphere of influence. Matter dissolves and returns to its molecular or atomic condition. By reversing the process it can be reassembled." What if this claim turns out to be true?]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Maracot Deep
(1929)
Wikipedia
[Fantasy novel. Professor Maracot and his companions, who are both learned
and intrepid, run into trouble during a deep-sea dive in the Atlantic, and
are rescued by strangers who seem to be descendants of an ancient and
mysterious race. Can our heroes find out who these strangers really are?]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
Sherlock Holmes en français
Wikipedia
Un crime étrange
(1887 [version originale anglaise] 1903 [cette traduction]
fr.wikipedia
[Traduction anonyme du roman policier A Study in Scarlet, où
Sherlock Holmes et le docteur James Watson font leurs débuts littéraires.
Le docteur Watson se trouve à Londres à la suite de son service militaire
en Afghanistan et fait la connaissance de Holmes, qui "parut ravi à l'idée
de partager son logement avec moi: «J'ai un appartement en vue, me dit-il,
il est situé Baker Street, et nous irait comme un gant...»"]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
La Marque des quatre
(1890 [version originale anglaise] 1896 [cette traduction]
fr.wikipedia
[Traduction de The Sign of the Four (1890) par
Jeanne de Polignac (1861-1919).
La deuxième aventure de Sherlock Holmes, mais la première traduite en
français! Le docteur Watson est préoccupé, voire fâché. Trois fois
par jour depuis des mois Sherlock Holmes prend de la morphine ou de
la cocaïne. Comment résoudre ce problème? "Fournissez-moi soit des
problèmes à résoudre, soit un travail à faire, proposez-moi l'énigme
la plus indéchiffrable ou l'analyse la plus subtile, je me sentirai
aussitôt dans l'atmosphère qui me convient. C'est alors que les
stimulants artificiels me deviennent inutiles." Mais l'ennui de
Sherlock Holmes ne va pas durer longtemps. Madame Hudson frappe
à leur porte, portant une carte sur un plateau. Miss Mary Marston
entre en scène!]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
Le Chien des Baskerville
(1902 [version originale anglaise] 1905 [cette traduction])
fr.wikipedia
[Traduction de The Hound of the Baskervilles par
Adrien de Jassaud (1881-1937).
[Sherlock Holmes et le docteur Watson font face à un cas assez perplexe.
Un grand chien noir terrifie le voisinage de Baskerville Hall dans le
Devonshire: "une horrible bête, noire, de grande taille, ressemblant à
un chien, mais à un chien ayant des proportions jusqu'alors inconnues".]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
Nouvelles Aventures de Sherlock Holmes
[1905]
[Traduction par
Jeanne de Polignac (1861-1919)
de cinq nouvelles:
L'Association des Hommes Roux [La Ligue des rouquins],
Un cas d'identité [Une affaire d'identité],
Le Mystère de la vallée de Boscombe [Le Mystère du Val Boscombe],
L'Aventure des Cinq Pépins d'orange [Les Cinq Pépins d'orange],
et L'Homme à la lèvre retroussée [L'Homme à la lèvre tordue].
Pour de plus amples renseignements, vous n'avez qu'à consulter
fr.wikipedia]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
Premières aventures de Sherlock Holmes
[1913]
fr.wikipedia
[Traduction anonyme de sept nouvelles célèbres:
L'Escarboucle Bleue, Aventure de la Bande mouchetée, Le Pouce de l'Ingénieur,
L'Aristocratique Célibataire, Le Diadème de Béryls, Les Hêtres Pourpres,
et Un Scandale en Bohême
fr.wikipedia
avec des dessins tout à fait exceptionnels par
Gaston Simoes de Fonseca (1874-1943)
fr.wikipedia]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
Souvenirs de Sherlock Holmes
[1918]
[Traduction par
Jeanne de Polignac (1861-1919)
de six nouvelles:
Silver Blaze [Flamme d'Argent],
Le Document volé [Le Traité naval].
Le Gloria Scott,
Le Visage jaune [La Figure jaune],
Le Commis d'agent de change [L'Employé de l'agent de change],
et Le Rituel des Musgraves [Le Rituel des Musgrave].
Pour de plus amples renseignements, vous n'avez qu'à consulter
fr.wikipedia]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
Les Aventures de Sherlock Holmes
(1924)
[Traduction de six nouvelles par
Jeanne de Polignac (1861-1919)
,
avec une belle préface littéraire et biographique
par la traductrice. Les six nouvelles: L'Escarboucle bleue, Aventure
de la bande mouchetée [Le Ruban moucheté], Le Pouce de l'ingénieur.
L'Aristocratique célibataire [Un Aristocrate célibataire], Le Diadème
de béryls, et Les Hêtres rouges [Les Hêtres pourpres].
Pour de plus amples renseignements, vous n'avez qu'à consulter
fr.wikipedia]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
Nouveaux Exploits de Sherlock Holmes
[1930]
[Traduction anonyme de sept nouvelles: L'Homme estropié [Le Tordu], La
Cycliste solitaire, Aventure de trois étudiants [Les Trois Étudiants],
Les Propriétaires de Reigate, L'Interprète grec, Le Malade pensionnaire
[Le Pensionnaire en traitement], et Le Problème final [Le Dernier Problème].
Pour de plus amples renseignements, vous n'avez qu'à consulter
fr.wikipedia]
EPUB
[fr.wikisource]
Dreiser, Theodore [Theodore Herman Albert] (1871-1945)
[American journalist, poet, and novelist]
Wikipedia
A Traveler at Forty
(1913)
[Dreiser's delightfully written memoir of an extended trip to Europe.
And what a time to go! Europe was at its prewar height, and no one
suspected the catastrophe that was about to engulf the continent.
The places he visited included England, France, Italy, the Vatican,
Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands. Wow! What more need be
said? How about this: the book includes drawings by the fabulously
talented American artist
William Glackens (1870-1938)
Wikipedia!
Reviewers noticed that the book, unlike many travel narratives, paid
close attention to all social classes. The Nation (18 December
1913) seems to have liked this well enough: "In the pursuit of knowledge
Mr. Dreiser showed enterprise. His London contacts were carefully arranged, but he managed to quiz a street-walker on his own account. At Paris such
investigations were naturally part of the programme. Into all his
observations Mr. Dreiser carries a keen, quiet curiosity that is pretty
close to sympathy. There is an odd reverence about what can only be
described as prying tactics." But in The Bookman (February 1914),
Stuart Henry was less positive: "Instead of bringing to notice men who are worth while or entertaining, he acquaints us rather with those who can
guide through night haunts of immorality, have sex on the brain or desire
to "lick" foreigners. And for the women of Europe we are freely offered
examples from the various tenderloins who, even for their class, do
not propose much in the way of edification or esprit." But what else
can we we expect or would we want than a balanced view of all sectors
of society? And who better to provide it than the author of Sister
Carrie and An American Tragedy?]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #65765]
A Hoosier Holiday
(1916)
[For readers not familiar with Indiana, a "Hoosier" is anyone from that
great state -- such as the celebrated novelist Theodore Dreiser. In 1913
he had published A Traveler at Forty, which you will find in our
catalogue. But after the First World War started, travel to Europe was
not so easy to arrange. So instead, he and his fellow Hoosier
Franklin Booth (1874-1948)
Wikipedia
went on a road trip to Warsaw, Indiana, which Dreiser had left some
twenty-eight years before: it is a hundred miles up the road from
Booth's birthplace of Carmel, itself just north of Indianapolis.
It is Booth, a well known artist, who contributed the book's many
illustrations. The trip started in New York City and largely
paralleled the Ontario border to the north. But the trip
was not merely to Indiana, but also to Dreiser's earliest years.
Much had changed, much had not: he stays longer than first intended,
and shares with his readers vivid and pleasurable recollections of
what was already a past age.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70269]
Du Bois, Louis [Louis-François] (1773-1855)
[Écrivain et polymathe français]
Travers, Julien (1802-1888)
[Biographe français]
Glossaire du patois normand
(1856)
[Glossaire, avec une vie de Louis Du Bois par Travers. Le français
que nous parlons aujourd'hui au Canada trouve ses origines en Normandie.]
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[PGC no #458]
Du Bois, W. E. B. [William Edward Burghardt] (1868-1963)
[American historian and civil rights leader]
Wikipedia
Life Seen at Ninety
(1958)
[An essay written by Du Bois on the occasion of his ninetieth birthday.
Age had not dimmed his passion and insight. One wonders what he
would say about the world today!]
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[PGC #1203]
Duguay, Camille (1882-1936) [Écrivain canadien]
La Veillée de Noël: pièce du terroir en deux actes et un tableau
(1926)
[Pièce de théâtre]
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Dukes, Ashley (1885-1959)
[English playwright, producer, critic, and translator]
Wikipedia
The Modernist Journals Project (Mark Gaipa)
The Man with a Load of Mischief. A Comedy in Three Acts.
(1924)
[Comedy, of which the action takes place at an English country inn. Dukes' most famous play.]
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[PGC #691]
The Scene is Changed
(1942)
[Dukes' account of his brilliant theatrical career in England, Germany, and North America,
and the many literary and theatrical luminaries he knew. Includes a photograph of the author
by Howard Coster (1885-1959)
Wikipedia]
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[PGC #926]
Duncan, Isadora (1877-1927)
[American dancer]
Wikipedia
My Life
(1927)
[The autobiography of the celebrated dancer, written shortly before her premature passing,
and published shortly thereafter: a principal source of the 1968 film Isadora
Wikipedia.
Includes a preface by her publisher, Horace Liveright (1886?-1933)
Wikipedia,
and photographs, some of them iconic, by
the Munich studio Atelier Elvira
Wikipedia,
founded by Anita Augspurg (1857-1943)
Wikipedia
and Sophia Goudstikker (1865-1924)
de.wikipedia,
the Parisian photographer Paul Berger,
Arnold Genthe (1869-1942)
Wikipedia,
Otto Wegener (1849-1922)
Pär Rittsel,
the New York photographer Jacob Schloss (1857-1938),
and Edward Steichen (1879-1973)
Wikipedia]
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[PGC #941]
Duncan, Norman McLean (1871-1916)
[Canadian journalist and novelist]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
jrank.org
The Measure of A Man. A Tale of The Big Woods.
(1911)
[Novel, set in northern Minnesota: illustrated by George Matthews Harding (1882-1959)
U.S. Army Center of Military History]
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[PGC #548]
Duncan, Sara Jeannette (1861-1922)
[Canadian journalist and novelist]
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Canadian Encyclopedia
A Daughter of Today (1894)
[Novel]
Text
The Story of Sonny Sahib (1894)
[Novel]
Text
A Voyage of Consolation (being in the nature of a sequel to the
experiences of 'An American girl in London') (1897)
[Novel]
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Hilda: A Story of Calcutta (1898)
[Novel]
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The Path of a Star (1899)
[Novel]
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The Pool in the Desert (1903)
[Novel]
Text
The Imperialist (1904)
[Novel]
Text
Contributor (as Mrs Everard Cotes):
Humour of the North (1912)
[Anthology]
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Duncan-Jones, Arthur Stuart
(1879-1955)
[English theologian and church historian]
The Crooked Cross (1940)
[Pamphlet: history of the Confessional Movement in Nazi Germany]
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Dunham, Bertha Mabel (1881-1957)
[Canadian librarian and novelist]
Libraries Today (University of Guelph)
The Trail of the Conestoga (1925)
[Novel about the early history of Waterloo, Ontario
Wikipedia:
with a preface by William Lyon Mackenzie King (1874-1950),
tenth Prime Minister of Canada
Wikipedia
Dictionary of Canadian Biography]
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Dunn, Oscar (1845-1885) [Journaliste et lexicographe canadien]
Dictionnaire biographique du Canada
Glossaire franco-canadien et vocabulaire de locutions vicieuses usitées au Canada (1880)
[Glossaire]
HTML et Texte
Lord Dunsany
[Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett,
eighteenth Baron Dunsany] (1878-1957)
[Irish author and playwright]
Wikipedia
A Night at an Inn. A Play in One Act.
(1916)
[Play]
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The King of Elfland's Daughter
(1924)
Wikipedia
[The classic fantasy novel. The Lord of Erl sends
his son to Elfland to seek a bride: much ensues.]
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EPUB
[PGC #1127]
Seven Modern Comedies
(1928)
[Seven short plays with small casts:
Atalanta in Wimbledon,
The Raffle,
The Journey of the Soul,
In Holy Russia,
His Sainted Grandmother,
The Hopeless Passion of Mr. Bunyon, and
The Jest of Hahalaba]
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[PGC #1090]
Guerrilla (1944)
[Novel]
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Dupuy, Paul (1831-1891) [Biographe canadien]
Trois Héros de la colonie de Montréal (1887)
[Biographies de Jacques Le Maître et Guillaume Vignal, prêtres de Saint-Sulpice,
et du major Lambert Closse]
HTML et Texte
Eager, Edward [Edward McMaken] (1911-1964) [American novelist, librettist, and translator]
Wikipedia
Half Magic
(1954)
[Does magic really exist? Four children are wondering this, when suddenly...
Well, we're not going to give the story away, but we will say that this is
a genuine children's classic!
"This story belongs to the E. Nesbit school of fantasy, in which magic pursues its inevitable course... a book whose total contribution is one of fun and relaxation."
(Elizabeth Nesbitt, Saturday Review, 15 May 1954)]
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[PGC #1254]
Knight's Castle
(1956)
[Novel, second in the series initiated by Half Magic. Four children discover
a magic item, an enchanted toy soldier. But an act of magic can happen only every three days!]
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[PGC #1256]
Magic by the Lake
(1957)
[Novel, third in the series initiated by Half Magic. This time, the four
children (and their parents) are at a summer cabin by a lake. The cabin is
named "Magic by the Lake", and it doesn't take them long to discover that the
entire lake is magic: assorted magical adventures ensue. At the start of the book,
there's a talking turtle; later on, there's a talking penguin!]
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[PGC #1283]
Magic or Not?
(1959)
[Novel, fifth in the series initiated by Half Magic. This time,
there are four children to whom odd things are happening, but...
they're not sure if it's actual magic making things happen,
or if things just work out in the best possible way!]
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[PGC #1259]
Seven-Day Magic
(1962)
[The seventh and final novel in the series initiated by Half Magic.
Several children are in the local public library, and one of the girls
finds a small red book, well used. The librarian tells them they can
keep the book for only seven days. The book grants wishes, but only for
the seven days they're allowed to have it. Adventures ensue...]
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[PGC #1260]
Eayrs, Hugh S. [Hugh Sterling] (1894-1940)
[Canadian publisher and novelist]
McMaster University
with:
Costain, Thomas B. [Thomas Bertram] (1885-1965)
[Canadian journalist, novelist, and historian]
Wikipedia
The Amateur Diplomat
(1917)
[Novel about intrigue in the Balkan kingdom of Ironia during
the First World War. And it includes a love story.
The "amateur diplomat" of the title is Canadian!]
HTML, Text, EPUB, and Kindle
[Project Gutenberg US #51077]
Eddington, Arthur Stanley (1882-1944)
[English astronomer and physicist]
Wikipedia
The Nature of the Physical World
(1928)
[Eddington's celebrated explanation of the discoveries of Einstein
Wikipedia
and Rutherford
Wikipedia,
intended for a general audience.
The book is based on Eddington's Gifford Lectures
Wikipedia
delivered in Edinburgh in 1927, and exhibits the attractive
conversational style of the original lectures.]
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[PGC #1097]
Eddison, E. R. [Eric Rücker] (1882-1945)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
The Worm Ouroboros
(1922)
Wikipedia
[Novel of high fantasy, written at the level of epic poetry.
Eddison has a full command of older English,
and makes constant use of it, to very good effect:
"In reading this book the reader... will delight in a prose that is as
life-giving as it is magnificent." (Introduction to the 1926 New York
edition by Irish novelist James Stephens [1880/82-1950]
Wikipedia.]
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[PGC #1412]
Edgeworth, Maria (1767-1849)
[Irish novelist]
Wikipedia
NNDB
The Modern Griselda. A Tale.
(1804)
[Novel. Unlike the traditional folk character Griselda
Wikipedia, the new Griselda is impatient
and arrogant.]
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[PGC #638]
Review, from 1804, of the first edition!
Orlandino
(1848)
[Novel for children, illustrating various virtues and the social problems they prevent:
these problems include drunkenness and high personal debt, which were apparently as prevalent
in 1848 as they are today. With a preface and epilogue by the Scottish publisher
William Chambers (1800-1883)
Wikipedia]
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[PG Canada #659]
Einstein, Albert (1879-1955)
[German physicist; Nobel Prize in Physics, 1921 / physicien allemand; prix Nobel de physique, 1921]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
Gemeinschaft und Persönlichkeit
(1934)
[Essay in German on the relationship between individuals and society
/ Essai en allemand sur les liens entre l'individu et son milieu]
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[PGC #583/no 583]
Learn German!
Apprenez l'allemand!
Elgood, George Samuel (1851-1943)
[English painter and designer]
Wikipedia
Some English Gardens (1904)
[Watercolours, reproduced in excellent colour, of, well, some English
gardens. Quite a few of them, actually! The accompanying text is worthy
of the pictures and no wonder, for it is by the celebrated garden designer
Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932)
Wikipedia
-- a perfect pairing, who created a truly marvellous album!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #67874]
Eliot, George [Evans, Mary Anne] (1819-1880)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
The Victorian Web
Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe
(1861)
Wikipedia
[Novel, set in the early 19th century: largely about the effect of money on human behaviour.
Our edition includes the illustrations published in 1907 by Hugh Thomson (1860-1920)
Dictionary of Ulster Biography]
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[PGC #491]
Gems from George Eliot
(1910)
[A small but skilfully chosen collection of quotations from the works of George Eliot.
The celebrated novelist excelled at compressing into a single sentence what lesser authors
might have needed several paragraphs to express.]
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[PGC #1350]
Eliot, T. S. [Thomas Stearns] (1888-1965)
[American poet, playwright, and critic]
Wikipedia
Nobelprize.org
The Sacred Wood. Essays On Poetry And Criticism.
(1920)
Wikipedia
[A collection of short essays on plays, poetry, and related matters:
one of Eliot's earliest works of criticism]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #57795]
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
(1939)
Wikipedia
[The delightful and classic poems which many years later inspired the Andrew Lloyd Webber
musical Cats
Wikipedia.]
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[PGC #1295]
Introduction to Charles Williams' All Hallows' Eve
(1948)
[Preface to Charles Williams' last novel, All Hallows' Eve, which
you will find in the Project Gutenberg Canada catalogue. As Eliot comments,
Williams "left behind him a considerable number of books which should
endure, because there is nothing else that is like them or could take
their place." And yet, his novels "are first of all very good reading,
say on a train journey or an air flight for which one buys a novel from
a bookstall, perhaps without even noticing the name of the author."]
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[PGC #1488]
Espanca, Florbela (1894-1930) [Portuguese poet / Poétesse portugaise]
Wikipedia
fr.wikipedia
pt.wikipedia
Vidas Lusófonas
Sonetos Completos (1934)
[Poems in Portuguese; Italian translations by Guido Battelli (1869-1955);
frontispiece sculpture by Diogo de Macedo (1889-1959)
/ Poèmes en portugais; traductions italiennes par Guido Battelli (1869-1955);
la sculpture du frontispice par Diogo de Macedo (1889-1959)]
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Includes / comprend:
Livro de Mágoas [Máguas] (1919)
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Livro de Sóror Saüdade (1923)
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Charneca em flor (1931)
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Reliquiæ (1931)
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Learn Portuguese !
BBC
EasyPortuguese
sonia-portuguese.com
WordReference.com Portuguese-English (beta)
WordReference.com Portugués-español
with/avec:
Guido Battelli (1869-1955) [Italian translator / Traducteur italien]
Dizionario Biografico dei Parmigiani (Roberto Lasagni) [Basalei-Beiliardi]
Traduções [italianas] (1934)
[Poems in Italian / Poèmes en italien]
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Learn Italian! / Apprenez l'italien!
Euripides (ca. 480-406 B.C.)
[Athenian playwright]
Wikipedia
Translations by
Murray, Gilbert [George Gilbert Aimé] (1866-1957)
[English classical scholar]
Wikipedia
Australian Dictionary of Biography
Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) [in German]
-
Rhesus
(ca. 450 B.C.? [Greek original], 1913 [this translation])
[Tragedy, based on the tenth book of Homer's Iliad. The siege of Troy has been underway
for some years when Rhesus, King of Thrace, arrives to help the Trojans.]
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[PGC #719]
Wikipedia
Murray's edition of the original Greek text (Perseus Digital Library)
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Medea
(431 B.C. [Greek original], 1906 [this translation])
[Tragedy. The marriage of Jason
Wikipedia
the Argonaut
Wikipedia
and his foreign wife Medea
Wikipedia
ends badly. Very badly.]
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[PGC #736]
Wikipedia
ancient-literature.com
David Kovacs' edition of the original Greek text (Perseus Digital Library)
-
The Trojan Women
(415 B.C. [Greek original], 1905 [this translation])
[Tragedy, centred on the fate of the women of Troy after the destruction of their city.
Often thought to be a protest by Euripides against the Peloponnesian War
Wikipedia]
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[PGC #738]
Wikipedia
ancient-literature.com
Murray's edition of the original Greek text (Perseus Digital Library)
-
Ion
(ca. 413 B.C. [Greek original], 1954 [this translation])
[Technically a tragedy, but in fact a drama with a pleasantly optimistic tone.
We meet Ion at the temple of Apollo at Delphi, where he has lived from his
earliest years. As the play begins, he is unaware of who his parents are...]
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[PGC #722]
Wikipedia
ancient-literature.com
Murray's edition of the original Greek text (Perseus Digital Library)
-
Bacchae
(405 B.C. [Greek original], 1906 [this translation])
[Euripides' most famous tragedy, originally presented the year following his death.
Pentheus, King of Thebes, does not recognize the limits of his power, nor the
limits of pure rationality. For this mistake he pays a heavy price.]
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[PGC #717]
Wikipedia
Murray's edition of the original Greek text (Perseus Digital Library)
Ewald, Carl (1856-1908)
[Danish author]
dk.wikipedia (in Danish)
My Little Boy
(1899 [Danish original (Min lille Dreng)]; 1906 [this translation]; 1935 [Alexander Woollcott's afterword])
[The author's charming, sincere, and interesting observations of the daily events of his son's
earliest years. The son, Jesper Ewald (1893-1969)
Wikipedia, would himself become a celebrated author. Translated by
Alexander Teixeira de Mattos (1865-1921), and with an afterword by the American critic
Alexander Woollcott (1887-1943)
Wikipedia]
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[PGC #777]
Fagan, James Bernard (1873-1933)
[Irish playwright]
Wikipedia
The Improper Duchess. A modern comedy in three acts.
(1931)
[A comedy, set in Washington, D.C.! The first act takes place in the Poldavian embassy.
Written with an agreeably light touch, the play was made into a film in 1936
Wikipedia.]
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[PGC #881]
Falconer, Sir Robert Alexander (1867-1943)
[Canadian New Testament philologist and historian;
President of the University of Toronto 1907-32]
Wikipedia
Marianopolis College
(biography by Damien-Claude Bélanger)
Canadian Encyclopedia
The Quality of Canadian Life (1917)
[Lecture: published in The Federation of Canada 1867-1917.
Four Lectures delivered in the University of Toronto in
March, 1917, to Commemorate the Fiftieth Anniversary
of the Federation
(1917), along with lectures by
George M. Wrong (1860-1948),
Sir John Willison (1856-1927),
and Z. A. Lash (1846-1920)]
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Faribault, George Barthélémy (1789-1866) [Bibliographe canadien]
Dictionnaire biographique du Canada
Catalogue d'Ouvrages sur l'Histoire de l'Amérique,
et en particulier sur celle du Canada, de la Louisiane,
de l'Acadie, et autres lieux, ci-devant connus sons le nom de Nouvelle-France;
avec des Notes Bibliographiques, Critiques, et Littéraires
(1837)
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Farjeon, Eleanor (1881-1965)
[English author of books and poems for children]
Wikipedia
Gypsy and Ginger
(1920)
[Novel, we could say novel for children, but we don't want to limit its audience.
It is the story of Gypsy and his wife Ginger, their wedding, honeymoon, and many
subsequent adventures. Written with the skill and light touch that would set
Farjeon apart throughout her remarkable career. With illustrations by the celebrated
English painter and illustrator C. E. Brock (1870-1938)
Wikipedia.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #57444]
Italian Peepshow
(1926)
[Eleven stories for children, most of them quite short,
and most of them set in Italy!]
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[PGC #1336]
The Old Nurse's Stocking-Basket
(1931)
[The Old Nurse knows many stories: stories she is happy to tell.
The Saturday Review (2 January 1932) called it "a book that
has charm and humor in plenty and is delightfully written..."]
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[PGC #1297]
Ten Saints
(1936)
[Short lives of ten saints, with some poetry, written for children.
Includes beautiful colour illustrations by American artist Helen Sewell (1896-1957)
Wikipedia]
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[PGC #1349]
The Silver Curlew
(1953)
[Novel for children, with many traditional folk-take elements.
It's hard to stop reading after an opening sentence like this:
"Mother Codling lived in a windmill in Norfolk near the sea."]
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[PGC #1334]
The Little Bookroom. Eleanor Farjeon's short stories for children chosen by herself.
(1955)
Wikipedia
[Twenty-seven short stories for children, selected by
their author! "This is a book any child
(and storyteller, too) will read over and over again."
(Maria Cimino, Saturday Review, 12 May 1956)]
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[PGC #1294]
Farley, Ralph Milne [Hoar, Roger Sherman] (1887-1963)
[American lawyer and science fiction writer]
Wikipedia
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
The Golden City
(1933)
[Science fiction novel. It's about the lost continent of Mu; it features
"that public enemy, the Spider"; and it's by Ralph Milne Farley, both a
respected constitutional lawyer and a famous pulp author! What's not to like?]
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[PGC #1526]
Liquid Life
(October 1936)
[Science fiction novella ("novelette"), often reprinted.
The waters of Salt Pond are behaving strangely. What's
happened to the water lilies, the reeds, and the fish?
Not to mention the half eaten cow near the edge of the pond!]
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[PGC #1528]
A Month a Minute
(December 1937)
[Science fiction novella ("novelette"). How can a space ship
be designed to travel fast -- really fast? Old Professor
Porter may have managed this feat. The test pilots: his student
Benson Crocker, and Professor Porter's granddaughter, Iralene!]
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[PGC #1527]
Farnol, [John] Jeffery (1878-1952)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
knol (Pat Bryan)
Literary Heritage West Midlands
Jeffery Farnol Appreciation Society
The Money Moon, A Romance
(1911)
[Romantic novel, set in England before the First World War]
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[PGC ebook #483]
Previously available:
Text (PG US)
The Loring Mystery
(1924)
[Mystery novel set in the mid-1800s: involves an
amnesiac, a detective, a murder, and a romance]
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Time, 16 October 1925 (third book reviewed)
The Quest of Youth
(1927)
[A romance intertwined with a murder mystery. Set in London at about the
same time as The Loring Mystery, it features Mr. Shrig,
the detective from the earlier novel]
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Time, 14 November 1927
Another Day
(1929)
[Novel. A boy meets an English girl, and falls in love with her. So far, so good.
But... back in the U.S. he may be guilty of a murder — he is a fugitive!
Will love and justice triumph?]
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[PGC #750]
Over the Hills. A Romance of the Fifteen.
(1930)
[Historical novel set in Scotland during the 1715 uprising
Wikipedia
against the newly arrived Hanoverian king, George I,
the successor to the last Stuart monarch, Queen Anne.]
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[PGC #1098]
The Way Beyond
(1933)
[Novel. Boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, and things really
start happening, including a murder. At this point, Detective Shrig appears on the scene...]
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[PGC #781]
Winds of Fortune
(1934)
[Historical novel, set in Spanish America during the colonial era. Pirates are mentioned;
Incas play a role. All of this is narrated by Ursula Revell, 23 years of age, and a participant
in the various adventures she recounts.]
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[PGC #906]
Adam Penfeather, Buccaneer: his Early Exploits
(1940)
[Historical novel,
"Being a curious and intimate relation of his (Adam Penfeather's)
tribulations, joys and triumphs taken from notes of his Journal
and pages from his Ship's Log, and here put into complete narrative"]
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The Lost Club Journal (Colin Langeveld)
Heritage Perilous
(1946)
[Historical novel, set in the Napoleonic era. Sam Felton, a plain-spoken sailor,
discovers that he has succeeded to the title (and fortune) of Earl of Wrybourne.
Then things get complicated...]
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[PGC #477]
My Lord of Wrybourne
(1948)
[Historical novel: the sequel to Farnol's 1946 novel Heritage Perilous.
The new Earl of Wrybourne is living in peace with his beautiful wife and their
recently born son. Who could wish him ill? His old enemy Sir Robert Chalmers,
perhaps, but he has vanished from the scene. Or has he?]
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[PGC #1131]
Farquhar, George (1676/7-1707)
[Irish playwright]
Wikipedia
NNDB
Dictionary of Ulster Biography
Ulster History Circle
The Constant Couple, or, A Trip to the Jubilee
(1700)
[Comedy.
Our edition includes some introductory remarks by the
playwright and novelist Elizabeth Inchbald (1753-1821)
Wikipedia]
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New York Times (review by Anne Midgette of the 2007 New York production)
[PG Canada ebook #531]
Faucher de Saint-Maurice, Narcisse-Henri-Édouard (1844-1897)
[Journaliste canadien]
Dictionnaire biographique du Canada
Les îles. Promenades dans le golfe Saint-Laurent: une partie
de la Côte Nord, l'île aux Oeufs, l'Anticosti, l'île Saint-Paul,
l'archipel de la Madeleine (1887)
[Récit de voyage]
HTML et Texte
Faulkner, William (1897-1962)
[American novelist; Nobel Prize in Literature, 1949]
Wikipedia
Nobelprize.org
Mississippi
(October 1954)
[Faulkner on his native state. Not an essay, but an original creative work, as you will see.]
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[PGC #1208]
Fea, Rev. Samuel
(1872-1943)
[Canadian writer]
Irish Ned, The Winnipeg Newsy (1910)
[Novella]
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Fearing, Kenneth (1902-1961)
[American poet and novelist]
Wikipedia
Modern American Poetry Site (MAPS)
Dagger of the Mind
(1941)
[Mystery novel. 'Mr. Fearing mixes very funny satire about
an "artists' colony" with a couple of properly gory and appropriately
intellectual killings and writes the whole works beautifully.'
(The American Mercury, April 1941)]
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[PGC #1312]
The Big Clock
(1946)
[Fearing's most famous crime novel. George Stroud lives in New York City,
and is the editor of Crimeways magazine. He is
asked by his publisher to investigate the murder of the publisher's
girlfriend: not a simple request to fulfil, as it turns out!]
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[PGC #1107]
Fearn, John Russell (1908-1960)
[English science fiction author]
Wikipedia
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
Brain of Venus
(February 1937)
[Science fiction story first published by Thrilling Wonder Stories.
Not just published, but summarized! "The malignant brain of a condemned
criminal comes to life on another planet and radiates force-rays of madness
and death." We couldn't say it better!]
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[PGC #1550]
Menace from the Microcosm
(June 1937)
[Science fiction novella, not about giant worlds in outer space, but
about microworlds closer to us. "It seemed to me," wrote the author,
"that the conception of intra-atomic worlds, though by no means novel,
had not so far been explored in all its possibilities... It gave me
great pleasure to debate the possibilities while I wrote it; I hope
that some of you at least will have an equal pleasure in reading it."]
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[PGC #1553]
A Summons from Mars
(June 1938)
[Short story: short, but long enough to have five chapters.
Long-distance engagements are tricky even when both parties
are on Earth. They're even more complicated when one of
them lives on Earth, but the other on Mars!]
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[PGC #1410]
Martian Avenger
(April 1939)
[Science fiction story. From his name, Lance Halworthy, you would think
he was from Earth. But you would be wrong!]
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[PGC #1403]
The Ultimate Analysis
(November 1944)
[Science fiction story. We really can't improve on the original
summary from 1944: here goes! "Just as Ruthless Invaders from a
Far-Off Cosmic Frontier Are Poised to Invade the Earth, Out of
a Curious Experimental Machine Darts the Perfect Mathematical
Equation, Loaded with Potential Destruction!"]
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[PGC #1554]
Interlink
(November 1945)
[Science fiction story. It's hard being a cop. It's even harder
being a space cop. And it's especially difficult being a space
cop when your fiancée is a space pirate!]
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[PGC #1551]
Ferber, Edna (1885-1968)
[American novelist and playwright]
Wikipedia
So Big
(1924)
Wikipedia
[Novel, winner of the 1925 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
A schoolteacher marries and has a son, who is physically
large: hence the novel's title, his nickname. Dirk (his
formal name) as an adult finds success as an architect, and
then as a bond salesman. But his apparently successful career
choices turn out to have unexpected consequences. "Character
after character stands out as memorable, incident after incident
remains in the mind... the best American novel of the year."
(John C. Farrar, The Bookman (U.S.), March 1924)]
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[PGC #1608]
Show Boat
(1926)
Wikipedia
[Ferber's enduringly famous novel about a theatrical troupe plying
the great rivers of the United States; a major subplot involves
miscegenation (interracial marriage), illegal at the time in the
state of Mississippi. The novel was the basis of the 1927 musical
Wikipedia
by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II.
"Miss Ferber's documentation of her story of theatre days down
the rivers of mid-America is admirable. This is a book particularly
notable for the small scene, the memorable wave of the hand,
the magnificent dress, the unforgetable gesture."
(John C. Farrar, The Bookman (U.S.), September 1926)]
CAUTION: Certain elements of plot and language may seem
racist by the standards of today.]
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[PGC #1653]
Féval, Paul (1816-1887)
[Romancier français]
fr.wikipedia
Le dernier chevalier
(1877 ou avant)
[Roman]
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Fewster, Ernest Philip (1868-1947) [Canadian physician and poet]
City of Vancouver Archives
Canadian Poetry (See bottom note)
My Garden Dreams
(1926)
[A book about flowers. The author describes his flower garden (one flower per essay), his
philosophy about each flower, his care and tending of it, and occasional
daydreams triggered by it.]
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[PGC #981]
The Immortal Dweller
(1938)
[Book of short poems]
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[PGC #979]
Field, Eugene (1850-1895)
[American author and poet]
Wikipedia
From A Little Book of Profitable Tales (1889)
[Stories for children; musical samples arranged by Theodore Thomas (1835-1905)
Wikipedia,
founder of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Wikipedia]
Firbank, Ronald (1886-1926)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
Caprice
(1917)
[Written in the depths of the First World War, although the novella
is not at all dark in tone: such was not the way of Ronald Firbank.
With a fine frontispiece by
Augustus John (1878-1961)
Wikipedia.
This is the story of Miss Sarah Sinquier, the daughter of Canon
Sinquier. She was born in "the sleepy peaceful town of Applethorp",
but as the novella opens she is about to visit London, which as
it turns out she likes very much. Particularly the West End!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #70073]
Concerning the Eccentricities of Cardinal Pirelli
(1926)
[Novella about the startling behaviour of a Cardinal who, it would appear, has little
interest in being (1) celibate, or (2) heterosexual.]
EPUB
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[PGC #657]
Fitzgerald, F. Scott [Francis Scott Key] (1896-1940)
[American novelist and essayist]
Wikipedia
This Side of Paradise
(1920)
Wikipedia
[Fitzgerald's first novel, about undergraduate life at Princeton
and life in the early twenties, the central character being Amory
Blaine, whose family life and love life the novel follows. The
publisher Scribner's was on the point of rejecting the novel because
of its explicit content, but their famous editor Maxwell Perkins
threatened to resign, and so the book duly appeared, and presented
the world with a more or less accurate picture of how Americans of
Fitzgerald's age and class actually lived: one contemporary reviewer
commented that it was "delightful and encouraging to find a novel
which gives us in the accurate terms of intellectual honesty a
reflection of American undergraduate life. At last the revelation
has come." ("R. V. A. S.", New Republic, 12 May 1920).
Twenty-nine years later, no less a figure than John P. Marquand commented
on how little the novel had dated: "It still remains almost exactly as
the reviewers first saw it, an exceptionally brilliant piece of work by
a precocious young Princeton graduate who was perhaps a genius...
Scott Fitzgerald was writing of a world he knew and of the only world
he could have known at his age, of school and schoolboys, of the Princeton
undergraduate, of the Plaza and the brownstone fronts and the bright lights
on Fifth Avenue, and he confined himself with the instinct of an artist
exclusively to what he had known and lived. He wrote as splendidly as
anyone ever has of his own youth." (Saturday Review, 6 August 1949)]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Beautiful and Damned
(1922)
Wikipedia
[Fitzgerald's second novel: its main characters are Anthony Patch and
Gloria Gilbert, who have something but not everything in common with Fitzgerald himself and his wife Zelda. Patch is not himself extremely wealthy, but his grandfather is, which leaves him in the strange position
of being wealthy... but not yet. The couple lead a glamorous life in Manhattan, but as time passes their circumstances become more complex.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
The Great Gatsby
(1925)
Wikipedia
[Fitzgerald's most famous novel, set on Long Island
and in New York City. Its focus is Jay Gatsby, who
possesses vast and mysterious wealth, and who is
observed with simultaneous fascination and scepticism by
Nick Carraway, a recent Yale graduate newly started in
the bonds business.]
EPUB
[University of Adelaide]
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[PGC #1619]
Echoes of the Jazz Age
(November 1931)
[Essay: the author, himself one of the most famous figures of the Jazz Age of the 1920s
Wikipedia,
describes the period from its beginning to its then quite recent end.
A neat and witty piece of writing.]
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[PGC #1183]
Tender is the Night
(1934)
Wikipedia
[The last of Fitzgerald's four novels to be published in
his lifetime, with some likely elements of autobiography.
The novel starts in the glamorous setting of the French
Riviera, in a hotel outside Cannes. Dick and Nicole
Diver seem destined for permanent happiness, but life
is rarely that simple, as they discover.]
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[PGC #1618]
Flammenberg, Lorenz [Kahlert, Karl Friedrich] (1765-1813)
[German lawyer, playwright, and novelist]
The Necromancer: or The Tale of the Black Forest.
Founded on Facts.
(1792 [German original]; 1794 [translation]; 1927 [preface])
[Free translation by Peter Teuthold of Flammenberg's original Gothic novel
Der Geisterbanner; with a preface by Montague Summers (1880-1948)
Wikipedia
The novel is mentioned by Jane Austen in her novel Northanger Abbey
Wikipedia.
It relates mysterious and sinister events in the Black Forest.]
Wikipedia
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[PGC #1005]
Fleming, Archibald Lang (1883-1953) [Canadian bishop and missionary]
Canadian Encyclopedia
Canadian Museum of Civilization
For Us. Meditations on the Seven Words from the Cross.
(1927 or earlier, probably 1924)
[Meditations]
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Fleming, Ian [Ian Lancaster] (1908-1964)
[English intelligence officer and novelist]
Wikipedia
Novels and stories featuring James Bond
Wikipedia:
Casino Royale
(1953)
Wikipedia
Guardian (article by Nicholas Lezard)
[James Bond's first appearance in literature. The novel features much
of what would become the familiar Bond universe: gambling, foreign agents,
a glamorous French setting, Bond's Bentley, much alcohol; also the mysterious and
captivating Vesper Lynd. Quite different from the 2006 film starring Daniel Craig
Wikipedia,
to say nothing of the 1967 version starring David Niven
Wikipedia.]
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[PGC #1282]
Live and Let Die
(1954)
Wikipedia
[The second James Bond novel. Intrigue in Harlem, Florida,
then Jamaica; also voodoo.]
CAUTION: Certain language in the novel may seem racist by the standards of today.
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[PGC #1285]
Moonraker
(1955)
Wikipedia
[The third James Bond novel. It is set in England, specifically
the county of Kent. It features a rocket ("The Moonraker"),
a fine villain (Sir Hugo Drax), a famous game of bridge, and
much else. The 1979 film
Wikipedia
is quite different from the novel:
read the novel and decide which you prefer. (Speaking
personally, we like the novel!)]
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[PGC #1267]
Diamonds are Forever
(1956)
Wikipedia
[Novel featuring James Bond, who at M's request is investigating
the murky world of diamond smuggling. Not a spy in sight,
but lots of gangsters. Some fine writing, with memorable
episodes set in Las Vegas and in Saratoga Springs, New York,
famous for its horse races. The basis of the 1971 film
of the same name
Wikipedia,
the last in the Bond series to star Sean Connery.]
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[PGC #1415]
From Russia with Love
(1957)
Wikipedia
[The favourite James Bond novel not only of Fleming himself, but also of
American president John F. Kennedy! The action takes place in various
glamorous European locales, including London, Istanbul, Trieste, and Paris.
The Russians play a major role, through the operations of their agency, SMERSH;
also through Corporal Tatiana Romanova.]
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[PGC #1296]
Dr. No
(1958)
Wikipedia
[The sixth James Bond novel, set in the Caribbean, and the basis of the first
James Bond film, starring Sean Connery
Wikipedia.
"The Empire still lives in this one; bizarrerie abounds...
Erudite cliff-hanger, with sex sauce."
(John T. Winterich, Saturday Review, 16 August 1958)]
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[PGC #1457]
Goldfinger
(1959)
Wikipedia
[Novel. James Bond encounters Mr Auric Goldfinger, who is
passionate about gambling, golf, and of course, gold.
That's where Fort Knox
Wikipedia
comes in!]
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[PGC #1228]
For Your Eyes Only. Five secret occasions in the life of James Bond.
(1960)
Wikipedia
[Espionage, murder, smuggling -- five different short stories
with five different challenges for James Bond. Locales include
Paris, Jamaica, the Seychelles, Italy and, yes, Canada!]
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[PGC #1429]
The Spy Who Loved Me
(1962)
Wikipedia
[Novel, narrated by Vivienne Michel, who is from Canada,
more specifically from Sainte-Famille, the oldest town on the Île d'Orléans
Wikipedia.
The novel does not follow the classic Bond formula:
a welcome innovation in the eyes of some, but not of
others. It is shorter than the other Bond novels,
and features a good deal of sex (and violence).]
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[PGC #1288]
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
(1963)
Wikipedia
[Novel featuring James Bond, set in the Swiss Alps: dark doings on the upper slopes.
The 1969 film adaptation
Wikipedia
has the rare distinction of being very faithful to the book: if you like
one, you'll like the other!]
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[PGC #1530]
You Only Live Twice
(1964)
Wikipedia
[The last Bond novel published during Ian Fleming's lifetime.
James Bond is in Japan, sent there because the CIA is no
longer providing as much information on the Far East as
formerly. "They're worried about our security," comments M.
"Can't blame them. I'm equally worried about theirs."
Fleming had visited Japan, and had included an account of
Tokyo in his 1963 travel book Thrilling Cities,
which you will find in our catalogue.]
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[PGC #1481]
The Man with the Golden Gun
(1965)
Wikipedia
[Fleming's last James Bond novel, written under difficult conditions,
and published posthumously. Bond reappears in London after months
of absence: he is a changed man. But he recovers, and is sent to
Jamaica on a dangerous and important mission.]
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[PGC #1558]
The Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang stories:
Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, The Magical Car.
Adventure Number One.
(1964)
Wikipedia
[Children's novel. We are introduced to Caractacus Pott and his family.
They buy a car, no ordinary car... and the adventures begin!]
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[PGC #1278]
Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, The Magical Car.
Adventure Number Two.
(1964)
Wikipedia
[At the end of Adventure Number One, the Potts family, on a seaside picnic,
had failed to notice the tide coming in, threatening to cut them off
from the mainland – or worse! It's just as well that Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang
is there...]
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[PGC #1289]
Essays and articles:
Jamaica
(December 1947)
[One of a series of articles in Horizon
Wikipedia,
by different authors, about the advantages of living in various
places around the world. Ian Fleming contributed this essay on
Jamaica, where he had just built his house, Goldeneye
Wikipedia.]
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[PGC #1230]
Automobilia
(April 1958)
[Essay. Ian Fleming, like his creation James Bond, was fond of cars.
Here he fondly describes his Ford Thunderbird — and gives an
account of going for a drive in Jamaica with his friend Noël Coward!]
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[PGC #1226]
Thrilling Cities
(1963)
Wikipedia
[Thirteen essays on various world cities: cities that James Bond would be familiar with!
The essays were commissionede by the Canadian entrepreneur and newspaper magnate Roy Thomson
Wikipedia,
and first appeared in the Sunday Times, which he had recently purchased,
but with some passages removed: in this collected edition, Fleming added them back.]
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[PGC #1313]
Fleming, May Agnes (1840-1880)
[Canadian novelist]
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Magdalen's Vow
(1871)
[Novel]
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[PGC #610]
A Mad Marriage. A Novel.
(1875)
[Novel]
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[PGC #634]
Norine's Revenge, and Sir Noel's Heir
(1875)
[Two novels]
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[PGC #626]
One Night's Mystery. A Novel.
(1876)
[As the novel starts, our heroine Sydney Owenson is a pupil in a school for young ladies
in the Canadian town of Petit St. Jacques. She is unaware of the events that lie in her
future...]
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[PGC #726]
Carried by Storm. A Novel.
(1879)
[Novel]
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[PGC #512]
Sharing Her Crime. A Novel.
(1883)
[Novel. It is Christmas Eve: the mysterious Madge Oranmore summons Dr. Wiseman,
and offers him an enormous fee for some rather specialized professional services...]
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[PGC #732]
The Actress' Daughter. A Novel.
(1885)
[Novel.]
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[PGC #790]
Edith Percival. A Novel.
(1893)
[Novel]
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[PGC #529]
Fletcher, J. S. [Joseph Smith] (1863-1935) [English novelist
and historian]
Wikipedia
gadetection
The Chestermarke Instinct
(1918)
[Yorkshire-born J. S. Fletcher was not a celebrity in the modern sense,
that is, he was not a public figure. He was, however, an extremely
skilled writer of mysteries, which acquired an international following.
This novel shows why! The main character is named Wallington Neale: he
is a bank clerk in the ancient and very quiet market town of Scarnham.
With the passage of time Neale is more and more aware of how monotonous
his job truly is. But this monotony is broken by the sudden disappearance
of his guardian, John Horbury, who had gotten him his position at
Chestermarke's Bank!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #27965]
Scarhaven Keep
(1920)
[A classic mystery novel by a classic author. "Mystery, character,
love, a setting that combines the romance of the theatrical profession
with the oddity of a quaint village on the Scottish border: satisfying
ingredients for a detective yarn... here is one that I can recommend
with vigor." ("J. F.", The Bookman [US], March 1922)]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #9807]
The Herapath Property
(1921)
[Mystery novel, written in Fletcher's notably attractive style.
Your first question might be, who is Herapath? That's easy to answer:
Jacob Herapath is "a Member of Parliament, the owner of a sort of model
estate of up-to-date flats, and something of a crank about such matters as
ventilation, sanitation, and lighting." As you might guess, he is wealthy.
But he unfortunately is no longer alive. Murder or suicide? That's only
the first of many questions that need answers. "In Mr. J. S. Fletcher's
stories there is no stint of adventure. The solution of this mystery is
most unexpected. The reader will find it hard to lay down."
(Literary Digest, 28 January 1922)]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #25388]
In the Mayor's Parlour
(1922)
[A mystery novel from J. S. Fletcher is always something special.
Naturally there is a murder at the centre of this fine novel, and
if you have identified this victim as the Mayor in the title,
congratulations on your sleuthing! He is indeed John Wallingford,
recently elected mayor of the ancient town of Hathelsborough.
Now you have enough to start with: enjoy the novel!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #25424]
The Charing Cross Mystery
(1923)
gadetection
["Mr. Fletcher is noted among writers of detective stories as being one
of two or three to write good English and to have the knack of making his
people talk like human beings." So commented The Outlook (21 March
1923), in what is clearly meant to be high praise. And this praise was
deserved : how can we explain otherwise the enduring worldwide popularity of
an author who seems to have avoided publicity throughout his writing career?
Perhaps his concentration on the writer's craft explains the excellence of
his novels. As for this novel, it involves the Charing Cross railway station
in London and an apparent murder, and it "is built up in a workmanlike way,
and its surprises are not so startling as to make the reader put it down
with a feeling that he has been fooled or tricked." What more could be
asked for?]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #59893]
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[PGC #647]
Flygare-Carlén, Emilie (1807-1892)
[Swedish novelist]
Wikipedia
sv.wikipedia
Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon (1906) [in Swedish]
Ivar: or, The Skjuts-Boy
(1841 [Swedish original], 1852 [this translation])
[Translation of the novel Skjutsgossen
by Prof. Alex. L. Krause (fl. 1852-1854), with illustrations by Edmund Evans (1826-1905)
Wikipedia.
Prof. Krause also contributed a interesting introduction to the novel.]
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[PGC #480]
The Bride of Omberg
(1845 [Swedish original], 1853 [this translation])
[Translation of the novel Bruden på Omberg
by Prof. Alex. L. Krause (fl. 1852-1854) and Elbert Perce (1831-1869)]
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[PGC #464]
Footner, Hulbert (1879-1944)
[Canadian novelist and playwright]
Wikipedia
Thieves' Wit. An Everyday Detective Story.
(1918)
[Mystery novel. A youngish New Yorker, now entering his
thirties, and with ambitions of being a successful playwright,
instead becomes a Confidential Investigator. Written with
Footner's characteristic lightness of touch and (most appropriately) wit.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #57236]
The Substitute Millionaire
(1919)
[Novel. Two days before the story begins, "Silas Gyde, the
millionaire miser and usurer, had been blown to pieces in
the street by a bomb." As to who planted the bomb, who can
say? The more interesting question is whether the young
Jack Norman, bookkeeper at a sash and blind factory, is
in fact the heir to Gyde's vast fortune!]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #57210]
The Owl Taxi
(1921)
[Mystery novel. Owl taxis operate at night, when strange things can happen:
murder, for example! Of course, in Manhattan strange things can happen
at any hour...]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #57088]
Ramshackle House
(1922)
[Mystery novel. "Equal parts of Maryland, young lovers, and a murder
mystery make this literary julep", remarks The Bookman (August 1923).
CAUTION: The occasional use of dialect English might appear racist
to some readers.]
Project Gutenberg US
[PGUS #57138]
New Rivers of the North. The yarn of two amateur explorers.
(1927)
[Hulbert's account, with many photographs by Hulbert and his travel companion
Auville Eager, of his travels along three major rivers of British Columbia and
Alberta: the Fraser
Wikipedia,
the Peace
Wikipedia,
and the Hay
Wikipedia,
with particular attention to Alexandra Falls
Wikipedia.]
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[PGC #943]
The Shanty Sled
(1925)
[Novel. A young woman decides to travel from New York to north-western Canada
to see her mother, who had sent her to New York twenty years before.
She falls in love with a local trapper, then an evil fur trader tries to
interfere. But things work out, as they generally do, in novels at least.]
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[PGC #584]
The Under Dogs
(1925)
[Mystery novel. Mme. Rosika Storey confronts the challenges and dangers presented by
a New York-based crime organization.]
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[PGC #498]
Madame Storey
(1926)
[Four mystery novellas featuring Madame Storey]
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[PGC #517]
The Velvet Hand. New Madame Storey Mysteries.
(1928)
[Four mystery novellas featuring Madame Storey]
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[PGC #536]
The Doctor Who Held Hands. A Madame Storey Novel.
(1929)
[Madame Storey receives a letter asking for her help in stopping
the pseudo-psychological activities of a doctor who has set himself up as a
"psycho-synthetist", seemingly to help his patients, but in fact to use what
he's being told to blackmail them. She decides to intervene. A twist ending!]
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[PGC #552]
Easy to Kill
(1931)
[Mystery novel]
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The Kidnapping of Madame Storey and Other Stories
(1936)
[Five mystery stories featuring the redoubtable Madame Storey]
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[PGC #588]
The Almost Perfect Murder. A Case Book of Madame Storey.
(1937)
[Five tales featuring Madame Storey]
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[PGC #577]
The Obeah Murders
(1937)
[Mystery novel set in the Caribbean: more precisely, on the American
island of Annunziata. Our hero, Phil Nevitt, is a junior executive
at Columbia Distillers: he has been sent from New York to investigate
possible future competition based in Annunziata. But a series of
spectactular murders starts happening: soon he is investigating these
as well! "Native magic in spooky settings makes good background for
swiftly paced yarn with bumptious hero and hot-tempered heroine."
(Saturday Review, 16 October 1937)]
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[PGC #1521]
The Death of a Celebrity
(1938)
[When was the modern concept of the "celebrity" invented?
Most likely in the nineteenth century, with the rise of mass
media. Certainly the actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923)
and the singer Jenny Lind (1820-1887) were celebrities
of that time and are still celebrities today. The celebrity in
this mystery is Gavin Dordress, a very successful Broadway
playwright on Broadway -- a world that Footner knew very well,
being himself an actor and playwright. In any case, Dordress
is found dead in his Madison Avenue apartment, a gun on the
floor beside him. A suicide? Amos Lee Mappin, an accomplished
sleuth and an old friend of Dordress, has his doubts!]
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[PGC #1672]
Sinfully Rich
(1940)
[Mystery novel]
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Who Killed the Husband?
(1941)
[Mystery novel, set in Manhattan. That famous sleuth Amos Lee Mappin
prefers to be a specialist student of crime rather than an actual
investigator. But he makes exceptions, as in the sensational murder
of the prominent banker Jules Gartrey. The suspect? None other than
the young society photographer Alastair Yohe!]
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[PGC #1531]
The House with the Blue Door
(1942)
[Mystery novel, featuring that Manhattan sophisticate and
sleuth extraordinaire Amos Lee Mappin. As the novel opens,
Mappin receives a phone call from his friend, the socialite
Mrs. Nicholas Cassells. He gets the call in the morning!
Since when has Sandra Cassells phoned anyone before noon?
Something big must be going on!]
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[PGC #1673]
Orchids to Murder
(1945)
[Footner's final mystery novel, published posthumously,
featuring Amos Lee Mappin. Includes a personal memoir
of Footner by his friend, the novelist, critic,
and Sherlock Holmes authority Christopher Morley (1890-1957)
Wikipedia
Christopher Morley Knothole Assoc.]
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[PGC #513]
Ford, Ford Madox [Hueffer, Ford Madox] (1873-1939)
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
Joseph Conrad. A Personal Remembrance.
(1924)
[A personal memoir of literary titan Joseph Conrad (1857-1924)
Wikipedia,
a close friend of Ford's. Includes as an appendix the short
obituary (in French) published by Ford in Paris when he received
the news of Conrad's passing. Also includes a photograph of
Conrad by Will Cadby (1866-1937) and a photograph of
the famous sculpture of Conrad by Sir Jacob Epstein (1880-1959)
Wikipedia.]
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[PGC #1054]
The four Parade's End novels:
Some Do Not...
(1924)
Wikipedia
[Novel, the first of the four Parade's End novels
Wikipedia.
We are introduced to Christopher Tietjens, the main character.
Tietjens works in Britain's Imperial Department
of Statistics. Society appears calm and well-ordered:
but the First World War lies just around the corner...]
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[PGC #1191]
No More Parades. A Novel.
(1925)
Wikipedia
[The second of the Parade's End novels, set behind the front lines
in France in 1915. Christopher Tietjens is now a Captain in charge of
some major logistics operations. These operations include moving a group of railway
workers, volunteers from Canada! Captain Tietjens is more of an idealist
at the novel's start than at its end.]
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[PGC #1242]
A Man Could Stand Up—. A Novel.
(1926)
Wikipedia
[The third novel of the Parade's End cycle.
The First World War is ending, and life continues, but
it is not the same life as before. Christopher Tietjens
must now adjust his personal life and his professional
life to the changes that peacetime has brought.]
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[PGC #1243]
Last Post
(1928)
Wikipedia
[The fourth and final novel in the Parade's End tetralogy.
Christopher Tietjens is now living in rural Sussex, making his
living as a dealer in old furniture. The novel is somewhat
separate from the earlier three, since we are now well and truly
in peacetime. But memories of the War linger on; and Tietjens'
family ensures that his life is not unduly peaceful.]
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[PGC #1244]
New York is not America. Being a Mirror to the States.
(1927)
[Reflections on New York, a city which Ford loved the way other
authors have loved Paris.
"He has loved and understood its energy and arrogance,
its freedom, its display, even its cooking. It has vastly amused
and entertained him; he enjoys it enormously
and comes back to it inevitably, after absence; he can do
everything but work there. So he writes of its gaieties
and its conversations, its dinners and its future,
its spectacle and its metaphysic.
There have been few finer tributes."
(Bernard De Voto, Saturday Review, 18 February 1928)]
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[PGC #1149]
Forester. C. S. [Cecil Scott]
[Smith, Cecil Louis Troughton] (1899-1966]
[English novelist]
Wikipedia
Novels featuring Horatio Hornblower
Wikipedia:
Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
(1950)
Wikipedia
[Novel, written as a series of episodes taking place on the
eve of the Napoleonic Wars. Not the earliest Hornblower novel
published, but the first in narrative order. We are at the
very beginning of the career of Horatio Hornblower: he is seventeen years of age, and a midshipman
Wikipedia
in the Royal Navy.
Some of his shipmates are dubious of his prospects as a naval officer;
others see special qualities foretelling a brilliant career.]
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[PGC #1401]
Lieutenant Hornblower
(1952)
Wikipedia
[What is a loyal member of the Royal Navy to do
when it becomes clear that his commanding officer
is, quite literally, insane? Such is the crisis
facing Horatio Hornblower. The second
Hornblower novel in narrative order, but the
seventh to be published, some fifteen years
after the series began. "Like A. Conan Doyle,
who was forced to keep Holmes alive through
popular demand, Mr. Forester must never
permit Horatio Hornblower to die." (Harrison
Smith, Saturday Review, 29 March 1952)]
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[PGC #1459]
Hornblower and the Hotspur
(1962)
Wikipedia
[The third Hornblower novel in narrative order.
It's 1803; war with France is coming, and Hornblower,
now promoted to the rank of Commander, has been
assigned H. M. Sloop Hotspur, and undertakes
dangerous operations off the coast of Brittany, near Brest
Wikipedia]
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