Martin Chuzzlewit's wealthy grandfather forces him to emigrate to America after the selfish Martin falls in love with the wrong girl; upon his return, Martin seems to prove his worth.

"Nicholas Nickleby is the son of a poor country gentleman, and has to make his own way in the world. He first goes as usher to Mr. Squeers, schoolmaster at Dotheboys Hall, in Yorkshire, but leaves in disgust with the tyranny of Squeers and his wife, especially to a poor boy named Smike. Smike runs away from his school to follow Nicholas, and remains his humble follower till death. At Portsmouth, Nicholas joins the theatrical company of Mr. Crummies,...

The foreman of a large cattle ranch on the Wyoming frontier lives by the honor code of the West even though it means helping lynch a friend or possibly losing the girl he is to marry.

This classic novel of farmers, outlaws, and forbidden romance beautifully evokes seventeenth-century rural life in England's West Country. Amidst the social and religious upheaval of seventeenth-century England, the once-noble Doone family has been transformed. Now a notorious clan of outlaws, the Doones show their victims no mercy-a lesson the yeoman John Ridd learns when they murder his father. Though he longs for revenge, John must continue to...

"Though The Deerslayer (1841) was the last of James Fenimore Coopers five Leatherstocking Tales to be written, it is the first in the chronology of Natty Bumppos life. Set in the 1740s before the start of the French and Indian War, when Coopers rugged frontiersman is in his twenties, Coopers novel shows us how 'Deerslayer' becomes 'Hawkeye.' It remains the best point of entry into the series for modern readers. In his introduction, Ezra Tawil examines...

A picaresque historical novel by Charles Reade, published in 1861 and set in late medieval Holland and Europe. The novel focuses on the story of a young scribe and illuminator named Gerard Eliason and his love for Margaret Brandt, daughter of a poor scholar. Interacting with them is a cast of vividly drawn characters and various historical personages. The overarching theme through all of their adventures is the conflict between man's obligations to...

A failed revolutionary attempt drives European Abel to seek refuge in the virgin forests of southwestern Venezuela. There, in the "green mansion" of the title, Abel encounters the wood-nymph Rima, the last survivor of a mysterious aboriginal race. The bird-girl's ethereal presence cativates him completely, but the love that flowers between them is soon blighted by cruelty and sorrow.

Benvenuto Cellini started getting onto trouble at a young age. By age sixteen, he had already been exiled from his hometown for six months due to a public assault of another citizen. As a man with endless talents- sculpting, drafting, writing, music, Cellini enjoyed dabbling in many different art forms, a career that enabled him to travel to various major cities. After apprenticing for a goldsmith, Cellini moved to Rome at age nineteen. There, Pope...

"The Pioneers introduces readers to the colorful and enduring character of frontiersman Natty Bumppo. Forced by a local landowner to obey new hunting laws, Natty Bumppo rebels and finds allies in the landowner's daughter and a mysterious young stranger. Against the backdrop of the changing seasons, a varied cast of unforgettable characters is caught up in a drama that illuminates the essence of the American character and the conflict between a restlessly...