Classic Books

First published in the year 1922, the present book ‘What I Saw in America’ was written by famous English writer, lay theologian, poet, philosopher, dramatist and journalist G. K. Chesterton. this book is a compilation of reflections of the author from his lecture tour to New York.

“What Is Man?”, published by Mark Twain in 1906, is a dialogue between a Young Man and an Old Man regarding the nature of man. The title refers to Psalm 8:4, which begins “what is man, that you are mindful of him…”. It involves ideas of determinism and free will, as well as of psychological egoism.

It was more than I could believe that Jesus was the only incarnate son of God, and that only he who believed in Him would have everlasting life. If God could have sons, all of us were His sons. If Jesus was like God, or God Himself, then all men were like God and could be God Himself. My reason was not ready to believe literally that Jesus by his death and by his blood redeemed the sins of the world.

A book of modern social inquiry has a shape that is somewhat sharply defined. It begins as a rule with an analysis, with statistics, tables of population, decrease of crime among Congregationalists, growth of hysteria among policemen, and similar ascertained facts; it ends with a chapter that is generally called “The Remedy.” It is almost wholly due to this careful, solid, and scientific method that “The Remedy” is never found. For this scheme of medical question and answer is a blunder; the first great blunder of sociology. It is always called stating the disease before we find the cure. But it is the whole definition and dignity of man that in social matters we must actually find the cure before we find the disease.

It began with Jimmy Wilson and a conspiracy was helped on by a foot-square piece of yellow paper and a Japanese butler and it enmeshed and mixed up generally ten respectable members of society and a policeman.

First published in the year 1911, the present book ‘When God Laughs, and Other Stories’ is a collection of fictional short stories by one of the most famous writers of American English literature Jack London. These stories explores themes like the struggle for survival in the midst of hostile environments, human nature’s most elemental drives, and worker abuse in industrialized society.

When William Came: A Story of London Under the Hohenzollerns is a novel written by the British author Saki and published in November 1913.

They were all at Charing Cross to see Lilia off—Philip, Harriet, Irma, Mrs. Herriton herself. Even Mrs. Theobald, squired by Mr. Kingcroft, had braved the journey from Yorkshire to bid her only daughter good-bye. Miss Abbott was likewise attended by numerous relatives, and the sight of so many people talking at once and saying such different things caused Lilia to break into ungovernable peals of laughter.

“Quite an ovation,” she cried, sprawling out of her first-class carriage. “They’ll take us for royalty. Oh, Mr. Kingcroft, get us foot-warmers.”

My present subject has grown up in a very congenial atmosphere. A number of sympathetic students, who learnt to appreciate my practical work, continued to draw from me some ideas partly practical, partly theoretical, on the subject which has always been a part religion with me, whether in my working or my dreaming moments—Art and its all-permeating influence over humanity in the social and spiritual conditions. I take it that Art permeates the entire body of humanity, from the flesh-devouring savage to the asphodel-adoring æsthetic, in a greater or lesser degree, according to the sanitary conditions of their lives; and as it permeates, so it brings us closer to what we regard as human perfection.

When it was all over Mr. Sam came out to the spring-house to say good-by to me before he and Mrs. Sam left. I hated to see him go, after all we had been through together, and I suppose he saw it in my face, for he came over close and stood looking down at me, and smiling. “You saved us, Minnie,” he said, “and I needn’t tell you we’re grateful; but do you know what I think?” he asked, pointing his long forefinger at me. “I think you’ve enjoyed it even when you were suffering most. Red-haired women are born to intrigue, as the sparks fly upward.”

A favourite dodge to get your story read by the public is to assert that it is true, and then add that Truth is stranger than Fiction. I do not know if the yarn I am anxious for you to read is true; but the Spanish purser of the fruit steamer El Carrero swore to me by the shrine of Santa Guadalupe that he had the facts from the U. S. vice-consul at La Paz—a person who could not possibly have been cognizant of half of them.

A novel by American author Jack London, ‘White Fang’ was first published in Outing magazine in 1906. Much of White Fang is written from the viewpoint of the titular canine character, enabling London to explore how animals view their world and how they view humans. White Fang examines the violent world of wild animals and the equally violent world of humans. The book also explores complex themes including morality and redemption.

“White Nights” is a short story by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, originally published in 1848.

“It appeared to me,” said the mother, “that the old musket was not very willing to tell his story. He had a sort of old republican pride, and felt himself superior to the rest of the company in character and importance. When he had made himself heard in the world hitherto, it had always been by one short, but very decided and emphatic word; he despised any thing like a palaver; so he began very abruptly, and as if he had half a mind not to speak at all, because he could not speak in his own way.

The publishers believe that a picture of life sketched by a master hand—somebody who stands in the world of crime as Edison does in his field or as Morgan and Rockefeller do in theirs—could not fail to be impressive and valuable and prove the oft repeated statement that crime does not pay.

It must be remembered that literary critics are men of intelligence who have read everything and damned most things. Very few indeed are the books which they allow to be worth the trouble that must have been taken to write them.

First published in the year 2000, the present book ‘The Mary Frances First Aid Book’ by Jane Eayre Fryer consists of ready references of ordinary accidents and illnesses with their cures and home remedies. The home remedies suggested in this book are approved by experts.

“I DESIRE this evening to give you some account of the life and labours of a very noble Englishman—William Harvey.
William Harvey was born in the year 1578, and as he lived until the year 1657, he very nearly attained the age of 80. He was the son of a small landowner in Kent, who was sufficiently wealthy to send this, his eldest son, to the University of Cambridge; while he embarked the others in mercantile pursuits, in which they all, as time passed on, attained riches.” -an excerpt

This book was not written with the Intention of describing Shakespeare’s triumphant progress through the world, nor of telling the tale of his world-wide dominion. Its purpose was to declare and prove that Shakespeare is not thirty-six plays and a few poems Jumbled together and read pele-mele, but a man wno felt and thought, rejoiced and suffered, brooded, dreamed, and created. – Far too long has It been the custom to say, vv e know nothing about Shakespeare or, ‘ An octavo page would contain all our knowledge of him.’ Even Swinburne has written of the intangibility of his personality In his works.

In attempting to write a life of William the Conqueror, one is confronted, at the outset, by a question of considerable urgency. The mere details of the King’s history, if full discussion were given to all matters which have been the subjects of controversy, would far exceed the possible limits of a volume to be included in the series to which the present book belongs. On the other hand, a life of William the Conqueror which ignored the changes in constitutional organisation and social life which followed the events of 1066 would obviously be a very imperfect thing. Accordingly, I have reserved the last three chapters of the book for some examination of these questions; and I hope that the footnotes to the text may serve as, in some sort, a guide to the more difficult problems arising out of the Conqueror’s life and reign.

Windy McPherson’s Son is a 1916 novel by American author Sherwood Anderson. It was published by John Lane as part of a three book contract. Windy McPherson’s Son is Sherwood Anderson’s first novel.

The many bees include Sipsyrup who is vain, and Honeyball who is lazy. They argue and complain, and their behavior yielded unfortunate results. There is another story happening outside the beehive: the young girl Polly whose vanity about her clothes leads to the mysterious disappearance of Johnny, her brother.

Wintersmoon’ is a 1928 horror novel by the English novelist Hugh Walpole. of his other novels of the 1920s, ‘Wintersmoon’, his first attempt at a full-length love story, portrays a clash between traditionalism and modernism; his own sympathies, though not spelled out, were clearly with the traditionalists.

The present book ‘Wintry Peacock’ is a fiction short story written by the famous English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter – DH Lawrence. It was first published in the year 1921.

Some time after the termination of the long war which England had waged in the cause of liberty when well-nigh all the world was up in arms against her, my father, Captain Patrick Loraine, having served for many years as a subaltern, believing that he should no longer find employment for his sword, sold out of the army, and with the proceeds of his commission in his pocket, quitting the old country, came to the United States in the hopes of making his fortune more rapidly than he could expect to do at home.

A library in a city house. A dining-room opens beyond a portière. The dinner-table is set. The library is furnished in red leather and dark wood. Books run to the ceiling. The carpet is indeterminate in tone. The heavy curtains are of a rich, dark crimson. A window is to be seen. The library is littered a little with the signs of feminine occupation. At one of the tables sits Mrs. Thorne. She is a young and beautiful woman, of stately presence and modest, high-bred manner. She is well-dressed—but not over-dressed—in a tea-gown such as a lady might wear in her own home when guests are not expected. The dress is cream-white; it falls open over a crimson skirt. The lamps are shaded with lace of red or of white. One with a white shade is on the table by which she sits. Her sewing materials are lying about, among books and magazines half-cut. She tries to sew upon a little boy’s lace collar, but throws her work down restlessly. Her face wears a troubled expression.