A room in the down-stairs of a summer cottage. High around the wall runs an art frieze of a fisherman with a pile of nets at his feet and a ship on a crimson ocean, a fisherman with a pile of nets at his feet and a ship on a crimson ocean, a fisherman with a pile of nets at his feet and so on. In one place on the frieze there is an overlapping—here we have half a fisher-man with half a pile of nets at his foot, crowded damply against half a ship on half a crimson ocean. The frieze is not in the plot, but frankly it fascinates me. I could continue indefinitely, but I am distracted by one of the two objects in the room—a blue porcelain bath-tub. It has character, this bath-tub. It is not one of the new racing bodies, but is small with a high tonneau and looks as if it were going to jump; dis-couraged, however, by the shortness of its legs, it has submitted to its environment and to its coat of sky-blue paint. But it grumpily refuses to allow any patron completely to stretch his legs—which brings us neatly to the second object in the room: SHE is a girl—clearly an appendage to the bath-tub, on-ly her head and throat—beautiful girls have throats instead of necks—and a suggestion of shoulder ap-pearing above the side. For the first ten minutes of the play the audience is engrossed in wondering if she really is playing the game fairly and hasn't any clothes on or whether it is being cheated and she is dressed. The girl's name is JULIE MARVIS. From the proud way she sits up in the bath-tub we deduce that she is not very tall and that she carries herself well. When she smiles, her upper tip rolls a little and reminds you of an Easter Bunny, She is within whispering distance of twenty years old.

Primul roman distins cu Michael L. Printz AwardFinalist la National Book AwardALA Best BookNew York Times NotablePublishers Weekly Best BookMonstrul" – aa l numete procurorul pe Steve Harmon, un adolescent n vrst de 16 ani, acuzat c a fost complice la un jaf ntr-o drogherie, soldat cu omor deosebit de grav.Dar oare a fost Steve cu adevrat cel care le-a dat cale liber fptailor sau pur i simplu s-a aflat n locul nepotrivit la momentul nepotrivitn timp ce ateapt n sala de judecat, Steve, care viseaz s ajung regizor, imagineaz evenimentele sub forma unui scenariu de film, presrat cu nsemnri de jurnal. Astfel, cititorul devine att jurat, ct i martor n procesul care va decide soarta adolescentului.Romanul inovator al luiWalter Dean Myersarat cum o singur decizie ne poate schimba viaa pentru totdeauna."Myersdescrie cum drumul de la inocen la vinovie se face cu pai mici, aproape invizibili, fiecare implicnd o experien n care o decizie moral n-a fost luat." -Kirkus Reviews"Suspansul i tensiunea rmn foarte intense pn la final, cnd aflm dac juriul l va gsi pe Steve vinovat sau nu de crima pentru care este acuzat." -School Library Journal"Myersdescrie magistral multiplele faete ale personajului, iar cititorii vor simi att compasiune, ct i antipatie fa de Steve. Dar n cele din urm, acesta i va regsi umanitatea i un sim al moralei pe care l pierduse." -NewYorkPublicLibrary

"Gadsby" is a 1939 novel by Ernest Vincent Wright. The plot revolves around the dying fictional city of Branton Hills, which is revitalized thanks to the efforts of protagonist John Gadsby and a youth group he organizes.The novel is written as a lipogram and does not include words that contain the letter "e". Though self-published and little-noticed in its time, the book is a favourite of fans of constrained writing and is a sought-after rarity among some book collectors. Later editions of the book have sometimes carried the alternative subtitle "50,000 Word Novel Without the Letter 'E'". In 1968, the novel entered the public domain in the United States due to failure to renew copyright in the 28th year after publication.

Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards (1850 – 1943) was an American writer. She born in Boston, Massachusetts, to a high-profile family. During her life, she wrote over 90 books, including children's, biographies,poetry, and others. A well-known children's poem for which she is noted is theliterary nonsense verse Eletelephony. Her father was Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, an abolitionist and the founder of thePerkins Institution and Massachusetts School for the Blind. Samuel Gridley Howe's famous pupil Laura Bridgman was Laura's namesake.Julia Ward Howe, Laura's mother, was famous for writing the words to The Battle Hymn of the Republic. In 1871 Laura married Henry Richards. He would accept a management position in 1876 at his family's paper mill at Gardiner, Maine, where the couple moved with their three children.In 1917 Laura won a Pulitzer Prize for Julia Ward Howe, 1819-1910, a biography, which she co-authored with her sister, Maud Howe Elliott. Her children's book Tirra Lirra won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1959. A pre-kindergarten to second grade Elementary School in Gardiner, Mainehonors her name. Works:? St. Nicholas Magazine (contributed poetry)? Baby's Rhyme Book (1878)? Babyhood: Rhymes and Stories, Pictures and Silhouettes for Our Little Ones (1878)? Baby's Story Book (1878)? Five Mice in a Mouse Trap (1880)? The Little Tyrant (1880)? Our Baby's Favorite (1881)? Sketches and Scraps (1881)? Baby Ways (1881)? The Joyous Story of Toto (1885)? Beauty and the Beast (retelling, 1886)? Four Feet, Two Feet, and No Feet (1886)? Hop o' My Thumb (retelling, 1886)? Kaspar Kroak's Kaleidoscope (1886)? L.E.R. (privately printed, 1886)? Tell-Tale from Hill and Dale (1886)? Toto's Merry Winter (1887)? Julia Ward Howe Birthday-Book (1889)? In My Nursery (1890)? Captain January (later made into a movie with Shirley Temple, 1891)? Star Bright (Captain January sequel, 1927)? The Hildegarde Series? Queen Hildegarde (1889)? Hildegarde's Holiday (1891)? Hildegarde's Home (1892)? Hildegarde's Neighbors (1895)? Hildegarde's Harvest (1897)? The Melody Series? Melody (1893)? Marie (1894)? Bethsada Pool (1895)? Rosin the Beau (1898)? The Margaret Series? Three Margarets (1897)? Margaret Montfort (1898)? Peggy (1899)? Rita (1900)? Fernley House (1901)? The Merryweathers (1904)? Glimpses of the French Court (1893)? When I Was Your Age (1893)? Narcissa, or the Road to Rome (1894)? Five Minute Stories (1895)? Jim of Hellas, or In Durance Vile (1895)? Nautilus (1895)? Isla Heron (1896)? "Some Say" and Neighbors in Cyrus (1896)? The Social Possibilities of a Country Town (1897)? Love and Rocks (1898)? Chop-Chin and the Golden Dragon (1899)? Quicksilver Sue (1899)? The Golden-Breasted Kootoo (1899)? Sundown Songs (1899)? For Tommy and Other Stories (1900)? Snow-White, or The House in the Wood (1900)? Geoffrey Strong (1901)? Mrs. Tree (1902)? The Hurdy-Gurdy (1902)? More Five Minute Stories (1903)? The Green Satin Gown (1903)? The Tree in the City (1903)? Mrs. Tree's Will (1905)? The Armstrongs (1905)? The Piccolo (1906)? The Silver Crown, Another Book of Fables (1906)? At Gregory's House (1907)? Grandmother, the Story of a Life that Never was Lived (1907)? Ten Ghost Stories (1907)? The Pig Brother, and Other Fables and Stories (1908)? The Wooing of Calvin Parks (1908)? A Happy Little Time (1910)? Up to Calvin's (1910)? On Board the Mary Sands (1911)? Jolly Jingles (1912)? Miss Jimmy (1913)? The Little Master (1913)? Three Minute Stories (1914)? The Pig Brother Play-Book (1915)? Fairy Operettas (1916)? Pippin, a Wandering Flame (1917)? A Daughter of Jehu (1918)? To Arms! Songs of the Great War (1918)? Honor Bright: A Story for Girls (1920)? In Blessed Cyrus (1921)? The Squire (1923)? Acting Charades (1924)? Seven Oriental Operettas (1924)? Honor Bright's New Adventure (1925)? Biographies

The contents of the work which gave such pleasure to this learned antiquary are as follows:— I. Introduction—Similarity of Arts and Customs—Similarity of Names—Origin of the Work—Imitation—Casual Coincidence—Milton—Dante. II. The Thousand and One Nights—Bedoween Audience around a Story-teller—Cleomades and Claremond—Enchanted Horses—Peter of Provence and the fair Maguelone. III. The Pleasant Nights—The Dancing Water, the Singing Apple, and the Beautiful Green Bird—The Three Little Birds—Lactantius—Ulysses and Sindbad. IV. The Sh?h-N?meh—Roostem and Soohr?b—Conloch and Cuchullin—Macpherson's Ossian—Irish Antiquities. V. The Pentamerone—Tale of the Serpent—Hindoo Legend. VI. Jack the Giant-killer—The Brave Tailoring—Thor's Journey to Ut-gard—Ameen of Isfahan and the Ghool—The Lion and the Goat—The Lion and the Ass. VII. Whittington and his Cat—Danish Legends—Italian Stories—Persian Legend. VIII. The Edda—Sigurd and Brynhilda—V?lund—Helgi—Holger Danske—Ogier le Danois—Toko—William Tell. IX. Peruonto—Peter the Fool—Emelyan the Fool—Conclusion. Appendix. ORIGIN OF THE BELIEF IN FAIRIES: According to a well-known law of our nature, effects suggest causes; and another law, perhaps equally general, impels us to ascribe to the actual and efficient cause the attribute of intelligence. The mind of the deepest philosopher is thus acted upon equally with that of the peasant or the savage; the only difference lies in the nature of the intelligent cause at which they respectively stop. The one pursues the chain of cause and effect, and traces out its various links till he arrives at the great intelligent cause of all, however he may designate him; the other, when unusual phenomena excite his attention, ascribes their production to the immediate agency of some of the inferior beings recognised by his legendary creed. The action of this latter principle must forcibly strike the minds of those who disdain not to bestow a portion of their attention on the popular legends and traditions of different countries. Every extraordinary appearance is found to have its extraordinary cause assigned; a cause always connected with the history or religion, ancient or modern, of the country, and not unfrequently varying with a change of faith.

Fanii primului volum din trilogia Alb?-ca-z?pada au motive de bucurie: Lumikki Andersson, adolescenta ciudat? ?i rebel?, vine cu o nou? poveste!Lumikki c?l?tore?te la Praga, unde o cunoa?te pe Zelenka. Aceasta ?i dezv?luie c? este sora ei, iar povestea i se pare veridic? lui Lumikki.?n scen? apare ?i Jiri, reporter la canalul de ?tiri Super8. ?mpreun? cu el, Lumikki ?ncearc? s? afle adev?rul legat de secta numit? Familia Alb?, din care face parte ?i Zelenka. Liderul sectei, Adam, pune la cale sinuciderea ?n mas? a membrilor acesteia.Lucrurile se precipit?, iar finalul aduce dezv?luiri surprinz?toare ?i ?nc? o lec?ie de via?? pentru Lumikki: fiecare om are o latur? ascuns? ?i inocen?a nu e ne?ntinat? ca z?pada.?Salla Simukka e o t?n?r? autoare extraordinar de talentat?. Trilogia Alb?-ca-Z?pada poate sta al?turi de cele mai dure thrillere nordice ?i are o eroin? nonconformist? pe m?sur?. ?n tu?e de ro?u, alb ?i negru, povestea lui Lumikki are o aur? de magie ?nghe?at?.“ – Kirkus Reviews?Lumea pe care o creeaz? Salla Simukka are un farmec exotic aparte. Finlanda, cu peisajele ?i locuitorii ei, r?m?ne un ?inut misterios, ?nc?rcat de legend?.“ – Publishers Weekly?Lumikki privea acum str?lucirea soarelui ?i albul norilor, g?ndindu-se c?, de?i c?l?toria nu-i d?duse vreun r?spuns la ?ntreb?rile trecutului, g?sise indicii. Era mai sigur? ca niciodat? c? Zelenka se apropiase surprinz?tor de adev?r. Visele ?i amintirile lui Lumikki erau adev?rate. Zelenka i le trezise, prin minciuna ei. Lumikki ?tia c? nu ??i imaginase jocul de-a Alb?-ca-Z?pada ?i Ro?ie-ca-Trandafirul. Totul se ?nt?mplase cu adev?rat.C?ndva, avusese o sor?.“

"Die Wege der Menschen deuten ein bestimmtes Ende voraus, auf das sie hinfuhren, wenn man auf ihnen beharrt. Aber wenn man von den Wegen abweicht, andert sich auch das Ende."??In der Erzahlung "Der Weihnachtsabend" begegnet uns eine Wandlung der besonderen Art: der geizige und mitleidslose, nur auf sein Geld fixierte Geschaftsmann Ebenezar Scrooge wird am Heilig Abend mit seinem Schicksal konfrontiert. Bevor dies geschieht, fuhrt ihn uns Dickens jedoch in seiner ganzen seelischen Verhartung vor, beschreibt ihn uns und schildert uns seinen Charakter. Seinen armen Schreiber Cratchit laBt er trotz eisiger Kalte bei einem kaum noch selbst von der Fantasie erkennbaren Glimmen der Kohle in der Feuerstelle arbeiten, seinen Neffen, der ihm einen frohlichen WeihnachtsgruB geben will, wirft er mit dem Wort "Possen" hinaus und dem Sammler milder Gaben fur die Bedurftigen erwidert er nur: "Gibt es denn keine Gefangnisse mehr?"??.. Und so geschieht es. Dem angsterfullten Scrooge erscheinen zur jeweils angekundigten Stunde Geister: der der vergangenen, der gegenwartigen Weihnacht und als letzter der zukunftigen Weihnacht. Sie fuhren ihn zuruck in die Zeit seiner Kindheit, in der Scrooge ein normaler, aufgeweckter Knabe war, ein Schuler, ein Lehrling in einem Geschaft, er schaut auf seine erste Liebe zuruck, die sich von ihm dem das Geld immer wichtiger wurde, weinend trennt … Sie zeigen ihm das Leben seines armen Schreibers zu Hause, fuhren in an die Tafel seines Neffen, an der er so manche Wahrheit uber sich hort und vor allem zeigen sie ihm seine eigene Zukunft, in der er allein sein wird, ausgeraubt noch in der Sterbestunde von menschlichen Geiern, verscharrt in der Erde mit einem Grabstein, vor dem er weinend kniet und seinen Namen liest…??Am nachsten Morgen ist Ebenezar Scrooge gelautert. Frohlichen Herzens geht er durch die kalten, weihnachtlichen StraBen der Stadt, entbietet den Entgegenkommenden seinen GruB und besucht schlieBlich seinen Neffen, dessen Einladung er am Vorabend noch so unwirsch ablehnte. Naturlich ist er hier willkommen und der gewandelte Scrooge feiert voll Freude Weihnachten im Kreis seiner Angehorigen, mit der Aussicht, das er es in der Hand hat, sein Leben zu andern und damit auch sein Ende.??Das ist naturlich eine sentimentale Geschichte mit einer fast schon brachial dargebotenen Moral, aber sie passt, sie ist stimmig, voller Atmosphare und es ist die Meisterschaft Dickens, den Leser schnurstracks mitzunehmen, zuruckzufuhren in diese Zeit vor uber 150 Jahren, eine Zeit der Kalte, der Armut auch sowie des Reichtums, ungleich verteilt beide, kaum abgemildert durch die Gesellschaft, der eine moralische Verpflichtung den sozial Schwachen gegenuber noch fremd war. Einzelne kummern sich zwar, aber sie sind auf die Unterstutzung der Reichen angewiesen, Menschen wie dem "alten" Scrooge, die sich in der Borse mehr zu Hause fuhlen wie in ihrer Stube. Es ist die (immer noch sehr aktuelle) Frage, was mir das Geld nutzt, wenn um mich herum Kalte ist und Einsamkeit, wenn ich mir zwar dies und das kaufen konnte, es aber aus Geiz nicht mache…??Man, jeder hat sein Leben, sein Schicksal in der Hand, so die Moral dieser Erzahlung. Wenn man sein Ende bedenkt, sich vorstellt, wie man zukunftig leben will und vor allem auch sterben, so gibt einem dies die Richtschnur dafur sein Handeln. Eine durchaus "moderne" Lehre, die uns heutzutage in anderer Formulierung begegnet: Der Wunsch nach einem "guten" Tod fuhrt automatisch zu einem "guten" Leben, denn (sehr verkurzt gesagt) nur mit einem solchen lade ich keine/wenig Schuld auf mich, die mich im Sterben belasten konnte.??Aber unabhangig davon ist "Der Weihnachtsabend" eine schone, sentimentale Geschichte, die einfach passt in einen langen Winterabend, in eine warme Stube, wenn Wind und Wetter drauBen toben, wenn Schnee fallt und Eis klirrt, Gluhwein und Kakao die Hande warmen… Ein schones Buchlein auch zum Vorlesen, zum Zuhoren, zum Traumen.. und nicht zuletzt auch zum Verschenken!

There was once upon a time a piece of wood in the shop of an old carpenter named Master Antonio. Everybody, however, called him Master Cherry, on account of the end of his nose, which was always as red and polished as a ripe cherry. No sooner had Master Cherry set eyes on the piece of wood than his face beamed with delight, and, rubbing his hands together with satisfaction, he said softly to himself: "This wood has come at the right moment; it will just do to make the leg of a little table."He immediately took a sharp axe with which to remove the bark and the rough surface, but just as he was going to give the first stroke he heard a very small voice say implor-ingly, "Do not strike me so hard!"He turned his terrified eyes all around the room to try and discover where the little voice could possibly have come from, but he saw nobody! He looked under the bench—nobody; he looked into a cupboard that was always shut—nobody; he looked into a basket of shavings and sawdust—nobody; he even opened the door of the shop and gave a glance into the street—and still nobody. Who, then, could it be?

Unul dintre cei mai de seam romancieri americani contemporani.“ – (Graham Greene) Teribil de amuzant... La fel de bun precum cele mai bune romane ale sale, Leagnul pisicii, Abatorul cinci...“ – (John Irving) Un adevrat triumf. Probabil cel mai bun dintre romanele sale.“ – (Joseph Heller) Romanul cel mai actual, cel mai realist din cte a scris Vonnegut. Un mare scriitor satiric i un moralist pus pe otii.“ – (The New York Times) Vonnegut este George Orwell, doctorul Caligari i Flash Gordon, amestecai laolalt ntr-un singur scriitor – un savant dement, caraghios, dar de o nalt inut etic.“ – (Time)

“Star Maker”, regarded as one of the true classics of science fiction, Star Maker is a poetic and deeply philosophical work. The story details the mental journey of an unnamed narrator who is transported not only to other worlds but also other galaxies and parallel universes, until he eventually becomes part of the "cosmic mind." First published in 1937, Olaf Stapledon's descriptions of alien life are a political commentary on human life in the turbulent inter-war years. The book challenges preconceived notions of intelligence and awareness, and ultimately argues for a broadened perspective that would free us from culturally ingrained thought and our inevitable anthropomorphism. This is the first scholarly edition of a book that influenced such writers as C.S. Lewis and Arthur C. Clarke and which Jorge Luis Borges called "a prodigious novel."? Some Books of Stapledon: Last and First Men (1930) Sirius: A Fantasy of Love and Discord (1944) Odd John: A Story Between Jest and Earnest (1935) Last Men in London (1932) A Modern Magician (1979) Death into Life (1946) Darkness and the Light (1942) A World of Sound (1936) A Man Divided (1950) The Seed and the Flower (1916)

n doar cteva zile, Peter McDowell pierde tot ceea ce a ctigat muncind din greu – averea, casa, existena sa de investitor bancar de succes. Ca i cum asta nu ar fi fost de ajuns, ceea ce urmeaz este i mai ru. Prbuirea bursei de valori nu doar c l aduce pe Peter n situaia de a deveni omer, ci provoac o ruptur n csnicia lui, pe care nu o poate repara. Lipsit de orice mijloace materiale, el are un singur loc n care s se retrag: o caban aflat pe malul unui lac, pe care a motenit-o de la prinii si, care i-au lsat cea mai mare parte a averii lor modeste fratelui geamn al lui Peter. Neavnd alt alegere, fiul risipitor se ntoarce acas. Medic iubit ntr-un orel, familist devotat i stlp al comunitii, Michael McDowell i ajut pe ceilali fr s in cont de ctigul personal. ns numai Peter tie cum i-a manipulat Michael pe prinii lor, atunci cnd bieii erau tineri, fapt care a dus, n cele din urm, la plecarea lui Peter. La nceput, el se teme de ntlnirea cu Michael, dar, spre surprinderea sa, revederea lor este tandr i autentic. Abia mai trziu, cnd Peter examineaz jurnalele mamei sale, adevrul iese la iveal, iar nelegerea i panica ncep s-i fac loc. Cine este fratele lui geamn Este adevrat faada pe care o afieaz sau ceva nfricotor se ascunde sub ea Este imaginaie sau o realitate prea nspimnttoare pentru a fi crezut ntr-o curs contracronometru, Peter las la o parte orice pruden pentru a afla adevrul. Ceea ce descoper va schimba pentru totdeauna viaa celor doi frai, viaa copiilor acestora i un ora ntreg.

"Hast thou seen that lordly castle,?That castle by the sea??Golden and red above it?The clouds float gorgeously." ??Do you remember Gratian—Gratian Conyfer, the godson of the four winds, the boy who lived at the old farmhouse up among the moors, where these strange beautiful sisters used to meet? Do you remember how full of fancies and stories Gratian's little head was, and how sometimes he put them into words to please Fergus, the lame child he loved so much? ??The story I am now going to tell you is one of these. I think it was their favourite one. I can not say that it is in the very words in which Gratian used to tell it, for it was not till long, long after those boyish days that it came to be written down. But all the same it is his story. About Author: Mary Louisa Molesworth, née Stewart (1839 – 1921) was an English writer of children's stories who wrote for children under the name of Mrs Molesworth. Her first novels, for adult readers, Lover and Husband (1869) to Cicely (1874), appeared under the pseudonym of Ennis Graham. She was born in Rotterdam, a daughter of Charles Augustus Stewart (1809–1873) who later became a rich merchant in Manchester and his wife Agnes Janet Wilson (1810–1883). Mary had three brothers and two sisters. She was educated in Great Britain and Switzerland: much of her girlhood was spent in Manchester. In 1861 she married Major R. Molesworth, nephew of Viscount Molesworth; they legally separated in 1879. Mrs Molesworth is best known as a writer of books for the young, such as Tell Me a Story (1875), Carrots (1876), The Cuckoo Clock (1877), The Tapestry Room (1879), and A Christmas Child (1880). She has been called "the Jane Austen of the nursery," while The Carved Lions (1895) "is probably her masterpiece." In the judgement of Roger Lancelyn Green: Mary Louisa Molesworth typified late Victorian writing for girls. Aimed at girls too old for fairies and princesses but too young for Austen and the Brontes, books by Molesworth had their share of amusement, but they also had a good deal of moral instruction. The girls reading Molesworth would grow up to be mothers; thus, the books emphasized Victorian notions of duty and self-sacrifice. Typical of the time, her young child characters often use a lisping style, and words may be misspelt to represent children's speech—"jography" for geography, for instance.She took an interest in supernatural fiction. In 1888, she published a collection of supernatural tales under the title Four Ghost Stories, and in 1896 a similar collection of six tales under the title Uncanny Stories. In addition to those, her volume Studies and Stories includes a ghost story entitled "Old Gervais" and her Summer Stories for Boys and Girls includes "Not exactly a ghost story." A new edition of The Cuckoo Clock was published in 1914.

Andrew J. Rush a atins acel tip de succes de critic? ?i comercial la care majoritatea scriitorilor ?ndr?znesc doar s? viseze: are un agent ?i un editor ?n New York, iar cele dou?zeci ?i opt de romane poli?iste ale sale s-au v?ndut ?n milioane de exemplare. Dar Rush ascunde un secret ?ntunecat. Sub pseudonimul ?Jack of Spades“ – Valetul de Pic? –, el scrie o alt? serie de romane noir, thrillere violente, lugubre, masochiste. C?nd fiica lui g?se?te una dintre aceste c?r?i, ea ?ncepe s? pun? ?ntreb?ri. ?ntre timp, Rush prime?te o cita?ie ?n instan?? de la o femeie care ?l acuz? c? i-a plagiat propriile scrieri. Astfel, reputa?ia, cariera ?i via?a de familie ale lui Rush sunt amenin?ate, iar ?n mintea lui ?ncepe s? aud? vocea sarcastic? a lui Jack of Spades. ?Exact atunci c?nd crezi c? ai ?n?eles totul, Joyce Carol Oates te uime?te ?nc? o dat?. ?i o face ?n stil mare.“

Al sentir un roce en el cuello, Fernando de Ojeda soltó la pluma y levantó la cabeza. Una palmera enana movía detrás de él con balanceo repentino sus anchas manos de múltiples y puntiagudos dedos. Para evitarse este contacto avanzó el sillón de junco, pero no pudo seguir escribiendo. Algo nuevo había ocurrido en torno de él mientras con el pecho en el filo de la mesa y los ojos sobre los papeles huía lejos, muy lejos, acompa?ado en esta fuga ideal por el leve crujido de la pluma. Vio con el mismo aspecto exterior cosas y personas al salir de su abstracción; pero una vida interna, ruidosa y móvil parecía haber nacido en las cosas hasta entonces inanimadas, mientras la vida ordinaria callaba y se encogía en las personas, como poseída de súbita timidez.??Sus ojos, fatigados por la escritura, huían de las ampollas eléctri-cas del techo, inflamadas en plena tarde, para reposarse en los rectángulos de las ventanas que encuadraban el azul grisáceo de un día de invierno. La blancura de la madera laqueada temblaba con cierto reflejo húmedo que parecía venir del exterior. Dos salones agrandados por la escasez de su altura eran el campo visual de Ojeda. En el primero, donde estaba él, mezclábase a la blancura uniforme de la decoración el verde charolado de las palmeras de inver-náculo, el verde pictórico de los enrejados de madera tendidos de pilastra a pilastra y el verde amarillento y velludo de unas parras artificiales, cuyas hojas parecían retazos de terciopelo. Sillones de floreada cretona en torno de las mesas de bambú formaban islas, a las que se acogían grupos de personas para embadurnar con manteca y mermeladas el pan tostado, husmear el perfume del té o seguir el burbujeo de las aguas minerales te?idas de jarabes y licores. ? AUTOR: Vicente Blasco Ibanez nacio el 29 de enero de 1867 en Valencia (Espana). Era hijo de Ramona Ibanez y del comerciante Gaspar Blanco. Estudio Derecho en la Universidad de Valencia. Participo en la politica uniendose al Partido Republicano". En 1894 fundo el periodico El pueblo. En el ano 1896, fue detenido y condenado a varios meses de prision. En 1889 contrajo matrimonio con Maria Blasco del Cacho, hija del magistrado Rafael Blasco y Moreno. Cuando subio al poder Canovas del Castillo, el escritor se exilio brevemente en la ciudad de Paris. Fue un autor vinculado en muchos aspectos al naturalismo frances. Por otra parte, la explicita intencion politicosocial de algunas de las novelas de Blasco Ibanez, aunada al escaso bagaje intelectual del autor, lo mantuvo alejado de los representantes de la Generacion del 98. Murio el 28 de enero de 1928 en Menton (Francia)a los 60 anos. Entre sus titulos destacan: "Arroz y Tartana" (1894), "La Barraca" (1898), "Entre Naranjos (1900), "Canas y Barro" (1902), "La Horda" (1905), "Sangre y Arena" (1908) o "Los Cuatro Jinetes Del Apocalipsis" (1916).

Bir gece anszn kan ter iinde uyand. Evin klar kapal ve saat daha 02.30’du. Uyuyal 1 saatten biraz daha fazla olmutu. Etrafna baknarak nerede olduunu anlamaya alt. Mantar pano ve üzerinde holden gelen clz kla zar zor seilen bir fotoraf tandk geldi. Dikdrtgen, güne ndan solmu kue bir kda baslan fotorafta, nianls n plandayd. Tantklar günlerde vermilerdi bu pozu. Sevgilisi yani u anki nianls o anda, sanki rüyasn biliyormuasna tehlike anlar alyormu gibi bakyordu. Kendine gelmeye balad. Rüya ile gerei ayrt edebildiinde derin bir nefes ald. Yaz yaklayordu. Mays aylarnn ortasyd. Hava geceleri odann olduu cepheden esen serin ilkbahar rüzgryla doluyordu. Balkon kaps akt. Adrenalin ve baskdan oluan teri, rüzgrn ve sakinlemenin etkisiyle souyordu. Kalkt; mutfaa gidip su iti yataa tekrar dndüünde gzleri fal ta gibi almt. nce aklnn ona oyun oynadn düündü, hemen odann n ap tekrar bakt. Yanlmyordu. Grdükleri gerekti ve tam yatan ortasnda duruyordu.

Once upon a time there lived a King and a Queen who had one daughter called Rainbow. When she was christened, the people of the city were gathered together outside the cathedral, and amongst them was an old gipsy woman. The gipsy wanted to go inside the cathedral, but the Beadle would not let her, because he said there was no room. When the ceremony was over, and the King and Queen walked out, followed by the Head Nurse who carried the baby, the gipsy called out to them:?"Your daughter will be very beautiful, and as happy as the day is long, until she sees the Spring!" And then she disappeared in the crowd.?The King and the Queen took counsel together and the King said: "That gipsy was evidently a fairy, and what she said bodes no good."?"Yes," said the Queen, "there is only one thing to be done: Rainbow must never see the Spring, nor even hear that there is such a thing."??So an order was issued to the whole city, that if any one should say the word "Spring" in the presence of Princess Rainbow he would have his head cut off. Moreover, it was settled that the Princess should never be allowed to go outside the palace, and during the springtime she should be kept entirely indoors.??The King and the Queen lived in a city which was on the top of a hill, and had a wall round it, and the King's palace was in the middle of it. In the springtime Rainbow was taken to a high tow-er which looked on to the little round city, and from her window you could see the spires of the churches, the ramparts, and the broad green plain beyond. But a curtain made of canvas was fas-tened outside Rainbow's window, so that she could see nothing, and she was not allowed to go outside her tower until the spring-time was over.??Rainbow grew up into a most beautiful Princess, with grey eyes and fair hair, and until she was sixteen all went well, and nothing happened to interfere with her happiness.

THE history of the Vikings is not, as you might think, the story of a band of sea-pirates who roved the seas in search of plunder. It is rather the story of a race of brave and hardy Northmen who became sea-rovers because the rights and the freedom which their fathers had cherished were being taken from them.Their fathers had lived on their own lands and had been freemen, but the sons were asked to become king's men and hold their land only at the king's pleasure. Rather than give up their ancient rights many of the Northmen became Vikings, and to them the sea-roving life was a noble one, full of high enterprise and ambition.It was no easy matter to become a member of a Viking band. Even a great chief, before he could be admitted, must prove his strength and give an account of the deeds of prowess he had already done.Thus it was an honour to belong to a band of Vikings, an honour which spurred the lads of the North to bold deeds, to mighty feats, that they might be counted worthy to become members of one or another of the famous bands.It is of the customs and battles, of the lives and deaths of these wild Northmen that I have told you in this little book.As these men are, as you will hear, ancestors of our own, you will perhaps wish to know more about them than I have been able to tell you.If that is so, when you grow older, you can read the Sagas or histories of these Northmen which were written by the Skalds, or, as we would call them, the poets of those olden days.In these Sagas you will meet with many strange adventures and see many great battlefields which you will not find in this little book.

This is the third, and probably the last, of the Fairy Books of many colours. First there was the Blue Fairy Book; then, children, you asked for more, and we made up the Red Fairy Book; and, when you wanted more still, the Green Fairy Book was put together. ??The stories in all the books are borrowed from many countries; some are French, some German, some Russian, some Italian, some Scottish, some English, one Chinese. However much these nations differ about trifles, they all agree in liking fairy tales. The reason, no doubt, is that men were much like children in their minds long ago, long, long ago, and so before they took to writing newspapers, and sermons, and novels, and long poems, they told each other stories, such as you read in the fairy books. They believed that witches could turn people into beasts, that beasts could speak, that magic rings could make their owners invisible, and all the other wonders in the stories.??Then, as the world became grown-up, the fairy tales which were not written down would have been quite forgotten but that the old grannies remembered them, and told them to the little grandchildren: and when they, in their turn, became grannies, they remembered them, and told them also. In this way these tales are older than reading and writing, far older than printing. The oldest fairy tales ever written down were written down in Egypt, about Joseph's time, nearly three thousand five hundred years ago. Other fairy stories Homer knew, in Greece, nearly three thousand years ago, and he made them all up into a poem, the Odyssey, which I hope you will read some day. Here you will find the witch who turns men into swine, and the man who bores out the big foolish giant's eye, and the cap of darkness, and the shoes of swiftness, that were worn later by Jack the Giant-Killer. ??These fairy tales are the oldest stories in the world, and as they were first made by men who were childlike for their own amusement, so they amuse children still, and also grown-up people who have not forgotten how they once were children.

The success of "The Children's Book of Christmas Stories" has encouraged the Editor to hope that a similar collection of stories about Thanksgiving would prove useful to parents, librarians, and teachers, and enjoyable to children. Like the former book, this one is exactly what the title would indicate—a select collection of children's stories closely connected with our American festival.The short descriptive note placed before each story will be of use in choosing a tale suited to one's audience in reading aloud.May the present volume make as many friends as did its older brother! [A. D. D.] Older boys and girls who are familiar with "The Courtship of Miles Standish" will enjoy the colonial flavour of this tale of 1705. "OBED!" called Mistress Achsah Ely from her front porch, "step thee over to Squire Belding's, quick! Here's a teacup! Ask Mistress Belding for the loan of some molasses. Nothing but molasses and hot water helps the baby when he is having such a turn of colic. Beseems me he will have a fit! Make haste, Obed!" At that very moment Squire Belding's little daughter Hitty was travelling toward Mistress Ely's for the purpose of borrowing molasses wherewith to sweeten a ginger cake. Hitty and Obed, who were of an age, met, compared notes, and then returned to their respective homes. Shortly afterward both of them darted forth again, bound on the same errands as before, only in different directions. Mr. Chapin, the storekeeper, hadn't "set eyes on any mo-lasses for a week. The river's frozen over so mean and solid," he said, "there's no knowing when there'll be any molasses in town."

THERElies before me, as I write, a quaint old book; from this little book—torn and soiled, its edges all gone—nearly all the stories in this volume are drawn. In their earliest childhood Hungarian children hear the story of "Forget-me-Not" (Nfelejts), the history of the "Twin Hunchbacks", and the doings of the wicked Sultana in the "Magic Cat" In my little book is the shell of these stories told simply and in few words. Who was the originator of them I do not think any one knows, for I have found in many instances the same incidents occurring in the fairy tales of most nations. A modified form of the vain fairy Narcissa is revived in "Little Snow White," and , if I mistake not, an incident similar to that in "The Twin Hunchbacks." But then again, who has ever traced the origin of all the proverbs and jokes that exist, and have existed for generations, in two score or more Eastern and Western, Latin, Teutonic, or Slavonic languages Old Hungarian legends, just like old Hungarian music, have to the national mind no palpable origin, though Jókay or Gaal have rewritten the former and Liszt or Brahms have familiarized the world with the latter. The following little collection has helped me in my childhood to pass many pleasant hours, so I now give them to my little English readers—embellished by many drawings—in the hope that they may derive as much pleasure from this little volume of magic and adventure as I did from my old torn copy of "Nepmesek." IN a certain country there dwelt a prince whose name was Elkabo. He had a dear little daughter called Uletka, who was a most sweet child. She and her father lived quite alone in an old castle with four towers, that stood in a beautiful glade in the centre of a great forest. Uletka was a most dainty and lovely little maid, her wings—she had wings, being related to a fairy—had grown quite strong, and glistened in the sunshine, reflecting all the colours of the rainbow. So sweet and graceful was little Uletka, that perhaps you would imagine she had no faults. Unfortunately she had one, which a wicked and revengeful fairy, who was offended with Nastia, her mother, had endowed her with, and this was the dreadful fault of Curiosity.

n anii 1870, Jacques Rebière i Thomas Midwinter, doi tineri ambiioi, descoper c au aceeai fascinaie de a nelege cum funcioneaz mintea omeneasc.Cercetrile lor n noul domeniu al psihiatriei i poart dintr-un ospiciu englezesc de la ar n cmpiile Africii, din slile de conferin ale Parisului n Alpii austrieci i n California. i nsoesc n aceast cltorie iniiatic Sonia, sora devotat a lui Thomas, i Katharina, o fost pacient, a crei sosire n sanatoriul lor de boli nervoase dezvluie pentru prima dat direciile diferite ale cercetrii lor. La trecerea ntr-un nou secol i n vreme ce Europa este divizat de Primul Rzboi Mondial, cei doi prienteni sunt constrni la o tragic introspecie a propriilor idealuri i credine.Impresionant i provocator n acelai timp, romanul lui Sebastian Faulks caut rspuns la ntrebarea ce fel de fiine suntem noi, oamenii, i dac nu cumva nebunia este preul pe care l pltim pentru a fi umani.Cel mai ambiios roman al lui Sebastian Faulks de pn acum… Dragoste, loialitate, curaj, compasiune, generozitate… acetia sunt polii n jurul crora graviteaz povetile sale.“ – The Independent