The story follows the lives of Mary Smith and her friends, Miss Matty and Miss Deborah, two spinster sisters in the fictional town of Cranford closely modelled on Knutsford in Cheshire, which Mrs Gaskell knew well.

Joam Garral, a ranch owner who lives near the Peruvian-Brazilian border on the Amazon River, is forced to travel down-stream when his past catches up with him.

I am an old woman now, and things are very different to what they were in my youth. Then we, who travelled, travelled in coaches, carrying six inside, and making a two days’ journey out of what people now go over in a couple of hours with a whizz and a flash, and a screaming whistle, enough to deafen one. Then letters came in but three times a week: indeed, in some places in Scotland where I have stayed when I was a girl, the post came in but once a month;—but letters were letters then; and we made great prizes of them, and read them and studied them like books. Now the post comes rattling in twice a day, bringing short jerky notes, some without beginning or end, but just a little sharp sentence, which well-bred folks would think too abrupt to be spoken. Well, well! They may all be improvements,—I dare say they are; but you will never meet with a Lady Ludlow in these days.

From 1915 Gardiner contributed to The Star under the pseudonym Alpha of the Plough. At the time The Star had several anonymous essayists whose pseudonyms were the names of stars. Invited to choose the name of a star as a pseudonym he chose the name of the brightest (alpha) star in the constellation "the Plough." His essays are uniformly elegant, graceful and humorous. His uniqueness lay in his ability to teach the basic truths of life in an easy and amusing manner. Leaves in the Wind is amongst his best known writings.

An early detective story by a woman writer about a sewing girl in a rich man's house who is abducted. The housekeeper reports the crime and the detective in charge doesn't understand why it is imperative that the servant be found. There are some twists and things aren't as they seem.

Lady Windermere suspects that her husband is having an affair with another woman. She confronts him with it but although he denies it, he invites the other woman, Mrs Erlynne, to his wife's birthday ball. Angered by her husband's supposed unfaithfulness, Lady Windermere decides to leave her husband for another lover. After discovering what has transpired, Mrs Erlynne follows Lady Windermere and attempts to persuade her to return to her husband and in the course of this, Mrs Erlynne is discovered in a compromising position.

Santa Claus lives in the Laughing Valley, where stands the big, rambling castle in which his toys are manufactured. His workmen, selected from the ryls, knooks, pixies and fairies, live with him, and every one is as busy as can be from one year's end to another. One would think that our good old Santa Claus, who devotes his days to making children happy, would have no enemies on all the earth; and, as a matter of fact, for a long period of time he encountered nothing but love wherever he might go.

Family dynamic, psychological insight into relationships and romance are the central themes in this collection of Chekhov stories. These stories full of insight into lives of seemingly ordinary people offer a rare opportunity to experience defining moments of lives. Unhappy in his marriage, a Moscow banker, Dmitri Gurov is vacationing in Yalta, Crimea, where he sees a young lady walking along the seafront with her small dog. They are soon engaged in an affair. In another story we meet successful literary critic and his sister trying to keep their crumbling relationship going. And a country family hoping to re-establish contact with their long lost daughter. This volume includes: Excellent People, At Christmas Time, The Lady with The Dog.

Once upon a time, pig had friends in a pig farm. She was liked to talk about politics with other animals about their future. The day came in which a butcher and his son took her to a slaughterhouse. She was taken to the garden while the family went to the supermarket, thinking of how to prepare our little pig as a dish. In the meanwhile, the pig seeks for the help of various insects, such as a ladybug, a grasshopper, and the ants nearby, but all refuse to help her. The butterfly wanted to help, but she was in a hurry, as she was afraid of being captured by the kids. It seemed the rebellious pig was done for. A very caring bee, however, came near the garden. Floufla told the bee she would turn into roasted pork for dinner. Fearing for Floufla’s future, the bee ran to her beehive to inform the Queen about the incident. The queen decided to stop the operations of the beehive and organize an Extraordinary Council, and the board decided to help Floufla under the directions of the Queen. The working bees, disciplined and obedient, stung the family and sacrificed themselves for Floufla’s freedom. While the family was busy trying to relieve themselves with ointments, Floufla escapes to the meadow, and before Floufla departs, the Queen gives her a final piece of advice that Floufla should observe those around her and respect their diversity.

Tomorrow I shall leave by the Messina boat, which calls at Paola. It is now more than a twelvemonth since I began to think of Paola, and an image of the place has grown in my mind. I picture a little marina; a yellowish little town just above; and behind, rising grandly, the long range of mountains which guard the shore of Calabria. Paola has no special interest that I know of, but it is the nearest point on the coast to Cosenza, which has interest in abundance; by landing here I make a modestly adventurous beginning of my ramble in the South. At Paola foreigners are rare; one may count upon new impressions, and the journey over the hills will be delightful.

The Town Traveller is one of Gissing's novels which earned him more income during his lifetime than most of his other novels. The story is full of life and descriptive detail. It revolves around life of town traveller Gammon, just the sort of quarter-educated that Gissing usually despises.

Little Women follows the lives of the four March sisters, from oldest to youngest: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. A romance, a quest, a family drama that validates virtue over wealth. The start of the story is set at Christmastime, where Jo, the second eldest of the March sisters, grumbles that Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents. The four girls discuss the upcoming holiday and sigh as they long for pretty things that they can't have because of money constraints

Uncle Tom's Cabin is a hugely influential story written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, a Connecticut-born teacher at the Hartford Female Academy and an active abolitionist. Stowe featured the character of Uncle Tom, a long-suffering black slave around whom the stories of other characters revolve. The sentimental novel depicts the reality of slavery while also asserting that Christian love can overcome something as destructive as enslavement of fellow human beings.

The book explains what utilitarianism is, why it is the best theory of ethics, defends it against a wide range of criticisms and misunderstandings. Though heavily criticized both in Mill's lifetime and in the years since, Utilitarianism did a great deal to popularize utilitarian ethics and was 'the most influential philosophical articulation of a liberal humanistic morality that was produced in the nineteenth century.'

A bundle of books from The Hounds of Annwn - Books 1-5----To Carry the Horn –Book 1 of The Hounds of AnnwnNEW JOB, NEW FAMILY, AND IN TWO WEEKS THE END OF A WORLD HE’S JUST DISCOVERED, IF HE CAN’T RISE TO THE CHALLENGE.George Talbot Traherne is just doing his job on a fine autumn morning, keeping the hounds together for the huntsman of the Rowanton Hunt in Virginia along the Blue Ridge Mountain. Doesn’t pay to get distracted by a white stag in unfamiliar territory, though. Next thing you know, you might find yourself… somewhere else.The land is the same but not the people. Their huntsman has just been murdered, and George is tapped for the job. It’s an emergency — the Wild Hunt is only two weeks away, and if it doesn’t happen on schedule, the antlered god Cernunnos will take the realm from its ruler Gwyn ap Nudd and find someone who can mete out justice with the Hounds of Hell in his place.----The Ways of Winter – Book 2 of The Hounds of AnnwnTRAPPED BEHIND ENEMY LINES, CAN HE FIND THE STRENGTH TO DEFEND ALL THAT HE VALUES MOST, OR EVEN JUST TO SURVIVE?It’s the dead of winter and George Talbot Traherne, the new human huntsman for the Wild Hunt, is in trouble. The damage in Gwyn ap Nudd’s domain reveals the deadly powers of a dangerous foe who has mastered an unstoppable weapon and threatens the fae dominions in both the new and the old worlds.----King of the May – Book 3 of The Hounds of AnnwnMORE VALUABLE AS A WEAPON THAN A KINGMAKER, HE MUST MAKE HIS OWN CHOICES TO SECURE THE FUTURE.George Talbot Traherne, the human huntsman for the Wild Hunt, had hoped to settle into a quiet life with his new family, but it was not to be. Gwyn ap Nudd, Prince of Annwn, has plans to secure his domain in the new world from the overbearing interference of his father Lludd, the King of Britain.----Bound into the Blood – Book 4 of The Hounds of AnnwnDISTURBING THE FAMILY SECRETS COULD BRING RUIN TO EVERYTHING HE’S WORKED SO HARD TO BUILD.George Talbot Traherne, the human huntsman for the Wild Hunt, is preparing for the birth of his child by exploring the family papers about his parents and their deaths. When his improved relationship with his patron, the antlered god Cernunnos, is jeopardized by an unexpected opposition, he finds he must choose between loyalty to family and loyalty to a god.----Tales of Annwn – A Story Collection from The Hounds of AnnwnTHE CALL: A very young Rhian discovers her beast-sense and rushes to the rescue of an errant hound.UNDER THE BOUGH: Angharad hasn’t lived with anyone for hundreds of years, but now she is ready to tie the knot with George Talbot Traherne, the human who has entered the fae otherworld to serve as huntsman for the Wild Hunt. As soon as she can make up her mind, anyway.NIGHT HUNT: George Talbot Traherne goes night hunting for fox in Virginia and thinks about the choices he has made.CARIAD: Benitoe and Luhedoc are off to fetch horses for the Golden Cockerel Inn in Edgewood. Luhedoc needs to relearn an important lesson about confidence.THE EMPTY HILLS: George Talbot Traherne shows a bit of the human world to family and friends, hoping to share some of the sense of wonder he discovered when he encountered the fae otherworld.

This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘Labour’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Complete Works of Emile Zola’. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Zola includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily.eBook features:* The complete unabridged text of ‘Labour’* Beautifully illustrated with images related to Zola’s works* Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook* Excellent formatting of the textPlease visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles

THE CHALLENGE OF LIVING LIFE AS BOTH A BIPOLAR AND AN ALCOHOLIC. Jane S. is one of the 60-percent (or more) of "manic depressives" (persons severely bipolar) who are also alcoholics. Her bipolar life story covers forty-seven years of sobriety and forty-five years on lithium therapy, how her illnesses have interacted, and particularly how much of the shape of her life -- and her achievement of her life's goals (including, for the last forty-seven years, sobriety) -- has been shaped by her bipolarity. This book is important reading for those dealing with "manic depression," either in those close to them or in themselves, and even more for those who suffer from both of Jane's diseases. Her memories include, literally, the good (paying cash down for her first Mustang, though that was because she didn't know how to work a bank account), the bad (the sailboat she was on being boarded by the Coast Guard off Maryland), and the ugly (hearing her head being dribbled like a basketball outside her side-room in the hospital) -- and the very good, the white-light dream that began her recovery from alcoholism. She is believed to have been on lithium therapy for her condition longer than anyone else in the United States.

This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘Henry VI, Part 3’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare’. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Shakespeare includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily.eBook features:* The complete unabridged text of ‘Henry VI, Part 3’* Beautifully illustrated with images related to Shakespeare’s works* Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook* Excellent formatting of the textPlease visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles

A bundle of books from The Chained Adept - Books 1-2. ---A STRONG WIZARD WITH UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AND A CHAIN AROUND HER NECK. The Chained Adept - Book 1 of The Chained AdeptPenrys’s past is unknown, but she’s got a better grip on her future: find out where she came from, discover what happened to her, and figure out how the unremovable chain around her neck makes her different from other wizards.What any of this has to do with the renewal of an ugly war between neighboring countries, half a world away, is just something she’ll have to sort out, along with the rumors of wizards where they don’t belong.Assuming, of course, that no one removes her as a threat before she can find her footing.All she wants is a firm foundation for the rest of her life, with a side helping of retribution, and if she has to fix things along the way, well, so be it.---AN ERRANT CHILD WITH DISASTROUS POWERS AND NO ONE TO STAND IN HER WAY. Mistress of Animals - Book 2 of The Chained AdeptPenrys, the wizard with a chain and an unknown past, is drafted to find out what has happened to an entire clan of the nomadic Zannib. Nothing but their empty tents remain, abandoned on the autumn steppe with their herds.This wasn't a detour she'd planned on making, but there's little choice. Winter is coming, and hundreds are missing.The locals don't trust her, but that's nothing new. The question is, can she trust herself, when she discovers what her life might have been? Assuming, of course, that the price of so many dead was worth paying for it.

A bundle of books from The Chained Adept - Books 3-4. ---CHAINS WITHOUT WIZARDS AND A RISING COUNT OF THE DEAD. Broken Devices - Book 3 of The Chained AdeptThe largest city in the world has just discovered its missing wizards. It seems the Kigali empire has ignited a panic that threatens internal ruin and the only chained wizard it knows that’s still alive is Penrys.The living wizards and the dead are not her people, not unless she makes them so. All they have in common is a heavy chain and a dead past—the lives that were stolen from them are beyond recall.What remains are unanswered questions about who made them this way. And why. And what Penrys plans to do to find out.---SETTING A TRAP TO CATCH THE MAKERS OF CHAINED WIZARDS. On a Crooked Track - Book 4 of The Chained AdeptA clue has sent Penrys back to Ellech, the country where she first appeared four short years ago with her mind wiped, her body stripped, and her neck chained. It's time to enlist the help of the Collegium of Wizards which sheltered her then.Things don't work out that way, and she finds herself retracing a dead scholar's crooked track and setting herself up as a target to confirm her growing suspicions. But what happens to bait when the prey shows its teeth?In this conclusion to the series, tracking old crimes brings new dangers, and a chance for redemption.

This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘Titus Andronicus’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare’. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Shakespeare includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily.eBook features:* The complete unabridged text of ‘Titus Andronicus’* Beautifully illustrated with images related to Shakespeare’s works* Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook* Excellent formatting of the textPlease visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles