Cultural Heritage
Ethan Frome & Summer
A pair of masterly short novels, featuring an introduction by Elizabeth Strout, the Pulitzer Prize?winning author of Anything Is Possible and My Name Is Lucy Barton ? Thought Edith Wharton is best known for her cutting contemplation of fashionable New York, Ethan Frome and Summer are set in small New England towns, far from Manhattan?s beau monde. Together in one volume, these thematically linked short novels display Wharton?s characteristic criticism of society?s hypocrisy, and her daring exploration of the destructive consequences of sexual appetite. From the wintry setting of Ethan Frome, where a man hounded by community standards is destroyed by the very thing that might bring him happiness, to the florid town of Summer, where a young woman?s first romance projects her into a dizzying rite of passage, Wharton captures beautifully the urges and failures of human nature. ? Praise for Edith Wharton and Ethan Frome ? ?Ethan Frome [is considered] Mrs. Wharton?s masterpiece . . . The secret of its greatness is the stark human drama of it; the social crudity and human delicacy intermingled; the defiant, over-riding passion, and the long-drawn-out logic of the paid penalty. It has no contexts, no mitigations; it is plain, raw, first-hand human stuff.??The New York Times ? ?Ethan Frome [has] become part of the American mythology. . . . Wharton?s astonishing authority here is to render such pain with purity and economy . . . Truly it is a northern romance, akin even to Wuthering Heights.??Harold Bloom ? ?Traditionally, Henry James has always been placed slightly higher up the slope of Parnassus than Edith Wharton. But now that the prejudice against the female writer is on the wane, they look to be exactly what they are: giants, equals, the tutelary and benign gods of our American literature.??Gore Vidal
Giant Crab and Other Tales From Old India – Illustrated by W. Heath Robinson, The
This whimsical collection of tales is based on the Buddhist collection of J?taka tales. However, the author confesses to ?ruthlessly? altering them for the amusement of children and occasionally borrowing a ?phrase or a versicle?. He opens the book with a warning; ?To this work I refer all scholars, folklorists and scientific persons generally: warning them that if they plunge deeper into these page, they will be horribly shocked.? These wonderful tales are accompanied by many beautiful and intricate black and white illustrations by W. Heath Robinson. An English cartoonist and illustrator, best known for drawings of ridiculously complicated machines ? for achieving deceptively simple objectives. Such was (and is) his fame, that the term ?Heath Robinson? entered the English language during the First World War, as a description of any unnecessarily complex and implausible contrivance. Originally published in 1897, we are now republishing it here as part of our ?Pook Press? imprint, celebrating the golden age of illustration in children?s literature.
Illustrated Edition of the Life and Escape of Wm. Wells Brown From American Slavery, Written by Himself
PREFACE. THE Author of this very practical treatise on Scotch Loch - Fishing desires clearly that it may be of use to all who had it. He does not pretend to have written anything new, but to have attempted to put what he has to say in as readable a form as possible. Everything in the way of the history and habits of fish has been studiously avoided, and technicalities have been used as sparingly as possible. The writing of this book has afforded him pleasure in his leisure moments, and that pleasure would be much increased if he knew that the perusal of it would create any bond of sympathy between himself and the angling community in general. This section is interleaved with blank shects for the readers notes. The Author need hardly say that any suggestions addressed to the case of the publishers, will meet with consideration in a future edition. We do not pretend to write or enlarge upon a new subject. Much has been said and written-and well said and written too on the art of fishing but loch-fishing has been rather looked upon as a second-rate performance, and to dispel this idea is one of the objects for which this present treatise has been written. Far be it from us to say anything against fishing, lawfully practised in any form but many pent up in our large towns will bear us out when me say that, on the whole, a days loch-fishing is the most convenient. One great matter is, that the loch-fisher is depend- ent on nothing but enough wind to curl the water, -and on a large loch it is very seldom that a dead calm prevails all day, -and can make his arrangements for a day, weeks beforehand whereas the stream- fisher is dependent for a good take on the state of the water and however pleasant and easy it may be for one living near the banks of a good trout stream or river, it is quite another matter to arrange for a days river-fishing, if one is looking forward to a holiday at a date some weeks ahead. Providence may favour the expectant angler with a good day, and the water in order but experience has taught most of us that the good days are in the minority, and that, as is the case with our rapid running streams, -such as many of our northern streams are, -the water is either too large or too small, unless, as previously remarked, you live near at hand, and can catch it at its best. A common belief in regard to loch-fishing is, that the tyro and the experienced angler have nearly the same chance in fishing, -the one from the stern and the other from the bow of the same boat. Of all the absurd beliefs as to loch-fishing, this is one of the most absurd. Try it. Give the tyro either end of the boat he likes give him a cast of ally flies he may fancy, or even a cast similar to those which a crack may be using and if he catches one for every three the other has, he may consider himself very lucky. Of course there are lochs where the fish are not abundant, and a beginner may come across as many as an older fisher but we speak of lochs where there are fish to be caught, and where each has a fair chance. Again, it is said that the boatman has as much to do with catching trout in a loch as the angler. Well, we dont deny that. In an untried loch it is necessary to have the guidance of a good boatman but the same argument holds good as to stream-fishing...
On Our Selection (Illustrated)
THE ARRIVAL'No mistake, it was a real wilderness - nothing but tees, 'goannas', dead timber and bears; and the nearest house - Dwyer's - was three miles away.' ? THE WAY IT WAS'Dave's only pair of pants were pretty well worn off him. Joe hadn't a decent coat for Sunday; Dad himself wore a pair of boots with soles tied on with wire; and Mother fell sick.' ? THE FOLKS AROUND HERE 'The snake's head passed behind the looking-glass. Jack drew nearer, clenching his fists and gesticulating. As he did he came full before the looking-glass and saw, perhaps for the first time in his life, his own image. An unearthly howl came from him. 'Me father!' he shouted, and bolted from the house.' ? Stories that immortalised the Rudds and their efforts to farm their Queensland selection. Generous in laughs, full of the bathos and absurdity of life, this is the fully restored edition of 'On Our Selection' as it was written.
Princess Badoura – a Tale From the Arabian Nights – Illustrated by Edmund Dulac
"Princess Badoura: a tale from the Arabian nights" is a 1913 short story written by Laurence Housman and illustrated by Edmund Dulac. Based on a tale from "One Thousand and One Nights", this beautifully-illustrated story is highly recommend for lovers of folklore and collectors of classic fairy tales. Edmund Dulac (1882 - 1953) was a French-born British illustrator and stamp designer. He was born in Toulouse and studied law there, but later, realising that his true passion was illustration, studied art the ?cole des Beaux-Arts. Having moved to London in the early 20th century, Dulac received his first commission to illustrate the novels of the Bront? Sisters in 1905. During the First World War, he illustrated relief books; and after the war, when children's books were in low demand, he began illustrating magazines. Other notable works containing Dulac's illustrations include: "The Sleeping Beauty and Other Fairy Tales" (1910), "Stories from Hans Christian Andersen" (1911), and "The Bells and Other Poems by Edgar Allan Poe" (1912). Pook Press celebrates the great 'Golden Age of Illustration' in children's literature - a period of unparalleled excellence in book illustration. We publish rare and vintage classic illustrated books, in high-quality colour editions, so that the masterful artwork and story-telling can continue to delight both young and old.
The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home & the Battle of Life: A Love Story
John Peerybingle, a carrier, lives with his young wife Dot, their baby boy and their nanny Tilly Slowboy. A cricket chirps on the hearth and acts as a guardian angel to the family. One day a mysterious elderly stranger comes to visit and takes up lodging at Peerybingle's house for a few days.The life of the Peerybingles intersects with that of Caleb Plummer, a poor toymaker employed by the miser Mr. Tackleton. Caleb has a blind daughter Bertha, and a son Edward, who travelled to South America and is thought to be dead.Two sisters, Grace and Marion, live happily in an English village with their two servants, Clemency Newcome and Ben Britain, and their good-natured widower father Dr Jeddler. Dr Jeddler is a man whose philosophy is to treat life as a farce. Marion, the younger sister, is betrothed to Alfred Heathfield, Jeddler's ward who is leaving the village to complete his studies. He entrusts Marion to Grace's care and makes a promise to return to win Marion's hand.Michael Warden, a libertine who is about to leave the country, is thought by the barristers Snitchey and Craggs to be about to seduce the younger sister into an elopement. Clemency spies Marion one night in her clandestine rendezvous with Warden. On the day that Alfred is to return, however, it is discovered that Marion has run off. Her supposed elopement causes much grief to both her father and her sister.Six years pass. Clemency is now married to Britain and the two have set up a tavern in the village. After nursing heartbreak, Alfred marries Grace instead of Marion and she bears him a daughter, also called Marion. On the birthday of Marion, Grace confides to Alfred that Marion has made a promise to explain her so-called "elopement" in person. Marion indeed appears that evening by sunset and explains her disappearance to the parties involved. It turns out that Marion has not "eloped" but has instead been living at her aunt Martha's place so as to allow Alfred to fall in love with Grace. Tears are shed and happiness and forgiveness reign as the missing sister is reunited with the rest. Warden also returns, and, forgiven by Dr Jeddler, marries Marion.
The Narrative of Sojourner Truth
This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.
The Puppet Show of Memory
It was into the famous and powerful Baring family of merchant bankers that Maurice Baring was born in 1874, the seventh of eight children. A man of immense subtlety and style, Baring absorbed every drop of culture that his fortunate background showered upon him; in combination with his many natural talents and prolific writing this assured him a place in literary history. In this classic autobiography, spanning a remarkable period of history, Maurice Baring shares the details of an inspirational childhood in nineteenth-century England and a varied adulthood all over the world, collecting new friends and remarkable experiences. It has been said that Baring?s greatest talent was for discovering the best in people, that he had a genius for friendship, and in this superb book his erudition and perception are abundantly clear.