Gamblers
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Gambler (Annotated With Biography), The
The Gambler, a short novel, or novella, was published in 1867. ?Dostoevsky wrote to the book in order to pay off his own gambling debts. ?He was under such pressure to pay off the debts that he dictated to the book to a shorthand student in less than a month. The shorthand student became his second wife.The story is told in the first person; the narrator is Alexei Ivanovich, a tutor for the family of a Russian general. ?They are staying at a resort in Germany. ?Alexei is in love with the generals stepdaughter, Polina. ?After he swears his undying love for her, and offers to do anything she wishes, Polina asks him to go to a casino and place a bet for her.Unbeknownst to Alexei, Polina's stepfather is in dire financial straits. ? He finally agrees and ends up winning at the roulette table. ?This was Alexei's first experience with gambling.
The Old Curiosity Shop
First published serially in 1840?41 in Dickens' own magazine, Master Humphrey's Clock, and in book form in 1841, The Old Curiosity Shop was an immediate popular success. The heart-wrenching story of Little Nell and her doting grandfather offered a rich amalgam of misery and malice, goodness and generosity, love and loyalty ? all with a pervading veneer of sentimentality that greatly appealed to Victorian readers.As the story opens up, Nell and her grandfather are living behind his curiosity shop, which brings in barely a pittance. To improve Nell's prospects, her grandfather gambles at night and is soon in debt to the evil dwarf Quilp. When Quilp takes over the shop, Nell and her aged guardian abandon their home and roam the countryside, where they meet up with a diverse and vivid collection of wandering entertainers and traveling shows, jovial innkeepers, clerics, schoolmasters, and sharp-eyed con men. Relentlessly pursued by the avaricious Quilp, the two struggle to survive in a hostile world that often turns a cold shoulder, but nevertheless also includes people who treat them with kindness and compassion.The book has much to recommend it?it features a wonderfully picturesque cast of characters drawn with typical Dickensian flair, while the mean streets of Victorian London and the rustic charms of the English countryside are recreated in loving detail. Above all, the book offers a rich human drama of courage and perseverance in the face of adversity. Generations of readers have applauded Nell and the other plucky underdogs of the story as they oppose the vile and miserable actions of the evil and uncaring.
The Sin That Was His
"The Sin That Was His" by Frank L. Packard. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten?or yet undiscovered gems?of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.
William Makepeace Thackeray – Barry Lyndon: The Two Most Engaging Powers of a Good Author Are to Make New Things Familiar and Familiar Things New.
The great author of Vanity Fair and The Luck Of Barry Lyndon was born in India in 1811. At age 5 his father died and his mother sent him back to England. His education was of the best but he himself seemed unable to apply his talents to a rigorous work ethic. However, once he harnessed his talents the works flowed in novels, articles, short stories, sketches and lectures. Sadly, his personal life was rather more difficult. After a few years of marriage his wife began to suffer from depression and over the years became detached from reality. Thackeray himself suffered from ill health later in his life and the one pursuit that kept him moving forward was that of writing. In his life time, he was placed second only to Dickens. High praise indeed.