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First published in 1842, "Dead Souls" is the story of Chichikov, a young middle-class gentleman who comes to a small town in Russia with a dubious plan to improve his wealth and position in life. He begins by spending beyond his means on the premise that he can impress the local officials and gain standing and connections in the community. At the heart of his plan is the idea of acquiring "dead souls" or more explicitly serfs of landowners who have died since the last census. Since the taxes of landowners are based upon the number of serfs that they employ, Chichikov believes that the landowners will be all too happy to part with these "dead souls". Legend has it that Gogol supposedly produced a third part to the novel which he destroyed shortly before his death. Despite ending in mid-sentence and with portions from the second part which seem to be missing it is generally accepted that the novel is extant. A satirical gem, Gogol's "Dead Souls" exemplifies his particular gift of exhibiting the true failings of humanity in all their absurdity. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper, is translated by C. J. Hogarth, and includes an introduction by John Cournos.

First published in 1910, "Howards End" is E. M. Forster's classic story regarding social conventions of different strata of English society at the end of the 19th century. The story centers around three families; the Wilcoxes, a wealthy family who made their fortune in the African colonies; the Schlegels, three siblings, Margaret, Helen, and Tibby, who represent the intellectual bourgeoisie; and the Basts, a young struggling couple from a lower class background. The Schlegels are lively socialites whose spirited and active lifestyles bring them by chance into contact with the Wilcoxes and the Basts. Through the entanglement between these three families, Forster masterfully depicts the struggle between the upper and lower classes that would dominate England at the end of the 19th century. Forster drew upon memories of his childhood home, Rooks Nest in Hertfordshire, for the titular Howards End, a country estate of the Wilcoxes where part of the story takes place, and whose ownership comes into question when the Wilcox matriarch, Ruth, makes a death-bed bequeath of the estate to Margaret Schlegel. The fate of Howards End, and the lives of the family's affiliated with it, is brilliantly represented by Forster as a parallel to the fate of English Society itself at the turn of the century. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

First published in 1926, "The Science of Mind" is the religious theory of Ernest Shurtleff Holmes, which posits that people can transform their lives by actively engaging their minds into religious activities. Holmes was the creator of Religious Science, a spiritual movement, belonging to the larger New Thought movement, which believed that science, philosophy, and religion could all be connected for the betterment of each individual. According to Holmes, God is a never-ending energy source, present in the whole universe. Through prayer, a person can reach God and heal spiritual, mental, and physical wounds. He believed that God's action and will occurred in the present and that with each and every choice a person makes, they are creating the "Eternal Now". Holmes argued that the universe was neutral, allowing each person to dictate positive and negative feelings in their life, allowing them to create their own individual reality. While quite a revolutionary idea, "The Science of Mind" has been used as an inspirational tool for those who feel spiritually lost. Though not his first work describing the Religious Science movement, Holmes' "The Science of Mind" is often hailed as the text which best illustrates the philosophy's beliefs. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and reproduces the original 1926 edition.

Anton Chekhov was a master of the short story. The son of a former serf in southern Russia, he attended Moscow University to study medicine, writing short stories for periodicals in order to support his family. What began as a necessity became a legitimate career in 1886 when he was asked to write in St. Petersburg for the Novoye Vremya (New Times), owned by publishing magnate Alexey Suvorin. Chekhov began paying more attention to his writing, revising and developing his own principles and conceptions of truth, for a time coming under the influence of Leo Tolstoy. As a result of his widespread popularity, Chekhov amassed a vast collection of short stories displaying an early use of stream-of-consciousness writing, as well as his powerful ideas concerning the individual, the tedium of life, and the beauty of nature and humanity. Twenty-eight stories are collected here in the "Selected Stories of Anton Chekhov" including many of the author's most popular shorter works. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known popularly by his stage name Molière, is regarded as one of the masters of French comedic drama. When Molière began acting in Paris there were two well-established theatrical companies, those of the Hôtel de Bourgogne and the Marais. Joining these theatrical companies would have been impossible for a new member of the acting profession like Molière and thus he performed with traveling troupes of actors in the French provinces. It was during this period that Molière would refine his skills as both an actor and a writer. Eventually his reputation would increase allowing him to return to Paris where he gained the patronage of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the brother of the King of France, Louis XIV. This collection of Molière's plays includes some of his most notable compositions. In "The Misanthrope", a comedy of errors which satirizes the hypocrisies of French aristocratic society, the author draws upon his bourgeoisie upbringing in 17th century France. "Tartuffe" is the story of Orgon, the head of his family, who has fallen under the influence of Tartuffe, an imposter who pretends to be pious and to speak with divine authority. These plays along with "The School for Wives", "The School for Wives Criticized", and "The Impromptu at Versailles" exhibit the dramatist at his comedic best. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and includes an introduction by Henry Carrington Lancaster.

First published in 1889, "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" was inspired by a dream in which the author, Mark Twain, imagined himself as knight in the time of chivalry. The book relates the tale of Hank Morgan, an engineer from 19th century Hartford Connecticut, who is inexplicably transported to the early medieval England of King Arthur. While there he uses his knowledge of modern technology to appear as though he is a magician. Despite his best intentions, Hank's attempts to modernize the past bring about a tragic end. A bittersweet depiction of the Arthurian legend through the eyes of a 19th century American, "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" satirizes the romanticized notions of chivalry and the idealization of the middle ages, in a delightful and enchanting way, exemplifying Mark Twain at his satirical best. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and includes an introduction by E. Hudson Long.

German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche was one the most controversial figures of the 19th-century. His evocative writings on religion, morality, culture, philosophy, and science were often polemic attacks against the established views of his time. First published between 1883 and 1891, "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" is a philosophical novel which details the fictional travels and teachings of Zarathustra, known also as Zoroaster, the Persian prophet and founder of Zoroastrianism. Nietzsche's portrayal of Zarathustra is not strictly historical but rather an unconventional one which turns traditional morality on its head. Utilizing a unique and experimental style, the work presents in narrative form the beginnings of Nietzsche's moral philosophy that he would address more explicitly in "Beyond Good and Evil" and "On the Genealogy of Morals." The work also addresses many of Nietzsche's other philosophical concepts including that of the Übermensch, or a self-mastered being who has achieved his ultimate potential; the eternal recurrence, the idea that the universe has some self-repeating quality; and the will to power, or the concept that ambition is the primary driving force in humans. As thought-provoking as ever, "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" remains as one of the most unique philosophical works ever written. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper, is translated by Thomas Common, includes introductions by Willard Huntington Wright and Elizabeth Forster-Nietzsche, and notes by Anthony M. Ludovici.

First published serially in 1905, "The Jungle" is American journalist Upton Sinclair's dramatization of the harsh working conditions for and exploitation of immigrant workers in industrial cities like Chicago during the early part of the 20th century. Sinclair spent seven weeks prior to publication working 'in cognito' in the meatpacking plants of the Chicago stockyards gathering information for the novel. The work is principally concerned with Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant trying to make ends meet in Chicago, and his family's struggle for survival. Having come to America in want of a better life, Jurgis instead finds that a combination of poor working conditions, slave level wages, and mounting debt, offers little hope for it. While Sinclair, a noted socialist, showed the vast socio-economic divide between the haves and have-nots and the corrupt alignment of American politicians with the industrial-capitalist machine, the greater impact of the novel would be on reforming the health violations and unsanitary practices in the American meatpacking industry, which were brought to light by the work. Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" dramatized the plight of the working class in a way that no American novel before had and thus has established itself as one of the most important socialistic novels of all time. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

In ancient Rome, Seneca the Younger rose to power as a politician and statesman during the middle of his life. After being exiled by Emperor Caligula, he was finally welcomed back to Rome as Nero's minister. He gained significant wealth, though Seneca often despised his own standing because of his personal philosophy. At the end of his life, Seneca wrote a number of letters to the Roman governor of Sicily. From this collection of letters comes "Letters from a Stoic." In this work, the philosopher wrote about the essential tenants of Stoicism and how to follow a philosophy that required a person to humanize a society that was often cold and difficult. Many people read these letters and come away with a greater understanding of Stoicism; the people who practiced Stoicism often lived the phrase "actions speak louder than words," meaning that Stoics wanted their deeds to exhibit their rational and calm nature. The texts in "Letters from a Stoic" also reveal how Seneca and his contemporaries wanted people to treat others with the same respect they wanted for themselves. He was disgusted with the harsh and unethical treatment of slaves that was prevalent at the time, and he was against Nero's idea of entertainment which entailed throwing martyrs, gladiators, and animals into a fighting arena. Although Stoicism is not now as widely practiced as it once was, many people can still find wisdom and inspiration through Seneca's words and letters.

Alan Alexander (A. A.) Milne (1882-1956) is most prominently remembered as the author of the well-known Winnie-the-Pooh tales, written for his son, Christopher Robin. Milne was born in London and raised in his father's private school, Henley House, after which he attended Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge to study mathematics. By 1925 he had published 18 plays and 3 novels, including "The Red House Mystery" (1922). This was Milne's first and final venture into the detective and mystery genre, despite its immediate success and an offer of two thousand pounds for his next mystery novel. The story is set in the quaint, English countryside at the house party of Mark Ablett, where a murder quickly takes place. Milne lets his readers inside the head of his amateur detective, disregarding the clichéd romance or violence of other detective novels, as the mystery becomes a puzzling sort of parlor game for the novel's characters and readers alike.

First published in 1908, "The Wind in the Willows" is one of the most cherished works of children's literature ever written, undoubtedly Kenneth Grahame's most famous work. Originally written as a series of bedtime stories for the author's son, the story begins at the arrival of spring where we find the good-natured Mole tired of doing his spring cleaning. Mole decides to abandon his cleaning in order to enjoy the fresh air of spring. He journeys to the river where he meets Rat, whom he quickly befriends. Together the two row down the river eventually meeting up with Toad at Toad Hall. There they discover Toad's current obsession with his horse-drawn caravan, one which he quickly abandons for a motorcar when his caravan is run off the road by one. A fourth friend enters the story in the form of Badger and when it is discovered that Toad's obsession is becoming self-destructive, Mole, Rat, and Badger intervene to help protect Toad from himself. This collection of stories is a captivating and timeless classic which brings alive the creatures of the woodland. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and is illustrated by Nancy Barnhart.

First published in 1926, "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd", widely considered one of the best works of detective fiction ever written, is among Agatha Christie's most enduring and engaging works. It is the third novel featuring the famous detective Hercule Poirot and finds him tending to his vegetable garden while living in retirement in a small village near his friend, Roger Ackroyd. Ackroyd, who had helped the well-known detective remain anonymous in his new home, had been going through a difficult time since his fiancé had recently committed suicide. Poirot's loyal friend is soon found stabbed to death in his study after a dinner party and Ackroyd's niece, Flora, convinces Poirot to come out of retirement to help solve the murder. Suspicion has fallen on Ackroyd's stepson, Ralph Patton, and Flora hopes Poirot can clear his name as they are engaged. Poirot is dedicated to finding out the truth and uses his trademark intelligence and keen perception to expose the killer. "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" was a commercial success when it was first published, gaining fame for its twist ending and fast pacing, and remains one of Christie's most popular novels. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

First published in 1913 by noted British painter Harold Speed, "The Practice and Science of Drawing" is a timeless and invaluable guide on drawing. In his brilliant and insightful style, Speed shows both the aspiring artist and those who wish to appreciate and understand art the various approaches and theories there are to drawing from the technical and scientific to the more modern and artistic. Speed examines the many important aspects that the beginning artist must consider such as line and mass drawing techniques, proportion, balance, portraits, procedures, and suggested materials. Speed's classic remains an important teaching tool and includes many practical and helpful exercises so that drawing students have a starting point for their training. As experienced artists know, there is a tension between scientific accuracy versus artistic expression and Speed attempts to help the aspiring artist understand this tension. He seeks to guide them on how to maintain their artistic vision and sentiment while also embracing the scientific approach that is essential to creating realistic effects. Over a hundred years later "The Practice and Science of Drawing" remains an important text for all drawing students and those who wish to further understand art and technique. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

Literally meaning "heart", the Japanese word "kokoro" can be more distinctly translated as "the heart of things" or "feeling." Natsume Soseki's 1914 novel, which was originally published in serial format in a Japanese newspaper, "Kokoro" deals with the transition from the Japanese Meiji society to the modern era. Divided into three parts "Sensei and I," "My Parents and I," and "Sensei and His Testament," the novel explores the themes of loneliness and isolation. In the first part we find the narrator attending university where he befriends an older man, known only as "Sensei," who lives a largely reclusive life. In the second part of the novel the narrator graduates from college and returns home to await the death of his father. The third part of the novel recounts a letter that the narrator receives from the "Sensei," which describes the circumstances that caused his loss of faith in humanity and the guilt he feels over the death of a childhood friend which drives him to the reclusive life that he has led. A deeply thematic novel "Kokoro" provides an excellent introduction to one of Japan's most beloved authors, Natsume Soseki. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and follows the translation of Edwin McClelland.

Richard Connell was well-known for his masterful short stories and achieved great professional success, with his work often appearing in "The Saturday Evening Post" and "Collier's" magazines. His most popular tale, "The Dangerous Game", also published as "The Hounds of Zaroff", is a perfect example of Connell's impressive talent and distinct style. Still frequently adapted for stage and screen nearly a century after it first appeared, it is the fascinating and exciting tale of Sanger Rainsford, an experienced big-game hunter. Rainsford suddenly finds himself the hunted when he is ship-wrecked on a seemingly deserted island. There he finds General Zaroff, a retired military man, who has grown bored of hunting animals and now spends his time hunting human sailors who get stranded on his island. Rainsford must fight for his life against the clever Zaroff in Connell's suspenseful and intriguing tale. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

First published in Germany in 1901 and translated into English in 1924, Thomas Mann's "Buddenbrooks" is the story of the decline of a wealthy German family over four generations which takes place in the years 1835 to 1877. Mann began writing the novel, his first, when he was only twenty-two years old and based much of his critically acclaimed work on the story of his own family and their peers. Mann was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929 and the Nobel Committee cited "Buddenbrooks" as the principal reason for the prize. Mann's masterpiece is at its surface a story of commonplace family events, such as births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and personal triumphs and failures. With each successive generation these seemingly mundane occurrences subtly vary and the family's decline happens in bits and pieces until their downfall is all but certain. "Buddenbrooks" is a nuanced and layered study of the effect of modernity on the traditions and institutions taken for granted by aristocratic families such as the Buddenbrooks. Mann's detailed and satisfyingly human novel continues to be read and cherished all over the world. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and follows the 1924 translation of H. T. Lowe-Porter.

Written in 1948, "The Royal Road to Card Magic" by Jean Hugard and Frederick Braué, is an important and classic beginner's guide to over 100 different card tricks. Jean Hugard, born John Gerard Rodney Boyce in Queensland, Australia in 1872, began his professional career as a magician in 1896, eventually moving to America in 1915, where he worked in vaudeville and as a stage magician. He retired from performing professionally around 1930 and began a prolific and successful career writing books on magic. As he became older and lost his eyesight, the magician Frederick Braué began co-writing several books with Hugard on the art of card magic. Braue was a journalist and semi-professional magician who specialized in card tricks and was viewed as a master at this skill. In their book "The Royal Road to Card Magic" they bring their considerable knowledge and experience to teach beginners how to master an impressive number of famous and difficult card tricks. Complete and easy-to-understand instructions are included for such tricks as false shuffles, the guide, the pass, the classic force, and many, many more. This timeless guide is an important book for anyone looking for an introduction in how to master card magic. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

First published in 1945, "The Master Key to Riches" is a guide to personal and financial success by famed American self-help author Napoleon Hill, famous for his widely read classics "The Law of Success" and "Think and Grow Rich", which is one of the best-selling self-help books of all time. "The Master Key to Riches" is based on the Andrew Carnegie formula for personal financial success and this method is shared by many successful businessmen all over the world. Hill outlines the steps that anyone can take on a daily basis to lead them on a path to achieving their goals in both their professional and personal lives. In this engaging and encouraging guide, Hill discusses how an individual mindset must be changed and the will focused in order to achieve the mental health and happiness that is the foundation for healthy relationships, which in turn lead to success in business and finances. "The Master Key to Riches" can help anyone turn their failures and set-backs into positive advantages so that even the most humble and modest of people can reach impressive heights of power and fortune. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

"Gardening Without Work" is the detailed and helpful guide by Ruth Stout, the American author famous for her lazy gardener approach to gardening. Stout started gardening in 1930, when she was 46, and over the next decade came to understand just how demanding of an activity it can be. In 1944, she decided on a different approach and developed many techniques, including a year-round mulch, that significantly decreased the amount of work needed to garden successfully. Stout published her first work detailing her new methods in 1955, titled "How to Have a Green Thumb without an Aching Back", and began a successful writing career. First published in 1961, "Gardening Without Work" expands upon her mulching methods for easy gardening and details in an easy-to-understand format exactly how to begin and maintain an effortless garden. Written with her trademark humor and wit, Stout shows readers how to get the most out of gardening with less effort and time so that you are free to enjoy both a productive garden and all the fun that life has to offer. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

Upon its original publication in 1857 Charles Baudelaire's "Les Fleurs du Mal" or "The Flowers of Evil" was embroiled in controversy. Within a month of its publication the French authorities brought an action against the author and the book's publisher claiming that the work was an insult to public decency. Eventually the French courts would acknowledge the literary merit of Baudelaire's work but ordered that six poems in particular should be banned from subsequent publication. The notoriety caused by this scandal would ultimately work in the author's favor causing the initial publication to sell out, thus prompting the publication of another edition. The second edition was published in 1861, it included an additional thirty-five poems, with the exclusion of the six poems censored by the French government. Finally in 1868 a third edition was published posthumously. This collection added an additional fourteen poems selected by two of Baudelaire's friends yet again excluded the six censored poems. Literary scholars generally agree that, while well-meaning, the addition of these poems in the third edition disrupt the structure intended by Baudelaire and thus the 1861 edition should be considered as the definitive edition. In this volume we reproduce that 1861 edition along with the six censored poems in the original French and in an English translation by William Aggeler. Rich with symbolism, "The Flowers of Evil" is rightly considered a classic of the modernist literary movement. Its themes of decadence and eroticism seek to exhibit Baudelaire's criticism of the Parisian society of his time.

Considered one of the masterpieces of world-renowned naturalist Emile Zola, "Nana" is his finely written work on the demimonde of France's failing Second Empire. A symbolically compounded novel, it follows the rise and fall of Nana, a street-walking prostitute who becomes an actress at the Théâtre des Variétés. Though apparently independent and self-confident in her role of 'high-class cocette', Nana envies the material possessions of the people around her, and the series of besotted men, and occasionally women, whom she betrays and ruins are a testament to her selfishness and vanity. What is surprising is Zola's genius in creating the strength and generosity of Nana, the elemental goodness in an unintelligent woman who can't seem to prevent herself from initiating chaos. Though she advances through society, she ultimately only manages to fall from greater heights, taking on an almost mythical quality even as she remains eminently realistic. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and follows the translation of Burton Rascoe.

Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is a much loved and classic work of American literature. It is the story of Tom, a rambunctious young lad who lives with his Aunt Polly. Tom is a boy who doesn't much like going to school and throughout the book does everything he can to get out of it. Near the beginning of the novel Tom exhibits his keen wit by convincing some boys to paint his Aunt Polly's fence that he has been punished with having to do for skipping school. "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is a story of young love. Tom falls for Becky Thatcher, the daughter of the town Judge, and tries to woe her throughout the novel. It is also the tale of boyhood adventure and camaraderie. Tom and his friend Huckleberry Finn witness a murder, become pirates, are thought to be dead, and search for lost treasure. Set within the Mississippi river valley of Twain's youth, the novel is a witty portrayal of 19th century American life. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper, is illustrated by Worth Brehm, and includes introductions by Percy Holmes Boynton and Bertha Evans Ward.

First published in 1919, W. Somerset Maugham's "The Moon and Sixpence" is an episodic first person narrative based on the life of Paul Gaugin. At the center of the novel is the story of Charles Strickland, an English banker who walks away from a life of privilege, abruptly abandoning his wife and children, in order to pursue his passion to become an artist. Strickland leaves London for Paris and ultimately Tahiti, mirroring the life of Gaugin who would also split with his wife to pursue a life of painting eventually immigrating to Tahiti. The title of the novel, which is never clearly explained in the novel, comes from a review for Maugham's previous work "Of Human Bondage" in which that novel's protagonist, Philip Carey, is described as "so busy yearning for the moon that he never saw the sixpence at his feet." The moon in this sense might be seen as the lofty ambition to pursue a life of artistic expression in contrast to the sixpence which represents the security of a middle-class life style with wife and children to which the protagonist abandons. "The Moon and Sixpence" is the story of the demands that can be placed on a tortured artistic soul and consequently the lives that it touches. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.