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Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston during the years 1642 to 1649, The Scarlet Letter tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives through an adulterous affair and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. The story begins during the summer of 1642, near Boston, Massachusetts, in a Puritan village. A young woman, Hester Prynne, has been led from the town prison with her infant daughter in her arms. On the breast of her gown is "a rag of scarlet The Scarlet Letter cloth" that "assumed the shape of a letter." It is the uppercase letter "A." The Scarlet Letter "A" represents the act of adultery that she has committed, and it is to be a symbol of her sin-a badge of shame-for all to see. The Scarlet Letter was published as a novel in the spring of 1850 by Ticknor & Fields, beginning Hawthorne's most lucrative period as a writer. When he delivered the final pages to Fields in February 1850, Hawthorne said that "some portions of the book are powerfully written" but doubted it would be popular. In fact, the book was an instant best-seller though, over fourteen years, it brought its author only $1,500. Its initial publication brought wide protest from natives of Salem, who did not approve of how Hawthorne had depicted them in his introduction "The Custom-House". A 2,500-copy second edition of The Scarlet Letter included a preface by Hawthorne dated March 30, 1850, that stated he had decided to reprint his introduction "without the change of a word... The only remarkable features of the sketch are its frank and genuine good-humor... As to enmity, or ill-feeling of any kind, personal or political, he utterly disclaims such motives". The Scarlet Letter was one of the first mass-produced books in America. Into the mid-nineteenth century, bookbinders of home-grown literature typically hand-made their books and sold them in small quantities. The first mechanized printing of The Scarlet Letter, 2,500 volumes, sold out within ten days, and was widely read and discussed to an extent not much experienced in the young country up until that time.

While completing his preparation for the ministry, Jonathan Edwards wrote seventy resolutions that guided him throughout his life. About twenty years later he wrote a letter to young Deborah Hatheway, a new convert in a nearby town, advising her concerning the Christian life. These two writings, often reprinted during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, overflow with straightforward and biblically sound advice. This advice is as current today as it was in the 1700s, and it far surpasses the "how to" books now overrunning bookstores.

J.C. Ryle was well known for his warm, plain-spoken candor, the kind which appeals to all souls regardless of rank or title, and this booklet is no different. Bold, encouraging, and affectionate, "A Call to Prayer" is just as the title says-an earnest invitation for all children of God to come before Him in prayer. Read it, be edified, and have hope: you have access to the Maker of heaven and earth who can do all things. In this short booklet, Ryle charges the reader with the necessity of prayer. He cuts through the excuses and the pretense with the simple question: "Do you pray?" Ryle's style is concise and immanently readable. He argues that prayer or the lack of prayer is the single greatest barometer for a person's status before the Lord. For "to be prayerless is to be without Christ, without God, without grace, without hope, and without heaven." Ryle goes beyond the question to the meat of the issue giving strong arguments for why prayer is so necessary for the spiritual well-being of an individual. Once he has made his point, and made it well, Ryle turns his attention to how a person should pray. This work of prayer, according to Ryle, is so often neglected because it is such an arduous task cutting against the flesh and standing (or kneeing in this case) in direct opposition and defiance of Satan himself. Ryle encourages the Christian to pray with reverence and humility, spiritually, as a regular part of their business of life, with all perseverance, in earnestness, in faith, with boldness, with fullness, on behalf of others, with thankfulness and with watchfulness over one's prayers. He writes this to state his position on the importance of prayer: "Tell me what a man's prayers are, and I will soon tell you the state of his soul. Prayer is the spiritual pulse."

In "The Duties of Parents," J.C. Ryle explores the best ways to raise children with Christ in their hearts, and the duties all Christian parents have toward those God has entrusted to them. Ryle gives helpful advice on how to raise children, and shows how we can love our children without spoiling them. Though written in 1888, it contains timeless truths based on God's wisdom. Ryle perfectly balanced love and discipline in this approach to raising godly children. Essential reading for every parent who seeks to raise their children in the instruction of the Lord, Ryle's book is one you will return to over and over again. It is short, powerful, easy to comprehend, and one of the best resources for parenting outside of the Bible. Those who truly seek biblical parenting should not be without this book.

There is no better introduction to the Puritans than the writings of Richard Sibbes, who is, in many ways, a typical Puritan. `Sibbes never wastes the student's time, ' `he scatters pearls and diamonds with both hands.' (C. H. Spurgeon) Richard Sibbes was known in London in the early 17th century as "the Heavenly Doctor Sibbes." The Bruised Reed and Smoking Flax; is a masterful exposition of Matthew 12:20. In this the author explains what the reed refers to, then he explains what is to be "a bruised reed.

James Hudson Taylor (1832-1905), was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China, and founder of the China Inland Mission. The society that he began was responsible for bringing over 800 missionaries to the country who began 125 schools and directly resulted in 18,000 Christian conversions, as well as the establishment of more than 300 stations of work with more than 500 local helpers in all eighteen provinces. He wrote a book called China's Spiritual Need and Claims in 1865 which was instrumental in generating sympathy for China and volunteers for the mission field, who began to go out in 1862. Taylor was known for his sensitivity to Chinese culture and zeal for evangelism. He adopted wearing native Chinese clothing even though this was rare among missionaries of that time. Under his leadership, the CIM was singularly nondenominational in practice and accepted members from all Protestant groups, including individuals from the working class and single women as well as multinational recruits. Primarily because of the CIM's campaign against the Opium trade, Taylor has been referred to as one of the most significant Europeans to visit China in the 19th Century. In this book, Taylor tells his own story--from his call to the mission field through his early mission experiences--"In Retrospect."

"Twelve Years a Slave" is the harrowing true story of Solomon Northup, an educated, free black man from upstate New York. Kidnapped in 1841 by unscrupulous slave hunters and sold as a slave, Northup eventually ended up deep in Louisiana and spent the next 12 years of his life there until he was rescued by a prominent citizen of his home state that knew him. Northup's narrative, written in his own words, describes the variation in treatment he received at the hands of the various people he met. Some were kinder, some brutal, and one he had to fight twice to avoid being killed himself. Solomon's rescue came when a Canadian drifter who worked as a laborer agreed to mail a rescue note to Solomon's hometown. A few months later Solomon was rescued by a prominent gentlemen from his native New York and was reunited with his family. A powerful and riveting condemnation of American slavery, Solomon Northup's account is fascinating reading that moves at a rapid pace. Great reading, particularly for those who want to read about slavery as it truly was, rather than in glossed over or politically correct terms.

"The Heart of the Rose," written by Mabel McKee and published by Fleming H. Revell in 1913, is a short story about moral purity. The story begins when Beth, a young girl of twelve, is handed her baby brother and told that she will need to be "both a mother and sister to him." The story doesn't give details, but apparently Beth and her brother Floyd were orphans. The story fast-forwards 17 years to when Floyd is about to leave for college. A young friend stop by, and Beth overhears her brother speaking of girls in a course and unseemly manner. Two girls then join the party, and Beth observes the young couples behaving in a loose and familiar manner. The rest of the story tells how Beth managed to deter things from progressing further, and the touching conversation she has with her brother on how he ought to behave towards a girl. Beth tells him the story of an unblemished rose, and in the course of the conversation, finally reaches her brother's heart. The book ends with Floyd quoting from Sir Galahad, "my strength is as the strength of ten because my heart is pure." The principles in this book, which may be considered strait-laced by many, are nonetheless much-needed by many in our world today. Though short, this charming story of the rose provides another opportunity to reinforce the beauty of moral purity to young men and young ladies alike.

The Consecrated Way to Christian Perfection, written by A. T. Jones, is an exposition of the work of Christ as our High Priest as relating to the perfection of Christian character. A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner presented this message to the 1888 Minneapolis General Conference Session of Seventh-day Adventists. Their message met resistance from leaders such as G. I. Butler, Uriah Smith and others. The session discussed crucial theological issues such as the meaning of "righteousness by faith", and the nature of the Godhead, and the relationship between law and grace. Ellen White supported Waggoner's Christ centered view on justification by faith and their refutation of Arianism, and later wrote that she had been teaching for "forty-five years" this same message as Jones and Waggoner presented at that session.

"A Way of Life" is the text of an address that Sir William Osler gave at Yale University in 1913. He recommends approaching life as a series of "day-tight compartments," which he likens to the water-tight compartments that keep a ship afloat. (an Interesting analogy just a year after the sinking of the Titanic sank). William Osler's point is that worrying about either the past or the future is a burden that does nothing but reduce your effectiveness. If you focus your attention on what you have to do today, then over time, a string of successful days will make for a successful life. He quotes Thomas Carlyle: "Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand." William Osler primarily attributes his own success not to talent or intelligence, but to good habits, consistently practiced, day after day after day. This is a small book filled with simple, eloquent wisdom that is every bit as applicable today as it was in 1913.

"A Way of Life" is the text of an address that Sir William Osler gave at Yale University in 1913. He recommends approaching life as a series of "day-tight compartments," which he likens to the water-tight compartments that keep a ship afloat. (an Interesting analogy just a year after the sinking of the Titanic sank). William Osler's point is that worrying about either the past or the future is a burden that does nothing but reduce your effectiveness. If you focus your attention on what you have to do today, then over time, a string of successful days will make for a successful life. He quotes Thomas Carlyle: "Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand." William Osler primarily attributes his own success not to talent or intelligence, but to good habits, consistently practiced, day after day after day. This is a small book filled with simple, eloquent wisdom that is every bit as applicable today as it was in 1913.

The first edition of "Zero the Slaver" is dated 1892. "Zero the Slaver" tells of the horrors and cruelty of slavery and the trek through Africa to take down one of the worst slave traders. A great story-line filled with villains and heroes, sorrow, pain, and love

"Youth and Sex As Taught in the Year 1919" is written in two parts. The first part of the book is written by Mary Scharlieb for girls and young women. The second half of "Youth and Sex As Taught in the Year 1919" is written by F. Arthur Sibly for boys and young men. "Great diversity of opinion exists as to the best method of giving sex instruction, and those who have had experience of one method are curiously blind to the merits of other methods, which they usually strongly denounce. While I have my own views as to the best method to adopt, I am quite sure that each one of very many methods can, in suitable hands, produce great good, and that the very poorest method is infinitely superior to no method at all Some are for oral teaching, some for the use of a pamphlet, some favour confidential individual teaching, others collective public teaching. Some would try to make sex a sacred subject; some would prefer to keep the emotional element out and treat reproduction as a matter-of-fact science subject. Some wish the parent to give the teaching, some the teacher, some the doctor, some a lecturer specially trained for this purpose. Good results have been obtained by every one of these methods. During recent years much additional evidence has accumulated in my hands of the beneficent results of such teaching as I advocate in these pages, and I am confident that of boys who have been wisely guided and trained, few fail to lead clean lives even when associated with those who are generally and openly corrupt. I must, however, emphasise my belief that the cleanliness of a boy's life depends ultimately not upon his knowledge of good and evil but upon his devotion to the Right. "Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control, These three alone lead life to sovereign power." Where these are not, it is idle to inculcate the rarest and most difficult of all virtues." F. Arthur Sibly

The Waldenses, a Christian movement of the later Middle Ages, were also know as the Waldnesians or Vaudois. During the 12th century onwards, they were persecuted as heretics and endured near annihilation in the 17th century. They were outlawed, hunted, tortured, murdered, and hated by the ruling church of their day because they lived by the truth of God's Word and did not bow to their traditions and man-made laws. They kept the light of truth burning amid the darkness of the Middle Ages. This book describes succinctly the conflicts they waged and the martyrdoms they endured in defense of their faith and their liberty.

"The Young Emigrants, Madeline Tube, the Boy and the Book, and The Crystal Palace" are a collection of some of the popular classic works by Susan Anne Livingston Ridley Sedgwick. Sedgwick's novels are written for a young audience. "The Young Emigrants" (1836), is the story of a New York family resettling in Ohio in the late 18th century. Like all of Sedgwick's fiction, it is sentimental and teaches good Christian morals.

"Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet" is a young adult science fiction novel written by Harold L. Goodwin under the pseudonym Blake Savage. Lt. Rip Foster, a freshly graduated and commissioned Planeteer (the space-going equivalent of a Marine), already having to deal with inter-service rivalry with the Space Force crewman (more equivalent to the Navy than to the Air Force) with whom he serves, is tasked with retrieving an asteroid made of pure thorium from the asteroid belt and bringing it back to Earth for use as fissionable material. However, the totalitarian Connies have their own plans for the asteroid. "Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet" emphasizes action and adventure, and hints at a geo-political situation not unlike that of the early 1950s.

"The Landleaguers" was the last novel Anthony Trollope wrote. Though Trollope had planned for Landleaguers to have 40 chapters, he barely made it into the 49th when he had the stroke that ended his writing and, shortly thereafter, his life. "The Landleaguers" is set in Ireland, a country which Trollope had visited. The earlier Irish woe Trollope had chronicled was the potato famine; in "The Landleaguers," it is the often bloody conflict between English protestants and Irish Catholics. Trollope loved Ireland and his novels often reflect that, but "The Landleaguers", with its realistic depiction of terrorism, seems to despair of Ireland's future. There is a subplot involving the daughter of an American supporter of the Irish campaign against the English; the daughter has come to London to further her career and there are sexual intrigues there. A landlord's son is murdered by rural terrorists, a crime that replays the real-life assassination of Lord Frederic Cavendish in Dublin in 1882, and "The Landleaguers" traces the violent disruption of civil life as tenants, organized in the Land League, plot to force their landlords to give them a better deal. But part of Trollope's imaginative response to the crisis takes the form of an intriguingly uncharacteristic sub-plot, in which a young American woman travels to London and tries to make a name for herself on the operatic stage, while her father becomes a landleaguing Member of Parliament. Trollope's son Henry wrote a brief foreword to the novel and added a two-sentence postscript announcing the fates that Trollope had planned for the novel's main characters.

"An Old Man's Love," the last novel written by Anthony Trollope, tells the story of William Whittlestaff, who lost the woman he loved to a richer, more lively rival many years before, lives alone at Croker Hall in Hampshire, looked after by his loyal, odd housekeeper Mrs Baggett. Mr Whittlestaff impulsively takes in as his ward the orphaned daughter of an old friend, nineteen year-old Mary Lawrie, much to Mrs Baggett's disapproval. She - rightly - suspects that Mary's arrival will eventually lead to her master falling in love with the girl, who will supplant her as head of the household. The reserved, unworldly Mary gradually warms towards the lonely bachelor, and he eventually asks her to be his wife. Mary has only briefly experienced love three years before, with John Gordon, a penniless Oxford student who was sent away by her step-mother as a bad prospect. Mary accepts Mr Whittlestaff, but not before making him aware of the history of her short and painful dealings with John Gordon. He dismisses this knowledge, allowing that Mary 'may think of him' from time to time, but privately presuming the young man to be safely out of her life.But John Gordon unexpectedly arrives at Croker Hall. Fresh from the diamond fields of South Africa where he has made a considerable fortune in order to make himself worthy of Mary, he has come to renew his suit, and she finds herself caught in an impossible situation, feeling incapable of jilting the man whose proposal she has so recently accepted. Mr Whittlestaff, though well aware who it is that Mary really loves, is unwilling to be rejected himself once again, and reluctant to release her from her promise. John Gordon, unable quite to give up hope, goes to stay for a few days with an old university friend, Montagu Blake, a curate who lives nearby. Thus the battle is on for the hand of Mary Lawrie...

Rick Brant and his pal, Scotty, have the kind of adventures all young men would like to have. They live on an island called Spindrift where Rick's father heads a group of scientists working in the field of electronics. Here and abroad the young men encounter many thrilling adventures and solve many baffling mysteries. In "Smugglers' Reef" Rick and Scotty use an infrared camera to gather evidence against smugglers.

In the "The Blue Ghost Mystery" Rick and Scotty's Virginia vacation turns into a hair-raising mystery when they encounter what seems to be a Civil War ghost. Can the boys unravel the puzzle with brains and science? The clues to the baffling mystery are few.

In this timeless story by John Townsend Trowbridge, "Father Brighthopes" gains his cheery name by always looking at the bright side of difficulties, however great or small. When Father Brighthopes visits the Roydens on for "an old clergyman's vacation," the few weeks he spent with his friends wrought a marked and pleasant change in their lives. The success of "Father Brighthopes" was immediate in its day: people of the most opposed sectarian views united in accepting "Father Brighthopes" as the embodiment of practical Christianity. "Father Brighthopes," who also made appearances in many Civil War era's children's magazines, could have been every child's favorite uncle. Trowbridge presented the retired fictional clergyman as a wise, kindly, and cheerful soul who surrounded himself with children eager to discuss pressing moral issues. In the words of one critic, Trowbridge "knows the heart of a boy and the heart of a man, and laid them both open in his books." Others wrote that Father Brighthopes was "one of the most genial, spirited, and pleasant juvenile books" they ever read, and that Trowbridge "writes in a straightforward, simple style, with humor as well as pathos." "Father Brighthhopes," which was published in Boston in 1853, was followed by other books in quick succession, forming what is known as the "Brighthopes Series." Trowbridge, who first wrote under the pen name Paul Creyton, was widely and favorably known as a writer of popular tales and a delineator of New England life.

"Youth and the Bright Medusa" is a collection of eight short stories about artists and the arts. You will find an interesting story line and a clever resolution. All of the stories in "Youth and the Bright Medusa" are entertaining, holding your attention to the end.

"Mary Queen of Scots," by Jacob Abbott, provides a detailed and fascinating biography of an important woman in world history. Mary I (also known as Marie Stuart) reigned as queen of Scotland from 1542 to 1567 A.D. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King James V. She was six days old when her father died and she was crowned nine months later. In 1558, she married Francis, Dauphin of France, who ascended the French throne as Francis II in 1559. Mary was not Queen of France for long; she was widowed on 5 December 1560. After her husband's death, Mary returned to Scotland, arriving in Leith on 19 August 1561. Four years later, she married her first cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. Their union was unhappy and in February 1567, there was a huge explosion at their house, and Darnley was found dead, apparently strangled, in the garden. She soon married James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, who was generally believed to be Darnley's murderer. Following an uprising against the couple, Mary was imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle on 15 June and forced to abdicate in favor of her one-year-old son, James VI. After an unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne, Mary fled to England seeking protection from her first cousin once removed, Queen Elizabeth I, whose kingdom she hoped to inherit. Elizabeth ordered her arrest because of the threat presented by Mary, who had previously claimed Elizabeth's throne as her own and was considered the legitimate sovereign of England by many English Catholics, including participants in the Rising of the North. After 19 years in custody in a number of castles and manor houses in England, she was tried and executed for treason for her involvement in three plots to assassinate Elizabeth.

Genghis Khan (1162-1227) was the founder, Khan (ruler) and Khagan (emperor) of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death. He came to power by uniting many of the nomadic tribes of northeast Asia. After founding the Mongol Empire and being proclaimed "Genghis Khan", he started the Mongol invasions that would devastate most of Eurasia. These included raids of the Kara-Khitan Khanate, Caucasus, Khwarezmid Empire, Western Xia and Jin dynasties. These campaigns were often accompanied by wholesale massacres of the civilian populations - especially in Khwarezmia. By the end of his life, the Mongol Empire occupied a substantial portion of Central Asia and China. Before Genghis Khan died, he assigned Ögedei Khan as his successor and split his empire into khanates among his sons and grandsons. Beyond his great military accomplishments, Genghis Khan also advanced the Mongol Empire in other ways. He decreed the adoption of the Uyghur script as the Mongol Empire's writing system. He also promoted religious tolerance in the Mongol Empire, and created a unified empire from the nomadic tribes of northeast Asia. Present-day Mongolians regard him highly as the founding father of Mongolia.

The "History of Cyrus the Great" by Jacob Abbott is a truly magnificent account of the story of the life of Cyrus The Great, founder of the Persian empire. Narrrated by two Greek historians (Herodotus and Xenophenon), the life of Cyrus is brought to life once more in Abbott's great masterpiece. While the Iranians regarded Cyrus the Great as "The Father," Babylonian revered him as "The Liberator, Hellenes saw him as the "Law-Giver" and the Jews viewed him as "The Anointed of the Lord." Cyrus the Great was the emperor who proclaimed, at the pinnacle of power 2500 years ago, that "... he would not reign over the people if they did not wish it." He also promised not to force any person to change his religion and faith and guaranteed freedom for all. The Charter of Cyrus the Great remains an important document that should be studied in the history of human rights. The first chapters in Jacob Abbott's classic tell about the birth of Cyrus the Great and his visit to Media as a young prince when his grandfather Astyages was king of Media. Chapter 4-8 describes the accession of Cyrus to the throne, his conquest of Lydia and Babylon, and the liberation of Jews. Chapter 10 tells the story of Panthea, a Susian captive who was treated with dignity and respect, before being reunited with her Assyrian husband Arbadates (a general). The last chapter tells about the death of Cyrus the Great. A very interesting read.

In "All of Grace," Charles Spurgeon outlines the plan of salvation in such clear, simple language that everyone can understand and be drawn to the Father. Any attempt to please God based upon our own works brings self-righteousness and coldness of heart. It is the free grace and mercy of God that makes the heart glow with warmth and thankfulness for God's love.The heartfelt goal of this dynamic classic is summed up in Spurgeon's final cry to the reader, "Meet me in heaven!!""Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." All of Grace is one of several works of Charles Haddon (C.H.) Spurgeon (June 19, 1834 - January 31, 1892) who was a British Particular Baptist preacher and who remains highly influential among Christians of different denominations, among whom he is still known as the "Prince of Preachers". This despite the fact that he was a strong figure in the Reformed Baptist tradition, defending the Church in agreement with the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith understanding, against liberalism and pragmatic theological tendencies even in his day. In his lifetime, Spurgeon preached to around 10,000,000 people, often up to 10 times each week at different places. His sermons have been translated into many languages. Spurgeon was the pastor of the congregation of the New Park Street Chapel (later the Metropolitan Tabernacle) in London for 38 years. He was part of several controversies with the Baptist Union of Great Britain and later had to leave that denomination. In 1857, he started a charity organization called Spurgeon's which now works globally. He also founded Spurgeon's College, which was named after him posthumously. Spurgeon was a prolific author of many types of works including sermons, an autobiography, a commentary, books on prayer, a devotional, a magazine, poetry, hymnist, and more. Many sermons were transcribed as he spoke and were translated into many languages during his lifetime.

Margaret of Anjou (1430-1482), the wife of King Henry VI of England, was a heroine, not of romance and fiction, but of stern and terrible reality. Her life was a series of military exploits, attended with dangers, privations, sufferings, and wonderful vicissitudes of fortune, scarcely to be paralleled in the whole history of mankind. She was born and lived in a period during which there prevailed in the western part of Europe two great and dreadful quarrels, which lasted for more than a hundred years, and which kept France and England, and all the countries contiguous to them, in a state of continual commotion during all that time. The Queen consort of England for many years, Margaret of Anjou was one of the principal figures in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses, having led the Lancastrian faction. Due to Henry's frequent bouts of insanity, Margaret ruled the kingdom in her husband's place. It was Margaret of Anjou who, in May 1455, called for a Great Council which excluded the Yorkist faction, and thus provided the spark which ignited the civil conflict that lasted for over thirty years, decimated the old nobility, and caused the deaths of thousands of men, including her only son Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales.

"One Hundred and One Poems" by Roy Cook is a remarkable anthology of American poets. Some are no longer familiar, but their poetry sheds light on an earlier America, one that inhabited a less complicated world. One-third of the 'famous poems' belong to such well-known American poets as William Cullen Bryant, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Eugene Field, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Vachel Lindsay, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, James Russell Lowell, Edwin Markham, Edgar Allan Poe, James Whitcomb Riley, Edward Sill, and John Greenleaf Whittier. More contemporary poets such as Robert Frost, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Edgar Lee Masters, and Carl Sandburg are also included, together with a number of noted English poets (Elizabeth and Robert Browning, Burns, Byron, Gray, George Elliott, Leigh Hunt, Keats, Kipling, Milton, Sir Walter Scott, Shakespeare, Shelley, Tennyson, and Wordsworth). Many poems reflect the virtues of honor, commitment, respect of God, patriotism, honesty, perseverance, courage, respect for others, and loyalty. Others are playful and simply fun to read. Lay this old, outdated collection next to your favorite chair. Its great reading, and you won't be disappointed.

"Thoughts for Young Men," by J. C. Ryle, is a short yet passionate appeal that, a hundred years after it was written, remains relevant for today. Replete with warnings, exhortations, and instruction about this life's many trials, temptations, and common pitfalls, "Thoughts for Young Men" is biblical, practical, timeless, and wise. Ryle covers four great temptations that plague most young men: sloth, lust, love of pleasure, and peer pressure. One of the last great Puritans, Ryle tackles each subject with unsurpassed tenderness and tact. Readers will chuckle at some of the exhortations to stay away from books and newspapers that lead to sin. If only Ryle could see us now, with cable TV and the Internet. Ryle's advice will help any young man to live a more obedient, full life. "Thoughts for Young Men" is an excellent book for adolescent and teen boys to read. It encourages them to choose the high path of integrity rather than to yield to the many temptations to stray from that path. J. C. Ryle's style is one of a passionate appeal based on solid logic and the truth of the Scriptures.

"How the Other Half Lives" by Jacob Riis sheds fascinating light on how our immigrants in the 1800's lived in New York City. A must-read for Americans whose family has been in the U.S. for only a few generations, this book tells what it was really like in the slums. Whether Irish, Italian, Jewish, Chinese or Polish, German, Russian, hordes of refugees ended up in New York on the promise of a better life. Entrepreneurs lured poor people from Eastern Europe and contracted out their labor in sweat shops in the US. The laborers lived in tenements, which were dark, unventilated cages in blocks of buildings that rented for a surprising high rent to people who died by the thousands in the unsanitary conditions. The conditions described by Jacob Riis in this classic are heart-rending, especially the part about foundling babies (abandoned newborns). A cradle was put outside a Catholic Church and instead of a baby each night, racks of babies appeared. The Church had to establish foundling hospitals run by nuns, who persuaded the unwed or impoverished mothers to nurse the baby they gave up, plus another baby. The child mortality rate, especially in the "back tenements" or buildings built on to the back of others (dark and airless) was incredible. Riis also provides interesting information about the gangs of New York in "How the Other Half Lived."