Sabine: 329 books

The Moon Endureth (Blackwood) is a collection of tales and fancies, in prose and verse, which Mr John Buchan has contributed to Blackwood's Magazine. It reminds me of an old, well-thumbed saffron book, called, I think, Tales from Blackwood, which was one of the soberer delights of my schoolboy days...

That Belgium is now one of the European kingdoms, living by its own laws, resting on its own bottom, with a king and court, palaces and parliament of its own, is known to all the world. And a very nice little kingdom it is; full of old towns, fine Flemish pictures, and interesting Gothic churches.

Is there something about aesthetic beauty that can soothe the soul of even the most troubled individual? That's the question at the center of Booth Tarkington's eminently entertaining short novel The Beautiful Lady. In the story, a down-on-his-luck Italian who is barely scraping by in Paris has his...

As the Victorian era drew to a close and the twentieth century loomed, women began to assert themselves more and take greater liberties. It was a shift that Henry James dealt with in many of his stories, including the beguiling novella Georgina's Reasons. The Georgina of the title is a mysterious...

Twain's third book, published in 1871, sends up the genre of autobiography, inventing ancestors such as saber-swinging Augustus Twain; John Morgan Twain, who came to America with Columbus; and wilderness adventurer Mighty-Hunter-With-Hog-Eye Twain. Also includes the spoof “First Romance," an over-the-top medieval tale of court intrigue and impostors.

While many of H. Rider Haggard's acclaimed action-adventure tales take place in exotic locations, Colonel Quaritch, V.C. unfolds in the author's own backyard. After leaving active service, a decorated officer moves back to his ancestral village. Instead of finding the peace and quiet he was seeking,...

One master of the English novel assesses another in this 1879 critical biography, Trollope's contribution to the “English Men of Letters" series. “I will tell how he became an author....Something of his manner, something of his appearance, I can say...because for some few years he was known to me..."

Scottish Renaissance man Andrew Lang made important contributions in a staggering array of academic and creative disciplines. In addition to publishing many works of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, he also was instrumental in the formation of the field of study now known as anthropology and was...

Lauded by many as one of the greatest storytellers of the Victorian period, H. Rider Haggard is best remembered for his action-adventure tales set in exotic foreign lands, a formula he milks to full effect in the thrilling page-turner Queen Sheba's Ring. It's a must-read for fans who can't get enough of Haggard's inimitable style.

Renowned American author James Fenimore Cooper had a lifelong fascination with the sea—and a deep appreciation for the brave men who spent their lives traversing it. In the novel Miles Wallingford, the sequel to Cooper's Afloat and Ashore, Cooper focuses on the life story of one remarkable sailor, the Wallingford of the title, who recounts his exploits on the sea as a young man.

Wharton's first (1899) published collection of short stories ranges from light humor, social commentary, deception, and travel, to the darkly Gothic. Includes “The Muse's Tragedy," “A Journey," “The Pelican," “Souls Belated," “A Coward," “A Cup of Cold Water," “The Portrait," and a short play, “The Twilight of the Gods."

Edith Wharton's Coming Home is a short story of seven chapters that centers around the life of a French man named Jean de Réchamp during the war. The story is narrated in the first-personal pronoun and bases itself on reports about the atrocities committed by the German army.

Part of his multi-generational epic, the Clayhanger Family series, Arnold Bennett's novel The Roll-Call focuses on one of the youngest members of the family, George Cannon. Despite his forebears' hard work, George is spoiled and entitled, and his increasingly demanding manner puts a strain on the family as it struggles to make it through the war.

Though American short story master O. Henry is best known for his surprise plot twists and trick endings, the philosophical complexity of his work is also a feature that the author's fans admire. The stories in this collection tackle some of the most persistent mysteries of life, all while maintaining the engaging, thrill-a-minute pace that was O. Henry's stock in trade.