The Floating Press: 2252 books

In the charming romance novel Through the Postern Gate, author Florence Barclay pulls off a seemingly unimaginable feat, combining the intense emotions and roiling passions of a classic love story with unconventional, sharply drawn characters and a pair of unlikely sweethearts. If you're weary of modern cookie-cutter romance novels, give this refreshingly innovative take on the genre a try.

Can't get enough of E.F. Benson's charming Mapp and Lucia series? Explore another side of the British playwright and novelist's literary talent in the period piece Michael, which offers a glimpse into the life of the seemingly ordinary but remarkably good and kind protagonist Michael Comber. Filled with...

Although he began his career as a serious literary novelist, writer Thomas Anstey Guthrie first gained a wide readership when he began publishing humorous tales and essays, many of which also happened to have a supernatural element. The collection The Black Poodle and Other Tales brings together some of Anstey's most side-splitting forays into the humor genre.

One of Sarah Orne Jewett's chief strengths as a writer is her uncanny ability to evoke a sense of place. The masterful stories collected in The Life of Nancy vividly depict the texture of everyday life among families in rural and coastal New England.

Clementina is an action-packed tale ripped from the pages of history. In 1719, Polish heiress Maria Clementina Sobieska was set to marry the Prince of Wales, but many factions in Europe opposed the union on political grounds. Will the marriage take place, or will evil machinations keep the betrothed lovers apart?

For centuries, presenting a comrade-in-arms with a feather was the ultimate censure and a stinging symbol of cowardice. When British soldier Harry Feversham decides to resign his post and leave the military, he is subjected to this humiliating ritual. Will his reputation ever be redeemed? Read The Four Feathers to find out.

"People get what they want if they want it enough, but they can't control the price they have to pay." That's the hard truth at the heart of this intricately plotted page-turner from A. E. W. Mason. Despite their lingering ardor, a pair of star-crossed lovers are forced to betray one another again and again when they find themselves mired in a series of missed chances and miscommunications.

This influential early work of fantasy is a must-read for serious fans of the genre. Spanning this world and another world known as Oakenrealm, Child Christopher and Goldilind the Fair follows a pair of star-crossed lovers who can't get past their stark differences in background and social status. Then,...

After standing empty for years, the grand home known as Malory is suddenly found to be occupied. Understandably, the villagers of Cardyllian, the quaint town closest to Malory, are curious about the new tenants. Little do they know that the newcomers have brought with them a puzzling series of mysteries.

This uproarious comic novel is a must-read for lovers of classic British humor. The Diary of a Nobody follows the travails of one Charles Pooter, a middle-class clerk with high-society aspirations and outrageous delusions of grandeur. You'll laugh out loud at Pooter's pretentiousness and plenteous...

American editor and writer John Kendrick Bangs eased into humor writing and satire by anonymously submitting a few essays for publication amidst his busy career at a number of prominent publications. One of his most lasting creations is an opinionated buffoon called the Idiot. In this amusing collection,...

Part of John Kendrick Bangs' beloved Idiot series, based around the exaggerated exploits of the eponymous antihero, this collection features the Idiot's opinions on a number of diverse topics, including women, taxation, and international diplomacy. As always, the Idiot's silly soliloquies are packed with equal parts ridiculous fallacy and sly wit.

Throughout history, bit players on the sidelines have somehow become embroiled in the most notorious scandals, finding themselves wrapped up in intrigue with far-reaching consequences they could never have imagined. That's exactly what happens to the eponymous protagonist of Booth Tarkington's novel,...

Many people who are traveling abroad take the opportunity to forge a new, albeit temporary, identity for themselves. In his quest to be welcomed among the upper crust in Europe, American Robert Russ Mellin creates a moneyed, cultured alter ego. However, before long, Mellin happens to encounter a man...