First Avenue Editions ™ imprint: 25 books

The year is 1402, and King Henry IV sits uneasily on the throne that he wrested from his predecessor, Richard II. King Henry disapproves of his son, Prince Henry, and his habit of hanging around criminals like the witty but dishonest Falstaff. Meanwhile, young "Hotspur" Percy helps his family plot...

Inferno is the first part of Italian poet Dante Alighieri's epic poem Divine Comedy. The allegory describes Dante's journey through the depths of Hell. He is led by the Roman poet Virgil down into the nine circles of Hell, each of which holds and punishes progressively worse sinners. From the First...

The fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen have inspired, frightened, and amused readers since they were first published in 1835. Readers will recognize the little mermaid who makes a deal with a sea witch in the hopes of winning a prince's heart; the conceited emperor who is swindled by two men who...

Along with writing comedic and dramatic plays, William Shakespeare was also a master poet. Using the sonnet structure (three quatrains and a final couplet composed in iambic pentameter), he composed 154 poems covering timeless themes of love, beauty, and mortality. The poems' subjects—the Fair Youth,...

Two years after the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, three men—Octavius Caesar, Lepidus, and Mark Antony—rule the Roman Republic. Antony should be in Rome, helping to stop Pompey's rebel army, but he rarely leaves the side of his lover, Egypt's beautiful Queen Cleopatra. With war against...

For Romeo and Juliet, it's love at first sight. But there's a problem: Romeo belongs to the Montague family, while Juliet is a Capulet. In Verona, these noble families are constantly feuding. In fact, they hate each other so much that the prince of Verona has stepped in and declared death to anyone...

Two Scottish generals, Macbeth and Banquo, are on their way home from successful battles when they encounter three witches. With the prophecies of power and fame they give him swirling through his head, Macbeth tells his wife that the witches divined that he would become king of Scotland. Eager to...

It's a quiet Christmas Eve. The snow is fresh and white, the kids are tucked in and dreaming, and even the mice are snug in their homes. But wait—what's that clatter? This classic Christmas poem was first published anonymously in a newspaper 1823, and it later appeared in an anthology of poetry...

Two boys are born on the same day in sixteenth-century England; one is a beggar, and the other is the Prince of Wales. Growing up, Tom Canty daydreams of hobnobbing with nobility, while Edward Tudor, son of King Henry VIII, longs for freedom beyond the castle walls. One day, the boys have a chance...

Hank, a 19th-Century New England factory manager, suffers a blow to the head that sends him back in time to medieval England. Determined to make the best of the situation, the Yankee attempts to modernize England, setting up schools and factories while trying to hide what he's doing from the Catholic...

During a dark night in December, a man sits in his room sadly thinking about his lost love, Lenore. Suddenly, he hears a tapping on the door, but no one is there. The noise moves to the window and the man opens it, only to see an ominous raven. The raven only has one thing to say and, as the night...

Paradiso is the third and final part of Italian poet Dante Alighieri's epic poem Divine Comedy and describes Dante's journey through heaven. He is now led by Beatrice, who joined him at the end of Purgatorio. Beatrice takes Dante into the nine celestial spheres of Heaven. From the First Sphere, where...

In the wake of his father's death, Prince Henry has ascended to the throne as King Henry V. The rebels have finally been overthrown and the civil war has ended. Henry continues to distance himself from the disreputable friends of his youth in an effort to gain the respect of his subjects. After a...

While staying at his friend Leonato's home, Claudio falls in love with Hero, Leonato's beautiful daughter, and they agree to marry. In the meantime, they decide to trick their friends Benedick and Beatrice—who have nothing but insults for each other—into falling in love as well. However, Don John,...