The Floating Press: 2252 books

This short vignette from Honore de Balzac, a key figure in French realism, is a story within a story. The narrator, Nathan, regales a pair of aristocratic ladies with stories about the Rusticoli family and its most prominent member, La Palferine. At first, his audience is unappreciative, but over time, they become wrapped up in the multi-generational saga.

This diptych is part of Honore de Balzac's epic masterpiece, The Human Comedy. It comprises two stories, "Cousin Betty" and "Cousin Pons," each of which delve deeply into complicated family dynamics and the long-lasting impact of seemingly trivial conflicts.

This novella is part of the Scenes From Private Life section of Honore de Balzac's sprawling story cycle The Human Comedy. Trapped in a maddeningly frustrating love triangle and unable to express his true feelings to his beloved, protagonist Paz invents an imaginary mistress to use as an excuse for his lovesickness and increasing alienation from his group of friends.

Balzac's La Comedie Humaine was a story cycle comprising more than 100 novels and stories. Although most of these works are set in nineteenth-century France, several hearken back to earlier periods. Catherine de' Medici centers on the life of the woman born into an aristocratic family in medieval Italy who went on to become Queen consort and, later, regent of France.

Think A.A. Milne's literary legacy begins and ends with the Winnie-the-Pooh stories? Think again. Milne was a prolific writer, and actually came to prefer writing for adults over time. This collection of humorous short sketches, stories, and vignettes is a perfect introduction to Milne's output for those who have long since graduated from kindergarten.

Escape into a fantastical fairy tale world created by A.A. Milne, author of the beloved Winnie-the-Pooh series. In Once on a Time, Milne stretches his creative wings and breathes into life a classic fable set in a pair of mysterious, far-away kingdoms populated by characters who don't always fit the stereotypical mode. It's a charming read for older children or adults.

Alice in Wonderland (also known as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ), from 1865, is the peculiar and imaginative tale of a girl who falls down a rabbit-hole into a bizarre world of eccentric and unusual creatures. Lewis Carroll's prominent example of the genre of "literary nonsense" has endured...

Though best remembered as an important German poet, Heinrich Heine was also a prolific writer of prose. He supported himself for a time as a foreign correspondent, as well as by penning essays on a number of topics, including literary criticism and philosophy. This volume offers readers a broad selection of Heine's prose works.

German poet Heinrich Heine began his career penning lyric verses in the tradition of the European Romantics, including a series of poems that were set to music by composers such as Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann. However, as his style evolved, Heine began to be more influenced by the political landscape...

Constance Fenimore Woolson was the great niece of James Fenimore Cooper and a close friend and correspondent of Henry James. A successful short story and novel writer Woolson was one of the "local color", or American literary regionalism authors popular in late-nineteenth century America. She travelled...

Arsene Lupin, the brilliant detective created by French writer Maurice Leblanc, was often described by critics and fans as "the French Sherlock Holmes." This cheeky volume of detective stories pokes fun at that comparison by pitting Lupin's wits against the formidable talents of one "Herlock Sholmes,"...

Constance Fenimore Woolson's literary claim to fame was her attention to detail and faithful documentation of the language, traditions, and customs of various subcultures throughout the United States and, to a lesser degree, Europe. In this stirring novel, Woolson delves deeply into the nuances and subtleties of a longtime friendship between two women.

Get set for interstellar adventure with this action-packed novel from groundbreaking SF writer Murray Leinster. In an amazingly prescient plot that resonates with today's reality TV-obsessed culture, the space flight project of the book's title is a television show that helps fund humanity's first foray into the cosmos.

One of Hardy's more critically acclaimed collections of verses, Time's Laughingstocks focuses on lyrical explorations of love, death, and the inevitable overlap between the two. The collection also contains a number of poems in which historical characters offer dramatic monologues, including a Roman soldier who feels a special kinship with Jesus.