The Floating Press: 2252 books

This engaging collection of stories features popular fiction from the late nineteenth century, including stories from Sarah Orne Jewett and Frances Lee. Jewett's tale "Lady Ferry" delves into the uncanny; Lee's contribution to the volume is a charming sketch that details a friendship between a girl and her cat.

This classic novel from English author A. E. W. Mason combines a number of seemingly disparate plot lines into a seamless, thrilling action-adventure tale. Ranging from the backroom political dealings and high-society conflicts of Edwardian England to a pulse-pounding account of a dangerous expedition to Antarctica, this page-turner deserves a place on your must-read list.

Get set for edge-of-your-seat excitement and adventure in A. E. W. Mason's Running Water. A rescue team must race against time to save a trapped mountaineer in the treacherous upper reaches of the Swiss Alps. Packed with action and romance, this fast-paced novel will appeal to a wide range of readers.

Irish aristocrat Lord Dunsany was a wealthy man of leisure, but when it came to the craft of writing, he was productive and prolific, creating nearly 100 works in his lifetime, many of which are cited as important early influences in the genre of fantasy. This volume brings together a number of Dunsany's most popular works written for the stage.

Short stories are a perfect way to enjoy and appreciate classic literature in reader-friendly, bite-sized chunks. This collection of perfectly polished little gems from Thomas Hardy, author of works such as Return of the Native and Far from the Madding Crowd, offers a great introduction to this renowned author.

Many of Thomas Hardy's best-known works of fiction were set in the Dorset region, which he called "Wessex." Many of these poems, written over a period of 30 years, are also set in and deeply influenced by the Wessex landscape. Although Hardy considered himself to be more a poet than a novelist, this was his first published collection of verse.

This linked story cycle from sharp-witted humorist John Kendrick Bangs delves into the delights and tribulations of married life. Beginning with the wedding of starry-eyed lovebirds Jane and Thaddeus, Paste Jewels is a rollicking and insightful look at long-term love.

Booth Tarkington's wildly successful novel Seventeen satirizes the vagaries of American adolescence. Though 17-year-old protagonist William Sylvanus Baxter is awkward, tactless, and often less than likable, Tarkington's insightful -- and hilarious -- take on teenage life and love is sure to please readers who appreciate top-notch humor writing.

Canadian humorist and academic Stephen Leacock had a plethora of opportunities to explore new cultures as he traveled the globe in support of his many popular books, often giving scholarly talks along the way. In this uproarious volume of essays and vignettes, Leacock sets down his impressions of a promotional tour of England.

When political activist Annie Besant discovered the spiritual practice known as Theosophy, it changed her life, bestowing upon her a sense of tranquility and purpose. When she came under attack by religious leaders who were suspicious of this unfamiliar faith, Besant fired back with both guns blazing, publishing this scathing but meticulously thorough critique of Christianity.

Eccentric inventor Willie Spence has a unique outlook on life and marches to the beat of his own drum. His small cottage on Cape Cod is a tangled labyrinth of half-finished gadgets and gizmos. But when a visitor to the area takes an interest in a local girl, Willie plays a role in fanning the flames of this budding romance.

Though this collection of novellas and short stories from English writer Juliana Horatia Ewing centers around younger protagonists, it will appeal to readers of any age. In the titular story, hero Charlie leads his family through the process of preparing to survive through the most calamitous of circumstances.

As the nineteenth century gave way to the twentieth, attitudes about love, marriage, and gender roles began to undergo a radical shift. The five stories collected in this volume, written by literary luminaries such as Henry James, Walter Besant, and Thomas Hardy, expertly capture this period of transition.

Stephen Siward and Sylvia Landis first lay eyes on one another during an innocent conversation about a hunting dog. Though both are smitten, there are formidable obstacles that stand in the way of their future together. Is it possible to make this true love last?