The Floating Press: 2252 books

Baroness Orczy's classic adventure novel El Dorado is the sequel to The Scarlet Pimpernel and was first published in 1913. Set in 1794's Paris - which "despite the horrors that had stained her walls - has remained a city of pleasure, and the knife of the guillotine did scarce descend more often than did the drop-scenes on the stage."

Credited by many as one of first and foremost pioneers of love poetry, Sappho was a female poet who is believed to have been born on the Greek island of Lesbos in the 6th century BCE. Though her work that survives today exists mostly in fragments, this skillful translation conveys the heartrending rawness that has won her verse so much acclaim from ancient times to the present.

Drawing on his experiences as a journalist in New York City, Norman Duncan's short novel The Mother in a touching parable of love and self-sacrifice. A struggling single mother goes to great lengths to keep the truth about their dire straits from her young son, but he ultimately learns the truth.

During the course of Samuel Hopkins Adams' career as an investigative journalist, he exposed a number of frauds being perpetrated on the American public and came to be known as a champion for the rights of the people. As he transitioned into the domain of fiction, he continued to advocate for causes...

Essayist and newspaper columnist Fanny Fern enjoyed a rapid -- and highly unlikely -- rise to fame after an early life beset by tragedy and misfortune. Soon after accepting the position that established her as the highest-paid female writer in the United States, Fern began work on Ruth Hall, a highly...

An influential critic, commentator, and journalist, New England-based writer Fanny Fern (born Sara Willis) ascended to the very highest levels of literary acclaim in the late nineteenth century, even at one time commanding the title of the best-paid woman writer in the United States. The collection Ginger-Snaps brings together many of Fern's most beloved columns and essays.

Creator of the popular "Little Girl" series of historical chapter books for juvenile readers, Amanda Minnie Douglas also created the "Kathie" series, which addresses serious issues from a moral and sometimes religious perspective. In Kathie's Soldiers, the reality of the Civil War is looming, and families have to make some difficult decisions.

Amanda Minnie Douglas was an American writer who composed works primarily for younger audiences. Although her early efforts were highly "didactic" works in keeping with the Victorian mores of the time, she later began to write in a more modern mode. During this period, she updated a number of classic...

John Galt's novel The Provost details the rise to power of James Pawkie, an aspiring businessman and politician who becomes a big-time mover and shaker in the Scottish town of Irvine. Galt uses Pawkie's ascendance to comment on the perils of acquiring influence rapidly, as well as the all-too-keen temptation to misuse it for personal gain.

In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, America remained very volatile. One outgrowth of this was Shays' Rebellion, an armed uprising in Massachusetts that pitted a group of dissatisfied residents against the nascent state authorities. It may seem like an unlikely backdrop for budding romance, but Edward Bellamy pulls it off with aplomb, balancing rich historical detail with tender emotions.

As the nineteenth century drew to a close and the twentieth century loomed ahead, many shifts were occurring in social modes and mores. American author Edward Bellamy perfectly encapsulates the tensions of that turbulent time in "A Love Story Reversed," a charming tale in which a newly emboldened young woman elects to take the upper hand when it comes to cultivating a slowly blossoming romance.

British writer Stanley J. Weyman is considered to be one of the foremost practitioners of the historical romance genre. He spent years perfecting his craft with short-form tales that were published in the most popular publications of the day, and then moved on to novels and longer vignettes. This collection brings together some of Weyman's most acclaimed works.

Set sail for classic high seas adventure with this eclectic volume of short stories from William Clark Russell. Ranging from straightforward nautical action in the traditional vein to tales with a terrifying twist of the supernatural, you won't be able to put it down.

Settle in for a sci-fi tour de force from top author E.E. Smith. "The Vortex Blaster" recounts the perilous path of Neal Cloud, a physicist destined to emerge as a key figure in intergalactic history through his ability to master and manipulate some of the most elemental forces in the universe.