The Floating Press: 2252 books

This volume of engrossing essays and odds and ends from the always-interesting writer and amateur social scientist Lafcadio Hearn encompasses a number of topics, including various folk stories from Japan and musings on literature and philosophy. Hearn's wide-ranging intellect is on full display, and as always, his thoughts are rendered in an inimitably lyrical style.

In this thought-provoking tale from renowned poet and playwright James Elroy Flecker, the human race as a whole comes together to contemplate the pros and cons of perpetuating human civilization. Some fans have characterized it as an apocalyptic story without the typical disaster to set it into motion.

During the American Civil War, many teenage boys braved the battlefield in service to their country. That's exactly what the spirited young protagonist at the center of Frank on a Gun-Boat decides to do when his cousin Archie asks him to join up. Though barely old enough to fend for themselves, the duo...

Younger readers will love this thrilling first-hand look at one of the crucial battles of the American Civil War, the Siege at Vicksburg, during which more than 30,000 soldiers were injured, killed or captured. After a period of rest and recuperation back home, Frank Nelson, the star of Castlemon's...

This satirical drama from one of the only playwrights regarded as a contemporary equal of Shakespeare may have originally been performed in the early 1600s, but it feels remarkably fresh centuries later. Beginning with a prologue which devolves into a slapstick comedy that presages postmodern irony, the play recounts a solemn religious observance that is much more than it appears to be.

Written immediately after the play that would launch J. M. Barrie to international acclaim, Peter Pan, Alice Sit-By-The-Fire is just as charming, sweet and madcap as its predecessor. A group of older children are introduced to their long-absent parents, and it initially appears that the family unit may...

Lucius Annaeus Seneca, also known as Seneca, or Seneca the Younger, was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman and dramatist, who also acted as a tutor and adviser to emperor Nero. Attributed to Seneca is this political satire on the Roman emperor Claudius, Apocolocyntosis or The Pumpkinification of Claudius....

Travel back in time to the midst of Civil War-torn America and get a first-hand glimpse into how progressive American thinkers were conceptualizing race relations and grappling with the issue of how African-Americans would fare in the aftermath of the war. This thought-provoking essay from writer and pastor William Aikman is a compelling document of a turbulent period in U.S. history.

The School for Scandal debuted at Drury Lane Theater in London in 1777. The play is still popular and regularly performed today. It is a comedy of manners about "the deceptive nature of appearances, the fickleness of reputation, [and] the often disreputable guises behind which goodness and honesty can conceal itself."

In this tale from W. W. Jacobs, a family that is struggling financially receives a much-needed windfall. But when the other residents of the neighborhood get wind of the good news, the family finds itself fending off a variety of schemers and plotters.

In this classic short story from the golden age of science fiction, the crew of a spaceship suddenly begins to experience a bizarre mix-up of their sensory perceptions -- colors take on scents and sounds assume visible shapes. Will Captain Gavin be able to determine the source of the problem and set things straight before it's too late?

Take an intergalactic journey with science fiction luminary Harry Harrison. In The Repairman, Harrison recounts the travails of a lone skilled laborer who is charged with the frustrating task of making a crucial repair to malfunctioning equipment on a far-flung planet.

A chemist, a radio engineer, and a beautiful young woman appear to be the only people in the world who have survived a strange attack or epidemic that has stopped humanity in its tracks. It appears that human beings' sense of time has been obliterated, causing everyone to lapse into a deep trance-like state. Can the surviving trio figure out what's happening and reverse it before it's too late?

The assertion that beautiful music shares a mysterious connection with the human soul is not a new one. For thousands of years, ever since our distant ancestors first began making pleasing sounds with whatever rudimentary implements they could lay their hands on, music has been an important part of ritual,...