YEARS have passed--many years--since that day!   It was a poorly furnished chamber, dark and cramped, in that section of the New England metropolis of America where the streets were narrowest and most devious, and where the dwellings were most closely packed. The shingles upon the time battered roof flapped with ghostly pattering in the wintry wind; the biting blast crept in through many a crack and cranny; and upon the stool of ...

GRANADA! The simple name fills the mind with ideas of romance and more than regal grandeur. Even her misfortunes are romantic, and if she once had regal sins, we are led to pity rather than censure her. The "Last Sigh of the Moor" still overlooks the home of the long line of Moslem kings, and the handiwork of those who have long since passed away from earth still remains to tell us what Moorish Granada was. The fifteenth century had dawned upon Spain, and the Christians h...

One of the early examples of American fiction, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow continues to enthrall the readers of today. The story is set in Sleepy Hollow, an isolated and gloomy town, full of secrets and rumored to be haunted by ghosts. The "Legend" begins when the two of the Sleepy Hollow's inhabitants- an ordinary school teacher Isabod Crane and a local hero Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt- begin competing for the heart of a beautiful eighteen year-old Katrina Van Tassel. On one night, bot...

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is a classic science fiction novel by French writer Jules Verne. It tells the story of Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus, as seen from the perspective of Professor Pierre Aronnax. Back in the late 1800's, ships of several nations spot a mysterious sea monster, which some suggest to be a giant narwhal. The United States government assembles an expedition in New York City to find and destroy the monster. Professor Pierre Aronnax, a French marine bi...

Embark on an Exciting Adventure with J. Meade Falkner's "Moonfleet"! Set sail on a thrilling journey with J. Meade Falkner's classic novel, "Moonfleet." This captivating story follows the adventures of young John Trenchard as he discovers the secrets of the smuggling village of Moonfleet and unravels the mystery of the legendary diamond hidden by the notorious Blackbeard. Filled with intrigue, danger, and excitement, "Moonfleet" is a timeless tale of bravery, loyalty, and the qu...

This is Nicholas Monsarrat's final masterpiece, an epic tale of the sea and seafaring from the sixteenth century to near the end of the twentieth.Told from the point of view of Mathew Lawe, a young Devon sailor who is cursed after a spectacular act of cowardice to wander 'the wild waters till all the seas run dry', it is historical fiction but beset by real events. Monsarrat follows the great captains and naval adventurers from the Artic to the South Pacific. Lawe represents the spi...

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.'Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There's no better rule.'Living with his sister and her husband, Pip is an orphan without any expectations. It is only when he begins to visit a rich old woman, Miss Havisham and her adopted niece that he begins to hope for something better. When it is revealed that Pip has inherited a large sum of money from a mysterious benefactor on the condit...

A Christmas TreeWhat Christmas is as we Grow OlderThe Poor Relation's StoryThe Child's StoryThe Schoolboy's StoryNobody's Story

Historical novel set in 1745, about the conflict between two brothers, Scottish noblemen. According to the author: "Here is a tale which extends over many years and travels into many countries. By a peculiar fitness of circumstance the writer began, continued it, and concluded it among distant and diverse scenes. Above all, he was much upon the sea. The character and fortune of the fraternal enemies, the hall and shrubbery of urrisdeer, the problem of Mackellar's homespun and how to shape ...

Once upon a time, so long ago that I have quite forgotten the date, there lived a king and queen who had no children.And the king said to himself, "All the queens of my acquaintance have children, some three, some seven, and some as many as twelve; and my queen has not one. I feel ill-used." So he made up his mind to be cross with his wife about it. But she bore it all like a good patient queen as she was. Then the king grew very cross indeed. But the queen pretended to take it all ...

When the lovable, but lazy, Rip Van Winkle falls asleep on a nearby mountain, he awakens to find that nothing in his life will ever be the same.The classic American short story, “Rip Van Winkle,” was originally published in author Washington Irving’s book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., alongside his other famous tale “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Since its publication, the story has become part of American popular culture and has been adapted many times for st...

A brutally incisive account of the darkest aspects of seafaring life.Informed by his own seafaring experiences, and those of the sailor’s he knew, White-Jacket traces the voyages of a naval Man-of-War. Melville’s most politically charged work, it is bitterly critical of perceived brutality and inhumanity aboard sailing vessels, particular cruel punishments such as flogging. It is a uniquely powerful work among Melville’s canon.Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring y...