Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, Demons, The Idiot – the complex and prolific Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) is responsible for some of our greatest literary works and most enduring characters. He is acknowledged by critics as a pre-eminent writer of psychological fiction and a precursor of twentieth-century existentialism.Set in the troubled political and social world of nineteenth-century Russia, this book describes how Dostoevsky’s...

This is a memoir by a non-Mormon about his experiences in the prospecting camps of Utah at the turn of the 19th century. Written as a first-person perspective by an outsider, it gives a sympathetic account of the Mormons, but also brings up some darker aspects about their history. It's also pretty racist towards Native Americans, so, as always with these old books, please bear in mind the context and the era in which it was written.

This book is neither a History nor a Topography of the Territory of Utah in the early seventies of the last century. The volume is due to the experiences of an outsider who tried to be impartial in his views and sympathies. The personal note, of course, rings in this record of those past days. No onslaught is made on the "wild and woolly" west, nor on the eccentric religion of the majority of the people. Through much peril and privation, the wild wastes of the Territory had been occupied b...

"Tenderfoot Days" is a memoir written by George Robert Bird that tells the story of his youth in the American West during the late 19th century.Born in Iowa in 1862, Bird moved with his family to Kansas and then to Colorado as a young boy. Growing up in the rugged and untamed wilderness of the West, Bird had many adventures and experiences that shaped his life and worldview."Tenderfoot Days" is a collection of stories and anecdotes from Bird's youth, including his encounters with Native Am...

A dramatic historical novel rooted in early American frontier life.

A deeply informative and gorgeously illustrated look at the Statue of Liberty, from award-winning nonfiction master Robert Byrd.America's most iconic national symbol was a gift from France to the United States--provided America raised the money for the pedestal on which it was to stand. Urged on by the publisher Joseph Pulitzer, it was raised, largely with the help of children, in the first example of a crowd sourced fund-raising campaign. This book tells the story...

A dramatic historical novel rooted in early American frontier life.

Sheppard Lee, Written by Himself (1836) is one of the most inventive fictions of the American Renaissance before its canonical moment: a comic, satirical tale of a feckless New Jersey farmer whose spirit passes from body to body after death. Through these successive embodiments—among the wealthy, the ambitious, the enslaved, and the socially respectable—Bird constructs a picaresque meditation on identity, class, race, property, and moral self-deception. Its brisk, ironic prose belongs to t...

The second volume of "Sheppard Lee" builds upon the innovative ideas introduced in the first volume, cementing the novel's place as a significant early work in speculative fiction. Its exploration of social themes through fantastical elements predates and influences later works in science fiction and fantasy genres.Overall, Volume 2 of "Sheppard Lee, Written by Himself" provides a compelling continuation of Sheppard Lee's journey, offering rich commentary on society and identity while deli...

Hear me, but don't believe me, after you have heard—says Calderon, the Spanish dramatic poet, with a droll spirit of honesty, only equalled by the English Burton, who concludes the tale of the Prebend, in his Anatomy of Melancholy, by exclaiming, "You have heard my tale; but, alas! it is but a tale,—a mere fiction: 'twas never so, never like to be,—and so let it rest." We might imitate the frankness of these ancient worthies, in regard to the degree of credit which should be accorded to ou...

"Sheppard Lee, Written by Himself" is a compelling narrative that captures the essence of early American literature through its innovative use of a fictional autobiography. In this two-volume work published in 1836, Robert Montgomery Bird employs a unique blend of satire and social commentary, illustrating the adventures of Sheppard Lee, a man who experiences life through multiple identities after a series of bizarre reincarnations. Bird's prose is infused with humor, yet it evokes deep re...

The novel follows the adventures of Nick, a frontiersman of mixed race, as he navigates the challenges of life on the prairie. The narrative is filled with elements of adventure, romance, and exploration, offering readers a glimpse into the rugged and often perilous existence of those living on the American frontier.Robert Montgomery Bird was known for his historical romances, and "Nick of the Woods" is an example of his work within the frontier fiction genre. The novel is notable for its ...