Ben Hur could be said to be the first blockbuster. When it was published in 1880, it sold over two million copies and was translated into numerous languages. It combines all the best elements of popular classic, epic and action story against a background of authoritative historical detail. The pace and immediacy of Ben Hur was the basis of its appeal to film-makers Charlton Heston’s portrayal of the title role is one of the classics of the cinema. Wallace’s original novel has been largely ...

As they begin fifth grade, Rupert and Amelia discover that their teacher, Miss Switch, is a witch. Using his scientific mind, Rupert helps her solve a spooky dilemma. In return, the witch teaches Rupert and Amelia some magic. But soon Miss Switch disappears, and another teacher takes her place. One night that winter, a dark figure delivers a strange bottle to the children. Scientific curiosity leads Rupert to take the cork out. Suddenly, the bottle releases an ugly demon, Mordo, who plans ...

This collection of dark, Lovecraftian horror contains stories that would please Cthulhu and the rest of The Ancient Ones, and they're difficult to please.

The Thousand-Year Spy opens in 1944 London, where, as Operation OVERLORD looms, the British Secret Service devises an audacious scheme: the false-flag recruitment of a German admiral who secretly is a communist. There isn’t much time. The admiral will be approachable only during the brief window when he travels to neutral Sweden at the head of a Nazi delegation. For the daring gambit to succeed, the British first must borrow from the Americans a linguistically brilliant yo...

With an Introduction by Jeff Wallace.'A grain in the balance will determine which individual shall live and which shall die...'.Darwin's theory of natural selection issued a profound challenge to orthodox thought and belief: no being or species has been specifically created; all are locked into a pitiless struggle for existence, with extinction looming for those not fitted for the task.Yet The Origin of Species (1859) is also a humane and i...

A Short Story: Ginny hates her job so much that she can't wait to get away for a while. In the Swiss Alps, Ginny finds much more than she bargains for and must fight for her life against the cursed inhabitants seeking human flesh. How will she survive? How will she make it off the mountain?

Outside the wind is howling. Inside the empty house Taddy is shivering beneath a ragged blanket. He has been alone ever since his aunt and uncle died suddenly from a terrible fever. As his uncle was taking his final breath, he warned of danger in nearby Alexandria. Now Taddy is hiding, afraid of the unknown. When two rough-sounding men sneak in to steal the furniture, they force Taddy into their horse-drawn cart. The next thing he knows, he's in a tavern in Alexandria, working long hours f...

Rupert P. Brown III is a scientist. In his room he has an aquarium experiment, a turtle experiment, and a nutrition experiment (two guinea pigs). But when he starts fifth grade, things happen that he has to label, "No known way to prove scientifically." The new teacher, Miss Switch, has eyes in the back of her head. She can control spitballs and water fountains. Eventually, Rupert discovers her secret: Miss Switch is a witch. When she asks for his help, however, Rupert will need every bit ...

Rupert P. Brown's biggest worry about sixth grade is it might be well, a little bit dull. After all, how can a fellow be expected to top a fifth grade year in which his best friend was kidnapped, and he found out his best teacher ever was a real, honest-to-goodness witch? But when Rupert types the word "computowitch" in an e-mail message, his screen goes all green, and then his parakeet starts giving him math lessons. He knows it can only mean one thing: Miss Switch is back!

A fascinating and candid memoir about successful leadership from the former CEO of General Electric, named one of the “World’s Best CEOs” three times by Barron’s, and the hard-won lessons he learned from his experience leading GE immediately after 9/11, through the devastating 2008–09 financial crisis, and into an increasingly globalized world.In September 2001, Jeff Immelt replaced the most famous CEO in history, Jack Welch, at the helm of General Electri...

The Devil Came on Horsebackis an intense, vivid autobiographical report from the heart of violent Darfur and a call to action by a former American marine who became a military observer for the African Union. The first extensive on-the-ground account of the genocide in Sudan, itleads us through the tragic impact of an Arab government bent on destroying its black African citizens and the frustrating complexity of international inaction. At the same time, it is a powerful memoir of o...

This exciting collection contains four of the most notable books on the topic of self help and motivation:Think and Grow Rich was written by Napoleon Hill in 1937 and promoted as a personal development and self-improvement book. He claimed to be inspired by a suggestion from business magnate and later-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. While the book's title and much of the writing concerns increasing income, the author insists that his philosophy can help pe...