This collection contains nine early stories featuring the Continental Op, an un-named middle-aged detective working for the San Francisco branch of the fictional Continental Detective Agency.The stories are narrated in the first person. The “hardboiled detective” narrative voice was later used by author Dashiell Hammett in The Maltese Falcon, featuring Sam Spade, and the Thin Man series of stories.

Three Stories and Ten Poems is a collection of short stories and poems by Ernest Hemingway. It was privately published in 1923 in a run of only three hundred copies. While not as well known as Hemingway’s later works (For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Old Man and the Sea, etc.) the three stories show the early development of Hemingway’s writing techniques.

Charles Finger’s book efficiently covers Oscar Wilde’s background, his early years and education, and his beginnings as an author, poet, and critic for several magazines.The author then turns to the activities of Wilde that drew the attention of others, culminating in the Marquess of Queensbury calling Wilde out as a homosexual. Wilde sued for slander, but the Marquess was acquitted and materials brought forth during the trial resulted in Wilde being arrested and tried for homosexu...

This collection includes two of Emerson’s essays: History and Intellect. Emerson wrote most of his essays to be presented as lectures first, and later revised them for print. The essay History explores the nature and importance of historical understanding. Emerson holds that history is not simply a jumble of events and facts, but rather a living and dynamic force that can inspire and guide human action. In his essay Intellect, Emerson notes that the intellectual power of humans separates t...

Five people are killed when a heavily-traveled rope bridge in Peru collapses. Brother Juniper, a Franciscan friar, witnesses this event and this sets him on a quest: Who were each of these individuals? Why do unfortunate events happen to innocent or undeserving people? What led to these people being on the bridge at the fateful moment?While many view this novel as a serious reflection on life, death, and love, this narration highlights Wilder’s tongue-in-cheek stance, suggesting th...

What does it mean to become real? That’s what the velveteen rabbit wants to know. Having been gifted to a small boy, the velveteen rabbit becomes a beloved toy. But he is troubled, for he cannot hop like the rabbits outside.When his young owner becomes sick with scarlet fever, the velveteen rabbit faces an even greater question: Will he escape the fate of the other toys and books in the germ-ridden nursery? Or will he somehow get away and discover a new kind of life?

This is sequel to another volume by Andy Blunden, The Capital/Logic Debate. In this audiobook the author provides a systematic presentation of the Hegelian structure of the three volumes of Capital. It is shown that Capital contains three distinct layers of structure, originating from Marx’s reading of Hegel’s Logic and his Philosophy of Right. Capital reflects Marx’s critique of the Political Economists, his unique appropriation of eco...

Alice Adamsfollows the day-to-day life of a young woman who dreams of climbing the social ladder and escaping from her middle-class background.She struggles with the constant tension between her parents and her older brother. When a wealthy young man becomes interested in her, she weaves a fictional life during their discussions—but how long can she maintain the façade?

Measure for Measure is one of darkest of Shakespeare’s comedies. Written in about 1603 and first performed in 1604, it immediately preceded the composition of the major tragedies Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth.Duke Vincentino, the ruler of Vienna, fears that under his mild sovereignty, the people may have become lazy and lax. He decides to “go over cover” in the disguise of a monk and appoint his deputy, Angelo, who is a reputed paragon of virtu...

This play is a dramatization of Boccaccio’s story of Gillette of Narbonne. Only the comic parts were of Shakespeare’s invention; he added the characters of the pusillanimous Parolles, the lofty courtier Lafew, the Clown Lavatch, and the long suffering Countess. He gave new depth and vitality to the leading characters, who are mere outlines in Boccaccio’s tale.The comedy has for its heroine a young woman who loves the haughty Bertram with an unrequited and despised passion,...

Much Ado About Nothing appears to have been written around 1599, shortly before As You Like It and Twelfth Night. The action combines two narrative threads: the spirited comedy of the courtship of Benedick and Beatrice, and the sombre tale of confused love between Hero and Claudio. The first is a creation by Shakespeare and the second appears to have been drawn from an Italian source, either by Bandello or Ariosto.The action takes place in Messina. Eponym...

Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, and As You Like It are usually regarded as Shakespeare’s crowning achievements in the world of mirth and humor. In this group of plays, written during the playwright’s Second Period (1595–1600), the author depicts chiefly the cheerful, energetic side of life.In As You Like It, a wicked Duke expels his virtuous brother, the lawful ruler, from his domains. The banished Duke takes refuge with his followers in t...