Showing results by author "ciesse" in All Categories

Edward Sylvester Ellis was a major American author during the era of inexpensive fiction of the nineteenth century (dime novels). Because he wrote under dozens of pseudonyms, as well as under his own name, it is virtually impossible to know exactly how many books he wrote, but it is believed to be in the hundreds. He specialized in boys' stories, inspirational biography, and history for both children and adults. (From FictionDB.com)This is a western, set in the Pecos River valley in the late 19th century, post Civil War era. This is the sequel to "In the Pecos Country", and the second half of ...

Beautiful, playful young Deirdre, caught in the crosshairs of Ireland's wily, chauvinistic King Conachur, who desires to marry her after his own wife Maeve has escaped his clutches, is one of many prequels to the legend of “The Great Tain”, Ireland's national epic. Sometimes called "The Irish Iliad", this saga of war between rival Irish and Scottish kings, with its many characters, was preserved in oral tradition with many variations, until committed to writing in the Middle Ages. Stephens gives his own interpretation, insights and humor of the Deirdre story as he spins court intrigue, ...

The Koran (Qur'an) is regarded by Muslims as the word of God (Allah) as revealed to the prophet Muhammad. It is divided into 114 chapters (surahs), arranged roughly by length. This version, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran, is a widely used English translation of the Koran by a Muslim Englishman. Many Muslims, however, including Pickthall, believe that true translations of the Koran from the original Arabic are impossible, and see translations into other languages only as useful interpretations. (Summary by Leon Mire)

Charles Hanson Towne was a well known editor, author and poet. He was a popular New York celebrity who was considered by many as being the quintessential New Yorker. Besides being the editor at such magazines as Smart Set, Delineator, McClure’s, Designer, and Harper’s Bazaar, Towne also taught poetry at Columbia University. His most notable student was author J.D. Salinger. At the age of 63, Town joined the company of the Broadway hit, Life with Father, and at 68 wrote his autobiography, So Far, So Good. - Summary by Nemo

As ranchers in Alberta, Canada release their horses into the wild to graze through the winter, one horse struggles to retain her independence from man and lead her herd to freedom in the open wilds. - Summary by Aaron Hackett

Qui ne connaît Carmen, immortalisée par l'opéra de Bizet? Quoique... Le narrateur rencontre don José, qui lui raconte son aventure de contrebandier avec la belle Gitane. Quant à la Vénus d'Ille, cette statue à l'allure maléfique est à l'origine d'événements mystérieux.Who does not know Carmen, immortalized by Georges Bizet in his most famous opera? Although... The narrator tells his encounter with don Jose, who tells him of his life as a smuggler with the beautiful Gipsy. As for the Venus from Ille, this statue with its malevolent looks is causing mysterious events. (Summary by ...

Captain Blood is an adventure novel by Rafael Sabatini, originally published in 1922. It concerns the sharp-witted Dr. Peter Blood, an Irish physician, who is convicted of treason in the aftermath of the Monmouth rebellion in 1685, and enslaved on the Caribbean island of Barbados. He escapes and becomes a pirate. [Wikipedia]Captain Blood was the basis for the Academy Award-nominated swashbuckling film that rocketed Errol Flynn and Olivia de Haviland to stardom in Hollywood. The fast-paced historical fiction of Rafael Sabatini is often compared with that of Robert Louis Stevenson and Alexandre ...

Beyond the Horizon is a 1920 play written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. It was O'Neill's first full-length work, and the winner of the 1920 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play focuses on the portrait of a family, and particularly two brothers Andrew and Robert. In the first act of the play, Robert is about to go off to sea with their uncle Dick, a sea captain while Andrew looks forward to marrying his sweetheart Ruth and working on the family farm as he starts a family. (Summary by Wikipedia)CastJames Mayo: Delmar H. DolbierKate Mayo: Amy L. GramourCaptain Dick Scott: Algy PugAndrew ...

Conan the Barbarian is employed by one of the civilized countries to help in it's push to claim lands from the primitive Picts. The Picts are not excited about the idea however. Old gods and mythical creatures are called up by the Pict witches to contest the invading army and Conan finds himself battling for his life amid the blood thirsty hordes that include saber-toothed tigers, 40 foot long venomous snakes and a demon from another dimension who is intent on crushing him. The huge dog Slasher makes an appearance here and distinguishes himself so well in a doomed battle to delay their forces ...

When George Randolph first caught sight of Orena, he was astounded by its gleaming perfection. Here were hills and valleys, lakes and streams, glowing with the light of the most precious of metals. And, more astonishing than that, it was a world of miniature perfection—an infinitely tiny universe within a golden atom!But for Randolph it was also a world aglow with danger. Somewhere in its tiny vastness were the friends he had to rescue. Captives of a madman, they had been reduced to native Orena size; to return to Earth they needed the growth capsules Randolph was bringing them. It was up to...

William Wilfred Campbell was a Canadian author and poet. Some of his poems are among the most famous Canadian poems of all time, and many contemporary Canadians interested in poetry may be familiar with one or two of his poems. The rest of his work is not very well-known today - a pitiful oversight. This collection contains 36 of his poems, and may serve as a good reintroduction into Campbell's poetry. - Summary by Carolin

This is a collection of 26 selections, both fiction and nonfiction, in which each topic begins with a different letter of the alphabet.

Forced into marriage to a man who is older and wealthier, young Theodora Fitzgerald contemplates her fate in love, until she meets and falls in love with another. - Summary by Amy Deuchler

The epigram to this work from Christoher Marlowe applies to the plot of this story: "My men like satyrs grazing on the lawns / Shall with their goat-feet dance the antic hay." The plot follows Huxley and his cohorts in a search for meaning and hope and love in post WWI London.

One of the most famous Italian books in history, The Betrothed was written by Alessandro Manzoni in 1827. The two main characters, Renzo and Lucy, are engaged to be married when Lucy tragically disappears. Little does Renzo know that Lucy has been kidnapped by a criminal, The Unnamed, feared by all the people of Northern Italy, where the story is set. Despite the threat of death and the fear of never laying eyes on one another again, Renzo and Lucy maintain a deep love for each other throughout the book that displays the true sacrifice and commitment of marriage. The book was recommended by ...

The unconventional Scotland Yard detective Angel Esquire is no fool to be hoodwinked by the murder of the old crook Reale as he anticipates the coup that follows. Jimmy is unconventional too but at the other side of the law and what follows is the nail-biting adventure. - Summary by Yoganandh T

This collection recognizes Black History Month, February 2007. Two excellent resources for public domain African American writing are African American Writers (Bookshelf) and The Book of American Negro Poetry, edited by James Weldon Johnson. Johnson's collection inspired the Harlem Renaissance generation to establish a firm African-American literary tradition in the United States. (Summary by Alan)

Despite its optimistic title, Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well has often been considered a "problem play." Ostensibly a comedy, the play also has fairy tale elements, as it focuses on Helena, a virtuous orphan, who loves Bertram, the haughty son of her protectress, the Countess of Rousillon. When Bertram, desperate for adventure, leaves Rousillon to serve in the King's army, Helena pursues him. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)Cast:Bertram: David NicolClown: Denny SayersCountess of Rousillon: Ruth GoldingDiana: Arielle LipshawDuke of Florence: Robert FletcherFirst Gentleman: Brett W. ...

"There are some women who will brew mystery from the decoction of even a very simple life. Matilda is one of them, remarked the major to himself as he filled his pipe and settled himself before his high-piled, violet-flamed logs..."A sweet, heartfelt, old-fashioned romance. The middle-aged adults take a kindly interest in the affairs of the young people, with many having friendships across generations in a way not often seen today. Experience life with Phoebe, David, Caroline, Andrew, and the Buchanans in a small town in the Harpeth Valley, Tennessee in the early 1900s.This book reflects many ...

This is a sequel of sorts to 37 American Poems, one of my first solos. Concentration here is on late 19th to early 20th Century works by US poets. (Summary by BellonaTimes)