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Charles Dickens's first novel, The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (The Pickwick Papers) is a series of loosely-related stories about Pickwick Club founder Samuel Pickwick, Esquire, and the gentlemen of his acquaintance, including Augustus Snodgrass and Tracy Tupman, and his manservant, Sam Weller. Originally published as a serial between 1836 and 1837, The Pickwick Papers became a publishing phenomenon after the introduction of Sam Weller...
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Lexile measure
1200L
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Description
"A terrifying encounter with an escaped convict in a graveyard on the wild Kent marshes; a summons to meet the bitter, decaying Miss Havisham and her beautiful, cold-hearted ward Estella; the sudden generosity of a mysterious benefactor-these form a series of events that change the orphan Pip's life forever, as he eagerly abandons his humble origins to begin a new life as a gentleman. Dickens's haunting novel depicts Pip's education and development...
Author
Series
Works volume 1
Description
A book brimming with discriminating observations, humor, and delicate prose-this 1867 account of Lowell's first trip to Europe in 1850 includes "Cambridge Thirty Years Ago," "Moosehead Journal," and "Leaves from My Journal in Italy."
Author
Lexile measure
1090L
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Description
Life on the Mississippi is no ordinary guided tour, for every page is expressive of the structure, style, and high humor that is the very essence of Twain. Spiced with Twain's pungent observations and commentaries on the culture and society of the great river valley, this book is a wonderful collection of lively anecdotes, tall tales, and character sketches; historical facts and information; and reminiscences of the author's boyhood and his adventures...
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This grand old childhood classic relates a small-town boy's pranks and escapades with humor and wisdom that appeal to readers of every age. In addition to his everyday stunts (searching for buried treasure, trying to impress the adored Becky Thatcher), Tom experiences a dramatic turn of events when he witnesses a murder, runs away, and returns to attend his own funeral and testify in court.
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Description
From the author of The Scarlet Letter: The thrilling tale of three American artists whose search for artistic inspiration leads to romance and murder. The sculpture galleries and classical architecture of nineteenth-century Rome set the stage for Nathaniel Hawthorne's gothic romance The Marble Faun. While touring the Eternal City in search of inspiration and authentic beauty, American artists Miriam, Hilda, and Kenyon soon discover that their Italian...
8) Macbeth
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One night on the heath, the brave and respected general Macbeth encounters three witches who foretell that he will become king of Scotland. At first skeptical, he’s urged on by the ruthless, single-minded ambitions of Lady Macbeth, who suffers none of her husband’s doubt. But seeing the prophecy through to the bloody end leads them both spiralling into paranoia, tyranny, madness, and murder. This shocking tragedy - a violent caution to those...
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Published in 1823 and written out of dissatisfaction with the nautical life depicted by Sir Walter Scott in The Pirate (1822), The Pilot pioneered a new kind of sea adventure tale which drew on its author's experiences as a merchant seaman and Navy sailor. Set during the American Revolution, the novel features a character based on John Paul Jones.
Author
Series
Works volume 1 & 2
Description
In June 1867, Mark Twain set out for Europe and the Holy Land on the paddle steamer Quaker City. His enduring, no-nonsense guide for the first-time traveler also served as an antidote to the insufferably romantic travel books of the period. “Who could read the programme for the excursion without longing to make one of the party?” So Mark Twain acclaims his voyage from New York City to Europe and the Holy Land. His adventures produced The Innocents...
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"The Light That Failed" is Kipling's first novel, written when he was 26 years old, and is semi-autobiographical; being based upon his own unrequited love for Florence Garrard. Though it was poorly received by critics, the novel has managed to remain in print for over a century. It was also adapted into a play, two silent films as well as a drama film.
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Description
Published in 1899, this charming autobiography takes readers back to a time when Boston, the largest city in New England, was still just a typical town of the region. While Hale claims here, "I am certainly not writing my autobiography," he does give a detailed account of being a boy during "the simplicity and ease of a phase of New England life, which has now wholly passed away."
13) The professor
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The Professor (1857) is English writer Charlotte Brontë's first novel. Rejected by several publishing houses, Brontë shelved the novel in order to write her masterpiece Jane Eyre (1847). After her death, The Professor was edited by Brontë's widower, Arthur Bell Nichols, who saw that the novel was published posthumously. Based on Brontë's experience as a student and teacher in Brussels-which similarly inspired her novel Villette-The Professor is...
15) Roughing it
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Mark Twain's account of his transformation into a Westerner when he joins his brother, a newly appointed federal official, in Nevada.
16) The tempest
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'The Tempest' has long been regarded as Shakespeare's swan-song, though recent chronologies suggest he went on to compose 'Henry VIII' and 'The Two Noble Kinsmen' after. In its first publication (in the First Folio of 1623), 'The Tempest' appears in the 'Comedies' section. In modern criticism, it is more likely to be described as a 'late play' (written towards the end of what we perceive to be Shakespeare's writing career, c. 1607-13) or a 'romance'...
17) Cymbeline
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Performed as early as 1611 and published in the "First Folio" in 1623, Shakespeare's "Cymbeline" weaves an elaborate tale of palatial envy and power in Ancient Britain. Cymbeline, King of Britain, commands that his lovely young daughter Imogen marry Cloten, the violent and callous son of the current Queen by her former husband. With her heart already promised to the poor yet heroic Posthumus, Imogen refuses. Disgusted at the prospect of his daughter...
19) Twelfth night
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Description
Contains an introduction to the play, the text of the play, and notes.
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Play in five acts by William Shakespeare, produced in 1610-11 and published in the First Folio of 1623. One of Shakespeare's final plays, The Winter's Tale is a romantic comedy with elements of tragedy and is noted for its use of realism. The plot is based on the play Pandosto (1588) by Robert Greene. Leontes, the king of Sicilia, jealously believes that his faithful wife Hermione has committed adultery with his old friend Polixenes, the king of Bohemia....
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