Literary History & Criticism

Twenty-three of today's living literary legends reveal the books that made them think, brought them joy, and changed their lives in this intimate, moving, and insightful collection from "American's Librarian" Nancy Pearl and noted playwright Jeff Schwager....

Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to 12 Books to Read Before You Die, Volume 1 and learn about these classic books: Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac, The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, and more....

Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a modern American classic....

Hendrik Groen may be old, but he is far from dead and isn't planning to be buried any time soon....

In this brilliant conclusion to his best-selling Mythos trilogy, legendary author and actor Stephen Fry retells the tale of the Trojan War....

Short Stories in Spanish for Beginners has been written especially for students from beginner to intermediate level, designed to give a sense of achievement, a feeling of progress and, most importantly, enjoyment....

Few writers today have reshaped our view of the ancient Greek myths more than revered bestselling author Natalie Haynes. Divine Might is a female-centered look at Olympus and the Furies, focusing on the goddesses whose prowess, passions, jealousies, and desires rival those of their male kin....

In the rigid theocracy of Salem, Massachusetts, rumors that women are practicing witchcraft galvanize the town....

For the last 20 years, George Saunders has been teaching a class on the Russian short story to his MFA students at Syracuse University. In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, he shares a version of that class with us....

Jia Tolentino is a peerless voice of her generation, tackling the conflicts, contradictions, and sea changes that define us and our time....

For generations, the book of Genesis has been treated by scholars as a collection of documents by various hands, expressing different factional interests, with borrowings from other ancient literatures that mark the text as derivative....

One of William Faulkner’s finest novels, As I Lay Dying, originally published in 1930, remains a captivating and stylistically innovative work. The story revolves around a grim yet darkly humorous pilgrimage, as Addie Bundren’s family sets out to fulfill her last wish....

From breakout stand-up comedian Iliza Shlesinger comes a subversively funny collection of essays and observations on a confident woman's approach to friendship, singlehood, and relationships....

Published posthumously in 1964, A Moveable Feast remains one of Ernest Hemingway's most beloved works....

The Willie Lynch Letter and the Making of a Slave is a study of slave making....

William Shakespeare, the most celebrated poet in the English language, left behind nearly a million words of text, but his biography has long been a thicket of wild supposition....

With passion and wit, Mary Oliver skillfully imparts expertise from her long, celebrated career as a disguised poet....

Volume 2 of the Nobel Prize-winner’s towering masterpiece: the story of Solzhenitsyn's entrance into the Soviet prison camps, where he would remain for nearly a decade. Features a new foreword by Anne Applebaum....

Notes of a Native Son inaugurated Baldwin as one of the leading interpreters of the dramatic social changes erupting in the United States in the 20th century, and many of his observations have proven almost prophetic....

Cassandra Speaks is a beautifully balanced synthesis of storytelling, memoir, and cultural observation. Women, men, and all people will find themselves in this book, and will come away strengthened, opened, and ready to work together to create a better world for all people....

An illuminating new biography of one of the greatest American poets of the 20th century, Elizabeth Bishop....

A brilliant investigation into the motivations and methods, Dumbledore dives between the lines of the Harry Potter books to create a portrait of the controversial Headmaster....

Christopher Hitchens continues to make the case for a splendidly godless universe in this first-ever gathering of the influential voices past and present....

Short Stories in French for Beginners has been written especially for students from beginner to intermediate level, designed to give a sense of achievement, a feeling of progress and most importantly - enjoyment....

A wise, lyrical memoir about the power of literature to help us read our own lives - and see clearly the people we love most....

Dark Trade by Harper Stanwick, Sr.is a gripping mystery thriller set in Victorian London. This historical fiction novel plunges readers into a world of intrigue, dark secrets, and psychological suspense. Follow Larry Myrick, a city alderman and potential future Mayor of London, as he navigates a labyrinth of deceit and murder in the fog-laden streets of London. Experience the chilling atmosphere of Victorian society, from opulent mansions to shadowy alleyways. Uncover a web of secrets involving high-ranking officials, mysterious women, and enigmatic characters that will keep you guessing ...

The Chronicles of Bannock County by Bo Carson is a captivating non-fiction book set in Bannock County, Idaho during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. If you’ve ever been enthralled by tales of pioneers and the wild west but struggled to find captivating historical accounts, then keep reading... Are you fascinated by gritty true stories from America's frontier past? Have you scoured countless books but couldn't find one that brings Idaho's past to life? Do you finally want to understand the real history behind Bannock County's pioneers and Native American tribes? If so, then this ...

KINGDOMS RISE, ONE PROPHECY AFTER ANOTHER For the people of the Realm of Light, this has always been the mantra; a foreboding concept of both men and beasts. As prophecies speak of new leadership that will bring the realm into a time of perpetual peace, four Denizen Clans exist in a tension-filled truce beneath the shadow of war. The Kingdom of Buz-Perr-Addock, ruled by Lord Yrimwaque, Jacob Hunter and his Queen, Svet-Lan-Addock, rules in fear of rebellion from the other three. While Lord Yrimwaque’s heirs - Arctyrus Hunter and his twin Amyrith, along with their cunning, younger brother ...

The Story of Philosophy is a captivating intellectual journey that explores the evolution of human thought and the enduring legacy of great thinkers throughout history. Written by the renowned author Will Durant, this monumental work provides listeners with a comprehensive overview of the world's philosophical traditions, from ancient Greece to the modern era.

Sharing her more than 15 years of compelling research—including analysis of Sylvia Plath’s unpublished calendars, notebooks, scrapbooks, book annotations, and underlinings, as well as published memoirs, biographies, letters, journals, and interviews with Plath and her husband, friends, and family—Plath scholar Julia Gordon-Bramer reveals Sylvia Plath’s enduring interest and active practice in mysticism and the occult from childhood until her tragic death in 1963.

Innumerable stories, from the Homeric epics to the New Testament, and from Oedipus Rex to Hamlet, explore the realization or failure of second chances—outcomes that depend on accident, acts of will, or fate. Such stories let us repeatedly rehearse the experience of loss and recovery: to know the joy that comes with a renewal of love and pleasure and to face the pain that comes with realizing that some damage can never be undone. Through a series of illuminating readings, the authors show how Shakespeare was the supreme virtuoso of the second chance and Freud was its supreme interpreter.

As any fan of Jo Walton's Among Others might guess, Walton is both an inveterate reader of SF and fantasy, and a chronic rereader of books. In 2008, then-new science fiction mega-site Tor.com asked Walton to blog regularly about her rereading—about all kinds of older fantasy and SF, ranging from acknowledged classics, to guilty pleasures, to forgotten oddities and gems. These posts have consistently been among the most popular features of Tor. Now this volume presents a selection of the best of them, ranging from short essays to long reassessments of some of the field's most ambitious series.

Are you ready to embark on a rollercoaster ride filled with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat? Get ready to experience a gripping story that will leave you yearning for more. Join Clarence Lester as he faces unimaginable challenges, including a high-stakes deal with the influential Burnett family and the daunting task of securing a multi-million-dollar partnership. Will he be able to meet their demands and prove himself worthy? Explore the complex dynamics of love and family loyalty, as well as the darkness that lies beneath the surface of privilege and wealth. ...

In "The Ultimate Dad's Playbook," author and proud Ultimate Dad, A.T. Green, invites fathers into the enchanting world of raising children with courage and confidence. This indispensable guide combines three guides into one––The Girl Dad's Playbook, The Boy Dad's Playbook, and The Super Dad's Playbook––each with 101 tips and tricks to empower every father to become the Ultimate Dad. Discover the secrets of building an unbreakable bond with your child through the art of communication and shared experiences. From navigating the delicate terrain of the teen years to celebrating their ...

In terms of literature, music, and film, it would be hard to outdo the sheer genius and creativity of Russia. These things constitute the soul of the nation, and it is this that Morris Berman explores in his latest work, The Soul of Russia.

Sweet, supportive, dependable, selfless. Long before she had children of her own, journalist Carrie Mullins knew how mothers should behave. But how? Where did these expectations come from—and, more importantly, are they serving the mothers whose lives they shape? Carrie's suspicion, later crystallized while raising two small children, was that our culture’s idealization of motherhood was not only painfully limiting but harmful, leaving women to cope with impossible standards—standards rarely created by mothers themselves.

Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828) was a brilliant master of Japanese haiku. This instructional book offers six lessons on how to write haiku based on examples from Issa and from twenty-first century poets who are following his creative path.

In 'Disturbing Remains,' Derek, Kaili's husband, finds himself thrust into a chilling investigation when only a torso is discovered by the police. Racing against time as more gruesome body parts surface, Derek and his team delve deeper into a twisted maze of murders begging to be solved. Meanwhile, Kaili seeks solace during a sabbatical but is drawn into an unexpected adventure. Assisting her friend Dr. Doris Wolf's discovery of the Canadian Ice Maiden, Kaili utilizes her remarkable ability to communicate with mummies through a spirit box. Together, they venture to unlock the secrets of the...

Part lyric essay, part prose poetry, Where Things Touch grapples with the manifold meanings and possibilities of beauty. Drawing on her experiences as a physician-in-training, Orang considers clinical encounters and how they relate to the concept and very idea of beauty. Such considerations lead her to questions about intimacy, queerness, home, memory, love, and other aspects of human existence. Throughout, beauty is ultimately imagined as something inextricably tied to care: the care of lovers, of patients, of art and literature, and the various non-human worlds that surround us.

Bla_K is a collection of previously out-of-print essays and new works by one of Canada's most important writers and thinkers. Through an engagement with her earlier work, M. NourbeSe Philip comes to realize the existence of a repetition in the world: the return of something that, while still present, has become unembedded from the world, disappeared. Her imperative becomes to make us see what has gone unseen by writing memory upon the margin of history, in the shadow of empire and at the frontier of silence.