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Galileo and the Magic Numbers
by Sidney RosenThis &“enjoyable&” biography of the brilliant astronomer will intrigue young people who are &“bored with the textbook approach to science&” (The New York Times Book Review). Sixteenth century Italy produced Galileo, a genius who marked the world with his studies and hypotheses about mathematical, physical, and astronomical truths. His father, musician Vincenzio Galilei said, &“Truth is not found behind a man&’s reputation. Truth appears only when the answers to questions are searched out by a free mind. This is not the easy path in life but it is the most rewarding.&” Galileo challenged divine law and the physics of Aristotle, and questioned everything in search of truths. And it was through this quest for truth that he was able to establish a structure for modern science.
A Hero Of Our Time
by Vladimir Nabokov Dmitri Nabokov Mikhail LermontovA brilliant new translation of a perennial favorite of Russian Literature The first major Russian novel, A Hero of Our Time was both lauded and reviled upon publication. Its dissipated hero, twenty-five-year-old Pechorin, is a beautiful and magnetic but nihilistic young army officer, bored by life and indifferent to his many sexual conquests. Chronicling his unforgettable adventures in the Caucasus involving brigands, smugglers, soldiers, rivals, and lovers, this classic tale of alienation influenced Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and Chekhov in Lermontov's own century, and finds its modern-day counterparts in Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange, the novels of Chuck Palahniuk, and the films and plays of Neil LaBute.
Hero of Our Time
by Mikhail LermontovTraveling through the wilds of the Caucasian Mountains, a young man makes the acquaintance of Maxim Maximych, an experienced soldier and veritable raconteur. As they take refuge from the harsh wintry conditions, Maximych begins to tell the scandalous history of his one-time companion Pechorin, a self-confessed rake. Talented and highly intelligent, Pechorin is nevertheless weary of the world and all it has to offer. Cynical in the extreme, he can muster no other motivation than the avoidance of boredom. To this end, he embarks upon a series of Byronic exploits. Whether kidnapping the daughter of a local chieftain, organizing a smuggling ring, fighting duels, toying with fate, or capturing the hearts of beautiful society women, he remains entirely immune from any depth of emotion. This inspired study of a man and a society in crisis reveals the archetypal antihero not only of the Russian novel but of world literature.
Memoirs of an Infantry Officer
by Siegfried Sassoon Paul FussellPersonal narratives of a British officer on the Western front during World War I. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.
A Mixture of Frailties
by Robertson Davies"It's a muddle, thought Monica. A muddle and I can't get it straight. I wish I knew what I should do. I wish I even knew what I want to do. . . I want to go on in the life that has somehow or other found me and claimed me. And I want so terribly to be happy. Oh god, don't let me slip under the surface of all the heavy-hearted dullness that seems to claim so many people. . . . "A Mixture of Frailties is so much more than the story of Monica Gall's life in London and her education as a singer. It is an account of her education as a human being, and the result is an absorbing novel, comic in the true sense, vivid and frequently moving.
The Moonflower
by Phyllis A. WhitneyThe wife of a scientist fights for her marriage—and her husband’s sanity—in postwar Japan in this novel by “a superb and gifted storyteller” (Mary Higgins Clark). When Jerome Talbot’s brilliant career as an atomic physicist leads him once again to Japan, his wife, Marcia, knows it means yet another long separation, but she hopes to reunite with him soon. Confidently awaiting word to join him, she is blindsided when she receives a letter demanding divorce. Stunned and hurt, she leaves their home in Hawaii to confront Jerome in Kyoto, certain she’ll get an explanation to heal her wounded heart. But when Marcia arrives, she can’t be sure of anything . . . Jerome has become a stranger—obsessed, cruel, unhinged, and resolved never to return home—committed only to his work, which reaches back to World War II. Even more peculiar, he’s living in unusual intimacy with a a close-knit, unnervingly private Japanese family whom Marcia is forbidden to talk to and to whom Jerome seems not only beholden, but enslaved. Marcia resolves to stay in Kyoto until she discovers the secret driving her husband mad—and the truth behind a terrible legacy that could threaten both their lives. A “brilliant, absorbing, [and] moving” novel of romantic suspense by a New York Times–bestselling, multiple award–winning author—who was herself born in Yokohama—The Moonflower is an authentic exploration of life in postwar Japan, as well as a chilling tale of guilt, family secrets, and a marriage at risk in the never-forgotten shadow of Hiroshima (Richmond Times-Dispatch). This ebook features an illustrated biography of Phyllis A. Whitney including rare images from the author’s estate.
The Once and Future King: The Conclusion To The Once And Future King (Penguin Galaxy Ser. #1)
by T. H. WhiteThe whole world knows and loves this book. It is the magical epic of King Arthur and his shining Camelot; of Merlin and Owl and Guinevere; of beasts who talk and men who fly, of wizardry and war. It is the book of all things lost and wonderful and sad. It is the fantasy masterpiece by which all others are judged.
Ordinary People: 30 Books And Complete Teacher's Kit (Chelsea House's Black Americans Of Achievement Ser.)
by Judith GuestThe Novel that Inspired Robert Redford’s Oscar Winning Film starring Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore In Ordinary People, Judith Guest’s remarkable first novel, the Jarrets are a typical American family. Calvin is a determined, successful provider and Beth an organized, efficient wife. They had two sons, Conrad and Buck, but now they have one. In this memorable, moving novel, Judith Guest takes the reader into their lives to share their misunderstandings, pain. . . and ultimate healing. Judith Guest is the author of six novels, including Ordinary People, Errands, and the Tarnished Eye. .
Our Man in Havana (Twentieth Century Classics Ser.)
by Graham GreeneA hapless salesman in Cuba is recruited into Cold War spy games in Greene’s classic “comical, satirical, atmospherical” novel (The Daily Telegraph). James Wormold, a cash-strapped vacuum cleaner salesman in Havana, finds the answer to his prayers when British Intelligence offers him a lucrative job as an undercover agent. To keep the checks coming, Wormold must at least pretend to know what he’s doing. Soon, he’s apparently deciphering incomprehensible codes, passing along sketches of secret weapons that look suspiciously like vacuum parts, and claiming to recruit fellow operatives from his country club, all to create the perfect picture of intrigue. But when MI6 dispatches a secretary to oversee his endeavors, Wormold fears his carelessly fabricated world will come undone. Instead, it all comes true. Somehow, he’s become the target of an assassin, and it’s going to take more than a fib to get out of Cuba alive. Her Majesty’s man in Havana may have to resort to spying. Named one of the 20 Best Spy Novels of All Time by the Telegraph and adapted into the classic 1959 comedy starring Alec Guinness, Our Man in Havana is “high-comic mayhem . . . weirdly undated . . . [and] bizarrely prescient” (Christopher Buckley, New York Times–bestselling author).
The Subterraneans: Road Novels, 1957-1960 - On The Road; The Dharma Bums; The Subterraneans; Tristessa; Lonesome Traveler; Journal Selections (Kerouac, Jack Ser. #1)
by Jack KerouacWritten in just three days, The Subterraneans is the story of Leo Percepied, an aspiring writer and self-styled freewheeling bum who gravitates to the Subterraneans—impoverished intellectuals who haunt the bars and clubs of San Francisco, surviving on booze, Benzedrine, Proust, and Verlaine. Centering on the tempestuous and destructive relationship between Leo and Mardou Fox, a denizen of the San Francisco underground, The Subterraneans is an exuberant and melancholy tale of dark alleys and rooms and of artists and visionaries. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Things Fall Apart (inZone Books)
by Chinua AchebeOkonkwo is a respected leader of the Ibo tribe. When the British colonize his West African village by erecting a church, Okonkwo watches as the beliefs and traditions of his tribe begin to fall apart.
The Year When Stardust Fell
by Raymond F. JonesMayfield was the typical college town. Nothing too unusual ever happened there until a mysterious comet was suddenly observed by the scientists on College Hill. And then one day the modified engine on Ken Maddox's car began overheating mysteriously. By morning it didn't run at all. . . .
An Angel Grows Up
by Tere RiosGrowing up in a New York convent school troubled young Blanca Maria gains wisdom and confidence
As I Lay Dying (Vintage International)
by William FaulknerA true 20th-century classic from the Nobel Prize-winning author of The Sound and the Fury: the famed harrowing account of the Bundren family&’s odyssey across the Mississippi countryside to bury Addie, their wife and mother. As I Lay Dying is one of the most influential novels in American fiction in structure, style, and drama. Narrated in turn by each of the family members, including Addie herself as well as others, the novel ranges in mood from dark comedy to the deepest pathos. &“I set out deliberately to write a tour-de-force. Before I ever put pen to paper and set down the first word I knew what the last word would be and almost where the last period would fall.&” —William Faulkner on As I Lay Dying This edition reproduces the corrected text of As I Lay Dying as established in 1985 by Noel Polk.
Atlas Shrugged: (centennial Edition) (Sparknotes Literature Guide Ser. #17)
by Ayn RandThis is the story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world--and did. Was he a destroyer or the greatest of liberators? Why did he have to fight his battle, not against his enemies, but against those who needed him most, and his hardest battle against the woman he loved? What is the world's motor--and the motive power of every man? You will know the answer to these questions when you discover the reason behind the baffling events that play havoc with the lives of the characters in this story.Tremendous in its scope, this novel presents an astounding panorama of human life--from the productive genius who becomes a worthless playboy--to the great steel industrialist who does not know that he is working for his own destruction--to the philosopher who becomes a pirate--to the composer who gives up his career on the night of his triumph--to the woman who runs a transcontinental railroad--to the lowest track worker in her Terminal tunnels.You must be prepared, when you read this novel, to check every premise at the root of your convictions. This is a mystery story, not about the murder--and rebirth--of man's spirit. It is a philosophical revolution, told in the form of an action thriller of violent events, a ruthlessly brilliant plot structure and an irresistible suspense. Do you say this is impossible? Well, that is the first of your premises to check.
Blast Off at Woomera
by Hugh WaltersIf the ladder hadn't slipped when Chris Godfrey was chalking up the sports results - and if Sir George Benson hadn't been passing at that very moment - it might never have happened. It had become imperative to fire a conscious human being into space and Sir George, who was Director of Research at Woomera, couldn't see how it was to be done until he met Chris. Once Chris agreed, things moved fast. Whisked to London by the R.A.F., he started his training, was fitted for a G-suit, got to know the landscape of the Moon as well as he knew the school sports ground. Then on to Woomera; and, at last, into space...
The Dain Curse: Red Harvest / The Dain Curse / The Maltese Falcon / The Glass Key / The Thin Man (Library Of America Dashiell Hammett Edition Ser. #1)
by Dashiell HammettWhen eight diamonds are stolen from a prominent San Francisco family, the Continental Op is called in to investigate. But the missing jewels aren&’t the only thing out of the ordinary. The man who reported the burglary ends up dead, ostensibly a suicide. His daughter, one of the suspects, Miss Gabrielle Dain Leggett, has a penchant for morphine and religious cults. She also has an unfortunate effect on the people around her: they have a habit of dying. Might Gabrielle be the victim of an arcane family curse? Or is the truth about her stranger and even more dangerous? The Dain Curse is one of the Continental Op&’s most bizarre cases and a tautly crafted masterpiece of suspense.
Justine: Justine, Balthazar, Mountolive, And Clea (The Alexandria Quartet #1)
by Lawrence DurrellThis &“very remarkable novel&”—first in the acclaimed Alexandria Quartet—tells a haunting story of love, desire, and deception in the Egyptian city pre-WWII (New York Herald Tribune Book Review). Set in Alexandria, Egypt, in the years between World Wars I and II, Justine is the first installment in the distinguished Alexandria Quartet. Here Lawrence Durrell crafts an exquisite and challenging modern novel that explores tragic love and the fluidity of recollection. Employing a fluctuating narrative and poetic prose, Durrell recounts his unnamed narrator&’s all-encompassing romance with the intoxicating Justine. The result is a matchless work that confronts all we understand and believe about sexual desire, identity, place, and the certainty of time. This ebook contains a new introduction by Jan Morris.
On the Road Deluxe
by Jack KerouacThe legendary 1951 scroll draft of On the Road, published as Kerouac originally composed it IN THREE WEEKS in April of 1951, Jack Kerouac wrote his first full draft of On the Road—typed as a single-spaced paragraph on eight long sheets of tracing paper, which he later taped together to form a 120-foot scroll. A major literary event when it was published in Viking hardcover in 2007, this is the uncut version of an American classic—rougher, wilder, and more provocative than the official work that appeared, heavily edited, in 1957. This version, capturing a moment in creative history, represents the first full expression of Kerouac’s revolutionary aesthetic. @Didn’tTypeOnTP! For TWITTERATURE of On the Road by Jack Kerouac, please see On the Road by Jack Kerouac. From Twitterature: The World's Greatest Books in Twenty Tweets or Less .
Rally Round the Flag, Boys!: A Novel
by Max ShulmanThe US Army invades a small Connecticut town in this Cold War farce from bestselling humorist Max Shulman Harry Bannerman drinks his nightly bourbon on the train from New York City to Putnam's Landing, Connecticut. A typical commuter, he has a bald spot, a house, two mortgages, three children, and a wife who is a committed soccer mom and pillar of the community. Harry just wants to curl up on the couch with Grace when he gets home, but instead faces an endless round of PTA meetings, political rallies, little league games, and amateur theatricals. Second Lt. Guido di Maggio loves baseball less than his last name implies and his fiancée, Maggie Larkin, more than the army allows. College sweethearts, the couple has their future all mapped out: Guido will complete his military service in Maryland while Maggie starts her teaching career in Putnam's Landing, a five-hour train ride away. But when Guido is reassigned to Alaska and Maggie loses her job for giving a sex talk to second graders, their plans go up in smoke. To avoid Alaska and save his relationship with Maggie, Guido takes the thankless job directing public relations at a new anti-aircraft base in Putnam's Landing. What happens next in this national bestseller is a dark and funny story of the disaffected and disconnected in Cold War suburbia as tensions mount between the "invading" army ("invading" Connecticut, that is) and a bevy of local teenagers; between frustrated commuters and their frustrated wives; between social do-gooders and Yankee conservatives; and between romantic dreams of the artist's life in New York and the pedestrian reality of having to earn a living to house and feed a growing family.
This Night's Foul Work: A Commissaire Adamsberg Mystery
by Fred Vargas Sian ReynoldsA chilling new mystery from France?s #1 bestselling writer Twice awarded the International Dagger by the Crime Writers? Association, Fred Vargas has earned a reputation in Europe as a mystery author of the first order. In This Night?s Foul Work, the intuitive Commissaire Adamsberg teams up with Dr. Ariane, a pathologist with whom he crossed paths twenty years ago, to unravel a beguiling mystery that begins with the discovery of two bodies in Paris?s Porte de la Chapelle. Adamsberg believes it may be the work of a killer with split personalities, who is choosing his or her victims very carefully. As other murders begin to surface, Adamsberg must move quickly in order to stop the ?Angel of Death? from killing again. Intricately plotted and featuring Vargas?s wry humor, This Night?s Foul Work will keep readers guessing up to the final page.
Three Plays: Our Town, The Matchmaker and The Skin of Our Teeth (Perennial Classics Ser.)
by Thornton WilderThe three plays - Our Town, The Skin of Our Teeth, and The Matchmaker - describe love, death, human follies and human endurance.
The Town: A Novel of the Snopes Family (Library Of America Complete Novels Of William Faulkner Ser. #5)
by William FaulknerThis is the second volume of Faulkner's trilogy about the Snopes family, his symbol for the grasping, destructive element in the post-bellum South. Like its predecessor The Hamlet, and its successor The Mansion, The Town is completely self-contained, but it gains resonance from being read with the other two. The story of Flem Snopes' ruthless struggle to take over the town of Jefferson, Mississippi, the book is rich in typically Faulknerian episodes of humor and of profundity.
An Uncertain Place
by Fred VargasAdamsberg travels to London, where a routine conference draws him into a disturbing investigation. Commissaire Adamsberg leaves Paris for a three-day conference in London. With him are a young sergeant, Estalère, and Commandant Danglard, who is terrified at the idea of travelling beneath the Channel. It is the break they all need, until a macabre and brutal case comes to the attention of their colleague Radstock from New Scotland Yard. Just outside the baroque and romantic old Highgate cemetery a pile of shoes is found. Not so strange in itself, but the shoes contain severed feet. As Scotland Yard's investigation begins, Adamsberg and his colleagues return home and are confronted with a massacre in a suburban home. Adamsberg and Danglard are drawn in to a trail of vampires and vampire-hunters that leads them all the way to Serbia, a place where the old certainties no longer apply.
The World of Suzie Wong: A Novel
by Richard MasonPenguin Books reintroduces the timeless story of the love affair between a British artist and a Chinese prostitute. Robert is t he only resident of the Nam Kok hotel not renting his room by the hour when he meets Suzie at the bar. She becomes his muse and they fall in love. But even in Hong Kong, where many white expatriates have Chinese mistresses, their romance could jeopardize the things they each hold dear. Set in the mid-1950s, The World of Suzie Wong is a beautifully written time capsule of a novel. First published more than fifty years ago, it resonated with readers worldwide, inspiring a film starring William H olden, a ballet, and even a reggae song. Now readers can experience the romance of this groundbreaking story anew. .