Fiction

Nathaniel Hawthorne (born Nathaniel Hathorne; July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, the only judge involved in the Salem witch trials who never repented of his actions.

"Montague Rhodes James has, it is clear, an intelligent and scientific knowledge of human nerves and feelings; and knows just how to apportion statement, imagery, and subtle suggestions in order to secure the best results with his readers. He is an artist in incident and arrangement." -H P Lovecraft

Maxim Gorky is the pen name of Aleksei Maksimovich Peshkov -- orphaned at the age of nine, he was raised by his grandmother, a story-teller, who imprinted on him a love for tales and travel. All of his varied jobs and the places, people and situations he encountered on his way can be found in his stories.

A collection of short stories by the popular and influential Russian author, a founder of the socialist realism literary method and arguably the greatest Russian literary figure of the 20th century.

Winzy becomes immortal after drinking an elixir belonging to his mentor, the alchemist Cornelius Agrippa.

The short story, "The Heir of Mondolfo" presents the idea of how love conquers all. It is the tale of struggle and yearning that finally culminates in the happiness of the main characters. The story depicts human beings in the throngs of passion that shape their lives.

"The Dream" is a Gothic tale written by Mary Shelley and first published in The Keepsake for 1832. Set in France around the turn of the seventeenth century, it is the story of a young woman named Constance who is in love with Gaspar, the son of her father's enemy.

The story takes place in Victorian London, where the story's protagonist/narrator, Henry Adams, has ended up penniless and in rags after a boating accident in the U.S. swept him out to sea. Two very rich and eccentric brothers spot him and give him an envelope with no information.

The turmoil in Africa is only beginning - and it must grow worse before it's better. Not until the people of Africa know they are Africans - not warring tribesmen - will there be peace....

Santa Claus lives in the Laughing Valley, where stands the big, rambling castle in which his toys are manufactured. His workmen, selected from the ryls, knooks, pixies and fairies, live with him, and every one is as busy as can be from one year's end to another. On one side is the mighty Forest of Burzee. At the other side stands the huge mountain that contains the Caves of the Daemons. And between them the Valley lies smiling and peaceful.

Where the great plain of Tarphet runs up, as the sea in estuaries, among the Cyresian mountains, there stood long since the city of Merimna well-nigh among the shadows of the crags. I have never seen a city in the world so beautiful as Merimna seemed to me when first I dreamed of it. It was a marvel of spires and figures of bronze, and marble fountains, and trophies of fabulous wars, and broad streets given over wholly to the Beautiful. Right through the centre of the city there went an avenue fifty strides in width, and along each side of it stood likenesses in bronze of the Kings of all the countries that the people of Merimna had ever known.

A christmas story from the writer of Little Women.

This collection helped make Lord Dunsany a fantasy legend. Poetic prose, magical lands, old gods, atmospheric castles, ghosts, magic, power, and majesty fill these pages. "There was once a man who sought a boon of the gods.

The Last Book of Wonder, originally published as Tales of Wonder, is the tenth book and sixth original short story collection of Irish fantasy writer Lord Dunsany, considered a major influence on the work of J. R. R. Tolkien, H. P. Lovecraft, Ursula LeGuin and others.

Where Love is, There God is Alsoby Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyThis is a very short heartwarming story about the importance of charity and simple kindness, particularly to the less fortunate among us. It takes very little of your time to read, and it is well worth the few moments' investment.

"Work, Death, and Sickness" is a fascinating story by Russian author Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy written in 1903. The story takes the form of a parable about the creation of work, death, and sickness. Synopsis: When God first created man, he had no need to work, and he would always live to be exactly one hundred years old. God thought that this would allow humans to live in harmony, but such was not the case.

The Death of Ivan Ilyich first published in 1886, is a novella by Leo Tolstoy, one of the masterpieces of his late fiction, written shortly after his religious conversion of the late 1870s The novella tells the story of the death of a high-court judge in 19th-century Russia.

Alexander Ivanovich Volgin, a bachelor and a clerk in a Moscow bank at a salary of eight thousand Rubels a year, a man much respected in his own set, was staying in a country-house.

"Ivan the Fool" is an 1886 story by Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, published in 1886. It describes the struggles of three brothers and a sister with the Old Devil. The name "Ivan the Fool" hints to a popular hero of Russian folklore. Its plot is about the struggles of three brothers and a sister with the Old Devil. The name "Ivan the Fool" hints to a popular hero of Russian folklore. Simeon (a soldier) - Tarras-Briukhan ("Tarras the fat belly", a merchant) - Ivan (a fool) Milania (a mute). Although the story is usually considered a children's fairy tale, it is also used as an indication of Tolstoy's political leanings in support of Christian anarchism.