Louis Lambertby Honore de BalzacTranslated by Clara Bell and James WaringDEDICATION"Et nunc et semper dilectoe dicatum."LOUIS LAMBERTLouis Lambert was born at Montoire, a little town in the Vendomois,where his father owned a tannery of no great magnitude, and intendedthat his son should succeed him; but his precocious bent for studymodified the paternal decision. For, indeed, the tanner and his wifeadored Louis, their only child, and never contradicted him inanything.At the age of five Louis had begun by reading the Old and NewTestaments; and these two Books, including so many books, had sealedhis fate. Could that childish imagination understand the mystical...
THE GREAT STONE FACEOne afternoon, when the sun was going down, a mother and herlittle boy sat at the door of their cottage, talking about theGreat Stone Face. They had but to lift their eyes, and there itwas plainly to be seen, though miles away, with the sunshinebrightening all its features.And what was the Great Stone Face?Embosomed amongst a family of lofty mountains, there was a valleyso spacious that it contained many thousand inhabitants. Some ofthese good people dwelt in log-huts, with the black forest allaround them, on the steep and difficult hill-sides. Others hadtheir homes in comfortable farm-houses, and cultivated the rich...
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeareby E. Nesbit"It may be said of Shakespeare, that from his works may be collected a system of civil and economical prudence. He has been imitated by all succeeding writers; and it may be doubted whether from all his successors more maxims of theoretical knowledge, or more rules of practical prudence can be collected than he alone has given to his country."Dr. SAMUEL JOHNSON.PREFACEThe writings of Shakespeare have been justly termed "the richest, the purest, the fairest, that genius uninspired ever penned."Shakespeare instructed by delighting. His plays alone (leaving mere science out of the question), contain more actual wisdom than the whole body of Engli
SHERLOCK HOLMESTHE ADVENTURE OF THE SPECKLED BANDby Sir Arthur Conan DoyleOn glancing over my notes of the seventy odd cases in which I haveduring the last eight years studied the methods of my friendSherlock Holmes, I find many tragic, some comic, a large number merelystrange, but none commonplace; for, working as he did rather for thelove of his art than for the acquirement of wealth, he refused toassociate himself with any investigation which did not tend towardsthe unusual, and even the fantastic. Of all these varied cases,however, I cannot recall any which presented more singular features...
Villa Rubein and Other Storiesby John GalsworthyContents:Villa RubeinA Man of DevonA KnightSalvation of a ForsyteThe SilencePREFACEWriting not long ago to my oldest literary friend, I expressed in amoment of heedless sentiment the wish that we might have again one ofour talks of long-past days, over the purposes and methods of ourart. And my friend, wiser than I, as he has always been, repliedwith this doubting phrase "Could we recapture the zest of that oldtime?"I would not like to believe that our faith in the value ofimaginative art has diminished, that we think it less worth while to...
THE ILIADby Homertranslated by Samuel ButlerBOOK ISing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that broughtcountless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it sendhurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogsand vultures, for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from theday on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, firstfell out with one another.And which of the gods was it that set them on to quarrel? It was theson of Jove and Leto; for he was angry with the king and sent apestilence upon the host to plague the people, because the son of...
400 BCON FRACTURESby HippocratesTranslated by Francis AdamsIN TREATING fractures and dislocations, the physician must makethe extension as straight as possible, for this is the most naturaldirection. But if it incline to either side, it should rather turnto that of pronation, for there is thus less harm than if it be towardsupination. Those, then, who act in such cases without deliberation,for the most part do not fall into any great mistake, for the personwho is to have his arm bound, presents it in the proper position...
The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italyby Jacob BurckhardtTable of ContentsPart One: The State as a Work of Art1-1 Introduction1-2 Despots of the Fourteenth Century1-3 Despots of the Fifteenth Century1-4 The Smaller Despotisms1-5 The Greater Dynasties1-6 The Opponents of the Despots1-7 The Republics: Venice and Florence1-8 Foreign Policy1-9 War as a Work of Art1-10 The Papacy1-11 PatriotismPart Two: The Development of the Individual2-1 Personality2-2 Glory2-3 Ridicule and WitPart Three: The Revival of Antiquity3-1 Introductory3-2 The Ruins of Rome3-3 The Classics3-4 The Humanists3-5 Universities and Schools3-6 Propagators of Antiquity...
THE KREUTZER SONATA.CHAPTER I.Travellers left and entered our car at every stopping of thetrain. Three persons, however, remained, bound, like myself, forthe farthest station: a lady neither young nor pretty, smokingcigarettes, with a thin face, a cap on her head, and wearing asemi-masculine outer garment; then her companion, a veryloquacious gentleman of about forty years, with baggage entirelynew and arranged in an orderly manner; then a gentleman who heldhimself entirely aloof, short in stature, very nervous, ofuncertain age, with bright eyes, not pronounced in color, butextremely attractive,eyes that darted with rapidity from one...
Vanity Fairby William Makepeace ThackerayBEFORE THE CURTAINAs the manager of the Performance sits before the curtainon the boards and looks into the Fair, a feeling of profoundmelancholy comes over him in his survey of the bustling place.There is a great quantity of eating and drinking, making loveand jilting, laughing and the contrary, smoking, cheating,fighting, dancing and fiddling; there are bullies pushing about,bucks ogling the women, knaves picking pockets, policemenon the look-out, quacks (OTHER quacks, plague take them!)bawling in front of their booths, and yokels looking up atthe tinselled dancers and poor old rouged tumblers, while thelight-fingered folk are operating upon their
THE SKETCH BOOKCHRISTMASby Washington IrvingCHRISTMASBut is old, old, good old Christmas gone? Nothing but the hair ofhis good, gray, old head and beard left? Well, I will have that,seeing I cannot have more of him.HUE AND CRY AFTER CHRISTMAS.A man might then beholdAt Christmas, in each hallGood fires to curb the cold,And meat for great and small.The neighbors were friendly bidden,And all had welcome true,The poor from the gates were not chidden...
Albert Savarusby Honore de BalzacTranslated by Ellen MarriageDEDICATIONTo Madame Emile Girardin.ALBERT SAVARUSOne of the few drawing-rooms where, under the Restoration, theArchbishop of Besancon was sometimes to be seen, was that of theBaronne de Watteville, to whom he was particularly attached on accountof her religious sentiments.A word as to this lady, the most important lady of Besancon.Monsieur de Watteville, a descendant of the famous Watteville, themost successful and illustrious of murderers and renegadeshisextraordinary adventures are too much a part of history to be relatedherethis nineteenth century Monsieur de Watteville was as gentle and...