The elements which make up The Moonstone--a purloined Indian jewel which carries with it a mysterious curse, a stolid British police sergeant, a drama of theft and murder in a spacious country home--have been repeated, in slightly varying guises, throughout much of the detective fiction to which Wilkie Collins' popular 1868 novel gave birth.

David Copperfield, whose stepfather casts him out after the death of David's mother, lives through trials and tribulations, first at a boys' school and then as a young man in London before he goes to live with his great-aunt and eventually finds happiness.

An enduring classic by E.M. Forster about human connection, society, and legacy. Set in Edwardian England, Howards End delves into the intricate relationships between three families with contrasting values and aspirations: the idealistic and intellectual Schlegels, the wealthy and pragmatic Wilcoxes, and the struggling, working-class Basts. At the heart of the story lies Howards End, a quaint country house symbolizing heritage, connection, and...

Read the classic that helped cement Daniel Defoe's literary legacy.The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll FlandersThe definitive edition • Features an uplifting extended biography of the life and experiences of Daniel Defoe • Remastered for premium quality print and easy reading The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders is a book by Daniel Dafoe, written in 1722. This book tells the thrilling story of Flanders and his...

Thomas Gradgrind, a practical man, brings up his two children, Louisa and Tom, accordingly, thoroughly suppressing the imaginative and emotional sides of their natures with devastating consequences.

First published serially between January and December of 1878 in the sensationalistic monthly London magazine "Belgravia", Thomas Hardy's "The Return of the Native" is the author's sixth published novel. Set in Egdon Heath, an area of Thomas Hardy's fictionalized Wessex known for the thorny evergreen shrubs, called furze or gorse, which are cut there by its residents for fuel. When the story begins, on Guy Fawkes Night, we find Diggory Venn, a merchant...

Utopia, a term coined by Thomas More from the Greek meaning "nowhere," envisions an imaginary island where a perfect society flourishes. This groundbreaking work of socio-political satire, divided into two books, offers a detailed account of the customs, governance, and daily life within this ideal community. In Book One, More crafts a narrative through correspondence with real-life acquaintances he met across Europe, lending credibility to his fictional...

"John Locke laid the groundwork of modern liberalism. He argued that political societies exist to defend the lives, liberties and properties of their citizens, and that no government has any authority except by the consent of the people. When rulers become tyrants and act against the common good, then the people have a right of revolution against them. Writing against the backdrop of Charles II's savage purge of the Whig movement, Locke set out to...