Classics Library

Revolting rhymes - Did you think Cinderella married the prince and lived happily ever after, or that the three little pigs outsmarted the wolf? Think again! Master storyteller Roald Dahl adds his own darkly comic twists to six favorite tales, complete with rambunctious rhymes and hilarious surprise endings. Dirty beasts - Roald Dahl's inimitable style and humor shine in this collection of poems about mischievous and mysterious animals. From Stingaling the scorpion to Crocky-Wock the crocodile, Dahl's animals are nothing short of ridiculous.

These have been called the most famous and beloved letters of the past century. Rainer Maria Rilke himself said that much of his creative expression went into his correspondence, and here he touches upon a wide range of subjects that will interest writers, artists, and thinkers. This luminous translation of Rainer Maria Rilke's classic offers brilliant inspiration to all people who seek to know and express their inner truth.

As William turns 12, he wonders if Jason is still his best friend. In the past year, Jason has grown a foot taller, while William is still a shrimp. When Jason challenges William to “jump the trains,” William is terrified. How else can he prove himself to Jason? William gets his answer when his former housekeeper sends him a magic token that once again transports him to Sir Simon’s castle in the Middle Ages, this time with Jason.

A Newbery Medal Winner. An Incan boy who tends llamas in a hidden valley in Peru learns the traditions and secrets of his ancestors.

The warmth, whimsy and charm of these animal stories by Beatrix Potter and T. Burgess have made them favorites with generations of children and adults.

A savage and hilarious satire, Gulliver's Travels sees Lemuel Gulliver shipwrecked and adrift, subject to bizarre and unnerving encounters with - among others - quarrelling Lilliputians, philosophising horses, and the brutish Yahoo tribe that change his view of humanity - and himself - forever. Swift's classic of 1726 portrays mankind in a distorted hall of mirrors as a diminished, magnified, and finally, bestial species, presenting us with a comical yet uncompromising reflection of ourselves.

"A study of the letter indicates that Maimonides touches on some fundamental problems of his age and solves them in a manner and tone worthy of his character and his intellect. -- Prof. Abraham S. Halkin In the year 1165, the Jewish community of Yemen was in grave crisis. The fanatical Muslim ruler of Yemen presented the Jews with a choice: conversion to Islam or martyrdom. And a zealous Jewish apostate began a campaign to convince his former co-coreligionists to convert to Islam, preaching that Mohammed was a divinely-sent prophet alluded to in the Bible. And if that was not enough, an ...

E. M. Forster's first novel is a witty comedy of manners that is tinged with tragedy. It tells the story of Lilia Herriton, who proves to be an embarrassment to her late husband's family as, in the small Tuscan town of Monteriano, she begins a relationship with a much younger Italian man - classless, uncouth, and highly unsuitable. A subtle attack on Edwardian values and a humanely sympathetic portrayal of the clash of two cultures, Where Angels Fear to Tread is also a profound exploration of character and virtue.

Harriet M. Welsch has just received the best news of her 11th year—Ole Golly is coming back! Harriet can still remember how sad she was when her beloved nanny married George Waldenstein and moved away. But the circumstances of Ole Golly’s return remain unclear. Where is George Waldenstein?

The mischievous cat returns on a snowy day when there is work to be done.

Washington Irving's tales of romance, travel, biographical discourse, and literary musing introduced such classic fictional figures as Rip Van Winkle, Ichabod Crane, and the Headless Horsemen of Sleepy Hollow. A sage, storyteller, and wit, Irving earned his preeminence in early American literature with these masterpieces in miniature.

Betrayed by a band of international conspirators, Tarzan is drugged and left to die in the jungle. But then a quirk of fate delivers him into the hands of the frightful priests of Opar, the last bastion of lost Atlantis. La, High Priestess of the Flaming God, spares his life once again, driven by her hopeless love for the ape-man, only to find her act rewarded by the betrayal of her own people. To save her, Tarzan flees with La into the legendary Valley of Diamonds, while Jad-bal-ja, his faithful golden lion, follows. Ahead lies a land where sentient gorillas rule over servile humans.

The Enormous Crocodile decides that he wants a nice juicy child for lunch, horrifying the other animals in the jungle—his friend, the Notsobig One; Humpy-Rumpy, the hippopotamus; Trunky, the elephant; Muggle-Wump, the monkey; and the Roly-Poly Bird. Despite his secret plans and clever tricks, what the boastful crocodile doesn't know is that the brave jungle animals have plans of their own for him!

The plans are laid and the players are determined...but nothing can prepare these unlikely warriors for what the elemental gods of Mytica have in store. Cleo: Reeling after a shocking realization about Magnus, Princess Cleo must cast aside her feelings and look toward her kingdom with the eyes of a queen. Magnus: The steely prince of Limeros is once again torn between love and duty, leaving him wondering whether he's strong enough to rule his people.

The kindness and determination of the Little Blue Engine have inspired millions of children around the world since the story was first published in 1930. Cherished by audiences for 90 years, The Little Engine That Could is a classic tale of a little engine that, despite her size, triumphantly pulls a train full of wonderful things to the children waiting on the other side of a mountain.

"Send Us a Boy, We'll Send You a Cowboy!" is the slogan of the Box Canyon Boys Camp. But for the nail biters, thumb suckers, and teeth grinders, the cast-away offspring of parents who are busy traveling, being divorced, remarrying, and garnering fortunes, it's just another place to face rejection. Until Cotton.

"The moment I first met you, I noticed your pride, your sense of superiority, and your selfish disdain for the feelings of others. You are the last man in the world whom I could ever be persuaded to marry," said Elizabeth Bennet. And so Elizabeth rejects the proud Mr Darcy. Can nothing overcome her prejudice against him? This famous novel by Jane Austen is full of wise and humorous observation of the people and manners of her times.

No man had ever penetrated the Great Thorn Forest until Tarzan of the Apes crashed his plane behind it on his solo flight. Within he finds a beautiful country. But in it lives the Alali, strange Stone Age giants whose women regard all men as less than slaves. And beyond the Alali lies the country of the Ant Men - little people only 18 inches tall. There, in Trohanadalmakus, Tarzan is an honored guest, until he is captured by the warriors of Veltopismakus in one of the Ant Men’s wars. But unknown to the ape-man, they have plans for him.

Across the length and breadth of the galaxy, humankind celebrates its salvation and relishes the prospect of a return to peace. But the war against the orks has driven the political bedrock of the Imperium, exposing its rotten core. One man, one powerful man, decides he has the solution and launches a campaign of destruction so terrible that thousands of years later his actions will still be viewed with horror.

Children will be cheered just contemplating the outrageous array of troubles they're lucky they don't have.