A wonderful novel, holding a unique place among the works of Joseph Conrad. Chance tells the story of Flora de Barral, the abandoned daughter of a bankrupt tycoon, and her long struggle to find happiness and dignity. Chance was Conrad's first commercial success after nearly twenty years as a writer.
Following the commercial and critical success of Typee , Herman Melville continued his series of South Sea adventure-romances with Omoo. Named after the Polynesian term for a rover, or someone who roams from island to island, Omoo chronicles the tumultuous events aboard a South Sea whaling vessel and is based on Melville's personal experiences as a crew member on a ship sailing the Pacific. From recruiting among the natives for sailors to handling...
The History of Pendennis follows the coming-of-age of Arthur Pendennis, a young man of modest means and romantic illusions, as he navigates love, ambition, and society in early 19th-century England. From his sheltered upbringing to his struggles as a writer in London, Pen confronts vanity, heartbreak, and moral compromise. Through his evolving relationships-with his devoted mother, loyal friend Warrington, and the elusive Laura-he gradually matures...
A memoir of the steamboat era on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War. The first half details a brief history of the river from its discovery by Hernando de Soto in 1541 and describes Twain's career as a Mississippi steamboat pilot, the fulfillment of a childhood dream. The second half of Life on the Mississippi tells of Twain's return, many years after, to travel the river from St. Louis to New Orleans. By then the competition from...
"Almayer's Folly" (1895) is Joseph Conrad's debut novel. It centers on the Dutch trader Kaspar Almayer, who comes to Borneo with a suitcaseful of dreams. He settles on the exotic island among the Malays and mainly deals in river trade. His half-Malay daughter, Nina, is met with reluctance by the local community. But Almayer wants to put an end to his waning career as a merchant and hopes to find the island's hidden gold mine, so that he can return...
Two decades have passed since the musketeers triumphed over Cardinal Richelieu and Milady. Time has weakened their resolve, and dispersed their loyalties. But treasons and strategems still cry out for justice: civil war endangers the throne of France, and in England, Cromwell threatens to send Charles I to the scaffold. The quartet of musketeers come out of retirement to cross swords with time, the malevolence of men, and the forces of history. But...
