David Case

"Set in the Parisian underworld and plotted like a detective story, the work follows Jean Valjean, a victim of society who has been imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. A hardened criminal upon his release, he eventually reforms, becoming a successful industrialist and mayor of a northern town. Despite this he is haunted by an impulsive, regretted former crime and is pursued relentlessly by the police inspector Javert. Valjean eventually...

"As much a love letter to the cathedral as it is the story of two doomed lovers." -Smithsonian Magazine Written in 1831, The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo is a beloved French gothic novel which centers around the wondrous Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. Set during the reign of King Louis XI, we are introduced to the gypsy dancer Esmerelda. A beautiful girl, both inside and out, Esmerelda captures the hearts of everyone around her,...

Gulliver's strange adventures in some of the most unusual lands ever imagined have made this one of the rare classics with an enduring and wide-ranging appeal to all ages. Gulliver's bad luck at sea not only gets him shipwrecked and castaway, but repeatedly throws him into strange societies of even stranger people. Readers are likely aware of Gulliver's experiences in Lilliput, where he meets a kingdom of six-inch-tall people with a set of prejudices...

Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote is regarded not only as the first modern novel, but also as one of the most important works of fiction ever produced. The subtle and hopeful irony, resplendent variety of characters and its thoroughly entertaining sense of adventure and friendship has dazzled readers for more than four hundred years. It was published in Spain in two volumes, first in 1605 then followed by the second in 1615. Cervantes' use of realism...

It took Charles Darwin more than twenty years to publish this book, in part because he realized that it would ignite a firestorm of controversy. The Origin of Species first appeared in 1859, and it remains a continuing source of conflict to this day. Even among those who reject its ideas, however, the work's impact is undeniable. In science, philosophy, and theology, this is a book that changed the world. In addition to its status as the focus of...

"The Voyage of the Beagle" is a title commonly given to the book written by Charles Darwin and published in 1839 as his "Journal and Remarks", bringing him considerable fame and respect. The title refers to the second survey expedition of the ship HMS Beagle, which set sail from Plymouth Sound on 27 December 1831 under the command of Captain Robert FitzRoy, R.N.. While the expedition was originally planned to last two years, it lasted almost five-the...

The classic tale of a wealthy English family, and a jealous husband who will stop at nothing to gain dominion over his bride. The first installment of the critically acclaimed Forsyte Saga introduces the Forsyte clan and their endlessly fascinating intrigues. Author John Galsworthy's take on the constricted roles of women within the confines of marriage casts an unforgiving light on traditional courtship while rendering otherwise common domestic dramas...

The moving story of a wealthy English clan and the infidelities and intrigues threatening to tear one marriage apart. In Chancery begins where The Man of Property, and its subsequent interlude, left off, pursuing Soames and Irene Forsyte across Edwardian England, meanwhile highlighting the failing marriage of Soames's sister, Winifred. Galsworthy juxtaposes the two relationships while bringing more members of the Forsyte clan into the drama, making...

The Silver Spoon is the fifth of the nine novels in the Forsyte Chronicles, John Galsworthy's epic story of the moneyed Forsyte family during the decline of the Victorian age. It is part of the second trilogy, called A Modern Comedy, and continues his fascinating study of the British propertied class in a changing society. In this novel, Soames Forsyte's daughter, Fleur, experiences an inherent dissatisfaction with her marriage not unlike her father's,...

John Galsworthy devoted virtually his entire professional career to creating a fictional but entirely representative family of propertied Victorians, the Forsytes. Flowering Wilderness is the eighth novel in his Forsyte Chronicles, which has become established as one of the most popular and enduring works of twentieth century literature.