Books in Young Reading Series One series

The Canterville Ghost is a novella by Oscar Wilde. It was the first of Wilde's stories to be published, appearing in two parts in The Court and Society Review, 23 February and 2 March 1887. The story is about a family who moves to a castle haunted by the ghost of a dead nobleman, who killed his wife and was starved to death by his wife's brothers. It has been adapted for the stage and screen several times. The home of the Canterville Ghost was the ancient Canterville Chase, which has all the accoutrements of a traditional haunted house. Descriptions of the wainscoting, the library panelled in black oak, and the armour in the hallway characterise the setting. Wilde mixes the macabre with comedy, juxtaposing devices from traditional English ghost stories such as creaking floorboards, clanking chains, and ancient prophecies.

Considered one of the eminent writers of twentieth-century African-American literature, Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) was closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance and has influenced writers such as Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker. She published four novels, two volumes of folklore, an autobiography, and several short stories and plays. This book includes a glossary, bibliography, and index. Hurston grew up in Eatonville, Florida, was a librarian at Patrick Air Force Base, and taught in Fort Pierce where writer Alice Walker discovered her grave in 1973.