Books published by publisher Benediction Classics

The Pat Hobby Stories are a collection of 17 comedic short stories written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. They first appeared in Esquire magazine between January 1940 and May 1941, but in 1962 they were collected into a single book and published posthumously. Pat Hobby is a once successful screenwriter in Hollywood, but now an alcoholic and broke, who spends his time hanging around the studio, hoping for work. The stories generally revolve around him hatching a plan to earn money or glory in some way, but they usually end in further humiliation. The introduction to the book states, "while it would be unfair to judge this book as a novel, it would be less than fair to consider it as anything but a full-length portrait. It was as such that Fitzgerald worked on it, and would have wanted it presented in book form, after its original magazine publication. He thought of it as a comedy."

This utterly charming book tells of a wondering minstrel, Martin Pippin, who is asked by a lovelorn youth to try and approach the object of his affections, a farmer's daughter, who is locked away and guarded by her six young milkmaids. Throughout the book Martin flirts gaily, sings songs and tells love stories in order to win the girls' trust and answer the central question: why is Gillian locked in the well house? Is she love-sick for a man she cannot have - or hiding from a love she does not want? Eleanor Farjeon weaves a beautiful tapestry in this marvellously evocative book, celebrating the Sussex countryside and tackling deep emotional issues in her deceptively simple stories. This carefully hand-edited version from Benediction Classics includes all the original delightful black-and-white illustrations by Richard Kennedy.

Harriet Jacobs was not an ordinary slave girl, and her autobiography is not an ordinary account of the miseries of slavery. She was a slave who triumphed not only by luck but by careful planning and daring deceit. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, the most important and most widely read female slave narrative, presents the subtle humiliations in addition to the simple brutality of slave life, especially for enslaved women and children. This gripping account, first published under the pseudonym Linda Brent, skilfully employs rhetorical and narrative devices to create a gripping and evocative story. Indeed, until Jean Yellin’s over work a century later, it was regarded as a work of fiction.

The first Handbook of the Boy Scouts of America provides an entertaining read and a fascinating insight into the world of a century ago, when a boy could obtain badges in subjects such as Inventing (Invent and Patent some useful article) and Taxidermy (Preserve and mount the skin of a game bird, or animal). This is a newly re-edited version (not a scan), complete with black and white pictures and many of the original advertisements.

This illustrated edition retains Willy Pogany's original drawings. Master storyteller Padraic Colum's rich, musical voice captures all the magic and majesty of the Norse sagas in his retellings of the adventures of the gods and goddesses who lived in the Northern paradise of Asgard before the dawn of history. Here are the matchless tales of All-Father Odin, who crosses the Rainbow Bridge to walk among men in Midgard and sacrifices his right eye to drink from the Well of Wisdom; of Thor, whose mighty hammer defends Asgard; of Loki, whose mischievous cunning leads him to treachery against the gods; of giants, dragons, dwarfs and Valkyries; and of the terrible last battle that destroyed their world. These ancient stories from Northern Europe, which make up one of the great myth cycles of Western civilization, spring to life in The Children of Odin. The late Padraic Colum was a poet, playwright, founder of the Irish Review and a leader of the Irish Renaissance, but he is perhaps best known today for his outstanding books for children. He was awarded the Regina Medal in 1961 for his "distinguished contribution to children's literature," honoring works like The Children's Homer, The Golden Fleece (a Newbery Honor Book), The Arabian Nights, The King of Ireland's Son and Roofs of Gold.

The intellectual Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius composed his now famous Meditations as a personal diary while he struggled to understand himself and the world. It is one of the greatest works of philosophy, being uniquely accessible and wide ranging as he wrote not as emperor, but as a man among other men. The reflections cover most human concerns including the spectre of death, one’s role in society, emotions, human rationality, virtue, and the gods. This edition is complete and unabridged and contains Introduction, Notes, Appendix containing correspondence with this tutor Fronto, and a Glossary.

The Pat Hobby Stories are a collection of 17 comedic short stories written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. They first appeared in Esquire magazine between January 1940 and May 1941, but in 1962 they were collected into a single book and published posthumously. Pat Hobby is a once successful screenwriter in Hollywood, but now an alcoholic and broke, who spends his time hanging around the studio, hoping for work. The stories generally revolve around him hatching a plan to earn money or glory in some way, but they usually end in further humiliation. The introduction to the book states, "while it would be unfair to judge this book as a novel, it would be less than fair to consider it as anything but a full-length portrait. It was as such that Fitzgerald worked on it, and would have wanted it presented in book form, after its original magazine publication. He thought of it as a comedy."

One of Edith Wharton's unjustly neglected novels, Hudson River Bracketed features two strong protagonists - Vance Weston and Halo Spear. The former is an undereducated young man who arrives in New York with a keen desire to write. Halo Spear is a brilliant, accomplished young woman who introduces Vance to literature and they form a deep bond, which flourishes and endures despite the hardships of Vance's life, the disappointments of Halo's - and their respective marriages.