Books published by publisher Royal Classics

Pollyanna Whittier is a young orphan who goes to live in Beldingsville, Vermont, with her wealthy but stern Aunt Polly, who does not want to take in Pollyanna, but feels it is her duty to her late sister. Pollyanna has an optimistic and positive attitude, finding something to be glad about in every situation, no matter how bleak it may be. Pollyanna infectious attitude transforms the people around her, but her optimism is put to the test when the unthinkable happens.Pollyanna is a best-selling 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter that is now considered a classic of children’s literature, with the title character’s name becoming a popular term for someone with the same very optimistic outlook. Also, the subconscious bias towards the positive is often described as the Pollyanna principle. Pollyanna has been adapted for film several times, including Disney’s 1960 version starring child actress Hayley Mills, who won a special Oscar for the role.This cloth-bound book includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket, and is limited to 100 copies.

When young d'Artagnan travels to Paris to join the ranks of the Musketeers, he soon finds himself challenged to three duels with Athos, Porthos and Aramis. However, the foursome is abruptly attacked by the evil Cardinal Richelieu's guards, and d'Artagnan fights alongside them, proving his skills with a sword and his honour. The three Musketeers enfold d'Artagnan into their ranks, and what follows is a swashbuckling tale full of intrigue, friendship and revenge.Alexandre Dumas got the idea for The Three Musketeers from Courtilz de Sandras' 1700 novel Mémoires de Monsieur d'Artagnan, which was based on real events surrounding the lives of d'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis. Dumas made them human, gave them colour, and made them more real than even the truth itself. Since then the term 'Three Musketeers' has been used to describe a trio of individuals who support each other including Supreme Court Justices, engineers and Japanese wrestlers.This cloth-bound book includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket, and is limited to 100 copies.

Little Men recounts six months in the life of the students at Plumfield. The story begins with the arrival of Nat Blake, a shy young orphan who used to earn a living playing the violin. The school is not run on conventional lines. All the children have their own gardens and their own pets, and are encouraged to experiment with running businesses. Pillow fights are permitted on Saturdays, subject to a time limit. Children are also treated as individuals, with a strong emphasis on gently molding their characters.The novel reprises characters from Little Women and is considered by some the second book in an unofficial Little Women series. The idea of the school is first suggested at the very end of Little Women, when adult Jo inherited the estate from her late Aunt March. Little Men was first adapted into film in 1934 starring Erin O’Brien-Moore and Ralph Morgan. Other films followed in 1940 and 1998.This cloth-bound book includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket, and is limited to 100 copies.

My Ántonia tells the stories of an orphaned boy from Virginia, Jim Burden, and the elder daughter in a family of Bohemian immigrants, Ántonia Shimerda, who are each brought as children to be pioneers in Nebraska towards the end of the 19th century. The first year farming the harsh but fertile land leaves strong lifelong impressions on both children.My Ántonia was enthusiastically received in 1918 when it was first published. It was considered a masterpiece and placed Cather in the forefront of novelists. Cather was praised for bringing the American West to life and making it personally interesting. It brought place forward almost as if it were one of the characters, while at the same time playing upon the universality of the emotions, which in turn promoted regional American literature as a valid part of mainstream literature.This cloth-bound book includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket, and is limited to 100 copies.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is an autobiography by Harriet Jacobs, a young mother and fugitive slave. The book documents Jacobs' life as a slave and how she gained freedom for herself and for her children. She explores the struggles and sexual abuse that female slaves faced on plantations as well as their efforts to practice motherhood and protect their families when their children might be sold away.Harriet Jacobs contributed to the genre of slave narratives by using the techniques of sentimental novels to address race and gender issues. In the book, Jacobs addresses white Northern women who fail to comprehend the evils of slavery. She makes direct appeals to their humanity to expand their knowledge and influence their thoughts about slavery as an institution. The books' publication in 1861 coincided with the start of the American Civil War, attracting some attention as it addressed themes highlighted by the abolitionist movement.This cloth-bound book includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket, and is limited to 100 copies.

When an eccentric scientist invents antigravity, he decides to build a spherical spaceship. He enlists the help of a London businessman to accompany him to the Moon. On arrival, they discover that the Moon is inhabited by a sophisticated extraterrestrial civilization. They must use their wits to avoid beasts and monsters, to survive their encounter with aliens, and to escape captivity.H. G. Wells is credited with the popularisation of time travel in 1895 with The Time Machine, introducing the idea of time being the "fourth dimension" a decade before the publication of Einstein's first Relativity papers. In 1896, he imagined a mad scientist creating human-like beings from animals in The Island of Doctor Moreau, which created a growing interest in animal welfare throughout Europe. In 1897 with The Invisible Man, Wells shows how a formula could render one invisible, recognizing that an invisible eye would not be able to focus, thus rendering the invisible man blind. With The War of the Worlds in 1898, Wells established the idea that an advanced civilization could live on Mars, popularising the term 'martian' and the idea that aliens could invade Earth.This cloth-bound book includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket, and is limited to 100 copies.

When John Carter goes to sleep in a mysterious cave in the Arizona dessert, he wakes up on the planet Mars. There he meets the fifteen foot tall, four armed, green men of mars, with horse-like dragons, and watch dogs like oversized frogs with ten legs. Full of swordplay and daring feats, A Princess of Mars is considered a classic example of 20th-century pulp fiction. It is also a seminal instance of the planetary romance, a subgenre of science fantasy that became highly popular in the decades following its publication.Edgar Rice Burroughs vision of Mars was loosely inspired by astronomical speculation of the time, especially that of Percival Lowell, who saw the red planet as a formerly Earth-like world now becoming less hospitable to life due to its advanced age. Burroughs predicted the invention of homing devices, radar, sonar, autopilot, collision detection, television, teletype, genetic cloning, living organ transplants, antigravity propulsion, and many other concepts that were well ahead of his time. The books in the Barsoom series were an early inspiration to many, including science fiction authors Robert A. Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke and Ray Bradbury, they influenced renowned scientist Carl Sagan in his quest for extraterrestrial life, and were instrumental in the making of James Cameron's Avatar, and George Lucas' Star Wars.This cloth-bound book includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket, and is limited to 100 copies.

Tarzan of the Apes opens when Lord and Lady Greystoke are marooned on the western coastal jungles of Africa. One year later, Lady Greystoke gives birth to a son. When the baby turns one, his parents both die, and he is adopted by apes who name the boy Tarzan. What follows is a struggle as Tarzan learns to live among the apes, and in doing so, keeps them safe from local tribes. When a new English party is marooned on the coast, Tarzan comes face to face with his past, and is forced to find his true identity.Tarzan has been called one of the best-known literary characters in the world. In addition to literature, the character has appeared in films, radio, television, comic strips, and comic books. Burroughs considered other names for the character, including "Zantar" and "Tublat Zan," before he settled on "Tarzan. Tarzan has remained popular; Burroughs's melodramatic situations and the elaborate details he works into his fictional world, such as his construction of a partial language for his great apes, appeal to a worldwide fan base. Tarzan remains one of the most successful fictional characters to this day and is a cultural icon.This cloth-bound book includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket, and is limited to 100 copies.

Black Beauty begins with a young horse's carefree days as a colt on an English farm with his mother, to his difficult life pulling cabs in London, to his happy retirement in the country. Along the way, he meets with many hardships and recounts many tales of cruelty and kindness. Each short chapter recounts an incident in Black Beauty's life containing a lesson or moral typically related to the kindness, sympathy, and understanding of horses.While forthrightly teaching animal welfare, Black Beauty also teaches how to treat people with kindness, sympathy, and respect. The novel became an immediate best-seller, with Sewell dying just five months after its publication, but having lived long enough to see her only novel become a success. With fifty million copies sold, Black Beauty is one of the best-selling books of all time.This cloth-bound book includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket, and is limited to 100 copies.