Books in Classic Literature series

This is a vivid, minute-by-minute account of one of the worst shipwrecks in naval history. Edward Beach's father commanded the Memphis, one of the largest battle cruisers built by the U.S. Navy up to that time--bigger and faster than a battleship. The Memphis (originally Tennessee) was demolished by monstrous tsunami waves in Santo Domingo Harbor in August 1916, killing forty-three sailors, and Beach Jr. literally grew up with the tragedy and its effects, which are as profound today as they were eighty years ago.Based on his father's reminiscences and private papers, official documents, and interviews with survivors, Beach's reexamination of the disaster and his father's court-martial ranks among the finest analyses of the responsibilities and demands placed on the commanding officer of a U.S. Navy ship. A record-setting submarine skipper himself and the acclaimed author of Run Silent, Run Deep, Beach brought personal knowledge to a story that has become a classic in the years since its original publication in 1966. His prose was never more incisive and vigorous. In an introductory essay written for this new edition, Beach discusses the design of the Memphis, her role in the fleet that fought in World War I, and object lessons that have influenced U.S. naval history since the disaster.

Gretel looked at her [mother] in troubled silence, wondering whether it were very wicked to care more for one parent than for the other-and sure, yes, quite sure, that she dreaded her father, while she clung to her mother with a love that was almost idolatry. -from Hans Brinker A beloved childhood favorite for a century and a half-and a book that readers continue to enjoy and appreciate long into adulthood-Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates went through more than 100 editions during the author's lifetime alone. First published in 1865, this replica of the 1917 edition features the exquisite illustrations by Alice Carsey, whose sensitive eye and delicate pen-and-ink lines enliven the tale of the poor but virtuous Dutch boy in a way that few other artists have achieved. This replica edition brings the enchanting work of Dodge and Carsey to a new generation of children. Author and editor Mary Mapes Dodge (1831-1905) was born in New York City. She served as editor of the children's magazine St. Nicholas, to which she attracted such writers as Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Rudyard Kipling. She also authored the short-fiction collection Irvington Stories (1864).

The Canterbury Tales recounts the stories told by pilgrims to one another as they make their way from London to Canterbury Cathedral. This volume contains the introduction to those tales by describing the characters who are embarking upon that pilgrimage. The facing page contains Chaucer’s original text as it was written in fourteenth century Middle English. Alongside, there is room in the wide outer margins for students to write their own notes on The General Prologue, or perhaps, to define unfamiliar key words. The reverse side of each page contains a new translation into modern English. The translation into modern English differs only slightly from those found elsewhere. Here, the key difference is that lines are translated separately, thereby avoiding the problem seen in some translations that words are borrowed from adjacent lines to help maintain Chaucer’s rhyming structure. Accordingly, this translation adheres more closely to Chaucer’s own words; although, in doing so, it may occasionally contain rather more descriptive explanations than is usual in translated works. Nevertheless, this ‘word for word’ approach will greatly assist those new to Chaucer’s middle English. Parents will be pleased that The General Prologue contains no lewdness or vulgarity as can be found in some of the other Canterbury Tales. In this regard, it may appropriately be studied at Middle School level. This volume contains the complete and unabridged text (with line numbers), a helpful translation and a personal study notebook - which means it offers excellent value for money. This revised edition contains several textual and stylistic modifications to improve the accessibility of the text for all readers, but without sacrificing its academic integrity. The translator was educated at St Chad’s College Durham, Warwick, Exeter and De Montfort Universities. Lately, he was both a Hardwicke and Sir Thomas More scholar of Lincoln’s Inn, London. His publications include works on English law and literature.

A reader for intermediate Spanish students El Celestina, a masterpiece of 16th-century Spanish literature by Fernando de Rojas, is composed in dialogue form. This simplified reading makes it easy for students to dramatize the story. Features side glosses and an end vocabulary. It is softcover, 6” × 9”, and 56 pages in length. An audiocassette is also available.

Charles Darwin's travels around the world as an independent naturalist on HMS Beagle between 1831 and 1836 impressed upon him a sense of the natural world's beauty and sublimity which language could barely capture. Words, he said, were inadequate to convey to those who have not visited the inter-tropical regions, the sensation of delight which the mind experiences'. Yet in a travel journal which takes the reader from the coasts and interiors of South America to South Sea Islands, Darwin's descriptive powers are constantly challenged, but never once overcome. In addition, The Voyage of the Beagle displays Darwin's powerful, speculative mind at work, posing searching questions about the complex relation between the Earth's structure, animal forms, anthropology and the origins of life itself.