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When Hank Morgan, a practical, no-nonsense Yankee who works in an ammunition factory as a head superintendent gets into a fight with an aggressive employee, little does he know what's in store for him. The bully lays Morgan low with a skull-crushing blow delivered with a crowbar and knocks him out. When Morgan regains consciousness, he finds himself transported back in time, to the sixth century. From here on, the story describes the travails of a hard-boiled, true blue American with strong democratic values who has to deal with medieval feudalism and ancient customs! A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court was published in 1889. Mark Twain wrote it after the great success of his early novels, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. His first book, Innocents Abroad had met with a lukewarm reception. Connecticut Yankee... met with mixed reactions. Some regarded it as a great piece of historical fiction. In Britain, it was seen as an attack on their history and culture. Laced with Twain's inimitable brand of irreverent humor, the book portrays the sheer absurdity of romanticizing the past. If people in modern times thought Camelot and the legends of the Knights was the perfect world to live in, Twain wanted to show them otherwise. He also sought to strike a balance between the mindless worship of technology and so called “progress.” Hank Morgan also tries to modernize the past! He tries to educate the medieval people about machines, science and tries to dispel their superstitious beliefs in magic. Many of the famous Knights of the Round Table feature in this book. Other characters like Morgan Le Fay, Merlin, King Arthur and Queen Guinevere also appear, in tandem with many of Twain's own creations. Mark Twain's own disillusionment with industrialization and his exploration of the concept of time travel are described in the book. It was in this sense one of the earliest examples of this genre of science fiction. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's court has been extensively adapted to stage, radio, screen and television. Since the first silent version in 1921, the book has found favor with Hollywood and a variety of stars have played roles in the films. Disney adaptations, various spoofs and spinoffs, animated versions and references in other books have ensured that the book's popularity never wanes. For Mark Twain enthusiasts and readers who love humor blended with some historical fiction, this is indeed a great addition to their collection!

First published in Blackwood’s magazine as a three part serial in 1899 and published in 1902, Heart of Darkness centers on the experiences of protagonist Charles Marlow as he is assigned the duty to transport ivory down the Congo River. Conrad cleverly uses foreshadowing as a technique to convey the novella’s themes of hypocritical imperialism, the contradictory views on civilized as opposed to barbaric societies, racism, and the conflict between reality and darkness. Set in the second half of the nineteenth century, the story begins with the introduction of protagonist Charles Marlow, who is on board a boat harbored in the River Thames. Marlow proceeds to recount his exciting tale about his voyage into the depths of Africa to his fellow companions, therefore beginning the novella’s frame narrative style. Marlow gives details of the events that led to his appointment as a river boat captain working for a Belgian ivory trading company, referred to simply as The Company. During his passage on several ships, Marlow witnesses gruesome sights of the natives who are ill-treated and exposed to the harshest forms of brutality. He records starvation, exploitation and enslavement as some of the injustices forcefully applied by the Company’s agents. When the protagonist arrives at the Outer Station he meets the chief accountant, who first mentions Mr. Kurtz and regards him as a first-class agent. Subsequently, Marlow finds his way to the Central Station, where his allocated steamboat awaits him, but unfortunately the boat is wrecked and he must wait until it is repaired. Left no choice other than to wait, Marlow becomes more intrigued by the mysterious Mr. Kurtz, as he learns the valuable position he holds within the community. The story continues with its gripping development that in turn destroy Marlow’s initial dreamy outlook on life and instead exhibits the true extent of man’s cruelty and selfishness. Interestingly, Conrad partly based the novella on his personal experience while he spent some time travelling in Africa, and even served as a captain on a steam boat, where he encountered some of the issues prevalent in the novella. A classic proven to stimulate the mind, Heart of Darkness enthralls with its unrestricted possibility of individual interpretation, and the overwhelming questions about human nature that the book incites.

This is the first of five volumes. – Giacomo Casanova (1725 in Venice – 1798 in Dux, Bohemia, now Duchcov, Czech Republic) was a famous Venetian adventurer, writer, and womanizer. He used charm, guile, threats, intimidation, and aggression, when necessary, to conquer women, sometimes leaving behind children or debt. In his autobiography Histoire de ma vie (Story of My Life), regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century, he mentions 122 women with whom he had sex. Although he is often associated with Don Juan because both seduced many women, Casanova is in fact very different from his fictitious counterpart. While Don Juan is a legend, Casanova is a historical character.

Three years after the events that took place in The Lost World, Professor Challenger urgently summons his fellow explorers (Professor Summerlee, Lord John Roxton, and reporter E.D. Malone) to a meeting. Oddly, he requires each to bring an oxygen cylinder with him. What he soon informs them is that from astronomical data and just-received telegraphs of strange accidents on the other side of the world, he has deduced that the Earth is starting to move through a region of space containing something poisonous to humankind. Shutting themselves tightly up in Challenger’s house, they start to consider what may be done. But as their countrymen start to drop, will their oxygen last long enough to determine and implement a solution?

Containing many realistic details based on Childers’ own sailing trips along the German North Sea coast, the book is the retelling of a yachting expedition in the early 20th century combined with an adventurous spy story. It was one of the early invasion novels which predicted war with Germany and called for British preparedness. The plot involves the uncovering of secret German preparations for an invasion of the United Kingdom. It is often called the first modern spy novel, although others are as well, it was certainly very influential in the genre and for its time. The book enjoyed immense popularity in the years before World War I and was extremely influential. Winston Churchill later credited it as a major reason that the Admiralty decided to establish naval bases at Invergordon, the Firth of Forth and Scapa Flow.