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Jungle Tales of Tarzan is a collection of twelve loosely-connected short stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, comprising the sixth book in order of publication in his series about the title character Tarzan. Chronologically, the events recounted in it actually occur between chapters 12 and 13 of the first Tarzan novel, Tarzan of the Apes.

A maritime classic acclaimed for its exciting adventure, The Sea Wolf offers a thrilling tale of life at sea, while exploring the many difficulties that may erupt on board a ship captained by a brutally hedonistic and controlling individual. Additionally, the psychological adventure novel covers several themes including mutiny, existentialism, individualism, brutality, and the intrinsic will to survive. The novel sets into motion when its protagonist, the soft and cultivated scholar Humphrey van Weyden, is witness to a precarious collision between his ferry and another ship. Consequently, the accident causes the ferry to sink and sets Weyden adrift in the San Francisco Bay, but before long, he is picked up by a seal-hunting vessel headed for Japan. As Weyden finds himself aboard the Ghost, he is promptly greeted by its vile captain, Wolf Larson. An autodidact sailor, Larson is presented as a pitiless and single-minded individual, who rules over his crew with the help of his extraordinary physical strength and the pure terror he emits. Accordingly, he brushes aside Weyden’s request to be taken ashore, and instead forces him into the position of cabin boy, which is accompanied by menial work and contact with the similarly brutal crew. As Weyden spends time on board the vessel, he comes to learn some of the captain’s enigmatic philosophies, which include survival of the fittest, a disregard for the human soul, an individualistic stance, and a life guided by the acquisition of pleasure alone. Left with the choice to either work or die, Weyden must endure terrifying ordeals aboard the ship, which incidentally never seem to diminish. Furthermore, he must grow from his cowardly idealistic ways if he is to even stand a chance at life among the crew, let alone escape from the grasps of the despotic Larson. London’s vivid portrayal of his most memorable character, Wolf Larson, will most definitely entice the reader to learn more about his cynical incentives and his complex set of ideas. Moreover, Larson has the strange ability to rouse sympathy from the audience with his highly defined masculinity and philosophies, which at times may just outshine his decadence. A novel certain to enthrall with it never-ending supply of action, The Sea Wolf is the perfect pick for those longing to set on a more dangerous voyage.

The Red Badge of Courage is a fiction that tells the story of a soldier named Henry Fleming during the American Civil War. The novel gained widespread praise from critics and was also a commercial success shortly after its release and made Stephen Crane an instant celebrity at the young age of 24. In the novel, Henry was one of the enlisted soldiers in the 304th New York Regiment. He flees from battle in one of the skirmishes they had against the Confederates and to hide his cowardice, he attempted to inflict a wound to himself which is referred to as the “red badge of courage.” He got the wound that he wants to have when he joins a group of fellow soldiers retreating from the battlefield. One of them accidentally hit his head with a rifle butt and wounded him. When he came back to their camp, the other soldiers there quickly treated his wound believing that he got it during the battle. After this incident, he again went back to the battlefield and was able to prove that he was really a capable solider. Most critics praise this novel because of the very realistic way in which Crane was able to describe all the battle scenes in the story. He was born after the Civil War and had not even experienced a fight in any war. It’s very interesting to know that Crane was able to write a very realistic novel about the War just by reading other novels about it and listening to the stories told by war veterans in New York. Readers who are into historical war novels will definitely have a great time reading this book. Although it’s a work of fiction, its contents are very realistic and accurate. This is very important especially for a story with a historical setting. This book will definitely not disappoint anyone who’s looking to read a good novel about the Civil War.

Hyakunin isshu (百人一首) is a traditional style of compiling Japanese waka poetry where each contributor writes one poem for the anthology.

An American Robinson Crusoe is a short version of the original story. An indolent, rebellious teen goes on a marine voyage against his parents’ wishes. The ship (and all of its crew) is lost in a storm, but Robinson makes it to a deserted island. He has no tools, no weapons, but he lives for over 28 years on the island. He befriends many animals on the island and after over 20 years living solo, he is joined by a young “savage” who becomes his constant companion. The transformation from the young, lazy teen to a self-sustaining, incredibly knowledgeable adult is one of the major themes in the story.