The Pioneers enters of Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales, and the one that incorporates most fully his own experience of growing up in a town of the American frontier. The heart of the novel is a conflict over who owns America, and by what concept of right. The competing claims of Native Americans, Tory loyalists, roving hunters, and visionary cultivators are pitted against one another in the area of history, and the magical village of Cooper’s youth becomes the scene in which a nation’s destiny is forged. Just as accessible and enjoyable for today’s modern readers as it would have been when first published well over a century ago, the novel is one of the great works of American literature and continues to be widely read throughout the world.

Jess Croft lives with sister Bessie and old Silas, a farmer raising ostriches on the great Transvaal veldt. He is a reserved and aloof, with a quietness about her brought on by the misfortunes of her young childhood, when she and Bessie arrived motherless from England to South Africa. Then an Englishman, Captain John Niel, arrives to try his hand at the farming life. To his eyes, Bessie is lively and lovely of face and figure — yet Jess is mystery, with a bright and roving mind and splendid, searching eyes… and unwillingly the three of them are drawn together, then torn apart, by the emotions that flare among them.

Probably the first full-length novel with a woman detective as its heroine, The Law and the Lady is a fascinating example of Collins’ later fiction. Despite the grave misgivings of both their families, Valeria Brinton and Eustace Woodville are married. But before long the new bride begins to suspect a dark secret in her husband’s past and when she discovers that he has been living under a false name, she determines to find out why he is concealing his true identity from her. Soon she must endure an even greater shock the revelation that her husband has been on trial for poisoning his first wife, Convinced of his innocence, Valeria is prepared to do anything to clear her husband’s name, and in so doing upturns the conventions of polite nineteenth century society.

This novel is set in the climactic months before the opening of the Third Crusade, called the Kings’ Crusade. The Brethren is a classic tale of love and chivalry, unfolding amidst the touching story of two English knights who are in love with the same maiden. The devotion of these men is tested when their beloved is carried away against her will to Palestine and eventually to the court of the famous Muslim leader, Saladin.

Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard is a 1904 novel by Joseph Conrad, set in the fictitious South American republic of «Costaguana». The events described in the novel are typical for political life in underdeveloped countries. The author takes up the problem of imperialism and its corrupting action even on the best people, which is the main character of the novel — the sailor Nostromo.

Wilkie Collins was one of the leading English authors of the Victorian era. Collins was a prolific author and he is credited for writing the first modern detective novel in English literature. The novel follows the fortunes of four women, all in one way or another ‘fallen leaves’, who are linked by their relationships with the hero, Amelius Goldenheart, and also by secrets from the past

James Fenimore Cooper was a prolific and popular American writer of the first half of the 19th century. His historical romances of frontier and Indian life in the early American days created a unique form of American literature. Mercedes of Castile; or, The Voyage to Cathay is a 1840 historical novel by James Fenimore Cooper. The novel is set in 15th century Europe, and follows the preparations and expedition of Christopher Columbus westward to the new world.

One of the greatest heroes in American literature, Natty Bumppo is the rugged frontiersman of James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstoclcing Tales. A restless white youth raised by Indians, Natty Bumppo is called Deerslayer for the daring that sets him apart from his peers. But he has yet to meet the test of the human conflict. In a tale of violent action and superbly sustained suspense, the harsh realities of tribal warfare. Still yet another kind of initiation awaits him when he discovers not only the ruthlessness of «civilized» men, but also the special danger of a woman’s will. His reckless spirit, transformed into a mature courage and moral certainty, the Deerslayer emerges to face life with nobility as pure and proud as the wilderness.

Jane Austen is one of England’s most enduring and skilled novelists. With her wit, social precision, and unerring ability to create some of literature’s most charismatic and believable heroines, she mesmerises her readers as much today as when her novels were first published. This selection of Jane Austen’s earliest writing remained unpublished during her lifetime. The title story was written before she was 15, while the other stories were completed before she was 17.

Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803 — 1873) was an English novelist, poet, playwright and politician. A lot of his works contributed to the early growth of the science fiction genre. «Zanoni» is a story of love and occult aspiration, which took place during the French Revolution. It is a remarkable novel about immortal magician, Zanoni, who cannot fall in love without losing his power of immortality; but he does fall in love with a mortal woman, Viola Pisani, a promising young opera singer from Naples.

The Crater; or, Vulcan’s Peak: a Tale of the Pacific is a novel in which Cooper incorporated knowledge of ship construction he had acquired while working as a U.S. Navy midshipman in the 1810s. From merely surviving the loss of his shipmates and the embayment of his ship within The Reef, protagonist and role-model Mark Woolston goes on to thrive by his own industry. Following a regional volcanic upheaval which raises new land, he founds a similarly industrious and thriving colony after escaping from, then returning to, The Reef. The outnumbered colonists must defend their new homes and possessions against natives who covet the new land.

Colonel Quaritch is an impoverished nobleman, who is looking for the family jewels of his bride — the «treasure de la Moley». He moves to the house of his late aunt in the village of Honhem and soon becomes involved in an adventure.

Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803 — 1873) was an English novelist, poet, playwright and politician. A lot of his works contributed to the early growth of the science fiction genre. «The Pilgrims of the Rhine» is a story of a young and terribly sick woman Gertrude, who goes to her last journey along the Rhine. This story is full of German tales and legends, which her beloved Trevylyan tells Gertrude in order to relieve her voyage.

The Black Robe is an 1881 epistolary novel by famed English writer, Willde Collins. In this novel of relationships, psychological contortion, and deceit, a priest comes between an impressionable man and the young woman he loves. Collins is best known for originating the genre of the «sensation novel» that is the precursor of the modern suspense and detective novels.

Cetywayo and His White Neighbours is a 1882 non-fiction book by Henry Rider Haggard. It was based on his time working in South Africa. Sir Henry Rider Haggard was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a pioneer of the Lost World literary genre.

Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803 — 1873) was an English novelist, poet, playwright and politician. A lot of his works contributed to the early growth of the science fiction genre. «The Last Days of Pompeii» is a novel inspired by the painting by the Russian painter Karl Briullov. It describes the cataclysmic destruction of the city of Pompeii by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The novel uses its characters to contrast the decadent culture of 1 st-century Rome with both older cultures and coming trends.

Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803 — 1873) was an English novelist, poet, playwright and politician. A lot of his works contributed to the early growth of the science fiction genre. «The Caxtons: A Family Picture» is a Victorian novel about a life of an aristocratic family. The novel is mainly concerned with domestic life, but it also includes a lengthy disquisition on colonisation and emigration, its value to British society and its role in extending civilization.

James Fenimore Cooper was a prolific and popular American writer of the first half of the 19th century. His historical romances of frontier and Indian life in the early American days created a unique form of American literature. Satanstoe is novel is the first of a three novel cycle, followed by The Chainbearer and The Redskins. The novel is a fictional autobiography which explores the 18th century colony of New York.

An adventurous trader, hearing from some natives in the territory that lies at the back of Quilimane, the legend of a great treasure buried in or about the sixteenth century by a party of Portuguese who were afterwards massacred, as a last resource attempted its discovery by the help of a mesmerist. According to this history the child who was used as a subject in the experiment, when in a state of trance, detailed the adventures and death of the unhappy Portuguese men and women, two of whom leapt from the point of a high rock into the Zambesi.

Romance is a novel written by Joseph Conrad and Ford Madox Ford, The novel was adapted into the film The Road to Romance. Serafina is captured by Don Balthasar’s pirates on a Caribbean island, when Jose Armando arrives from Spain to the rescue.

Afloat and Ashore is a nautical fiction novel by James Fenimore Cooper. Set in 1796-1804, the novel follows the maritime adventures of Miles Wallingford Jr. , the son of wealthy New York landowners who chooses to go to sea after the death of his parents. The novel is partially autobiographical, in part by Cooper’s own experiences as a sailor, and is his first full-length novel to fully employ a first-person narrative.

Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803 — 1873) was an English novelist, poet, playwright and politician. A lot of his works contributed to the early growth of the science fiction genre. «The Parisians» is an incredible mystery novel situated in Paris.

Precaution is the first novel written by American author James Fenimore Cooper. It was written in imitation of contemporary English domestic novels like those of Jane Austen and Amelia Opie. In the customary practice of the day Cooper was reading aloud to his wife one evening from a current English novel, but found the story dull. Throwing it aside, he declared, «I could write a better book than that myself,»

Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803 — 1873) was an English novelist, poet, playwright and politician, A lot of his works contributed to the early growth of the science fiction genre. «Kenelm Chillingly» is one of Bulwer’s most popular novels of English life. Kenelm is the long-desired heir of an old family, who leaves home in search of adventures as an unknown pedestrian with a few pounds in his pocket, but he does not expect, that adventures will change him cardinally.

William Wilkie Collins was an English novelist, playwright, and short story writer. In Basil’s secret and unconsummated marriage to the linen-draper’s sexually precocious daughter, and the shocking betrayal, insanity, and death that follow, Wilkie Collins reveals the bustling, commercial London of the 19th century wreaking its vengeance on a still powerful aristocratic world.

When the elderly Allan Armadale makes a terrible confession on his death-bed, he has little idea of the repercussions to come, for the secret he reveals involves the mysterious Lydia Gwilt: flamed-hair temptress, bigamist, laudanum addict and husband-poisoner, This traditional melodrama also considers the modern theme of the role of women in society.

When the elderly Allan Armadale makes a terrible confession on his death-bed, he has little idea of the repercussions to come, for the secret he reveals involves the mysterious Lydia Gwilt: flamed-hair temptress, bigamist, laudanum addict and husband-poisoner. This traditional melodrama also considers the modern theme of the role of women in society,

When the elderly Allan Armadale makes a terrible confession on his death-bed, he has little idea of the repercussions to come, for the secret he reveals involves the mysterious Lydia Gwilt: flamed-hair temptress, bigamist, laudanum addict and husband-poisoner. This traditional melodrama also considers the modern theme of the role of women in society.

Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) was an English novelist of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, which revolves around the imaginary county of Barsetshire. «The Claverings» is a novel about a young man starting out in life, who must find himself a profession and a wife; and of a young woman who made a marriage of convenience and must abide the consequences. Since its first appearance in 1867, this novel has been acclaimed as one of Trollope’s most successful protrayals of mid-Victorian life.

Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) was an English novelist of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, which revolves around the imaginary county of Barsetshire. «The Belton Estate» is a novel about a young woman who has accepted one of two suitors, then discovered that he was unworthy of her love. First published in 1865, the novel is concerned with the plight of unmarried, impecunious women in the 19th century.

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850—1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, travel writer, and essayist. He was a celebrity during his lifetime for works like «Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde» and «Treasure Island.» Now he is one of the most translated authors in the world. «The Wrong Box» is a brilliant black comedy novel co-written with Lloyd Osbourne. The book tells the story of the brothers who are the last two members of a tontine, a deal in which the last surviving member stands to receive a fortune.

David Herbert Lawrence (1885-1930) was an English novelist, poet, playwright and literary critic, one of the key writers of the early twentieth century, most famous for his criticism of rationalism and industrialization. Set in the Nottinghamshire, England, The Rainbow follows three generations of the Brangwens, a strong and energetic family, deeply attached to the land they own. The book focuses on the individual’s struggle against the confining rules and restrictions of social life.

David Herbert Lawrence (1885-1930) was an English novelist, poet, playwright and literary critic, one of the key writers of the early twentieth century, most famous for his criticism of rationalism and industrialization. Set in the Nottinghamshire, England, The Rainbow follows three generations of the Brangwens, a strong and energetic family, deeply attached to the land they own. The book focuses on the individual’s struggle against the confining rules and restrictions of social life.

Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) was an English novelist of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, which revolves around the imaginary county of Barsetshire. «Orley Farm» is a novel which was first published by the London publisher Chapman and Hall from March 1861 to October 1862. This story deals with the imperfect workings of the legal system in the trial and acquittal of Lady Mason.

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850—1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, travel writer, and essayist. He was a celebrity during his lifetime for works like «Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde» and «Treasure Island.» Now he is one of the most translated authors in the world. Praised by many as a potential masterpiece, «The Weir of Hermiston» tells the story of young Archie Weir from a rich Edinburgh family. Having abandoned all attempts to get along with his father, Archie is banished from his family and sent to live as the local landlord on family property in the Borders hamlet Hermiston. There Archie meets and falls in love with a young local girl named Kirstie.

Walter Scott (1771—1832) was a Scottish historical novelist, poet, and playwright. Although he was an advocate and legal administrator by profession, Scott is most famous for his great literary works and activities in the Royal Highland Society. «The Monastery» is a historical novel that takes place during the Scottish Reformation in the middle of the sixteenth century. The wonderful love story between three heroes, Glendinning boys, and Mary Avenel, closely intersects with events in the country that threaten the very existence of the Monastery of Kennaquhair.

Bram Stoker (1847—1912) was an Irish novelist, best known today for his universally famous gothic novel «Dracula», the main villain of which is still one of the most popular antagonists in the modern media. «The Lady of the Shroud» is a gothic novel that tells the story of Rupert Saint Leger. He inherits an estate worth more than one million pounds, but on one condition: he must live for a year in his uncle’s castle in the Land of the Blue Mountains, near the Dalmatian coast However, one night, a pale woman wearing a wet shroud visits the estate. She dries herself and stays for the night but flees before morning. It takes several visits for Rupert to fall in love, despite believing that she is a vampire living in the crypt.

Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) was an English novelist of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, which revolves around the imaginary county of Barsetshire. «Nina Balatka» is a romance about a Christian girl from Prague who falls in love with a Jewish merchant. It is one of the few novels published anonymously by Trollope, who was to disguise his style.

William Makepeace Thackeray (1811—1863) was a British author and novelist mostly known for his satirical works such as «Vanity Fair» that showed an ironic representation of the British society of those times. «The Virginians» is a historical novel, a sequel to «The History of Henry Esmond, Esq» loosely linked to «The History of Pendennis.» It tells the story of Henry Esmond’s twin grandsons, George and Henry Warrington. Henry’s romantic connection with an older woman makes him join the British army and fight under the command of General Wolfe during the capture of Quebec. During the American War of Independence, he takes the revolutionary side. This event forces George, who is also a British officer, to resign rather than go into battle against his brother.

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797—1851) was an English novelist, dramatist, and short story writer, universally known for her Gothic novel «Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus». «The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck» is a historical novel about the life of Perkin Warbeck, claimed to be Richard of Shrewsbury, the second son of King Edward IV. The book takes a point of view that Perkin Warbeck died in childhood and the supposed impostor was Richard indeed. The book also contains the message that an ideal political system is impossible without significant changes in human nature.