The sensational bestselling story of Little Nell, the beautiful child thrown into a shadowy, terrifying world, seems to belong less to the history of the Victorian novel than to folklore, fairy tale, or myth. The sorrows of Nell and her grandfather are offset by Dickens's creation of a dazzling contemporary world inhabited by some of his most brilliantly drawn characters-the eloquent ne'er-do-well Dick Swiveller; the hungry maid known as the "Marchioness";...

"Pip is a poor orphan, a boy with "no expectations" being raised by his unkind sister and her husband in a small home on the marshes of Kent. But when Pip meets the bizarre Miss Havisham and her beautiful ward, Estella, he starts to yearn for a life as a gentleman. However, Pip will discover that wealth and honesty do not go hand in hand, and that kindness can be found in the most surprising places. A love story, a mystery, and a sharp critique of...

"The brave and bold outlaw, Robin Hood, and his merry band of followers roam through Sherwood Forest robbing the rich and aiding the poor. Clad in Lincoln green they elude and evade the Sheriff of Nottingham who is determined to catch them. Join them on their merry and bold adventures as they outsmart the Sheriff and make new friends. Their amazing exploits have thrilled and delighted young readers for centuries."--Bk. back cover.

This classic novel of farmers, outlaws, and forbidden romance beautifully evokes seventeenth-century rural life in England's West Country. Amidst the social and religious upheaval of seventeenth-century England, the once-noble Doone family has been transformed. Now a notorious clan of outlaws, the Doones show their victims no mercy-a lesson the yeoman John Ridd learns when they murder his father. Though he longs for revenge, John must continue to...

Colonel Pyncheon does well in denouncing Old Matthew: he founds a New England dynasty and builds a remarkable mansion; but on its opening day he is found dead, slaked in his own blood. By 1840, that dynasty is almost spent; amid the dust and decay of the Seven Gables, Clifford and Hepzibah believe in their own continued nobility as much as they believe in the mysterious curse still tracking the Pyncheons. After 30 years in prison for a murder he did...

Set amid the teeming bustle of Victorian England, Dombey and Son is Dickens's story of a powerful man whose coldhearted neglect of his family causes his professional and personal downfall. This Modern Library Paperback Classic reprints the 1867 "Charles Dickens" edition and includes newly commissioned endnotes and a reading group guide.

While going through the possessions of a deceased guest who owed them money, the mistress of the inn and her son find a treasure map that leads to a pirate fortune as well as great danger. Portrayal of good versus evil, as the young boy accompanies Long John Silver and his band of pirates in search of the buried treasure.

Benvenuto Cellini started getting onto trouble at a young age. By age sixteen, he had already been exiled from his hometown for six months due to a public assault of another citizen. As a man with endless talents- sculpting, drafting, writing, music, Cellini enjoyed dabbling in many different art forms, a career that enabled him to travel to various major cities. After apprenticing for a goldsmith, Cellini moved to Rome at age nineteen. There, Pope...