During one of his several adventurous voyages in the 1600s, an Englishman becomes the sole survivor of a shipwreck and lives for nearly thirty years on a deserted island. Illustrated notes throughout the text explain the historical background of the story.

Young Carrie Meeber leaves home for the first time and experiences work, love, and the pleasures and responsibilities of independence in late-nineteenth-century Chicago and New York.

A collection of writings by Ralph Waldo Emerson, including sermons, poems, and journal excerpts, as well as a portion of his contributions to "Memoirs of Margaret Fuller Ossoli," with critical interpretations, and essays that examine the context in which Emerson wrote, and his critical reception.

Forced by her parents' ambitions among her wealthy D'Urberville cousins, Tess Durbeyfield attracts the unscrupulous Alec. Seduced and discarded, she finds work as a milkmaid, and her steadfast integrity is finally rewarded by the love of Angle Clare. Violated by one man, forsaken by another, Tess Durbeyfield is the magnificent and spirited heroine of Thomas Hardy's immortal work. With the innocent and powerless victim Tess, he creates profound sympathy...

A translation of 239 fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm. Also includes a listing of their oral and/or literary sources.