Subject
Tales long passed to young readers, from nursery classics to schoolroom adventures. The catalog itself is written for a general audience looking up a public-domain text.
Alice follows a rabbit and finds a world that argues with her about size, manners, and the meaning of words. Carroll wrote it for a real child and then built a classic out of the joke.
A cyclone carries Dorothy from Kansas to a road of yellow brick. The companions she picks up all want something a wizard in a city claims he can grant.
by J. M. Barrie
The Darling children leave the nursery for Neverland with a boy who refuses the future. Barrie’s novel keeps the flying, and also the cost of never coming home.
Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert ask for a boy from the orphanage and receive Anne Shirley. She talks, imagines, and slowly makes herself necessary to Avonlea.
Mary Lennox arrives at a Yorkshire manor and finds a garden no one is allowed to enter. Tending it changes her, and the cousin shut in another room.
Through the Looking-Glass is the sequel to his Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in which many of the characters were anthropomorphic playing cards. In this second novel the theme is chess.
The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits is typically categorised as a nonsense poem. It borrows the setting, some creatures, and eight portmanteau words from Carroll's earlier poem "Jabberwocky" in his children's novel Through the Looking-Glass.
by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Complete is set in the 1830s–1840s in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, which is based on Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived as a boy. In the novel, Sawyer has several adventures, often with his friend Huckleberry Finn.
by Thomas Hardy
Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman initially appeared in a censored and serialised version, published by the British illustrated newspaper The Graphic, then in book form in three volumes, and as a single volume. Although now considered a major novel of the 19th century, Tess of the d'Urbervilles received mixed reviews when it first appeared, in part because it challenged the morals of late Victorian England.
by Mrs. Rowson
Charlotte Temple recounts a schoolgirl, Charlotte Temple, who is seduced by a British officer and brought to America, where she is abandoned, pregnant, sick and in poverty. The first American edition was published in 1794 and the novel became a bestseller.
At the Back of the North Wind was serialized in the children's magazine Good Words for the Young beginning and was published in book form. At the Back of the North Wind is a fantasy centered on a boy named Diamond and his adventures with the North Wind.
by Anna Sewell
Black Beauty was written from a horse as main character's perspective. She wrote it in the last years of her life, during which she was bedridden and seriously ill.
by Daniel Defoe
The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders purports to be an autobiographical account of the life of the eponymous heroine, detailing her exploits from birth until old age as she uses her wits, cunning and charm to provide herself with financial security. While the novel is now generally attributed to Defoe, and his name is given as the author in modern printings, the original text does not list an author and was presented as an autobiography.
Kidnapped has attracted the praise and admiration of writers as diverse as Henry James, Jorge Luis Borges, and Hilary Mantel. Kidnapped is written in English with some dialogue in the Lowland Scots language.
by Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter
Just David was among the top six bestsellers in cities across the United States, and in July it was the second bestselling novel. Originally published by Houghton Mifflin, it recounts a young boy, David, who must learn to adapt to living with others after the death of his reclusive father; along the way, the villagers and his adoptive parents adapt as much or more to him.
Little Lord Fauntleroy was published as a serial in St. Nicholas Magazine, then as a book by Scribner's (the publisher of St. Nicholas) in New York. Little Lord Fauntleroy was also published that year in November by Frederick Warne & Co.
by George Eliot
Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe is the third novel by English author George Eliot; it was published on 2 April. A seemingly simple story of a linen weaver, Silas Marner is notable for its strong realist bent, as well as its sophisticated treatment of a variety of issues ranging from religion to industrialisation to community.
Sylvie and Bruno, first published, and its second volume Sylvie and Bruno Concluded published, form the last novel by Lewis Carroll published during his lifetime. Both volumes were illustrated by Harry Furniss.
The Light Princess was published in as a story within the larger story Adela Cathcart. Drawing on inspiration from the story "Sleeping Beauty", it recounts a princess afflicted by a constant weightlessness, unable to get her feet on the ground, both literally and metaphorically, until she finds a love that brings her down to earth.
A Child's History of England first appeared in serial form in Household Words, running from 25 January to 10 December. Dickens also published the work in book form in three volumes: the first volume on 20 December, the second on 25 December and the third on 24 December.
The Princess and Curdie is the sequel to The Princess and the Goblin. The adventure continues with Princess Irene and Curdie a year or two older.
The Story of the Treasure Seekers Being the Adventures of the Bastable Children in Search of a Fortune recounts Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel, and Horace Octavius (H. ) Bastable, and their attempts to assist their widowed father and recover the fortunes of their family.
Five Children and It was originally published the Strand Magazine under the general title The Psammead, or the Gifts, with a segment appearing each month. The stories were then expanded into a novel which was published the same year.
The Wouldbegoods: Being the Further Adventures of the Treasure Seekers recounts Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel, and Horace Octavius (H. ) Bastable, as well as Daisy and Denis Foulkes, and their attempts to perform good deeds, which usually go awry.
The Phoenix and the Carpet is the second in a trilogy of novels that begins with Five Children and It, and follows the adventures of the same five children: Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane and the Lamb. Their mother buys the children a new carpet to replace one from the nursery that they destroyed in an accidental fire.
by Oscar Wilde
A House of Pomegranates is Wilde's second fairy tale collection, following The Happy Prince and Other Tales. He said of the book that it was "intended neither for the British child nor the British public".
by Oscar Wilde
The Happy Prince, and Other Tales contains five stories that are highly popular among children and frequently read in schools: "The Happy Prince," "The Nightingale and the Rose," "The Selfish Giant," "The Devoted Friend," and "The Remarkable Rocket. " The short stories are valued for their morals, and have been made into animated films.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland HTML Edition recounts a little girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatures. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland HTML Edition is seen as an example of the literary nonsense genre.
by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum
Tik-Tok of Oz has little to do with Tik-Tok and is primarily the quest of the Shaggy Man (introduced in The Road to Oz) to rescue his brother, and his resulting conflict with the Nome King. Tik-Tok of Oz was based on Baum's play The Tik-Tok Man of Oz, which was produced in Los Angeles in spring.
Little Dorrit features Amy Dorrit, youngest child of her family, born and raised in the Marshalsea prison for debtors in London. Arthur Clennam encounters her after returning home from a 20-year absence, ready to begin his life anew.
Tanglewood Tales is a re-writing of well-known Greek myths in a volume for children.
Bleak House has many characters and several subplots, and is told partly by the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and partly by an omniscient narrator. At the centre of Bleak House is a long-running legal case in the Court of Chancery, Jarndyce and Jarndyce, which comes about because a testator has written several conflicting wills.
by Mark Twain
A Horse's Tale is a novel written by American author Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), written partially in the voice of Soldier Boy, who is Buffalo Bill's favorite horse, at a fictional frontier outpost with the U.
Originally published, Doctor Marigold was extremely successful, as were Dickens's public performances of a play based on the story--fascinating and easy to read. Doctor (it is his given name) Marigold is a "Cheap Jack" or what we would call a street peddler.
by Mark Twain
The Prince and the Pauper was first published Canada, before its publication in the United States. The Prince and the Pauper represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction.
The Governess; or, The Little Female Academy is a novel published in 1749 by Sarah Fielding. The Governess; Or, The Little Female Academy is the first full-length novel written for children, and is a significant work of 18th-century children's literature.
Rose in Bloom A Sequel to "Eight Cousins" depicts the story of a nineteenth-century girl, Rose Campbell, finding her way in society, seeking a profession in philanthropy, and finding a marriage partner. Considered enjoyable by some readers and dull by others, the novel received generally positive reviews.
Jo's Boys is the final book in the unofficial Little Women series. In it, the March sisters' children and the original students of Plumfield, now grown, are caught up in real world troubles as they work towards careers and pursue love.
Wives and Daughters was partly written whilst Gaskell was staying with the salon hostess Mary Elizabeth Mohl at her home on the Rue du Bac in Paris. When Mrs Gaskell died suddenly in 1865, it was not quite complete, and the last section was written by Frederick Greenwood.
At first, Gaskell wanted the novel to be titled after the heroine, Margaret Hale, but Charles Dickens, the editor of Household Words, the magazine in which the novel was serialised, insisted on North and South. Gaskell's first novel, Mary Barton, focused on relations between employers and workers in Manchester from the perspective of the working poor; North and South uses a protagonist from southern England to show and comment on the perspectives of mill owners and workers in an industrialising city.
Five Little Peppers Midway covers the lives of the five children in their native state and develops with their rescue by a wealthy gentleman who takes an interest in the family.
by Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter
Pollyanna Grows Up is the first of many sequels to Porter's best-selling Pollyanna, but is the only one written by Porter herself; the numerous later additions to the Pollyanna franchise were the work of other authors.
by Mark Twain
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapters 01 to 05 is commonly named among the Great American Novels, and it is among the first in major American literature to be written throughout in vernacular English, characterized by local color regionalism. Being the direct sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, it is told in the first person by Huckleberry "Huck" Finn, the narrator of two other later Twain novels (Tom Sawyer Abroad and Tom Sawyer, Detective) and a friend of Tom Sawyer.
by Henry James
What Maisie Knew recounts Maisie Farange, the sensitive daughter of divorced, irresponsible, narcissistic, vindictive, and vile parents, Beale and Ida Farange. What Maisie Knew stays with the title character from earliest childhood to precocious maturity.
by Ouida
A Dog of Flanders concerns a Flemish boy named Nello and his dog, Patrasche, and is set in Antwerp. In Japan, Korea, Russia, Ukraine and the Philippines, the novel has been a popular children's classic for decades and has been adapted into several Japanese films and anime.
The Haunted Mind (From "Twice Told Tales") was first published in The Token and Atlantic Souvenir,. The Haunted Mind (From "Twice Told Tales") was later included in Volume Two of Twice-Told Tales, a gathering of short stories by Hawthorne published.
Mother Carey's Chickens is a novel by Kate Douglas Wiggin published by Houghton Mifflin.
Struwwelpeter: Merry Stories and Funny Pictures comprises ten illustrated and rhymed stories, mostly about children. Each cautionary tale has a clear moral lesson that demonstrates the disastrous consequences of misbehavior in an exaggerated way.
Children of the Ghetto: A Study of a Peculiar People is loosely based on Zangwill's novel of the same name. Children of the Ghetto: A Study of a Peculiar People is a drama in four acts, each with a subtitle and its own setting.
The Three Jovial Huntsmen (1880) was a popular British picture book illustrated by Randolph Caldecott, engraved and printed by Edmund Evans and published by George Routledge & Sons in London. The toy book, which is a variant of the folklore song The Three Huntsmen (sometimes called the Three Jolly Huntsmen), was well-received, selling tens of thousands of copies.
The Anti-Slavery Alphabet was written by two of the society's members, Hannah and Mary Townsend, with the intention of encouraging abolitionist ideas in young children.
The Pied Piper of Hamelin (German: der Rattenfänger von Hameln), also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin, is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany. The legend dates back to the Middle Ages.
by Mayne Reid
The Rifle Rangers depicts the plight of American soldiers stationed in Mexico during the war and their effect on the native population. The Rifle Rangers stays with the life of protagonist Captain Jack Haller as he helms the newly formed American battalion, dubbed the "Rifle Rangers".
by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne
The Island Queen was then published in paperback by J. The Island Queen was Ballantyne's 79th publication, written in the latter half of his career.
The Flight of Pony Baker A Boy's Town Story was published by Harper and Brothers New York, New York. The Flight of Pony Baker A Boy's Town Story recounts a young boy named Pony Baker who, throughout the book, attempts to run away from his home where he lives with his mother, father, and five sisters.
Phoebe, Junior stays with the exploits of its heroine, Phoebe Beecham, as she learns the true history of her family history. Phoebe, Junior is the last of the six Carlingford Chronicles, and is set roughly in the early 1860s to late 1870s.
"The Snow-Image: A Childish Miracle" is a short story by the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, which gave its title to his collection The Snow-Image, and Other Twice-Told Tales, published.
A Wonder Book for Girls & Boys was followed by a sequel, Tanglewood Tales.
Holiday House: A Series of Tales was first published in Edinburgh by William Whyte & Co. Holiday House is set in Edinburgh at some point before.
A Captured Santa Claus depicts the origin of Santa Claus (played by Huddleston), and his modern-day adventure to save Patch, one of his elves (Moore) who has been manipulated by B. An unscrupulous toy company executive (Lithgow).
by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum
Aunt Jane's Nieces on the Ranch depicts a story of racial tension on the California ranch owned by the progressive-minded Arthur Weldon and Louise Merrick Weldon, who have entrusted their baby, Jane, nicknamed "Toodlums," to a Mexican governess named Inez.
by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz after she and her pet dog Toto are swept away from their home by a cyclone.
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer, conductor, and pianist. Regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music, he was mentored during the Classical period, and his musical style was a key driver of the transition to Romantic music, and the expansion of instrumental forms such as the symphony, the piano sonata and the string quartet.
by Peter Newell
The Hole Book stays with an accidentally-fired bullet as it travels through various scenes and objects in a town. The physical book features a literal, die-cut hole on each page, which is incorporated into the illustrations of havoc wreaked along bullet's path.
Cobwebs to catch flies was a reading primer and was one of the first books to differentiate between reading age groups, and which was widely used until the 1890s.