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Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft Addressed to J. G. Lockhart, Esq. (1830) was a study of witchcraft and the supernatural by Sir Walter Scott. A lifelong student of folklore, Scott was able to draw on a wide-ranging collection of primary and secondary sources. His book found many readers throughout the 19th century, and exercised a significant influence in promoting the Victorian vogue for Gothic and ghostly fiction. Though on first publication it met with mixed reviews, it is now recognised as a pioneering work of scientific anthropology, treating of its subject in an acute and analytical way which prefigures later scholarship on the subject, as well as presenting a highly readable collection of supernatural anecdotes. The book is divided into ten parts, each taking the form of a letter from the author to his son-in-law, J. G. Lockhart. This format allows Scott to write in an informal, discursive manner, enhancing the book's readability. He presents a wide survey of attitudes to demonology and witchcraft from Biblical times up to the 19th century, illustrating it with a large number of anecdotes of individual cases. He considers also the topics of ghosts, fairies, brownies, elves, second sight, and the mythologies of the various Germanic peoples. Belief in these phenomena is presented as the result of ignorance and prejudice, which was eventually dispersed by the rise of rationalist philosophy in the 18th century. Witchcraft prosecutions were, he points out, often directed against heretics and political undesirables. Throughout he treats his subjects in the analytical, rationalist manner to be expected of an heir of the Scottish Enlightenment. (wikipedia.org)

Around the Moon (French: Autour de la Lune, 1869), also translated as Circling the Moon and All Around the Moon, is the sequel to Jules Verne's 1865 novel, From the Earth to the Moon. It's a science fiction tale which continues the trip to the moon that was only begun in the first novel. Later English editions sometimes combined the two under the title From the Earth to the Moon and Around It.From the Earth to the Moon and Around the Moon served as the basis for the 1902 film A Trip to the Moon. (wikipedia.org)

A.W. Marchmont was a popular British author who wrote several best-selling novels around the turn of the century. Unfortunately, biographical details are scarce. A New York Times obit merely states that upon leaving Oxford he engaged in journalism, which field he left in 1894 to devote his time to fiction. Marchmont's 1897 novel By Right of Sword remained on the Grosset & Dunlap best-seller list for over a decade after its initial publication, and in 1904 was made into a successful Broadway production, which ran several seasons. It was often remarked that Marchmont's novels sold better in the U.S. than in his own country. Marchmont specialized in the genre of "Imperial Intrigue." His tales are filled with romance, action, duels, and narrow escapes. He also wrote several excellent mystery novels which have yet to be rediscovered. A peculiarity of the Edwardian era, and especially for a 'man's man' writer, many of his novels are written from a woman's point of view.

After Dark is a collection of six short stories by Wilkie Collins, first published in 1856. It was the author's first collection of short stories. Five of the stories were previously published in Household Words, a magazine edited by Charles Dickens. The stories are linked by a narrative framework.At the beginning and end of the book are "Leaves from Leah's Diary" William Kerby, a travelling portrait-painter, is in danger of losing his sight, and is required by his doctor to cease painting for a while. His wife Leah realizes that destitution threatens. He is a good story-teller, and Leah has the idea of writing down his stories and publishing them.Each story has a prologue, which was added to the original story that appeared in Household Words. (wikipedia.org)

The Strolling Saint, first published in 1913, is a swashbuckler romance set in 16th century Italy. There is a strong underlying theme of religious hypocrisy, as the main character is forced into a career in the clergy, before having to fight the church to regain his inheritance. All par for the course for Rafael Sabatini ... (Robert Hepple)

A gripping, romantic masterpiece, which starts a little slowly, then generates such suspense that it is a real page turner. Adventure, romance and brilliant writing. This is possibly my favourite Sabatini, although the two Scaramouche books, and the Venetian Masque are strong contenders.

The Sea Hawk is a novel by Rafael Sabatini, originally published in 1915. The story is set over the years 1588-1593 and concerns a retired Cornish seafaring gentleman, Sir Oliver Tressilian, who is villainously betrayed by a jealous half-brother. After being forced to serve as a slave on a galley, Sir Oliver is liberated by Barbary pirates. He joins the pirates, gaining the name "Sakr-el-Bahr" (the hawk of the sea), and swears vengeance against his brother. (wikipedia.org)

CONTENTSThe Manchester Marriage By Elizabeth GaskellA Mere InterludeBy Thomas HardyA Faithful Heart By George Moore The Solid Gold Reef Company, LimitedBy Walter Besant The Tree of Knowledge By Henry James

Rob Roy (1817) is a historical novel by Walter Scott, one of the Waverley novels. It is probably set in 1715, the year of the first Jacobite uprising, and the social and economic background to that event are an important element in the novel, though it is not treated directly. The depiction of Rob Roy bears little relation to the historical figure: 'there are two Rob Roys. One lived and breathed. The other is a good story, a lively tale set in the past. Both may be accepted as "valid", but they serve different needs and interests.'Frank Osbaldistone narrates the story. He is the son of an English merchant who parted from his family home in the north of England near the border with Scotland when he was a young man, being of different religion and temperament than his own father or his younger brother. Frank is sent by his father to live at the long unseen family home with his uncle and his male cousins, when he refuses to join his father's successful business. In exchange, his father accepts Frank's cousin Rashleigh to work in his business. Rashleigh is an intelligent young man, but he is unscrupulous, and he causes problems for the business of Osbaldistone and Tresham. To resolve the problems, Frank travels into Scotland and meets the larger-than-life title character, Rob Roy MacGregor. (wikipedia.org)

The Hill of Dreams is a semi-autobiographical novel by the Welsh writer Arthur Machen.The novel recounts the life of a young man, Lucian Taylor, focusing on his dreamy childhood in rural Wales, in a town based on Caerleon. The Hill of Dreams of the title is an old Roman fort where Lucian has strange sensual visions, including ones of the town in the time of Roman Britain. Later, the novel describes Lucian's attempts to make a living as an author in London, enduring poverty and suffering in the pursuit of art and history.The Hill of Dreams was little noticed on its publication in 1907 save in a glowing review by Alfred Douglas. It was actually written between 1895 and 1897 and has elements of the style of the decadent and aesthetic movement of the period, seen through Machen's own mystical preoccupations. (wikipedia.org)

Once a Week is a collection of short stories and vignettes by A. A. Milne originally published in Punch. The collection was first published on 15 October 1914. Contents"The Heir""Winter Sport""A Baker's Dozen""Getting Married""Home Affairs""Other People's Houses""Burlesques""Merely Players""The Men Who Succeed"