Published: 1845

A classic adventure novel, often considered Dumas' best work, and frequently included on lists of the best novels of all time. Completed in 1844, and released as an 18-part series over the next two years, Dumas collaborated with other authors throughout. The story takes place in France, Italy, and the Mediterranean from the end of the rule of Napoleon I through the reign of Louis-Philippe.

Author: Homer

Published: 1900

This ancient Greek epic poem centers on the hero Odysseus (or Ulysses, as he was known in Roman myths) and his long journey home following the fall of Troy. In the ten years it takes him to reach Ithaca his family assumes he has died, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of unruly suitors, the Mnesteres, who compete for Penelope's hand in marriage.

Published: 1870

Sent to investigate mysterious encounters that are disrupting international shipping, Professor Aronnax, his servant Conseil, and disgruntled harpooner Ned Land are captured when their frigate is sunk during an encounter with the "monster." The submarine Nautilus and its eccentric Captain Nemo afford the professor and his companions endless fascination and danger as they're swept along on a yearlong undersea voyage.

Published: 1888

One of the world's most influential political manuscripts. Commissioned by the Communist League and written by communist theorists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, it laid out the League's purposes and program. It presents an analytical approach to the class struggle (historical and present) and the problems of capitalism, rather than a prediction of communism's potential future forms.--Wikipedia

Published: 1916

Revised edition: 1924 (note: images are not included in this eBook.)

Translated by Benjamin Jowett.

Published: 1871

First published in England by Griffith and Farran in 1871, this edition is not a translation at all but a complete re-write of the novel, with portions added and omitted, and names changed. A better translation is A Journey into the Interior of the Earth translated by Rev. F. A. Malleson.

Translated by George Fyler Townsend.

Author: Charles Darwin

Published: 1859

When on board H.M.S. 'Beagle,' as naturalist, I was much struck with certain facts in the distribution of the inhabitants of South America, and in the geological relations of the present to the past inhabitants of that continent. These facts seemed to me to throw some light on the origin of species--that mystery of mysteries, as it has been called by one of our greatest philosophers. On my return home, it occurred to me, in 1837, that something might perhaps be made out on this question by patiently accumulating and reflecting on all sorts of facts which could possibly have any bearing on it. After five years' work I allowed myself to speculate on the subject, and drew up some short notes; these I enlarged in 1844 into a sketch of the conclusions, which then seemed to me probable: from that period to the present day I have steadily pursued the same object. I hope that I may be excused for entering on these personal details, as I give them to show that I have not been hasty in coming to a decision.

Based on translations of Kinder und Hausmarchen by Edgar Taylor and Marian Edwardes.

Author: Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe, An Appreciation
Life of Poe, by James Russell Lowell
Death of Poe, by N. P. Willis
The Unparalled Adventures of One Hans Pfall
The Gold Bug
Four Beasts in One
The Murders in the Rue Morgue (Audio version)
The Mystery of Marie Rogêt
The Balloon Hoax
MS. Found in a Bottle
The Oval Portrait

Published: 1849

or The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery (which he never meant to publish on any account).

It adds to the charm of this book to remember that it is virtually a picture of the author's own boyhood. It is an excellent picture of the life of a struggling English youth in the middle of the last century. The pictures of Canterbury and London are true pictures and through these pages walk one of Dickens' wonderful processions of characters, quaint and humorous, villainous and tragic. Nobody cares for Dickens heroines, least of all for Dora, but take it all in al,l this book is enjoyed by young people more than any other of the great novelist. After having read this you will wish to read Nicholas Nickleby for its mingling of pathos and humor, Martin Chuzzlewit for its pictures of American life as seen through English eyes, and Pickwick Papers for its crude but boisterous humor.

Published: 1895

A brilliant fantasy beyond conventional thought...

Published: 1883

A masterful tale of ''buccaneers and buried gold''. First published in the children's magazine Young Folks, and considered a coming of age story, it is an adventure tale of superb atmosphere, character, and action, as well as a wry commentary on the ambiguity of morality—as seen in Long John Silver—unusual for children's literature then and now. It is one of the most frequently dramatised of all novels, and its influence on popular lore about pirates can not be overestimated.

Author: Mike Cooper

Published: 2007

Funny, thought provoking adventure of modern hero, created by Zeus to save the Earth, (Gaia) from the depredations of people by the 2012 deadline. A radically new take on the global warming problem. Will the Earth be saved by people or will it manage very welll without them?

Published: 1599

Portraying the conspiracy against the Roman dictator, Julius Caesar, his assassination, and its aftermath, this drama is just one of several of Shakespeare's plays to be based on historical events.

Author: H.G. Wells

Published: 1913

The game revolves around lead soldiers and battlefields made from whatever materials were on hand, usually blocks or other toys. Little Wars is considered by some to be the first modern table top war game. It includes rules for infantry, cavalry, and even artillery in the form of toy naval guns that launch projectiles. In addition to being a war game manual, the development of the game is revealed as well as Wells' belief in pacifism.

Author: Dante Alighieri

Published: 1321

Translated by H.W. Longfellow

Published: 1886

The gripping novel of a London lawyer who investigates strange occurrences surrounding his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the misanthropic Mr. Edward Hyde. The work is known for its vivid portrayal of a split personality, split in the sense that within the same person there is both an apparently good and an evil personality each being quite distinct from the other.

Published: 14th century

"The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century. The tales are told as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. In a long list of works, including "Troilus and Criseyde", "House of Fame", "Parliament of Fowls", the Canterbury Tales is Chaucer's magnum opus, and a towering achievement of Western culture."--Wikipedia

Author: Homer

Rendered into English Prose for the use of those who cannot read the original.

Published: 1719

Sometimes considered to be the first novel in English, this book is a fictional autobiography of a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Venezuela.

Published: 1901

The novel tells the story of a journey to the moon by the impecunious businessman Mr Bedford and the brilliant but eccentric scientist Dr Cavor. On arrival, Bedford and Cavor find the moon inhabited by a race of moon-folk the two call "Selenites." The novel can also be read as a critique of prevailing political opinions from the turn of the century, particularly of imperialism.