Mint Editions

Magnolia Leaves (1897) is a collection of poems by Mary Weston Fordham. Published toward the end of her life, Fordham's only collection appeared in print with an introduction by Booker T. Washington, who saw in its author an undeniable gift which could prove "[t]he Negro's right to be considered worthy of recognition in the field of poetic effort." Meditating on such themes as morality, labor, maternity, liberty, and faith, Mary Weston Fordham displays not only a mastery of poetic form, but a hard-earned wisdom and talent for observing life in all its forms. "With hands all reddened and sore, / With back and shoulders low bent, / She stands all day, and part of the night / Till her strength is well-nigh spent." In "The Washerwoman," Fordham depicts a woman whose life on earth revolves around labor, for whom life after death means the promise of hard-earned rest, to "be found on the other shore." While many, if not all, of Fordham's poems revolve around Christian imagery and themes, some, including "Chicago Exposition Ode," "Stars and Stripes," and "Alaska," reflect on the promise of freedom and liberty in the aftermath of the Civil War. Her poems strive to depict the diversity of nineteenth century America, such as in "Atlanta Exposition Ode," which celebrates the end of war and the coming together of former slaves, Union soldiers, and Confederate forces alike. "Song to Erin" and "Highland Mary" depict the immigrant experience, while "The Cherokee" mourns the murder and displacement of America's indigenous peoples. In sixty-six poems, Mary Weston Fordham distils the experience of a lifetime and the wisdom of one who has experienced loss and found the strength to move forward. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Mary Weston Fordham's Magnolia Leaves is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Hawaiian Legends of Ghosts and Ghost-Gods (1915) is a collection of Hawaiian folktales and myths by W. D. Westervelt. Connecting the origin story of Hawaii to the traditions of other Polynesian cultures, Westervelt provides an invaluable resource for understanding the historical and geographical scope of Hawaiian culture. Drawing on the work of David Malo, Samuel Kamakau, and Abraham Fornander, Westervelt, originally from Ohio, became a leading authority on the Hawaiian Islands, publishing extensively on their legends, religious beliefs, and folk tales. "The legends of the Hawaiian Islands are as diverse as those of any country in the world. They are also entirely distinct in form and thought from the fairy tales, which excite the interest and wonder of the English and German children. The mythology of Hawaii follows the laws upon which all myths are constructed." Part ethnography, part geological description, Westervelt's work is a powerful celebration of the cultural traditions of the Hawaiian Islands. In these legends, ghosts and gods interact with the environment and the daily lives of islanders, shaping human society and the land itself. Highlights include the story of the Wauhaula heiau, or temple, the legend of the enraged Hau-pu and the Rock of Kauai, and the tale of Nanaue, the shark-man of Waipio Valley.

“The Birch Bark Books of Simon Pokagon” is a collection of articles and legends written for and about the Potawatomi tribe by Simon Pokagon. Before Chicago was one of the largest and most prosperous cities in the nation, it was home to the Anishinaabe peoples, including the Potawatomi to whom Simon Pokagon belonged. Angered with the erasure of his people and the whitewashing of the history of violence against America's indigenous tribes, Pokagon gave this opening speech, "The Red Man's Rebuke," at the World's Columbia Exposition of 1893. A lifelong activist, Pokagon dissects the false narrative of savagery and civilization which justified the actions of European settlers while vilifying those they displaced in their movement westward. During the Exposition, Pokagon would speak to a crowd of 75,000 on his hope for the future of his people.

Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan (1882) is a collection of poems by Toru Dutt. Compiled after her death and published in London, Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan is an invaluable work of art from a pioneering figure in Indian history and Bengali literature. Born in Calcutta to a family of Bengali Christians, Toru Dutt was raised at the crossroads of English and Indian cultures. In addition to her native Bengali, she became fluent in English, French, and Sanskrit as a young girl, eventually writing novels and poems in each language. Despite her limited body of work, Dutt's legacy as a groundbreaking writer remains firm in India and around the world. "Savitri was the only child / Of Madra's wise and mighty king; / Stern warriors, when they saw her, smiled, / As mountains smile to see the spring." In rhyming English verse, Bengali poet Toru Dutt presents some of the oldest and most sacred stories from ancient India. Translated from Sanskrit into the popular ballad form, Dutt introduces an English audience to the story of Savitri, originally from the epic Mahabharata, as well as the tale of Lakshman, which comes from the Hindu epic Ramayana. Alongside these poems appear Dutt's versions of Bengali folklore-"Joghadhya Uma"-and poems written during her stay in Europe. "Near Hastings" is a particularly beautiful example of her original verse depicting an otherworldly encounter along the English seacoast: "Near Hastings, on the shingle-beach, / We loitered at the time / When ripens on the wall the peach, / The autumn's lovely prime." With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Toru Dutt's Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan is a classic work of Bengali literature reimagined for modern readers.

The White Wampum (1895) is the debut poetry collection of E. Pauline Johnson. Originally published in London, The White Wampum launched her career as one of Canada's most distinguished artists. Revered as one the foremost indigenous poets of her time, Johnson was a prolific writer whose works explored her Mohawk heritage while shedding light on the racism and persecution faced by indigenous peoples across North America. The White Wampum captures Johnson's range as a poet in tune with the Romantic tradition without erasing her dualistic sense of identity as a woman of Mohawk and English heritage. Choosing to emphasize the former, Johnson, who also went by Tekahionwake, her great-grandfather's name, adopts the persona of a Mohawk wife devoted to her husband, a powerful warrior: "I am Ojistoh, I am she, the wife / Of him whose name breathes bravery and life / And courage to the tribe that calls him chief. / I am Ojistoh, his white star, and he / Is land, and lake, and sky-and soul to me." When members of the rival Huron tribe capture Ojistoh, their plan for retribution fails to account for her own strength and willpower. Outnumbered and unarmed, she remains certain she will return to her husband alive. In "The Camper," Johnson invokes the beauty and simplicity of life on the plains, erasing for a moment all distinction between man and god, heaven and earth: "Night neath the northern skies, lone, black, and grim: / Nought but the starlight lies twixt heaven, and him. / Of man no need has he, of God, no prayer; / He and his Deity are brothers there." With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of E. Pauline Johnson's The White Wampum is a classic of Canadian literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Collected Meditations of Mrs. Maria W. Stewart (2021) compiles the speeches and writings of Maria W. Stewart. This groundbreaking collection includes some of the best works from across Stewart's career as the first African American public lecturer, including Meditations from the Pen of Mrs. Maria Stewart, her 1832 speech delivered at the Franklin Hall, her address delivered before the African American Female Intelligence Society, and her lecture delivered at the African Masonic Hall in 1833. "Many will suffer for pleading the cause of oppressed Africa, and I shall glory in being one of her martyrs; for I am firmly persuaded that the God in whom I trust is able to protect me from the rage and malice of mine enemies, and from them that will rise up against me; and if there is no other way for me to escape, He is able to take me to himself..." In the brief span of five years, Stewart became one of Boston's most prominent lecturers on abolition and women's rights, passionately condemning the institution of slavery while calling attention to the racism faced by free African Americans living in the north. This collection places some of her best-known speeches alongside her highly regarded meditations, personal reflections on life as a Black woman in nineteenth century America. A keen observer of political events and a powerful voice against oppression of all kinds, Maria W. Stewart remains relatively unknown despite her prominent role in the movements for abolition and women's rights. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Collected Meditations of Mrs. Maria W. Stewart is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands (1857) is the autobiography of Mary Seacole. Recognized for her pioneering healthcare work for soldiers and citizens around the world, Seacole was also the first Black Briton to publish an autobiographical work. Although Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands underwent editing by an anonymous person, it is a first-person account of Seacole's experiences during outbreaks of cholera, malaria, and war. "As I grew into womanhood, I began to indulge that longing to travel which will never leave me while I have health and vigour. I was never weary of tracing upon an old map the route to England, and never followed with my gaze the stately ships homeward bound without longing to be in them, and see the blue hills of Jamaica fade into the distance." Adventurous and energetic, empathetic and kind, Mary Seacole was a pioneering traveler and healer who saved countless lives and cared for the sick and dying on both sides of the Atlantic. From her early work with cholera and malaria patients in the Caribbean to her famous British Hotel, opened on the outskirts of Sevastopol, during the Crimean War, Seacole served the suffering without regard for her own health or finances. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Mary Seacole's Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Flowers of Evil (1857) is a collection of poems by Charles Baudelaire. Translated into English by Cyril Scott in 1909, Baudelaire's poems remain lively and idiosyncratic nearly two centuries after they came into existence. Comprised mostly of sonnets and short lyrics, The Flowers of Evil captures Baudelaire's sense of the changing role of the poet in modern life. Rather than focus on beauty and other ideals, Baudelaire explores the totality of human experience- the good, bad, and ugly of life on earth.

With a mix of both respectable and immoral advice, The Prince is a frank analysis on political power. Separated into four sections, The Prince is both a guide to obtain power and an explanation on the aspects that affect it. The first section discusses the types of principalities. According to Machiavelli, there are four different types-hereditary, mixed, new and ecclesiastical. While defining each type, Machiavelli also discusses the implications of each. Next, The Prince identifies types of armies. There are hired armies, which Machiavelli himself expressed distrust of, loaned troops (also known as auxiliaries), native, or a mix of the three. With intriguing contrasts, the next section reveals the most effective behavior and characteristics for a ruler. While it is advised to be stingy over generous, cruel over merciful, and champions dishonesty over inconvenience, The Prince also stresses the importance of being a well-like ruler with an enhanced reputation, creating a complex character to portray. Finally, to highlight why the aforementioned sections are necessary and accurate, the last section of The Prince discusses the political state of 16th century Italy. With examples of both effective and ineffective policies and rulers, The Prince provides intriguing philosophical and political discourse as well as a detailed look at the innerworkings of the Italian government during the Renaissance. The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli introduces an unprecedented political analysis, creating a fascinating discussion on Renaissance politics while inviting readers to consider the evidence of Machiavelli's studies present in modern-day government. Machiavelli's work has paved the way for and shaped political parties that are still in practice even in a democratic society, consequently solidifying The Prince as an ever-present analysis of political science. This edition of Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince is presented in a modern font and features a new, eye-catching cover design. Providing both a riveting look into Renaissance politics and a relevant analysis of power, The Prince by Machiavelli possess a duality that preserves its influence.

Helen of Troy and Other Poems (1911) is a poetry collection by Sara Teasdale. The poet's second collection, published several years before she was awarded the 1918 Pulitzer Prize, is a masterful collection of lyric poems meditating on life, romance, and the natural world. Somber and celebratory, symbolic and grounded in experience, Helen of Troy and Other Poems revels in the mystery of existence itself. "Wild flight on flight against the fading dawn / The flames' red wings soar upward duskily. / This is the funeral pyre and Troy is dead / That sparkled so the day I saw it first, / And darkened slowly after. I am she / Who loves all beauty-yet I wither it." As Troy burns, Teasdale imagines an impassioned monologue given from the ramparts by the infamous Helen, whose faithlessness in marriage was the catalyst for war in Homer's Iliad. Although she is often seen as a minor character, more an object of male desire than an autonomous subject in her own right, Teasdale refuses to follow the template passed down by generations of poets-mostly men. Her Helen is meditative and intelligent, capable of immense sorrow and full-throated rage alike: "Men's lives shall waste with longing after me, / For I shall be the sum of their desire, / The whole of beauty, never seen again." While acknowledging her role in Troy's destruction, Helen is a tragic figure in Teasdale's poem, a woman who never asked for beauty, let alone for the troubles that beauty brought down on the world. Containing monologue poems from such figures as Sappho, Beatrice, and Guenevere, alongside a series of love poems and finely-crafted sonnets, Helen of Troy and Other Poems is a brilliant collection by a gifted American poet. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Sara Teasdale's Helen of Troy and Other Poems is a classic work of American poetry reimagined for modern readers.

Ariel (1922) is an essay by José Enrique Rodó. Originally published in Spanish in 1900, Ariel was translated into English just five years after the author's death by F. J. Stimson, the former U. S. Ambassador to Argentina. The essay was immediately influential in Uruguay and across Latin America as an essential document of modernismo, a literary movement which sought to unite classical values and contemporary culture through a devotion to beauty and form. "The gifts of the youthful spirit-enthusiasm and hope-correspond in the harmonies of history and natural history to movement and to light. Wherever you shall turn your eyes you will find these, the natural atmosphere in which move all things that are strong and beautiful." Captivated by a bronze statue of Ariel from Shakespeare's The Tempest, a teacher known as Prospero speaks passionately to his young students on the eve of summer vacation. Taking a historical view of human civilization, José Enrique Rodó applies the teachings of the Enlightenment to the political reality facing Latin America in the early twentieth century. Promoting morality and idealism over the encroaching utilitarianism of North America, Rodó crafted what one critic called "the ethical gospel of the Spanish-speaking new world." With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of José Enrique Rodó's Ariel is a classic of Uruguayan literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Cycle of Spring is a powerful and playful meditation on the cycle of nature, the ethics of leadership, and the regenerative function of art. Spring has arrived and the people are joyous, making music and preparing to celebrate the end of a harsh winter. At the palace, however, the King has discovered two grey hairs, cause for despair in a man obsessed with maintaining a youthful image. As his advisors attempt to focus his attention- a famine in Nagapatam requires his immediate intervention, an ambassador from China has arrived- the King summons the court Poet. Tasked with staging a performance for his majesty, the bard puts on a symbolic performance with the hope of inspiring a renewed sense of energy in the palace.

In Seven Stages: A Flying Trap Around the World (1891) is a travel narrative by American journalist Elizabeth Bisland. When Bly's journey-inspired by the travels of Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days (1873)-was announced in Joseph Pulitzer's popular newspaper the New York World, Cosmopolitan sent a young reporter of its own to race Bly across the globe. At the time, readers at home were encouraged to estimate the hour and day of Bisland's arrival, generating national interest and launching a series of copycat adventures by ambitious voyagers over the next few decades. "My appetite for mystery at that hour of the day is always lamentably feeble, and it was nearly eleven before I found time to go and investigate this one, although the office in question was only a few minutes' walk from my residence. On arriving, the editor and owner of the magazine asked if I would leave New York that evening for San Francisco and continue from there around the world, endeavoring to complete the journey in some absurdly inadequate space of time." Summoned from her life of work and leisure to undertake a several month journey around the world, Elizabeth Bisland rose to the occasion with courage and wit. Although Nellie Bly made it home five days before her-perhaps due to some subterfuge on the part of her publisher-Bisland took defeat in stride, writing an account filled with wonderful descriptions of her voyage. Ironic and self-effacing, Bisland's account, although less popular than Bly's, remains an essential work from the early days of tabloid entertainment and investigative journalism, a time when publishers were willing enough-or wild enough-to send correspondents on a globetrotting voyage in search of fame. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Elizabeth Bisland's In Seven Stages: A Flying Trap Around the World is a classic work of American travel literature reimagined for modern readers.

My Reminiscences was written by Tagore in his fiftieth-year, as he prepared to embark on a journey around the world. "I know not who paints the pictures on memory's canvas, but whoever he may be, what he is painting are pictures, by which I mean that he is not there with his brush simply to make a faithful copy of all that is happening. He takes in and leaves out according to his taste…In short he is painting pictures, and not writing history." In this collection of memories, Tagore is at his philosophical, poetic best, reflecting earnestly and with ease on matters public and private. Looking back on a life at the center of Indian culture, Tagore moves fluidly and fluently from youth to young adulthood, recalling family, friends, servants, and strangers with clarity and curiosity. Afloat in his houseboat, lying on a rooftop at night, or exploring the outer limits of his mind, Tagore shares his insight with us all.

Sadhana: The Realisation of Life (1916) is a collection of essays by Rabindranath Tagore. Published after Tagore received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, Sadhana: The Realisation of Life contains the author's thoughts on selfhood, the universe, morality, and beauty. Inspired by the Upanishads, the sacred foundational texts of Hinduism, Tagore's collection bridges the gap between East and West, ancient and modern, in its search for universal truth. "The west seems to take a pride in thinking that it is subduing nature […] This sentiment is the product of the city-wall habit and training of mind. For in the city life man naturally directs the concentrated light of his mental vision upon his own life and works, and this creates an artificial dissociation between himself and the Universal Nature within whose bosom he lies." In this collection of essays, Tagore is at his philosophical, poetic best, reflecting earnestly and with ease on matters public and private. Grounded in the teachings of the Upanishads, Sadhana: The Realisation of Life is a text engaged with the role of tradition in an increasingly alienated and individualistic modern world. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's Sadhana: The Realisation of Life is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Cherry Orchard (1903) is Russian playwright and short story writer Anton Chekhov's final play. It was first performed at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1904, directed by acclaimed actor Konstantin Stanislavski-who also played the role of Leonid Gayev, the bizarre and uninspired brother of Madame Ranevskaya. It has since become one of twentieth century theater's most important-and most frequently staged-dramatic works. After five years of living in Paris with her lover-where she fled following the death of her young son-Madame Ranevskaya is brought back to her Russian estate by her daughter Anya. In her absence, Varya, Ranevskaya's adopted daughter, has cared for the estate to the best of her ability, but the family's debts have forced them to put the house and its renowned cherry orchard up for auction. Leonid Gayev, Madame Ranevskaya's brother, hopes to keep the estate, while Yermolai Lopakhin-a wealthy neighbor despite being born a peasant-encourages the family to sell. Although they initially shelter Madame Ranevskaya, she soon discovers the truth and decides-against the family's wishes-to throw a party none of them can afford. As the play reaches its tragic conclusion, the wealthy are forced to acknowledge their circumstances have changed, and the characters who depend on them for employment must do what they can to survive. The Cherry Orchard is a powerful drama that takes an unsparing appraisal of the massive shift in political and social circumstances undergone by Russians in the early twentieth-century.

A Masque of Poets (1878) is a poetry collection edited by George Parsons Lathrop. Part of Boston-based publisher Roberts Brothers' "No Name" series, A Masque of Poets presents the works of little-known writers-including Emily Dickinson-alongside such recognized masters as Christina Rossetti and James Russell Lowell, leaving each poem anonymous to allow the reader to experience the work without thought of reputation. "Sing! Sing of what? The world is full of song; / And all the singing seems but echoed notes / Of the great masters…" Beginning with this playful introductory poem, A Masque of Poets attempts to demystify poetry by removing poets from the equation altogether. Understanding the pressures inherent to making art, especially the kind of art with such a long and storied history as poetry, this collection foregoes reputation and tradition by allowing the poems to speak for themselves, to appear anonymously so that the reader might make a clear judgment regarding each poem's meaning and quality. Far from mere publishing gimmick, A Masque of Poets is a highly original, challenging, and rewarding collection of poems that happens to include works from some of the nineteenth century's finest poets. By forcing the reader to trust their interpretive abilities, A Masque of Poets reinvigorates a craft whose worth was never the names of its practitioners, but the words they could produce. "Success," the final poem before the concluding "novelette in verse" Guy Vernon, just so happens to be one of the only poems published by Emily Dickinson in her lifetime. For its importance to Dickinson scholars, as well as for its genuine originality, A Masque of Poets remains an essential contribution to the history of American literature. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of A Masque of Poets is a classic work of American literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Spirit of Japan (1916) is a speech by Rabindranath Tagore. Published after he received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, The Spirit of Japan is a powerful lecture on Japanese culture in relation to the modernizing forces of the West. Delivered at the Keio Gijuku University in Tokyo, The Spirit of Japan is a testament to Tagore's gifts as an artist and intellectual. "True modernism is freedom of mind, not slavery of taste. It is independence of thought and action, not tutelage under European schoolmasters. It is science, but not its wrong application in life,-a mere imitation of our science teachers who reduce it into a superstition absurdly invoking its aid for all impossible purposes." Invigorated by a tour of Japan, Rabindranath Tagore reflects on a culture which, to his mind, has "realized nature's secrets, not by methods of analytical knowledge, but by sympathy." Before he returns to his native country, he makes sure to warn the gathering of Japanese students who have come to hear him speak of the dangers of modernization and the encroachment of European values. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's The Spirit of Japan is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

Fruit-Gathering is a powerful collection of prose poems by a master of Indian literature. "Bid me and I shall gather my fruits to bring them in full baskets into your courtyard, though some are lost and some not ripe. For the season grows heavy with its fullness, and there is a plaintive shepherd's pipe, in the shade. Bid me and I shall set sail on the river." In these poems of love, nature, faith, and dreams, Tagore is at the height of his creative powers. In one passage, he is a lovesick youth, in another, an illiterate man with a letter he cannot read. He longs to be a poet of the night, a singer of "fathomless silence." Filled with visions of saints and kings, celebrations of beauty, and powerful evocations of the natural world, Fruit-Gathering is one of his most original works.

A London Plane-Tree and Other Verse (1889) is a poetry collection by Amy Levy. Published in the year of her death at the age of 27, A London Plane-Tree and Other Verse is the work of a pioneering writer and feminist, whose poetry and prose explores the concept of the New Woman, while illuminating the realities of Jewish life in nineteenth century London.

Women Are People! (1917) is a collection of poems by Alice Duer Miller. Inspired by her work as an activist for women's suffrage, Miller published many of these poems individually in the New York Tribune before compiling them into this larger work. Focusing on the opposition of politicians and citizens alike, Miller makes a compelling and frequently hilarious case for the extension of voting rights to women across the nation. With her keen eye for hypocrisy and even keener ear for the rhythms of the English language, Alice Miller Duer crafts a poetry both personal and political.

The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (1860) is a work of art history by Swiss historian Jacob Burckhardt. Recognized today as the founder of modern art history and as one of the key thinkers of the nineteenth century, Burckhardt changed not only the way we think about the Renaissance in relation to European and world history, but the value placed on art as a tool for understanding historical developments. The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy begins with a section on the historical events which sparked the Renaissance, focusing especially on the frequent military conflicts which marred the era as well as on the constant political upheavals undergone by such Italian regions and cities as Rome, Venice, and Florence. Burckhardt then moves to a philosophical discussion of the development of individuality in Italian culture, arguing that the political circumstances of those living in the Republics enabled such thinkers as Dante and Petrarch to create art that corresponded with that newfound sense of individuality. The third section discusses one of the key elements of Renaissance culture: the revival of interest in the cultural products of the ancient world, especially Greece and Rome. Part four focuses on the prominence of discovery in Renaissance culture, for which Burckhardt looks to the colonial expedition of Columbus, the growth of the natural sciences, and the achievements of such poets and writers as Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio in discovering new ways to describe humanity and the human spirit. In the fifth section, the importance of societal customs and festivals is discussed, and in the sixth and final part, Burckhardt observes the profound shifts undergone by religion and morality in Italy at the time. The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy is a thorough, dynamic work of art history that not only changed the study of history at universities around the world, but elevated the status of art in understanding the process of cultural change. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Jacob Burckhardt's The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy is a classic of European art history reimagined for modern readers.

The Taming of the Shrew (1592) is a comedy by William Shakespeare. Written between 1590 and 1592, The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare's earliest works. Frequently critiqued by scholars for its demeaning portrayal of Katherina and for Petruchio's violence, the play has also been considered as an ironic treatment of the inequality experienced by women in marriage. The Taming of the Shrew has served as source material for countless film and television adaptations, including McClintock! (1963) starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. "If I be waspish, best beware my sting." For his wit and wordplay alone, William Shakespeare is often considered the greatest writer to ever work in the English language. Where he truly triumphs, however, is in his ability to portray complex human emotions, how these emotions contribute to relationships, and how these relationships interact with politics, culture, and religion. The Taming of the Shrew, like many of Shakespeare's works, begins with a framing device. Christopher Sly, a notorious drunk, has come to believe that he is a lord. In order to distract him, his fellow denizens of the alehouse stage a play set in Padua. As suitors line up to marry the beautiful young Bianca, they find themselves prevented by her father's only rule: her older sister Katherina must be married first. Notoriously independent, Katherina-the shrew of the title-simply refuses to tie herself to a man. When Petruchio arrives from Verona in search of a wife, he finds himself up for the challenge. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

Stray Birds is a powerful collection of short poems by a master of Indian literature. "Stray birds of summer come to my window to sing and fly away. And yellow leaves of autumn, which have no songs, flutter and fall there with a sigh." The poems of Stray Birds are a masterclass in clarity and concision. Like birds themselves, they flutter across the sky of the page before passing beyond the limit of sight. In prayer, in celebration, and in evocations of the natural world, Tagore comes as close to the truth as possible, catching a glimpse before it can fly away forever: "Let me live truly, my Lord, so that death to me become true." In plainspoken language, Tagore gives voice to the soul.

The Stone Axe of Burkamukk (1922) is a collection of Aboriginal legends by Mary Grant Bruce. The product of extensive research on the Aboriginal peoples of Gippsland, Victoria, Bruce's collection was intended to educate Australian settlers regarding the traditions of those they had displaced. Despite drawing criticism for her use of racist stereotypes, Bruce's hope was that her work would force her fellow settlers to "see that they were boys and girls, men and women, not so unlike us in many ways, and that they could admire what we admire in each other." Recognizing her prejudices, as a product of her time, one can appreciate The Stone Axe of Burkamukk as a record of Aboriginal tales, as well as the writer's status in settler-colonial society.

Unwritten Literature of Hawaii: The Sacred Songs of the Hula (1909) is a collection of hulas and essays by Nathaniel B. Emerson. Translating previously unwritten songs, interviewing native Hawaiians, and consulting the works of indigenous historians, Emerson provides an entertaining and authoritative look at one of Hawaii's most cherished traditions. "For an account of the first hula we may look to the story of Pele. On one occasion that goddess begged her sisters to dance and sing before her, but they all excused themselves, saying they did not know the art. At that moment, in came little Hiiaka, the youngest and the favorite... When banteringly invited to dance, to the surprise of all, Hiiaka modestly complied. The wave-beaten sand-beach was her floor, the open air her hall, Feet and hands and swaying form kept time to her improvisation." As an American born in Hawaii who played a major role in the annexation of the islands as an author of the 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Emerson likely saw himself as a unifying figure capable of interpreting for an English-speaking audience the ancient and sacred tradition of the hula, a Polynesian dance often accompanied with instruments and chanting or singing. Combining critical analysis with samples of popular hulas in both Hawaiian and English, Emerson works to preserve part of the rich cultural heritage of the Hawaiian Islands.

A Dome of Many-Coloured Glass (1912) is a poetry collection by Amy Lowell. Published at the beginning of her career as an influential imagist devoted to classical poetic themes and forms, A Dome of Many-Coloured Glass is an agile and promising work from a pioneering poet of the early twentieth century. Containing lyric poems, sonnets, verses for children, and a masterful long poem, A Dome of Many-Coloured Glass is a vibrant collection from an emerging poet who would come to define the imagist movement throughout her storied career. In poems like "Azure and Gold," Lowell displays natural imagery intertwined with the play of words, producing such stanzas as "April had covered the hills / With flickering yellows and reds, / The sparkle and coolness of snow / Was blown from the mountain beds." From the drama inherent to seasonal change, she extracts a revelation from "the song of birds, / Who, swinging unseen under leaves, / Made music more eager than words." In "The Boston Athenaeum," a masterful long poem on one of the oldest libraries in the United States, she recalls "Long, peaceful hours seated on the floor / Of some retired nook, all lined with books, / Where reverie and quiet reign supreme!" Personal and public, keenly engaged with tradition while maintaining her own private voice, Lowell's poems are an essential contribution to one of humanity's oldest art forms. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition Amy Lowell's A Dome of Many-Coloured Glass is a classic work of American poetry reimagined for modern readers.

Rivers to the Sea (1915) is a masterful collection of lyric poems meditating on life, romance, and the natural world. Somber and celebratory, symbolic and grounded in experience, Rivers to the Sea revels in the mystery of existence itself.

The Merry Wives of Windsor (1601) is a comedy by William Shakespeare. Following the success of Henry IV Part I, it is rumored that Queen Elizabeth requested that the bard write a play featuring the character Falstaff in love. Falstaff, a clownish character notable for his bravery and loyalty to King Henry V, remains one of Shakespeare's most beloved characters. Despite this prominence, it has earned a reputation as one of the playwright's least staged works. "Come, we have a hot venison pasty to dinner: come, gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down all unkindness." For his wit and wordplay alone, William Shakespeare is often considered the greatest writer to ever work in the English language. Where he truly triumphs, however, is in his ability to portray complex human emotions, how these emotions contribute to relationships, and how these relationships interact with politics, culture, and religion. Arriving in Windsor with an empty stomach and even emptier pockets, Falstaff comes up with a plan to seduce a wealthy woman. When his servants refuse to deliver his letters to Mistresses Ford and Page-both of them married-he fires Pistol and Nym, who subsequently inform the ladies' husbands. Eventually, the Mistresses get their hands on Falstaff's letters and, upon discovering they are exactly the same, conspire to embarrass the aging, overweight bachelor. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

As You Like It (1599) is a comedy by William Shakespeare. As You Like It was probably inspired by Thomas Lodge's Rosalynd, Euphues Golden Legacie (1587), a story based on "The Tale of Gamelyn," a Middle English romance. For its deconstruction of traditional gender roles and depiction of homoeroticism, As You Like It remains an important and frequently performed play in Shakespeare's oeuvre. "All the world's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players, / They have their exits and their entrances, / And one man in his time plays many parts..." For his wit and wordplay alone, William Shakespeare is often considered the greatest writer to ever work in the English language. Where he truly triumphs, however, is in his ability to portray complex human emotions, how these emotions contribute to relationships, and how these relationships interact with politics, culture, and religion. When Frederick exiles the Duke and usurps his throne, he allows his daughter Rosalind to remain due to her close friendship with his daughter Celia. When Rosalind is blamed for a conflict between brothers Oliver and Orlando, Frederick banishes her from the duchy. Determined to remain together, the two friends disguise themselves and, joined by the court jester Touchstone, flee for the Forest of Arden. There, Rosalind-in the guise of Ganymede-and Celia-as Aliena-attempt to survive through the kindness of strangers and old acquaintances alike. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of William Shakespeare's As You Like It is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

In his landmark collection Gitanjali, Tagore explored the realm of the spirit, paring down language to its clearest, purest form. In The Gardener, he gives expression to more worldly themes. Here, he is a fisherman, a restless wanderer, a servant and queen, an observer of life in all forms.

The Fugitive (1921) is a collection of poems by Rabindranath Tagore. Translated into English by Tagore after he received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, The Fugitive is a powerful collection of poems, dialogues, and songs by a master of Indian literature. "Darkly you sweep on, Eternal Fugitive, round whose bodiless rush stagnant space frets into eddying bubbles of light. Is your heart lost to the Lover calling you across his immeasurable loneliness?" The Fugitive is an intoxicating blend of prose poetry, verse dialogue, and songs that investigates themes of faith, love, death, and friendship. Here, Tagore is at the height of his creative powers, providing brilliant original lyrics alongside adaptations from the Hindu epics and his own translations of traditional Bengali songs. Filled with visions of flight, words between lovers torn apart, and powerful evocations of the natural world, The Fugitive is one of his most original works. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's The Fugitive is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

Southern Horrors (1892) is a pamphlet by Ida B. Wells. Published several months after a white mob destroyed the office of her prominent Memphis newspaper, the Free Speech, Southern Horrors is an impassioned work of investigative journalism and political criticism from a leading activist of the nineteenth century. "Nobody in this section of the country believes the old thread-bare lie that Negro men rape white women. If Southern white men are not careful, they will overreach themselves and public sentiment will have a reaction; a conclusion will then be reached which will be very damaging to the moral reputation of their women." After publishing these words in a May 1892 edition of the Memphis Free Speech, Ida B. Wells left for a brief vacation in New York-no doubt inspired by the numerous threats made against her life at the time. In her absence, a mob of white men destroyed the newspaper's office, leaving no trace of her extensive research on the last half century of violence perpetrated against African Americans in the name of white supremacy. Undeterred, Wells published Southern Horrors just months later, combining personal reflections on the incident with daring investigative reporting on the widespread practice of lynching in the American South. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Ida B. Wells' Southern Horrors is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Utopia (1516) is a work of political satire by Thomas More. Published in Latin while More was serving as Privy Counsellor under King Henry VIII, the text is stylized as a true account of a new civilization discovered in the New World by traveler Raphael Hythlodaeus. While there have been varying interpretations of Utopia over the centuries, it is most consistently regarded as a work of political philosophy in the tradition of Plato's Republic that satirizes European society by contrast with the laws and traditions of the Utopian people. "The island of Utopia is in the middle two hundred miles broad, and holds almost at the same breadth over a great part of it, but it grows narrower towards both ends. Its figure is not unlike a crescent." For centuries, Utopia has been seen as an essential work of Renaissance humanism for its vision of a just and highly organized political system characterized by the abolition of private property, communal values, full employment, and free accessible healthcare. While scholars have long debated whether More envisioned his Utopia as a positive representation of society or as merely an unattainable vision of life on earth, his work remains an essential contribution to political discourse that continues to inform readers today. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Thomas More's Utopia is a classic work of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Georgics (29 BC) is a poem by Roman poet Virgil. Although less prominent than The Aeneid, Virgil's legendary epic of the Trojan hero Aeneas and his discovery of what would later become the city of Rome, The Georgics have endured as a landmark in the history of poetry. The Georgics were inspired by Lucretius's De Rerum Natura and Hesiod's Works and Days, an Ancient Greek poem describing the creation of the cosmos, the history of Earth, and the role of agriculture in human life. The Georgics is considered Virgil's second major work of three and has inspired generations of poets and scholars interested in the ability of literature to bridge the artificial gap between humanity and the natural world. "What makes the cornfield smile [...] What pains for cattle-keeping, or what proof / Of patient trial serves for thrifty bees; / Such are my themes." Beginning with these lines, Virgil's Georgics is a poem about the life of the world and the need for order to ensure humanity's survival. Surveying such diverse topics as the creation of the universe, the cycles of human history, and the technical processes applied to soil and animals to produce food and sustain life itself, this poem attempts to rekindle in its reader a sense of unity with the world. Written in a time of immense political upheaval following the death of Julius Caesar and the rise of Emperor Augustus, The Georgics is as much a poem of survival as of faith, a falling back on the old ways that sustain and nurture life, a way of preserving a volatile present for a future forever in the making.

Featuring twelve simple yet profound essays, Jerome K. Jerome's Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow is a humorous and clever collection. Each essay is crafted around a timeless and relatable issue, such as the unfortunately common inability to make decisions. On the Art of Making Up One's Mind observes this to be a common practice. Beginning with the story of a young woman who cannot decide what color of garment to buy, this essay takes notice of the everyday day occurrences of this struggle, comparing the experience for men and women. As a common theme in the collection, societal expectations and assumptions about gender play a main role in many of the essays, tackling topics such as relationships and dating. However, other essays focus on the universal experience of being human, separate from implications of gender. This is portrayed in On the Exceptional Merit Attaching to the Things We Meant to Do through the narrative of a failed craft. Despite shortcomings, pride always finds a way to warp reality, which is why Jerome ironically warns against taking advice in the essay On the Inadvisability of Following Advice. With discussions of pride, intention, vices, and ideals, Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow addresses the truths of topics that are simultaneously overlooked, yet universally experienced. With satirical prose and thoughtful reflection, Jerome K. Jerome combines humor and sentiment in Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, presenting serious topics without intimidation, inviting thought and laughter. Though first published over one-hundred years ago in 1898, Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow feature timeless and universal themes and realizations that remain to be clever and relevant to modern-day society.

The Man Who Lost Himself (1920) is a novel by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. Although he is more widely known for his novel The Blue Lagoon (1908), which inspired the 1980 hit drama starring Brooke Shields, Stacpoole was a prolific bestselling author whose dozens of literary works continue to inspire and entertain a century after they first appeared in print. "With no financial foundation, Victor and a Philadelphia gentleman had competed for a contract to supply the British Government with Harveyised steel struts, bolts, and girders, he had come over to London to press the business, he had interviewed men in brass hats, slow moving men who had turned him over to slower moving men. [...] [T]his morning their tender had been rejected." In this thrilling tale of mistaken identity, Stacpoole moves away from his favorite setting of the South Pacific to the frenzied streets and barrooms of London's financial district. There, a desperate businessman learns that his proposal to secure a lucrative contract has been denied. With no money and a slew of creditors to appease, Victor Jones heads for the hotel bar to drown his sorrows. In his bleakest moment, he meets his doppelganger, an Englishman named Mr. Rochester. After a night of hard drinking, Jones awakens in a strange bedroom surrounded by the finest furniture money can buy. Before he can gather his senses, a servant enters with the paper and greets him as the Earl of Rochester. What he learns next will change his life forever. The Man Who Lost Himself was adapted into a 1920 silent film as well as a 1941 Hollywood feature starring Brian Aherne and Kay Francis. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Henry De Vere Stacpoole's The Man Who Lost Himself is a classic of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

The History of a Crime (1877) is a book-length essay by Victor Hugo. While Hugo is famous today for his status as a leading French poet and novelist of the nineteenth century, he was also a gifted historian and memoirist who served on the National Assembly of the Second Republic. Following the coup d'état of Napoleon III in 1851, Hugo was among the insurrectionists who revolted against military forces on the streets of Paris. Despite their efforts, the coup was successful, leading to Hugo's exile until 1870. "To outrage Right, to suppress the Assembly, to abolish the Constitution, to strangle the Republic, to overthrow the Nation, to sully the Flag, to dishonor the Army, to suborn the Clergy and the Magistracy, to succeed, to triumph, to govern, to administer, to exile, to banish, to transport, to ruin, to assassinate, to reign, with such complicities that the law at last resembles a foul bed of corruption. What! All these enormities were to be committed! And by whom?" The French Second Republic was already in danger when Napoleon III was elected President of France in 1848. A populist, he was in constant conflict with the National Assembly and, nearing the end of his term, sought to seek reelection through constitutional change. When this avenue was denied, he began preparations for Operation Rubicon, a secret plan to conduct a coup d'état with the help of the Army and other high-ranking officials. On December 2nd, 1851, the anniversary of his uncle Napoleon Bonaparte's coronation and victory at Austerlitz, the coup took place. Hugo, a National Assembly member, took to the streets of Paris with thousands of his fellow insurrectionaries, many of whom were beaten, arrested, and murdered for their actions. Despite their efforts, the coup was successful, leading to the reestablishment of the French Empire in 1852. Hugo's essay-part history, part memoir-is a brilliant retelling of one of democracy's darkest moments. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Victor Hugo's The History of a Crime is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Originally published in two volumes between 1923 and 1925, Africa for Africans, Or, The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey is a compilation of letters, speeches and essays by one of the Fathers of Pan-Africanism. Hailed by Martin Luther King Jr. as, "the first man of color...to make the Negro feel like he was somebody," Garvey was a polarizing yet influential figure whose legacy continues to be felt today. These philosophies, collected by his second wife and pioneering journalist, Amy Jacques Garvey, chronicle Garvey's initial impressions and recollections of America, the formation of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (U.N.I.A.), his imprisonment and subsequent trial over the Black Star Line, and his scathing opinions of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (N.A.A.C.P.) Including such pieces as, "An Appeal to the Soul of White America," "The Negro's Greatest Enemy," and "Declaration of Rights of the Negroes of the World," Africa for Africans, Or, The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey is an essential piece of Black history, professionally typeset and reimagined for modern readers.

Daughters of Destiny (1906) is a novel by L. Frank Baum. Although he is more widely known as the author of the Land of Oz series, Baum also used several pseudonyms to make forays into more conventional fiction for adults. Daughters of Destiny, written under the pen name "Schuyler Staunton," is a story of corruption, political intrigue, romance, and adventure. "When the American Construction Syndicate, of New York and Chicago, conceived the idea of laying a railway across Baluchistan, through the Alexandrian Pass and so into the Lower Indies-thus connecting Asia and Europe by the shortest possible route-it was regarded as a bold undertaking even for this gigantic corporation." Despite the cost and difficulty of building a railroad across the mountainous desert landscape of Baluchistan, the American Construction Syndicate pushes forward for the sake of pride and greed. Appointed to lead a commission to the Baluchi ruler, Colonel Piedmont Moore travels abroad with his friend Dr. Warner, his daughter Janet, and Warner's children Allison and Bessie. When they arrive in Baluchistan, they discover that the kingdom is undergoing a period of political unrest: the Khan is dying, and two princes are vying to inherit the throne. While Daughters of Destiny is far from the fantasy and fairy tale style most of Baum's readers adore him for, it remains an entertaining work of adventure fiction for devoted fans of the Oz series and newcomers alike. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of L. Frank Baum's Daughters of Destiny is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.

All's Well That Ends Well (1607) is a comedy by William Shakespeare. All's Well That Ends Well was likely inspired by the tale of Giletta di Narbona from Boccaccio's Decameron. Unpopular during Shakespeare's lifetime, the play remains one of his least staged works to this day. Despite this, scholars praise All's Well That Ends Well for its moral ambiguity. "The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together, our virtues would be proud if our faults whipped them not, and our crimes would despair if they were not cherish'd by our virtues." For his wit and wordplay alone, William Shakespeare is often considered the greatest writer to ever work in the English language. Where he truly triumphs, however, is in his ability to portray complex human emotions, how these emotions contribute to relationships, and how these relationships interact with politics, culture, and religion. In All's Well That Ends Well, as in so many of Shakespeare's works, love is the center of attention. When Helena heals the King of France, who had been suffering from a persistent illness, he allows her to choose a husband from among his closest advisors. She selects the handsome Bertram, who disdains her for her lowborn social status. Although they marry, he leaves for Italy before consummating their union, failing to suspect the lengths to which Helena will go to get what she desires. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of William Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

Mr. and Mrs. Dunbar: Poems, Plays and Prose (2021) is a selection of the literary works of Paul Laurence Dunbar and Alice Dunbar Nelson. With such collections Oak and Ivy (1892) and Majors and Minors (1896), Paul Laurence Dunbar earned a reputation as an artist with a powerful vision of faith and perseverance who sought to capture and examine the diversity of the African American experience. In her poems, plays, and stories, Alice Dunbar Nelson explores themes of class, prejudice, faith, and romance while paying particular attention to the phenomenon of racial passing. Mr. and Mrs. Dunbar: Poems, Plays and Prose includes dozen of their individual literary works in a compact, carefully curated volume. Throughout his oeuvre, Dunbar explores the role of the poet in society, grounding each poem within his identity as a Black man in America. In "Frederick Douglass," an elegy written for the occasion of the great man's passing, Dunbar makes clear the consequences of pride and defiance in a nation built by slaves: "He dared the lightning in the lightning's track, / And answered thunder with his thunder back." In "The Place Where the Rainbow Ends," Dunbar, perhaps reflecting on his proximity to death, provides a simple song with a cautionary, utopian vision of hope and happiness: "Oh, many have sought it, / And all would have bought it, / With the blood we so recklessly spend, / But none has uncovered, / The gold, nor discovered / The spot at the rainbow's end." Meditative and bittersweet, Dunbar rejects wealth and power as a means of achieving fulfillment, looking instead to establish an inner peace for himself that he might "find without motion, / The place where the rainbow ends," a place "[w]here care shall be quiet, / And love shall run riot, / And [he] shall find wealth in [his] friends." Whether a vision of heaven or of the possibility of peace on earth, this poem finds echoes across Dunbar's penultimate volume. Nearing death at such a young age, he prepares himself to lose the life he had fought so hard to achieve, a life devoted to reaching the hearts and minds of others. Mine Eyes Have Seen (1918) is a one-act play by Alice Dunbar Nelson. Published in The Crisis, the influential journal of the NAACP, Mine Eyes Have Seen is a brutal portrait of race and identity in twentieth century America. Exploring themes of violence, faith, patriotism, and economic struggle, Dunbar Nelson crafts a poignant and unforgettable work of fiction. In the short story "The Goodness of St. Rocque," Manuela is a popular young woman of status in New Orleans' thriving Creole community. Like many women her age, she hopes to marry a handsome and successful man. Setting her sights on Theophile, she prepares to be courted in the traditional manner of her people. When rumor gets out that he has been spending time with Claralie, a beautiful blonde, Manuela is forced to seek supernatural assistance. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Mr. and Mrs. Dunbar: Poems, Plays and Prose is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore (1918) is an academic study by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. Published at the beginning of his career as one of India's leading professors of comparative religion, the work is a masterful investigation of the teachings of poet-philosopher Rabindranath Tagore. In 1913, Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first lyricist and non-European to be awarded the distinction. Over the next several decades, Tagore wrote his influential novel The Home and the World (1916), toured dozens of countries, and advocated on behalf of Dalits and other oppressed peoples. "Rabindranath's teaching, with its vital faith in the redeeming power of the spiritual forces and their up-building energy, has a particular value at the present moment, when the civilized world is passing through the crucible of a ghastly war which, whether or not it purges the nations of their pride and hate, lust for gold and greed of land, at least proclaims, in no uncertain tones, the utter bankruptcy of materialism." In this masterwork of twentieth century criticism, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan explores the philosophical teachings of Rabindranath Tagore, a leading artist and intellectual of modern India. Divided into five chapters, the book explores the interrelation of poetry and philosophy in Tagore's work, his influence on Indian culture, and the meaning of his contribution to the nations of the world. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan's The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

The King of the Dark Chamber is a symbolic drama exploring themes of faith, power, citizenship, and love. Part meditation on human government, part reflection on humanity's connection to god, Tagore's play is a masterpiece of Indian literature. "My faith is, to go on obeying the King- it does not matter whether he is a real one or a pretender. What do we know of Kings that we should judge them! It is like throwing stones in the dark-you are almost sure of hitting your mark. I go on obeying and acknowledging-if it is a real King, well and good: if not, what harm is there?" What is the nature of kingship? If a nation is prosperous, and its people happy, should they question their ruler? Such questions abound in The King of the Dark Chamber, a symbolic story of a King, who rules through absence alone. While he is more widely known as a poet, Tagore was also a gifted playwright who used the stage to explore timeless, universal themes. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's The King of the Dark Chamber is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

When W.B. Yeats discovered Rabindranath Tagore's work in translation, he felt an intense kinship with a man, whose work was similarly grounded in spirituality and opposition to the British Empire. For the Irish poet, Tagore's poems were at once deeply personal and essentially universal, like a secret kept by all and shared regardless: "I have carried the manuscript of these translations about with me for days, reading it in railway trains, or on the top of omnibuses and in restaurants, and I have often had to close it lest some stranger would see how much it moved me." Whether or not we admit it, his words never fail to remind us: to be human is to be vulnerable. "Thou hast made me endless, such is thy pleasure. This frail vessel thou emptiest again-and-again, and fillest it ever with fresh life. This little flute of a reed thou hast carried over hills and dales, and hast breathed through it melodies eternally new." The essence of Gitanjali is humility. Written following the deaths of his wife and two children, the collection unites poetry and prayer in search of peace. Grounded in Hindu tradition, his poems remain recognizable to readers of all faiths and nations. His subjects are love and loss, life and death, belief and despair. Through them, he approaches truth.

Glimpses of Bengal: The Letters of Tagore collects letters from 1885 to 1895, a period designated by the author as "the most productive period of [his] literary life." Bridging the gap between fiction and nonfiction, these letters contain personal reflections on the political situation in India, mediations on nature and poetry, and stunning vignettes of life in the nineteenth century. "The unsheltered sea heaves and heaves and blanches into foam. It sets me thinking of some tied-up monster straining at its bonds, in front of whose gaping jaws we build our homes on the shore and watch it lashing its tail." In this selection of letters, Tagore is at his philosophical, poetic best, reflecting earnestly and with ease on matters public and private. A young man, he writes with the clarity and wisdom of one who has lived many times over, granting readers a glimpse of the iconic figure he would become toward the end of his life and career. His portrait of Bengal is heartfelt and true, unadorned and yet possessing an almost mystical quality. Whether describing his travels upriver by boat or a dream journey through a Calcutta immersed in "a dense, dark mist," Tagore never fails to intrigue, enrapture, and enlighten.

The play is based on the story of Chitrangada and Arjuna from Sanskrit epic Mahabharata. "I am Chitra, the daughter of the kingly house of Manipur. With godlike grace Lord Shiva promised to my royal grandsire an unbroken line of male descent. Nevertheless, the divine word proved powerless to change the spark of life in my mother's womb-so invincible was my nature, woman though I be." Her whole life, Chitra has tried to live up to her father's name. Raised as the son he never had, she becomes a fearsome warrior and legendary hero, yet still longs for something more. When she meets the handsome Arjuna, Chitra petitions the god of love to make her beautiful. Mercifully, they allow her to be with her lover for one whole year.

Caste and Outcast (1923) is an autobiography by Dhan Gopal Mukerji. Published the year after Mukerji moved from San Francisco to New York City, Caste and Outcast is a moving autobiographical narrative from the first Indian writer to gain a popular audience in the United States.