Judith Lee is a young woman with an unusual gift, she can read lips at a distance as well as she can hear the person next to her. Her skill leads her into a number of adventures. Written by Richard Marsh and published in the Strand Magazine in 1911, Marsh creates a strong independent female detective.

De doctrina Christiana, On Christian Doctrine, is a famous treatise by Augustine of Hippo, consisting of four books that describe how to interpret and teach the Scriptures. The first three books, published in 397, set three tasks for Christian teachers and preachers: to discover the truth in the contents of the Scriptures, to teach the truth from the Scriptures, and to defend scriptural truth when it was attacked. It is believed that the last part of book three and the totality of book four were added much later, in 426. The fourth book is especially quoted for being the first treatment of the relation between Christianity and Ancient Rhetoric. Summary by Leni.

volunteers bring you 9 recordings of Paris Pair, Their Day's Doings by Beatrice Bradshaw Brown. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for January 20, 2019. ------ A poetic summary of a day in the life of two children in Paris.

We have seen that as mankind rises in the scale of civilization the body becomes increasingly less important. Nevertheless, I wish it to be clearly understood, that I do not maintain that it is preferable to be ill than well, but only that each state has its own peculiar privileges, which are rarely interchangeable. Health and sickness are merely different roads to achievement. The earth requires rain as well as sunshine; we need both tears and laughter; navvies are necessary and so are philosophers...

Armenians trace their history back to before the time of the Babylonians and earliest recorded history - in fact, to Togarmah, a grandson of Japhet, Noah's son, who settled in Armenia after the Ark came to rest on mount Ararat. Armenia was also the first State in the world to adopt Christianity as their official religion, around the 3rd Century AD. This book contains many wonderful folk and fairy tales culled from this long history of the Armenian country people, to whom all nature is full of stories, by the scholar and storyteller Mr. A. G. Seklemian. - Summary by Noel Badrian

A diverse collection of short stories selected and read in English by readers. The ever-popular detective stories of Arthur Conan Doyle, including the demise of Sherlock Holmes, the quirky Ambrose Bierce and Bill Nye and the wistful Soul of the Violin will keep you entertained and amused in this, the 78th Short Story Collection!

The following slight and unelaborated sketch of a very commonplace and everyday tragedy will, I am aware, meet with the unqualified disapproval of the 'superior' sex. They will assert, with much indignant emphasis, that the character of 'Lord Carlyon' is an impossible one, and that such a 'cad' as he is shown to be never existed. Anticipating these remarks, I have to say in reply that the two chief personages in my story, namely, 'Lord Carlyon' and his wife, are drawn strictly from the life; and,...

This succinct little textbook from 1844 presents an introduction to herpetology and ichthyology. The information, albeit not current, is still interesting and of use as a general overview of reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Please note that the classification of the animals may have changed since this time, as well as their environmental status. The step back in time to hear the Victorian view of nature makes it a remarkable read in itself. The author was president of the Academy of Natural Sciences. - Summary by A. Gramour

In 1910, when this book was published, the advancement of modern mechanism was still moving at a rapid pace. It must have seemed like very day, new inventions were made to make life easier. Most of these are still very much in use today, such as the lawn-mower, automatic milking machines in the dairy industry, fire engines, and escalators. Learn about how these worked in this volume. - Summary by Carolin

Fourteen more stories about William Brown. William is a mischievous eleven year old who is puzzled by the adult world, which is no less puzzled by him. The humor is gentle and pleasing in this 1923 publication. The series of books is better known in the United Kingdom than in the United States.

The murder has finally been solved. After 20 years, Humphrey Vargas came with his dog, seemingly from no where, and informed the magistrate of the county that he murdered the popular Mr. Blake. He even told the magistrate the whole story. This book picks up where other books end and shows how this revelation brings about a chain of unexpected events. Knowing who murdered such a popular man does not make things any easier around the county, as memories finally surface, and relationships may change forever. - Summary by Stav Nisser.

In this volume, Clifton Johnson has compiled his favourite fairy tales. We hear a lot of animals, because fairy tales with animals in them are Mr. Johnson's favourite stories, but we also hear of fairies, of wizards, and princesses. The stories are sometimes taken from the famous volumes of the Brothers Grimm or from Anderson, but a lot of them are based on folklore and stories from around the world. - Summary by Carolin

This is an immensely readable book explaining anything to do with air - the atmosphere, wind and clouds, and life. This 1896 explanation has since been overtaken by more specific scientific discoveries, but the general concepts certainly still hold true until today. Any beginner interested in meteorology will find this book a great place to start. - Summary by Carolin

Everywhere on earth the fairy world of each country is older and perhaps more enduring than the one we see and feel and tread upon. So I tell in this book the folk lore of the Korean people, and of the behavior of the particular kind of fairies that inhabit the Land of Morning Splendor.

The life of Frederick Douglass, recorded in the pages which follow, is not merely an example of self elevation under the most adverse circumstances; it is, moreover, a noble vindication of the highest aims of the American anti-slavery movement.

"There were neither examinations nor graduation exercises at the Coventry Institute. The only ceremony peculiar to the last day of school, except the farewells, was a little sermon from Mrs. Abbott, the principal, preceded by reading the average of reports for the year." Delia, Lily and Kate predict speeches and a visitor... but are surprised at what that visitor has brought them and what he wants them to do for the next year! Suddenly, they can't wait for next term! - Summary by Lynne Thompson

This is a volume of short stories by Herman Cyril McNeile, better known by his pseudonym "Sapper", who is well-known until today for his haunting short stories and novels, set at the front in World War I, and based on his first-hand experiences. This collection is early, it was published in 1916, the bloodiest and most gruesome year of what would later be known as the Great War. - Summary by Carolin

“Never before in the history of archaeological inquiry has any event excited such immediate and world-wide interest as Mr. Howard Carter's discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb in November 1922. It gives us a new revelation of the wealth and luxury of Egyptian civilization during its most magnificent period. In beauty and design and perfection of craftsmanship, Tutankhamen's funerary equipment is indeed a new revelation of the ancient Egyptians' artistic feeling and technical skill.” “At the time of Tutankhamen the great peoples that had built up civilization were losing their dominant position...

In 1927, H. P. Lovecraft wrote a long essay on "Supernatural Horror in Literature" in which he discussed the history of what came to be known as Weird Fiction. This collection includes many of the texts that Lovecraft mentioned in the essay, beginning with Edgar Allan Poe's Fall of the House of Usher, published in 1839 and ending with Walter de la Mare Seaton's Aunt from 1922. Included are 19 stories and 1 poem. - Summary by Alan Winterrowd

Mustafa of Mudge has heard of the famous Cowardly Lion of Oz, and decides to capture him and put him into a zoo! He enlists the help of Bob Up and a clown called Notta Bit More - the master of disguise! The Cowardly Lion meanwhile travels though Oz and meets a stone man, who offers to turn the Cowardly Lion into stone: after all, a stone lion doesn't feel fear! Is this the solution to the Cowardly Lion's quest for courage? Or is it a trap, and does the stone man want to trick him for reasons of his own? The Cowardly Lion of Oz was published in 1923, and is the seventeenth in the Oz series created by L...

"The spark of this play is introduced with as much agility and life as he brought with him from France, and as much humour as I could bestow upon him in England. But he uses the advantages of a learned education, a ready fancy, and a liberal fortune, without the circumspection and good sense which should always attend the pleasures of a gentleman; that is to say, a reasonable creature. Thus he makes false love, gets drunk, and kills his man; but in the fifth Act awakes from his debauch, with the compunction and remorse which is suitable to a man's finding himself in a gaol for the death of his friend, without his knowing why...

Samuel Logan Brengle was a commissioner in the Salvation Army. His books are known for the practicality, joyfulness and authenticity. His life was spent working with people on the streets, so his insights into the work of the Holy Spirit are relevant to everyday life. His holiness was that of the street, the kitchen, and everyday life. His stories are of men and women living their daily lives. This book is the first in his "Holiness" trilogy, explaining what Holiness is and how to get it. - Summary by Beth Thomas

volunteers bring you 25 recordings of At A Lunar Eclipse by Thomas Hardy. This was the Weekly Poetry project for January 27, 2019. ------ While Hardy wrote poetry throughout his life and regarded himself primarily as a poet, his first collection was not published until 1898. Initially, therefore, he gained fame as the author of such novels as Far from the Madding Crowd , The Mayor of Casterbridge , Tess of the d'Urbervilles , and Jude the Obscure . During his lifetime, Hardy's poetry was acclaimed by younger poets who viewed him as a mentor. - Summary by Wikipedia

Water is fascinating! Which child is not delighted by the sea shore, by rivers, even by puddles in the street? This little book explains to children that a river can cut through rock to weave its way to the sea, how sand is made, and how fish can breathe underwater. Grown-ups may learn some new things, too! - Summary by Carolin

This is a volume of poetry by Canadian poet and prose writer Sir Charles G.D. Roberts. This volume starts with a series of poems on New York City, and then includes some other poems on miscellaneous subjects. The poems of the "Father of Canadian Poetry" will be enjoyed by all modern listeners who are fans of New York. - Summary by Carolin

"As the noblest attribute of man, family pride had been cherished time immemorial by the noble race of Rossville. Deep and incurable, therefore, was the wound inflicted on all its members by the marriage of the honorable Thomas St. Clair, the youngest son of the Earl of Rossville, with the humble Miss Sarah Black, a beautiful girl of obscure origin and no fortune." And so the stage is set for our plot, which focuses on the implications and complications of the return from France to Scotland of the Rossville widow and her daughter-heiress Gertrude, who must suffer the onslaught of relations and suitors as well as a mysterious, threatening stranger who plagues her mother...

Arthur West has been taken as a prisoner of war by Colonel Hetherhill of the Confederate States of America, and imprisoned at Fort Defiance, where an oddly small number of soldiers are stationed. More odd than the size of the fort's company, however, is the fact that the Civil War ended thirty years prior to West's capture. This is the story of West's attempts to regain his freedom. - Summary by David Gore

The book starts with Annette Georges choosing between two fates: suicide and running away with a disreputable stranger. She is rescued by a kind woman who looks after her until she can go to live with her maiden aunts in a village in the English countryside. There she meets and makes friends with various people and, almost coincidentally, the facts of her past come back to play a crucial part in the story. - Summary by Simon Evers

This is an overlooked novel by the author of House Of Mirth, Age Of Innocence, and more. She already became the first woman to win the Pulitzer prize for literature before this novel was written. Edith Wharton is known for her combination of social observations, criticism, and compassion. This WWI novel is told from the point of view of parents, forced to live their own lives when their son is at the front. John and Julia are divorced parents. When their only son George enlists, Julia and her second husband do their best to give him a desk job...

Lucy Perkins has given us many books featuring twins that give a child insight into different cultures and countries. In this one she explaining prehistoric man and his environment: "This is a story about things that happened ages and ages ago, before any of us were born, or our great-great-grandfathers either, for that matter. It was so very long ago that there were no houses, or farms, or roads from one place to another, and there was not a single city, or a town, or even a village in the whole earth...

"Any man who doesn’t want to get on in the world, to make a million dollars, and maybe even park his toothbrush in the White House, hasn’t got as much to him as a good dog has—he’s nothing more or less than a vegetable."Such is the preface of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s only outing as a playwright. The action begins when 35-year-old railway clerk Jerry Frost gets drunk off a bootlegger’s potent hooch on the eve of Warren G. Harding’s presidential nomination. As a result, the second act takes place entirely within Jerry’s intoxicated fantasies, where he has become the new U...

This is the sixth volume of the 15-volume series of The World’s Story: a history of the World in story, song and art, edited by Eva March Tappan. Each book is a compilation of selections from prose literature, poetry and pictures and offers a comprehensive presentation of the world's history, art and culture, from the early times till the beginning of the 20th century. Topics in Part VI include the Russian Empire, the fights for independence in Hungary and the Balkan states and the politics of early Turkey...