Children's classic books-19th century

A dramatic adaptation of early scenes from the Dickens novel, in which Nicholas witnesses schoolmaster Squeers mistreating the boys in his care and escapes for London with his new friend Smike.

Dickens's gift for social commentary is displayed to brilliant effect as we learn the story of the poor orphan, Oliver Twist. Oliver experiences the terror and brutality of the criminal world with his companions: a pickpocket, a thief, a prostitute, and a fence. In the preface to the print edition, Dickens made it clear that he aimed to expose the filth of the London underworld as well as attack the inhumanity of the New Poor Law of 1834.

Large format paper back for easy reading. The two classic Washington Irving short stories

Set in the 12th century during the reign of Richard the Lionheart, this is the story of the love of Wilfred of Ivanhoe for the Lady Rowena, his father Cedric's ward.

Ivanhoe was the first of Scott's novels to be located wholly in England, and the first to take place in the middle ages. But it is far from being the fantastic, medievalist romance associated (in the critical imagination) with a visionary Britain that never was. This is a serious novel, the first in English to deal carefully with race. And at the same time, it is an incredibly exciting read for contemporary readers. Ivanhoe was the first of Scott's novels to be located wholly in England, and the first to take place in the middle ages. But it is far from being the fantastic, medievalist romance associated (in the critical imagination) with a visionary Britain that never was. This is a serious novel, the first in English to deal carefully with race. And at the same time, it is an incredibly exciting read for contemporary readers.

The original stories behind everyone's favorite Christmas ballet

It wasn't until the 1950s that seeing The Nutcracker at Christmastime became an American tradition. But the story itself is much older and its original intent more complex. This eye-opening new volume presents two of the tale's earliest versions, both in new translations: E.T.A. Hoffmann's Nutcracker and Mouse King (1816), in which a young girl is whisked away to the Land of Toys to help her animated nutcracker defeat the Mouse King, and Alexandre Dumas's 1845 adaptation, The Tale of the Nutcracker, based on Hoffmann's popular work. Irresistible tales of magic, mystery, and childhood adventure, these timeless delights and fresh interpretations about the importance of imagination will captivate readers of all ages.

"For many days we had been tempest-tossed…the raging storm increased in fury until on the seventh day all hope was lost."

So begins this uplifting tale and delightful adventure story that relates a family's ingenuity and courage as they struggle to survive on an exotic tropical island.

The Robinson family—a minister, his wife, and their four sons—are shipwrecked and become castaways on an island in the East Indies. Although they have lost almost everything in the shipwreck, they are so resourceful at constructing a life for themselves on the island that, when rescue comes, they decline to leave their refuge and their happy life.