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In 1886, a struggling young doctor and part-time author named Arthur Conan Doyle picked up his pen and created what is arguably the most famous character in the history of mystery and detective fiction: the consulting detective known as Sherlock Holmes. Forty years later, Doyle would conclude this astonishing series of adventures having penned four full novels and fifty-six short stories featuring Holmes and - in most of these stories - his friend and crime-fighting partner, Dr. John Watson (who often served as the fictional chronicler of these tales).

The Prairie Trilogy is a series of three novels centered around life in the Midwest during the late 19th/early 20th centuries by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Willa Cather. First, in "O Pioneers!," we meet Alexandra Bergson, who inherits the family farm after her father dies and leaves her to care for her three siblings. While many immigrant families are giving up their farms and moving back to the city (or to their home countries), Alexandra decides to try to tough it out on the prairie.

Dashiell Hammett is universally regarded as one of the finest American writers of "hard boiled" detective fiction and his short stories and novels have been hailed as some of the best mystery stories ever written. Hammett would doubtless have gone down in literary history simply for his creation of the detective Sam Spade ("The Maltese Falcon") as well as Nick and Nora Charles ("The Thin Man" series), but he is also the creator of another of the most popular detectives in the genre: the nameless private investigator known as the Continental Op, who appears in dozens of his stories.

Few families in history can boast of the incredible literary achievements of the Brontë sisters - Anne, Emily and Charlotte - who penned three of the most beloved novels ever written: Anne's "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall," Emily's "Wuthering Heights" and Charlotte's "Jane Eyre." Collected here are all three of these classic novels, plus a pair of essays penned by Charlotte fiercely defending her sister's books and drawing attention to the literary misogyny of the time, which forced the sisters to publish their novels under male pseudonyms.

In Volume II, we present Austen's timeless classics "Sense and Sensibility," "Northanger Abbey" and "Emma." Though the books only received modest attention and few reviews at the time of their first release ("Northanger Abbey" was, in fact, published posthumously), all of these books have gone on to become best-sellers are now considered to be among the finest examples of 19th century literature.

Pooh and all of his friends are here: Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, Roo, and Christopher Robin. As they explore the Hundred Acre Wood, they have all sorts of adventures: tracking the Heffalump, visiting with Rabbit (and getting stuck in a very tight place), dressing up as a little black rain cloud to get honey from the bees, and even going on an "expotition" to the North Pole!

Viewed from an historical perspective, Jane Austen's novels should not exist. She was born during a period where female writers (if they dared to write at all) were dismissed, ignored, and dissuaded from writing altogether. The fact that Ms. Austen went ahead and created the novels contained in this collection—which have gone on to become some of the most treasured books in literary history—is nothing short of a miracle.

William Strunk, Jr., a professor of English literature at Cornell University, penned The Elements of Style in 1918 as a guide for his students in the proper use of grammar and composition.

"The House of Mirth" was the breakthrough novel for Edith Wharton and its immediate commercial and critical success put her on the American literary map. Based on Wharton's own experiences among the elite of the New York City social set in the late 1890's, "The House of Mirth" is both a fascinating glimpse into the upper-reaches of high society and a searing satire of the cruelties, frivolities and hypocrisy of the city's ultra-rich.

Presented here are four of Edith Wharton's best known works: "The Age of Innocence," "The House of Mirth," "Ethan Frome" and "Summer," each considered a classic of the early 20th century. The first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction (for "Age of Innocence"), Wharton enjoyed an astonishing career as a short story writer and novelist, blazing a trail for the female writers who followed her.

Frances Hodgson Burnett is one of the most beloved writers of children's books in history. Two of her novels, "A Little Princess" and "The Secret Garden", regularly find themselves near the top of any list of favorite children's books and they have both been adapted to the stage and screen dozens of times.

"Summer" is one of only two novels Edith Wharton wrote that takes place in a rural setting (the other being her classic "Ethan Frome.") Given the subject matter (and the behavior of its lead character), the book was considered scandalous in its day, but it is now considered a classic of early 20th century American literature. The story follows the life and sexual awakening of Charity Royall, a young girl living in a small town who has dreams of moving out of her poverty-stricken community.

A powerful and disturbing adventure story set in the wilds of Mexico after the First World War, "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" is B. Traven's much-beloved and thrilling tale of three desperate men who set out to make their fortune in the gold-filled Sierra Madre Mountains...and wind up confronting their own greed and paranoia along the way.

In this story, we are introduced to the Bennet family: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet...and their five daughters, each of whom (according to Mrs. Bennet) must find rich husbands as soon as possible. When Mr. Bingley - a wealthy bachelor - takes up residence in a nearby estate, the Bennets kindle hopes that he might be a good match for their eldest, Jane. Invited to a party at Bingley's estate, they are introduced to Mr. Bingley, his two sisters and his close friend Mr. Darcy, whose aloof and off-putting manner hides his secret interest in the Bennet's second oldest daughter, Elizabeth.

Presented here are the final three books of the Sherlock Holmes canon: the novel "The Valley of Fear" and two short story collections: "The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes" and "His Last Bow," all penned by Holmes' legendary creator, the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Despite his attempt to kill off his world-famous detective years earlier, Doyle here — decades later — finally brings Sherlock Holmes' adventures to a close. First, we present the stories collected in "Case-Book," including the thriller "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs" and the haunting "Adventure of the Sussex Vampire."

Every great hero has an origin story and for the legendary Sherlock Holmes, it was A Study in Scarlet, Arthur Conan Doyle's 1887 novel which introduced the world's leading (and only) consulting detective to the reading public. Though not an immediate sensation (the novel was received with moderate acclaim), it has gone on to become one of the most revered detective novels in history and its protagonists—Dr. John Watson and Sherlock Holmes—are easily the most recognized and celebrated crime fighting duo in all of literature.

Collected here are three of E.M. Forster's classic novels: "A Room With a View," "Howards End" and "A Passage to India," each a stand-alone masterpiece and all of them celebrated as among the finest novels of early 20th century literature.

A collection of observations about the male of the species from one of the 20th century's most celebrated and renowned humorists, Men I'm Not Married To is a series of descriptions of nine men, all of whom Parker managed to avoid accompanying down the aisle. Some longer, some very short, each of these descriptions shows Parker's full range of wit, sardonic humor, and wry cynicism.

The Sign of the Four is the thrilling follow-up to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's premiere novel, A Study in Scarlet in which he introduced the world's first unofficial consulting detective, the legendary and brilliant Sherlock Holmes.

"Ethan Frome" is one of Edith Wharton's best known works and has become a staple of American literature classes around the globe since it was first published in 1911. The story is a simple tale of desire, regret and forbidden love. The title character, Ethan, has resigned himself to living in a loveless, sterile marriage with his wife Zenobia. But when his wife's young cousin Mattie moves into the house and both she and Ethan are drawn together, it begins a romance that can only end in heartbreak... or tragedy.