Literature Commentary

Dante’s Inferno — Fully Illustrated Edition Descend into the timeless epic of sin, punishment, and redemption. Dante’s Inferno is not just a masterpiece of literature—it’s a journey into the human soul. This modern English edition brings Dante Alighieri’s vivid imagination to life with clear, accessible prose and over 70 stunning illustrations by Gustave Doré. Carefully crafted to preserve the poetry and power of the original, this version invites both new readers and longtime admirers to experience Inferno as never before—immersive, immediate, unforgettable. A New ...

Your ticket from the twenty-first century to the era of Jesus and the first Christians. A listenable, two-volume introduction placing the entire New Testament and early Christianity in its original context, written by distinguished scholar and author N. T. Wright. An ideal guide for students...

DID YOU KNOW? The Bible was not originally divided into numbered chapters and verses. This was man-made and done for convenience of looking up and referencing passages of Scripture. Paul's letters were so passionately and beautifully written as he shared Jesus Christ with everyone who might lend an ear. Over two thousand years later and his words still ring in the truth of God. The Bible is meant to be read in its complete context so nothing is missed or mistaken. Paul's books are cohesive letters, and once you experience reading each as an actual letter without the distraction of random ...

With a new introduction from New York Times best-selling author Tayari Jones, The Street was Ann Petry's first novel, originally published in 1946 and hailed by critics as a masterwork. The Street tells the poignant, often heartbreaking story of Lutie Johnson, a young black woman, and her...

A Paperback Original Named a Most Anticipated Book by The New York Times, The Guardian, Forbes, Oprah Daily, Lit Hub, and Publishers Weekly From the author of the international bestseller Butter comes a chilling and perceptive novel about obsession, female friendship, and the slow unraveling of...

Gemma Jericho is an overworked New York doctor with a handful of a teenaged daughter and a mother who worries that Gemma has no life. So when her mother receives a mysterious letter telling her about an even more mysterious inheritance in Tuscany, Gemma sees her chance. The three of them throw caution and convention to the wind and leave for Italy.

“Genius ... It is miraculous to read these pieces ... You must read The Best of Me.” —Andrew Sean Greer, New York Times Book Review For more than twenty-five years, David Sedaris has been carving out a unique literary space. A Sedaris story may seem confessional, but is also highly attuned...

A masterpiece of Christian mysticism and a literary jewel of Spain’s Golden Age, Dark Night of the Soul by Saint John of the Cross has inspired spiritual seekers for centuries. This edition, carefully rendered into modern English, allows contemporary readers to enter its depth without stumbling over archaic language or obscure expressions. The accompanying commentary aims to bridge the 500-year cultural divide between the 16th century and today’s reader. It not only clarifies the symbolism and implicit theology in each verse but also offers insight into the spiritual experience that the...

There’s no right way to keep a diary, but if there’s an entertaining way, David Sedaris seems to have mastered it. If it’s navel-gazing you’re after, you’ve come to the wrong place; ditto treacly self-examination. Rather, David Sedaris's observations turn outward: a fight between two...

In June 1867, Mark Twain set out for Europe and the Holy Land on the paddle steamer Quaker City. His enduring, no-nonsense guide for the first-time traveler also served as an antidote to the insufferably romantic travel books of the period.

These outspoken writings by the founder of modern nursing record fundamentals in the needs of the sick that must be provided in all nursing. Nightingale covers such timeless topics as ventilation, noise, food, bed and bedding, light, cleanliness, and observation of the sick.

Read by the author. Learn how to read the Bible as literature and fall in love with God's Word. We all want to read the Bible verse-by-verse, cover-to-cover, but what happens when you can't get past Leviticus or bog down and quit in Chronicles? How can you make the journey through the Bible...

"Sedaris is a remarkably skilled storyteller and savvy essayist ... And based on this collection, he's getting only better." —Los Angeles Times A guy walks into a bar car and ... From here the story could take many turns. When the guy is legendary essayist David Sedaris, the possibilities are...

#1 New York Times bestseller! In this unforgettable collection of essays, acclaimed humorist David Sedaris lifts the corner of ordinary life, revealing the absurdity teeming below its surface. Sedaris plays in the snow with his sisters. He goes on vacation with his family. He gets a job selling...

“Its theme is political fanaticism, with which it deals severely and brilliantly.” —New Yorker The famous bestseller with “concise insight into what drives the mind of the fanatic and the dynamics of a mass movement” (Wall Street Journal) by the legendary San Francisco longshoreman. A...

In David Sedaris's world, no one is safe, and no cow is sacred. With the legendary essayist’s signature biting wit, this collection skewers family dysfunction, awkward childhood memories, and the absurdities of modern life. A do-it-yourself suburban dad saves money by performing home surgery...

German poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s (1875-1926) Letters to a Young Poet has been treasured for nearly a century. Rilke’s personal reflections on the vocation of writing and the experience of living urge an aspiring poet to look inward, while also offering sage wisdom on further issues including gender, solitude, and romantic love. Barrows and Macy’s translation extends this compilation of timeless advice and wisdom to a fresh generation of readers and listeners.

The four long narratives in The Emigrants appear at first to be the straightforward biographies of four Germans in exile. Sebald reconstructs the lives of a painter, a doctor, an elementary-school teacher, and Great Uncle Ambrose. Following (literally) in their footsteps, the narrator retraces routes of exile which lead from Lithuania to London, from Munich to Manchester, from the South German provinces to Switzerland, France, New York, Constantinople, and Jerusalem.

On a foggy summer night, eleven people--ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter--depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are the painter Scott Burroughs and a...

When David comes on the scene, The Holly family, and much of the town, have done things for so long they don't even realize they are in a rut. David's innocence and naivete bring with it his own set of assumptions, opinions, and expectations. Because of the care his father had taken to keep him from the 'bad' – or painful – things in life, there is so much he can't even begin to fathom at first. The collision of these two worlds is what drives this story onward. David had never experienced poverty or wealth as most would think of it.