Showing results by author "Mentor New York" in All Categories

The human race was expanding through the galaxy ... and so, they knew, were the Aliens. Who were these beings? Traces of them could be found scattered on planets everywhere, some very recent, but the aliens themselves were never encountered. They were obviously just as advanced technologically as humans and obviously looking for planets to expand to, just like humans. But what would happen when the two races, human and alien met? From history it was obvious that a war should be planned for, two expanding empires cannot tolerate rivals and they would clash and it could happen at any time. Would...

There can really be no excuse for this last book of trite and beautiful sayings. I do not attempt, in any way, to palliate this great wrong. I would not do so even if I had an idea what palliate meant. . . . I have taken great care to thoroughly eradicate anything that would have the appearance of poetry in this work, and there is not a thought or suggestion contained in it that would soil the most delicate fabric. Do not read it all at once, however, in order to see whether he married the girl or not. Take a little at a time, and it will cure gloom on the "similia simili-bus curanter" ...

The Evergreen was a short lived seasonal magazine, edited by William Sharp (Fiona Macleod) and published by Patrick Geddes, which proposed a nature-based Celtic renaissance as an alternative to late 19th century Decadence. In contrast to the Romantics, the Celtic revivalists advocated urban renewal, rather than a return to nature, an idea that would be developed in Patrick Geddes' later and more well-known work on town planning. The first volume of The Evergreen is an eclectic collection of short fiction, poetry, literary criticism, philosophy and visual art on the theme of spring. - Summary ...

Giovanna and Costantino Ledda are a happily married couple living with their young child in a Sardinian country village close to their extended family. Costantino is wrongly convicted of murdering his wicked uncle and with no way of supporting herself, Giovanna reluctantly divorces him and is driven to marry Brontu Dejas, a wealthy but brutish drunkard who has always lusted after her. As well as enduring a marriage amounting to slavery, Giovanna is derided by villagers for having two husbands. When Constantino is freed after the real murderer confesses to his crime, he and Giovanna are ...

Alice Duer was a successful American author who wrote poetry, novels and screenplays and campaigned tirelessly for women's suffrage. Her sister Caroline was an editor at Vogue magazine. This beautiful collection published in 1896 and the first of their early poems, is centered around the themes of love, friendship and loss. - Summary by Nemo

This is a collection of theatrical essays from the American quarterly The Drama, including six non-fiction works -- 3 profiles: Schnitzler, Andreyev, and O'Neill, and 3 articles: Characterization vs Situation, The Actor in England, & The Evolution of The Actor.

The Battle of Agincourt provided a surprise English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place in 1415 and brought a turning point in the war between France and England after failed negotiations. This romance by James begins in the lead-up to the battle, with the mysterious "Hal of Hadnock" shown hospitality by Sir Philip Beauchamp while on an unknown journey. He is befriended by young Richard of Woodville, who has suspicions regarding Hal. Gradually, we learn more of Hal and Richard as we follow their fortunes and the twists and turns surrounding Richard’s love for Mary. (Summary by ...

It seems that all the people close to Betty are going through major life changes. Lois is certainly spending a lot of time with Dunmore Lane these days. Is Betty about to lose her friend and confidante forever? Even Miss Minturne is behaving strangely. If she's falling in love, as Betty suspects, what will happen to the income that Betty is depending on to pay off the mortgage on the farmhouse? Meanwhile, before Betty is even aware of it, her friends have begun to wonder if someone is falling in love with her. Although Betty scoffs at the idea, there is a certain gentleman who just might fit ...

Jasper Derry was on a mission. He had left the northern wilderness a few years earlier when he had worked for the Hudson's Bay Company, but in doing so he had also left some unfinished business behind. Now he is on his quest to complete those affairs. We travel with Jasper and his two companions through the rugged, desolate region, and while doing so, we learn a great deal of just how wild and untamed the wilderness was in the mid-19th century. This is an adventure, a series of learning experiences, and a lesson in bonding to ensure survival away in the wilderness. - Summary by Roger Melin

A poor boy discovers the value of honesty and industry. More than that, he discovers the value of his relationship with God. (Introduction by Robert Harder)

The Protestant Sir John Chester and the Catholic Geoffrey Haredale have been feuding for years. In "Romeo and Juliet" fashion, Chester's son and Haredale's niece wish to marry, but their relatives oppose the union. A tale of love and intrigue set against the historical events of 1780, when an anti-Catholic mob caused more damage to London than had ever been seen before. And the simple young man Barnaby who becomes caught up in events he does not quite understand. (Brad Filippone)

The Manchester Athenaeum was founded in 1837 as a society for the "advancement and diffusion of knowledge". This short collection of poems was published to raise money for the society's annual bazaar. The collection included contributions from 'marquee' poets of the time, including Charles Swain and Agnes Strickland, and Thomas Hood provided an entertaining preface on poetry as food for the mind. It also found space for several of the local school of poets, who were determined to show the world that Manchester was not just a centre of industry and trade. In addition to poems by Ner Gardiner, ...

Miss Mitton was an unusual English woman of her time. As a published author, this unmarried woman in her early 30s recorded her visit to Burma (and Ceylon) at the turn of the 20th century. Her language is picturesque, and her attitude toward the natives of this country is typical of her era. Burma of the early 1900s was, and still is, a little known and underappreciated destination for those who love to wander the world. Anyone interested in Edwardian travel, attitudes, and women's issues during the Edwardian colonial period will enjoy this travelogue. (Summary by Mary Ann Hadley)

The Ballad of the White Horse is a poem by G K Chesterton about the idealized exploits of the Saxon King Alfred the Great, published in 1911. Written in ballad form, the work is usually considered an epic poem. The poem narrates how Alfred was able to defeat the invading Danes at the Battle of Ethandun under the auspices of God working through the agency of the Virgin Mary. In addition to being a narration of Alfred's militaristic and political accomplishments, it is also considered a Catholic allegory. Chesterton incorporates a significant amount of philosophy into the basic structure of the ...

This begins with an odd inheritance at the end of a honeymoon, both parties being inexperienced. Then someone comes to visit, then another, until we've got a chaotic bedlam of New England's tragically off the wall odd-ball relations. Our protagonists may not communicate efficiently at first but at least they've got a sense of humour. The humourous style keeps up as well as some moments of lustre and rich feeling about the printed word itself. (Introduction by D. Wor)

The 10th and final book in the series for adolescent girls sees two of the three cousins react to atrocities in World War I by volunteering in the Red Cross. Written under the pseudonym of Edith Van Dyne, this is the 1915 version, which reflects United States' neutrality. A later version, published in 1918, differed significantly to reflect changes in the position of the United States. (Summary by Lynne Thompson)

This volume of the Reformation collection has a particular focus on the works of Zacharias Ursinus, writer of the Heidelberg Catechism. It also contains a number of Reformation sermons. - Summary by InTheDesert

While the central figures in each of the three stories in this collection are sailing captains, the main action in two of them takes place on land, albeit in sight of the sea. In "A Smile of Fortune", a naive young sea captain falls into grave moral peril when he locks horns with a wily ship chandler in Mauritius. In "The Secret Sharer", a newly appointed sea captain is confronted with an altogether different kind of challenge when he attempts to haul in a rope ladder over his ship's side one evening and finds it much heavier than usual. In "Freya of the Seven Isles", Jasper Allen, the captain...

The Hundred Years' War: a series of conflicts waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Plantagenet, rulers of the Kingdom of England, against the House of Valois, rulers of the Kingdom of France, over the succession to the French throne. It was a time of intrigue, plot, murder and romance. Agnes Sorel, aged 20, became the favorite mistress of the King of France, wielding much influence over him and earning many enemies. Her untimely death at the age of 28, just days after bearing him a fourth child, was blamed on dysentery. In this novel, we follow the trials of Jean Charost, secretary to the ...

In May Sinclair’s remarkable first novel, Audrey Craven is a beautiful young woman who has by her idiosyncrasies acquired a thoroughly undeserved reputation for originality. In fact, Audrey is a shallow, selfish, malleable person of negligible intelligence, with a fastidious horror of anyone who might be considered a nobody. Her pursuit of the stimulation of extraordinary minds (and her persistent fantasy of being somebody’s Muse) brings her into contact with serious women and men representing the profoundest passions of art, religion, science, and love. The question is, will these ...