"Familiarity breeds contempt--and children." "It takes a heap of sense to write good nonsense." "Never tell a lie--except for practice."
This attractive gift edition of the renowned American humorist's epigrams and witticisms features hundreds of eminently quotable quips. Discover Twain's views on life, love, history, culture, travel, and other topics with these pithy aphorisms from his fiction, essays, letters, and autobiography.

A revelatory portrait of Chekhov during the most extraordinary artistic surge of his life. In 1886, a twenty-six-year-old Anton Chekhov was publishing short stories, humor pieces, and articles at an astonishing rate, and was still a practicing physician. Yet as he honed his craft and continued to draw inspiration from the vivid characters in his own life, he found himself-to his surprise and occasional embarrassment-admired by a growing legion of fans, including Tolstoy himself. He had not yet succumbed to the ravages of tuberculosis. He was a lively, frank, and funny correspondent and a dedicated mentor. And as Bob Blaisdell discovers, his vivid articles, stories, and plays from this period-when read in conjunction with his correspondence-become a psychological and emotional secret diary. When Chekhov struggled with his increasingly fraught engagement, young couples are continually making their raucous way in and out of relationships on the page. When he was overtaxed by his medical duties, his doctor characters explode or implode. Chekhov's talented but drunken older brothers and Chekhov's domineering father became transmuted into characters, yet their emergence from their family's serfdom is roiling beneath the surface. Chekhov could crystalize the human foibles of the people he knew into some of the most memorable figures in literature and drama. In Chekhov Becomes Chekhov, Blaisdell astutely examines the psychological portraits of Chekhov's distinct, carefully observed characters and how they reflect back on their creator during a period when there seemed to be nothing between his imagination and the paper he was writing upon.

This anthology commemorates the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War with reflections from both sides of the conflict. Compiled by an expert in the literature of the era, the poems and short stories appear in chronological order. They trace the war's progress and portray a gamut of moods, from the early days of eagerness to confront the foe to long years of horror at the ongoing carnage and sad relief at the struggle's end.
Selections include the poetry of Walt Whitman, John Greenleaf Whittier, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; observations by Herman Melville and Louisa May Alcott; and noteworthy fiction by Ambrose Bierce ("An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge") and Mark Twain ("A True Story, Repeated Word for Word, As I Heard It"). Lesser-known writers, many of them anonymous, offer heartfelt testimonials and eyewitness accounts from battlefields and the homefront.

The story behind the origins of Anna Karenina and the turbulent life and times of Leo Tolstoy. Anna Karenina is one of the most nuanced characters in world literature and we return to her, and the novel she propels, again and again. Remarkably, there has not yet been an examination of Leo Tolstoy specifically through the lens of this novel. Critic and professor Bob Blaisdell unravels Tolstoy's family, literary, and day-to-day life during the period that he conceived, drafted, abandoned, and revised Anna Karenina. In the process, we see where Tolstoy's life and his art intersect in obvious and unobvious ways. Readers often assume that Tolstoy, a nobleman-turned-mystic would write himself into the principled Levin. But in truth, it is within Anna that the consciousness and energy flows with the same depth and complexities as Tolstoy. Her fateful suicide is the road that Tolstoy nearly traveled himself. At once a nuanced biography and portrait of the last decades of the Russian empire and artful literary examination, Creating Anna Karenina will enthrall the thousands of readers whose lives have become deeper and clearer after experiencing this hallmark of world literature.

Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgaard (b. 1968) made a literary mark on his home country in 1998, when his debut novel won the prestigious Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature. His fame continued to grow with the publication of his six-volume autobiographical series Min Kamp, or My Struggle. Translated into English in 2012, the critically acclaimed and controversial series garnered global attention, as did its author. Conversations with Karl Ove Knausgaard is a collection of twenty-two interviews, each conducted during the ten-year span in which Knausgaard’s literary prowess gained worldwide recognition. Knausgaard is both a daring writer and a daring interviewee. He grounds his observations in the ordinary aspects of the world around him, which, he insists, is the same world in front of most of his readers. He regards his appearances in newspapers, magazines, and literary festivals as "a performance," where he plays himself. While that role may differ from his inner life, it is consistent with the role he plays in his autobiographical novels. Fans of Knausgaard will easily recognize this public persona, an embodiment of the protagonist, husband, and father featured in My Struggle and in the Seasons quartet. Knausgaard discusses his work, aspects of his personal life, and his writing routines and practices in marvelous detail. He comments on literary and artistic world classics and on international contemporary authors. A bilingual speaker, he is accustomed to appearing before the press and in front of audiences in his roles as a famous author and as the publisher and cofounder of the publishing house Pelikanen (Pelican). Remarkable for his candor and directness, Knausgaard delivers the same variety and number of surprises in these interviews as he does in his most thrilling books.

A great speech can stir the soul -- and move a nation. This compact and affordable anthology gathers complete speeches and selected excerpts from some of the twentieth century's most memorable addresses. Writers and speakers in search of memorable quotations will appreciate this collection, as will any reader seeking historical wisdom and inspiration.
Featured speakers include Winston Churchill, rousing the British to defend their lives and homes against the Nazis; Mohandas Gandhi, advocating non-violent resistance to deplorable living conditions; and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, calming the nation's fears during the Great Depression. Additional orations include those of Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Ronald Reagan, Elie Wiesel, the Dalai Lama, Cesar Chavez, and many others. Includes 3 selections from the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

Offering diverse perspectives on the black experience, this anthology of short fiction spotlights works by influential African-American authors. Nearly thirty outstanding stories include tales by W. E. B. Du Bois, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay, and Jamaica Kinkaid.
From the turn of the twentieth century come Alice Ruth Moore's "A Carnival Jangle," Charles W. Chesnutt's "Uncle Wellington's Wives," and Paul Laurence Dunbar's "The Scapegoat." Other stories include "Becky" by Jean Toomer; "Afternoon" by Ralph Ellison; Langston Hughes's "Feet Live Their Own Life"; and "Mama's Missionary Money" by Chester Himes. Samples of more recent fiction include tales by Jervey Tervalon, Rosemarie Robotham, and Breena Clarke. Ideal for browsing, this collection is also suitable for courses in African-American studies and American literature.

A controversial figure in the history of race relations around the world, Marcus Garvey amazed his enemies as much as he dazzled his admirers. This anthology contains some of the African-American rights advocate's most noted writings and speeches, including "Declaration of the Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World" and "Africa for the Africans."

At the end of the Civil War, another long and arduous struggle began as the nation attempted to reunite. Literature offered a path toward solidarity, and this concise anthology surveys the writings of major American authors from the war's end to the dawn of the Jazz Age.
Featured works include those of Emily Dickinson, Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, and other poets. Mark Twain is prominently represented among the storytellers, along with Ambrose Bierce, Stephen Crane, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Three short novels appear in their entirety: "Daisy Miller" by Henry James, "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London, and "Ethan Frome" by Edith Wharton. Speeches by Sitting Bull and Theodore Roosevelt, memoirs by Booker T. Washington and Helen Keller, and many other selections recapture a vibrant era in American literature. Informative introductory notes and suggestions for further reading supplement the authoritative texts.

Remarkable for their eloquence and depth of feeling, these 82 speeches encompass five centuries of Indian encounters with non-indigenous peoples. Speakers include Chief Joseph, Sitting Bull, Tecumseh, Seattle, Geronimo, Crazy Horse, and many lesser-known leaders, whose compelling words are graced by forceful metaphors and vivid imagery.

"I have put my genius into my life," declared Oscar Wilde, adding, "I have put only my talent into my works." This gift edition of the renowned poet and playwright's aphorisms draws upon both realms. Hundreds of sparkling jests and epigrams include quips from Wilde's personal letters and conversations as well as his fiction, essays, lectures, and plays. The most comprehensive collection of Wilde's witticisms, it will delight both longtime fans and new readers.

This anthology celebrates the wit and imaginative creativity of the Elizabethan poets with a generous selection of their graceful and sophisticated verse. Highlights include sonnets from Shakespeare, Sidney, and Spenser; popular poems by Donne ("Go, and catch a falling star"), Jonson ("Drink to me only with thine eyes"), Marlowe ("The Passionate Shepherd to His Love"); more.

These essays by the prolific historian and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois focus on some of the African-American author's lesser-known writings. They include 'Strivings of the Negro People, ' 'A Negro Schoolmaster in the New South, ' 'The Talented Tenth, ' 'Address to the Nation: The Niagara Movement Speech, ' 'Evolution of the Race Problem, ' and

"In America, everything was possible," recalls Louis Adamic of Slovenia. "There even the common people were 'citizens, ' not 'subjects' . . . a citizen, or even a non-citizen foreigner, could walk up to the President of the United States and pump his hand. Indeed, that seemed to be a custom in America."
The history and experience of immigration remain central to American culture, past and present. This anthology surveys the recollections of emigrants from around the world who sought new lives in the United States. Their stories range in mood and setting from the misery of an Englishman in colonial Virginia, bound by indentured servitude, to the cultural commentary of an Iranian woman in California. Poignant, eye-opening reflections include those of a Polish sweatshop laborer, a Chinese businessman, an Italian bootblack, and a Ukrainian musician, in addition to observations and reminiscences by Jacob Riis, Edwidge Danticat, Junot Diaz, and other well-known authors.

This concise anthology presents a broad selection of writings by leading revolutionary figures of the world. Spanning three centuries, the works include such milestone documents as the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789), and The Communist Manifesto (1848). Also included are writings by the Russian revolutionaries Lenin and Trotsky; Marat and Danton of the French Revolution; in addition to selections by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Tom Paine, Emma Goldman, Mohandas Gandhi, Mao Tse-tung, and others. An essential collection for anyone interested in the issues, ideas, and history of the major revolutions of modern times, this book will also find an eager audience among students. Dover original selection of writings from standard editions.

From the most eloquent of American presidents, nearly 400 astute observations on subjects ranging from women to warfare: Bad promises are better broken than kept; Marriage is neither heaven nor hell; it is simply purgatory; Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.

Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgaard (b. 1968) made a literary mark on his home country in 1998, when his debut novel won the prestigious Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature. His fame continued to grow with the publication of his six-volume autobiographical series Min Kamp, or My Struggle. Translated into English in 2012, the critically acclaimed and controversial series garnered global attention, as did its author. Conversations with Karl Ove Knausgaard is a collection of twenty-two interviews, each conducted during the ten-year span in which Knausgaard’s literary prowess gained worldwide recognition. Knausgaard is both a daring writer and a daring interviewee. He grounds his observations in the ordinary aspects of the world around him, which, he insists, is the same world in front of most of his readers. He regards his appearances in newspapers, magazines, and literary festivals as "a performance," where he plays himself. While that role may differ from his inner life, it is consistent with the role he plays in his autobiographical novels. Fans of Knausgaard will easily recognize this public persona, an embodiment of the protagonist, husband, and father featured in My Struggle and in the Seasons quartet. Knausgaard discusses his work, aspects of his personal life, and his writing routines and practices in marvelous detail. He comments on literary and artistic world classics and on international contemporary authors. A bilingual speaker, he is accustomed to appearing before the press and in front of audiences in his roles as a famous author and as the publisher and cofounder of the publishing house Pelikanen (Pelican). Remarkable for his candor and directness, Knausgaard delivers the same variety and number of surprises in these interviews as he does in his most thrilling books.

"Well, Mr. Mudrick Said ... A Memoir" tells the story of an impressionable young man learning about books, literature and life in the classrooms and courses of one of America's greatest literary critics, Marvin Mudrick (1921-1986). Mudrick was a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, from 1949 until his death. He was the provost of that university's College of Creative Studies from the time he created it in 1966 until 1984. Under his direction, it was the single most successful program or school in the U.C. system. Mudrick was born in Philadelphia, the last child of immigrant parents who had escaped the pogroms in Kishinev. He graduated from Temple University, served in the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II and then earned his Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley. His book on Jane Austen was for many years the most important critical study of her novels. He published several books of his literary criticism, a hundred review-essays for The Hudson Review and dozens more for, among others, Harper's and the New York Review of Books.

In the years before he wrote War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy founded and ran a school on his estate at Yasanya Polyana. Brimming with progressive and sometimes radical ideas on schooling, Tolstoy undertook to teach the peasant children many subjects-including imaginative writing-and wrote about what he learned. This is a book for anyone who cares about education.

Renowned Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy had an abiding interest in children and in children's literature. At the age of twenty-one, he started a school for peasant children on his family's estate, and after returning from a stint in the military, he founded another, experimental school with the motto, "Come when you like, leave when you like." Fascinated by the simple charm and the fresh innocence with which the children of his schools told stories, several years later, when Tolstoy began writing about his own childhood, he emulated the uncomplicated narrative style and disarming directness of the tales told by the children of his acquaintance. After completing War and Peace, he incorporated these stories in a series of easy readers, and continued to work on them even while writing Anna Karenina. Known as The ABC Book (Azbuka) and subsequently The New ABC Book (Novy Azbuka), these marvelous readers were widely adopted in Russia and were still in use in the Soviet era. The tales and fables in this volume come mainly from these two well-loved primers. Part I consists of stories about his own childhood, all told with beautiful simplicity. Part II contains Tolstoy's free adaptations of fables from Aesop and from Hindu tradition. Part III is devoted solely to his longest and most famous children's work, the fairy tale "Ivan the Fool and His Two Brothers." Never patronizing and often humorous, these small gems reveal Tolstoy's deep appreciation for and understanding of children's artistic and moral sensibilities.