It is the twelfth century, the era of Richard the Lion-heart and the Third Crusade. Along the Danube, the tranquil world shared by the young squire Otto and his cousin Bertha is changed forever when they witness a knightly contest for possession of a magic ring. Soon both are drawn into a quest that transforms them and endangers all they love. The resulting adventures lead each to different paths of enchantment and peril, from the mysteries of Moorish Spain to the birthplace of Norse mythology. While navigating an ever-changing sea of allies and foes, both natural and magical, the two seek love, honor, survival, and a ring that possesses more power than either can possibly understand.

A seamless blend of medieval quest, epic fantasy, and Gothic nightmare, "The Magic Ring" draws on an impressive host of inspirations, such as Germanic folk tales and Icelandic sagas, Arthurian romance and Gothic horror. Its author, Baron de la Motte Fouque, was a literary star in the constellation of German Romanticism, and with his great masterpiece, "The Magic Ring," he paved the way for later luminaries of fantasy such as William Morris, George MacDonald, and J.R.R. Tolkien.

This new edition includes the unabridged text of the original 1825 three-volume edition, as well as an introduction by Amy H. Sturgis, and more than forty original illustrations by award-winning fantasy artist Jef Murray.

This work offers the best of both worlds: broad analysis of the first five presidential administrations and specific excerpts from original documents supporting and opposing the presidents' positions. George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe speak for themselves as they argue for their positions on the key political, social, and economic issues of their time in excerpts from primary sources. Excerpts from opposing positions on each issue give the presidents' critics a voice. An explanatory overview of each issue will help students to understand the argument and the context of the issue and to apply critical thinking skills to their understanding. The section on each president includes entries on 4-5 key issues of his administration, from the president's title at the beginning of Washington's administration to American Indian removal at the close of Monroe's term.

Primary documents include presidential memoirs, speeches, and letters, congressional speeches, Supreme Court decisions, newspaper editorials, and comments from prominent private citizens. An introductory overview of each president's administration provides a useful window through which to assess the specific debates and documents addressed. A timeline provides a chronological backdrop for the subject, and recommended readings following each section offer helpful direction for further study. Though the founding presidents remain revered today for their pioneering accomplishments in the early nation, this work reminds readers that the first executives faced ongoing opposition from members of the legislature, judiciary, and general public. Readers will gain a grounded understanding of the contested issues of the young nation and the way early decisions impacted our political system across time.

In 1838, the U.S. Government began to forcibly relocate thousands of Cherokees from their homelands in Georgia to the Western territories. The event the Cherokees called "The Trail Where They Cried" meant their own loss of life, sovereignty, and property. Moreover, it allowed visions of Manifest Destiny to contradict the government's previous "civilization campaign" policy toward American Indians. The tortuous journey West was one of the final blows causing a division within the Cherokee nation itself, over civilization and identity, tradition and progress, east and west. The Trail of Tears also introduced an era of Indian removal that reshaped the face of Native America geographically, politically, economically, and socially. Engaging thematic chapters explore the events surrounding the Trail of Tears and the era of Indian removal, including the invention of the Cherokee alphabet, the conflict between the preservation of Cherokee culture and the call to assimilate, Andrew Jackson's "imperial presidency," and the negotiation of legislation and land treaties. Biographies of key figures, an annotated bibliography, and an extensive selection of primary documents round out the work.

This resource of primary documents and commentary spans the Hayes and McKinley administrations, selecting and describing five to ten of the foremost issues of the day. The actual texts of the presidents' positions, along with the opposing viewpoints, are presented. Helpful background information and commentary clarifies the primary sources, accurately depicting this dynamic time in the country's past and providing an invaluable resource to any student of American history.

The period from 1877 to 1901 marked the end of one United States-a country still reeling from the Civil War, a divided nation of Reconstruction, a land of economic depression, sectional hostility, and governmental corruption. A new United States was emerging. It was an empire, an international power that both negotiated with and fought against European nations with great success, and a country with a rebounding economy, vigorous industry, and restored faith. During this Gilded Age, the nation expanded as settlers moved west and displaced native populations. Immigrants entered at the highest rate in the country's history. Geographic expansion gave rise to mighty railroads, and industrial expansion brought corporations, company towns, and monopolies. This unprecedented industrialism bolstered urban growth, yet economic hardships afflicted rural countrysides. Labor and agrarian interests organized.

One of the most important Native American leaders in history, the Shawnee leader Tecumseh protested land cession, and was a major catalyst of the Battle of Tippecanoe. He harnessed the tradition of American Indian pan-tribal unity to become the most important symbol of multi-national Native American identity and resistance in North America. This in-depth, accessible treatment explores the life of a key figure in Native American battle-lore who figures prominently in U.S. history curricula. Lively, narrative chapters explore the Shawnee culture, Tecumseh's childhood, the transformation of his brother, Tenskwatawa into The Prophet, his creation of a pan-tribal movement, the War of 1812, and his legacy in history and popular culture.

"A wild phantasmagoria of unmixed and unaccountable evil." - "North American Review"

Preparations are underway in the Swedish village of Hammarby for the reception of Rudolph Seiler, the young Norwegian architect who is coming to build the new church. But when Alfhild, the provost's daughter, accidentally shatters an antique goblet with a mysterious history, it seems to be an omen of future misfortune....

Seiler arrives and quickly inspires love in two women: Alfhild and Thelma, the fiancee of the insane and deformed Count Albano. But all is not what it seems. Behind his polished and handsome exterior, Seiler is cold and calculating, and it soon becomes clear that he has come to Hammarby for reasons other than to build the church. His real aim is vengeance, and the fulfilment of a generations-old curse

Controversial in the 19th century for its depiction of the callous anti-hero Seiler and its honest treatment of the subject of divorce, "The Magic Goblet" was nonetheless one of Emilie Flygare-Carlen's most popular works. Once widely read and highly regarded both in her native Sweden and in the English-speaking world, Flygare-Carlen has long since fallen into obscurity. Recently her work has received new attention from scholars in Sweden, and this Valancourt Books edition gives English-speaking readers the opportunity to rediscover this important and fascinating writer.

The book that inspired Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings "

It is the twelfth century, the era of Richard the Lion-heart and the Third Crusade. Along the Danube, the tranquil world shared by the young squire Otto and his cousin Bertha is changed forever when they witness a knightly contest for possession of a magic ring. Soon both are drawn into a quest that transforms them and endangers all they love. The resulting adventures lead each to different paths of enchantment and peril, from the mysteries of Moorish Spain to the birthplace of Norse mythology. While navigating an ever-changing sea of allies and foes, both natural and magical, the two seek love, honor, survival, and a ring that possesses more power than either can possibly understand.

A seamless blend of medieval quest, epic fantasy, and Gothic nightmare, "The Magic Ring" draws on an impressive host of inspirations, such as Germanic folk tales and Icelandic sagas, Arthurian romance and Gothic horror. This novel has earned its place as a text of considerable historical significance, and yet it continues to offer an exhilarating reading experience for the modern audience.

This edition includes the complete original text of the first English version of "The Magic Ring," the 1825 translation by Robert Pearse Gillies, as well as a scholarly introduction, a glossary of literary influences and references, and the complete text of Fouque's 1820 short story "The Field of Terror," also translated by Gillies.