This 1888 novel is about a couple who love each other, but his political ambitions demand money and she is poor. "Reuben Sachs" would be a fairly standard late-Victorian novel about the cruelty of the marriage market if it were not imbued with feminist polemic. Amy Levy (1861-89) was sharply critical of the empty lives led by women with nothing to do all day except gossip, play cards and go shopping. The setting is the Anglo-Jewish community in Bayswater, portrayed with a sardonic gaze that shocked contemporary readers. Yet the author's theme was broader, for she was in part reacting against Daniel Deronda: she believed that George Eliot had romanticised her Jewish characters and that no novelist had yet described the modern Jew with 'his surprising virtues and no less surprising vices.'Oscar Wilde observed: 'Its directness, its uncompromising truths, its depth of feeling, and above all, its absence of any single superfluous word, make "Reuben Sachs", in some sort, a classic'. Julia Neuberger writes in her Preface, 'This is a novel about women, and Jewish women, about families, and Jewish families, about snobbishness, and Jewish snobbishness'; while in the "Independent on Sunday", Lisa Allardice said: 'Sadder but no less sparkling than Miss Pettigrew, "Reuben Sachs" is another forgotten classic by an accomplished female novelist. Amy Levy might be described as a Jewish Jane Austen.'

Oscar Wilde wrote of this novel, "Its directness, its uncompromising truths, its depth of feeling, and above all, its absence of any single superfluous word, make Reuben Sachs, in some sort, a classic." Reuben Sachs, the story of an extended Anglo-Jewish family in London, focuses on the relationship between two cousins, Reuben Sachs and Judith Quixano, and the tensions between their Jewish identities and English society. The novel's complex and sometimes satirical portrait of Anglo-Jewish life, which was in part a reaction to George Eliot's romanticized view of Victorian Jews in Daniel Deronda, caused controversy on its first publication. This Broadview edition prints for the first time since its initial publication in The Jewish Chronicle Levy's essay "The Jew in Fiction." Other appendices include George Eliot's essay on anti-Jewish sentiment in Victorian England and a chapter from Israel Zangwill's novel The Children of the Ghetto. Also included is a map of Levy's London with landmarks from her biography and from the "Jewish geography" of Reuben Sachs.

Miss Meredith (1889) is a novel by Amy Levy. Published the year of her tragic death, Miss Meredith is the final novel of a pioneering writer and feminist whose poetry and prose explores the concept of the New Woman while illuminating the realities of Jewish life in nineteenth century London. "A hard fight with fortune had been my mother's from the day when, a girl of eighteen, she had left a comfortable home to marry my father for love. Poverty and sickness-those two redoubtable dragons-had stood ever in the path. Now, even the love which had been by her side for so many years, and helped to comfort them, had vanished into the unknown." Elsie Meredith is keenly aware of her mother's fate in life, and although she wants to be there for her in her time of greatest need, she fears more than anything the prospect of following in her footsteps. "[N]either literary nor artistic, neither picturesque like Jenny nor clever like Rosalind," Elsie is a textbook middle child, destined to go through life on her own terms, yet unequipped with the drive or willingness to conform possessed by her sisters. On a whim, she decides to embark for Italy to work as a governess for the Marchesa Brogi. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition Amy Levy's Miss Meredith is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

A Minor Poet and Other Verse (1884) is a poetry collection by Amy Levy. Published when the poet was only twenty-three years old, A Minor Poet and Other Verse is the work of a pioneering writer and feminist whose poetry and prose explores the concept of the New Woman while illuminating the realities of Jewish life in nineteenth century London. "I am sad / Here in this gracious city, whose white walls / Gleam snow-like in the sunlight; whose fair shrines / Are filled with wondrous images of gods; / Upon whose harbour's bosom ride tall ships, / Black-masted, fraught with fragrant merchandise; / Whose straight-limbed people, in fair stuffs arrayed, / Do throng from morn till eve the sunny streets." Brought to a foreign land by her lover Jason, Medea becomes an exile in body and soul. Unable to assimilate within a culture dedicated to commerce and flowing with hatred and vanity, she despairs and longs for release. In this monologue, Levy perhaps projects some of her own feelings as a feminist and lesbian living in Victorian England. Othered already through her Jewish identity, Levy struggled throughout her life with depression. In "Xantippe," a poem inspired by Socrates' wife, Levy imagines a monologue from a woman emerging from despair into hope, who sees "a rosy glimmer" at the casement and cries "O fling it wide [...] and give me light!" With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition Amy Levy's A Minor Poet and Other Verse is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

A London Plane-Tree and Other Verse (1889) is a poetry collection by Amy Levy. Published in the year of her death at the age of 27, A London Plane-Tree and Other Verse is the work of a pioneering writer and feminist whose poetry and prose explores the concept of the New Woman while illuminating the realities of Jewish life in nineteenth century London. "Green is the plane-tree in the square, / The other trees are brown; / They droop and pine for country air; / The plane-tree loves the town." In these lyric poems exploring the sights and sounds of Victorian London, Amy Levy identifies herself with a modern, urban setting, refusing to rely on tradition in poetry or in life: "Others the country take for choice, / And hold the town in scorn; / But she has listened to the voice / On city breezes borne." Attuned to the urban bustle of work and play, Levy presages the malaise and discontent more often associated with Modernist writers of the early twentieth century: "Dead-tired, dog tired, as the vivid day / Fails and slackens and fades away.- / The sky that was so blue before / With sudden clouds is shrouded o'er." Having struggled with depression her whole life, Levy was keenly aware of poetry's ability to capture the depths of human emotion. "To Vernon Lee," addressed to her lover, herself a famous writer, Levy provides a self-portrait in the throes of heartache, recalling with sorrow a love consigned to the past: "A snowy blackthorn flowered beyond my reach; / You broke a branch and gave it to me there; / [...] / And of the gifts the gods had given to each- / Hope unto you, and unto me Despair." With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition Amy Levy's A London Plane-Tree and Other Verse is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Romance of a Shop (1888) is a novel by Amy Levy. Published the year before her tragic death, The Romance of a Shop is the debut novel of a pioneering writer and feminist whose poetry and prose explores the concept of the New Woman while illuminating the realities of Jewish life in nineteenth century London. "The air of desolation which hung about the house had communicated itself in some vague manner to the garden, where the trees were bright with blossom, or misty with the tender green of the young leaves. Perhaps the effect of sadness was produced, or at least heightened, by the pathetic figure that paced slowly up and down the gravel path immediately before the house; the figure of a young woman, slight, not tall, bare-headed, and clothed in deep mourning." Following the unexpected death of their father, sisters Fanny, Gertrude, Lucy, and Phyllis are left with little inheritance and even less hope for the future. On the brink of despair, they join together to launch a photography business, each contributing to the best of their abilities in order to survive. As Lucy begins an apprenticeship with a local photographer, her sisters purchase and prepare their own studio for her return. Despite their efforts, they struggle to convince customers that a shop owned by women can demand the same prices as those run by men. Through perseverance and luck, however, the Lorimers find success as funeral photographers and through their connection to a prominent artist. As romance, illness, and war interrupt their plans, the sisters find solace in their mutual resolve to not only survive, but provide and care for one another. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition Amy Levy's The Romance of a Shop is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Romance of a Shop (1888) is a novel by Amy Levy. Published the year before her tragic death, The Romance of a Shop is the debut novel of a pioneering writer and feminist whose poetry and prose explores the concept of the New Woman while illuminating the realities of Jewish life in nineteenth century London. "The air of desolation which hung about the house had communicated itself in some vague manner to the garden, where the trees were bright with blossom, or misty with the tender green of the young leaves. Perhaps the effect of sadness was produced, or at least heightened, by the pathetic figure that paced slowly up and down the gravel path immediately before the house; the figure of a young woman, slight, not tall, bare-headed, and clothed in deep mourning." Following the unexpected death of their father, sisters Fanny, Gertrude, Lucy, and Phyllis are left with little inheritance and even less hope for the future. On the brink of despair, they join together to launch a photography business, each contributing to the best of their abilities in order to survive. As Lucy begins an apprenticeship with a local photographer, her sisters purchase and prepare their own studio for her return. Despite their efforts, they struggle to convince customers that a shop owned by women can demand the same prices as those run by men. Through perseverance and luck, however, the Lorimers find success as funeral photographers and through their connection to a prominent artist. As romance, illness, and war interrupt their plans, the sisters find solace in their mutual resolve to not only survive, but provide and care for one another. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition Amy Levy's The Romance of a Shop is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Altar Call is an edgy, well-crafted roller coaster ride of a story. Will you identify with Jeremy whose jealous rages cost him his family, with Melanie who is abused by her father, or others who have lost loved ones and the will to live? Gain new friends, suffer with them as they plummet to the depths of despair and then ride the crest to hope and redemption. Heidi M. Thomas, award-winning author of Cowgirl Dreams and Follow the Dream. A murderer, a drug dealer, and a prostitute are three in the crowd of worshipers craving redemption and revealing their confessions to Rick Davis, a pastor in a small Midwestern town, as the Holy Spirit makes His presence powerfully known during an altar call. As each chapter unfolds, a new character reveals his story. Trina is a teenage girl whose mother throws her out of the house. Jeremy's thirst for control leads him to beat his wife and son for years. Elena meets Jesus at the town cafe in a modern-day Woman at the Well story. A total of twelve stories are told, each of them portraying human suffering at its deepest. Suicide, mental illness, molestation, drug abuse, rape, divorce, the loss of a child and a spouse, and anger toward God, are all issues characters either ask forgiveness for, or forgive someone else who has done it to them.

The Romance of A Shop was fist published in 1888. Praised by Oscar Wilde who thought it 'admirably done ... clever and full of quick observation, ' her little novel seemed to herald a brilliant career. The book is ostensibly the story of four young ladies who, after the death of their father, decide to open a photographic studio in the heart of London's bohemia (to the dismay of their more priggish relatives). Like much of Levy's work, the novel is concerned with the contradictions besetting the 'new' Victorian woman and her quest for independence despite being constrained by anachronistic social mores and conflicting values. Written just two years before her tragic suicide, a few months short of her 28th birthday, The Romance of A Shop, has a resonance that goes beyond its apparent innocence, echoing an undertone of despair and hunger for a liberation that, to Levy's misfortune, came only some years afterwards.

Title: The Romance of a Shop.Publisher: British Library, Historical Print EditionsThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It is one of the world's largest research libraries holding over 150 million items in all known languages and formats: books, journals, newspapers, sound recordings, patents, maps, stamps, prints and much more. Its collections include around 14 million books, along with substantial additional collections of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 300 BC.The FICTION & PROSE LITERATURE collection includes books from the British Library digitised by Microsoft. The collection provides readers with a perspective of the world from some of the 18th and 19th century's most talented writers. Written for a range of audiences, these works are a treasure for any curious reader looking to see the world through the eyes of ages past. Beyond the main body of works the collection also includes song-books, comedy, and works of satire. ++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++ British Library Levy, Amy; null 8 . 012633.f.39.

Title: Reuben Sachs. A sketch.Publisher: British Library, Historical Print EditionsThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It is one of the world's largest research libraries holding over 150 million items in all known languages and formats: books, journals, newspapers, sound recordings, patents, maps, stamps, prints and much more. Its collections include around 14 million books, along with substantial additional collections of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 300 BC.The POETRY & DRAMA collection includes books from the British Library digitised by Microsoft. The books reflect the complex and changing role of literature in society, ranging from Bardic poetry to Victorian verse. Containing many classic works from important dramatists and poets, this collection has something for every lover of the stage and verse. ++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++ British Library Levy, Amy; null 8 . 012633.k.12.

Here, Where Your Garden Fenced About And Still Is, Here, Where The Unmoved Summer Air Is Sweet With Mixed Delight Of Lavender And Lilies, Dreaming I Linger In The Noontide Heat.

I May Not Weep, Not Weep, And He Is Dead. A Weary, Weary Weight Of Tears Unshed Through The Long Day In My Sad Heart I Bear; The Horrid Sun With All Unpitying Glare Shines Down Into The Dreary Weaving-room, Where Clangs The Ceaseless Clatter Of The Loom, And Ceaselessly Deft Maiden-fingers Weave.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Here, Where Your Garden Fenced About And Still Is, Here, Where The Unmoved Summer Air Is Sweet With Mixed Delight Of Lavender And Lilies, Dreaming I Linger In The Noontide Heat.

I May Not Weep, Not Weep, And He Is Dead. A Weary, Weary Weight Of Tears Unshed Through The Long Day In My Sad Heart I Bear; The Horrid Sun With All Unpitying Glare Shines Down Into The Dreary Weaving-room, Where Clangs The Ceaseless Clatter Of The Loom, And Ceaselessly Deft Maiden-fingers Weave.