Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Jem's heart beat violently when he saw the gay, handsome young man approaching, with a light, buoyant step. This, then, was he whom Mary loved. It was, perhaps, no wonder; for he seemed to the poor smith so elegant, so well-appointed, that he felt the superiority in externals, strangely and painfully, for an instant. Then something uprose within him, and told him that "a man's a man for a' that, for a' that, and twice as much a' that." And he no longer felt troubled by the outward appearance of his rival. -from Chapter XV As interest in 19th-century English literature by women has been reinvigorated by a resurgence in popularity of the works of Jane Austen, readers are rediscovering a writer whose fiction, once widely beloved, fell by the wayside. British novelist ELIZABETH CLEGHORN GASKELL (1810-1865)-whose books were sometimes initially credited to, simply, "Mrs. Gaskell"-is now recognized as having created some of the most complex and broadminded depictions of women in the literature of the age, and is today justly celebrated for her precocious use of the regional dialect and slang of England's industrial North. Mary Barton-Gaskell's first novel, originally published anonymously in 1848-established her reputation as a champion of the working class. Set in Manchester, where the author herself settled as the wife of a progressive preacher, it concerns the trials and tribulations of two poor families, the Bartons and the Wilsons, and a tragedy that cements their joint fate and highlights the class divide in highly stratified Victorian society. Friend and literary companion to the likes of Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bront-the latter of whom Gaskell wrote an acclaimed 1857biography-Gaskell is today being restored to her rightful place alongside them. This charming replica volume is an excellent opportunity for 21st-century fans of British literature to embrace one of its most unjustly forgotten authors.

From the deliberate, but delightful, misspelling of Shakespeare in the title to the carefully portrayed perils of being a Victorian soldier and the appropriately selected Shakespearian quotes to go alongside each cartoon, Thomas Seccombe's book will resonate with all who have an interest in observing life - military and otherwise. Seccombe was a true son of the Victorian Empire and served in The Royal Artillery until retiring as a Lieutenant-Colonel in 1881. This book was first published in 1880 and was so popular that it went on to six reprints in the following two years. Seccombe subsequently had a flourishing civilian career as an illustrator. Some 140 years later, even today's readers will see why Military Misreadings of Shakspere [sic] was such a success. Seccombe's subtle, but perceptive, observations of human character are as true today as they ever were. He had a wonderful eye for detail as well as the ridiculous - but never with malice even when pairing his cartoons with quotes from the Bard of Avon. This re-issued edition has the added benefit of former Grenadier Paul Cordle's highly informative commentary which puts Seccombe's army into perspective and relates regiments to their modern successors-in-arms. With a similar eye for detail as the original illustrator, military historian Paul brings the illustrations to life with fascinating military observations.