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Captain Tom Lingard, sailing through the Malay Archipelago, comes to the rescue of a struggling English yacht carrying a mysterious cargo—and a beautiful woman.  Both will prove irresistible . . . and deadly.  Begun in the 1890s, The Rescue was not published until 1920. 

Published in 1871, this novel of “mystery, entanglement, surprise and moral obliquity''”—as the author himself later described it—launched Hardy''s literary career . . . though, because of the scandalous subject matter, including blackmail, murder, and forbidden sexuality, the novel appeared anonymously. 

In the Malay Archipelago, Axel Heyst, a failed European businessman, rescues a young Englishwoman from a rapacious hotel owner.  Fleeing to a remote island, Heyst and the woman are pursued by thugs dispatched by the vengeful hotelier.  Written late in his career, Victory (1915) brought Conrad his first popular success.

A Christmas Carol launched Dickens’s Christmas novellas; The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain brings the series to an end. Professor Redlaw is haunted by a ghost-like creature that looks astonishingly like him. The spirit relieves Redlaw of his miseries from years gone by, but there are unforeseen consequences of forgetting the past.

Mary Barton, daughter of a factory worker, is torn between her love for a poor worker and the life of ease offered to her by the son of a wealthy mill owner.  This classic novel of love and redemption, published anonymously in 1848, launched Mrs. Gaskell on her literary career. Also includes four short stories: "My French Master," "The Old Nurse''s Story," "Bessy''s Troubles at Home," and "Christmas Storms and Sunshine." 

Mark Twain loved to place American characters—forthright, ingenious, but sometimes naive—in exotic locales, just to see what madcap results might ensue. In this sequel to Tom Sawyer, Tom and his pals Huck Finn and Jim travel via balloon to Africa, where they run up against robbers, lions, and some particularly fearsome fleas.

Barrie’s best-known character is a boy who never grows old. But Sentimental Tommy, published in 1896, traces with a whimsical touch the life of a man who grows old, but clings to his childhood ways as the story follows him from the age of five until his young manhood.

Set in New Orleans shortly after the Louisiana Purchase, The Grandissimes, published in 1880, focuses on the Grandissime family, a large and powerful New Orleans creole clan with a racially mixed heritage.  It is a searing indictment of racism and the class system of the Old South.

Eight stories recount the adventures of Horne Fisher, a socialite who uses his powerful deductive gifts to investigate crimes committed on the sprawling country estates of the aristocracy. Called “dazzlingly executed and richly atmospheric” by The Armchair Detective, this collection is filled with evocative portraits of pre-World War I society.

This collection of short stories drawn from Crane''s experiences as a correspondent during the Spanish-American War was posthumously published in 1900—the author penned the dedication just three months before he died.  Dramatic, ironic, filled with telling details and local color, these stories remain a testament to Crane''s talent for capturing the human side of war.

In 1913, Thomas Hardy published this collection of "a dozen minor novels" drawn from his works in magazines and newspapers.  The collection showcases Hardy''s mastery of naturalism, irony, and the supernatural, and includes, in addition to the title story, "The Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid," one of his most popular tales.

An enduring classic of fantasy literature, and an invaluable compendium of fairy tales and history, Puck of Pook''s Hill, published in 1906, features an elf named Puck, who takes two human children, Dan and Una, on an exciting adventure through England''s wondrously rich past.  

The title story of this collection, published in 1899, features three of Kipling''s recurring characters, privates Mulvaney, Ortheris, and Learoyd, who together constitute a kind of modern-day Three Musketeers.  The collection also contains "The Story of the Gadsbys," and "In Black and White."

O. Henry penned his only novel based on true-life experiences in tropical Honduras. Taking place in Anchuria, a mythical banana republic where larceny is rampant and revolution always a possibility, O. Henry creates an entire world of adventure by using many perspectives, all touched with his trademark wit and humor.

This collection of 22 short stories by O. Henry, published in 1903, contains a number of classics and as well as lesser known works, including the title story, "The Passing of Black Eagle," "A Retrieved Reformation," and the author''s first published story, "Whistling Dick''s Christmas Stocking."

Masterpieces of careful plotting and surprise endings, O. Henry’s short stories are classics of American literature. Many of O. Henry’s stories feature everyday New Yorkers going about their lives and reveal his affection for the ordinary man. Spellbinding reading for any fan of the short story, Strictly Business presents 23 of O. Henry’s tales, including the title story about actors and the theater.

Wharton’s first (1899) published collection of short stories ranges from light humor, social commentary, deception, and travel, to the darkly Gothic. Includes “The Muse''s Tragedy,” “A Journey,” “The Pelican,” “Souls Belated,” “A Coward,” “A Cup of Cold Water,” “The Portrait,” and a short play, “The Twilight of the Gods.”

This notorious autobiography had the distinction of being banned in both the United States and England after its publication in 1963.  Yet Harris''s memoir is more than just sex:  it is a mesmerizing travelogue through a bygone era, related by a brilliant raconteur who knew everybody worth knowing.

Originally published in installments, Dickens’s Dombey and Son presents a cavalcade of life in mid-nineteenth-century Britain, tracing the fortunes and eventual downfall of a powerful London shipping firm and its proud owner, Paul Dombey. The immense cast of inimitable Dickens characters includes Dombey’s children, his employees, and various legitimate and illegitimate relations.

Romola, the dutiful daughter of a blind scholar in Renaissance Florence, is married to the politically ambitious Tito, whose machinations bring her to ruin.  Forced to reinvent herself, Romola forges a bold new path in life.  Published in 1862, this brilliant novel is notable for its attention to historical detail.   

Drawing on the author''s experiences as a magistrate and legal reformer, Amelia follows the travails of Amelia Booth and her husband, Captain Booth, as they suffer a series of unjust persecutions brought about by corrupt social institutions.  Published in 1751, it was Fielding''s final novel. 

This 1887 Wessex novel is set in the small woodland village of Little Hintock, where the woodsman Giles Winterborne has long been unofficially engaged to Grace Melbury.  But when Grace''s father succeeds in gaining her entry to higher society, he steers her toward a wealthier man . . . with tragic results.

A black comedy brimming with absurd plot twists, The Wrong Box is a farcical romp through the misadventures of Morris and John Finsbury. The brothers attempt to collect money in a financial scheme that has gone awry. The survivor of the tontine will receive a large fortune—but only if he can keep dead people seemingly alive, and outlast his contenders. This book, co-written with Lloyd Osbourne, will have the reader in stitches.

Serialized from 1848-1850, The History of Pendennis is the coming-of-age story of Arthur Pendennis, a young country-born gentleman who travels to London to make his fortune.  There, as Thackeray depicts with his customary satirical flair, he finds work as a journalist and is drawn into the machinations of his scheming uncle, Major Pendennis.