George Bertram's uncle, a wealthy City merchant, had sent him to Oxford where he made a brilliant record. Inclined toward the church and unwilling to follow his uncle's advice to adopt commerce as a career, he postponed his decision until after a visit to the Holy Land. In Jerusalem he met his father Sir Lionel Bertram, whom he had not seen since his boyhood and who had shown no interest in his upbringing. Sir Lionel held a minor military diplomatic...

Presents Charles Dickens' Christmas stories, including "A Christmas Carol," "The Chimes," "The Cricket on the Hearth," "The Battle of Life," and "The Haunted Man," including their original illustrations.

Norma Rae, a textile worker in a small Southern town, discovers that she has a social conscience when a labor organizer arrives at her mill to establish a union.

An early morning adventure out stealing horses leads to the tragic death of one boy and a resulting lifetime of guilt and isolation for his friend, in this moving tale about the painful loss of innocence and of traditional ways of life that are gone forever.

The poems in Michael Dickman's energized debut document the bright desires and all-too-common sufferings of modern times: the churn of domestic violence, spiritual longing, drug abuse, and the impossible expectations fathers have for their sons. In a poem that references heroin and "scary parents," Dickman reminds us that "Still there is a lot to pray to on earth." Dickman is a poet to watch.

Anticipating a divorce against a backdrop of the fall of communism, Arvid Jansen is further dismayed by his mother's diagnosis with cancer, a situation that prompts his emotionally charged quest for understanding and balance.

"Sixteen-year-old America Singer is living in the caste-divided nation of Illea, which formed after the war that destroyed the United States. America is chosen to compete in the Selection--a contest to see which girl can win the heart of Illea's prince--but all she really wants is a chance for a future with her secret love, Aspen, who is a caste below her"--Provided by publisher.