Willie Spence may have been a bit eccentric by most standards, but he had a knack for creating gadgets in his small workshop at his home on Cape Cod. Whenever he was 'ketched' by an 'idee' he had to see it to completion, and always did. His small cottage on the Cape had become a labyrinth of string and wires tacked here and there so as to make life a bit challenging for his housekeeper Celestina. But she and most everyone else among the coastal towns and villages loved the old man for all his eccentricities as Willie spent his waning years just waiting for his ship to come in.

This is one of the oldest written collections of fairy tales. Although the names are different, listeners should recognise many of the stories as the basis of modern fairy tales. Be warned however, that these stories are a lot more violent and gruesome then the Disney versions you may be familiar with. Parents should listen to the files to gauge their suitability before allowing children to listen to them.

Oku no Hosomichi (meaning Narrow Road to Oku [the Deep North]) is a major work by Matsuo Bashō.

Oku no Hosomichi was written based on a journey taken by Bashō in the late spring of 1689. He and his traveling companion Sora departed from Edo (modern-day Tokyo) for the northerly interior region known as Oku, propelled mostly by a desire to see the places about which the old poets wrote. Travel in those days was, of course, very dangerous to one’s health, but Bashō was committed to a kind of poetic ideal of wandering. He travelled for about 156 days all together, covering thousands of miles mostly on foot. Of all of Bashō’s works, Oku no Hosomichi is best ...

Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, recalls growing up in early 19th Century Massachusetts. (Introduction by Veronica Jenkins)

In this collection of essays, Bruce Barton, considered to be among the most influential advertising men of the 20th century, uses history, religion and current events of the 1920s to teach common sense ideals. From Jesus to Beethoven to Napoleon to Abraham Lincoln, Barton uses stories of great individuals to encourage the reader to make the most of life and at the same time to build strong character traits.

The Web of the Golden Spider is a tale of mystery, intrigue and adventure that begins in the city, progresses to a mutinous open sea voyage, eventually leading to the remotest areas on the slopes of the Andes of South America. Wilson, our hero, finds himself in the midst of a battle between a deposed queen and revolutionists who have banded together in an effort to bring their country together as a republic. Wilson, although torn between helping mercenaries, freedom fighters and revolutionaries, is more concerned with the rescuing of the girl he has fallen in love with, but who has been snatched from him by a mysterious priest. That, and the finding of the famed treasure of El Dorado rumo...

This book is one of the earliest studies of Philippine history by an American scholar. In preparation for this book, the author conducted ethnological studies of indiginous island tribes after the American war in the Philippines. Since this book was intended for the Philippine reader, the author nicely places the history of the Islands into the broader context of European and American history.

On December 31 1787, the HMS Bounty, a small sailing vessel embarked from Spithead Harbor, England bound for Tahiti. Her mission was sponsored by the Royal Society in London and aimed at picking up breadfruit plants and fruit from Tahiti and conveying them to the West Indies, where it was hoped they would take root and become a commercial crop.

The Bounty was an old ship with a young captain and 46 young officers. The captain's cabin was converted into a potting shed for the expected breadfruit cargo. He was quartered in a cramped cabin next to the men. In Tahiti, the crew suddenly found themselves transported into an exotic land, rich with strange and delicious fruits and f...

Leandro Gomes de Barros é considerado por alguns como o primeiro escritor brasileiro de literatura de cordel, tendo escrito mais de 230 obras. No seu tempo, era cognominado O Primeiro sem Segundo, e ainda é considerado o maior poeta popular do Brasil em todos os tempos, autor de vários clássicos e campeão absoluto de vendas, com muitos folhetos que ultrapassam a casa dos milhões de exemplares vendidos. Compôs obras-primas que eram utilizadas em obras de outros grandes autores: Ariano Suassuna, por exemplo, utilizou a história do cavalo que estercava dinheiro no seu Auto da Compadecida. Depois de fundar uma pequena gráfica, em 1906, seus folhetos se espalham pelo Nordeste, sendo conside...

Barrili, in questo romanzo pubblicato nel 1905, prendendo spunto da un episodio narrato da Giorgio Vasari, ci narra la vicenda del pittore Spinello Spinelli (detto Spinello Aretino). Non spaventi né l'ambientazione trecentesca né l'aria da romanzo storico (essendo alcuni personaggi esistiti realmente, sebbene, poi, ciò che viene messo in scena sia in gran parte frutto della fantasia dell'autore) e non spaventino neppure i discorsi sull'arte messi in bocca ai personaggi o allo stesso narratore: l'intreccio è condotto brillantemente con ben dosati colpi di scena che danno slancio al romanzo, con uno stile agile, senza paludamenti. Il narratore poi, sebbene sia del tipo "onniscente", con ...