«One of the foremost dramatists of the 19th century, Russian author Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) created a body of work noted for its realistic dialogue and keen insights into human relationships. This collection of five one-act plays in the celebrated Constance Garnett translations shows Chekhov at his witty best. «The Anniversary» takes a lively look behind the frenetic scenes at a bank: a man overburdened with errands from friends and family gives a nearly maddened but ludicrous account of his chores and obligations in An Unwilling Martyr; and «The Wedding» depicts scenes from a wedding reception in which the mother of the bride assumes affected airs and deals with quarrelsome guests. In The Bear, a virtuous, spirited widow is pressed to repay a debt and ends up receiving an offer of marriage. «The Proposal» depicts the trauma of a would-be suitor who winds up in a wrangle over property. Theater lovers, students of drama and literature, and other readers, as well as amateur and professional groups performing these popular works, will welcome this convenient, inexpensive collection of comic gems by one of the masters of modern drama.»

The 1872 sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland finds Carroll's inquisitive heroine in a fantastic land where everything is reversed. Alice encounters talking flowers, madcap kings and queens, and becomes a pawn in a bizarre chess game involving Humpty Dumpty, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and other amusing nursery-rhyme characters. Features 50 illustrations by Sir John Tenniel.

Graphic artists in need of hard-to-find foreign-language alphabets will find what they're looking for in this latest collection from noted typographer Dan X. Solo. Included in the immensely practical and attractively printed volume (one of the largest archives of its kind available) are 100 alphabets in 43 different languages-from Arabic to Welsh. Thirty-three alphabets are in accented Latin script, while 10 are in non-Latin scripts. The former include Albanian, Basque, Catalan, Dutch, Esperanto, French, Frisian, German, Hungarian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Croatian, Spanish, Tagalog, Turkish, Vietnamese, and more. Among the non-Latin alphabets are Arabic, Celtic, Cyrillic, Greek, Hebrew, Irish Traditional, Japanese, and Korean. Most alphabets feature upper- and lower-case letters; many also include numerals and punctuation marks. An invaluable resource for artists and illustrators, these inexpensive, copyright-free fonts are ideal for use in display ads, on posters, signs, menus-almost any graphic or printed communications.

Over 1,500 handsome black-and-white illustrations, taken from authentic examples of ornamental ironwork in the architecture of Bordeaux. Drawn from balconies, gates, grilles, stair railings, and elsewhere, this affordable treasury features lovely images incorporating floral and foliate designs, human and animal figures, musical motifs, heraldic crests, mythological figures, geometrics, and much more.

A celebration of the past in stories dealing with female friendships and tales that portray the resilience with which her female characters respond to poverty. Includes The Town Poor, Miss Peck's Promotion, The Passing of Sister Barsett, The Denham Ladies, Miss Tempy's Watchers, and 5 more.

A tribute to the first great age of fictional sleuthing, this delightful collection of 13 mystery classics is devoted to the genuine tale of ratiocination. Included among these gems, written between 1841 and 1920, are Edgar Alan Poe's The murder in the Rue Morgue, widely acknowledged as that detective story; Charles Dickens' The Detective Anecdotes. in which a policeman is the detective-hero Jack London's The Leopard Man's Story, featuring an unusually grisly gut thoroughly plausible murder method; The Phantom Motor, by Jacques Furtrelle; as well as tales by Wilkie Collins, Gelett Burgeess, Susan Galspell, E. C. Bentley, Rodrigues Ottelengui, Barones Orczy, Samuel Hopkines Adams, Melville Davisson Post, and H. C. Bailey. Douglas G. Greene, a widely recognized authority in the field of mystery fiction, provides an introduction and informative notes for stories.

Three short stories from the great Russian writer, including the title story, in which a thieving vagrant takes on a young, unwilling apprentice; Twenty-six Men and A Girl, widely regarded as Gorky's best short story, which describes how a wretched crew of bakery workers destroy their only source of joy; and the ill-fated romance, Makar Chudra.

Featuring a lavish selection of ornaments — decorated with flowers, mythological creatures, and other fanciful touches — this treasury of royalty-free art also includes striking designs incorporating classical columns, a rich selection of heraldic designs, and a variety of charming calligraphic alphabets. A priceless resource for artists and designers.

This vintage how-to manual — the first modern American sewing book — provided turn-of-the-century seamstresses with clear instructions for altering patterns, hand-sewing stitches, and creating shirt-blouses, skirts, wedding and evening gowns, coats, maternity wear, undergarments, children's clothing and other apparel. Also details lost arts like boning a bodice, creating bust enhancers, more.

This lavish collection of royalty-free engravings by the celebrated 19th-century artist F. Knight — reproduced directly from a rare original edition — contains elaborate wall murals with trompe-l'oeil effects; scenes of hunters, flanked by mythological figures; idealized damsels in rustic settings; and numerous other florid motifs.

Stunning sourcebook of 60 full-page, royalty-free designs — 30 in full color and 30 in black-and-white — depict a marvelous selection of allover, subtly colored patterns for textiles, wallpaper, rugs, and wall hangings. Imaginative, Art Nouveau-inspired renderings of ferns, flowers, berries, human figures, masks, exotic dancers and a host of other subjects.

Comprising the finest plates from the great illustrator's work, this collection features outstanding engravings from such literary classics as Milton's Paradise Lost, The Divine Comedy by Dante, Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, Sue's The Wandering Jew, and many others. Captions.

This anthology presents over 170 poems by the major poets of the 19th century, including Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Arthur Hugh Clough, Edward FitzGerald, Matthew Arnold, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Christina Rossetti, Rudyard Kipling, and many others. An introduction and brief biographical notes on the poets are included.

Epigrams, aphorisms, and other bon mots gathered from the celebrated wit's plays, essays, and conversation offer an entertaining selection of observations both comic and profound. Organized by category, the nearly 400 quotes range in subject from human nature, morals, and society to art, politics, history, and more.

This new translation by Richard Freeborn makes Turgenev's masterpiece about the conflict between generations seem as fresh, outspoken, and exciting as it was to those readers who first encountered its famous hero. The controversial portrayal of Bazarov, the 'nihilist' or 'new man', shocked Russian society when the novel was published in 1862. The image of humanity liberated by science from age-old conformities and prejudices is one that can threaten establishments of any political or religious persuasion, and is especially potent at the present time. Richard Freeborn is the first translator to have had access to Turgenev's working manuscript. An appendix contains the first English translation of some of Turgenev's preparatory sketches for the novel.

This structurally and psychologically compact drama takes place on an estate in 19th-century Russia, exploring the complex interrelationships between a retired professor, his second wife, and the daughter and brother-in-law from his first marriage. Interwoven themes of weakness, delusion, and despair are balanced by an underlying message of courage and hope.

«In addition to the classic novels Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, this set includes Humorous Stories and Sketches (featuring «Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses,» «The Stolen White Elephant,» and 5 other items) plus «The Mysterious Stranger» and Other Stories («The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County» and 3 others).»

Hundreds of plant species — from lilies, lichens, and palms to mushrooms, mosses, and maples — supplemented by appendices on edible plants, medicinal herbs, and plants used in decoration and in graphic design. Indispensable source of inspiration and royalty-free graphics for designers and artists; a captivating compendium for botanists, gardeners, and collectors of old engravings.

«Four superb stories featuring the peerless sleuth and his faithful sidekick, Dr. Watson: «The Adventure of the Dancing Men», «The Adventure of the Dying Detective», «The Musgrave Ritual» and «The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans». Wonderful introduction to Holmes corpus; pocket-size treat for any mystery lover.»

Magnificent compilation of all 100 original plates from Michaud's classic History of the Crusades, Includes The War Cry of the Crusaders, The Massacre of Antioch, The Road to Jerusalem, The Baptism of Infidels, The Battle of Lepanto, and many more. Powerful, striking royalty-free illustrations. Captions.