The Stranger In The Library And Other Stories

Imagine you suddenly discover that you are a twin and that you are adopted. Also imagine that your twin has been involved in a serious road accident and is in a coma. On what seems like another ordinary day, Lucie's life changes forever.

The Stranger and Other Stories’ is a compilation of 16 exciting, action-packed, short stories. Each having a surprise turn of events at the end. ’The Stranger’ is hilarious with a witty conclusion. ‘An Errand for Thelma’ is touching, revolving around a lass and an old lady. ‘Fifty-Fifty’ is a laugh-riot about a botched burglary. And ‘Hide and Seek’, set in the ad world, is a romance with dashes of tragedy. ‘Shuddering Sky’ is scary. ‘Bangles for Prema’ too, is scary. ’The Watch’ is a soulful story about a watch which belongs to a ghost. ‘The Sportsman’, ’The Horse Cart’, and ‘The Dry Land’, are quite engaging in their content and narrative, while ‘Donor’ is a story about a beleaguered widow mustering the gall to do the square thing by her benefactor. ‘Lalitha’ is about being possessed, and it is sure to send a shiver down your spine. Reading ‘The Sage’ will be an experience in itself. ‘Portrait for Sale’ is about romance in a college, while ‘Haven for Crooks’ and ‘The Cook’s Leg’ are, respectively, witty stories of the stupidity of life in a military school, and a blunder which can never be set right. The stories are diverse in their plots and presentation, and make for a thrilling Sunday afternoon’s edge-of-the-seat adventure.

Imagine you suddenly discover that you are a twin and that you are adopted. Also imagine that your twin has been involved in a serious road accident and is in a coma. On what seems like another ordinary day, Lucies life changes forever.

First published in 1923, “The Fascinating Stranger and Other Stories” is a fantastic collection of classic short stories by American dramatist and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Newton Booth Tarkington (1869–1946). Among only three other novelists to have won the Pulitzer Prize more than once, Tarkington was one of the greatest authors of the 1910s and 1920s who helped usher in Indiana's Golden Age of literature. His books saw numerous reprintings and were often prize-winning bestsellers, with many being for film and other media. The stories include: “The Fascinating Stranger”, “The Party”, “The One-Hundred-Dollar Bill”, “Jeannette”, “The Spring Concert”, “Willamilla”, “The Only Child”, “Ladies’ Ways”, “Maytime in Marlow”, “'You'”, “'Us'”, “The Tiger”, and “Mary Smith”. Highly recommended for short story lovers and fans of Tarkington's other works. Other notable works by this author include: “Monsieur Beaucaire” (1900), “The Turmoil” (1915), and “The Magnificent Ambersons” (1918). Read & Co. Classics are republishing this collection of short stories now in a new edition complete with a biography of the author from “Encyclopædia Britannica” (1922).

The Imported Bridegroom, and Other Stories of the New York Ghetto is a collection of short stories by Abraham Cahan. Contents: Imported Bridegroom, A Providential Match, A Sweat-Shop Romance, Circumstances and A Ghetto Wedding.

Set in 1790, 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' tells the tale of superstitious schoolmaster Ichabod Crane who seeks the hand of Katrina, but finds he has a rival for her affections in the form of Brom Bones Van Brunt who likes to play tricks on him. Turned down by Katrina, 'heavy-hearted and crestfallen' he rides through the autumn night where he encounters a headless horseman in a classic American ghost story that is often referenced today. It's a companion piece to 'Rip Van Winkle', which you'll also find here among many other great short stories from Washington Irving, who was a good friend of Charles Dickens and perhaps the first America author to earn a living from writing. Interestingly, Irving was the man who first popularized the name 'Gotham' for New York City and he also invented the flying sequence for Santa Claus's sleigh. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Classics series brings together high-quality paperback editions of classics works, presented with contemporary graphic cover designs. Together they make a wonderful collection which is perfect for any home library.

OLENKA, the daughter of the retired collegiate assessor, Plemyanniakov, was sitting in her back porch, lost in thought. It was hot, the flies were persistent and teasing, and it was pleasant to reflect that it would soon be evening. Dark rainclouds were gathering from the east, and bringing from time to time a breath of moisture in the air. Kukin, who was the manager of an open-air theatre called the Tivoli, and who lived in the lodge, was standing in the middle of the garden looking at the sky. "Again!" he observed despairingly. "It's going to rain again! Rain every day, as though to spite me. I might as well hang myself! It's ruin! Fearful losses every day."