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“I’m afraid she will be a terrible bore,” said the lady, with a slight pettishness in the tone of a voice that was naturally sweet. “How can she bore us, love? She is only a child, and you can do what you like with her,” said the gentleman. “My dear John, you have just admitted that she is between thirteen and fourteen—a great deal more than a child—a great overgrown girl, who will want to be taken about in the carriage, and to come down to the drawing-room, and who will be always in the way. Had she been a child of Mildred’s age, and a playfellow for Mildred, I should not have objected half so much.” “I’m very sorry you object; but I have no doubt she will be a playfellow for Mildred all the same, and that she will not mind spending a good deal of her life in the schoolroom.” “Evidently, John, you don’t know what girls of fourteen are. I do.” “Naturally, Maud, since it is not so many years since you yourself were that age.” The lady smiled, touched ever so slightly by the suggestion of youth, which was gratifying to the mother of a seven-year-old daughter. The scene was a large old-fashioned drawing-room, in an old-fashioned street in the very best quarter of the town, bounded on the west by Park Lane and on the east by Grosvenor Square. The lady was sitting at her own particular table, in her favourite window, in the summer gloaming; the gentleman was standing with his back to the velvet-draped mantelpiece. The room was full of flowers and prettinesses of every kind, and offered unmistakable evidence of artistic taste and large means in its possessors. The lady was young and fair, a tall slip of a woman, who afforded a Court milliner the very best possible scaffolding for expensive gowns. The gentleman was middle-aged and stout, with strongly-marked features and a resolute, straightforward expression. The lady was the daughter of an Irish peer; the gentleman was a commoner, whose fortune had been made in a great wholesale firm, which had still its mammoth warehouses near St. Paul’s Churchyard, and its manufactory at Lyons, but with which John Fausset had no longer any connection. He had taken his capital out of the business, and had cleansed himself from the stain of commercial dealings before he married the Honourable Maud Donfrey, third daughter of Lord Castle-Connell. Miss Donfrey had given herself very willingly to the commoner, albeit he was her senior by more than twenty years, and, in her own deprecating description of him, was quite out of her set. She liked him not a little for his own sake, and for the power his strong will exercised over her own weaker nature; but she liked him still better for the sake of wealth which seemed unlimited. She was nineteen at the time of her marriage, and she had been married nine years. Those years had brought the Honourable Mrs. Fausset only one child, the seven-year-old daughter playing about the room in the twilight; and maternity had offered very little hindrance to the lady’s pleasures as a woman of fashion. She had been indulged to the uttermost by a fond and admiring husband; and now for the first time in his life John Fausset had occasion to ask his wife a favour, which was not granted too readily. It must be owned that the favour was not a small one, involving nothing less than the adoption of an orphan girl in whose fate Mr. Fausset was interested. “It is very dreadful,” sighed Mrs. Fausset, as if she were speaking of an earthquake. “We have been so happy alone together—you and I and Mildred.” “Yes, dearest, when we have been alone, which, you will admit, has not been very often.” “O, but visitors do not count. They come and go. They don’t belong to us. This dreadful girl will be one of us; or she will expect to be. I feel as if the golden circle of home-life were going to be broken.” “Not broken, Maud, only expanded.” “O, but you can’t expand it by letting in a stranger. Had the mother no people of her own; no surroundings whatever; nobody but you who could be appealed to for this wretched girl?” inquired Mrs. Fausset, fanning herself wearily, as she lolled back in her low chair. She wore a loose cream-coloured gown, of softest silk and Indian embroidery, and there were diamond stars trembling amongst her feathery golden hair. The flowing garment in which she had dined alone with her husband was to be changed presently for white satin and old Mechlin lace, in which she was to appear at three evening parties; but in the meantime, having for once in a way dined at home, she considered her mode of life intensely domestic. The seven-year-old daughter was roaming about with her doll, sometimes in one drawing-room, sometimes in another. There were three, opening into each other, the innermost room half conservatory, shadowy with palms and tropical ferns. Mildred was enjoying herself in the quiet way of children accustomed to play alone, looking at the pretty things upon the various tables, peering in at the old china figures in the cabinets—the ridiculous Chelsea shepherd and shepherdess; the Chelsea lady in hawking costume, with a falcon upon her wrist; the absurd lambs, and more absurd foliage; and the Bow and Battersea ladies and gentlemen, with their blunt features and coarse complexions. Mildred was quite happy, prowling about and looking at things in silent wonder; turning over the leaves of illustrated books, and lifting the lids of gold and enamelled boxes; trying to find out the uses and meanings of things. Sometimes she came back to the front drawing-room, and seated herself on a stool at her mother’s feet, solemnly listening to the conversation, following it much more earnestly, and comprehending it much better, than either her father or mother would have supposed possible.

In "The Silver Maple," Mary Esther Miller MacGregor crafts a poignant narrative that intertwines themes of resilience, identity, and the inexorable passage of time. Through her lyrical prose and vivid imagery, MacGregor paints a rich tapestry of life in a small town, reflecting early 20th-century America. The novel explores the interplay of nature and human emotion, using the titular silver maple as a symbol of strength and endurance amid the vicissitudes of life, embodying the deeply rooted connections between past and present. MacGregor'Äôs style, marked by a careful attention to detail and a nuanced understanding of human relationships, situates the work within the context of early modernist literature, which sought to capture the complexities of contemporary existence. MacGregor, who was not only an author but also an advocate for women's rights and education, drew from her experiences as a teacher and her interest in the dynamics of community. Living during a time of significant social change, her sensitivity to the struggles and triumphs of everyday people permeates her stories, enriching them with authenticity and depth. Her ability to illuminate the inner lives of her characters stems from her belief in the transformative power of literature. For readers seeking a reflective journey through the nuances of life'Äôs challenges, "The Silver Maple" is a remarkable exploration of the human spirit. MacGregor'Äôs engaging narrative invites readers to ponder their paths while celebrating the strength that arises from vulnerability. This is a timeless tale that resonates with anyone who has ever sought meaning in the face of adversity.

Every day, people face discrimination because of their sexuality and gender identity. The people between these pages have stood up for the queer community, whether on their own behalf or in support of people they love. Some made a difference by confronting injustice; others dared to be fully themselves. Susan Ursel fought all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada for the right to have books with queer characters in schools. Sparkle Wilson runs an internship program for LGBTQ+ youth in San Francisco that helps them build skills and grow their confidence. Itzayana Gutiérrez Arillo discovered the joy and global community of queer tango. Their stories prove that we can all make the world a little safer, kinder, and more inclusive.

New edition available: Sounds Like Home: Growing Up Black and Deaf in the South, 20th Anniversary Edition, ISBN 978-1-944838-58-4 Features a new introduction by scholars Joseph Hill and Carolyn McCaskill Mary Herring Wright's memoir adds an important dimension to the current literature in that it is a story by and about an African American deaf child. The author recounts her experiences growing up as a deaf person in Iron Mine, North Carolina, from the 1920s through the 1940s. Her story is unique and historically significant because it provides valuable descriptive information about the faculty and staff of the North Carolina school for Black deaf and blind students from the perspective of a student as well as a student teacher. In addition, this engrossing narrative contains details about the curriculum, which included a week-long Black History celebration where students learned about important Blacks such as Madame Walker, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and George Washington Carver. It also describes the physical facilities as well as the changes in those facilities over the years. In addition, Sounds Like Home occurs over a period of time that covers two major events in American history, the Depression and World War II. Wright's account is one of enduring faith, perseverance, and optimism. Her keen observations will serve as a source of inspiration for others who are challenged in their own ways by life's obstacles.

This summer, during these strange strange times, immerse yourself in words that have touched all of us and will always get to the core of all of us, of every single person. Books that have made us think, change, relate, cry and laugh: Leaves of Grass (Walt Whitman) Siddhartha (Herman Hesse) Middlemarch (George Eliot) The Madman (Kahlil Gibran) Ward No. 6 (Anton Chekhov) Moby-Dick (Herman Melville) The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde) Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky) The Overcoat (Gogol) Ulysses (James Joyce) Walden (Henry David Thoreau) Hamlet (Shakespeare) Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare) Macbeth (Shakespeare) The Waste Land (T. S. Eliot) Odes (John Keats) The Flowers of Evil (Charles Baudelaire) Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë) Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë) Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy) Vanity Fair (Thackeray) Swann's Way (Marcel Proust) Sons and Lovers (D. H. Lawrence) Great Expectations (Charles Dickens) Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) Jude the Obscure (Thomas Hardy) Two Years in the Forbidden City (Princess Der Ling) Les Misérables (Victor Hugo) The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) Pepita Jimenez (Juan Valera) The Red Badge of Courage (Stephen Crane) A Room with a View (E. M. Forster) Sister Carrie (Theodore Dreiser) The Jungle (Upton Sinclair) The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway) The Republic (Plato) Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) Art of War (Sun Tzu) Candide (Voltaire) Don Quixote (Cervantes) Decameron (Boccaccio) Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Dream Psychology (Sigmund Freud) The Einstein Theory of Relativity The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Agatha Christie) A Study in Scarlet (Arthur Conan Doyle) Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad) The Call of Cthulhu (H. P. Lovecraft) Frankenstein (Mary Shelley) The War of the Worlds (H. G. Wells) The Raven (Edgar Allan Poe) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Call of the Wild Alice in Wonderland The Fairytales of Brothers Grimm The Fairytales of Hans Christian Andersen

90 World Classics You Should Read Before You Die (Vol.1)' is a monumental anthology that traverses the vast terrains of human thought, emotion, and imagination across centuries and continents. This collection boasts an eclectic mix of literary styles--from the suspenseful gothic narratives of Edgar Allan Poe to the whimsical worlds of Lewis Carroll, and from the introspective essays of Michel de Montaigne to the poignant plays of William Shakespeare. It showcases the diversity and depth of human creativity, presenting a unique juxtaposition of voices that spans genres, philosophies, and periods, revealing the shared threads of humanity that weave through the tapestry of world literature. Significant for its breadth and the quality of works included, this anthology offers readers a rich tableau of the human condition and the evolution of literary expression. The authors and editors represented in this collection are titans of literary and intellectual history. Among them, figures like Jane Austen and Charles Dickens offer insights into the social mores of their times, while thinkers like Sigmund Freud and Marcus Aurelius delve into the intricate workings of the human mind and soul. Their collective works reflect a multitude of cultural, historical, and literary movements, from the Enlightenment's valorization of reason to Romanticism's celebration of emotion and nature, and from the stark realism of the Modernist movement to the imaginative flights of the Romantic period. The anthology is not just a celebration of individual genius but a mosaic of human experience, shaped by the divergent cultural and historical contexts from which these authors hail. '90 World Classics You Should Read Before You Die (Vol.1)' is an essential read for anyone seeking to embark on a comprehensive journey through the world of literature. It offers readers not only an education in literary appreciation but also a deeper understanding of the diverse perspectives and themes that have influenced human storytelling across ages. This volume serves as a gateway to the myriad worlds contained within the minds of some of history's greatest thinkers and storytellers, encouraging a dialogue between the past and present, the self and the other. It is an invitation to explore the constellations of human experience and creativity, making it a must-have addition to the libraries of seasoned bibliophiles and casual readers alike.

90 Masterpieces of World Literature (Vol.I) is an expansive anthology that traverses the landscape of global literary achievement, offering readers a comprehensive survey of seminal works that have shaped the ethos of world literature. This collection is marked by an incredible diversity of genres, styles, and themes, reflecting the wide-ranging experiences and historical contexts of its authors. From the existential questions pursued by Dostoevsky and the introspective journey of Proust, to the pioneering adventures penned by Verne and the critical social commentary of Dickens, this anthology showcases the multifaceted nature of human thought and expression. Standout pieces within the volume capture the essence of their time while also speaking to universal themes of love, struggle, freedom, and morality, making the anthology a vibrant tapestry of human experience. The contributors to this volume represent a whos who of historical literary giants, each bringing their unique voice to the collective table. Authors such as Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë offer keen insights into the gender dynamics of their time, while the visionary science fiction of H.G. Wells and the dark romanticism of Edgar Allan Poe present radical departures from the realist tradition, challenging readers to explore new psychological and societal frontiers. The anthology, thereby, not only aligns with various historical, cultural, and literary movements but also weaves a dialogue between these movements, highlighting the evolution of narrative and thought across ages and geographies. These varied voices together enrich the readers understanding of the broad spectrum of human expression and the complexity of the human condition. 90 Masterpieces of World Literature (Vol.I) is an essential volume for anyone seeking to explore the depth and breadth of literary genius across the ages. It offers a unique opportunity to delve into the works that have not only defined but also continuously reshaped the landscape of world literature. Readers are encouraged to immerse themselves in the richness of this collection, discovering within its pages a world of ideas, stories, and perspectives that are at once enlightening, provocative, and boundlessly imaginative. This anthology serves as both a gateway and a guide for those eager to embark on a comprehensive literary journey, making it an invaluable addition to any personal library.

This summer, during these strange strange times, immerse yourself in words that have touched all of us and will always get to the core of all of us, of every single person. Books that have made us think, change, relate, cry and laugh: Leaves of Grass (Walt Whitman) Siddhartha (Herman Hesse) Middlemarch (George Eliot) The Madman (Kahlil Gibran) Ward No. 6 (Anton Chekhov) Moby-Dick (Herman Melville) The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde) Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky) The Overcoat (Gogol) Ulysses (James Joyce) Walden (Henry David Thoreau) Hamlet (Shakespeare) Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare) Macbeth (Shakespeare) The Waste Land (T. S. Eliot) Odes (John Keats) The Flowers of Evil (Charles Baudelaire) Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë) Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë) Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy) Vanity Fair (Thackeray) Swann's Way (Marcel Proust) Sons and Lovers (D. H. Lawrence) Great Expectations (Charles Dickens) Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) Jude the Obscure (Thomas Hardy) Two Years in the Forbidden City (Princess Der Ling) Les Misérables (Victor Hugo) The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) Pepita Jimenez (Juan Valera) The Red Badge of Courage (Stephen Crane) A Room with a View (E. M. Forster) Sister Carrie (Theodore Dreiser) The Jungle (Upton Sinclair) The Republic (Plato) Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) Art of War (Sun Tzu) Candide (Voltaire) Don Quixote (Cervantes) Decameron (Boccaccio) Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Dream Psychology (Sigmund Freud) The Einstein Theory of Relativity The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Agatha Christie) A Study in Scarlet (Arthur Conan Doyle) Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad) The Call of Cthulhu (H. P. Lovecraft) Frankenstein (Mary Shelley) The War of the Worlds (H. G. Wells) The Raven (Edgar Allan Poe) The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Call of the Wild Alice in Wonderland The Fairytales of Brothers Grimm The Fairytales of Hans Christian Andersen