Examines several of the ways in which wishes are made in various parts of the world, including blowing dandelion fluff, tossing coins in water, and tying pieces of cloth to trees.

The riveting novel of iron-willed Alva Vanderbilt and her illustrious family as they rule Gilded-Age New York, from the New York Times bestselling author of Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald. Alva Smith, her southern family destitute after the Civil War, married into one of America's great Gilded Age dynasties: the newly wealthy but socially shunned Vanderbilts. Ignored by New York's old-money circles and determined to win respect, she designed and built...

Profusely illustrated text discusses life in the United States during World War II.

Fourteen stories on a variety of subjects. In Firelight, a woman and her son visit apartments for rent even though they have no money to rent them, in A Bullet in the Head a bystander gets shot for heckling a robber, and in Chain a man revenging himself for a dog biting his daughter starts a chain of violence.

A collection of short stories and essays. The story, My Dinner at the White House, is an amusing piece on a dinner with President Reagan, The Imaginary Girlfriend is on the arts of writing and wrestling, while the title story is on a pig farmer who is being harassed by boys.

"Black Beauty is a perennial children's favourite, one which has never been out of print since its publication in 1877. It is a moralistic tale of the life of the horse related in the form of an autobiography, describing the world through the eyes of the creature. In taking this anthropomorphic approach, the author Anna Sewell broke new literary ground and her effective storytelling ability makes it very easy for the reader to accept the premise that...

A reprint of the 1912 German novella about a middle-aged man's quest for love and beauty in the midst of decaying splendor.

"In 1889 Seattle, Washington, Militine and Thane meet while serving the local poor. Though both carry a dark history and a sense of haunting pain, they begin to grow closer and wonder whether God can build something new and beautiful from the debris of the past"-- Provided by publisher.

'Miss Dashwood had a delicate complexion, regular features, and a remarkably pretty figure. Marianne was still handsomer. Her form, though not so correct as her sister's ... was more striking' As the title of Jane Austen's first published novel suggests, the difference between two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, lies not only in their appearance but also in their temperament. Yet Sense and Sensibility not only contrasts Elinor's good sense,...

"It's Christmastime in Brighton, and the city is abuzz about a local production of Aladdin, starring the marvelous Max Mephisto. But the holiday cheer is lost on DI Edgar Stephens. He's investigating the murder of two children, Annie and Mark, who were strangled to death in the woods, abandoned alongside a trail of candy a horrifying scene eerily reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel. Edgar has plenty of leads to investigate. Annie, a surprisingly dark...