Persuasion (1817) is the final novel written by English author Jane Austen-and the first to be attributed to her name. Persuasion was published posthumously to widespread critical acclaim, and has since been recognized as an understated and mature work of fiction from one of history's finest writers. Like most of Austen's novels, Persuasion involves an intricate network of characters and relationships, illustrating its author's peerless attention...

In the picaresque series of sketches in Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens wrote one of the masterpieces of comic fiction, and presented readers with some of the most colorful and beloved characters of all time. In Dickens' first novel, initially based on a series of illustrations, members of the eponymous club recount their various experiences and encounters as they travel around England. Without the dark themes that dominated so many of his novels,...

Professor Hardwigg, his nephew Harry, and their guide Hans explore a volcanic crater in Iceland that leads them to the center of the Earth and to incredible and horrifying discoveries.

The adventures of Harvey Chaney Jr., an arrogant and spoiled son of a railroad tycoon. Washed overboard from a transatlantic steamship and rescued by fishermen on the Grand Banks, Harvey cannot persuade them to take him ashore, nor convince them of his wealth. However, the captain of a passing schooner offers him a job as crew until they return to port. With no other choice, Harvey accepts, and there begins a series of trials and adventures where...

"When an old pirate gives him a secret treasure map for safekeeping, Jim Hawkins is excited to finally have some adventure in his life. Jim assembles a pirate crew, finds a sailing ship, and sets course for the destination where he expects to find treasure beyond his wildest dreams. Along the way, he will have to learn how to protect himself and his loyal crew from the scoundrels who turn against him. Will Jim and his pirate friends find the treasure...

Two sisters of opposing temperaments share the pangs of tragic love. Their mutual suffering brings a closer understanding between the two sisters, and true love finally triumphs.

"A stirring classic of love, revenge, and resurrection, the novel's hero, Sydney Carton, a lazy alcoholic -- but honorable attorney who is in love with Lucie Manette, a beautiful woman brought up in London. When Lucie marries Charles Darney, a man condemned to death for his ties to the aristocratic Evremonde family, Carton makes the supreme sacrifice on the bloodstained streets of Paris. In this rousing historical romance, Dickens exposes his severe...

"Considered the greatest satire ever written in English, Swift's 'Gulliver's Travels' chronicles the fantastic voyages of Lemuel Gulliver, principally to four marvelous realms: Lilliput, where the people are six inches tall; Brobdingnag, a land inhabited by giants; Laputa, a wondrous flying island; and a country where the Houyhnhnms, a race of intelligent horses, are served by savage humanoid creatures called Yahoos. Beneath the surface of this enchanting...

The adventures in the Canadian northern wilderness of a dog who is part wolf and eventually makes his peace with man.

On an ordinary summer's afternoon, Alice tumbles down a hole and an extraordinary adventure begins. In a strange world with even stranger characters, she meets a grinning cat and a rabbit with a pocket-watch, joins a mad tea party and plays croquet with the Queen. Lost in this fantasy land, Alice finds herself growing more and more curious by the minute.