Chekhov's worldwide reputation as a dramatist rests on five great plays: Ivanov, The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard. All are presented in this collection, taken from the authoritative Oxford Chekhov, in Ronald Hingley's acclaimed translation. Hingley has also written an introduction specifically for this volume in which he provides a detailed history of Chekhov's involvement in the theater and an assessment of his accomplishment as a dramatist.

Here are the interlocking affairs of four men: Robin Woodfield, an architect in his late forties trying to build an idyllic life in Dorset with his young lover, Justin, a would-be actor increasingly disenchanted with the countryside; Robin's attractive and dangerously volatile twenty-two-year-old son Danny; and Justin's former boyfriend Alex, whose life is unexpectedly transformed by a night of house music and a tab of ecstasy.As each falls under the spell of romance or drugs, country living or rough trade, a richly ironic picture emerges of the illusions of love, and of the clashing imperatives of modern gay life: the hunger for contact and the fear of commitment, the need for permanence and the continual disruptions of sex. Ultimately, The Spell details the restlessness of every human heart.

"The Outlaws of Falkensteig" contains seven stories about the Outlaws of the Falkensteig mountain region, in a fabulous 17th-Century Germany that lives only in our imagination. And what an imagination Sabatini gave us to play with! Kings and courtiers, bad men and captains of the guard; fops and swordfighters and rustic innkeepers. And women who love, and threaten our hero, and save his life, drive him to the edge of destruction and bring him true happiness. And we haven't even mentioned the plot twists that turn the world inside out and upside down. Sabatini scholar Jesse F. Knight has written an introduction that places these stories in Sabatini's literary history and lets the reader appreciate how they helped form his work. Karen Schaffer has created a cover based on one of the original magazine illustrations, hand-colored in the style of an engraving of the period. This is the first new story collection by Sabatini in ten years, and the first time these stories have been available to the public since their original appearance a hundred years ago.This book is a Hidden Knowledge exclusive! 

Today's kids face grave issues and harder decisions than ever before. Gang warfare, violence, drugs, alcohol, smoking, pregnancy, depression and suicide have found their way into middle and elementary schools. Divorce splits apart families every day. These issues make kids feel as if they must understand and accept all the troubles of the world. Now more than ever, kids want and "need" the inspiration and hope that "Chicken Soup for the Soul" provides. In this special volume, young readers will find empowerment and encouragement to love and accept themselves, believe in their dreams, find answers to their questions and discover hope for a promising future.

Facing her future as a single mother, psychic Realtor Melanie Middleton is determined to be strong and leave her past with writer Jack Trenholm behind her. But history has a tendency of catching up with Melanie, whether she likes it or not.… Melanie is only going through the motions of living since refusing Jack’s marriage proposal. She misses him desperately, but her broken heart is the least of her problems. Despite an insistence that she can raise their child alone, Melanie is completely unprepared for motherhood, and she struggles to complete renovations on her house on Tradd Street before the baby arrives. When Melanie is roused one night by the sound of a ghostly infant crying, she chooses to ignore it. She simply does not have the energy to deal with one more crisis. That is, until the remains of a newborn buried in an old christening gown are found hidden in the foundation of her house. As the hauntings on Tradd Street slowly become more violent, Melanie decides to find out what caused the baby’s untimely death, uncovering the love, loss, and betrayal that color the house’s history—and threaten her claim of ownership. But can she seek Jack’s help without risking her heart? For in revealing the secrets of the past, Melanie also awakens the malevolent presence that has tried to keep the truth hidden for decades.…

People, in my opinion, don’t take happiness seriously enough. They go through life, constantly trying to please other people. I do, however, take my happiness seriously. Very seriously. But, when things in my life, go suddenly south, I am left with more than one choice. Do what’s right, or do what’s wrong?That, on any normal day, would be an easy choice for me. I’ll do whatever I need to keep my life flowing with happiness.But when it comes to love, everything changes. And him. I love him. Which means I have to correct my wrong doings. I need him to forgive me. I need money.It’s the only way.When a job for a live-in maid comes up, with excellent pay, I jump at the chance. When I realize it’s for the member of a Motorcycle Club, I still don’t back down. Even if it means I have to live with and work for, one of the hottest, broodiest and most difficult men I’ve ever met. I’ll do whatever it takes. Only, I don’t expect to actually like him. The mysterious biker. The one who I seem drawn to.And now I have a real problem. Do what’s right, or let my heart take me where it wishes? Two men. Once choice. Things are about to get very, very complicated.

Falls the Shadow consists of twin short stories, Falls the Shadow and La Feria, which, although they have defined identities, share a common heritage and are in many ways inseparable.Falls the Shadow consists of twin short stories, Falls the Shadow and La Feria, which, although they have defined identities, share a common heritage and are in many ways inseparable.Falls the Shadow, the first of the two, is set on the North Atlantic coast, whereas La Feria is set in Southern Spain, in Andalusia. It is a journey which takes us from the harsh, pessimistic climes of the north to the gentler, more optimistic region of the south. Though more than a geographical journey it is a philosophical one. We counterbalance the northern work ethic, the severity of the notion that life is a ruler by which we will be finally measured, with that of life as a gift, a celebration, a brief but intense gypsy dance. In La Feria we are shown the almost Oriental element present in Andalusian Flamenco philosophy, where grief demands a counterpart of happiness, where joy exists because of and despite sorrow.

Eight year old Annika wants to do her part to help an underprivileged child have a Merry Christmas. But, when circumstances force her to make the toughest decision of her young life, what will she do? Annika's Christmas is a heart warming holiday story the whole family will enjoy. Merry Christmas.Annika's Christmas is a story about a little girl with a big heart who wants to donate a toy to her school's Christmas toy drive for under privileged children. Circumstances intervene forcing her to make the toughest decision of her young life. Loosely based on a true event, it's a holiday story the whole family will enjoy. Merry Christmas.

You're going down... In fact you're at an all-time low. You need help, because the only way you can get back up is by taking the advice of a professional.Your story... your downfall... told from your own perspective, in verse form, and from the perspective of your 'consultant', in prose...Warning... don't try this at home...!You're going down... In fact you're at an all-time low. You need help, because the only way you can get back up is by taking the advice of a professional.Your story... your downfall... told from your own perspective, in verse form, and from the perspective of your 'consultant', in prose...Warning... don't try this at home...!In Decline , by Stanski, is basically a collection of poetic passages that follow a similar theme; that of decline... declining standards, declining attitudes, declining natural conditions... The concepts, introduced in verse format, are backed-up and supported by passages of prose, to form a 'case history', which attempts to explain the downfall of the 'client' ( who, on the one hand, could be an individual person, or society in general, and on the other, the planet we inhabit, or the whole of creation...).The metaphors will be applied and interpreted, and the questions raised will continue long after the 'consultation' has ended...

Finding the one you're meant to be with can transform your life. Sometimes you don't realise how lonely you are,until you meet them. Awake or asleep,they're your soulmate.When Eric learns that the weather in Hollow has been acting strangely, he returns to the magical town to help his friends with the danger they might face soon.Eric and his friends have to understand what is wrong with the weather and why the boys are getting paler day by day. Could the truth be hidden in the dark depths of the cave? And what is hidden inside the fountain on the square?To solve the Fountain Riddle, Eric and his friends will have to fight the Pied Piper and his rats, visit a 19th century ball, and catch the boy in the painting.

It is often said that wisdom comes with pain. Long ago in the north of the Indian subcontinent, a being of great wisdom arose. There is pain in his story, but perhaps the story we know is not all of the truth. Perhaps wisdom came at a greater price than we know.This is a vision of what it might have taken to bring it into the world.The Unfettered Dream is a short story of about 4,000 words.Evin Driscol is not just a historical writer, but a vampire who writes about supernaturals and their impact on human history. He is loved by some, hated by others, and tolerated by most. Though sharing knowledge of his own kind is pushing a fine line, Evin continues to write about supernatural history while exploring this own. Evin is ending his Vampires and the Roaring Twenties book tour in Chicago, his hometown. Just as things seem to be falling into place for Evin, his life is turned upside down when his own history threatens to repeat itself.

These books contain a form of free verse poetry, opinions based on observation, and some humour and imagination, engaging the heart as well as the mind. A critical look at many current issues intriguing and plaguing man.Who knows but some of the ideas in the books may get you inspired to do that thing you always wanted to do, even if this comes in a very small way, to make your corner of this world a better place to be in. Who knows but you may realize your little corner is a really nice place to be in after all.It's all about life, if at times expressing life "outside the box" as the saying goes.

The night I met Shane Sorrenson started off as the worst one of my life. I had just broken up with my fiance, John, after a huge fight. I decided I would rather walk home in the rain than drive with him another minute. Then Shane pulled up next to me on his Harley. He was huge, sexy and dangerous. Everything I'd never even dared fantasize about. I should have made him take me to a hotel, or a friend's house, or anywhere. Instead, I let him take me to his condo where he turned the worst night of my life into the most erotic, sensual experience I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams.

“These tales reinvigorate…the short story with a jittery sense of adventure.”  —San Francisco Chronicle Dave Eggers—Pulitzer Prize finalist for A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and author of What Is the What and The Circle, among other books—demonstrates his mastery of the short story. "Another" "What It Means When a Crowd in a Faraway Nation Takes a Soldier Representing Your Own Nation, Shoots Him, Drags Him from His Vehicle and Then Mutilates Him in the Dust" "The Only Meaning of the Oil-Wet Water" "On Wanting to Have Three Walls Up Before She Gets Home" "Climbing to the Window, Pretending to Dance" "She Waits, Seething, Blooming" "Quiet" "Your Mother and I" "Naveed" "Notes for a Story of a Man Who Will Not Die Alone" "About the Man Who Began Flying After Meeting Her" "Up the Mountain Coming Down Slowly" "After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned" From the Trade Paperback edition.