Messer Marco PoloMesser Marco PoloBy Donn-Byrne(1889-1928)1- Page 2-Messer Marco PoloA NOTE ON THE AUTHOR OFMESSER MARCO POLOSo Celtic in feeling and atmosphere are the stories of Donn Byrne thatmany of his devotees have come to believe that he never lived anywherebut in Ireland. Actually, Donn Byrne was born in New York City. Shortly...　

American Literary Centersby William Dean HowellsOne of the facts which we Americans have a difficulty in making clear toa rather inattentive world outside is that, while we have apparently aliterature of our own, we have no literary centre. We have so muchliterature that from time to time it seems even to us we must have aliterary centre. We say to ourselves, with a good deal of logic, Wherethere is so much smoke there must be some fire, or at least a fireplace.But it is just here that, misled by tradition, and even by history, wedeceive ourselves. Really, we have no fireplace for such fir　

Labour Defended against the Claims of CapitalOr the Unproductiveness of Capital proved with Reference to thePresent Combinations amongst Journeymenby Thomas Hodgskin1825NOTEIN all the debates on the law passed during the late session ofParliament, on account of the combinations of workmen, muchstress is laid on the necessity of protecting capital. Whatcapital performs is therefore a question of considerableimportance, which the author was, on this account, induced toexamine. As a result of this examination, it is his opinion thatall the benefits attributed to capital arise from co-existing an　

TOLD AFTER SUPPERTOLD AFTER SUPPERby Jerome K. Jerome1- Page 2-TOLD AFTER SUPPERINTRODUCTORYIt was Christmas Eve.I begin this way because it is the proper, orthodox, respectable way tobegin, and I have been brought up in a proper, orthodox, respectable way,and taught to always do the proper, orthodox, respectable thing; and thehabit clings to me.Of course, as a mere matter of information it is quite unnecessary to...　

The Fifth Stringby John Philip SousaIThe coming of Diotti to Americahad awakened more than usualinterest in the man and his work. Hismarvelous success as violinist in theleading capitals of Europe, together withmany brilliant contributions to theliterature of his instrument, had long beenfavorably commented on by the criticsof the old world. Many stories of hisstruggles and his triumphs had foundtheir way across the ocean and had beenread and re-read with interest.Therefore, when Mr. Henry Perkins,...　

The Libraryby Andrew LangContents:PREFATORY NOTEAN APOLOGY FOR THE BOOK-HUNTERTHE LIBRARYTHE BOOKS OF THE COLLECTORILLUSTRATED BOOKSBooks, books again, and books once more!These are our theme, which some miscallMere madness, setting little storeBy copies either short or tall.But you, O slaves of shelf and stall!We rather write for you that holdPatched folios dear, and prize "the small,Rare volume, black with tarnished gold."A. D.PREFATORY NOTEThe pages in this volume on illuminated and other MSS. (with the exception of some anecdotes about Bussy Rabutin and Julie de Rambouillet) have been con　

A Reading of Life, and Other Poemsby George MeredithContents:A Reading of Life - The Vital ChoiceA Reading of Life - With The HuntressA Reading of Life - With The PersuaderA Reading of Life - The Test Of ManhoodThe Cageing Of AresThe Night-WalkThe Hueless LoveSong In The SonglessUnion In DisseveranceThe Burden Of StrengthThe Main RegretAlternationHawardenAt The CloseForest HistoryA Garden IdylForesight And PatienceThe Invective Of AchillesThe Invective of Achilles - V. 225....　

The Deputy of Arcisby Honore de BalzacTranslated by Katharine Prescott WormeleyPART ITHE ELECTIONIALL ELECTIONS BEGIN WITH A BUSTLEBefore beginning to describe an election in the provinces, it is proper to state that the town of Arcis-sur-Aube was not the theatre of the events here related.The arrondissement of Arcis votes at Bar-sur-Aube, which is forty miles from Arcis; consequently there is no deputy from Arcis in the Chamber.Discretion, required in a history of contemporaneous manners and morals, dictates this precautionary word. It is rather an ingenious contrivance to make the descripti　

A Little Tour In Franceby Henry JamesWe good Americans - I say it without presumption - are too apt to think that France is Paris, just as we are accused of being too apt to think that Paris is the celestial city. This is by no means the case, fortun- ately for those persons who take an interest in modern Gaul, and yet are still left vaguely unsatisfied by that epitome of civilization which stretches from the Arc de Triomphe to the Gymnase theatre. It had already been intimated to the author of these light pages that there are many good things in the _doux pays de France_ of which you get n　

ANNALS OF THE PARISHANNALS OF THEPARISHby John Galt1- Page 2-ANNALS OF THE PARISHINTRODUCTIONIn the same year, and on the same day of the same month, that hisSacred Majesty King George, the third of the name, came to his crown andkingdom, I was placed and settled as the minister of Dalmailing. {1}When about a week thereafter this was known in the parish, it was thought...　

　　　　　　　　What I did was take all the spades out of a deck of cards plus a joker. Ace to King = 1-13. Joker = 14. I shuffled the cards and dealt them. The order in which they came out of the deck became the order of the stories, based on their position in the list my publisher sent me. And it actually created a very nice balance between the literary stories and the all-out screamers. I also added an explanatory note before or after each story, depending on which seemed the more fitting position. Next collection: selected by Tarot.　　　　　　Introduction: Practicing the (Almost) Lost Art...　

The Adventures of Colonel Daniel Booneby John FilsonFrom The Discovery and Settlement of Kentuckeby John FilsonThe ADVENTURES of Col. DANIEL BOON;containing a NARRATIVE of the WARS of Kentucke.Curiosity is natural to the soul of man, and interesting objectshave a powerful influence on our affections. Let these influencingpowers actuate, by the permission or disposal of Providence, fromselfish or social views, yet in time the mysterious will of Heavenis unfolded, and we behold our conduct, from whatsoever motivesexcited, operating to answer the important designs of heaven. Thus...　

FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENTHE PORTUGUESE DUCKby Hans Christian AndersenA DUCK once arrived from Portugal, but there were some who saidshe came from Spain, which is almost the same thing. At all events,she was called the "Portuguese," and she laid eggs, was killed, andcooked, and there was an end of her. But the ducklings which creptforth from the eggs were also called "Portuguese," and about thatthere may be some question. But of all the family one only remained inthe duckyard, which may be called a farmyard, as the chickens were...　

The Call of the Canyonby Zane GreyCHAPTER IWhat subtle strange message had come to her out of the West? Carley Burch laid the letter in her lap and gazed dreamily through the window.It was a day typical of early April in New York, rather cold and gray, with steely sunlight. Spring breathed in the air, but the women passing along Fifty-seventh Street wore furs and wraps. She heard the distant clatter of an L train and then the hum of a motor car. A hurdy-gurdy jarred into the interval of quiet."Glenn has been gone over a year," she mused, "three months over a year and of all his strange letter　

Oliver Wendell Holmesby William Dean HowellsElsewhere we literary folk are apt to be such a common lot, withtendencies here and there to be a shabby lot; we arrive from all sorts ofunexpected holes and corners of the earth, remote, obscure; and at thebest we do so often come up out of the ground; but at Boston we were ofascertained and noted origin, and good part of us dropped from the skies.Instead of holding horses before the doors of theatres; or capping versesat the plough-tail; or tramping over Europe with nothing but a flute inthe pocket; or walking up to the metropolis with no luggage 　

The Wife and Other Storiesby Anton ChekhovTranslated by CONSTANCE GARNETTCONTENTSThe WifeDifficult PeopleThe GrasshopperA Dreary StoryThe Privy CouncillorThe Man in CaseGooseberriesAbout LoveThe Lottery TicketTHE WIFEII RECEIVED the following letter:"DEAR SIR, PAVEL ANDREITCH!"Not far from you that is to say, in the village of Pestrovo very distressing incidents are taking place, concerning which I feel it my duty to write to you. All the peasants of that village sold their cottages and all their belongings, and set off for the province of Tomsk, but did not succeed in getting there, and ha