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A young woman breaks free from her stifling home in search of love and freedom in this novel by the author of Anne of Green Gables.

Considered a spinster at the age of twenty-nine, Valancy Stirling believes she is destined to live out her days in rural Ontario with her domineering mother and aunt. She finds momentary escape in the books of her favorite author and fantasies of a “Blue Castle” where all her wishes come true. But when devastating news arrives from her doctor, Valancy decides to finally say and do exactly what she wants.

Though her family thinks she has gone mad, Valancy embarks on an adventure of discovery. Her newfound independence leads her to a world where anything is possible—even love. But is her new life just another illusion, or has she truly found the Blue Castle of her dreams?

Two lonely children discover the power of friendship in this classic novel that inspired the film starring Colin Firth, Julie Walters, and Dixie Egerickx.

Mary Lennox, a spoiled and disagreeable child, has been orphaned in India and sent to live with her uncle Archibald Craven in Yorkshire, England. Still mourning the loss of his wife, Mr. Craven is away often and wants nothing to do with his niece, leaving Mary free to roam about the estate and spend time with Martha, her maidservant, and Ben Weatherstaff, the gardener.

When Martha tells her the tragic tale of Mrs. Craven and the cherished rose garden that Mr. Craven locked up after her death, Mary decides to find the key to this “secret garden.” Meanwhile, there is another mystery at Misselthwaite Manor: a strange crying sound that all of the servants pretend not to hear. Precocious Mary vows to discover the truth behind that as well . . .

A timeless story of friendship, loss, and renewal, The Secret Garden is a masterpiece of children’s literature.

The author famed for Treasure Island and other novels shares his own real-life adventures.

Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson is best known for his popular adventure classics and suspenseful tales, such as Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. But in his day he was also famed for his own globetrotting life as he traveled far and wide, in spite of health problems—and for his many essays.

This volume collects his writings on a wide variety of subjects, from “Books Which Have Influenced Me” to “On the Enjoyment of Unpleasant Places,” and offers an entertaining and enlightening look at one of the nineteenth century’s most intriguing literary figures.

Essays inspired by the renowned nineteenth-century writer’s time at a Boston boardinghouse.

These philosophical essays, enlivened by a number of poems, draw upon Oliver Wendell Holmes’s time spent as a young man at the table with his fellow boarders—the professor, the divinity student, and the schoolmistress, as well as the landlady—in the thriving cultural hub of Boston. First published in the Atlantic Monthly in the 1850s, they reflect on topics ranging from the nature of conversation to the surprising benefits of old age—filled with the flavor of historical New England, and often sharpened with wonderful comic flair.

Featured poems include “The Deacon’s Masterpiece,” “The Chambered Nautilus,” “Contentment,” and “The Living Temple.”