Ambrosio, the worthy superior of the Capuchins of Madrid, falls to the temptations of Matilda, a fiend-inspired wanton who, disguised as a boy, has entered his monastery as a novice. Ambrosio then falls in love with one of his penitents and finally kills her in order to escape detection. However, he is discovered, tortured by the Inquisition and sentenced to death. Although extravagant in its mixture of the supernatural, the terrible, and the indecent, the book contains scenes of great eff...

This superb anthology offers a lively and indispensable collection of poems and songs from the eighteenth century. Here are the poets who created the literary tradition of vernacular directness which Burns drew upon and shared.Before Burns includes a substantial selection from the work of Allan Ramsay and Robert Ferguson (Burns's 'elder brother in the muse'), as well as a wider selection from the men and women writers whose good-humoured accessibility so characterised the ...

Among the most sophisticated examples of Gothic romance, "The Italian" was written in 1797 at the height of Radcliffe's power as an author. The dark, shadowed Italy of this novel immediately encapsulates the fast-paced plot concerning Vincentio di Vivaldi and his beautiful love Ellena Rosalba. While they wish to marry, Vincentio's mother is against their marriage. Her scheming to separate them soon involves Schedoni, a mysterious monk, and arguably Radcliffe's most exceptional invention, w...

The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe, was published in four volumes on 8 May 1794 by G. G. and J. Robinson of London. The firm paid her £500 for the manuscript. The contract is housed at the University of Virginia Library. Her fourth and most popular novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho follows the fortunes of Emily St. Aubert, who suffers, among other misadventures, the death of her father, supernatural terrors in a gloomy castle and the machinations of an Italian brigand. Often cited as...

"The Castle of Otranto", by Horace Walpole, published in 1764, is generally viewed as the first Gothic novel and it is often said to have founded the horror story as a legitimate literary form.It tells the story of Manfred, the prince of Otranto, who is keen to secure the castle for his descendants in the face of a mysterious curse. The novel begins with the death of Manfred’s son, Conrad, who is crushed to death by an enormous helmet on the morning of his wedding to the beautiful ...

Ann Radcliffe was an English author best known for her Gothic novels. Radcliffe is considered one of the founders of the Gothic literature and her classic books helped popularize the genre. Radcliffe's best known work is The Mysteries of Udolpho which is also notable for playing a big part in Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey. This edition of The Romance of the Forest includes a table of contents.

Can you be re-lit by poetry? This little book offers everyone one of the oldest of all remedies for stress: the reading of poetry.Intended to help you endure some of your stressful moments and painful experiences, these poems tell us we are not alone. Returned again and again over the centuries by great imaginations are love and death and memory – remembrance of childhood joy, of happy days and beautiful places, of loved ones we have lost or feeling at peace and at...

“Listen, are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?” —Mary OliverThis luminous anthology brings together great poets from around the world whose work transcends culture and time. Their words reach past the outer divisions to the universal currents of love and revelation that move and inspire us all. These poems urge us to wake up and love. They also call on us to relinquish our grip on ideas and opinions that confine us and, instead, to risk moving forward into the lif...

'Just Imagine' brings together two Rhyme Whisperer Books, 'As The Moon And The Sun' and 'In The Madness Of Meeting' in an anthology of poetry on love, faith and dreaming that will provoke minds and brighten hearts of readers of all ages.

Fish Heads and Roses: The title reflects the strange fruit found within this anthology.We have the witch who swapped places with her cat and his life.The poetic story of a woman trapped in a Library, who is she?An orchestra of violins, cats and conspiracy, stories and poetry, combined into a soup of words by a group of writers converging and enjoying writing.All the writers who have contributed to this anthology would like to express their extreme gratitude to ...

A selection of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's essential poems. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) was an English poet, critic, and philosopher. His Lyrical Ballads, published in 1798 with co-author William Wordsworth, marked the beginning for all intents and purposes of English Romanticism and included “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Other notable poems include "This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison," “Christabel” and “Kubla Khan.”http://www.williamralphpress.com/

This book is broken down into 7 chapters that are named after the parts of the eyes which represent the author's middle name in the Hindi language.It expresses and describes various events in life from passionate never-ending love, continuous pain, growing up in solitude, making it as an introvert, friendships battling anorexia, becoming someone, and many misconstrue occurrences from a relationship with an alcoholic.This book is for those, who need inspiration, awareness or ...