When his partner is killed while on a case, Sam Spade is plunged into the hunt for a priceless, gem-encrusted statuette known as the Maltese Falcon, a legendary artifact coveted by a cast of deceitful characters, including the enigmatic Brigid O'Shaughnessy and the opportunistic Joel Cairo. The Maltese Falcon is a masterclass in ambiguity and moral complexity, establishing Sam Spade as the quintessential detective antihero who operates in a world where truth is an elusive ...

“The old time Negro preacher of parts was above all an orator, and in good measure an actor. He knew the secret of oratory, that at the bottom of it is a progression of rhythmic words more than anything else. …He often possessed a voice that was a marvelous instrument, a voice he could modulate from a sepulchral whisper to a crashing thunder clap. …At such time his language was not prose but poetry. It was from memories of such preachers there grew the idea of this book of poems.”

Thomas Wolfe’s 1929 semi-autobiographical novel is a rich and detailed tapestry of human experience, chronicling the coming-of-age of Eugene Gant in the early 20th century.The narrative begins with Eugene's birth into a tumultuous family in the fictional town of Altamont, a place defined by his father's alcoholism and his mother's obsession with property acquisition. As a shy and awkward boy, Eugene grapples with a turbulent home life and the relentless torment of ...

Published just two years before José Rizal’s national epic, Touch Me Not, Pedro A. Paterno’s Nínay is a cultural novel that portrays Philippine society to an international non-Filipino audience.Considered to be the first novel published by a Native Filipino author, Nínay follows the life, love and death of a young woman named Antonina Milo y Buisan, or “Nínay” for short. Her story is told by a young man named Taric to an unknown narrator ...

John Adams Race knows what he saw. Looking out of his window one night he sees two suspicious men following Father Brown to a bridge. There are sounds of a fight, the two men disappear–leaving only the body of the priest behind. Or, is there more to the mystery of Father Brown’s murder?Following up on the first two installments, The Incredulity of Father Brown pulls no punches, throwing readers into the continued adventures of the beloved amateur detective, beginning with ...

“We who lived the days of tribal life before our destruction began remember with gratefulness our storytellers and the delight and joy and richness which they imparted to our lives. We never tired of their tales, though told countless times. They will, forsooth, never grow old, for they have within them the essence of things that cannot grow old. These legends are of America, as are its mountains, rivers, and forests, and as are its people. They belong!”In the time of the Animal Pe...

Hailed by Arnold Rampersad as “[Hughes’] most brilliant book of poems,” Fine Clothes to the Jew is the stunning sophomore collection of poetry that—in conjunction with The Weary Blues—solidified Langston Hughes as a literary powerhouse.Originally published in 1927, Fine Clothes to the Jew is both a continuation and extension of his previous volume of verse; continuing to utilize the rhythm and function of Black classical music—the...

Revisit the debut novel of one of the “New Negroes” of the Harlem Renaissance filled with Niggerati sensibilities.Disgruntled by the treatment of Black soldiers in the military, Jake Brown heads to Harlem—the Mecca of Black creativity—to rebuild his life anew. Upon arriving, he discovers that Harlem isn’t exactly the paradise of racial uplift and unity that one might read about in books; but then again, it’s a far cry from the volatile streets of London and the iso...

The Queen of Regency Romance returns to her craft with her career-launching sophomore novel, These Old Shades.On a previously uneventful night in Paris, two ships–who in any other circumstance would likely continue to pass through the night–collide in a stroke of serendipity. The first being Justin Alastai–the infamous and dastardly Duke of Avon–on his way to seek revenge on the Comte de Saint-Vire; the second being the abused youth Léon, who is in the midst of fle...

Still a staple in history classrooms to this day, The Red Badge of Courage (1895) is at once a portal to a crucible moment in American history and a lyrical investigation into the origins of shame, bravery, and redemption within the human spirit.In the face of unrelenting and senseless brutality, why do some people flee while others stand their ground? This question is at the heart of the novel. The narrative follows Private Henry Fleming, a young soldier full of r...

Plato’s Republic is structured as a dialogue between Socrates and three different challengers, laying out Plato’s views on justice, utopia, and the attributes of the ideal citizen within such a society.Plato purports that true justice provides meaning for both the individual and the community. As a hammer derives meaning from its true purpose of driving home the nail, so too does every person find meaning in their true purpose of creating and maintaining a just soc...

On the Origin of Species (1859) is legendary naturalist Charles Darwin's groundbreaking and foundational study that birthed the theory of evolutionary biology.Sparking controversy from the time of its publication to the present day, Darwin’s theory of natural selection, where upon individuals of the same species have a more robust chance of survival thanks to their unique combination of physical characteristics, completely changed how the world viewed huma...