The original works of foreign classics, including the most representative literary masters and the most influential representative works.

Luigi Lanzi's 'The History of Italian Painting' is a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the evolution of Italian painting from its earliest manifestations to the Renaissance period. Lanzi skillfully dissects the artistic movements, techniques, and themes that defined Italian painting, offering a detailed analysis that showcases his profound knowledge of the subject. His writing style is academic yet accessible, making this book suitable for both scholars and enthusiasts of art his...

In "My Ten Years' Imprisonment," Silvio Pellico presents a poignant autobiographical account of his incarceration within the Austrian prisons of Venice, where he was held as a political prisoner for his nationalistic beliefs during the Risorgimento. The narrative eloquently captures the psychological and spiritual turmoil of confinement, conveyed through a lyrical prose that emphasizes emotional depth and moral reflection. Pellico's work is not merely a recounting of suffering; it intertwi...

This Lanzi's work features the history of painting in Italy from the period of the revival of the fine arts to the end of the 18th century. The method that the author applies in treating of each school is as follows: he first gives a general character of each school; then he distinguishes it into three, four, or more epochs, according as its style underwent changes with the change of taste. A few celebrated painters, who have swayed the public taste, and given a new tone to the art, are pl...

In "Tales of Humour, Gallantry & Romance, Selected and Translated from the Italian," the anonymous translator curates a rich tapestry of Italian narrative traditions that harmoniously intertwine humor, chivalry, and tender affection. Characterized by a lively and engaging prose style, each tale blends vivid imagery with whimsical characterizations, reflecting the cultural nuances of Italy'Äôs diverse regions. The text showcases a spectrum of voices and perspectives, capturing the multiface...

The History of Painting in Italy offers a rigorous survey of the peninsula's schools from the Trecento to the late eighteenth century, balancing connoisseurial attention to technique with a lucid taxonomy of regional styles. Lanzi maps the interplay of disegno and colorito, traces lineages from Giotto through Raphael, Titian, Correggio, and the Carracci, and corrects partisan narratives by grounding judgments in autopsy, documents, and inscriptions. His prose is sober and precise, embodyin...

Silvio Pellico was born at Saluzzo, in North Italy, in the year of the fall of the Bastille, 1789. His health as a child was feeble, his temper gentle, and he had the instincts of a poet. Before he was ten years old he had written a tragedy on a theme taken from Macpherson's Ossian. His chief delight as a boy was in acting plays with other children, and he acquired from his father a strong interest in the patriotic movements of the time. He fastened upon French literature during a stay of som...

This collection of short stories by some of Russia’s most famous authors is beautifully illustrated with nearly 20 wonderful images to amplify the narrative. Simply gorgeous!From Chekhov to Gorky, Pushkin to Dostoyevsky, Russian writers have long been celebrated for their excellent short fiction. Even Tolstoy, the author of War and Peace, one of the longest novels ever written, wrote short stories. These Russian storytellers, along with others, are represented here by ...

Michel de Montaigne was one of the most influential figures of the Renaissance, singlehandedly responsible for popularising the essay as a literary form. In 1572, Montaigne retired to his estates in order to devote himself to leisure, reading and reflection. There he wrote his constantly expanding 'essays', inspired by the ideas he found in books from his library and his own experience. He discusses subjects as diverse as war-horses and cannibals, poetry and politics, sex and religion, lov...

Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore - Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore Of never - never more!

Written in 1914 but not published until 1925, a year after Kafka's death, The Trial is the terrifying tale of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is suddenly and inexplicably arrested and must defend himself against a charge about which he can get no information. Whether read as an existential tale, a parable, or a prophecy of the excesses of modern bureaucracy wedded to the madness of totalitarianism, The Trial has resonated with chilling truth for generations of readers.

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A searing, post-apocalyptic novel about a father and son’s fight to survive that “only adds to McCarthy’s stature as a living master. It’s gripping, frightening and, ultimately, beautiful” (San Francisco Chronicle).One of The New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century • A Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Book of the CenturyA father and his son walk alone through burned Americ...