Showing results by narrator "Susan Iannucci" in All Categories

Arthur Ransome brilliantly wrote about Oscar Wilde in A Critical Study, published in 1912, and then went on to write the popular and better known children's series, Swallows and Amazons, in 1930. Ransome considers Oscar Wilde a visionary of whom every classical scholar must know. Oscar Wilde changed the culture of his own day and, by doing so, changed ours. Wilde tried various literary activities, poetry, drama, dialogues and essays, a novel, and even wrote about interior decoration. To him, art was supreme, and he pursued that ideal in every expression that he encountered.

The story from which this collection takes its title describes the adventures of an imaginative boy who discovers an omnibus that enables him to travel to the past in the company of famous historical personages. When at his invitation, an incredulous adult accompanies him on a journey, the astonishing new vistas unfolding alarm the security-conscious older man, who wishes himself back in his comfortable suburban home.

H. G. Wells (1866-1946) was fascinated with imagined realities, alien worlds that intersect with human life, and the human condition developing throughout generations. With his keen observation of human behavior, Wells imagines worlds vastly different than the one in which he was writing.

In A Strange Disappearance, we have a small cast of characters, richly described and all engaged in discovering how and why a servant woman has disappeared from Mr Blake’s mansion in the middle of the night. A classic mystery!

Newly married Mrs. Jeffrey is found in the library of the old family mansion dead with a pistol tied to her wrist, and everyone is suspect. The library in the family mansion has a reputation for harboring dead men, and no one knows how or why this is so. First published in 1903, Green delivers a well-written mystery again. Who is innocent and who is not?

When Jennifer and Robert Stinson buy a beautifully restored Victorian house, the last thing they expect is to share their home with a ghost, especially one with a penchant for setting fires. Unfortunately the ghostly arson only creates more tension in their already strained marriage. Jen launches her own investigation into the history of her house and discovers a surprising ally in a sympathetic fire captain. But can she unravel the mystery of the fires before they consume her home, her marriage...and her life?

Anna Katharine Green (1846-1935) was one of the first crime novelists and paved the way for later female writers of detective novels, like Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Ngaio Marsh. Among her prolific output are twelve novels featuring her main character, detective Ebenezer Gryce of the New York Metropolitan Police Force. This collection contains the third group of three novels in the series: Initials Only (1911), One of My Sons (1901), and The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow (1917).

A who-done-it mystery from Anna Katharine Green written in 1917 begins immediately with a murder by Native American arrow within a museum. Who is the young girl who is murdered, and why is she alone? No one knows. Who is the woman right next to her? Ms. Green develops her story and characters, and the intrigue builds. Is the murderer a man or woman?

In a city of majesty and brutality, of warring races and fragile alliances, a sacred mermaid has been brutally murdered. An abomination, a soulless Arukh is summoned to hunt the killer. As the world around the Arukh drifts into war and madness, her search for justice leads her on a journey to discover redemption and even beauty in the midst of chaos.

Deception, mystery, romance, inheritance—this novel has it all! Written by Anna Katharine Green and published in 1923, it is one of her best. Wealthy Edgar Quenton Bartholomew has a beautiful daughter, a great estate, and vast business holdings. It is his final wish that the man who marries his daughter will inherit it all. When he dies it is thought to be of natural causes until a young woman viewing the casket cries out that he appears to be poisoned ... and the investigation begins! Where is his final will? Who poisoned him?

Down and out John Stratton, recently robbed by two elderly gentlemen on the train to Adelaide, has one shilling left for his next meal. He is loitering near the post office when a large, sleek car pulls up with a beautiful girl and older man. The man goes into the post office, returns, and departs. There is a wallet in the street right where the man entered the car and John realizes the man dropped it. Looking down the street he can see that traffic is stopped and, if he runs, he can catch the car and return the wallet. With this one good deed, the trajectory of his life is changed.

A Gallery of Children is A. A. Milne's first published book of prose. It was released after his poetry collection, When We Were Very Young, and prior to Winnie the Pooh. With his characteristic blend of nonsense, wit and warmth, Milne offers 12 short stories of childish endeavour and mishap. They will delight and amuse listeners both young and not-so-young.

Life and adventure in the Green Forest continue! Featuring Jimmy Skunk, Billy Possum, Peter Rabbit, Bowser the hound, and Farmer Brown's boy.

Dorothy Scarborough was an academic and author who had a particular interest in the supernatural. The following collection, first published in 1921, features stories that have a strong comical or satirical focus.

The mayor is running for governor. His wife is suddenly distant, distracted, and unhappy. And his new home is haunted. Has his wife seen a ghost? The elderly ladies next door watch day and night from their attic, peering into his windows. Watching for what? The mayor's wife has a secret that she has never confided to anyone. Rumors begin to appear in the newspapers hinting at the scandal. Will the scandal harm his campaign? What is her secret?

Romantic comedy, light and slightly awkward by Henry James with his characteristic observations of character, motivations and relationships. Two young men, best friends, deeply interested in the same woman. The background is Europe at the turn of the century and the world of ex-pats. With time and several countries, they each discover love.

Allegheny, Pennsylvania, now a part of the city of Pittsburgh, floods frequently and Mrs. Pittman has her boat tied to the stair banister, just inside the front door. It's 1904 and Jennie Brice, a stage actress, is missing from Mrs. Pittman's respectable boarding house. A blood-stained rope, bloody towel, floating slipper, a soaking wet fur coat, and a missing onyx clock are all clues. Most helpful is the installation of a periscope from Mr. Holcombe's floor through to ceiling of the room below. Where is Jennie Brice?

With all the elements of a timeless mystery, Mary Roberts Rinehart first published The Window at the White Cat in 1910. John Knox is an attorney, not a detective, but Margery turns to him when her father, Allan Fleming, the State Treasurer, does not return home. There are reasons it should not be made known that he is missing. Where is he?

Rediscover the animal stories written by beloved children's author, Thornton W. Burgess. First published in 1918 and still highly enjoyable, adventurous Bobby Coon faces life in the Green Forest with the help of Farmer Brown's boy. Wonderful stories for long rides!

Ana Popesque arrives at Miss Ellwood's boarding house in Pine Glen to find she's boarding with a couple of very chatty housemates. The constant laughter and gossip make it difficult to focus on her violin practice for her upcoming Christmas Symphony. It's not until the other girls leave for Christmas break that Ana is left with the peace quiet of Pine Cottage. But in that silence, she hears beautiful violin music coming from the boarder downstairs.