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My life in poetry

Stanton A. (Stanton Arthur) Coblentz

"My Life in Poetry" by Stanton A. Coblentz is a literary autobiography written in the mid-20th century. It charts a poet-critic’s lifelong devotion to verse, from formative childhood readings and adolescent awakenings to professional forays in journalism and editing, alongside a sustained defense of traditional craft against modernist formlessness. Expect candid reflections on misrepresentation, creative process, and the personal trials (notably a debilitating eye condition) that shaped his work. The opening of the memoir frames Coblentz’s purpose: to dispel myths about his life and explain his long fight for poetry’s “light.” He recalls a mother’s readings of Longfellow, a boyish vow to become a poet, adolescent grief that sparked first verses, and the solace he found in Shelley and in Bryant’s anthology. Early efforts brought torrents of rejections, a close brush with a vanity press, and—after a harsh rebuff from poet-teacher Leonard Bacon—eventual entry into Bacon’s class and first small publications; a prize quatrain and a New York Times poem led to reviewing work and a fortuitous offer from newspaper editor Edmond Coblentz. He describes the rapture and trance of composition, then a life-altering series of eye operations that left him painfully sensitive to light, reshaping his habits yet, paradoxically, deepening his inner composing. Alongside steady reading and a Master’s thesis, he stakes a firm, polemical stand for traditional form against formless experiment, while cherishing humane mentors like Witter Bynner. After stints writing verse to order at the San Francisco Examiner and low-paid work at the Overland Monthly, he decides to “go East,” and on arriving in New York he endures loneliness, knocks on editorial doors, secures his first book review, and, through Edwin Markham’s hospitality, begins edging into the city’s literary world. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Some famous buildings and their story : being the results of recent research in London and elsewhere

Sir Clapham, Alfred William

"Some Famous Buildings and Their Story" by Alfred W. Clapham and Walter H. Godfrey is a collection of architectural-historical studies written in the early 20th century. The volume presents new research on notable English buildings—especially in and around London—combining documentary evidence, plans, and photographs to clarify how palaces, monasteries, fortifications, and theatres were designed, altered, and sometimes lost. The opening of this volume sets the aim: to share rigorous yet readable studies that add “new light” to local and national architectural history, followed by a contents list that spans Tudor palaces, London monastic houses, the Tower of London, early theatres, and more. It then launches into substantial essays: a reappraisal of Nonsuch Palace, identifying a neglected north-west view and reconstructing its two courts, Italianate timber-and-plaster façades with reliefs, and banqueting house; a reconstruction of the Fortune Theatre from its 1600 contract and the Swan drawing, detailing its square yard, tiered galleries, roofed stage, and inner and upper stages; a developmental reading of the Tower of London from reused Roman walls through Norman, Henry III, and Tudor works, highlighting the White Tower’s chapel, key gatehouses, and later Wren additions; and an analysis of Eltham Palace using Elizabethan plans to map its moat, hall, and chapel. It closes this opening stretch by tracing the origin of the domestic hall to monastic models—especially aisled infirmary and guest halls—rather than to Norman keeps. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The country seats of the United States of North America : With some scenes connected with them

William Russell Birch

Twine crochet work, with illustrations by active 1883-1884 Marie Louise Kerzman is an illustrated architectural and landscape portfolio written in the early 19th century. It showcases engravings of American country residences and surrounding scenery, offering a visual tour that promotes refined taste, rural retreat, and the cultivation of the fine arts. The book opens with a brief preface arguing that art and country living can shape national character, then presents twenty plates with concise descriptions of notable estates and vistas across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, and near New Orleans. The entries pair architecture with landscape: panoramic views from Belmont, Hoboken, and York Island; Schuylkill-side seats like Landsdown, Fountain Green, Solitude, Springland, and Echo; distinguished homes such as Mount Vernon, Sedgely, Montibello, Woodlands, and Hampton, each noted for setting, design, owners, and historical touches (from Revolutionary echoes to admired architects). Interleaving cultivated villas with woods, rivers, crags, and ferries, the collection celebrates the picturesque and defines the ideal American country seat through setting, taste, and harmonious design. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

A dictionary of the art of printing

William Savage

"The pneumatics of Hero of Alexandria" by of Alexandria Hero is a technical reference work written in the early 19th century. It presents itself as a comprehensive dictionary and practical manual of the printing art, covering tools, methods, legal matters, alphabets, and shop customs. The likely focus is to give working printers clear, hands-on guidance while also serving authors and librarians as a reliable reference. The opening of this work begins with a detailed transcriber’s note on how the e-text renders special characters, ligatures, tables, and footnotes, followed by title pages and a preface outlining a practical, comprehensive dictionary of printing. The preface emphasizes sources (notably Moxon), inclusion of statute law, extensive alphabets and abbreviations, imposition tables, records, emerging electrotype methods, fine presswork techniques, and wood-engraving practice, all explained in a plain style for apprentices and practitioners. The dictionary entries then start with “Abbreviations” (a long list of Latin and English shortenings), “Accented Letters” and “Accents,” legal extracts on advertisements, algebraic symbols, the English alphabet, margin alteration, and “Ancient Customs” of the printing-house, plus brief notes like “Apostrophe.” It proceeds into an extended treatment of Arabic script—letters, forms, pronunciation, vowels, and orthographic signs—where the excerpt breaks off. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Arianna : Tizenhat elbeszélés

Ferenc Herczeg

"The pneumatics of Hero of Alexandria" by of Alexandria Hero is a scientific treatise written in the 1st century AD. It likely explores the principles of air, steam, vacuum, and pressure through demonstrations and devices, explaining how automata, fountains, and siphons work and offering practical constructions. The opening of the provided text, however, presents a set of Hungarian short stories set around the turn of the 20th century, sketching vivid provincial lives and psychology. First, a secluded landowner nicknamed Arianna (Zajcsáryné), a poised divorcée, hosts two hunters—one her former husband—and in a hushed evening talk she coolly dissects what captivates women, casting love as a mirror that reflects a woman’s self. Next, in “Jancsi’s Mother,” a narrator visits a capable, severe widow whose imaginative son reshapes tragic history into a happy tale for a peasant girl, only to clash with his mother’s rigid principles and injure himself in defiance—prompting reflections on her unbending will and a husband’s past suicide. Then “Naca” shows a count’s panic and eerie hallucinations soothed by a doctor’s gentle daughter and a diagnosis of nicotine poisoning, until Paris and a tempting letter pull him away, leaving the girl quietly heartsore. Finally, “The House Friend” follows a moralizing family friend who pushes a cuckolded husband into a duel that leaves him wounded—and yearning again for the wife whose affair upended their domestic idyll. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Blue trousers : Being the fourth part of 'The tale of Genji'

Murasaki Shikibu

"The pneumatics of Hero of Alexandria" by of Alexandria Hero is a scientific treatise written in the 1st century AD. It explains principles of air, water, and steam pressure through descriptions of ingenious automata, fountains, temple mechanisms, and other devices that demonstrate practical hydraulics and the creation of marvelous effects. The opening of this work follows the Tale of Genji’s later arc, centering on Genji’s anxious plans for his ward Tamakatsura amid growing gossip. A dazzling imperial procession stirs her admiration for the young Emperor, while Genji wrestles with clan affiliations and finally reconciles with Tō no Chūjō by revealing Tamakatsura’s parentage; her coming‑of‑age ceremony proceeds in grand secrecy, even as household gossip (notably from the Lady of Ōmi) leaks the truth. Next, Tamakatsura wavers over becoming Lady‑of‑the‑Bedchamber, besieged by letters from suitors—Prince Higekuro, Prince Sochi, and Sahyōye—while Kashiwagi’s awkward “brotherly” visit underscores shifting ties. The narrative then turns when Higekuro prevails in secret, Tamakatsura conceives, and a discreet marriage is arranged; she begins assisting with palace duties from Genji’s residence, provoking jealousy and talk. Finally, attention shifts to Higekuro’s household: his estranged wife Makibashira (Murasaki’s sister) declines into instability as preparations for the newcomer advance, culminating in a shocking scene where, during a snowstorm, she overturns a brazier of ash onto Higekuro—an eruption that prompts night‑long exorcisms and lays bare the human cost of these alliances. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

En Égypte : notes de voyage

Maurice Maeterlinck

"The pneumatics of Hero of Alexandria" by of Alexandria Hero is a scientific treatise written in the 1st century AD. It likely explains how air, steam, and water pressure power fountains, siphons, automata, and temple mechanisms, blending clear principles with practical designs to demonstrate how invisible forces can produce visible effects. The opening of this volume presents a reflective travelogue-essay on Egypt that contrasts postcard fantasies with the stark, repetitive reality of the Nile valley—its dikes, norias, chadoufs, mud villages, and underwhelming modern cities. It then turns to Pharaonic art and architecture, arguing that their oppressive grandeur and refined beauty must be seen in situ, linking elements of Greek form to Deir el-Bahri and Karnak, and setting sublime statuary against the eccentric bric-a-brac from Tutankhamun’s tomb. Next comes a reconstruction of daily and funerary life: a civilization organized around death and the “double,” yet gentle in manners, where mastaba scenes celebrate work, feasting, and music, even as some texts advise a carpe diem skepticism about the afterlife. The narrative probes priestly “science” and magic—debunking occult claims with practical explanations, noting hypnotic-like rites and stagecraft—before outlining a secret religion tending toward pantheistic agnosticism masked by popular polytheism and the formulas of the Book of the Dead. It culminates in the moral atmosphere: the Judgment of the Dead, the pull between deification and tomb-centered comforts, and portraits of rulers and people—Ramses II’s vanity, pragmatic pleasures, and candid sexual mores—under a heavy, sun-scorched spiritual sky. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Old Glory and Verdun, and other stories

Elizabeth Frazer

"Old Glory and Verdun" by Elizabeth Frazer is a collection of wartime narratives and reportage written in the early 20th century. It focuses on frontline hospital life in France during World War I, seen through the eyes of an American volunteer nurse’s aide. The vignettes mix pain, bravery, and gallows humor, sketching vivid portraits of wounded French soldiers, resourceful nurses, and tireless orderlies amid relentless dressings, operations, and recovery. The opening of this collection follows the narrator’s first day in Ward Eighty-three at the American Ambulance in Neuilly, where terror of doing harm gives way to hard learning under pressure. She meets Claudius, a young soldier with an infected leg and one eye, and Justin, a seasoned orderly who quietly saves patients with skill and nerve, while the ward’s routines—painful dressings, shouted “Doucement!”, jokes, and small rebellions—reveal both agony and resilience. Brief, piercing scenes accumulate: a delirious sergeant relives a grenade charge; a comic “hen” routine lifts spirits; a boy with a gangrenous arm dies almost unnoticed; and later chapters widen to the shock of first weeks, the youth and humor of the poilus, “cafard” (black moods) broken by love and visitors, the tenderness of “copains,” and the scorn for “embusqués.” It closes this opening stretch with the long, watched dying of a man with gas infection—his wife and father arriving, a priest called, even an X-ray man taking a photo in the same room—capturing the ward’s stark blend of endurance, ordinary kindness, and absurdity. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Sacountala, drame en sept actes, mêlé de prose et de vers

Kalidasa

"The pneumatics of Hero of Alexandria" by of Alexandria Hero is a scientific treatise written in the 1st century AD. It outlines principles of air, steam, and water pressure and presents ingenious devices and automata—fountains, siphons, temple mechanisms, and self-acting machines—of interest to readers of ancient engineering and the history of technology. The opening of the provided text presents a French preface to a renowned Sanskrit drama, praising its beauty (with Goethe and others cited), noting the learned and courtly character of classical Sanskrit literature, sketching the legendary plot of a king and a forgotten wife under a sage’s curse, and explaining the translators’ choice to preserve the mix of prose and verse with judicious cuts. A cast list and benediction lead into a prologue where a stage director and an actress introduce the play. Act I shows King Douchanta halted from hunting near an ermitage, then falling in love with Sacountalâ as she tends trees with her friends; flirtation, a protective ring, and a frantic interruption by a rampaging elephant follow. In Act II, the jester Mâdhavya complains, the king confesses his infatuation, hermits request his protection against demons, and a summons from the queen mother is deftly deferred. At the start of Act III, Sacountalâ lies fevered with love; prompted by her companions, she secretly composes a verse on a lotus leaf, the king overhears, reveals himself, and mutual vows are exchanged as the friends tactfully withdraw. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Holbein's "Ambassadors", the picture and the men : an historical study

Mary F. S. (Mary Frederica Sophia) Hervey

"The pneumatics of Hero of Alexandria" by of Alexandria Hero is a scientific treatise written in the 1st century AD. It explains the principles of air and fluid pressure through descriptions of automata, siphons, fountains, temple “wonders,” and other mechanical contrivances, showing how controlled air, steam, and water can produce striking effects. The opening of this historical study examines Hans Holbein’s double portrait known as “The Ambassadors,” laying out its purpose: to identify the sitters, reconstruct the painting’s history, and interpret the symbolic objects depicted. The author reviews earlier misidentifications, then marshals internal clues (the 1533 date, the Order of St. Michael, and the ages inscribed on dagger and book) and newly surfaced documents to confirm the figures as Jean de Dinteville and George de Selve. Key evidence includes a 17th‑century parchment once tied to the picture at Polisy, notes preserved by the Godefroy family from the antiquary Camusat, and ecclesiastical records matching de Selve’s age. The provenance is traced from its creation in London (1533) to Polisy, removal to Paris in 1653, a long gap, reappearance at the Beaujon sale (1787), and then via Le Brun and Longford Castle to the National Gallery. The narrative also sketches the Dinteville family’s lineage, estates, and court connections, and situates Jean within the humanist, reform‑minded milieu of Francis I’s France (Budé, Lefèvre d’Étaples, the Du Bellay, Montmorency), before recounting early 1530s family events, including his father’s death, a brother’s death at Malta, and the Auxerre bishop’s brush with the law. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The pneumatics of Hero of Alexandria

of Alexandria Hero

"The pneumatics of Hero of Alexandria" by of Alexandria Hero is a scientific treatise on pneumatics and mechanical devices written in the Hellenistic period. It presents the principles of air, vacuum, pressure, and flow, illustrated through ingenious hydraulic and pneumatic contrivances—siphons, fountains, automata, musical mechanisms, coin‑operated vessels, and force pumps—that blend theory with practical spectacle. The opening of the treatise (as presented in this edition) begins with editorial and translator prefaces explaining manuscript sources, prior translations, and debates over Hero’s date and relation to Ctesibius, followed by a detailed table of contents. The text then launches into a clear exposition on the nature of air and vacuum, arguing from experiments (inverted vessels, cupping glasses, suction) and observations (light passing through fluids, wine mixing with water, divers and hydrostatic pressure) to establish compression, elasticity, and the impossibility of a continuous natural void. From there it proceeds through a rapid series of practical propositions: designs for bent and enclosed siphons, devices giving uniform or adjustable discharge, tools to prime siphons without the mouth, vessels that hold or release liquids at will (including dual‑temperature and variable‑mix containers), and showpieces where water or fire drives sound and motion—whistling birds, trumpets, libations at altars, temple doors that “play” a trumpet. It culminates in early power and control elements—a compressed‑air water jet, a hinged-plate valve, proportional wine‑and‑water mixers, a coin‑triggered flow vessel, and the construction of a two‑cylinder force pump for firefighting—establishing the work’s blend of physical theory with applied mechanics. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Isä ja tytär : Näytelmä 4:ssä näytöksessä

Toivo Tarvas

"Granada in Flammen" by Ludwig Huna is a drama written in the early 20th century. It reads like a social‑realist stage piece that follows a poor Helsinki household, centering on the teenage Leila and her alcoholic father Valtonen, as grief, want, and male predation collide with the petty respectability of their neighbors. The work’s focus is intimate and urban, mixing tenderness with raw, sometimes brutal realism. Readers interested in character-driven drama about class, vulnerability, and moral hypocrisy will likely be drawn in. The opening of the work shows Leila keeping vigil beside her dead mother’s coffin in a damp basement room, trying to comfort her timid friend Nanna while adults bustle about for the funeral. Her father Valtonen arrives drunk with his mate Virselli, blustering, drinking, and even prying at the coffin lid, revealing both crude affection and cruelty; the widow’s funeral proceeds amid neighbors’ gossip and meager hospitality. Later, we find Leila working in a chilly lemonade kiosk on the esplanade, fending off rowdy schoolboys, confiding her loneliness to a beat cop, and revealing how she drags her drunk father home at night. Class pretensions surface in the Emblund family’s social climb and their condescension toward Leila, even as they speak of “help.” A gentle, artistic Albert warns Leila to be wary of the charming student Savander; soon after, Savander forces his way into the kiosk, and a violent struggle erupts as Albert smashes the window to intervene. The next scene shifts to the Pahlman home, where domestic fuss and talk of Senate duties frame more gossip about Leila’s talent and her father’s decline, underscoring the divide between respectable parlors and the hard life of the girl they discuss. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

How to make sweet potato flour, starch, sugar, bread and mock cocoanut

George Washington Carver

Photography self taught by Lloyd I. Snodgrass is a practical agricultural bulletin written in the early 20th century. It serves as a how-to guide for making and using sweet-potato-based flour, starch, and sugar, with an emphasis on home cookery and baking. The book explains three main sweet potato flours—made from raw sliced tubers, from cooked/steamed mashed potatoes, and from pulp left after starch extraction—describing how to dry, grind, and sift each and which dishes they suit best. It details an easy process for extracting superior cooking starch by grating and washing, and shows how the first washings can be boiled into a non-crystalline syrup. Guidance follows on blending sweet potato flour with wheat for bread (often about one-third to two-thirds), along with suggested uses in breads, cakes, custards, pies, and puddings. Clear household recipes include yeast bread, two biscuit methods, and a scaled bakery formula, all aimed at conserving wheat while producing flavorful, wholesome results. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Hints on news reporting

Murray Sheehan

Photography self taught by Lloyd I. Snodgrass is a practical how-to guide written in the early 20th century. It is likely a self-instruction manual that introduces beginners to the basic principles and practices of photography. The book you’ve provided is a concise newsroom manual that explains what makes an event “news” and how to present it with clarity and speed. It teaches the straight-news lead built around the essentials—who, what, where, when, and often why/how—then shows how to sustain reader interest through angles such as personal impact, prominence, locality, the unusual, children, and animals. It distinguishes straight news from feature and human-interest pieces, and offers specific guidance for covering fires, accidents, meetings, sports, trials, crime (with careful use of “alleged”), interviews, society items, and obituaries. It outlines organization from lead to body, effective use of direct quotes, and crisp style choices—concrete language, strong verbs, varied sentences, short paragraphs, and house style rules. Practical sections cover follow-ups, rewrites, preparing clean copy, and cultivating sources on regular “beats” (police, fire, hospitals, courts), plus interviewing tactics and telephone work. It closes with pitfalls to avoid (clichés, grammar slips, misidentifications) and a firm ethic: accuracy first. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Virginie de Leyva : ou intérieur d'un couvent de femmes en Italie au commencement du dix-septième siècle

Philarète Chasles

Granada in Flammen by Ludwig Huna is a historical account written in the mid-19th century. Drawing on archival material, it reconstructs a stark early seventeenth-century scandal in a Lombard convent to contrast outward “civilization” with inner moral truth. The focus falls on Sister Virginia de Leyva of Monza, the elegant intriguer Osio degli Osii, and the casuist confessor Arrighone, with Cardinal Federico Borromeo appearing as a reformer who triggers official scrutiny. The opening of the work frames its purpose with a dedication and a moral preface that asks whether social polish equals true civilization, then introduces the scholar Dandolo in Apennine solitude uncovering the trial records that ground the narrative. It sketches Italy under Spanish domination—baroque excess, timid justice, and porous discipline—before turning to Virginia, forced into vows at thirteen yet ruling Monza as suzerain, amid a lax convent led by a fearful prioress and a brazen confessor. We meet Osio, the worldly neighbor whose courtship advances through letters, charms, and priestly casuistry, and see a first murder (the notary Molteno) expose a culture of impunity and a pliant magistrate. This opening movement culminates with Cardinal Borromeo’s discreet visit and Virginia’s defiant avowal, followed by a stormy night on the Lambro where two nuns are drawn into violence—setting the formal inquiry and the broader tragedy in motion. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The Druriad : or, Strictures on the principal performers of Drury-Lane Theatre : a satirical poem : with notes critical and explanatory

Anonymous

Photography self taught by Lloyd I. Snodgrass is a satirical theatrical critique in verse, likely written in the late 18th century. It reads as a poetic survey of London’s stage—especially Drury-Lane Theatre—mixing moral reflection with sharp performance criticism. The focus is the strengths and failings of prominent actors and managers, and the broader decline of dramatic taste under the growing sway of pantomime and fashionable trifles. The poem, framed as a dialogue between an Author and a skeptical Friend, rejects fashionable prettiness in favor of candid judgment, then proceeds to a brisk roll call of Drury’s performers. It lavishly praises the great tragic craft of leading figures, celebrates a few rising talents, and urges others to avoid miscasting and empty showmanship. Many players are chided for bombast, buffoonery, or lifeless delivery, while managers are rebuked for poor role assignments. The closing invocation appeals to Shakespeare’s spirit to restore rigorous standards and genuine feeling to the stage. Extensive notes expand the satire, explain topical references, and reinforce the call for moral seriousness and better taste in theatrical art. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The six books of Proclus, the Platonic successor, on the theology of Plato (vol. 1 of 2) : translated from the Greek, to which a seventh book is added, in order to supply the deficiency of another book on this subject, which was written by Proclus, but s

Proclus

Granada in Flammen by Ludwig Huna is a novel written in the early 20th century. It likely presents a historical drama set in Granada during violent upheaval, following people caught between clashing powers and creeds. Readers can expect city-wide peril, cultural tension, and characters wrestling with loyalty, belief, and survival. The opening of the provided text is actually Thomas Taylor’s extended introduction to his English translation of Proclus’ Platonic Theology, not a scene from a historical novel. It argues for a hierarchical, Neoplatonic cosmos that flows from an ineffable One through ranks of divine unities to intellect, soul, nature, and body, defending a learned form of polytheism and the idea that stars and the world are ensouled. The author cites Greek philosophers, late antique theologians, and even biblical passages to claim that a plurality of divine powers is compatible with ancient wisdom, contrasts this view with later Christian practice (especially Catholic veneration of saints and relics), and defends statues and rites as symbolic aids rather than idols. He contrasts a vital, harmonious cosmos with mechanistic astronomy, then explains that Proclus’ work is rigorous, demanding, and best grasped by readers trained in Platonic studies. The section closes by praising the clarity and grandeur of Proclus’ style and by framing the translation as a careful, scientific exposition of Platonic theology. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Gyulai Pál kritikai dolgozatainak újabb gyüjteménye, 1850-1904

Pál Gyulai

"Granada in Flammen" by Ludwig Huna is a novel written in the early 20th century. It likely offers a historical tale set in Spain, depicting Granada in turmoil and the collision of cultures and loyalties as the city burns. Readers can expect courtly intrigue, siege and street-life vistas, and entwined personal dramas shaped by war and passion. The opening of the provided text presents a Hungarian editorial preface and early sections from a scholarly collection of critic Gyulai Pál’s writings. It sets out the volume’s scope and rationale, explains how earlier compilations are supplemented and curated, and underscores a creed of strict, conscientious criticism and the public role of journals. An “Irodalmi élet” column announces a practical review program to guide readers’ time and money, then a substantial critique of Egy földönfutó hátrahagyott novellái (attributed to Pálffy) praises its easy, witty storytelling and social settings while noting its limitations. The text then assesses Arany János’s Keveháza (highlighting his national forms and resonant diction), reviews Sujánszky Antal’s religious poems with formal and tonal reservations, and turns to a playful pünkösd-day vignette contrasting city life with nature and touching on popular theater. Overall, this beginning frames the editorial aims and showcases Gyulai’s incisive criticism across genres. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The story of Puff

Mrs. Livingston, C. M.

Photography self taught by Lloyd I. Snodgrass is a children’s animal tale written in the late 19th century. The book likely traces the first-person adventures of a pet canary and uses his misadventures to teach gentle lessons about home, contentment, and the risks of chasing freedom without foresight. A young canary, Puff, is taken from his mother and raised with love by two girls, Rita and Dody, in a sunny “little brown house.” When a bragging visitor-bird, Fred, tempts him with tales of grand living, Puff grows restless and runs away. He is briefly pampered in a fine home by a kind girl, Rose, but endures torment from a rough boy, a cat, and a dog; after Rose dies, the grandmother’s quiet care becomes his solace. An accidental escape turns into a frightening ordeal of hunger, night dangers, and a harsh winter among strangers, ending with capture by a neglectful family and misery under their roof. At last a kind man buys him—revealed as Dody’s father—and Puff is joyfully restored to his first home, where he learns the book’s simple moral: resist bad counsel, small wrong choices can bring long sorrow, and be content with good care and true affection. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

A child shall lead them : The house that Jack built; and Another Moses

Mary E. (Mary Emily) Ropes

Granada in Flammen by Ludwig Huna is a moral religious novel written in the late 19th century. It presents a didactic domestic drama centered on miserly publican John Drinkrow and his sons—calculating Tom and wayward Ratcliffe—whose paths are shaped by greed, drink, and crime until a small child’s simple faith begins to call one of them back to repentance. The opening of the story sets the scene in a London suburb, where John’s hoarded wealth and hard heart poison his home. After Ratcliffe drunkenly asks for money, his father drives him out; a later plea to Tom is coldly rebuffed, and Ratcliffe returns to his wife Nancy and their little daughter Maida with growing desperation. A burglary at the public house while John is away leaves a thief injured and fleeing—strongly suggesting Ratcliffe’s involvement—and he soon grows weak, coughing blood and turning sullen as a guilty secret gnaws at him. The kindly housekeeper, Mrs. Curr, challenges the father and supports the young couple, even as John dismisses her and marries the practical, plain-spoken Mrs. Moo. Nancy’s priest-uncle in Devon takes in the ailing Ratcliffe; Maida later joins them and, with a bedtime prayer—“Jesus loves you, dadda”—softens her father’s heart, prompting him to read his late mother’s Bible and confess his crime to Nancy. At Ratcliffe’s request, a telegram summons John, and the scene shifts back to the public house as the miser receives the message while Tom urges him not to go. (This is an automatically generated summary.)