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Published five years after Wilde’s successful novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), this was Wilde’s most successful play and became an instant hit when it opened in London in February, 1895. While some view this play as simply a device to show off Wilde’s clever witticisms and word play, others consider it an insightful social comedy. Whatever your view, it is essential reading for anyone interested in Wilde and his times.

Keywords: Classic, play, word play

Johanna Spyri's classic story of a young orphan sent to live with her grumpy grandfather in the Swiss Alps has charmed and engaged readers since its first publication in 1880. Much more than a children's story, the story is also a lesson on the precious nature of freedom. Heidi is a persistent and courageous girl full of spunk and with a twinkle in her eye – this charming classic is a must read!

Keywords: Classic, Switzerland, mountains, courage, orphan

This delightful story follows the tale of a Dutch brother and sister who work together toward two goals--finding the doctor who can restore their father's memory and winning the competition for the silver skates. This book was first published in 1865 and received more reviews than any other children's book that year. It continues to delight countless readers with its story of a virtuous and hardworking family who inspires us all to have the courage to pursue our dreams, and the dreams of those we love.

This collection of imaginative stories, written by Beatrix Potter in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, follow a group of fluffy, playful woodland cohorts, like the mischievous and disobedient young Peter Rabbit as he is chased about the garden of Mr. McGregor!

Keywords: English classic, animals

A poor Persian boy finds his life transformed when he acquires a magical lamp and
with the help of the kind genie who lives in the lamp Aladdin fights an evil magician and wins the hand of a beautiful princess.

Keywords: classic, tale, magic

The puppetmaster Geppetto has obtained a new puppet who not only can dance and turn somersaults, but also talk and misbehave—his name is Pinocchio and if the truth be told, he longs to be a real boy. This book recounts the adventures of Pinocchio -- the puppet who wants to be a little boy and whose nose grew longer whenever he told a lie.

Keywords: classic, puppet, lies

Robin Hood is a hero of popular ballads that date from the 14th to 16th centuries and stands as a counterpart to King Arthur, who represents the ideal of the noble class. In contrast, Robin Hood lives in Sherwood forest surrounded by his band of merry men and do-gooders, such as Friar Tuck and Little John. Robin enjoys the affections of Maid Marian and uses his skills as a master archer and huntsman to rob from the rich and give to the poor.

This is the classic fairy tale. Cinderella, the evil step sisters, the fairy god mother, the prince, the glass slippers…It’s all here, a classic tale for all times. What’s surprising to the reader returning to the book after many years are the number of true moral lessons contained in the simple tale -- for instance Cinderella and the prince first meet when Cinderella nurses a lame bluebird in the forest; this same bluebird later becomes the fairy godmother. There’s a reason this book had endured through the ages.

For the past one hundred years, Rudyard Kipling's classic tales of Mowgli, the lost boy raised by wolves in the jungles of India, have captivated children and adults alike.

Published in 1886, this book, along with The Secret Garden, cemented
Burnett's reputation as a leading children's author. The title
character of this book was based on Burnett's second son, Vivian and has
been said to embody the author's belief that "nothing in the world is so
strong as a kind heart." Briefly put, the story relates to the life of
Young Cedric Errol, who lives in New York with his mother. Cedric's
English father dies and the young lad is summoned by his grandfather the

A collection of the best-loved of Aesop’s Fables including: "The Fox and the Grapes," "The Hare and the Tortoise" and "The Town Mouse & the Country Mouse."

Keywords: folklore, fables, short stories, human nature

Based loosely on the true story of the real-life sailor Alexander Selkirk, Defoe's classic tale of human strength and survival in the face of a hostile and lonely world can be understood on many different levels. Defoe is a figure for all times, either alone as he is literally stripped bare to confront the basic elements of life, or with “his man” Friday, who joins Crusoe after 26 years of solitariness. Defoe's work is both suitable and meaningful for readers of all ages.

The Time Machine was published in 1895 and quickly established Wells not only as an able writer, but a thinker of unusual ideas. Wells is perhaps the original writer of science fiction (alongside Jules Verne) and this novel is characteristic of his use of technology, imagination, and clever plotting to make the unthinkable seem plausible to the ordinary reader.

First published in 1914, this romantic novel has remained influential over the years, both as a book and in films and a television series. The reader must recognize that Tarzan is a product of its age and contains outmoded imagery and simplistic depictions of other cultures and species: bloodthirsty natives, chatty chimps, roaring lions, stalking beasts. In some respects Tarzan is a caricature of itself and life in an African jungle.