The three volume Realms of Gold series brings together all the shorter literary works taught in the Core Knowledge Sequence for the middle school grades. Volume Two includes those for grade seven.

Reprint.

Throughout history, great literature has been a cohesive force in Western culture. It interprets our experiences and tells us the truth about our fears and longings. It is a catalyst to our thinking and an invaluable index to the minds and feelings of people around us. In 'Realms of Gold,' Leland Ryken proceeds chronologically through some of the best of the best, from Homer through Shakespeare to Camus, offering not only a taste of the classics, but a framework in which to analyze them. For students studying literature, this book serves as an introduction to the classics as friends; for those who have not read the classics in a long time, it is motivation to renew delightful acquaintances; for people who already know the classics as intimate friends, it offers the opportunity to renew acquaintance within a Christian context.

Keats' letters paint an unforgettably vivid and moving picture of CLIPPER the richly productive but also tragic final years of the poet's life. As he ponders on the nature of the writer's craft, he must first confront his brother's death from tuberculosis and then the imminent prospect of his own, tormented by the fear that he will not live to consummate his relationship with Fanny Brawne. This general selection also includes many of his finest poems, versions of which often appeared for the first time within the letters themselves.

The core of the book is Oliver's account of his research travels throughout tropical Africa from the 1940s to the 1980s; his efforts to train and foster African graduate students to teach in African universities; his role in establishing conferences and journals to bring together the work of historians and archaeologists from Europe and Africa; his encounters with political and religious leaders, scholars, soldiers, and storytellers; and the political and economic upheavals of the continent that he witnessed.

An archaeologist struggles to unearth her own true passions in the “richest, most absorbing novel” by the author of The Dark Flood Rises (Joyce Carol Oates). Frances Wingate is one of England’s most renowned archaeologists, having recently discovered a lost city in the Saharan desert. On the outside, she appears to have it all. But beneath the surface, the scientist deals with the demands of children and family—as well as a tumultuous, on-again, off-again romance with a married historian. It’s only when Frances throws herself into her work that she discovers some surprising connections to others, in this novel about the search for meaning in life that is “alive with ideas” (Anatole Broyard, The New York Times).

During a dire battle against the fearsome Skinners, Daine and her mage teacher Numair are swept into the Divine Realms. Though happy to be alive, they are not where they want to be. They are desperately needed back home, where their old enemy, Ozorne, and his army of strange creatures are waging war against Tortall. Trapped in the mystical realms Daine discovers her mysterious parentage. And as these secrets of her past are revealed so is the treacherous way back to Tortall. So they embark on an extraordinary journey home, where the fate of all Tortall rests with Daine and her wild magic.

The core of the book is Oliver's account of his research travels throughout tropical Africa from the 1940s to the 1980s; his efforts to train and foster African graduate students to teach in African universities; his role in establishing conferences and journals to bring together the work of historians and archaeologists from Europe and Africa; his encounters with political and religious leaders, scholars, soldiers, and storytellers; and the political and economic upheavals of the continent that he witnessed.

A collection of stories featuring characters from the "Forgotten Realms" novels includes contributions by Douglas Niles, Troy Denning, Ed Greenwood, R.A. Salvatore, and others