THE WONDERFUL LEAPS OF SAM PATCH was originally published circa 1875 by McLoughlin Brothers, New York, New York.

"A CRACKING-GOOD READ!"--People, Best New Books A deft and irresistible retelling of Charlotte Brontë's beloved classic Jane Eyre--from the point of view of the dashing, mysterious Mr. Rochester himself. For 170 years, Edward Fairfax Rochester has stood as one of literature's most complex and captivating romantic heroes. Sometimes cruel, sometimes tender, Jane Eyre's mercurial master at Thornfield Hall has mesmerized, beguiled, and, yes, baffled fans of Charlotte Brontë's masterpiece for generations. But his own story has never been told. We first meet this brilliant, tormented hero as a motherless boy roaming Thornfield's lonely corridors. On the morning of Edward's eighth birthday, his father issues a decree: He is to be sent away to get an education, exiled from all he ever loved. Young Edward's journey will take him across working-class England and the decadence of continental Europe before he lands on the warm, languid shores of faraway Jamaica, where his inheritance lies. That island, however, holds secrets of its own, and Edward soon grows entangled in morally dubious business dealings and a passionate, whirlwind love affair with the town's ravishing heiress, Bertha Antoinetta Mason. Eventually, in the wake of a devastating betrayal, Edward must return to England with his increasingly unstable wife to take over as master of Thornfield. And it is there, on a twilight ride, that he meets the stubborn, plain young governess who will steal his heart and teach him how to love again. MR. ROCHESTER is a sweeping coming-of-age story and a stirring tale of adventure, romance, and deceit. Faithful in every particular to Brontë's original yet full of unexpected twists and riveting behind-the-scenes drama, this novel will completely, deliciously, and forever change how we read and remember Jane Eyre. *Includes reading group guide*

The true history of a legendary American folk hero In the 1820s, a fellow named Sam Patch grew up in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, working there (when he wasn't drinking) as a mill hand for one of America's new textile companies. Sam made a name for himself one day by jumping seventy feet into the tumultuous waters below Pawtucket Falls. When in 1827 he repeated the stunt in Paterson, New Jersey, another mill town, an even larger audience gathered to cheer on the daredevil they would call the "Jersey Jumper." Inevitably, he went to Niagara Falls, where in 1829 he jumped not once but twice in front of thousands who had paid for a good view. The distinguished social historian Paul E. Johnson gives this deceptively simple story all its deserved richness, revealing in its characters and social settings a virtual microcosm of Jacksonian America. He also relates the real jumper to the mythic Sam Patch who turned up as a daring moral hero in the works of Hawthorne and Melville, in London plays and pantomimes, and in the spotlight with Davy Crockett—a Sam Patch who became the namesake of Andrew Jackson's favorite horse. In his shrewd and powerful analysis, Johnson casts new light on aspects of American society that we may have overlooked or underestimated. This is innovative American history at its best.

List of members in v. 1-2, 4.

If only a large metropolitan area could offer all of the following: a reasonably healthy economy exceptional public education and high educational attainment elite music and art innumerable leisure activities remarkably affordable housing strikingly short commute times some of the safest weather conditions in the country near universal health care solid public transportation a culture of ingenuity an overall tradition of acceptance Believe it or not, such an area exists. The only catch is that popular perception actually makes the area seem undesirable. Rochesternomics provides data-driven insight to overcome popular perception and illustrate why Rochester, New York, is this hidden gem. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Amol Shrikhande was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and raised outside New Haven, Connecticut. He has spent large chunks of time in Boston, Massachusetts; St. Louis, Missouri; and New York City. In 2010, for no apparent reason, he convinced himself and his wife to move to a place where they knew absolutely nobody: Rochester, New York. In between trying to raise two children, he and his wife are both practicing physicians."