Set in the 1870s, this tale concerns the love of an English sea captain for the Spanish beauty Dona Rita. He carries Carlist munitions to Peninsular ports, she finances the project. Conrad recounts all the adventures of gun-running and the ever-threatening sea, but never loses his theme, the beautiful and transitory nature of love. Conrad treasured this story, and explained it as a fragment from his "buried youth."

The tragedy of Romeo and juliet - the greatest love story ever.

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare creates a violent world, in which two young people fall in love. It is not simply that their families disapprove; the Montagues and the Capulets are engaged in a blood feud.In this death-filled setting, the movement from love at first sight to the lovers' final union in death seems almost inevitable. And yet, this play set in an extraordinary world has become the quintessential story of young love. In part because of its exquisite language, it is easy to respond as if it were about all young lovers.The authoritative edition of Romeo and Juliet from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes:-Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play-Newly revised explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play-Scene-by-scene plot summaries-A key to the play's famous lines and phrases-An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language-An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play-Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books-An up-to-date annotated guide to further readingEssay by Gail Kern PasterThe Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.

Let the holiday revelry begin with The Nutcracker and Other Christmas Tales, a deluxe treasury that celebrates the Christmas season and the warm tidings that we associate with it. It features 10 heartwarming holiday stories including the title tale, Alexander Dumas's renowned rendering of the E.T.A. Hoffmann original that inspired the beloved ballet. The contents also includes works by Louisa May Alcott, L. M. Montgomery, Kate Douglas Wiggin, and L. Frank Baum, as well as the full text of Charles Dickens's classic A Christmas Carol, which helped to establish the Christmas holiday as we celebrate it today.