Fiction

Imre: A Memorandum (1906) is a novel by Edward Irenaeus Prime-Stevenson. Written while Prime-Stevenson was living as an expatriate in Europe, the novel is an earnest, positive story of romance between two men. Throughout his career, Prime-Stevenson sought to dispel falsehoods surrounding the history of homosexuality, most notably in Imre: A Memorandum and The Intersexes, a full-length study of the subject. Writing under the pseudonym Xavier Mayne, Prime-Stevenson took great care to insulate himself from the reprisal common to the period in which he worked. Despite his limited audience—copies of his works numbered in the hundreds—Prime-Stevenson is now recognized as a pioneering advocate for the rights of the LGBTQ community.

At a café in Budapest, Oswald, a British ambassador in his thirties, meets the young, handsome Imre, a Hungarian military officer. The two develop a strong friendship through their shared interest in art, but as their relationship grows more serious, they begin spending hours upon hours sharing their innermost secrets. Eventually, their friendship turns to romance, a partnership between equals who respect and cherish one another despite the obstacles of an intensely homophobic society. Published in a time when homosexuality was largely criminalized, Imre: A Memorandum offered a hopeful narrative immersed in gay history that would prove both inspiring and instructional for generations to come.

This edition of Edward Irenaeus Prime-Stevenson’s Imre: A Memorandum is a classic work of American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The Great American Novel (1923) is an experimental novel by William Carlos Williams. Although he is predominately known as a poet, Williams frequently pushed the limits of prose style throughout his career. In the defining decade of Modernism, Williams sought to try his hand at the so-called “Great American Novel,” a concept fueling impassioned debate in academic and artistic circles nationwide. Far from conventional, Williams’ novel is a metafictional foray into matters more postmodern than modern, a commentary masquerading as narrative and a satire of the all-American overreliance on cliché in form and content. “If there is progress then there is a novel. Without progress there is nothing. Everything exists from the beginning. I existed in the beginning. I was a slobbering infant. Today I saw nameless grasses—I tapped the earth with my knuckle. It sounded hollow. It was dry as rubber. Eons of drought. No rain for fifteen days. No rain. It has never rained. It will never rain.” Williams’ novel begins with the word and a birth. Language describes the experience of awakening to experience, of coming into consciousness as a living being in a living world. Using words from everyday speech, he builds a novel out of observations, a book that remains conscious of itself throughout. Like the child whose first experience with the written word often comes from names and slogans stretched over trucks and billboards, the reader eventually comes to accept their new reality, a world where people love and succeed and fail, where history and art intercede to make meaning where they can. The Great American Novel showcases Williams’ experimental form, stretching the meaning of “novel” to its outermost limit. This edition of William Carlos Williams’ The Great American Novel is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Oo-Ma-Ha-Ta-Wa-Tah and Other Stories (1898) is a work of history and folklore by Fannie Reed Griffen and Susette La Flesche. Written at the end of a century of devastation, marked by the Western advance of American political, industrial, and military forces, Oo-Ma-Ha-Ta-Wa-Tah and Other Stories preserves as much as it can between the bindings of a book the traditions and stories of the Omaha people. “In remembrance of the Omahas, the tribe of Indians after which Omaha city is named, and who, less than fifty years ago, held an uncontested title to the land where Omaha city and the great Trans-Mississippi Exposition is located, this book is dedicated, that the memory of the tribe, its chieftains, its warriors and its maidens might be preserved.” Combining biography, historical documents, and folk tales, Oo-Ma-Ha-Ta-Wa-Tah and Other Stories serves as an invaluable record of a proud people. Beginning with the disastrous broken treaty of 1854, Griffen and La Flesche tell the tragic story of the Omahas through the lives of the chiefs who signed it. Concluding with a sampling of entertaining stories inherited from an oral tradition, Oo-Ma-Ha-Ta-Wa-Tah and Other Stories remains a masterpiece of fiction and nonfiction from two groundbreaking and vastly underappreciated figures in American history. This edition of Susette La Flesche and Fannie Reed Griffen’s Oo-Ma-Ha-Ta-Wa-Tah and Other Stories is a classic work of Native American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

A Man in the Zoo (1924) is a novel by David Garnett. Published several years after Garnett was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Hawthornden Prize for Lady into Fox (1922), his third novel explores themes of race and empire while showcasing the author’s original—and often controversial—literary style. “It was a warm day at the end of February, and Sunday morning. In the air there was a smell of spring, mixed with the odours of different animals—yaks, wolves, and musk-oxen, but the two visitors did not notice it. They were lovers, and were having a quarrel.” On a beautiful day at the local zoo, John Cromartie and Josephine Lackett find themselves falling out of love. Among the animals, Josephine explains that she can no longer explain their relationship to her family, who expect her to marry a man of equal social stature. Insulting John, she tells him he should live in the zoo before storming off. Heartbroken, and perhaps a little vindictive, John resolves to remain at the zoo with the animals she thinks he belongs with. This edition of David Garnett’s A Man in the Zoo is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The Lodger (1913) is a novel by Marie Belloc Lowndes. Inspired by the infamous murders committed by Jack the Ripper and Dr. Neill Cream—also known as the Lambeth Poisoner—The Lodger is a thriller that employs aspects of the popular penny dreadful novel while maintaining its literary status as a bone-chilling and highly original tale. “The room, especially when it be known that it was part of a house standing in a grimy, if not exactly sordid, London thoroughfare, was exceptionally clean and well-cared-for. A casual stranger, more particularly one of a Superior class to their own, on suddenly opening the door of that sitting-room; would have thought that Mr. and Mrs. Bunting presented a very pleasant cosy picture of comfortable married life.” Behind their polished exterior, the Buntings hide a common struggle. After countless failures, their business is threatened with total failure, forcing them to go cold and hungry in order to keep up appearances. As their savings plummet, a strange man named Mr. Sleuth arrives offering to pay for the next month in advance. The Buntings are in no position to turn him down. At the same time, a series of brutal murders shocks the city of London, raising their suspicions and fears to a fever pitch. The Lodger is a story of desperation and terror inspired by some of the twentieth century’s most notorious serial killers. This edition of Marie Belloc Lowndes’ The Lodger is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The Fatal Secret: Or, Constancy in Distress (1724) is a novel by Eliza Haywood. Blending tragedy and comedy, Haywood explores the intersection of ambition, family, and desire to reveal how women so often fall victim to the whims of villainous men. The Fatal Secret: Or, Constancy in Distress is considered a prime example of the popular genre of amatory fiction, which often used love triangles to expose the imbalance between male and female desire in a patriarchal society. “Nothing is so generally coveted by Womankind, as to be accounted Beautiful; yet nothing renders the Owner more liable to inconveniences.” Getting by on looks alone, young Anadea has managed to secure herself a marriage proposal from a wealthy gentleman. Pressured by her father, she believes it is up to her to renew her once-prominent family’s fortune and status in eighteenth century Paris. One night, she falls in love with the handsome Count Blessure. Although he reciprocates her feelings, he is keenly aware of his own family’s prejudice against the poor, no matter the nobility of their ancestors. This edition of Eliza Haywood’s The Fatal Secret: Or, Constancy in Distress is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Gamiani, or Two Passionate Nights (1833) is a novel by Alfred de Musset. Published anonymously to widespread controversy and commercial success, de Musset’s lesbian erotic novel was inspired by his own heated affair with George Sand, a French novelist who pursued relationships with men and women throughout her life. Attending a dance at the opulent home of the Countess Gamiani, Alcide hears a rumor about his hostess’ sexual appetites. Intrigued, he remains behind after the guests have left, hoping to join her for a romantic tryst: “I made up my mind to watch her that night, to conceal myself somewhere in her bedroom. The glass door of her dressing room faced the bed. I knew that. I realised at once the advantage of that spot; and hiding between dresses hung up, so that I could see unseen, I resolved to patiently await the orgy.” Finding her in bed with a young woman named Fanny, Alcide soon makes his presence known. Between scenes of intense passion, the women share stories of sexual escapades between men, women, priests, nuns, and animals. Gamiani, or Two Passionate Nights is a masterpiece of erotic fiction that remains an object of interest to scholars of queer representation in the history of art. This edition of Alfred de Musset’s Gamiani, or Two Passionate Nights is a classic work of erotic literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The Prelude to Teleny (1899) is an erotic novel published anonymously, yet often attributed to Irish playwright Oscar Wilde. A loosely related prequel to the novel Teleny (1893), which is considered one of the first works of fiction to openly depict homosexuality, The Prelude to Teleny is the story of a young girl’s sexual awakening and subsequent downfall, as well as of the son she bears.  “My childhood was a very dull one. I am hardly certain whether I remember my mother or not, for I was only about two years old when she died. By an effort it seems to me that I can recollect having been taken into a dark hushed room, where she was asleep—of having been lifted on a couch and made to kiss her. Her face was as white as marble, seemed quite as cold; so that the contact of my warm lips with that clammy flesh produced an indelible impression upon me.” Before she was reduced to this lifeless state, Camille Des Grieux was a young girl with her whole life ahead of her. On a sultry night in the south of France, she has her first sexual experience with a strange young drifter. Unsure if this was a real or just an intense dream, she wakes in the morning with a strange new sensation, and soon finds evidence of another’s presence all around her room. Filled with brief scenes of romance and lust between its insatiable cast of characters, The Prelude to Teleny is an erotic novel that continues to entertain, shock, and surprise over a century after it was published. This edition of The Prelude to Teleny is a classic work of Victorian erotica reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The Mercenary Lover (1726) is a novel by Eliza Haywood. Blending tragedy and comedy, Haywood explores the intersection of ambition, family, and desire to reveal how women so often fall victim to the whims of villainous men. The Mercenary Lover is considered a prime example of the popular genre of amatory fiction, which often used love triangles to expose the imbalance between male and female desire in a patriarchal society. Miranda and Althea are young, beautiful, and wealthy. Regardless of their individual merits, however, they both fall victim to unbridled desire in the form of the dastardly Clitander. When he chooses Miranda, she counts herself lucky and prepares for a life of passion and companionship. Meanwhile, the young man begins fantasizing about what he could do with her inheritance, and soon hatches a plan to take control of their family estate. What follows is a tale of betrayal and greed, a series of tragic events that threatens to divide two sisters forever. This edition of Eliza Haywood’s The Mercenary Lover is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The Dead Letter (1867) is a detective novel by Metta Victoria Fuller Victor. Published under the pseudonym Seeley Regester, The Dead Letter is the first full-length work of crime fiction in American literature. “I paused suddenly in my work. Over a year’s experience in the Dead Letter office had given a mechanical rapidity to my movements in opening, noting and classifying the contents of the bundles before me […] Young ladies whose love letters have gone astray, evil men whose plans have been confided in writing to their confederates, may feel but little apprehension of the prying eyes of the Department.” Richard Redfield is accustomed to boredom in his role as inspector at the post office’s dead letter department. Tasked with reviewing the contents of undeliverable letters, Redfield is shocked to discover a clue to the death of his friend two years prior. With the help of Detective Burton, Redfield sets out to uncover the truth, which he hopes will provide belated justice for Henry and peace for his bereaved fiancée Eleanor. This edition of Metta Victoria Fuller Victor’s The Dead Letter is a classic of American crime fiction reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

A Night in a Moorish Harem (1896) is a Victorian erotic novella. Published under the pseudonym “Lord George Herbert,” the novella has proved both popular and controversial as the subject of several obscenity trials. Noted for its orientalist tropes, the novella remains relevant to scholars of postcolonial literature and Victorian culture. “My first duty was to kiss the fair hands which had aided me, and then I explained the accident which had brought me among them and the plan I had formed for escape before dawn. I then gave my name and rank. While doing this I had an opportunity to observe the ladies; there were nine of them and any one of them would have been remarked for her beauty. Each one of them differed from all the others in the style of her charms: some were large and some were small; some were slender and some plump, some blonde and some brunette, but all were bewitchingly beautiful.” Tired of life onboard, a young midshipman decides to spend his afternoon off in a small boat attached to the side of the naval vessel he serves. Comforted by the gentle waves and hot Mediterranean sun, he falls into a deep sleep. When he wakes, he finds himself drifting close to the Moroccan shore and is unable to spot his ship along the haze-strewn horizon. As he prepares himself to be sold into slavery—or worse—he spots a group of beautiful women watching him from the rocks. Helped ashore, the midshipman is brought to the safety of their harem, where he spends one night of ecstasy exploring their nimble bodies and learning the stories of their lives. This edition of A Night in a Moorish Harem is a classic work of Victorian erotica reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

A Phantom Lover (1886) is a story by Vernon Lee. Published at the height of her career as a leading proponent of Aestheticism and scholar of the Italian Renaissance, A Phantom Lover is a chilling tale of psychological unease featuring a strange married couple and a doppelganger from across the centuries. A principled feminist and committed pacifist, Lee was virtually blacklisted by critics and publishers following her opposition to the First World War. Through the efforts of dedicated scholars, however, interest in her works has increased over the past several decades, granting her the readership she deserves as a master of literary horror. “Yes; I began the picture, but it was never finished. I did the husband first. I wonder who has his likeness now? Help me to move these pictures away from the wall. Thanks. This is her portrait; a huge wreck. I don't suppose you can make much of it; it is merely blocked in, and seems quite mad.” Vernon Lee’s world is one where ghosts and humans walk together, often without taking notice of one another. In those instances when they do, however, strange and terrible things are likely to occur. In this story, a painter in desperate need of a commission accepts the opportunity to paint the portraits of William and Alice Okehurst. At their rural home, he attempts to get to know them before sitting down for the long sessions required in his line of work. Taking note of William’s jealousy, he soon understands why: Alice is a strikingly beautiful woman. Obsessed with an ancestor from the seventeenth century, also named Alice, Mrs. Okehurst wears ornate antique dresses and carries herself with the air of a woman not quite of this world. A Phantom Lover is a masterful work from the mind of Vernon Lee, one of history’s most terrifying storytellers. This edition of Vernon Lee’s A Phantom Lover is a classic work of supernatural fiction reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The Line of Love (1913) is a collection of comic fantasy tales by James Branch Cabell. Set in a world where history and fantasy collide, where a lowly swineherd can rise to be Count of Poictesme, The Line of Love is one of Cabell’s best-known works of fiction, and is included in a series of novels, essays, and poems known as the Biography of the Life of Manuel.“It is a tale which they narrate in Poictesme, telling how love began between Florian de Puysange and Adelaide de la Forêt. They tell also how young Florian had earlier fancied other women for one reason or another; but that this, he knew, was the great love of his life, and a love which would endure unchanged as long as his life lasted.” On the night of his wedding to the lovely Adelaide de la Forêt, Florian de Puysange has a strange feeling that something is missing. Stepping outside to gather his wits about him, he remembers his dear friend Tiburce, dead for five years. At that moment, his comrade appears before him, alive but with an alien tone to his voice. Recalling the pact they made to drink in celebration of whomever married first, Florian wanders into the garden to make good on his promise. Set in a fictionalized France of the 13th century, The Line of Love is a captivating collection of tales and legends from a mythical world not so different from our own. Cabell’s work has long been described as escapist, his novels and stories derided as fantastic and obsessive recreations of a world lost long ago. To read The Line of Love, however, is to understand that the issues therein—the struggle for power, the unspoken distance between men and women—were vastly important not only at the time of its publication, but in our own, divisive world. This edition of James Branch Cabell’s The Line of Love is a classic of fantasy and romance reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Fantomina: Or, Love in a Maze (1725) is a novel by Eliza Haywood. Blending tragedy and comedy, Haywood revolutionizes the novel by turning the common trope of the persecuted maiden on its head. A story of individual autonomy and sexual freedom, Fantomina: Or, Love in a Maze is considered a prime example of the popular genre of amatory fiction, which often exposes the imbalance between male and female desire in a patriarchal society. Fantomina is an independent woman, a prostitute for whom desire is a powerful tool. Celia, an innocent country girl, is a young maiden unfamiliar with the ways of love. Mrs. Bloomer, a widow, knows what it is to love and to lose. Incognita is a mysterious masked woman who meets with men in the dead of night. Each of these women is involved sexually with Beauplaisir, a vain and handsome aristocrat. But they have something else in common—all four lovers are, in fact, the same woman, an unnamed narrator whose infatuation with freedom and innate curiosity lead her on a quest to experience desire in a multitude of ways. This edition of Eliza Haywood’s Fantomina: Or, Love in a Maze is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Gallantry (1922) is a collection of comic fantasy tales by James Branch Cabell. Set in a fictionalized version of 18th century England, Gallantry is a relative outlier among Cabell’s body of work, and is included in a series of novels, essays, and poems known as the Biography of the Life of Manuel. “We begin at a time when George the Second was permitting Ormskirk and the Pelhams to govern England, and the Jacobites had not yet ceased to hope for another Stuart Restoration, and Mr. Washington was a promising young surveyor in the most loyal colony of Virginia.” Moving away from his usual setting of 13th century France, Cabell transports his favorite themes of aristocratic life and romance to the tumultuous world of 18th century England. As the country rebuilds following a period of civil war, famine, and disease, its wealthy elite enjoy an existence of ease at Tunbridge Wells, a legendary spa town on the outskirts of London. Gallantry is a captivating collection of tales from a historical period not so different from our own. Cabell’s work has long been described as escapist, his novels and stories derided as fantastic and obsessive recreations of a world lost long ago. To read Gallantry, however, is to understand that the issues therein—the struggle for power, the unspoken distance between men and women—were vastly important not only at the time of its publication, but in our own, divisive world. This edition of James Branch Cabell’s Gallantry is a classic of fantasy and romance reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice (1919) is a comic fantasy novel by James Branch Cabell. Set in a world where history and fantasy collide, where a lowly pawnbroker can encounter monsters, gods, and devils, Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice is one of Cabell’s best-known works of fiction. For several years after its initial publication, the novel was the subject of an obscenity trial pursued by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice. In 1923, after winning his case, Cabell made sure to immortalize the event with a revised edition featuring a “lost” chapter where Jurgen is persecuted for his writing by grotesque Philistines. Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice is one work in a series of novels, essays, and poems known as the Biography of the Life of Manuel. “For now had come to Jurgen and the Centaur a gold-haired woman, clothed all in white, and walking alone. She was tall, and lovely and tender to regard: and hers was not the red and white comeliness of many ladies that were famed for beauty, but rather it had the even glow of ivory […] to Jurgen this woman's countenance was in all things perfect. Perhaps this was because he never saw her as she was.” Unsatisfied with life as a lowly pawnbroker, Jurgen follows his heart in pursuit of ideal love. A proponent of medieval chivalry, he encounters gods, goddesses, kings, and queens as he passes from one otherworldly realm to the next. On his wondrous journey, he meets some of the most celebrated women in history and literature, including Guinevere, Anaitis, and Helen of Troy. Jurgen, a wily poet and legendary lover with a head full of dreams and desires, is an allegorical figure for modern humanity, a flawed hero whose kaleidoscopic world is not entirely different from our own. Cabell’s work has long been described as escapist, his novels and stories derided as fantastic and obsessive recreations of a world lost long ago. To read Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice, however, is to understand that the issues therein—the struggle for power, the unspoken distance between men and women—were vastly important not only at the time of its publication, but in our own, divisive world. This edition of James Branch Cabell’s Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice is a classic of fantasy and romance reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The Sins of the Cities of the Plain (1881) is an erotic novel attributed to Irish prostitute Jack Saul. Published by William Lazenby, a prominent printer of Victorian erotica, The Sins of the Cities of the Plain is considered to be one of the first works of literature dedicated to homosexuality in the English language. “‘Saul, Jack Saul, sir, of Lisle Street, Leicester Square, and ready for a lark with a free gentleman at any time. What was it made you take a fancy to me? Did you observe any particularly interesting points about your humble servant?’ as he slyly looked down towards the prominent part I have previously mentioned.” Having met by chance at Leicester Square, Jack Saul, a successful prostitute—colloquially known as a “Mary-Ann” or “rentboy”—agrees to accompany Mr. Cambon to his home at the Cornwall Mansions. After sharing a meal, the two men get down to business, exploring their young bodies and devoting themselves to pleasure. Curious about Jack’s past, Cambon offers him money to share the story of his life. This edition of Jack Saul’s The Sins of the Cities of the Plain is a classic work of Victorian erotic fiction reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Taboo (1921) is a comic fantasy novel by James Branch Cabell. Set in a world where history and fantasy collide, where a lowly pawnbroker can encounter monsters, gods, and devils, Taboo is a follow up to Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice, which was the subject of an obscenity trial pursued by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice. In 1923, after winning his case, Cabell made sure to immortalize the event with a revised edition featuring a “lost” chapter where Jurgen is persecuted for his writing by grotesque Philistines. In Taboo, one work in a series of novels, essays, and poems known as the Biography of the Life of Manuel, Cabell explores the cultural environment that led to his work’s persecution, inventing a whole world in which to air his grievances. “Since time's beginning, every age has had its literary taboos, selecting certain things—more or less arbitrarily, but usually some natural function—as the things which must not be written about. To violate any such taboo so long as it stays prevalent is to be ‘indecent’: and that seems absolutely all there is to say concerning this topic, apart from furnishing some impressive historical illustration...” While most authors in the midst of an obscenity trial would be content to let their lawyer do the talking, James Branch Cabell took the opportunity to reflect on the matter in the only way he knew how. In this work, written in the style of medieval history, Cabell tells the story of Philistia, a country dedicated to the persecution of all manner of ill-defined vice and taboo. Bold and satirical, this thinly veiled critique of his own, high-minded critics is essential to understanding Cabell’s vision of art. Cabell’s work has long been described as escapist, his novels and stories derided as fantastic and obsessive recreations of a world lost long ago. To read Taboo, however, is to understand that the issues therein—the struggle for power, the unspoken distance between men and women—were vastly important not only at the time of its publication, but in our own, divisive world. This edition of James Branch Cabell’s Taboo is a classic of fantasy and romance reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The Cream of the Jest (1923) is a novel by James Branch Cabell. Set in a world where history and fantasy collide, where a lowly pawnbroker can encounter monsters, gods, and devils, The Cream of the Jest is one work in a series of novels, essays, and poems known as the Biography of the Life of Manuel. Partly inspired by the obscenity trial surrounding his novel Jurgen, a Comedy of Justice, The Cream of the Jest is a metafictional blend of literary criticism and fantasy fiction about an author whose sudden fame shocks his sleepy hometown. To the people of Lichfield, Felix Kennaston is an unremarkable neighbor whose literary ambitions are pursued in secrecy and obscurity. While completing a fantasy novel, he discovers a strange talisman not unlike the one his hero Horvendile presented to his beloved Ettare. That night, Felix meets Ettare in a dream, inspiring him to rewrite the story’s ending. When it is published, charges of obscenity threaten to sink his dreams before they can be realized. But critical attention has the opposite effect, making Kennaston a bestselling author overnight. Told from the perspective of Richard Harrowby, a neighbor from Lichfield, The Cream of the Jest is a fascinating blend of literary criticism and fantasy that poses important questions about the divide between fiction and the world we live in. Cabell’s work has long been described as escapist, his novels and stories derided as fantastic and obsessive recreations of a world lost long ago. To read The Cream of the Jest, however, is to understand that the issues therein—the struggle for power, the unspoken distance between men and women—were vastly important not only at the time of its publication, but in our own, divisive world. This edition of James Branch Cabell’s The Cream of the Jest is a classic of fantasy and romance reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Domnei: A Comedy of Woman-Worship (1920) is a comic fantasy novel by James Branch Cabell. Set in a world where history and fantasy collide, where a lowly swineherd can rise to be Count of Poictesme, Domnei: A Comedy of Woman-Worship is one of Cabell’s best-known works of fiction, and is included in a series of novels, essays, and poems known as the Biography of the Life of Manuel. “Then Perion knew that vain regret had turned his brain, very certainly, for it seemed the door had opened and Dame Melicent herself had come, warily, into the panelled gloomy room. It seemed that Melicent paused in the convulsive brilliancy of the firelight, and stayed thus with vaguely troubled eyes like those of a child newly wakened from sleep.” As the daughter of the legendary Dom Manuel, Count of Poictesme, Melicent is often seen not for the woman she is, but as a symbol of an idealized, courtly love. Attracting the most chivalrous men of the kingdom, she unwittingly sparks a terrible conflict between Perion de la Forêt and Demetrios of Anatolia, both of whom seem determined to prove their love at any cost. Set in a fictionalized France of the 13th century, Domnei: A Comedy of Woman-Worship is a captivating story of fantasy and adventure featuring a flawed hero whose mythical world is not entirely different from our own. Cabell’s work has long been described as escapist, his novels and stories derided as fantastic and obsessive recreations of a world lost long ago. To read Domnei: A Comedy of Woman-Worship, however, is to understand that the issues therein—the struggle for power, the unspoken distance between men and women—were vastly important not only at the time of its publication, but in our own, divisive world. This edition of James Branch Cabell’s Domnei: A Comedy of Woman-Worship is a classic of fantasy and romance reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Miss Meredith (1889) is a novel by Amy Levy. Published the year of her tragic death, Miss Meredith is the final novel of a pioneering writer and feminist whose poetry and prose explores the concept of the New Woman while illuminating the realities of Jewish life in nineteenth century London. “A hard fight with fortune had been my mother's from the day when, a girl of eighteen, she had left a comfortable home to marry my father for love. Poverty and sickness—those two redoubtable dragons—had stood ever in the path. Now, even the love which had been by her side for so many years, and helped to comfort them, had vanished into the unknown.” Elsie Meredith is keenly aware of her mother’s fate in life, and although she wants to be there for her in her time of greatest need, she fears more than anything the prospect of following in her footsteps. “[N]either literary nor artistic, neither picturesque like Jenny nor clever like Rosalind,” Elsie is a textbook middle child, destined to go through life on her own terms, yet unequipped with the drive or willingness to conform possessed by her sisters. On a whim, she decides to embark for Italy to work as a governess for the Marchesa Brogi. This edition Amy Levy’s Miss Meredith is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Light Ahead for the Negro (1904) is a novel by Edward A. Johnson. Written while Johnson was working as an assistant U. S. Attorney in North Carolina, the novel is a groundbreaking work of speculative fiction and Afrofuturism from a pioneering African American politician and lawyer. “I glanced through the floor but the earth was almost indistinguishable, and was disappearing rapidly. There was absolutely nothing that I could do. I looked up again at my friend, who was clambering up rather clumsily, I remember thinking at the moment. […] Involuntarily, I closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them again, he was gone! My feelings were indescribable. I commenced to lose consciousness, owing to the altitude and the ship was ascending more rapidly every moment. Finally I became as one dead.” The son of an abolitionist applies to work at a school for African American children in Georgia. In June 1906, he joins a wealthy friend on a flight from New York City to Mexico, boarding an experimental airship at a West 59th Street pier. When an instrument failure sends them spiraling into the upper atmosphere, the narrator loses consciousness. One hundred years later, he lands on a lawn in Georgia, awakening to discover a utopian society in which anti-blackness has been completely eradicated. This edition of Edward A. Johnson’s Light Ahead for the Negro is a classic work of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The Rivet in Grandfather’s Neck (1921) is a comic romance novel by James Branch Cabell. Set in a world where history and fantasy collide, where the laws of chivalry and honor continue to hold sway in postbellum South, The Rivet in Grandfather’s Neck is included in a series of novels, essays, and poems known as the Biography of the Life of Manuel. “For Colonel Musgrave was by birth the lineal head of all the Musgraves of Matocton, which is in Lichfield, as degrees are counted there, equivalent to what being born a marquis would mean in England. Handsome and trim and affable, he defied chronology by looking ten years younger than he was known to be.” A man of honor and tradition, Colonel Musgrave comes from a prominent family whose wealth and power once depended on its ownership of slaves. Despite his illustrious title, “won by four years of arduous service at receptions and parades while on the staff of a former Governor of the State,” Musgrave is a librarian whose influence in town depends largely on the esteem of his ancestors. When a distant cousin visits Lichfield, bringing with her the intellect and wit of a modern woman, Colonel Musgrave finds how easily traditions can falter. Set in a fictionalized Southern town, The Rivet in Grandfather’s Neck is a captivating, hilarious tale of chivalry and romance. Cabell’s work has long been described as escapist, his novels and stories derided as fantastic and obsessive recreations of a world lost long ago. To read The Rivet in Grandfather’s Neck, however, is to understand that the issues therein—the struggle for power, the unspoken distance between men and women—were vastly important not only at the time of its publication, but in our own, divisive world. This edition of James Branch Cabell’s The Rivet in Grandfather’s Neck is a classic of fantasy and romance reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

A Certain Hour (1922) is a collection of stories by James Branch Cabell. Recreating the lives of some of history’s most celebrated poets, A Certain Hour is a relative outlier among Cabell’s body of work, and is included in a series of novels, essays, and poems known as the Biography of the Life of Manuel. “Indisputably the most striking defect of this modern American literature is the fact that the production of anything at all resembling literature is scarcely anywhere apparent. Innumerable printing-presses, instead, are turning out a vast quantity of reading-matter, the candidly recognized purpose of which is to kill time, and which—it has been asserted, though perhaps too sweepingly—ought not to be vended over book-counters, but rather in drugstores along with the other narcotics.” Moving away from his usual setting of 13th century France, Cabell begins his collection with an impassioned essay decrying the state of American literature in the early twentieth century. Interested in the nature of literary genius, he imagines the lives of such poets as Robert Herrick and Alexander Pope, whose wit and wisdom remain essential centuries after their deaths. A Certain Hour is a captivating collection of tales from a historical period not so different from our own. Cabell’s work has long been described as escapist, his novels and stories derided as fantastic and obsessive recreations of a world lost long ago. To read A Certain Hour, however, is to understand that the issues therein—the struggle for power, the unspoken distance between men and women—were vastly important not only at the time of its publication, but in our own, divisive world. This edition of James Branch Cabell’s A Certain Hour is a classic of fantasy and romance reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The High Place: A Comedy of Disenchantment (1923) is a novel by James Branch Cabell. Set in a world where history and fantasy collide, where a lowly swineherd can rise to be Count of Poictesme, The High Place: A Comedy of Disenchantment is one work in a series of novels, essays, and poems known as the Biography of the Life of Manuel. Descended from a line of such legendary heroes as Jurgen and Dom Manuel, Florian, Duke of Puysange, is a relative disgrace to his family name. Known as a dishonorable man, disloyal husband, and destructive ruler, Florian harbors a secret desire. Since boyhood, when he first laid eyes on the daughter of King Helmas, Florian has known that the only way he could ever be happy would be through marriage to Melior. Unable to access the mystical Forest of Acaire, however, he takes out his frustration on friends and foes alike. When Janicot, a shadowy figure, offers Florian his blessing, the Duke sets out for the castle of King Helmas without regard to the details of their pact. Set in a fictionalized France of the 13th century, The High Place: A Comedy of Disenchantment is a captivating story of fantasy and adventure featuring a flawed hero whose mythical world is not entirely different from our own. Cabell’s work has long been described as escapist, his novels and stories derided as fantastic and obsessive recreations of a world lost long ago. To read The High Place: A Comedy of Disenchantment, however, is to understand that the issues therein—the struggle for power, the unspoken distance between men and women—were vastly important not only at the time of its publication, but in our own, divisive world. This edition of James Branch Cabell’s The High Place: A Comedy of Disenchantment is a classic of fantasy and romance reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Figures of Earth: A Comedy of Appearances (1921) is a comic fantasy novel by James Branch Cabell. Set in a world where history and fantasy collide, where a lowly swineherd can rise to be Count of Poictesme, Figures of Earth: A Comedy of Appearances is one of Cabell’s best-known works of fiction, and is included in a series of novels, essays, and poems known as the Biography of the Life of Manuel. “They of Poictesme narrate that in the old days when miracles were as common as fruit pies, young Manuel was a swineherd, living modestly in attendance upon the miller's pigs. They tell also that Manuel was content enough: he knew not of the fate which was reserved for him.” Unsatisfied with life as a lowly swineherd, Manuel follows his heart in pursuit of place where true happiness exists. A proponent of medieval chivalry, he encounters gods and goddesses, kings and queens, as he passes from one otherworldly realm to the next. As the chains of the past begin to fall away, Manuel discovers that through determination and valor, he can excel the circumstances of his humble birth. Set in a fictionalized France of the 13th century, Figures of Earth: A Comedy of Appearances is a captivating story of fantasy and adventurer featuring a flawed hero whose mythical world is not entirely different from our own. Cabell’s work has long been described as escapist, his novels and stories derided as fantastic and obsessive recreations of a world lost long ago. To read Figures of Earth: A Comedy of Appearances, however, is to understand that the issues therein—the struggle for power, the unspoken distance between men and women—were vastly important not only at the time of its publication, but in our own, divisive world. This edition of James Branch Cabell’s Figures of Earth: A Comedy of Appearances is a classic of fantasy and romance reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Talma Gordon (1900) is a short story by Pauline E. Hopkins. Recognized as the first African American mystery story, Talma Gordon was originally published in the October 1900 edition of The Colored American Magazine, America’s first monthly periodical covering African American arts and culture. Combining themes of racial identity and passing with a locked room mystery plot, Hopkins weaves a masterful tale of conspiracy, suspicion, and murder. “When the trial was called Jeannette sat beside Talma in the prisoner’s dock; both were arrayed in deepest mourning, Talma was pale and careworn, but seemed uplifted, spiritualized, as it were. […] She had changed much too: hollow cheeks, tottering steps, eyes blazing with fever, all suggestive of rapid and premature decay.” When Puritan descendant Jonathan Gordon is discovered murdered under suspicious circumstances, the ensuing trial implicates his own daughter Talma. Despite being declared innocent, the townsfolk are determined to believe that Talma conspired to have her father killed after he discovered her mixed racial heritage. Freed from the prospect of imprisonment, Talma is left with only her sister’s protection against the anger and violence of her neighbors. With this thrilling tale of murder and racial tension, Hopkins proves herself as a true pioneer of American literature, a woman whose talent and principles afforded her the vision necessary for illuminating the injustices of life in a nation founded on slavery and genocide. This edition of Pauline E. Hopkins’ Talma Gordon is a classic work of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories (1908) is a short story collection by Lord Dunsany. Published at the beginning of his career, The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories—which features the pantheon of gods first portrayed in The Gods of Pegāna (1905)—would influence such writers as J. R. R. Tolkein, Ursula K. Le Guin, and H. P. Lovecraft. Recognized as a pioneering author of fantasy and science fiction, Dunsany is a man whose work, in the words of Lovecraft, remains “unexcelled in the sorcery of crystalline singing prose, and supreme in the creation of a gorgeous and languorous world of incandescently exotic vision.” “At the end of that avenue was a colossal chariot with three bronze horses driven by the winged figure of Fame, and behind her in the chariot the huge form of Welleran, Merimna's ancient hero, standing with extended sword.” The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories, Dunsany’s third collection of short fiction, contains some of his finest tales of fantasy and adventure. While the people of Merimna sleep soundly, while the guards of the city sing songs and tell stories of the warriors Welleran and Rollory, the tribesmen of the plains below look up in awe, wondering if the day will come when Merimna’s glory fades. Behind the ramparts, a young boy named Rold looks up at the statues of his heroes, hoping to take their place. Dunsany’s tales of high fantasy continue to delight over a century after they first appeared in print. This edition of Lord Dunsany’s The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories is a classic of Irish fantasy fiction reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

A Dreamer’s Tales (1910) is a short story collection by Lord Dunsany. Published at the height of his career, A Dreamer’s Tales would influence such writers as J. R. R. Tolkein, Ursula K. Le Guin, and H. P. Lovecraft. Recognized as a pioneering author of fantasy and science fiction, Dunsany is a man whose work, in the words of Lovecraft, remains “unexcelled in the sorcery of crystalline singing prose, and supreme in the creation of a gorgeous and languorous world of incandescently exotic vision.” “Like a great wall is the mountain to the west. It comes up out of the distance and goes down into the distance again, and it is named Poltarnees, Beholder of Ocean.” A Dreamer’s Tales, Dunsany’s fourth collection of stories, contains some of his finest tales of fantasy and adventure. The distant mountain of Poltarnees has long been a place of wonder for mankind. The stories of old tell of many a traveler who set out to see what lay beyond its insurmountable peak. In these same stories, no one has ever returned. Promised the hand of the Princess of Arizim, one man hopes that love will give him the power not only to reach the mountaintop, but to return alive. In “Idle Days on the Yann,” a story praised by Yeats and Lovecraft alike, a man sails down the River Yann in order to reach its fabled gate. Along the way, he observes cities of unspeakable strangeness and beauty. Dunsany’s tales of high fantasy continue to delight over a century after they first appeared in print. This edition of Lord Dunsany’s A Dreamer’s Tales is a classic of Irish fantasy fiction reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The Cords of Vanity (1920) is a comic romance novel by James Branch Cabell. Set in a world where history and fantasy collide, where the laws of chivalry and honor continue to hold sway in postbellum South, The Cords of Vanity is included in a series of novels, essays, and poems known as the Biography of the Life of Manuel. A man of honor and tradition, Robert Townsend comes from a prominent family whose wealth and power once depended on its ownership of slaves. Raised in a fast-changing world, in which the old agrarian way of life is being replaced in response to growing industrialization, Robert spends much of his time weaving tall tales. In dreams only, he lives up to the ideals of his ancestors, for whom honor was the most important thing of all. Set in a fictionalized version of Richmond, The Cords of Vanity is a captivating, hilarious tale of chivalry and romance inspired by the author’s experiences as a young man raised in a family of Southern aristocrats. Originally written in 1909, before Cabell found success and infamy with the publication of Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice (1919), the novel is a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a young writer hungry for critical acclaim. Cabell’s work has long been described as escapist, his novels and stories derided as fantastic and obsessive recreations of a world lost long ago. To read The Cords of Vanity, however, is to understand that the issues therein—the struggle for power, the unspoken distance between men and women—were vastly important not only at the time of its publication, but in our own, divisive world. This edition of James Branch Cabell’s The Cords of Vanity is a classic of fantasy and romance reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The Gods of Pegāna (1905) is a short story collection by Lord Dunsany. Published at the beginning of his career, The Gods of Pegāna would influence such writers as J. R. R. Tolkein, Ursula K. Le Guin, and H. P. Lovecraft. Recognized as a pioneering author of fantasy and science fiction, Dunsany is a man whose work, in the words of Lovecraft, remains “unexcelled in the sorcery of crystalline singing prose, and supreme in the creation of a gorgeous and languorous world of incandescently exotic vision.” “Whether the season be winter or whether it be summer, whether it be morning among the worlds or whether it be night, Skarl still beateth his drum, for the purposes of the gods are not yet fulfilled.” The Gods of Pegāna, Dunsany’s debut collection of stories, contains some of his finest tales of fantasy and adventure. The Mana-Yood-Sushai created the gods of Pegāna before falling asleep in the middle of Time. The only thing keeping him from creating new gods and worlds is the drummer Skarl, who can never cease his playing. In their creator’s absence, dozens of small gods and a thousand local deities have free reign to create the worlds and realities they want. As they compete to outdo one another, the order and peace of Pegāna hangs in the balance. Humorous and inventive, Dunsany’s tales of high fantasy continue to delight over a century after they first appeared in print. This edition of Lord Dunsany’s The Gods of Pegāna is a classic of Irish fantasy fiction reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Bianca, or, The Young Spanish Maiden (1878) is a novel by Toru Dutt. Published the year after her death at the age of 21, Bianca, or, The Young Spanish Maiden is a heartfelt work of romance by a pioneering figure in Indian history and Bengali literature.

“A funeral procession was winding slowly up the path; two mourners followed the coffin; the church yard was in a lonely place; so there were no half-curious, half-sympathising people following. It was the daughter of Alonzo Garcia a foreign gentleman residing in England, his eldest daughter and his most loved; the youngest was by his side, Bianca.”

Inspired by her time in England, Toru Dutt tells the story of a young girl mourning the loss of her beloved sister Inez. Tragic and timeless, Bianca, or, The Young Spanish Maiden investigates themes of faith, family, and courtship while illuminating the experience of a young foreigner living in England. Born in Calcutta to a family of Bengali Christians, Toru Dutt was raised at the crossroads of English and Indian cultures. In addition to her native Bengali, she became fluent in English, French, and Sanskrit as a young girl, eventually writing novels and poems in each language. Despite her limited body of work, Dutt’s legacy as a groundbreaking writer remains firm in India and around the world.

This edition of Toru Dutt’s Bianca, or, The Young Spanish Maiden is a classic work of Bengali literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The Skeleton Count, or The Vampire Mistress (1828) is a penny dreadful by Elizabeth Caroline Grey. Although the novel’s authorship is frequently disputed, The Skeleton Count, or The Vampire Mistress is likely the first vampire tale to be written and published by a woman. Like most penny dreadfuls, the novel makes up for a lack in style with an abundance of horror and romance. “When he had concluded the impious formula, an awful silence reigned in the turret, and he perceived the sheet gently agitated by the quivering of the limbs, which betokened returning animation. Then a shudder pervaded his frame in spite of himself, as he perceived the eyes of the corpse slowly open, and the dark dilated pupils fix their gaze on him with a strange and stolid glare.” Desperate to live to eternity, Count Rodolph makes a dangerous deal with the devil. Invigorated with his newfound power, Rodolph reanimates the corpse of the beautiful Bertha, a fitting bride to accompany him in his quest for everlasting life. Will she be a loyal and irresistible vampire mistress, or will the Count’s creation turn against him? The Skeleton Count, or The Vampire Mistress is an entertaining tale of terror and the occult from a prolific author of nineteenth century penny dreadfuls. This edition of Elizabeth Caroline Grey’s The Skeleton Count, or The Vampire Mistress is a classic penny dreadful reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The Book of Wonder (1912) is a short story collection by Lord Dunsany. Published at the height of his career, The Book of Wonder would influence such writers as J. R. R. Tolkein, Ursula K. Le Guin, and H. P. Lovecraft. Recognized as a pioneering author of fantasy and science fiction, Dunsany is a man whose work, in the words of Lovecraft, remains “unexcelled in the sorcery of crystalline singing prose, and supreme in the creation of a gorgeous and languorous world of incandescently exotic vision.” The Book of Wonder, Dunsany’s fifth collection of stories, contains fourteen of his finest tales of fantasy and adventure. In “The Hoard of the Gibbelins,” originally published in London weekly The Sketch, is the story of Alderic, a Knight of the Order of the City. Courageous and strong, he ventures to the island realm of the Gibbelins, where a horde of treasure is rumored to be held at the base of a treacherous castle. In “Chu-Bu and Sheemish,” two idols held in the same ancient temple compete for the adoration of their worshippers. As Chu-Bu and Sheemish attempt more and more astounding miracles, they risk striking fear in the hearts of their superstitious people. Humorous and inventive, Dunsany’s tales of high fantasy continue to delight over a century after they first appeared in print. This edition of Lord Dunsany’s The Book of Wonder is a classic of Irish fantasy fiction reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Kari the Elephant (1922) is a children’s book by Dhan Gopal Mukerji. Published the year Mukerji moved from San Francisco to New York City, Kari the Elephant is the debut children’s book from the first Indian writer to gain a popular audience in the United States. Although less popular than his novel Gay Neck: The Story of a Pigeon (1927), which won the 1928 Newbery Medal, Kari the Elephant is a beautiful tale of kinship between the human and animal worlds set in the lush forests of the author’s native India. “Kari, the elephant, was five months old when he was given to me to take care of. I was nine years old and I could reach his back if I stood on tiptoe. He seemed to remain that high for nearly two years. Perhaps we grew together; that is probably why I never found out just how tall he was.” Raised side by side, Kari and his handler grow inseparable through their travels in the Indian countryside. As their adventures bring them to cities, jungles, and distant lands, boy and elephant overcome danger and learn the true meaning of friendship. Although he never returned to his native country, Mukerji left an inspiring legacy through his literary achievement and unwavering commitment to Indian independence. This edition of Dhan Gopal Mukerji’s Kari the Elephant is a classic of Indian American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Included in The New Yorker's Best Books of 2023

Stories from a Japanese master of transformative fiction, where reality, myth, and human foibles meet shifting dimensions of gender, biology, and destiny.

From the bestselling author of Strange Weather in Tokyo comes this otherworldly collection of eight stories, each a masterpiece of transformation, infused with humor, sex, and the universal search for love and beauty—in a world where the laws of time and space, and even species boundaries, don’t apply. Meet a shape-shifting con man, a goddess who uses sex to control her followers, an elderly man possessed by a fox spirit, a woman who falls in love with her 400-year-old ancestor, a kitchen god with three faces in a weasel-infested apartment block, moles who provide underground sanctuary for humans who have lost the will to live, a man nurtured through life by his seven extraordinary sisters, and a woman who is handed from husband to husband until she is finally able to return to the sea.

Grieving her father’s death, Charlotte McConnell seeks solace at the Outer Banks inn owned by her best friend's family, but she finds them dealing with their own family drama and soon lands in the center of an unexpected love triangle.

Her hotel family welcomes Charlotte with chowder dinners and a cozy room, but her friend Evie has a looming life change of her own, and soon Charlotte seeks other attractions to navigate her grief. Will she, like in some television movie, find her way back through a romance, or are there larger forces at play on Hatteras Island? Heather Frese, winner of the Lee Smith Novel Prize and author of The Baddest Girl on the Planet, sets Charlotte on a beautifully rendered course through human frailty and longing, unrelenting science, and the awesome forces of the Carolina coast.

FINALIST FOR THE NEXT GENERATION INDIE BOOK AWARD
BEST SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY: AN AMAZON EDITORS' PICK

A stunning debut novel and an impressive feat of storytelling that pulls together mythology, magic, and ancient legend in the gripping story of a mother's struggle to save her only daughter

Nadine is a jinn tasked with one job: telling the stories of the dead. She rises every morning to gather pomegranate seeds—the souls of the dead—that have fallen during the night. With her daughter Layala at her side, she eats the seeds and tells their stories. Only then can the departed pass through the final gate of death.

But when the seeds stop falling, Nadine knows something is terribly wrong. All her worst fears are confirmed when she is visited by Kamuna, Death herself and ruler of the underworld, who reveals her desire for someone to replace her: it is Layala she wants.

Nadine will do whatever it takes to keep her daughter safe, but Kamuna has little patience and a ruthless drive to get what she has come for. Layala’s fate, meanwhile, hangs in the balance.

Rooted in Middle Eastern mythology, Rania Hanna deftly weaves subtle, yet breathtaking, magic through this vivid and compelling story that has at its heart the universal human desire to, somehow, outmaneuver death.

Dovlatov and Surroundings is a literary ode by one of the most consequential late 20th-century Russian writers, Alexander Genis, to another: Sergei Dovlatov. Though the book’s focus is ostensibly the man himself, the text unfolds as a comprehensive look at the Soviet, post-Soviet, and American cultures that shaped him and which he shaped. Dovlatov and Surroundings constantly, but effortlessly shifts its focus from the intimate to the sweeping, as Genis’s reflections on his friendship with Dovlatov organically give way to recollections about diaspora life, which transition smoothly into analyses of language, culture, politics, and literature. Characterized by Genis as an obituary, this book makes plain the significance of Dovlatov to Russian literature and the nuances of the Soviet cultural heritage.

Translated for the first time in English, Lev Levanda's brilliant coming-of-age story of Russian Jewish students on the cusp of modernity in their struggle against religious chauvinism and an oppressive government.

Despite being Russia's best Jewish writer of the nineteenth century, Lev Levanda (1835–1888) is barely known in the English-speaking world, with some of his most famous works, like the 1873 novel Seething Times, having yet to be published in their entirety. Another such work is An Amateur Performance (Reminiscences of a Student in the 1850s), which appears here in English for the first time, translated with elegance by Hugh McLean and edited by Brian Horowitz and Conor Daly. A classic in Russian-Jewish literature from 1882, An Amateur Performance describes the rush by Jews to government schools, secular education, and the lights of enlightenment, while also revealing the struggles of these Jewish students on the cusp of modernity, including keen observations on their lack of preparation, their confusion over the new ideas, and their confrontation with the repressive power of the Russian government. In short, it’s a brilliant sociological study of Russian Jewry in the 1850s as remembered by a writer who fought for progress and Jewish integration. 

“[A] gripping mix of stories and poems… interwoven with moments of quiet, affecting beauty… This remarkable work rescues an important 20th-century Israeli voice from obscurity.” — Publishers Weekly

This book represents an anthology of Avigdor Hameiri’s ten most compelling war stories and poetry. His war stories are unique, and different from his Hebrew writer contemporaries in that they mix the supernatural and macabre with war, pogroms, and antisemitism. These stories and poems reflect like no other the unique complexity of the Jewish soldier’s experience of the most vicious and shocking war the world had witnessed to date — the battles, the agony, the dilemmas faced by the Jewish soldier, bravery versus cowardice, the notion of imminent death, breaking the sixth commandment (Thou Shalt Not Murder), elements of pacifism (particularly involving camaraderie between the common soldiers on both sides of the battlefield and their shared hatred for rank), and more.

Published just two years before José Rizal’s national epic, Touch Me Not, Pedro A. Paterno’s Nínay is a cultural novel that portrays Philippine society to an international non-Filipino audience.

Considered to be the first novel published by a Native Filipino author, Nínay follows the life, love and death of a young woman named Antonina Milo y Buisan, or “Nínay” for short. Her story is told by a young man named Taric to an unknown narrator over the course of the nine-day vigil of Pasiyam. Recounting the passionate affair in the time of cholera between Nínay and the highly regarded Don Carlos Mabagsic, Taric explores the journey of two young lovers and the events that lead to their eventual separation.

Professionally typeset with a beautifully designed cover, this edition of Nínay is a reimagining of a Filipino classic for the modern reader.

What would happen if Marcus Garvey had achieved his dreams by force? Satirizing of one of the most influential figures of twentieth century Black America, George S. Schuyler’s Black Empire is a remarkable look into the complicated politics of race and class.

After witnessing a murder in Harlem, the promising young Black journalist, Carl Slater, is kidnapped by the incredibly charismatic but deranged Dr. Belsidus. Having secretly formed a Black Internationale, the doctor has plans to upset alliances between Europe and the United States when the time is right. As Carl slowly discovers the depth of the doctor’s insanity and witnesses the fallout from the ensuing revolution, he watches as the dream of an Africa for Africans is fully realized but questions the cost.

Professionally typeset with a beautifully designed cover, this edition of Black Empire reimagines a classic of satire and Black speculative fiction for the modern reader.

“He was in many ways an unusual man. Very versatile and talented…he possessed literary ability and had written an interesting book on Tales of the Bark Lodges. A book of poems under the name of Hen-Toh.”

Comprising his short unpublished autobiography, his 1919 book of folklore, Tales of the Bark Lodges, and his 1924 volume of poetry, Yon-Doo-Shah-We-Ah (Nubbins), The Collected Folklore and Poetry of Hen-Toh is a celebration of the work of one of the most important Native voices of the nineteenth century.

An important exploration of early Native American dialect literature, this edition of The Collected Folklore and Poetry of Hen-Toh is a classic of Indigenous American literature reimagined for the modern reader.

Originally published in 1909, Beatrice the Sixteenth: Being the Personal Narrative of Mary Hatherley, M.B., Explorer and Geographer is the debut feminist science fiction novel by Irene Clyde.

Mary Harthereley is lost. After being struck by a camel’s hoof, Mary finds herself thrown into an alternate plane of existence some five hundred years in the past. Discovered by people of the local province, she is escorted into the Kingdom of Armeria ruled by Queen Beatrice the Sixteenth. Welcomed by the inhabitants, Mary is introduced to a rather progresive society wherein there is no gender, divorce or carnivores and is taken in by their concept of “conjux,”—lifetime partnerships based on romantic love and companionship rather than sex. Finding herself growing fond of the kingdom, Mary uncovers deception and plot as a war threatens to upend all that the Armerias hold dear.

Professionally typeset with a beautifully designed cover, this edition of Beatrice the Sixteenth is a classic of feminist science fiction literature, reimagined for modern readers.

Originally published in serial form from 1922 - 1923 in Planter’s Punch, The Devil’s Mountain is a novel by Jamaican journalist, H.G. de Lisser.

When an American moving picture company comes to stay at the Myrtle Bank Hotel, Lawrence Beaman, a humble local man, is captivated by the beautiful leading actress, Marian Braeme. Also taking a liking to Marian is the widowed Lady Rosedale, who aims to take the girl under her wing and teach her in the ways of proper society. Not one to be deterred and at the encouragement of another hotel patron, Mr. Phipps, Lawrence continues in his pursuit of Marian, until one night, when he can no longer hold back his feelings, declares that he is in love.

“I know it,” she replies at last, “but I wish you hadn’t said it. It’s no use…it is impossible, you have no idea how impossible it is.”

When the conversation is over and the two go their separate ways, they awake the next morning to the news of a robbery at the Myrtle Bank Hotel, with Lady Rosedale’s jewels the thief’s prize. All at once, the patrons are thrown into chaos with Lawrence at the center of Lady Rosedale’s suspicions and a mystery unraveling before their very eyes.

“We who lived the days of tribal life before our destruction began remember with gratefulness our storytellers and the delight and joy and richness which they imparted to our lives. We never tired of their tales, though told countless times. They will, forsooth, never grow old, for they have within them the essence of things that cannot grow old. These legends are of America, as are its mountains, rivers, and forests, and as are its people. They belong!”

In the time of the Animal People (Chip-chap-tiqulk), follow the adventures of Coyote (Sin-ka-lip’) the most important Animal Person that ever was. Put to work by the Spirit Chief, Coyote–despite his love for imitation and trickery–helps to make the world a good place to live for Animal People and New People alike while occasionally amusing himself with mischief.

Containing over two dozen tales from, “The Spirit Chief Names the Animal People,” to “Coyote Imitates Bear and Kingfisher,” Coyote Stories is Mourning Dove’s collections of legends recounting the history of the world in it’s youth.

Professionally typeset with a beautifully designed cover, this edition of Coyote Stories is a classic of Native and Indigenous literature reimagined for the modern reader.

Martin Arrowsmith, brilliant but licentious, makes his way from his small Midwest town to New York City. Getting his start at medical school, Martin sets out on a series of affairs, bouncing from woman to woman and job to job, hungry to satisfy his desires as both a man and a man of science. Just as it appears he’ll be able to settle down, he finds himself back among the scientific elite and faced with a discovery that can change his life.

Written in conjunction with science writer Paul de Kruif, Arrowsmith is one of the first books to address the culture of science in a period of medical education reform. A critical and commercial success, the book earned Sinclair Lewis the 1926 Pulitzer Prize, which the author would go on to decline.

Professionally typeset with a beautifully designed cover, this edition of Arrowsmith is a classic of science literary fiction, reimagined for modern readers.

"Here, I thought, was one of the most melodramatic and gorgeous bits of Americana that had ever come my way. It was not only the theater — it was the theater plus the glamour of the wandering drifting life, the drama of the river towns, the mystery and terror of the Mississippi itself... I spent a year hunting down every available scrap of show-boat material; reading, interviewing, taking notes and making outlines."

Inspired by an offhand comment made by Winthrop Ames during the opening night of Minick, Edna Ferber became enamored with the idea of show boats and the magic of the lives of traveling performers. Crafting a story of love and racial prejudice amid the changing times, Ferber’s 1926 Pulitzer Prize winning novel Show Boat follows three generations of performers aboard the Cotton Blossom.

Set in the aftermath of the American Civil War, Show Boat sees Captain Andy Hawks, his wife Parthy Ann and his daughter, Magnolia, buying the new show boat Cotton Blossom and setting down the Mississippi River with their small cast: Julie, Steve, Ellie and “Schultzy.” Despite being married to Steve, Julie is relentlessly pursued by a crewmember named Pete who ends up losing to a fight with Steve who demands he cease his unwanted advances. Threatening to expose a dark secret about their marriage, he sends the Cotton Blossom into a cycle of tragedy that will stick for generations to come.

Professionally typeset with a beautifully designed cover, this edition of Show Boat is an award-winning classic reimagined for the modern reader.

John Adams Race knows what he saw. Looking out of his window one night he sees two suspicious men following Father Brown to a bridge. There are sounds of a fight, the two men disappear–leaving only the body of the priest behind. Or, is there more to the mystery of Father Brown’s murder?

Following up on the first two installments, The Incredulity of Father Brown pulls no punches, throwing readers into the continued adventures of the beloved amateur detective, beginning with an original story to the collection, “The Resurrection of Father Brown,” and ending with, “The Ghost of Gioden Wise.”

Being yet another delightful addition to the legacy of this priest-turned-detective, The Incredulity of Father Brown is a classic work of mystery fiction reimagined for the modern reader.

“Take the box and get away from here as soon as you can. Don’t let it out of your sight until it has been printed and the books distributed!”

In May 1921, Miss Sophie Delorme beings a series of communications with a publishing house in search of a genuine student of the occult. Coming upon the supernatural author, Ms. Greye La Spinda, Miss Delorme implores her to take possession of a mysterious manuscript and see that it is published by any means necessary; and–after transferring ownership–is pulled away by invisible hands; her house immediately destroyed by explosion.

The manuscript, now in the hands of Ms. Greye Spina, is soon published–but not without incident–and details the extremely strange matter that occurred in the neighborhood of Meadowlawn, Lynbrook and changed the life of Miss Sophie Delorme’s niece, Portia.

Professionally typeset with a beautifully designed cover, this edition of Invaders From the Dark is a classic of horror literature reimagined for the modern reader.

Sodom and Gomorrah (1921/22) is the fourth volume of Marcel Proust’s seven-part novel In Search of Lost Time. Being the last volume that had Proust’s direct involvement, Sodom and Gomorrah is a story of love, jealousy and family from a master of Modernist literature. Praised by Virginia Woolf, Vladimir Nabokov, Michael Chabon, and Graham Greene, In Search of Lost Time explores the nature of memory and time while illuminating the history of homosexuality in nineteenth century Europe.

The narrator finally reveals what he witnessed before Princess de. Guermantes’ party: Charlus followed Jupien into his shop and the two shared an intimate encounter. Returning to the festivities, the narrator reflects on the very nature of inverts and the secret society of which they must belong. Attempting to put the suffering of his grandmother out of his mind, he tries with some success to pursue the companionship of Albertine; only to grow suspicious of her activities and possible lesbianism. Trying desperately to find a place in this social circle, the narrator finds himself engulfed by jealousy and trapped in a world of romance, lust, and secrets of which he is now willfully taking part.

With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Marcel Proust’s Sodom and Gomorrah is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Considered today to be a classic of Japanese literature, Lady Murasaki Shikibu’s groundbreaking novel, The Tale of Genji, is a story of a young man in search of love in the time of Heian aristocracy.

In the immediate aftermath of his mother’s death, Genji–the love child of Emperor Kiritsubo and his favorite concubine–is stripped of his birthright and royalty to avoid political scandal. Nevertheless remaining close to the Emperor’s heart, Genji is nicknamed “Shining Prince,” and grows into an unusually handsome, talented and intelligent boy, granting him favor and admiration beyond that expected of his birth status. During this time the Emperor, having heard of a princess who resembles his deceased lover, brings Lady Fujitsubo into the palace as his new wife and in doing so, unknowingly sets the growing Genji on a path of romantic dalliances, hoping too, to fill the void of his loss with women.

Professionally typeset with a beautifully designed cover, this edition of The Tale of Genji is a classic of Japanese literature reimagined for the modern reader.

The Big Festival of Lights: Stories and Plays for Hanukkah is a collection of short fiction and plays by nine prominent Jewish figures of the early twentieth-century meant to capture and celebrate the spirit of the holiday. In, “By the Light of Hanukkah: A Play in Three Acts,” by Solomon Fineberg, a young man named David awaits to hear about his admittance to the American Rabbinical College while his blind sister Esther quietly wishes to regain her sight. Elma Levinger’s “The Unlighted Menorah: A Hanukkah Fantasy,” tells the story of Abraham Mendelssohn, an old man at the end of his life grappling with his decision to assimilate his son into American culture; and “Hanukkah Evening” is a charming story of a family waiting for their father to return home to light the first candle on the Menorah. With these and eight additional stories, The Big Festival of Lights: Stories and Plays for Hanukkah is a collection that features tales of families, tradition and culture pride for readers young and old. Professionally typeset with a beautifully designed cover, this edition of The Big Festival of Lights: Stories and Plays for Hanukkah is a celebration of Jewish culture reimagined for a modern audience.

A campy dark comedy for the angry and the disenchanted.

Last November, I found a dead body inside the freezer that my roommate keeps inside the garage. My first thought was to call the police, but Jignesh hadn’t paid his share of the rent just yet. It wasn’t due until the thirtieth, and you know how difficult it is to find people who pay on time. Jignesh always does. Also, he had season tickets for the LA Opera, and well . . . Madame Butterfly. Tosca. The Flying Dutchman . . . at the Dorothy Chandler . . . you cannot say no to that, can you? Well, it’s been a few good months now—Madame Butterfly was just superb, thank you. However, last Friday, I found a second body inside that stupid freezer in the garage. This time I’m evicting Jignesh. My house isn’t a mortuary . . . alas, I need to come up with some money first. You’ll understand, therefore, that I desperately need to sell this novel. Just enough copies to help me survive until I find a job . . . what could I do that doesn’t demand too much effort? We have a real treasure here, anyhow. Some chapters are almost but not quite pornographic. You could safely lend this to nana afterward!

A surprising and exciting new collection of speculative and experimental stories that explore animal intelligences, gender, and the nature of stories.

The Privilege of the Happy Ending collects award-winning writer Kij Johnson’s speculative fiction from the last decade. The stories explore gender, animals, and the nature of stories, and range in form from classically told tales to deeply experimental works. The collection includes the World Fantasy Award-winning “The Privilege of the Happy Ending” and “The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe,” as well as two never-before published works.

A fabulous debut of folk tales and fantasies by an award winning author and illustrator.

Small fires start in the hearts of Kathleen Jennings’s characters and irresistibly spread to those around them. Journeys are taken, debts repaid, disguises put on, and lessons offered — although not often learned — in these fantastic tales. Jennings's confident voice lulls readers into stepping off the known paths to find "Undine Love,” “The Heart of Owl Abbas,” and further unexpected places and people.

Elephant Herd is a vivid and captivating novel by the Taiwan-based Malaysian Chinese (Mahua) writer Zhang Guixing, whose distinctive style evokes the jungles of Southeast Asia. It is an atmospheric account of a Malaysian Chinese young man’s journey upriver deep into the Sarawak rainforest of northwest Borneo in search of his uncle, the leader of a Communist guerilla group. Venturing through the jungle, the protagonist—largely referred to only as “the boy”—enters a verdant and vertiginous world of wild creatures and political peril.

Jumping backward and forward in time, Elephant Herd intermingles fractured, fragmentary episodes with lush, immersive descriptions of the natural world. Its main narrative begins in the 1970s and proceeds to explore the repercussions of Sarawak’s midcentury Communist insurgency. Focusing on the boy, his extended family, and his Indigenous classmate and travel companion, Zhang examines the complex relations among ethnic Chinese, local Malays, and Indigenous peoples. The novel teems with crocodiles, turtles, elephants, and countless other species of flora and fauna; as the boy’s journey progresses, the human and nonhuman worlds begin to blur together and even camouflage themselves as each other. Elegantly translated by Carlos Rojas, Elephant Herd is a hypnotic and compelling work by a major Sinophone writer.

Published to mixed reception, Wallace Thurman’s Infants of the Spring is a controversial take on the realities of Black life in the shadow of a cultural boom. “‘...you’re right. I was frightened. After all I had never seen a Negro before in my life, that is, not over two or three, and they were only dim, passing shadows with no immediate reality. New York itself was alarming enough, but when I emerged from the subway at 135th Street, I was actually panic stricken. It was the most eerie experience I have ever had. I felt alien, creepy, conspicuous, ashamed. I wanted to camouflage my white skin, and assume some protective coloration.” At times disillusioned by the cultural boom that was the Harlem Renaissance, Wallace Thurman formed a small group, “The Niggerati,” built up of artists and intellectuals who often clashed with the ideals of the movement. Dedicated to showing Black life as it was rather than as it should be, he produced his second novel, Infants of the Spring, a deconstruction and satire of the time when the Negro was in vogue. Professionally typeset with a beautifully designed cover, this edition of Infants of Spring is a sensational reimagining of a Harlem Renaissance satire for the modern reader.

"A satisfying sampler of solid stories from a team that rarely disappoints." —Publishers Weekly

Multiple award-winning authors, Mike Resnick and Lezli Robyn, get to the heart of the matter in Soulmates, which showcases all the words they have penned together over their years as collaborators (with a bonus solo piece by each). Whether a robot, alien, some kind of supernatural being or human, rising above our prejudices and ignorance allows us to make emotional connections that can have a profound effect on our lives.

A GROUNDBREAKING ANTHOLOGY ON THE EVOLUTION OF PARTNERSHIPS BY FEMALE AND NONBINARY AUTHORS.

What happens when emotions like love and friendship span vast distances — in space, in time, and in the heart?

Science fiction often focuses on future technology and science without considering the ways social structures will change as tech changes — or not. What will relationships look like in a complicated future of clones, uploaded intelligences, artificial brains, or body augmentation? What stories emerge when we acknowledge possibilities of new genders and ways of thinking about them?

The Reinvented Heart presents stories that complicate sex and gender by showing how shifting technology may affect social attitudes and practices, stories that include relationships with communities and social groups, stories that reinvent traditional romance tropes and recast them for the 21st century, and above all, stories that experiment, astonish, and entertain.

Portions of this book have previously appeared in Reboots and Reboots: Diabolical Streak  
 
"Unfettered oddball entertainment.”—Publisher’s Weekly  
 
Say hello to Humph the Boggart, the principled, down-on-his-luck private detective, Skinny Jim the zombie, and Fred the werewolf, in this film noir style space opera.  
 
Humans aren’t alone anymore—in fact, they share a planet with undead and near-dead beings, living in…semi-harmony, depending on who you ask!  
 
This is the world of Reboots—where zombies, vampires, and werewolves live side-by-side with humans, taking whatever jobs they can to coexist peacefully. So, what better job to give almost-dead or dead beings, than one that consists of no air, cosmic radiation, and a lack of life-sustaining essentials?  
 
In comes a cast of interesting, unique, and downright paranormal creatures as they travel through space.  
 
Consisting of four parts, Reboots: Undead Can Dance is a space opera destined to become a favorite, written by beloved and world-renowned fantasy author Mercedes Lackey and Cody Martin.  
 
Follow Skinny Jim, a zombie who conceals his ability to speak to avoid being exterminated after an ill-fated war launched by a zombie emperor, leading to an alliance between Norms, the Fangs, and the Furs. And then there’s Humph the Boggart, an ethereal parahuman private investigator who navigates interspecies relationships in claustrophobic extraterrestrial environments with his friends, including Fred the werewolf.  
 
And what happens when you put them all together in a confined space?  
 
Lackey and Martin have created a perfect, witty, fast-paced read that you won’t be able to put down and will leave you craving more. 

“The single most important and valuable Heinlein book ever published.”—Spider Robinson

Robert A. Heinlein has been hailed as one of the most forward-thinking science fiction writers of all time, and Expanded Universe (presented in two volumes) offers the perfect collection of his works to provide readers with true insights into his uniquely creative mind.

Heinlein personally selected each story or essay for inclusion in this collection, which is ordered chronologically, starting with his first sale in 1939 of Life-Line to Astounding Science Fiction magazine for seventy dollars. This remarkable collection highlights the development of Heinlein’s writing style and his philosophy on life throughout his career.

More importantly, this collection is as close to an autobiography as anything Heinlein wrote during his life. Heinlein was an extremely private person who never wrote much about himself. In this exclusive collection, he offers forewords to most of his stories and essays (and an occasional afterword), giving readers a rare glimpse into the inner mind of the master.

Expanded Universe Volume 2 is a must-have for any Heinlein enthusiast and any fan of science fiction.

“The single most important and valuable Heinlein book ever published.”—Spider Robinson

Robert A. Heinlein has been hailed as one of the most forward-thinking science fiction writers of all time, and Expanded Universe (presented in two volumes) offers the perfect collection of his works to provide readers with true insights into his uniquely creative mind.

Heinlein personally selected each story or essay for inclusion in this collection, which is ordered chronologically, starting with his first sale in 1939 of Life-Line to Astounding Science Fiction magazine for seventy dollars. This remarkable collection highlights the development of Heinlein’s writing style and his philosophy on life throughout his career.

More importantly, this collection is as close to an autobiography as anything Heinlein wrote during his life. Heinlein was an extremely private person who never wrote much about himself. In this exclusive collection, he offers forewords to most of his stories and essays (and an occasional afterword), giving readers a rare glimpse into the inner mind of the master.

Expanded Universe Volume 1 is a must-have for any Heinlein enthusiast and any fan of science fiction.

"A nail-biting thriller."−Publishers Weekly 

"I loved it. Great 'hard' science fiction with convincing space battles. "−Larry Niven

"Will delight and enthrall."−Library Journal

"A provocative science fiction novel."−Foreword Reviews

Hot Moon, the first book in the highly acclaimed Apollo Rising Series, is set in an alternate 1979, where the United States and the Soviet Union have permanent Moon bases, orbiting space stations, and crewed spy satellites—all supported by frequent rocket launches. In this thrilling, hard science fiction novel, the near future of the Cold War extends beyond Earth, creating a tense and action-packed space rivalry.

Commanded by career astronaut Vivian Carter, Apollo 32 embarks on a NASA fiction mission to dock at Columbia, a NASA space station, before heading to the volcanic Marius Hills region of the Moon. But when four Soviet Soyuz craft suddenly appear and attack the station, Vivian is caught in the crossfire. In a desperate move, she spacewalks through the hard vacuum back to her Lunar Module just in time to escape, as the station falls into Soviet hands.

With their original mission canceled, Vivian and her crew are redirected to Hadley Base, a NASA scientific outpost on the Moon. Soon, this unarmed base, home to eighteen astronauts, also comes under attack, forcing Vivian and her colleagues into a series of daring acts of ingenuity and improvisation as they face the full brunt of the Soviet threat.

With multiple viewpoints shifting from American to Soviet perspectives, Hot Moon tells the gripping story of a near-future alternate history filled with high-stakes space rivalry, hard science fiction, and NASA fiction adventures. If you love hard science fiction novels that blend real-world technology with alternate history scenarios, Hot Moon will keep you on the edge of your seat.

“Alan Smale is one of the brightest stars in the hard-SF firmament, and Hot Moon is his best novel yet. ”—Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author.

“Intriguing, adrenaline-fueled, and engaging, author Alan Smale’s Hot Moon is the perfect sci-fi meets political thriller.”—Anthony Avina’s Blog.

“A frightening glimpse into what the future may hold. This unforgettable journey takes readers to the very edge of reality, and possibly, our future.”—Mostly Mysteries’ and Other Books Too.

“A superb mind-expanding sci-fi novel!”−Grady Harp (Amazon Hall of Fame Top100 Reviewer).

Hot Moon is a stunning alternate history novel where space rivalry takes center stage, ideal for fans of NASA fiction books, near-future adventures, and hard science fiction series

With breathtaking accuracy from a retired NASA director and an immersive look at a possible untold stories of space rivalry, Hot Moon brings hard science fiction alive, capturing the imagination and the thrill of space exploration.

“Rip-roaring action sequences and the mystery of Madrenga’s curious powers propel the story through a series of consistently surprising twists and turns.” —Publishers Weekly

“Foster's brisk and eventful novel should please any reader looking for a quick and diverting adventure." —Booklist

“Alan Dean Foster is the modern-day Renaissance writer, as his abilities seem to have no genre boundaries.” —Bookbrowser

“One of the most consistently inventive and fertile writers of science-fiction and fantasy.” —The Times (London)

He is plainly too young and too inexperienced for the mission, but on the advice of her aged adviser Natoum, and with her husband off at war, the Queen reluctantly assigns the task of delivery to…

Madrenga.

Accompanied only by a runt of a pony and a scrap of a pup, he sets off to transport the royal message to its destination. No matter what it might take.

But things are not always what they seem. Heroes are sometimes made of the strangest stuff, and love is to be found in the most unexpected places.

If one doesn’t die while treading the lethal path…

WINNER BEST ANTHOLOGY, WORLD FANTASY AWARDS

“You are bound to be wonderstruck.”—Lightspeed Magazine
“A must-read.”—Locus Magazine
“Highly recommended.”—The British Fantasy Society

The Year's Best African Speculative Fiction (2021), edited by the award-winning Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, is not just a book; it's a gateway to the diverse and rich world of African speculative fiction. This anthology, a winner of the Best Anthology at the World Fantasy Awards, is a groundbreaking collection that brings together twenty-nine extraordinary stories by twenty-five talented writers from Africa and its diaspora. These stories represent some of the most exciting voices in the genre, both old and new, offering readers a journey through imaginative landscapes filled with wonder, insight, and a deep understanding of the human and beyond-human experience.

The anthology is a celebration of African speculative fiction, marking a significant moment in the genre. It is the first of its kind, highlighting the breadth and depth of talent that exists within the African speculative fiction community. The collection includes tales from a range of authors, including Somto O. Ihezue, Pemi Aguda, Russell Nichols, Tamara Jerée, Tlotlo Tsamaase, and many others, each contributing their unique voice and vision. The stories navigate themes of identity, culture, and the complexities of the human spirit in ways that are both universal and deeply rooted in African experiences.

Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, the editor, is not only a skilled anthologist but also a celebrated author in his own right. His work has received multiple accolades, including the Nommo award and recognition as a Nebula and Hugo award finalist. In editing this anthology, Ekpeki has opened a door to a realm of stories that challenge, entertain, and provoke thought, offering a vital platform for voices that are often underrepresented in the global speculative fiction landscape.

This anthology is more than just a collection of stories; it is a testament to the power of speculative fiction to transcend boundaries and explore new horizons. It is highly recommended for anyone looking to delve into a world where the speculative meets the vibrantly diverse tapestry of African storytelling. Whether you're a long-time fan of speculative fiction or new to the genre, The Year's Best African Speculative Fiction (2021) is bound to leave you wonderstruck and eager for more​​​​.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Ink, the Rot and Ruin series, and the creator of V-Wars.

The undead walk. Vicious, relentless, and never tiring.

Hungry.

And the dead have their stories.

Bram Stoker Award-winner Jonathan Maberry is a master of the zombie tale. Empty Graves: Tales of the Living Dead is emotionally charged and disturbing. These stories range across the genres of horror, science fiction, and biological thriller without ever straying from the fascinating humanity at the core.

Together in a single action-packed collection, these 15 gritty tales of the living dead span Maberry's career, including an exclusive never-before-published short story.

2024 Nominee for Sidewise Award. The Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were established in 1995 to recognize the best alternate history stories and novels of the year.

A terrifying tale about HIV spreading in the early sixteenth century by an author, Publisher Weekly calls “The Master of Alternate History.”

What if HIV started spreading in the early 1500s rather than the late 1900s? Without modern medicine, anybody who catches HIV is going to die.

A patriarchal society reacts to this devastating disease in the only way it knows how: it sequesters women as much as possible, limiting contacts between the sexes except for married couples. While imperfect, such drastic actions do limit the spread of the disease.

The ‘Wasting’ (HIV) has caused devasting destruction throughout the known world and severely limited the development of technology as well, creating a mid-nineteenth century England and London almost unrecognizable to us. This is the world Viola is born into. Extremely intelligent and growing up in a house full of medical books which she reads, she dreams of travelling to far-off places, something she can only do via books since her actions and movements are severely restricted by both law custom.

Meticulously researched and exquisitely detailed in a way only a master like Harry Turtledove can do, this book is a tour-de-force from one of the best historical and alternate history writers ever to write in the genre.

This volume includes a collection of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s early work, including 27 short stories, 7 sketches of early fiction, and a range of critical essays, childhood memoirs, and interviews.

Singer’s early literary career in Warsaw (1925-1935) was crucially important in laying the building blocks for his great achievements in Jewish and world literature as a storyteller of Polish Jewry. During this period, Singer worked as a journalist, writer and translator in the main Yiddish center in Eastern Europe. However, much of this work remains unavailable in English-language translation. This volume makes part of Singer’s early fiction and non-fiction available for scholarship, teaching, and a general readership for the first time.

Korean writer Ch’oe Myŏngik was a lifelong resident of Pyongyang, a city his short stories masterfully evoke in exquisite modernist prose. His career spanned decades of tumult, from his debut in the 1930s while Korea was under Japanese colonial rule through the Asia-Pacific and Korean Wars and the early years of the Democratic People’s Republic. As Pyongyang transformed from Korea’s second city, peripheral to the Seoul-centered literary scene, into a socialist capital in the late 1940s, Ch’oe briefly ascended to the center of North Korean culture. Despite the vitality and originality of Ch’oe’s writing, Cold War politics and censorship, including South Korea’s anticommunist laws, consigned his work to obscurity.

Patterns of the Heart and Other Stories presents a selection of Ch’oe’s short fiction in translation, including later works from hard-to-find North Korean publications. These cinematic, keenly observed tales explore Pyongyang in meticulous detail, depicting the city’s transformations and the conflicts between old and new. They pay close attention to the lives of the disaffected and the marginalized: a drifter confronts a former revolutionary dying of opium addiction; a sex worker is trafficked across the border aboard a train, amid the indifference of her fellow passengers. Later stories provide a striking glimpse of the Korean War—the occupation of Pyongyang, U.S. fighter jets bombing civilian refugees, guerrilla heroics—from a North Korean perspective. Hidden treasures of world literature, these stories offer new perspectives on Korea’s turbulent twentieth century, across political divides still in place today.

Dr Michael Lowell – a mild-mannered American, unshakeably decent and at the peak of his profession – is intrigued by Stephen Walsh's invitation to a reunion of Oxford college friends. At least he'll be able to catch up with cynical advertising genius Toby Jenks and frontline medic Hélène Hevré, comparing notes on mid-life frustrations and old ideals. He’ll also have to face Seema Mir, the serene young woman from Karachi who rejected him twenty years ago because he was 'just a little bit too dull’.
He expects a congenial weekend; instead they seed a conspiracy that could rock the foundations of the US government.
Moving between Oxford, New York, Washington, Geneva and Abidjan, this compelling political thriller is the story of five people possessed by an extraordinary idea. Theirs is an 'unthinkable’ plan to save the lives of millions. But the risk is to their own lives is incalculable.

The Day I Fell Off My Island tells the story of Erna Mullings, a teenage Jamaican girl uprooted from her island following the sudden death of her beloved grandmother.

When Erna is sent to England to be reunited with her siblings, she dreads leaving behind her elderly grandfather, and the only life she has ever known. A new future unfolds, in a strange country and with a mother she barely knows. The next decade will be a complex journey of estrangement and arrival, new beginnings and the uncovering of long-buried secrets.

A psychologist and former social worker, Yvonne Bailey-Smith, explains:

‘As an immigrant child, I often wished that someone had been able to take me aside and explain to me that leaving everything I knew to go on a so-called adventure to somewhere way beyond my imagination was going cause me an unimaginable sense of loss and sadness. I also wish that the same person had been there to reassure me that I would survive and even flourish, given half a chance. My work and conversations with children, young people and adults, as well as with many friends, have given me a unique insight into the travails of people who have experienced things for which they felt utterly unprepared at the time.’

Mark Kalluak was a respected community leader and Inuktitut specialist who was passionate about sharing Inuit culture. This book is a compilation of Kalluak’s works on traditional Inuit stories and beliefs from his home community of Arviat, Nunavut. These tales and cultural outlooks were thoughtfully collected, written in Inuktitut and English, and illustrated by Kalluak. From the origins of darkness and light, to cautionary tales of how to treat others, to explanations of taboos, this book is a noteworthy collection of traditional Inuit stories and beliefs.

“She knew that if she didn’t say her piece, that flame would never be extinguished; even after death, it would continue raging.”

The Running Flame opens with its protagonist in prison awaiting execution, desperate to give an account of her life. Yingzhi, a girl from the countryside, sees opportunity in the liberal trends sweeping across China. After high school, she joins a song-and-dance troupe, which allows her to travel and opens her eyes to new people and places. But an unplanned pregnancy brings an abrupt end to all her youthful dreams. Trapped in a bad marriage, Yingzhi is driven to desperate measures—and eventually a shocking act of violence.

Fang Fang’s explosive short novel inspired widespread social debate in China upon its publication in 2001. In exploring the difficulties of one woman shackled by patriarchal tradition against the backdrop of radical social change, The Running Flame bears witness to widespread experiences of gendered violence and inequality. Fang Fang evocatively captures both the heady feeling of possibility in China’s roaring 1990s and its dark underside, as economic reform unleashed social dislocation in towns and villages. The novel draws loosely from interviews the author conducted with female death row inmates in a Chinese prison. Equal parts social critique and domestic horror, The Running Flame is a gripping, propulsive narrative that shines a light on the struggles of poor women in China’s countryside.

Fang Fang’s Soft Burial begins with a mysterious, nameless protagonist. Decades earlier she was pulled out of a river in a state of near-death; upon regaining consciousness, she discovered that her entire memory had been erased. The narrative follows her journey through recovery as she takes a job as a housekeeper in the home of a powerful cadre, marries the doctor who saved her, and starts a family of her own. As the story unfolds, the protective cocoon of amnesia that her subconscious wove around her begins to give way, revealing glimpses of her previous life and the unspeakable trauma that she suffered.

Soft Burial is one of the most remarkable—and most controversial—recent works of Chinese literature. Part mystery, part historical fiction, and part social exposé, the novel intercuts different generations, regions, and time periods. First published in 2016, Soft Burial initially received critical acclaim but soon faced a wave of denunciations and was taken off the shelves of bookstores throughout China. Fang Fang challenged the unspoken rules that govern how Chinese writers portray the past by depicting the human costs of the Land Reform Campaign in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and she was attacked for expressing sympathy toward members of the “landlord class.” An intimate portrait of historical trauma and the psychological toll of repressed violence, Soft Burial is a landmark in contemporary Chinese fiction.

Critically acclaimed author Feryal Ali-Gauhar's UK debut An Abundance of Wild Roses is a novel that combines lyrical storytelling with urgent contemporary themes of gender violence, tradition and patriarchy

In the Black Mountains of Pakistan, the discovery of an unconscious, unknown man is the first stone in an avalanche of chaos. The head of the village is beset with problems - including the injured stranger - and failing to find his way out. His daughter receives a love letter and incurs her father's wrath. A lame boy foretells disaster, but nobody is listening. Trapped in terrible danger, a wolf-dog is battling ice and death to save a soldier's life. Beaten by her addict husband for bearing him only daughters, a woman is pregnant again - but can this child save her?

In a land woven with myth, chained with tradition and afflicted by war and the march of progress, the spirits of the mountains keep a baleful eye on the struggles of the villagers who scrape a living from the bodies of their wildlife. As the elements turn on the village, can humanity find a way to co-exist with nature that doesn't destroy either of them?

Saladeros were the 17th–19th–century Pampa beef industry businesses where the beef was sun-dried or “jerked.” Alfredo Behrens suggests that in such lifeless routine work there was little glory to be found, at least as capable of enthusing workers to perform to their highest potential. The trouble, Behrens argues in “Gaucho Dialogues on Leadership and Management,” is that most subsidiaries in developing countries are managed as modern saladeros. Latin Americans are brought up in the medieval Catholic tradition of detachment from worldly material gain. Profit is disdained, largesse and martyrdom are praised.

Behrens illustrates the Latin American organizational how-to through a dialogue attributed to two famed nineteenth-century iconic literary characters, Martín Fierro and Don Segundo Sombra. Fierro is construed to espouse the passionate, nonpragmatic, xenophobic attitude popular among many Latin American leaders of the twentieth century. Sombra, on the other hand, espouses a more nuanced affection toward old ways, suggesting that they may be responsible for some of the economic and technological backwardness of Latin Americans. “Gaucho Dialogues on Leadership and Management” carries the reader through militia-led insurrections from Argentina and Uruguay through Brazil, Venezuela, Central America, and Mexico. Fierro and Sombra comment on the insurrections and draw lessons about leadership, strategy and people management in Latin America. While the book’s argument covers the ethos prevailing in the Americas, both North and South, Behrens believes it may be relevant elsewhere among similar societies where people prefer to act as members of clans than as autonomous individuals. If so, the book’s argument may be relevant for the vast majority of humankind at work.

Irish author (Eleanor) Norah Hoult (1898–1984) traveled in prominent literary circles and corresponded actively with some of the leading Irish authors of her time, including Brigid Brophy, Sean O’Casey, and Sean O’Faolain. Critics today compare her not only to O’Faolain and Frank O’Connor, but also to novelists Kate O’Brien and Edna O’Brien. Despite her reputation and a forty-four year publishing career, however, Hoult and her work remain surprisingly neglected.

This edition rectifies this critical oversight and introduces Hoult’s short story collection, 'Poor Women!', to a new generation of readers. 'Poor Women!' displays Hoult’s subtlety and humor as an author and her nature as a keen witness to human frailty. In these stories, Hoult unflaggingly highlights the restrictions imposed on her characters by society and its institutions: she thus provides a window into the social, literary and political milieu from which she hails.

Largely cited for its engagement with women’s and religious issues, 'Poor Women!' thus also displays a keen awareness of wider historical issues like the challenges of war and of cultural identity construction. Her incisive portraits capture the emotional paralysis of her characters and their self-delusions. Such thematic and stylistic emphases invite further comparison to better-known contemporary Irish literary giants like James Joyce and Mary Lavin.

‘Day of the Angel’ follows the fates and fortunes of three generations of the Ushakov family, members of the Russian émigré community living in Paris following the Revolution. Against the historical background of totalitarian terror, famine and war, depicted in harrowing detail as an epic struggle between the powers of good and evil, the family becomes swept up in a tide of events largely beyond their control.

Interspersed with extracts from relatives’ diaries and letters, together with contemporary documentary accounts of the great famine, Dmitry Ushakov must find inner peace and a way to love amidst the chaos of his life.

This book is an annotated edition of The Correspondents: An Original Novel (1775), a work, as the introduction argues, derived from A Sentimental Journey, and one of the best of the many later efforts to capture Sterne’s unique blend of sensibility and sensuality. The introduction will make the case for its authorship being an actual exchange of love letters between George Lord Lyttelton (1709–1773) and Apphia Peach Lyttelton (1743–1840), his daughter-in-law, 30 years younger than her father-in-law at the time of the exchange. In our inability to understand precisely what happened between the two is the genius of their imitation of Sterne. It is an ambiguity that results from the conscious reshaping of original letters into a narrative, probably by Apphia Peach in the 2 years between Lyttelton’s death and its publication. The correspondents exchange some 80 letters in all, many with references and quotations to writers in the literary tradition; these allusions will be annotated when at all possible. Particularly important are the allusions to Sterne’s Sentimental Journey, which was the origin of the design of The Correspondents, and to Shakespeare, Apphia Peach joining Lyttelton’s good friend Elizabeth Montagu in this early indication that the eighteenth-century elevation of Shakespeare was often the direct result of his women readers.

Journalist Takashi Hayami meets Ai Katsuragi, a member of a religious organization, Tenmu Jinshinko, which meets secretly at the tomb of the Emperor Nintoku. The group adheres to the nomadic way of life of its ancestors, which lacked family registers and fixed abodes, and flouts civic duties such as paying taxes, serving in the armed forces and compulsory education. Even when the government tries to crack down on a segment of the populace, they continue to discipline themselves in the way of living as ambulatory people. They rely on the company Ikarino to fund the various political, social and cultural activities they promote that protect their unique lifestyle. But when Ikarino becomes a giant conglomerate that destroys the forests and mountains that form the foundation of the Tenmu Jinkshinko, Hayami must join the group’s struggle to save their way of life. 

First published in 1851, Henry Murger’sScènes de la vie de bohèmebrought together the stories he had written for a small arts newspaper in Paris. These semi-fictionalized tales, drawn from the daily lives of Murger and his friends, portray the struggles and celebrations, the loves and losses, of young writers and artists as they eked out an existence on the impoverished margins of society. While the nineteenth-century Parisian setting is fascinating in itself, the stories have retained their contemporary relevance as the continuing popularity of Puccini’s opera adaptation (La Bohème) and the Broadway success of Jonathan Larson’s Rent—both based on Murger’s stories—have demonstrated. 

Life in bohemia continues to attract young people in great numbers, just as it has done for almost two centuries, and it is Murger’s bohemia, with all its energy and eccentricities, that underlies that appeal. Balancing humor and despair, and optimism and desperation, Murger’s characters, much like today’s bohemians, manage to confound landlords and bill collectors, endure cold and hunger, find love and lose it, party without restraint and confront the devastating deaths of friends and lovers. 

With this new translation, readers can once again encounter the point of origin for the bohemian cultures that have flourished ever since, not only the source for Puccini’s and Larson’s phenomenally popular musical works as well as for numerous films and songs over many decades but also a classic work of literature that will re-introduce English readers to Rodolphe and Mimi, Marcel and Musette, Schaunard and Colline, after too long an absence.

A stock boy is found to have made an expensive Matsusaka cow vanish from the cattle house right before shipment. But the question remains: How and why did the boy make a 700kg cow disappear?

Jukichi is a seasoned fisherman who can row a fishing boat with proficiency and catch an abundance of fish in the traditional way – until he comes across “naméso,” a sea beast. What will be the fate of the old fisherman, who has been on the sea for 80 years?

With its bright red pincers kept high above its head, a crab called Aka moves slowly along the highway. Can Shinichi, a lonely boy, help Aka reach the sea?

Irako, a cruel and heartless woman, murders a philandering and neglectful doctor by radiation exposure, thereby sealing her own fate. In her dying days, an unusual group of animals gather around Irako to provide solace as she fades away. Can their uncanny companionship transform her demon heart?

“Lost Souls, Sacred Creatures” features four stories written by award-nominated author Juko Nishimura.

When the body of Saga Atsushi, Japan’s preeminent connoisseur of ukiyo-e (woodblock prints), is pulled from the ocean off the coast of Tohoku, having apparently committed suicide, the shocked Japanese art world turns out to mourn his death. Among them is Ryohei, an up-and-coming young ukiyo-e scholar and research assistant to Saga’s colleague-turned-rival, Professor Nishijima. But a chance encounter with an old friend makes Ryohei wonder if there might be more to Saga’s death than meets the eye…

In this novel-length road story, the female protagonist, who is haunted by an audio hallucination –‘twenty ells of linen are worth a coat’ – that plays over and over in her mind, escapes from a mental hospital with a young man. This is the story of their journey together.

The hallucinatory words come from a passage in Marx's Das Kapital, but the protagonist knows nothing of that; nor does she understand what they literally mean. After she starts to hear them, she attempts suicide and is then diagnosed as manic and placed in a mental hospital. Unable to stand life in the prison-like hospital, she makes a daring escape with Nagoyan, another patient.

She is 21 and fluent in the Hakata dialect of northern Kyushu. Nagoyan is a 24-year-old company employee suffering from depression who insists that he is a native of Tokyo, though he is actually from Nagoya. This strange pair, just escaped from their Hakata hospital, struggle with the mental crises that constantly assault them as they head southward in a junky car, picking destinations at whim as they go. On the way, they sightsee, quarrel, and yearn for the fragrance of lavender, which is supposedly good for the emotions.

At last they reach Ibusuki in Kagoshima, the southernmost part of Kyushu, where they are able to smell the unlikely scent of lavender. Walking together along a path in the seabed that only appears at low tide, they make a decision that will change both of them, and will help them achieve the catharsis they desperately seek. 

Russia Washed in Blood, first published in full in 1932, is the longest and best-known work by Nikolai Kochkurov (1899–1938), who wrote under the pen-name Artyom Vesyoly. The novel, more a series of extended episodes than a connected narrative with a plot and a hero, is a vivid fictionalised account of the events from the viewpoint of the ordinary soldier. The title of the novel came to symbolise the tragic history of Russia in the 20th century.

The novel’s main theme is the relation between freedom and dictatorship, reflecting a view that the cruelty which comes with elemental freedom destroys that freedom and prepares the ground for dictatorship. Vesyoly’s writings belong to the literature of moral resistance to Stalinism. For his failure to recognise the ‘leading organisational role’ of the Communist Party he would be executed in Stalin’s Great Purge. 

Born in Samara, on the banks of the Volga, the son of a waterside worker, Artyom Vesyoly was the first member of his family to learn to read and write. He took part in the Civil War of 1918–1921 on the Red side, and at its conclusion, began a prolific literary career. Vesyoly took as his main theme the horrific events he had witnessed and participated in during the fierce fighting in Southern Russia between the contending forces – Red, White, Cossack, anarchist and others – and the effects of these on the participants and unfortunate civilians caught between them.

‘Tokyo Seven Roses’ is set in Japan during the waning months of WWII and the beginning of the Occupation. It is written as a diary kept from April 1945 to April 1946 by Shinsuke Yamanaka, a fifty-three-year-old fan-maker living in Nezu, part of Tokyo's shitamachi (old-town) district. After the war, Shinsuke learns by chance that the Occupation forces are plotting a nefarious scheme: in order to cut Japan off from its dreadful past, they intend to see that the language is written henceforth using the alphabet. To fight off this unheard-of threat to the integrity of Japanese culture, seven beautiful women – the Seven Roses – take a stand. They include Tomoe, whose husband perished in a B29 raid and whose stepfather has gone mad; Fumiko and Takeko, whose elder sister died in an air raid; Sen, another war widow; Tokiko, who lost her parents and older brother; and Kyoko and Fumiko, whose entire families were wiped out.

The seven, while resentful of Japan's leaders for having lured the country down the path to war and, painfully aware of their own responsibility in being so gullible, hate the United States. They set their sights on three powerful members of the education delegation who have come to finalize official policy regarding the Japanese language. The year portrayed was a bleak and painful time for Japan. Shinsuke's diary, however, is surprisingly cheerful, filled with a wealth of details of ordinary people's openhearted lives. The author draws a lively portrait of Japanese who, despite privation, find relief in laughter.

‘Tokyo Seven Roses’ is set in Japan during the waning months of WWII and the beginning of the Occupation. It is written as a diary kept from April 1945 to April 1946 by Shinsuke Yamanaka, a fifty-three-year-old fan-maker living in Nezu, part of Tokyo's shitamachi (old-town) district. After the war, Shinsuke learns by chance that the Occupation forces are plotting a nefarious scheme: in order to cut Japan off from its dreadful past, they intend to see that the language is written henceforth using the alphabet. To fight off this unheard-of threat to the integrity of Japanese culture, seven beautiful women – the Seven Roses – take a stand. They include Tomoe, whose husband perished in a B29 raid and whose stepfather has gone mad; Fumiko and Takeko, whose elder sister died in an air raid; Sen, another war widow; Tokiko, who lost her parents and older brother; and Kyoko and Fumiko, whose entire families were wiped out.

The seven, while resentful of Japan's leaders for having lured the country down the path to war and, painfully aware of their own responsibility in being so gullible, hate the United States. They set their sights on three powerful members of the education delegation who have come to finalize official policy regarding the Japanese language. The year portrayed was a bleak and painful time for Japan. Shinsuke's diary, however, is surprisingly cheerful, filled with a wealth of details of ordinary people's openhearted lives. The author draws a lively portrait of Japanese who, despite privation, find relief in laughter.