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THE STATIC LIBRARYPride and PrejudiceJane Austen

Romance

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice may today be one of Jane Austen’s most enduring novels, having been widely adapted to stage, screen, and other media since its publication in 1813. The novel tells the tale of five unmarried sisters and how their lives change when a wealthy eligible bachelor moves in to their neighborhood.

THE STATIC LIBRARYFrankensteinMary Shelley

Gothic

Frankenstein

Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley (then Godwin) and Percy Bysshe Shelley were visiting their friend Lord Byron in Geneva one rainy summer. With the weather against them, they decided to spend their time writing ghost stories for each other. Frankenstein is Mary Shelley’s submission to their contest, later published anonymously in 1818. Victor Frankenstein, a strange bu

THE STATIC LIBRARYDraculaBram Stoker

Gothic

Dracula

Bram Stoker

Dracula is one of the most famous horror novels, responsible not just for introducing the eponymous Count Dracula, but for laying the foundations for many of the common tropes we see in modern horror fiction. Count Dracula isn’t the first vampire to have graced the pages of Western literature—that honor belongs to Lord Ruthven in “ The Vampire ,” a

THE STATIC LIBRARYThe Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald

Literary

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby is a novel that needs no introduction for a certain generation of American readers. Long taught as required reading in American schools, critics have consistently held it up alongside Moby Dick , Huck Finn , and To Kill a Mockingbird as perhaps the quintessential Great American Novel. Nick Carraway is a young Midwestern man freshly

THE STATIC LIBRARYThe Adventures of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle

Mystery

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was the first collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories Conan Doyle published in book form, following the popular success of the novels A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four , which introduced the characters of Dr. John Watson and the austere analytical detective Sherlock Holmes. The collection contains twe

THE STATIC LIBRARYThe Count of Monte CristoAlexandre Dumas

Adventure

The Count of Monte Cristo

Alexandre Dumas

Edmond Dantès is a young man about to be made captain of a cargo vessel and marry his sweetheart. But he is arrested at his pre-wedding feast, having been falsely accused of being a Bonapartist. Thrown into the notorious Château d’If prison, he eventually meets an ancient inmate who teaches him language, science, and passes hints of a hidden fortun

THE STATIC LIBRARYLittle WomenLouisa May Alcott

Literary

Little Women

Louisa May Alcott

Little Women is the classic coming-of-age tale of four sisters on their journey to adulthood. Though today it’s considered a classic, Little Women almost wasn’t written: Alcott wanted to publish a collection of short stories instead, but her publisher and her father pressed her to write a book that would appeal to a wide audience of young girls. Th

THE STATIC LIBRARYPeter and WendyJ. M. Barrie

Wonder

Peter and Wendy

J. M. Barrie

Peter Pan, a young boy who refuses to grow up, takes Wendy to the lost boys on the fantasy island of the Neverland to be their mother. Wendy’s two brothers, John and Michael, accompany them on their many adventures, including skirmishes with the Native Americans who reside there, and battles with pirates, led by Pan’s nemesis Captain Hook, who is s

THE STATIC LIBRARYThe Secret GardenFrances Hodgson Burnett

Wonder

The Secret Garden

Frances Hodgson Burnett

Mary’s parents fall ill and die, forcing her to be transplanted from India to the English countryside. She arrives at a strange and foreign country manor, where she discovers a long-neglected garden and hears strange sobbing noises at night. Thus begins The Secret Garden , a children’s book with an unusually dense collection of themes, symbols, and

THE STATIC LIBRARYThe Wonderful Wizard of OzL. Frank Baum

Wonder

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

L. Frank Baum

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the classic American children’s novel about the adventures of Dorothy, a young girl who along with her dog Toto is swept away by a cyclone to the magical Land of Oz. It was written by L. Frank Baum and published in May 1900. Dorothy lives with her Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, and Toto on a farm in the Kansas prairie. One day,

THE STATIC LIBRARYThe Art of WarSun Tzu

Ideas

The Art of War

Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu’s ancient treatise on the art of war has exerted enormous influence over both Asian and Western soldiers, covering subjects ranging from morale and discipline to the correct use of spies. Despite questions about the historicity of the author, the text has stood the test of time and remains widely read by strategists, politicians, and even b

THE STATIC LIBRARYThe Picture of Dorian GrayOscar Wilde

Gothic

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray was first published as a serial in Lippencott’s Monthly Magazine , and the publishers thought it would so offend readers that they removed nearly 500 words without Wilde’s approval. Wilde soon expanded it and republished it as a novel, including a short preface justifying his art. Even though his contemporaries considered

THE STATIC LIBRARYMoby DickHerman Melville

Adventure

Moby Dick

Herman Melville

“Call me Ishmael” says Moby Dick ’s protagonist, and with this famous first line launches one of the acclaimed great American novels. Part adventure story, part quest for vengeance, part biological textbook, and part whaling manual, Moby Dick was first published in 1851. The story follows Ishmael as he abandons his humdrum life on shore for an adve

THE STATIC LIBRARYTreasure IslandRobert Louis Stevenson

Adventure

Treasure Island

Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure Island isn’t just one of the most famous coming-of-age tales in modern storytelling, it’s also the book that invented everything you know about pirates: Peg legs, parrots, treasure chests, tropical islands, Long John Silver, maps marked with an “X,” swashbuckling adventure, and “Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum.” Its brisk pace and easy tone h

THE STATIC LIBRARYThe Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeRobert Louis Stevenson

Gothic

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the classic novella of split personality. Stevenson wrote it in just a few days while sick and bedridden, and famously burned the first draft after his wife suggested it should be written as an allegory and not as a story. He re-wrote it in three to six days, and after a few weeks of editing and revisi

THE STATIC LIBRARYThe War of the WorldsH. G. Wells

Science fiction

The War of the Worlds

H. G. Wells

H. G. Wells’ classic tale of alien invasion has to this day never been out of print. Like many works of the era, it was originally published as a serial—though the publisher, Pearson’s Magazine , demanded to know the ending before committing to publication. The War of the Worlds , with its matter-of-fact narrative style and deft mixture of contempo

THE STATIC LIBRARYThe Time MachineH. G. Wells

Science fiction

The Time Machine

H. G. Wells

The Time Machine is the novel that gave us the concept of—and even the word for—a “time machine.” While it’s not Wells’ first story involving time travel, it is the one that most fully fleshes out the concept of a device that can send a person backwards and forwards in time with complete precision. Time machines have since become a staple of the sc

THE STATIC LIBRARYJane EyreCharlotte Brontë

Romance

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre experienced abuse at a young age, not only from her aunt—who raised her after both her parents died—but also from the headmaster of Lowood Institution, where she is sent away to. After ten years of living and teaching at Lowood Jane decides she is ready to see more of the world and takes a position as a governess at Thornfield Hall. Jane

THE STATIC LIBRARYWuthering HeightsEmily Brontë

Romance

Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontë

Returning from Liverpool, Mr. Earnshaw brings with him a dirty, ragged, black-haired child called Heathcliff, and sets into motion a tale of destructive passions. The book’s two locations, the genteel Thrushcross Grange and the wild Wuthering Heights, serve as matching backgrounds to the characters of their occupants, as they struggle to gain the u

THE STATIC LIBRARYA Christmas CarolCharles Dickens

Wonder

A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843 and the first edition, published on 19th December, was so successful that it sold out in just six days. The publishers had to produce two further editions between Christmas and the new year to meet the demand, and the novella has never been out of print. A Christmas Carol tells the story of a greedy m

THE STATIC LIBRARYGreat ExpectationsCharles Dickens

Literary

Great Expectations

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was a British author, journalist, and editor whose work brought attention to the struggles of Victorian England’s lower classes. His writings provided a candid portrait of the era’s poor and served as inspiration for social change. Great Expectations , Dickens’ thirteenth novel, was first published in serial form between 1860 and 18

THE STATIC LIBRARYA Tale of Two CitiesCharles Dickens

Literary

A Tale of Two Cities

Charles Dickens

A doctor is released from the Bastille after being falsely imprisoned for almost eighteen years. A young woman discovers the father she’s never known is not dead but alive, if not entirely well. A young man is acquitted of being a traitor, due in part to the efforts of a rather selfish lout who is assisting the young man’s attorney. A man has a win

THE STATIC LIBRARYEmmaJane Austen

Romance

Emma

Jane Austen

Emma is one of Jane Austen’s best-loved novels. Its eponymous heroine, Emma Woodhouse, has lived a pampered, protected life and consequently is somewhat unrealistic when she sets her sights on becoming a matchmaker for a young friend. The novel provides a light-hearted insight into the distinctions of the rigid class structure of England in the Reg

THE STATIC LIBRARYSense and SensibilityJane Austen

Romance

Sense and Sensibility

Jane Austen

When her husband dies and leaves his estate to his son from a former marriage, Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters are offered a cottage on the estate of a distant relative. The two oldest daughters fall in love, only to find that the objects of their affection have secrets that throw their lives into an uproar. The reserved oldest daughter and i

THE STATIC LIBRARYThe Adventures of Tom SawyerMark Twain

Adventure

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Mark Twain

The irrepressible Tom Sawyer drives his Aunt Polly to distraction; she can’t decide whether to cry or laugh at his antics. He fights, falls in love, and finds adventure with two of his friends, one of whom will later become famous in his own right. Along the way he attends his own funeral, wins the girl by falsely confessing to something she did, a

THE STATIC LIBRARYThe Call of the WildJack London

Adventure

The Call of the Wild

Jack London

Jack London spent nearly a year in Alaska and the Klondike, mining for gold and braving the Alaskan winter. There he was inspired to write what would become The Call of the Wild , one of his most famous novels. The Call of the Wild tells the tale of a domesticated dog stolen from his California family and sold to sledders in Alaska. As he adapts to

THE STATIC LIBRARYWhite FangJack London

Adventure

White Fang

Jack London

White Fang is Jack London’s companion novel to The Call of the Wild . In The Call of the Wild we follow a dog’s journey from domestication to wilderness, but in White Fang we see the opposite: a wild wolf-dog captured by men and eventually domesticated. White Fang’s journey isn’t an easy one; both the wild and civilization have their share of bruta

THE STATIC LIBRARYThe Wind in the WillowsKenneth Grahame

Wonder

The Wind in the Willows

Kenneth Grahame

The Wind in the Willows , the story of four animals and their adventures in the idyllic English countryside, started out as bedtime stories Grahame would tell his son. He eventually started writing them down, and finally produced this much-loved childrens classic. In continuous print since 1908, The Wind in the Willows has been illustrated countles

THE STATIC LIBRARYAnne of Green GablesL. M. Montgomery

Wonder

Anne of Green Gables

L. M. Montgomery

Anne of Green Gables established the career of Canadian writer Lucy Maude Montgomery . When Matthew Cuthbert sends away for an orphan boy to help on his farm, he is surprised to instead meet the captivatingly imaginative Anne Shirley. What ensues is one of the most enduringly popular coming-of-age stories, bringing the pastoral beauty of Prince Edw

THE STATIC LIBRARYCrime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoevsky

Literary

Crime and Punishment

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Crime and Punishment tells the story of Rodion Raskolnikov, an ex-student who plans to murder a pawnbroker to test his theory of personality. Having accomplished the deed, Raskolnikov struggles with mental anguish while trying to both avoid the consequences and hide his guilt from his friends and family. Dostoevsky’s original idea for the novel cen

THE STATIC LIBRARYThe Hound of the BaskervillesArthur Conan Doyle

Mystery

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Arthur Conan Doyle

It would be hard to nominate a more well-known character in English literature than that of the austere analytical detective Sherlock Holmes , created by Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 1880s. Holmes, alongside his friend and biographer Dr. John Watson, appeared in two initial novels and dozens of short stories serialized in popular magazines, attra

THE STATIC LIBRARY813Maurice Leblanc

Literary

813

Maurice Leblanc

When Arsène Lupin disappeared at the end of The Hollow Needle the public and police assumed he was dead; but it turns out he was just biding his time and waiting for the right opponent to face off against. Luckily, a secret involving a stash of hidden papers and Europe’s aristocratic families is more than enough to pique the interests of Lupin and

THE STATIC LIBRARYA Bid for FortuneGuy Boothby

Mystery

A Bid for Fortune

Guy Boothby

Guy Newell Boothby , born in Adelaide, was one of the most popular of Australian authors in the late 19th and early 20th century, writing dozens of novels of sensational fiction. A Bid for Fortune, or Dr. Nikola’s Vendetta is the first of his series of five books featuring the sinister mastermind Dr. Nikola, a character of gothic appearance usually

THE STATIC LIBRARYA Book-Lover’s Holidays in the OpenTheodore Roosevelt

Ideas

A Book-Lover’s Holidays in the Open

Theodore Roosevelt

A Book-Lover’s Holidays in the Open is a travelogue written by former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt about his expeditions through the Americas following his presidency in the early twentieth century. In it, Roosevelt takes readers on a cougar hunt in the Grand Canyon, through the Andes and Northern Patagonia, to a Mississippi River bird reserve

THE STATIC LIBRARYA Bride of a Summer’s DayCatherine Louisa Pirkis

Mystery

A Bride of a Summer’s Day

Catherine Louisa Pirkis

The marriage of Ida Culvers to her first cousin Sefton seems like an opportune match: she receives his title, and he gets access to her fortune. But before setting out on their honeymoon, Ida asks for some time alone at her mother’s grave—and then promptly disappears. The only clue is a letter delivered to her father saying that she’s safe and with

THE STATIC LIBRARYA ConfessionLeo Tolstoy

Ideas

A Confession

Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy wrote this short meditation on sadness and the meaning of life when he was middle aged. He had already completed his masterworks, Anna Karenina and War and Peace , reared fourteen children, and gained fame and acclaim in Russia as a man of letters. But despite having attained that success, he still found himself unhappy and always retur

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