A man haunted by his own imagination, hidden writing that leads to buried treasure, a fisherman fighting for his life in a powerful whirlpool. In these short stories by Edgar Allan Poe we meet people struggling with death. Others are trying to solve the darkest of mysteries

Tuck Everlasting is a fantasy children's novel by Natalie Babbitt. The book explores the concept of immortality and the reasons why it might not be as desirable as it appears to be

The Giver is a dystopian children"s novel by Lois Lowry. It is set in a society which is at first presented as a utopian society and gradually appears more and more dystopian. The novel follows a boy named Jonas through the twelfth year of his life. The society has eliminated pain and strife by converting to "Sameness," a plan that has also eradicated emotional depth from their lives

The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963

The pinnacle of classical drama in Greece, the three-part, 2,500-year-old Oedipus cycle remains a touchstone of Western culture. Near perfect technically, the plays feature headstrong heroes, intense plots, and breathtaking imagery that have influenced generations of artists, philosophers, and statesmen. These fresh, historically faithful renditions by renowned translator Peter Constantine bring new life to civilization`s most meaningful dramas

In the year 1792, Sir Percy and Lady Marguerite Blakeney are the darlings of British society - he is known as one of the wealthiest men in England and dimwit; she is a French, a stunning former actress, and "the cleverest woman in Europe."

The first great American man of letters, Washington Irving became an international celebrity almost overnight upon publication of The Sketch-Book in 1820, which included the short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle". These tales remain his two most popular works

English officer and gentlemen Harry Feversham has wealth, social position, a beautiful feancee, Ethne Eustace, and a brotherly bond with three close friends. But he also harbors a dark secret. Though he is expected to continue his family`s proud tradition of military service, he cannot forget the shameful stories he heard as a child: tales of men who shirked their duty and disgraced themeselves in battle

Edith Wharton`s dark view of society, the somber economics of marriage, and the powerlessness of the unwedded woman at the turn of the twentieth century emerge dramatically in the tragic novel The House of Mirth

The world`s first great narrative history, Herodotus`s The Histories vividly describes how the Greeks - few in number, poor, and disunited - managed to repulse a massive invasion by the powerful Persian army in the 5th century B.C.