LBE Editions

Dorothy Gale's life is turned upside-down when a cyclone carries her off from Kansas, along with her little dog Toto, and drops her into the magical land of Oz. The only way for her to get back to her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry is to follow the yellow brick road, to seek help from the great and powerful Wizard of Oz in Emerald City. Along the way she befriends a Scarecrow, a Tin Woodman, and a Cowardly Lion. Each has a quest to fulfill: the Scarecrow longs to have a brain instead of a head full of straw; the Tin Woodman wishes for a heart to allow him to love; the Cowardly Lion wishes for courage; and Dorothy wants to find her way home. The yellow brick road to the Emerald City is long, and there will be many adventures and perils along the way. Will the Wizard of Oz help them each find what they are seeking? An instant success when it was first published in 1900, the Wizard of Oz has been adapted into plays, musicals and films, and inspired a retelling in the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire, also adapted into a musical and a film. Over a century later, the Wizard of Oz is one of the best-known stories in American literature, and the Library of Congress has declared it "America's greatest and best-loved homegrown fairytale". This carefully prepared edition contains the complete text of this classic story of friendship and kindness.

"On the 24th of February, 1815, the watch-tower of Notre-Dame de la Garde signaled the three-master, the Pharaon, from Smyrna, Trieste, and Naples. As usual, a pilot put off immediately, and, rounding the Château d'If, got on board the vessel between Cape Morgion and the Isle of Rion. Immediately, and as usual, the platform of Fort Saint Jean was covered with lookers-on; it is always a great event at Marseilles for a ship to come into port, especially when this ship, like the Pharaon, had been built, rigged, and laden on the stocks of the old Phocoea, and belonged to an owner of the city. The ship drew on; she had safely passed the strait which some volcanic shock has made between the Isle of Calasareigne and the Isle of Jaros; had doubled Pomègue, and approached the harbor under topsails, jib, and foresail, but so slowly, and in so cheerless a manner, that the idlers, with that instinct which foresees misfortune, asked one another what accident could have happened on board." Life is smiling on young officer Edmond Dantès; a promotion to captain means he can marry his fiancée, the beautiful Mercédès, and help his aging father. But his dreams of a bright future are brutally destroyed by the vile scheme of a few jealous "friends": on his wedding day he is arrested on a false accusation of treason and thrown into the dungeon of the Château d'If, where he will remain locked up for fourteen years. He is saved from despair by the friendship of another prisoner, Father Faria, who bequeaths him not only an education but also a hidden treasure... When he escapes at last he vows to use his new fortune to seek revenge on those who wronged him. An immense saga of betrayal and revenge, inspired by a true story, The Count of Monte Cristo is one of Dumas' best-known novels. First published in serial form from 1844, this translation was published in 1888. This carefully prepared edition contains the complete texte of all five volumes.

"To Those Who Appreciate Wistaria and Sunshine:" strikingly evocative words in the gloom of a rainy February in London... In this delightful novel, four very different women, strangers united only by a profound dissatisfaction with their lives, leave behind the dreary end of a London winter to spend the month of April in a mediaeval castle in Italy. The exuberant beauty of the Italian coast in full bloom of spring has an unexpected and powerful effect, reawakening their capacity for hope and joy. Love and friendship soon transform each of them in unexpected ways... Elizabeth von Arnim's sly wit and keen, subtly feminist observations give this story its charm, made irresistible by the underlying warmth and humanity. Born Mary Annette Beauchamp in 1866 in Australia, von Arnim was an English novelist. Her books were originally published under the pseudonym "Elizabeth", a name she eventually adopted for personal use as well. The Enchanted April, published in 1922, is her most famous work and has inspired film and stage adaptations.