Books: What to Know
Classic Stories Without the Homework
The plot, the people, the point and the ending — then the Boovie film, where there is one.
The library
1,001 classics
The story in one page
The Inspector-General
A stranded traveler is mistaken for a government inspector, so he lets the corrupt local officials pay his bills.
Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol · play
In the library
The Iphigenia in Tauris of Euripides
Euripides · play
In the library
The Journal to Eliza and Various letters by Laurence Sterne and Elizabeth Draper
Laurence Sterne · ideas
In the library
The King James Bible
ideas
In the library
The King James Version of the Bible
collection
In the library
The Last Days of Pompeii
Edward Bulwer Lytton Baron Lytton · novel
In the library
The Last Poems of Ovid
Ovid · poetry
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The Lay of Havelok the Dane
Frederic Madden · poetry
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The Lay of the Cid
R. Selden Rose · poetry
In the library
The Legend of the Glorious Adventures of Tyl Ulenspiegel in the land of Flanders and elsewhere
Charles de Coster · myth
In the library
The Life and Adventures of Guzman D'Alfarache, or the Spanish Rogue, vol. 1/3
Mateo Alemán · novel
In the library
The Life and Adventures of Guzman D'Alfarache, or the Spanish Rogue, vol. 3/3
Mateo Alemán · novel
The story in one page
The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe
A shipwrecked man spends three decades building a personal kingdom out of goatskin, salvaged planks, and solitary prayer.
Daniel Defoe · novel
In the library
The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1808)
Daniel Defoe · novel
In the library
The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner, Volume 1
Daniel Defoe · novel
In the library
The Life and Death of Doctor Faustus Made into a Farce
William Mountfort · play
In the library
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)
Daniel Defoe · novel
The story in one page
The life and opinions of Tristram Shandy, gentleman
A man tries to explain his life and spends four volumes on his conception instead.
Laurence Sterne · novel
The story in one page
The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes
A resourceful boy survives a series of terrible masters through petty theft, clever lies, and the occasional flying leap.
Clements R. Sir Markham · novel
In the library
The Life of Lazarillo of Tormes: His Fortunes and Misfortunes as Told by Himself
Juan de Luna · novel
The story in one page
The Little Clay Cart [Mṛcchakaṭika]
A courtesan loses her jewelry, a Brahman loses his wealth, and a small clay toy becomes the pivot for a revolution.
Sūdraka · collection
The story in one page
The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers
A catalog of Greek thinkers, covering their world-changing theories, their embarrassing habits, and the exact lists of every book they wrote.
Diogenes Laertius · biography
In the library
The love letters of Abelard and Heloise
Peter Abelard · ideas
The story in one page
The Lusiad; Or, The Discovery of India, an Epic Poem
A Portuguese explorer braves unmapped oceans, jealous gods, and hostile merchants to trade pepper for national glory.
Luís de Camões · myth
In the library
The Lyrical Dramas of Aeschylus Translated into English Verse
Aeschylus · play
The story in one page
The Mabinogion
A giant king crosses a sea on foot while his sister’s wedding feast is ruined by a very angry brother.
Charlotte Lady Schreiber · myth
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The Mad Lover, a Tragi-Comedy
Francis Beaumont · play
In the library
The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1
Kisari Mohan Ganguli · collection
The story in one page
The Maid of Orleans: A Tragedy
A peasant girl saves the French crown, then tries to survive being a holy icon.
Friedrich Schiller · play
In the library
The Maids Tragedy
Francis Beaumont · play
The story in one page
The Mayor of Casterbridge
A husband auctions his family for five guineas. Eighteen years later, the bill finally comes due.
Thomas Hardy · novel
In the library
The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
Emperor of Rome Marcus Aurelius · ideas
In the library
The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Volume 17: Return to Italy
Giacomo Casanova · biography
The story in one page
The Memorabilia
A retired general lists every time his old teacher was actually a useful, law-abiding, and deeply pious citizen.
Xenophon · biography
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The Memorable Thoughts of Socrates
Xenophon · ideas
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The Mentor: Walter Scott, Vol. 4, Num. 15, Serial No. 115, September 15, 1916
Hamilton Wright Mabie · biography
The story in one page
The Merchant of Venice
A lender demands a pound of flesh. The debtor finds a very messy loophole.
William Shakespeare · play
The story in one page
The Metamorphoses of Ovid, Books I-VII
Gods pursue nymphs, heroes sail for gold, and humans turn into trees, birds, or stars at the slightest divine whim.
Ovid · poetry
In the library
The Metamorphoses of Ovid, Books VIII-XV
Ovid · myth
In the library
The Metamorphoses of Publius Ovidus Naso in English blank verse Vols. I & II
Ovid · poetry
In the library
The Middle English Poem, Erthe Upon Erthe
Hilda M. R. Murray · poetry
In the library
The Middle-Class Gentleman
Molière · play
In the library
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 10, No. 280, October 27, 1827
periodical
In the library
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 10, No. 283, November 17, 1827
periodical
In the library
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 12, No. 338, November 1, 1828
periodical
In the library
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 12, No. 345, December 6, 1828
periodical
In the library
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 12, No. 347, December 20, 1828
periodical
In the library
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 13, No. 357, February 21, 1829
periodical