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The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit. The Story of the Treasure Seekers is a novel by E. Nesbit first published in 1899. It tells the story of Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel, and Horace Octavius (H. O.) Bastable, and their attempts to assist their widowed father and recover the fortunes of their family. The novel's complete name is The Story of the Treasure Seekers: Being the Adventures of the Bastable Children in Search of a Fortune. The original edition included illustrations by H. R. Millar. The Puffin edition (1958) was illustrated by Cecil Leslie. Its sequels are The ...

Tarot. Tarot, first known as trionfi and later as tarocchi or tarocks) is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the mid-15th century, the tarot was used to play trick-taking card games such as Tarocchini. From their Italian roots, tarot games spread to most of Europe, evolving into new forms including German Grosstarok and modern examples such as French Tarot and Austrian Königrufen. Tarot is commonly found in many countries, especially in English- and Spanish-speaking countries where tarot games are not as widely played, in the ...

Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini. Scaramouche is a romantic adventure and tells the story of a young aristocrat during the French Revolution. His successive endeavors as a lawyer, politician, actor, lover, and buffoon lead his enemies to call him "Scaramouche" (also called Scaramuccia, a roguish character in the commedia dell'arte), but he impresses many with his elegant orations and precision swordsmanship. The later film version includes one of the longest, and many believe, best swashbuckling sword-fighting scenes ever filmed. The novel has a memorable start (Book I: The Robe, Chapter I, ...

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson that tells the story of pirates, treasure maps, and mutiny. Published as a novel in 1883, the story was originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881 and 1882, credited to the pseudonym "Captain George North.” Known for its atmosphere, characters, and action, Treasure Island introduced elements now standard in pirate tales, such as maps marked with an "X" and one-legged buccaneers sporting parrots on their shoulders. It is also recognized as...

Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter. "Pollyanna," a novel by Eleanor H. Porter published in 1913, tells the story of an optimistic orphaned girl who comes to live with her austere Aunt Polly Harrington. The narrative revolves around Pollyanna's unyielding cheerfulness and her creation of the "Glad Game," a practice of finding something to be glad about in any situation. Despite Aunt Polly's disapproval and a challenging living environment in an uncomfortable attic room, Pollyanna's bright spirit gradually wins over the hearts of those around her, including the reclusive gentleman John Pendleton ...

Scammers and Con Artists. The history of scammers and con artists dates back to antiquity, evolving from simple maritime insurance fraud in 300 BC to today's highly sophisticated global cyber schemes. While their methods have advanced alongside technology, the fundamental psychology of the con—exploiting greed, desperation, and human trust—remains unchanged. 1 - Antiquity to the Middle Ages: Early Swindles. - 300 BC (Insurance Fraud): The earliest recorded scam involved a Greek sea merchant named Hegestratos, who took out a large bottomry loan (marine insurance), sank his empty ...

Notable Impostors. Notable impostors are real-life historical figures and con artists who achieved infamy by assuming fake identities, orchestrating elaborate hoaxes, or successfully impersonating professionals, royalty, and heirs to deceive society. A breakdown of history's most famous impostors includes: - Ferdinand Waldo Demara ("The Great Impostor"): An American serial impostor who successfully masqueraded as a civil engineer, a monk, a sheriff's deputy, and a trauma surgeon—successfully performing major surgeries during the Korean War without any medical training. - Frank ...

Beowulf by Anonymous. Beowulf is an Old English poem, an epic in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines, contained in the Nowell Codex. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars; the only certain dating is for the manuscript, which was produced between AD 975 and 1025. Scholars call the anonymous author the "Beowulf poet". The story is set in pagan Scandinavia in the 5th and 6th centuries. Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of ...

The Window at the White Cat by Mary Roberts Rinehart. "The Window at the White Cat" by Mary Roberts Rinehart is a detective novel written in the early 20th century. The story revolves around a lawyer, John Knox, who finds himself involved in a complex case when a young woman named Margery Fleming seeks his help to locate her missing father, Allan Fleming, a state treasurer. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that this case is intertwined with political intrigue and potential danger, as Margery fears for her father's safety amidst powerful adversaries. At the start of the novel, the ...

Emily Fox-Seton by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Have you ever wondered what happened to Cinderella after she married the prince? Have you ever asked yourself if it was really "happy ever after?" Actually, in this Victorian melodrama, it's not. 35-years-old Emily Fox-Seton, quite penniless and a little lonely, saves herself from becoming an old maid by agreeing to a marriage proposal from the marquess of Walderhurst, thus becoming "one of the richest Marchionesses in England". She is naïve, kind and good. She doesn't believe that people are really willing to hurt her, but why are all these ...

The Mystery of Mary by Grace Livingston Hill. Handsome young Tryon Dunham has just returned home on the train from a business trip one evening when he's accosted by a beautiful young woman at the station. She's terrified that she's being followed and asks Dunham if she may walk with him away from the station. Her manner and appearance are those of a well-dressed and well-bred lady. However, she refuses to tell Tryon her real name or why she is running away. He feels a responsibility for her and arranges for her to accompany him to a dinner party where she delights everyone there with her ...

The Doctor's Wife by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. This is one of the Victorian “Sensationist” Mary Elizabeth Braddon's many novels (best known among them: “Lady Audley’s Secret”). It is extremely well written, fluid, humorous and, in places, self-mocking: one of the main characters is a Sensation Author. The motifs of the-woman-with-a-secret, adultery, and death are classic “sensationist” material. Yet this is also a self-consciously serious work of literature, taking on various social themes of the day. Specifically, Braddon presents the psychological struggle and cognitive ...

The Broad Highway by John Jeffery Farnol. Peter Vibart is expected to inherit the fortune and title of his uncle but will only inherit if he marries Lady Sophia, the toast of the town. His cousin, Maurice Vibart (whom Peter has never met) has the same option but he has been in London and with Sophia for a whole season. Peter has never been ambitious so packs a knapsack and travels as far from London as he can. On his journey, he meets a huge range of people, all of who try to see what they can get out of him. This includes his cousin. Luckily, he is resourceful and sensible and manages to ...

Slavery. Slavery is a socioeconomic institution in which individuals are treated as property, deprived of personal liberty, and compelled to provide unpaid labor or services to owners under coercion, often involving violence or the threat thereof, with the legal right to buy, sell, inherit, or punish the enslaved. This practice, rooted in the exercise of power over war captives, debtors, or conquered peoples, has manifested across diverse forms—from chattel systems denying all autonomy to debt bondage retaining nominal freedoms—but consistently entails the owner's absolute control over ...

The Absentee by Maria Edgeworth. Published in 1812, “The Absentee” by Maria Edgeworth examines social injustice in 19th-century Britain. At that time, the management of many Irish estates suffered from the absenteeism of their Anglo-Irish landlords. We meet Lord and Lady Clonbrony. Lord Clonbrony struggles with debt, while Lady Clonbrony tries to shed her Irish connections and earn status in London’s high society (known as “the ton.”) Meanwhile, their son, Lord Colambre, is wary of the entanglements of that society and escapes to the family estate in Ireland, where he discovers ...

Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson. Set in Old California in the wake of the Mexican-American War, Ramona is two stories at once. It is the story of the love between a part-Native American orphan girl, Ramona, and Alessandro, a young Indian sheepherder. It is also the story of racial prejudice and the clash between cultures as California changes from a Spanish colony to an American territory. Ramona is the ward of Señora Gonzaga Moreno, who despises the girl for her race but honors the dying wish of the Señora's sister, Ramona's foster-mother, to raise her as her own. Señora Moreno embodies the...

Chance by Joseph Conrad. "You are the expert in the psychological wilderness," the nominal narrator of this engaging tale says at one point to Marlow, who in practice serves as this novel's chief discoverer of hidden events, and commentator on the vagaries of human behaviour. In "Chance", these are notable chiefly in the actions of various parties — some well-meaning, some blinded by their own lofty idealism, and others frankly exploitative — who in various ways meddle in the fate of Flora de Barrall, an innocent young woman who just happens to be the only child of a fascinatingly bland ...

Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement that rose to prominence in early-20th-century Europe. Fascism is characterized by support for a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the perceived interest of the nation or race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy. Opposed to communism, democracy, liberalism, pluralism, and socialism, fascism is at the far-right of the traditional left–right spectrum. ...

Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott. "Rose in Bloom" by Louisa May Alcott is a novel published in 1876. This sequel to "Eight Cousins" follows Rose Campbell as she returns from Europe and navigates nineteenth-century society. Determined to pursue philanthropy and maintain her independence, Rose must contend with family expectations about marriage and fortune. As her cousins vie for her attention and her adopted companion Phebe seeks to prove herself, Rose faces questions about love, social class, and what truly matters in choosing a life partner.

Taoism. Taoism, also romanized as Daoism, is an indigenous Chinese tradition encompassing philosophy and organized religion, both oriented toward aligning human life with the Dao, the ineffable cosmic process and underlying reality of the universe. Originating in the 6th century BCE, it traces its foundational ideas to Laozi (Lao Tzu), a semi-legendary figure credited with authoring the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching), a concise text of aphorisms emphasizing simplicity, spontaneity, and the principle of wu wei—effortless action in accordance with natural rhythms rather than coercive ...