Mayer Alan Brenner's "The Dance of Gods" series was published by DAW Books in the 1990s. A witty and intelligent science / fantasy crossover, Pratchett meets Zelazny meets Douglas Adams, it also prefigures Charles Stross in interesting ways. The series follows a cluster of raffish characters through overlapping and colliding story lines in a wonderfully realized world.

"The humour was never farcical, always intelligent, but there was a certain madcap, slyness to it which I haven't experienced in fantasy for quite a while. Some scenes had me laughing out loud -- not good when traveling with a bunch of strangers, but a perfect remedy to Life..." -- The Book Swede

An heroic epic poem where Beowulf, a hero of a Germanic tribe from southern Sweden, travels to Denmark to help defeat a monster named Grendel. It is sometimes called "England's national epic". J. R. R. Tolkien of Lord of the Rings fame was a Beowulf scholar and many parallels can also be drawn between Beowulf and The Hobbit. The work has served as the inspiration for many books and films including Michael Crichton's Eaters of the Dead.

1872 Best Seller.

In his day E. P. Roe was a bigger seller than Mark Twain.

A story of the Chicago fire.

"We accord a hearty commendation to this work. The narrative is vigorous, often intense, but rarely if ever melodramatic. Its language is usually no less chaste than forcible and impressive. It betrays a power of invention and description which is not met with every day in the best of writers of popular fiction." -- Dr. Ripley, in the New York Tribune (contemporary review)

1894 Best Seller.

A fictionalised 'autobiography' of the true story of a dog named 'Beautiful Joe'. Joe's abusive original owner savagely mistreated him. The book became very popular and greatly contributed to the worldwide awareness of animal cruelty.

1895 Best Seller.

Sketches of rural Scottish life based on the authors experiences as a minister in Perthshire.

1899 Best Seller.

A novel full of wonderful character sketches. David Harum, a dry and somewhat excentric country banker, tells of a young man from a well to do family who finds himself in the small town of Homeville and begins a romance with a young lady.

1863 Best Seller.

Whitney was an opponent of women's suffrage, although in keeping with her philosophy she took no part in public life. Her message of then merely conservative values meant that her books sold very well to the parents of girls.