A satire where a an ambassador, representing American materialism, takes up residence in a reputedly haunted house while serving at the Court of St. James.

Winner of the 1919 Pulitzer Prize.

Henry Adams was the grandson of the American President John Quincy Adams and great-grandson of President and Founding Father John Adams. In early old age he began recording his personal struggle to come to terms with his view of the coming twentieth century.

Lily Bart, a New York socialite tries to find a suitably rich husband.

A story of the wrongdoings of one generation echoing through the lives of successive descendants. The book served as inspiration or influence for some of H. P. Lovecraft's stories.

Hawthorne's final collection of short stories.

Edgar Allan Poe reviewed this collection of short stories and said: "The style of Hawthorne is purity itself. His tone is singularly effective -- wild, plaintive, thoughtful, and in full accordance with his themes." He concluded that, "we look upon him as one of the few men of indisputable genius to whom our country has as yet given birth."

"The book is titled Blind Shrike. It's not a rotten book, I think. In fact, it's a pretty traditional fantasy quest, just one that, to me, makes sense in George W. Bush's America. The hero of the story is on a quest for his own lost ignorance and innocence. He really doesn't want to know too much because, as many of us have learned, too much information is a soul-sucking pain in the ass. In the book you'll also find magic and monsters, angels and demons, magical swords and forbidden books. And blimps. Every fantasy novel should have at least one blimp." -- Richard Kadrey