Empire Books

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is one of the author's briefest but most cherished works. The novella shares the story of the miser Ebenezer Scrooge, freed from slavery to his own petty greed. The...

Mark Twain's humorous tale of a Connecticut factory supervisor being transported back in time to the days of Camelot is a classic example of the author's double-edged wit. Hank Morgan falls...

Elnora Comstock grows up on the banks of Limberlost Swamp in Indiana with her bitter mother, Katharine. Unable to afford an education, Elnora develops a plan to sell artifacts and moths from the...

A progenitor of science fiction, the works of Jules have been adapted to film countless times. One of Verne's most familiar and extraordinary tales, A Journey to the Centre of the Earth takes readers...

Hermia refuses to marry Demetrius because she loves Lysander, and her friend Helena loves Demetrius. The romantic confusion thickens when Puck - a troublesome sprite - interferes. Shakespeare's...

Having sustained an injury to his shoulder, Dr. John Watson has just returned from the Anglo-Afghan War. He needs a place to live, and Sherlock Holmes is looking for a flat-mate. Thus begins the...

Charles Dickens' fictionalized narrative of the French Revolution takes place in London and Paris, the "two cities" of the title. While Dickens abandons much of the whimsicality which serves as his...

Herodotus tells of a slave named Aesop who wrote fables in 5th century BCE Greece. Socrates is said to have spent some of his time in jail versifying Aesop's fables. From "The Tortoise and the Hare"...

In 1865, Charles Lutwidge Dodson composed a fantasy tale for a trio of young sisters. His creative genius and childlike ability to imagine a universe like no other took form in one of the most...

In this early 20th century novella, Ayn Rand creates a dystopian society that emphasizes government control over all elements of a civilization - and complete conformity of the people within it...

Around the World in Eighty Days is one of the most highly acclaimed works by the prolific adventure and science fiction novelist Jules Verne. Phileas Fogg, a highly precise man who religiously...

Autobiography of a Yogi is an eloquently written story of an extraordinary life and an inspiring meditation on the art of yoga. Written decades ago, this poignant autobiography still has ample vigor...

"Best Russian Short Stories" was initially published in 1917 and edited by Thomas Seltzer. The introduction praises the Russian sensibility for its "simplicity, naturalness, veraciousness." A...

The "Boy Scout Handbook" is a manual providing information about camping, signs and signaling, Scouting games, and more. The original edition of the guide owes much to Baden-Powell's "Scouting for...

There is no question that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one of the most popular styles of martial arts, due to its effectiveness in real combat. The author, Master Gerson Sanginitto, has spent decades...

This definitive book features all the intricacies and details of the choking techniques of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Authored by one of the most reputable masters of the art in the United States, Renato...

There are two things that make a champion-ability and know how. Mike Swain, world champion and one of the most sought-after instructors in the world, will teach you all of the necessary skills to...

Sparked by Thoreau's outrage at American slavery and the American-Mexican war, Civil Disobedience is a call for every citizen to value his conscience above his government. Within this 19th century...

Each generation produces only a handful of great fighters, and Mike Swain and Chuck Jefferson are with- out doubt two of the finest of this gen- eration. In this volume, the authors show the...

Sam Watkins joined the First Tennessee Regiment in 1861, fighting against the Yankees until the Confederacy surrendered in 1865, one of the few surviving men from his original company. Decades later,...

The methods of the world's greatest karate fighters have been gathered together into this incredible volume to demonstrate the most closely-guarded secrets of sport competition, bare-knuckle...

The spiritual life of human-kind follows the shape of a pyramid, occasionally rising to an apex of spiritual perception when an artist of genius comes forward to lead the way, and sinking to the...

Owing heavily to the styles of Plato and Socrates, Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy is a deep investigation into the nature of wisdom and the physical world. Making use of fiction, dialogue, and...

Mary Smith and her friends live in Cranford, a town predominantly inhabited by women. The return of a long-lost brother named Peter is the most dramatic event to occur over the course of the sixteen...

This collection of stories includes tales about illness, despair, exile, and human brutality. The author himself compiled the selection. Held to be among the greatest writers of short-fiction,...

This classic play by renowned French dramatist Edmond Rostand portrays a fictionalized narrative of the life of another French playwright, Cyrano de Bergerac. Rostand's play, written in rhyming...

This poem and treatise from the sixteenth century Catholic mystic describes the soul's journey from its bodily form to its ultimate reunion with God, the Creator. St. John's riveting descriptions of...

A middle-class social climber named Chichikov embarks upon a journey to collect 'dead souls.' These 'dead souls' are in fact serfs who have died since the last census was taken-though dead, they have...

John Dewey's analysis and criticism of the educational philosophies of Plato and Jean-Jacques Rousseau culminate in his expansion upon the idea that the individual and society are inextricably...

Dreams have a meaning. Once we learn how to interpret them, we can begin to decipher their meaning. In "Dream Psychology", published in 1920, Freud demonstrates how the interpretation of dreams can...