Honor Book for the 2005 Book Award given by the Children's Literature Association The popularity of the Harry Potter books among adults and the critical acclaim these young adult fantasies have received may seem like a novel literary phenomenon. In the nineteenth century, however, readers considered both Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn as works of literature equally for children and adults; only later was the former relegated to the category of "boys' books" while the latter, even as it was canonized, came frequently to be regarded as unsuitable for young readers. Adults—women and men—wept over Little Women. And America's most prestigious literary journals regularly reviewed books written for both children and their parents. This egalitarian approach to children's literature changed with the emergence of literary studies as a scholarly discipline at the turn of the twentieth century. Academics considered children's books an inferior literature and beneath serious consideration. In Kiddie Lit, Beverly Lyon Clark explores the marginalization of children's literature in America—and its recent possible reintegration—both within the academy and by the mainstream critical establishment. Tracing the reception of works by Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, Lewis Carroll, Frances Hodgson Burnett, L. Frank Baum, Walt Disney, and J. K. Rowling, Clark reveals fundamental shifts in the assessment of the literary worth of books beloved by both children and adults, whether written for boys or girls. While uncovering the institutional underpinnings of this transition, Clark also attributes it to changing American attitudes toward childhood itself, a cultural resistance to the intrinsic value of childhood expressed through sentimentality, condescension, and moralizing. Clark's engaging and enlightening study of the critical disregard for children's books since the end of the nineteenth century—which draws on recent scholarship in gender, cultural, and literary studies— offers provocative new insights into the history of both children's literature and American literature in general, and forcefully argues that the books our children read and love demand greater respect.
After her father's death, Olivia Drummond accepted her uncle's invitation to return to Dunmoore, where she spent her childhood summers. But the castle had become a crumbling shell, and the chivalrous prince--her cousin Alex--was a brooding, tormented stranger. A paralyzing fear enveloped Olivia--fear that she was a helpless pawn in a secret conspiracy... Original Gothic suspense.
Elizabeth's charming husband became a brooding stranger when they returned to Dunwick, and she was left to contend with the ghostly legacy of Michael's first wife. Haunted by the banshee's cry, plagued by mysterious accidents, Elizabeth began to wonder if she was to die at her beloved's hands!
Now in paperback, the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of J Edgar Hoover deemed "Masterful…an enduring, formidable accomplishment, a monument to the power of biography [that] now becomes the definitive work”by The Washington Post (and everywhere else) "Revelatory...an acknowledgment of the complexities that made Hoover who he was, while charging the turbulent currents that eventually swept him aside."—The New York Times G-Man is the groundbreaking portrait of a colossus who dominated half a century of American history and planted the seeds for much of today’s conservative political landscape. Hoover transformed a scandal-riddled law-enforcement backwater, into a modern machine—one just as oppressive as it was promising. He rose to power and then stayed there, decade after decade, using the tools of the state to create a personal fiefdom unrivaled in U.S. history. Beverly Gage’s monumental work explores the full sweep of Hoover’s life and career, from his birth in 1895 to a modest Washington civil-service family to a strongarm for white supremacists and the politicized Christian right, serving eight presidents. G-Man places Hoover back where he once stood in American political history--not at the fringes, but at the center--and uses his story to explain the trajectories of governance, policing, race, ideology, political culture, and federal power as they evolved over the course of the 20th century. “[A] crisply written, prodigiously researched, and frequently astonishing new biography”—The New Yorker “Gage’s penetrating account of Hoover’s career, especially his many long-eclipsed triumphs, offers a well-timed and sobering perspective as yet another institution in our fractured country struggles to maintain trust.” -The Atlantic “Gage’s triumph is her deft navigation through Hoover’s 'deep state,' while reminding us of the abuse of power that remains his enduring legacy.”—The Boston Globe
A spectacular Gothic from the bestselling author of Lost Ladies of the Windswept Moor. As an orphan, Jennifer Hardwicke spent her childhood with a poor mining family, never knowing she was heir to Wyndcliffe Manor. And when she learns of her inheritance, Jennifer travels to the shadowy estate only to be confronted by bitter relatives--and overcome by a sense of impending doom.
Widowed on her wedding night, young Eden Hatfield soon realizes that someone wants her out of the castle--and preferably dead. Even the comforting presence of handsome Garth Striker, who offers more than friendship, cannot keep her from wondering if she will ever leave this loathsome place alive. Original Regency Romance.
This new revised and updated edition is the ultimate buyer's/seller's/user's guide for American automobiles manufactured from 1805 to 1942. With more than 5,000 photos and histories of cars and their companies written by one of America's most respected automotive historians, this is the most extensive automobile reference available.
Despite warnings, Janet Clarissa Clarke went to Cheviot Chase to restore Lord Rathbone's priceless collection of paintings. But even though she was instantly drawn to the enigmatic lord, she soon sensed a foreboding of evil--and became caught in a nightmare of danger.
A classic Gothic gem by the author of The Lost Locket of Windbrace Hall. As soon as she arrives on remote Harrow Island, shy Megan Cooper regrets an swering the ad for the position of secretary to Lord Ambrose Hawkins. Soon, strange and terrifying things begin to happen, as Megan is drawn into a web of evil intrigue, from which there is no escape.
24-year-old Laura Bickford, recovering from a sad love affair, tries to bury herself in her work, but finds that her emotions are becoming entangled by the presence of a mysterious man.
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