It’s already June, and while we didn’t beat the Corona Pandemic yet, at least the warmer weather should lift your mood. If not, join us on our world tour through Central Europe and Great Britain and Ireland with 10 gems from our catalog.
Nothing lies deeper in Central Europe than St. Peter, a little village high in the Swiss Alps. Its people depend on an ancient water pipeline, and when it needs repairing this time, Blatter Seppi is chosen for the dangerous task. Read An Heiligen Wassern by Jakob Heer to find out if Seppi succeeds.
Just like the Alps, England is filled with superstitions and ghost stories. Elliot O’Donnell has collected the best stories set in Some Haunted Houses of England and Wales and at the same time explores the history of these hotels, abbeys, farms, and mansions of nobility.
When Henry visits Catherine, the woman he loves, early on Valentine’s Day, he is just in time to witness her kidnapping. Apparently even the local gentry is interested in The Fair Maid of Perth… Find out if the two can resist the higher forces in the novel by Sir Walter Scott.
The attraction between George Dandin and Angelique was irresistable, so they got married. However, Angelique’s higher social status doesn’t make it easy, especially since their acquaintances don’t let them forget it in the comedy by Moliere. We also have an English version of this play.
Resistance is futile for a young Dutch clerk of average smarts when it comes to the ambitions of his wife. She is ready to pull all registers, legal and not-quite-so, to make him climb the ladder in the East-India Company. Paul Adriaan Daum tells the intriguiging story of Hoe hij raad van Indie werd.
The Dutch built their wealth on the back of their colonies, founded by countless explorers. But not every expedition was successful, and Hendrik van Loon describes some of the worst failures – often by experienced captains – in his Golden Book of the Dutch Navigators.
Undoubtedly one of the most successful politicians of the 19th century was Otto von Bismarck. He united the small German states under the rule of Kaiser Wilhelm and was known for his power diplomacy in- and outside of Germany. The biography by Georges Lacour-Gayet containes many quotes by the man himself.
A more subtle influence on his surroundings had Viennese Boheme-poet Otfried Krzyzanowski. Although well-kown in literary circles of his time, he starved to death in 1918. Unser täglich Gift, a collection of 41 of his poems, was published posthumously by his friends.
French novelist and writer George Sand on the other hand was already famous during her life time. 16 of her short stories and novellas, united by a rural setting or feeling, are collected in Legendes rustiques.
The Fate of Fenella is maybe best described as sensational Victorian novel. It was written by 24 authors from Great Britain and Ireland. The story moves from England to France and other countries and provides plenty of comic relief for hard times like these.
Enjoy our stories from the heart of Europe and stay healthy and safe!