I always wanted to write a book where I call the general populace a bunch of limp dicks and desiccated pussies; however, my editor refused to publish anything so honest. Luckily, I am the master of work-arounds. So, in the guise of modeling hard-dickitude and wet-pussiness, I managed to trick my editor into publishing this memoir by concealing my recriminations inside stories. Follow me as I take Kerouac's On the Road beneath a table. Oddly enough, there were nearly as many drug dealers, sexpots, and weirdoes in an "empty" room at a reception hall as there were if you had hitchhiked across America in the late 1940s. While hiding from both management and low-lifes alike, I secreted myself behind the white shroud of a skirted table. Beneath this table, I found friendship, love and a workable philosophy on how to live life. Lying prone beneath a rectangular skirted table, I learned, ironically enough, how to think outside the box. Also, I've never actually had an editor.

The ancient form of the animal fable, in which the characteristics of humans and animals are playfully and educationally intertwined, took on a wholly new meaning after Darwin's theory of evolution changed forever the relationship between humans and animals. In this original study, Chris Danta provides an important and original account of how the fable was adopted and re-adapted by nineteenth- and twentieth-century authors to challenge traditional views of species hierarchy. The rise of the biological sciences in the second half of the nineteenth century provided literary writers such as Robert Louis Stevenson, H. G. Wells, Franz Kafka, Angela Carter and J. M. Coetzee with new material for the fable. By interrogating the form of the fable, and through it the idea of human exceptionalism, writers asked new questions about the place of the human in relation to its biological milieu.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A stunning “portrait of the enduring grace of friendship” (NPR) about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. A masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century. NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • MAN BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST • WINNER OF THE KIRKUS PRIZE A Little Life follows four college classmates—broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition—as they move to New York in search of fame and fortune. While their relationships, which are tinged by addiction, success, and pride, deepen over the decades, the men are held together by their devotion to the brilliant, enigmatic Jude, a man scarred by an unspeakable childhood trauma. A hymn to brotherly bonds and a masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century, Hanya Yanagihara’s stunning novel is about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. Look for Hanya Yanagihara’s latest bestselling novel, To Paradise.

Supernatural Mysteries: 60+ Horror Tales, Ghost Stories & Murder Mysteries is a compelling anthology that traverses the murky waters of the unknown, the supernatural, and the macabre. Through an eclectic gathering of stories ranging from haunting ghost tales to gripping murder mysteries, this collection showcases a diverse array of literary styles. From the gothic suspense of Edgar Allan Poe to the psychological terror of Henry James, and the adventurism of Arthur Conan Doyle, each piece contributes to a rich fabric of existential inquiry and exploration of the human psyche in confrontation with the supernatural. The anthology not only provides a panoramic view of the evolution of horror and mystery in literature but also highlights pivotal works that have defined and transcended the genre. The contributing authors and editors bring together a historical and cultural tapestry that spans several centuries. Including luminaries such as Mark Twain, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Anton Chekhov, the collection draws on the personal, the societal, and the universal fears that have plagued humanity. These authors, many of whom were contemporaries, contributed significantly to their respective genres, influencing not just literary movements but also the collective human consciousness towards the supernatural and the unknown. Their collective works within this anthology illustrate the diversity of approaches to evoking dread, suspense, and intrigue, proving the timeless appeal and cultural significance of supernatural mysteries. Supernatural Mysteries: 60+ Horror Tales, Ghost Stories & Murder Mysteries is an indispensable collection for enthusiasts of the genre and scholars alike. It offers readers a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the depths of human imagination, fear, and curiosity through stories that span the spectral to the corporeal. This anthology not merely entertains but educates, urging its audience to explore the myriad ways in which literature mirrors, questions, and seeks to understand the unknown. For anyone keen on navigating the shadowy realms that lie at the fringes of reality and fiction, this volume serves as both a map and a compass, inviting a deep, introspective journey into the heart of supernatural literature.

Musaicum Books presents to you this unique collection, designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Content: Detective Stories: The Purloined Letter (Edgar Allan Poe) A Scandal in Bohemia (A. Conan Doyle) The Biter Bit (Wilkie Collins) The Safety Match (Anton Chekhov) The Black Hand (Arthur B. Reeve) Missing: Page Thirteen (Anna Katherine Green) Some Scotland Yard Cases (Sir Robert Anderson) The Rope of Fear (Thomas W. Hanshew and Mary E. Hanshew) Suspense Stories: The Birth Mark (Nathaniel Hawthorne) The Oblong Box (Edgar Allan Poe) A Terribly Strange Bed (Wilkie Collins) The Torture by Hope (Villiers de l'Isle Adam) The Mysterious Card (Cleveland Moffett) The Box with the Iron Clamps (Florence Marryat) My Fascinating Friend (William Archer) The Lost Room (Fitz-James O'Brien) The Great Valdez Sapphire (Anonymous) Ghost Stories: Thrawn Janet (Robert Louis Stevenson) The Horla (Guy de Maupassant) To Sura: A Letter (Pliny the Younger) The Beast with Five Fingers (William F. Harvey) Number 13 (Montague Rhodes James) Joseph: A Story (Katherine Rickford) Sister Maddelena (Ralph Adams Cram) The Man Who Went Too Far (E.F. Benson) The Phantom Rickshaw (Rudyard Kipling) The Apparition of Mrs. Veal (Daniel Defoe) Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book (M. R. James) The Haunted and the Haunters (Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton) The Silent Woman (Leopold Kompert) The Rival Ghosts (Brander Matthews) The Damned Thing (Ambrose Bierce) The Interval (Vincent O'Sullivan) Dey Ain't No Ghosts (Ellis Parker Butler) The Banshees of Ireland Some Real American Ghosts The Deserted House (E. T. A. Hoffmann) The Withered Arm (Thomas Hardy) The House and the Brain (Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton) The Roll-Call of the Reef (A. T. Quiller-Couch) The Open Door (Mrs. Margaret Oliphant) The Mysterious Sketch (Erckmann-Chatrian) Green Branches (Fiona Macleod) The Were-Wolf (H. B. Marryatt) Clarimonde (Théophile Gautier) Paranormal Psychic Stories