This story examines Peer's yearning for knowledge. In this novel, Peer is shoved around from foster home to foster home. Interestingly, Peer exemplifies immense tenacity in conquering his social and economic circumstances. An encounter with his birth father, a man of highly regarded military rank and wealth, brings hope by agreeing to provide sufficient funds regularly to ensure Peer's social advancement. However, following his father's unexpected death, the estate's legal heirs severed all financial ties to him. He decides to commit himself to the goal of education, despite the pitifully small funds available to him through his labor, and even invites his impoverished half-sister, Louise, to live with him in his home, which is little more than a hovel. Will Peer achieve his goal?

De ondergang der Eerste Wareld by Willem Bilderdijk is a rare manuscript, the original residing in some of the great libraries of the world. This book is a reproduction of that original, typed out and formatted to perfection, allowing new generations to enjoy the work. Publishers of the Valley's mission is to bring long out of print manuscripts back to life.

Georg Ebers was one of the 19th century's most famous Egyptologists, and his knowledge of Ancient Egypt helped him write popular historical novels which were full of the mysterious intrigue that people attached to the Egyptians at the time.

Der Dunkelgraf by Ludwig Bechstein