Quality literature and poetry from the
1000 Good
Books List
This online catalog is made possible through an association with Amazon.com.
Clicking on the book cover will take you to Amazon’s information page about that
book. You can look at its price, availability, any discounts currently taken for that
title, reviews of the book, and other information, as well as order it if you decide to
purchase the book. You can even place books in your shopping cart and save them for
purchase at a later time. You can continue to add or delete books from your shopping cart
until you are satisfied with your order and ready to purchase. Clicking on your
browser’s “Back” button will bring you back to this catalog.
Sometimes books go out of print, or the publisher runs out of stock.
Any book not available from Amazon.com for any reason can be searched using AddAll.com, a book shopping site which will scan Amazon
as well as Barnes and Noble, Powell’s Books, Book Close Outs and many other new and
used book sites.
Still have questions? Ask
me!
IN ASSOCIATION
WITH
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Selected Poems
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Laurence Buell, editor
A nice anthology from Penguin Classics that
includes Longfellow’s famous poems that tell a story: The Courtship of Miles
Standish, Evangeline, The Song of Hiawatha, Tales of a Wayside Inn (one of which is Paul
Revere’s Ride); The Village Blacksmith, and The Wreck of the Hesperus. It also
includes such other favorites as The Children’s Hour, The Day is Done, The Psalm of
Life, and more. The introduction by Laurence Buell, furthermore, inlcudes a short
biography of Longfellow’s life (he was the most famous American of his time) and a
thoughtful discussion of Longfellow’s poetry.
American Tall Tales
Adrien Stoutenburg
Told by a poet with a poet’s ear for
the impact of words, the tall tales of eight American mavericks--Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill,
Stormalong, Mike Fink, Davy Crockett, Johnny Appleseed, John Henry, and Joe Magarac--come
together in the best treasury of American folklore available today. Three of the eight
were famous actual historical figures, who, through the years, have had many tall tales
spun about them: Davy Crockett, Mike Fink, and Johnny Appleseed. The other five are
fictional folklore heroes associated with the major 19th century American occupations.
Pecos Bill represented the cowboys, Paul Bunyan the lumberjacks, John Henry the railroad
workers, Captain Alfred Bulltop Stormalong the seamen, and Joe Magarac the steel mill
workers. A hardcover
edition is also available.
The Book of Three
Lloyd Alexander
The Book of Three is the first in a series of
five books chronicling the wonderful, wry, humorous, and bittersweet adventures of a
certain Assistant Pig-Keeper, Taran of Caer Dallben of the Land of Prydain. Prydain is the
old Welsh name for Britain, and Lloyd Alexander drew from Welsh mythology extensively for
this series. “This chronicle of the Land of Prydain is not a retelling or
retranslation of Welsh mythology. Prydain is not Wales--not entirely, at least. The
inspiration for it comes from that magnificent land and its legends; but, essentially,
Prydain is a country existing only in the imagination. A few of its inhabitants are drawn
from the ancient tales. Prince Gwydion, for example, is a “real” legendary
figure. Arawn, the dread Lord of Annuvin, comes from the Mabinogion, the classic
collection of Welsh legends, though in Prydain he is considerably more villanous. And
there is an authentic mythological basis for Arawn’s cauldron, Hen Wen the oracular
pig, the old enchanter Dallben, and others. However, Taran the Assistant Pig-Keeper, like
Eilonwy of the red-gold hair, was born in my own Prydain. It is a small land, yet it has
room enough for gallantry and humor; and even an Assistant Pig-Keeper there may cherish
certain dreams. The chronicle of Prydain is a fantasy. Such things never happen in real
life. Or do they? Most of us are called on to perform tasks far beyond what we believe we
can do. Our capabilities seldom match our aspirations, and we are often woefully
unprepared. To this extent, we are all Assistant Pig-Keepers at heart.” --the
author’s introduction. (Also in hardcover.)
Is it possible to love a series more than Narnia
or the Lord of the Rings? No? Well then,
this little set ranks right up with those giants. The other four books, in order, include:
The Black
Cauldron (hardcover),
The Castle of
Llyr (hardcover),
Taran
Wanderer (hardcover),
and The High
King (winner of the Newbery Medal - also in hardcover).
And heaven forbid the recent comparisons of this wonderful series to Harry
Potter--don’t believe a word of it!
The Annotated Alice
Lewis Carroll, illustrated by John Tenniel
This single-volume edition of Carroll’s
masterpieces, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking
Glass, contains the complete text of both works, all of the original John Tenniel
illustrations, and annotations that highlight the secret meanings, games, references,
parodies, and logic in Carroll’s children’s classic. Having said that, while Alice
should be required reading because of its place in our culture and society, it was our
least favorite of all the children’s classics that we have read. Read for yourself
and decide for yourself.
The Last of the Mohicans
James Fenimore Cooper
Set during the French and Indian War,
this is Cooper’s classic moving story of two sisters traveling through the wilderness
near Lake Champlain trying to join their father, the British commander of Fort William
Henry, and the disillusioned young man (who has severed all connections with a society
whose values he can no longer accept) who acts as their guide. The climax comes in a
tragic encounter between two rival Indians, Magwa and Uncas, the last of the Mohican
chiefs. Incidentally, Cooper was the first American literature writer. Living during the
colonial period of our country’s history, he had much first-hand knowledge of the
events and characterizations that figure in his stories. Other enjoyable Cooper stories
include: The
Spy and The
Deerslayer.
Johnny Tremain
Esther Forbes
This inspiring and exciting story of a young
silversmith’s apprentice who ends up hip-deep in the American Revolution is full of
edge-of-your-seat action, danger and tragedy. Johnny Tremain is caught up in a dramatic
involvement with James Otis, John Hancock, and John and Samuel Adams in the Boston Tea
Party and the Battle of Lexington. Winner of the prestigious Newbery Award in 1944,
“this is Esther Forbes at her brilliant best. She has drawn the character of Johnny
with such sympathy and insight that he may take his place with Jim Hawkins, Huck Finn and
other young immortals.” -- Book Week. Also in hardcover.
The Complete Tales of Uncle Remus
Joel Chandler Harris
It has been more than 75 years
since the first Uncle Remus book was published, and now for the first time all of the
delightful and inimitable tales of Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer B’ar, Brer Wolf, and
the others which Uncle Remus told to the little boy--and then to the little boy’s
little boy--are gathered together into one volume. All the animal tales from the original
eight books are here, along with the illustrations which originally accompanied them.
Enjoy favorites such as Tar Baby and Rabbit in the Briar Patch along with his lesser-known
but equally delightful and entertaining tales, told with wit and wisdom.
The Complete Tales of Washington Irving
Washington Irving, edited by Charles Neider
This short-story
collection by Washington Irving not only contains many of his well-known tales from The
Sketch Book (which made him internationally famous and allowed him to pursue a career
as an author) which include “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” “Rip van
Winkle,” and “The Devil and Tom Walker,” but also lovely selections from The
Alhambra, including “Legend of the Moor’s Legacy,”, “Legend of the
Three Beautiful Princesses,” and “Governer Manco and the Soldier;” and more
selections from Tales of a Traveler, The Knickerbocker History of New York, The
Conquest of Spain, and more -- all of his best tales and short stories from his
collected works. Not only was Washington Irving a rare master of the short story, he also
wrote critically acclaimed biographies of Christopher Columbus and George
Washington.
Where the Red Fern Grows
Wilson Rawls
“Author Wilson Rawls spent his
boyhood much like the character of this book, Billy Colman, roaming the Ozarks of
northeastern Oklahoma with his bluetick hound. A straightforward, shoot-from-the-hip
storyteller with a searingly honest voice, Rawls is well-loved for this powerful 1961
classic and the award-winning novel Summer of the
Monkeys. In Where the Red Fern Grows, Billy and his precious coonhound pups
romp relentlessly through the Ozarks, trying to “tree” the elusive raccoon. In
time, the inseparable trio wins the coveted gold cup in the annual coon-hunt contest,
captures the wily ghost coon, and bravely fights with a mountain lion. Then their victory
turns to tragedy ...” An unforgettable classic that belongs on every child’s
bookshelf. A hardcover
edition is also available.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Elizabeth George Speare
Set during the puritan era in the
Connecticut colony, an orphaned Kit comes to live with her aunt and uncle. Kit’s
independent ways make it difficult for her to fit in, but she befriends Nathaniel and
Widow Tupper, an old woman who lives alone at the edge of Blackbird Pond who is shunned by
the rest of the community because she is believed to be a witch. As Kit’s friendship
with the old woman grows, so does the townspeople’s suspicions. Not only is Kit
accused of being a witch, but the townspeople set out to bring in the Widow Tupper as well
.... This book, as all of Elizabeth George Speare’s books, is a real page-turner that
brings the puritan era to life for young readers. Winner of the Newbery Medal. A hardcover
edition is also available. Other excellent Elizabeth George Speare novels include The Sign of the
Beaver (set during colonial days), The Calico
Captive (set during the French and Indian War), and The Bronze Bow,
another Newbery Medal winner set in Palestine during the first century A.D.
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain
The life of a boy during 1830’s
America along the mighty Mississippi River is told with humor and insight in Mark
Twain’s most beloved novel. Tom gets into all sorts of hilarious mischief, but
underneath it all the nobility of his heart refuses to take the coward’s way out in
the end. This is also a strong story of the value of home and family. A hardcover
edition is also available. Other Mark Twain stories that we have enjoyed include The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn, A Connecticut
Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, and The Prince and
the Pauper.
Swiss Family Robinson
Johann Wyss
The Robinsons are a family who have been
shipwrecked on a wild and beautiful but deserted tropical island. They must remain strong
in their faith, trusting God to protect them as they encounter all kinds of adventures and
struggles even just to survive. The Robinsons encounter an incredibly rich and varied
landscape, full of marvelous animals and useful plants, all begging to be explored and put
to use. After many challenges, they build a wonderful house in a tree, and manage so well
away from the world that they never want to be rescued. This fascinating tale is one of
the most exciting survival stories ever written.
Return to Grammar Stage Literature
Return to CCH’s Online Catalog: Literature
