Action and Adventure Collection Series

The year is 1792. The French Revolution, driven to excess by its own triumph, has turned into a reign of terror. Daily, tumbrels bearing new victims to the guillotine roll over the cobbled streets of Paris.… Thus the stage is set for one of the most enthralling novels of historical adventure ever written. The mysterious figure known as the Scarlet Pimpernel, sworn to rescue helpless men, women, and children from their doom; his implacable foe, the French agent Chauvelin, relentlessly hunting him down; and lovely Marguerite Blakeney, a beautiful French exile married to an English lord and caught in a terrible conflict of loyalties—all play their parts in a suspenseful tale that ranges from the squalid slums of Paris to the aristocratic salons of London, from intrigue on a great English country estate to the final denouement on the cliffs of the French coast. There have been many imitations of The Scarlet Pimpernel, but none has ever equaled its superb sense of color and drama and its irresistible gift of wonderfully romantic escape.

Cooper’s most enduringly popular novel combines heroism and romance with powerful criticism of the destruction of nature and tradition. Set against the French and Indian siege of Fort William Henry in 1757, The Last of the Mohicans recounts the story of two sisters, Cora and Alice Munro, daughters of the English commander, who are struggling to be reunited with their father. They are aided in their perilous journey by Hawk-eye, a frontier scout and his companions Chingachgook and Uncas, the only two survivors of the Mohican tribe. But their lives are endangered by the Mangua, the savage Indian traitor who captures the sisters, wanting Cora to be his squaw. In setting Indian against Indian and the brutal society of the white man against the civilization of the Mohican, Cooper, more than any author before or since, shaped the American sense of itself as a nation.

One of the most celebrated and popular historical romances ever written, The Three Musketeers tells the story of the early adventures of the young Gascon gentleman, D'Artagnan and his three friends from the regiment of the King's Musketeers - Athos, Porthos and Aramis. Under the watchful eye of their patron M. de Treville, the four defend the honour of the regiment against the guards of Cardinal Richelieu, and the honour of the queen against the machinations of the Cardinal himself as the power struggles of seventeenth century France are vividly played out in the background. But their most dangerous encounter is with the Cardinal's spy, Milady, one of literature's most memorable female villains, and Alexandre Dumas employs all his fast-paced narrative skills to bring this enthralling novel to a breathtakingly gripping and dramatic conclusion.

Smith, the title character of this unusual cowboy western is no damn good. He’s not just a good bad guy, who wins your sympathy even while he breaks the law. He’s rotten to the core. And he shows his true colors from the opening chapter, as he shoots an Indian in the back, for his blanket. Born in Illinois, author Caroline Lockhart (1871-1962) grew up there on a family ranch. Working as a journalist, she settled in Wyoming, where she began a career as a writer of western fiction. An opponent of Prohibition, she acquired a weekly newspaper in Cody and actively promoted the preservation of western culture. Me—Smith was her first published novel. It is a wry, anti-romantic portrayal of cowboys and Indians. The setting is a ranch in Wyoming owned by the Indian widow of a Scots rancher. Lacking even an ounce of conscience or generosity, Smith hatches a scheme to get the widow’s money. Pretending to fall in love with her, he promises marriage, all the while putting the moves on a pretty schoolmarm who boards at the ranch.

One of the world’s best-loved stories of shipwreck and survival, The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss, portrays a family’s struggle to create a new life for themselves on a strange and fantastic tropical island. Blown off course by a raging storm, the family, a Swiss pastor, his wife, their four young sons, plus two dogs and a shipload of livestock, must rely on one another in order to adapt to their needs the natural wonders of their exotic new home. Inspired by Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, this classic story of invention and adventure has fired the imaginations of readers since it first appeared in 1812.

Ben Hur is one of the best selling books of all times. This poignant novel intertwines the life stories of a Jewish charioteer named Judah Ben-Hur and Jesus Christ. It explores the themes of betrayal and redemption. Ben-Hur's family is wrongly accused and convicted of treason during the time of Christ. Ben-Hur fights to clear his family's name and is ultimately inspired by the rise of Jesus Christ and his message. A powerful, compelling novel.

The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope is an adventure novel in which the King of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation and thus is unable to attend the ceremony. Political forces within the realm are such that, in order for the king to retain the crown, his coronation must proceed. Fortuitously, an English gentleman on holiday in Ruritania who resembles the monarch is persuaded to act as his political decoy in an effort to save the unstable political situation of the interregnum.

Businessman George F. Babbitt loves the latest appliances, making money and the Republican party. In fact, he loves being a Solid Citizen even more than he loves his wife. But Babbitt comes to resent the middle class trappings he has worked so hard to acquire. Realising that his life is devoid of meaning, he grows determined to transcend his trivial existence and search for a greater purpose. In the economic boom years of 1920s' America, Babbitt became a symbol of middle-class mediocrity, and his name an enduring part of the American lexicon.

Journey to the Center of the Earth is an 1864 science fiction novel by Jules Verne. Originally published in 1864, this Jules Verne classic has wowed generations of readers with its portrayal of an imaginary odyssey into a subterranean wonderland. When Axel deciphers an old parchment describing a secret passage through a volcano to the center of the earth, nothing will stop his eccentric Uncle Lidenbrock from setting out at once. With silent Hans as guide, the two men encounter natural hazards, prehistoric beasts, and other curiosities on their perilous, astonishing, terrifying trek through the underworld.

Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read. First published in 1851, Herman Melville’s masterpiece is, in Elizabeth Hardwick’s words, “the greatest novel in American literature.” The saga of Captain Ahab and his monomaniacal pursuit of the white whale remains a peerless adventure story but one full of mythic grandeur, poetic majesty, and symbolic power. Filtered through the consciousness of the novel’s narrator, Ishmael, Moby-Dick draws us into a universe full of fascinating characters and stories, from the noble cannibal Queequeg to the natural history of whales, while reaching existential depths that excite debate and contemplation to this day.

Wrongfully arrested following the Monmouth rebellion of 1685, Peter Blood, country physician and former soldier, escapes the hangman's noose only to be exiled to the tropical colonies. Sold into slavery to a cruel plantation owner, his moral fortitude and medical ability soon earn him the favour of the island's governor, and the attentions of Arabella, his master's niece. When the town is attacked by marauding Spanish buccaneers, Blood springs to the rescue, and with a motley yet loyal band of shipmates escapes to begin a life of noble piracy and adventure on the caribbean seas. A classic swashbuckling tale of piracy, romance and redemption, Captain Blood stands as one the greatest adventure novels of the 20th century.

Soon after the enormous success of Robinson Crusoe, Defoe wrote this compelling account of high-seas drama featuring the antics of a lovable rogue and pirate known as Captain Avery. Enraged that a slanderous book has been written about him in England, Captain Avery responds with a fiery letter to set the record straight. His goal is to deny everything written about his exploits—and more important, to give his own spectacular account of how he survived by his wits in a series of swashbuckling adventures. In doing so, he draws a rousing portrait of pirate life—deadly deeds, buried treasure, and perilous journeys from South America to Asia. A thrilling tale filled with action and humor that reads like an eighteenth-century travelogue, this behind-the-scenes look at the world of a pirate captain and his crew will appeal to readers of all ages.

The scene of this story is laid in the Klondike while the gold fever is at its height. The central figure in the narrative is Roy Glenister a man of powerful nature, whose theory of life is that force can accomplish anything. He and his partner Bill Dextry are returning to Klondike after an enforced absence and as their ship is about to sail their attention is drawn to a beautiful young girl who is endeavoring to evade the quarantine officers and board their steamer. Glenister exerts himself in her behalf and succeeds in rescuing her from her pursuers. Her name is Helen Chester and her rescuer falls in love with her on the voyage and endeavors to force her to reciprocate his affection. Instead, however, he wins her scorn by kissing her against her will and she vows she will never forgive him. Upon reaching Klondike Glenister finds that there is litigation over his claim, which contains a valuable gold mine, and he must fight to keep it in his possession. His principal enemy is a political boss named McNamera who does everything in his power to ruin him. Glenister’s love for Helen proves a deep influence in his life and softens and refines his nature, though she remains obdurate to his suit. McNamera, who is also a rival in love, succeeds in getting Helen to look favorably upon his proposal. Helen has brought with her to Klondike papers, the contents of which she is ignorant of, but which prove to be the instrument by which Glenister’s claim is to be proved invalid. They are held by an unscrupulous lawyer who bargains to reveal the contents to Helen in return for her love. She accedes to his proposition but is rescued from his clutches by a notorious gambler called Brancho Kid, who proves to be her wayward brother whom she has not seen for years. Glenister conquers McNamera in a fierce weaponless duel and the latter is proved to be a scoundrel. Helen gives Glenister the papers but he refuses to make use of them as by so doing he would ruin her uncle Judge Stillman, who is criminally involved with McNamera. This generous action which culminates a series of sacrifices made by Glenister for Helen causes her to appreciate his true character and she confesses her love to him. The Spoilers is one of the best selling novels of 1906.

After surviving a terrible shipwreck, Robinson Crusoe discovers he is the only human on an island far from any shipping routes or rescue. At first he is devastated, but slowly, with patience and imagination, he transforms his island into a tropical paradise. For twenty-four years he lives with no human companionship – until one fateful day, when he discovers he is not alone…

Harry Feversham is in love with the alluring Ethne Eustace. A dazzling engagement ball is held in their honour at her Irish country home. For Harry, it seems like life cannot get any better. But a mysterious package arrives for him and the contents turn out to be three white feathers. Publicly branded a coward, Harry suffers the ultimate humiliation when Ethne adds a fourth feather to his collection. Shunned from society, he sets out to regain his friends, fiancée and honour. Embarking on a deadly mission, which takes him from Ireland to England to Egypt, that tests his courage to the limits and his will to survive.

Loosely based on the author’s own experiences, The Riddle of the Sands takes readers back to the early days of the twentieth century, when Britain shared a tense rivalry with the Kaiser’s Germany. Tempted by the idea of duck shooting, Carruthers is lured by his friend Davies into a yachting expedition in the Baltic, only to discover that the itinerary involves more than killing fowl. Soon they’re on a wild journey of intrigue, meeting danger at every turn, and ultimately unraveling Germany’s secret plans to invade England. Tautly written and full of unexpected twists, this is a timeless work of espionage fiction.

The beloved adventures of Robin Hood come vividly to life in this wonderful version by renowned storyteller Howard Pyle. Deep in Sherwood Forest, the legendary Robin Hood--the brave, good-humored outlaw the whole world loves--proves himself the best in England with his bow. Here are all the exciting tales of how Little John, Will Scarlet, Allan a Dale, and Friar Tuck joined his merry band of men . . . Robin Hood's breathtaking escapes from his archenemy, the Sheriff of Nottingham . . . and one hilarious escapade after another filled with quick action, scheming villains, and great surprises. Days of old bursting with pageantry, knights, and beautiful maidens return in a superb edition of this favorite classic story.

Originally titled The Curse of Capistrano in its 1919 debut, this exciting tale achieved immortal fame thanks to Douglas Fairbanks’s 1920 blockbuster film, The Mark of Zorro—a cinematic triumph that inspired Johnston McCulley to retitle his novel and dedicate it to Fairbanks. Set in Mexican California during the 1820s, the story follows the career of Don Diego Vega, by all appearances an effete and foppish aristocrat. But Vega’s timorous reputation is nothing more than a mask to conceal his alter ego: a California Robin Hood known as Zorro, whose swift blade strikes down those who exploit the poor and oppressed. The inspiration for dozens of film and television adaptations, The Mark of Zorro remains a paradigm of swashbuckling adventure.

Gulliver has an itch to travel around the world, but whenever he steps on a ship, bad luck seems to find him. He is shipwrecked, abandoned, marooned, and mutinied against, and each time lands in a strange and curious place. First he discovers the kingdom of the six-inch-tall Lilliputians, then the country of the giant Brobdingnagians, then the island of the academic Laputans, which floats in the sky, and finally the noble realm of the horselike Houyhnhnms. Who knew there were so many unusual creatures under the sun?

Futility, or The Wreck of the Titan is Morgan Robertson’s 1898 novella about the unsinkable ship Titan, which goes down after striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Disgraced former naval lieutenant John Rowland is working as a deckhand on the Titan when it strikes an iceberg and capsizes. Saving the younger daughter of a former lover by jumping onto the iceberg with her, Rowland and his charge are eventually rescued and return to their homes. Titan and its sinking have been noted to be very similar to the real-life passenger ship RMS Titanic, which sank fourteen years later. Following the sinking of the Titanic, the novel was reissued with some changes, particularly in the ship's gross tonnage.

When Clarence Brant married the mother of his childhood playmate, Susy, he had no idea of the dilemma ahead of him. This was California, after all -- thousands of miles away from the trouble brewing between the North and the South. When duty calls, Clarence joins the Union Army and becomes a General. Susy marries a politician. Of course, Mrs. Brant must come along to Washington D.C. to be beside her husband. But although Clarence knows that his wife sympathized with the cause of the Secessionists, little did he know that she was a part of a California conspiracy, that she was a spy for the Confederates -- And that, in the midst of fevered battle, he would be accused of treason!

On March 21, 1871, Henry Morton Stanley set out from the African port of Bagamoyo on what he hoped would be a career-making adventure. The 30-year-old journalist had arrived on the “Dark Continent” at the behest of the New York Herald newspaper, yet he wasn’t chasing any ordinary scoop. He had been placed in charge of a grand expedition to find the explorer David Livingstone, who had vanished in the heart of Africa several years earlier. Stanley, a Welsh-born orphan who had previously fought on both sides of the American Civil War, took to the mission with gusto. Despite never having set foot in Africa before, he assembled a caravan of over 100 porters and struck out into the unknown. To find Wherever Dr Livingstone is to be.

In this gripping collection of World War I stories, author Boyd Cable employs the innovative method of using actual battlefield dispatches as the backbone around which he builds his gritty, unflinching tales of wartime bravery, tragedy, pluck and triumph. Please Note - This is not The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

Beowulf, heroic poem, the highest achievement of Old English literature and the earliest European vernacular epic. The work deals with events of the early 6th century, and, while the date of its composition is uncertain, some scholars believe that it was written in the 8th century. Although originally untitled, the poem was later named after the Scandinavian hero Beowulf, whose exploits and character provide its connecting theme. There is no evidence of a historical Beowulf, but some characters, sites, and events in the poem can be historically verified. The poem did not appear in print until 1815. Beowulf is the longest and greatest surviving Anglo-Saxon poem. The setting of the epic is the sixth century in what is now known as Denmark and southwestern Sweden.

In his rousing adventure story, Alexandre Dumas employs all the elements of compelling drama—suspense, intrigue, love, vengeance, and the triumph of good over evil—that contribute to this classic novel’s irresistible and timeless appeal. In the post-Napoleonic era, a young sailor from Marseilles is poised to become captain of his own ship and marry his beloved. But jealous enemies provoke his arrest, condemning Edmond Dantès to lifelong imprisonment in the infamous Château d’If. There, his sole companion reveals his secret plan to escape, as well as the location of a trove of riches hidden on a remote island. Determined to avenge himself against the men that conspired to destroy him, the newly free Edmond uses the treasure to forge a mysterious and powerful new identity: the Count of Monte Cristo.  

Widely regarded as one of the funniest and most tragic books ever written, Don Quixote chronicles the adventures of the self-created knight-errant Don Quixote of La Mancha and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, as they travel through sixteenth-century Spain. You haven't experienced Don Quixote  until you've read this masterful novel.

In this inventive and comical novel and his first work of satire James Fenimore Cooper skewers American and British politics. Here is the story of Sir John Goldencalf, member of British society, and American Captain John Poke, as they accompany four highly intelligent, and conversant, monkeys back to their homeland. The novel, narrated by the main character, the English Sir John Goldencalf, is a satire. Goldencalf and the American captain Noah Poke travel on a series of humorous adventures.

First published in 1930, Gladiator is the tale of Hugo Danner, a man endowed from birth with extraodinary strength and speed. But Danner is no altruist. He spends his life trying to cope with his abilities, becoming a sports hero in college, later a sideshow act, a war hero, never truly finding peace with himself. The character of Danner inspired both Superman's creators, and Lester Dent's Doc Savage. But Wylie, an editor with the New Yorker, sought to develop more than a pulp hero. His Gladiator provides surprising insights into the difficulties suffered by the truly gifted when born in our midst. This novel is widely assumed to have been an inspiration for Superman.

Just as the narrator starts the ascent of his balloon, a stranger jumps into its car. The unexpected passenger only intent is to take the balloon as high as it will go, even at the cost of his and pilot's life. The intruder takes advantage of the long journey to recount the history of incidents related to the epic of lighter-than-air travel. This short story foreshadows Verne's first novel, Five Weeks in a Balloon.  

It tells of a search of an unexplored region of Africa by a group of adventurers led by Allan Quatermain for the missing brother of one of the party. It is the first English adventure novel set in Africa, and is considered to be the genesis of the lost world literary genre. Three men trek to the remote African interior in search of a lost friend - and reach, at the end of a perilous journey, an unknown land cut off from the world, where terrible dangers threaten anyone who ventures near the spectacular diamond mines of King Solomon.