Showing results by author "Valerio Di Stefano" in All Categories

Readers of the present book who have not read that named above—though all should read it as well as this—will have no difficulty in joining the story of the castaways to “The Swiss Family Robinson” with the help of the brief sketch of its contents which follows. The story begins with the arrival of the Unicorn, a British corvette commanded by Lieutenant Littlestone, whose commission includes the exploration of the waters in which New Switzerland is situate. He has with him as passengers Mr. and Mrs. Wolston and their daughters Hannah and Dolly. When the Unicorn weighs anchor again Mr. ...

Il Canzoniere di Francesco Petrarca è stata una grande "rivoluzione" nella letteratura europea in volgare: è il primo caso di canzoniere stricto sensu, cioè una raccolta organica di liriche "costruita" dall'autore in una prospettiva di unitarietà. E in effetti Petrarca, nonostante la intitolasse Rerum vulgarium fragmenta ("Frammenti di cose volgari"; il titolo "Canzoniere" verrà attribuito solo nel XVI sec.), ha scrupolosamente curato per tutta la vita la realizzazione di quest'opera, selezionando, limando, cambiando la disposizione dei componimenti, di cui persino il numero (366) ha un ...

First published in 1881, Eight Hundred Miles on the Amazon is an adventure novel by Jules Verne, having elements of codes and cryptography. Unlike many of his other stories, it is not a work of science fiction. Rather, it describes a voyage down the Amazon River on a large raft, or jangada). Many aspects of the raft, scenery, and journey are described in detail. - Summary by not.a.moose, adapted from Wikipedia.

Manifest Komunistyczny, napisany przez Karla Marxa oraz Friedricha Engelsa, przedstawia krytykę głównego sytemu ekonomicznego państw Europy XIX wieku - kapitalizmu. Analizując społeczeństwo pod kątem teorii krytycznej, Marx i Engels ukazują problemy i sprzeczności obecnej w tamtych czasach hierarchii społecznej, poprzez zwrócenie uwagi na antagonizm klasowy pomiędzy burżuazją, klasą panującą, a proletariatem, klasą robotniczą. Filozofia przedstawiona przez obu autorów miała ogromny wpływ na reformy polityczne, które poprawiły standardy pracy robotników państw ...

An early, light-hearted short story, published in 1872 by Jules Verne. It takes place in the Flemish town of Quiquendone, where life moves at an extraordinarily tranquil pace. Doctor Ox has offered to light the town with a new gas, but actually has other plans in place. (Summary by Alan Winterrowd)

The Castle stood above the quiet little town for as long as folks remembered: barren, deserted, lonely and frightening to the townsfolk. Until one day, smoke began to ascend from the dunjon. They were warned not to go near, and when intrepid souls dared to venture to uncover the mystery of the ruined castle, they learned firsthand what supernatural terrors await inside The Castle of the Carpathians. Summary by Joseph DeNoia.

Also known as Song of Songs, Solomon's Song of Songs, or as Canticles. The protagonists of the Song of Songs are a woman (identified in one verse as "the Shulamite") and a man, and the poem suggests movement from courtship to consummation. Additionally, the Song includes a chorus, the "daughters of Jerusalem." In spite of the lack of explicitly religious content, the Song is often interpreted as an allegorical representation of the relationship of God and Israel, or for Christians, God and the Church or Christ and the human soul, as husband and wife. (Summary by Wikipedia) Readers:Beloved: ...

Second Gospel or account of the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Commonly regarded as the first recorded gospel of Christ. (Summary by Simon)

Like The Begum's Millions, which Verne published in 1879, it has the theme of France and the entire world threatened by a super-weapon (what would now be called a weapon of mass destruction) with the threat finally overcome through the force of French patriotism. (Summary by Wikipedia)

The Book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch. This book may be divided into three parts: 1. The numbering of the people at Sinai, and preparations for resuming their march (1–10:10). 2. An account of the journey from Sinai to Moab, the sending out of the spies and the report they brought back, the murmurings (eight times) of the people at the hardships by the way, and the subsequent exile into the wilderness for 40 years (10:11–21:20). 3. The transactions in the plain of Moab before crossing the Jordan River (21:21...

Vera; or, The Nihilists is a play by Oscar Wilde. It is a melodramatic tragedy set in Russia and is loosely based on the story of Vera Zasulich. It was the first play that Wilde wrote. It was produced in the United Kingdom in 1880, and in New York in 1882, but it was not a success and folded in both cities. It is nowadays rarely revived. (Summary by Wikipedia) Cast:Peter Sabouroff/Baron Raff: Algy PugVera Sabouroff: Arielle LipshawMichael: Robin KingGeneral Kotemkin: Alan MapstoneSergeant/Professor Marfa: KristingjSoldier/Aide-de-Camp: GracePrisoner/Colonel of the Guard: Amanda FridayDmitri/...

Un futuro sistema politico globale. Un confronto tra vecchi sistemi e nuovi approcci nella gestione della nostra convivenza. Pubblicato nel 1897, questo libro è parte di una ricca e versatile produzione di Paolo Mantegazza, che con lo studio, le osservazioni personali, gli scritti e l'insegnamento contribuì a una moderna discussione sulla vita degli esseri umani sulla terra. A description of a global social contract of sorts in the next millennium. Late XIX century science fiction as a vehicle for considerations about the present and ideas about future improvements - written by an Italian ...

The Gospel According to John, commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus. It begins with the witness and affirmation by John the Baptist and concludes with the death, burial, Resurrection, and post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus. This account is fourth of the canonical gospels, after the synoptics Matthew, Mark and Luke. (Summary by Wikipedia)

"Canne al vento" è il più noto romanzo di Grazia Deledda, a tutt’oggi unica donna italiana insignita del Premio Nobel per la Letteratura. Pubblicato nel 1913, si tratta di un autentico capolavoro che riscosse fin dall’inizio un notevole successo di pubblico e critica. Il titolo dell’opera racchiude il tema tanto caro alla scrittrice sarda, quello della “sorte” cui si devono piegare gli uomini, soggetti fragili che, proprio come le canne sbattute dal vento, subiscono la forza e l’inesorabilità del destino, volto a definire la vita dei singoli a dispetto dei personali proponimenti...

Dorian Gray, a young man of wealth and stature in late 1800's London, meets Lord Henry Wotton while posing for a portrait by his friend Basil Hallward. Once the painting is complete, Dorian realizes that it will always be young and attractive, while he will be forced to age and wither with the years. Carelessly, he wishes the opposite were true. What happens is a treatise on morals, self-indulgence and how crucial personal responsibility is towards one's self. (Summary by John Gonzalez)

Le château des Carpathes raconte l'histoire de la rivalité entre deux hommes charismatiques pour une jeune cantatrice italienne et les évènements tragiques qui s'en suivent. Cinq ans avant même la parution du Dracula de Bram Stoker, Jules Verne (1828-1905), renommé pour son mélange de la science au mystérieux, a déjà placé cette histoire fantastique dans les sombres forêts et montagnes des Carpathes. - Summary by Sonia

Un savant, Samuel Ferguson, accompagné de son domestique Joe et de son ami Dick Kennedy entreprend de traverser le continent africain — alors incomplètement exploré — à l'aide d'un ballon gonflé à l'hydrogène. Il a en effet inventé un dispositif qui, en lui évitant de perdre du gaz ou de devoir jeter du lest pour régler son altitude, autorise les plus longs voyages. Ce voyage est supposé relier les explorations faites par Burton et Speke en Afrique orientale à celles de Heinrich Barth dans les régions du Sahara et du Tchad. Partis de Zanzibar, les trois aéronautes réalisent ...

The introduction to the KJV Bible revealed the thanks of the translators to "TO THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTY PRINCE JAMES, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, KING OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, AND IRELAND". It is fitting to read, as it reminds contemporary readers of the transitory nature of all Bible translations. (Summary by Sam Stinson)

In 1895 Oscar Wilde was convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to two years' hard labor. This account of his two trials was compiled from the original shorthand court reports by an anonymous author. While a more complete account of the trial was published several years later, it omitted the more 'sensational' exchanges. This shorter version was clearly intended for a more prurient reader. In it we hear Wilde's famous defence of "the love that dare not speak its name", and see the evidence mount as a succession of attractive young men step into the witness box to tell their tales. - Summary...

This Revised Testament has been prepared under the auspices of the American Bible Union, by the most competent scholars of the day. No expense has been spared to obtain the oldest translations of the Bible, copies of the ancient manuscripts, and other facilities to make the revision as perfect as possible. The paragraph form has been adopted in preference to the division by verse, which is a modern mode of division, never used in the ancient scriptures. But, for convenience of reference, the numbers of the verses are retained. All quotations from the Old Testament are distinctly indicated, and...