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Another in the "Doom of London" series, in which the author sounds a clarion call of potential disasters that may fall upon the great city. Here he relates a tale of environmental contamination leading to a medical panic.London in a year of severe drought; water level in the Thames river extremely low, blazing heat wave for 3 weeks in August; a Portuguese cargo ship sinks and contaminates a tributary of the Thames; 3 of the crew members are discovered to be dying of some disease; the local doctor is frightened by what he sees, calls the health authorities, who call for help from Professor Darbyshire, a scientist who deals with "fighting diseases in the bulk", someone we might call an environmental epidemiologist today; he investigates, then ... Darbyshire makes a hurried call asking his friend, Dr. Longdale, to come at once to his house where he has a small laboratory."Darbyshire produced a phial of cloudy fluid, some of which he proceeded to lay on the glass of a powerful microscope. Longdale fairly staggered back from the eyepiece. "Bubonic! The water reeks with the bacillus! I haven't seen it so strongly marked since we were in New Orleans together. Darbyshire, you don't mean to say that this sample came from—"Yes, the sample was water from the contaminated Thames, the river from which roughly 4/5 of the water comes to supply the needs of the 5 million Londoners. Longdale says the water system must be shut off."And deprive four-fifths of London with water altogether!" Darbyshire said grimly. "And London grilling like a furnace? No flushing of sewers, no watering of roads, not even a drop to drink. In two days London would be a reeking, seething hell — try and picture it, Longdale.""I have, often," Longdale said gloomily. "Sooner or later it had to come. Now is your chance, Darbyshire — that process of sterilisation of yours."Will he save London? Of course — he's the hero of the story. But how? Does London panic? How do the authorities respond?

A mysterious murder on a flying express train, a wily Italian, a charming woman caught in the meshes of circumstantial evidence, a chivalrous Englishman, and a police force with a keen nose for the wrong clue, are the ingredients from which Major Griffiths has concocted a clever, up-to-date detective story.

The Scarecrow decides to search for his family tree and winds up discovering that he is the long-lost Emperor of the Silver Island. Along the way, he meets such colorful characters as the A-B-Sea Serpent, the lumpy mud men, Sir Hokus of Pokes, and others.

The Runaway Skyscraper was written in the year 1919 by Murray Leinster. This book is one of the most popular novels of Murray Leinster, and has been translated into several other languages around the world.This book is published by Booklassic which brings young readers closer to classic literature globally.

Texas was a huge wide place full of frontiersmen, ranchers, farmers, cowpokes, shiftless no-accounts, shootists, rascals, and politicians -- all of them blended together into a single state. The Rangers -- lawmen, Texas Rangers -- were outnumbered a thousand to one, and in one county -- Pecos county -- the law was all but helpless. Until Ranger Vaughn Steel went to Pecos, looking for revenge. . . .

The Sinister Man was written in the year 1924 by Edgar Wallace. This book is one of the most popular novels of Edgar Wallace, and has been translated into several other languages around the world.This book is published by Booklassic which brings young readers closer to classic literature globally.

Excerpt:"There's half a score of your ancestral halls," said Julius Rohscheimer, "that I could sell up to-morrow morning!Of the quartet that heard his words no two members seemed quite similarly impressed.The pale face of Adeler, the great financier's confidential secretary, expressed no emotion whatever. Sir Richard Haredale flashed contempt from his grey eyes—only to veil his scorn of the man's vulgarity beneath a cloud of tobacco smoke. Tom Sheard, of the Gleaner, drew down a corner of his mouth and felt ashamed of the acquaintance. Denby, the music-hall comedian, softly whistled those bars of a popular ballad set to the words, "I stood in old Jerusalem."

This was one of the 6 science fiction stories published in the first issue (April 1926) of the first magazine devoted to science fiction, Amazing Stories, edited and published by Hugo Gernsback, now considered to be the father of the science fiction genre. He described this story:"Here is an extraordinary story by the well-known magazine writer, George Allan England. This story should be read quite carefully, and it is necessary to use one's imagination in reading it. "The theme of Mr. England's Story is unusual and extraordinary. If we can take insects and put them upon the dissecting table in order to study their anatomy, is there a good reason why some super-Intelligence cannot do the same thing with us humans?"It may be taken as a certainty that Intelligence, as we understand it, is not only of our earth. It is also not necessary to presume that Intelligence may have its setting only in a body of flesh and blood."There is no reason for disbelieving that a Super-Intelligence might not reside in gases or Invisible structures, something which we of today cannot even imagine."The copyrights of the magazine and of the individual authors were not renewed. Therefore, this work is in the public domain in the United States.

A young lawyer sells a package of love letters written to him over the years by a distinquished novelist to raise money to pay for his wedding to another woman. His secret comes back to haunt him and, when he confesses to his wife, their marriage is reduced to resigned coexistence.

This is the last collection of short stories written by the witty British author, Hector Hugh Munro, better known by his pen names "Saki" or "H. H. Munro", compiled posthumously by his friend, Rothay Reynolds.The title story is a humorous tale of trying to indoctrinate young boys with a culture of peace rather than war, by a mother and her brother, Harvey, who give her boys "peace toys" for Easter instead of toy guns, tin soldiers, and the like. Excerpt:"A quantity of crinkly paper shavings was the first thing that met the view when the lid was removed; the most exiting toys always began like that. Harvey pushed back the top layer and drew forth a square, rather featureless building."'It’s a fort!' exclaimed Bertie. ..."'It’s a municipal dust-bin,' said Harvey hurriedly; 'you see all the refuse and litter of a town is collected there, instead of lying about and injuring the health of the citizens.'"The boys were not impressed by such gifts as tin statues of economists, scientists, sanitary inspectors, and politicians, rather than soldiers and heroes; models of municipal buildings rather than forts; toy hoes instead of toy guns. Left to play with the new politically correct toys, the boys manage to completely thwart the plan, to the frustration of the well-meaning adults.There are 33 stories in all, plus an introduction about the life of the author written by Rothay Reynolds.

The Treasure in the Forest was written in the year 1894 by H. G. Wells. This book is one of the most popular novels of H. G. Wells, and has been translated into several other languages around the world.This book is published by Booklassic which brings young readers closer to classic literature globally.

The Virginians was written in the year 1859 by William Makepeace Thackeray. This book is one of the most popular novels of William Makepeace Thackeray, and has been translated into several other languages around the world.This book is published by Booklassic which brings young readers closer to classic literature globally.

The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby is a children's novel by the Reverend Charles Kingsley. Written in 1862-1863 as a serial for Macmillan's Magazine, it was first published in its entirety in 1863. The book was extremely popular during its day, and was a mainstay of children's literature through the 1920s.The protagonist is Tom, a young chimney sweep, who falls into a river after encountering an upper-class girl named Ellie and being chased out of her house. There he dies and is transformed into a "water baby", as he is told by a caddis fly — an insect that sheds its skin — and begins his moral education. The story is thematically concerned with Christian redemption, though Kingsley also uses the book to argue that England treats its poor badly, and to question child labour, among other themes.Source: Wikipedia

The Way We Live Now is a scathing satirical novel published in London in 1875 by Anthony Trollope, after a popular serialisation. It was regarded by many of Trollope's contemporaries as his finest work.One of his longest novels (it contains a hundred chapters), The Way We Live Now is particularly rich in sub-plot. It was inspired by the financial scandals of the early 1870s, and lashes at the pervading dishonesty of the age, commercial, political, moral, and intellectual. It is one of the last significant Victorian novels to have been published in monthly parts.

Using language with elements of the medieval tales which were his models, Morris tells the story of Ralph of Upmeads, the fourth and youngest son of a minor king, who sets out, contrary to his parents' wishes, to find knightly adventure and seek the Well at the World's End, a magic well which will confer a near-immortality and strengthened destiny on those who drink from it.Although the novel is relatively obscure by today's standards it has had a significant influence on many notable fantasy authors. C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien both seem to have found inspiration in The Well at the World's End: ancient tables of stone, a "King Peter", a quick, white horse named "Silverfax", and a character named "Gandalf" are only a few, to say nothing of Ralph's journey home as denouement, anticipating the Hobbits' return and battle for the Shire.

An alien life-form--metallic, sinister--threatening all mankind with annihilation.

The White People was written in the year 1906 by Arthur Machen. This book is one of the most popular novels of Arthur Machen, and has been translated into several other languages around the world.This book is published by Booklassic which brings young readers closer to classic literature globally.

The Wind in the Willows is a classic of children's literature by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Alternately slow moving and fast paced, it focuses on four anthropomorphised animal characters in a pastoral version of England. The novel is notable for its mixture of mysticism, adventure, morality, and camaraderie.

Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle was written in the year 1911 by Victor Appleton. This book is one of the most popular novels of Victor Appleton, and has been translated into several other languages around the world.This book is published by Booklassic which brings young readers closer to classic literature globally.