Christopher Morley Books

Includes the complete text of Shakespeare's plays, poems, and sonnets

Known and loved by generation after generation, this shrewd amateur detective, with faithful Watson by his side, has earned his place in our national life and social history. Now this handsome omnibus edition stands as a lasting tribute to the indestructible sleuth and his famous creator. A STUDY IN SCARLET; THE SIGN OF FOUR; THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES; THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES; THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES; THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES; THE VALLEY OF FEAR; HIS LAST BOW; THE CASE BOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES.

The evolution of Sherlock Holmes is central to this collection, showcasing a detective whose keen mind is now paired with a growing impatience for the justice system. As he grapples with moral dilemmas, he occasionally resorts to breaking the law, raising questions about his character. This volume includes the fourth and final novel, The Valley of Fear, along with thirty-three stories from The Return of Sherlock Holmes, His Last Bow, and The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, highlighting his complex journey and enduring legacy.

Set in the early 20th century, the narrative follows Roger Mifflin, a traveling bookseller, and Helen McGill, an aging spinster who seeks independence by purchasing his mobile business. Their adventures lead to a sequel where Roger operates a traditional bookstore, "The Haunted Bookshop." Here, he becomes engrossed in his work, oblivious to the espionage and threats surrounding him. Christopher Morley's works blend charm with mystery, captivating readers with timeless tales of adventure and intrigue.

Even if James Boswell hadn't written the The Life of Johnson, he would be famous for this memoir of eighteenth-century London life. Boswell arrived in the great metropolis from his native Edinburgh in 1762, and he kept a daily journal of his nine-month sojourn. Bawdy, witty, and brimming with fascinating details, the accounts range from his illicit encounters with prostitutes to his momentous meeting with Samuel Johnson. Boswell's London diary disappeared for 150 years, finally turning up in the 1920s as the literary find of the twentieth century. Unlike his other journals, it escaped nineteenth-century bowdlerization, allowing the author's voice to emerge with strikingly modern candor. Boswell writes frankly of his struggles with depression and his sexual obsessions. His painstaking records of the lively repartee of his mentor's literary circle formed the backbone of The Life of Johnson, and just as that book proved him a worthy biographer, so this one shows him an equally captivating subject.

Christopher Morley, an American journalist, novelist, essayist, and poet, made significant contributions to literature and theater. He also engaged in producing stage productions and sharing his insights through college lectures. His diverse talents reflect a multifaceted career that spans various forms of writing and performance, showcasing his impact on American culture during his lifetime.

I imagined him in his beloved Brooklyn, strolling in Prospect Park and preaching to chance comers about his gospel of good books. "When you sell a man a book," says Roger Mifflin, the sprite-like book peddler at the center of this classic novella, "you don't sell him just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue—you sell him a whole new life." In this beguiling but little-known prequel to Christopher Morley's beloved Haunted Bookshop, the "whole new life" that the traveling bookman delivers to Helen McGill, the narrator of Parnassus on Wheels, provides the romantic comedy that drives this charming love letter to a life in books. The Art of The Novella Series Too short to be a novel, too long to be a short story, the novella is generally unrecognized by academics and publishers. Nonetheless, it is a form beloved and practiced by literature's greatest writers. In the Art Of The Novella series, Melville House celebrates this renegade art form and its practitioners with titles that are, in many instances, presented in book form for the first time.

Parnassus on Wheels traces a middle-aged woman's winsome adventures as a traveling bookseller. Its sequel, The Haunted Bookshop, unfolds in a Brooklyn store that attracts a nefarious plot as well as a budding romance.

Christopher Morley, an American journalist, novelist, essayist, and poet, made significant contributions to literature and the arts from the early to mid-20th century. In addition to his writing, he was involved in stage productions and shared his insights through college lectures, showcasing his versatility and passion for storytelling and communication. His diverse talents reflect a rich engagement with both literary and theatrical worlds.