"American writing, before and after Dreiser's time, differedalmost as much as biology before and after Darwin," said H. L.Mencken. Sister Carrie, Dreiser's great first novel, transformedthe conventional "fallen woman" story into a bold and trulyinnovative piece of fiction when it appeared in 1900. Na?ve youngCaroline Meeber, a small-town girl seduced by the lure of themodern city, becomes the mistress of a traveling salesman and thenof a saloon manager, who elopes with her to New York. Both itssubject matter and Dreiser's unsparing, nonjudgmental approach madeSister Carrie a controversial book in its time, and the workretains the power to shock readers today.
Spine-tingling and entertaining, "The Invisible Man" is ascience fiction classic-and a penetrating, unflinching look intothe heart of human nature. To its author, H. G. Wells, the novelwas as compelling as "a good gripping dream." But to generations ofreaders, the terrible and evil experiment of the dementedscientist, Griffin, has conveyed a chilling nightmare of believablehorror. An atmosphere of ever-increasing suspense begins with thearrival of a mysterious stranger at an English village inn andbuilds relentlessly to the stark terror of a victim pursued by amaniacal invisible man. The result is a masterwork: a dazzlingdisplay of the brilliant imagination, psychological insight, andliterary craftsmanship that made H. G. Wells one of the mostinfluential writers of his time.