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This American classic details the experiences of Henry David Thoreau while he lived at Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau, a transcendentalist writer, recounts extensively his reflections on his natural surroundings, as well as his values and experience of independence, self-reliance, and relation to nature and society.

First published in 1859, the classic and influential essay On Liberty was written by John Stuart Mill. An English philosopher, Mill painstakingly expounded upon his ideas of liberty, individuality, and authority through the lens of utilitarianism.

This unique and sometimes disturbingly frank political treatise was written in the early 16th century by Niccolo Machiavelli, a political theorist and Italian diplomat. Machiavelli was writing specifically to Lorenzo de'Medici as an instruction manual for "new princes". His perspective on the aims and glory of princes is a controversial but powerful insight into the cold calculations of men of his station in his time.

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is a novella that explores various themes including alienation and identity through the unexpected transformation of its main character, Gregor Samsa. Gregor wakes up one morning to find that he has turned into a giant vermin: a dung beetle. The story explores Gregor's struggle to adapt to his new physical form and the implications this sudden metamorphosis holds for his family, shedding a strange light on certain societal expectations and familial responsibilities at that time.

This classic 19th Century science fiction novel by H.G. Wells tells the story of a scientist who builds a machine that can travel through time. The scientist details his travels into a radically changed and surprisingly dystopian future for humanity. When he appears to find himself stranded in this unfamiliar place and time among the gentle Eloi, will he be able to find his way back, or rather will he fall victim to the disturbing Morlocks?

This edition contains four short stories: The Fall of the House of Usher, The Cask of Amontillado, The Masque of the Red Death, and The Tell-Tale Heart. Edgar Allan Poe is a giant of American literature and a master of the macabre, as proven in these four classic short stories. These innovative and evocative works are just a few of Poe's writings that helped define the horror genre in the 19th century.

This edition contains four short stories: The Oval Portrait, The Black Cat, Hop-Frog, and William Wilson. Edgar Allan Poe is a giant of American literature and a master of the macabre, as proven in these four classic short stories. These innovative and evocative works are just a few of Poe's writings that helped define the gothic and horror genres in the 19th century.

The classic and influential horror story by Mary Shelley tells the tale of a young scientist named Victor Frankenstein who successfully creates a living creature in the exaggerated image of man through his experimentation. Frankenstein must face the consequences of his actions, and so too must the now sapient and lonely creature. The story deals with themes of life and death, fear and longing, duty and vengeance.

These two shorts stories are likely the most well-known and beloved of the famed American author Washington Irving, both having been published serially between 1819 and 1820 in his renowned collection of stories and essays The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon. For both of these delightful tales, the fictional Dutch historian Diedrich Knickerbocker is attributed by Irving as his authoritative source.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is a masterpiece of American literature. It is a fascinating moral and philosophical study of Puritan New England that details the life and trials of the long-suffering protagonist Hester Prynne who is forced to wear a scarlet A as a sign of her adultery as she navigates life with her impish daughter Pearl, her estranged husband Roger Chillingworth, and the "saintly" minister Arthur Dimmesdale.