This cherished classic of rural American life was a popular success when it first appeared in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. By the early twentieth century, it was nationally acclaimed by critics for its realistic portrayal of a vanishing phase of American life. Today it is considered a milestone in American literature, a monument to regional writing. Edward Eggleston's account of the adventures of a young schoolmaster in a nineteenth-century school system presents a vivid and readable chapter in the history of America and American education.

First and foremost,...

The Bears of Blue River describes the adventures of a young boy growing up in early nineteenth-century rural Indiana. Little Balser lives with his parents, a younger brother, and a baby sister in a cozy log cabin on the bank of the Big Blue River. Although only thirteen or fourteen years old, he is quite familiar with the dangers and rigors of frontier life. As the story unfolds, the boy becomes lost in the forest, encounters the fierce one-eared bear, and is nearly caught by a bear as he dozes next to what he thinks is a bearskin. This is a book for children or adults who love nature and...

Of all the books written by Hoosier writers, Gene Stratton-Porter's A Girl of the Limberlost is unquestionably the most cherished: the timeless story of an impoverished young girl, Elnora Comstock, growing up on the edge of the Limberlost swamp. Elnora Comstock has served as a role model for successive generations of independent young readers.

Penrod s escapades have delighted generations of readers. The stories in this Indiana classic will captivate still another generation of young readers and awaken nostalgia in many an adult.

In Freckles a homeless waif finds his deliverance in the primeval Limberlost swamp. Maimed and abandoned as an infant, Freckles seeks a chance to prove his worth. He is given that opportunity as the guard of the precious timber of the Limberlost.

This classic romantic thriller contains all the elements of a good mystery story: an isolated mansion inhabited by mysterious creatures, a handsome hero, duels, ghosts, and an old-fashioned shoot-out.

Loosely based on Stratton-Porter s own childhood, Laddie is a double tale the classic poor-boy/rich-girl romance and the story of a child of nature and her idyllic childhood.

FYI: Named one of the 100 Best Novels by the editors of the Modern Library; 7/20/98 New York Times, p. B1]

"Booth Tarkington s The Magnificent Ambersons is a delightful novel. In addition, it is a view of Indianapolis evolution from a major marketing center to a great industrial city. It adds a new dimension to one s understanding of the coming of the Industrial Age to the State of Indiana." Herman B Wells, Indiana University

"With the tremendous emphasis on wealth and status in contemporary society, Tarkington s observations are as apt today as when first written. But that is...

Set in the author's adopted home of California in the 1920s, this is Gene Stratton-Porter's last novel, a story filled with wisdom, a love of nature, and her own abiding optimism. In it a Master Bee Keeper, his bees, and the natural beauty of California restore a wounded World War I veteran to health.