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This fictitious memoir, detailing the desperately suburban life of an obnoxious prig, was published anonymously in 1924. While it resembles the much better known The Diary of a Nobody, the satire is more far-reaching and devastating, and the main character is one of the most memorable in comic fiction. The actual author was later discovered to be Sir Henry Howarth Bashford (1880-1961), who enjoyed a distinguished career in medicine and served as personal physician to King George VI.

In 1913, Arthur Ransome traveled to Russia to explore Russian folklore. The result of his studies was the publication of retellings (rather than translations) of a number of stories, including The Soldier and Death, which first appeared in 1920.

John William Polidori was an English physician and an associate of Byron and Shelley. On a tour with the two poets and Mary Godwin (later Shelley), Polidori participated in a competition to write a short ghost story. Polidori's contribution was The Vampyre, which is considered to be the first modern work of vampire fiction. The central figures in the plot are the mysterious and sinister Lord Ruthven, and a naïve and wealthy young man named Aubrey. Polidori's tale proved very influential.

In the midst of the world, darkened with many sins and sorrows, in which the majority live, there abides another world, lighted up with shining virtues and unpolluted joy, in which the perfect ones live. This world can be found and entered, and the way to it is by self-control and moral excellence. It is the world of the perfect life, and it rightly belongs to man, who is not complete until crowned with perfection.

This was the third book by New Thought philosopher James Allen and was published in 1903. It consists of two volumes, each of which was later published separately: Entering the Kingdom and The Heavenly Life. Although he recommended the search for spiritual principles, James Allen was no supporter of organized religion. In fact, he disparages the search for both earthly pleasures and heavenly rewards. In his view the Kingdom of Heaven is in the here and now, and can only be reached by adopting the right mode of living.

This collection contains 21 reviews of artistic events and artifacts which originally appeared between 1877 and 1889. Clearly on display is Wilde's comprehensive knowledge of contemporary painting, fashion, and literature, as well as his capacity to create paradoxical aphorisms, which is such a feature of more substantial works like The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest.

The Heavenly Life is one of James Allen's lesser-known but most aphoristic works. His basic thesis is that total absorption in the eternal Now is the true path to discovering the divine center within oneself. The past is a dream and the future is just a speculation: man can only act and live in the present. He can change his world only by changing himself.

James Allen consistently taught that personal development was based on the application of certain permanent and unchanging principles. In this book, he examines the various systems—social, political, economic, and technological—that man has developed to enhance and enrich his life experience. His conclusion is that to be effective all systems must operate according to fundamental ethical and moral laws. The effect of the correct application of these spiritual principles will be a state of true peace, free from any taint of passion or conflict.

The Man in the Moone, first published in 1638, is considered one of the first works of science fiction. The author was an Anglican bishop who became interested in astronomy following the circulation of the works of Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo. Much of the current speculation about the moon was concerned with whether it was populated, and if so, by what race.

In James Allen's view, the "Shining Gateway" to self-realization was meditation, which he defines as a process of transmutation of crass and limiting perceptions into higher and more refined states of awareness. As in his other works, he states the principle that all activity is generated by thought, and that by disciplined regulation of thought processes man can avoid undesirable actions and achieve a mode of life that is happy and successful.

In James Allen's view, the man was indeed perfectible. However, he considered the path to perfection to be an interior one that is driven by the purification and elevation of the thought process.

The concept of representing the process of spiritual development as a path is frequently used in the works of James Allen. In this book, his discussion focuses not on the peaks of achievement, but the temporary retreats in which the aspirant can find solace and refreshment on his arduous journey.

In his works, James Allen sought to develop a generic spirituality by drawing on and matching the precepts of a variety of religious teachers. In this short treatise he examines the words of Jesus as a guide to spiritual advancement.

In the foreword the author says: "When the light of wisdom is introduced into the darkened understanding, confusion vanishes, difficulties are dissolved, all things are seen in their true place and proportion, and henceforth the man walks open-eyed and unhurt, in the clear light of wise comprehension."

This collection of aphorisms and reflections for each day of a 31-day month was first published in 1909, and later reissued in 1913, after the author's death, with a preface by his wife Lily Allen.

In this short treatise New Thought author James Allen explores one of his favourite principles: that the outward expression of a person is governed by his inner disposition. In the first chapter he writes: "As is the heart, so is the life. The within is ceaselessly becoming the without. Nothing remains unrevealed. That which is hidden is but for a time; it ripens and comes forth at last."

This collection of reflective essays was the 11th book produced by New Thought author James Allen and was first published in 1910.

This short tract on the power of thought was the second book written by New Thought author James Allen and was first published in 1903. It has never been out of print and is now considered one of most influential self help texts of all time. The title is taken from a verse in Chapter 23 of the Book of Proverbs: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Allen's central thesis is that thought is not just a vehicle for comprehending and explaining the world, but is also the prime mechanism for creating and modifing human experience.

Oscar Wilde was always willing to express his opinions on a wide variety of subjects, including his own writings. The following selection of letters was prepared and edited by his executor Robert Ross, who is best known for expurgating and publishing Wilde's last major work, De Profundis.

The first four stories were first published as a collection in 1891. The final story, "The Portrait of Mr W. H.", originally published separately in 1889, was later added to an expanded collection. All the stories deal with personal relationships and their inevitable influence on the course of a person's life.