Long Classic Books Novels & Stories

Luca looked amused but followed without protest. Inside, the air smelled of old paper and dust. Stacks of books filled every corner, and a sleepy cat dozed on the counter beside an elderly woman who greeted us with a kind smile. I wandered between the shelves, fingers brushing against spines — romance, poetry, mystery — stories that once felt too far away from the life I’d been living. I picked up a worn copy of The Little Prince and smiled faintly. “I used to read this when I was a kid.”

The transition from "Ascended Monarchs" to "starving shifters" happened remarkably fast. For hours, we were buried in vellum and leather. We moved through stacks of ancient scrolls, but it seemed the Great Library of the Queens had a sense of humor—or a very mundane side. We found "The Little Dragon Who Lost His Spark," a three-volume set on the proper way to tax wool in the fourteenth century, and a surprisingly aggressive book on the ethics of herbalism.

She tore the box open. Inside this box were a dozen books. Most looked the same—typical bindings, mostly classics. But one book stood out immediately. It didn’t look anything like the others. It was thick, overstuffed and weathered, with leather binding. It looked as if it had been through a war. And it looked ancient.

“I’m looking for some books for my fiancée, but I’m not sure what she likes to read.” The sales assistant tilted her head thoughtfully. “Well, we have a wide variety. Perhaps I can suggest some classic novels? They’re always a safe choice.” Jack nodded, feeling a little more confident. “That sounds like a good idea. Can you show me some?” The sales assistant led Jack to a shelf filled with novels from different eras and styles. “Here are some classics,” she said, picking up a volume. “This is ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen. It’s a love story that many women adore.”

Already much more soothing than sad songs and the sound of explosions. Tall shelves lined the walls, crammed with books. Of course this man had a library that looked like it belonged in an interior magazine spread. A low chandelier hung in the middle of the room above a long solid wood table, a few chairs, one couch in the corner with a folded throw. I walked along the first shelf, letting my fingertips brush the spines. Gold lettering, embossed titles, lettering already faded. The first row was full of classics. Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Dumas. Of course Zane owned a collection of depressed men who liked to write about sin and consequences. Fitting.

Wow. I was drooling. It wasn't just a room with books. It was a sanctuary. Floor-to-ceiling shelves packed with hardcovers, a rolling ladder, a massive fireplace that looked like it hadn't been used in decades. The scent of old paper and leather hit me, comforting and familiar. I ran my finger along the spines. ‘The Art of War’, ‘Sun Tzu’. ‘Histories of the Roman Empire’. Biographies of kings and conquerors. Heavy stuff. Interspersed with them were fiction classics. Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Dumas.

Emma said, walking deep into the living room. "Thanks." She walked to a set of shelves on the far side of the room, running her fingers over the spines of his books. A lot of them were classics, novels by Dickens, Voltaire, Dumas, Melville, and Hemingway. She smiled when her fingers ran over the spine of not one, but three copies of Mitchell's Gone with the Wind. There were modern novels, too, including Stephen King and Sidney Sheldon, but they didn't look as well read as some of the others.

We have a nice selection of them, actually. Along with the journals are some musty cloth-bound editions of classic literary texts. You know the kind. Books which appear antique and valuable but aren’t. Here’s a damp, musty-smelling copy of Benito Cereno, next to a collection of Shakespeare’s plays. Also, several classic editions of Hemingway’s novels. Now here’s something interesting. A diary. Upon opening it, a name scrawled on the inside cover grabs my attention: “Jebediah Bassler.” Of Bassler House? Bassler Road, and Bassler Memorial Library? This is interesting, to say the least.

When Madam Marilyn got the list, she asked Vera with some doubts, “Miss Lavor, I can understand everything else, but do you have any requirements for the one hundred ancient books? For example, the title of the book, the author, and so forth?” “No.” Vera smiled slightly and said, “You just have to go to the antique market in Aurous Hill and find some real ancient books for me. No matter what kind of books they are, you can buy them as long as they are ancient books and still can be read. As for the money, your master can just pay for them.” Madam Marilyn was secretly surprised. People who read physical books these days were rare. How could there still be anyone who liked to read ancient book

Her back and joints were stiff, her eyes were hurting from the non-stop reading, and she had already sneezed way too many times from the dust. The book she was reading now was a huge, oversized volume with thick leather binding, cracked along the spine. It probably weighed ten pounds, and was at least twelve inches wide and long. She had it opened to the middle of the book, and each page she turned crackled with age. The pages were thick, so much thicker than those of modern books, and yellow with age. It was a physically gorgeous volume, published in 1661, interspersed with hand-drawn illustrations, some of them in color. Caitlin turned the pages with the utmost care as she went, not wantin