Tired of typing random nonsensical character combinations? Practicing touch typing with classic literature and entire books builds natural rhythm, vocabulary integration, and sustained endurance for high-speed performance.
Select a book from the library below and start typing completely free.
In 1870s Norway, Nora Helmer struggles to be her own person within her marriage and a society that limits the opportunities of women. When decisions made to protect her husband come back to haunt her, Nora must fight for her family and for her own place in the world. Since its first theatrical run, in which every performance was sold out,A Doll’s Househas inspired admiration, controversy, and discussion. First published byIbsenin 1879 in Danish, the official language of Danish-ruled Norway,A Doll’s Housesold out its first two printings within months. It first premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen within a month of publication, and the play was performed in Germany in 1880 and London in 1884. Initial translations changed the play, particularly the ending, to be more sympathetic and acceptable. Ibsen considered these changes to be a “barbaric outrage.” It wouldn’t be until 1889 that the play was performed as written in London and Broadway. Ibsen’s work pioneered realistic depictions of middle class families and social themes. He claimed that he didn’t have feminist intentions in the writing ofA Doll’s House, instead aiming for “the description of humanity,” but the play is widely considered an essential feminist work and has had a real lasting impact: as recently as 2006, it was the most performed play in the world.
Sons and Lovers, a story of working-class England, isD. H.Lawrence’sthird novel. It went through various drafts, and was titled “Paul Morel” until the final draft, before being published and met with an indifferent reaction from contemporary critics. Modern critics now consider it to beD. H.Lawrence’s masterpiece, with the Modern Library placing it ninth in its “100 Best English-Language Novels of the 20th Century.” The novel follows the Morels, a family living in a coal town, and headed by a passionate but boorish miner. His wife, originally from a refined family, is dragged down by Morel’s classlessness, and finds her life’s joy in her children. As the children grow up and start leading lives of their own, they struggle against their mother’s emotional drain on them. Sons and Loverswas written during a period in Lawrence’s life when his own mother was gravely ill. Its exploration of the Oedipal instinct, frank depiction of working-class household unhappiness and violence, and accurate and colorful depiction of Nottinghamshire dialect, make it a fascinating window into the life of people not often chronicled in fiction of the day.
John Newtonwas a slave trader who had a dramatic conversion to Christianity, after which he studied to be a minister. He was then appointed to the rural parish of Olney, a community largely inhabited by the impoverished and uneducated. There he metWilliam Cowper, an eminent poet who had moved to Olney after a bout of severe depression led him to convert to evangelical Christianity. He and Newton became friends, and Newton invited him to contribute to a hymnbook he was writing. Due to Cowper’s episodes of depression, he was only able to contribute a few hymns—of the 350, Cowper contributed only sixty-six. Cowper’s health delayed the book’s publication until 1779, by which time the hymns had been widely circulated among evangelical churches; by 1930, theseOlney Hymnshad gone through more than thirty-seven editions. Several of the hymns continue to be widely sung, most notably “Amazing Grace.” The hymns use simple meters and are easily sung, with Newton himself going so far as to say they were written for “plain people.” Their simplicity, ease of singing, and expression of deep, personal, and fervent faith served generations of Christian churches.
In 18th-century London, two siblings, Prudence and Robin Merriot, are forced to go into hiding after narrowly escaping a dangerous political situation. Prudence takes on the persona of a charming young man named Peter, while her brother Robin poses as a fashionable woman named Kate. As they navigate London society, they become entangled in misunderstandings and romantic relationships. Eventually the Merriot siblings’ true identities become difficult to keep concealed—especially as they both fall in love with people unaware of their masquerade.
Charles Merry is the senior schoolmaster at a small prep school for boys. He masks his shortcomings, and those of his staff and students, with bluster and bravado. The book explores themes of authenticity, loyalty, love, death, and friendship through dense passages that are often exclusively spoken dialog with minimal supporting text—a style that came to define the author’s future works. Rich with intriguing characters and cleverly constructed conversations,Pastors and Masterswas published in 1925 and became the first breakthrough success for its author,Ivy Compton-Burnett. The book was critically acclaimed upon its release and hailed by theNew Statesmanas “like nothing else in the world” and “a work of genius.”
One of the great American novels,The Adventures of Huckleberry Finntells the story of Huck Finn and his travels with Jim, an escaped slave. Roundly criticised by contemporary reviewers for its colorful and literal language and even banned by several libraries, it sealed its historical importance in part by being one of the first novels to be written entirely in American vernacular. WhileHuck Finnis, on its face, an adventure tale for younger readers, it’s also a cutting satire and a nuanced examination of racism and morality. Hemingway called it “the best book we’ve had.”
Caesar Rico is a small-time gangster in Prohibition-era Chicago, one of crime boss Sam Vettori’s lieutenants. He’s ordered to take a crew to rob a club during a New Year’s Eve party—but the holdup takes a turn for the worse when Rico shoots and kills a popular police captain. Using this distinctly unwanted outcome as leverage, Rico starts to climb to the top of Vettori’s criminal empire—but he quickly discovers that the summit can be very slippery. Little Caesaris often called the first gangster novel, and it certainly delivers in its realistic depiction of crime, the people in the social strata who are concerned with it, and their unique period patois. The novel was a hugely popular bestseller precisely because it was one of the first to record what life was like in the criminal gangs that had a stranglehold on American urban life. The novel was later adapted into the 1931 film of the same name, famous for, like its literary counterpart, being the first “gangster film” that established many of the gangster-movie tropes we take for granted today.
Ernest Hemingwayis perhaps the most influential American writer of the twentieth century. Though known mostly for his longer works, he began his writing career with the publication of short stories which helped develop his often-imitated concise, simple, and straightforward style, which stood in stark contrast to the more elaborate prose of many of his contemporaries. In 1947, during a University of Mississippi creative writing class,William Faulknerremarked that Hemingway “has never been known to use a word that might cause the reader to check with a dictionary to see if it is properly used.” Hemingway famously responded: “Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use.” Besides his writing style, Hemingway’s most well-known contribution to the literary landscape was the iceberg theory of writing, developed while composing the short story “Out of Season.” Hemingway later said of the story: “I had omitted the real end of it which was that the old man hanged himself. This was omitted on my new theory that you could omit anything if you knew that you omitted and the omitted part would strengthen the story and make people feel something more than they understood.” This collection comprises all of the public domain stories published in Hemingway’s short story collections, some miscellaneous stories published in various magazines, and his novellas. With the exception of stories within collections with a thematic link, such asIn Our Time, they are arranged in publication order.
In the early 1400s, the Hundred Years’ War rages on between England and France. Simon Beauvallet is a stern and formidable warrior whose icy demeanor and unyielding principles make him a man who is feared, admired, and respected. Born a bastard but raised by his noble uncle, Simon climbs the ranks from a lowly squire to a feared and respected knight through sheer skill, intelligence, and the honorable execution of duty. Simon’s relentless ambition leads him to seize a castle and earn the favor of King Henry V, but his greatest challenge comes when he encounters the fiery Lady Margaret, the defiant heiress of his conquered lands. Though their clash of wills begins in hostility, Simon’s unexpected patience and Margaret’s gradual admiration forge a passionate bond, proving that even the coldest heart can be melted by love.
Mary Olivier’s life, interior and exterior, is presented from infancy through middle age. We watch as she forms her first impressions of her family and her place in it, and as she grapples with what she’s taught about the Anglican God and His requirements. As she grows, her insatiable curiosity and hunger for knowledge put her at odds with Victorian England’s expectations for women, its tolerance for alternative spiritual beliefs, and especially with what’s acceptable to her mother. May Sinclairwas the pen name of Mary Amelia St. Clair, a pioneer of modernist poetry and prose, with the autobiographicalMary Olivier: A Lifebeing a particular example of the latter.
Voltairine de Cleyrewas a prominent American feminist anarchist active during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Despite (or, perhaps, because of) her childhood experience of being placed in a Catholic convent school, de Cleyre became a member of the anticlerical Freethought movement. Later, she became a member of the American anarchist movement after becoming outraged at the way defendants were sentenced at the 1886 Haymarket Affair trials. Influences on de Cleyre’s beliefs and writings includedMary Wollstonecraftand her lover and fellow anarchist Dyer Lum. She also shared a respectful disagreement with her fellow feminist anarchistEmma Goldman, who eventually came to praise her as “the most gifted and brilliant anarchist woman America ever produced.” Prominent themes in de Cleyre’s poetry include the Haymarket Affair and its aftermath (e.g. “At the Grave in Waldheim”), anti-clericalism (e.g. “The Gods and the People”) and women’s liberation (e.g. “Betrayed”). While largely ignored during most of the 20th century, interest in de Cleyre and her poetry has revived during the late 20th century, thanks in part to Paul Avrich’s 1978 biography,An American Anarchist: The Life of Voltairine de Cleyre.
While trying to plan what to do for the winter holidays, theHardy boysare heartily rewarded for their prowess in solving crimes by Mr. Jefferson, an eccentric antiques dealer and a victim of the carjackers fromThe Shore Road Mystery. Mr. Jefferson allows the boys and two of their friends to vacation on his island, but the fun outing soon takes a turn for the worse: among missing supplies, a snow storm, and a shady figure named Mr. Haneligh who keeps trying to assert his authority over the island, the boys realize that there may be more to the eccentric old man and his past than they first thought. This book was published in 1929 and then rewritten in 1966. This Standard Ebooks edition follows the original 1929 edition.
The Black Mothfocuses on Lord Jack Carstares, an 18th-century earl who has retreated from society and become a highwayman after taking the blame for cheating at cards years ago. He meets our heroine, Diana Beauleigh, when he rescues her from an attempted abduction by the Duke of Andover, and the three of them proceed to have grand adventures. Published in 1921,The Black MothisGeorgette Heyer’sfirst novel, and marks her debut as one of the originators of the modern historical romance. Set in the Georgian period, the novel features many of the elements that are characteristic of Heyer’s work: action, romance, and aristocratic characters in a historical setting, all focusing on themes of love and honor.
The scene is the end of the Gilded Age in New York City. Ellen Thatcher is a young girl who aspires to be an actress. Young Jimmy Herf returns after years abroad, and rejects business school, becoming a reporter. George Baldwin is a lawyer who wins a big case, but continues to struggle to grow his business, eventually entering politics. The novel weaves the lives of these characters together throughout the narrative. Manhattan Transferalso has a good number minor characters, some of whom only appear briefly, while others connect to the several plot lines. They range from a lowly street beggar to an aspiring architect, chasing after love and excitement in the fast pace of New York City, often encountering both frustration and defeat. The story then jumps forward through World War I and into the Jazz Age, moving from one scene to the next in a fragmentary style. Many have compared this to a movie with many jumbled parts put together, portraying an overall impression of the metropolis through these glimpses. Contemporaries praisedJohn Dos Passosfor his ability to capture the soul of Manhattan, andManhattan Transferwas quickly lauded as an important work.
In 1855Pedro Carolinoset out to write an English phrasebook for Portuguese travelers visiting England. The only problem was that he couldn’t speak English. Undeterred by this minor setback, Carolino decided to base his guide on a respected Portuguese–French phrasebook written byJosé da Fonseca. He took the French translations of Portuguese, and used a French–English dictionary to translatethoseto English. The result was an unintentional comedy of literal translation, as English phrases like “the walls have ears” became “the walls have hearsay” (via the Portugueseas paredes têm ouvidos), and “waiting for someone to open the door” became “to craunch the marmoset” (via a ridiculous misreading of archaic English, and the shape of the grotesque door knockers popular at the time). The entire guide was quite large, and not only was it of no practical use as an actual phrasebook, but its length made it too much of a slog to appeal as a comedy. But its legend slowly grew, until in 1883 it was republished in an abridged form as a book of humor titledEnglish as She Is Spoke(a phrase which, incidentally, doesn’t appear in the book itself). The abridged edition, taking the comedic highlights from the long and tedious original, is the edition that became famous. This Standard Ebooks edition is based on that abridgment. The book’s absurd mistranslations were said to have made Lincoln laugh aloud when read to him by his secretary John Hay, andMark Twainsaid that “nobody can add to the absurdity of this book, nobody can imitate it successfully, nobody can hope to produce its fellow; it is perfect.”
Five friends are staying at a remote cottage in the Cornish countryside, where they’re joined by an American. While helping clean out a local well, the six discover an ancient cup buried within. This cup seems to have a long and mysterious history—could it even be the fabled Holy Grail? Investigating the cup’s identity soon ignites simmering tensions among the group of uneasy “friends” as their personalities, desires, fears, and hopes begin to clash. In this highly modernist novel,Mary Buttsadapts the grail myth to early 20th century England, flavored with tinges of Greek mythology, psychoanalysis, and fable. The prose, heavy with allusion, is abstract, kaleidoscopic, and dreamlike, inviting comparison toVirginia Woolf. Two of the main characters, the strong-willed Scylla and her brother Felix, are said to be stand-ins for Butts and her brother, who, like those two fictional bohemians, were down at heel scions of a formerly wealthy aristocratic bloodline. Armed with Madnesswas highly regarded by its contemporaries, appearing as an edition illustrated by Jean Cocteau and inviting praise for Butts’ forward-reaching prose style from the likes ofFord Madox Fordand Ezra Pound. Despite this, it has slipped into obscurity and remains frequently out of print.
While in his office, Superintendent Sinclair receives a phone call from an unknown caller, who claims that they murdered the Home Secretary in his home. Together with Sylvester Collins, an eccentric sleuth, Sinclair goes to the Home Secretary’s house to investigate the truth of the call, only to discover the body of the victim in a locked room. Is this a bizarre suicide, or is it a skillfully executed murder? This is the question the duo have in mind as their investigation digs deeper into the victim’s relationship with his daughter and estranged son. Written in 1926, the peak of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction,Walter S. Masterman’sThe Wrong Letterfollows a typical whodunit structure centered around a locked-room mystery, yet the novel stands out with its intricate clue-puzzle and its fresh take on the classical detective-and-assistant dynamic. While Collins and Sinclair’s relationship initially resembles Sherlock Holmes and Watson’s, it soon evolves beyond a mere archetype.
TheContinental Op, the nameless hard-drinking and quick-shooting detective, arrives at Personville—called “Poisonville” by its inhabitants—in response to a call from the local newspaper publisher Donald Willsson. But just as the Op arrives, Willsson is murdered in cold blood. The Op begins investigating the murder, only to be ensnared in the deep web of power, corruption, and lies that undergirds the rough-and-tumble town. Red Harvestwas first published as a series of short stories inBlack Maskmagazine beforeHammettrewrote them and linked them together to form this novelization. It’s therefore the first novel to feature the Continental Op, the larger-than-life character who would go on to become the prototype for every hard-boiled, emotionally stunted, fedora-wearing detective cliché to grace media ever since. The novel’s influence has been widely recognized, withTimemagazine placing it in its list of 100 best novels from 1923 to 2005 and authors for a century to come riffing on the stereotype created by the Continental Op.
Sam Spade and his partner Miles are private detectives in San Francisco. When the mysterious Miss Wonderly walks into their office begging them to trail a man who has run off with her sister, Sam finds himself embroiled in a complex web of violence, greed, and deceit, all revolving around a mysterious artifact—the titular Maltese Falcon. The Maltese Falconis a jewel in the crown of the “hardboiled” crime genre, and one of its best-known works.Hammettwrites a tight and lean story in which no character, not even the hero or the police, can be said to be “good.” It was first serialized inBlack Maskmagazine in 1929, before undergoing edits for publication as a novel in 1930. The novel was adapted into several movies, including the 1941 film starring Humphrey Bogart, in which his portrayal of Sam Spade went on to become the core archetype for all film noir detectives to come.
The Red House Mysteryis a detective novel byA. A.Milne, better known for his children’s writing, who wrote this book for his father in 1922. It is his only mystery novel and was very popular at the time. Mark Ablett is the amiable host of a country-house party to which his estranged brother, Robert, arrives from Australia. Robert is the black sheep of the family who is said to have borrowed money in the past and had written to warn of his visit. One afternoon a gunshot is heard, and Robert is found shot in the head while locked in the library, while his brother Mark has vanished. Tony Gillingham, who has arrived to visit Bill Beverley, one of the guests at the house-party, takes it upon himself to investigate the death. Together Tony and Bill form a Holmes and Watson partnership and seek to solve the mystery in an unorthodox manner, taking over from a bumbling police force. The Red House Mysteryhas divided opinion on its literary merit but it remains an entertaining and intriguing read nonetheless.
