All Articles

A classic horror story about a magical force that can give the owner of the bottle it lives in three wishes. At first, the hero welcomes the bottle imp because it can give him the money he needs to make a start in life, to attract a wonderful girl and live a comfortable life. But soon things start to go very wrong. (7,100 words)

This popular ghost story tells the tale of a very old lady and the young girl who is paid to sit and watch her, get her food and drink and make sure she is happy. But the old lady is starting to lose her mind and, in her madness, she tells a terrible secret from her past. (4,220 words)

The strange story of a man’s relationship with his favourite pet black cat, an animal that follows him everywhere, even in the streets. But he starts to change and the bond between the cat and the man breaks down as his growing madness develop to its terrible conclusion. (1,650 words)

A young doctor, whose true love is the scientific study of beetles, answers an advertisement in the paper asking for a strong, brave young doctor interested in beetles for temporary work. It seems a strange job but he cannot afford to refuse the money. This is one of many Conan Doyle stories that does not include Sherlock Holmes. (3,655 words)

Henry van Dyke tells the story of a man who spends his holidays moose hunting. On his way home, he tells a train driver how he hunted a magnificent moose for days but just missed shooting it. In some ways, he is glad the moose got away but the story has surprise for everyone in the end. (2,580 words)

H. P. Lovecraft is best known for horror stories but here he mixes horror and science fiction in a tale of a strange, old Doctor who never leaves his apartment, which he keeps as cold as possible. Gradually, we realise why. (2,440 words)

In this story of romance and prejudice in the slave-owning South of 19th century America, an orphan called Désirée falls in love with a wealthy man. He’s mad about her and at first they’re in heaven. The dream dies when he realises their child is not white but there is a surprising twist at the end. (1,850 words)

This classic of feminist literature describes the treatment of a late nineteenth century doctor’s wife as she suffers a nervous breakdown. The reader only slowly understands her unhappiness, as Perkins Gilman uncovers piece by piece the obsession that is taking hold of her heroine. (5,350 words)

The Fall of Byzantine Constantinople and the Birth of Ottoman Istanbul. Istanbul is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. In 1453 it was called Constantinople but then Sultan Mehmet took it after a terrible battle that lasted many weeks and ended a thousand years of Byzantine rule. (1,520 words)

The ferret has sharp teeth and is very aggressive. It was used for many years to help humans hunt for food and to control vermin. It is not needed so much for that nowadays and is even considered a pest itself. An unfortunate outcome for an animal that has been our friend for so long. (910 words)

Genghis Khan’s name is associated in the West with fear and it's true that he would kill all the men in any city that refused to surrender to him and take the women and children as slaves. But he also built an army and an empire based on loyalty and fairness stretching from Korea to Poland. (1,320 words)

George Washington fought for the British Army against the French but fifteen years later, he became the general who forced the British out of America. Why did this loyal supporter of the British change his mind? (1,070 words)

Jaycee Lee Dugard was kidnapped when she was a girl of eleven years of age and became the mother of her captor’s children. She lived in a tent in his garden for nearly twenty years until a suspicious university administrator called the police. This is her astonishing story. Read about her and the man who kept her prisoner. (1,550 words)

Jeremy Bamber was sent to prison for the multiple murders of his family in 1986. It was a nasty and strange case. There were jealousies and rivalries and the police made some very odd mistakes. Bamber still insists he is innocent . (1,390 words)

‘Counterparts’ is about an alcoholic who cares more for a drink than he does for his job or family. We can almost taste the whiskey and smell the pubs, as Joyce tells us of his night out in Ireland’s capital. At the same time, he explores the drinker's misery, shame and violence. (3,820 words)