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Five famous English historical figures, five controversial characters of almost legendary proportions, that have to be well-known and understood if one is interested in knowing about the English spirit and history. Sir Francis Drake was a sea captain and a privateer of the Elizabethan era; his exploits made him a hero to the English but his privateering led the Spanish to brand him a pirate. Henry VIII was king in a time of extreme religious unrest, and became such a bloody monster that he was eventually called the "English Nero".

Phaeton is the son of Apollo and a mortal woman, and his heart's desire is to be seen but once driving his father's chariot, the one used by the god to make the sun travel in the sky. This myth is an ageless story of failure at the hands of pride, similar to that of Icarus. It is a fundamental part of Greek mythology and of modern culture. This short story is a retelling of the myth in great detail and with an elegant style that will edify children and adults alike.

Elizabeth Petrovna was the Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death. She led the country during the War of Austrian Succession (1740-48) and the Seven Years' War (1756-63), left her mark on the service of nobility, the establishment of the Univeresidy of Moscow and the Imperial Academy of Arts; she remains one of the most popular Russian monarchs due to her strong opposition to Prussian policies and her decision not to execute a single person during her reign.

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) was an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonizer. Born in the Republic of Genoa under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. Those voyages and his efforts to establish settlements on the island of Hispaniola initiated the permanent European colonization of the New World. At a time when European kingdoms were beginning to establish new trade routes and colonies, motivated by imperialism and economic competition, Columbus proposed to reach the East Indies (South and Southeast Asia) by sailing westward.

"King Kojata" is a Slavonic fairy tale. A king and a queen had no children. One day, the king was travelling and grew thirsty. He found a spring with a cup floating in it. He did not succeed at trying to grab the cup: it always evaded his hands. When he dropped to drink directly, a creature in the well grabbed his beard and would not free him until he promised to give it something he knew nothing about, and which he would find on his return home.

Guy de Maupassant was an absolute master of the short story genre, delighting in clever plotting, concise style, and efficient storytelling, which he used to produce stunning pieces in a very condensed format. Maupassant specialized in realism, with its sharp criticism of lower human nature and society, and fantastic, although his ventures in the supernatural are often used as an implicit symptom of the protagonists' troubled minds - he was absolutely fascinated with psychiatry, which was nascent at the time.

"The Conscript" is one of the stories from the great collection making up "The Human Comedy"; it captures the human cost of revolution in a terribly touching way. Madame de Dey is a noble, rich widow whose son, an officer in the dragoons, has chosen to follow the princes into exile. She remains behind in a precarious position to look after his fortune. She is now awaiting her son's arrival in disguise.

The myth of Echo and Narcissus appears in Ovid's "Metamorphosis", a Latin mythological epic from the Augustan Age. It is one of the most touching stories ever written and has inspired countless works of art through the centuries. The nymph Echo angers Hera, queen of the gods, who curses her: henceforth, Echo will only be able to repeat the last words that struck her ears. One day, the beautiful Narcissus, son of a nymph and a river god, passes through the forest.

Tsar Nicholas I was the younger brother of his predecessor, Alexander I. He "came to represent autocracy personified: infinitely majestic, determined and powerful, hard as stone, and relentless as fate". He inherited his brother's throne despite a revolt against him, and went on to become the most reactionary of all Russian leaders, leading an agressive policy involving many expensive wars. Discover the life and struggles of this influential ruler through this precise, clear and thorough presentation.

The Celtic folk tales collected by the leading British folklorist Joseph Jacobs (1854-1916) introduced the children of the world to the special vision and color, the unique magic of the Celtic folk imagination. Here are three stories from this timeless masterpiece, presenting the most colorful characters of it all: "King O'Toole and his Goose", "The Haughty Princess", "Jack and his Master".

"The Most Frugal of Men" is a funny story about masters of frugality outperforming each other; "The Moon-Cake" about the dangers of asking for a cake that would resemble the moon; "The Ladle that Fell from the Moon" tells about the witty attempt to confound an elderly scammer; "The Young Head of the Family" tells about a father being outwitted by his daughter-in-law; and "A Dreadful Boar" tells how a poor old woman could defend herself of an elf that met her in the form of a wild boar, threatening to devour her granddaughter.

Charlemagne's wars in Italy, Spain and Saxony formed part of the common epic material, and there are references to his wars against the Slavs; but especially he remained in the popular mind as the great champion of Christianity against the creed of Mahomet, and even his Norman and Saxon enemies became Saracens in current legend. He is the Christian emperor directly inspired by angels; his sword Joyeuse contained the point of the lance used in the Passion; his standard was Romaine, the banner of St Peter.

Ivan IV the Terrible was the Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547, then Tsar of All Russia until his death in 1584. He transformed Russia from a medieval state into an empire, though at immense cost to its people, and its broader, long-term economy. He was described as intelligent and devout, yet given to rages and prone to episodic outbreaks of mental instability that increased with his age. In one such outburst, he killed his son and heir Ivan Ivanovich, which left his younger son, pious but politically ineffectual, to inherit the throne.

The myth of Icarus is an ageless story of failure at the hands of pride, similar to that of Phaeton. It is a fundamental part of Greek mythology and of modern culture. This short story is a retelling of the myth from 1914, a year in which it was easy to fear for a son who would soar in the sky with metal wings; the story of Icarus and Daedalus is told in great detail and with an elegant style that will edify children and adults alike.

Alexander III was Emperor of Russia from 1881 until his death in 1894. He was highly conservative and reversed some of the liberal reforms of his father, Alexander II. He was a pacifist, focused on the protection of his people; mostly seen as lacking refinement and elegance, he rather relished the idea of being of the same rough texture as some of his subjects. Discover the life and struggles of this influential ruler through this precise, clear and thorough presentation.

Alexander II was Emperor of Russia from 2 March 1855 until his assassination on 13 March 1881. He is remembered as Alexander the Liberator, as he led the emancipation of Russia's serfs; during his reign, he kept seeking peace, although the context of the surrounding countries was proving more and more difficult. Although he went down in history as a reformer, his actions were too little too late for the revolutionaries of late imperial Russia, who managed to assassinate him in 1881.

"The Death of Adonis" is a fundamental part of Greek mythology and one of its most touching stories. Accidentally wounded by one of Eros' arrows, the goddess Aphrodite falls desperately in love with the handsome Adonis, son of a king and a beauty among mortals. Yet his only passion is hunting and he refuses to take her warnings seriously when he hears about a great boar he would love to slay. There is something of the idea of coming of age in this tale, when the moment of realisation brings forth the understanding of what could have been and where the real beauty lays.

The spoiled son of a Spanish nobleman, Don Juan Belvidero cannot wait for the moment to claim the family wealth and title for himself. His father calls to his death-bed to inform him that he is in possession of a magic, death-defying potion. If the son will only rub the liquid on his dead body, the father will come back to life. Don Juan assures his father that he will resurrect him, but will he keep his promise or betray the old man?

The Russian Empire was the third-largest empire in world history, stretching over three continents. It played a major role in 1812-1814 in defeating Napoleon's ambitions to control Europe and expanded to the west and south. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Russian Empire extended from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Black Sea in the south, from the Baltic Sea on the west to the Pacific Ocean, and (until 1867) into Alaska in North America in the east. Its wide disparities bred dissidence and rebellions; along with its enormous size, this made it a challenge to govern.

"Fanciful stories" is a collection of folk-tales, fairy tales and delightful poetry to encourage children to dream and connect their imagination with the tales of old. Learn about the mystery of the house-elves, dance with the fairies and breathe the air of the legendary forests with these fantastic short stories for children. The collection: "White Magic"; "The Brownies" by Juliana Horatia Ewing; "The Story of Peter Pan"; "Sir Lark and King Sun" by George MacDonald; "The Imps in the Heavenly Meadow" by Kate E. Bunce; "The Birthday Honors of the Fairy Queen" by Hapgood Moore.