Horace.

Widely considered the first gothic novel, and indeed an initiator of the whole genre, The Castle of Otranto is a 1764 novel by Horace Walpole. It tells the tale of the lord of a castle, Manfred, and his family. Manfred's son Conrad is about to be married to princess Isabella, but Conrad is killed; crushed to death by the fall of a huge helmet from above. In light of an ancient prophesy, this tragic event is especially ominous.

The economic debate over free trade versus protectionism is as relevant today as it was in the mid-nineteenth century, when the scathing takedown Sophisms of the Protectionists was first published. French economist Frederic Bastiat meticulously dismantles the arguments in favor of protectionism and unleashes a rousing battle cry in favor of unfettered trade.

The nineteenth century was a time of turmoil and social change, during which the immutable caste system that had defined European society for thousands of years finally began to shift. This transitional period is brought to life in the exhilaratingly ambitious historical novel, The Red and the Black, which follows the life of Julien Sorel, born of a working-class family, who attempts to improve his station in life. Can Sorel overcome the