Books in the Mint Editions series

A sharp-witted detective investigates the mystery of a gem, plundered from India and now vanished in England, and discovers shifting motives, unreliable testimony and growing danger in this foundational classic of mystery fiction.The Moonstone justly occupies an exalted position as a groundbreaking novel that opened the way for a great deal of genre fiction, mysteries and thrillers, but it is far more than simply an influence upon later works. This is an epistolary novel with a number of diverse and clearly incised viewpoints, displaying the author's skill with both character and the unveiling of the elements of a mystery plot. One of the characters is the detective charged with finding the thief who stole the Moonstone, a huge diamond with a bloody history, and he is a clear precursor to A.C. Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Another character, much remarked upon at the novel's original release, suffers from opium addiction, depicted with frightening clarity by Collins, who dealt with that issue firsthand. The plot is sensational but relayed realistically and builds to one of the most unusual plot twists in mystery literature, made all the more remarkable by virtue of appearing in the genre's earliest days. Initially serialized in Charles Dickens magazine All The Year Round, The Moonstone was published in 1868 and has never been out of print since.With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Moonstone is both modern and readable.

The Call of The Wild, is a powerful short story written about the journey to discover one¿s primitive instincts. Told through the perspective of Buck, a loving St. Bernard mix turned wild Alaskan pack dog, Jack London¿s adventure-packed novel will leave readers drawn into the wild.

Set in London at the turn of the 18th century, The Dashwood family is on the crux of financial ruin after the untimely death of the patriarch. Forced to pack up their belongings and relinquish their comfortable lifestyle, Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters, move in with their distant relatives the Middeltons, at Barton Park. There, they must each adapt to a new, more sensible way of life.Sense and Sensibility is a story teeming with gossip, lies, betrayal and love. As comes with the responsibility of adulthood, Marianne and Elinor Dashwood must both find suitors, or their prospects for a happy life will most certainly be diminished. Needing to stay with their estranged family in their home, the new dynamics of the household are anything but conventional. Elinor, the more judicious of the two sisters, understands the perils of what's to come should she not find a husband. But Marianne has a different agenda. Believing firmly in the power of love, Marianne holds out hope that when she does marry, it won't only be for financial securityIn Jane Austen's first novel, the Dashwood sisters quickly learn that love requires a balance of both head and heart, and that the commitment of marriage is one that requires a mature sensibility. With an eye-catching new cover, and a cleanly typeset manuscript, this edition of Sense and Sensibility is both modern, and readable.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens depicts Ebenezer Scrooge¿s long night of visitations by the spirits of Christmas. This Holiday classic transcends its seasonal status by offering all the eerie chills of a ghost story and balancing them with a heartfelt vision of compassion, redemption, and a life well lived.

A Victorian gentleman arrives late to a party and reveals he used a machine of his own invention to travel time and has returned from a journey that took him 100,000 years into the future and beyond to the fading of the sun. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells endures as a work of unprecedented imaginative power.

Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot answers a desperate message calling for help and travels to Northern France only to find the sender murdered. Another death, a parallel mystery from the past, and a disappearing murder weapon combine to challenge even Poirot¿s famous skills in this page-turning classic of mystery and detection.

The Art of War is the collection of leadership and military strategies composed by the esteemed Chinese general, Sun Tzu. Divided into 13 distinct chapters, each category gives clarity and voice to varying subjects pertaining to the intricacies of war and wartime strategy.Having inspired generations of readers, The Art of War continues to be perceived as a kind of spiritual lighthouse for all those seeking sage leadership advice. Though Sun Tzu's expertise was considered to be professing wartime strategy, the principals enumerated within the text extend far beyond the logistics of a battlefield. Having lived during the Warring States Period, Sun Tzu understood conflict and political strife. Sun Tzu, using the culmination of decades worth of knowledge inspired generations of leaders with his words. His insight was not wasted on the bloodshed of lives lost in battle, yet it was composed into beautifully succinct proverbs and adages that make up the whole of The Art of War. Perhaps his most well-known axiom is, "Know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat." With proverbs as popular as the one above, the entirety of his work is composed of this level of insight. As pertinent as it was when it was written over 2,000 year ago, The Art of War is a true work of philosophical mastery.

The Heart of Darkness is a powerful examination of the savage nature of western imperialism in the late 1890s. With stunning relevance to the politics and tribulations of today's society, Joseph Conrad's celebrated novel is just as important today as when it was initially published.The story follows a young man named Charles Marlow. Soon after Marlow joins the Company as captain of a riverboat for a Belgian group organized to trade with the Congo, he uncovers is a fate worse than any life he could have imagined in London. Throughout the journey, Captain Marlow cannot turn away from the stark injustices and atrocious crimes being committed by the company he works for. Reflecting many of the experiences Conrad himself endured, The Heart of Darkness spares no mercy when retelling the many atrocities committed by imperial commanders; because of this, the story has long been considered required reading for all those seeking to better understand the true nature of colonialism. Told from the gaze of an employee privy to the conquest of the colonialist venture, Marlow's experiences are considered exemplary of the brutal nature of human exploitation. 

A collection of both philosophical and pragmatic musings divided into 28 prose poetry fables, The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran has become an emblem of spiritual awakening and inspiration for readers everywhere. Speaking to the multi-dimensional facets of everyday life, Gibran has managed to write a manifesto of human existence, tackling issues central to any reader.

When a wicked tornado hits a small town in Kansas, Dorothy and her little dog Toto wake up, not in the comfort of their own home, but in a magical land called Oz. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by Frank L. Baum, has become one of the most well-known American stories of our time, inspiring its many readers that there is indeed, ¿no place like home.¿

"Dumas is a master of ripping yarns full of fearless heroes, poisonous ladies and swashbuckling adventurers."-The Guardian "I do not say there is no character as well-drawn in Shakespeare (as D'Artagnan). I do say that there is none that I love so wholly."-Robert Louis Stevenson"a masterpiece which remains as fresh and living as if it were written yesterday."-J. Lucas-DubretonWith it's extraordinary and intoxicating narrative Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers(1844) has captivated the imaginations of readers for hundreds of years. The deliriously robust adventure follows the journey of a swaggering young Gascon who yearns to become an elite Musketeer of the guard of the Ancien Régime of 17th century France. This timeless novel of intrigue and romance, initially published in French as Les Trois Mousquetaires in 1844, begins as the young hero D'Artagnan journeys from his home in the province of Gascony to Paris to fulfill his dream of seeking a fortune. A skillful swordman, noble and intelligent, he is given a letter of introduction to the head of the King's Musketeers, the distinguished Monsieur de Treville. During his first stop at an inn, D'Artagnan is involved in a fight, and his letter is stolen. Undeterred by his setback, he meets Treville at his headquarters, and is given a post as a King's Guard to prove his worthiness of becoming a Musketeer. After a contentious run-in with three of the most notable of the King's Musketeers, he agrees to a duel. The bout with the distinguished Athos, the reticent Aramis, and the brash Portos result in a remarkable friendship between the four men. The masterful story of the intrigues and the adventure of D'Artagnan and the three Musketeers, is a timeless classic and has been the inspiration of numerous film, television, and stage adaptations. /p>With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Three Musketeers is both modern and readable.

An embattled inheritance, accusations of madness, scheming villainy and much more tie into the labyrinthine plot of one of the most celebrated and sensational novels of the Victorian era.¿A young man just beginning a new job in London meets with a strange woman on a moonlit road, offers her assistance getting into the city and then finds she may have just escaped an asylum. Hidden connections are unveiled between the family that employs the young man and the mysterious woman, pulling the reader into a suspenseful web of plots within plots, theft, betrayal, mistaken identities and attempted murder. Punctuating his dramatic narrative with sharp suspense and sudden moments of revelation that provide shock and understanding in equal measure, Wilkie Collins was pioneer of the literary thriller. In 1859, when serialized in Charles Dickens magazine, All the Year Round, crowds lined up to buy each installment of The Woman in White. Modern readers will be grateful to have the entire text at hand as the author¿s remarkable storytelling skills retain their power to ensnare, enchant and keep the pages turning toward the unpredictable conclusion.With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Woman in White is both modern and readable.

¿Revolutionary...Brontë's most feminist novel.¿-Lyndall Gordon ¿Charlotte Brontë has us by the hand, forces us along her road, makes us sense what she sees, never leaves us for a moment or allows us to forget her.¿-Virginia Woolf Shirley, the second published novel from Charlotte Brontë, is a propulsive social narrative that exposes the discord between the sexes, classes, and economic structure of early 19th century England. Set in 1811-1812 during the strife of the industrial revolution, this classic novel is a story of love struggling against social unrest and the conventions of the roles of women.When Robert Moore, a struggling mill owner, decides to replace many of his employees with a new piece of machinery, a group of protesters destroys it before it is delivered. As the problems with his mill mount, he starts to become despondent. His cousin Caroline, a frequent visitor to the Moore home is infatuated with Robert, yet he also is inaccessible to her desires. When Caroline is eventually forbidden to visit the Moore home by her overbearing uncle, she is resolved to spend her life doing charitable work. Through her uncle, Caroline is introduced to Shirley Keeldar, a wealthy and independent woman who wants to donate her money to aid the poor. They become very close friends, and eventually Caroline is convinced that Shirley and Robert will marry. When the threats from laid-off mill workers increase, and soon after the mill is attacked, the conflicts of both love and class explode. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Shirley is both modern and readable.

¿The greatest writer of his time.¿-Edmund Wilson ¿One of the great poets of the novel, a genius of his art¿-Edgar Johnson¿His characters are marvelous, his insights wonderful¿you don¿t expect reality but you get something bigger and better.¿-Ruth RendellThe Old Curiosity Shop was initially published in a weekly serial, ¿Master Humphrey¿s Clock¿, between 1840 and 1841. Charles Dickens¿ story of the frail and innocent orphan had become such a phenomenon that New Yorkers stormed to the wharf in expectation of the ship carrying the final episode from England. The Old Curiosity Shop, ultimately published in book form in 1841, is considered a lesser known work from Dickens, yet its moving story is one of the finest examples of sentimental Victorian literature.Nell Trent, the protagonist of this novel, is an overwhelmingly good little girl who is orphaned into the care of her Grandfather, the purveyor of an odds and ends shop. Her grandfather is a benevolent man, yet he hides behind a dark secret; he has been consumed with the habit of gambling; eventually he gambles away his shop to his creditor Daniel Quilp, one of the most heinous of all of Dickens¿ villains. Nell and her grandfather flee London and, in their pursuit, they encounter a range of characters that are both goodhearted and the embodiment of evil. The Old Curiosity Shop is an insightful tragedy of sorrows that that brilliantly paints the range of human intention. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Old Curiosity Shop is both modern and readable.

"Uncle Tom's Cabin is the most powerful and enduring work of art ever written about American slavery"-Alfred Kazin"To expose oneself in maturity to Uncle Tom's cabin may...prove a startling experience"-Edmund WilsonIn Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe created America's first black literary hero as well as the nation's antecedent protest novel. The novel's vast influence on attitudes towards African American slavery was considered an incitation towards the American Civil War; conjointly, its powerful anti-slavery message resonated with readers around the world at its time of publication.With unashamed sentimentality and expressions of faith, Harriet Beecher Stowe, in Uncle Tom's Cabin tells the story of the lives of African American slaves from a Kentucky plantation; The master's maid, Eliza; her son, Henry; and, of course, Uncle Tom, the righteous and kind protagonist at the center of the book. When Arthur Selby, a Kentucky slave-owner decides to sell his slaves due to dire financial turns, Eliza runs away with her son, and Tom is sold to a slave trader named Haley. On a Mississippi river boat, Tom's fortunes are revered after he rescues Eva, a young white girl, from drowning. Eva's kind father is so moved by Tom's bravery that he buys him from Haley and brings him into his New Orleans home. In the series of calamitous events that follow, Tom ultimately finds himself in the bondage of the diabolical master Simon Legree. Still provoking controversies to this day, this is one of American literature's most important works of social justice.With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Uncle Tom's Cabin is both modern and readable.

The Night Land (1912) is a terrifying tale of romance and fantasy in which William Hope Hodgson imagines humanity at the end of the world. Noted for its creative exploration of concepts such as telepathy, futuristic technologies, and reincarnation, Hodgson¿s novel is an indisputable classic of literary science fiction.When a widower dreams of Earth in a far-off future, what he sees is nearly unrecognizable. The sun has been extinguished, and all human life has been forced to gather within the Last Redoubt, a metal pyramid looming miles above the darkened planet. Outside, monstrous forces gather, waiting for the mysterious energy source powering humanity¿s last refuge to die out. When the narrator unexpectedly connects with a young woman telepathically, he makes the horrifying choice to leave the safety of the pyramid in order to search for her at the rumored Lesser Redoubt, long thought lost to the dark. The Night Land journeys to the outer reaches of space and time to see how far humanity will go to keep love, and itself, alive.Complex and kaleidoscopic, William Hope Hodgson¿s The Night Land is a classic story of romance and loss projected into a harsh, unpredictable future. It is often considered a seminal work in the Dying Earth or apocalyptic subgenre of science fiction and fantasy. For its strange blend of futuristic imagery and archaic narration, the book was initially deemed difficult to read. However, as time has passed, and with the help of positive reviews by such figures as H.P. Lovecraft, The Night Land is now appreciated for the depths of its vision and the experimental nature of its form.For modern readers, who face the daily reality of a deadly pandemic and a future threatened by global climate disaster, Hodgson¿s work can only prove timely. For fans of classic science fiction, horror, and fantasy, The Night Land is a guaranteed hit.With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this new edition of William Hope Hodgson¿s The Night Land is a classic work of science fiction reimagined for modern readers.

¿The style of Hawthorne is purity itself. His tone is singularly effective-wild, plaintive, thoughtful, and in full accordance with his themes.¿- Edgar Allan Poe¿To this little book we would say ¿Live ever, sweet, sweet book.¿ It comes from the hand of a man of genius.¿-Henry Wadsworth LongfellowNathaniel Hawthorne¿s Twice-Told Tales is a spectacularly rich collection of thirty-nine penetrating stories. With a rare purity of style, these tales chronicle both familiar life and haunted specters through a lens of subtle mysticism and deep melancholy. The title is a nod to Shakespeare¿s line ¿Life is a tedious as a twice-told tale/Vexing the ear of a drowsy man.¿; it furthermore is Hawthorne¿s acknowledgment that these stories all had been previously published in various magazines and newspapers of the day.Never one to shy from exploring themes of darkness and morality, these stories beg for repeated readings in order to fully grasp their true richness; yet, there is a sheer enjoyment in the subtle, truly imaginative beauty in each one. Amongst this collection are the tales ¿The Ambitious Guest,¿ ¿The Minister¿s Black Veil,¿ ¿The May-Pole of Merry Mount,¿ ¿The Hollow of Three Hills,¿ ¿The Haunted Mind,¿ and ¿Dr. Heidegger¿s Experiment¿ which was adapted into the 1963 Horror Film starring Vincent Price.With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Twice-Told Tales is both modern and readable.

"An imaginative, entertaining adventure story."-E.F. Bleiler "Enchantment is just what this writer exercised; he fixed pictures in our minds that thirty years have been unable to wear away."-Graham GreenShe and Allan is one of H. Rider Haggard's most exciting novels of adventure and romance. In bringing together two of his most compelling characters, Allan Quatermain, the quirky English Big-Game hunter and explorer, and the seductive and iconic supernatural African Queen Ayesha, or popularly know as "she-who-must-be-obeyed", Haggard has created one of the most exciting stories in his body of work. When Allan Quatermain seeks out the Zulu witch-doctor Zikali in the south of Africa to determine if he can communicate with the dead, he is instructed to travel to a lost kingdom deep in the interior of Africa. Zikali reveals that the truth of his inquiry will only be revealed if Quatermain delivers a message to a mysterious and supernatural white sorceress who rules over a tribe living in the ruins of an ancient city. Quatermain sets out on a perilous journey through uncharted lands full of cannibals, wild beasts, and treacherous brushes with death. When he finally reaches the rubble of the lost kingdom of Kôr, he is summoned into the presence of the immortal Queen Ayesha, "she-who-must-be-obeyed," and is requested to lead her army into battle against the dreaded kingdom of Rezu. A spellbinding tale of supernatural fiction, She and Allan is one of the most intriguing and exotic works of early 20th century Fantasy. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of She and Allan is both modern and readable.

¿An imaginative, entertaining adventure story.¿-E.F. Bleiler ¿Enchantment is just what this writer exercised; he fixed pictures in our minds that thirty years have been unable to wear away.¿-Graham GreenThere are few equals to the thrilling adventure-fantasy novels of H. Rider Haggard, and of all of his series the Ayesha novels have been the favorites of his fans. In this final chronological installment of the novels, Ayesha: The Return of She (1905) the adventures of intrigue, the supernatural, and love continue, yet this time in the deep exotic wilds of the Asian continent. After the immortal African Queen Ayesha, or ¿She¿, apparently perishes in a tower of fire, the Englishman Horace Holly and his adopted son Leo Vincey return home from their African journey. Twenty years later, the pair are still haunted by the strange memories of the beautiful but cruel supernatural being ¿She¿, and eventually Leo is afflicted by powerful visions of her presence. In agreement that she is still roaming the earth, Holly and Leo set out for Asia, and eventually to ¿Thibet¿, where they make perilous journeys through the jungles and mountainous peaks of the uncharted wild. Through battles with immortals, death-hounds and sorceresses they are finally re-united with Ayesha. As Holly and Leo are pulled further into the world of the occult it becomes clear that the Queen¿s ambitions are nefarious, yet they have inexplicably fallen into the allure of her powers. A classic of gothic-fantasy literature, this final installment of the Ayesha series succeeds at creating one of the most exotic and mysterious mythical worlds ever created.

"Love is a theme which at all times and in all countries has been of primary interest to men and women, and therefore this book, which throws an illuminating ray of light in many a dark place still wrapped in mystery and silence, not only impresses the psychologist, but also fascinates the general reader with its wealth of interesting detail and charm of expression."-Ellie SchleussnerIn The Evolution of Love (1922) the Austrian Poet-Philosopher Emil Lucka reveals his conception of the development of love and sex. In his revolutionary presentation of ideas, the author blends history, psychology, and philosophy to speculate that love is not a fundamental predisposition, but evolved through historical changes.There are three distinct stages of the development of love that Lucka explores in this important work; Metaphysical Eroticism, the first, is the exploration of emotional climaxes and the sexual instinct. Moving from prehistoric man through the ideals of Greek love, and to the spread of Christianity, he lays his foundation through the lens of history. The second stage is Love, which he again demonstrates its development through history, specifically the birth of European civilization. The third stage is the unity of sexual impulse and love, the evolution of the spiritual love of man for woman based on personality. Finally, Lucka delves into erotic aberrations, exploring perversities of sex and love through the progress of history. In Lucka's conclusion, he looks at the realm of the spirit in the context of Ernst Heackel's biogenetic law. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Evolution of Love is both modern and readable.

Uncovering a governmental conspiracy to frame a friend for murder puts David Balfour on the run and striving to protect the woman he's come to love.Released with the title David Balfour when originally released in the United States, Catriona is Robert Louis Stevenson's follow-up to Kidnapped. David Balfour, hero of both books, is made a target by his willingness to testify in favor of a friend falsely accused of murder. His stubborn sense of justice will get him challenged to a duel in which he is clearly overmatched, plotted against, pursued and kidnapped once again. In the midst of the action a fledgling romance appears, as David meets the endearing Catriona, a woman more than a few readers have also been smitten with. Misunderstandings, conniving family members and outright villains combine to keep them from one another and their romance seems doomed before it begins. The story rolls along against a richly depicted historical backdrop of the 18th century, with the author stirring many historical characters, places, and even ships into his tale of adventure and long-suffering love rewarded at last. First published in 1893, Catriona was the last novel the author completed on his own before his untimely death at 44 years of age.With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Catriona is both modern and readable.

"[James] is the most intelligent man of his generation." -T. S. Eliot "Reading Henry James is like putting a new faculty to the test. This is the true morality.¿-Anita Brookner ¿A very modern story about aimless lives and messy marriages¿- Paul TherouxHenry James¿ What Maisie Knew (1897) is one of the author's most piercing works of fiction, am impassioned look at the events of a young girls life as she is shuffled between her self-absorbed divorced parents. In this astonishingly modern novel, the damaging constructs of society and the illusions of respectability are seen through the perspective of an unforgettable child from her earliest years until a teenager.Maisie Farange, only six-years old at the onset of the novel, is a child of two narcissistic parents: Beale and Ida, who are only using the young child as a pawn in their own egomaniacal games. As the bitter divorce of her parents is settled in split custody, the emotional cruelty only increases. She is cared for by two governesses; the homely Mrs. Wix at her Mother¿s house, and the beautiful Miss Overmore at her father¿s home. As each parent re-marries much younger spouses, and those relationship in turn fail, Maisie is entangled in a web of moral corruption and psychological abuse. James¿s tragic story of an innocent child caught between the corruption of the adult world is a thought-provoking and devastating meditation on failed responsibility.

Tarzan of the Apes is the first story and origin of one of modern fiction¿s most enduring and mythic heroes. Raised in the savage jungle, young Lord Greystoke must reckon with brutal beasts and still crueler civilized enemies to understand and claim his human heritage.Viscount and Lady Greystoke survive a shipwreck on the jungle coast of Africa where their son is born. The couple perishes but the boy is taken in by a mother ape who recently lost her own child. Raised among apes and utterly unfamiliar with his humanity, young Tarzan discovers the cabin his father built and learns something of who he is and why he is so different from his ape companions. Pitted against a steady stream of daunting challenges, Tarzan will rise to rule his tribe of apes and encounter fellow humans at last, when another shipwreck maroons lovely Jane Porter and her comrades on his shore. By couching his extravagant imagination in clear, direct prose the author balances his novel on a razor edge between realistic drama and pure fairy tale. Tarzan remains a unique and indelible character, capable of terrifying acts of bestial violence or noble acts of loyalty and self-sacrifice. Originally serialized in a magazine in 1912, Tarzan of the Apes was issued in book form in 1914, the first volume in what would become a series of 24 books and a pop culture legacy that would encompass film, radio, television, comics and more.With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Tarzan of the Apes is both modern and readable.

Irish Fairy Tales is a selection of mythical stories highlighting themes of love, duty and deception in the magical setting of ancient and medieval Ireland. Each narrative presents internal and external conflicts that test the moral code of its leading characters.James Stephens explores Ireland's cherished history though the eyes of fabled hunters, soldiers, kings and queens. Many stories feature the Fianna, a group of tribal warriors, and their legendary leader, Fionn mac Cumhaill. Other tales include "The Wooing of Becfola," "Becuma of the White Skin" and "Mongan's Frenzy." It's a marvelous display of culture and tradition that balances morality with adventure.With colorful prose and larger than life characters, Irish Fairy Tales delves into the Fenian Cycle-a prominent part of both Irish and Scottish mythology. This spirited retelling captivates readers pulling them into a world of wonder and mystery. It's one of Stephens' most successful works and has been a literary staple for generations. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Irish Fairy Tales is both modern and readable.

¿M.W. Gibbs recalls a life of myriad transformations-from a youth of poverty to success in gold rush California to election as the first black municipal judge in America to service as the American consul to Madagascar. And Gibbs tells it all with a verve and candor. It is an autobiography worthy of its subject-and just as much worth reading today as when it was first published in 1902.¿-Tom W. DillardShadow and Light: An Autobiography (1902) is an astonishingly rich historical document from one of the most exceptional pioneers in nineteen-century America. Mifflin Wistar Gibbs¿s account of his towering success as an African American businessman, newspaper owner, judge, and diplomat is a voluminous narrative of one man¿s triumph despite the staggering racial inequalities of the time.Born into a free black family in Philadelphia in 1823, the young Mifflin Wistar Gibbs demonstrated a precociousness as a writer and orator as young as 16 years old. Although involved in the black literary and political scenes in Philadelphia, Gibbs was disillusioned with the city¿s racial inequality; He subsequently became involved in abolitionist activities, and was an active participant in the Underground Railroad. In his late 2ös he was invited by Fredrick Douglas to speak on an abolitionist lecture circuit throughout New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. In 1850 Gibbs left for the west to seek a fortune in the California gold rush. By the late 1850¿s he had built a successful business, and eventually established two black-owned newspapers in the Bay Area. When new discriminatory laws were passed in California, Gibbs moved to Victoria, where he became extremely successful as a businessman and a leader of the black community. Once the civil war had ended, he returned to the United States where he earned a law degree, moved to the south, and by 1873 had become the first African American elected as a municipal judge. From his beginning as a fatherless boy, to his post as an American diplomat, Shadow and Light is a stirring testament to the achievements of an extraordinary American pioneer.With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Shadow and Light: An Autobiography is both modern and readable.