Books published by Stonewell Press

Two books in one. Loosely based on an experience in Joseph Conrad's life, Heart of Darkness tells the story of one man's journey into darkest Africa--and the darkness of the human heart. Both thoughtful and compelling, Heart of Darkness takes measure of "the thin line between civilization and barbarity." The Secret Sharer, likewise based on an actual accident at sea, is an exciting adventure tale that reveals truths about human nature on several levels. Albert J. Guerard of Stanford University wrote that these two stories are "among the finest of Conrad's short novels, and among the half-dozen greatest short novels in the English language." And Virginia Woolf wrote of Conrad, "His books are full of moments of vision. They light up a whole character in a flash. . . . He could not write badly, one feels, to save his life."

Alternately hilarious and heartwarming, this beloved coming-of-age novel from the Australian outback brings together unforgettable characters with clarity and truth, all told in a unique young woman's voice. My Brilliant Career was made into an award-winning film starring Judy Davis and Sam Neill.

The Secret Sharer, actual accident at sea, is an exciting adventure tale that reveals truths about human nature on several levels. Albert J. Guerard of Stanford University wrote that these two stories are "among the finest of Conrad's short novels, and among the half-dozen greatest short novels in the English language." And Virginia Woolf wrote of Conrad, "His books are full of moments of vision. They light up a whole character in a flash. . . . He could not write badly, one feels, to save his life."

John Locke's Second Treatise of Government was one of the most influential works read by America's Founding Fathers. As Thomas P. Peardon wrote, "John Locke [was] . . . a main source of the ideas of the American Revolution of 1776. . . . So close is the Declaration of Independence to Locke in form, phraseology, and content, that Jefferson was accused of copying the Second Treatise. This, of course, he did not do. But the ideas of the Declaration are those ideas of English constitutionalism to which Locke had given expression. . . . Nor was Locke's influence confined to the Declaration of Independence; it was felt in the ideas and often the phrasing of State Declarations and Constitutions. He was quoted, too, in the Federal Convention of 1787 and often referred to thereafter. . . . Locke's Second Treatise is . . . the distillation of a wisdom derived from centuries of struggle for liberty and justice in government."

Written by a man with his own gaming addiction, The Gambler paints a stark picture of the attractions--and devastating costs--of gambling. Using skillful characterization, Dostoevsky paints a fascinating picture of casino life in the fictious town of Roulettenburg, Germany. This classic, probing psychological novel explores the tangled love affairs and complicated lives of a young gambler and the woman he loves. Dostoevsky's novel inspired two hit movies, both of which shared the book's title: the first in 1974, starring James Caan, Lauren Hutton, and Paul Sorvino; and the second in 2014 starring Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Lange, and John Goodman.

Born with the appearance of a 70-year-old man, Benjamin Button grows physically younger with each passing year, until, in the end . . . Well, you'll just have to read it for yourself. A masterful story from the master storyteller of the Jazz Age. The author wrote, "This story was inspired by a remark of Mark Twain's to the effect that it was a pity that the best part of life came at the beginning and the worst part at the end. By trying the experiment upon only one man in a perfectly normal world I have scarcely given his idea a fair trial." But the author was wrong: It's a knockout of a story--recently released as a major motion picture starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.