Aesop, an ancient Greek poet who was sold into slavery in the early sixth century B.C, relied on animal stories to convey his key points to his masters in court....

With amazing insight, Anton Chekhov wrote of the lives of the Russian common man as well as the landowner....

Elizabeth Gaskell's comic portrait of early Victorian life in a country town describes with poignant wit the uneventful lives of its lady-like inhabitants....

A gawky, dreamy boy, Hans Christian Andersen grew up to become a profoundly imaginative writer and storyteller who revolutionized literature for children....

Here are 11 short stories and one novella by Anton Chekhov, one of the finest masters of what is acknowledged as a difficult genre....

I.L. Peretz, the acknowledged Father of Yiddish Literature, captured the essence of Eastern European Jewish life....

Vanity Fair, with its rich cast of characters, takes place on the snakes-and-ladders board of life...