Classics

Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville

The work has been praised for its keen observations, its eloquent writing, and its balanced approach to the complexities of democracy. De Tocqueville’s ability to analyze the American experiment from both a historical and philosophical perspective makes Democracy in America a timeless and essential text for understanding not only the United States but also the broader dynamics of democratic governance.

De Profundis by Oscar Wilde

De Profundis (Latin: "from the depths") is a 50,000 word letter written by Oscar Wilde during his imprisonment in Reading Gaol, to Lord Alfred Douglas, his lover. Wilde wrote the letter between January and March 1897; he was not allowed to send it, but took it with him upon release.

Desert Gold by Zane Grey

A FACE haunted Cameron - a woman's face. It was there in the white heart of the dying campfire; it hung in the shadows that hovered over the flickering light; it drifted in the darkness beyond. This hour, when the day had closed and the lonely desert night set in with its dead silence, was one in which Cameron's mind was thronged with memories of a time long past - of a home back in Peoria, of a woman he had wronged and lost, and loved too late

Dig Me No Grave by Robert E. Howard

The central theme of the story revolves around the idea of vengeance, the inevitability of death, and the terrible price of interfering with the natural order. Howard uses the Southern Gothic setting to heighten the story's sense of dread and to explore how past wrongs can rise from the grave, both figuratively and literally.

Discourses on Livy by Niccolò Machiavelli

Though Machiavelli's conclusions often favor a pragmatic, sometimes cynical view of political power, his thoughts on the relationship between citizens, the state, and the balance of political forces continue to be relevant in discussions about democracy, governance, and the nature of power.

Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope

Son of a bankrupt landowner, Frank Gresham is intent on marrying his beloved Mary Thorne, despite her illegitimacy and apparent poverty. Frank's ambitious mother and haughty aunt are set against the match, however, and push him to save the family's mortgaged estate by making a good marriage to a wealthy heiress.

Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens

Paul Dombey is a wealthy shipping merchant whose wife dies giving birth to their second child, a long-hoped-for son and heir. Young Paul's health is fragile and he dies aged six, dashing his father's hopes...

Don Juan by Lord Byron

In this rambling, exuberant, conversational poem, the travels of Don Juan are used as a vehicle for some of the most lively and acute commentaries on human societies and behaviour in the language. The manner is what Goethe called 'a cultured comic language'-a genre which he regarded as not possible in Geman and which he felt Byron managed superbly.

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Don Quixote has become so entranced by reading chivalric romances that he determines to become a knight-errant himself. In the company of his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, his exploits blossom in all sorts of wonderful ways. While Quixote's fancy often leads him astray—he tilts at windmills, imagining them to be giants—Sancho acquires cunning and a certain sagacity. 

Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz by L. Frank Baum

When Dorothy recovered her senses they were still falling, but not so fast. The top of the buggy caught the air like a parachute or an umbrella filled with wind, and held them back so that they floated downward with a gentle motion that was not so very disagreeable to bear. The worst thing was their terror of reaching the bottom of this great crack in the earth, and the natural fear that sudden death was about to overtake them at any moment.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

In Dracula, Bram Stoker created one of the great masterpieces of the horror genre, brilliantly evoking a nightmare world of vampires and vampire hunters and also illuminating the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire.  

Dracula's Guest by Bram Stoker

This chilling tale is filled with foreboding and atmospheric tension, serving as an excellent standalone work and a fascinating companion to Dracula.