Biblioteche dell'Alto Adige

Abstract: American Fairy Tales is the title of a collection of twelve fantasy stories by L. Frank Baum, published in 1901 by the George M. Hill Company, the firm that issued The Wonderful Wizard of Oz the previous year. This volume contains12 Fairy Tales from the author of the Wizard of Oz series of books. Inspired by Lang and the Brothers Grimm, Baum sought to create an American type of fairy tales, avoiding the usual violence and roman often found in these sort of stories. L. Frank Baum was doing well in 1901, better than ever before in his life. He had written two popular books, Father Goose: His Book and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and was determined to capitalize on this success. In addition to American Fairy Tales, Baum's Dot and Tot of Merryland and The Master Key appeared in 1901. Publisher George M. Hill sold the serialization rights to the twelve stories in AFT to five major newspapers, the Pittsburgh Dispatch, the Boston Post, the Cincinnati Enquirer, the St. Louis Republic, and The Chicago Chronicle. The stories appeared between March 3 and May 19, 1901; the book followed in October.The Box Of Robbers (excerpt)No one intended to leave Martha alone that afternoon, but it happened that everyone was called away, for one reason or another. Mrs. McFarland was attending the weekly card party held by the Women's Anti-Gambling League. Sister Nell's young man had called quite unexpectedly to take her for a long drive. Papa was at the office, as usual. It was Mary Ann's day out. As for Emeline, she certainly should have stayed in the house and looked after the little girl; but Emeline had a restless nature."Would you mind, miss, if I just crossed the alley to speak a word to Mrs. Carleton's girl?" she asked Martha."'Course not," replied the child. "You'd better lock the back door, though, and take the key, for I shall be upstairs.""Oh, I'll do that, of course, miss," said the delighted maid, and ran away to spend the afternoon with her friend, leaving Martha quite alone in the big house, and locked in, into the bargain.The little girl read a few pages in her new book, sewed a few stitches in her embroidery and started to "play visiting" with her four favorite dolls. Then she remembered that in the attic was a doll's playhouse that hadn't been used for months, so she decided she would dust it and put it in order.Filled with this idea, the girl climbed the winding stairs to the big room under the roof. It was well lighted by three dormer windows and was warm and pleasant. Around the walls were rows of boxes and trunks, piles of old carpeting, pieces of damaged furniture, bundles of discarded clothing and other odds and ends of more or less value. Every well-regulated house has an attic of this sort, so I need not describe it.The doll's house had been moved, but after a search Martha found it away over in a corner near the big chimney.She drew it out and noticed that behind it was a black wooden chest which Uncle Walter had sent over from Italy years and years ago—before Martha was born, in fact. Mamma had told her about it one day; how there was no key to it, because Uncle Walter wished it to remain unopened until he returned home; and how this wandering uncle, who was a mighty hunter, had gone into Africa to hunt elephants and had never been heard from afterwards...- - - -Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919), better known as L. Frank Baum, was an American author chiefly famous for his children's books, particularly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its sequels. He wrote a total of 14 novels in the Oz series, plus 41 other novels, 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts. He made numerous attempts to bring his works to the stage and the nascent medium of film; the 1939 adaptation of the first Oz book would become a landmark of 20th century cinema. His works anticipated such century-later commonplaces as television, augmented reality, laptop computers (The Master Key), wireless telephones (Tik-Tok of Oz), women in high-risk and action-heavy occupations (Mary Louise in the Country), and the ubiquity of advertising on clothing (Aunt Jane's Nieces at Work).

Abstract: The Sum of the Whole is Greater Than Its Parts.So Gaia was taught since she came into this existence.But she was named after the Nature goddess. Long centuries and eons passed while she was submerged in rock beneath the thin surface layers that living creatures inhabited.Now some imbalance had awakened her. She rose to the surface to claim her own, her rightful place in the whole world, not just beneath it.What she found surprised even an immortal like herself. It seemed again time for some changes - and Justice. The last time she had to balance the scales, the ruling species didn't appreciate her changes. What did they call themselves? Oh yes: Dinosaurs.- - - - Excerpt:Something was seriously wrong. Or she had slept too long. It didn't matter much. She was awake now.The ground around her rumbled as she slipped off what served for her bed coverings. To you and I, it would seem like solid rock, but to Gaia, it was simply another space. Over there - her wardrobe. Over here - brush, comb, mirror. Hanging on her bedpost, her soft and comfortable robe to cover her bare limbs. Beneath her feet were a small rug and fluffy slippers to keep her feet warm as she crossed the cold marble to the fireplace.At that side of the room, the eternal flames from the magma below warmed her as she stood in front of them. First her hands and front, then turning with her back to it.A comfortable bedroom, filled with memories of her childhood and growing up.Something had awakened her.Just as her room appeared to us as solid crystal inside volcanic stone, time to her wasn't measured in years or centuries. It was more fluid. She had no days, no sunrise or sunset to mark its passage.Gaia slept when all was right with the planet she called home. There was balance. And everything knew its place, its job, its duty - and filled these. With nothing to do, no one to give lessons to, no action necessary to take, she could sleep.And when she woke, it was to restore balance.Something was imbalanced in the world above, that needed her touch again after her long sleep.She was born with this planet, or so they told her as a child. Her fretful tumblings in her cradle and her crying had raised mountains on its surface, had caused volcanoes to erupt. Large land masses had sunk beneath its seas, while ocean depths rose to the sun in turn - to dry and teem with the little organisms called life.She slept when she had balance, woke when things were not.And the creatures on the surface, in all their arrogant "wisdom" still could not measure in their terms just when she had slept and when she woke and walked "their" surface.More than once, she had decided to simply "start over" with a clean slate. To those small creatures, it must have seemed cataclysmic. To Gaia, it was nothing more than the wave of her hand...Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

Abstract: This book was inspired by Wagner's  "The Valkyries" which is an operatic drama in the Ring Cycle. Many have heard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" a wonderful piece of classical music so often used in film to underscore dramatic action scenes. However, not many know, who or what the Valkyries were or how they came to be. This volume seeks to translate Wagner's operatic prose into a novel, and does remarkably well.The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas, the Volsungs and the Nibelungenlied and is quite often referred to as the Ring Cycle.In the Rheingold the stage is set. In Heaven above, around the rainbow-girt of Valhalla, and in the dark, stir the forces beneath the earth. Alberich and the Niebelungs, enter the arena waiting for the sons of men to assert their rightful lordship over the earth.This drama was originally titled "Siegfried and Sieglinde: The Valkyrie Punished" but was later renamed "The Valkyries." It is the most performed of all  books of the Cycle. It starts with a storm, during which Sieglinde gives shelter to a wounded stranger. They find themselves drawn to each other. He is Siegmund, the twin from whom Sieglinde was separated in childhood. Unknown to them, their father is Wotan, the most powerful of the gods. Through Siegmund, Wotan hopes to retrieve a gold ring of ultimate power that he cannot take himself (sound familiar?)Brother and sister fall in love and flee, taking with them Nothung, a sword destined for a hero. As goddess of marriage, Wotan's wife Fricka angrily demands Wotan must not protect his incestuous children to serve his own ends. Wotan bitterly concedes. However, Wotan's daughter Brünnhilde, a Valkyrie, takes it on herself to save Siegmund. Wotan stops her, and Siegmund is killed in battle, his sword shattered. Brünnhilde rescues Sieglinde, whom she knows is pregnant with Siegmund's son, who is destined to become the hero Wotan desires. Brünnhilde pleads with her sister Valkyries to help save Sieglinde. They try to hide Siegmund but flee at Wotan's wrath. As punishment for defying him, Wotan incarcerates Brünnhilde in a deep sleep on a mountaintop, protected by magic fire provided by Loge, the demigod of fire. There, on the mountain-top Brunnhilde sleeps, waiting for the coming of he, who she is destined for, to be awakened to the joy of human life. And there, till Siegfried leaps the barrier of flame, we leave her.What happens next? Well you'll have to keep a lookout for the other books in the Ring Cycle published by Abela Publishing.===============KEYWORDS/TAGS: Valkyries, Ring Cycle, Norse, Viking, Norse Mythology, legends, Norse Saga, House Of Hunding, The Stranger, Story Of The Stranger, Recognition, Strife, Wotan, Fricka, Siegmund, Lot Cast, cast a lot, Fight, Flight, Brunnhilde, Sentence, Sleep Of Brunnhilde, coming, cry, day, death, earth, eyes, face, father, forest, gods, heart, house, light, love, might, night, shield, Sieglinde, sisters, soul, spring, stood, stranger, sword, voice, Walhalla, Valhalla, wife, woman, wrath, Wagner, Opera, soul, spear, anger, incest, maid, rose, Volsung, Wolsung, sorrow, sweet, hero, heroes, vengeance, shelter, storm, bosom, breast, disobey, sword-hilt, Victory, overcome, shameful, chariot, Grane, Alberich, deliverance, tempest, lovers, Nuthung, destiny,

Abstract: Othello - William ShakespeareACT ISCENE I. Venice. A street.Enter RODERIGO and IAGORODERIGOTush! never tell me; I take it much unkindlyThat thou, Iago, who hast had my purseAs if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this.IAGO'Sblood, but you will not hear me:If ever I did dream of such a matter, Abhor me.RODERIGOThou told'st me thou didst hold him in thy hate.IAGODespise me, if I do not. Three great ones of the city,In personal suit to make me his lieutenant,Off-capp'd to him: and, by the faith of man,I know my price, I am worth no worse a place:But he; as loving his own pride and purposes,Evades them, with a bombast circumstanceHorribly stuff'd with epithets of war;And, in conclusion,Nonsuits my mediators; for, 'Certes,' says he,'I have already chose my officer.'And what was he?Forsooth, a great arithmetician,One Michael Cassio, a Florentine,A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife;That never set a squadron in the field,Nor the division of a battle knowsMore than a spinster; unless the bookish theoric,Wherein the toged consuls can proposeAs masterly as he: mere prattle, without practise,Is all his soldiership. But he, sir, had the election:And I, of whom his eyes had seen the proofAt Rhodes, at Cyprus and on other groundsChristian and heathen, must be be-lee'd and calm'dBy debitor and creditor: this counter-caster,He, in good time, must his lieutenant be,And I--God bless the mark!--his Moorship's ancient.RODERIGOBy heaven, I rather would have been his hangman.IAGOWhy, there's no remedy; 'tis the curse of service,Preferment goes by letter and affection,And not by old gradation, where each secondStood heir to the first. Now, sir, be judge yourself,Whether I in any just term am affinedTo love the Moor.RODERIGOI would not follow him then.IAGOO, sir, content you;I follow him to serve my turn upon him:We cannot all be masters, nor all mastersCannot be truly follow'd. You shall markMany a duteous and knee-crooking knave,That, doting on his own obsequious bondage,Wears out his time, much like his master's ass,For nought but provender, and when he's old, cashier'd:Whip me such honest knaves. Others there areWho, trimm'd in forms and visages of duty,Keep yet their hearts attending on themselves,And, throwing but shows of service on their lords,Do well thrive by them and when they have linedtheir coatsDo themselves homage: these fellows have some soul;And such a one do I profess myself. For, sir,It is as sure as you are Roderigo,Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago:In following him, I follow but myself;Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty,But seeming so, for my peculiar end:For when my outward action doth demonstrateThe native act and figure of my heartIn compliment extern, 'tis not long afterBut I will wear my heart upon my sleeveFor daws to peck at: I am not what I am.RODERIGOWhat a full fortune does the thicklips oweIf he can carry't thus!IAGOCall up her father,Rouse him: make after him, poison his delight,Proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsmen,And, though he in a fertile climate dwell,Plague him wi 

Abstract: ISSN: 2397-9607 Issue 275In this 275th issue of the Baba Indaba's Children's Stories series, Baba Indaba narrates an old Greek story of "FAIRIES OF THE WATERFALL."it was not yet dawn when Màro was awakened by voices calling her. She thought it was her three friends who always went with her early every Wednesday morning to the waterfall in the Peneus stream. Hastily she dressed, gathered up her washing, as usual, and hurried in the faint moonlight down the path to the oak forest.Màro was surprised not to find her friends waiting for her along the way."Perhaps it is late," she thought, "and they are already at the waterfall."But when she reached the familiar stones beside the pool at the foot of the fall where they always did their washing together, she was still all alone and daylight had not yet appeared in the eastern sky. Màro did not understand. She stood hesitating on the stones, not knowing whether to begin her work or to return home.As she glanced toward the waterfall she thought she saw the forms of three maidens, combing out their long hair. She looked again, but she could see only the oak leaves shivering in the breeze. Dismissing it as a figment of her imagination, she dipped her hands in the water and began her washing."Will you not let us help you?" came a soft voice unknown to Màro. Three forms appeared to move among the trees near the water. She was frightened, but the strange shapes disappeared again among the thick shadows. She went on with her work."We shall help you. Let us help you," spoke the voice quite close to Màro. She started up trembling, to see three maidens standing at the edge of the pool. Their bright hair had a glint of green like the green of the oak leaves; the blue of water shimmered in their eyes, and their clinging garments were caught with pink blossoms like the wild neroloulouda water flowers, that grew beside the waterfall. They were mirrored in the pool as they combed their long hair with golden combs."Do not be frightened," said one of them. "We wish to help you."The other two came forward silently. They took the clothes from Màro's hands; they whitened her dresses snow-white, and the work was done before dawn. Màro thanked them. As she started away, the maiden who had spoken and who had looked on while the others worked, approached for the first time and said:"We shall help you again, but do not tell anyone about us. Do you understand? You must not speak of us to anyone."Màro promised not to tell anyone and they visited her a few more times giving her various items of jewellery and clothing. In exchange she promises to meet them on a certain day at a certain time.Did Màro meet the fairies of the waterfall as promised, or did she forget? Breaking a promise to a fairy has consequences, well breaking any promise to anyone has consequences, but fairies even more so. What happened when Màro broke he promise? Did the fairies take immediate action or did they bide their time. We;; you'll just have to download and read the story to find out for yourself.Baba Indaba is a fictitious Zulu storyteller who narrates children's stories from around the world. Baba Indaba translates as "Father of Stories".Each issue also has a "WHERE IN THE WORLD - LOOK IT UP" section, where young readers are challenged to look up a place on a map somewhere in the world. The place, town or city is relevant to the story. HINT - use Google maps.33% of the profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charities.INCLUDES LINKS TO DOWNLOAD 8 FREE STORIES 

Abstract: The middle book of the Bastable Children's trilogy once again proves Edith Nesbit to be a world-class humorist with a special touch for depicting the way children speak, feel, and behave. Another set of summer-holiday misadventures proves so side-splittingly funny, it's like discovering the British Mark Twain. And though there is no actual magic going on, as in so many of Nesbit's beloved books, the children make amazing things happen with their imaginations, their sense of play, and their extraordinary talent for getting into trouble.Having been sent away to Albert's uncle's house in the country, to get them away from the Blackheath mansion of their "Indian uncle" after a particularly disastrous game of Jungle Book, the six Bastable children find all kinds of wild and woolly things to do in the Kentish farm country. Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noël, and H. O. are joined by Denny and Daisy Foulkes, the children of their father's business associate. They create and join the "Society of Wouldbegoods" which hopes to shape up their character by doing good deeds. But their childish outlooks, and their perverse inability to "mind their own business," leads them into situations which makes them out to naughtier than normal!What good works do the Wouldbegoods try? They try to erect a tombstone to memorialise a neighbour-lady's son, shot down on a faraway battlefield. They fall prey to a scoundrel who locks them in a tower and demands money of them. They wreak havoc on the waterways by tampering with a river lock, damming a river (while playing at being beavers), and trying to control an indoors flood. They "adopt" a baby seemingly lost or abandoned. They get in trouble over a dead fox, a soft drink stand, and (my favourite chapter) an attempt to have a circus using untrained farm animals as talent. There's also a silly military adventure, a make-believe pilgrimage, and a bit of romantic matchmaking to round off the summer.With so many children to keep track of, it would be easy to lose sight of some of them and not be able to tell them apart– but not in Nesbit's hands. Each of the eight children stands out in his or her own way, and they are all lovably silly and at the same time admirable. They take on ridiculous airs– especially Oswald, our narrator– but they also aspire to a nobility of character, and in their cracked way they achieve it. They are vulnerable, yet full of fun and bursting with ideas. When their escaped "learned pig" leads them into the middle of a missionary society's tea party, a little girl who lives in the house speaks for me (and, I think, nearly anyone else who would read this book)– I do wish I could play like that, though perhaps it is better heard about than done!10% of the profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charities by the Publisher,=================KEYWORDS/TAGS: Wouldbegoods, Bastable, children, Edith Nesbit, action, adventure, in trouble, folklore, children's stories, fables, mystery, solve, solutions, trilogy, behave, misbehave, Jungle, Bill's Tombstone, Tower Of Mystery, miscreant, scoundrel, Water-Works, cry, Circus, Beavers, Young Explorers, explore, Arctic, High-Born Babe, baby, Hunting, Fox, Sale, Antiquities, Benevolent, Canterbury, Pilgrims, pilgrimage, Dragon's Teeth, Army-Seed, feed, fodder, Albert's Uncle's Grandmother, Long-Lost, Patriotic, Hose Play, Persevere, Little Beasts, Denny, Alice, Noël, Hands, Heavy Bars, Hedge, Laughter, Degraded, Nurse-Maid, Furious, Kid, Jugs, fill, Earth, Look Inside, Dog-Cart, Young Lady, Lead, Ambush, Council, Apple-Tree, Marry, Lady, Blackheath, mansion, wild and woolly, Kent, countryside, Dora, Oswald, narrator, Denny, Daisy, romantic, matchmaking, summer, nobility, noble character,

Abstract: In the days when people were owned by the land, two young girls found their power by becoming ghosts, then spirit guides. This is their origin-story...Their parents were serfs, and belonged to two different dukedoms. Falling in love endangered them both. Becoming pregnant with twins made this even worse.Their Dad had to raise them by himself, as Mother died shortly after birthing them. But her spirit remained on Earth to watch over them. Sal and Jude could see her, and knew their Dad could feel her presence. But the problem in survival was staying hidden, because they were on hunting land the King claimed as his own. And forces were at work to find them...Excerpt:We were both born as twins. But as you can see, we were never identical. Jude had black hair and I had blond. And our Da told us that we were more alike than not, otherwise. We liked to drink our milk and smile and gurgle. And neither of us cried much.But we didn't know our Ma much, well not at first. She caught a fever a few days after we were born and died soon after. Da was upset by this, but he often told us that our smiles and gurgles took all the pain away. That, and when he went out to hunt that night, he found a white and black spotted milk goat who had wandered off into the woods and was following him around as he tried to hunt. Her udders were full, and looked tight and painful to Da. So he took the goat home to us, so we could have some milk until he could find where she had wandered off from.It was that night where we saw our Ma again. She was smiling at us, and we smiled back. Da couldn't see her, so he didn't understand why we were so happy. But with full bellies, we went to sleep and Da milked the rest from that goat and put the milk into skins to make into cheese. Then he tethered the goat right outside the hut to graze.He never did find out who that goat belonged to. No farm around us was missing any. And we had that goat until we could eat solid food, Da said. And then it wandered off again one day. But it wasn't the last time both tame and wild life around our cabin would take care of us.We grew like sprouts, Da told us. Soon we were walking and getting into trouble. When he went off to hunt food for us to eat, he soon devised a system of tying us to opposite corners of the cabin, just long enough to not get us tangled with each other or anything else. Everything up and out of our reach, and secured so it couldn't fall on us.What he didn't know is that the mice and birds would come to entertain us while he was gone. We would hear symphonies by the birds, and watch balancing and tumbling acts by the mice. And we knew Da was close when they would combine the most dramatic action with the trilling accompaniment of the birds. And when the door opened, the birds and mice would vanish, leaving us smiling and clapping just as Da opened the door with some game he had caught.. . .In those days, the land wasn't owned by people, it was all property of the King or Queen or Prince, depending on who was in power when. And where the land was deeded to a local count or baron, the property title could be withdrawn at any time.People were property of the land. And were supposed to stay with it. Our family, our Da and Ma, were from two different deeds. They'd met at a trading festival and fell in love.Both Dukes wanted both of them, or would be just as happy to split them up so they could re-mate to someone else within the land deed they belonged to. But our parents eloped into hiding - and away from everyone they knew, to keep their families and themselves safe.And of course, Da and Ma loved each other very much. When Ma found she was pregnant, that made the problem very serious. You can't split a child...