George Eliot was the pseudonym for Mary Anne Evans, one of the leading writers of the Victorian era, who published seven major novels and several translations during her career. She started her career as a sub-editor for the left-wing journal The Westminster Review, contributing politically charged essays and reviews before turning her attention to novels. Among Eliot’s best-known works are Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, Middlemarch and Daniel Deronda, in which she explores aspects of human psychology, focusing on the rural outsider and the politics of small-town life. Eliot died in 1880.

A collection of Persian, Arabian and Indian tales dating from the 9th century, Sir Richard Burton’s most well-known translation of Arabian Nights brings together ancient folklore and stories passed down from generation to generation.

This excellent prose translation of Homer’s epic poem of the 9th century BC recounts one of Western civilization’s most glorious tales, a treasury of Greek folklore and myth that maintains an ageless appeal for modern readers. 

Kate Chopin (1850–1904) was an American author of short stories and novels for both adults and children. She is now considered by many to have been a forerunner of feminist authors of the 20th century.