John Burton
The Book Hunter: what to read next?
Books close in genre, era, author or reading level, to read in bilingual editions.
Mark TwainLife on the MississippiMark Twain, a keen observer, recounts his experience as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi, blending personal memories with descriptions of the river. He traces the evolution of this vital route for commerce and American life. Through anecdotes and portraits, he brings a…Same genreSame era
HomerThe OdysseyOdysseus, king of Ithaca, tries to return home after the Trojan War, but his journey turns into a long wandering full of trials. He faces mythical creatures, capricious gods, and temptations that slow his return. Meanwhile, Penelope, his wife, resists the suitors invading their…Same genre
James GrantUnder the Red DragonA British novel of war and love, told by its hero. In 1854, Harry Hardinge, a young officer of the Welsh Fusiliers, waits in Winchester to leave for the war against Russia. Invited by Sir Madoc Lloyd, an old friend of his family, to a great estate in North Wales, he finds there…Same countrySame genreSame era
G. A. HentyThe Dash for KhartoumAn English adventure novel from 1892. In India, two babies are mixed up: the son of a captain and the son of a sergeant. Unable to tell which one is his own, Captain Clinton raises both boys as twins, Rupert and Edgar. At sixteen, Edgar is told by a stranger that she is his…Same countrySame genreSame era
James GrantOne of the Six HundredAt the end of 1853, Newton Norcliff, a young lieutenant in a British lancer regiment, learns that his regiment will leave in the spring for war in the East. He spends his last leave in Scotland, at his uncle’s house, near Lady Louisa, whom he loves and who is also courted by…Same countrySame genreSame era
G. P. R. JamesForest DaysAn English historical novel. In the mid-1260s, England is torn between King Henry III and the barons led by Simon de Montfort. Between Pontefract and Nottingham, Hugh de Monthermer, a young knight and nephew of an old earl who has sided with the barons, loves Lucy de Ashby,…Same countrySame genreSame era
James WalkerThe Johnstown HorrorA chronicle published in 1889, the very year of the disaster. At the end of May 1889, endless rain swells the rivers around Johnstown, a factory town in Pennsylvania wedged at the bottom of a valley. On 31 May, upstream, an earth dam gives way and the lake it held back rushes…Same genreSame era
Charles DickensA Tale of Two CitiesCharles Darnay, a French aristocrat, renounces his origins to live a fairer life in England, while Sydney Carton, a disillusioned lawyer, struggles with his own inner emptiness. Their destinies intersect against the backdrop of the French Revolution, where social tensions erupt…Same countrySame genreSame era
William WareAurelianA historical novel in letters by the American writer William Ware, published in 1838 as a sequel to “Zenobia”. In Rome, after the fall of Palmyra, the nobleman Lucius Manlius Piso writes to his friend Fausta, who has stayed in the East. He tells her about Queen Zenobia,…Same genreSame era
Austin BidwellBidwell's TravelsThe memoirs of the American Austin Bidwell, published in 1897. Born in Brooklyn, the author goes to work young in a Wall Street office, acquires a taste for gambling and easy money, and is then drawn in by a New York chief of detectives who sells off stolen bonds. After frauds…Same genre
Thomas MaloryKing Arthur and the KnightsThe legends of King Arthur, retold in modern English by Rupert S. Holland (1919) from the work of Thomas Malory. The secret son of King Uther, Arthur is raised by the knight Ector without knowing anything of his birth. At fifteen he draws from a stone the sword that no lord has…Same countrySame genre
Lyndon OrrFamous AffinitiesSeveral historical and literary figures are brought together through their notable relationships, marked by attraction, conflict, and mutual influence. Each pair reveals a unique dynamic combining passion, ambition, and rivalry. The narrative explores these connections from a…Same genre