James Grant
Under the Red Dragon: what to read next?
Books close in genre, era, author or reading level, to read in bilingual editions.
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…By the same authorSame 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
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
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
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
John BurtonThe Book HunterA collection of essays published in 1862 by John Hill Burton, a Scottish historian. With humour, the author sketches the book hunters: the collector who buys his first duplicate copy, the browser of second-hand bookstalls, the regular at auction sales, the wandering reader who…Same countrySame 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
Stephen CraneThe Red Badge of CourageHenry Fleming, an inexperienced young soldier, goes to war with idealized notions of courage and glory. Confronted with the violence of combat, he doubts, flees, and struggles against his own fear. Gradually, he seeks to understand what it truly means to be brave. His inner…Same 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
Mark TwainA Connecticut YankeeHank Morgan, an American engineer, is transported to the medieval England of King Arthur. Armed with his modern knowledge, he tries to transform this archaic society by introducing progress and rational thinking. But he collides with entrenched traditions, beliefs, and power…Same 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 genre
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