ThePurloinedLetterisashortstorybyAmericanauthorEdgarAllanPoe.ItisthethirdofhisthreedetectivestoriesfeaturingthefictionalC.AugusteDupin,theothertwobeing"TheMurdersintheRueMorgue"and"TheMysteryofMarieRogêt".Thesestoriesareconsideredtobeimportantearlyforerunnersofthemoderndetectivestory.ItfirstappearedinTheGiftfor1845(1844)andwassoonreprintedinnumerousjournalsandnewspapers.TheunnamednarratorisdiscussingsomeofhismostcelebratedcaseswiththefamousParisianamateurdetectiveC.AugusteDupinwhentheyarejoinedbythePrefectofthePolice,amanknownasG—.ThePrefecthasacasehewouldliketodiscusswithDupin.AletterhasbeenstolenfromtheboudoirofanunnamedfemalebytheunscrupulousMinisterD—.Itissaidtocontaincompromisinginformation.Dantonwasintheroom,sawtheletter,andswitcheditforaletterofnoimportance.Hehasbeenblackmailinghisvictim.

TheFortunesandMisfortunesoftheFamousMollFlanders(commonlyknownsimplyasMollFlanders)isanovelbyDanielDefoe,firstpublishedin1722.Thispurportedlytruestory,recordedbyEnglishauthorDanielDefoe,tellsofthestrangelifeofMollFlanders,detailingherexploitsfrombirthuntiloldage.thenoveldescribesMollontheoriginaltitlepageashavingbeen"BorninNewgate…TwelveYearaWhore,FivetimesaWife(whereofoncetoherownBrother),TwelveYearaThief,EightYearaTransportedFeloninVirginia,atlastgrewRich,Honest,anddiedaPenitent."Thewomanlivesinsinandwickedness,survivingonlyonherbeauty,cleverness,anddeceit.marriedtoamanthatshedoesnotlove,Mollseducesvariousmenandresortstothieverytopayherwaybeforeeventuallyrepentingforhersinsattheendofherlife.OneoftheearliestpicaresquenovelsinEnglish,MollFlandershasbothcaptivatedandshockedcountlessreaderssinceitwasfirstpublishedin1722.

Inthislivelyguidetokickingyourself-addictions,executivecoachNoahBlumenthalgivesreadersthetoolstobreakoutoftheirdamaging,ingrainedbehaviorslikeworkaholism,riskaversion,andnegativity.Itdoesn’tjustfocusonwhattochange.

Toldbymorethan50ofBerrett-KoehlerPublishers'bestsellingauthors—renownedbusiness,community,andthoughtleaders—thesestoriesshowhowpeoplearoundtheworldarecreatingpositivechangeintheircommunities,despitethechallengesofourtimes.

TheFortuneoftheRougons,originallypublishedin1871,isthefirstnovelin?mileZola'smonumentaltwenty-volumeseriesLesRougon-Macquart.SetinthefictitiousProven?altownofPlassans,TheFortuneoftheRougonstellsthestoryofSilvèreandMiette,twoidealisticyoungsupportersoftherepublicanresistancetoLouis-NapoleonBonaparte'scoupd'étatinDecember1851.Meanwhile,thefoundationsoftheRougonfamilyanditsillegitimateMacquartbrancharebeinglaidinthebrutalbeginningsoftheImperialregime.Thetitlerefersnotonlytothe"fortune"chasedbyprotagonistsPierreandFelicitéRougon,butalsotothefortunesofthevariousdisparatefamilymembersZolaintroduces,whoselivesareofcentralimportancetolaterbooksintheseries.Initwelearnhowthetwobranchesofthefamilycameabout,andtheoriginsofthehereditaryweaknessespasseddownthegenerations.Murder,treachery,andgreedarethekeynotes,andjustastheEmpirewasestablishedthroughviolence.

MaryBartonisthefirstnovelbyEnglishauthorElizabethGaskell,publishedin1848.ThestoryissetintheEnglishcityofManchesterbetween1839and1842,anddealswiththedifficultiesfacedbytheVictorianlowerclass.Itissubtitled'ATaleofManchesterLife'.ThenovelbeginsinManchester,whereweareintroducedtotheBartonsandtheWilsons,twoworking-classfamilies.JohnBartonisaquestionerofthedistributionofwealthandtherelationsbetweenrichandpoor.Soonhiswifedies—heblamesitonhergriefoverthedisappearanceofhersisterEsther.HavingalreadylosthissonTomatayoungage,Bartonislefttoraisehisdaughter,Mary,aloneandnowfallsintodepressionandbeginstoinvolvehimselfintheChartist,trade-unionmovement.Gaskell'sdesiretoaccuratelyrepresentthepovertyofindustrialManchesterisevidentinarecordofavisitshemadetothehomeofalocallabourer.ItisasubjectofsomedebatewhetherthefirstpersonnarratorinMaryBartonissynonymouswithGaskell.

Socialnetworkscanbesomuchmorethanawaytofindyourhighschoolfriendsorlearnwhatyourfavoritecelebrityhadforbreakfast.Theycanbepowerfultoolsforchangingtheworld.

Ahistoricalromance.Swashbuckling,romanticandoftenhumourous,Dumas'novelisatimelesstaleoffriendshipandintrigue.Dumas'classicstory,firstserializedin1844,hasenthralledreaderswithitsfast-pacedplot,endearingcharacters,andromanticideals,immortalizedbythemotto"oneforall,allforone."Atimelesstaleofadventure,romance,intrigue,andrevenge,"TheThreeMusketeers"isthecaptivatingstory.Ahistoricalromance,thisnoveltellsoftheadventuresofthehot-headedyoungGascon,d'ArtagnanandhisthreecompanionsAthos,PorthosandAramisastheygallantlydefendtheQueenofFrance,usingtheirwitandtheirswords.TheymustfoilthenefariousplottingofCardinalRichelieuagainsttheKingandQueen,despitehisappearanceasanally.D'ArtagnanandthethreeMusketeersmustalsoovercomethevillainousmachinationsofMiladydeWinter,whoselethalcriminalitythreatensthoseinpoliticalpowerandtheloveofd'ArtgnanforConstanceBonacieux.

DrawingonlifelessonsfrommanagementlegendPeterDrucker,journalistandscholarBruceRosensteinshowsknowledgeworkershowpersonalandprofessionaldiversificationisthekeytonavigatingour"flatworld"ofzerojobsecurity,informationoverload,portableskills,andworkexpectations.

Hissupportersfollowedhimbecausetheywantedto,notbecausetheywerecompelledto.Over2,000yearsafterCaesar'sdeath,thisisstillthekindofloyaltyeveryleaderwantstoinspire.BarlagshowshowanyonecanlearntoleadlikeCaesar.

Shirley,ItwasBronte'ssecondpublishednovelafterJaneEyre(originallypublishedunderBronte'spseudonymCurrerBell).SetinYorkshireduringthetimeoftheLudditeunrest—alabormovementthatbeganin1811-1812inanefforttoprotecttheinterestsoftheworkingclass—thenovelconsistsoftwonarrativestrandswoventogether,oneinvolvingthestrugglesofworkersagainstmillowners,andtheotherinvolvingtheromanticentanglementsofthetwoheroines.Thenovel'spopularityledtoShirley'sbecomingawoman'sname.Thetitlecharacterwasgiventhenamethatherfatherhadintendedtogiveason.Beforethepublicationofthenovel,Shirleywasanuncommon–butdistinctlymale–nameandwouldhavebeenanunusualnameforawoman.Todayitisregardedasadistinctlyfemalenameandanuncommonmalename.

Youcanbuildanorganizationalculturethatwillensureyourleadershippipelineisfullandflowing.BestsellingauthorandChick-fil-AexecutiveMarkMillerdescribeshowtonurtureleadersthroughouttheorganization,fromthefrontlinestotheexecutiveranks.

Schmaltzexplainshow"wickedness"developswhenateamover-reliesontheirleaderforguidanceratherthantappingtheirtruesourceofpowerandauthority-theindividual.

Asaresponsetotheincreasingviolenceinourculture,thewideningideologicaldivides,andthegrowinggapineconomicwell-being,thereisgreaterawarenessthatadeepersenseofcommunityisdesperatelyneeded.

MollFlanderswhichisacontractionof"TheFortunesandMisfortunesoftheFamousMollFlanders"isanovelbyDanielDefoe,firstpublishedin1722.Thispurportedlytruestory,recordedbyEnglishauthorDanielDefoe,tellsofthestrangelifeofMollFlanders,awomanwholivesinsinandwickedness,survivingonlyonherbeauty,cleverness,anddeceit.Findingherselfintheroleofmistressorkeptwoman,oralternativelymarriedtoamanthatshedoesnotlove,Mollseducesvariousmenandresortstothieverytopayherwaybeforeeventuallyrepentingforhersinsattheendofherlife.thenoveldescribesMollthat"BorninNewgate…TwelveYearaWhore,FivetimesaWife,TwelveYearaThief,EightYearaTransportedFeloninVirginia,anddiedaPenitent."AsoneoftheearliestpicaresquenovelsinEnglish,MollFlandershasbothcaptivatedandshockedcountlessreaderssinceitwasfirstpublished.Anexcellentcandidateforclassroomuse,thisclassicof18th-centuryfictionwillentertainandenlightengeneralreadersaswell.

Dumas'classicstory,firstserializedin1844,hasenthralledreaderswithitsfast-pacedplot,endearingcharacters,andromanticideals,immortalizedbythemotto"oneforall,allforone."Atimelesstaleofadventure,romance,intrigue,andrevenge,TheThreeMusketeersisthecaptivatingstory.Ahistoricalromance,thisnoveltellsoftheadventuresofthehot-headedyoungGascon,d'ArtagnanandhisthreecompanionsAthos,PorthosandAramisastheygallantlydefendtheQueenofFrance,usingtheirwitandtheirswords.TheymustfoilthenefariousplottingofCardinalRichelieuagainsttheKingandQueen,despitehisappearanceasanally.D'ArtagnanandthethreeMusketeersmustalsoovercomethevillainousmachinationsofMiladydeWinter,whoselethalcriminalitythreatensthoseinpoliticalpowerandtheloveofd'ArtgnanforConstanceBonacieux.

ThroughSasha'sownextraordinarystoryandthoseofeightotherbraveleadersfrombusiness,government,nongovernmentorganizations,andthemilitary,thisbookrevealsfiveprinciplesforconfrontingcrucialdecisionsandinspiresallofustouseourmoralcoreasalodestarforleadership.

Lifeisajourney,andaswithanyotherjourneyyouneedcleargoals,plans,andschedulestogetfromwhereyouarenowtowhereyouwanttobe.Likeanygoodpilot,youneedaflightplanthatyoufilebeforeyoubeginandthatyouusetoguideyouonyourway.

Thelessonsofthisbookcanhelpusallfindtheopportunitiesthatarejustwaitingtobediscoveredinthechallengeswefaceeveryday.Thisbookisaboutfailure,butfailureinawholenewlight.ItisabouthowtoFailToSucceed.

NorthandSouthisasocialnovelpublishedin1855byEnglishwriterElizabethGaskell.WithWivesandDaughters(1865)andCranford(1853),itisoneofherbest-knownnovels.Thelaterversionrenewedinterestinthenovelandattractedawiderreadership.Oneofliterature'sgreatestromances,NorthandSouthisbothanincisivesocialcommentaryandanelectricportrayalofall-conqueringlove.ThebooktriestoshowtheindustrialNorthanditsconflictsinthemid-19thcenturyasseenbyanoutsider,asociallysensitiveladyfromtheSouth.Theheroineofthestory,MargaretHale,isthedaughterofaNonconformistministerwhomovestothefictionalindustrialtownofMiltonafterleavingtheChurchofEngland.ThetownismodeledafterManchester,whereGaskelllivedasthewifeofaUnitarianminister.Gaskellherselfworkedamongthepoorandknewatfirsthandthemiseryoftheindustrialareas.