Henry Van Dyke

A lost midcentury classic―the farcical misadventures of a queer Black teen sharing a house with two adoptive mothers, a lascivious cook, and a reticent ghost. In a small Michigan town, in the late 1950s, the widow Etta Klein―wealthy and Jewish―has for more than thirty years relied for aid, comfort, and companionship on her Black housekeeper Harriet Gibbs. Between “Aunt Harry” and Etta, a relationship has developed that is closer than a friendship, yet not quite a marriage. They are inseparable, at once absurdly unequal and defined by a comic codependence. Forever mourning the early death of her favorite son, Sargent, Etta has all but adopted Aunt Harry’s nephew, the precocious, gay seventeen-year-old Oliver, who has been raised by both women. Oliver is facing down his departure to college―and fending off the advances of Etta’s cook, Nella Mae―when the household is disrupted by the arrival of a self-proclaimed “warlock,” one Maurice LeFleur, who has convinced Etta and Harry that he might be able to contact Sargent in the afterlife . . . Ladies of the Rachmaninoff Eyes was the debut of the extraordinary Henry Van Dyke, whose witty and outrageous novels look back to the sparkling, elaborate comedies of Ronald Firbank and forward to postmodern burlesques like Fran Ross’s Oreo. There is nothing else quite like them in American fiction

Ladies of the Rachmaninoff Eyes

"I do not know where this little story came from--out of the air, perhaps. One thing is certain, it is not written in any other book, nor is it to be found among the ancient lore of the East. And yet I have never felt as if it were my own. It was a gift, and it seemed to me as if I knew the Giver." --Henry Van Dyke Long, long ago, a wise man named Artaban, a priest of the Magi, discerned from heavenly signs that the time was at hand for the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy--the birth among the Hebrews of a holy Prince and Deliverer of Man. Hastening to join three fellow Magi for the long journey into Judaea, he paused to help a dying man and was left behind. And so Artaban began his pilgrimage alone, striking out not toward the realization of his life's deepest longing, as he hoped, but only toward misfortune and suffering. Or so he believed until one blessed, radiant moment. With an introduction by Leo Buscaglia

Story of the Other Wise Man

Van Dyke's Christmas story about a mansion that speaks "not of money squandered but of wealth prudently applied" - the companion story to The Other Wise Man.Henry van Dyke (1852B1933) was an American clergyman, educator, and author. He graduated from Princeton in 1873, and from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1874. He was pastor of the Brick Presbyterian Church, New York City (1883B99), professor of English literature at Princeton (1899B1923), and U.S. minister to the Netherlands (1913B16). Among his popular inspirational writings is the Christmas story The Other Wise Man (1896). As President Wilson's ambassador to the Netherlands from 1913, Van Dyke was a first-hand witness to the outbreak of World War I and its progress, and was a key player in the President's diplomatic efforts to keep the U.S. out of the conflict.

The Mansion

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And Other Hymns of To-day

Thy Sea is Great, Our Boats Are Small

Because he is helping others, a fourth Wise Man delays journeying with the other Magi to see the newborn Jesus, but thirty-three years later he has an unusual opportunity to meet his Savior.

The Fourth Wise Man

The classic tale of the fourth wise man, Artaben, who did not arrive in Bethlehem in time to present his gifts to the Saviour and spent his life searching for the Christ

The Story of the Other Wise Man

Ruth McCrea

Four Wise Men followed the star in the east, but only three arrived in Bethlehem on time. This is the legend of the fourth Wise Man Artaban and his journey in search of the King, retold in a delightfully illustrated paperback edition. Illustrated by Ruth McCrea.

During the time of the birth of Jesus, a fourth Wise Man, Artaban, sells all his possessions to buy three precious jewels which he hopes to present to the newborn Christ Child. Although he planned to journey with the other three Magi to Bethlehem, he is delayed and fails to rendezvous with them. Artaban spends his whole life searching for the Christ, and in his search he gives away one, then two, and finally all three of his jewels to help others, but in the end his quest is fulfilled in unexpected ways. Although written more than a century ago, this is still a topical Christmas story for young and old that captures the true spirit of Christmas.

"The Mansion" by Henry Van Dyke. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

Pearl S. Buck

Selma Lagerlöf

Madeleine L'Engle

Elizabeth Goudge

Ruth Sawyer

Rebecca Caudill

Beatrice Joy Chute

Twenty tales for the holiday season selected for their spiritual value and literary quality. For readers who are tired of Christmas commercialism, or who feel that Santa Claus and reindeer don't tell the whole story, these classic gems provide a winning alternative. Selected for their insightfulness, spiritual value, and literary quality (nothing moralistic here) they project the spirit of the season in a fresh, compelling manner that will resonate with readers of all ages - from children too young to read to themselves, to parents and grandparents who enjoy reading stories aloud. Home for Christmas includes time-tested favorites by some of the world's most beloved children's authors - Pearl Buck, Selma Lagerlöf, Henry van Dyke, Madeleine L'Engle, Elizabeth Goudge, Rebecca Caudill, and Ruth Sawyer - as well as little-known European stories appearing in English for the first time.

Henry Van Dyke

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