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"You may think that Mother Nature, like the famous "old woman who lived in the shoe," has so many children that she doesn't know what to do. But you will know better when you become acquainted with her, and learn how strong she is, and how active; how she can really be in fifty places at once, taking care of a sick tree, or a baby flower just born; and, at the same time, building underground palaces, guiding the steps of little travellers setting out on long journeys, and sweeping, dusting, and arranging her great house,--the earth. And all the while, in the midst of her patient and never-ending work, she will tell us the most charming and marvellous stories of ages ago when she was young, or of the treasures that lie hidden in the most distant and secret closets of her palace; just such stories as you all like so well to hear your mother tell when you gather round her in the twilight." (Summary from Chapter One of <i>The Stories Mother Nature Told Her Children</i>)

2Courage of the Commonplace

By Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews

The short story of a young man who came to terms with himself and became a man on a day when he had proven to be a failure to his family, his friends, his classmates, the girl he liked, and most importantly to himself. (Summary by Roger Melin)

3Dixie Book of Days

By Page Andrews

The author used a yearly calendar to focus on pieces written by Southern authors. Many of these writers are little known, having created for their own enjoyment or peace of mind, not necessarily for publication. (Summary by Bill Boerst)

4Across Mongolian Plains: A Naturalist's Account of China's 'Great Northwest'

By Roy Chapman Andrews

An account of a 1918 journey to Northern China by famed adventurer/paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews. Andrews, who was the inspiration for the many explorer hero characters (including Indiana Jones), wrote this book for the general public, excluding "scientific details" that they might find "wearisome". - Summary by Matthew M. Benzing<br><br>NOTE: This book contains many accounts of hunting animals for sport and for exhibition in a museum.

5Story of Sitka

By Clarence Leroy Andrews

The Author recounts life in the great northwest in Sitka, Alaska "Sitka of the Russians" a century ago with insights into Sitka's settlement, natives, churches, social life, trade etc., when it was at the center of trade a century ago. ( Summary by Rita Boutros )

6Yellow Butterflies

By Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews

The title of this historical fiction could as well have been "A Soldier’s Mother" or “An Unknown Soldier”. There are indeed butterflies, and there is a small boy who grows into a fine, strapping young man who goes to war. But this moving novella centers squarely on the young man's mother, her love for him and her abiding faith. (Summary by Lee Smalley)

7Perfect Tribute

By Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews

Part 1 of this brief historical fiction is a recounting of the day before and the day of Lincoln's delivery of The Gettysburg Address. Part 2 is an imagining of the late afternoon of the following day. It is a moving tale that illustrates once again the greatness of the speech and of the man who wrote and delivered it. Andrews' best remembered work, "The Perfect Tribute" was adapted into a 1935 MGM short film and a 1991 television movie starring Jason Robards as the president. (Summary by Lee Smalley)

A children’s book that describes the life of ten boys in different historical time periods. The book shows the reader what the daily life of an average boy living in these various time periods would have been like, with descriptions of the kinds of houses they lived in, the food they ate, their education, clothing, religion, cultural customs, etc. The book begins in the ancient Indus River Valley, and moves along chronologically all the way up to the modern industrial era. - Summary by Virginia Neville

Welcome to Issue #4 of the exciting and influential pulp magazine The Thrill Book, a noted precursor to the mighty Weird Tales! In this issue "Down the Coast of Shadows" finds a man haunted by the presence of his dead brother, "Profit by Loss" is a thrilling mystery on the transcontinental railroad through the wild west and "The Hidden Emperor" is a fantastical yarn of Oriental intrigue! Plus much more! Hop on board The Thrill Book Express where you are guaranteed to have an exciting time! - Summary by Ben Tucker

It's the dawn of a new era with this first issue of The Thrill Book Volume 2, and the influential pulp magazine is back and twice as big as prior issues! This time we have the suspenseful gold mining mystery "Vanishing Gold", the taut spy thriller "The Seventh Glass", the third part of the globe-trotting spy story "Strasbourg Rose", and the first part to H. Bedord-Jones' swashbuckling adventure "The Opium Ship" to meet your pulpy needs. And if you are looking for something a little more weird or spooky, the suicide-tinged "When Ghosts Walked", the bizarre tale "The Bibulous Baby", and the hallucinatory mad ravings of "The Conqueror" should quell that particular hankering. All this and much more awaits those brave enough to take on the perils of the all-new, double-sized Thrill Book! - Summary by Ben Tucker