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1Tempest and Sunshine

By Mary Jane Holmes

Tempest and Sunshine is the first book written by Mary Jane Holmes. Set in the pre-Civil War south, it follows the struggles and romances of two sisters, as different as night and day; blonde Fanny and dark haired Julia. (Introduction by jedopi)

This little book is an attempt to explain what each soul must discover for himself, that he stands in the midst of an eternal creative power which presses itself around his own thought, and casts back to him glorified all that he thinks. If it awakens within the consciousness of one single individual the realization that the mind of the Universal (which is the only mind that there is) is his own mind that the creative power of this mind is his also; that the manifestation of this mind is his own individuality; that the love and power and peace of this mind is within himself, it will not be written in vain. May it then do much in simplifying and bringing to light some of the deeper mysteries and meanings of life. (Ernest Shurtleff Holmes)

3Astounding Stories 19, July 1931

By Harry Bates, Ray Cummings, A. R. Holmes, H. Thompson Rich, Nat Schachner, Jack Williamson and Arthur L. Zagat

THE DOOM FROM PLANET 4 JACK WILLIAMSON A Ray of Fire, Green, Mysterious, Stabs Through the Night to Dan on His Ship. It Leads Him to an Island of Unearthly Peril.<br> THE HANDS OF ATEN H. G. WINTER Out of the Solid Ice Craig Hews Three Long-Frozen Egyptians and Is at Once Caught Up into Amazing Adventure. (A Complete Novelette.)<br> THE DIAMOND THUNDERBOLT H. THOMPSON RICH Locked in a Rocket and Fired into Space! Such Was the Fate which Awaited Young Stoddard at the End of the Diamond Trail!<br> THE SLAVE SHIP FROM SPACE A. R. HOLMES Three Kidnapped Earthlings Show Xantra of the Tillas How "Docile" Earth Slaves Can Be.<br> THE REVOLT OF THE MACHINES NAT SCHACHNER AND ARTHUR L. ZAGAT Something in the Many-Faceted Mind of the Master Machine Spurs It to Diabolical Revolt Against the Authority of Its Human Masters.<br> THE EXILE OF TIME RAY CUMMINGS Only Near the End of the World Does Fate Catch Up with Tugh, the Cripple Who Ran Amuck Through Time. (Conclusion.)<br> THE READERS' CORNER ALL OF US A Meeting Place for Readers of Astounding Stories.

4Gretchen

By Mary Jane Holmes

Rich and sophisticated Arthur Tracy returns to Tracy Park after several years abroad confused and mentally unstable. Initially claiming that Gretchen accompanied him on the boat and train back he then expects her to arrive at any moment. Meanwhile a child is found at the side of a woman frozen to death in the Tramp House nearby. Arthur's brother Frank believes he knows the child's identity but keeps it a secret fearing that his elaborate lifestyle could be in jeopardy. This is a heartwarming story with just the right mix of suspense and romance. - Summary by Celine Major

5Form and Ornament in Ceramic Art

By William Henry Holmes

A study of ceramics in the Americas: its form, function and ornamentation as well as its history. Produced by the Smithsonian's Department of Ethnology. Listeners are referred to the text for the illustrations and figures. ( Lynne Thompson)

6Bessie's Fortune

By Mary Jane Holmes

The coverup of a murder leads to the search for the dead man's heiress decades later in this delightful 3 part novel by Mary Jane Holmes. Her characters are as always very interesting and realistic. Poor little Bessie is raised in poverty because her mother spends most of her time at the gaming tables of Monte Carlo or Baden Baden while her so called aristocratic father looks down on all menial work. Her wealthy relatives will do nothing to help. Add the love of three men for one girl to the mix and the result is an absorbing historical romance. - Summary by Celine Major

7Lena Rivers

By Mary Jane Holmes

If you're a fan of mid-19th Century melodramas with many twists and turns you will love this book. Acclaimed as Holmes greatest commercial success the charming heroine of this tale is Lena Rivers whose mother died when she was a baby. The father is unknown, and she is brought up by her grandparents in the New England mountains.<br><br> When the grandfather dies, she and her grandmother are uprooted to live with her uncle in Kentucky. His wealthy wife and 3 spoiled children are not at all happy about taking in these poor relations and do all they can to make them feel unwelcome. Sometimes highly emotional, sometimes hilarious the characters in this good old-fashioned romance are captivating and will pull you in until the very satisfying end. - Summary by Celine Major

Fiction merges with history in this novel taking place during the turbulent times of the civil war and the horrors it entailed. Holme's silly, coquettish yet kind-hearted Rose will pull you in from the start. The sweet and pious Annie, the noble Tom Carleton, the motherly widow Mrs. Simms, the young and courageous Isaac, the mischievous rebel working for the south, and the brash, uneducated Bill Baker are just a few of the unforgettable characters who grow with every chapter. This is a tale of hardships and bravery, of fears and hopes, of inconsolable grief and love which will enthrall you to the end. - Summary by Celine Major

When Matilda's husband James dies, she marries rich Dr. Kennedy thinking he will provide a good home for her daughter Maude. However, the doctor is a miser and assumes that Matty will be his housekeeper. They have a little boy who is crippled and the doctor ignores him. Maude is totally devoted to him and on her mother's deathbed promises to look after him always. The story then evolves with Maude meeting her stepsister Nellie's cousins JC and James. Nellie has set her sights on JC who is after her money while Maude develops strong feelings towards James. JC begins to fall for Maude and when he learns that she has come into an inheritance bequeathed to her by her mother's former servant/nurse Janet he proposes to her. The complications that follow along with the arrival of a new stepmother add just the right amount of drama to this sweet romance. - Summary by Celine Major

10Maggie Miller

By Mary Jane Holmes

From bestselling and prolific author Mary Jane Holmes, Maggie Miller or Old Hagar's Secret COMES a compelling story of deceit, love, misplaced pride and loss of innocence that will keep you in suspense until the very end. And as usual her amazingly real characters will not disappoint. Excerpt: " Mustn't put on airs ! " muttered Hagar, as she left the room. " Just as if  airs wasn't for anybody but high bloods ! " And with the canker-worm of envy at her heart she wrote to Hester, who came immediately; - Summary by Celine Major

11Chateau d'Or

By Mary Jane Holmes

The Chateau D'Or, or The Castle of Gold, looked gloomy and gray from the train rattling through the French countryside from Paris to Marseilles. How did it get its grand name? Stories and legends abound, but this is just one as related by two interested travelers. Also included are two shorter stories, Norah and Kitty Craig - Summary by LynneT

Bestselling and prolific American Author Mary Jane Holmes never disappoints. Family Pride is another superb example of the enchanting Victorian melodramas for which she is renowned. The characters are complex and wonderfully detailed, from the guileless beautiful heroine, the controlling husband and his haughty mother and siblings, the doctor next door who has loved her since her childhood in vain, to the mysterious woman who becomes intertwined in their lives. As is often the case in her books, the tumultuous times and unrest of the civil war provide a sad realism to this sentimental tale which culminates in a very satisfying ending. - Summary by Celine Major

13Pictures and Problems from London Police Courts

By Thomas Holmes

Thomas Holmes served for 20 years as a police court missionary for the London courts. Police court missionaries, often sponsored by temperance unions, were the predecessors to today’s probation officers. Their role was to get convicted criminals back on the straight and narrow, and to help them stay there. In his years in this job, Holmes got a very close look at the causes of crime, and to the difficulty people had in staying back out of the courts once in the system. Chief among the causes he observed were alcoholism (what was then called dipsomania), poverty, and domestic violence. In this book, originally published in 1900, Holmes tells real-life stories of the people he encountered in the system and the beliefs about crime he developed as a result. Well over a century later, many of the issues still sound familiar. - Summary by Verla Viera

14Millbank

By Mary Jane Holmes

Here is Millbank! The only fiction book that the Ingalls of Little House fame owned. It follows the story of Roger Irving, and what he does when he suddenly finds himself with an abandoned baby. - Summary by ShrimpPhish

In Part 1 of The Tracy Diamonds, wealthy, notorious flirt, Helen Tracy sets her sights on the one man who has shown no interest in her. Inviting her poor cousin Alice to accompany her and her mother, she decides to spend the summer in Ridgefield where (said man) Craig Mason also happens to be spending his holidays. You will love the colorful proprietors of the Prospect House, Uncle Zach and Dotty. As Helen progresses in her scheme to win over Craig, the very handsome office clerk Mark is thrown into the mix and from there the tale becomes one of misguided love and regrets. Part 2 takes place many years later and is filled with very unexpected developments, surprising new characters and a wonderful and satisfying ending. - Summary by Celine Major

16Pictures and Problems from London Police Courts (version 2)

By Thomas Holmes

The author spent twenty years as a "police court missionary" (the forerunner of the modern probation officer) for the London courts. He tells us that he sat down and "cried like a child" at the end of his first day, but eventually he came to realise that "a field for the study of human nature is opened up, and nowhere in the wide world is there a field equal to it". A sympathetic man with a self-deprecating sense of humour. - Summary by Peter Yearsley

17English Orphans; Or, A Home in the New World

By Mary Jane Holmes

Mary Howard is a homely orphan who travels from England to America with other orphans, where hopefully a better future awaits them. - Summary by ShrimpPhish