Midland Books

Ardalyon Borisitch Peredonov believes himself better than his job as a teacher, and hopes that the Princess will be able to promote him to the position of Inspector. Unfortunately for him his connection to the Princess is through his fiancée Varvara, and she has her own plans. With little sign of the desired position his life of petty cruelty escalates, even as his grip on reality begins to break apart and his paranoia manifests itself in hallucinations of a shadowy creature. Finished in 1907, The Little Demon (alternatively translated as The Petty Demon) is Fyodor Sologub’s most famous novel, and received both popular and critical attention on its publication despite its less-than-favorable depictions of provincial Russian life. Its portrayal of Peredonov as a paranoid character simultaneously both banal and bereft of goodness is an essay on the Russian concept of poshlost; a theme that makes an appearance in many other Russian novels, not least Chichikov in Gogol’s Dead Souls. This translation (primarily by John Cournos) was published in 1916, and includes a preface by Sologub for the English-speaking reader.

This classic was written by St. Thomas More with a piece of charcoal in 1534 during his imprisonment in the infamous Tower of London. Moved by the certainty that he would be executed, More developed as his chief thesis the notion that tribulations are really blessings in disguise because they inspire men to seek God, prevent their falling into sin, or test their patience. Despite its deeply serious theme, the work is spiced with witty anecdotes, exciting debate, autobiographical revelations, and pungent commentary on the political machinations of Henry VIII and company. Based on the 1557 Rastell edition, the present volume features a skillful abridgment which retains More's style and thought while providing modern spelling and punctuation. In addition to his introduction, which offers a perceptive discussion of the historical context of More's work, the editor has contributed a valuable chronology of More's life, a glossary of archaisms, a brief synopsis, and a selected bibliography.