Stephen Crane

Originally published under the pseudonym of Johnston Smith, this novella was Stephen Crane's first, large venture into the publishing world. Rejected by several publishing firms, Crane self-published this work. Although it wasn't received well by the public at the time, this early work of Crane is important in relation to his later notoriety as an author

This unflinching portrayal of the squalor and brutality of New York life produced a scandal when it was published in 1893. Crane's novel tells the story of Maggie Johnson, a young woman who, seduced by her brother's friend and then disowned by her family, turns to prostitution. More than the tale of a young woman's tragic fall, this is a powerful exploration of the destructive forces underlying urban society and human nature. Also included here is 'George's Mother', along with eleven other tales and sketches of New York written between 1892 and 1896.

Crane's portrait of a young girl growing up amid the decay and filth of the Bowery slums highlights a selection of short fiction--which also includes "The Open Boat" and "The Blue Hotel."

The story centers on Maggie, a young girl from the Bowery, in New York City. She is seduced by one of her brother's friends, and is seen as effectively ruined. She ends up alone, driven to prostitution by poverty and abuse. Crane's naturalistic style allowed him to write about class, alcoholism, hypocrisy, determinism, and gender and sexuality in ways that were not common in the literature of the time. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets was considered risqu by publishers because of its literary realism and strong themes. Crane - who was 22 years old at the time - financed the book's publication himself, although the original 1893 edition was printed under the pseudonym Johnston Smith. After the success of 1895's The Red Badge of Courage, Maggie was reissued in 1896 with considerable changes and re-writing. Maggie is generally considered by critics to be the first work of American literary Naturalism.This case laminate collector's edition includes a Victorian-inspired dust jacket.

Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (1893) is a novel by American writer Stephen Crane. Self-published by Crane when the author was only 22 years old, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets has since been recognized as the first work of American literary Naturalism. Inspired by his experience as a working reporter in Manhattan, Crane sought to explore the effects of poverty, alcoholism, and abuse on a character whose determination and moral goodness are entirely ill-suited for survival. The story begins with Jimmie Johnson, a young boy whose family lives in squalor in Manhattan’s Bowery neighborhood. When he tries to fight a gang of older boys, Jimmie is saved by his best friend Pete, only to go home to parents who—in a drunken rage—frighten and abuse their three young children. The deaths of their father and young brother Tommie place an enormous burden Jimmie, who works as a teamster to support himself and his alcoholic mother. Although Maggie finds work as a seamstress and begins a promising relationship with Jimmie’s childhood friend Pete, her life is derailed by her family’s resentment and by the hypocrisy of her community. Forced onto the streets, Maggie Johnson must do whatever she can to survive. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets is a gritty novel that takes a hard look at the lowest and darkest parts of American society in the age of industry. What it finds is a loss of morality and a need for not only assistance and education, but a complete reassessment of what it means to be human. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Stephen Crane’s Maggie: A Girl of the Streets is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Originally published pseudonymously in 1893, "Maggie: A Girl of the Streets" follows the tragic tale of Maggie and her life in the harsh streets and tenements of the New York City Bowery district. Initially rejected by publishers for being viewed as too brutal and accurate in its descriptions of poverty and female sexuality, Stephen Crane published the work at his own expense. Following the success of Crane's novel "The Red Badge of Courage," this novel was reissued in 1896 with extensive re-writes and edits. Generally considered to be the first work of American Naturalism, Crane combines exhaustive research and an attention to detail to create an accurate depiction of life for the working poor at the turn of the century in the slums of New York City. Maggie's judgmental and violent family, the harsh working conditions she faces in factories, her unstable relationships with men, and her eventual destitution on the streets, are used to explore the important and pressing issues of the time. In Maggie's struggle to find love, acceptance, and economic security, Crane creates a portrait which mirrors the struggle of all the women of America at the end of the nineteenth-century. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

Stephen Crane was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. Prolific throughout his short life, he wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism and Impressionism.

Maggie: A Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane Maggie, a young girl from the Bowery, is driven to unfortunate circumstances by poverty and solitude. We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.

How does a coward become a hero? Henry Fleming is about to face that very question. Hearing the call to serve in one of our nation's greatest conflicts, the American Civil War, Henry leaves both home and family to take up the life of a Union soldier. However, though he had, "...dreamed of battles all his life..." and "...imagined peoples secure in the shadow of his eagle-eyed prowess..." he soon finds that the soldier's life is more than he bargained for, and a single wrong decision runs the risk of branding him a coward for what little of his life he thinks he has left. Broken pride, fear, and guilt become secondary battlefields on which Henry must struggle even as the war continues to rage around him. Will he ultimately find the hero within, earning, if necessary, his own red badge of courage, or will he die a coward? This enhanced edition includes journals, discussion questions, essay prompts and vocabulary activities great for use in the classroom.

When Maggie was published, society was unprepared for its grim and stark tale of a pretty young girl's fall in New York's Bowery, and its criticism of the irresponsibility of men toward women. Stephen Crane also exhibits his stunning genius in the five other stories of this collection, from the local color of small-town life to the bustle of the city to war stories full of the irony of heroism. The six make up an enduring testimony to one of America's finest writers.