The Book of Interests is not claimed to be for children of a certain age or a certain attainment: it is presented quite simply, if not so modestly, as a book which all children should read at one particular stage of their psychological development - a stage that will be clearly and unmistakably recognised by all experienced teachers. The Book is conceived to be interesting, entertaining, easy to read so the pupil can enjoy the text. It consists of texts collected from various sources. The way in which many of the chapters may be turned to immediate practical activity, and the absorbing experiential content of the others, should be noted.
It is night in the south seas near Tahiti, and the ship HMS Bounty has begun the long voyage home to England. But the sailors on the ship are angry men, and they have swords and guns. They pull the captain out of bed and take him up on deck. He tries to run, but a sailor holds a knife to his neck. 'Do that again, Captain Bligh, and you're a dead man!' he says. The mutiny on the Bounty happened in April, 1789. This is the true story of Captain Bligh and Fletcher Christian, and the ship that never came home to England.
James's astute story of a plain heiress and the poor, handsome suitor who may or may not love her only for her wealth ... James credits the young woman from the start with nothing more Oscar-worthy than a certain dull ordinariness.
Jane Eyre is alone in the world. Disliked by her aunt's family, she is sent away to school. Here she learns that a young girl, with neither money nor family to support her, can expect little from the world. She survives, but she wants more from life than simply to survive: she wants respect, and love. When she goes to work for Mr Rochester, she hopes she has found both at once. But the sound of strange laughter, late at night, behind a locked door, warns her that her troubles are only beginning.
He smiled, showing teeth yellow from cigarette smoke. He looked at his desk diary, then at her papers again. 'Mmm... a hundred pesos a month, Why, that's one thousand two hundred pesos a year. Surely, you can afford to buy me a forty-peso dinner!'
How can Marina say no? How can she refuse the Chief's next request? He is an evil man, but she needs her promotion...
