One of twentieth-century America’s most politically influential novels, The Jungle is Upton Sinclair’s hard-hitting exposé of the meat-packing industry. Journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair was a known muckraker who used his work to expose the horrific underbelly of the American government in the early 1900s. The Jungle is the fictional story of Jurgis Rudkus and his wife, Ona Lukoszaite. The couple immigrated to Chicago from Lithuania in the hopes of living the American Dream. Instead, they are met by the hardship and tragedy that awaited so many immigrants at the time. Jurgis secures a job in the meat-packing industry and quickly realises the disgusting treatment of animals and the horrendous working conditions that led to many injuries and deaths. Prior to writing the powerful novel, Sinclair spent seven weeks working in the Chicago meat-packing industry. He used his research to expose the corrupt factories in his writing. Originally published in serial form in 1905 for Appeal to Reason, the socialist newspaper, The Jungle was published as a book in 1906. The novel caused such public outcry that Sinclair’s work played a large part in the introduction of the 1906 Meat Inspection Act in the US. Read & Co. Classics has proudly republished this volume for the enjoyment of fans of socialist literature and those interested in the history of America’s meat industry.

Run with the jungle animals in this illustrated chapter-book retelling of The Jungle Book, part of the bestselling Classic Starts® series that has sold more than 8 million copies! Mowgli has lived among his wolf brothers for as long as he can remember. Baloo and Bagheera teach him the ways of the jungle, but some animals view him as a threat—or, even worse, as prey. Can Mowgli find a place where he truly belongs? This abridged retelling is the perfect way to introduce young readers to Mowgli’s life among elephants, giant snakes, and monkeys. The book also includes discussion questions.

The Jungle Books tell the story of the irrepressible Mowgli, who is rescued as a baby from the jaws of the evil tiger, Shere Khan. Raised by wolves and guided by Baloo the bear, Mowgli and his animal friends embark on a series of hair-raising adventures through the jungles of India.

The Jungle is a 1906 novel written by the American journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair (1878-1968).Sinclair wrote the novel to portray the harsh conditions and exploited lives of immigrants in the United States in Chicago and similar industrialized cities. Perhaps his main goal in exposing the meat industry and working conditions was to advance Socialism in the United States. However, most readers were more concerned with his exposure of health violations and unsanitary practices in the American meatpacking industry during the early 20th century, greatly contributing to a public outcry which led to reforms including the Meat Inspection Act. Sinclair famously said of the public reaction "I aimed at the public's heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach."The book depicts working class poverty, the lack of social supports, harsh and unpleasant living and working conditions, and a hopelessness among many workers. These elements are contrasted with the deeply rooted corruption of people in power. A review by the writer Jack London called it "the Uncle Tom's Cabin of wage slavery.

Both of Upton Sinclair’s Sylvia novels are featured in this volume, exploring gender inequality and societal corruption in early 1900s America. Socialist writer Upton Sinclair tells the story of Sylvia Castleman, a Southern US girl in the early twentieth century, across two volumes, Sylvia (1913) and Sylvia’s Marriage (1914). Sylvia is a society woman who is determined to fight against the stereotypes for her gender. Her story is narrated in first person by Mary Abbott, who was raised in a hardworking farming family. The novels demonstrate the disturbing inequality between men and women in the 1900s, and expose the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases at the time. Both the books contained in this volume were written collaboratively between Sinclair and his wife, Mary Craig Sinclair. Sinclair developed Sylvia’s story from his wife’s autobiographical writings of her childhood. Sylvia & Sylvia’s Marriage is not to be missed by fans of the muckraking journalist and those with an interest in feminist literature.

Orphaned and abandoned in the depths of the African jungle, a young boy is found and raised by a loving female ape. Destined to be the king of the apes, Tarzan thrives among his adoptive family, but will he ever be able to feel at home in the wild? Tarzan of the Apes is the first book in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic pulp fiction series. Join Tarzan as he grows from a young, lost little boy into the powerful king of the jungle. As he ages and begins to realise the differences between himself and his family, Tarzan grows distant from the apes and begins to explore the jungle by himself. Discovering his parents’ old hut, he arms himself with his father’s knife and suddenly the animals of the jungle are no match for him. But as the powerful ape man conquers his wild home, he longs to connect with someone who truly understands him. When a group of humans are marooned in his jungle, will Tarzan finally reach a place he can call home? First published in October 1912 in the pulp magazine The All-Story, Tarzan of the Apes was released as a novel in 1914 and has had many successful screen adaptations. This volume is the perfect read for fans of fantasy novels who want to revisit a childhood classic.