Parnassus on Wheels

Helen McGill is thirty-nine, unmarried, and quietly worn out from keeping house for her brother Andrew, a farmer turned celebrated travel writer who wanders off whenever the mood strikes. So when a red van rolls up the lane carrying Roger Mifflin and his traveling bookshop, Helen does something reckless: she buys the whole outfit, horse and all, and sets off down the New England roads to sell books herself. Christopher Morley’s 1917 debut is a short, high-spirited celebration of reading, independence, and the pleasures of the open road, told in Helen’s plain and funny voice. Beneath the comedy runs a warm case for taking your life into your own hands. This free PDF and EPUB edition makes a beloved small classic easy to enjoy again.