The NYT had a piece discussing The Secret Agent (Conrad) and The Princess Casamassima (James), which have both been very much on my mind lately for obvious reasons. It is surprising that both of them are so little read. The Conrad is not long at all, and the James is one of the few of his productions that has very strong narrative propulsion. The full text of The Secret Agent is widely available in virtual form, but no Princess test is to be found. Once read, neither of these is ever forgotten.