Sheppard Lee, Written by Himself (Vol. 1&2)

'Sheppard Lee, Written By Himself' is a satirical work from the early years of the American Republic. It was written in the form as an autobiography and acquired wide acclaim after publishing. The story tells about a young man wishing to find a buried treasure. Instead, he finds the power to transfer his soul into other men's bodies. This results in a picaresque journey through early American pursuits of happiness. But every new form disappoints him. Lee comes to the conclusion that everything in America, even virtue and vice, are interchangeable; everything is an object and has its price.

Robert Montgomery Bird (1806 - 1854) was an American novelist and playwright. Being a member of a wealthy family, in his youth he had a benefit of great education, in which he developed his artistic and musician skills. Yet his formal education was medical. A year after graduation, Robert Bird worked as a physician, but his love to writing took an upper hand. He started his career as a playwright, working in cooperation and on commission of the famous actor Edwin Forest. Under his influence he created a number of plays, including The Gladiator. Yet, in his later career, he was more interested in writing novels. His most famous works are Calavar (1834), The Infidel (1835), The Hawks of Hawk-Hollow an Nick of the Woods.