Editor's Top Picks Following the Footsteps of The Skyrocket: Cult Guide

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At the outbreak of the First World War, a mother and one of her two daughters are captured and debased at the hands of the Germans. The other daughter goes from America to find them in war torn Belgium.

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A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Three Men and a Girl perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Three men, disillusioned in love and intent on getting away from all women, rent a cabin and retreat there. But the young woman who owns the cabin, unaware that it has been rented, is on her way there to escape from an unhappy engagement.

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A bartender named Holiday is a teetotaler, and decides to preach his new belief in abstinence to all the world, until there is no one left who drinks.

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A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Hit-the-Trail Holliday perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A Belgian countess escapes to America to avoid a loveless marriage and finds romance and adventure in a mountain village in Tennessee.

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Lopaka, a poor Hawaiian fisherman, falls in love with Kokua, a young girl of royal blood. Her irascible father refuses her hand until Lopaka can bring him two feather cloaks, an impossible stipulation, as no one not of royal blood can touch a cloak under penalty of death. Rollis, a drunken sailor, tries to steal the girl, but is driven away by Lopaka. He then concludes to go to Devil's Mountain and snare the bird from which the feathers for the cloaks are obtained. He goes to the volcano but finds no bird. He encounters an old dying priest of Pele, who agrees to give him a wishing bottle in which Kono, a brother of Pele, is confined. Kono will grant any wish to the bottle's owner, but anyone dying with the bottle in his possession will go to hell and the bottle must be sold for less than paid for it, otherwise it will come back with its menace. Lopaka wishes for wealth and servants and his humble hut turns into a beautiful palace. Kokua and her father join the crowd in front of the palace and the father readily gives her in marriage to Lopaka. Lopaka sells the bottle to his friend, Makale, but angers the Bottle Imp and is stricken with leprosy so that he cannot marry. He finds Makale has sold the bottle and it passes through many hands, but he is unable to secure it again. Each time the bottle is sold for less, being sold for the smallest coin. Rollins gains possession of the bottle and is about to steal Kokua when Lopaka rushes to her aid and the two men fight and fall from a high cliff into the sea, where Lopaka strangles the sailor. With the death of Rollins, the last owner of the bottle, the Imp is freed and goes back to his mountain and the dead volcano gushes forth lava and flames. The gorgeous raiment of Lopaka and Kokua fade into their old rags; the wonderful palace vanishes, but the two are happy together in the fisherman's little hut.

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A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Out of a Clear Sky perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

M'liss, a feisty young girl in a mining camp, falls for Charles Gray, the school teacher. Charles is implicated in a murder of which he is innocent, and the two must fight to save him from a lynching.

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An orphan discovers that she has an anonymous benefactor who is willing to pay her college tuition, unaware he's the same man who has been romantically pursuing her.

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A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Bottle Imp perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Wealthy orphan Jean Hilton is in love with Jimmie Dexter, with whose mother she lives. Mrs. Dexter is about to send her son to college when she loses her small income, so Jean induces Mrs. Dexter to accept money from her guardian, Squire Padgate, and Jimmie goes off to school. There he meets young cabaret singer Diana Parish, becomes infatuated with her, and writes her a check for $25. Diana adds another zero to the amount and the check bounces due to insufficient funds. As Diana implores Jimmie to save her, Mrs. Dexter and Jean arrive and inform him that he has been squandering Jean's money. Enraged at being treated like a child, Jimmie vows to make it on his own. After working at hard physical labor, Jimmie returns home and all is forgiven.

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Two young women - a paraplegic girl sheltered by her wealthy guardians and a more experienced orphan - fall in love with a man separated from his violent wife.

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Melanie is captured by a Northern soldier while she is carrying secret Southern messages. She falls into the hands of her father's former superior, who attempts to compromise her. She is saved by a successful Confederate attack.