Biographical fiction / autobiographical fiction
Penguin Books Ltd Go Tell it on the Mountain Penguin Modern
Book SynopsisJames Baldwin''s electrifying first novel.''I had to deal with what hurt me most. I had to deal with my father.''Drawing on James Baldwin''s own boyhood in a religious community in 1930s Harlem, his first novel tells the story of young Johnny Grimes. Johnny is destined to become a preacher like his father, Gabriel, at the Temple of the Fire Baptized, where the church swells with song and it is as if ''the Holy Ghost were riding on the air''. But he feels only scalding hatred for Gabriel, whose fear and fanaticism lead him to abuse his family. Johnny vows that, for him, things will be different. This blazing tale is full of passion and guilt, of secret sinners and prayers singing on the wind. ''His prose hit me, almost winding me with its intensity. I''d never read a novel that described loneliness and desire with such burning eloquence'' Douglas Field, Guardian''A beautiful, enduring, spirtual song of a novel'' Andrew O''HaganTrade ReviewIt broke my heart and made me want to jump up and down... It captures an essential aspect of life in America, its contradictions and seductions, that bittersweet mix of love and hate that so many feel towards the country -- Azar Nafisi * Independent *His prose hit me, almost winding me with its intensity. I'd never read a novel that described loneliness and desire with such burning eloquence -- Douglas Field * Guardian *Vivid imagery, with lavish attention to details * The New York Times *A beautiful, enduring, spiritual song of a novel -- Andrew O'HaganOne of the few essential novelists of our time * New Statesman *
£9.49
Prakash Books The Canterbury Tales
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Penguin Books Ltd Les Miserables
Book SynopsisA brilliant modern translation by Christine Donougher of Victor Hugo''s thrilling masterpiece, with an introduction by Robert Tombs. This is the best translation of the novel available in English, as recommended by David Bellos in The Novel of the Century. Victor Hugo''s tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience, and by the relentless investigations of the dogged policeman Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty. ''A magnificent achievement. It reads easily, sometimes racily, and Hugo''s narrative power is never let down ... An almost flawless translation, which brings the full flavour of one of the Trade ReviewA magnificent achievement. It reads easily, sometimes racily, and Hugo's narrative power is never let down ... An almost flawless translation, which brings the full flavour of one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century to new readers in the twenty-first * The Times Literary Supplement *Christine Donougher's seamless and very modern translation of Les Misérables has an astonishing effect in that it reminds readers that Hugo was going further than any Dickensian lament about social conditions ... The Wretched touches the soul * Herald Scotland *
£11.69
Orion Publishing Co O Caledonia
Book Synopsis ''I once decided to become friends with someone on the sole basis that she named O Caledonia as her favourite book'' Maggie O''Farrell ''A sparky, funny work of genius and one of the best least-known novels of the 20th Century'' Ali Smith ''Funny, surprising, exquisitely written and brilliant on the smelly, absurd, harsh business of growing up. The Brontë sisters and Poe via Dodie Smith and Edward Gorey'' David Nicholls''An absolute sumptuous treat of a book'' Elizabeth Macneal''A wonderful oddity - brief, vivid, eccentric, written with ferocious zest and black humour'' Penelope Lively''The words sing in their sentences'' The Times''The reader feels unalloyed joy on every page'' Independent Vera was painting the pony''s hooves gold in the dining room; Janet said this was bad for him; poison would seep into his Trade ReviewA sparky, funny work of genius about class, romanticism, social tradition and literary tradition, and one of the best least-known novels of the 20th century * Ali Smith *A surreal, hilarious and dark story of a troubled adolescence deep in the wilds of Scotland * Maggie O'Farrell *Elspeth Barker's is a wholly original literary voice. O CALEDONIA, first published 20 years ago, reads as freshly now as then. Steeped in classical allusions, rich in Scottish - and natural - history, fantastical in its highly wrought characters, this coming-of-age-novella is as passionately intense as it is wittily acerbic... Propelled by the sheer force of words, the horrors and humours plunge on, observed by an eye both youthful and perspicacious... The reader feels unalloyed joy, and occasional winces, on every page * The Independent *This is an extraordinary novel: original, beautiful yet tough (Barker loves jaggy, spiky words such as "monkey puzzle", "azaleas", "horizon", anything with a "z" in it), with a sympathetic outsider of a heroine whose tragic fate is depicted on the very first page, puncturing any kind of narrative tension but capturing our attention nevertheless. Few see colour in a grey Scottish day the way Barker does, when a dying winter sun "sheds an unearthly glory; shafting drifts of crimson, green and blue, alive with whirling atoms of dust ..." And yet this darkly magical tale has been forgotten, displaced in the pantheon of great Scottish writing by other, supposedly tougher, work... Barker's love of the classics, her focus on mothers and daughters, and her remarkable evocation of landscape, should mark her out as one of Scotland's principal writers, but fashion and the politics of literary movements have skimmed over her. * Financial Times *An absolute sumptuous treat of a book -- Elizabeth MacnealO Caledonia is a Gothic coming-of-age story, the Brontes and Poe via Dodie Smith and Edward Gorey. Funny, surprising, exquisitely written -and brilliant on the smelly, absurd, harsh business of growing-up. -- David NichollsO Caledonia is an absolute freak show of brilliance; dark and hilarious and dreadful in the best way imaginable. I wish I'd written it. -- Louisa Young
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd Frankenstein Or the Modern Prometheus Penguin
Book SynopsisObsessed with the idea of creating life itself, Victor Frankenstein plunders graveyards for the material with which to fashion a new being, shocking his creation to life with electricity. But this botched creature, rejected by its creator and denied human companionship, sets out to destroy Frankenstein and all that he holds dear.Trade ReviewMary Shelley's Frankenstein is one of the masterpieces of nineteenth-century Gothicism. While stay-ing in the Swiss Alps in 1816 with her lover Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and others, Mary, then eighteen, began to concoct the story of Dr. Victor Frankenstein and the monster he brings to life by electricity. Written in a time of great personal tragedy, it is a subversive and morbid story warning against the dehumanization of art and the corrupting influence of science. Packed with allusions and literary references, it is also one of the best thrillers ever written. Frankenstein; Or, the Modern Prometheus was an instant bestseller on publication in 1818. The prototype of the science fiction novel, it has spawned countless imitations and adaptations but retains its original power.This Modern Library edition includes a new Introduction by Wendy Steiner, the chair of the English department at the University of Pennsylvania and author of The Scandal of Pleasure. Mary Shelley was born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin in 1797 in London. She eloped to France with Shelley, whom she married in 1816. After Frankenstein, she wrote several novels, including Valperga and Falkner, and edited editions of the poetry of Shelley, who had died in 1822. Mary Shelley died in London in 1851.
£7.99
Pushkin Press Love and Enchantment
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£9.49
Renard Press Ltd White Nights
Book Synopsis
£6.79
Penguin Books Ltd The History of England by a Partial Prejudiced
Book Synopsis90 Classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin BooksDuring his reign, Lord Cobham was burnt alive, but I forget what for. In Jane Austen's breezy and entirely biased telling of English history, Mary, Queen of Scots is a scandalously wronged victim, Elizabeth I is a wicked villain and most historical facts and dates are cheerfully disregarded. It is accompanied here by other riotous early pieces in which young women steal money, escape from prison, agree to marry two men at once, faint and repeatedly run mad'.
£5.99
HarperCollins Publishers A Room of Ones Own and Three Guineas
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind'Based on a lecture given at Cambridge and first published in 1929, A Room of One's Own' interweaves Woolf's personal experience as a female writer with themes ranging from Austen and Brontë to Shakespeare's gifted (and imaginary) sister. Three Guineas', Woolf's most impassioned polemic, came almost a decade later and broke new ground by challenging the very notions of war and masculinity.This volume combines two inspirational, witty and urbane essays from one of literature's pre-eminent voices; collectively they constitute a brilliant and lucid attack on sexual inequality.Trade Review‘Brilliant interweaving of personal experience, imaginative musing and political clarity’Kate Mosse ‘Achingly relevant’Natasha Walter, Guardian
£5.62
Vintage Publishing The Brothers Karamazov
Book SynopsisFROM THE AWARD-WINNING TRANSLATORS RICHARD PEVEAR AND LARISSA VOLOKHONSKYDostoevsky''s beautiful writing style and universal themes make this epic 19th century novel unmissable. The Brothers Karamazov is a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and an exploration of erotic rivalry in a series of triangular love affairs involving Karamazov and his three sons - the impulsive and sensual Dmitri; the coldly rational Ivan; and the healthy young novice Alyosha. Through the gripping events of their story, Dostoevsky portrays the social and spiritual strivings in what was both a golden age and a tragic turning point in Russian history.Trade ReviewDostoevsky makes Martin Amis seem as if he was writing 130 years ago and that Dostoevsky is writing now. Read all of Dostoevsky. These books are for now and they matter, because it's up to us to call a halt to our TV producers, politicians, gutless artists, poets and writers: these "teenagers of all ages" who are propelling us towards a consumerist hell of disposability over qualityDonne, Herbert, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, George Eliot, Dostoevsky, Henry James - these are the great psychologists - far greater than Freud or Klein or JungNo reader who knows The Brothers Karamazov should ignore this magnificent translation. And no reader who doesn't should wait any longer to acquaint himself with one of the peaks of modern fiction * USA Today *It returns us to a work we thought we knew - made new again * Washington Post *In this new translation one finally gets the musical whole of Dostoevsky's original * New York Times Book Review *
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd MobyDick
Book SynopsisThe Penguin English Library Edition of Moby-Dick by Herman Melville''The frail gunwales bent in, collapsed, and snapped, as both jaws, like an enormous shears, sliding further aft, bit the craft completely in twain...''Moby-Dick is one of the most expansive feats of imagination in the whole of literature: the mad, raging, Shakespearean tale of Captain Ahab''s insane quest to kill a giant white whale that has taken his leg, and upon which he has sworn vengeance, at any cost. A creation unlike any other, this is an epic story of fatal monomania and the deepest dreams and obsessions of mankind.The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.
£8.99
Orion Publishing Co The Dispossessed
Book SynopsisOne of the very best must-read novels of all time - with a new introduction by Roddy Doyle''A well told tale signifying a good deal; one to be read again and again'' THE TIMES''The book I wish I had written ... It''s so far away from my own imagination, I''d love to sit at my desk one day and discover that I could think and write like Ursula Le Guin'' Roddy Doyle''Le Guin is a writer of phenomenal power'' OBSERVER''There was a wall. It did not look important - even a child could climb it. But the idea was real. Like all walls it was ambiguous, two-faced. What was inside it and what was outside it depended upon which side of it you were on...''Shevek is brilliant scientist who is attempting to find a new theory of time - but there are those who are jealous of his work, and will do anything to block him. So he leaves his homeland, hoping to find a place of more liberty and tolerance. Initially feted, Shevek soon finds himseTrade ReviewThe book I wish I had written ... It's so far away from my own imagination, I'd love to sit at my desk one day and discover that I could think and write like Ursula Le Guin -- Roddy Doyle * THE TIMES *An extraordinary work ... [Le Guin] created a working society in exquisite detail ... a fully realised hypothetical culture [as well as] living breathing characters who are inevitable products of that culture -- Baird SearlesA well told tale signifying a good deal; one to be read again and again * THE TIMES *A deeply imagined work of art * Encyclopedia of Science Fiction *Le Guin's book ... is so persuasive that it ought to put a stop to the writing of prescriptive Utopias for at least 10 years * NEW YORK TIMES *[Le Guin had] the heart of a poet who knew all too well the difference between miracle and eureka, revelation and revolution * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *Le Guin's storytelling is sharp, magisterial, funny, thought-provoking and exciting, exhibiting all that science fiction can be * Empire *Le Guin is a writer of phenomenal power * OBSERVER *
£999.99
Penguin Books Ltd The Monk
Book SynopsisMatthew Lewis''s Gothic masterpiece, depicting a holy man slowly becoming entangled in a web of sin, The Monk is edited with an introduction by Christopher MacLachlan in Penguin Classics.Savaged by critics for its blasphemy and obscenity, particularly since the author was a Member of Parliament, The Monk soon attracted thousands of readers keen to see if this Gothic novel lived up to its lurid reputation. With acute psychological insight, Lewis shows the diabolical decline of Ambrosio, a worthy superior of the Capuchins of Madrid who is tempted by Matilda, a young girl who has entered his monastery disguised as a boy. Descending into a hell of his own creation, Ambrosio is driven to magic and murder in an attempt to conceal his crimes from the Inquisition. The Monk was greatly admired by the Marquis de Sade, who saw it as a response to the upheavals of the French Revolution, yet it also reveals something more universal: the way violent and erotic impulses lurking within us all can break through every barrier of social restraint.Matthew Gregory Lewis (1775-1818) was educated at Oxford after which he held a position in the British Embassy at The Hague. It was there in 1794, that he wrote the racy novel The Monk, under the influence of the early German romantics. Its controversial publication in 1796, due to Lewis'' new status as MP, earned him fame and the book a great deal of popularity.If you enjoyed The Monk, you might like Horace Walpole''s The Castle of Otranto, also available in Penguin Classics.Trade Review“The whole work is distinguished by the variety and impressiveness of its incidents; and the author every-where discovers an imagination rich, powerful, and fervid.” —Samuel Taylor Coleridge
£8.99
Oxford University Press Wuthering Heights
Book SynopsisWuthering Heights is one of the most famous love stories in the English language, and a potent tale of revenge. This new edition explores its extraordinary power and unique style and narrative structure, and includes a selection of poems by Emily Brontë.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Note on the Text Select Bibliography A Chronology of Emily Brontë Genealogical Table Wuthering Heights: Main Text Appendix 1: Contemporary Reviews of Wuthering Heights Appendix 2: Charlotte Brontë's Prefaces to the 1850 Edition Appendix 3: Selected Poems by Emily Brontë Explanatory Notes
£6.99
HarperCollins Publishers Murder in Mesopotamia Poirot
Book SynopsisWhat secrets lie in the past?Fifteen years ago, during the Great War, Louise Leidner's first husband was tried as a spy, sentenced to death, and then escaped, only to die in a train crash.So how is he sending her death threats from beyond the grave? Death threats upon which someone has followed through.Only the world's greatest detective can uncover the truth.Trade Review“Smooth, highly original and completely absorbing”New York Times
£9.49
Oxford University Press Frankenstein
Book SynopsisThe most celebrated horror story ever written. The dreadful tale of Victor Frankenstein, a visionary young student of natural philosophy, who discovers the secret of life. In the grip of his obsession he constructs and animates a creature from dead body parts - with catastrophic results.Trade Reviewprobably the most brilliantly comprehensive introduction to Frankenstein that I have ever read. Even if you've read the book ... ou have to buy this finely produced OUP annotated edition to enjoy Nick Grooms distillation of Frankenstein's ideas and challenges: especially so as this is the first raw 1818 edition." * Magonia Review *wonderful * Oliver Tearle, Interesting Literature *a quality edition ... it uses the original 1818 text and ... it tells us so much about the author and her history; it is both a novel and a very useful reference book. And what is more, it both looks and feels good - well worthy of a place on your shelves. * Peter Tyers, Science Fact & Science Fiction Concatenation *Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Text Select Bibliography A Chronology of Mary Shelley Frankenstein Appendix A. Author's Introduction to the Standard Novels Edition (1831) Appendix B. The Third Edition (1831): Substantive Changes Appendix C. On Frankenstein by Percy Bysshe Shelley Explanatory Notes
£7.06
Arcturus Publishing Ltd Pride and Prejudice
Book SynopsisA collector''s edition of the best-loved classic work of English literature, complete with Wibalin binding, gold foil embossing and gilded page-edges.Pride & Prejudice is a classic romance that every reader will love to have on their bookshelf. A comedy of manners centring on the slow-burning romance between the coquettish Elizabeth Bennet and aristocratic, reserved Mr Darcy, this tale of an attraction of opposites has chimed with readers through the ages. This luxurious edition makes a wonderful gift.ABOUT THE SERIES: Arcturus Ornate Classics are beautifully bound editions of iconic literary works across history. These compact, foil-embossed hardbacks are printed using deluxe ivory paper and make the perfect gift.
£8.54
Wordsworth Editions Ltd Animal Farm Collectors Edition
Book SynopsisIn 1943, there was an urgent need for Animal Farm. The Soviet Union had become Britain's ally in the war against Nazi Germany, and criticism of Stalin's brutal regime was either censored or discouraged. In any case, many intellectuals on the left still celebrated the Soviet Union, claiming that the terrors of its show trials, summary executions and secret police were either exaggerated or necessary. But, to Orwell, Stalin was always a disgusting murderer and he wanted to remind people of this fact in a powerful and memorable way. But how to do it? A political essay would never reach a wide enough audience; a traditional novel would take too long to write. Orwell hit on the inspired idea of combining the moralism of the traditional beast fable' with the satire of Gulliver's Travels. A group of farmyard animals, led by the pigs, overthrow their human masters. Their revolution is inspired by high ideals: the farm will be run in the interests of its animals with no more slaughtering, plenty of food for all and comfort in retirement. But when Napoleon the pig takes command, he quickly corrupts their principles, creating a new tyranny worse than the old.Orwell wrote Animal Farm in the middle of the Second World War, but at first no publishers wanted to touch it. It was finally published in August 1945, once the war was over. This little book quickly became a seminal text in the emerging cold war' (a phrase that Orwell himself coined). It also became a site of that conflict itself, suffering various attempts to subvert or change its meaning.
£10.32
Chartwell Books The Complete Novels of Jane Austen
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£18.74
HarperCollins Publishers Beren and Luthien
Book SynopsisPainstakingly restored from Tolkien's manuscripts and presented for the first time as a continuous and standalone story, the epic tale of Beren and Lúthien will reunite fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with Elves and Men, Dwarves and Orcs and the rich landscape and creatures unique to Tolkien's Middle-earth.The tale of Beren and Lúthien was, or became, an essential element in the evolution of The Silmarillion, the myths and legends of the First Age of the World conceived by J.R.R. Tolkien. Returning from France and the battle of the Somme at the end of 1916, he wrote the tale in the following year.Essential to the story, and never changed, is the fate that shadowed the love of Beren and Lúthien: for Beren was a mortal man, but Lúthien was an immortal Elf. Her father, a great Elvish lord, in deep opposition to Beren, imposed on him an impossible task that he must perform before he might wed Lúthien. This is the kernel of the legend; and it leads to the supremely heroic attemTrade ReviewPraise for The Children of Húrin:‘I hope that its universality and power will grant it a place in English mythology’Independent on Sunday ‘The darkest of all Tolkien’s tales. Alan Lee’s illustrations complement the writing splendidly’Times Literary Supplement
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Jane Eyre
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics.
£5.94
HarperCollins Publishers Heart of Darkness Collins Classics
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics.The reaches opened before us and closed behind, as if the forest had stepped leisurely across the water to bar the way for our return. We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness.'At the peak of European Imperialism, steamboat captain Charles Marlow travels deep into the African Congo on his way to relieve the elusive Mr Kurtz, an ivory trader renowned for his fearsome reputation. On his journey into the unknown Marlow takes a terrifying trip into his own subconscious, overwhelmed by his menacing, perilous and horrifying surroundings.The landscape and the people he meets force him to reflect on human nature and society, and in turn Conrad writes revealingly about the dangers of imperialism.
£5.62
Penguin Books Ltd Jane Eyre
Book SynopsisOrphaned into the household of her Aunt Reed at Gateshead, subject to the cruel regime at Lowood charity school, Jane Eyre nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity.Trade Review"At the end we are steeped through and through with the genius, the vehemence, the indignation of Charlotte Brontë."--Virginia Woolf
£17.09
HarperCollins Publishers Walden and Civil Disobedience Collins Classics
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion. Henry David Thoreau, WaldenTrade Review‘Thoreau was a great writer, philosopher, poet, and withal a most practical man, that is, he taught nothing he was not prepared to practise in himself. … He went to gaol for the sake of his principles and suffering humanity. His essay has, therefore, been sanctified by suffering. Moreover, it is written for all time. Its incisive logic is unanswerable.’ Mohandas Gandhi ‘I became convinced that noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. No other person has been more eloquent and passionate in getting this idea across than Henry David Thoreau. As a result of his writings and personal witness, we are the heirs of a legacy of creative protest.’ Martin Luther King, Jr
£5.62
HarperCollins Publishers The Fall of Gondolin
Book SynopsisIn the Tale of The Fall of Gondolin are two of the greatest powers in the world. There is Morgoth of the uttermost evil, unseen in this story but ruling over a vast military power from his fortress of Angband. Deeply opposed to Morgoth is Ulmo, second in might only to Manwë, chief of the Valar.Central to this enmity of the gods is the city of Gondolin, beautiful but undiscoverable. It was built and peopled by Noldorin Elves who, when they dwelt in Valinor, the land of the gods, rebelled against their rule and fled to Middle-earth. Turgon King of Gondolin is hated and feared above all his enemies by Morgoth, who seeks in vain to discover the marvellously hidden city, while the gods in Valinor in heated debate largely refuse to intervene in support of Ulmo''s desires and designs. Into this world comes Tuor, cousin of Túrin, the instrument of Ulmo''s designs. Guided unseen by him Tuor sets out from the land of his birth on the fearful journey to Gondolin, and in one of the most arresting Trade Review‘Never did [Tolkien] write a more sustained account of battle. With dragons and fiery balrogs galore, the attack on Gondolin makes Peter Jackson’s souped-up cinema battles look like tabletop games.’The Times ‘The text is rife with references to characters and creatures that come to play a role in The Lord of the Rings… one passage in particular seems to set up one of the most famous scenes from the LOTR trilogy.’Time ‘It’s a load-bearing pillar in the grander narrative that eventually came to encompass better-known works. Tolkien explicitly expressed his wish later in life that the three Great Tales of Middle-earth’s early days — The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien, and The Fall of Gondolin — along with The Lord of the Rings and other writings, should be considered as “one long Saga of the Jewels and the Rings”.’Entertainment Weekly
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Delta of Venus
Book SynopsisAs influential and revelatory in its day as Fifty Shades of Grey is now, Anaïs Nin''s Delta of Venus is a groundbreaking anthology of erotic short stories, published in Penguin Modern ClassicsIn Delta of Venus Anaïs Nin conjures up a glittering cascade of sexual encounters. Creating her own ''language of the senses'', she explores an area that was previously the domain of male writers and brings to it her own unique perceptions. Her vibrant and impassioned prose evokes the essence of female sexuality in a world where only love has meaning.This edition includes a preface adapted from Anaïs Nin''s diary that establishes a context for the work''s gestation, and a postscript to her diary entries in which she explains her desire to use ''women''s language, seeing sexual experience from a woman''s point of view''.Anaïs Nin (1903-1977), born in Paris, was the daughter of a Franco-Danish singer and a Cuban pianist. Her first book - a defence of D
£9.49
Little, Brown Guilt
£15.29
Penguin Books Ltd Anna Karenina
Book Synopsis''One of the greatest love stories in world literature'' Vladimir NabokovThe heroine of Tolstoy''s epic of love and self-destruction, Anna Karenina has beauty, wealth, popularity and an adored son, but feels that her life is empty until she encounters the impetuous officer Count Vronsky. Their subsequent affair scandalizes society and family alike, and brings jealousy and bitterness in its wake. Contrasting with this is the vividly observed story of Levin, a man striving to find contentment and a meaning to his life - and also a self-portrait of Tolstoy himself. This award-winning translation has been acclaimed as the definitive English version of Tolstoy''s masterpiece.Translated by RICHARD PEVEAR and LARISSA VOLOKHONSKY with a Preface by JOHN BAYLEY
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers The Picture of Dorian Gray
Book SynopsisExam board: Edexcel Level & Subject: AS and A Level English Literature First teaching: September 2015 Next exams: 2025Trade Review“The new Collins Classroom Classic editions are perfect for schools – clear text, bright covers, a good size for pockets and bags, and a great price that makes buying new class or cohort sets very attractive in these budget-conscious times.” de Stafford School
£6.49
Chartwell Books The Metamorphosis
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£14.99
Penguin Books Ltd Emma Penguin Classics
Book SynopsisThe culmination of Jane Austen's genius, a sparkling comedy of love and marriageNow a major motion picture starring Anya Taylor-Joy Beautiful, clever, rich—and single—Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protegee Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of theTrade Review"Jane Austen is my favorite author! ... Shut up in measureless content, I greet her by the name of most kind hostess, while criticism slumbers." —EM ForsterTable of ContentsEmmaThe Penguin Edition of the Novels of Jane AustenChronologyIntroductionFurther ReadingNote on the TextEmmaVolume OneVolume TwoVolume ThreeEmendations to the TextNotes
£7.99
Penguin Books Ltd Sense and Sensibility
Book SynopsisJane Austen's first published work, meticulously constructed and sparkling with her unique witMarianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Through their parallel experience of love - and its threatened loss - the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love. This edition also includes explanatory notes and textual variants between first and second edition. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represeTrade Review"As nearly flawless as any fiction could be."—Eudora Welty
£8.65
Penguin Books Ltd Metamorphosis and Other Stories
Book Synopsis
£8.54
Oxford University Press The Monk
Book SynopsisThe Monk (1796) is a masterpiece of Gothic fiction and the first horror novel in English literature. It tells of the pious monk Ambrosio's descent into depravity, his passion leading to rape, blasphemy, black magic, incest, and murder. Its sensational story also reflects the terrors of the French Revolution.
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers The Murder on the Links Agatha Christie Poirot
Book SynopsisStabbed in the backA pieced of lead piping nearbyIt should be a simple casePoirot is summoned to France, but arrives too late to save his client, whose body now lies face down in a shallow grave on a golf course.Why is the dead man wearing his son's overcoat? And who was the intended recipient of the love-letter in the pocket?Before Poirot can answer these questions, the case is turned upside down by the discovery of a second, identically murdered corpseTrade Review‘Agatha Christie never lets you down’The Sketch ‘The plot is really clever.’Literary Review ‘A remarkably good detective story which can be warmly recommended.’New York Times
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings
Book SynopsisPart of Penguin''s beautiful hardback Clothbound Classics series, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith, these delectable and collectible editions are bound in high-quality colourful, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design. After reading Christmas Carol, the notoriously reculsive Thomas Carlyle was seized with a perfect convulsion of hospitality and threw not one but two Christmas dinner parties. The impact of the story may not always have been so dramatic but, along with Dickens other Christmas writings, it has had a lasting and significant influence upon our ideas about the Christmas spirit, and about the season as a time for celebration, charity, and memory.Trade Review[Coralie Bickford-Smith's] recent work for Penguin Classics is...nothing short of glorious * Anna Cole Co. *
£15.29
Oxford University Press Pride and Prejudice
Book SynopsisWith the arrival of eligible young men in their neighbourhood, the lives of Mr and Mrs Bennet and their five daughters are turned inside out. Pride encounters prejudice, upward-mobility confronts social disdain, and quick-wittedness challenges sagacity, as misconceptions and hasty judgements lead to heartache and scandal.Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Text Select Bibliography A Chronology of Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice Volume I Volume II Volume III Explanatory Notes
£5.99
Penguin Books Ltd The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Book SynopsisOne of the BBC''s ''100 Novels That Shaped Our World''The Penguin English Library Edition of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë''She looked so like herself that I knew not how to bear it''In this sensational, hard-hitting and passionate tale of marital cruelty, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall sees a mysterious tenant, Helen Graham, unmasked not as a ''wicked woman'' as the local gossips would have it, but as the estranged wife of a brutal alcoholic bully, desperate to protect her son. Using her own experiences with her brother Branwell to depict the cruelty and debauchery from which Helen flees, Anne Brontë wrote her masterpiece to reflect the fragile position of women in society and her belief in universal redemption, but scandalized readers of the time.The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd A Nervous Breakdown
Book SynopsisI did have hallucinations, but did they harm anyone? Who did they harm, that''s what I''d like to know!''From the supreme artist of the short story, three disturbing tales of supernatural hallucinations, hysterical obsession and moral decay.One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics'' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants.
£5.63
Penguin Books Ltd Of Mice and Men
Book Synopsis''Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don''t belong no place.''George and his large, simple-minded friend Lennie are drifters, following wherever work leads them. Arriving in California''s Salinas Valley, they get work on a ranch. If they can just stay out of trouble, George promises Lennie, then one day they might be able to get some land of their own and settle down some place. But kind-hearted, childlike Lennie is a victim of his own strength. Seen by others as a threat, he finds it impossible to control his emotions. And one day not even George will be able to save him from trouble.Of Mice and Men is a tragic and moving story of friendship, loneliness and the dispossessed, with a stunning new cover by renowned artist Bijou Karman.Trade ReviewA thriller, a gripping tale that you will not set down until it is finished. Steinbeck has touched the quick * New York Times *A short tale of much power and beauty. Mr. Steinbeck has contributed a small masterpiece to the modern tough-tender school of American fiction * Times Literary Supplement *Brutality and tenderness mingle in these strangely moving pages. . . The reader is fascinated by a certainty of approaching doom. * Chicago Tribune *
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd Little Women
Book SynopsisMeg, Jo, Amy and Beth - four 'little women' enduring hardships and enjoying adventures in Civil War New England.Trade Review"The American female myth."—Madelon Bedell
£15.29
Penguin Books Ltd Brideshead Revisited
Book SynopsisBrideshead Revisited is Evelyn Waugh''s stunning novel of duty and desire set amongst the decadent, faded glory of the English aristocracy in the run-up to the Second World War.The most nostalgic and reflective of Evelyn Waugh''s novels, Brideshead Revisited looks back to the golden age before the Second World War. It tells the story of Charles Ryder''s infatuation with the Marchmains and the rapidly disappearing world of privilege they inhabit. Enchanted first by Sebastian Flyte at Oxford, then by his doomed Catholic family, in particular his remote sister, Julia, Charles comes finally to recognise his spiritual and social distance from them.Evelyn Waugh (1903-66) was born in Hampstead, second son of Arthur Waugh, publisher and literary critic, and brother of Alec Waugh, the popular novelist. In 1928 he published his first work, a life of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and his first novel, Decline and Fall, which was soon followed by Vile Bodies (1930), A Handful of Dust (1934) and Scoop (1938). In 1939 he was commissioned in the Royal Marines and later transferred to the Royal Horse Guards, serving in the Middle East and in Yugoslavia. In 1942 he published Put Out More Flags and then in 1945 Brideshead Revisited. Men at Arms (1952) was the first volume of ''The Sword of Honour'' trilogy, and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize; the other volumes, Officers and Gentlemen and Unconditional Surrender, followed in 1955 and 1961.If you enjoyed Brideshead Revisited, you might like Waugh''s Vile Bodies, also available in Penguin Classics.''Lush and evocative ... Expresses at once the profundity of change and the indomitable endurance of the human spirit''The Times
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd The Trial
Book SynopsisA terrifying psychological trip into the life of one Joseph K., an ordinary man who wakes up one day to find himself accused of a crime he did not commit, a crime whose nature is never revealed to him. Once arrested, he is released, but must report to court on a regular basis - an event that proves maddening, as nothing is ever resolved. As he grows more uncertain of his fate, his personal life - including work at a bank and his relations with his landlady and a young woman who lives next door - becomes increasingly unpredictable. As K. tries to gain control, he succeeds only in accelerating his own excruciating downward spiral.Trade ReviewThe Dante of the Twentieth Century -- W. H. AudenThis compelling, prophetic novel anticipates the insanity of modern bureaucracy and the coming of totalitarianism -- The Daily TelegraphIt is the fate and perhaps the greatness of that work that it offers everything and confirms nothing -- Albert CamusIt was Kafka who made me understand that one can write differently -- Gabriel García Márquez
£9.25
Penguin Books Ltd The Burial of the Rats
Book Synopsis
£7.20
Penguin Books Ltd The Castle of Otranto Penguin Classics
Book SynopsisThe founding work of Gothic fictionOn the day of his wedding, Conrad, heir to the house of Otranto, is killed in mysterious circumstances. His calculating father Manfred fears that his dynasty will now come to an end and determines to marry his son's bride himself - despite the fact he is already married. But a series of terrifying supernatural omens soon threaten this unlawful union, as the curse placed on Manfred's ancestor, who usurped the lawful Prince of Otranto, begins to unfold. First published pseudonymously in 1764, purporting to be an ancient Italian text from the time of the crusades, The Castle of Otranto is a founding work of Gothic fiction. With its compelling blend of sinister portents, tempestuous passions and ghostly visitations, it spawned an entire literary tradition and influenced such writers as Ann Radcliffe and Bram Stoker.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speakin
£9.25
Penguin Books Ltd It Cant Happen Here
Book Synopsis''An eerily prescient foreshadowing of current affairs'' Guardian''Not only Lewis''s most important book but one of the most important books ever produced in the United States'' New YorkerA vain, outlandish, anti-immigrant, fearmongering demagogue runs for President of the United States - and wins. Sinclair Lewis''s chilling 1935 bestseller is the story of Buzz Windrip, ''Professional Common Man'', who promises poor, angry voters that he will make America proud and prosperous once more, but takes the country down a far darker path. As the new regime slides into authoritarianism, newspaper editor Doremus Jessup can''t believe it will last - but is he right? This cautionary tale of liberal complacency in the face of populist tyranny shows it really can happen here.Trade ReviewYou can't read Lewis' novel today without flashes of Trumpian recognition * Slate *An eerily prescient foreshadowing of current affairs * Guardian *Eighty years later the novel feels frighteningly contemporary * Salon *Not only Lewis's most important book but one of the most important books ever produced in the United States * New Yorker *
£9.99
Penguin Books Ltd Cecily
Book Synopsis''A startling heroine'' SARAH MOSS, author of Summerwater ''A vividly female perspective on the Wars of the Roses'' IMOGEN HERMES GOWER, author of The Mermaid and Mr Hancock''Wolf Hall for the 2020s'' MANDA SCOTT, author of Boudica ''Absorbing'' TIMES __________________________________ 1431 is a dangerous time for a woman to be defiant. England has been fighting France for 100 years. At home, power-hungry men within a corrupt government manipulate a weak king - and name Cecily''s husband, York''s loyal duke, an enemy. As the king''s grasp on sanity weakens, plots to destroy York take root... It will take all of Cecily''s courage and cunning to save her family. But when the will to survive becomes ambition for a crown, will she risk treason to secure it? Inside closed bedchambers and upon bloody battlefields, CECILY portrays war as women fight it.TO COTrade ReviewA startling heroine -- Sarah MossIn vigorous, direct prose Garthwaite grippingly resurrects a remarkable woman * Sunday Times *Utterly compelling, this brilliant novel shines a light into a dark corner of our history and reclaims the voice and story of a powerful and forgotten woman. A phenomenal read. I loved it -- Liz Hyder, author of The GiftsHas the new Hilary Mantel arrived? * Sunday Telegraph *I look forward to hearing more from Annie Garthwaite and Cecily * Times *Cecily is a vivid and compelling portrait of a formidable figure from the 15th century and a heroine for our times * Big Issue *In Garthwaite's hands, Neville proves as Machiavellian, manipulative and era-defining as any man * Noon *Cecily stalks the corridors of power like a female Thomas Cromwell. A vividly female perspective on the Wars of the Roses - what a feat -- Imogen Hermes GowarAn extraordinary achievement . . . I could touch and breathe Cecily's world as if I was walking in her shadow -- Carol McGrathCECILY is the WOLF HALL for the 2020s... marks the start of a stellar career -- Manda ScottI loved it . . . Annie Garthwaite writes about the past with a kind of restrained, earthy vim, and with the sort of intimacy and immediacy - and empathy - that can only come from graft and craft -- Toby Clements
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Penguin English Library the Picture of Dorian
Book SynopsisThe Penguin English Library Edition of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde'I am jealous of everything whose beauty does not die. I am jealous of the portrait you have painted of me ... Why did you paint it? It will mock me some day - mock me horribly!'A story of evil, debauchery and scandal, Oscar Wilde's only novel tells of Dorian Gray, a beautiful yet corrupt man. When he wishes that a perfect portrait of himself would bear the signs of ageing in his place, the picture becomes his hideous secret, as it follows Dorian's own downward spiral into cruelty and depravity. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a masterpiece of the evil in men's hearts, and is as controversial and alluring as Wilde himself.The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.
£7.99
