Classic fiction: literary and general

Book SynopsisLittle treasures, the FLAME TREE COLLECTABLE CLASSICS are chosen to create a delightful and timeless home library. Each stunning, gift edition features deluxe cover treatments, ribbon markers, luxury endpapers and gilded edges. The unabridged text is accompanied by a Glossary of Victorian and Literary terms produced for the modern reader. Mischievous and smart, Tom Sawyer, is one of American literature’s most beloved literary characters. Originally published in 1876, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer chronicles the exploits of Tom and his friends – including Twain’s other lovable rogue, Huckleberry Finn – as they witness a murder, play at being pirates along the Mississippi River, hunt for treasure and even attend their own funeral. Inspired by Twain’s own boyhood, this spirited classic is full of hi-jinks, not to mention a good deal of suspense. The FLAME TREE COLLECTABLE CLASSICS are chosen to create a delightful and timeless home library.

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Book SynopsisThis is the only novel that Conrad set in London, and it communicates a profoundly ironic view of human affairs. The story is woven around an attack on the Greenwich Observatory in 1894. Verloc, (a Russian spy who is also working for the police) is ostensibly a member of an anarchist group in Soho.

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Book SynopsisOne of Tolstoy’s last published works of fiction, The Devil revolves around the young landowner Yevgeny’s irrepressible lust for Stepanida, a sensual peasant woman. Even when he gets married to a respectable upper-class lady, he finds himself unable to put an end to his encounters with Stepanida, and becomes increasingly consumed by guilt and helplessness in the face of his urges. In some ways comparable to the controversial Kreutzer Sonata, The Devil shows Tolstoy at his most salacious, and addresses the conflicts between desire, social norms and personal conscience. Also included in this volume is Family Happiness, one of Tolstoy’s earliest works, an entertaining and cynical account of marriage from the perspective of a disillusioned wife, and A Landowner’s Morning.

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Book SynopsisMonroe Stahr is a film producer at the height of his career, revered by the industry and in control of every aspect of his business empire. In his ruthless rise to the top, the young widower has had little time for sentiment, until he mets the beguiling Kathleen Moore and the two embark on an intense but ill-fated relationship. Told in parts from the perspective of Cecelia Brady, the witty and perceptive daughter of Stahr's business partner, The Last Tycoon is a sophisticated, gripping tale of love and intrigue in the Golden Age of Hollywood, containing what many critics have claimed are Fitzgerald's most modern and engaging chracters.Trade ReviewHe was better than he knew, for in fact and in the literary sense he invented a generation. * The New York Times *

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1831, Belkin's Stories was the first completed work of fiction by the founding father of Russian literature. Through a series of interlinked stories purporting to have been told by various narrators to the recently deceased country squire Ivan Belkin, Pushkin offers his own variation on themes and genres that were popular in his day and provides a vivid portrayal of the Russian people. From the story of revenge served cold in 'The Shot' to the havoc wreaked by a blizzard on the life of two young lovers, from the bittersweet tones of 'The Station Master' to the supernatural atmosphere of 'The Undertaker', this collection - presented here in a brand-new translation by Roger Clarke - sparkles with humour and is a testament to the brilliance and versatility of Pushkin's mind.Trade ReviewPushkin is an extraordinary phenomenon, perhaps the only phenomenon of the Russian spirit. -- Nikolai GogolTable of ContentsContains: The Shot, The Blizzard, The Undertaker, The Postmaster, Young Miss Peasant, A History of Goryukhino Village

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Book SynopsisJack Shepherd and Iain Cuthbertson star in a BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of the classic swashbuckling tale. Having outwitted a band of pirates to obtain a map disclosing the whereabouts of Captain Flint's treasure, Young Jim sets sail for Treasure Island. But the crew of the Hispaniola are not what they seem. Revealing themselves as another gang of cut throats, led by the villainous Long John Silver, they are hell-bent on seizing both the ship and the treasure. Will they succeed? The struggle of Young Jim and his friends as they do battle on the high seas is thrillingly played out in this full-bodied production starring Jack Shepherd, Iain Cuthbertson, Buster Merryfield and James McPherson as young Jim Hawkins.Trade Review • "It is a breathless journey and the closest thing to a real pirate adventure without an eye patch and a time machine... It is a unique work of genius." --Eoin Colfer, author of Artemis Fowl • "Who can think of a pirate without conjuring up the image of Long John Silver?" --Daily Mail

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Book SynopsisTom Hiddleston (The Night Manager) stars as Jonathan Harker with David Suchet (Poirot) as Dracula in Liz Lochhead and John Foley's powerful BBC radio adaptation of the classic novel by Bram Stoker. When solicitor Jonathan Harker sets off for Transylvania to sell the mysterious Count Dracula a Gothic mansion, his bride-to-be Mina begs him to stay – to no avail. But on arrival at Dracula's castle, deep in a black forest surrounded by wolves, Harker wishes he had listened to his fiancée. The Count is welcoming but unnerving, and his castle oppressive. Plagued by nightmares, Harker soon longs to leave... Back in Whitby, Mina is increasingly worried. She has heard nothing from Jonathan, and now her sister Lucy – newly engaged to Harker's friend, Dr Seward – is becoming pale and thin. In Seward's lunatic asylum in London, a madman named Renfield babbles about his master who is coming. And as a midnight storm rages, a black ship heads towards the English coast... Acclaimed poet and playwright Liz Lochhead's adaptation was first performed on stage in 1985, and this thrilling radio drama was broadcast on the World Service in 2006. Suspenseful, chilling and suffused with dark eroticism, it retains all the eerie dread of Stoker's infamous horror novel. Duration: 2 hrs approx.Trade Review"Those who cannot find their own reflection in Bram Stoker's still-living creation are surely the undead ."— New York Times Review of Books"An exercise in masculine anxiety and nationalist paranoia, Stoker's novel is filled with scenes that are staggeringly lurid and perverse.... The one in Highgate cemetery, where Arthur and Van Helsing drive a stake through the writhing body of the vampirised Lucy Westenra, is my favourite."— Sarah Waters, author of The Little Stranger"It is splendid. No book since Mrs. Shelley's Frankenstein or indeed any other at all has come near yours in originality, or terror."— Bram Stoker's Mother

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Book SynopsisBiggles has a cold war.November 1939. The Winter War between the Finns and the Soviets has begun, and Finland has called for international support. Biggles, Algy and Ginger have volunteered to help, and fly reconnaissance missions over the country on the lookout for Soviet troops and aircraft.Quite by chance on one such flight, Biggles spots a lone figure at death’s door in the snow, and lands to investigate. The man is Petolski, a Polish scientist. His plane crashed on the Finland–Russia border while he was trying to escape Occupied Poland with seven years’ worth of experimental aircraft research. Rather than let it fall into enemy hands, he has hidden it somewhere near the downed plane.The research cannot fall into enemy hands, and Biggles is ordered to retrieve it at all costs. But the Russians have found out about the research as well, and a party led by Biggles’ nemesis, Erich von Stalhein, is already looking for it. The race is on!Strap in for a classic Biggles cat-and-mouse chase in the ice and snow of Finland. Perfect for fans of Derek Robinson and Max Hennessy.

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Book SynopsisIt is a winter evening, and Yegor Aduyev, the scion of a wealthy family from the landed gentry, slips into the house of Baron Neyleyn with the intention of asking his beautiful daughter, the eighteen-year-old Yelena, to be his wife. Will the besotted lover be successful in his pursuit or will the young coquette - who seems at times to reciprocate his feelings, but who lavished lingering looks on two dashing princes during a recent ball - shatter his hopes, his dreams and his entire world? A Serendipitous Error, written in 1839, when Goncharov was still in his twenties, is accompanied here by another early novella, An Evil Malady and a short fictional fragment. Taken together, these stories - translated for the first time into English - are further proof of the eclectic narrative skills of the celebrated author of Oblomov.

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1844, The Fir Tree is a moving short story about a tree that is so desperate to grow up that it cannot appreciate the present. Following the tree from its early years until it is big enough to be cut down and used as a Christmas tree, it highlights the importance of living in the moment, and offers a topical and bleak outlook on our use of nature. Part of Renard’s successful Christmas Card Classics series, 25% of the RRP of each book sold goes to the Three Peas, a small charity supporting refugees.Trade Review'Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales… have captivated generations with their blend of plain language, unbridled imagination and haunting strangeness.' Philippa Gregory

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Book SynopsisA trail-blazing writer of great repute in her day, but now unjustly neglected, Baroness Emmuska Orczy’s name was synonymous with the mystery genre in the early twentieth century, particularly for her Scarlet Pimpernel books, set during the French Revolution. But perhaps the most revolutionary of her works is the lesser-known Lady Molly of Scotland Yard, a short-story collection revolving around Molly Robertson-Kirk, a fictional London detective – indeed, published in 1910, Molly was one of the first fictional female detectives, and served as a prototype for many that followed. Beautifully presented and with helpful explanatory notes, this edition celebrates Orczy’s heroine and aims to reintroduce her for a new generation of readers.Trade Review'Anyone who feels that their outward manner is but a travesty of their inner self can hardly fail to respond to The Scarlet Pimpernel.' (Independent); 'Orczy had a rare gift: that of the storyteller. Her Pimpernel books are compulsively readable.' (Guardian)

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Book SynopsisLittle treasures, the FLAME TREE COLLECTABLE CLASSICS are chosen to create a delightful and timeless home library. Each stunning, gift edition features deluxe cover treatments, ribbon markers, luxury endpapers and gilded edges. The unabridged text is accompanied by a Glossary of Victorian and Literary terms produced for the modern reader. The very name of Robert Louis Stevenson is synonymous with storytelling adventures, Treasure Island being one of the most popular books in English literature. Its racing narrative pace takes the young Jim Hawkins on a lively escapade that's fired the imagination of many generations of readers. Mysterious maps, Long John Silver and his parrot, buried treasures, tropical islands, leafy palms and endless blue seas, innocence and treachery, the complicated path between good and evil, all conspire to deliver a powerful addition to any collection of tall tales and essential reads.

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Book SynopsisThe Romance of Lust (1873-1876) is an anonymously written pornographic novel. Published by infamous London pornographer William Lazenby, The Romance of Lust appeared in four volumes and immediately drew condemnation from the British authorities. Although its author remains unknown, scholars believe either William Simpson Potter or Edward Sellon wrote the text. Frequently censored, The Romance of Lust influenced countless authors of erotica from the Victorian era onward. Charlie Roberts has always felt different. Born with an abnormally large penis, he finds himself tempted into sexual experience at a young age. Soon, he develops an uncontrollable desire for the human body, and begins to have sex with everyone from his governesses to his own sisters Eliza and Mary. As he gets older, a whole new world of lust becomes available, and Charlie begins to feel attracted to men. Filled with detailed scenes of erotic acts, including orgies, fellatio, cunnilingus, masturbation, anal sex, and double penetration, The Romance of Lust raised more than just eyebrows when it first appeared in print. Condemned for obscenity and often censored by authorities, the novel is recognized today as an important work of Victorian erotica and has inspired generations of pornographers around the world. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Romance of Lust is a classic of pornographic literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Book SynopsisThis is the full story in quick modern English for a fast-paced read! Bram Stoker's gothic masterpiece was first published in 1897, and has spawned so many classic films, all based on the character he invented when Queen Victoria was on the throne. Like Frankenstein, the films have pushed the characters into the very fabric of our society, so it is with great pride that we bring you a visual treatment that is true to the original - made even more exciting by the wonderous talent that is Staz Johnson!

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Book SynopsisAfter his university studies and a short stint in the army and the civil service, thirty-something Boris Pavlovich Raisky enjoys the life of an artist, frequenting St Petersburg’s elegant circles, dabbing at his paintings, playing a little music and entertaining thoughts of writing a novel. But for a man like him, who has achieved nothing so far and by his own admission is “not born to work”, the bustle of the capital proves too much, so he decides to visit his country estate of Malinovka. There he hopes to rediscover the joys of a simpler and more authentic life – but when he becomes emotionally involved with his beautiful cousin Vera and meets the dangerous freethinker Mark Volokhov, the scene is set for a chain of events that will lead to disappointment, confrontation and, ultimately, tragedy. Conceived twenty years before its initial publication in 1869, and regarded by its author as his best work, Malinovka Heights (previously translated in English as The Precipice) is Goncharov’s crowning achievement as a novelist and a triumph of psychological insight. Here presented for the first time in unabridged form in a sparkling new translation by Stephen Pearl, Goncharov’s final novel deserves to be reassessed as one of the most important classics of nineteenth-century Russian literature.Trade Review...ten heads above me in talent. -- Anton Chekhov

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Book SynopsisBoris Johnson's first novel, Seventy-Two Virgins is a no-holds-barred political satire, a comic romp peopled with a gallery of grotesques which lampoons both the absurdities and the extremes of modern society.Trade Review'A hectic comedy thriller…a rip-roaring knockabout farce…refreshingly unpompous, faintly dishevelled and often very funny.' Mail on Sunday 'At the centre of his first novel, a light comedy, is a terrorist plot of frightening ingenuity…the comedy is reminiscent of Tom Sharpe.' Sunday Times 'Johnson scores in his comic handling of those most sensitive issues…he succeeds in being charming and sincere…Boris Johnson has written a witty page-turner.' Observer 'Among the hilarious scenes of events and the wonderful dialogue which keeps the story moving at a cracking pace, Johnson uncovers some home truths…I can give no higher praise to this book than to say that I lapped it up at a single uproarious sitting.' Irish Examiner 'As an author, the Shadow Arts Minister is in a class of his own: ebullient, exhausting but irresistible.' Daily Mail 'fluent, funny material…the writing is vintage, Wodehousian Boris…it has been assembled with skill and terrific energy and will lift morale in the soul of many.' Evening Standard 'This is a comic novel, but Johnson is never far away from making serious points, which he leads us towards with admirable stealth.' Daily Telegraph

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Book SynopsisA warm, witty and wise debut about the ups and downs of life as a TV presenterChristie Lynch's life is about to change for ever.A journalist and single mother of two, she can't believe her luck when she is spotted by a talent agent during an appearance on daytime TV show, Tart Talk.Soon the nation's sweetheart, Christie can't help but love her new job and, for the first time in years, she can mend her leaking roof and buy her kids, Libby and Freddie, a few treats. But as her career soars, Christie's forced to spend more and more time away from her kids and from Richard the gorgeous single dad she recently met at the school gate.Can Christie find a way to balance her role as a mother with her increasingly demanding job? And will she make it in the cut-throat world of TV? Whatever happens, Christie''s going to give it all she''s gotWarm, witty and wise, New Beginnings is a behind-the-scenes look at the ups and downs in the life of a daytime TV presenter.Trade ReviewPraise for New Beginnings ‘Complicated friendships and tales of a chaotic love life make this a must-read.’ Woman ‘A light-hearted, fun read that perfectly captures the sights and smells of village life.’ Heat ‘Fern Britton has transferred her fun and friendly charm to the page’ Good Housekeeping 'Full of warmth and charm with characters that quickly feel like old friends.' Alexandra Brown

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Book SynopsisThe master storyteller's legacy continues. An elusive and shadowy killer is on the prowl, codenamed the Angel of Death.When an elderly multimillionaire is found brutally murdered in Hollywood, and his young wife raped and beaten, the police assume the motive is robbery.A decade later, in different cities around the globe St Tropez, London and Hong Kong three almost identical killings take place within 5 years of each other. In all cases the victim is male, wealthy, elderly and newly married, and his wife is found at the scene either raped or assaulted.It soon becomes clear that this is one killer.Codenamed Angel of Death by the police, is she avenging some long-forgotten misdeed, or does she have other motives? Who will be her next victim, and how can the Angel of Death be prevented from striking again?Trade Review‘ Suspense could hardly be greater’ Daily Telegraph ‘ What a pleasure to have Papa’s books live on through Tilly Bagshawe. How he would have delighted in her plot twists and characters. And she’s young and beautiful to boot – a Sidney Sheldon heroine come to life!’ Mary Sheldon ‘ She seemed to catch that inner voice… she was one of his characters. I could feel Sidney smiling down on me, saying “this is perfect”.’ Alexandra Sheldon

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Book SynopsisYou will love this heartwarming, witty novel fromSunday Times best-seller, Fern Britton. The perfect Cornish Escape!Two sisters. One House. The holiday of a lifetimeSet on a Cornish cliff, Atlantic House has been the jewel in the Carew family crown for centuries. Each year, the Carew sisters embark on the yearly summer holiday, but they are as different as vinegar and honey.Prudence, hard-nosed businesswoman married to the meek and mild Francis, is about to get a shock reminder that you should never take anything for granted.Constance, loving wife to philandering husband Greg, has always been outwitted by her manipulative sibling. Suspecting that Pru wants to get her hands on Atlantic House, Connie won't take things lying down.When an old face reappears on the scene, years of simmering resentments reach boiling point. Little do the women know that a long-buried secret is about to bite them all on the bottom.Is this one holiday that will push them all over the edge, or can Constance andTrade Review“This is a light-hearted, fun and easy read…” Daily Mail ‘Another ripping good read.’ Good Housekeeping ‘Charming and fun read’ OK Praise for Fern Britton ‘Complicated friendships and tales of a chaotic love life make this a must-read.’ Woman ‘A light-hearted, fun read that perfectly captures the sights and smells of village life.’ Heat ‘Fern Britton has transferred her fun and friendly charm to the page’ Good Housekeeping Full of warmth and charm with characters that quickly feel like old friends.' Alexandra Brown

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Book SynopsisPraise for Lindsey Kelk:So uplifting and wildly romantic' MARIAN KEYESI fell head over heels in love' BEATH O'LEARYThe kind of book you can't put down, but also want to last forever' EMILY HENRYThe literary equivalent to opening a glass of wine with your best friend' MHAIRI MCFARLANEBeing arrested in your own bedroom is never a good start to the day. Tess Brookes really needs to sort out her back-stabbing flatmate and her life.Should she gamble all on the new photography job she's landed, or snap up the offer from long-time crush and best friend Charlie to start up on their own in more ways than one? There's just one small thing she hasn't mentioned. Or rather, one tall thing. He's handsome, infuriating and called NickFor the first time, Tess has to choose between the life she always dreamed of and a future she never imagined possible. From London to Milan, with high fashion and low behaviour thrown in, she's going to have to make up her mind what a girl really wantsTrade Review‘Should Tess stick it out with longtime crush Charlie, or accept a YOLO job in Milan that comes with the possibility of running into gorgeous Nick? This sounds like the sort of #FirstWorldProblem we want in on!’ Now ‘A bouncy, sexy and LOL-littered gem of a novel’ Heat ‘Funny, cringe-worthy and fast paced… A perfect summer read’ Closer ‘Properly funny’ Fabulous Praise for Lindsey Kelk: ‘Outrageous, witty, exciting and romantic, we simply adored this sparkling read’ Closer ‘Leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside' Company ‘Kelk has a hilarious turn of phrase and a sparkling writing style’ Daily Express

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Book SynopsisThe book John Kelly reads every time he gets a promotion to remind him of the perils of hubris, the pitfalls of patriotism and duty unaccompanied by critical thinking'The most vivid, moving and devastating word-portrait of a World War One British commander ever written, here re-introduced by Max Hastings.C.S. Forester's 1936 masterpiece follows Lt General Herbert Curzon, who fumbled a fortuitous early step on the path to glory in the Boer War. 1914 finds him an honourable, decent, brave and wholly unimaginative colonel. Survival through the early slaughters in which so many fellow-officers perished then brings him rapid promotion. By 1916, he is a general in command of 100,000 British soldiers, whom he leads through the horrors of the Somme and Passchendaele, a position for which he is entirely unsuited and intellectually unprepared.Wonderfully human with Forester's droll relish for human folly on full display, this is the story of a man of his time who is anything but wicked, yet prTrade Review‘A superb novel. It blends Forester's preference for military subjects and solid unreflective characters, his irony, his grasp of history and his gift for lean, hypnotic narrative’ New York Times ‘Confirms Forester’s rightful place as one of the finest novelists of his generation’ Max Hastings ‘The most penetrating and subtle study of a Regular army officer that I have ever read’ Observer ‘A portrait for all time of an individual in his period’ H.G. Wells

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.Why, sometimes I''ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.'?When Alice follows the White Rabbit down a?magical?tunnel, her world is changed forever.??In Wonderland, a place where nothing is quite as it seems, Alice meets the Cheshire Cat,?who can disappear at will; the Mad Hatter, who has a fondness for riddles;?and the terrifying Queen?of Hearts, who enjoys nothing more than chopping off people's heads.?Introducing some of the most iconic characters in literature, mad tea parties and games of?flamingo?croquet, Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass have captured the hearts and imaginations of readers for over 150 years.?

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Book SynopsisA movie starA deadly cocktailA murderWhen glamorous Marina Gregg came to live in St Mary Mead, tongues were sure to wag.But, with a local gossip's sudden death, has one tongue wagged a bit too much?As the police chase false leads, and two more victims meet untimely ends, Miss Marple starts to ask her own questions.What secrets might link a peaceful English village and a star of the silver screen?Never underestimate Miss MarpleChristie's ingenious plots and fiendish twists set the bar for all of us who follow in her footsteps.'Ruth WareThe pieces finally drop into place with a satisfying click.'Times Literary SupplementTrade Review‘Without a doubt, the greatest mystery writer of all time’ – Ragnar Jonasson ‘A hundred years after her first novel, and we are all still standing in her shadow’ – Andrew Taylor ‘She gives us an insight into human nature that few, if any, have surpassed’ – Susan Lewis ‘Dame Agatha has sold more books than all besides Shakespeare and the Bible’ – David Baldacci ‘All crime fiction writers around the globe owe Agatha Christie a massive debt’ – Peter James ‘Reading a perfectly plotted Agatha Christie is like crunching into a perfect apple: that pure, crisp, absolute satisfaction.’ – Tana French

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Book SynopsisElizabeth Bowen was born in Dublin in 1899, the only child of an Irish lawyer and land-owner. She travelled a great deal, dividing most of her time between London and Bowen's Court, the family house in County Cork which she inherited. Her first book, a collection of shorts stories, Encounters, was published in 1923. The Hotel (1926) was her first novel. She was awarded the CBE in 1948, and received honorary degrees from Trinity College, Dublin in 1949, and from Oxford University in 1956. The Royal Society of Literature made her a Companion of Literature in 1965. Elizabeth Bowen died in 1973.Trade ReviewThe worlds Bowen creates are so immediately absorbing, the glimpses she allows us of the eccentricities of other people's relationships so fascinating, that one cannot help wanting more -- Selina HastingsThose qualities which Elizabeth Bowen's prose exemplifies: a formidable precision of writing, a faithful delineation of mood and place - an aspiration towards the absolute truthfulness of the individual vision-If there is anything to the catchphrase "life felt", it is here - in Elizabeth Bowen's munificence of detail, the fine closeness of the atmosphere which she creates -- Peter Ackroyd

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Book SynopsisErnest Miller Hemingway was born in Chicago in 1899 as the son of a doctor and the second of six children. After a stint as an ambulance driver at the Italian front, Hemingway came home to America in 1919, only to return to the battlefield this time as a reporter on the Greco-Turkish war in 1922. Resigning from journalism to focus on his writing instead, he moved to Paris where he renewed his earlier friendship with fellow American expatriates such as Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein. Through the years, Hemingway travelled widely and wrote avidly, becoming an internationally recognized literary master of his craft. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954, following the publication of The Old Man and the Sea. He died in 1961.Trade ReviewFor the novice, there could be no better initiation - For students of Hemingway, here is a well-balanced view * Daily Express *He can perform prodigies. He can fascinate us by pure evocation, by the tensity of the situation * Times Literary Supplement *Hemingway's style, at its best, is a superb vehicle for revealing tenderness of feeling beneath descriptions of brutality * The Guardian *

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Book SynopsisTHE ACCLAIMED FULLY REVISED EDITION OF THE SCOTT MONCRIEFF AND KILMARTIN TRANSLATIONIn The Guermantes Way Proust''s narrator recalls his initiation into the dazzling world of Parisian high society. Looking back over his time in the glamorous salons of the aristocracy, he satirises this shallow world and his own youthful infatuation with it. His observations, and his experiences with his lover Albertine, also educate him in the volatile nature of desire as he walks the path towards adulthood.Trade ReviewA version that wonderfully proves the greatness of this novel, this novelist -- Melvyn Bragg * Guardian *What a genius! Whole pages cascade, like great jazz slaloms -- Bill Nighy * The Times *One of the cornerstones of the Western literary canon * The Times *It's a novel with zero plot, but the narrator's brilliant analyses of everyday experiences more than make up for it. I've never read a better description of what it feels like to fall asleep -- Alain de Botton * Mail on Sunday *The plot is as gripping as any soap opera, the jokes come thick and fast...Proust's is a world entire - so why not take it with you anywhere in the world? -- Will Self * Independent on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisErnest Hemingway was born in Chicago in 1899, the second of six children. In 1917, he joined the Kansas City Star as a cub reporter. The following year, he volunteered as an ambulance driver on the Italian front, where he was badly wounded but decorated for his services. He returned to America in 1919, and married in 1921. In 1922, he reported on the Greco-Turkish war before resigning from journalism to devote himself to fiction. He settled in Paris, associating with other expatriates like Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein. He was passionately involved with bullfighting, big-game hunting and deep-sea fishing. Recognition of his position in contemporary literature came in 1954 when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, following the publication of The Old Man and the Sea. He died in 1961.Trade ReviewAn excellent story-teller, intense and skillful * Daily Telegraph *He can perform prodigies. He can fascinate us by pure evocation, by the tensity of the situation * Times Literary Supplement *Hemingway's style, at its best, is a superb vehicle for revealing tenderness of feeling beneath descriptions of brutality * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisT F Powys was a member of a distinguished literary family and the descendant of three generations of country parson. Although born in Derbyshire he spent almost the whole of his life in a remote Dorset village, where all his works were written. He died in 1953.Trade ReviewMr Weston's Good Wine is a book without parallel. It is an allegory, it is a bucolic farce, it is a religious (or anti-religious?) masterpiece -- A N Wilson * Daily Telegraph *The greatest value of his work, though, is in showing that it is still possible to write about the primordial human experiences to which religion is a response...Very few 20th-century authors have the knack of writing convincingly of first and last things. A religious writer without any vestige of belief, Theodore Powys is one of them -- John Gray * New Statesman *Grimly brilliant -- John Carey * Sunday Times *[It is] generally considered his masterpiece * Washington Post *A writer who far outshone his contemporaries * Spectator *

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Book SynopsisAlphonse Daudet was born at Nimes in 1840. He is chiefly remembered today for LETTERS FROM MY WINDMILL which appeared in 1866, and for his Tartarin novels, a sequence of burlesque tales of Provencal life. Daudet died in 1897.

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Book SynopsisCombining traditional myth, oral history and re-worked European legend to depict an ancient realm of heroism and wonder, the seven tales collected here are among the most fantastical of all the Norse romances. Powerfully inspired works of Icelandic imagination, they relate intriguing, often comical tales of famous kings, difficult gods and women of great beauty, goodness or cunning. The tales plunder a wide range of earlier literature from Homer to the French romances—as in the tale of the wandering hero Arrow-Odd, which combines several older legends, or Egil and Asmund, where the story of Odysseus and the Cyclops is skilfully adapted into a traditional Norse legend. These are among the most outrageous, delightful and exhilarating tales in all Icelandic literature.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 the bTable of ContentsTranslated by Hermann Pálsson and Paul EdwardsIntroductionMaps: Europe of the Viking RomancesNote on the Texts and TranslationsBibliographySeven Viking RomancesArrow-OddKing GautrekHalfdan EysteinssonBosi and HerraudEgil and AsmundThorstein Mansion-MightHelgi ThorissonAppendix: Sources and parallels of Arrow-OddList of Proper Names

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Book SynopsisThis masterpiece of eighteenth-century British satire sparked great social controversy by rejecting a positive view of human nature and arguing the necessity of vice as the foundation of an emerging capitalist economy.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 the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

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Book Synopsis“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” —The GuardianThe first-ever English publication of Georges Simenon’s compelling novel about summer escape and elusive obsessions“The island itself. Its throbbing heat as if in a belljar under the sun, the scorpion in his son’s bed, the deafening sound of cicadas.”During his first holiday on the island of Porquerolles, Dr. Mahé caught a glimpse of something irresistible. As the memory continues to haunt him, he falls prey to a delusion that may offer an escape from his conventional existence—or may destroy him. Taut, insightful, and impossible to put down, this is the first English translation of The Mahé Circle, Simenon’s dark, malevolent depiction oTrade ReviewOne of Georges Simenon's most powerful roman durs - the non-Maigret novels in which ordinary lives are suddenly, and at times seemingly inexplicably, unsettled and irrevocably changed. Written in Simenon's spare signature style, it's unputdownably gripping -- John Gray * Guardian *Sublime . . . as good, in its unforced and unemphatic way, as anything in Proust or even Flaubert . . . a sort of masterpiece -- John Banville * New York Review of Books *Extraordinary . . . Simenon is one of the most important writers of the 20th century . . . In 150 high-pressure pages, it gives insights into the world, the mind and the horrible frustration of a French country doctor that most writers would struggle to convey with 10 times the word-count -- Sam Jordison * Independent *

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Book Synopsis''Anthology'' comes from the Greek word that stands for garlands - a bouquet of flowers. An anthology then, should be a small token of something much larger. In the case of flowers, they bring to mind the colour & fragrance of the fields, of a season. Coelho''s anthology, therefore, is not only a collection of texts or poems, but a gift, something arranged according to his sensitivities, to give to others. The selection of books presented in this volume have been chosen as if from a vast field of flowers, stretching infinitely into time''s horizon. Coelho''s selection is ordered in to the four elements, symbolizing both our world on all its directions, and the way we dwell in it, the way we say it. In ''Earth'' we find writers as diverse as Oscar Wilde and D H Lawrence; in ''Air'' Nelson Mandela and Gabriel Garcia Marques; in ''Fire'' Rumi and Mary Shelley; in ''Water'' Hans Christian Anderson and Machiavelli.Trade ReviewHis books have had a life-enhancing impact on millions of people * Times *

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Book SynopsisThe Victorians excelled at telling ghost stories. In an age of rapid scientific progress the idea of a vindictive past able to reach out and violate the present held a special potential for terror. Throughout the nineteenth century fictional ghost stories developed in parallel with the more general Victorian fascination with death and what lay beyond it. Though they were as much a part of the cultural and literary fabric of the age as imperial confidence, the best of them still retain their original power to surprise and unsettle. The editors map out the development of the ghost story from 1850 to the early years of the twentieth century and demonstrate the importance of this form of short fiction in Victorian popular culture. As well as reprinting stories by supernatural specialists such as J. S. Le Fanu and M. R. James, this selection also emphasizes the key role played by women writers - Elizabeth Gaskell, Mrs Craik, Rhoda Broughton, and Charlotte Riddell, among many others - and ofTrade ReviewReview from previous edition The Oxford editors have tried to be comprehensive, to map out the development of the Victorian ghost story from c.1850. As a result, they have given us some gems. * Daniel Easterman, Books *They have produced a thoroughly eclectic sampling of the era. * Evening Standard *splendid collection...Just the thing for long dark evenings. * Andrew Langley, Bath & West Evening Chronicle *the genuine article, not an anthology that crumbles at a touch ... This is an anthology far larger than its 500 pages, for it will have readers hastening to a decent library to follow up the authors here sampled. * Daily Telegraph *the perfect literary shop of horrors * The Observer *finely produced * Times Literary Supplement *you'll want nothing more than morning to come darned quick * SHE *Cox and Gilbert's canny rummagings into the spooky annals of a century or so ago unearth some relishable lesser-known blood-curdlers ... Victorian Ghost Stories contains a tremendous clutch of tales and, as the era nears its end, they tighten their gruesome grip. * Sunday Times *Gripping tales perfect for reading aloud. * Independent on Sunday *In the midst of life we are in death' had real meaning for the Victorians, so perhaps it's not surprising that they excelled at ghost stories. Here are 35 of the best of them. * Books *a fat collection of some 31 tales, with a knowledgeable and useful introduction ... What is most fascinating about these stories is the indirect picture of Victorian life they give ... this mammoth Oxford volume illustrates the richness of that lamented literary harvest. * Financial Times *Table of Contents[ask editor for details]

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Book Synopsis''Lie to me by the moonlight. Do a fabulous story.''F. Scott Fitzgerald''s first story collection, Flappers and Philosophers, appeared in 1920 on the heels of his debut novel, This Side of Paradise, and immediately established him as a master of popular fiction. Love stories such as ''The Offshore Pirate'' and ''Head and Shoulders'' capture the spectacle and fantasy of the Jazz Age, celebrating that modern icon of feminine self-possession, the flapper, while comedies of manner like ''Bernice Bobs Her Hair'' and ''The Ice Palace'' showcase Fitzgerald''s eye for humour. In addition to these four classic tales, which first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post , this edition highlights the author''s proficiency with other crowd-pleasing story types: from Gothic fiction (''The Cut-Glass Bowl'') to didactic moral stories (''The Four Fists''), from satire (''Dalyrimple Goes Wrong'') to spiritual quests (''Benediction''), Fitzgerald tried his hand at many genres---and succeeded at all.

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Book Synopsis''Few travelled in these days, for, thanks to the advance of science, the earth was exactly alike all over. Rapid intercourse, from which the previous civilization had hoped so much, had ended by defeating itself. What was the good of going to Peking when it was just like Shrewsbury?'', The Machine Stops, E. M. Forster.This anthology provides a selection of science-fiction tales from the close of the ''Romantic'' period to the end of the First World War. It gathers together classic short stories, from Edgar Allan Poe''s playful hoaxes to Gertrude Barrows Bennett''s feminist fantasy. In this way, the book shows the vitality and literary diversity of the field, and also expresses something of the potent appeal of the visionary, the fascination with science, and the allure of an imagined future that characterised this period. An excellent resource for those interested in science fiction, and also an essential volume for understanding the development of the genre. In his introduction, Michael Newton draws together literary influences from Jonathan Swift to Mary Shelley, the interest in the irrational and dreaming mind, and the relation of the tales to the fact of Empire and the discoveries made by anthropology. He also considers how the figure of the alien and non-human ''other'' complicated contemporary definitions of the human being.Trade ReviewThese are some of my initial impressions on this useful collection...It is a great mystery just what captivates readers in a story and these ghostwriters have certainly achieved the pinnacle of this craft. * Pennsylvania Literary Journal *Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Texts Select Bibliography A Chronology of the Origins of Science Fiction Mary Shelley: The Mortal Immortal Edgar Allan Poe: The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion Nathaniel Hawthorne: Rappaccini's Daughter Edgar Allan Poe: The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar Fitz-James O'Brien: The Diamond Lens George Eliot: The Lifted Veil Grant Allen: Pausodyne: A Great Chemical Discovery Frank R. Stockton: The Water-Devil. A Marine Tale H. G. Wells: The Crystal Egg Rudyard Kipling: 'Wireless' Mary E. Wilkins Freeman: The Hall Bedroom H. G. Wells: The Country of the Blind E. M. Forster: The Machine Stops Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: The Terror of Blue John Gap Jack London: The Red One Gertrude Barrows Bennett: Friend Island W. E. B. Dubois: The Comet Explanatory Notes

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Book SynopsisThis collection of French short stories in translation expands our idea of French writing by including new stories by women writers and by authors of Francophone origin. Spanning the centuries from the late eighteenth to the late twentieth, the collection opens with a rumbustious tale from the Marquis de Sade, takes in the masters of the nineteenth century, from Stendhal and Balzac to Maupassant, and reaches to Quebec, Africa, and the French Caribbean in the twentieth century. Women writers include relatively well known figures such as Renee Vivien, Colette, and Beauvoir, and newer writers such as Assia Djebar, Christiane Baroche, and Annie Saumont. The French short story is a rich and diverse medium, but all the stories selected share a common characteristic: they make exciting reading.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition This is a delightful collection, ideal either for Tube reading or for savouring at greater length * Daily Telegraph 18/5/02 *wide-ranging collection . . . All the greats are here . . . * Sunday Telegraph 19/05/2002 *The anthology takes a tour through the high spots of French nineteenth-century literature * Katy Emck, Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; The husband who said mass ; Vanina Vanini ; The coffee pot ; The message ; The Venus of Ille ; Story of a Madman ; The last lesson ; A Simple Heart ; The Necklace ; At Sea ; Gloomy Tale, Gloomier Teller ; Knapsack at the ready ; The Lady with the She-Wolf ; The Walking Stick ; Gribiche ; The Wall ; The man in the street ; An Errand ; The Guest ; Monologue ; The Lily of the Valley Lay-by ; Do you remember the rue d'Orchampt? ; The checkup ; There is No Exile ; The Negro with the White Shadow ; The Underwear of the Woman Up Above ; The Finest Stroy in the World ; Public Transit

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Book Synopsis“The matchless French crime novelist” -- Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” —The GuardianA battle of wills between Inspector Maigret and an adversary from the past When a friend’s brother-in-law is accused of murdering his daughter’s lover, Maigret sets out for a small French town to help and upon arrival is plunged into an atmosphere of animosity. He soon finds himself tangled up in a case that may ruin the very people whom he has come to aid and must face an old enemy—an ex-police officer nicknamed “Inspector Cadaver”—who seems to be doing everything in his power to obstruct Maigret’s investigations.Trade Review"One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century…Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories." - The Guardian "I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov." - William Faulkner "The greatest of all, the most genuine novelist we have had in literature." - André Gide "A supreme writer…unforgettable vividness." - The Independent "Superb... The most addictive of writers... A unique teller of tales." - The Observer "Compelling, remorseless, brilliant." - John Gray "A truly wonderful writer... marvelously readable - lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the works he creates." - Muriel Spark "A novelist who entered his fictional world as if he were a part of it." - Peter Ackroyd "Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century." - John Banville

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewOne of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories * Guardian *A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness * Independent *The most addictive of writers . . . a unique teller of tales * Observer *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewOne of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories * Guardian *A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness * Independent *The most addictive of writers . . . a unique teller of tales * Observer *

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Book SynopsisThe Lady in the Lake is a classic detective novel by the master of hard-boiled crime, available as a Penguin Essential for the first time.Derace Kingsley''s wife ran away to Mexico to get a quickie divorce and marry a Casanova-wannabe named Chris Lavery. Or so the note she left her husband insisted. Trouble is, when Philip Marlowe asks Lavery about it he denies everything and sends the private investigator packing with a flea lodged firmly in his ear. But when Marlowe next encounters Lavery, he''s denying nothing - on account of the two bullet holes in his heart. Now Marlowe''s on the trail of a killer, who leads him out of smoggy LA all the way to a murky mountain lake . . .''Anything Chandler writes about grips the mind from the first sentence'' Daily Telegraph ''One of the greatest crime writers, who set standards others still try to attain'' Sunday Times''Chandler is an original stylist, creator of a character as immortal as Sherlock Holmes'' Anthony BurgessTrade ReviewChandler seems to have created the culminating American hero: wised up, hopeful, thoughtful, adventurous, sentimental, cynical and rebellious -- Robert B. Parker * The New York Times Book Review *Raymond Chandler invented a new way of talking about America, and America has never looked the same to us since -- Paul AusterRaymond Chandler is a star of the first magnitude -- Erle Stanley Gardner[T]he prose rises to heights of unselfconscious eloquence, and we realize with a jolt of excitement that we are in the presence of not a mere action tale teller, but a stylist, a writer with a vision -- Joyce Carol Oates * New York Review of Books *Raymond Chandler is a master * New York Times *Philip Marlowe remains the quintessential urban private eye * Los Angeles Times *Anything Chandler writes about grips the mind from the first sentence * Daily Telegraph *Nobody can write like Chandler on his home turf, not even Faulkner. . . A great artist * The Boston Book Review *

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Book SynopsisA fast-moving, Christmas crime caper from Nancy Spain. With a delightful new introduction from Sandi Toksvig - 'Her detective novels are hilarious - less about detecting than delighting, with absurd farce and a wonderful turn of phrase'Trade ReviewHer detective novels are hilarious. They are high camp and less about detecting than delighting, with absurd farce and a wonderful turn of phrase . . . Nancy Spain was bold, she was brave, she was funny, she was feisty. I owe her a great deal -- Sandi ToksvigAn either intense or sombre approach to crime is to Miss Spain foreign: in her world an inspired craziness rules . . . Her wit, her zest, her outrageousness, and the colloquial stylishness of her writing are quite her own -- Elizabeth Bowen

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Book Synopsis“A fluid, elegant rendition.” —The Washington Post

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Book Synopsis

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