From Austen to Zola, from medieval to the modern day - all genres are catered for between the covers of these coveted classics.
Classics Books
Random House USA Inc The Great Gatsby
Book SynopsisFitzgerald''s masterpiece--the quintessential Jazz Age novel--now in a hardcover Everyman''s Library Contemporary Classics editionFor generations of enthralled readers, F. Scott Fitzgerald''s mysterious millionaire, Jay Gatsby, has come to embody all the glamour and decadence of the Roaring Twenties. Gatsby emerges as if from nowhere, evading questions about his past and throwing dazzling parties sparkling with champagne and jazz at his luxurious Long Island mansion. Nick Carraway, a young man who has moved in next door, is fascinated by his oddly detached neighbor, and by his discovery that Gatsby is motivated by a single-minded quest to regain his long-lost love, Daisy Buchanan. Nick finds something both appalling and appealing about the intensity of Gatsby''s ambition to reinvent himself. But Daisy and her wealthy husband are cynical and careless people, and as Gatsby''s dream collides with reality, Nick is witness to the violence and tragedy that result. The Great
£18.70
Pushkin Press Subtly Worded and Other Stories
Book SynopsisTeffi's genius with the short form made her a literary star in pre-revolutionary Russia, beloved by Tsar Nicholas II and Vladimir Lenin alike. These stories, taken from the whole of her career, show the full range of her gifts. Extremely funny - a wry, scathing observer of society - she is also capable, as capable even as Chekhov, of miraculous subtlety and depth of character. There are stories here from her own life (as a child, going to meet Tolstoy to plead for the life of War and Peace's Prince Bolkonsky, or, much later, her strange, charged meetings with the already-legendary Rasputin). There are stories of émigré society, its members held together by mutual repulsion. There are stories of people misunderstanding each other or misrepresenting themselves. And throughout there is a sly, sardonic wit and a deep, compelling intelligence.
£10.44
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Nightmare Alley: now a major feature film
Book SynopsisOUT NOW IN CINEMAS AND NOMINATED FOR FOUR OSCARS A cool, cruel, rediscovered classic of American noir adapted for cinemas by Guillermo del Toro, starring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara 'Read and shudder. And relish' Guardian 'A creepy, all-too-harrowing masterpiece' Washington Post Stanton Carlisle, employed as a carny at a travelling circus watches their freak-show geek - an abject alcoholic, the object of the voyeuristic crowd’s gleeful disgust and derision - and wonders how a man could fall so low. There’s no way in hell, he vows, that anything like that will ever happen to him. Unlike the tragic figure he sees before him, Stan is young, clever and ambitious and quick to learn from the other carnival acts. Initially teaming up with a beautiful but vulnerable woman as part of a double act in which he mesmerises her, Stan soon leaves his circus days behind him, becoming a successful spiritualist who exploits the weak and the wealthy. But even the very best con-men can meet their match.... With a new introduction from James Smythe, Nightmare Alley is a forgotten classic of Depression-era America: a brilliant, horrifying, compulsive journey into the true darkness of the human mind.Trade ReviewMore than just a steamy noir classic. As a portrait of the human condition, Nightmare Alley is a creepy, all-too-harrowing masterpiece * Washington Post *Along with The Grapes of Wrath and They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, this is a great American Depression-era novel. Read and shudder. And relish * Guardian *A brilliant and horrific book * The Times *The ‘nightmare’ of the title rings true, for this delirious and unstoppable novel ... inverts the American dream ... Never was noir more autobiographical than here… Nightmare Alley remains a masterpiece * Los Angeles Times *
£8.54
Firestone Books Around the World in 80 Days: Large Print
Book Synopsis
£14.99
Octopus Publishing Group Jane Austen
Book SynopsisDo you know your Dashwoods from your Darcys? Why was Northanger Abbey such a disappointment to Catherine? Jane had an aunt whose name is also a type of cheese...but what is it?Regale with all things Regency and put your knowledge to the test with 52 trivia and game cards, each one featuring a multiple-choice trivia question, charade, game or challenge about Jane Austen and her beloved classics.Illustrated with Hugh Thomson''s exquisite drawings of characters and scenes, the cards double as a game of Snap, Memory, Quartets or Swap, making this fun for all the family.Presented in a foiled gift box and with a booklet that contains the rules of play to four traditional card games, this is the perfect gift for literature lovers.
£10.80
Tuttle Publishing Lafcadio Hearn's Japan: Stories and Essays from
Book Synopsis"The Japanese people are more mysterious than I imagined through Hearn's books." —Albert EinsteinLafcadio Hearn is the most significant early interpreter of Japan and Japanese culture for the West—a man who traveled to Japan when he was thirty-nine, and never left. Lafcadio Hearn's Japan presents Hearn's most famous stories and essays about his adopted land—recounting his love for its striking natural beauty and the rich character and customs of its people.The 18 fascinating essays in this book include: "In a Japanese Garden" Hearn's classic description of the meditative calm and serenity he experienced when visiting a traditional Zen garden just outside his back door "Strangeness and Charm" Expressing his deep love for the richness and beauty of traditional Japanese culture "In the Cave of the Children's Ghosts" An account of a journey to an isolated sea cave where the souls of dead children are said to congregate Lafcadio Hearn's Japan provides an unforgettable look at traditional Japan through the eyes of a sensitive and eloquent foreigner. This new edition features a foreword by Steve Kemme, a leading expert on Hearn and president of the Lafcadio Hearn Society (USA). It also includes 21 color photos showcasing the people and places which Hearn so lovingly describes.Trade Review"All nations believed in the rebirth of the soul and had probably empirical evidence like that Lafcadio Hearn found among the Japanese." --William Butler Yeats"In the turbid, shallow flood of the ephemeral books of our time Lafcadio Hearn's contribution to English letters has been partially obscured. But day by day, as these sink unfruitfully into the sands of time, more clearly emerge the stern and exquisite outlines of his patient work." --Elizabeth Bisland"I invested in a large number of books on Japan and tried to read some of them. I felt rather lost in Japanese history, but I liked the knightly tales and pleasant prose of Lafcadio Hearn." --Jawaharal Nehru
£13.49
Broadview Press Ltd The Egoist: A Comedy in Narrative
Book SynopsisIn The Egoist, his comic masterpiece, George Meredith takes the traditional marriage plot of English domestic fiction and turns it on its head. The novel describes the repeated and disastrous courtships of Sir Willoughby Patterne, the egoist of the title. Three women become engaged to Sir Willoughby, but, despite his aristocratic arrogance and the manipulative power of his wealth, each is finally able to see him more clearly than he sees himself.The introduction to this edition provides context for the novel from Meredith’s own life, his theory of comedy, and his understanding of Darwinian thought. The appendices include reviews, other writing on comedy, and historical documents on women, sexual politics, and the theory of evolution.Trade Review“Richard C. Stevenson is our finest critic of George Meredith. His superb edition of The Egoist makes Meredith’s most poised and brilliant achievement fully accessible to contemporary readers. Illuminating the novel’s contexts in the theory of comedy, the ‘woman question,’ and Darwinian biology, as well as in its author’s life and career, Stevenson restores the radical force of Meredith’s intervention in mid-Victorian sexual politics.” — Ian Duncan, University of California, Berkeley“This is a fine edition of The Egoist. The treatment accorded this often-neglected novel by Richard C. Stevenson is predictably first rate, considering his earlier work on George Meredith. Following Meredith’s revised text is a plus here, offering, as it does, the author’s final intent. Stevenson’s apparatus also furnishes a useful guide to works relevant not just to The Egoist but to Meredith’s aims and techniques overall. Seldom have I encountered such a project, in which everything is in its proper place. This will be the indispensable edition of The Egoist for years to come.” — Benjamin Franklin Fisher, University of MississippiTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductionGeorge Meredith: A Brief ChronologyA Note on the TextThe Egoist: A Comedy in NarrativeAppendix A: Comedy From Anonymous [Molière?], “Letter on The Imposter” (1667) From George Meredith, “On the Idea of Comedy” (1877; 1898) Appendix B: From George Meredith, Modern Love (1862)Appendix C: The Egoist in Meredith’s Letters (1879–1907)Appendix D: Contemporary Reviews From William Ernest Henley, Athenaeum (1 November 1879) From Unsigned, Examiner (1 November 1879) From James Thomson, Cope’s Tobacco Plant (January 1880) From Unsigned, New Quarterly Magazine (January 1880) Appendix E: Feminine Conduct and Women’s Education From Sarah Stickney Ellis, The Daughters of England (1842) From Sarah Stickney Ellis, The Wives of England (1843) From Elizabeth Missing Sewell, Principles of Education (1865; 1866) Appendix F: Harriet Taylor Mill and John Stuart Mill on Women’s Liberties From Harriet Taylor Mill, Enfranchisement of Women (July 1851) From John Stuart Mill, The Subjection of Women (1869) Appendix G: Appendix G: From Mrs. Henry Wood, East Lynne (1861; 1862)Appendix H: From Edward J. Thompson, Suttee, A Historical and Philosophical Enquiry into the Hindu Rite of Widow-Burning (1928)Appendix I: Charles Darwin From On the Origin of Species (1859) From The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871; 1877) Appendix J: From Virginia Woolf, “The Novels of George Meredith” (1932)Select Bibliography
£26.96
Broadview Press Ltd The Garies and Their Friends (1857)
Book SynopsisUnjustly overlooked in its own time, Frank J. Webb’s novel of pre-Civil War Philadelphia weaves together action, humor, and social commentary. The Garies and Their Friends tells the story of two families struggling for di¦ erent sorts of respectability: the Garies, a well-to-do interracial couple who relocate to Philadelphia from the plantation South in order to legalize their marriage, and their friends the Ellises, free black Philadelphians hoping to make the move from the working class into the bourgeoisie. Along the way the families confront racialized violence, melodramatic villainy, and sentimental reversals. Entertaining and fastmoving, the novel has a Dickensian mix of uncanny coincidence and interwoven personal experiences.The historical documents accompanying this Broadview Edition provide reviews of the novel along with extensive materials on slavery, the color line, and contemporary Philadelphia.Trade Review“This is an outstanding edition of Webb’s powerful (and still relatively neglected) novel about the struggles of the free black community in pre-Civil War Philadelphia. The editors make the bold decision to use as their source text the ‘Cheap Series’ paperback edition widely circulating in London, where The Garies and Their Friends was published in 1857. They provide reviews, new information about Webb, and compelling contextual materials that help us to better understand the novel in relation to key legal and social contexts. Webb has been wonderfully served by Howell and Walsh. I couldn’t imagine teaching any other edition, and the excellence of this edition should help to bring new readers to Garies.” — Robert S. Levine, Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland, and author of The Lives of Frederick Douglass“The Garies and Their Friends is one of the most interesting American novels of the mid-nineteenth century; the new Broadview edition finally gives it the editorial treatment it deserves. William Huntting Howell and Megan Walsh share supplemental documents essential to reading or teaching the novel, and they frame this work in a rich set of transatlantic contexts.” — Eric Gardner, author of Black Print Unbound: The Christian Recorder, African American Literature, and Periodical Culture“Frank Webb’s stunning novel comes alive in this accessible and informative edition edited by Howell and Walsh. The annotations are well crafted and will introduce readers to the broad racial, social, and literary contexts of Garies. The appendices are likewise well formulated to illuminate both the novel’s reception and its key geographic and legal coordinates. This wonderful edition is a boon for new readers and also for those who are already familiar with Webb’s novel.” — Jeffory Clymer, University of Kentucky, author of Family Money: Property, Race, and Literature in the Nineteenth CenturyTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsAcknowledgementsIntroductionFrank J. Webb: A Brief ChronologyA Note on the TextThe Garies and Their FriendsAppendix A: Contemporary Responses From The Observer (London) (20 September 1857) From the Literary Gazette (London) (26 September 1857) From The Morning Post (London) (6 October 1857) The Standard (London) (7 October 1857) From The Daily News (London) (9 October 1857) From the Athenaeum (London) (24 October 1857) Appendix B: Law, Culture, and the Color Line From William Goodell, The American Slave Code in Theory and Practice (1853) From George M. Stroud, A Sketch of the Laws Relating to Slavery (1827) From John F. Denny, An Enquiry into the Political Grade of the Free Colored Population (1834) From Benjamin C. Howard, Dred Scott v. John F.A. Sandford (1857) From Frederick Douglass, “The Dred Scott Decision,” delivered before the American Anti-Slavery Society, NY (14 May 1857) Edward Williams Clay, Life in Philadelphia, Plate IV (1829) Appendix C: Black Philadelphia in the Antebellum Era Map of Philadelphia (1848) From A Statistical Inquiry into the Condition of the People of Colour, of the City and Districts of Philadelphia (1842) From Robert Purvis, Appeal of Forty Thousand Citizens, Threatened with Disenfranchisement, to the People of Pennsylvania (1838) From Joseph Willson, Sketches of the Higher Classes of Colored Society in Philadelphia (1841) Letter from Harriet Beecher Stowe to Lady Hatherton (24 May 1856) Appendix D: Racism in Philadelphia From “The Philadelphia Riots,” the Philadelphia U. S. Gazette (2 August 1842) From History of Pennsylvania Hall (1838) John Sartain, The Burning of Pennsylvania Hall (1838) Works Cited and Select Bibliography
£21.56
Pan Macmillan David Copperfield
Book SynopsisIn one of his most energetic and enjoyable novels, Charles Dickens tells the life story of David Copperfield, from his birth in Suffolk, through the various struggles of his childhood, to his successful career as a novelist. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful hardbacks make perfect gifts for book lovers, or wonderful additions to your own collection.Dickens' early scenes are particularly masterful, depicting the world as seen from the perspective of a fatherless small boy. David's idyllic life with his mother is ruined when she marries again, this time to a domineering and cruel man. David Copperfield is partly modelled on Dickens' own experiences, and one of the great joys of the book lies in its outlandish cast of characters, including the glamorous Steerforth, the cheerful, verbose Mr Micawber, the villainous Uriah Heep, and David's eccentric aunt, Betsey Trotwood. Dickens described it as his 'favourite child' among his novels – and it is easy to see why.This edition is complete and unabridged, and features the original illustrations by H. K. 'Phiz' Browne, with an afterword by Sam Gilpin.
£11.69
Pan Macmillan The Greengage Summer
Book SynopsisA tense, evocative, portrait of love and deceit set during one long hot summer in France, The Greengage Summer is a hauntingly beautiful coming-of-age story by from Rumer Godden, the author of Black Narcissus, now a major BBC drama series.When their mother is suddenly taken ill on holiday, five siblings are left to fend for themselves at the elegant, faded hotel, Les Oeillets. Under the increasingly jealous gaze of the glamorous patronne, Mademoiselle Zizi, the children gravitate towards her mysterious and charming lover, Eliot, for comfort. And, amongst the gnarled trees of the old orchards, thirteen-year-old Cecil watches from the sidelines as her achingly beautiful sister, Joss, is drawn into the heart of a toxic affair.Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.
£9.89
Pan Macmillan Mrs Dalloway
Book SynopsisOn a perfect June morning, Clarissa Dalloway – fashionable, worldly, wealthy, an accomplished hostess – sets off to buy flowers for the party she will host that evening. She is preoccupied with thoughts of the present and memories of the past, and from her interior monologue emerge the people who have touched her life. On the same day, Septimus Warren Smith, a shell-shocked survivor of the Great War, commits suicide, and casual mention of his death at the party provokes in Clarissa thoughts of her own isolation and loneliness. Bold and experimental, Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway is a landmark in twentieth-century fiction and a book that gets better and better with every reading. This elegant Macmillan Collector’s Library edition of Virginia Woolf's modernist classic features an afterword by editor and publisher Anna South. Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.
£9.89
Pan Macmillan The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Book SynopsisOne of BBC's 100 Novels That Shaped Our World.A tour de force of contemporary Scottish literature, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark is a compelling portrait of a woman’s dark quest for immortality.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition features an afterword by publisher Anna South.Miss Jean Brodie is a rare breed of teacher – passionate, independent-minded and romantically inspired, with not the slightest care for convention. She soon garners a devoted following of six young girls, who will become known as ‘the Brodie set’, and begins to shape them in her own image. But Miss Brodie is more than just an individual with an intense desire to control and mould her girls. Beneath the facade of this self-possessed woman lie some sinister truths, and a keen interest in fascism . . .Trade ReviewShe has established herself in the course of one sparkling lustrum. Miss Spark is indeed an author to be grateful for in our plutonian age * Joan Davenport, The Observer *Each of her sentences fulfils perfectly its own purpose, and there is never an extraneous joke. Miss Brodie makes excellent reading * Karl Miller, New Statesmen *No other woman writer of this generation has simultaneously attracted so much notice from the critics and achieved so much success with the public at large * Francis King, Time and Tide *Deliciously witty and eminently a ‘must’ * John O’ London’s *Every word goes home like a well-aimed arrow. I doubt if there is a more original or morally aware novelist writing in English to-day * Peter Green, The Daily Telegraph *It’s such a perfect gem of a story, morally complex, harrowing, funny, and featuring the most charismatic anti-hero in Scottish literature. Plus you can read it in a day. -- Ian Rankin * The Guardian *
£9.89
Pan Macmillan I Capture the Castle
Book SynopsisOne of BBC's 100 Novels That Shaped Our World. A wonderfully quirky coming-of-age story, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, author of The Hundred and One Dalmatians is an affectionately drawn portrait of one of the funniest families in literature.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is illustrated by Ruth Steed, and features an afterword by publisher Anna South.The eccentric Mortmain family have been rattling around in a vast, decrepit castle for years, gradually slipping into financial ruin. Mortmain is crippled by writer’s block, while his beautiful second wife Topaz struggles to be a dutiful stepmother to Rose, Cassandra and Thomas. Rose needs a husband, Thomas an education but Cassandra lives for her writing. Through her gloriously witty and shrewd diaries, she chronicles the trials of family life, the impact on their prospects of the arrival of a glamorous American family, and the agonies of falling in love for the first time.
£9.89
Pan Macmillan The Call of the Wild & White Fang
Book SynopsisExtraordinary both for the vividness of their descriptions and the success with which they imagine life from a non-human perspective, these two classics of children’s literature are two of the greatest and most popular animal stories ever written.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library, a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold-foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This beautiful Macmillan Collector’s Library edition of The Call of the Wild & White Fang features an afterword by Sam Gilpin.The Call of the Wild tells the story of Buck, a domestic dog who is kidnapped from his home in California and forced to pull sleds in the Arctic wasteland. White Fang, by contrast, is the tale of a crossbreed who is three-quarters wolf and a quarter dog, and who must endure considerable suffering in the wilderness before being tamed by an American and taken to live in California.
£9.89
Pan Macmillan Wuthering Heights
Book SynopsisOne of the great novels of the nineteenth century, Emily Brontë's haunting tale of passion and greed remains unsurpassed in its depiction of destructive love. Her tragically short life is brilliantly imagined in the major new movie, Emily, starring Emma Mackey in the title role.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition of Wuthering Heights features an afterword by David Pinching.One wild, snowy night on the Yorkshire moors, a gentleman asks about Wuthering Heights, the remote farmhouse inhabited by his mysterious landlord. He is told about the tragic romance of the beautiful, headstrong Cathy and the orphan Heathcliff, who – although desperately in love with her – is rejected in favour of a rich suitor. But Cathy cannot forget him, and he develops a lust for revenge that will take over his life as he attempts to win her back, and to destroy everyone, and everything, he considers responsible for his loss.
£10.44
Pan Macmillan The Wind in the Willows
Book SynopsisOne of the most celebrated works of classic literature for children, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame remains a timeless tale of camaraderie, loyalty and bravery more than a hundred years after its first publication. Mole and Rat have a pleasant life by the river, where they talk, boat and wile away the days. The wise and private Mr Badger lives sedately in the Wild Woods, content in his solitude. Then there's Mr Toad - wealthy, impulsive and utterly obsessed with motor cars, he's always getting into scrapes and can't survive without the help of his friends.With sixteen gorgeous colour illustrations by the celebrated Arthur Rackham, and an afterword by author David Stuart Davies.
£9.89
Granta Books The Legend Of The Holy Drinker
Book Synopsis'One of the greatest European novelists of the century' Sunday Times Andreas is an alcoholic and a vagrant who lives under a bridge. Downtrodden, submerged at the bottom of society, he lives a fortuitous life - dictated by happenstance and the whims of others - until a run of exceptionally good luck lifts him, briefly, onto a different plane of existence. First published after Roth's death in 1939, The Legend of the Holy Drinker is haunting and melancholic, yet filled with empathy. A secular miracle-tale, it is an unforgettable testament to Roth's lucidity and compassion.Trade ReviewA short, boozy, perfectly cut gem of a story... Translated and introduced by that legend of a holy writer Michael Hofmann, it's funny and remarkable -- Stuart Hammond * Dazed and Confused *The Legend of the Holy Drinker is a tale of patience rewarded... a dreamy Parisian Catholic setting, destitution softened by fairy tale * Times Literary Supplement *Poignant -- Val Hennessy * Daily Mail *This is a little book of sublime simplicity... magically told * Daily Express *One of the greatest European novelists of the century * Sunday Times *
£8.54
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group The Bad Seed Vintage Movie Classics A Vintage
Book SynopsisThe bestselling novel that inspired Mervyn LeRoy’s classic horror film about the little girl who can get away with anything—even murder. There’s something special about eight-year-old Rhoda Penmark. With her carefully plaited hair and her sweet cotton dresses, she’s the very picture of old-fashioned innocence. But when their neighborhood suffers a series of terrible accidents, her mother begins to wonder: Why do bad things seem to happen when little Rhoda is around? Originally published in 1954, William March’s final novel was an instant bestseller and National Book Award finalist before it was adapted for the stage and made into a 1956 film. The Bad Seed is an indelible portrait of an evil that wears an innocent face, one which still resonates in popular culture today. With a new foreword by Anna Holmes.Vintage Movie Classics spotlights classic films that have stood the test o
£12.59
Oxford University Press The Riddle of the Sands A Record of Secret
Book SynopsisOne of the first great spy novels, The Riddle of the Sands is set during the long suspicious years leading up to the First World War. The story builds in excitement as two young men on a sailing holiday discover a German plot to invade England. This edition is complemented by a fine introduction which examines the novel in its political and historical context.Trade ReviewI thoroughly enjoyed watching Carruthers' development from fashionable young man-about-town to patriotic amateur spy ... This one undoubtedly deserves its status as a classic of espionage fiction. * Leah Galbraith, FictionFan *
£8.54
Oxford University Press Père Goriot Oxford Worlds Classics Paperback
Book Synopsis
£8.54
Greenbook Publications, LLC Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
£14.24
Penguin Books Ltd We
Book SynopsisYevgeny Zamyatin (Author) Yevgeny Zamyatin (1884-1937) was a naval engineer by profession and writer by vocation, who made himself an enemy of the Tsarist government by being a Bolshevik, and an enemy of the Soviet government by insisting that human beings have absolute creative freedom. He wrote short stories, plays and essays, but his masterpiece is We, written in 1920-21 and soon thereafter translated into most of the languages of the world.Clarence Brown (Introducer, Translator) Clarence Brown was a pioneer of Russian literature studies and translation. His brilliant translation of We was based on the corrected text of the novel, first published in Russia in 1988 after more than sixty years' suppression.Trade Review“Zamyatin . . . did more than predict some of the specific characteristics of totalitarianism―he predicted its defining condition: the destruction of the individual. . . . [He] found the word for it: We.” ―Masha Gessen, from the Foreword“The best single work of science fiction yet written.” —Ursula K. Le Guin“[Zamyatin’s] intuitive grasp of the irrational side of totalitarianism—human sacrifice, cruelty as an end in itself—makes [We] superior to Huxley’s [Brave New World].” —George Orwell “At this dystopian moment in world politics, everyone’s talking about 1984, but take a look at the novel that inspired it (or, at least, which George Orwell reviewed soon before he wrote 1984)—Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We. . . . The dystopia Zamyatin painted has, alas, many echoes with today’s surveillance society—just think of China’s budding ‘social credit’ program, which monitors citizens’ movements. Big Brother was a piker, compared to Xi Jinping. Zamyatin saw it coming.” —Lit HubTable of ContentsWe Introduction: Zamyatin and the RoosterNotes to IntroductionSuggestions for Further ReadingWERecord 1AnnouncementThe Wisest of LinesAn Epic PoemRecord 2BalletHarmony SquaredXRecord 3JacketWallThe TableRecord 4Savage with BarometerEpilepsyIfRecord 5SquareRulers of the WorldPleasant and Useful FunctionRecord 6AccidentDamned "Clear"24 HoursRecord 7An EyelashTaylorHenbane and Lily of the ValleyRecord 8The Irrational RootR-13TriangleRecord 9LiturgyIambs and TrocheesCast-Iron HandRecord 10LetterMembraneHairy MeRecord 11No, I Can't...Skip the ContentsRecord 12Limitation of InfinityAngelReflections on PoetryRecord 13FogFamiliar "You"An Absolutely Inane OccurrenceRecord 14"Mine"ForbiddenCold FloorRecord 15BellMirror-like SeaMy Fate to Burn ForeverRecord 16YellowTwo-Dimensional ShadowIncurable SoulRecord 17Through GlassI DiedHallwaysRecord 18Logical LabyrinthWounds and PlasterNever AgainRecord 19Third-Order InfinitesimalA Sullen GlareOver the ParapetRecord 20DischargeIdea MaterialZero CliffRecord 21An Author's DutySwollen IceThe Most Difficult LoveRecord 22Frozen WavesEverything Tends to PerfectionI Am a MicrobeRecord 23FlowersDissolution of a CrystalIf OnlyRecord 24Limit of FunctionEasterCross It All OutRecord 25Descent from HeavenHistory's Greatest CatastropheEnd of the KnownRecord 26The World ExistsA Rash41 CentigradeRecord 27No Contents - Can'tRecord 28Both WomenEntropy and EnergyOpaque Part of the BodyRecord 29Threads on the FaceShootsUnnatural CompressionRecord 30The Final NumberGalileo's MistakeWouldn't It Be Better?Record 31The Great OperationI Have Forgiven EverythingA Train WreckRecord 32I Do Not BelieveTractorsThe Human ChipRecord 33(No Time for Contents, Last Note)Record 34Those on LeaveA Sunny NightRadio-ValkyrieRecord 35In a HoopCarrotMurderRecord 36Blank PagesThe Christian GodAbout My MotherRecord 37InfusorianDoomsdayHer RoomRecord 38(I Don't Know What Goes Here, Maybe Just: A Cigarette Butt)Record 39The EndRecord 40FactsThe BellI Am CertainTranslator's Notes
£9.49
Oxford University Press Nostromo
Book Synopsis''I have heard no end of tales of his strength, his audacity, his fidelity...incorruptible! It is indeed a name of honour for the Capataz of the Cargadores of Sulaco.''One of the greatest political novels in any language, Nostromo enacts the establishment of modern capitalism in a remote South American province locked between the Andes and the Pacific. In the harbourtown of Sulaco, a vivid cast of characters is caught up in a civil war to decide whether its fabulously wealthy silver mine, funded by American money but owned by a third-generation English immigrant, can be preserved from the hands of venal politicians. Greed and corruption seep into the lives of everyone, and Nostromo, the principled Capataz, is tested to the limit.Conrad''s evocation of the great Latin-American landscapes, the ferocity of its politics, and individuals swept up in imperial ambitions has never been bettered. This edition offers new insights into Conrad''s masterpiece. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years O
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Daughters of Fire Discover a new favourite read
Book SynopsisThe sweeping new novel from the bestselling author of LADY OF HAY switches between Roman Britain and the present day where history dramatically impacts on the lives of three women.The Romans are landing in BritanniaCartimandua, the young woman destined to rule the great Brigantes tribe, watches the invaders come ever closer. Her life has always been a maelstrom of love, conflict and revenge, but it only becomes more turbulent and complicated with power. Her political skills are threatened by her personal choices, and Cartimandua finds she has made formidable enemies on all sides as she faces a decision which will change the futures of all around her.In the present day, historian Viv Lloyd Rees has immersed herself in the legends surrounding the Celtic queen. Viv struggles to hide her visions of Cartimandua and her conviction that they are real. But her obsession becomes more persistent when she finds an ancient brooch that carries a curse. Bitter rivalries and overwhelming passions areTrade ReviewPraise for ‘Daughters of Fire’: ‘Riveting timeslip novel.’ Fanny Blake, Woman and Home ‘A fascinating spotlight on a dark age.’ Bella Praise for Barbara Erskine: 'Her forte is mood, atmosphere and the toe-curling frisson.' Sunday Times ‘Readers of Barbara Erskine are held in thrall.’Woman’s Realm ‘Stephen King meeting Ruth Rendell.’ Frank Delaney 'Barbara Erskine's storytelling talent is undeniable.' The Times
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd Flaubert G Simple Heart
Book Synopsis''She decided she would teach him to speak and he was very soon able to say, ''Pretty boy!'', ''Your servant, sir!'' and ''Hail Mary!''''With pathos and humour, Flaubert imagines the unexamined life of a servant girl.Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin''s 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880). Flaubert''s works available in Penguin Classics are Madame Bovary, Sentimental Education, Three Tales and Salammbo.
£5.63
Penguin Books Ltd The Nose
Book Synopsis''Strangely enough, I mistook it for a gentleman at first. Fortunately I had my spectacles with me so I could see it was really a nose.''With this pair of absurd, comic stories Gogol indulges his imagination and delights readers.Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin''s 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.Nikolay Gogol (1809-1852). Gogol''s works available in Penguin Classics are Dead Souls, Diary of a Madman, The Government Inspector & Selected Stories and The Night Before Christmas.
£5.63
Penguin Books Ltd The Grand Banks Café
Book Synopsis''The father of contemporary European detective fiction'' Ann Cleeves It was indeed a photograph, a picture of a woman. But the face was completely hidden, scribbled all over in red ink. Someone had tried to obliterate the head, someone very angry. The pen had bitten into the paper. There were so many criss-crossed lines that not a single square millimetre had been left visible.On the other hand, below the head, the torso had not been touched. A pair of large breasts. A light-coloured silk dress, very tight and very low cut.Sailors don''t talk much to other men, especially not to policemen. But after Captain Fallut''s body is found floating near his trawler, they all mention the Evil Eye when they speak of the Ocean''s voyage.Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in a previous translation as The Sailors'' Rendezvous.''Compelling, remorseless, brilliant'' John Gray''One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century'' Guardian ''A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness'' IndependentTrade 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... marvellously readable - lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the workd he creates' — Muriel Spark'A novelist who entered his fictional world as it he were a part of it' — Peter Ackroyd'Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century' — John Banville
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd The TwoPenny Bar
Book SynopsisA story told by a condemned man leads Maigret to a bar by the Seine and into the sleazy underside of respectable Parisian life. In the oppressive heat of summer, a forgotten crime comes to light.Trade ReviewPraise for Georges Simenon:“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 Guardian “These Maigret books are as timeless as Paris itself.” —The Washington Post “Maigret ranks with Holmes and Poirot in the pantheon of fictional detective immortals.” —People “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 (London) “Superb . . . The most addictive of writers . . . A unique teller of tales.” —The Observer (London) “Compelling, remorseless, brilliant.” —John Gray “A truly wonderful writer . . . Marvelously readable—lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the world he creates.” —Muriel Spark “A novelist who entered his fictional world as if he were a part of it.”lle —Peter Ackroyd “Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century.” —John Banville"Gem-hard soul-probes . . . not just the world's bestselling detective series, but an imperishable literary legend . . . he exposes secrets and crimes not by forensic wizardry, but by the melded powers of therapist, philosopher and confessor" ― Times (London)"Strangely comforting . . . so many lovely bistros from the Paris of mid-20th C. The corpses are incidental, it's the food that counts." ― Margaret Atwood"One of the greatest writers of the 20th century . . . no other writer can set up a scene as sharply and with such economy as Simenon does . . . the conjuring of a world, a place, a time, a set of characters - above all, an atmosphere." ― Financial Times"Gripping . . . richly rewarding . . . You'll quickly find yourself obsessing about his life as you tackle each mystery in turn."-- Stig Abell ― The Sunday Times (London)
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd The Shadow Puppet Inspector Maigret 12
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 GuardianA gripping domestic tragedy starring Inspector Maigret and set in Simenon’s very own neighborhood“One by one the lighted windows went dark. The silhouette of the dead man could still be seen through the frosted glass like a Chinese shadow puppet. A taxi pulled up. It wasn't the public prosecutor yet. A young woman crossed the courtyard with hurried steps, leaving a whiff of perfume in her wake.”Summoned to the dimly-lit Place des Vosges one night, where he sees shadowy figures at apartment windows, Maigret uncovers a tragic story of desperate lives, unhappy families, addiction and a terrible, fatal greed.Trade ReviewPraise for Georges Simenon:“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 Guardian “These Maigret books are as timeless as Paris itself.” —The Washington Post “Maigret ranks with Holmes and Poirot in the pantheon of fictional detective immortals.” —People “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 (London) “Superb . . . The most addictive of writers . . . A unique teller of tales.” —The Observer (London) “Compelling, remorseless, brilliant.” —John Gray “A truly wonderful writer . . . Marvelously readable—lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the world he creates.” —Muriel Spark “A novelist who entered his fictional world as if he were a part of it.”lle —Peter Ackroyd “Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century.” —John Banville"Gem-hard soul-probes . . . not just the world's bestselling detective series, but an imperishable literary legend . . . he exposes secrets and crimes not by forensic wizardry, but by the melded powers of therapist, philosopher and confessor" ― Times (London)"Strangely comforting . . . so many lovely bistros from the Paris of mid-20th C. The corpses are incidental, it's the food that counts." ― Margaret Atwood"One of the greatest writers of the 20th century . . . no other writer can set up a scene as sharply and with such economy as Simenon does . . . the conjuring of a world, a place, a time, a set of characters - above all, an atmosphere." ― Financial Times"Gripping . . . richly rewarding . . . You'll quickly find yourself obsessing about his life as you tackle each mystery in turn."-- Stig Abell ― The Sunday Times (London)
£8.54
The New York Review of Books, Inc The Skin
Book SynopsisThis is the first unexpurgated English edition of Curzio Malaparte’s legendary work The Skin. The book begins in 1943, with Allied forces cementing their grip on the devastated city of Naples. The sometime Fascist and ever-resourceful Curzio Malaparte is working with the Americans as a liaison officer. He looks after Colonel Jack Hamilton, “a Christian gentleman . . . an American in the noblest sense of the word,” who speaks French and cites the classics and holds his nose as the two men tour the squalid streets of a city in ruins where liberation is only another word for desperation. Veterans of the disbanded Italian army beg for work. A rare specimen from the city’s famous aquarium is served up at a ceremonial dinner for high Allied officers. Prostitution is rampant. The smell of death is everywhere.Subtle, cynical, evasive, manipulative, unnerving, always astonishing, Malaparte is a supreme artist of the unreliable, both the product and the prophet of a world gone rotten to the core.
£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers The Glass Palace
Book SynopsisThe International Bestseller from the Man Booker Prize shortlisted authorAn absorbing story of a world in transition' J. M. Coetzee''A Doctor Zhivago for the Far East'' The IndependentRajkumar is only another boy, helping on a market stall in the dusty square outside the royal palace, when the British force the Burmese King, Queen and all the Court into exile. He is rescued by the far-seeing Chinese merchant, and with him builds up a logging business in upper Burma. But haunted by his vision of the Royal Family, he journeys to the obscure town in India where they have been exiled.The story follows the fortunes rubber estates in Malaya, businesses in Singapore, estates in Burma which Rajkumar, with his Chinese, British and Burmese relations, friends and associates, builds up from 1870 through the Second World War to the scattering of the extended family to New York and Thailand, London and Hong Kong in the post-war years.Trade Review‘A distinctive voice, polished and profound.’ TLS ‘Ambitious, multigenerational, “The Glass Palace” is akin to a 19th-century Russian novel…a rich, layered epic that probes the meaning of identity and homeland.’ LA Times ‘An absorbing story of a world in transition, brought to life through characters who love and suffer with equal intensity.’ J.M. Coetzee ‘A “Doctor Zhivago” for the Far East.’ Independent
£9.49
The New York Review of Books, Inc Troubles
Book Synopsis
£16.11
Penguin Books Ltd The ThirtyNine Steps
Book SynopsisRichard Hannay has just returned to England after years in South Africa and is thoroughly bored with his life in London. But then a murder is committed in his flat, just days after a chance encounter with an American who had told him about an assassination plot which could have dire international consequences. An obvious suspect for the police and an easy target for the killers, Hannay goes on the run in his native Scotland where he will need all his courage and ingenuity to stay one step ahead of his pursuers.
£7.59
Penguin Books Ltd The Hound of the Baskervilles. Penguin English
Book SynopsisThe Penguin English Library Edition of The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan DoyleMr Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!The terrible spectacle of the beast, the fog of the moor, the discovery of a body: this classic horror story pits detective against dog, rationalism against the supernatural, good against evil. When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead on the wild Devon moorland with the footprints of a giant hound nearby, the blame is placed on a family curse. It is left to Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson to solve the mystery of the legend of the phantom hound before Sir Charles'' heir comes to an equally gruesome end. The Hound of the Baskervilles gripped readers when it was first serialised and has continued to hold its place in the popular imagination.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
Penguin Books Ltd The Prophet
Book SynopsisA hugely influential philosophical work of prose poetry, Kahlil Gibran''s The Prophet is an inspirational, allegorical guide to living, and this Penguin Modern Classics edition includes an introduction by Robin Waterfield.First published in the 1920''s, The Prophet is perhaps the most famous work of religious fiction of the twentieth century, and has sold millions of copies in more than twenty languages. Gibran''s Prophet speaks of many things central to daily life: love, marriage, death, beauty, passion, eating, work and play. The spiritual message he imparts, of finding divinity through love, blends eastern mysticism, religious faith and philosophy with simple advice. The Prophet became the bible of 1960s culture and was credited with founding the New Age movement, yet it still continues to inspire people around the world today. This edition is illustrated with Gibran''s famous visionary paintings.Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) was a poet, philosopher and artist, who stands among the most important Arabic language authors of the early twentieth century. Born in Lebanon, he spent the last twenty years of his life in the United States, where for many years he was the leader of a Lebansese writing circle in New York. He is the author of numerous volumes, including The Garden of the Prophet, The Storm, The Beloved: Reflections on the Path of the Heart, The Vision, Reflections on the Way of the Soul, and Spirit Brides. If you enjoyed The Prophet, you might like Herman Hesse''s Siddhartha, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.''His work goes on from generation to generation''Daily Mail''To read it was to transcend ordinary levels of perception, to become aware ... of a more intense level of being''Independent
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd When the Green Woods Laugh
Book SynopsisTake a trip to Larkin country in the much-loved series, inspiration for the ITV drama THE LARKINS starring Bradley Walsh''There!'' Pop said. ''There''s the house. There''s Gore Court for you. What about that, eh? How''s that strike you? Better than St Paul''s, ain''t it, better than St Paul''s?''And so Pop Larkin - junk-dealer, family man and Dragon''s Blood connoisseur - manages to sell the nearby crumbling, tumbling country home to city dwellers Mr and Mrs Jerebohm for a pretty bundle of notes. Now he can build his daughter Mariette the pool she''s long been nagging him for.But the Larkin''s new neighbours aren''t quite so accepting of country ways - especially Pop''s little eccentricities.In fact, it''s not long before a wobbly boat, a misplaced pair of hands and Mrs Jerebohm''s behind have Pop up before a magistrate . . .Trade ReviewThey are absolute comfort books . . . All five titles are being rereleased just in time for summer * The Lady *Pop is as sexy, genial, generous, and boozy as ever. Ma is a worthy match for him in all these qualities -- - * The Times *'Pop Larkin, Ma and their progeny . . . are essentially English of the rich and ribald England of Chaucer and Shakespeare. A superb and timeless comedy' -- - * Scotsman *As funny as Evelyn Waugh and as enchanting as Laurie Lee's Cider with Rosie. Don't miss it -- - * Herald *The Larkins live - these novels please us by escaping definition -- - * Guardian *Like Wodehouse's Jeeves, Bates' Larkins must continue in their own delightful milieu - the Kentish countryside -- - * New York Times *
£8.99
Penguin Books Ltd The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Book SynopsisOut of his smoke-filled rooms in Baker Street stalks a figure to cause the criminal classes to quake in their boots and rush from their dens of inequity The twelve mysteries gathered in this first collection of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson's adventures reveal the brilliant consulting detective at the height of his powers. Problems involving a man with a twisted lip, a fabulous blue carbuncle and five orange pips tax Sherlock Holmes' intellect alongside some of his most famous cases, including A Scandal in Bohemia and The Red-Headed League.
£6.99
Penguin Group (NZ) Death of a Salesman
Book SynopsisThe Pulitzer Prize-winning tragedy of a salesman’s deferred American dreamA Penguin Classic Since it was first performed in 1949, Arthur Miller's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about the tragic shortcomings of an American dreamer has been recognized as a milestone of the theater. Willy Loman, the protagonist of Death of a Salesman, has spent his life following the American way, living out his belief in salesmanship as a way to reinvent himself. But somehow the riches and respect he covets have eluded him. At age 63, he searches for the moment his life took a wrong turn, the moment of betrayal that undermined his relationship with his wife and destroyed his relationship with Biff, the son in whom he invested his faith. Willy lives in a fragile world of elaborate excuses and daydreams, conflating past and present in a desperate attempt to make sense of himself and of a world that once promised so much. This Penguin Classics edition features aTrade ReviewWinner of the Pulitzer Prize for DramaWinner of the National Book Award Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters"By common consent, this is one of the finest dramas in the whole range of the American theater." —Brooks Atkinson, The New York Times"So simple, central, and terrible that the run of playwrights would neither care nor dare to attempt it." —Time
£11.90
HarperCollins Publishers The Stars Shine Down
Book SynopsisA page-turning thriller of love and betrayal from the bestselling Master of Suspense and author of If Tomorrow Comes and The Other Side of Midnight.Trade ReviewSheldon is an author working at the height of his power * New York Times *Fast-moving… engrossing… Sidney Sheldon is a master at giving the public what it wants * LA Times *Compulsively readable * New York Times Book Review *
£13.29
Penguin Books Ltd The Saga of Grettir the Strong
Book SynopsisComposed at the end of the fourteenth century by an unknown author, The Saga of Grettir the Strong is one of the last great Icelandic sagas. It relates the tale of Grettir, an eleventh-century warrior struggling to hold on to the values of a heroic age becoming eclipsed by Christianity and a more pastoral lifestyle.Trade Review“An amazing epic—as revenge-driven as the Greeks, with fight scenes rivaling today’s superhero action films.” ―Rita Dove, The New York Times Book Review“The [translation is] generally excellent; accurate and readable. . . . Sure to become the standard.” —The Times Literary Supplement
£12.34
Penguin Books Ltd Comic Sagas and Tales from Iceland Penguin
Book SynopsisThe capstone volume in Penguin Classics’ celebrated series of Icelandic sagas Comic Sagas and Tales from Iceland brings together the very finest Icelandic stories from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries, a time of civil unrest and social upheaval. With feuding families and moments of grotesque violence, the sagas see such classic mythological figures as murdered fathers, disguised beggars, corrupt chieftains, and avenging sons who do battle with axes, words, and cunning. The tales, meanwhile, follow heroes and comical fools through dreams, voyages, and religious conversions in medieval Iceland and beyond. Shaped by Iceland’s oral culture and its people’s conversion to Christianity, these stories are works of ironic humor and stylistic innovation. 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 Trade ReviewThis collection of strange and difficult-to-categorize pieces is comic not in the usual sense, but rather, as Viðar explains in his excellent introduction, in the sense of reading counter to the Icelandic family sagas, whose narratives he terms tragic. The stories here are edgy, subversive and often grim little narratives, in striking contrast to the humane, wise and sometimes uplifting family sagas * The Times Literary Supplement *
£11.69
HarperCollins Publishers The Body in the Library
Book SynopsisA young woman found murdered A scandal in the makingTrade 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
£8.99
HarperCollins Publishers Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.Yet I am not more sure that my soul lives, than I am that perverseness is one of the primitive impulses of the human heart one of the indivisible primary faculties, or sentiments, which gives direction to the character of Man.'Including Poe's most terrifying, grotesque and haunting short stories, Tales of Mystery and Imagination is the ultimate collection of the infamous author's macabre works.Considered to be one of the earliest American writers to encapsulate the genre of detective-fiction, the collection features some of his most popular tales.The Gold-Bug' is the only tale that was popular in his lifetime, whereas The Black Cat', The Pit and the Pendulum' and The Murders in the Rue Morgue' became more widely read after his death.Focussing on the internal conflict of individuals, the power of the dead over the living, and psychological explorations of darker human emotion that appear to anticipate Sig
£5.94
HarperCollins Publishers The Pocket Hobbit
Book Synopsis"The classic bestseller behind this year's biggest movie, this definitive paperback edition features nine illustrations and two maps drawn by J.R.R. Tolkien, and a preface by Christopher Tolkien. Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an unexpected journey 'there and back again'. They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon! The prelude to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit has sold many millions of copies since its publication in 1937, establishing itself as one of the most beloved and influential books of the twentieth century" -- Provided by publisher.Trade Review‘The Hobbit belongs to a very small class of books which have nothing in common save that each admits us to a world of its own. Its place is with Alice and The Wind in the Willows.’Times Literary Supplement ‘One of the best loved characters in English fiction… a marvellous fantasy adventure’Daily Mail ‘Finely written saga of dwarves and elves, fearsome goblins and trolls… an exciting epic of travel, magical adventure, working up to a devastating climax’The Observer
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd Passing Penguin Classics
Book SynopsisA NETFLIX BOOK CLUB PICKNella Larsen's powerful, thrilling, and tragic tale about the fluidity of racial identity that continues to resonate today. A New York Times Editors’ Choice. Now a major motion picture starring Tessa Thompson and Alexander Skarsgård One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years Clare Kendry is living on the edge. Light-skinned, elegant, and ambitious, she is married to a racist white man unaware of her African American heritage, and has severed all ties to her past after deciding to “pass” as a white woman. Clare’s childhood friend, Irene Redfield, just as light-skinned, has chosen to remain within the African American community, and is simultaneously allured and repelled by Clare’s risky decision to engage in racial masquerade for personal and societal gain. After frequenting African American-centric gatherings together in Harlem, Clare&rTrade ReviewIt is a tragic story rooted in inescapable facts of American life: that whiteness conferred an almost universal unearned advantage, and that loyalty to a black racial identity was not only an act of pride but also one of courage * The New York Times *Table of ContentsIntroductionSuggestions for Further ReadingA Note on the Text Part One: Encounter Part Two: Re-Encounter Part Three: FinaleExplanatory Notes
£9.49
Penguin Putnam Inc Seize the Day
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£12.80
Penguin Putnam Inc The Divine Comedy
Book Synopsis
£23.20
Alma Books Ltd Flappers and Philosophers
Book SynopsisPublished soon after Fitzgerald's debut novel This Side of Paradise, Flappers and Philosophers was the author's first collection of short fiction, a form through which he had gained notoriety in newspapers and magazines. The familiar themes of aspiration and social satire already permeate his writing: in 'Bernice Bobs Her Hair' the fashionable Marjorie attempts to turn her dowdy cousin into a debutante, before betraying her out of jealousy, while 'The Ice Palace' features a Southern belle whose engagement to a Northerner finds her confronted with a cultural clash between tradition and modernity. Also containing 'The Offshore Pirate', 'Head and Shoulders', 'The Cut-Glass Bowl', 'Benediction', 'Dalyrimple Goes Wrong' and 'The Four Fists', this volume of stories illustrates the early stages of Fitzgerald's development as a writer and provides an entertaining chronicle of America in the 1910s.Trade ReviewHe was better than he knew, for in fact and in the literary sense he invented a generation. * The New York Times *
£7.59
