Classics

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is now available in an exclusive collector's edition featuring a delicate laser-cut jacket on a textured book with foil stamping and ribbon marker, making it ideal for fiction lovers and book collectors alike. Austen fans who appreciated the Seasons collection will love this exquisitely designed volume from their beloved literary heroine.In Jane Austen's most popular novel, Elizabeth Bennet and eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy clash instantly. She finds him arrogant, conceited, and indifferent, disliking him even more when she discovers he has interfered in the relationship between his friend Bingley and Elizabeth's older sister Jane. In this classic comedy of misdirected manners, Jane Austen shows readers how first impressions can't always be trusted.This Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen Edition is a beautiful and unique special edition, perfect for book collectors, Jane Austen lovers, and fans of classic literature. Whether you're buying it as a gift or for yourself, this remarkable edition features: Beautiful hardcover with a one-of-a-kind, high-end laser-cut jacket Decorative interior pages featuring quotes distributed throughout Ribbon marker Pride and Prejudice is one of three inaugural titles in the Jane Austen collection that also includes Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey. The series will conclude with Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Persuasion.

Read more less

Translated by Constance Garnett with an introduction by Anthony Briggs. Dostoevsky's fascination for mental breakdown and violence (20 murders in his four main novels) was based on his own life, and these two unmistakably autobiographical works bear this out. The House of the Dead is fiction, but based on his four years in a Siberian prison. An educated upper-class man is condemned to live among criminals and brutal guards, with arbitrary punishments, lousy food, disgusting living conditions, hard toil and many floggings. Somehow he avoids bitterness and recrimination; faith in humanity survives. With its breadth of characterisation, acute sense of detail and strong narrative interest, this work can still shock, entertain and inspire. In The Gambler we see the Russian community in a German spa town. Drawn to the casino, Alexey becomes obsessed with roulette. In a gripping story, full of psychological interest, his growing mania eclipses even his interest in Polina, a heroine of demonic and vibrant sexuality. Dostoevsky himself was rescued from a similar gambling obsession by the young stenographer who took down this work at his dictation and married him soon afterwards.

Read more less

First published in 1878, Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina is the tragic story of aristocrat Anna Karenina and her ill-fated affair with the cavalry officer Count Vronsky. Although passionately in love, the couple finds their romance doomed by the sexual mores of their time and place, and the double standards that apply to men and women. The tale's panoramic sweep and Tolstoy's colorful depiction of Russia and the European continent are virtually unparalleled in world literature. This novel, in the estimation of William Faulkner, is 'the best ever written.' Anna Karenina is one of Barnes & Noble's leatherbound classics. Each volume features authoritative texts by the world's greatest authors in an exquisitely designed bonded leather binding, with distinctive gilt edging and an attractive ribbon bookmark. Decorative, durable, and collectible, these books offers hours of pleasure to readers young and old and are an indispensable cornerstone for any home library.

Read more less

With an Introduction and Notes by David Rampton, Department of English, University of Ottowa. Notes from Underground and Other Stories is a comprehensive collection of Dostoevsky’s short fiction. Many of these stories, like his great novels, reveal his special sympathy for the solitary and dispossessed, explore the same complex psychological issues and subtly combine rich characterization and philosophical meditations on the (often) dark areas of the human psyche, all conveyed in an idiosyncratic blend of deadly seriousness and wild humour. In Notes from Underground, the Underground Man casually dismantles utilitarianism and celebrates in its stead a perverse but vibrant masochism. A Christmas Tree and a Wedding recounts the successful pursuit of a young girl by a lecherous old man. In Bobok, one Ivan Ivanovitch listens in on corpses gossiping in a cemetery and ends up deploring their depravity. In A Gentle Spirit, the narrator describes his dawning recognition that he is responsible for his wife’s suicide. In short, as a commentator on spiritual stagnation, Dostoevsky has no equal.

Read more less

HarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics. ‘The reaches opened before us and closed behind, as if the forest had stepped leisurely across the water to bar the way for our return. We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness.’ At the peak of European Imperialism, steamboat captain Charles Marlow travels deep into the African Congo on his way to relieve the elusive Mr Kurtz, an ivory trader renowned for his fearsome reputation. On his journey into the unknown Marlow takes a terrifying trip into his own subconscious, overwhelmed by his menacing, perilous and horrifying surroundings. The landscape and the people he meets force him to reflect on human nature and society, and in turn Conrad writes revealingly about the dangers of imperialism.

Read more less

HarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics. ‘Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, “and what is the use of a book,” thought Alice, “without pictures or conversations?”’ So begins the tale of Alice, who follows a curious White Rabbit down a hole and falls into Wonderland, a fantastical place where nothing is quite as it seems: animals talk, nonsensical characters confuse, Mad Hatters throw tea parties and the Queen plays croquet. Alice’s attempts to find her way home become increasingly bizarre, infuriating and amazing in turn. A beloved classic, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has continued to delight readers, young and old, for over 150 years.

Read more less

Hailed as a masterpiece from its first publication, Revolutionary Road is the story of Frank and April Wheeler, a bright young couple who are bored by the banalities of suburban life and long to be extraordinary. With heartbreaking compassion and clarity, Richard Yates shows how Frank and April's decision to change their lives for the better leads to betrayal and tragedy.

Read more less

Read F Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel of love, money, revenge and betrayal set in Jazz Age America. Jay Gatsby is a self-made man, famed for his decadent champagne-drenched parties. Despite being surrounded by Long Island's bright and beautiful, he longs only for Daisy Buchanan. In shimmering prose, Fitzgerald shows Gatsby pursue his dream to its tragic conclusion in one of the 20th century’s true contenders for the title of ‘Great American Novel’.

Read more less

Like George Orwell, Franz Kafka has given his name to a world of nightmare, but in Kafka’s world, it is never completely clear just what the nightmare is. The Trial, where the rules are hidden from even the highest officials, and if there is any help to be had, it will come from unexpected sources, is a chilling, blackly amusing tale that maintains, to the very end, a relentless atmosphere of disorientation. Superficially about bureaucracy, it is in the last resort a description of the absurdity of 'normal' human nature. Still more enigmatic is The Castle. Is it an allegory of a quasi-feudal system giving way to a new freedom for the subject? The search by a central European Jew for acceptance into a dominant culture? A spiritual quest for grace or salvation? An individual's struggle between his sense of independence and his need for approval? Is it all of these things? And K? Is he opportunist, victim, or an outsider battling against elusive authority? Finally, in his fables, Kafka deals in dark and quirkily humorous terms with the insoluble dilemmas of a world which offers no reassurance, and no reliable guidance to resolving our existential and emotional uncertainties and anxieties.

Read more less

Discover Graham Greene’s blackly comic and timely espionage thriller, set amid the vice and squalor of pre-revolutionary Havana.‘British Intelligence being sent up something rotten’ Daily Telegraph Wormold is a vacuum cleaner salesman in a city of power cuts. His adolescent daughter spends his money with a skill that amazes him, so when a mysterious Englishman offers him an extra income he's tempted. In return all he has to do is carry out a little espionage and file a few reports. But when his fake reports start coming true, things suddenly get more complicated and Havana becomes a threatening place.WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS

Read more less

In the westernmost province of the Kingdom of the Isles, upon the world of Midkemia, an orphan kitchen boy named Pug was made apprentice to the magician Kulgan. Here starts an adventure that will span lifetimes and worlds. Discover where the story begins. The world had changed even before I discovered the foreign ship wrecked on the shore below Crydee Castle, but it was the harbinger of the chaos and death that was coming to our door. War had come to the Kingdom of the Isles, and in the years that followed it would scatter my friends across the world. I longed to train as a warrior and fight alongside our duke like my foster-brother, but when the time came, I was not offered that choice. My fate would be shaped by other forces. My name is Pug. I was once an orphaned kitchen boy, with no family and no prospects, but I am destined to become a master magician…

Read more less

The forerunner to The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion tells the earlier history of Middle-earth, recounting the events of the First and Second Ages, and introducing some of the key characters, such as Galadriel, Elrond, Elendil and the Dark Lord, Sauron. The Silmarillion is an account of the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien’s world. It is the ancient drama to which the characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, and in whose events some of them such as Elrond and Galadriel took part. The tales of The Silmarillion are set in an age when Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in Middle-Earth, and the High Elves made war upon him for the recovery of the Silmarils, the jewels containing the pure light of Valinor. Included in the book are several shorter works. The Ainulindale is a myth of the Creation and in the Valaquenta the nature and powers of each of the gods is described. The Akallabeth recounts the downfall of the great island kingdom of Númenor at the end of the Second Age and Of the Rings of Power tells of the great events at the end of the Third Age, as narrated in The Lord of the Rings. This pivotal work features the revised, corrected text and includes, by way of an introduction, a fascinating letter written by Tolkien in 1951 in which he gives a full explanation of how he conceived the early Ages of Middle-earth.

Read more less

Ernest Hemingway's adventure novel set on the verge of the tropics.'Listen,' I told him. 'Don't be so tough so early in the morning. I'm sure you've cut plenty of people's throats. I haven't even had my coffee yet.'Harry Morgan is a tough guy making his living during the Depression from his motor boat in Key West, Florida. Although he normally takes out fishing parties, sometimes his boat can be put to other uses. If the money offered is worth his while, Harry will run guns, rum and men to and from Cuba. But he is playing a dicey game. Hemingway's hardest hero risks not just his living, but his life.'Absorbing and moving. It opens with a fusillade of bullets, reaches its climax with another, and sustains a high pitch of excitement throughout' Times Literary Supplement

Read more less

Mr Palomar is a delightful eccentric whose chief activity is looking at things. He is seeking knowledge; 'it is only after you have come to know the surface of things that you can venture to seek what is underneath'. Whether contemplating a fine cheese, a hungry gecko, a woman sunbathing topless or a flight of migrant starlings, Mr Palomar's observations render the world afresh.'Beautifully nimble, solitary feats of imagination' Seamus Heaney'Beguiling' Time

Read more less

Restoration-era poet, playwright and novelist Aphra Behn was the first truly professional woman writer in English, and Oroonoko is her sophisticated and insightful condemnation of slavery. This Penguin Classics edition is edited with an introduction by Janet Todd.When Prince Oroonoko's passion for the virtuous Imoinda arouses the jealousy of his grandfather, the lovers are cast into slavery and transported from Africa to the colony of Surinam. Oroonoko's noble bearing soon wins the respect of his English captors, but his struggle for freedom brings about his destruction. Inspired by Aphra Behn's visit to Surinam, Oroonoko reflects the author's romantic view of native peoples as noble savages in 'the first state of innocence, before man knew how to sin'. The novel also reveals Behn's ambiguous attitude to African slavery - while she favoured it as a means to strengthen England's rule, her powerful and moving work conveys its injustice and brutality.This new edition of Oroonoko is based on the first printed version of 1688, and includes a chronology, further reading and notes. In her introduction, Janet Todd examines Aphra Behn's views of slavery, colonization and politics, and her position as a professional woman writer in the Restoration.Little is known of Aphra Behn's (1640-1689) early life. She was probably born in Kent, and in the early 1660s claims to have visited the British colony of Surinam. She turned to literature for a living, producing numerous short stories, 19 stage plays and political propaganda for the Tories.If you enjoyed Oroonoko, you might like Daniel Defoe's Moll Flanders, also available in Penguin Classics.

Read more less

'The No.1 Greatest Crime Writer' The Times'Ripley, amoral, hedonistic and charming, is a genuinely original creation' Daily TelegraphTom Ripley is struggling to stay one step ahead of his creditors and the law, when an unexpected acquaintance offers him a free trip to Europe and a chance to start over. Ripley wants money, success and the good life and he's willing to kill for it. When his new-found happiness is threatened, his response is as swift as it is shocking. **One of the BBC’s 100 Novels That Shaped Our World**

Read more less

"In this new edition of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, David Wootton's Introduction gives the reader both a clear and gripping account of the biographical circumstances that led to the novel’s writing and the most striking and original interpretations of its central themes and of the intellectual and cultural influences on them. Offering a new account of the complex history of its composition, and drawing upon his deep knowledge of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century scientific debates, Wootton reveals the ways in which the origins of Shelley’s novel are inextricably linked to conceptions of the origins of life itself. We have here a transformative reading of one of the world’s best-known stories."—Laura Marcus, Goldsmiths’ Professor of English Literature and Fellow of New College, University of Oxford

Read more less

A masterwork by the incomparable, genre-defying, wondrous Italo Calvino. You go into a bookshop and buy If on a Winter's Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino. You like it. But there is a printer's error in your copy. You take it back to the shop and get a replacement. But the replacement seems to be a totally different story. You try to track down the original book you were reading but end up with a different narrative again. This remarkable novel leads you through many different books including a detective adventure, a romance, a satire, an erotic story, a diary and a quest. But the real hero of them all is you, the reader.'Breathtakingly inventive' David Mitchell'A writer of dizzying ambition and variety, each of his stories is a fresh adventure into the possibilities of fiction' Guardian

Read more less

'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'Atticus Finch gives this advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of this classic novel - a black man charged with attacking a white girl. Through the eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Lee explores the issues of race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s with compassion and humour. She also creates one of the great heroes of literature in their father, whose lone struggle for justice pricks the conscience of a town steeped in prejudice and hypocrisy.

Read more less

HarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics. ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.’ Austen's best-loved tale of love, marriage and society in class-conscious Georgian England still delights modern readers today with its comedy and characters. It follows the feisty, quick-witted Elizabeth Bennet as her parents seek to ensure good marriages for her and her sisters in order to secure their future. The protagonists Darcy and Elizabeth learn much about themselves and those around them and Austen's expertly crafted comedy characters of Mrs Bennet and Mr Collins demonstrate her great artistry as a writer.

Read more less

The third novel in the No. 1 bestselling Conqueror series, following the life and adventures of the mighty Genghis Khan and his descendants Genghis Khan has fulfilled his dream of uniting the many warring tribes of his lands into one great nation. He has taken his armies against the mighty cities of their oldest enemies. Now he finds trouble rising west of the Mongolian plains. His emissaries are being mutilated or killed and his trading gestures rebuffed. He decides to divide his armies to conquer, using his sons as generals and sending them out simultaneously in many directions. As well as discovering new territories and laying waste the cities which resist, Genghis knows that the actions of his generals will help him decide who, from his rival sons and heirs, should succeed him as khan.

Read more less

Part of the Timeless Classics series, The Complete Tales & Poems of Edgar Allan Poe contains every known tale written by the famous gothic American writer. Poe’s often macabre and dark works, which span the years from 1827 to his death in 1849, include “The Raven,” “The Black Cat,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “Annabelle Lee.” For Poe fans worldwide, this stunning gift edition features a gorgeous deckled edge, ribbon marker, and foil and deboss details on a vibrantly colored case, and includes over 70 of Poe’s short stories, more than 40 melodious poems, and his only full-length novel, The Narrative of A. Gordon Pym. In addition, it also includes a compelling introduction by notable historian and biographer Daniel Stashower.Tales include: The Unparalleled Adventure Of One Hans Pfaall The Balloon-Hoax Mesmeric Revelation Ms. Found In A Bottle A Descent Into The Maelström Von Kempelen And His Discovery The Gold-Bug The Facts In The Case Of M. Valdemar The Thousand-And-Second Tale Of Scheherazade The Murders In The Rue Morgue The Mystery Of Marie Rogêt The Fall Of The House Of Usher The Purloined Letter The Tell-Tale Heart The Black Cat The Imp Of The Perverse The Premature Burial The Island Of The Fay The Cask Of Amontillado The Pit And The Pendulum The Oval Portrait The Masque Of The Red Death The Assignation The System Of Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether Mystification How To Write A Blackwood Article A Predicament The Literary Life Of Thingum Bob, Esq. Diddling X-Ing A Paragrab The Angel Of The Odd Loss Of Breath The Business Man Mellonta Tauta The Man That Was Used Up Maelzel’s Chess-Player The Power Of Words The Conversation Of Eiros And Charmion The Colloquy Of Monos And Una Silence—A Fable Shadow—A Parable A Tale Of Jerusalem Philosophy Of Furniture The Sphinx The Man Of The Crowd “Thou Art The Man” Hop-Frog Never Bet The Devil Your Head Four Beasts In One Poems include: The Raven Lenore A Valentine Hymn The Coliseum Ulalume To Helen An Enigma Annabel Lee To One In Paradise The Bells To My Mother The Haunted Palace The Conqueror Worm To F—S S. O—D The Valley Of Unrest The City In The Sea The Sleeper A Dream Within A Dream Silence Dream-Land Ulalie To Zante Bridal Ballad Eldorado Israfel For Annie Scenes From “Politian” The Timeless Classics series from Rock Point brings together the works of classic authors from around the world. Complete and unabridged, these elegantly designed gift editions feature luxe, patterned endpapers, ribbon markers, and foil and deboss details on vibrantly colored cases. Celebrate these beloved works of literature as true standouts in your personal library collection.

Read more less

WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY ANDREY KURKOVA rich, successful Moscow professor befriends a stray dog and attempts a scientific first by transplanting into it the testicles and pituitary gland of a recently deceased man. A distinctly worryingly human animal is now on the loose, and the professor's hitherto respectable life becomes a nightmare beyond endurance. An absurd and superbly comic story, this classic novel can also be read as a fierce parable of the Russian Revolution.

Read more less

The action-packed second novel in the No. 1 bestselling Conqueror series, bringing to the epic story of Genghis Khan brilliantly to life The gathering of the tribes of the Mongols has been a long time in coming but finally, triumphantly, Temujin of the Wolves, Genghis Khan, is given the full accolade of the overall leader and their oaths. Now he can begin to meld all the previously warring people into one army, one nation. But the task Genghis has set himself and them is formidable. He is determined to travel to the land of the long-time enemy, the Chin and attack them there. The distances and terrain-the wide deserts, the impenetrable mountains-make it a difficult venture even for the legendary Mongolian speed of movement, but the greatest problem is that of the complex fortifications, a way of fighting wars of a settled urban population which the nomadic Mongolians had never come across. Finding ways to tackle that and keeping his tribes together in a strange environment presents another new and exciting challenge for Genghis Khan. Not only must Genghis succeed in this incredible campaign, but he must also reconcile the restless factions among his own generals, mediate between his ambitious brothers and cope with his own reactions to his growing sons. The young warrior has become a notable and victorious military commander of thousands: he must now learn to become a great leader of peoples of many different races and religions. Lords of the Bow is a deeply satisfying novel. It is epic in scope, convincing, and fascinating in the narration of an extraordinary story. Above all Genghis Khan continues to dominate the scene as he matures from the young boy of Wolf of the Plains to the great Conqueror.

Read more less

Ernest's Hemingway's powerful autobiographical story of war.'I don't live at all when I'm not with you'In 1918 Ernest Hemingway went to war. He volunteered for ambulance service in Italy, was wounded and twice decorated. Out of his experience came A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway's unforgettable war novel.Recreating the fear, the comradeship, the courage of his young American volunteer, and the men and women he meets in Italy, this is a story of war told with simplicity and immediacy. It is also a love story of immense drama and uncompromising passion.'A novel of great power' Times Literary Supplement'In these troubled times Hemingway's clarity, spirituality and sense of hard reality in the midst of confusion is very helpful' Sunday Telegraph

Read more less

Hemingway's last major novel, set in the Gulf Stream islands, captures the struggles of adult personal relationships in his consummate distinctive style.'He knew too what it was to live through a hurricane'This is the last book Hemingway wrote before he died, the story of Thomas Hudson, an artist and adventurer. Living a bachelor's life on an island in the Gulf Stream during the thirties, Hudson's existence is dictated by the waves and tides. But when his sons come to visit, Hudson must grapple with the role of father and the unfamiliar demands of family.A late work by one of America's greatest writers.'Hemingway's most deeply autobiographical piece of work' Irish Times

Read more less

HarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics. 'I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will.' Bronte's infamous Gothic novel tells the story of orphan Jane, a child of unfortunate circumstances. Raised and treated badly by her aunt and cousins and eventually sent away to a cruel boarding school, it is not until Jane becomes a governess at Thornfield that she finds happiness. Meek, measured, but determined, Jane soon falls in love with her brooding and stormy master, Mr Rochester, but it is not long before strange and unnerving events occur in the house and Jane is forced to leave Thornfield to pursue her future.

Read more less

The final novel in Kim Stanley Robinson’s massively successful and lavishly praised Mars trilogy. ‘The ultimate in future history’ Daily Mail Mars has grown up It is fully terraformed – genetically engineered plants and animals live by newly built canals and young but stormy seas. It is politically independent. A brave and buzzing new world. Most of the First Hundred have died. Those that remain are like walking myths to Martian youth. Earth has grown too much Chronic overpopulation, bitter nationalism, scarce resources. For too many Terrans, Mars is a mocking utopia. A dream to live for, fight for… perhaps even die for.

Read more less

Gems of literature in a luxurious and unique design by Marjolein Bastin.The Marjolein Bastin Classics Series is a chance to rediscover classic literature in collectible, luxuriously illustrated volumes. For the first time ever, the internationally celebrated artwork of Marjolein Bastin graces the pages of a timeless classic, Pride and Prejudice, the enduring story of the Bennet sisters and their quest for suitable marriages. Beyond bringing these stories to life, Bastin’s series adds elaborately designed ephemera, such as four-color maps, letters, family trees, and sheet music. Whether an ideal gift for an Austen devotee or a treat for yourself, The Marjolein Bastin Classics Series, as a set or individually purchased, is perfect for anyone who feels a connection to these enduring literary gems.Discover anew the dramatic world of Pride and Prejudice. In early nineteenth-century England, Elizabeth Bennet and her four sisters are expected to secure their future by a suitable marriage. The family’s modest assets, however, make that a challenging prospect. Though the new neighbor Mr. Bingley would be a good match, his haughty friend Mr. Darcy does not hold the Bennets in high regard. Societal expectations and romantic aspirations collide and make finding an appropriate spouse a dramatic endeavor.

Read more less

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. ‘The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.’ When Basil Hallward paints the portrait of young, handsome Dorian Gray, he falls prey to his dazzling beauty. Afraid that his youth and looks will waste away, Dorian expresses a wish that his portrait, and not he, will age and fade over time. His wish is granted, and over the ensuing years, Dorian indulges in every kind of vice and pleasure, never ageing nor disfiguring. Only his portrait, hidden to the world, bears the marks of his actions, and as his soul grows ever more wasted and corrupted, devastatingconsequences lie in wait. The Picture of Dorian Gray is an exploration of the purpose of art, the superficial nature of youth and beauty, and the conflict between morality and intemperance. First published in its complete, uncensored form in 1891, it is Oscar Wilde’s only novel.

Read more less

Louisa May Alcott's Little Women?is now available in a fine exclusive collector's edition featuring beautiful cover art from artist Laci Fowler and distinctive interior treatments, making it an ideal gift for fiction lovers and book collectors alike. Each collectible volume will be the perfect addition to any well-appointed library.The Harper Muse Classics: Painted Edition of Little Women is perfect for special-edition book collectors, Louisa May Alcott lovers, fans of literary fiction and classic literature, and people who love both the book and the cinematic adaptations it inspired.Little Women, Louisa May Alcott's acclaimed novel, follows the March sisters Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth as they endure hardships, experience true love, and enjoy adventures in Civil War-era New England. This timeless story has been adored by generations of readers. With this simple enthralling tale, Louisa May Alcott has given us four of American literature's most beloved characters.This remarkable edition features: A beautiful high-end hardcover featuring Laci Fowler's distinctive hand-painted art, perfect for standing out on any discerning fiction-lover's bookshelf Embossed cover art and gold foiling? Decorative interior pages featuring pull quotes distributed throughout Matching ribbon marker and gold page edges Part of a 4-volume collection including Persuasion, Jane Eyre, and The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Why collect the Harper Muse Classics: Painted Editions? They make a beautiful display for your shelves or coffee table They're great gifts for Christmas, special occasions or graduations, and other gift-giving holidays They're wonderful additions to the personal libraries of book lovers, book collectors, teachers, professors, and librarians Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a title in the Harper Muse Classics: Painted Editions collection and is being released alongside Persuasion?(Jane Austen), Jane Eyre?(Charlotte Brontë), and The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Agatha Christie).

Read more less

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. 'The sea is everything. It covers seven tenths of the terrestrial globe. Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert, where man is never lonely, for he feels life stirring on all sides.' Scientist Pierre Aronnax and his colleagues set out on an expedition to find a strange sea monster and are captured by the infamous and charismatic Captain Nemo and taken abroad the Nautilus submarine as his prisoners. As they travel the world's oceans, they become embroiled in adventures and events beyond their wildest dreams. Visionary in its outlook, Vern's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a legendary science fiction masterpiece.

Read more less

With an Introduction and Notes by Michael Irwin, Professor of English Literature, University of Kent at Canterbury. The Diary of a Nobody is so unassuming a work that even its author, George Grossmith, seemed unaware that he had produced a masterpiece. For more than a century this wonderfully comic portrayal of suburban life and values has remained in print, a source of delight to generations of readers, and a major literary influence, much imitated but never equalled. If you don’t recognise yourself at some point in The Diary you are probably less than human. If you can read it without laughing aloud you have no sense of humour.

Read more less

With an Introduction by Alex Dolby. Translation by W.H.G. Kingston.Jules Verne (1828-1905) is internationally famous as the author of a distinctive series of adventure stories describing new travel technologies which opened up the world and provided means to escape from it. The collective enthusiasm of generations of readers of his 'extraordinary voyages' was a key factor in the rise of modern science fiction. In The Mysterious Island a group of men escape imprisonment during the American Civil War by stealing a balloon. Blown across the world, they are air-wrecked on a remote desert island. In a manner reminiscent of Robinson Crusoe, the men apply their scientific knowledge and technical skill to exploit the island's bountiful resources, eventually constructing a sophisticated society in miniature. The book is also an intriguing mystery story, for the island has a secret.

Read more less

Introduction and Notes by Ian F.A. Bell, Professor of English Literature, University of Keele. Washington Square marks the culmination of James's apprentice period as a novelist. With sharply focused attention upon just four principal characters, James provides an acute analysis of middle-class manners and behaviour in the New York of the 1870's, a period of great change in the life of the city. This change is explored through the device of setting the novel's action during the 1840s, similarly a period of considerable turbulence as the United States experienced the onset of rapid commercial and industrial expansion. Through the relationships between Austin Sloper, a celebrated physician, and his sister Lavinia Penniman, his daughter Catherine, and Catherine's suitor, Morris Townsend, James observes the contemporary scene as a site of competing styles and performances where authentic expression cannot be articulated or is subject to suppression.

Read more less

Revel in the magic of a Christmas tradition. The Nutcracker features the full text of Alexandre Dumas's "The History of a Nutcracker", the story that inspired the classic ballet. Lavishly illustrated with more than 100 vintage drawings from the nineteenth century, this beautifully designed book kindles the spirit of the holidays through its tale of an enchanted nutcracker made human one Christmas through the love of a young girl.

Read more less

The magical Peter Pan comes to the night nursery of the Darling children, Wendy, John and Michael. He teaches them to fly, then takes them through the sky to Never-Never Land, where they find wolves, Mermaids and... Pirates. The leader of the pirates is the sinister Captain Hook. His hand was bitten off by a crocodile, who, as Captain Hook explains 'liked me arm so much that he has followed me ever since, licking his lips for the rest of me'. After lots of adventures, the story reaches its exciting climax as Peter, Wendy and the children do battle with Captain Hook and his band. This edition also includes Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens which is the magical tale that first introduces Peter Pan, the little boy who never grows any older. He escapes his human form and flies to Kensington Gardens, where all his happy memories are, and meets the fairies, the thrushes, and Old Caw the crow. The fairies think he is too human to be allowed to stay in after Lock-out time, so he flies off to an island which divides the Gardens from the more grown-up Hyde Park - Peter's adventures, and how he eventually meets Mamie and the goat, are delightfully illustrated by Arthur Rackham.

Read more less

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. ‘Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.’ Arguably the greatest love story ever told, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet continues to touch modern audiences with its passionate depiction of the tragic romance between two young lovers. With a bitter feud between their respective families, Romeo and Juliet’s love is troubled from the start, and through their relationship, Shakespeare shows the fine line between love, hatred, comedy and tragedy.

Read more less

The second volume in Raymond E. Feist’s highly acclaimed epic fantasy Riftwar Saga With the Kingdom of the Isles at peace, Prince Arutha can at last look forward to marrying the Princess Anita in the city of Krondor. But the capital in the west harbours many shadows. When Jimmy the Hand, a young thief in the Guild of Mockers, upsets an assassination attempt on Arutha, a sinister plot is uncovered. As the dead rise and assassins stalk the darkness, Arutha must rally the Kingdom forces swiftly if he is to save his beautiful princess felled by a poisoned arrow on her wedding day, and prevent a madman from destroying Midkemia.

Read more less

The first book in the epic and bestselling series that has gripped millions. A hero will be forged from this broken land. As seen on Netflix and BBC around the world. In a land torn apart by conflict, an orphan boy has come of age. Raised by the Vikings, deadly enemies of his own Saxon people, Uhtred is a fierce and skilled warrior who kneels to no-one. Alfred – Saxon, king, man of god – fights to hold the throne of the only land still resisting the pagan northerners. Uhtred and Alfred’s fates are tangled, soaked in blood and blackened by the flames of war. Together they will change history.

Read more less

Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre is now available in a fine exclusive collector’s edition featuring beautiful cover art from artist Laci Fowler and distinctive interior treatments, making it ideal for fiction lovers and book collectors alike. Each collectible volume will be the perfect addition to any well-appointed library.The Harper Muse Classics: Painted Edition of Jane Eyre is perfect for special-edition book collectors, Charlotte Brontë lovers, fans of literary fiction and classic literature, and people who love both the book and the cinematic adaptations it inspired.Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë’s first published novel, centers on the title character as she struggles to escape the hardships of her childhood, eventually finding work as a governess at the sprawling Thornfield Hall. Her new life there is derailed when she falls in love with her mysterious employer, Mr. Rochester. Ahead of its time with its themes of feminism and religion, Jane Eyre is considered one of the greatest romance novels of all time.Whether you’re buying this as a gift or for yourself, this remarkable edition features: A beautiful high-end hardcover featuring Laci Fowler’s distinctive hand-painted art, perfect for standing out on any discerning fiction-lover’s bookshelf Embossed cover art and gold foiling Decorative interior pages featuring pull quotes distributed throughout Matching ribbon marker and gold page edges Part of a 4-volume collection including Persuasion, Little Women, and The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is a title in the Harper Muse Classics: Painted Editions collection and is being released alongside Persuasion?(Jane Austen), Little Women?(Louisa May Alcott), and The Mysterious Affair at Styles?(Agatha Christie).

Read more less

Edgar Allan Poe is credited with having pioneered the short story, having perfected the tale of psychological horror, and having revolutionised modern poetics. The entirety of Poe's body of imaginative work encompasses detective tales, satires, fables, fantasies, science fiction, verse dramas, and some of the most evocative poetry in the English language. This omnibus edition collects all of Poe's fiction and poetry in a single volume, including The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Pit and the Pendulum,." "The Raven," "Annabel Lee," the full-length novel "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket", and much more. The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe is part of Barnes & Noble's Leatherbound Classics. Each title in the series presents a classic work in an attractively designed edition bound in genuine bonded leather. These books make elegant additions to any home library.

Read more less

With an Introduction and Notes by Dr Sally Minogue, Department of English, Canterbury Christ Church University College. Based on Charlotte Brontë's personal experience as a teacher in Brussels, Villette is a moving tale of repressed feelings and subjection to cruel circumstance and position, borne with heroic fortitude. Rising above the frustrations of confinement within a rigid social order, it is also the story of a woman's right to love and be loved.

Read more less

Translated by Constance Garnett with an Introduction and Notes by Dr Keith Carabine, University of Kent at Canterbury. Crime and Punishment is one of the greatest and most readable novels ever written. From the beginning we are locked into the frenzied consciousness of Raskolnikov who, against his better instincts, is inexorably drawn to commit a brutal double murder. From that moment on, we share his conflicting feelings of self-loathing and pride, of contempt for and need of others, and of terrible despair and hope of redemption: and, in a remarkable transformation of the detective novel, we follow his agonised efforts to probe and confront both his own motives for, and the consequences of, his crime. The result is a tragic novel built out of a series of supremely dramatic scenes that illuminate the eternal conflicts at the heart of human existence: most especially our desire for self-expression and self-fulfilment, as against the constraints of morality and human laws; and our agonised awareness of the world's harsh injustices and of our own mortality, as against the mysteries of divine justice and immortality.

Read more less