Classics Books

Book SynopsisThe Financier (1912) is a novel by Theodore Dreiser. The first installment of Dreiser’s Trilogy of Desire, The Financier has endured as a classic of naturalist fiction and remains a powerful example of social critique over a century after its publication. Followed by The Titan (1914) and The Stoic (1947), The Financier captures the greed at the heart of the Gilded Age, a time when tycoons rose with total impunity to take over swaths of American industry. Based on the life of Charles Yerkes, an influential businessman who funded the development of railway systems in Chicago and London, The Financier is a masterpiece of twentieth century American literature that continues to resonate today. Born the son of a banker, Frank Cowperhood comes of age in a rapidly changing Philadelphia. Determined to make something at himself, he discovers his talent for purchasing goods at a low price in order to sell them for a profit to local stores. Eventually, he finds work at several local finance companies, gaining the trust of the local elite while enriching himself through dubious deals and schemes. Despite his young age, he marries a wealthy widow, cementing his status as a man of fortune. When he is caught up in an investigation into thefts from the city treasury, he is forced to rely on his hard-earned talent for grifting in order to keep himself out of prison. Through bribery, blackmail, and extortion—the means with which he made his way to the top—he attempts to lift himself from the depths of his own undoing. The Financier is a story of romance, greed, and betrayal that says as much about a single man as it does about the values of an entire society. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Theodore Dreiser’s The Financier is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Book SynopsisThe Heavenly Twins (1893) is a novel by Sarah Grand. Written the same year Grand moved to London, divorced her husband, and created a new identity for herself, The Heavenly Twins explores the feminist ideal of the New Woman. As a pioneering feminist whose marriage ended in bitter disappointment, Grand sought to address the frustrations of women whose every move in life was measured against the expectations of a patriarchal society. In her novel, she explores gender dysphoria, sexually transmitted diseases, and contraception as aspects of a wider feminine experience largely ignored in much of English literature. To be a young woman in Victorian England, one grows accustomed to the indignities of daily life. Despite this, Evadne, Angelica, and Edith do their best to live happily while keeping their families satisfied. Evadne struggles to match the realities of married life with the expectations of traditional society. Meanwhile, Edith enters a relationship with a man who seems well-intentioned but harbors a dangerous secret. Angelica, their friend, bristles against the strictures of womanhood. With the help of her twin brother Diavolo, she explores the freedoms afforded young men for nothing more than the gender they were assigned at birth. Dissatisfied with her life, she begins dressing as a man and uses her new identity to expand her social and romantic opportunities. As their lives take tragic and disappointing turns, they begin to understand how so many women end up trapped by marriage and motherhood, unable to pursue their dreams. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Sarah Grand’s The Heavenly Twins is a classic work of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Book SynopsisSanshirō (1908) is a novel by Natsume Sōseki. Inspired by the author’s experience as a student from the countryside who moved to Tokyo, Sanshirō is a story of family, growth, and identity that captures the isolation and humor of adjusting to life on one’s own. Recognized as a powerful story by generations of readers, Sanshirō is a classic novel from one of Japan’s most successful twentieth century writers. Raised on the island of Kyushu, Sanshirō Ogawa excels in high school and earns the chance to continue his studies at the University of Tokyo. On his way there, he naively accepts an invitation to share a room with a young woman in Nagoya, realizing only too late that she has other things than sleep in mind. As he adjusts to life in the big city, he finds himself stumbling into more uncomfortable situations with women, radical political figures, and interfering colleagues, all of which shape his sense of identity while teaching him the value of trust, courage, and self-respect. While he misses his family and friends in Kyushu, Sanshirō learns to value his newfound independence, forming friendships that will last a lifetime. Sanshirō proves a gifted student but struggles to understand the intricacies of academic life. As he begins a relationship with the lovely Mineko, he begins to doubt his ability to defy tradition. Will he return home to raise a family in Kyushu, or remain in Tokyo to chart a path of his own? Eminently human, Sanshirō is a beloved story of isolation, morality, and conflict from a master of Japanese fiction. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Natsume Sōseki’s Sanshirō is a classic work of Japanese literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Book SynopsisWormwood (1890) is a novel by Marie Corelli. Published at the beginning of Corelli’s career as one of the most successful writers of her generation, Wormwood combines realism, social commentary, and family drama to tell a story of murder, revenge, and addiction set in the bustling city of Paris. Due for reassessment by a modern audience, Marie Corelli’s work—which has inspired several adaptations for film and theater—is a must read for fans of nineteenth century fiction. “Men such as ‘Gaston Beauvais’ are to be met with every day in Paris—and not only in Paris, but in every part of the Continent where the Curse, which forms the subject of this story, has any sort of sway. The morbidness of the modern French mind is well known […]; the open atheism, heartlessness, flippancy, and flagrant immorality of the whole modern French school of thought is unquestioned.” Intended as a rallying cry to English readers, Wormwood states quite clearly Corelli’s beliefs on progressivism and the dangers of alcohol. Echoing the popular realist novels of French contemporary Emile Zola, Corelli provides a gritty portrait of ambition and suffering in Paris. When young Gaston Beauvais is betrayed by his fiancée and best friend, he turns from a life of promise to the promise of absinthe, beginning a tragic spiral into violence and despair. Addressing philosophical, psychological, and religious themes, Wormwood is a moving work of fiction which asks important questions about an emerging modern world. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Marie Corelli’s Wormwood is a classic work of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Book SynopsisThe Child of Pleasure (1889) is a novel by Gabriele D’Annunzio. The first in a series of three novels exploring the lives of the Italian bourgeoisie, The Child of Pleasure marked a shift in D’Annunzio’s early writing, which consisted of poems in the Symbolist tradition. Considered a central text of Italian Decadentism, the novel has earned comparisons to the work of Oscar Wilde and Joris-Karl Huysmans. “The next evening, he arrived at the palace a few minutes earlier than usual, with a wonderful gardenia in his button-hole and a vague uneasiness in his mind. His coupé had to stop in front of the entrance, the portico being occupied by another carriage, from which a lady was alighting. The liveries, the horses, the ceremonial which accompanied her arrival all proclaimed a great position. The Count caught a glimpse of a tall and graceful figure, a scintillation of diamonds in dark hair and a slender foot on the step.” From his home at the Palazzo Zuccari, Andrea Sperelli leads a life in pursuit of beauty, pleasure, and women. When an ex-lover returns to Rome following the breakdown of her marriage, he loses interest in his numerous affairs and longs to regain her love. But the past proves difficult to forget, the memories of betrayal and unhappiness no less painful after so many years apart. Wounded in a duel, Andrea is taken to a rural village to recuperate. There, he meets the beautiful Maria, who seems to promise a life of love and friendship. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Gabriele D’Annunzio’s The Child of Pleasure is a classic work of Italian literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Book SynopsisThe Flame (1900) is a novel by Gabriele D’Annunzio. Inspired by the author’s interpretation of the work of Friedrich Nietzsche and Walter Pater, The Flame is a semi-autobiographical account of the end of D’Annunzio’s relationship with famed actress Eleonora Dusa. Considered a central text of Italian Decadentism, the novel has earned comparisons to the work of Oscar Wilde and Joris-Karl Huysmans. “With an all-comprehensive glance, she looked around at all the beauty of this last twilight of September. In the dark wells of her eyes were reflected the circles of light made by the oar as it flashed in the water, which was illuminated by the glittering angels that shone from afar on the campaniles of San Marco and San Giorgio Maggiore.” Venice, a symbol of the Renaissance, is changing. The churches and canals of old remain, but an era of cultural achievement is coming to a close. As the public anticipates the death of legendary composer Richard Wagner, who has taken to his deathbed at the palace of Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, Stelio Effrena dreams of establishing his reputation as one of Italy’s greatest poets. Filled with theories of art and philosophies of life, possessing an undeniable mastery of language, he nevertheless feels uninspired by his muse, the aging actress La Foscarina. Meditative and introspective, The Flame has attracted praise for its portrayal of nineteenth century Venice, a city seemingly lost in time. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Gabriele D’Annunzio’s The Flame is a classic work of Italian literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Book SynopsisNinety-Three (1874) is the final novel of Victor Hugo. As a work of historical fiction, the story is set during the period of conflict between the newly formed French Republic and the Royalists who sought to reverse the gains of the revolution. Praised for its morality and honest depiction of the horrors of war, Ninety-Three influenced such wide-ranging political thinkers as Joseph Stalin and Ayn Rand. “The soldiers forced cautiously. Everything was in full bloom; they were surrounded by a quivering wall of branches, whose leaves diffused a delicious freshness. Here and there sunbeams pierced these green shades.” Advancing through the countryside, a band of Republican soldiers discovers a family of refugees, a mother and two children who fled for their lives during the insurrection of Royalists in Brittany. Taken in, they are swept up in an attack by the merciless Marquis de Lantenac, a counterrevolutionary leader who has just landed with a unit of Royalist troops. Separated from her children, Michelle is protected by a local beggar who hides her from Lantenac and his men. Meanwhile, Robespierre, Marat, and Danton have sent Commander Gauvain from Paris to stamp out the Royalist threat in Brittany, knowing all too well that Lantenac is his distant relative. As families are torn apart in the name of political struggle, as mercy gives way to death and betrayal, Hugo examines the human cost of war without losing sight of the gravity of the historical moment. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Victor Hugo’s Ninety-Three is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Book SynopsisToilers of the Sea (1866) is a novel by Victor Hugo. Written while Hugo was living in exile on the island of Guernsey, Toilers of the Sea is a story of adventure that expresses the everyday struggles of a fool in love while capturing the changes wrought by political and economic revolution in Europe. “Gilliatt lived in the parish of St. Sampson. He was not liked by his neighbours; and there were reasons for that fact.” Viewed as an outsider by the seafaring community of Guernsey, Gilliat lives alone in a house deemed haunted, though no one would dare visit him anyway. Despite his skill as a fisherman, the townspeople claim he is a malevolent sorcerer, all but condemning him to a life of total seclusion. In love with the niece of a prominent shipowner, he volunteers to salvage what he can from a vessel that was wrecked some distance from the coast. Braving the elements and coming face to face with a vicious octopus, Gilliatt seizes his only chance at escaping his lonely circumstances, at finding love at last. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Victor Hugo’s Toilers of the Sea is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Book SynopsisIn its first modern translation, a novel-cum-memoir of a Frenchman’s erotic awakening in Italy by a preeminent writer of the Romantic period In 1812 Alphonse de Lamartine, a young man of means, traveled through southern Italy, where, during a sojourn in Naples, he fell in love with a young woman who worked in a cigar factory—and whose death after he returned to France would haunt him throughout his writing life. Graziella, Lamartine called this lost girl in his poetry and memoirs—and also in Graziella, a novel that closely follows the story of his own romance.“When I was eighteen,” the narrator begins, as if penning his memoir, “my family entrusted me to the care of a relative whose business affairs called her to Tuscany.” The tale that unfolds, of the young man’s amorous experiences amid the natural grandeur and subtle splendors of the Italian countryside, is one of the finest works of fiction in the French Romantic tradition, a bildungsroman that is also a melancholy portrait of the artist as a young man discovering the muse who would both inspire and elude him.Remarkable for its contemplative prose, its dreamy passions and seductive drawing of the Italian landscape, and its place in the Romantic canon, Graziella is a timeless portrait of love, chronicling the remorse and the misguided ideals of youth that find their expression, if not their amends, in art.Trade Review"In a new translation and with contextual notes and an introduction by MacKenzie, Lamartine's story comes to us afresh." —Kirkus ReviewsTable of ContentsTranslator’s IntroductionRaymond N. MackenzieGraziellaChronologyAppendix from Lamartine’s Mémoires inédits, 1790–1815Translator’s Notes

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Book SynopsisA new annotated translation of the keystone of Balzac’s Comédie Humaine—a sweeping narrative of corrupted idealism in a cynical urban milieu Lost Illusions is an essential text within Balzac’s Comédie Humaine, his sprawling, interconnected fictional portrait of French society in the 1820s and 1830s comprising nearly one hundred novels and short stories. This novel, published in three parts between 1837 and 1843, tells the story of Lucien de Rubempré, a talented young poet who leaves behind a scandalous provincial life for the shallow, corrupt, and cynical vortex of modernity that was nineteenth-century Paris—where his artistic idealism slowly dissipates until he eventually decides to return home. Balzac poured many of his thematic preoccupations and narrative elaborations into Lost Illusions, from the contrast between life in the provinces and the all-consuming world of Paris to the idealism of poets, the commodification of art, the crushing burden of poverty and debt, and the triumphant cynicism of hack journalists and social climbers. The novel teems with characters, incidents, and settings, though perhaps none so vivid as its panoramic and despairing view of Paris as the nexus of modernity’s cultural, social, and moral infection. For Balzac, no institution better illustrates the new reality than Parisian journalism: “amoral, hypocritical, brazen, dishonest, and murderous,” he writes. In this new translation, Raymond N. MacKenzie brilliantly captures the tone of Balzac’s incomparable prose—a style that is alternatingly impassioned, overheated, angry, moving, tender, wistful, digressive, chatty, intrusive, and hectoring. His informative annotations guide the modern reader through the labyrinth of Balzac’s allusions. Trade Review"Whether or not Lost Illusions counts as the greatest novel ever written, as the literary scholar Franco Moretti claims, it’s a pretty magnificent one. You can read it for its combination of social scope and psychological insight, and for its cinematically vivid portraits of faces . . . and many fine phrases. . . . And then you can read Lost Illusions, as Marx read Balzac, for its account of the double-edged nature of early capitalism."—Benjamin Kunkel, Salon"Reading Balzac, one can experience that sauntering pace and steady gaze that our forebears gave to their surroundings, speculations, and soul-searching. It's as with reading Hugo and Dumas, Thackeray and Dickens, George Eliot and Flaubert."—Pop Matters"Among the pleasures of the novel is how neatly it is tied into the times, from some of the events of the times to, especially, the worlds of literature and theater. Balzac bases several of his characters on real figures, too, and MacKenzie's helpful endnotes succinctly place the who and what."—The Complete Review"Between Lost Illusions and Lost Souls, in two hefty, handsome paperbacks—with scholarly trimmings to help, not impede a reader—we now have both of the novels (technically all seven novels in a trilogy followed by a tetralogy… published between 1837 and 1847 in not entirely chronological order… because Balzac?) tracing the fate of Lucien de Rubempre, in print as though they belong together, on your to-be-read lists and your shelves. They are a remarkable itinerary."—LitHub"Now we are treated to a handsomely produced, new annotated version by Raymond N. MacKenzie, a prolific translator of 19th century French Literature who knows Balzac well, as his instructive introduction amply shows. "—MetamorphosesTable of ContentsContents Translator’s IntroductionRaymond N. MackenzieLost Illusions1. The Two Poets2. The Parisian Adventures of a Great Man from the Provinces3. The Ordeals of an InventorIntroduction: The Sorrowful Confessions of a Child of the CenturyPart One. The History of a Legal CasePart Two. The Fatal Member of the FamilyTranslator’s Notes

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Book SynopsisThe first new translation of Balzac’s 1847 novel Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes in half a century, fully annotated and with an extensive introduction In Lost Souls, Honoré de Balzac’s brilliant evocation of nineteenth-century Paris, we enter a world of glittering wealth and grinding poverty, teeming with strivers, poseurs, and pleasure seekers along with those who struggle merely to survive. Between the heights of Parisian society and the criminal world lurking underneath, fate is about to catch up with Lucien de Rubempré, last seen in Lost Illusions, as his literary aspirations, his love for the courtesan Esther van Gobseck, and his scheme to marry the wealthy Clotilde become entangled in the cunning and ultimately disastrous ambitions of the Abbé Herrera, a villain for the ages. An extraordinary volume in Balzac’s vast Human Comedy (in which he endeavored to capture all of society), Lost Souls appears here in its first new English translation in half a century. Keenly attuned to the acerbic charm and subtleties of Balzac’s prose, this edition also includes an introduction presenting thorough biographical, literary, and historical context, as well as extensive notes throughout the text—an invaluable resource for today’s readers as they navigate Balzac’s copious allusions to classical and contemporaneous politics and literature.Trade Review"Beautifully written."—Book Post"Between Lost Illusions and Lost Souls, in two hefty, handsome paperbacks—with scholarly trimmings to help, not impede a reader—we now have both of the novels (technically all seven novels in a trilogy followed by a tetralogy… published between 1837 and 1847 in not entirely chronological order… because Balzac?) tracing the fate of Lucien de Rubempre, in print as though they belong together, on your to-be-read lists and your shelves. They are a remarkable itinerary."—LitHub"Here’s a gift to the world literature in English that keeps on giving: Raymond Mackenzie keeps making fine translations of Balzac’s huge, great novels and the University of Minnesota Press keeps publishing them in the same handsome format: after Lost Illusions, Lost Souls. They have given us convincing, eminently readable versions of Balzac. "—David Ball, METAMORPHOSES

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Book SynopsisA masterpiece of nineteenth-century literature in a fresh translation that fully captures the language, psychology, and social reach of Stendhal’s original Fueled with a combustible mix of ambition, naivete, and Napoleonic ideals, Julien Sorel sets his sights on the heights of French society. But for the son of a provincial carpenter in post-Napoleonic France, the prospects for advancement are vanishingly narrow, the chances for glory rarer yet. After securing a toehold as a tutor to a wealthy family, Julien proceeds through a series of misadventures, illicit affairs, and lucky reversals to breach the ranks of French aristocracy—only to be undone by treasonous schemes, cynical romantic calculations, and an unexpectedly genuine and ultimately disastrous passion.Shocking at the time of its original publication, startling in its relevance today, Stendhal’s masterpiece is a scorching social satire, a remarkably detailed portrait of a fraught moment in history and, as perhaps the first psychological novel, a brilliant precursor to modern literature at once comical and tragic, cerebral and passionate. This new translation faithfully reproduces the nimble wit, emotional depth, and social acuity of Stendhal’s text. Distinguished translator Raymond N. MacKenzie includes an extensive introduction to Stendhal’s world and time, as well as copious annotations that explain allusions and terms for the modern reader.Trade Review "Despite being written and set in the 19th century, Red and Black has all the hallmarks of a modern novel. Stendhal enjoys recounting his young protagonist’s adventures, and that enjoyment is contagious. Raymond Mackenzie makes good use of his Translator’s Introduction and the copious end-notes to explain historical details, point out Stendhal’s propensity to invent and falsely attribute chapter epigraphs, and educate the reader on the nuances of language. "—On the Seawall "An elegant stylist and thoughtful critic, MacKenzie has an excellent ear for what makes Stendhal’s dry-as-extra-brut-champagne style so effective as a deglazing liquid."—Rain Taxi Table of ContentsContentsTranslator’s Introduction. Chronicling the Nineteenth Century: Stendhal, Politics, and the NovelRaymond N. MacKenzieRed and BlackPublisher’s NoteBook IBook IINotes

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Book SynopsisThe second volume in the Nobel Prize–winning writer’s epic of medieval Norway, finely capturing Undset’s fluid, natural style in a new English translation, the first in nearly a century As Norway moves into the fourteenth century, the kingdom continues to be racked by political turmoil and bloody family vendettas that serve as the backdrop for Sigrid Undset’s masterful story about Olav Audunssøn and Ingunn Steinfinnsdatter. Betrothed as children and raised as foster siblings, their unbridled love for each other sets in motion a series of dire events—with a legacy of betrayal, murder, and disgrace that will echo for generations. In Providence, the second of Olav Audunssøn’s four volumes, Olav settles in at his ancestral estate of Hestviken and soon brings Ingunn home as his wife. Both hope to put their troubles behind them as they start a new life together, but the crimes and shameful secrets of the past have a long reach and a tenacious hold. The consequences of sin, suspicion, and familial obligations may prove a greater threat to the pair’s happiness than even their long years of separation.Set in a time when royalty and religion vie for power, and bloodlines and loyalties are effectively law, Providence summons a powerful picture of Northern life in the medieval era, as the Swedish Academy noted in awarding Undset the Nobel Prize. Conveying both the intimate drama of Olav and Ingunn’s marriage and the epic sweep of their story, it is at once a moving and vivid recreation of a vanished world tainted by bloodshed and haunted by sin and retribution. As with her classic Kristin Lavransdatter, Sigrid Undset immersed herself in legal, religious, and historical writings to create in Olav Audunssøn an astoundingly authentic and compelling portrait of Norwegian life in the Middle Ages. And as in her translation of Kristin Lavransdatter, Tiina Nunnally does full justice to Undset’s fluid prose. Undset’s writing style is by turns straightforward and delicately lyrical, conveying the natural world, the complex culture, and the fraught emotional territory against which Olav’s story inexorably unfolds.Table of ContentsContentsTranslator’s NoteMap of Olav and Ingunn’s NorwayGenealogy and KinshipOlav Audunssøn’s HappinessHoly Days and Canonical HoursNotes

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Book SynopsisThe third volume in the Nobel Prize–winning writer’s epic story of medieval Norway, finely capturing Undset’s fluid, natural style in the first English translation in nearly a century In the early fourteenth century, Norway is a kingdom in political turmoil, struggling with opposing forces within its own borders and drawn into strife with neighboring Sweden and Denmark. Bloody family vendettas and conflicting loyalties sparked by the irrepressible passion of a boy and his foster sister (also his betrothed) have now set in motion a series of terrible consequences—with a legacy of betrayal, murder, and disgrace that will echo down through the generations. Crossroads, the third of Olav Audunssøn’s four volumes, finds Olav heartbroken by loss and further estranged from his son. To escape his grief, Olav leaves his home estate of Hestviken and agrees to serve as captain on a small merchant ship headed to London. There, separated from everything familiar to him, Olav begins a visionary journey that will send him far into the forest and deep into his soul. Questioning past decisions and future plans, Olav must grapple with his own perceptions of love and guilt, sin and penitence, vengeance and forgiveness. Set in a time and place where royalty and religion vie for power, and bloodlines and loyalties are law, Crossroads summons a powerful picture of Northern life in medieval times, as the Swedish Academy noted in awarding Sigrid Undset the Nobel Prize in 1928. Conveying both the intimate drama and epic sweep of Olav’s story as grief and guilt drive him to ever more desperate action, Crossroads is a moving and masterly re-creation of a vanished world tainted by bloodshed and haunted by sin and retribution. As with Kristin Lavransdatter, her earlier medieval epic, Undset immersed herself in the legal, religious, and historical documents of the time while writing Olav Audunssøn to create astoundingly authentic and compelling portraits of Norwegian life in the Middle Ages. And as in her translation of Kristin Lavransdatter, Tiina Nunnally does full justice to Undset’s natural, fluid prose, in a style that delicately and lyrically conveys the natural world, the complex culture, and the fraught emotional territory against which Olav’s story inexorably unfolds.Trade Review "Engrossing... Fans of well-researched historical epics ought to check this out."—Publishers Weekly "[Undset] is also a master of evoking a vanished way of life and, above all, of nature’s vitality, of weather, of land- and seascapes, exhilarating images that freshen a story that is deeply tinctured with anguish and uncertainty. "—Star Tribune "These books are so well written and so beautifully translated that the reader is pulled into the story and brought along on the journey. We don’t feel like observers, but participants."—Looking for a Good Book "Undset describes the harsh life in the far north—its formidable sea, bone-chilling winters, and breathtaking landscape—in poetic evocative language, splendidly translated."—Historical Novel Society

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Book SynopsisA fresh and vivid translation of Flaubert’s influential bildungsroman Gustave Flaubert conceived Sentimental Education, his final complete novel, as the history of his own generation, one that failed to fulfill the promise of the Revolution of 1848. Published a few months before the start of the 1870 Franco–Prussian War, it offers both a sweeping panorama of French society over three decades and an intimate bildungsroman of a young man from a small town who arrives in Paris when protests against the monarchy are increasing. The novel’s protagonist, Frédéric Moreau, alternates between aimlessness and ambition as he searches for a meaningful life through love affairs and republican politics. Flaubert’s narrative includes scenes of high drama, as scattered protests across Paris swell into revolution, and quiet moments of self-aware romanticism, crafting a story that possesses the sweep and scope of a historical novel combined with deep emotion and scandalous intimacy. Suffused with tragedy and the poignancy of lost chances and wasted lives, Sentimental Education is sharpened by satirical observations of what Flaubert condemned as the Second Empire’s endemic hypocrisy and willful blindness. This vibrant, new translation by Raymond N. MacKenzie includes an extensive critical introduction and annotations to help the modern reader appreciate Flaubert’s achievement. Sentimental Education intertwines the personal, the intimate, and the subjective with the political, social, and cultural, embedding Frédéric’s story in the larger arc of what Flaubert saw as France’s decline into mediocrity and imbecility in its politics and manners.

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Book SynopsisThe fourth and final volume in the Nobel Prize–winning writer’s epic of one man’s fateful life in medieval Norway Set in thirteenth-century Norway, a land racked by political turmoil, bloody family vendettas, and rising tensions between secular powers and an ascendant church, Sigrid Undset’s spellbinding masterpiece now follows the fortunes of Olav Audunssøn to the final, dramatic chapter of his life as it unfolds in Winter, the last volume of the tetralogy. When the orphaned Olav and his foster sister Ingunn became betrothed in their youth, a chain of events was set in motion that eventually led to violence, banishment, and a family separation lasting years. The consequences fracture their marriage and threaten the lineage for generations. Now, at the end of his life, Olav continues to grapple with the guilt of his sins as he watches his children, especially Eirik, make disastrous choices and struggle to find their rightful place in a family haunted by the past. With its precise details and sweeping vision, Olav Audunssøn summons a powerful picture of Northern life in medieval times, as noted by the Swedish Academy in awarding Undset the Nobel Prize in 1928. Conveying both the intimate drama and the epic proportions of Olav’s story at its conclusion, Winter is a moving and masterly recreation of a vanished world tainted by bloodshed and haunted by sin and retribution—yet one that might still offer a chance for redemption. As with Kristin Lavransdatter, her earlier medieval epic, Sigrid Undset wrote Olav Audunssøn after immersive research in the legal, religious, and historical writings of the time to create an astoundingly authentic and compelling portrait of Norwegian life in the Middle Ages. And as in her translation of Kristin Lavransdatter, Tiina Nunnally does full justice to Undset’s natural, fluid prose—in a style by turns plainspoken and delicately lyrical—to convey the natural world, the complex culture, and the fraught emotional territory against which Olav’s story inexorably unfolds. Trade Review "An enjoyable read if you are looking for medieval period historical fiction. The characters and story are memorable and the prose easy reading and yet descriptive."—Nicki Markus Table of Contents Contents Translator’s Note Map of Olav Audunssøn’s Norway Genealogy and Kinship Part I. Winter Arrives Part II. The Avenging Son Holy Days and Canonical Hours Notes

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Book SynopsisThis novel is a designedly political document. Written at the time of the Hastings impeachment and set in the period of Hastings’s Orientalist government, Hartly House, Calcutta (1789) represents a dramatic delineation of the Anglo-Indian encounter. The novel constitutes a significant intervention in the contemporary debate concerning the nature of Hastings’s rule of India by demonstrating that it was characterised by an atmosphere of intellectual sympathy and racial tolerance. Within a few decades the Evangelical and Anglicising lobbies frequently condemned Brahmans as devious beneficiaries of a parasitic priestcraft, but Phebe Gibbes’s portrayal of Sophia’s Brahman and the religion he espouses represent a perception of India dignified by a sympathetic and tolerant attempt to dispel prejudice.Trade Review‘An entertaining account of Calcutta … These letters indeed are written with a degree of vivacity which renders them very amusing’ Mary Wollstonecraft‘one of the earliest British novels of India of a transcultural love affair between the heroine Sophia Goldborne and a young Brahman. Although positively reviewed by Mary Wollstonecraft, as “an animated picture of Eastern manners”, it soon vanished from literary history; only recently has it begun to arouse the interest of students of 18th-century colonial literature … Michael Franklin has done a splendid job editing the novel, with a full introductory essay and explanatory notes, thereby making it available to researchers, students, and the general reader. The republication of Hartly House, Calcutta will add a new dimension to our understanding of 18th-century literature and early British India.’ Nigel Leask, Regius Professor of English, University of Glasgow'The explanatory notes and introduction are both valuable for contextualizing the novel for casual readers, as well as providing pedagogical resources for classroom use.’The Early Modern Women Journal -- .Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsNote on the TextIntroductionHARTLY HOUSE, CALCUTTAVolume IVolume IIVolume IIIExplanatory NotesSelect Bibliography

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Book Synopsis***A BOOK CLUB PICK FROM THE QUEEN CONSORT'S READING ROOM*** Now a major film, starring Leslie Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Jason Isaacs and Lucas Bravo 'Mrs Harris is one of the great creations of fiction - so real that you feel you know her, yet truly magical as well. I can never have enough of her' Justine Picardie 'It is almost impossible not to succumb to Gallico's spell' Times Literary Supplement Mrs Harris is a salt-of-the-earth London charlady who cheerfully cleans the houses of the rich. One day, when tidying Lady Dant's wardrobe, she comes across the most beautiful thing she has ever seen in her life - a Dior dress. In all the years of her drab and humble existence, she's never seen anything as magical as the dress before her and she's never wanted anything as much before. Determined to make her dream come true, Mrs Harris scrimps, saves and slaves away until one day, after three long, uncomplaining years, she finally has enough money to go to Paris. When she arrives at the House of Dior, Mrs Harris has little idea of how her life is about to be turned upside down and how many other lives she will transform forever. Always kind, always cheery and always winsome, the indomitable Mrs Harris takes Paris by storm and learns one of life's greatest lessons along the way.Trade ReviewMrs Harris is one of the great creations of fiction - so real that you feel you know her, yet truly magical as well. I can never have enough of her -- JUSTINE PICARDIEIt is almost impossible not to succumb to Gallico's spell * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *'Wherever she goes Mrs. Harris seems to sprinkle fairy dust over those she meets. YET she's very realistically drawn and the book is fraught with painful setbacks ... In the end Mrs. Harris' yearning for the dress is secondary. The friendships that are made because of her quest are what change her life forever. This book was a delight from start to finish' * Worthwhilebooks.blogspot *‘A heartwarming, engaging novelette' * Bookmark *

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Book SynopsisThe Warden introduces us to the lives of some of the most beloved characters in all 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 has an introduction by Margaret Drabble and illustrations by F. C. Tilney.Scandal strikes the peaceful cathedral town of Barchester when Septimus Harding, the warden of charitable foundation Hiram’s Hospital, is accused of financial wrongdoing. A kindly and naive man, he finds himself caught between the forces of entrenched tradition and radical reform amid the burgeoning materialism of Britain in the 1850s. The deeply insightful portrayals of figures such as the booming Archdeacon Grantly and the beautiful Eleanor Harding are at the heart of this moving and deliciously comical tale. The Warden launched the enduringly popular Barsetshire Chronicles series of six novels and won Anthony Trollope a seat in the pantheon of great literary figures.Trade ReviewThe brilliance of Trollope’s storytelling lies in his ability to twist and turn your allegiances as a reader, page by page . . . It is a brilliantly spun story, and its central themes are as urgent as ever -- Michael Symmons Roberts * Guardian *A master of the mock epic . . . Trollope is that rare thing: a strong writer with a trustworthy imagination -- Adam Gopnik * New Yorker *

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Book SynopsisA pioneer of the Romantic movement, William Wordsworth wrote about the natural world and human emotion with a clarity of language which revolutionized poetry. 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 has an introduction by Peter Harness.Selected Poems brings together some of Wordsworth’s most acclaimed and influential works, including an extract from his magnus opus, The Prelude, alongside shorter poems such as ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’, ‘To a Skylark’ and ‘Tintern Abbey’. Wordsworth’s poems, often written at his home in Grasmere in the beautiful English Lake District, are lyrical evocations of nature and of spirituality. They have a force and clarity of language akin to everyday speech which was truly groundbreaking.Trade ReviewWordsworth is a figure of supreme interest -- James Fenton * New York Times *He has done more for the sanity of his generation than any other writer -- Ralph Waldo EmersonWordsworth may be trusted as a guide in everything -- John RuskinThe intrepidity with which Wordsworth explored his own inner life and the generosity with which he shared it remain more than convincing: even now, they continue to define the highest aspirations of modern poetry -- Adam Kirsch * New Yorker *Table of ContentsIntroduction - i: Introduction Section - 1: ‘My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold’ Section - 2: We Are Seven Section - 3: ‘Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known’ Section - 4: ‘She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways’ Section - 5: ‘I Travelled Among Unknown Men’ Section - 6: ‘Yes! Thou Art Fair, Yet Be Not Moved’ Section - 7: Address to My Infant Daughter, Dora Section - 8: Airey- Force Valley Section - 9: Yew- Trees Section - 10: Nutting Section - 11: ‘She Was a Phantom of Delight’ Section - 12: To the Cuckoo Section - 13: ‘A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal’ Section - 14: ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ Section - 15: Resolution and Independence Section - 16: The Thorn Section - 17: Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey Section - 18: ‘It Is No Spirit Who From Heaven Hath Flown’ Section - 19: French Revolution Section - 20: To A Skylark Section - 21: To Sleep Section - 22: To Sleep Section - 23: To Sleep Section - 24: The Infant M— M— Section - 25: ‘Surprised by Joy – Impatient as the Wind’ Section - 26: ‘Methought I Saw the Footsteps of a Throne’ Section - 27: ‘It is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free’ Section - 28: ‘The World Is Too Much With Us’ Section - 29: Composed Upon Westminster Bridge Section - 30: To—, in Her Seventieth Year Section - 31: The Solitary Reaper Section - 32: At the Grave of Burns Section - 33: Calais Section - 34: To Toussaint L’Ouverture Section - 35: September 1, 1802 Section - 36: Written in London, September, 1802 Section - 37: London, 1802 Section - 38: ODE Section - 39: Incident at Brugès Section - 40: Aix-la-Chapelle Section - 41: Mutability Section - 42: ‘The Sun Has Long Been Set’ Section - 43: Expostulation and Reply Section - 44: The Tables Turned Section - 45: Lines Written in Early Spring Section - 46: To My Sister Section - 47: Simon Lee Section - 48: A Poet’s Epitaph Section - 49: The Two April Mornings Section - 50: The Fountain Section - 51: A Night Thought Section - 52: SONNET Section - 53: To a Child Section - 54: PRELUDE Section - 55: The Two Thieves Section - 56: ‘There Is a Bondage Worse, Far Worse, To Bear’ Section - 57: Elegiac Stanzas Section - 58: Intimations of Immortality Section - 59: The Prelude: Book I Section - 60: The Prelude: Book II Index - ii: Index of First Lines

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Book SynopsisTaking its title from the strangely frozen picture by the surrealist painter Giorgio de Chirico, The Enigma of Arrival tells the story of a young Indian from the Caribbean arriving in post-imperial England and consciously, over many years, finding himself as a writer. 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 introduced by Harvard Professor, Maya Jasanoff.The Enigma of Arrival is the story of a journey, from one place to another, from the British colony of Trinidad to the ancient countryside of England, and from one state of mind to another. Finding depth in the smallest moments – the death of a cottager, the firing of an estate’s gardener – V. S. Naipaul also comprehends the bigger picture, as the old world is lost and the English landscape is changed by the march of ‘progress’. This is a moving and beautiful novel told with great dignity, compassion and candour.Trade ReviewWritten with the expected beauty of style . . . Instead of diminishing life, Naipaul ennobles it -- Anthony BurgessThe conclusion is both heart-breaking and bracing: the only antidote to destruction – of dreams, of reality – is remembering. As eloquently as anyone now writing, Naipaul remembers * Times *A wonderful book . . . a magical book * Independent *

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Book SynopsisCats, be they much loved pets or inscrutable creatures, lend themselves to stories and literary invention. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning pocket size classics. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is edited by anthologist, editor and literary agent Becky Brown.Classic Cat Stories is a beautiful anthology that includes fairy tales and fables from the likes of Rudyard Kipling and Charles Perrault as well as comic tales from Saki and E. F. Benson. Cats, of course, have always had a dark and mysterious side which is explored to chilling effect by the likes of Edgar Allan Poe in The Black Cat and H. P. Lovecraft in The Cats of Ulthar. But above all, we love them and you’ll find here stories about all kinds of cats that tug at the heartstrings and which celebrate their curious ways.

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Book SynopsisFrom the grit of a frontier man’s dog, from pampered lapdog to wayward mongrel, from faithful guard dog to strong willed pet they’re all here in Classic Dog Stories – the perfect gift for dog lovers everywhere.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning pocket size classics. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is edited by anthologist Ned Halley.In this entertaining collection, dogs of all kinds are brought to life. Working dogs, dogs who are mistreated by humans, dogs who save lives and the ones that make us laugh; they all leap and bound on the page in stories by our most accomplished writers, including Mark Twain, Virginia Woolf, Jack London and Jerome K. Jerome.

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