Classics Books

Book Synopsis'Discovering Eva Ibbotson’s books is one of the nicest things that’s ever happened to me. The most beautiful, delicious, wry read' – Marian KeyesCurl up with a collection of romantic short stories taking you from nineteenth-century Vienna, over the wild moors of Northumberland to the snowy streets of pre-revolutionary St Petersberg. A collection of eighteen romantic short stories from the award-winning and much-loved Eva Ibbotson, A Glove Shop in Vienna will show you the great passions and astute observations of everyday life. Join Great-Uncle Max, torn between his grand and secret love for Susie, the enchanting glove shop assistant, and the devotion of his opera-singing wife. Meet Miss Bennett, drama mistress at the fading Markham Street Primary School, whose search for a baby Jesus for the nativity play yields unexpected and miraculous results. And agonise with Kira, a dancer in Russia's Imperial Ballet school, thrown out onto the streets of St. Petersburg, and found by Edwin, a lonely dreamer. A chocolate-box collection of deliciously romantic, atmospheric and witty stories to lose yourself in this Christmas.'Eva Ibbotson is such a good writer that her characters break the bonds of the romantic novel' Washington PostTrade ReviewEva Ibbotson is such a good writer that her characters break the bonds of the romantic novel. * Washington Post Book Review *Discovering Eva Ibbotson’s books is one of the nicest things that’s ever happened to me. The most beautiful, delicious, wry read -- Marian KeyesThis lovely collection of short stories are typical of Ibbotson’s novels. They’re full of giddy romance, soul-stirring description of Old Vienna, handsome and intriguing men and girls who have a lot of feelings. Absolute bliss in other words! -- Sarra Manning * Red online *The late Ibbotson's words live on in this atmospheric collection of wintery short stories. Lonely dreamers, ballerinas and a Christmas angel. * The i newspaper *Her books are utterly delightful * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisA classic of modern travel writing, An Area of Darkness is Nobel laureate V. S. Naipaul’s profound reckoning with his ancestral homeland.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 internationally acclaimed author Paul Theroux.Traveling from the bureaucratic morass of Bombay to the ethereal beauty of Kashmir, from a sacred ice cave in the Himalayas to an abandoned temple near Madras, Naipaul encounters a dizzying cross-section of humanity: browbeaten government workers and imperious servants, a suavely self-serving holy man and a deluded American religious seeker. An Area of Darkness also abounds with Naipaul’s strikingly original responses to India’s paralyzing caste system, its acceptance of poverty and squalor, and the conflict between its desire for self-determination and its nostalgia for the British raj. This may be the most elegant and passionate book ever written about the subcontinent.Trade ReviewBrilliant . . . true autobiography arises when a man encounters something in his life which shocks him into the need for self-examination and self-exploration. It was natural that a sojourn in India should provide this shock for Naipaul. The experience was not a pleasant one, but the pain the author suffered was creative rather than numbing. An Area of Darkness is tender, lyrical, explosive and cruel * Observer *Written 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 SynopsisA delicious anthology of classic food writing to satisfy every palate, this gorgeous book will delight food 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 and introduced by food historian, lecturer and broadcaster Annie Gray.From ancient times to today’s celebrity chefs, people have always been inspired to write about food. In this delectable collection, Food for Thought, food historian Annie Gray has chosen an array of material to entertain and inspire. The variety is impressive – from lavish feasts in classical times to street food of pea soup and eels in 19th century London, and from how to find food on a desert island to meat free meals by Agnes Jekyll. Brimming with satire on Victorian etiquette, intriguing recipes through the centuries and culinary advice from cooks and hosts, there is so much here to enjoy.

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Book SynopsisGeorge Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is one of the most famous and influential novels of the 20th century. This terrifying dystopia, which he created in a time of great social and political unrest, remains acutely relevant and influential to this day. 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. This edition features an introduction by writer, journalist and Orwell scholar Dorian Lynskey.The year is 1984. The country is impoverished and permanently at war, people are watched day and night by Big Brother and their every action and thought is controlled by the Thought Police. Winston Smith works in the department of propaganda, where his job is to rewrite the past. Spurred by his longing to escape, Winston rebels. He breaks the law by falling in love with Julia and, as part of the clandestine organization the Brotherhood, they attempt the unimaginable – to bring down the Party.Trade ReviewProbably the definitive novel of the 20th century, a story that remains eternally fresh and contemporary . . . Nineteen Eighty-Four has been translated into more than 65 languages and sold millions of copies worldwide, giving George Orwell a unique place in world literature. -- Robert McCrum * Guardian *It’s almost impossible to talk about propaganda, surveillance, authoritarian politics, or perversions of truth without dropping a reference to 1984 . . . It is both a profound political essay and a shocking, heartbreaking work of art. -- Atlantic * George Packer *[1984] does what every novel in the genre should do – combining the illumination of an intriguing idea and the telling of a cracking story . . . The book succeeds because it is no manifesto, but an absorbing, deeply affecting story. * Independent *I read it and found myself absolutely astonished at what I read. -- Isaac AsimovNineteen Eighty-Four is a work of pure horror, and its horror is crushingly immediate. * New York Times (original review) *

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Book SynopsisAs dramatized on Radio 4 and seen on Netflix, Nella Larsen’s Passing is a distinctive and revealing novel about racial identity, and a key text of the Harlem Renaissance.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. This edition of Passing features an introduction by writer and academic, Christa Holm Vogelius.Irene Redfield, married to a successful physician, enjoys a comfortable life in 1920s Harlem, New York. Reluctantly, she renews her friendship with old school friend, Clare Kendry. Clare, who like Irene is light skinned, ‘passes’ as white and is married to a racist white man who has no idea about Clare’s racial heritage. Clare is very persuasive and Irene, despite misgivings, can’t resist letting her back into her world. As tensions mount between friends and between couples, this taut and mesmerizing narrative spins towards an unexpected end.Trade ReviewA fascinating inquiry into the nature of race (and a window into the Harlem Renaissance) catalyzed by a chance meeting between two childhood friends. A page-turning classic. -- Jennifer Egan, author of Manhattan BeachA tragic story rooted in inescapable facts of American life . . . Passing is the work of a highly talented and thoughtful writer -- Richard Bernstein * The New York Times *Nella Larsen’s uncanny, tightly structured 1929 novel about Black female friendship, mirroring, deception, and class privilege. -- Hilton Als * New Yorker *A short, easy, engaging read . . . as much as it is a revealing cultural study of the 1920s, is also incredibly relevant today. -- Lexi Nisita * Refinery 29 *A bitter, brave and astonishingly modern book. -- Tim Robey * Telegraph *Much-loved and much-studied . . . The dynamic between the pair [Irene and Clare] is dramatically limitless, an awkward, complex friendship between two women of colour both trying to survive at a time when their country is against them. -- Benjamin Lee * Guardian *Perhaps as much as anything, Passing is about victimhood, and the twisted way we sometimes claim to be the injured party to avoid the unsavory truth that some hurt is self-inflicted. -- Jessica Kiang * Variety *Passing asks who is allowed in certain spaces (and who is the gatekeeper of those spaces), and what happens when people are ejected from them, either by their own free will or an outside force . . . Larsen never set out to deliver answers; just rich, searching stories rounded in real experience. -- Kate Erbland * IndieWire *I was astounded by how haunted I was by Nella Larsen’s words and world, I truly couldn’t shake either. -- Tessa Thompson * Los Angeles Times *

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Book SynopsisIn La Vita Nuova, Italy's greatest poet recounts the famous story of his passionate love for Beatrice. The drama of their relationship unravels through stunning poetry and prose in this, one of the most celebrated love stories in history.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. From the first time the poet sets eyes on Beatrice, he proclaims that ‘love quite governed my soul’ and his devotion to her knows no end. By recalling each meeting with Beatrice this short book is at once a heartfelt account of youthful love and a religious allegory. La Vita Nuova serves as an important precursor to Dante’s masterpiece, The Divine Comedy.This edition is the English translation by Dante Gabriel Rossetti from the original Italian. It was first published in The Early Italian Poets in 1861 and then reissued in 1874 by Dante and his circle. It was met with great acclaim acknowledging Rossetti’s skill as a meticulous and poetic translator.

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Book SynopsisRadical, witty and inventive, Katherine Mansfield is one of the twentieth century’s most accomplished short-story writers and this selection of stories showcases her dazzling skill. 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. Prelude & Other Stories is edited and introduced by Professor Meg Jensen.This selection of stories by Katherine Mansfield showcases her remarkable ability to delve into the human mind; in stories such as ‘The Garden Party’ she reveals the tension between innocence and corruption, the dark side of love and romance are explored in ‘Bliss’ and ‘Love à la Mode’, and in the title story, ‘Prelude’, inspired by her own childhood, her concern is for the isolated and the lonely. Collected together for the first time, this selection of short stories by Katherine Mansfield showcase her remarkable ability to delve deep into human psychology.Trade ReviewHer writing was as impenetrable as she was: romantic, excitable, sharp-edged, malicious and cold, charming and funny, lonely, proud, vulnerable, a wearer of masks * Guardian *Mansfield’s work displays a quick, sardonic wit that sharply interrogates romantic concepts of genius and ironizes naïve expectation * The Paris Review *

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Book SynopsisComing to Netflix! Nella Larsen’s Passing is a distinctive and revealing novel about racial identity, now a critically acclaimed film adaptation by Rebecca Hall, starring Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga and Alexander Skarsgård.Irene Redfield, married to a successful physician, enjoys a comfortable life in Harlem, New York. Reluctantly, she renews her friendship with old school friend, Clare Kendry. Clare, who like Irene is light skinned, ‘passes’ as white and is married to a racist white man who has no idea about Clare’s racial heritage. Clare is very persuasive and Irene, despite misgivings, can’t resist letting her back into her world. As tensions mount between friends and between couples, this taut and mesmerizing narrative spins towards an unexpected end.This edition of Passing features an introduction by writer and academic, Christa Holm Vogelius.Trade ReviewA fascinating inquiry into the nature of race (and a window into the Harlem Renaissance) catalyzed by a chance meeting between two childhood friends. A page-turning classic. -- Jennifer EganA tragic story rooted in inescapable facts of American life . . . Passing is the work of a highly talented and thoughtful writer -- Richard Bernstein * The New York Times *A short, easy, engaging read . . . as much as it is a revealing cultural study of the 1920s, is also incredibly relevant today. -- Lexi Nisita * Refinery 29 *A bitter, brave and astonishingly modern book. -- Tim Robey * Telegraph *Much-loved and much-studied . . . The dynamic between the pair [Irene and Clare] is dramatically limitless, an awkward, complex friendship between two women of colour both trying to survive at a time when their country is against them. -- Benjamin Lee * Guardian *Perhaps as much as anything, Passing is about victimhood, and the twisted way we sometimes claim to be the injured party to avoid the unsavory truth that some hurt is self-inflicted. -- Jessica Kiang * Variety *Passing asks who is allowed in certain spaces (and who is the gatekeeper of those spaces), and what happens when people are ejected from them, either by their own free will or an outside force . . . Larsen never set out to deliver answers; just rich, searching stories rounded in real experience. -- Kate Erbland * IndieWire *I was astounded by how haunted I was by Nella Larsen’s words and world, I truly couldn’t shake either. -- Tessa Thompson * Los Angeles Times *

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Book SynopsisRobert Louis Stevenson's classic, swashbuckling novel about a young boy who is forced to go to sea and who is then caught up in high drama, daring adventure and political intrigue. 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 Louise Welsh and features black and white illustrations.Headstrong David Balfour, orphaned at seventeen, sets out from the Scottish Lowlands to seek his fortune in Edinburgh. Betrayed by his wealthy Uncle Ebenezer, he is carried away to sea to be sold into slavery in the Carolinas. On board, he secures a timely alliance with Jacobite adventurer Alan Breck, and together they make an epic escape across the western Highlands. Inspired by real events, Kidnapped is a swashbuckling adventure of bizarre encounters, political assassination and wild carousings with Robert Louis Stevenson’s unique counterpoint of low morals and high comedy threaded throughout.Trade ReviewStevenson’s ability to create other worlds is at the heart of his writing * Scottish Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisCurl up with a collection of romantic short stories taking you from nineteenth-century Vienna, over the wild moors of Northumberland to the snowy streets of pre-revolutionary St Petersburg. 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 introduction by author and journalist Amanda Craig. A collection of eighteen romantic short stories from the award-winning and much-loved Eva Ibbotson, A Glove Shop in Vienna will show you the great passions and astute observations of everyday life. Join Great Uncle Max, torn between his grand and secret love for Susie, the enchanting glove shop assistant, and the devotion of his opera-singing wife. Meet Miss Bennett, drama mistress at the fading Markham Street Primary School, whose search for a baby Jesus for the nativity play yields unexpected and miraculous results. And agonise with Kira, a dancer in Russia’s Imperial Ballet school, thrown out onto the streets of St Petersburg and found by Edwin, a lonely dreamer. By turns comical, satirical, romantic and always unpredictable these wise stories are a delight from start to finish.

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James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is a powerful, trailblazing novel that exposes the intricate relationship between race and class in late nineteenth-century America.Complete & Unabridged. 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 Dr Sam Halliday.After losing his mother at a very young age, the narrator is thrust from his comfortable, middle-class environment, afforded by his distant but aristocratic father, into the wider world. His passion for music begins in Georgia’s all-black church community and takes him from New York, where he plays ragtime for a rich white gentleman, to the South, where he witnesses lynchings and out of fear gives up his passion, as well as his race, to pass for white. Relevant to this day, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is an unflinching account of black experience in America.

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Book SynopsisThe Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that saw an explosion of Black art, music and writing, yet few female creatives are remembered alongside their male counterparts.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. Women of the Harlem Renaissance is edited by Marissa Constantinou and introduced by Professor Kate Dossett.Exploring subjects from love, loss and motherhood to jazz, passing and Jim Crow law, the poems and stories collected in this anthology celebrate the women of colour at the heart of the movement. Alice Dunbar-Nelson parades through New Orleans in ‘A Carnival Jangle’ whilst Carrie Williams Clifford takes to Fifth Avenue in ‘Silent Protest Parade’, and Nella Larsen seeks a mother’s protection in ‘Sanctuary’. Showcasing popular authors alongside writers you might discover for the first time, this collection of daring and disruptive writing encapsulates early twentieth-century America in surprising and beautiful ways.

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Book SynopsisSleepily Ever After: Bedtime Stories for Grown Ups is a gorgeous little anthology of upbeat, touching, funny and inspiring stories that will help you relax and drift off to sleep. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is edited and introduced by Zachary Seager. It’s hard to relax, to keep still and to stop our brains from whirring. We live in a world where lack of sleep is a common problem for many adults. This collection of stories will help to banish anxiety and to soothe stressed minds as they welcome you into a world of happy endings, gentle humour and good choices. Each classic story from authors including Oscar Wilde, Kate Chopin, Guy de Maupassant and H G Wells, has been carefully chosen for the quality of its writing, for great storytelling and to gently help you into the land of nod.

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Book SynopsisA compelling anthology of Black voices from England, America, Africa and the Caribbean, from people who lived, worked, campaigned and travelled in Britain from the eighteenth to the early twentieth century.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.Professor Hakim Adi, shortlisted for the Wolfson history prize, draws on a variety of published works in Black Voices on Britain, all of which describe powerful experiences: James Gronniosaw and his family endure poverty, illness and unemployment; Mary Prince is driven out by her cruel owners and turns to London charities for help; Frederick Douglass, on a lecture tour around Britain, reveals how the Christian clergy built churches with slave-owners’ money; and William Wells Brown gives his impressions of England as he travels around a country which welcomes him more readily than America. These and other voices offer a fascinating and thought-provoking portrayal of Black experiences in Britain.

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Book SynopsisWhat makes a home, and when do we really feel at home? Is it a physical place, or something we all carry inside us wherever we go?Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, pocket-sized classics with ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is edited and introduced by writer and academic Professor Michèle Mendelssohn.In No Place Like Home: An anthology about the places we come back to, writers from around the world celebrate the comfort of home, capturing its emotional power and sharing nostalgia for what we leave behind. There are extracts from the likes of Louisa May Alcott, Kenneth Graham and Charlotte Brontë as well as lesser known but no less insightful poets and writers to discover.

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Book SynopsisWith the natural world increasingly under threat, Our Place in Nature explores one of the most topical issues of our day; our appreciation of nature and recognition of our place in it.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, pocket-sized classics with ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is edited and introduced by Zachary Seager.A timely anthology of classic writing exploring our complex relationship with the natural world. Famous names such as George Orwell, Dorothy Wordsworth, John Muir and Rachel Carson are gathered here to share their wonder, concern and appreciation for our place in nature.

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Book SynopsisA sparkling anthology celebrating sport in all its variety; from elite rugby and football to rural games on the village green, from an exclusive golf club to the sheer pleasure of a bicycle ride.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, pocket-sized classics with ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is edited and introduced by sports historian, Professor Martin Polley.A treat for sports fans, dip into this wide-ranging, entertaining collection of classic writing drawn from journalism, diaries, drama, fiction and more. On Your Marks spans from Elizabethan Shakespeare to twentieth-century George Orwell and features Daniel Defoe on horse racing, Jane Austen on baseball, Lewis Carroll on croquet and many more.

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Book SynopsisFor fans of true crime and of classic crime fiction, The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey is a gripping thriller featuring detective Alan Grant and a masterful exposé of the powerful connections between media, the establishment and what people choose to believe. Based on a true story.Complete and unabridged. 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 writer David Stuart Davies.Fifteen-year-old Betty Kane has never put a foot wrong. Naturally, everyone is shocked and horrified to hear her story – that she was kidnapped, tortured and held prisoner by Marion Sharpe and her elderly mother, owners of the mysterious old house, The Franchise. But are the two women really guilty of such a horrendous crime? Every page resonates with tension as the story unfolds – did they or didn’t they take a young girl prisoner? And whose story can you trust?Trade ReviewThe Franchise Affair is an ingenious book, a crime novel without a corpse, a detective story in which the victim is justice itself. -- Sarah Waters * The Guardian *

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Book SynopsisCornwall is steeped in poetry, legend and storytelling. Join Luke Thompson on a literary tour around its dramatic coastline, its cliffs and coves, across the moor and down the mines.Meet Cornish poets such as Jack Clemo and Charles Causley, enjoy retellings of thrilling legends and stirring songs and read inspiring fiction and non-fiction from famous Cornish writers and residents including Daphne du Maurier, Thomas Hardy, Winston Graham and D. H. Lawrence. What each and every one has in common is a deep-rooted connection to a county defined by its awe-inspiring and varied landscape, its folklore and its fiercely independent people.Treasures of Cornwall: A Literary Anthology is edited by Luke Thompson.Trade ReviewLuke Thompson's anthology Treasures of Cornwall enthusiastically celebrates the region's attractions for writers, poets and fans of folklore * TLS *

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Book SynopsisA gorgeous anthology to dip into and savour the rich literary heritage of Yorkshire, Britain’s largest county. Yorkshire is renowned for its landscapes: the magical wilderness of the moors and the dales, its cities built on industry and mining, and its varied coastline.All these places, as well as its people, have been portrayed and dramatized in literature through the centuries; by poets from Andrew Marvell to Simon Armitage, by novelists such as Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, Bram Stoker, and of course the Brontës, all of whom are represented here. Then there are novelists such as David Storey and Barry Hines, who wrote about working-class lives in the mining towns in the 1950s and 60s. And finally some favourite characters to enjoy, such as James Herriot and the Yorkshire Shepherdess.Yorkshire: A Literary Landscape is edited by David Stuart Davies.Trade ReviewThe present selection of pieces has been ably curated by writer and film historian David Stuart Davies, who approaches his task with intelligence, wit and a proper commitment to research. -- Steve Whitaker * Yorkshire Times *Davies is perceptive on context and insightful as to the wider relevance or social value of his authorial choices’ literary achievements. -- Steve Whitaker * Yorkshire Times *

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Book SynopsisCelebrate Christmas in true Wonderland style with this special festive edition of Through the Looking-glass and What Alice Found There.With a foiled festive cover and a Christmas letter from Lewis Carroll as a foreword, this limited edition gift book is the perfect gift for Alice fans, and a must-have for every collector's bookshelf.In a collectable, keepsake size, ideal as a stocking-filler, this unique edition contains Lewis Carroll's complete, original text and iconic illustrations from Sir John Tenniel throughout. Alice's extraordinary adventures are brought to life as caught up in the great looking-glass chess game, she sets off to claim her crown, meeting unforgettable characters along the way, such as Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and Humpty Dumpty.Published by Macmillan Children's Books, the original Alice publisher.

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Book Synopsis'One of the greatest and silliest stories ever told' Greg James'A brilliant writer. Extraordinary' Philip PullmanPoor Pongo Twistleton must endure his sixty-year-old Uncle Fred once a year. But this year, mischievous Uncle Fred has gone too far.While Pongo is busy trying to impress his future father-in-law Sir Aylmer Bostock, Uncle Fred asks him to steal the man's priceless bust and replace it with a creation made by none other than his once-fiancée, Sally Painter. It is a scheme that is doomed to fail, but why should that deter Uncle Fred, or, for that matter, the unshakeable Sally? But when it does, Uncle Fred has several more tricks up his inestimable sleeve and Pongo will have to play more than the good nephew. Will Uncle Fred have his way? Will Pongo end up with the right wife? And is a pot of raspberry jam ever truly safe from invaders?A caper of irrepressible joy and wit, Uncle Dynamite is a Wodehouse classic and one of the finest comedy novels ever written.Trade ReviewThe gold standard of English wit … There is not, and never will be, anything to touch him Christopher Hitchens—Christopher HitchensIt's dangerous to use the word genius to describe a writer, but I'll risk it with him John Humphrys—John HumphrysNot only the funniest English novelist who ever wrote but one of our finest stylists—Susan Hill

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Book Synopsis**An Oprah Magazine Most Anticipated Historical Novel of 2021****A Buzzfeed 'Book You're Going to Love in 2021'**'With stunningly lyrical writing, Greeley elevates Austen-inspired fiction onto a whole new plane.' - Natalie Jenner, author of The Jane Austen SocietyAs a fussy baby, Anne was prescribed laudanum to quiet her and has been given the opium-heavy syrup ever since, on account of her continuing ill health. While Lady Catherine is outraged when Darcy chooses not to marry her daughter, Anne barely even notices. But little by little, she comes to see that what she has always been told is an affliction of nature might in fact be one of nurture - and one, therefore, that she can beat. She finally throws away her laudanum and seeks refuge at the London home of her cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam. Suddenly wide awake to the world but utterly unprepared, Anne must forge a new identity among those who have never seen the real her - including herself. With its wit, sensuality and compassion, The Heiress is a sparklingly rebellious novel that takes a shadowy figure from the background of beloved classic Pride & Prejudice and throws her into the light.'Haunting. The Heiress has all the hallmarks of nineteenth-century Gothic, which doesn't shy away from "modern" ills, such as the opiate crisis, Munchausen syndrome by proxy, and homophobia. Highly recommended.' - Finola Austin, author of Bronte's MistressTrade ReviewMolly Greeley is one of the best young writers working today - the sheer beauty of her prose has few rivals. In reimagining the character of Anne de Bourgh from Pride and Prejudice, Greeley takes us inside a troubled, resilient and poetic mind and gives us a heroine to both sympathise with and root for. With stunningly lyrical writing, Greeley elevates Austen-inspired fiction - and psychological fiction in general - onto a whole new plane. * Natalie Jenner, author of THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY *Haunting. In The Heiress, Molly Greeley shines a light on the darkness cloaking Anne de Bourgh, Lady Catherine's sickly daughter and Mr. Darcy's intended. The result is a novel with all the hallmarks of nineteenth-century Gothic, which doesn't shy away from "modern" ills, such as the opiate crisis, Munchausen syndrome by proxy, and homophobia. Highly recommended.' * Finola Austin, author of Bronte's Mistress *This inventive novel will delight Pride & Prejudice fans, and win over readers who are sceptical of Austen reimaginings * Booklist - Starred Review *An entertaining elaboration to satisfy generations of readers who have wondered and theorized about Anne. In perfectly Austenesque style, Greeley reveals the backstory of the Rosings Park heiress and just what made her so sickly, so interesting and so complicated . . . Keen observations about society and strong supporting characters make TheHeiress a perfectly joyful read. * Book Page *

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Book Synopsis'With stunningly lyrical writing, Greeley elevates Austen-inspired fiction onto a whole new plane.' - Natalie Jenner, author of The Jane Austen SocietyAs a fussy baby, Anne was prescribed laudanum to quiet her and has been given the opium-heavy syrup ever since on account of her continuing ill health. While her mother is outraged when Darcy chooses not to marry Anne, as has been long planned, Anne can barely raise her head to acknowledge the fact. But little by little, she comes to see that what she has always been told is an affliction of nature might in fact be one of nurture - and one, therefore, that she can beat. In a frenzy of desperation, she throws away her laudanum and seeks refuge at the London home of her cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam. Suddenly wide awake to the world but utterly unprepared, Anne must forge a new identity among those who have never seen the real her - including herself. With its wit, sensuality and deep compassion for the human heart, The Heiress is a sparklingly rebellious novel that takes a shadowy figure from the background of Pride & Prejudice, one of the world's most beloved books, and throws her into the light.'Haunting. The Heiress has all the hallmarks of nineteenth-century Gothic, which doesn't shy away from "modern" ills, such as the opiate crisis, Munchausen syndrome by proxy, and homophobia. Highly recommended.' - Finola Austin, author of Bronte's MistressTrade ReviewMolly Greeley is one of the best young writers working today - the sheer beauty of her prose has few rivals. In reimagining the character of Anne de Bourgh from Pride and Prejudice, Greeley takes us inside a troubled, resilient and poetic mind and gives us a heroine to both sympathise with and root for. With stunningly lyrical writing, Greeley elevates Austen-inspired fiction - and psychological fiction in general - onto a whole new plane. * Natalie Jenner, author of THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY *Haunting. In The Heiress, Molly Greeley shines a light on the darkness cloaking Anne de Bourgh, Lady Catherine's sickly daughter and Mr. Darcy's intended. The result is a novel with all the hallmarks of nineteenth-century Gothic, which doesn't shy away from "modern" ills, such as the opiate crisis, Munchausen syndrome by proxy, and homophobia. Highly recommended.' * Finola Austin, author of Bronte's Mistress *This inventive novel will delight Pride & Prejudice fans, and win over readers who are sceptical of Austen reimaginings * Booklist - Starred Review *An entertaining elaboration to satisfy generations of readers who have wondered and theorized about Anne. In perfectly Austenesque style, Greeley reveals the backstory of the Rosings Park heiress and just what made her so sickly, so interesting and so complicated . . . Keen observations about society and strong supporting characters make TheHeiress a perfectly joyful read. * Book Page *

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Elizabeth Bennet has politely declined your friend request and asks that you do not slide into her DMs again. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, will probably be verified on social media. The characters of Pride and Prejudice are navigating the same struggles on unfamiliar channels - social media channels, to be precise. When authors Claire McGowan and Sarah Day imagined how 'Pride and Prejudice on Social Media' might look, retelling the story through mocked-up social media posts, their post instantly went viral. Have you ever wondered what Austen's most famous couple might be like if it played out online? Well, here is the story in full . . .Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy . . .

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Book SynopsisReader, she married him. But not before a LOT of discussion of his behaviour in the group chat.With courage, determination and logged into her social media accounts - plain Jane Eyre is ready to take on the world. But then she meets and begins to fall for Edward Rochester, AKA the definition of a red flag, with screenshots to prove it.When authors Claire McGowan and Sarah Day imagined how 'Pride and Prejudice on Social Media' might look, retelling the story through mocked-up social media posts, their post instantly went viral. Now, they return with a Bronte classic told through highs and lows of social media . . .Perfect for fans of Charlotte Brontë . . .***READERS LOVE JANE EYRE ON SOCIAL MEDIA***'This is a fun text with a witty comedic spin and definitely one to put on your TBR pile' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'If you read nothing else this year, read this! It's honestly the best read of the year. Not only is it a clever idea for a retelling, it's charming, witty and downright hilarious!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'It all did make me laugh. Lots!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Really well done and difficult to put down. I see the authors have done the same thing with Pride and Prejudice and I am definitely adding that to my TBR' ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'What a funny and quirky book!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This clever retelling combines charm, wit, and humour to create an engaging and hilarious narrative' ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A lot of fun and a good way to make modern a classic' ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Book Synopsis*THE JAPANESE CRIME CLASSIC - ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD*'One of the great masterpieces of Japanese crime fiction and one of the must-read books of this or any year' David PeaceTokyo, 1995. Five men meet at the racetrack every Sunday to bet on horses. They have little in common except a deep disaffection with their lives, but together they represent the social struggles and griefs of post-War Japan: a poorly socialized genius stuck working as a welder; a demoted detective with a chip on his shoulder; a Zainichi Korean banker sick of being ostracized for his ethnicity; a struggling single dad of a teenage girl with Down syndrome. The fifth man bringing them all together is an elderly drugstore owner grieving his grandson, who died in suspicious circumstances.Intent on revenge against a society that values corporate behemoths more than human life, the five conspirators decide to carry out a heist: kidnap the CEO of Japan's largest beer conglomerate and extract blood money from the company's corrupt financiers.Inspired by the unsolved true-crime kidnapping case perpetrated by "the Monster with 21 Faces," Lady Joker has become a cultural touchstone since its 1997 publication, acknowledged as the magnum opus by one of Japan's literary masters.'A novel that portrays with devastating immensity how those on the dark fringes of society can be consumed by the darkness of their own hearts' Yoko Ogawa, author of The Memory Police'Takamura's prismatic heist novel offers a broad indictment of capitalist society' New York Times'Lady Joker is a work you get immersed in, like a sprawling 19th century novel or a TV series like The Wire' NPRTrade ReviewHallelujah! Inspired by the real-life, still unsolved Glico-Morinaga kidnapping and extortion case which led to the nationwide hunt for "The Monster with Twenty-one Faces," Kaoru Takamura's Lady Joker is at last available in translation; epic in its scale and vision, yet gripping from first to last, this is one of the great masterpieces of Japanese crime fiction and one of the must-read books of this or any year -- David Peace, author of TOKYO YEAR ZEROA novel that portrays with devastating immensity how those on the dark fringes of society can be consumed by the darkness of their own hearts -- Yoko Ogawa, author of THE MEMORY POLICETakamura's prismatic heist novel offers a broad indictment of capitalist society * New York Times *Lady Joker is a work you get immersed in, like a sprawling 19th century novel or a TV series like The Wire . . . Lady Joker casts a page-turning spell * NPR *Like Ellroy's American Tabloid and Carr's The Alienist, the book uses crime as a prism to examine dynamic periods of social history . . . Takamura's blistering indictment of capitalism, corporate corruption and the alienation felt by characters on both sides of the law from institutions they once believed would protect them resonates surprisingly with American culture * Los Angeles Times *Excellent . . . Takamura shows why she's one of Japan's most prominent mystery novelists * Publishers Weekly *Takamura's challenging, genre-confounding epic offers a sweeping view of contemporary Japan in all its complexity * Kirkus Reviews *Sprawling, addictive, this X-Ray examination of a society where the have and the have nots (including the police) play a slow, inexorable dance towards catastrophe, turns into a fascinating piece of work and I look forward to its conclusion * Crime Time *A fascinating slow burn of a book, detailed, complex and immersive * Guardian *Meticulously plotted complexity * Times Literary Supplement *Ruminative and idiosyncratic, this slow-burner earns its page-count * Telegraph *Hallelujah! Inspired by the real-life, still unsolved Glico-Morinaga kidnapping and extortion case which led to the nationwide hunt for "The Monster with Twenty-one Faces," Kaoru Takamura's Lady Joker is at last available in translation; epic in its scale and vision, yet gripping from first to last, this is one of the great masterpieces of Japanese crime fiction and one of the must-read books of this or any year. * David Peace, author of Tokyo Year Zero *A novel that portrays with devastating immensity how those on the dark fringes of society can be consumed by the darkness of their own hearts -- Yoko Ogawa * author of The Memory Police *Takamura's prismatic heist novel offers a broad indictment of capitalist society * New York Times *Lady Joker is a work you get immersed in, like a sprawling 19th century novel or a TV series like The Wire. . . Lady Joker casts a page-turning spell * NPR *Like Ellroy's American Tabloid and Carr's The Alienist, the book uses crime as a prism to examine dynamic periods of social history . . . Takamura's blistering indictment of capitalism, corporate corruption and the alienation felt by characters on both sides of the law from institutions they once believed would protect them resonates surprisingly with American culture * Los Angeles Times *Excellent . . . Takamura shows why she's one of Japan's most prominent mystery novelists * Publishers Weekly *Takamura's challenging, genre-confounding epic offers a sweeping view of contemporary Japan in all its complexity * Kirkus Reviews *

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Book Synopsis'One of the great masterpieces of Japanese crime fiction' David Peace, author of Tokyo Year ZeroOne of Japan's great modern writers, this second half of Lady Joker brings Kaoru Takamura's breathtaking masterpiece to a gripping conclusion.Five men who meet at a Tokyo racetrack every week carry out a heist. They have kidnapped the CEO of Japan's largest beer company to extract blood money from the company's corrupt financiers.Known as Lady Joker, the men make their first attack on the beer company when their demands are not met. As the attacks escalate, the shady networks linking corporations to syndicates are exposed, the stakes rise, and bring into riveting focus the lives and motivations of the victims, the perpetrators, the heroes and the villains. Some will lose everything, even their lives.Inspired by the real-life Glico-Morinaga kidnapping, an unsolved case that terrorized Japan for two years, Lady Joker reimagines this watershed episode in modern Japanese history.'A novel that portrays with devastating immensity how those on the dark fringes of society can be consumed by the darkness of their own hearts' Yoko Ogawa, author of The Memory PoliceTrade ReviewHallelujah! Inspired by the real-life, still unsolved Glico-Morinaga kidnapping and extortion case which led to the nationwide hunt for "The Monster with Twenty-one Faces," Kaoru Takamura's Lady Joker is at last available in translation; epic in its scale and vision, yet gripping from first to last, this is one of the great masterpieces of Japanese crime fiction and one of the must-read books of this or any year -- David Peace, author of TOKYO YEAR ZEROA novel that portrays with devastating immensity how those on the dark fringes of society can be consumed by the darkness of their own hearts -- Yoko Ogawa, author of THE MEMORY POLICETakamura's prismatic heist novel offers a broad indictment of capitalist society * New York Times *Lady Joker is a work you get immersed in, like a sprawling 19th century novel or a TV series like The Wire . . . Lady Joker casts a page-turning spell * NPR *Like Ellroy's American Tabloid and Carr's The Alienist, the book uses crime as a prism to examine dynamic periods of social history . . . Takamura's blistering indictment of capitalism, corporate corruption and the alienation felt by characters on both sides of the law from institutions they once believed would protect them resonates surprisingly with American culture * Los Angeles Times *Excellent . . . Takamura shows why she's one of Japan's most prominent mystery novelists * Publishers Weekly *Takamura's challenging, genre-confounding epic offers a sweeping view of contemporary Japan in all its complexity * Kirkus Reviews *Sprawling, addictive, this X-Ray examination of a society where the have and the have nots (including the police) play a slow, inexorable dance towards catastrophe, turns into a fascinating piece of work and I look forward to its conclusion * Crime Time *A fascinating slow burn of a book, detailed, complex and immersive * Guardian *Meticulously plotted complexity * Times Literary Supplement *By its sheer breadth, humanity, and the range of characters who walk across its pages, Lady Joker is comparable to the great 19th-century novels. It is a tremendous accomplishment * Chicago Review of Books *Lady Joker is a towering achievement -- Paul Tremblay, author of THE CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLDLike all literature, readers will take what they want from Takamura's critique of Japanese society, but at the heart of the epic novel is a gripping crime story where the actual crime itself is almost secondary to the psychological ripples it sends through the boardrooms, police stations, press offices and homes of anyone connected. This is much more of a whydunit than a whodunit - and one that was well worth the wait * The Japan Times *Takamura joins American writers James Ellroy, author of American Tabloid, and Don Winslow, author of several novels about the drug trade, to illuminate a society in which power and money matter far more than morality. All three write mysteries that also function as morality plays . . . Bravura * The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette *Brilliantly dark * Ms. Magazine *A complex work of stunning breadth and depth by a master of the genre * Kirkus Reviews *Admirers of intricate crime fiction, which both engages the intellect and offers insights into the hidden parts of a society, will hope for further translations of this gifted author's work * Publishers Weekly *

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Book Synopsis'One of the great masterpieces of Japanese crime fiction' David Peace, author of Tokyo Year ZeroOne of Japan's great modern writers, this second half of Lady Joker brings Kaoru Takamura's breathtaking masterpiece to a gripping conclusion.Five men who meet at a Tokyo racetrack every week carry out a heist. They have kidnapped the CEO of Japan's largest beer company to extract blood money from the company's corrupt financiers.Known as Lady Joker, the men make their first attack on the beer company when their demands are not met. As the attacks escalate, the shady networks linking corporations to syndicates are exposed, the stakes rise, and bring into riveting focus the lives and motivations of the victims, the perpetrators, the heroes and the villains. Some will lose everything, even their lives.Inspired by the real-life Glico-Morinaga kidnapping, an unsolved case that terrorized Japan for two years, Lady Joker reimagines this watershed episode in modern Japanese history.'A novel that portrays with devastating immensity how those on the dark fringes of society can be consumed by the darkness of their own hearts' Yoko Ogawa, author of The Memory PoliceTrade ReviewHallelujah! Inspired by the real-life, still unsolved Glico-Morinaga kidnapping and extortion case which led to the nationwide hunt for "The Monster with Twenty-one Faces," Kaoru Takamura's Lady Joker is at last available in translation; epic in its scale and vision, yet gripping from first to last, this is one of the great masterpieces of Japanese crime fiction and one of the must-read books of this or any year -- David Peace, author of TOKYO YEAR ZEROA novel that portrays with devastating immensity how those on the dark fringes of society can be consumed by the darkness of their own hearts -- Yoko Ogawa, author of THE MEMORY POLICETakamura's prismatic heist novel offers a broad indictment of capitalist society * New York Times *Lady Joker is a work you get immersed in, like a sprawling 19th century novel or a TV series like The Wire . . . Lady Joker casts a page-turning spell * NPR *Like Ellroy's American Tabloid and Carr's The Alienist, the book uses crime as a prism to examine dynamic periods of social history . . . Takamura's blistering indictment of capitalism, corporate corruption and the alienation felt by characters on both sides of the law from institutions they once believed would protect them resonates surprisingly with American culture * Los Angeles Times *Excellent . . . Takamura shows why she's one of Japan's most prominent mystery novelists * Publishers Weekly *Takamura's challenging, genre-confounding epic offers a sweeping view of contemporary Japan in all its complexity * Kirkus Reviews *Sprawling, addictive, this X-Ray examination of a society where the have and the have nots (including the police) play a slow, inexorable dance towards catastrophe, turns into a fascinating piece of work and I look forward to its conclusion * Crime Time *A fascinating slow burn of a book, detailed, complex and immersive * Guardian *Meticulously plotted complexity * Times Literary Supplement *By its sheer breadth, humanity, and the range of characters who walk across its pages, Lady Joker is comparable to the great 19th-century novels. It is a tremendous accomplishment * Chicago Review of Books *Lady Joker is a towering achievement -- Paul Tremblay, author of THE CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLDLike all literature, readers will take what they want from Takamura's critique of Japanese society, but at the heart of the epic novel is a gripping crime story where the actual crime itself is almost secondary to the psychological ripples it sends through the boardrooms, police stations, press offices and homes of anyone connected. This is much more of a whydunit than a whodunit - and one that was well worth the wait * The Japan Times *Takamura joins American writers James Ellroy, author of American Tabloid, and Don Winslow, author of several novels about the drug trade, to illuminate a society in which power and money matter far more than morality. All three write mysteries that also function as morality plays . . . Bravura * The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette *Brilliantly dark * Ms. Magazine *A complex work of stunning breadth and depth by a master of the genre * Kirkus Reviews *Admirers of intricate crime fiction, which both engages the intellect and offers insights into the hidden parts of a society, will hope for further translations of this gifted author's work * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisEduardo Mendoza's classic novel about the birth of Barcelona as a world city, embodied in the rise of the ambitious and unscrupulous Onofre Bouvila"Though historical in subject matter, this story of Catalonian enterprise and Barcelonan ambition is thoroughly contemporary in spirit" Jonathan FranzenStung by the realisation that his father is a fraud and a failure, Onofre Bouvila leaves a life of rural poverty to seek his fortune in Barcelona.The year is 1888, and the Catalan capital is about to emerge from provincial obscurity to take its place amongst the great cities of the world, thanks to the upcoming Universal Exhibition. Thanks to a tip-off from his landlord's daughter, Onofre gets his big break distributing anarchist leaflets to workers preparing for the World Fair. From these humble beginnings, he branches out as a hair-tonic salesman, a burglar, a filmmaker, an arms smuggler and a political dealmaker, in a multifaceted career that brings him wealth and influence beyond his wildest dreams.But, just as Barcelona's rise makes it a haven for gangsters, crooks and spivs, vice begins to fester in Onofre's heart. And the climax to his remarkable story will come just as a second World Fair in 1929 marks the city's apotheosis.Translated from the Spanish by Nick CaistorTrade ReviewThough historical in subject matter, this story of Catalonian enterprise and Barcelonan ambition is thoroughly contemporary in spirit. -- Jonathan FranzenA splendid piacaresque novel . . . Rich in humour, irony and parody . . . Lusty and ingenious entertainment * New York Times Book Review *Rich in eccentric, violent, fantastic, and horrible incident . . . A profusion of bizarre characters, and a fair quota of entertaining digression. * The Times *A novel of great variety and scope . . . There is much to delight . . . A very considerable, and an exhilarating, achievement * Scotsman *A large book, written in picaresque style, and full of incidental pleasures. * Observer *Not since Ragtime has there been such a treasure of rascals and riches . . . Brilliant . . . Mendoza is a prodigiously inventive author. * Chicago Tribune *A major work, a great novel . . . a satirical love song and an adventurous chronicle that delivers the wonders promised in its title. * El País *One of this season's literary landmarks . . . an extravagant, amusing, fantastic, and moving fresco of Barcelona. * Vanguardia *

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Book Synopsis'How truth thickens and deepens when it migrates from didactic fable to the raw experience of a visceral awakening is one of the thrills of Tolstoy's stories'Sharon Cameron in her preface to The Kreutzer Sonata and Other StoriesThis second volume of Tolstoy's shorter fiction, selected by the critic Sharon Cameron, contains 'Family Happiness', 'The Devil' and 'The Kreutzer Sonata', three of Tolstoy's unhappy-marriage stories as well as 'Father Sergius', a story of a loss of identity in ambitious pursuit of holy virtue and 'Master and Man'. Tolstoy's antidotes to delusion, fear, jealousy and even madness have an ethical thread pulled through the fabric of different themes and genres.This riverrun edition reissues the translation of Louise and Aylmer Maude, whose influential versions of Tolstoy first brought his work to a wide readership in English.

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Book Synopsis'How truth thickens and deepens when it migrates from didactic fable to the raw experience of a visceral awakening is one of the thrills of Tolstoy's stories'Sharon Cameron in her preface to Hadji Murad and Other StoriesThis, the third volume of Tolstoy's shorter fiction concentrates on his later stories, including one of his greatest, 'Hadji Murad'. In the stark form of homily that shapes these later works, life considered as one's own has no rational meaning. From the chain of events that follows in the wake of two schoolboys' deception in 'The Forged Coupon' to the disillusionment of the narrator in 'After the Ball' we see, in Virginia Woolf's observation, that Tolstoy puts at the centre of his writingone 'who gathers into himself all experience, turns the world round between his fingers, and never ceases to ask, even as he enjoys it, what is the meaning of it'.The riverrun edition reissues the translation of Louise and Aylmer Maude, whose influential versions of Tolstoy first brought his work to a wide readership in English.

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Book Synopsis'How truth thickens and deepens when it migrates from didactic fable to the raw experience of a visceral awakening is one of the thrills of Tolstoy's stories'Sharon Cameron in her preface to The Death of Ivan Ilych and Other StoriesTolstoy wrote in many genres for different audiences. In this, the first of three volumes of his shorter fiction chosen and introduced by the critic Sharon Cameron, we see works originally written for children, like 'God Sees the Truth But Waits', and 'A Prisoner in the Caucasus'. They stand alongside others which show his range and accomplishment, including an early story based on his experiences in the Crimean war, 'Sevastopol in May', and the visceral intensity of one of his greatest works, 'The Death of Ivan Ilych'.This riverrun edition reissues the translation of Louise and Aylmer Maude, whose influential versions of Tolstoy first brought his work to a wide readership in English.

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Book Synopsis'Everyone who met him commented on the arresting power of Lawrence's bright and sharp blue eyes, and the beard he later grew would be as red as a fox's brush, but it was not his appearance that Ford was describing. It was his menace' Frances Wilson, from her Introduction to The Man Who Loves Islands------------------------------------------------The Man Who Loved Islands presents Lawrence's skilled, intimate and lively portraits of humanity. In the title story a man buys a ninety-nine year lease on an island and finds himself cast off in its timeless world; in 'The Last Laugh' a couple are confronted with uncanny spectral visions, and an eerie faceless laugh; in 'The Fox' two women maintaining a farm feel the dark shadows of war, and a cunning creature threatens to destroy their livelihood. The stories in this collection are about what the characters know and do not know - about themselves, one another, and the circumambient universe.

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Book Synopsis'Like an artist working an empty sky into a busy cityscape, or an empty chair into a crowded family portrait, Joyce creates spaces where the reader is left to themselves' Patrick McGuinness, from his Preface to Dubliners.Set in the late 19th and early 20th-century, Dubliners is made up of fifteen stories, which all sit within the realm of realism, with easily identifiable streets and a cartographic identity of the city. Alike Joyce's other works, the collection was repeatedly rejected by publishers and he received accusations of obscurity and obscenity before it finally appeared in print on 15 June 1914. This was five years after a contract was signed, six weeks before the outbreak of World War One, and at a time when Ireland was under British Home Rule. We find an intricate account of the lives of the city's inhabitants in Joyce's haunted and bleak vision of Dublin.Discover these stories for the first time here, or read them afresh, and marvel at the unique stories that Joyce was able to capture, and make timeless, for us all.

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Book SynopsisFrom World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award winner Michael Moorcock comes the final installment of the Elric of Melnibone series, brought to vivid new life with stunning illustrations.In one of the most well-known and well-loved fantasy epics of the 20th century, Elric is the brooding, albino emperor of the dying Kingdom of Melnibone. After coming into an unnatural, devastating power that felled his enemy Yrkoon and destroyed an entire city, Elric is haunted by the many deaths he caused and sets out on a quest for redemption and renewed purpose. The White Wolf is the final volume in Michael Moorcock’s incredible series, which created fantasy archetypes that have echoed through the genre for generations. Originally published in the 1970s, this book is brought to vivid new life with stunning illustrations from magnificent artists in the fantasy field.

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Book SynopsisFrom bestselling author Debbie Herbert comes a chilling, fast-paced story about family tragedy and confronting what terrifies us most. In the eighteen years since her father went to prison for killing her mother and brother, Della Stallings has battled a crippling phobia. Her fear only grows when her father’s released. She still believes he killed her family, but the police don’t have enough evidence to arrest him again. When new grisly murders occur—each bearing the telltale signs that seem to implicate her father—Della begins to wonder if the real murderer is still out there. Could her father have been framed? To find the truth, Della must face her greatest fears and doubts—not only to find justice for her family but to ensure her own survival.

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Book SynopsisThe bestselling author of Burying the Honeysuckle Girls returns to uncover a faith healer’s elusive and haunted past. Dove Jarrod was a renowned evangelist and faith healer. Only her granddaughter, Eve Candler, knows that Dove was a con artist. In the eight years since Dove’s death, Eve has maintained Dove’s charitable foundation—and her lies. But just as a documentary team wraps up a shoot about the miracle worker, Eve is assaulted by a vengeful stranger intent on exposing what could be Dove’s darkest secret: murder… Tuscaloosa, 1934: a wily young orphan escapes the psychiatric hospital where she was born. When she joins the itinerant inspirational duo the Hawthorn Sisters, the road ahead is one of stirring new possibilities. And with an obsessive predator on her trail, one of untold dangers. For a young girl to survive, desperate choices must be made. Now, to protect her family, Eve will join forces with the investigative filmmaker and one of Dove’s friends, risking everything to unravel the truth behind the accusations against her grandmother. But will the truth set her free or set her world on fire?Trade Review“Carpenter’s refreshingly modern gothic tale offers great fun.” —Publishers Weekly “An exciting, gothic-tinged quest sure to delight fans of women-driven mysteries.” —Kirkus Reviews “The bestselling author of Burying the Honeysuckle Girls returns to uncover a faith healer’s elusive and haunted past. Read it in one sitting!” —Frolic “Prepare to be up late with this one; Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters is simply riveting. This is the kind of book where the past has a pulse—and teeth. It’s a page-turner for sure, with well-drawn, complicated characters whose choices linger long after the last page is turned.” —Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Never Have I Ever “Emily Carpenter is the reigning queen of Southern Gothic, and Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters is a triumph. Moody, suspenseful, and gorgeously written, this novel takes readers into the seedy, sometimes savage world of Depression-era religious revivals, where believers make easy prey and grifters cloak themselves in the Word. Carpenter’s latest is a riveting tale of class, sex, spirituality, and the heavy burden of family history that lingers long after the final pages. I loved it.” —Julia Dahl, author of Invisible City “Stretching from the 1930s to present day, Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters is a wild romp through the deep South and the hearts of two women connected by blood, lies, and mystery. Emily Carpenter’s newest novel will hold you in its chilling grip from the eerie beginning to the stop-you-in-your-tracks ending. Carpenter fans will love this one!” —Lauren K. Denton, USA Today bestselling author “A historical murder mystery, lost memories, and priceless, hidden relics: Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters is an atmospheric, unputdownable Southern Gothic masterpiece. Carpenter’s masterful narrative bounces between young Ruth in 1930s Alabama, her exciting escape from the mental institution that was her childhood home and prison, and her granddaughter searching for hidden truths after her death. This was a well-plotted mystery full of family secrets and Southern atmosphere, and I absolutely could not put it down.” —Wendy Heard, author of The Kill Club “Stories don’t stop because we turn our backs on them but only an author as gifted and elegant as Emily Carpenter is able to call them back from the shadows. In the wistfully insightful Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters, Carpenter returns to her rich Southern Gothic roots to deliver a tour de force that is both a return to and a reckoning for her beloved Burying the Honeysuckle Girls. Beautiful, mesmerizing, and saturated with suspense.” —Amber Cowie, author of Loss Lake “This captivating story is a perfect blend of historical fiction and southern gothic. Carpenter deftly weaves past and present story lines, filling both with dramatic tension, atmospheric settings and characters that leap off of the page. I recommend it highly!” —Jane Healey, bestselling author of The Beantown Girls

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Book SynopsisFrom the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of Daughters of the Lake comes an enthralling spellbinder of love, death, and a woman on the edge. After a devastating loss, Brynn Wilder escapes to Wharton, a tourist town on Lake Superior, to reset. Checking into a quaint boardinghouse for the summer, she hopes to put her life into perspective. In her fellow lodgers, she finds a friendly company of strangers: the frail Alice, cared for by a married couple with a heartbreaking story of their own; LuAnn, the eccentric and lovable owner of the inn; and Dominic, an unsettlingly handsome man inked from head to toe in mesmerizing tattoos. But in this inviting refuge, where a century of souls has passed, a mystery begins to swirl. Alice knows things about Brynn, about all of them, that she shouldn’t. Bad dreams and night whispers lure Brynn to a shuttered room at the end of the hall, a room still heavy with a recent death. And now she’s become irresistibly drawn to Dominic—even in the shadow of rumors that wherever he goes, suspicious death follows. In this chilling season of love, transformation, and fear, something is calling for Brynn. To settle her past, she may have no choice but to answer.Trade Review“The action builds to a satisfying and uplifting ending…Webb consistently entertains.” —Publishers Weekly “Endearing and greatly readable…[a] tale that is both warm and poignant.”—Kirkus Reviews “Webb’s chilling tale of a woman running from a tragic loss will put a spell on you.” —E! Online “Prepare to lose yourself in Wendy Webb’s lusciously written The Haunting of Brynn Wilder.” —POPSUGAR “Enchanting.” —The Nerd Daily “Wendy Webb weaves a searing gothic tale with elements of horror, mystery, and romance…It is incredibly absorbing and atmospheric.” —Bookreporter “Wendy Webb is a rising voice in thrillers, and we can’t wait to see what she does next.” —CrimeReads “Suspenseful and engrossing, The Haunting of Brynn Wilder is a ghost story, a love story, and a chilling fireside tale in one. Readers will be drawn in from the first page, and they won’t want to stop until they read the eerie conclusion, probably in the wee hours of the night.” —Simone St. James, New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel “Evocative and beautifully haunting, Wendy Webb’s latest transports you to a location you’ll soon want to call home, in a story you won’t want to put down. It’s no exaggeration to call this the standout gothic novel of the year.” —Darcy Coates, USA Today bestselling author of The Haunting of Ashburn House “A haunting tale of grief and loss that is beautifully layered with new beginnings and woven into a gothic ghost story both bone-chilling and heartwarming.” —Melissa Payne, author of The Secrets of Lost Stones

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of Cold Waters comes a brooding thriller about a woman who must decide if safeguarding her family is worth burying a truth that will haunt her forever. Thirteen years ago, Jori Trahan’s boyfriend vanished without a trace. Now, after moving back home to Alabama to care for her ailing grandmother and autistic brother, she comes face-to-face with the deadly mystery behind his disappearance. Jori has a rare form of synesthesia, meaning she can “hear” colors; to her, tones of voice are as unique as fingerprints. With the help of this ability and a sympathetic cop, Jori comes dangerously close to uncovering the truth. But those responsible will go to any length—including murder—to keep their dark secrets buried. Soon, it seems that no one in the sleepy bayou town is safe, and after Jori’s brother is kidnapped, she knows she must drop the investigation or risk losing her family. But when protecting them means letting an evil deed go unpunished, putting family first may be the last thing she’ll ever do.Trade ReviewNot One of Us is the Fresh Fiction Fresh Pick for February 22, 2021 “Herbert steadily multiplies acts of violence and betrayal as she knits [a] new crime closer and closer together with [an] old. More tellingly, she gradually deepens both heroines’ horror at discovering just how low the people who disparage outsiders and newcomers as ‘not one of us’ are willing to go to preserve their privilege.” —Kirkus Reviews “Those with a taste for Southern gothic will be satisfied.” —Publishers Weekly “The past breaks open with a bang.” —Fresh Fiction “Secrets, betrayal, murder—Debbie Herbert weaves a multi-layered tale of small-town intrigue with unique and unforgettable characters. Don’t miss Not One of Us!” —Debra Webb, Amazon Charts and USA Today bestselling author “What a pleasure it was to surrender to Not One of Us, chock full of thick, humid atmosphere and authentic, vivid characters, and let it pull me into its deep-South trance of unsolved murders, dirty cops, and a family torn apart by guilt, and their own desperate need for each other. Engima is a town you’re going to want to visit over and over again. This book’s an absolute knockout.” —Emily Carpenter, bestselling author of Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters “Intensely satisfying, Not One of Us is a deftly woven tale rich with southern secrets and lies that will keep you hooked late into the night.” —Eliza Maxwell, bestselling author of The Unremembered Girl “An eerie, atmospheric psychological thriller that’s fast-paced, darkly twisted, and satisfyingly saturated with family secrets. Not One of Us is everything I want in a Debbie Herbert southern gothic.” —Eve Silver, award-winning author of the Dark Gothic series “Compulsive and addictive. An atmospheric and gripping tale that kept me turning pages well into the night.” —Charlotte Byrd, bestselling romantic suspense author of over a million books sold

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Book SynopsisA sleight of hand. A trick up the sleeve. A call for the dead. It’s all part of the game in this twisty tale by the bestselling author of After Alice Fell. New Hampshire, 1877. Maud Price was once a celebrated child medium, a true believer in lifting the veil between the living and the dead. Now penniless, her guiding spirits gone, the so-called “Maid of Light” is desperate to regain her reputation—but doing so means putting her faith in deceiving others. Clementine Watkins, known in spiritualist circles for her bag of tricks and utmost discretion, creates the sort of theatrics that can fill Maud’s parlor again, and with each misdirection, Maud’s fame is restored. But her guilt is a heavy burden. And the ruse has become a risk. Others are plotting to expose the fraud, and Clem can’t allow anyone—even Maud—to jeopardize the fortune the hoax has made her. When the deception hints at a possible murder, Maud realizes how dangerous a game she’s playing. But to return to the light from which she’s strayed, she must first survive the darkness created by Clem’s smoke and mirrors.Trade Review“Kim Taylor Blakemore’s The Deception captures the fascinating world of nineteenth-century mediums in this story of intrigue, deceit, and the otherworldly. Historical fiction lovers will delight in the wonderfully captured details and the mystical elements at the center of this novel. A must-read!” —Lydia Kang, author of The Half-Life of Ruby Fielding “Delightfully wry as it is unsettling, The Deception had me turning pages at a blistering pace. Blakemore bewitches with her shrewd, incisive look at the Spiritualist movement and two down-on-their-luck heroines bound in an unlikely partnership. Teeming with intrigue, seething jealousies, and theatrical atmosphere. Absolutely impossible to put down!” —Paulette Kennedy, author of Parting the Veil and The Witch of Tin Mountain “A sinuous tale of deception amidst the fascinating backdrop of post-Civil War Spiritualism, The Deception seethes from the very first sentence all the way through to its riveting conclusion. Blakemore, a modern day Brontë, gleams in dark, moldering, claustrophobic places.” —Robert Gwaltney, award-winning author of The Cicada Tree “Suspense, romance, spirits, both living and dead—The Deception has it all, as well as a loving recreation of late nineteenth century New England. Kim Taylor Blakemore has created the kind of spooky, riveting story readers of this genre will love. The Deception delivers all the thrills and chills of a great séance, in a world where ghosts walk the earth, and the truly evil spirits may just be the ones in your own house.” —Carole Lawrence, author of Cleopatra’s Dagger “With a magician’s brilliant sleight of hand, Kim Taylor Blakemore weaves an intricate plot that is at once playful, moody, sinister, and deliciously clever. The Deception crackles with intrigue and richly detailed historical atmosphere.” —Liza Nash Taylor, author of In All Good Faith

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Book SynopsisAn Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestseller. From USA Today bestselling author Debbie Herbert comes a thrilling story of murder and madness set in the darkest corner of Alabama. Everyone thinks fourteen-year-old Violet is a murderer. After a summer-night swim with her best friend, Ainsley, Violet is found confused, wandering in the forest—and Ainsley’s never seen again. But without a body, murder charges won’t stick, so Violet is sent away. After more than a decade in a psychiatric ward, Violet returns to her broken-down hometown of Normal, Alabama, to claim her dead mother’s inheritance and help her overworked sister care for their unstable, alcoholic father. Violet, still haunted by that night eleven years ago, endures horrific flashbacks and twisted hallucinations while townsfolk spit accusations—and for all she knows, they’re right. As the summer heats up, details of Ainsley’s fate appear like a beast’s wild eyes, watching in the darkness, and grim revelations about Violet’s family threaten to devour her. Already on the edge of madness, Violet must fight to keep her sanity long enough for the terrible truth to burst from the cold, dark waters.

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Book SynopsisIn the isolated estate she’s found the perfect getaway. But there’s no escaping the past in this chilling novel from the bestselling author of The Unremembered Girl. Filmmaker Tessa Shepherd helped free a man she believed was wrongly imprisoned for murder. When he kills again, Tessa’s life is upended. She’s reeling with guilt, her reputation destroyed. Worse, Tessa’s mother has unexpectedly passed away, and her sister, Margot, turns on her after tensions from their past escalate. Hounded by a bullying press, Tessa needs an escape. That’s when she learns of a strange inheritance bequeathed by her mother: a derelict and isolated estate known as Fallbrook. It seems like the perfect refuge. A crumbling monument to a gruesome history, the mansion has been abandoned by all but two elderly sisters retained as caretakers. They are also guardians of all its mysteries. As the house starts revealing its dark secrets, Tessa must face her fears and right the wrongs of her past to save herself and her relationship with Margot. But nothing and no one at Fallbrook are what they seem.Trade Review“Suspense fans will be satisfied.” —Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisCandide, the illegitimate nephew of a German baron and student of eternal optimist Pangloss, is living a simple and sheltered life in “the best of all possible worlds.” But when Candide falls in love with the wrong woman, his uncle’s young daughter, he is exiled from the baron’s castle and suffers great tragedy and catastrophe, which leaves him disillusioned and questioning the goodness of the universe. Penned in just three days—and published in secret because of its blasphemous and seditious nature—Voltaire’s legendary satire deftly skewers religious, romantic, and political naïveté with an acerbic and ribald wit that delights to this day. Revised edition: Previously published as Candide, this edition of Candide (AmazonClassics Edition) includes editorial revisions.

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