From Austen to Zola, from medieval to the modern day - all genres are catered for between the covers of these coveted classics.
Classics Books
Penguin Books Ltd In Cold Blood
Book SynopsisControversial and compelling, In Cold Blood reconstructs the murder in 1959 of a Kansas farmer, his wife and children. Truman Capote''s comprehensive study of the killings and subsequent investigation explores the circumstances surrounding this terrible crime and the effect it had on those involved. At the centre of his study are the amoral young killers Perry Smith and Dick Hickcock, who, vividly drawn by Capote, are shown to be reprehensible, yet entirely and frighteningly human. The book that made Capote''s name, In Cold Blood is a seminal work of modern prose, a remarkable synthesis of journalistic skill and powerfully evocative narrative.Trade Review'The American dream turning into the American nightmare ... a remarkable book' Spectator
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Book SynopsisAn ancient bridge collapses over a gorge in Peru, hurling five people into the abyss. It seems a meaningless human tragedy. But one witness, a Franciscan monk, believes the deaths might not be as random as they appear. Convinced that the disaster is a punishment sent from Heaven, the monk sets out to discover all he can about the travellers. The five strangers were connected in some way, he thinks. There must be a purpose behind their deaths. But are their lost lives the result of sin? ... Or of love?Trade ReviewA glorious thing -- David Mitchell
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd The Reprieve
Book SynopsisPhilosopher, novelist, playwright and polemicist, Jean-Paul Sartre is thought to have been the central figure in post-war European culture and political thinking. His most well-known works, all of which are published by Penguin, include THE AGE OF REASON, NAUSEA and IRON IN THE SOUL.
£13.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Pastures of Heaven Penguin Modern Classics
Book SynopsisEach of these delightful interconnected tales is devoted to a family living in a fertile valley on the outskirts of Monterey, California, and the effects that one particular family has on them all. Steinbeck tackles two important literary traditions here; American naturalism, with its focus on the conflict between natural instincts and the demand to conform to society''s norms, and the short story cycle. Set in the heart of ''Steinbeck land'', the lush Californian valleys.
£11.24
Penguin Books Ltd Journey into Fear
Book SynopsisIt is 1940 and Mr Graham, a quietly-spoken engineer and arms expert, has just finished high-level talks with the Turkish government. And now somebody wants him dead. The previous night three shots were fired at him as he stepped into his hotel room, so, terrified, he escapes in secret on a passenger steamer from Istanbul. As he journeys home - alongside, among others, an entrancing French dancer, an unkempt trader, a mysterious German doctor and a small, brutal man in a crumpled suit - he enters a nightmarish world where friend and foe are indistinguishable. Graham can try to run, but he may not be able to hide for much longer ...Trade Review'Holds one up as effectively as a gun barrel' Evening Standard 'If you want to experience the feel of the Continent in the 1930s, you will find few better guides' - Robert Harris
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The ThirtyNine Steps
Book SynopsisFamous as the basis for several films, including the brilliant 1935 version directed by Alfred Hitchcock, The Thirty-Nine Steps is a classic of early twentieth-century popular literatureRichard Hannay has just returned to England after years in South Africa and is thoroughly bored with his life in London. But then a murder is committed in his flat, just days after a chance encounter with an American who had told him about an assassination plot that could have dire international consequences. An obvious suspect for the police and an easy target for the killers, Hannay goes on the run in his native Scotland where he will need all his courage and ingenuity to stay one step ahead of his pursuers.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and dis
£7.59
Penguin Books Ltd Undset S Kristin Lavransdatter
Book Synopsis''[Sigrid Undset] should be the next Elena Ferrante'' -SlateThe Nobel Prize-winning masterpiece by Norway''s literary masterKristin Lavransdatter is the epic story of one woman''s life in fourteenth-century Norway, from childhood to death. Sensitive and rebellious Kristin is sent to a convent as a girl, where she meets the charming but irresponsible Erlend. Defying her parents'' wishes to pursue her own desires, she marries and raises seven sons. However, her husband''s political ambitions threaten catastrophe for the family, and the couple become increasingly estranged as the world around them tumbles into uncertainty.With its captivating heroine and emotional potency, Kristin Lavransdatter is the masterwork of Norway''s most beloved author and, in Nunnally''s exquisite translation, a story that continues to enthral.Trade Review[Sigrid Undset] should be the next Elena Ferrante . . . If HBO is looking for its next miniseries, it should give Kristin Lavransdatter the proper adaptation it deserves. This trilogy includes illicit sex, affairs, a church fire, an attempted rape, ocean voyages, rebellious virgins cooped up in a convent, predatory priests, an attempted human sacrifice, floods, fights, murders, violent suicide, a gay king, drunken revelry, the Bubonic Plague, deathbed confessions, and sex that makes its heroine ache 'with astonishment - that this was the iniquity that all the songs were about' -- Ruth Graham * Slate *Tiina Nunnally's magnificent version revitalised Undset's epic in English: each page glows and sparkles like the landscapes she so wonderfully evokes -- Boyd Tonkin * The 100 Best Novels in Translation *[My favourite fictional hero or heroine is] probably Sigrid Undset's strong-willed, sensual, self-destructive and ultimately rock-solid Kristin Lavransdatter. . . . Right away one somehow identifies with this daughter of medieval Norway; soon one compassionates her in her sufferings. . . . Like Murasaki and Dos Passos, Undset tells the story of a whole life -- William T. Vollman * The New York Times Book Review *At certain points, Kristin Lavransdatter felt more real than the life I was living -- Lucia Tang * Electric Lit *The Nunnally translation is excellent - straightforward but also evocative, lyrical enough in places, but not, like earlier translations, overly romantic or archaic.... Every detail of Kristin Lavransdatter is significant, because the author knows what every detail means and how they all fit together. This makes the novel a rich and satisfying read -- Jane SmileyWe consider it the best book our judges have ever selected and it has been better received by our subscribers than any other book * Book-of-the-Month Club *The finest historical novel our 20th century has yet produced; indeed it dwarfs most of the fiction of any kind that Europe has produced in the last twenty years * Contemporary Movements in European Literature *As a novel it must be ranked with the greatest the world knows today * Montreal Star *Sigrid Undset's trilogy embodies more of life, seen understandingly and seriously . . . than any novel since Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov * Commonweal *The first great story founded upon the normal events of a normal woman's existence. It is as great and as rich, as simple and as profound, as such a story should be * Des Moines Register *No other novelist, past or present, has bodied forth the medieval world with such richness and fullness of indisputable genius. . . . One of the finest minds in European literature * New York Herald Tribune *A master . . . writing in a prose as vigorous, articulate and naturalistic as the novel it re-creates, Tiina Nunnally brilliantly captures a world both remote and strangely familiar -- Judges’ citation, PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize
£18.70
Penguin Books Ltd Arsène Lupin GentlemanThief
Book Synopsis"Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-Thief".
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd The Cellars of the Majestic
Book SynopsisBelow stairs at a glamorous hotel on the Champs-Elysees, the workers lives are worlds away from the luxury enjoyed by the wealthy guests. When their worlds meet, Maigret discovers a tragic story of ambition, blackmail and unrequited love.Trade ReviewPraise for Georges Simenon:“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” —The Guardian “These Maigret books are as timeless as Paris itself.” —The Washington Post “Maigret ranks with Holmes and Poirot in the pantheon of fictional detective immortals.” —People “I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov.” —William Faulkner “The greatest of all, the most genuine novelist we have had in literature.” —André Gide “A supreme writer . . . Unforgettable vividness.” —The Independent (London) “Superb . . . The most addictive of writers . . . A unique teller of tales.” —The Observer (London) “Compelling, remorseless, brilliant.” —John Gray “A truly wonderful writer . . . Marvelously readable—lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the world he creates.” —Muriel Spark “A novelist who entered his fictional world as if he were a part of it.”lle —Peter Ackroyd “Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century.” —John Banville"Gem-hard soul-probes . . . not just the world's bestselling detective series, but an imperishable literary legend . . . he exposes secrets and crimes not by forensic wizardry, but by the melded powers of therapist, philosopher and confessor" ― Times (London)"Strangely comforting . . . so many lovely bistros from the Paris of mid-20th C. The corpses are incidental, it's the food that counts." ― Margaret Atwood"One of the greatest writers of the 20th century . . . no other writer can set up a scene as sharply and with such economy as Simenon does . . . the conjuring of a world, a place, a time, a set of characters - above all, an atmosphere." ― Financial Times"Gripping . . . richly rewarding . . . You'll quickly find yourself obsessing about his life as you tackle each mystery in turn."-- Stig Abell ― The Sunday Times (London)
£8.99
Penguin Books Ltd The Judges House
Book Synopsis''Compelling, remorseless, brilliant'' John Gray He went out, lit his pipe and walked slowly to the harbour. He could hear scurrying footsteps behind him. The sea was becoming swollen. The beams of the lighthouses joined in the sky. The moon had just risen and the judge''s house emerged from the darkness, all white, a crude, livid, unreal white. Exiled from the Police Judiciare in Paris, Maigret bides his time in a remote coastal town of France. There, among the lighthouses, mussel farms and the eerie wail of foghorns, he discovers that a community''s loyalties hide unpleasant truths.Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret in Exile.''One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories'' Guardian ''A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness'' IndependentTrade ReviewPraise for Georges Simenon:“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” —The Guardian “These Maigret books are as timeless as Paris itself.” —The Washington Post “Maigret ranks with Holmes and Poirot in the pantheon of fictional detective immortals.” —People “I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov.” —William Faulkner “The greatest of all, the most genuine novelist we have had in literature.” —André Gide “A supreme writer . . . Unforgettable vividness.” —The Independent (London) “Superb . . . The most addictive of writers . . . A unique teller of tales.” —The Observer (London) “Compelling, remorseless, brilliant.” —John Gray “A truly wonderful writer . . . Marvelously readable—lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the world he creates.” —Muriel Spark “A novelist who entered his fictional world as if he were a part of it.”lle —Peter Ackroyd “Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century.” —John Banville"Gem-hard soul-probes . . . not just the world's bestselling detective series, but an imperishable literary legend . . . he exposes secrets and crimes not by forensic wizardry, but by the melded powers of therapist, philosopher and confessor" ― Times (London)"Strangely comforting . . . so many lovely bistros from the Paris of mid-20th C. The corpses are incidental, it's the food that counts." ― Margaret Atwood"One of the greatest writers of the 20th century . . . no other writer can set up a scene as sharply and with such economy as Simenon does . . . the conjuring of a world, a place, a time, a set of characters - above all, an atmosphere." ― Financial Times"Gripping . . . richly rewarding . . . You'll quickly find yourself obsessing about his life as you tackle each mystery in turn."-- Stig Abell ― The Sunday Times (London)
£8.99
Penguin Books Ltd Signed Picpus
Book SynopsisA mysterious note predicting the murder of a fortune-teller; a confused old man locked in a Paris apartment; a financier who goes fishing; a South American heiress... Maigret must make his way through a frustrating maze of clues, suspects and motives to find out what connects them.Trade ReviewPraise for Georges Simenon:“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” —The Guardian “These Maigret books are as timeless as Paris itself.” —The Washington Post “Maigret ranks with Holmes and Poirot in the pantheon of fictional detective immortals.” —People “I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov.” —William Faulkner “The greatest of all, the most genuine novelist we have had in literature.” —André Gide “A supreme writer . . . Unforgettable vividness.” —The Independent (London) “Superb . . . The most addictive of writers . . . A unique teller of tales.” —The Observer (London) “Compelling, remorseless, brilliant.” —John Gray “A truly wonderful writer . . . Marvelously readable—lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the world he creates.” —Muriel Spark “A novelist who entered his fictional world as if he were a part of it.”lle —Peter Ackroyd “Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century.” —John Banville"Gem-hard soul-probes . . . not just the world's bestselling detective series, but an imperishable literary legend . . . he exposes secrets and crimes not by forensic wizardry, but by the melded powers of therapist, philosopher and confessor" ― Times (London)"Strangely comforting . . . so many lovely bistros from the Paris of mid-20th C. The corpses are incidental, it's the food that counts." ― Margaret Atwood"One of the greatest writers of the 20th century . . . no other writer can set up a scene as sharply and with such economy as Simenon does . . . the conjuring of a world, a place, a time, a set of characters - above all, an atmosphere." ― Financial Times"Gripping . . . richly rewarding . . . You'll quickly find yourself obsessing about his life as you tackle each mystery in turn."-- Stig Abell ― The Sunday Times (London)
£8.99
Penguin Books Ltd The Complete Novels
Book SynopsisThe Penguin Complete Novels of Nancy Mitford.Here in one volume are all eight of Nancy Mitford''s sparklingly astute, hilarious and completely unputdownable novels: Highland Fling, Christmas Pudding, Wigs on the Green, Pigeon Pie, The Pursuit of Love, Love in a Cold Climate, The Blessing and Don''t Tell Alfred.Published over a period of 30 years, they provide a wonderful glimpse of the bright young things of the thirties, forties, fifties and sixties in the city and in the shires; firmly ensconced at home or making a go of it abroad; and what the upper classes really got up to in peace and in war.''Entirely original, inimitable and irresistible'' Spectator''Deliciously funny'' Evelyn Waugh''Utter, utter bliss'' Daily Mail
£18.00
Penguin Books Ltd The Snow Was Dirty
Book Synopsis''Feels incredibly modern... it is brutal, frank about sex and violence, and will make your flesh creep'' Ian RankinA brilliant new translation of Simenon''s critically acclaimed masterpiece.''And always the dirty snow, the heaps of snow that look rotten, with black patches and embedded garbage ... unable to cover the filth.''Nineteen-year-old Frank - thug, thief, son of a brothel owner - gets by surprisingly well despite living in a city under military occupation, but a warm house and a full stomach are not enough to make him feel truly alive in such a climate of deceit and betrayal. During a bleak, unending winter, he embarks on a string of violent and sordid crimes that set him on a path from which he can never return. Georges Simenon''s matchless novel is a brutal, compelling portrayal of a world without pity; a devastating journey through a psychological no-man''s land.''Among the best novels of the twentieth century'' New Yorker''An astonishing work'' John Banville''So noir it makes Raymond Chandler look beige'' IndependentTrade ReviewA brutal analysis of a wartime collaborator's moral vacuity. There's a cold, ruthless beauty to Simenon's writing. * Spectator *Feels incredibly modern... it is brutal, frank about sex and violence, and will make your flesh creep. -- Ian RankinA masterpiece, completely brilliant . . . so nihilistic and so completely barren . . . but it is saved from being comically French by the vigour with which the story is told and the great knowingness of the author's voice. -- India KnightOne of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories * Guardian *Fierce, bleak and compellingly written . . . with pitiless landscapes of hopeless longing, random cruelty and galloping fate warmed only by the twilit lyricism of doomed desire. These are novels of eye-opening, spine-tingling control and intensity. -- Boyd Tonkin * The Independent *A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness * Independent *
£11.21
Penguin Books Ltd Maigret and the Dead Girl
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewOne of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories * Guardian *A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness * Independent *The most addictive of writers . . . a unique teller of tales * Observer *
£8.99
Penguin Books Ltd The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories PENGUIN
Book SynopsisA landmark collection of stories--nearly half appearing in English for the first time--selected and introduced by Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa LahiriA Penguin ClassicWhen Jhumpa Lahiri decided to read exclusively in Italian, a language she had studied for many years, her life as a reader--and writer--took a surprising turn. Complete immersion in this rich literary heritage brought fresh insight andunexpected freedom.This collection brings together forty writers who have shaped her love of the Italian language and profound appreciation for its literature. More than half of the stories featured in this volume have been translated into English for the first time, and the wide-ranging selection includes well-known authors such as Italo Calvino, Elsa Morante, and Luigi Pirandello alongside many captivating rediscoveries.Poets, journalists, visual artists, musicians, editors, critics, teachers, scientists, politicians, translators: the writers that Trade ReviewA fantastically rich - and beautiful - anthology that's teaching me a lot -- Chris PowerThe best anthology of its kind I've read -- John Self * Observer *A feast . . . her choice of 40 authors embraces familiar greats and sows them with fascinating additions . . . they remind us of the short story's playfulness, it's ability to move us with unexpected sharpness while it experiments with voices, styles and boundaries * Telegraph *Jhumpa Lahiri has pulled off something quite striking here: a literary anthology that sparkles with invention and variety, makes a remarkably convincing case for the vitality of the modern Italian short story and also beguiles, thanks to her sharp-eyed work as editor, compiler and part-translator. * Literary Review *Taken one by one, each story in this volume is a jewel. Taken all together, the book is a remarkable introduction to Italian literature and a great gift to the English-speaking reader. Remarkable stories from a wide range of writers describe the mundane and the fantastic, the everyday and the sublime. * Kirkus *An enticing collection . . . a remarkable sample of the literary form . . . the tales are by turns startling, moving, intriguing and provocative; they bring melancholy, humour and a dose of the uncanny. -- Vilma de Gasperin * TLS *
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd Passing
Book SynopsisIntroducing Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world''s greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith.Celebrating the range and diversity of Penguin Classics, they take us from snowy Japan to springtime Vienna, from haunted New England to a sun-drenched Mediterranean island, and from a game of chess on the ocean to a love story on the moon. Beautifully designed and printed, these collectible editions are bound in colourful, tactile cloth and stamped with foil.Clare Kendry, elegant, fair-skinned and ambitious, is married to a white man who is unaware of her African-American heritage. When she reunites with childhood friend Irene, who has not hidden her origins, both women are forced to confront the secret fears they have buried within themselves. A taut exploration of race and gender, Passing is one of the Harlem Renaissance''s greatest works.''A tragic story rooted in inescapable facts of American life'' The New York Times
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Queen of Spades
Book SynopsisIntroducing Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world''s greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith. Celebrating the range and diversity of Penguin Classics, they take us from snowy Japan to springtime Vienna, from haunted New England to a sun-drenched Mediterranean island, and from a game of chess on the ocean to a love story on the moon. Beautifully designed and printed, these collectible editions are bound in colourful, tactile cloth and stamped with foil.A countess with a card trick; love letters filled with deception; a desperate man with a pistol.''The Queen of Spades'', one of Pushkin''s most popular and chilling stories, is accompanied here by the thrilling ''Dubrovsky'' and unforgettable ''Tales of Belkin''.''He is the lasting wonder of Russian literature'' - GuardianTrade ReviewA prophetic phenomenon of the Russian spirit -- Fyodor DostoevskyHe is the lasting wonder of Russian literature * Guardian *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
Book SynopsisLittle Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith. Emerging from their smoke-filled rooms at 21B Baker Street, Holmes and Watson grapple with the forces of crime that stalk the streets of London. From the first story, 'A Scandal in Bohemia' where Holmes is foiled by the quick-thinking of 'the woman', Irene Adler, to what was presumed to be the last, 'The Final Problem' where Holmes at last comes face to face with the diabolical Professor Moriarty, this selection is presents the very best of Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic detective. 'Arthur Conan Doyle is unique ... Personally, I would walk a mile in tight boots to read him to the milkman' Stephen Fry
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Game Without Rules
Book SynopsisDiscover the new Penguin Crime and Espionage seriesFor two secret agents, there''s no such thing as a quiet life in the countryside...In a peaceful Kent village, Mr Behrens lives with his aunt at the Old Rectory, where he plays chess and keeps bees. His friend Mr Calder lives nearby with Rasselas, a golden deerhound of unnatural intelligence. No one would suspect that they are in fact working for British Intelligence, carrying out the jobs that are too dangerous for anyone else to handle - whether it''s wiping out traitors, Soviet spies or old Nazis - in these gloriously entertaining stories.
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Little Sister Phillip Marlowe
Book Synopsis''So you need help. What''s your name and trouble?''Private Investigator Philip Marlowe''s latest client is Orfamay Quest. She''s come all the way from Manhattan, Kansas, to find her missing brother Orrin. Or at least that''s what she tells Marlowe, offering him just twenty dollars for his trouble. Feeling charitable, Marlowe accepts - though it''s not long before he wishes he hadn''t. Soon the trail leads to a succession of Hollywood starlets, uppity gangsters, suspicious cops and corpses with ice picks jammed into their necks . . .The Little Sister is Raymond Chandler''s fifth novel featuring laconic PI Philip Marlowe.''Marlowe remains the quintessential urban private eye'' Los Angeles Times''Chandler grips the mind from the first sentence'' Daily Telegraph ''One of the greatest crime writers, who set standards others still try to attain'' Sunday Times''Chandler is an original stylist, creator of a char
£9.49
Pan Macmillan Lady Chatterley's Lover
Book SynopsisConnie’s unhappy marriage to Clifford Chatterley is one scarred by mutual frustration and alienation. Crippled from wartime action, Clifford is confined to a wheelchair, while Connie’s solitary, sterile existence is contained within the narrow parameters of the Chatterley ancestral home, Wragby. She seizes her chance at happiness and freedom when she embarks on a passionate affair with the estate’s gamekeeper, Mellors, discovering a world of sexual opportunity and pleasure she’d thought lost to her. The explosive passion of Connie and Mellors’ relationship – and the searing candour with which it is described – marked a watershed in twentieth-century fiction, garnering Lady Chatterley’s Lover a wide and enduring readership and lasting notoriety. The text is taken from the privately published Author’s Unabridged Popular Edition of 1930, the last to be supervised in D. H. Lawrence’s lifetime. It also includes his witty essay, My Skirmish with Jolly Roger, describing the pirating of this infamous novel. This Macmillan Collector’s Library edition of Lady Chatterley’s Lover features an afterword by editor and publisher, Anna South.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.
£10.44
Pan Macmillan Heart of Darkness & other stories
Book SynopsisSinister and incisive, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad has retained the fascination of readers and scholars alike. It is accompanied here by the stories with which it has been published since 1902: the autobiographical Youth, and the tale of an old man's fall from fortune, The End of the Tether.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition features an afterword by Dr Keith Carabine, specialist in American literature and former chair of the Joseph Conrad society.One night on the Thames, Charles Marlowe tells his fellow sailors the vivid and brutal tale of his time as a riverboat captain in the Belgian Congo. From the mists of London we are whisked to the darkness of Africa’s colonial heart – and into the thrall of the tyrannical Kurtz, an ivory trader who has established himself as a terrifying demi-god.
£9.49
Graphic Arts Books The Man Who Laughs
Book SynopsisThe Man Who Laughs (1869) is a novel by Victor Hugo. Written while Hugo was living in exile on the island of Guernsey, The Man Who Laughs is set between the 17th and 18th centuries in England, a time of political unrest and class conflict in which he identified parallels to France of the 19th century. Although the novel was largely panned at the time, it has since been recognized as one of Hugo’s greatest works. The Man Who Laughs has inspired over a dozen adaptations in film, theater, and comics, including a 1928 American silent film that served as source material for the Joker in the original 1940 issue of Batman. “Again the child set himself to sweep away the snow. The neck of the dead woman appeared; then her shoulders, clothed in rags. Suddenly he felt something move feebly under his touch. It was something small that was buried, and which stirred. The child swiftly cleared away the snow, discovering a wretched little body—thin, wan with cold, still alive, lying naked on the dead woman's naked breast.” Abandoned by a group of Comprachicos, criminals who buy and capture children for the purpose of mutilating them and forcing them to work as beggars or performers, the young Gwynplaine wanders the English coast alone. During a storm, he discovers an infant girl and her dead mother lying in the snow, and endeavors to save the child. Left with no choice but to rely on strangers, Gwynplaine joins a carnival run by the merciful Ursus, a man with a pet wolf. Horrified at first by the boy’s disfigurement, which has left a perpetual smile on his face, Ursus agrees to care for the children and soon finds that Gwynplaine is a versatile and lucrative attraction at his shows. When the Duchess Josiana attends the carnival to see Gwynplaine, now a young man, she finds herself strangely attracted to him. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Victor Hugo’s The Man Who Laughs is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers.
£7.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Mrs Harris Goes to Paris & Mrs Harris Goes to New
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 *
£8.54
Pan Macmillan Classic Cat Stories
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.
£10.44
Pan Macmillan La Vita Nuova: Love Poems
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.
£10.44
Pan Macmillan Black Voices on Britain
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.
£10.44
Melin Bapur Lona
Book Synopsis
£12.34
Pushkin Press Late Fame
Book SynopsisWinner of the Newbery Honor: the delightful tale of a wandering good samaritan dog, by the author of Shrek! Dominic has decided it is time for a change. So he packs up his hats and his piccolo, and sets off into the unknown. But no sooner does he feel the air on his snout and the grass beneath his paws, than disaster strikes: he encounters the dreaded Doomsday Gang. But Dominic is not one to complain - and nor is he one to lose a fight. As legend of his victory over the villains spreads, more and more creatures turn to him for help: a 158-year-old turtle, a heartbroken wild boar, and a family of grateful geese all encounter Dominic's heroism and generosity. But his trials are far from over: the Doomsday Gang is alive and kicking, and how can one young dog face a mob of hooligans alone? "Steig's books are like perfect smooth stones, complete in themselves, with no seams to be found... he always has the skill to bring together what seems to be a lot of spur-of-the-moment choices and make them into stories that land so perfectly and satisfyingly and feel so inevitable in their endings" - Jon Klassen, author of This Is Not My HatTrade ReviewA witty satire that will immerse you in the world of these turn-of-the-century Viennese bohemians The Times Hilarious, unbelievably finely spun and ironic... a great literary discovery Die Zeit Finely balanced between comedy and melancholy... offers a delicious parody of the business of literature and literary events... light-footed and wonderfully ironic Berliner Zeitung What one can learn from this 120-year-old text... is an ironic attitude to oneself and the world. [This] is what makes this novella about the Viennese Modernity a modern text of today Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung I like and admire [Schnitzler] warmly as man and writer -- Stefan Zweig Riveting Neue Zurcher Zeitung Exquisite Frankfurter Rundschau [Late Fame's first ever publication in 2014] is an event for everyone interested in literature Spiegel Online When I read one of your beautiful works I keep finding, behind the fiction, the same propositions, interests and solutions that are familiar to me from my own thoughts -- Sigmund Freud Letter to Schnitzler, May 1922 An overlooked classic Jewish Chronicle
£9.49
Granta Books The Emperor's Tomb
Book SynopsisThe Emperor's Tomb is a magically evocative, haunting elegy to the vanished world of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and to the passing of time and the loss of youth and friends. Prophetic and regretful, intuitive and exact, Roth's acclaimed novel is the tale of one man's struggle to come to terms with the uncongenial society of post-First World War Vienna and the first intimations of Nazi barbarities.Trade ReviewAn urgent and deceptively moving lamentation of stark emotion... A profound farewell gesture of love and sorrow, such heartbreaking sorrow * Irish Times *Roth is a master of sharp scene-shaping and storytelling... wonderful -- A.S. Byatt * Guardian *Superbly translated by the poet Michael Hofmann... Roth remains one of the greatest literary geniuses of the 20th century -- Ian Thomson * Evening Standard *Vividly written... No-one handles the passing of time, and the regrets this brings, better than Roth -- Allan Massie * Scotsman *Breathtaking... In despair, battling with poverty and illness, he nevertheless manages to create one astonishing scene after another -- David Herman * Jewish Chronicle *The carefully wrought work of a poet in full sympathy with his subject and his subject matter, in all its rootlessness, melancholy and ironic brevity * Economist *This lament has all the more power for knowing it was written as Europe was about to fall once more -- Ben Felsenburg * Metro *Events unfurl amid the morbid carnival of ever more grotesque political mutations, preceding the Anschluss in 1938... courageous, irrepressible [and] resplendent -- Will Stone * TLS *A new translation by the peerless Michael Hofmann, this is the troubled, troubling account of a young man struggling to fit into Vienna in the wake of the First World War, a time when the Nazis' behaviour was slowly becoming evident * Sunday Herald *Remarkable -- Alan Taylor * The Herald *Here is a rare opportunity for English-speaking readers to better understand [the] fate [of the Austro-Hungarian Empire]... Worth reading -- Stefan Wagstyl * Financial Times *A resourceful translation -- Anthony Cummins * Observer *Roth is able to contain moral universes within the tiniest of narrative spans, and to convey almost unbearable purity in the plainest terms * Scotland on Sunday *His books posses an eerie clairvoyant feel, shattering in their simplicity, exalting in their moral philosophical weight * Los Angeles Times *Luminous * Elle Decoration *Fractured and melancholic... more an extended prose poem than a novel -- Eileen Battersby * Irish Times *Roth wrote of the most serious things with the lightest of touches -- Howard Jacobsen, Summer books round up 2016 * Sunday Times *Beautiful, elegant, almost dreamlike * The Times *Unforgettable, really great literature -- William BoydLean, choppy. ... Pauperized and debilitated in exile, Roth was at his lowest ebb by 1939, but, in that courageous and irrepressible vein which marks the resplendent prose of The Emperor's Tomb, he still ends on a high * TLS *
£999.99
Vintage Publishing The Sandcastle (Vintage Classics Murdoch Series)
Book SynopsisIt's all dry sand running through the fingers.' When Bill Mor falls in love with Rain Carter he discovers a new way of being and a new joy in the world and his surroundings. To be with Rain he must abandon his prosaic life as a schoolmaster, his domineering wife Nan and his troubled teenaged children. He must draw on the powers of selfishness, hatred and anger in order to make the final break. But what love could survive all that violence? WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY BIDISHA VINTAGE CLASSICS MURDOCH: Funny, subversive, fearless and fiercely intelligent, Iris Murdoch was one of the great writers of the twentieth century. To celebrate her centenary Vintage Classics presents special editions of her greatest and most timeless novels.Trade ReviewHow bloody good her novels are – how intelligent, how lucent, how divinely crazy. They’re fun – I’d forgotten that. -- Sarah Waters * Guardian *One of her most haunting works... She is spectacularly enigmatic -- Philippa GregoryHer characters are described with loving exactitude and in such depth that their struggles to define what it means to live a good life take on dramatic force. * New York Times *Iris Murdoch is incapable of writing without fascinating and beautiful colour * The Times *She believes in everything: true love, veridical visions, magic, monsters, pagan spirits. Her world is ignited by belief -- Martin Amis
£11.69
Vintage Publishing Parties: Vintage Minis
Book Synopsis‘I want to give a really bad party. I mean it. I want to give a party where there’s a brawl and seductions and people going home with their feelings hurt and women passed out in the cabinet de toilette. You wait and see.’The crackle of gin on ice, the first chords of the band, the low hum of gossip– whether you love or loathe parties, Fitzgerald writes them like no one else. From glittering occasions complete with an orchestra and dancing girls to a fist-fight at the end of a toddler’s birthday, this is a dazzling collection of party pieces from the master of celebration.Selected from The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night and Flappers and Philosophers VINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS. A series of short books by the world’s greatest writers on the experiences that make us humanTrade ReviewThey look good and read well. That’s win/win in our book * Stylist *Literature for the Twitter generation * Big Issue *
£5.99
Vintage Publishing Lies: Vintage Minis
‘The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either, and modern literature a complete impossibility.’Is lying simply an uncomfortable truth about life or something to be celebrated? In these dazzlingly witty pages we find deceptions of all kinds. From false names to imaginary friends to fictitious engagements, Wilde proves himself to be a connoisseur of creativity and argues that lying may be an art form in itself.Selected from The Importance of Being Earnest, The Decay of Lying and The Picture of Dorian Gray VINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS. A series of short books by the world’s greatest writers on the experiences that make us human Also in the Vintage Minis series: Murder by Arthur Conan Doyle Power by William Shakespeare Jealousy by Marcel Proust Ghosts by M. R. James
£5.99
Vintage Publishing Swann's Way: Vintage Classics French Series
Book SynopsisThe definitive translation of a truly great French novel - Proust's beautiful, atmospheric story of memory and loss.This is the first volume of In Search of Lost Time, one of the greatest French novels of the twentieth century. Travelling back through time, the narrator tells the story of events long since past - his childhood happiness and sadness, and memories brought famously back to life by the taste of a madeleine. His family's friend and neighbour, the aristocratic Swann, weaves through the tale. We learn of Swann's passionate love affair with Odette, a jealous love that creates a model for the narrator's own relationships. All Proust's great themes begin here: time and memory, love and loss, art and the artistic vocation.THE ACCLAIMED FULLY REVISED EDITION OF THE SCOTT MONCRIEFF AND KILMARTIN TRANSLATIONThe best translation available: 'A really major, significant achievement, and one that you should put on your Christmas list immediately' GuardianVINTAGE FRENCH CLASSICS - six masterpieces of French fiction in collectable editions.Trade ReviewMy advice is to plunge straight into Volume 1, Swann's Way there are many who swear the experience has permanently enriched their lives * Daily Mail *One of the cornerstones of the Western literary canon * The Times *Surely the greatest novelist of the 20th century * Sunday Telegraph *As close to being a definitive English version of the great novel as we are likely to get * Scotsman *Proust isn't just the most profound of novelists, but the most entertaining, too. No reader ever forgets his most killingly funny scenes... Proust sinks deepest in readers because the book is so exhaustively analytical, so ceaselessly truthful. Not the least of it is the book's heavenly length, so that it inevitably takes over your life for a long stretch... the experience of reading it becomes, in itself, an unforgettable thing * Independent *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing If on a Winter's Night a Traveller: A special
Book SynopsisA beautiful hardback edition of Calvino's genre-switching masterwork. A book of surprise and adventure but you, the reader, are the hero. You go into a bookshop and buy If on a Winter's Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino. You like it. But alas there is a printer's error in your copy. You take it back to the shop and get a replacement. But the replacement seems to be a totally different story. You try to track down the original book you were reading but end up with a different narrative again. This remarkable novel leads you through many different books including a detective adventure, a romance, a satire, an erotic story, a diary and a quest. But the real hero is you, the reader.'Breathtakingly inventive' David Mitchell'A writer of dizzying ambition and variety, each of his stories is a fresh adventure into the possibilities of fiction' GuardianVINTAGE QUARTERBOUND CLASSICS: Bound to be beautiful
£15.29
Canongate Books The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a
Book SynopsisIt is Scotland in the early eighteenth century. Fear and superstition grip the land. Robert Wringhim, a boy of strict Calvinist upbringing, is corrupted by a shadowy figure who calls himself Gil-Martin. Under his influence Robert commits a series of murders which he regards as 'justified' by God under the tenets of his faith.Hogg's masterpiece is a brilliant portrayal of the power of evil and a scathing critique of organised religion. Superbly crafted and deftly executed, it resists any easy explanation of events: is this stranger a figment of Robert's imagination, or the devil himself?Trade ReviewHogg's enduring masterpiece is a triumph and deserves to be read, enjoyed and discussed by a new generation -- IAN RANKINIts atmosphere is unique, its penetration is shocking, and the truthfulness of its account of religious mania is both timeless and timely -- PHILIP PULLMANHogg's masterpiece is a psychological thriller, a metaphysical puzzle and a theological and philosophical maze all in one . . . A strange, disturbing obsession of a book -- JAMES ROBERTSONA prophet of modernity . . . the most influential of all Scotland's novelists . . . A wonderful storyteller -- ALAN RIACH * * The National * *
£8.54
Pushkin Press Murder in the Age of Enlightenment: Essential
Book Synopsis'One never tires of reading and re-reading his best works. Akutagawa was a born short-story writer' Haruki Murakami 'The quintessential writer of his era' David Peace These are short stories from an unparalleled icon of modern Japanese literature. Sublimely crafted and shotthrough with a fantastical sensibility, they offer dazzling glimpses into moments of madness, murder and obsession. A talented and spiteful painter is givenover to depravity in pursuit of artistic brilliance. In the depths of hell, arobber spies a single spider's threadbeing lowered towards him. When abody is found in an isolated bamboogrove, a kaleidoscopic account ofviolence and desire begins to unfold. Vividly translated by BryanKaretnyk, this mesmerising collection brings together a seriesof essential works from themaster of the Japaneseshort story. Part of the Pushkin Press Classics series: timeless storytelling by icons of literature, hand-picked from around the globe. Translated by Bryan Karetyn Ryunosuke Akutagawa was one of Japan's leading literary figures in the Taisho period. Regarded as the father of the Japanese short story, he produced over 150 in his short lifetime. Haunted by the fear that he would inherit his mother's madness, Akutagawa suffered from worsening mental health problems towards the end of his life and committed suicide aged 35 by taking an overdose of barbiturates.Trade Review"One never tires of reading and re-reading his work. Akutagawa was a born short-story writer." - Haruki Murakami"The quintessential writer of his era." - David Pearce"Extravagance and horror and in his work but never in his style, which is always crystal-clear." - Jorge Luis Borges"He was both traditional and experimental and always compelling and fearless... There is no writer quite like him." - Howard Norman
£9.49
Scorpius Books Wuthering Heights (annotated)
Book Synopsis
£14.24
Everyman Reunion
Book SynopsisThe romantic forested landscape of southwest Germany is the setting for the birth of a friendship that will haunt sixteen-year-old Hans Schwarz for the rest of his life. Hans is Jewish, the son of a doctor who is confident that the rise of the Nazis is only 'a temporary illness' afflicting his beloved country. Hans's new classmate, Konradin von Hohenfels, is a dazzling young aristocrat whose mother keeps a portrait of Hitler on her dressing-table. Hans is immediately drawn to Konradin, and thrilled when a close bond forms between them, forged by common interests that set them apart from the other boys. But their loyalties are soon tested in ways they could not have imagined. Three decades later, from the vantage point of New York City, Hans once again confronts this life-shaping episode from his youth, through a stunning revelation that he stumbles upon by chance. In its story of friendship undone by History, Reunion combines the explosive compression of a fable with the emotional depth of an epic novel many times its length.
£11.69
Little, Brown Book Group Symposium
Book Synopsis'The greatest Scottish novelist of modern times . . . She was peerless, sparkling, inventive and intelligent - the crème de la crème.' Ian RankinOne October evening five London couples gather for a dinner party, enjoying 'the pheasant (flambe in cognac as it is)' and waiting for the imminent arrival of the late-coming guest Hilda Damien, who has been unavoidably detained due to the fact that she is being murdered at this very moment.With an introduction by Ian Rankin.Symposium is Muriel Spark - one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century and author of classics including The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - at her wicked best. 'A rich, heady, disturbing brew.' Lorna Sage'Extremely clever and highly entertaining.' Penelope Lively'Stiletto-sharp fiction.' Alan Taylor, Scotland on SundayTrade ReviewThe greatest Scottish novelist of modern times . . . She was peerless, sparkling, inventive and intelligent - the crème de la crème * Ian Rankin *Extremely clever and highly entertaining ... A young bride is seen to have been connected, apparently by chance, with a sequence of untimely deaths ... Symposium is put together like an intricate jigsaw puzzle * Penelope Lively *This is the story of a dinner party, a knot of people with pasts and connections which at first seem few but are later found to be many ... The prevailing mood is urbane: the wine is poured, the talk continues, and all the time the ice on which the protagonist s' world rests is being thinned from beneath by boiling emotions and ugly motives ... No living writer handles the tension between formality of expression and the subversiveness of thought more elegantly * Candia McWilliam, Independent on Sunday *Stiletto-sharp fiction...as in the bitter confections of Ivy Compton-Burnett, it is the dialogue that propels this dangerous, devilish book * Alan Taylor, Scotland on Sunday *
£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group In A Summer Season
Book SynopsisIn a Summer Season is one of Elizabeth Taylor's finest novels in which, in a moving and powerful climax, she reveals love to be the thing it is: beautiful, often funny, and sometimes tragic.'You taste of rain', he said, kissing her. 'People say I married her for her money', he thought contentedly, and for the moment was full of the self-respect that loving her had given him.Kate Heron is a wealthy, charming widow who marries, much to the disapproval of friends and neighbours, a man ten years her junior: the attractive, feckless Dermot. Then comes the return of Kate's old friend Charles - intelligent, kind and now widowed, with his beautiful young daughter. Kate watches happily as their two families are drawn together, finding his presence reassuringly familiar, but slowly she becomes aware of subtle undercurrents that begin to disturb the calm surface of their friendship. Before long, even she cannot ignore the gathering storm . . .Trade ReviewWitty, hilarious, astringent, devastating - her impeccable style can do anything and with seemingly effortless easeOne of Taylor's best novels * New Statesman *It's smashing . . . When you've finished In a Summer Season, you are totally fired up to read every book that Taylor ever wroteJane Austen, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Pym, Elizabeth Bowen - soul-sisters allHer stories remain with one, indelibly, as though they had been some turning point in one's own experienceOne of the most underrated novelists of the twentieth century
£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group The Comforters
Book Synopsis'The greatest Scottish novelist of modern times.' Ian RankinIn this first novel by Muriel Spark - author of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - the only things that aren't ambiguous are Spark's matchless originality and glittering wit.With an introduction by Ali Smith.Caroline Rose is plagued by the tapping of typewriter keys and the strange, detached narration of her every thought and action. She has an unusual problem - she realises she is in a novel. Her fellow characters are also possibly deluded: Laurence, her former lover, finds diamonds in a loaf of bread - could his elderly grandmother really be a smuggler? And Baron Stock, her bookseller friend, believes he is on the trail of England's leading Satanist.'A master of malice and mayhem.' Michiko Kakutani, New York Times'Brilliantly original and fascinating.' Evelyn Waugh'A light, clever, mirthful tour de force ... It disrupts and charms its readers with its combination of wit, precision, intelligence and hilarity. As vibrant as ever, more than fifty years after its first appearance.' Ali SmithTrade ReviewThat this light, clever, mirthful tour de force was a first novel is astounding. It ends with its own genesis, neatly, like a good joke. As vibrant as ever, more than 50 years after its first appearance, it still knocks the stuffing out of the realist tradition, and probably always will -- Ali SmithBrilliantly original and fascinating * Evelyn Waugh *A master of malice and mayhem * Michiko Katutani, NEW YORK TIMES *
£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group A Game Of Hide And Seek
Book Synopsis'Her stories remain with one, indelibly, as though they had been some turning-point in one's own experience' - Elizabeth Bowen, author of The Heat of the DayIntelligent and haunting, with echoes of Brief Encounter, this is a love story by one of the best British writers of the 20th century.During summer games of hide and seek Harriet falls in love with Vesey and his elusive, teasing ways. When he goes to Oxford she cherishes his photograph and waits for a letter that never comes.Years pass and Harriet stifles her dreams; with a husband and daughter, she excels at respectability. But then Vesey reappears and her marriage seems to melt away. Harriet is older, it is much too late, but she is still in love with him.Trade ReviewAlways intelligent, often subversive and never dull, Elizabeth Taylor is the thinking person's dangerous housewife. Her sophisticated prose combines elegance, icy wit and freshness in a stimulating cocktail - the perfect toast to the quiet horror of domestic life * Valerie Martin *A magnificent and underrated mid-20th-century writer, the missing link between Jane Austen and John Updike' -- David Baddiel * Independent *A Game of Hide and Seek showcases much of what makes Taylor a great novelist: piercing insight, a keen wit and a genuine sense of feeling for her characters -- Elizabeth Day * Guardian *Her stories remain with one, indelibly, as though they had been some turning-point in one's own experience * ELIZABETH BOWEN *Elizabeth Taylor is finally being recognised as an important British author: an author of great subtlety, great compassion and great depth. As a reader, I have found huge pleasure in returning to Taylor's novels and short stories many times over. As a writer I've returned to her too - in awe of her achievements, and trying to work out how she does it * Sarah Waters *A magnificent and underrated mid-20th-century writer, the missing link between Jane Austen and John Updike' * Independent *The unsung heroine of British 20th-century fiction. Elizabeth Taylor wrote 12 novels, and each displays her exquisitely light touch, her firt for discreet irony and her skill at revealing the emotional depths behind even the meekest exterior. She is at her very best here, a novel in which love is never declared, but is meticulously evoked. No writer has described the English middle classes with more gently devastating accuracy * Rebecca Abrams, SPECTATOR *
£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group The Enchanted April
Book SynopsisA discreet advertisement in 'The Times', addressed to 'Those who Apppreciate Wisteria and Sunshine...' is the impetus for a revelatory month for four very different women. High above the bay on the Italian Riviera stands San Salvatore, a mediaeval castle. Beckoned to this haven are Mrs. Wilkins, Mrs Arbuthnot, Mrs Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester, each quietly craving a respite. Lulled by the Mediterranean spirit, they gradually shed their skins and discover a harmony each of them has longed for but never known.First published in 1922 and reminscient of 'Elizabeth and her German Garden', this delightful novel is imbued with the descriptive power and light-hearted irreverence for which Elizabeth von Arnin is renowned.Trade ReviewAn enchanting novel, witty, touching and very perceptively written, which will sweep you into wisteria and sunshine -- Santa MontefioreFilled with hazy hills and fragrant flora, the novel is a dreamily sensuous description of the glories of Italian spring -- Adam Nicolson * Mail on Sunday *Elizabeth von Armin's most charming novel in every sense: it casts a spell...a sun-washed fairytale * Observer *At one level an escapist fantasy, at another a parable about the liberation of the spirit, this delicious confection will work its magic on all. * 'The Daily Telegraph' *
£14.24
Little, Brown Book Group Pomfret Towers: A Virago Modern Classic
Book SynopsisPomfret Towers, Barsetshire seat of the earls of Pomfret, was constructed, with great pomp and want of concern for creature comforts, in the once-fashionable style of Sir Gilbert Scott's St Pancras station. It makes a grand setting for a house party at which gamine Alice Barton and her brother Guy are honoured guests, mixing with the headstrong Rivers family, the tally-ho Wicklows and, most charming of all, Giles Foster, nephew and heir of the present Lord Pomfret. But whose hand will Mr Foster seek in marriage, and who will win Alice's tender heart? Angela Thirkell's classic 1930s comedy is lively, witty and deliciously diverting.Trade ReviewA perfect balance of satirical observation and chocolate-box charm ... one of the cosiest and funniest reads this winter * The Lady *Angela Thirkell is perhaps the most Pym-like of any twentieth-century author, after Pym herself -- Alexander McCall SmithA perfect balance of satirical observation and chocolate-box charm ... Thirkell's novel is one of the cosiest and funniest reads this winter * The Lady *Angela Thirkell is perhaps the most Pym-like of any twentieth-century author, after Pym herself -- Alexander McCall Smith
£9.49
Alma Books Ltd Black Snow
Book SynopsisAfter being saved from a suicide attempt by the appearance of a literary editor, the journalist and failed novelist Sergei Maxudov has a book suddenly accepted for stage adaptation at a prestigious venue and finds himself propelled into Moscow's theatrical world. In a cut-throat environment tainted by Soviet politics, censorship and egomania - epitomized by the arrogant and tyrannical director Ivan Vasilyevich - mayhem gradually gives way to absurdity. Unpublished in Bulgakov's own lifetime, Black Snow is peppered with darkly comic set pieces and draws on its author's own bitter experience as a playwright with the Moscow Arts Theatre, showcasing his inimitable gift for shrewd observation and razor-sharp satire.Trade ReviewCockrell's light touch often lifts the text on to a playful plane. * Russia Beyond the Headlines * High quality, attractively produced and moderately priced. * East-West Review *
£8.54
Alma Books Ltd Heart of Darkness and the Complete Congo Diary
Book SynopsisOn a boat in the Thames estuary, Marlow tells his travelling companions of his reconnaissance expedition for a Belgian trading company to its most remote outpost in central Africa, which brought him on the trail of the elusive Kurtz, a brilliant idealist gone rogue. His account relates not only the perils he encounters on his quest, but also the deterioration of his state of mind as he is confronted with a world that is hostile and alien to him. Renowned for its stylistic boldness and dramatic descriptions, Heart of Darkness is a stark yet subtle examination of the powers of the subconscious and the workings of western imperialism.Trade ReviewPerhaps the most haunting story that human imagination has ever achieved. -- Jorge Luis Borges
£6.99
Alma Books Ltd Arsène Lupin vs Sherlock Holmes: New Translation
Book SynopsisA battle of wits between the nimblest French thief and the shrewdest British detective This volume contains two adventures which pit the gentleman thief Arsène Lupin against Sherlock Holmes, the world’s most famous detective. In ‘The Blonde Lady’, Holmes must discover the identity of a mysterious female thief who is linked to Lupin, while in ‘The Jewish Lamp’ he finds out that the theft of a lamp containing a precious jewel conceals an astonishing secret. While their tone is at times ironic and firmly tongue-in-cheek, the two stories in Arsène Lupin vs Sherlock Holmes bear all the hallmarks of classic detective fiction, and will put a smile on the lips and set the pulses racing of all fans of mystery and detective fiction.Trade ReviewTwo of the greatest fictional crime characters ever between the pages of one book - fabulous! * Parents in Touch *For any crime fiction fan this is a must read as there is enough mystery and suspense to keep them hooked, but for any reader these intriguing, witty stories will hold their attention too. * Outside in World *
£7.59
