From Austen to Zola, from medieval to the modern day - all genres are catered for between the covers of these coveted classics.
Classics Books
Vintage Publishing Fraulein Schmidt and Mr Anstruther
Book SynopsisWhat on earth could have induced Mr Anstruther to fall in love with Fraulein Schmidt? He is an eligible English bachelor from a good family with great expectations; she is the plain, poor, ‘spinster’ daughter of a German scholar. But Rose-Marie Schmidt is also funny, intelligent, brave and gifted with an irrepressible talent for happiness. The real question is, does Mr Anstruther know how lucky he is?Trade ReviewElizabeth von Arnim had a neat wit, a wild sense of comedy, and a vision - continually thwarted though it was - of potential happiness. * Sunday Times *[Her books are] a revelation in their wit and... dry, unsentimental treatment of the relationship between men and women -- Barbara Pym
£999.99
Vintage Publishing Amerika
Book Synopsis‘No other voice has borne truer witness to the dark of our times’ George SteinerAfter an embarrassing sexual misadventure with a servant girl, sixteen-year-old Karl Rossman is banished to America by his parents. Expected to redeem himself in the land of opportunity, Karl’s youthful breeziness propels him into a series of bizarre escapades which threaten to ensnare him permanently. Though dredged with humour and optimism, Kafka’s first novel bears his distinctive hallmarks, as young Karl becomes mired in an ever more unreal and oppressive system.THE CLASSIC TRANSLATION BY WILLA AND EDWIN MUIRTrade ReviewNo other voice has borne truer witness to the dark of our times -- George SteinerHe is the greatest German writer of our time. Such poets as Rilke or such novelists as Thomas Mann are dwarfs or plaster saints in comparison to him * Vladimir Nabokov *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Power: Vintage Minis
Book Synopsis‘Why, what is pomp, rule, reign, but earth and dust?And, live we how we can, yet die we must’What is the true meaning of power? Are some simply born to it or can it be acquired like a skill? Does it always breed corruption and greed or can it be a force for good? From kings to prisoners and from battle-fields to courts, Shakespeare’s peerless understanding of power and its repercussions remains as pertinent today as it has ever been. Selected from Macbeth, Julius Caesar, A Winter’s Tale, Measure for Measure, Henry V, Richard IIVINTAGE 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:Independence by Charlotte BronteInjustice by Richard WrightMoney by Yuval Noah HarariLove by Jeanette Winterson
£5.99
Vintage Publishing Uncle Tom's Children
Book Synopsis'Wright's unrelentingly bleak landscape was not merely that of the Deep South, or of Chicago, but that of the world, the human heart' James Baldwin Natural disasters, cold-blooded murders, political agitation - all haunt these dark, dramatic novellas set in an American Deep South still corrupted by its slave-owning past. But at the heart of each are the stories of the men, women and children whose resistance against oppression will come to define their lives. Originally published in 1938, Uncle Tom's Children was Richard Wright's first published work. It would establish his reputation as both a powerful storyteller and a fierce chronicler of racism, violence and oppression in America at the time.
£9.49
Vintage Publishing No Pain Like This Body: The forgotten classic
Book Synopsis'A masterpiece of hurt' New York TimesWITH AN INTRODUCTION BY MONIQUE ROFFEYIn the Caribbean, at the beginning of the last century, a poor rice-growing family struggle to exist. Four siblings pass their days in the ricefield, as does Ma. But Pa is an angry man ready to vent. It is the August rainy season and above their heads the black sky crackles with lightning.On the day that Pa nearly drowns Ma in a tub of washing water, the children and their mother escape into the cane fields to wait out Pa's rage. But eight-year-old Rama, catches a chill in the rain and falls ill. What follows is a tale of the inheritance of loss. It contains a heart-stopping intensity that places it as one of the greatest Caribbean novels ever written.'It is a novel unconcerned with anything but truth-telling' Dionne Brand'To anyone who knows Caribbean literature his novel is infamous, and Ladoo is seen as one of the region's great literary stars' Independent'Ladoo drags you through this terrific hurricane, and you can never forget it' Amanda Smyth, author of FortuneTrade ReviewI have read the book several times and it is my favourite novel written by a Trinidadian novelist hands down. It deserves to be known -- Monique Roffey * Independent *It is a book whose enduring gift is that someone had the courage to write it, without illusions, beneath a black sky -- David ChariandryRereading this book has given me the gift of seeing it not only as an ode to violence, as it has come to be characterized, but also as a compassionate work by its end. I am indeed in love with this book. -- Shani MootooLuminous and harrowing * Times Literary Supplement *
£8.54
Vintage Publishing The Rack: The rediscovered ‘powerful love story’
Book SynopsisTHE REDISCOVERED BRITISH MASTERPIECE'Consider yourself an experiment of the gods in what a man can endure...' Paul Davenant, has arrived at a sanatorium in the Swiss Alps with hopes of a full cure and a normal life. But as the weeks and months pass interminably by, he undergoes endless tests and medical procedures, each more horrific and dehumanizing than the last, all the while facing the possibility that his case may be hopeless. Despite the pain, indignity, and tediousness, Davenant never loses sight of the outrageous, farcical side to his situation, the absurdity of it all. And when he falls in love with a fellow patient, he becomes determined to recover his health. Will he succeed, or will all the tortures he has endured have been for nothing?When The Rack was first published in 1958, the critical acclaim was universal: reviewers compared it with the works of Proust, Mann, and Camus and declared it a masterwork destined to take its place among the great novels of the 20th century. This edition will reclaim its status. PRAISE FOR THE RACK'I distrust anything deemed a cult classic, often a polite term for a book no one enjoys. But this very moving novel set in a TB sanatorium in Switzerland delivers gruelling descriptions of primitive treatments and a powerful love story' Sebastian Faulks'There are certain books we call great for want of a better term, that rise like monuments above the cemeteries of literature: Clarissa Harlowe, Great Expectations, Ulysses. The Rack to my mind is one of this company' Graham Greene'Quite possibly a masterpiece' Irish Times'Book of the year if there ever was one' V. S. Pritchett, New Statesman'A work of sombre power, of soaring comedy' Cyril Connolly, Sunday TimesTrade ReviewThe Rack is not an easy read, particularly now, but it is a vital one, a novel of big ideas with a febrile, twisted sentimentality at its heart. It asks us to consider what makes life worth living, and what, in the end, we would be prepared to die for -- Alex Preston * Observer *Very moving... A powerful love story -- Sebastian FaulksThere are certain books we call great for want of a better term, that rise like monuments above the cemeteries of literature: Clarissa, Great Expectations, Ulysses. The Rack to my mind is one of this company -- Graham GreeneQuite possibly a masterpiece * Irish Times *A work of sombre power, of soaring comedy * Sunday Times *
£10.44
Vintage Publishing Madame Bovary
Book Synopsis'She wanted to die, and she wanted to live in Paris.'This is the story of Emma, trapped in a disappointing marriage with a dull country doctor, she dreams for a life more like the sentimental novels she reads. In an attempt to break from the drab reality of her provincial life in Normandy, Emma takes a lover, and disaster soon follows.Greedy, delusional and selfish, the character of Emma Bovary scandalised readers from the novel's first publication in 1857, yet her magnetism is undeniable. A landmark work in modern realism, Madame Bovary vibrates with the inner life of a woman hungry for more.Meet ten of literature's most iconic heroines, jacketed in bold portraits by female photographers from around the world.Trade ReviewA work of brilliance * Daily Mail *
£8.54
Vintage Publishing Jane Eyre
Book Synopsis'Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? - You think wrong!'This is the story of Jane, an orphan in Victorian England, she is relentlessly bullied and deprived by her aunt and the charity school she is banished to. Yet Jane emerges from a tragic childhood a curious young woman with an indomitable spirit. When she finds work as a governess at Thornfield Hall it seems Jane has finally met her match in the unconventional Mr Rochester.But as her feelings for Mr Rochester grow, so do her suspicions that something darker lurks within the walls of this vast mansion... Jane Eyre is the unforgettable Gothic tale of a woman's search for happiness.Meet ten of literature's most iconic heroines, jacketed in bold portraits by female photographers from around the world.Trade ReviewA beautiful gift, and perfect gems for bookworms.—So DarlingAt the end we are steeped through and through with the genius, the vehemence, the indignation of Charlotte Brontë—Virginia WoolfJane Eyre's suspense-laden, melodramatic plot - featuring child cruelty and attempted bigamy, as well as the celebrated madwoman - explains much of its appeal... Jane Eyre is a book into which generations of readers have escaped. And yet it seems to provide something far more sustaining than the escapist fantasy... Her technical skill at writing the self in a first-person narrative is supreme, her words carefully chosen—Lucasta Miller, GuardianCharlotte Bronte was surely a marvellous woman. If it could be right to judge the work of a novelist from one small portion of one novel [JE], and to say of an author that he is to be accounted as strong as he shows himself to be in his strongest morsel of work, I should be inclined to put Miss Bronte very high indeed. I know of no interest more thrilling than that which she has been able to throw into the characters of Rochester and the governess, in the second volume of Jane Eyre—Anthony TrollopeGreat genius—William Makepeace Thackeray
£9.49
Vintage Publishing The Bloater: The brilliantly original
Book SynopsisWITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY STEWART LEE'Should The Bloater be republished? Oh God, absolutely, it's fantastic' Stewart LeeMin works at the BBC as an audio engineer, where she is struggling to replicate the sound of a heartbeat. At home, other matters of the heart are making a mockery of life as Min knows it.Min has found herself the object of her lodger's affection. An internationally renowned opera singer she's nicknamed 'The Bloater', Min is disgusted and attracted to him in equal measure. But with a husband so invisible that she accidentally turns the lights off on him even when he's still in the room, Min can't quite bring herself to silence The Bloater's overtures. Vain, materialistic, yet surprisingly tender, The Bloater is a sparklingly ironic comedy of manners for all flirtatious gossips who love to hate and hate to love.PRAISE FOR THE BLOATER'A wonderfully unromantic romantic comedy' Daily Telegraph'Uncommonly good' Guardian 'It is the perfect aperitif, makes you feel warm and careless and much, much happier' The TimesTrade ReviewThe Bloater delights us by its wit, relish, and new-minted metaphors * Daily Telegraph *Brittle, spry, spiky, amusing, a comedy of love... an original and distinctive flavour * Sunday Times *[Tonks'] novels are valuable curios...of their time. They read like a strange hybrid of Muriel Spark and Beryl Bainbridge with a dash of Joe Orton -- William Boyd * The Times *What a charismatic writer Rosemary Tonks is. The Bloater is lively and witty with some brilliant metaphors and descriptions, and so atmospheric. I really enjoyed it -- Katy WixIt is about flirtation as a method of self-organization, and a crush as a method of self-torture. All of The Bloater, however-every single sentence-is funny * New Yorker *
£9.49
BBC Audio, A Division Of Random House Jane Eyre: A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation
Book SynopsisAmanda Hale and Tom Burke star in a brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Charlotte Brontë's most beloved novel, adapted by Rachel Joyce. Orphan Jane learns at an early age that self-control is the surest means of retaining self-respect in adversity. It is a lesson that serves her well in the years ahead as she endures the misery of life with her cruel, uncaring aunt, followed by the harsh regime at Lowood Institution, a charity school for poor children. After taking the post of governess at Thornfield Hall, she meets the master of the house, the brooding, enigmatic Edward Rochester, and finds herself falling in love with him. It seems as if happiness may finally be within her grasp – but a series of strange events leads her to believe that Rochester is concealing a dark secret. When the truth is revealed, the heartbroken Jane will need all her inner strength and resilience to face up to it...Dramatised for radio by bestselling novelist Rachel Joyce (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry), this iconic love story stars Amanda Hale as Jane and Tom Burke as Rochester. Suffused with romance, passion, mystery and danger, it is a spellbinding tale that is as real and relevant today as when it was first published in 1847. Duration: 2 hours 30 mins approx.
£13.83
Titan Books Ltd The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The
Book SynopsisSherlock Holmes’s latest case takes him to the heart of Paris, in pursuit of Marguerite Hardy – a mysterious Frenchwoman who fled her comfortable English home when she received a strange letter. Desperate for her safe return, her husband begs for Holmes’s help. But Holmes’s investigations will take him and his cousin, Henry Vernier, into a world of theft, seduction and betrayal – and uncover a secret that has been buried for over twenty years.
£999.99
Arcturus Publishing Ltd The Great Gatsby
Book SynopsisJay Gatsby is a mystery to Nick. On the surface he is a man of wealth and excess - throwing wild, extravagant parties that run deep into the night. But cracks begin to show in this façade as we meet Daisy Buchanan, the lady across the lake who is the object of his quiet obsession. A paragon of the Great American Novel, The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story which captures the hollow decadence of the Jazz Age. As events unfold, both Gatsby and narrator Nick are forced to confront the rot beneath the shiny surface of high society and the unreality of the American dream.ABOUT THE SERIES: Arcturus Essential Fitzgerald presents a selection of F. Scott Fitzgerald''s most acclaimed fiction with striking contemporary cover-designs. These unique paperback editions make wonderful collectibles which celebrate one of important voices of the American Jazz Age.
£6.99
Arcturus Publishing Ltd Pride and Prejudice
Book SynopsisJane Austen''s classic tale of love overcoming preconceptions centres on the two eldest daughters of the Bennet family: Jane and Elizabeth. Elizabeth has to fend off an unwelcome offer of marriage from the Rev. Collins, while mistakenly falling for the charms of the dashing Mr Wickham, before realising that appearances are deceptive and that her prejudice against Mr Darcy has blinded her to his real character. Witty, humorous and ultimately satisfying, this masterpiece of classic fiction has endured for more than two hundred years.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Classics series brings together high-quality paperback editions of classics works, presented with contemporary graphic cover designs. Together they make a wonderful collection which is perfect for any home library.
£6.99
Arcturus Publishing Ltd The Gambler
Book SynopsisAlexei Ivanovich is tutor to a Russian family. They are bankrupt and eagerly awaiting the death of ''Grandmother''. Alexei falls in love twice: first, with the beautiful but impossible Polina; and second, with the game of roulette. Hi addiction turns out to be shared by Grandmother who suddenly appears, very much alive, and willing to gamble down to her last banknote.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Classics series brings together high-quality paperback editions of classics works, presented with contemporary graphic cover designs. Together they make a wonderful collection which is perfect for any home library.
£6.99
Arcturus Publishing Ltd Tender is the Night
Book Synopsis
£6.99
Arcturus Publishing Ltd Jane Eyre
Book SynopsisJane Eyre recounts the story of a governess who, having suffered during childhood both at her aunt''s house and then at school, finds herself falling for her new employer, Mr Rochester. But Mr Rochester and his home are not all they seem and when secrets come to light, Jane is forced to abandon all her hopes and dreams.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Classics series brings together high-quality paperback editions of classics works, presented with contemporary graphic cover designs. Together they make a wonderful collection which is perfect for any home library.
£9.25
Arcturus Publishing Ltd Moby Dick
Book SynopsisDescribed by D H Lawrence as "the greatest book of the sea ever written" and now heralded as a classic of American literature, ironically Moby Dick was not a financial success for Herman Melville. Moby Dick is told through the eyes of Ishmael, a sailor. The story recounts the voyage of the Pequod, a whaling ship captained by Ahab, who on a previous trip had lost a battle with a white whale, during which both his ship and the lower part of his leg were destroyed. Ishmael signs up for what he thinks will be a normal whaling trip, but as the voyage progresses, he realises that Captain Ahab is after one thing - revenge.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Classics series brings together high-quality paperback editions of classics works, presented with contemporary graphic cover designs. Together they make a wonderful collection which is perfect for any home library.
£8.54
Arcturus Publishing Ltd Tarzan of the Apes
Book SynopsisFate favours the infant son of John and Alice Clayton when he is found and adopted by a female ape after the death of his parents. Growing up in the African jungle, Tarzan becomes a skilled hunter and the protector of animals from the local tribe. When a new party of white people arrive, an unexpected chain of events occur that lead Tarzan to discover his true ancestry and fall in love with the first white woman he has ever met - Jane Porter. Will his love for Jane lead to Tarzan claiming his rightful place in society, or will he renounce his heritage to remain as Lord of the Jungle? This Arcturus Classics edition brings this timeless tale to a new readership, featuring a modern graphic cover design.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Classics series brings together high-quality paperback editions of classics works, presented with contemporary graphic cover designs. Together they make a wonderful collection which is perfect for any home library.
£6.99
Arcturus Publishing Ltd The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Book SynopsisSherlock Holmes and the faithful Dr Watson are featured here in a series of twelve of their earliest cases. They include A Scandal in Bohemia where, uniquely, Holmes is outwitted - by a beautiful woman; The Red-Headed League, which begins with a bizarre newspaper advertisement for red-haired men; and The Adventure of the Speckled Band, in which the great detective traces a sinister whistling sound to its lethal source. First published month by month in The Strand magazine (1891-1892), the stories are illustrated by Sidney Paget, who created the image of Holmes in his signature deerstalker hat and Inverness cape. ABOUT THE SERIES: Arcturus Essential Sherlock Holmes presents Arthur Conan Doyle''s best-loved Holmes stories with striking contemporary cover-designs. These unique paperback editions are wonderful collectibles which celebrate literature''s most iconic detective.
£6.99
Legend Press Ltd Anne of Green Gables (Legend Classics)
Book SynopsisKindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It''s splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.As it gets harder for the older siblings Miss Marilla Cuthbert and Mr. Matthew Cuthbert to take care of their farm on Prince Edward Island, they decide to adopt a young boy to help them out. Meanwhile a misunderstanding occurs and instead of sending a boy, the orphanage sends them the eleven-year-old spunky Anne Shirley instead. Initially Marilla and Matthew plan to send Anne back to the orphanage, but they soon realize that they need her as much as she needs them.Since its publication in 1908, Anne of Green Gables has been translated into at least 36 languages and sold more than 50 million copies.The Legend Classics series:Around the World in Eighty DaysThe Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe Importance of Being EarnestAlice''s Adventures in WonderlandThe MetamorphosisThe Railway ChildrenThe Hound of the BaskervillesFrankensteinWuthering HeightsThree Men in a BoatThe Time MachineLittle WomenAnne of Green GablesThe Jungle BookThe Yellow Wallpaper and Other StoriesDraculaA Study in ScarletLeaves of GrassThe Secret GardenThe War of the WorldsA Christmas CarolStrange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr HydeHeart of DarknessThe Scarlet LetterThis Side of ParadiseOliver TwistThe Picture of Dorian GrayTreasure IslandThe Turn of the ScrewThe Adventures of Tom SawyerEmmaThe TrialA Selection of Short Stories by Edgar Allan PoeGrimm Fairy TalesThe AwakeningMrs DallowayGulliver's TravelsThe Castle of OtrantoSilas MarnerHard Times
£8.54
Legend Press Ltd Three Men in a Boat (Legend Classics)
Book SynopsisBut who wants to be foretold the weather? It is bad enough when it comes, without our having the misery of knowing about it beforehand.J. and his friends George and Harris decide that taking a boating holiday on the Thames from Kingston upon Thames to Oxford and back to Kingston is a great idea what could go wrong? Originally intended to be a serious travel guide, the humorous elements soon took over and Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) has been considered a classic masterpiece of British humor since its first publication in 1889.The Legend Classics series:Around the World in Eighty DaysThe Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe Importance of Being EarnestAlice''s Adventures in WonderlandThe MetamorphosisThe Railway ChildrenThe Hound of the BaskervillesFrankensteinWuthering HeightsThree Men in a BoatThe Time MachineLittle WomenAnne of Green GablesThe Jungle BookThe Yellow Wallpaper and Other StoriesDraculaA Study in ScarletLeaves of GrassThe Secret GardenThe War of the WorldsA Christmas CarolStrange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr HydeHeart of DarknessThe Scarlet LetterThis Side of ParadiseOliver TwistThe Picture of Dorian GrayTreasure IslandThe Turn of the ScrewThe Adventures of Tom SawyerEmmaThe TrialA Selection of Short Stories by Edgar Allan PoeGrimm Fairy TalesThe AwakeningMrs DallowayGulliver's TravelsThe Castle of OtrantoSilas MarnerHard Times
£8.54
Cornerstone Highballs for Breakfast
Book Synopsis'A splendid anthology' The TimesNo writer knew better than PG Wodehouse how a drink can lift the spirits – and he was a master at the high comic effects of having a few too many. Highballs for Breakfast is a handpicked selection of wit, wisdom and comic moments from Wodehouse’s work that involve getting pickled or plastered, or lathered or sozzled, and getting in and out of all manner of scrapes.If some great writers dwelled on the darker side of drinking, Wodehouse was concerned with the pure pleasure to be had from ‘the magic bottle’ and getting outside of the contents of a tall glass. His imperishable writing displays a well-turned appreciation for all kinds of booze – cocktails, champagne, port, whiskey and brandy (with soda, of course); but also the humble pint, and even the infamous poteen.This sparkling collection captures Wodehouse at his best on being terribly thirsty, or drowning one’s sorrows, or knocking one back for Dutch courage. It finds him celebrating the special atmospheres of the English country pub and the Manhattan barroom. And it shows him to be exceptionally good on hangovers, but equally so on hangover cures, such as the legendary pick-me-ups prepared for Bertie Wooster by the dependable Jeeves.For all lovers of a laugh and a drink, Highballs for Breakfast is a tonic, a bracer, and a tissue-restorer.Trade ReviewA splendid anthology . . . It is vintage Wodehouse in more ways than one. Beware, though, one sip can leave you addicted for life. * The Times *A sparkling read. * The Commonwealth Lawyer Journal *
£8.54
Quercus Publishing The Princesse de Clèves (riverrun editions):
Book Synopsis'Always be civil to the girls. You never know whom they might marry.' Nancy Mitford, from her introduction to The Princess de Clèves When the young, beautiful Mademoiselle de Chartres comes to court, her primary objective is to find herself a husband. Upon her mother's recommendation, she accepts the advances of the Prince de Clèves, a rather average sort of a man. Unfortunately, soon after the wedding she finds herself to be in love with the dashing Duc de Nemours . . . Against a backdrop of labyrinthine court politics, the naïve Madame de Clèves' pursuit of true love is a riveting and timelessly tragic read.
£9.99
Quercus Publishing Confessions of Zeno (riverrun editions): a
Book Synopsis'I am sure a cigarette has a more poignant flavour when it is the last'A neurotic Italian businessman obsessed by his own hypochondria, Zeno Cosini recounts his early years to his psychoanalyst Dr S as a form of therapy. With a cigarette clutched permanently between his fingers, he explores the important themes of his life: his love of smoking, his relationship with his parents, his marriage. Structured as a series of conversations with his psychoanalyst, Zeno was an innovation in its time, and remains a curious and intriguing delight. Michael Hoffman places Confessions of Zeno in its European context in his sparkling introduction.
£12.34
Quercus Publishing Against Nature (riverrun editions): a new
Book SynopsisThe cult novel of fin de siècle decadence that inspired Oscar Wilde'It will be biggest fiasco of the year - but I don't give a damn! It will be something nobody has ever done before.' The title page of the first complete English translation of Against Nature (published in the French as À Rebours) included the caption 'the book that Dorian Gray loved and inspired Oscar Wilde.' It was, declared Wilde, one of the best novels he had ever read. It is the story of Jean des Esseintes, the last of a proud and noble family, who retreats from the world in disgust at bourgeois society and leads a life based on cultivation of the senses through art. Des Esseintes distills perfumes from the rarest oils and essences, he creates a garden of poisonous flowers, sets gemstones in a tortoise's gold-painted shell and plans to corrupt a street urchin until he is degraded enough to commit murder. Des Esseintes' aesthetic pilgrimage is described in minutely documented realistic detail and was widely regarded as the guidebook of decadence. This influential novel is now available in a new translation by Theo Cuffe and includes a preface by Luc Sante.
£10.44
Quercus Publishing Ward No. 6 and Other Stories (riverrun editions):
Book SynopsisA young woman struggles to assert herself within a regrettable marriage.A boy learns about life on an epic summer's journey to a new school.A doctor attempts to befriend his most interesting patient.A young man tries to figure out the best way to live.This riverrun edition presents a selection of Chekhov's longer stories - novellas, effectively - in Constance Garnett's timeless translations. These four stories, Ward No.6, The Wife, The Steppe and My Life, tell of characters attempting to create meaning through work, connection with others and art; they deal with misunderstandings and loss; they celebrate brief joys, sudden passions and unsatisfied longings, all underscored by Chekhov's gentle wit and great humanity. This unique collection - selected and introduced by the celebrated Janet Malcolm - is unmissable for the enthusiast and a brilliant introduction to one of the nineteenth century's greatest writers.
£10.44
Quercus Publishing The Duel and Other Stories (riverrun editions):
Book SynopsisA married woman restlessly seeks a deeper love.An insomniac ponders the meagreness of his life.A man loses the respect of his family because of a counterfeit coin.A duel of wits escalates into a clash of cultures - and more.The Duel and Other Stories is the second in an exclusive three-volume edition of Chekhov's stories. Encompassing the intricacy and range of social connection, these exquisitely crafted stories trace the mutability of our everyday relationships as they stall, separate or entwine. In the strangely lyrical deadpan prose so characteristic of Chekhov's drama, they expose the misplaced affections, broken vows, and brilliant dreams of what it is to be human. This unique collection offers a perfect introduction to one of Russia's - and the world's - greatest writers.
£9.99
Quercus Publishing He: Shorter Writings of Franz Kafka (riverrun
Book Synopsis'Being asked to write about Kafka is like being asked to describe the Great Wall of China by someone who's standing just next to it. The only honest thing to do is point.' Joshua Cohen, from his preface to He: Shorter Writings of Franz KafkaThis is a Kafka emergency kit, a congregation of the brief, the minor works that are actually major. Joshua Cohen has produced a frame that refuses distinctions between what is a story, a letter, a workplace memo and a diary entry, also including popular favourites like The Bucket Rider, The Penal Colony and The Burrow. Here we see Kafka's preoccupations in writing about animals, messiah variations, food and exercise, each in his signature style.Cohen's selection emphasises the stately structure of utterly coherent logic, within an utterly incoherent illogical world, showing how Kafka harnessed the humblest grammar to metamorphic power until the predominant effect ceases to be the presence of an unreliable narrator, but the absence of the universe's only reliable narrator. Who is God.
£10.44
BBC Worldwide Ltd Henrik Ibsen: Nine full-cast BBC radio
Book SynopsisOften described as ‘the father of realism’, Henrik Ibsen was a pioneer of modernist drama. He influenced playwrights as diverse as George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde, and is the most frequently performed dramatist in the world after Shakespeare.Included in this collection are adaptations of his tragicomic masterpiece The Wild Duck, his complex and compelling play Rosmersholm, the epic drama Brand and the tragedy John Gabriel Borkman. Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is relocated to 1879 India in Tanika Gupta’s Audio Drama Award-winning dramatisation, while the provocative and scandalous Ghosts is adapted by Richard Eyre, with the cast of his Olivier Award-winning Almeida Theatre production.Also featured are vibrant dramatisations of Hedda Gabler, whose desperate heroine is trapped in a suffocating marriage; The Lady from the Sea, about a woman torn between security and passion; and An Enemy of the People, in which a whistleblower reveals an inconvenient truth and is vilified for it.The casts of these stunning dramas include David Threlfall, Nicholas Farrell, Helen Baxendale, Indira Varma, Lesley Manville and Harriet Walter.
£31.50
Flame Tree Publishing Mansfield Park
Book SynopsisLittle treasures, the FLAME TREE COLLECTABLE CLASSICS are chosen to create a delightful and timeless home library. Each stunning, gift edition features deluxe cover treatments, ribbon markers, luxury endpapers and gilded edges. The unabridged text is accompanied by a Glossary of Victorian and Literary terms produced for the modern reader. Mansfield Park was written just after Pride and Prejudice, offering an opposite view of the world and bringing a very modern perspective on the relative merits of hard work vs inherited wealth. Fanny Price is a meek, downtrodden heroine who wins out in the end through sheer resourcefulness and good character. The book deals with slavery, love, betrayal, rivalry and meritocracy, highlighted by the mesmerising tension between The Crawford's metropolitan attitudes and the people of Mansfield Park who become enthralled by the illicit, seductive behaviour of their visitors. Probably Jane Austen's most ambitious novel, and worth reading again, and again for it's subtle layering of themes.
£9.49
Flame Tree Publishing A Tale of Two Cities
Book SynopsisLittle treasures, the FLAME TREE COLLECTABLE CLASSICS are chosen to create a delightful and timeless home library. Each stunning, gift edition features deluxe cover treatments, ribbon markers, luxury endpapers and gilded edges. The unabridged text is accompanied by a Glossary of Victorian and Literary terms produced for the modern reader. A complex and profound book, The Tale of Two Cities explores the consequences of tyranny, fate and self-sacrifice. With much of the narrative played out in Paris, during the French Revolution Dickens examines the interplay between personal action, and the flow of history. Dr Manette, having travelled to Paris finds himself imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 brutal years, unable to see his kind and loving daughter Lucy. On his eventual return to London the two of them become witnesses in a treason case against Charles Darney who is accused of giving secrets to the French. Lucy finds a way of exonerating him, Darney falls in love with her and by some strange twist of fate he finally reveals the terrible secret that his own uncle was responsible for Manette's years in the Bastille. Manette is shocked but eventually persuaded by Darney's sincerity and true love for this daughter, so he allows them to marry, bringing happiness finally to them all.
£9.49
Flame Tree Publishing Great Expectations
Book SynopsisLittle treasures, the FLAME TREE COLLECTABLE CLASSICS are chosen to create a delightful and timeless home library. Each stunning, gift edition features deluxe cover treatments, ribbon markers, luxury endpapers and gilded edges. The unabridged text is accompanied by a Glossary of Victorian and Literary terms produced for the modern reader. Dicken's cast of characters, from the orphan Pip, Miss Haversham and Estella to the aptly named Magwitch takes the reader through a Victorian society riven with social ills, and misplaced ambition. Pip, a blacksmith's apprentice encounters and helps the escaped convict Magwitch who subsequently repays the boy with a secret fortune. Pip misunderstands the source of elevation, thinking it comes from the high society of Miss Haversham and her cold-hearted daughter whom he adores. His wilfull naivety is exposed throughout as Estella's disdain for Pip makes him try ever harder, to the detriment of `joe Gargery and Mrs Joe, the good people who raised him in poverty at the forge. Ultimately Miss Haversham burns to death in a fire and Magwitch dies in prison leaving a chastened Pip without his fortune. At the end all is resolved when finally he wins Estella's heart.
£9.49
Flame Tree Publishing Anne of Green Gables
Book SynopsisLittle treasures, the FLAME TREE COLLECTABLE CLASSICS are chosen to create a delightful and timeless home library. Each stunning, gift edition features deluxe cover treatments, ribbon markers, luxury endpapers and gilded edges. The unabridged text is accompanied by a Glossary of Victorian and Literary terms produced for the modern reader. Published in 1908 to astounding success, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery has since become a classic. Set in the nineteenth century, the book tells of the adventures of Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan, who has bright red hair and a vivid imagination. She is adopted by the Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, a brother and sister who need help on their farm. They were in fact looking to adopt a boy but, after Matthew’s kind encouragement, they allow Anne to stay with them and she has many ups and downs settling in to Green Gables, her first real home.
£9.49
Flame Tree Publishing Oliver Twist
Book SynopsisLittle treasures, the FLAME TREE COLLECTABLE CLASSICS are chosen to create a delightful and timeless home library. Each stunning, gift edition features deluxe cover treatments, ribbon markers, luxury endpapers and gilded edges. The unabridged text is accompanied by a Glossary of Victorian and Literary terms produced for the modern reader. Oliver Twist dares to ask for more food, and with this a character was created that would be loved the world over and whose story would be adapted into countless television, film, theatre and film productions. For anyone wishing to read the works of the great Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist should be top of the list. The novel cemented Dickens’ growing reputation as a writer, continuing with the themes that readers expected of him – poverty, desperation and heroism in the face of adversity.
£9.49
Flame Tree Publishing Hard Times
Book SynopsisLittle treasures, the FLAME TREE COLLECTABLE CLASSICS are chosen to create a delightful and timeless home library. Each stunning, gift edition features deluxe cover treatments, ribbon markers, luxury endpapers and gilded edges. The unabridged text is accompanied by a Glossary of Victorian and Literary terms produced for the modern reader. Hard Times was published in 1854 and is set in Northern England in Coketown, a polluted and suffering place with smoke-filled factories and soulless workers who have been downtrodden by the cruel and heartless Thomas Gradgrind and Josiah Bounderby. The novel was published to mixed criticism, with many feeling at the time that it was too distressing. However, many modern critics have praised the book, calling it a gripping and revealing exploration of Victorian society.
£9.49
Flame Tree Publishing Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Book SynopsisLittle treasures, the FLAME TREE COLLECTABLE CLASSICS are chosen to create a delightful and timeless home library. Each stunning, gift edition features deluxe cover treatments, ribbon markers, luxury endpapers and gilded edges. The unabridged text is accompanied by a Glossary of Victorian and Literary terms produced for the modern reader. Widely considered to be Thomas Hardy’s greatest work, Tess of the d’Urbervilles was first published in serialised form in 1891 and then published as a single volume one year later in 1892. During this time, it received mixed reviews from critics who believed it to be immoral. It is now loved worldwide and has been adapted into plays, operas and many different films and television programmes. The story of Tess Durbeyfield and her search for fortune is a moving look into a Victorian world that we have left behind, and still stands as a gripping story for contemporary readers.
£8.49
Arcturus Publishing Ltd Candide
£6.99
Arcturus Publishing Ltd The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
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£6.23
Arcturus Publishing Ltd Chekhov Selected Stories
Book SynopsisAnton Chekhov''s short stories were some of the most influential in modern literature. Relying on subtlety and clever characterisation rather than explicit action, his sketches of Russian life bring out comedy, tragedy and all aspects of human nature. This collection features some of Chekhov''s most celebrated stories, including ''Vanka'', ''The Lady with a Dog'' and ''Sleepy''.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Classics series brings together high-quality paperback editions of classics works, presented with contemporary graphic cover designs. Together they make a wonderful collection which is perfect for any home library.
£6.99
Arcturus Publishing Ltd A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
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£6.99
Duckworth Books Mr Finchley Discovers His England
Book SynopsisMr Edgar Finchley, unmarried clerk, aged 45, is told to take a holiday for the first time in his life. He decides to go to the seaside. But Fate has other plans in store… From his abduction by a cheerful crook, to his smuggling escapade off the south coast, the timid but plucky Mr Finchley is plunged into a series of the most astonishing and extraordinary adventures. His rural adventure takes him gradually westward through the English countryside and back, via a smuggling yacht, to London. This gentle comedy trilogy was a runaway bestseller on first publication in the 1930s and retains a timeless appeal today. It has been dramatized twice for BBC Radio, with the 1990 series regularly repeated.Trade ReviewPraise for the Classic Canning Series ‘Quite delightful, with an atmosphere of quiet contentment and humour that cannot fail to charm … The longer we travel with Mr Finchley, the better we come to love him. He makes us share his bread and cheese, and beer and pipe. His delight at the beauties of the countryside and his mild astonishment at the strange ways of men are infectious’ Daily Telegraph‘His gift of story-telling is obviously innate. Rarely does one come on so satisfying an amalgam of plot, characterisation and good writing’ Punch‘A paean to the beauties of the English countryside and the lovable oddities of the English character… [Mr Finchley] runs into one astonishing situation after another, sticking gamely to his resolve that he must take things as they come and accept them’ New York Times‘What counts for most in the story, as it did for Mr Finchley, is his mounting pleasure in vagabondage and the English scene’ The Times‘There is such a gentle humour in the book … Mr Finchley is the ideal Englishman’ Daily Sketch
£8.54
Arcturus Publishing Ltd Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Book Synopsis
£6.99
Arcturus Publishing Ltd The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland and Through
Book SynopsisFollow curious Alice as she ventures down a rabbit hole and into Wonderland, filled with unforgettable characters such as the March Hare, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and the Queen of Hearts. Then enter a topsy-turvy universe the other side of the Looking Glass, where Alice encounters old and new friends, like Humpty Dumpty and Tweedledum and Tweedledee.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Classics series brings together high-quality paperback editions of classics works, presented with contemporary graphic cover designs. Together they make a wonderful collection which is perfect for any home library.
£6.99
Arcturus Publishing Ltd Tolstoy Selected Stories
Book SynopsisOne of the most accomplished authors in history, Tolstoy has inspired and influenced generations of readers. While celebrated for his masterpieces Anna Karenina and War and Peace, his short stories are just as compelling. This collection includes ''The Story of Ivan the Fool'', ''Ilyás'', and many more of Tolstoy''s finest tales, and it demonstrates the raw power and emotion of his narrative genius.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Classics series brings together high-quality paperback editions of classics works, presented with contemporary graphic cover designs. Together they make a wonderful collection which is perfect for any home library.
£6.99
Legend Press Ltd A Selection of Short Stories and Poems by Edgar
Book Synopsis Sleep, those little slices of death ? how I loathe them. Behold: a selection of short stories from the master of the macabre, Edgar Allen Poe.From the brilliant mind of a man responsible for popularizing the genres of detective fiction and science fiction come these unforgettable tales of death, decay, and the dark depths of human emotion. They will, almost inevitably, crawl under your skin and into your brain.
£999.99
Legend Press Ltd The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Legend Classics)
Book Synopsis
£8.54
Legend Press Ltd This Side of Paradise (Legend Classics)
Book SynopsisI''m not sentimentalI''m as romantic as you are. The idea, you know, is that the sentimental person thinks things will lastthe romantic person has a desperate confidence that they won''t.From one of the finest American writers of the twentieth century, This Side of Paradise was rumoured to have helped F. Scott Fitzgerald gain Zelda''s hand in marriage.Amory Blaine is an ambitious, aspiring young writer, haunted by intellectual curiosity, doomed relationships, adolescence, and the danger of seeking status in the early-twentieth century.This is vintage Fitzgerald, a perfect example of his ability to capture a particular period of American history.With this modern edition, you can dive into the back catalogue of a writer synonymous with both the flamboyant Jazz Age and the lost generation of 1920s America.The Legend Classics series:Around the World in Eighty DaysThe Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe Importance of Being EarnestAlice''s Adventures in WonderlandThe MetamorphosisThe Railway ChildrenThe Hound of the BaskervillesFrankensteinWuthering HeightsThree Men in a BoatThe Time MachineLittle WomenAnne of Green GablesThe Jungle BookThe Yellow Wallpaper and Other StoriesDraculaA Study in ScarletLeaves of GrassThe Secret GardenThe War of the WorldsA Christmas CarolStrange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr HydeHeart of DarknessThe Scarlet LetterThis Side of ParadiseOliver TwistThe Picture of Dorian GrayTreasure IslandThe Turn of the ScrewThe Adventures of Tom SawyerEmmaThe TrialA Selection of Short Stories by Edgar Allan PoeGrimm Fairy TalesThe AwakeningMrs DallowayGulliver's TravelsThe Castle of OtrantoSilas MarnerHard Times
£8.54
University of Exeter Press 1948: A Critical and Creative Prequel to Orwell's
Book SynopsisDescribed as the most widely read and influential serious writer of the twentieth century, George Orwell remains relevant in our own era of contested media. He continues to attract a large readership. This book is about Orwell’s post-war cultural moment c. 1948. Taking his Diaries of the time as inspiration, together with his famous final novel, 1984 (published 1949), and treating them as contiguous texts, Brian May considers the gaps, equivocations, and contradictions in Orwell's message and asks what Orwell would have written next. But 1948 is more than a work of literary criticism: rather, it balances critical discussion with creative intervention, being one-half literary-critical commentary, and one-half fictional departure – a novella titled “From the Archives of Oceania,” which quotes, parodies and pastiches Orwell's Diaries, offering a possible prequel. Together these elements offer a resource for the reader to interrogate anew such difficult issues as Orwell's sexism and anti-Semitism; to explore the tensions between various intertwining strands of thought that cast Orwell as both realist and idealist, Puritan and individualist; and to better understand Orwell's curious affection for the natural world. 1948 will appeal to all readers and critics of Orwell, but also to students of dystopian fiction, "revisionary" fiction and "reception study," which highlights the audience’s contribution to an artwork's meaning.Trade ReviewAt the centre of this dense, extraordinary book lies a powerful novella... As well as mashing together Orwell’s life and fiction, the novella elegantly draws in some distressing contemporary issues. Evocative images of othered people on boats in perilous conditions, and the chilling consequences of leaving antisemitism unchallenged, are haunting... It slowly builds to a believable yet horrifying conclusion which would stand up well in comparison to the iconic end of Nineteen Eighty-Four. -- Nicola Rossi, The Orwell SocietyTable of ContentsAcknowledgement I. Introduction II. Novella: “From the Archives of Oceania” III. Teaching Supplement IV. Critical Supplement: “Orwell Agonistes” Notes Index
£63.00
