Classics Books

Book SynopsisDostoesky's drama of sin, guilt and redemption transmutes the sordid story of an old woman's murder by a desperate student into the nineteenth century's profoundest and most compelling philosophical novel. Grim in theme and setting, the book nevertheless seduces by its combination of superbly drawn characters, narrative brilliance and manic comedy.

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Book SynopsisWith an Introduction and Notes by Doreen Roberts, University of Kent at Canterbury. Illustrations by Hablot K. Browne (Phiz). Bleak House is one of Dickens' finest achievements, establishing his reputation as a serious and mature novelist, as well as a brilliant comic writer. It is at once a complex mystery story that fully engages the reader in the work of detection, and an unforgettable indictment of an indifferent society. Its representations of a great city's underworld, and of the law's corruption and delay, draw upon the author's personal knowledge and experience. But it is his symbolic art that projects these things in a vision that embraces black comedy, cosmic farce, and tragic ruin. In a unique creative experiment, Dickens divides the narrative between his heroine, Esther Summerson, who is psychologically interesting in her own right, and an unnamed narrator whose perspective both complements and challenges hers.

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Book SynopsisFrom Collins Classics and the author of The Great Gatsby' a marriage unravels in this autobiographical tale.Sometimes it is harder to deprive oneself of a pain than of a pleasure.'Set on the French Riviera in the 1920s, American Dick Diver and his wife Nicole are the epitome of chic, living a glamorous lifestyle and entertaining friends at their villa. Young film star Rosemary Hoyt arrives in France and becomes entranced by the couple. It is not long before she is attracted to the enigmatic Dick, but he and his wife hold dark secrets and as their marriage becomes more fractured, Fitzgerald laments the failure of idealism and the carefully constructed trappings of high society in the Roaring Twenties.

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Book SynopsisFrom his Baker Street apartment, Sherlock Holmes wields his powers of deduction in pursuit of justice and truth, venturing out into foggy Victorian London accompanied by his faithful sidekick Dr Watson. This classic collection of Holmes tales includes many of the detective’s most-loved exploits: Holmes is confronted by a venomous snake in ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’, mystified by a missing thumb in ‘The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb’ and beguiled by a beautiful opera singer in ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’, never once losing his famous cool. First appearing separately in the Strand Magazine, these stories were published together in 1892 in a volume that rapidly became one of the most popular Sherlock Holmes collections. Showcasing Arthur Conan Doyle’s inimitable genius for mystery and storytelling, these tales are proof that the famous detective remains one of the greatest crime fighters ever created.Table of ContentsA Scandal in BohemiaThe Red-headed LeagueA Case of IdentityThe Boscombe Valley MysteryThe Five Orange PipsThe Man with the Twisted LipThe Adventure of the Blue CarbuncleThe Adventrure of the Speckled BandThe Adventure of the Engineer's ThumbThe Adventure of the Noble BachelorThe Adventure of the Beryl CoronetThe Adventure of the Copper Beeches

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Book SynopsisSensual, dark and thrilling, Bram Stoker's Dracula remains the seminal work of Gothic fiction, and in this elegant Macmillan Collector's Library edition, which includes an illuminating afterword by Jonty Claypole, readers can experience the horror and excitement as never before.When Jonathan Harker is summoned to Transylvania to finalize a property deal for the mysterious Count Dracula, he stumbles upon an ancient evil he is unprepared to face. When that evil escapes to England, the entire nation is suddenly under threat and only an aged vampire hunter, Professor Abraham Van Helsing, can put a stop to the bloodshed. Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

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Book SynopsisYevgeny Zamyatin (Author) Yevgeny Zamyatin (1884-1937) was a naval engineer by profession and writer by vocation, who made himself an enemy of the Tsarist government by being a Bolshevik, and an enemy of the Soviet government by insisting that human beings have absolute creative freedom. He wrote short stories, plays and essays, but his masterpiece is We, written in 1920-21 and soon thereafter translated into most of the languages of the world.Clarence Brown (Introducer, Translator) Clarence Brown was a pioneer of Russian literature studies and translation. His brilliant translation of We was based on the corrected text of the novel, first published in Russia in 1988 after more than sixty years' suppression.Trade Review“Zamyatin . . . did more than predict some of the specific characteristics of totalitarianism―he predicted its defining condition: the destruction of the individual. . . . [He] found the word for it: We.” ―Masha Gessen, from the Foreword“The best single work of science fiction yet written.” —Ursula K. Le Guin“[Zamyatin’s] intuitive grasp of the irrational side of totalitarianism—human sacrifice, cruelty as an end in itself—makes [We] superior to Huxley’s [Brave New World].” —George Orwell “At this dystopian moment in world politics, everyone’s talking about 1984, but take a look at the novel that inspired it (or, at least, which George Orwell reviewed soon before he wrote 1984)—Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We. . . . The dystopia Zamyatin painted has, alas, many echoes with today’s surveillance society—just think of China’s budding ‘social credit’ program, which monitors citizens’ movements. Big Brother was a piker, compared to Xi Jinping. Zamyatin saw it coming.” —Lit HubTable of ContentsWe Introduction: Zamyatin and the RoosterNotes to IntroductionSuggestions for Further ReadingWERecord 1AnnouncementThe Wisest of LinesAn Epic PoemRecord 2BalletHarmony SquaredXRecord 3JacketWallThe TableRecord 4Savage with BarometerEpilepsyIfRecord 5SquareRulers of the WorldPleasant and Useful FunctionRecord 6AccidentDamned "Clear"24 HoursRecord 7An EyelashTaylorHenbane and Lily of the ValleyRecord 8The Irrational RootR-13TriangleRecord 9LiturgyIambs and TrocheesCast-Iron HandRecord 10LetterMembraneHairy MeRecord 11No, I Can't...Skip the ContentsRecord 12Limitation of InfinityAngelReflections on PoetryRecord 13FogFamiliar "You"An Absolutely Inane OccurrenceRecord 14"Mine"ForbiddenCold FloorRecord 15BellMirror-like SeaMy Fate to Burn ForeverRecord 16YellowTwo-Dimensional ShadowIncurable SoulRecord 17Through GlassI DiedHallwaysRecord 18Logical LabyrinthWounds and PlasterNever AgainRecord 19Third-Order InfinitesimalA Sullen GlareOver the ParapetRecord 20DischargeIdea MaterialZero CliffRecord 21An Author's DutySwollen IceThe Most Difficult LoveRecord 22Frozen WavesEverything Tends to PerfectionI Am a MicrobeRecord 23FlowersDissolution of a CrystalIf OnlyRecord 24Limit of FunctionEasterCross It All OutRecord 25Descent from HeavenHistory's Greatest CatastropheEnd of the KnownRecord 26The World ExistsA Rash41 CentigradeRecord 27No Contents - Can'tRecord 28Both WomenEntropy and EnergyOpaque Part of the BodyRecord 29Threads on the FaceShootsUnnatural CompressionRecord 30The Final NumberGalileo's MistakeWouldn't It Be Better?Record 31The Great OperationI Have Forgiven EverythingA Train WreckRecord 32I Do Not BelieveTractorsThe Human ChipRecord 33(No Time for Contents, Last Note)Record 34Those on LeaveA Sunny NightRadio-ValkyrieRecord 35In a HoopCarrotMurderRecord 36Blank PagesThe Christian GodAbout My MotherRecord 37InfusorianDoomsdayHer RoomRecord 38(I Don't Know What Goes Here, Maybe Just: A Cigarette Butt)Record 39The EndRecord 40FactsThe BellI Am CertainTranslator's Notes

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE 2017 SCOTT MONCRIEFF PRIZE A new translation of Sade''s most notorious, shocking and influential novel.This disturbing but hugely important text has influenced countless individuals throughout history: Flaubert and Baudelaire both read Sade; the surrealists were obsessed with him; film-makers like Pasolini saw parallels with twentieth-century history in his writings; and feminists such as Andrea Dworkin and Angela Carter clashed over him. This new translation brings Sade''s provocative novel into Penguin Classics for the first time, and will reignite the debate around this most controversial of writers.Trade ReviewWithout in any way giving in to hyperbole, I would say that this translation is a 21st century monument, changing not only the way in which we view the French 18th century, but providing a guide to the present and future -- Andrew Hussey, Scott Moncrieff Prize judgeThe great merit of this edition is the thoroughly excellent translation by Will McMorran and Thomas Wynn. It has none of the phoney archaism of earlier English translations. Instead it is like a window, allowing us to have as clear of view as possible of Sade's mind and world ... In their scholarly and wise introduction, the translators are careful to emphasise the historical context ... Sade's novel feels as grimly relevant to the terrors of our age as to those of his own. * The Economist *An excellent translation * The Times Literary Supplement *A blistering new translation ... This new version of the 120 Days is well overdue [and] these two dons have done a sterling job ... This new, accessible 120 Days also forces us to confront ourselves * Erotic Review *We thought this translation was quite exceptional in its capacity to capture the true voice of this strange and difficult eighteenth-century text, the textual and editorial scholarship of the translators, their wonderful handling of the terminology and the diction of the original, along with the fluency of their translation, and the ways in which it creates for the first time for Anglophone readers a properly accurate version of Sade's text -- Ian Patterson, Scott Moncrieff Prize judge

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Book Synopsis''Hilarious SF satire. Douglas Adams said it was the only thing like The Hitchhiker''s Guide to the Galaxy, although written ten years earlier. It''s wonderful'' Neil GaimanThis madcap cosmic farce relates the adventures of the hapless human Carmody, as he attempts to make his way home to Earth after winning the grand prize in the Intergalactic Sweepstake, encountering parallel worlds, incompetent bureaucrats and talking dinosaurs on the way.''The greatest entertainer ever produced by science fiction ... a feast of wit and intelligence'' J. G. BallardTrade ReviewRobert Sheckley's hilarious SF satire. Douglas Adams said it was the only thing like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, written ten years earlier. It's a wonderful thing -- Neil GaimanRobert Sheckley is one of the great funny writers -- Douglas AdamsRobert Sheckley is the greatest entertainer ever produced by modern science fiction . . . what a feast of wit and intelligence he lays out -- J.G BallardA sort of intergalactic Alice in Wonderland . . . quite remarkably funny * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisWhen Martha accepts a place at university, her decision is met with a mixture of hostility and pride by her uncomprehending family. This is the story of a young woman's journey to maturity and independence, struggling to cope with the intellectual and emotional challenges that surround her, at a time when such space was rarely given freely to women.In The Quarry Wood, Nan Shepherd's subtle prose is matched with intense and memorable descriptions of the natural world, and a dry sense of humour. Ninety years after the first publication, it remains as fresh and original today.Trade ReviewA blazingly brilliant writer, a true original -- Robert MacfarlaneSpellbinding -- Ali SmithLargely unrecognised during her lifetime, Nan Shepherd is finally being acclaimed for her literary legacy - and her books are influencing a whole new generation of writers * * Scotsman * *Shepherd found her own path in life and in literature, and it feels like she's so far ahead of us . . . philosophically and stylistically, she was extraordinary * * Guardian * *Brilliant . . . Its conflation of ardent philosophising and blunt everyday speech, rendered in vivid dialect, provides a glorious palette * * The List, 100 Best Scottish Books * *Shepherd is a fierce looker. And like many fierce lookers, she is also a mystic * * Guardian * *

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Book SynopsisThe pride of high-ranking Mr Darcy and the prejudice of middle-class Elizabeth Bennet conduct an absorbing dance through the rigid social hierarchies of early-nineteenth-century England, with the passion of the two unlikely lovers growing as their union seems ever more improbable. One of the most cherished love stories in English literature, Jane Austen's 1813 masterpiece has a lasting effect on everyone who reads it.Trade ReviewThis is the flowering of the English novel. It is witty and wise; there is not a single flaw in this book, or a single moment that you do not relish. -- Colm Toibin I read all of Jane Austen's novels very early on and learnt to love her economy of style and precision. She still seems to me the finest writer in the English language. Pride and Prejudice always bears another reading, and I think in many ways it is a perfect rendition of the novel form. -- Philippa Gregory Jane Austen is one of my favourite writers... very acute, very perceptive, and writing in close and honest detail about the tiny preoccupations of women's lives - preoccupations which speak of much larger social and human issues. -- Helen Fielding

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Book SynopsisA brand new edition of the classic love story by forgotten celebrity Irish author, Katherine Cecil Thurston. The book is set in Waterford, in turn-of-the-century Ireland, and was first published in 1908. Now re-issued by Manderley Press, with an introduction by Megan Nolan and a specially commissioned front cover by Kathi Burke.

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Book SynopsisWith an Introduction and Notes by Dr. Jacqueline Belanger, University of Cardiff. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man represents the transitional stage between the realism of Joyce's Dubliners and the symbolism of Ulysses, and is essential to the understanding of the later work. This novel is a highly autobiographical account of the adolescence of Stephen Dedalus, who reappears in Ulysses, and who comes to realize that before he can become a true artist, he must rid himself of the stultifying effects of the religion, politics and essential bigotry of his background in late 19th century Ireland. Written with a light touch, this is perhaps the most accessible of Joyce’s works.

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Book SynopsisSumptuous slipcased edition of Tolkien's classic epic tale of adventure, fully illustrated in colour for the first time by the author himself. This deluxe volume is quarterbound and includes many special features unique to this edition.Since it was first published in 1954, The Lord of the Rings has been a book people have treasured. Steeped in unrivalled magic and otherworldliness, its sweeping fantasy and epic adventure has touched the hearts of young and old alike. Over 100 million copies of its many editions have been sold around the world, and occasional collectors' editions become prized and valuable items of publishing.This one-volume deluxe slipcased edition contains the complete text, fully corrected and reset, which is printed in red and black and features, for the very first time, thirty colour illustrations, maps and sketches drawn by Tolkien himself as he composed this epic work. These include the pages from the Book of Mazarbul, marvellous facsimiles created by Tolkien to accompany the famous Bridge of Khazad-dum' chapter. Also appearing are two poster-size, fold-out maps revealing all the detail of Middle-earth.This very special deluxe edition is quarterbound with raised ribs on the spine and stamped in two foils. The pages are edged in gold and contained within are special features unique to this edition.Trade Review‘Among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the 20th century.’Sunday Telegraph ‘The English-speaking world is divided into those who have read The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and those who are going to read them’Sunday Times ‘Masterpiece? Oh yes, I’ve no doubt about that.’Evening Standard

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Book SynopsisFROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCAWith an Introduction by 'Britain's most sophisticated film critic' David Thomson, THE TIMES'A remarkable imagination continually provokes both pity and terror' OBSERVER 'One of the last century's most original literary talents' DAILY TELEGRAPH'She wrote exciting plots . . . a writer of fearless originality' GUARDIAN 'How long he fought with them in the darkness he could not tell, but at last the beating of the wings about him lessened and then withdrew . . .'A classic of alienation and horror, The Birds was immortalised by Hitchcock in his celebrated film. The five other chilling stories in this collection echo a sense of dislocation and mock man's sense of dominance over the natural world.Trade ReviewA remarkable imagination continually provokes both pity and terror * Observer *One of the last century's most original literary talents * Daily Telegraph *She wrote exciting plots, she was highly skilled at arousing suspense, and she was, too, a writer of fearless originality * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING RACHEL WEISZ AND SAM CLAFIN 'Du Maurier is a storyteller whose sole aim is to bewitch and beguile' NEW YORK TIMES'Du Maurier has no equal' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH' One of her best novels, ingeniously contrived as to plot, successfully realized as to characters' KIRKUS REVIEWS 'I threw the piece of paper on the fire. She saw it burn . . . 'Orphaned at an early age, Philip Ashley is raised by his benevolent cousin, Ambrose. Resolutely single, Ambrose delights in making Philip his heir, knowing he will treasure his beautiful Cornish estate. But Philip's world is shattered when Ambrose sets off on a trip to Florence. There he falls in love and marries. Then he suddenly dies in suspicious circumstances. In almost no time at all, the new widow - Philip's cousin Rachel - turns up in England. Despite himself, Philip is drawn to this beautiful, sophisticated, mysterious woman like a moth to the flame. And yet . . . might she have had a hand in Ambrose's death?Trade ReviewShe wrote exciting plots, she was highly skilled at arousing suspense, and she was, too, a writer of fearless originality * Guardian *Du Maurier has no equal * Sunday Telegraph *This comes closer to Rebecca than anything Miss du Maurier has done and is, I think, one of her best novels, ingeniously contrived as to plot, successfully realized as to characters * Kirkus Reviews *From the first page . . . the reader is back in the moody, brooding atmosphere of Rebecca * New York Times Book Review *No other popular writer has so triumphantly defied classification . . . She satisfied all the questionable criteria of popular fiction, and yet satisfied the exacting requirements of "real literature", something very few novelists ever doIn the same category as REBECCA, but an even more consummate piece of storytelling * GUARDIAN 'From the first page . . . the reader is back in the moody, brooding atmosphere of Rebecca’ *NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1914, Dubliners depicts middle-class Catholic life in Dublin at the start of the twentieth century. Themes within the stories include the disappointments of childhood, the frustrations of adolescence, and the importance of sexual awakening. James Joyce was twenty-five years old when he wrote this collection of short stories, among which 'The Dead' is probably the most famous. Considered at the time as a literary experiment, Dubliners contains moments of joy, fear, grief, love and loss, which combine to form one of the most complete depictions of a city ever written, and the stories remain as refreshingly original and surprising in this century as they did in the last.This Macmillan Collector's Library edition of Dubliners features an afterword by dramatist Peter Harness.Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

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Book SynopsisEighteen-year old orphan Andrea moves to battle-scarred Barcelona to take up a scholarship at the university. But staying with relatives in their crumbling apartment, her dreams of independence are dashed among the eccentric collection of misfits who surround her, not least her uncle Roman. As Andrea's university friend, the affluent, elegant Ena, enters into a strange relationship with Roman, Andrea can't help but wonder what future lies ahead for her in such a bizarre and disturbing world. Translated by Edith Grossman'One of the great classics of contemporary European literature' Carlos Ruiz ZafonTrade ReviewOne of the great classics of contemporary European literature. -- Carlos Ruiz Zafon * author of The Shadow of the Wind *... a story that Carmen Laforet narrates in prose both exalted and icy, in which what is unspoken is more important than what is said, keeping the reader of the novel submerged in indescribable anguish from beginning to end -- Mario Vargas LlosaRead today, Nada surprises us with its modernity. By its absolute lack of sentimentality, in spite of the atrocities that it relates. By its exact style, clean, sharp as a crystal, and at the same time full of expressive force and poetic originality. * El Mundo *A masterly, original novel, minutely and faithfully observed, with psychological aspects that make you think and feel -- AzorínOne of the best novels of the twentieth century. -- Miguel Delibes * author of The Heretic *

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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.In this inspirational, allegorical guide, Al Mustafa the prophet delivers spiritual yet practical homilies on the work of living: beauty, truth, possessions, sorrow, joy, death and more. Translated into more than fifty languages and among the best-selling books of all time, The Prophet remains a wise and revitalising handbook for the soul.

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Book Synopsis''Gormenghast is, to my mind and to my taste, a perfect creation'' Neil GaimanWelcome to the world of Gormenghast, the classic fantasy series from the imagination of Mervyn Peake As the first novel opens, Titus, heir to Lord Sepulchrave, has just been born: he stands to inherit the miles of rambling stone and mortar that stand for Gormenghast Castle. Inside, all events are predetermined by a complex ritual, lost in history, understood only by Sourdust, Lord of the Library. There are tears and strange laughter; fierce births and deaths beneath umbrageous ceilings; dreams and violence and disenchantment contained within a labyrinth of stone.''A gorgeous volcanic eruption... A work of extraordinary imagination'' New YorkerTrade ReviewMr Peake's first novel holds one with its glittering eye - It has a genuine plot in the strictest sense, and it persuades you to read on simply in order to know what will happen - its gallery of characters is wonderful * Nation *A gorgeous volcanic eruption... A work of extraordinary imagination * New Yorker *The Gormenghast Trilogy is one of the most important works of the imagination to come out of [this] age * Spectator *[An] extraordinary story bursting with grotesque characters, madness and mayhem. Fantasy writers of today owe his wild imagination a massive debt * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisChiltern Publishing creates the most beautiful editions of the World's finest literature. Your favourite classic titles in a way you have never seen them before; the tactile layers, golden edges, fine details and beautiful colours of these remarkable covers make these titles feel extra special and will look striking on any shelf.

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Book SynopsisThe Importance of Being Earnest is perhaps Oscar Wilde’s most popular play – since its first performance in 1895, it has seen countless productions and three film adaptations, and, in the words of the journalist Mark Lawson, is ‘the second most known and quoted play in English after Hamlet’. Brimming with the counter-intuitive wit with which Wilde’s name is synonymous, the play follows two young men, Algernon and Jack, as they come to grips with one another’s ‘Bunburying’ – deceits involving invented identities and escaping unwanted socialising – which spiral out of control. Culminating in a hauntingly brilliant scene with a cast of characters dripping with satire, an unpublished manuscript and an unforgettable handbag, The Importance of Being Earnest lambasts the Victorian yearning for morality and meaning, and leaves the reader aching for an encore.Trade Review'A deliciously witty play about dual identities, Victorian mores and an unforgettable handbag.' (The Guardian) 'An extraordinarily illuminating intellect.' (William Rothenstein) 'If I craved for entertaining conversation by a first-class raconteur, I should choose Oscar Wilde.' (George Bernard Shaw)Table of ContentsThe Importance of Being Earnest, Note on the Text, Notes, Extra Material: A Brief Introduction to Oscar Wilde, More Information about Oscar Wilde

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Book SynopsisTwice Voted Scotland's Favourite Book'Left me scorched' Ali Smith'Unforgettable' GuardianFaced with a choice between a harsh farming life and the world of books and learning, Chris Guthrie chooses to remain in her rural community, bound by her intense love of the land. But everything changes with the arrival of the First World War and Chris finds her land altered beyond recognition.One of the greatest and most heartbreaking love stories ever told,, Sunset Song offers a powerful portrait of a land and people in turmoil.Trade ReviewSunset Song's great gripping hybrid of melodrama and realism . . . left me scorched -- ALI SMITHIf this new edition is prompting you to re-read Sunset Song after many years, as I have just done, you will find it has lost none of its appeal and emotion. And if you are about to read this remarkable novel for the first time, you are embarking on a profound journey -- NICOLA STURGEONPortrayed with a lyrical intensity that echoes through the years and still resonates today * * New York Times * *An unforgettable evocation of a way of life that has slipped away . . . It is a love song for a landscape and language still familiar - and precious - to a generation born long after [Grassic-Gibbon] died . . . Chris is one of the great women of 20th-century fiction * * Guardian * *Chris Guthrie is the most passionate and appealing heroine in Scottish literature; Grassic Gibbon's magnificent novel is fresh, powerful and timeless -- ANNE DONOVANIt is gritty and passionate and one of Scotland's great 20th-century novels * * Daily Express * *When I read Lewis Grassic Gibbon's Sunset Song in my mid-teens I entered into it with such wholehearted love that I longed to live inside it . . . The rhythms of the prose are incantatory, musical . . . Chris is the centre of the novel and its genius, vivid on every page where she's present -- TESSA HADLEY * * Guardian * *An inescapable landmark of Scottish literature . . . Few novels have ever achieved such an unaffectedly sublime blend of poetry and music, and it is clear from the outset that the title is anything but a conceit. The prose is increasingly symphonic, in its sweep and surge, but the final effect is more like what bagpipers call ceol mor, "big music". It is full of haunting echoes of traditional Scottish balladry * * Times Literary Supplement * *His three great novels have the impetus and music of mountain burns in full spate * * Observer * *An evocative look at female life on the Scottish frontier . . . Sunset Song is the story of a resilient young woman during the early 20th century. Her profound identification with the land is her source of renewal and strength as she endures harrowing family circumstances and, eventually, the devastating fallout of the First World War * * Los Angeles Times * *

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Book SynopsisBlending political reality with magic realism, fantasy and comic invention, this book is one of the most daringly original works of the twentieth century.Trade ReviewThe book that sort of saved my lifeThe greatest novel in any language of the last 50 yearsShould be required reading for the entire human race * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisPresenting fourteen stories from ranging from the 1909 through to the 1980s, this new anthology celebrates a selection of beloved Welsh authors such as Cardiff’s Roald Dahl and Abergavenny’s Ethel Lina White, as well as lesser-known yet highly skilled writers such as Cledwyn Hughes and Jack Griffith.

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Book Synopsis'A powerful novel of expectation, love, oppression, sin, religion and betrayal' Daily Mail When the mysterious and beautiful young widow Helen Graham becomes the new tenant at Wildfell Hall rumours immediately begin to swirl around her. As her neighbour Gilbert Markham comes to discover, Helen has painful secrets buried in her past that even his love for her cannot easily overcome. 'Courageous and controversial' The Times **One of the BBC's 100 Novels That Shaped Our World** VINTAGE CLASSICS BRONTE SERIES - beautiful editions, three iconic stories, three extraordinary women.Trade ReviewA beautiful gift, and perfect gems for bookworms. * So Darling *The title of "the first feminist novel" has been awarded to other books, perhaps with less justice... a cracking page-turner * Guardian *Courageous and controversial * The Times *Frighteningly up-to-date tale of single motherhood and wife-battering * Independent *

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Book SynopsisThe sequel to All Quiet on the Western Front, one of the most powerful novels of the First World War and a twentieth-century classic. After four gruelling years the survivors of the Great War finally make their way home. Young, spirited Ernst is one. Finding himself inexplicably returned to his childhood bedroom, restless, chafing, confused, he knows he must somehow resurrect his life. But the way back to peace is far more treacherous than he ever imagined. If All Quiet on the Western Front was a lament for a lost generation, this sequel speaks with the same resonant voice for those who came back.The is a new definitive English translation by expert Remarque translator Brian Murdoch. ‘Remarque is a craftsman of unquestionably first rank’ New York Times Book ReviewTrade ReviewRemarque is a craftsman of unquestionably first rank -- New York Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisVictor Hugo's tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience, when, owing to a case of mistaken identity, another man is arrested in his place; and by the relentless investigations of the dogged Inspector Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty. Norman Denny's lively English translation is accompanied by an introduction discussing Hugo's political and artistic aims in writing Les Misérables. Victor Hugo (1802-85) wrote volumes of criticism, dramas, satirical verse and political journalism but is best remembered for his novels, especially Notre-Dame de Paris (also known as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) and Les Misérables, which was adapted into one of the most successful musicals of all time. 'All human life is here'Cameron Mackintosh, producer of the musical Les Misérables'One of the half-dozen greatest novels of the world'Upton Sinclair'A great writer - inventive, witty, sly, innovatory' A. S. Byatt, author of PossessionTrade Review"Hugo's genius was for the creation of simple and recognizable myth. The huge success of Les Misérables as a didactic work on behalf of the poor and oppressed is due to his poetic and myth-enlarged view of human nature." —V. S. Pritchett "It was Tolstoy who vindicated [Hugo's] early ambition by judging Les Misérables one of the world's great novels, if not the greatest… [His] ability to present the extremes of experience 'as they are' is, in the end, Hugo's great gift." —From the Introduction by Peter Washington

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Book Synopsis'You only see clearly with your heart. The most important things are invisible to the eyes.'Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful hardbacks make perfect gifts for book lovers, or wonderful additions to your own collection. This edition features a specially commissioned translation by Ros and Chloe Schwarz, as well as the charming original illustrations by Saint-Exupéry himself, coloured by Barbara Frith.After crash-landing in the Sahara Desert, a pilot encounters a little prince who is visiting Earth from his own planet. Their strange and moving meeting illuminates for the aviator many of life's universal truths, as he comes to learn what it means to be human from a child who is not. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's delightful The Little Prince has been translated into over 180 languages and sold over 80 million copies.Trade ReviewEver since its original publication in French in 1943, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s story has enchanted audiences of all ages . . . The story’s wisdom on loneliness – in cities crowded with people – and consumerism – in a world replete with natural joys – remains as resonant as eve -- Samuel Earle * The Guardian *Of all the books written in French over the past century, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Le Petit Prince is surely the best loved in the most tongues -- Adam Gopnik * The New Yorker *Every chapter in this book has a unique lesson; every encounter is an allegory. It is whimsical and magical . . . Saint-Exupéry created a masterpiece that has lived in the hearts of adults and children for decades -- Farah Masud * The Daily Star *

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Book SynopsisJane Austen’s Little Book of Wisdom offers more than 300 bite-size quotes of inspiration and wisdom from one of the greatest females writers in the English language.

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Book Synopsis''And when I shall die,Take him and cut him out in little stars.''This collection of Shakespeare''s soliloquies, including both old favourites and lesser-known pieces, shows him at his dazzling best.One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics'' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants.

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Book Synopsis'' Of course, no one would want to say anything about a girl like this that''s missing... ''Malice, paranoia and creeping dread lie beneath the surface of ordinary American life in these chilling miniature masterworks of unease.Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan, New York''s underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space.

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Book SynopsisCelebrating 100 Years of Joyce's masterpiece The authoritative Hans Walter Gabler text; with a new introduction by Anne Enright. Set entirely on one day, 16 June 1904, Ulysses follows Leopold Bloom and Stephen Daedalus as they go about their daily business in Dublin. From this starting point, James Joyce constructs a novel of extraordinary imaginative richness and depth. Unique in the history of literature, Ulysses is one of the most important and enjoyable works of the twentieth century.The survivor of countless controversies, censorships and even claims of blasphemy, this centenary edition of Ulysses comes packaged in a boldly designed new package, befitting of its status as one of the most notorious and influential novels ever written.'The greatest novel of the century' Anthony BurgessUlysses has had a profound influence on modern fiction... Unforgettable' Guardian'A work of high genius' IndependentTrade ReviewUlysses changed the stakes of the novel for ever, letting us see how extraordinary the everyday can be by plugging us straight into the minds of its characters, and using language in an electrifying way that only poets had dared to up till then * New Statesman *The greatest novel of the century -- Anthony Burgess * Observer *The Odyssey, the Divine Comedy and Hamlet whisper their way through its pages: and Ulysses is their equal at every turn -- Simon Barnes * The Times *Ulysses, with its comic-epic tapestry, took fiction deeper than ever into the raucous carnival of everyday life * Independent *Dirty, blasphemous and unreadable, or one of the greatest novels of the 20th century? No matter what your opinion of it, Ulysses has had a profound influence on modern fiction... Unforgettable * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisWith a new Introduction by Professor Cedric Watts, M.A., Ph.D. The Forsyte Saga is Galsworthy’s enduringly popular masterpiece. Initially, the plot centres on Soames Forsyte, a successful solicitor living in London with his beautiful wife, Irene. A pillar of the late-Victorian upper middle class, wealthy and well-connected, he seems to lead an enviable life. But beneath the respectable exterior lie acute tensions and frustrations. The marriage of Soames and Irene culminates in sexual violence and recriminations. The consequent feud within the family will be long-lasting, with ironic and dramatic outcomes. In The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy analyses the achievements, confusions and hypocrisies of an era. This renowned chronicle of a divided dynasty, repeatedly filmed and televised, has engrossed audiences internationally.

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Book SynopsisWith illustrations by Edward Landseer, Daniel Maclise, Clarkson Stanfield, Frank Stone, Richard Doyle, John Leech and John Tenniel, and with a new Introduction by Cedric Watts, Research Professor of English, University of Sussex. In these five long stories, written specifically for Christmas, Dickens combines his concern for social ills with the myths and memories of childhood and traditional seasonal lore. A Christmas Carol, the first of the selection, has become a touchstone of English festive fiction and an enduring favourite internationally. Repeatedly adapted, parodied, staged and filmed, this richly influential tale is powerfully vivid and moving. The other stories, The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life and The Haunted Man, blend whimsy, sentiment, comedy, satire, the didactic and the fantastic, developing resourcefully the theme of individual and social regeneration.

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Book SynopsisA great modern classic and the prelude to The Lord of the Rings.Trade Review‘One of the best loved characters in English fiction… a marvellous fantasy adventure’Daily Mail ‘Finely written saga of dwarves and elves, fearsome goblins and trolls… an exciting epic of travel, magical adventure, working up to a devastating climax’The Observer ‘A flawless masterpiece’The Times

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Book SynopsisElizabeth Smart's passionate fictional account of her intense love-affair with the poet George Barker, described by Angela Carter as Like Madame Bovary blasted by lightening A masterpiece'.One day, while browsing in a London bookshop, Elizabeth Smart chanced upon a slim volume of poetry by George Barker and fell passionately in love with him through the printed word. Eventually they communicated directly and, as a result of Barker's impecunious circumstances, Elizabeth Smart flew both him and his wife from Japan, where he was teaching, to join her in the United States. Thus began one of the most extraordinary, intense and ultimately tragic love affairs of our time. They never married but Elizabeth bore George Barker four children and their relationship provided the impassioned inspiration for one of the most moving and immediate chronicles of a love affair ever written By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept.Originally published in 1945, this remarkable book is now widely identTrade Review‘Like Madame Bovary blasted by lightening … A masterpiece.’ Angela Carter ‘At some point every good reader comes across By Grand Central Station I sat Down and Wept. And he or she recognises an emotion essential and permanent to us.’ Michael Ondaatje ‘A revelation…This short, powerful work has a profound influence on me and was one of the factors that made me want to be a writer.’ Beryl Bainbridge ‘I doubt if there are more than half a dozen such masterpieces of poetic prose in the world.’ Brigid Brophy ‘Explores a passion between a man and two women, one of them his wife – a love despairing and triumphant upon which the reader may gaze, awed, appalled, or even, perhaps, envious.’ The Times ‘Few writers have ever captured the full honesty of what passion means as shockingly and as piercingly as Smart. Today, its force still strikes us hard in the face, a beautiful and bloody blow.’ Lesley McDowell, Independent on Sunday ‘Constructed as a single, sustained climax, it is like a cry of ecstasy which, without changing volume or pitch, becomes a cry of agony.’ Spectator ‘The emotion, the truth and abject affliction comes through…to move the reader, and even to awe him.’ London Review of Books

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Book SynopsisWith an exclusive introduction and notes by David Stuart Davies. Translation by Louis Mercier. Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is not only a classic science fiction novel, it is also a thrilling adventure yarn. Professor Aronnax, his faithful servant Conseil and Canadian harpooner Ned Land are held prisoners aboard the fantastic submarine, the Nautilus, by its enigmatic and charismatic commander, Captain Nemo: ‘That terrible avenger, a perfect archangel of hatred.’ And so begins a hazardous and eventful voyage which leads them from the lost city of Atlantis, to the South Pole, hunting in underwater forests and to an encounter with a ferocious giant squid. Published in 1870, the novel continues to fascinate and engage the reader, presenting as it does an incredible journey into a mysterious world of excitement and danger!

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Book SynopsisRobert Musil was born in Klagenfurt, Austria, in 1880. Trained in science and philosophy, he left a career in the military to turn to writing. The publication of his novel Young Törless in 1906 brought him international recognition and remains a classic parable on the misuse of power. After serving in the First World War, Musil lived alternately in Vienna and Berlin, with much of his time being dedicated to the slow writing of his masterwork, The Man Without Qualities. In 1938, when Hitler's rise to power threatened Musil's work with being banned in both Austria and Germany, he emigrated to Switzerland, where he and his wife lived until his death in 1942. The first complete German edition of The Man Without Qualities finally appeared in 1978.Trade ReviewThe Man Without Qualities is one of the towering achievements of the European novel * Observer *I would recommend Sophie Wilkins' translation as a conscientious attempt to give to the English reader a novel which is compared to The Remembrance of Things Past and Ulysses * The Times *Immensely rich and therapeutic, bristling with wit and a sly humour * Sunday Telegraph *At last, at last - the fully fleshed arrival in English of the third member of the trinity in twentieth-century fiction, complementing Ulysses and The Remembrance of Things Past . . . This last-waltz novel is amazingly contemporary * Wall Street Journal *There is scarcely a page that does not provoke new thoughts or offer new insights, not a chapter that, even read on its own, does not prove stimulating * Scotsman *

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Book SynopsisA strange houseA ghost from the pastAs soon as she moves into Hillside, Gwenda knows there's something strange about this house.A sealed room. A hidden door. The apparition of a young woman being strangled.But strangest of all this all seems quite familiar.As her friend Jane Marple investigates, the answer seems to lie in a crime committed nearly twenty years ago.The killer may have gotten away with murder. But Miss Marple is never far behind.Never underestimate Miss MarpleReading a perfectly plotted Agatha Christie is like crunching into a perfect apple: that pure, crisp, absolute satisfaction.'Tana FrenchMiss Marple is spry, shrewd and compassionate.'Sunday TelegraphTrade Review‘Without a doubt, the greatest mystery writer of all time’ – Ragnar Jonasson ‘A hundred years after her first novel, and we are all still standing in her shadow’ – Andrew Taylor ‘She gives us an insight into human nature that few, if any, have surpassed’ – Susan Lewis ‘Dame Agatha has sold more books than all besides Shakespeare and the Bible’ – David Baldacci ‘All crime fiction writers around the globe owe Agatha Christie a massive debt’ – Peter James ‘Reading a perfectly plotted Agatha Christie is like crunching into a perfect apple: that pure, crisp, absolute satisfaction.’ – Tana French

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Book SynopsisGreene takes us on a wild, unconventional and enlightening voyage with an ordinary, retired bank manager and his eccentric, daring aunt. Henry Pulling, a retired bank manager, meets his septuagenarian Aunt Augusta for the first time in over fifty years at what he supposes to be his mother's funeral. Soon after, she persuades Henry to abandon Southwood, to travel to Brighton, Paris, Istanbul, Paraguay, and a shiftless, twilight society of hippies, war criminals, CIA men that will help Henry come alive after a dull suburban life.VINTAGE VOYAGES: A world of journeys, from the tallest mountains to the depths of the mindTrade ReviewRich in exactly etched and moving portraits of real human beings...the tragic and comic ironies of love, loyalty and belief * The Times *The most ingenious, inventive and exciting of our novelists - V S Pritchett, The TimesFunny and bizarre... This is a Greene with the lightest touches -- Susan Hill * The Lady *No serious writer of [the twentith century] has more thoroughly invaded and shaped the public imagination than Graham Greene - Time

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Book SynopsisAs Mrs Dalloway works on the preparations for a dinner party, her thoughts throughout the day wander from memories of the past to interrogations about the present and lead her to assess the choices she has made in life and love. Her monologue interweaves with the account of the distress, on that same day, of the shell-shocked veteran Septimus Warren Smith, whose trauma and hallucinations end in tragedy, as the links between the two characters unfold. One of Virginia Woolf's most famous novels, Mrs Dalloway is a triumph of experimentation, a cornerstone of Modernism and a subtle examination of love, freedom, mental illness and the female condition in society.Trade ReviewShe was doing with language something like what Jimi Hendrix does with a guitar. -- Michael CunninghamTable of ContentsIncludes pictures and a section on Virginia Woolf's life and works.

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Book SynopsisWith a new Introduction by David Stuart Davies. ‘Surely no man would take up my profession if it were not that danger attracts him.’ In The Casebook, you can read the final twelve stories that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about his brilliant detective. They are perhaps the most unusual and the darkest that he penned. Treachery, mutilation and the terrible consequences of infidelity are just some of the themes explored in these stories, along with atmospheric touches of the gothic, involving a bloodsucking vampire, crypts at midnight and strange bones in a furnace. The collection His Last Bow features some of Sherlock Holmes’ most dramatic cases, including the vicious revenge intrigue connected with ‘The Red Circle’ and the insidious murders in ‘The Devil’s Foot’. The title story recounts how Sherlock Holmes is brought out of retirement to help the government foil a German plot on the eve of the First World War. These two fascinating sets of stories make a glorious farewell to the greatest detective of them all and his erstwhile companion, Dr Watson.

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