ELT & Literary Studies Books
Sweet Cherry Publishing Jane Austen Childrens Stories 8 Book Box Set Easy
Book SynopsisAn adaptation of Austen's famous novels, plus her rarely published novella Love and Friendship. A perfect introduction to the works of Jane Austen and classic literature for ages 7+.
£44.74
Arcturus Publishing Ltd The Odyssey
Book SynopsisHomer''s Odyssey is the Ancient Greek tale of Odysseus and his eventful voyage home after the Trojan War. His many adventures on his 10-year journey are the subject of this famous prose translation by T.E. Lawrence, which was the first to be aimed at a general readership.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
Liverpool University Press Iris Murdoch
Book SynopsisReviews ‘Anne Rowe, a scrupulous Murdoch scholar of many years’ standing, has written a slim but comprehensive overview of the writer’s career, attending successively to aspects of her output in both genres, encompassing matters intellectual, spiritual, experiential and geographical.’ Stuart Walton, The London MagazineTrade Review'This new overview of Murdoch's life, coming as it does in her centenary year, brings together fresh materials on her life and work and will be a central resource for students, teachers, academics and the general reader. Rowe builds on her vast knowledge of Murdoch – and her earlier published work – to bring out the fullest examination of Murdoch's life and work to date. This is a book by an academic at the height of her powers'.Dr Miles Leeson, Director of the Iris Murdoch Research Centre, University of Chichester‘The leading Murdoch scholar Anne Rowe, in an effective new critical study, emphasises the relevance to Murdoch’s future reputation of society’s increasing openness to “more complex variations in sexual and psychological make-up”. The old myth that Murdoch only writes about leisured middle-class heterosexuals who live in big houses has in turn bred the more recent myth that nobody could possibly bother reading her nowadays...’ Leo Robson, The New StatesmanTable of ContentsIntroduction 1 Iris Murdoch: A Writing Life 2 Writing the Novel of Ideas: The Philosopher and Public Intellectual3 Writing Sacraments: The Holy Atheist4 Writing A New Vocabulary of Experience5 Writing the Landscape: The Island of Spells and the Sacred CityAfterword
£67.92
The History Press Ltd The Mighty Goddess
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£999.99
Anthem Press Radical Realism Autofictional Narratives and the
Book SynopsisThis monograph treats modes of fictionality in contemporary auto/biography, memoir and autofiction. Adopting a case study approach, it demonstrates the extent to which contexts of production and reception are important in framing generic expectations with respect to the representation of lived experience and in helping to determine the status of the narrator as (fictional) persona or (implied) author.
£29.34
Everyman Flashman, Flash for Freedom!, Flashman in the
Book SynopsisFor George MacDonald Fraser the bully Flashman was easily the most interesting character in Tom Brown's Schooldays, and imaginative speculation as to what might have happened to him after his expulsion from Rugby School for drunkenness ended in 12 volumes of memoirs in which Sir Harry Paget Flashman - self-confessed scoundrel, liar, cheat, thief, coward -'and, oh yes, a toady' - romps his way through decades of nineteenth-century history in a swashbuckling and often hilarious series of military and amorous adventures. In Flashman the youthful hero, armed with a commission in the 11th Dragoons, is shipped to India, woos and wins the beautiful Elspeth, and reluctantly takes part in the first Anglo-Afghan War, honing a remarkable talent for self-preservation.Flash for Freedom! finds him crewing on an African slave ship, hiding in a New Orleans whorehouse and fortuitously running into rising young American politician Abraham Lincoln...
£999.99
Vintage Publishing Will In The World: How Shakespeare Became
Book SynopsisStephen Greenblatt's Will in the World is widely recognised to be the fullest and most brilliant account ever written of Shakespeare's life, his work and his age.Shakespeare was a man of his time, constantly engaging with his audience's deepest desires and fears, and by reconnecting with this historic reality we are able to experience the true character of the playwright himself. Greenblatt traces Shakespeare's unfolding imaginative generosity - his ability to inhabit others, to confer upon them his own strength of spirit, to make them truly live as independent beings as no other artist has ever done.Digging deep into the vital links between the playwright and his world, Will in the World provides the fullest account ever written of the living, breathing man behind the masterpieces.Trade ReviewA vast shelf of biographies of the Bard exists, but this is the book I would take with me to a desert island -- Jay Parini * Guardian *A work of wonderful erudition that can be read as an accessible introduction to the social and political milieu from which Shakespeare emerged, and as an elegant guide to the astonishing poems and plays themselves * New Statesman *Both insightful literary criticism and a gripping piece of psychological detective work … Stephen Greenblatt has few equals as a Shakespeare scholar * Metro *A delight, full of new insights and infused with a rich understanding of precisely why Shakespeare’s writing gives us such lasting pleasure … quite superb -- John Simpson * Sunday Times 'Books of the Year' *Thought-provoking … full of unexpected touches … beautifully written -- Andrew Marr * Daily Telegraph *Riveting * Independent *Really gives a sense of being in touch with the man. Greenblatt’s knowledge of the plays and the times in which they were written is so encyclopaedic that he can assemble a convincing portrait of Shakespeare without resorting to smoke and mirrors * Sunday Times *The most complexly intelligent and sophisticated, and yet the most keenly enthusiastic, study of the life and work taken together that I have ever read -- Adam Gopnik * New Yorker *One of the finest recent Shakespeare biographies -- Robert McCrum * Guardian *Greenblatt’s fantastically readable biography of our greatest writer paints a riveting portrait of Elizabethan England * Daily Telegraph *Compulsively readable and deeply imaginative -- Stanley WellsAt last, the book Shakespeare has deserved: a brilliant book written by a virtual eyewitness who understands how a playwright takes the stuff of his life and his world and makes it into theatre -- Charles MeeA tour de force … a book for artists and ordinary people as well as scholars and students -- Tina PackerA wonderful piece of work -- Simon Russell Beale
£17.00
Batsford Ltd Bedside Companion for Food Lovers: An anthology
Book SynopsisA delicious literary anthology all about food. With extracts from over 200 authors, it embraces fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and even a smattering of recipes, with one piquant extract for every night of the year.This absorbing book is a literary feast for every food lover. Within these pages, you'll discover a wealth of foodie extracts from around the world and throughout the centuries, from Christmas feasts in Tudor times to Nigella Lawson on how much cheese to buy for a dinner party. In addition to renowned food writers such as Elizabeth David, Madhur Jaffrey and Anthony Bourdain, it includes literary greats like Charles Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Maya Angelou, and some intriguing curiosities such as the surreal recipes in 1932’s Futurist Cookbook. And, of course, Mrs Beeton makes an appearance. Also on the menu are:• Tantalizing gingerbread in Jane Austen's Emma.• The joys of Caribbean cooking in Sam Selvon’s The Housing Lark.• Ingenious wartime solutions in MFK Fisher's How to Cook a Wolf and much, much more.Keep this delectable book by your bedside and savour a whole world of delicious food writing every night of the year – and it also makes the perfect gift for the foodie in your life!Trade Review‘Delicious’ Red‘An abundance of beautiful, witty, fun, and eloquent writing ensures the Bedside Companion for Food Lovers is a deliciously wonderful anthology.’ Love Reading‘I adore these anthologies from Batsford’ YouTube Miranda Mills
£19.51
SNAKE RIVER PRESS SOUTH DOWNS ALPHABET
Book SynopsisA collection of poems commissioned to celebrate the creation of the South Downs National Park.
£8.54
CONNELL PUBLISHING LTD The Connell Guide To Emily Bronte's Wuthering
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£8.54
Peripeteia Press The Art of Drama, Volume 6: Othello: A critical
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£12.34
InStudent Education UK Ltd SnapRevise GCSE AQA English Literature Power and
Book Synopsis
£13.11
Orion Publishing Co The Hymn to Dionysus
Book Synopsis''Witty, bittersweet, surprising, and compellingly readable'' Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review''A completely original and bewitching adventure'' A. D. Rhine, author of Daughters of Bronze and Horses of Fire''A dazzling labyrinth of a book that pulls you in with both hands'' Luna McNamara, author of PSYCHE AND EROS''This is more than a story of love and escape and broken chains. This is more than an exquisitely crafted tale. This book is a candle in a dark hour'' Maya Deane, author of Wrath Goddess Sing''Quirky, tender, and endlessly inventive, this is a Greek myth retelling unlike any other. Pulley''s big brain and huge heart are deployed to godly effect in THE HYMN TO DIONYSUS'' V. V. James, Sunday Times Bestselling author of SanctuaryRaised in a Greek legion, Phaidros has been taught to follow his commander''s orders at all costs. But when he rescues a baby from a fire at Thebes'' palace, he defies those orders and keeps the blue-eyed boy''s existence a secret.Years later, after a strange encounter that led to the death of his battalion, Phaidros has become a training master for young soldiers. He struggles with panic attacks and flashbacks, and he is not alone: all around him, his fellow veterans are losing their minds.Madness is not his only problem: Phaidros has become entangled with the search for Thebes'' lost young crown prince-a search that leads him to a blue-eyed witch named Dionysus, whose guidance is as wise as the events that surround him are strange. In Dionysus''s company, Phaidros witnesses sudden outbursts of riots and unrest, and everywhere Dionysus goes, rumors follow about a new god, one sired by Zeus but lost in a fire . . .In The Hymn to Dionysus, bestselling author Natasha Pulley transports us to an ancient empire on the edge of ruin to tell an utterly captivating story about a man needing a god to remind him how to be a human.Praise for The Hymn to Dionysus''[Pulley] makes the ancient world feel close-by. I was enthralled from the first page to the last''Elyse John, author of Orphia and Eurydicius''[A] fresh and stylish reimagining . . . Fans of Greek myth retellings won''t want to miss this'' Publishers Weekly, Starred review ''This novel twists the ideas of duty and honour, exploring the depths of humanity and the power of connection in a world consumed by chaos. An absolute must-read'' Crystal King, bestselling author of In the Garden of Monsters and Feast of Sorrow
£17.60
Chartwell Books Anne of Green Gables
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£13.49
Union Square Gift Moby Dick Deluxe Bookmark
Book Synopsis
£10.25
ERIS Tradition and the Individual Talent
Book SynopsisT. S. Eliot's advocacy of impersonality as a literary ideal in Tradition and the Individual Talent had an immeasurable impact on Modernist literature and continues to resonate today.
£7.69
HarperCollins Publishers Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Book SynopsisBKS Iyengar's translation and commentary on these ancient yoga sutras has been described as the "bible" of yoga.This new edition of the classic text contains a new introduction by BKS Iyengar, as well as a foreword by Godfrey Devereux, author of Dynamic Yoga.Trade Review“Patanjali's Yoga Sutras is the bible of yoga…”Godfrey Devereux “BKS Iyengar is renowned throughout the world… his inspired commentary on the ageless treatise by the ancient sage speaks to the soul of every dedicated yogi."Phil Catalfo, Yoga Journal
£17.09
Faber & Faber Constellations
Book Synopsis''One drink. And if you never want to see me again you never have to see me again.''A quantum physicist and a beekeeper meet. They hit it off, or perhaps they don't. They might go home together, they might not.Constellations explores love, free will, and friendship through quantum multiverse theory and honey.Constellations premiered at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London, in 2012, and transferred to the Duke of York's. It opened on Broadway in 2015; and at the Vaudeville Theatre, London, in 2021.Nick Payne's gorgeous two-character drama, may be the most sophisticated date play Broadway has seen.' New York Times
£10.44
University of California Press The Iliad and the Odyssey Boxed Set
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£39.90
Abrams I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf
Book SynopsisTrade Review“With I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf, Snider—an artist, writer and orthodontist—has gathered up a decade's worth of his comics for boisterous bookworms into one convenient volume…Snider’s thoughtful cartoons for bibliophiles also reveal he’s a well-rounded reader himself.” * New York Times Book Review *“This playful, self-aware collection of strips and gags on the joys and frustrations of reading and writing is equal parts lighthearted and sincere.” * Publishers Weekly *“...Grant Snider has a prescient book for these times…” -- Chris Arrant * Newsarama *“If you surround yourself with books and can’t imagine life without them, you’ll definitely want to add Snider’s new collection to your shelf.” * KMUW *“This is a delightful and humorous collection of comics about the joys of being a book lover, from collecting large amounts of books to (sometimes) getting around to reading them.” * Book Riot *“…colorful panels convey just the right amount of information, seasoned with sly allusions and inside jokes aimed at the avid reader. Anyone with the book bug will savor Snider’s brand of humor.” * BookPage *
£10.79
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Macintyre B For Your Eyes Only
Book SynopsisThe official book on Ian Fleming and James Bond by the bestselling author of Agent ZigzagTrade Review'A marvellously entertaining and informative book ... deserves to fly off the shelves every bit as quickly as Devil May Care' Spectator 'Thrilling' Sunday Times 'Everything that makes Bond interesting with relation to the real world, in fact, is explored here. Ben Macintyre's skill, in this entertaining mix of history, espionage, biography, and post-war sociology, is to make you see clearly where Ian Fleming's world ended and the fantasy of James Bond began' Tom Fleming, Literary Review 'Fleming, a journalist like Macintyre, would have approved of Macintyre's fast, witty and informative style, and this is the perfect starting place for anyone wanting to find out more about Bond and his creator' Mail on Sunday
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien
Book Synopsis The comprehensive collection of letters spanning the adult life of one of the world’s greatest storytellers, now revised and expanded to include more than 150 previously unseen letters, with revealing new insights into The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. Trade Review‘The closest we can get to an actual autobiography … reveals new insights into the mind of one of England’s greatest storytellers’ Telegraph ‘These revised and amplified letters are an absolute treat’ Sunday Times ‘This is a terrific book … the letters simply glow with warmth, interest and enthusiasm’ Private Eye ‘These letters provide an intriguing new glimpse into Tolkien’s life and work, allowing us to hear from one of the world’s best-loved authors in his own voice’ The National Archives
£24.00
HarperCollins Publishers Writing for IELTS With Answers
Book SynopsisIf your writing is preventing you from getting the score you need in IELTS, Collins Writing for IELTS can help. Don't let one skill hold you back.
£13.49
Oxford University Press Phaedo
Book SynopsisThe Phaedo is acknowledged to be one of Plato''s greatest masterpieces, showing him both as a philosopher and as a dramatist at the height of his powers. For its moving account of the execution of Socrates, the Phaedo ranks among the supreme literary achievements of antiquity. It is also a seminal document for many ideas deeply ingrained in western culture, and provides one of the best introductions to Plato''s thought. This new edition is a revised version of the Clarendon Press translation, and is eminently suitable for readers new to Plato, and ideal for classroom use, thanks to the provision of Stephanus page and letter numbering. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clariTrade ReviewThe new translation is freer in some places making it more accessible to those encountering Plato for the first time. An essential book for those who desire an introduction to Platonic philosophy. * The Greek Gazette *
£6.99
Penguin Books Ltd Electra and Other Plays Women of Trachis Ajax
Book SynopsisFour seminal tragedies by the master Greek dramatist, in sparkling new translationsOf the more than one hundred plays Sophocles wrote over the course of his long life, only seven survive. This volume collects four of them, all newly translated. Electra portrays the grief of a young woman for her father, Agamemnon, who has been killed by her mother's lover. Ajax depicts the enigma of power and weakness vis-àvis the fall of the great hero. Women of Trachis dramatizes the tragic love and error of Heracles's deserted wife, Deianeira; Philoctetes examines the conflict between physical force and moral strength.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts en
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd Timaeus and Critias Penguin Classics
Book SynopsisTimaeus and Critias is a Socratic dialogue in two parts. A response to an account of an ideal state told by Socrates, it begins with Timaeus’s theoretical exposition of the cosmos and his story describing the creation of the universe, from its very beginning to the coming of man. Timaeus introduces the idea of a creator God and speculates on the structure and composition of the physical world. Critias, the second part of Plato’s dialogue, comprises an account of the rise and fall of Atlantis, an ancient, mighty and prosperous empire ruled by the descendents of Poseidon, which ultimately sank into the sea.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and not
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd Njals Saga
Book SynopsisWritten in the thirteenth century, Njal''s Saga is a story that explores perennial human problems-from failed marriages to divided loyalties, from the law''s inability to curb human passions to the terrible consequences when decent men and women are swept up in a tide of violence beyond their control. It is populated by memorable and complex characters like Gunnar of Hlidarendi, a powerful warrior with an aversion to killing, and the not-so-villainous Mord Valgardsson. Full of dreams, strange prophecies, violent power struggles, and fragile peace agreements, Njal''s Saga tells the compelling story of a fifty-year blood feud that, despite its distance from us in time and place, is driven by passions familiar to us all. This Penguin Classics edition includes an introduction, chronology, index of characters, plot summary, explanatory notes, maps, and suggestions for further reading.
£10.44
Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers Inc Mythology
Book SynopsisThis deluxe edition of the world''s most beloved, bestselling classic on Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology is stunningly illustrated with specially commissioned full-color plates and a beautiful gold-bordered pages. Since its original publication in 1942, Edith Hamilton''s Mythology has sold millions of copies throughout the world and established itself as a perennial bestseller. For nearly 80 years, readers have chosenMythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes above all other books to discover the enchanting world of Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology -- from Odysseus''s adventure-filled journey to Odin''s effort to postpone the final day of doom. This deluxe, hardcover edition is illustrated throughout with specially commissioned, original artwork and beautifully illustrated lineages, making it a true collector''s item.
£22.50
Oxford University Press The Poetic Edda
Book SynopsisShe sees, coming up a second time,earth from the ocean, eternally green;the waterfalls plunge, an eagle soars above them,over the mountain hunting fish.After the terrible conflagration of Ragnarok, the earth rises serenely again from the ocean, and life is renewed. The Poetic Edda begins with The Seeress''s Prophecy which recounts the creation of the world, and looks forward to its destruction and rebirth. In this great collection of Norse-Icelandic mythological and heroic poetry, the exploits of gods and humans are related. The one-eyed Odin, red-bearded Thor, Loki the trickster, the lovely goddesses, and the giants who are their enemies walk beside the heroic Helgi, Sigurd the Dragon-Slayer, Brynhild the shield-maiden, and the implacable Gudrun. This translation also features the quest-poem The Lay of Svipdag and The Waking of Angantyr, in which a girl faces down her dead father to retrieve his sword.Comic, tragic, instructive, grandiose, witty, and profound, the poems of the Edda have influenced artists from Wagner to Tolkien and speak to us as freely as when they were first written down seven hundred and fifty years ago.Trade ReviewLarringtons version of The Poetic Edda has been beautifully translated, and the flow of each poem is perfect. * Kirsty Hewitt, Book Hugger *A 750-year-old haul of Icelandic verse might not sound like cutting-edge entertainment but these sinewy sagas include such modern elements as gutsy heroines and ultra-violence. * Christopher Hirst, Independent *This is a lovingly presented translation of one of the most important works of Norse mythology ... A fabulous collection worthy of multiple readings. * Arthur Chappell, Concatenation.org *
£16.19
Bonnier Books Ltd Culture: The surprising connections and
Book Synopsis'A writer of genius' - William Dalrymple'Remarkable' - Kwame Anthony Appiah'Utterly captivating' - Anthony DoerrCan anyone really own a culture? This magnificent account argues that the story of global civilisations is one of mixing, sharing, and borrowing.It shows how art forms have crisscrossed continents over centuries to produce masterpieces. From Nefertiti's lost city and the Islamic Golden Age to twentieth century Nigerian theatre and Modernist poetry, Martin Puchner explores how contact between different peoples has driven artistic innovation in every era - whilst cultural policing and purism have more often undermined the very societies they tried to protect.Travelling through Classical Greece, Ashoka's India, Tang dynasty China, and many other epochs, this triumphal new history reveals the crossing points which have not only inspired the humanities, but which have made us human.Trade Review'Eminently readable ... The book's great strength lies in its ability to swoop deftly and lightly between things that may be familiar to us in themselves, but which we might be tempted to separate out in our attempts to form a picture of the world.' -- Edward Wilson-Lee * The Times Literary Supplement *'A breakneck, utterly captivating survey of threads of cultural transmission-how ideas, stories, and songs-survive, change, vanish, get borrowed, refined, coopted, and grafted through time ... I underlined sentences on every page.' -- Anthony Doerr'Compellingly written' * Financial Times *'A remarkable book.' -- Kwame Anthony Appiah'Martin Puchner has exceptional and invaluable gifts: intellectual fearlessness, dazzling erudition, trenchancy tempered by breadth of mind, and a humanist's eye for minute evidence that illumines huge problems.' -- Felipe Fernandez-Armesto'Well written, nuanced and light in style, spinning a series of historical narratives in an erudite and engaging way' -- Marguerite Johnson * The Conversation *'Fearless and exhilaratingly erudite, Martin Puchner's panoramic tour of human culture across the millennia is a riveting page-turner.' -- Amy Chua'A writer of genius' -- William Dalrymple'Elegantly written and full of erudite lore, this vibrant history illuminates the inveterate human yearning for expression.' * Publishers Weekly *'A thoughtful, generous vision of human creativity across centuries of culture.' * Kirkus *'Fluent and engaging.' -- Boyd Tonkin * Wall Street Journal *'A mighty, polymathic work . . . [by] a master storyteller -- Chris Vognar * Boston Globe *'A forceful rebuke to those who argue that culture can be owned by groups, nations, religions or races. . . . [by] an adept storyteller.' -- Ismail Muhammad * New York Times *'Jaunty and readable but never lacking in depth, Culture hops through countries and eras to deliver a resonant argument.' -- Lauren Puckett-Pope * Elle *'Cultures develop by sharing, borrowing, and collaborating--but also by conquest, appropriation, and theft. Martin Puchner's timely book takes us on a breathtaking tour of world history, reminding us that as we judge the past, one day we, too, will be judged, and that when we ignore or try to erase our cultural heritage, we are only impoverishing ourselves' -- Louis Menand * Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Metaphysical Club *'Puchner creates a perfectly balanced and incisively abridged version of the story of human culture. Ultimately, this is an examination of the making and transport of ideas, which is always an interaction between old and new. Each chapter builds a new layer, adding to the depth and complexity, while Puchner also provides a global who's who of cultural diffusion' * Booklist *'So many books these days are described as being 'sweeping histories'; Culture, which promises in its subtitle to take us from our most primitive artistic impulses all the way to the machinery of modern-day fandom. But what intrigues me most about Puchner's latest isn't its scope - it's its driving question: 'What good are the arts?' In my more hopeless moments, this question bubbles up inside me, and I'm chomping at the bit to hear Puchner's answer, grounded in history and informed by cultures around the world' -- Sophia Stewart
£11.69
Faber & Faber The Art of the Novel
Book SynopsisThe classic of literary criticism from one of the world''s greatest novelists.In seven independent, but closely related chapters, Milan Kundera presents his personal conception of the European novel, which he describes as ''an art born of the laughter of God''.''Invigoratingly suggestive . . . Kundera''s map of the development of the European novel is outlined with the reckless brevity of the man who knows exactly what and where the salient points are.'' London Review of Books''Kundera is the saddest, funniest and most loveable of authors.'' The Times
£10.44
Oxford University Press Alls Well That Ends Well
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£8.54
Oxford University Press Barry Lyndon Oxford Worlds Classics
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£11.39
Canongate Books The Paris Review Interviews: Vol. 1
Book SynopsisFrom William Faulkner's famous reply, 'The writer's only responsibility is to his art,' to James Salter's confession 'What is the ultimate impulse to write? Because all this is going to vanish', the Paris Review has elicited many of the most arresting, illuminating, and revealing discussions of life and craft from the greatest writers of our age. Under its original editor, George Plimpton, the Paris Review is credited with inventing the modern literary interview, and more than half a century later the magazine remains the master of the form. By turns intimate, instructive, gossipy, curmudgeonly, elegant, hilarious, cunning, and consoling, the Paris Review interviews have come to be celebrated as classic literary works in their own right. Now, from the treasure trove of the archives, Paris Review editor Philip Gourevitch has selected twenty of the most essential interviews for the first of a four volume set. The authors are: Dorothy Parker, Truman Capote, Ernest Hemingway, T. S. Eliot, Saul Bellow, Jorge Luis Borges, Kurt Vonnegut, James M. Cain, Rebecca West, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Stone, Robert Gottlieb, Richard Price, Billy Wilder, Jack Gilbert and Joan Didion.Trade ReviewNothing is lonelier or riskier than being a writer, and these interviews provide writers at all stages the companionship and guidance they need. -- Edmund WhiteThe Paris Review Interviews, in their old Penguin trade paperback editions, were objects of wonder that formed my first and fiercest impression of what it was to be an author. I still ascribe any vivid remembered quote to their pages, even when it didn't appear there. -- Jonathan LethemI have all the copies of the Review and like the interviews very much. They will make a good book when collected and that will be very good for the Review. -- Ernest Hemingway
£13.49
HarperCollins Publishers Shelley
Book SynopsisA fantastic reissue of Richard Holmes' epic biography of this most enigmatic and intriguing of the Romantic poets. This is simply one of the greatest biographical achievements of recent years.Shelley, the most neglected of all the great Romantic poets, was born in Sussex in 1792 and died in Tuscany in 1822, a brief life packed with love affairs, alarums and excursions. Holmes's book offers a serious and critical reappraisal of Shelley as a man and a writer; all his prose and poetry is carefully re-examined, his sense of spiritual and geographical isolation brilliantly described and a detailed portrait of his macabre imaginative life slowly assembled.Shelley's intense friendships with some of the most remarkable figures of his age fill Holmes's pages with a vivid parorama of revolutionary idealism and recklessness. To this is added the private story of Shelley's tortuous romantic liaisons, complications which affected both the peculiar tenor of his daily life and the remotest conceptionTrade Review‘If the art of biography was ever damned, “Shelley: The Pursuit” redeemed it.’ New York Times ‘The best biography of Shelley ever written. The great emphasis that Mr. Holmes lays on Shelley’s politics, philosophy and social activities corrects the usual view of an extraordinarily idealised, ethereal, spiritualized kind of poetry combined with an extraordinarily incoherent life. He has taken the Shelley story out of the realm of myth and made it far more convincing and significant.’ Sir Stephen Spender ‘An unquestionably great biography which banished forever the image of the poet as an ineffectual angel.’ Independent on Sunday
£999.99
Oxford University Press Tales of the Elders of Ireland
Book Synopsis''Dear holy cleric,'' they said, ''these old warriors tell you no more than a third of their stories, because their memories are faulty. Have these stories written down on poets'' tablets in refined language, so that the hearing of them will provide entertainment for the lords and commons of later times.'' The angels then left them. Tales of the Elders of Ireland is the first complete translation of the late Middle Irish Acallam na Senórach, the largest literary text surviving from twelfth-century Ireland. It contains the earliest and most comprehensive collection of Fenian stories and poetry, intermingling the contemporary Christian world of Saint Patrick, with his scribes, clerics, occasional angels and souls rescued from Hell, the earlier pagan world of the ancient, giant Fenians and Irish kings, and the parallel, timeless Otherworld, peopled by ever-young, shape-shifting fairies. It also provides the most extensive account available of the inhabitants of the Irish Otherworld - theTrade Review"One of the masterpieces of the second millennium" Paul Muldoon, TLS December, 1999
£10.44
Oxford University Press Selected Myths
Book SynopsisTable of Contents1. 'The Origin of Virtue (Protagoras 320c-323a) ; 2. 'The Judgement of Souls' (Gorgias 523a-527a) ; 3. 'The Androgyne' (Symposium 189c-193e) ; 4. 'The Birth of Love' (Symposium 201d-212c) ; 5. 'The Other World' (Phaedo 107c-115a) ; 6. 'The Cave' (Republic 514a-517a) ; 7. 'Er's Journey into the Other World' (Republic 614b-621d) ; 8. 'The Winged Soul' (Phaedrus 246a-257a) ; 9. 'The Two Cosmic Eras' (Statesman 268d-274e) ; 10. 'Atlantis and the Ancient City of Athens' (Timaeus 20d-25d; Critias 108e-121c)
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers The Scarlet Letter Collins Classics
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is pround to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.''Ah, but let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart.''A tale of sin, punishment and atonement, The Scarlet Letter exposes the moral rigidity of a 17th-Century Puritan New England community when faced with the illegitimate child of a young mother. Regarded as the first real heroine of American fiction, it is Hester Prynne''s strength of character that resonates with the reader when her harsh sentence is cast. It is in her refusal to reveal the identity of the father in the face of her accusers that Hawthorne champions his heroine and berates the weakness of Society for attacking the innocent.
£5.62
Oxford University Press Teenage Writings
Book SynopsisThe young Jane Austen was a precocious reader, devouring pulp fiction and classic literature, both of which she soon began to imitate and parody. Three volumes of her vivacious teenage writing survive. Devices and themes which appear subtly in her later fiction run riot here: drunkenness, brawling, sexual misdemeanour, theft, and even murder.Trade Review...a brilliantly readable [edition]...What is often most engaging and amusing about this bravura writing is Austen's un-restrained comic mayhem. * Francis O'Gorman, Reviews31.co.uk *Professor Kathryn Sutherland and University Lecturer Freya Johnston skilfully edit this fascinating collection of Austen's early teenage writings ... This new edition provides fresh readings of individual texts, and the explanatory notes accompanying them offer to expand our sense of what the young Austen might have been reading and responding to at the time. * Reader's Digest *Table of ContentsVOLUME THE FIRST; VOLUME THE SECOND; VOLUME THE THIRD; FAMILY CONTINUATIONS TO VOLUME THE THIRD; APPENDIX
£9.49
Oxford University Press Cousin Phillis and Other Stories
Book SynopsisThis representative selection includes five tales of very different kinds written in the 1850s and the longer Cousin Phillis. Immensely readable and sophisticated works of art, they show Gaskell's mastery of the genre, in an edition that celebrates her achievements in shorter fiction and the context in which they first appeared.Table of ContentsLizzie Leigh ; Morton Hall ; My French Master ; Half a Life-Time Ago ; The Manchester Marriage ; Cousin Phillis
£8.54
Oxford University Press The Decameron
Book SynopsisThe Decameron (c.1351) was written in the wake of the Black Death, a shattering epidemic which had shaken Florence''s confident entrepreneurial society to its core.In a country villa outside the city, ten young noble men and women who have escaped the plague decide to tell each other stories. Boccaccio''s skill as a dramatist is masterfully displayed in this virtuoso performance of one hundred tales, vivid portraits of people from all stations in life, with plots which revel in a bewildering variety of human reactions. Themes are playfully restated from one story to another within an elegant and refined framework. One of Chaucer''s most fruitful sources for the Canterbury Tales, Boccaccio''s work artfully combines the essential ingredients of narrative: fate and desire, crises and quick-thinking.This new translation by Guido Waldman captures the exuberance and variety and tone of Boccaccio''s masterpiece. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.Trade Review'This new translation of The Decameron is especially valuable for the manner in which it accurately imitates the divergent tones and structures of Boccaccio's prose. Boccaccio's art is an exercise in brinkmanship which leads characters and readers alike into a turmoil of moral and social disorder only to retrieve them within his formal literary structure at the end. In common with the main text, this introduction will prove very useful both to the general reader and to the student unable to read in the Italian.' Christopher C. Stevens. Italian Studies, XLIX, 1994
£11.39
Oxford University Press Hard Times Oxford Worlds Classics
Book Synopsis
£6.64
Vintage Publishing Glass And God
Book SynopsisAnne Carson was born in Canada and teaches ancient Greek for a living. Her awards and honours include the Lannan Award, the Pushcart Prize, the Griffin Trust Award for Excellence in Poetry, the T.S. Eliot Prize, a Guggenheim fellowship, and the MacArthur Genius' Award.Trade ReviewAnne Carson is a daring, learned, unsettling writer. Both in poetry and in prose (and the nimble mixtures of both that are characteristic of her work) she offers and upholds exceptional pleasures and standards. A unique figure in the North American literary landscape and not nearly as well known as she should be -- Susan SontagAnne Carson's poems are like notes made in their pristine urgency, as fresh and bright as a series of sudden remarks... A real poet whose poems are unfailingly memorable... [whose] powers of invention are apparently infinite -- Guy DavenportAnne Carson is a new and brilliant talent making her English debut with this volume -- Peter PorterShe is a rare talent - brilliant and full of wit, passionate and also deeply moving. Her long poem 'The Glass Essay' is oen of the best of our time -- Michael Ondaatje
£13.50
Faber & Faber The History Boys With GCSE and A Level study
Book SynopsisDesigned to meet the requirements for students at GCSE and A level, this accessible educational edition offers the complete text of The History Boys with a comprehensive study guide. Highlights of Andrew Bruff''s guide include: detailed analyses of character, theme and structure; a clear introduction to the context of the play and its author; key quotations and activities both for the student working alone and in the classroom.An unruly bunch of bright, funny sixth-form boys in pursuit of sex, sport and a place at university. A maverick English teacher at odds with the young and shrewd supply teacher. A headmaster obsessed with results; a history teacher who thinks he's a fool.In Alan Bennett's award-winning and hugely popular play, staffroom rivalry and the anarchy of adolescence provoke insistent questions about history and how you teach it, about education and its purpose.
£10.44
Headline Publishing Group The Little Book of J.R.R. Tolkien: Wit and Wisdom
Book SynopsisA renowned scholar of the English language, Tolkien is today celebrated as the father of the high fantasy genre. Drawing on his knowledge of languages, mythology and legend, he created an entire alternative reality, Middle Earth, and populated it with hobbits, orcs, ents, dragons, magicians and giant spiders.Packed with fascinating facts about Tolkien's life and labours, this delightful volume includes extracts from his works, letters and interviews, as well as from his contemporaries and admirers. It's a celebration of the writer whose imagination and creative genius changed the course of fantasy literature.'I would rather spend one lifetime with you, than face all the ages of this world alone.' The Fellowship of the Ring (1954)'I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but size). I like gardens, trees and unmechanized farmlands; I smoke a pipe, and like good plain food (unrefrigerated), but detest French cooking...' Tolkien in a letter to Deborah Webster, 25 October 1958In July 1915, Tolkien took part in the Somme offensive, the bloodiest battle of the Great War. While recovering in hospital from trench fever, he wrote his first Elvish word list, as well as the first fragments of what would become The Silmarillion.The inspiration for The Hobbit came to Tolkien unexpectedly in the summer of 1930, while he was working his way through a huge stack of student essays. On a blank page he found himself scrawling, 'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.'Table of ContentsTolkien the Man and the Hobbit • Languages • Storyteller • Fantasy Worlds and Fables • Ents and Elves • Tolkien's Legacy
£7.44
Pan Macmillan The Analects
Book SynopsisFormed in a time of great unrest in ancient China, The Analects is vital to an understanding of Chinese history and thought, and, 2,500 years on, it remains startlingly relevant to contemporary life.Complete and unabridged. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, cloth-bound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. Highly regarded for the poetic fluency he brings to his award–winning work, David Hinton's translation is inviting and immensely readable.Confucius, the ‘great sage’ of China, believed that an ideal society is based on humanity, benevolence and goodness. His profoundly influential philosophy is encapsulated in The Analects, a collection of sayings which were written down by his followers. Confucius advocates an ethical social order, woven together by selfless and supportive relationships between friends, families and communities. He taught that living by a moral code based on education, ritual, respect and integrity will bring peace to human society.
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers A Preface to Paradise Lost
Book SynopsisIn Preface to Paradise Lost, C. S. Lewis presents an illuminating reflection on John Milton''s Paradise Lost, the seminal classic that profoundly influenced Christian thought as well as Lewis''s own work.Lewis a revered scholar and professor of literature closely examines the style, content, structure, and themes of Milton''s masterpiece, a retelling of the biblical story from the Fall of Humankind, Satan''s temptation, and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Considering this story within the context of the Western literary tradition, Lewis offers invaluable insights into Paradise Lost and the nature of literature itself, unveiling the poem''s beauty and its wisdom.With a clarity of thought and a style that are the trademarks of Lewis's writing, he provides answers with a lucidity and lightness that deepens our understanding of Milton's immortal work. Also inspiring new readers to revisit Paradise Lost, Lewis reminds us of why elements including ritual, splendour andTrade Review‘Lewis, more than any other critic now writing, adds wit, learning and enthusiasm to that ability to discuss rather than destroy, which is the prerequisite of the critic's true function.’ The Dublin Review
£9.49
Quarto Publishing PLC The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien
Book Synopsis“Every page brings forth the elegiac tone of JRR Tolkien’s work... It is a beautiful book, including many wonderful pictures by Tolkien himself… Garth’s book made me realise the impact that Tolkien has had on my life.”The Times A lavishly illustrated exploration of the places that inspired and shaped the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, creator of Middle-earth. This new book from renowned expert John Garth takes us to the places that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien to create his fictional locations in The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and other classic works. Featuring more than 100 images, it includes Tolkien’s own illustrations, contributions from other artists, archive images, maps and spectacular present-day photographs. Inspirational locations range across Great Britain – particularly Tolkien’s beloved West Midlands and Oxford – but also oveTrade Review“Not only a wonderfully rich & learned book but beautiful as well. I’m sure Tolkien would have loved it.” -- Tom Holland * Award-winning historian, author and broadcaster *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. England to the Shire 2. Four Winds 3. The Land of Lúthien 4. Shore and the Sea 5. Roots of the Mountains 6. Rivers, Lakes and Waterlands 7. Tree-woven Lands 8. Ancient Imprints 9. Watch and Ward 10. Places of War 11. Craft and Industry Appendix Endnotes Select Bibliography Index Acknowledgements
£16.14
