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books tagged “castle”
books tagged “castle”
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Anatomy of a Castleby John GibsonISBN 1586631942 (1-58663-194-2)
Hardcover, Sterling Pub Co Inc
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Boy, The Bear, The Baron, The Bardby Gregory RogersISBN 1596430095 (1-59643-009-5)
Hardcover, Henry Holt & Co
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Bride of the Castleby John DechancieISBN 0759232407 (0-7592-3240-7)
Softcover, E-Rights/E-Reads Ltd
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Bride of the Castle'Book summary:Gene and Linda's wedding seems to bring out the best in Castle Perilous . . . even if that's not much better than the worst. When the happy groom suddenly prefers confronting barbarians over entertaining his wedding guests, a battle ensues that will change his life, infuriate his bride, and make for one bizarre wedding day! [via]
Castleby Christopher Gravett, Geoff DannISBN 0756606594 (0-7566-0659-4)
Hardcover, Dk Pub
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Castle'Book summary:Full-color photos. Take a look behind the walls of these fascinating fortresses and learn how they were built to house hundreds of people and animals; how a young boy rose from lowly page to noble knight; and what life was like for the castle residents. [via]
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Castleby David MacaulayISBN 0395329205 (0-395-32920-5)
Softcover, Walter Lorraine
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Castle'Book summary:Imagine yourself in 13th-century England. King Edward I has just named the fictitious Kevin le Strange to be the Lord of Aberwyvern--"a rich but rebellious area of Northwest Wales." Lord Kevin's first task is to oversee the construction of a strategically placed castle and town in order to assure that England can "dominate the Welsh once and for all." And a story is born! In the Caldecott Honor Book Castle, David Macaulay--author, illustrator, former architect and teacher--sets his sights on the creation and destiny of Lord Kevin's magnificent castle perched on a bluff overlooking the sea. Brick by brick, tool by tool, worker by worker, we witness the methodical construction of a castle through exquisitely detailed pen-and-ink illustrations. Children who love to know how things work especially appreciate Macaulay's passion for process and engineering. Moats, arrow loops, plumbing, dungeons, and weaponry are all explained in satisfying detail. This talented author also has a keen sense of irony and tragedy, which is played out in the intricacies of the human story: a castle can be built as a fortress, but ultimately it becomes obsolete when humans discover that cooperation works best. (Ages 9 and older) --Gail Hudson [via]
Castle Dreamsby John DeChancieISBN 0441094147 (0-441-09414-7)
Softcover, Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
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Castle for Rentby John DechancieISBN 0759232040 (0-7592-3204-0)
Softcover, E-Rights/E-Reads Ltd
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Castle for Rent'Book summary:Once upon a time, the king of a mysterious castle found himself out of place. The odd thing was that the time was the future and the place was New York City! Castle Perilous had been a universe unto itself until it started living up to its name. Now it is a gateway to thousands of universes, each increasingly bizarre and more bewildering. Behind every door there is a room for every fantasy and around each corner a perilous journey for every inhabitant. With its population sent to otherworldly realms and dem [via]
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The Castle in the Atticby Elizabeth WinthropISBN 0440409411 (0-440-40941-1)
Softcover, Yearling Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Castle in the Attic'Book summary:William has just received the best present of his life. It's an old, real-looking stone and wooden model of a castle, with a drawbridge, moat, and a about the castle. And sure enough, when he picks up the tiny silver knight, it comes alive in his hand!
finger-high knight to guard the gates. It's the mysterious castle his housekeeper has told him about, and even though William is sad she's leaving, now the castle is his!
William can't wait to play with it--he's certain there's something magical
Sir Simon tells William a mighty story of wild sorcery, wizards, and magic. And suddenly William is off on a fantastic quest to another land and another time--where a fiery dragon and an evil wizard are waiting to do battle . . . . [via]More editions of The Castle in the Attic:
- The Castle in the Attic: ISBN 0823405796 (0-8234-0579-6)
Hardcover, Holiday House - The Castle in the Attic: ISBN 0375806776 (0-375-80677-6)
Softcover, Random House Childrens Books - The Castle in the Attic: ISBN 0440227933 (0-440-22793-3)
Softcover, Random House Children's Books - The Castle in the Attic: ISBN 0553156012 (0-553-15601-2)
Softcover, Bantam Books - The Castle in the Attic: ISBN 0440409411 (0-440-40941-1)
Softcover, Yearling Books
- The Castle in the Attic: ISBN 0823405796 (0-8234-0579-6)
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Castle Kidnappedby John DechancieISBN 0759232164 (0-7592-3216-4)
Softcover, E-Rights/E-Reads Ltd
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Castle Kidnapped'Book summary:Castle Perilous is a magic castle full of mystery and adventure, but sometimes even magic castles can go awry. This particular castle has the power to send its guests to 144,000 alternate worlds, each a fantastic voyage to the unknown. But each voyage seems to backfire. Computer whiz kid Jeremy is stuck on a planet of golf-playing dinosaurs. Gentrified Gene finds himself a on a planet overrun with amazon women where the queen has taken a particular shine to him and only Lord of the Castle Incarnadine can st [via]
Castle Murderby John DechancieISBN 0759232466 (0-7592-3246-6)
Softcover, E-Rights/E-Reads Ltd
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The Castle of Otrantoby Horace WalpoleISBN 1421804549 (1-4218-0454-9)
Softcover, 1st World Library
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Castle of Otranto'Book summary:Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help support our free internet library of downloadable eBooks. Visit us online at www.1stWorldLibrary.ORG - - The following work was found in the library of an ancient Catholic family in the north of England. It was printed at Naples, in the black letter, in the year 1529. How much sooner it was written does not appear. The principal incidents are such as were believed in the darkest ages of Christianity; but the language and conduct have nothing that savours of barbarism. The style is the purest Italian. If the story was written near the time when it is supposed to have happened, it must have been between 1095, the era of the first Crusade, and 1243, the date of the last, or not long afterwards. There is no other circumstance in the work that can lead us to guess at the period in which the scene is laid: the names of the actors are evidently fictitious, and probably disguised on purpose: yet the Spanish names of the domestics seem to indicate that this work was not composed until the establishment of the Arragonian Kings in Naples had made Spanish appellations familiar in that country. The beauty of the diction, and the zeal of the author (moderated, however, by singular judgment) concur to make me think that the date of the composition was little antecedent to that of the impression. Letters were then in their most flourishing state in Italy, and contributed to dispel the empire of superstition, at that time so forcibly attacked by the reformers. [via]
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The Castle of Otranto and the Mysterious Mother: A Gothic Story; And, the Mysterious Mother A Tragedyby Horace Walpole, Frederick S. FrankISBN 155111304X (1-55111-304-X)
Softcover, Broadview Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Castle of Otranto and the Mysterious Mother: A Gothic Story; And, the Mysterious Mother A Tragedy'Book summary:This Broadview edition pairs the first Gothic novel with the first Gothic drama, both by Horace Walpole. Published on Christmas Eve, 1764, on Walpole's private press at Strawberry Hill, his Gothicized country house, The Castle of Otranto became an instant and immediate classic of the Gothic genre as well as the prototype for Gothic fiction for the next two hundred years. Walpole's brooding and intense drama, The Mysterious Mother, focuses on the protagonist's angst over an act of incest with his mother, and includes the appearance of Father Benedict, Gothic literature's first evil monk. Appendices in this edition include selections from Walpole s letters, contemporary responses, and writings illustrating the aesthetic and intellectual climate of the period. Also included is Sir Walter Scott s introduction to the 1811 edition of The Castle of Otranto. [via]
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Castle Perilousby John DeChancieISBN 044109418X (0-441-09418-X)
Softcover, Putnam Berkley
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Castle Siegeby Fiona MacDonaldISBN 1575840308 (1-57584-030-8)
Softcover, Simon & Schuster Merchandise &
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Castle Waitingby Linda Medley, Jane YolenISBN 1560977477 (1-56097-747-7)
Hardcover, Fantagraphics Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Castle Waiting'Book summary:The multiple Harvey and Eisner award-winning fantasy is now collected in one volume! A fable for modern times, Castle Waiting is a fairy tale that's not about rescuing the princess, saving the kingdom, or fighting the ultimate war between Good and Evil but about being a hero in your own home.
The 456-page Castle Waiting graphic novel tells the story of an isolated, abandoned castle, and the eccentric inhabitants who bring it back to life. A fable for modern times, Castle Waiting is a fairy tale that's not about rescuing the princess, saving the kingdom, or fighting the ultimate war between Good and Evil but about being a hero in your own home. The opening story, "The Brambly Hedge," tells the origin of the castle itself, which is abandoned by its princess in a comic twist on "Sleeping Beauty" when she rides off into the sunset with her Prince Charming. The castle becomes a refuge for misfits, outcasts, and others seeking sanctuary, playing host to a lively and colorful cast of characters that inhabits the subsequent stories, including a talking anthropomorphic horse, a mysteriously pregnant Lady on the run, and a bearded nun.
For the first time, Fantagraphics' Castle Waiting collects the first volume of the Harvey and Eisner Award-winning* comic book series into one hearty hardcover. Linda Medley lavishly illustrates Castle Waiting in a classic visual style reminiscent of Arthur Rackham and William Heath Robinson. Blending elements from a variety of sourcesfairy tales, folklore, nursery rhymesMedley tells the story of the everyday lives of fantastic characters with humor, intelligence, and insight into human nature. Castle Waiting can be read on multiple levels and can be enjoyed by readers of all ages.
*Awards:- 2007 Eisner Award nominee: Best Graphic Album Reprint, Best Publication Design (Adam Grano)
- 2007 Harvey Award nominee: Best Graphic Album Previously Published
- Official Selection, 2008 Festival International de la Bande Desinée de Angoulême (French edition)
- "20 Essential Albums for Summer 2008," lAssociation des Critiques de Bandes Dessinées (French edition)
- Finalist, Prix de la Critique 2008, lAssociation des Critiques de Bandes Dessinées (French edition)
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Castle Warby John DechancieISBN 0759232229 (0-7592-3222-9)
Softcover, E-Rights/E-Reads Ltd
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Castle War!'Book summary:Castle Perilous is still tottering from last year's battle with the Hosts of Hell, and regaining stability proves a hard balancing act. Before Jeremy can design a program to calm the tremors of the universe, an alternative wicked reality appears that threatens to topple everything! Castle P. must face its evil twin, replete with its own dastardly doppleganger army-with the shadow self ensues as Good and Evil battle it out in the 144,000th dimension! [via]
Castles of the Loire: Places and Historyby Milena Ercole Pozzoli, Valeria Manferto De FabianisISBN 1556705409 (1-55670-540-9)
Hardcover, Harry N Abrams Inc
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Decameronby Giovanni BoccaccioISBN 1417736313 (1-4177-3631-3)
Hardcover, Bt Bound
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Decameron'Book summary:In the early summer of the year 1348, as a terrible plague ravages the city, ten charming young Florentines take refuge in country villas to tell each other stories - a hundred stories of love, adventure and surprising twists of fortune which later inspired Chaucer, Keats and Shakespeare. While Dante is a stern moralist, Boccaccio has little time for chastity, pokes fun at crafty, hypocritical clerics and celebrates the power of passion to overcome obstacles and social divisions. Like the Divine Comedy, the Decameron is a towering monument of medieval pre-Renaissance literature, and incorporates certain important elements that are not at once apparent to today's readers. In a new introduction to this revised edition, which also includes additional explanatory notes, maps, bibliography and indexes, Professor McWilliam shows us Boccaccio for what he is - one of the world's greatest masters of vivid and exciting prose fiction. [via]
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The Devil's Dreamby Lee SmithISBN 0345382919 (0-345-38291-9)
Softcover, Ballantine Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Devil's Dream'Book summary:"She writes lyric, luminous prose; her craft is so strong it becomes transparent, and, like the best of storytellers, she knows how to get out of the way so that the story can tell itself."
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Moses Bailey, a preacher's son, forbade his fiddle-loving wife Kate Malone to play. But while he was gone on his travels, looking for God, Kate couldn't help herself, and began fiddling for her three children. For the love of music, Kate is willing to defy anyone who tries to stop her. From generation to generation, the gift and love of music cannot be stopped, and no Malone is immune from its spell. [via]More editions of The Devil's Dream:
El Decameronby Giovanni BocaccioISBN 8495002981 (84-95002-98-1)
Hardcover, Edimat Libros
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The Enchanted Castleby Edith NesbitISBN 1406835005 (1-4068-3500-5)
Softcover, Echo Library
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Enchanted Castle'Book summary:A plot summary makes this story sound ordinary by children's literature standards: the summer adventures of four children who discover an enchanted castle and a magic ring. But Edith Nesbit's adored classic (written in 1907) is so much more than the description suggests. Right from the start, the author plays with the idea of magic, teasing us with a sleeping princess who turns out to be a fake. Elsewhere, the magic is "real" as can be--in fact, though written nearly 100 years ago, The Enchanted Castle prefigures the magical realism of modern novels in the matter-of-fact way it weaves the uncanny into the children's everyday life. And, while few authors are confident enough to parody bad writing, Nesbit does it hilariously (and ever so gently) through one character's tendency to "talk like a book": "'To brush his hair and his clothes... was to our hero but the work of a moment,' said Gerald." Things turn scary when the Ugly Wuglies, fake people made from painted cardboard masks, old clothes, and broomsticks, come to life. But on the whole this book about enchantment--much praised by such luminaries as H.G. Wells and Noel Coward--is, simply, enchanting. (Ages 6 and older) --Richard Farr [via]
More editions of The Enchanted Castle:
- The Enchanted Castle: ISBN 1420925407 (1-4209-2540-7)
Softcover, Digireads.Com - The Enchanted Castle: ISBN 1598188313 (1-59818-831-3)
Softcover, Alan Rodgers Books - The Enchanted Castle: ISBN 1853261297 (1-85326-129-7)
Softcover, Lb May & Assoc Inc - The Enchanted Castle: ISBN 1406835005 (1-4068-3500-5)
Softcover, Echo Library
- The Enchanted Castle: ISBN 1420925407 (1-4209-2540-7)
Enchanted Castleby E. NesbitISBN 1404349766 (1-4043-4976-6)
Hardcover, IndyPublish.com
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The Gormenghast Novelsby Mervyn PeakeISBN 0879516283 (0-87951-628-3)
Softcover, Overlook Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Gormenghast Novels'Book summary:Mervyn Peake's gothic masterpiece, the Gormenghast trilogy, begins with the superlative Titus Groan, a darkly humorous, stunningly complex tale of the first two years in the life of the heir to an ancient, rambling castle. The trilogy continues with the novels Gormenghast and Titus Alone, and all three books are bound together in this single-volume edition.
The Gormenghast royal family, the castle's decidedly eccentric staff, and the peasant artisans living around the dreary, crumbling structure make up the cast of characters in these engrossing stories. Peake's command of language and unique style set the tone and shape of an intricate, slow-moving world of ritual and stasis:
"The walls of the vast room which were streaming with calid moisture, were built with gray slabs of stone and were the personal concern of a company of eighteen men known as the 'Grey Scrubbers'.... On every day of the year from three hours before daybreak until about eleven o'clock, when the scaffolding and ladders became a hindrance to the cooks, the Grey Scrubbers fulfilled their hereditary calling."
Peake has been compared to Dickens, Tolkien, and Peacock, but the Gormenghast trilogy is truly unique. Unforgettable characters with names like Steerpike and Prunesquallor make their way through an architecturally stifling world, with lots of dark corners around to dampen any whimsy that might arise. This true classic is a feast of words unlike anything else in the world of fantasy. Those who explore Gormenghast castle will be richly rewarded. --Therese Littleton [via]
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The Gormenghast Trilogyby Mervyn Peake, Anthony BurgessISBN 0879519746 (0-87951-974-6)
Hardcover, University of East Anglia
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Henry And Mudge And the Long Weekendby Cynthia Rylant, Sucie StevensonISBN 1599610833 (1-59961-083-3)
Hardcover, Spotlight
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The House of Ardenby E. NesbitISBN 1598189670 (1-59818-967-0)
Softcover, Alan Rodgers Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The House of Arden'Book summary:The famous Arden family treasure has been missing for generations, and the last members of the Arden line, Edred, Elfrida, and their Aunt Edith, have nothing to their names but the crumbling castle they live in. Just before his tenth birthday, Edred inherits the title of Lord Arden; he also learns that the missing fortune will be his ifand only ifhe can find it before the turns ten. With no time to lose, Edred and Elfrida secure the help of a magical talking creature, the temperamental Mouldiwarp, who leads them on a treasure hunt through the ages. Together, brother and sister visit some of the most thrilling periods of history and test their wits against real witches, highwaymen, and renegades. They find plenty of adventure, but will they find the treasure before Edreds birthday? [via]
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Howl's Moving Castleby Diana Wynne JonesISBN 006441034X (0-06-441034-X)
Softcover, Greenwillow
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Howl's Moving Castle'Book summary:In the land of Ingary, such things as spells, invisible cloaks, and seven-league boots were everyday things. The Witch of the Waste was another matter.
After fifty years of quiet, it was rumored that the Witch was about to terrorize the country again. So when a moving black castle, blowing dark smoke from its four thin turrets, appeared on the horizon, everyone thought it was the Witch. The castle, however, belonged to Wizard Howl, who, it was said, liked to suck the souls of young girls.
The Hatter sisters--Sophie, Lettie, and Martha--and all the other girls were warned not to venture into the streets alone. But that was only the beginning.
In this giant jigsaw puzzle of a fantasy, people and things are never quite what they seem. Destinies are intertwined, identities exchanged, lovers confused. The Witch has placed a spell on Howl. Does the clue to breaking it lie in a famous poem? And what will happen to Sophie Hatter when she enters Howl's castle?
Diana Wynne Jones's entrancing fantasy is filled with surprises at every turn, but when the final stormy duel between the Witch and the Wizard is finished, all the pieces fall magically into place. [via]
More editions of Howl's Moving Castle:
- Howl's Moving Castle: ISBN 0441346642 (0-441-34664-2)
Softcover, Berkley Pub Group - Howl's Moving Castle: ISBN 0060298812 (0-06-029881-2)
Hardcover, Greenwillow - Howl's Moving Castle: ISBN 0688062334 (0-688-06233-4)
Hardcover, Harpercollins Childrens Books - Howl's Moving Castle: ISBN 006441034X (0-06-441034-X)
Softcover, Greenwillow
- Howl's Moving Castle: ISBN 0441346642 (0-441-34664-2)
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Humpty Dumptyby Kin Eagle, Rob GilbertISBN 1580890199 (1-58089-019-9)
Hardcover, Charlesbridge Pub Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Humpty Dumpty'Book summary:The traditional rhyme is expanded to describe some of Humpty Dumpty's other mishaps. [via]
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I Capture the Castleby Dodie SmithISBN 1860491022 (1-86049-102-2)
Softcover, Trafalgar Square
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› Find signed collectible books: 'I Capture the Castle'Book summary:Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain wants to become a writer. Trouble is, she's the daughter of a once-famous author with a severe case of writer's block. Her family--beautiful sister Rose, brooding father James, ethereal stepmother Topaz--is barely scraping by in a crumbling English castle they leased when times were good. Now there's very little furniture, hardly any food, and just a few pages of notebook paper left to write on. Bravely making the best of things, Cassandra gets hold of a journal and begins her literary apprenticeship by refusing to face the facts. She writes, "I have just remarked to Rose that our situation is really rather romantic, two girls in this strange and lonely house. She replied that she saw nothing romantic about being shut up in a crumbling ruin surrounded by a sea of mud."
Rose longs for suitors and new tea dresses while Cassandra scorns romance: "I know all about the facts of life. And I don't think much of them." But romantic isolation comes to an end both for the family and for Cassandra's heart when the wealthy, adventurous Cotton family takes over the nearby estate. Cassandra is a witty, pensive, observant heroine, just the right voice for chronicling the perilous cusp of adulthood. Some people have compared I Capture the Castle to the novels of Jane Austen, and it's just as well-plotted and witty. But the Mortmains are more bohemian--as much like the Addams Family as like any of Austen's characters. Dodie Smith, author of 101 Dalmations, wrote this novel in 1948. And though the story is set in the 1930s, it still feels fresh, and well deserves its reputation as a modern classic. --Maria Dolan [via]
More editions of I Capture the Castle:
- I Capture the Castle: ISBN 0312201656 (0-312-20165-6)
Softcover, St Martins Pr - I Capture the Castle: ISBN 031231616X (0-312-31616-X)
Softcover, St Martins Pr - I Capture the Castle: ISBN 0312993021 (0-312-99302-1)
Softcover, St. Martin's Press - I Capture the Castle: ISBN 0613423321 (0-613-42332-1)
Hardcover, Bt Bound - I Capture the Castle: ISBN 0312974175 (0-312-97417-5)
Softcover, St Martins Pr - I Capture the Castle: ISBN 0312181108 (0-312-18110-8)
Hardcover, St Martins Pr - I Capture the Castle: ISBN 0434713503 (0-434-71350-3)
Hardcover, Heinemann - I Capture the Castle: ISBN 1860491022 (1-86049-102-2)
Softcover, Trafalgar Square
- I Capture the Castle: ISBN 0312201656 (0-312-20165-6)
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Justineby Donatien-Alphonse-Francois Marquis De SadeISBN 1853266353 (1-85326-635-3)
Softcover, Wordsworth Edition
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Justine'Book summary:This work is the most celebrated of the novels of the Marquis de Sade. Execrated by de Sade's contemporaries, it is a novel of depth and psychological insight. It tells the tale of the virtuous Justine, who, forced to make her way in the world suffers frightful humiliations. [via]
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Justine or Good Conduct Well Chastisedby Marquis De SadeISBN 1596541768 (1-59654-176-8)
Softcover, Olympiapress.Com
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Justine or Good Conduct Well Chastised'Book summary:Fascinating work by the Marquis, who wrote the first draft while whiling away his days in the Bastille. Abandoned to fate with her sister Juliette, Justine attempts to do all the right things in life. She takes up with a stranger who offers to help out. But then the doors close, Justines trapped, and life gets very interesting. First published in 1953 by the Olympia Press. [via]
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The Keepby Jennifer EganISBN 1400043921 (1-4000-4392-1)
Hardcover, Alfred a Knopf Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Keep'Book summary:In Jennifer Egan's deliciously creepy new novel, two cousins reunite twenty years after a childhood prank gone wrong changed their lives and sent them on their separate ways. "Cousin Howie," the formerly uncool, strange, and pasty ("he looked like a guy the sun wouldn't touch") cousin has become a blond, tan, and married millionaire with a generous spirit. He invites his cousin Danny (who as an insecure teenager left him hurt and helpless in a cave for three days) to help him renovate an old castle in Germany. To reveal too much would ruin the story, just know that The Keep is a wonderfully weird read--a touch experimental in terms of narrative, with a hefty dose of gothic tension and mystery--balanced by an intimate and mesmerizing look at how the past haunts us in different ways. --Daphne Durham
10 Second Interview: A Few Words with Jennifer Egan
Q: What is your writing process like? Has it differed from book to book?
A: My writing process seems to be a strange one, at least compared with other writers I've talked to. I begin with very little: usually just a strong sense of time and place--of atmosphere--and a few abstract notions that I want to explore. In the case of The Keep, I had a yen to set a book in what I'll call a gothic environment: an isolated, crumbling structure whose heyday is long past, and where eerie things begin to happen. As for the notions, I was curious about telecommunications: the way that cell phones and the Internet have made so many of us accustomed to nearly constant disembodied communication--a state traditionally associated with supernatural experience. I loved the idea of letting modern telecommunications collide with a gothic environment and seeing what would happen.I write by hand--usually one long draft that I scribble out quickly (5-10 pages a day) and poorly. I do this almost completely from the gut, with very little sense of where I'm going. It's often in the process of this almost unconscious writing that I discover characters and action. When the first draft is done, I type it into the computer (the parts I can read anyway; I have wretched handwriting) and see what I've got. Not a word of that first draft usually makes it anywhere near the final draft--which, in the case of some chapters of Look at Me, my last novel, was sixty to seventy drafts later. I edit by hand on a hard copy, then type in the changes and print it out again for further editing. The writing itself always remains instinctive, but there is a strong analytical counterpart, when I figure out what I'm doing in terms of plot, characters, thematic underpinnings, and then scheme about how I can do it better. I save every draft until a book is done; a towering pile of paper that I eventually, joyfully, recycle.
Q: Some of the most powerful (and terrifying) moments in the book deal with claustrophobia. Are you claustrophobic?
A: I almost never write about myself, or things that have happened in my own life, or about people I know. I like to make all of it up--or at least, I think I'm making it up, until later I realize how much of my own experience has crept into my books, disguised even from me. For example: I'm not claustrophobic, but I've certainly been paranoid, and the two are closely linked. I wanted to capture the way that paranoia (like claustrophobia) can instantly turn a benign environment into an unmitigated nightmare. One question is always at the center of such experiences: is this real, or am I making it up? We live in very paranoid times. I was interested in the way paranoia can make someone turn threatening and aggressive in exactly the ways they perceive the world to be. They become the very monster they fear.
Q: What author/s have inspired you?
A: In the big, long-term ways: Lawrence Sterne, Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, Emile Zola, George Eliot, Robert Stone, Don DeLillo, Jean Rhys.
For The Keep, the list is slightly different. There are some fantastic (and totally insane) Gothic novels that I had a ball reading: Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto, Charles Maturin's Melmoth the Wanderer, Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho, Matthew Lewis's The Monk--those are all 18th century books--and then from the 19th century, Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White, which is an absolutely drop-dead great thriller.
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Knights & Castlesby Paul Mantell, Avery Hart, Michael KlineISBN 1885593171 (1-885593-17-1)
Softcover, Williamson Pub
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The Last Siegeby Jonathan StroudISBN 1423101073 (1-4231-0107-3)
Softcover, Disney Pr
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Les Infortunes De LA Vertuby Marquis De SadeISBN 2877141616 (2-87714-161-6)
Softcover, Distribooks Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Les Infortunes De LA Vertu'Book summary:126pages. Broché. broché. [via]
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Life in a Medieval Castleby Frances Gies, Joseph GiesISBN 069000561X (0-690-00561-X)
Hardcover, Crowell
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Life in a Medieval Castle'Book summary:"The authors allow medieval man and woman to speak for themselves through selections from past journals, songs, even account books."--Time [via]
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Life in a Medieval Castleby Joseph GiesISBN 006090674X (0-06-090674-X)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Life in a Medieval Castle'Book summary:"The authors allow medieval man and woman to speak for themselves through selections from past journals, songs, even account books."--Time [via]
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Los Ojos Del Dragon / the Eyes of the Dragonby Stephen KingISBN 9875660647 (987-566-064-7)
Softcover, Random House Mondadori
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No Present Like Timeby Steph SwainstonISBN 0060753889 (0-06-075388-9)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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Otto of the Silver Handby Howard PyleISBN 1419139401 (1-4191-3940-1)
Softcover, Kessinger Pub Co
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Otto of the Silver Hand'Book summary:ReadHowYouWant publishes a wide variety of best selling books in Large and Super Large fonts in partnership with leading publishers. EasyRead books are available in 11pt and 13pt. type. EasyRead Large books are available in 16pt, 16pt Bold, and 18pt Bold type. EasyRead Super Large books are available in 20pt. Bold and 24pt. Bold Type. You choose the format that is right for you.
This exciting book narrates the story of a young boy Otto, who is sent to live with monks at an early age. Otto gets kidnapped by his fathers enemies and faces hardships and miseries. The author has very well described the dark middle ages and the way they used to live and fight. Inspirational!
To find more titles in your format, Search in Books using EasyRead and the size of the font that makes reading easier and more enjoyable for you.
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Princess and Curdieby George MacDonaldISBN 1576466345 (1-57646-634-5)
Softcover, Quiet Vision Pub
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Princess and Curdie'Book summary:In the years since the end of The Princess and the Goblin, Curdie has managed to convince himself that the supernatural events of that tale were products of his wild imagination. But then events draw him back to Grandmother -- that is, Mother Wotherwop, Princess Irene's great-great-great-grandmother, the Lady of the Silver Moon -- and Curdie regains his innocence and his faith. The Lady sends him on a quest to help the king and princess confound their enemies -- and save the kingdom! [via]
More editions of Princess and Curdie:
- Princess and Curdie: ISBN 1582870594 (1-58287-059-4)
Hardcover, North Books - The Princess and Curdie: ISBN 1598182358 (1-59818-235-8)
Hardcover, Alan Rodgers Books - Princess and Curdie: ISBN 1881084159 (1-881084-15-9)
Hardcover, Johannesen - Princess and Curdie: ISBN 1576466345 (1-57646-634-5)
Softcover, Quiet Vision Pub
Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections Castleby Richard Platt, Stephen BiestyISBN 1564584674 (1-56458-467-4)
Hardcover, Dk Pub
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The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, And a Spool of Threadby Kate DiCamillo, Timothy Basil EringISBN 0763625299 (0-7636-2529-9)
Softcover, Candlewick Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, And a Spool of Thread'Book summary:Kate DiCamillo, author of the Newbery Honor book Because of Winn-Dixie, spins a tidy tale of mice and men where she explores the "powerful, wonderful, and ridiculous" nature of love, hope, and forgiveness. Her old-fashioned, somewhat dark story, narrated "Dear Reader"-style, begins "within the walls of a castle, with the birth of a mouse." Despereaux Tilling, the new baby mouse, is different from all other mice. Sadly, the romantic, unmouselike spirit that leads the unusually tiny, large-eared mouse to the foot of the human king and the beautiful Princess Pea ultimately causes him to be banished by his own father to the foul, rat-filled dungeon.
The first book of four tells Despereaux's sad story, where he falls deeply in love with Princess Pea and meets his cruel fate. The second book introduces another creature who differs from his peers--Chiaroscuro, a rat who instead of loving the darkness of his home in the dungeon, loves the light so much he ends up in the castle in the queen's soup. The third book describes young Miggery Sow, a girl who has been "clouted" so many times that she has cauliflower ears. Still, all the slow-witted, hard-of-hearing Mig dreams of is wearing the crown of Princess Pea. The fourth book returns to the dungeon-bound Despereaux and connects the lives of mouse, rat, girl, and princess in a dramatic denouement.
Children whose hopes and dreams burn secretly within their hearts will relate to this cast of outsiders who desire what is said to be out of their reach and dare to break "never-to-be-broken rules of conduct." Timothy Basil Ering's pencil illustrations are stunning, reflecting DiCamillo's extensive light and darkness imagery as well as the sweet, fragile nature of the tiny mouse hero who lives happily ever after. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson [via]
More editions of The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, And a Spool of Thread:
- The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, And a Spool of Thread: ISBN 0763617229 (0-7636-1722-9)
Hardcover, Candlewick Pr - The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, And a Spool of Thread: ISBN 0763629286 (0-7636-2928-6)
Hardcover, Candlewick Pr - The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, And a Spool of Thread: ISBN 0786265787 (0-7862-6578-7)
Hardcover, Thorndike Pr - The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, And a Spool of Thread: ISBN 0763625299 (0-7636-2529-9)
Softcover, Candlewick Pr
The Thirteenth Taleby Diane SetterfieldISBN 158547892X (1-58547-892-X)
Hardcover, Center Point Pub
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Thirteenth Tale'Book summary:Settle down to enjoy a rousing good ghost story with Diane Setterfield's debut novel, The Thirteenth Tale. Setterfield has rejuvenated the genre with this closely plotted, clever foray into a world of secrets, confused identities, lies, and half-truths. She never cheats by pulling a rabbit out of a hat; this atmospheric story hangs together perfectly.
There are two heroines here: Vida Winter, a famous author, whose life story is coming to an end, and Margaret Lea, a young, unworldly, bookish girl who is a bookseller in her father's shop. Vida has been confounding her biographers and fans for years by giving everybody a different version of her life, each time swearing it's the truth. Because of a biography that Margaret has written about brothers, Vida chooses Margaret to tell her story, all of it, for the first time. At their initial meeting, the conversation begins:
"You have given nineteen different versions of your life story to journalists in the last two years alone."
She [Vida] shrugged. "It's my profession. I'm a storyteller."
"I am a biographer, I work with facts."
The game is afoot and Margaret must spend some time sorting out whether or not Vida is actually ready to tell the whole truth. There is more here of Margaret discovering than of Vida cooperating wholeheartedly, but that is part of Vida's plan. The transformative power of truth informs the lives of both women by story's end, and The Thirteenth Tale is finally and convincingly told. --Valerie Ryan [via]
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Titus Groanby Mervyn Laurence PeakeISBN 1585679070 (1-58567-907-0)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Titus Groan'Book summary:Mervyn Peake's gothic masterpiece, the Gormenghast trilogy, begins with the superlative Titus Groan, a darkly humorous, stunningly complex tale of the first two years in the life of the heir to an ancient, rambling castle. The Gormenghast royal family, the castle's decidedly eccentric staff, and the peasant artisans living around the dreary, crumbling structure make up the cast of characters in this engrossing story. Peake's command of language and unique style set the tone and shape of an intricate, slow-moving world of ritual and stasis:
The walls of the vast room which were streaming with calid moisture, were built with gray slabs of stone and were the personal concern of a company of eighteen men known as the 'Grey Scrubbers'.... On every day of the year from three hours before daybreak until about eleven o'clock, when the scaffolding and ladders became a hindrance to the cooks, the Grey Scrubbers fulfilled their hereditary calling.
Peake has been compared to Dickens, Tolkien, and Peacock, but Titus Groan is truly unique. Unforgettable characters with names like Steerpike and Prunesquallor make their way through an architecturally stifling world, with lots of dark corners around to dampen any whimsy that might arise. This true classic is a feast of words unlike anything else in the world of fantasy. Those who explore Gormenghast castle will be richly rewarded. --Therese Littleton [via]More editions of Titus Groan:
- Titus Groan: ISBN 0345270967 (0-345-27096-7)
Softcover, Ballantine Books - Titus Groan: ISBN 0879514256 (0-87951-425-6)
Softcover, Overlook Pr - Titus Groan: ISBN 0879511435 (0-87951-143-5)
Hardcover, Penguin Group USA - Titus Groan: ISBN 8445074563 (84-450-7456-3)
Hardcover, Planeta Pub Corp - Titus Groan: ISBN 1585679070 (1-58567-907-0)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA
Windsor Castle: Official Guidebookby John Martin RobinsonISBN 1902163346 (1-902163-34-6)
Softcover, Antique Collectors Club Ltd
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The Year Of Our Warby Steph SwainstonISBN 0060753870 (0-06-075387-0)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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Spanish
-
Despereauxby Kate DiCamillo, Timothy BasilISBN 8427932588 (84-279-3258-8)
Softcover, Noguer Y Caralt Editores
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Despereaux'Book summary:
Book Details:- Format: Paperback
- Publication Date: 4/15/2006
- Pages: 240
- Reading Level: Age 8 and Up
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Despereaux/the Tale Of Despereauxby Kate DiCamilloISBN 8427950047 (84-279-5004-7)
Hardcover, Lectorum Pubns
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Los Infortunios De La Virtud/ The Misfortunes of Virtueby Marques de SadeISBN 8497643674 (84-9764-367-4)
Softcover, Edimat Libros
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Justina / Justine: O Los Infortunios de la Virtud / Or the Misfortunes of Virtueby Marques de Sade, Isabel BrouardISBN 8437605180 (84-376-0518-0)
Softcover, Catedra Ediciones
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Misterio En El Castillo Del Terror/the Secret of Terror Castleby Robert ArthurISBN 8427249012 (84-272-4901-2)
Hardcover, Santillana USA Pub Co Inc
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French
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Prisonniers Du Tempsby Micheal CrichtonISBN 2266115227 (2-266-11522-7)
Softcover, Distribooks Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Prisonniers Du Temps'Book summary:601pages. poche. Broché. Au beau milieu du désert d'Arizona, un couple trouve sur la route un vieil homme en robe de bure. Il n'a plus sa tête, parle sans cesse d'écume quantique et ses doigts semblent gelés. Il meurt quelques heures plus tard à l'hôpital de Gallup. On ne retrouve sur lui que le plan d'un monastère français du XIVème siècle et un objet fabriqué par la société ITC -entreprise de haute technologie spécialisée dans la recherche en physique quantique -pour laquelle il travaillait. ITC est dirigée par Robert Doniger, un brillant -et non moins arrogant -physicien qui, depuis quinze ans, est à la pointe des recherches, et dont la plus récente et secrète entreprise est de recréer, grâce à une équipe de chercheurs, une communauté médiévale du XIVème siècle en Dordogne. Quelle n'est pas l'extrême surprise de ces historiens de l'université de Yale lorsqu'ils vont comparer le plan des fondations du monastère trouvé sur le vieillard et les résultats de leurs propres investigations: celui-là est plus riche d'informations que toutes leurs recherches! Mais ce n'est que la première de leurs surprises: quelques jours plus tard sont mis au jour des parchemins remontant à six cent cinquante ans: l'un d'entre eux, daté très précisément du 4 juillet 1357, dit "A l'aide". Il est signé par le professeur Johnson, leur propre directeur de recherches, parti deux jours plus tôt rencontrer Robert Doniger. [via]
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Danish
Politikens Bog Om Danmarks Slotte Og Herregardeby Niels Peter StillingISBN 8756759118 (87-567-5911-8)
Hardcover, Politikens forlag
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Norwegian
Norske Kongeborgerby Gerhard Fischer, Dorothea FischerISBN 8205119546 (82-05-11954-6)
Hardcover, Gyldendal norsk forlag
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Dutch
Decameroneby Giovanni BoccaccioISBN 9022308006 (90-223-0800-6)
Hardcover, Manteau
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