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The American Heritage College Dictionary

by Ahd

ISBN 0618835954 (0-618-83595-4)
Hardcover, Houghton Mifflin

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The American Heritage College Dictionary: ISBN 0618835954 (0-618-83595-4)
Hardcover, Houghton Mifflin

ISBN 9780618098484 (0-618-09848-8, 0618098488)

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The American Heritage College Dictionary

by Houghton Mifflin Company Staff, American Heritage Dictionary Editors

ISBN 0618098488 (0-618-09848-8)
Hardcover, Houghton Mifflin Company

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Book summary:

Despite the word "college" in the title, The American Heritage College Dictionary is the best choice for anyone who's looking for a substantive desk dictionary but isn't quite ready to commit to the space an unabridged takes. With more than 200,000 definitions and biographical and geographical notes, along with crisp photos, drawings, and diagrams in every margin, The American Heritage College Dictionary packs a lot into its 1664 pages. Under "lock," for example, you'll find both a diagram explaining how your key fits into and opens one, as well as a photo of boats passing through a river lock in Heidelberg, Germany. The actual definition section for "lock" shows 5 uses as a noun and 14 as a verb, followed by the idioms "lock horns" and "lock, stock, and barrel," and an etymological note that the word comes from the Old English loc, meaning "bolt or bar." As with all of the American Heritage dictionaries, The American Heritage College Dictionary boasts clear typography, clean design, and terrific usage notes based on the opinions of its 173-member usage panel, a group of noted North American writers and scholars, including Daniel Boorstin, June Jordan, Calvin Trillin, and Eudora Welty. These usage notes (for example, "brunette" seldom refers to men, because "-ette" is too closely associated with the feminine gender), along with regional notes (in the Northern U.S., a "bubbler" is a drinking fountain) and word histories, are a valuable addition to the standard definitions and synonyms one would expect from a college dictionary, and they are what make The American Heritage College Dictionary stand out from the crowd. --Rebecca A. Staffel [via]

More editions of The American Heritage College Dictionary:

The American Heritage College Dictionary: ISBN 0618098488 (0-618-09848-8)
Hardcover, Houghton Mifflin Company

ISBN 9780618196043 (0-618-19604-8, 0618196048)

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The American Heritage College Dictionary: Deluxe

ISBN 0618196048 (0-618-19604-8)
Hardcover, Houghton Mifflin

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Book summary:

Recently revised, this comprehensive dictionary features more than 7,500 new words and senses; updated definitions in all subject areas; hundreds of photographs and drawings; notes on synonyms, regionalisms, and word histories; appendix of Indo-European roots; a current style guide; population statistics drawn from the 2000 U.S. census; and much more. [via]

More editions of The American Heritage College Dictionary: Deluxe:

The American Heritage College Dictionary: Deluxe: ISBN 0618196048 (0-618-19604-8)
Hardcover, Houghton Mifflin

ISBN 9780764587290 (0-7645-8729-3, 0764587293)

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Cliffscomplete Shakespeare's the Taming of the Shrew

by Diana Sweeney

ISBN 0764587293 (0-7645-8729-3)
Softcover, John Wiley & Sons Inc

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Book summary:

In the CliffsComplete guides, the play's complete text and a glossary appear side-by-side with coordinating numbered lines to help you understand unusual words and phrasing. You'll also find all the commentary and resources of a standard CliffsNotes for Literature.

CliffsComplete The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare's most beloved, and imitated, works. In this play within a play, Petruchio, the man from Verona, marries Kate (the shrew of the story), so that Kate's younger sister Bianca may be allowed to take on several suitors and choose one to marry.

Discover what happens to Petruchio and Kate and save valuable studying time all at once. Enhance your reading of The Taming of the Shrew with these additional features:

A summary and insightful commentary for each act
Bibliography and historical background on the author, William Shakespeare
A look at the historical context and structure of the play
Discussions on the plays symbols and themes
A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters
Review questions, a quiz, discussion topics (essay questions), activity ideas
A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Internet sites

Streamline your literature study with all-in-one help from CliffsComplete guides!

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More editions of Cliffscomplete Shakespeare's the Taming of the Shrew:

Cliffscomplete Shakespeare's the Taming of the Shrew: ISBN 0764587293 (0-7645-8729-3)
Softcover, John Wiley & Sons Inc

ISBN 9780521313650 (0-521-31365-1, 0521313651)

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Conrad: Nostromo

by Ian Watt

ISBN 0521313651 (0-521-31365-1)
Softcover, Cambridge Univ Pr

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Book summary:

Conrad's great novel is a rich study not only of a typical South American country, but of the politics of any underdeveloped country, and for this reason it is permanently topical. Ian Watt addresses Conrad's concerns when writing the work, and provides an accessible introduction, taking account of background, history and politics, and reception and influence. [via]

More editions of Conrad: Nostromo:

Conrad: Nostromo: ISBN 0521313651 (0-521-31365-1)
Softcover, Cambridge Univ Pr

ISBN 9780451528568 (0-451-52856-5, 0451528565)

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Far from the Madding Crowd

by Thomas Hardy

ISBN 0451528565 (0-451-52856-5)
Softcover, Signet Classic

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Book summary:

Graced with the splendid illustrations executed by helen paterson for the first edition of the novel, this special collector's edition of far from the madding crowd also features handwritten letters and drawings by hardy, as well as rare and intimate portraits of the author and his first wife, emma. Here, too, readers are granted a fascinating and touching glimpse of how two great imaginative writers interact with one another: this edition reproduces the handwritten pages from virginia woolf's diary in which she recounts her now-famous visit with the very aged thomas hardy at his home, max gate, in 1926.from the hardcover edition [via]

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ISBN 9780451528834 (0-451-52883-2, 0451528832)

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Frances Hodgson Burnett's the Secret Garden

by Frances Hodgson Burnett

ISBN 0451528832 (0-451-52883-2)
Softcover, Signet Classic

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Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; "It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses which were so thick, that they matted together.... 'No wonder it is still,' Mary whispered. 'I am the first person who has spoken here for ten years.'" As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin's sour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid to live and love, The Secret Garden's portrayal of reawakening spirits will thrill and rejuvenate. Frances Hodgson Burnett creates characters so strong and distinct, young readers continue to identify with them even 85 years after they were conceived. (Ages 9 to 12) [via]

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ISBN 9780689831416 (0-689-83141-2, 0689831412)

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Frances Hodgson Burnett's the Secret Garden

by E. L. Konigsburg, Frances Hodgson Burnett

ISBN 0689831412 (0-689-83141-2)
Softcover, Simon & Schuster

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Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; "It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses which were so thick, that they matted together.... 'No wonder it is still,' Mary whispered. 'I am the first person who has spoken here for ten years.'" As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin's sour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid to live and love, The Secret Garden's portrayal of reawakening spirits will thrill and rejuvenate. Frances Hodgson Burnett creates characters so strong and distinct, young readers continue to identify with them even 85 years after they were conceived. (Ages 9 to 12) [via]

More editions of Frances Hodgson Burnett's the Secret Garden:

Frances Hodgson Burnett's the Secret Garden: ISBN 0689831412 (0-689-83141-2)
Softcover, Simon & Schuster

Frances Hodgson Burnett's the Secret Garden

by Shirley Hughes, Frances Hodgson Burnett

ISBN 0670825719 (0-670-82571-9)
Hardcover, Kestrel Pr

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Frances Hodgson Burnett's the Secret Garden: ISBN 0670825719 (0-670-82571-9)
Hardcover, Kestrel Pr

ISBN 9780521328210 (0-521-32821-7, 0521328217)

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Joseph Conrad: Nostromo

by Ian Watt

ISBN 0521328217 (0-521-32821-7)
Hardcover, Cambridge Univ Pr

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Book summary:

Conrad's great novel is a rich study not only of a typical South American country, but of the politics of any underdeveloped country, and for this reason it is permanently topical. Ian Watt addresses Conrad's concerns when writing the work, and provides an accessible introduction, taking account of background, history and politics, and reception and influence. [via]

More editions of Joseph Conrad: Nostromo:

Joseph Conrad: Nostromo: ISBN 0521328217 (0-521-32821-7)
Hardcover, Cambridge Univ Pr

ISBN 9780451528889 (0-451-52888-3, 0451528883)

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Lady Chatterley's Lover

by D. H. Lawrence, Geoff Dyer

ISBN 0451528883 (0-451-52888-3)
Softcover, New Amer Library Classics

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Book summary:

Perhaps the most famous of Lawrence's novels, the 1928 Lady Chatterley's Lover is no longer distinguished for the once-shockingly explicit treatment of its subject matter--the adulterous affair between a sexually unfulfilled upper-class married woman and the game keeper who works for the estate owned by her wheelchaired husband. Now that we're used to reading about sex, and seeing it in the movies, it's apparent that the novel is memorable for better reasons: namely, that Lawrence was a masterful and lyrical writer, whose story takes us bodily into the world of its characters. [via]

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ISBN 9780521007177 (0-521-00717-8, 0521007178)

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Lady Chatterley's Lover and A Propos of 'Lady Chatterley's Lover'

by Michael Squires, D. H. Lawrence, M. H. Black, James T. Boulton, Lindeth Vasey

ISBN 0521007178 (0-521-00717-8)
Softcover, Cambridge University Press

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Book summary:

Perhaps the most famous of Lawrence's novels, the 1928 Lady Chatterley's Lover is no longer distinguished for the once-shockingly explicit treatment of its subject matter--the adulterous affair between a sexually unfulfilled upper-class married woman and the game keeper who works for the estate owned by her wheelchaired husband. Now that we're used to reading about sex, and seeing it in the movies, it's apparent that the novel is memorable for better reasons: namely, that Lawrence was a masterful and lyrical writer, whose story takes us bodily into the world of its characters. [via]

More editions of Lady Chatterley's Lover and A Propos of 'Lady Chatterley's Lover':

Lady Chatterley's Lover and A Propos of 'Lady Chatterley's Lover': ISBN 0521007178 (0-521-00717-8)
Softcover, Cambridge University Press

ISBN 9780768420517 (0-7684-2051-2, 0768420512)

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The New Amplified Pilgrim's Progress: From This World to That Which Is to Come

by John Bunyan

ISBN 0768420512 (0-7684-2051-2)
Hardcover, Destiny Image Pubs

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Book summary:

John Bunyan's amazing Pilgrim's Progress is well into its fourth century of unparalleled popularity as the world's best-selling non-Biblical book in all history. Now in modern English comes The New Amplified Pilgrim's Progress. All of the age-old spiritual treasures that have made John Bunyan's original the world's best selling non-Biblical masterpiece in all of history are now carried to new heights of power and clarity in this new enhanced version. While this is perhaps the most adventure-filled and user-friendly adaptation ever penned, yet it is totally unabridged and, excepting certain amplified scenes, remains strictly faithful to Bunyan's original storyline.

Exciting new levels of love and joy, hope and humor are skillfully woven by master storyteller Jim Pappas, into this enchanting retelling of John Bunyan's immortal classic! Designed to return this spellbinding masterpiece of angels and giants, castles and dragon, to the fireside of the everyday reader. [via]

More editions of The New Amplified Pilgrim's Progress: From This World to That Which Is to Come:

The New Amplified Pilgrim's Progress: From This World to That Which Is to Come: ISBN 0768420512 (0-7684-2051-2)
Hardcover, Destiny Image Pubs

Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard

by Joseph Conrad

ISBN 0486424529 (0-486-42452-9)
Softcover, Dover Pubns

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Book summary:

(Book Jacket Status: Not Jacketed)Conrad's foresight and his ability to pluck the human adventure from complex historical circumstances were such that his greatest novel, Nostromo -- though nearly one hundred years old -- says as much about today's Latin America as any of the finest recent accounts of that region's turbulent political life. Insistently dramatic in its storytelling, spectacular in its recreation of the subtropical landscape, this picture of an insurrectionary society and the opportunities it provides for moral corruption gleams on every page with its author's dry, undeceived, impeccable intelligence. [via]

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ISBN 9780486426792 (0-486-42679-3, 0486426793)

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The Old Curiosity Shop

by Charles Dickens

ISBN 0486426793 (0-486-42679-3)
Softcover, Dover Pubns

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The sound of Little Nell clattering hurriedly over cobblestones immediately sets the stage by bringing to mind the narrow and dangerous streets of Victorian London. No fewer than 20 performers are called upon to conjure up the Dickensian world of wanderers, ne'er-do-wells, con artists, and kind Samaritans--and each performance is excellent. Tom Courtenay plays the sadistic Quilp, "the ugliest dwarf that could be seen anywhere for a penny" with magnificent sarcastic glee, and Teresa Gallagher's silvery, childlike voice is ideally suited for the role of the angelic Little Nell.

Nell is on her way home to the dusty shop where she and her grandfather live a rather mysterious life. The old man disappears every night--visiting gambling dens with the naive hope of winning a fortune. Instead he sinks deeper and deeper into debt. Enter Daniel Quilp, moneylender, who becomes furious upon learning that the grandfather is a pauper and will never be able to repay his tremendous debt. Quilp seizes the curiosity shop and begins making lecherous overtures to Nell, so she and her grandfather steal away one morning to seek their fortunes elsewhere. But the demonic dwarf is never far behind.

Sound effects are employed judiciously and serve mainly as a springboard for the listener's imagination. The sound of a crying baby is enough to convey the image of crowded lodgings and genteel Victorian poverty, while raucous laughter and high-pitched squawks evoke the barely controlled chaos of an outdoor Punch and Judy show. The dramatization pares Dickens's weighty novel down to two and one-half hours, but does so skillfully, retaining Dickens's wit, marvelous dialogue, and delightful characterizations. (Running time: 155 minutes, 2 cassettes) --Elizabeth Laskey [via]

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ISBN 9780486426754 (0-486-42675-0, 0486426750)

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The Pilgrim's Progress

by John Bunyan

ISBN 0486426750 (0-486-42675-0)
Softcover, Dover Pubns

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Book summary:

The classic drama of Christian's journey to discover eternal life offers readers encouragement and direction for their own pilgrimage. [via]

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ISBN 9780486431659 (0-486-43165-7, 0486431657)

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The Return of the Native

by Thomas Hardy

ISBN 0486431657 (0-486-43165-7)
Softcover, Dover Pubns

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Book summary:

This fine novel sets in opposition two of Thomas Hardy's most unforgettable creations: his heroine, the sensuous, free-spirited Eustacia Vye, and the solemn, majestic stretch of upland in Dorsetshire he called Egdon Heath. The famous opening reveals the haunting power of that dark, forbidding moor where proud Eustacia fervently awaits a clandestine meeting with her lover, Damon Wildeve. But Eustacia's dreams of escape are not to be realized-neither Wildeve nor the returning native Clym Yeobright can bring her salvation.Injured by forces beyond their control, Hardy's characters struggle vainly in the net of destiny. In the end, only the face of the lonely heath remains untouched by fate in this masterpiece of tragic passion, a tale that perfectly epitomizes the author's own unique and melancholy genius. [via]

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ISBN 9780486284675 (0-486-28467-0, 0486284670)

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A Room With a View

by Foester. E.M.

ISBN 0486284670 (0-486-28467-0)
Softcover, Dover Pubns

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This Edwardian social comedy explores love and prim propriety among an eccentric cast of characters assembled in an Italian pensione and in a corner of Surrey, England.

A charming young Englishwoman, Lucy Honeychurch, faints into the arms of a fellow Britisher when she witnesses a murder in a Florentine piazza. Attracted to this man, George Emerson-who is entirely unsuitable and whose father just may be a Socialist-Lucy is soon at war with the snobbery of her class and her own conflicting desires. Back in England, she is courted by a more acceptable, if stifling, suitor and soon realizes she must make a startling decision that will decide the course of her future: she is forced to choose between convention and passion.

The enduring delight of this tale of romantic intrigue is rooted in Forster's colorful characters, including outrageous spinsters, pompous clergymen, and outspoken patriots. Written in 1908, A Room with a View is one of E. M. Forster's earliest and most celebrated works. [via]

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ISBN 9780679947516 (0-679-94751-5, 0679947515)

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The Secret Garden

by James Howe, Nancy Carpenter

ISBN 0679947515 (0-679-94751-5)
Hardcover, Random House Childrens Books

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The Secret Garden: ISBN 0679947515 (0-679-94751-5)
Hardcover, Random House Childrens Books

ISBN 9780517189603 (0-517-18960-7, 0517189607)

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Secret Garden

by Random House Value Publishing Staff, Frances Hodgson Burnett

ISBN 0517189607 (0-517-18960-7)
Hardcover, Random House Value Publishing

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Book summary:

Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; "It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses which were so thick, that they matted together.... 'No wonder it is still,' Mary whispered. 'I am the first person who has spoken here for ten years.'" As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin's sour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid to live and love, The Secret Garden's portrayal of reawakening spirits will thrill and rejuvenate. Frances Hodgson Burnett creates characters so strong and distinct, young readers continue to identify with them even 85 years after they were conceived. (Ages 9 to 12) [via]

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Secret Garden: ISBN 0517189607 (0-517-18960-7)
Hardcover, Random House Value Publishing

ISBN 9780688145828 (0-688-14582-5, 0688145825)

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The Secret Garden

by Susan Gallagher, Frances Hodgson Burnett

ISBN 0688145825 (0-688-14582-5)
Hardcover, HarperCollins Publishers

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Book summary:

Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; "It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses which were so thick, that they matted together.... 'No wonder it is still,' Mary whispered. 'I am the first person who has spoken here for ten years.'" As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin's sour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid to live and love, The Secret Garden's portrayal of reawakening spirits will thrill and rejuvenate. Frances Hodgson Burnett creates characters so strong and distinct, young readers continue to identify with them even 85 years after they were conceived. (Ages 9 to 12) [via]

More editions of The Secret Garden:

The Secret Garden: ISBN 0688145825 (0-688-14582-5)
Hardcover, HarperCollins Publishers

ISBN 9780517200193 (0-517-20019-8, 0517200198)

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The Secret Garden : A Young Reader's Edition of the Classic Story

by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Troy Howell

ISBN 0517200198 (0-517-20019-8)
Softcover, Crown Publishing Group

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Book summary:

Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; "It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses which were so thick, that they matted together.... 'No wonder it is still,' Mary whispered. 'I am the first person who has spoken here for ten years.'" As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin's sour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid to live and love, The Secret Garden's portrayal of reawakening spirits will thrill and rejuvenate. Frances Hodgson Burnett creates characters so strong and distinct, young readers continue to identify with them even 85 years after they were conceived. (Ages 9 to 12) [via]

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Shakespeare's the Taming of the Shrew

by William Shakespeare

ISBN 0671006541 (0-671-00654-1)
Softcover, Monarch Notes

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Shakespeare's the Taming of the Shrew: ISBN 0671006541 (0-671-00654-1)
Softcover, Monarch Notes

ISBN 9780486297651 (0-486-29765-9, 0486297659)

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The Taming of the Shrew

by William Shakespeare

ISBN 0486297659 (0-486-29765-9)
Softcover, Dover Pubns

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Book summary:

One of the most controversial and problematic of all of Shakespeare's plays, The Taming of the Shrew is a typical Elizabethan domestic comedy written around 1592. Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, arrives in Padua and announces to his friends that "I come to wive it wealthily in Padua; / If wealthily, then happily in Padua". He soon finds that a group of men keen to marry Bianca, the younger daughter of rich old Baptista, are frustrated by her elder, "shrewish" sister, Katherine. There is much subsequent hilarity as Bianca's suitors make a bet with Petruchio that he cannot "tame" and marry Katherine. Despite Katherine's protestations, Petruchio goes ahead with the match, using deliberately unorthodox behaviour to confuse Katherine (including a scene where he starves her), claiming that "this is the way to kill a wife with kindness". The play culminates with a scene of Katherine's apparently spontaneous subjection to her husband's will, where she places her hand beneath her husband's foot, and tells the other wives present that "thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper". The play's gratuitous scenes of women being abused and vilified in the name of "comedy" has made many directors and critics very uncomfortable with the play, and many feminist critics have condemned contemporary productions of the play as reproducing certain 16th-century stereotypes concerning women who speak out against male authority. --Jerry Brotton [via]

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