books tagged “prose”

books tagged “prose”

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  • Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations: New Interdisciplinary Essays
    by Adam Smith, Stephen Copley, Kathryn Sutherland
    ISBN 0719039436 (0-7190-3943-6)
    Softcover, Palgrave Macmillan

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    Book summary:

    First published in 1776, Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations is much more than just a handbook on the principles of free-market economics; it is a founding text for the organisation of Western society in its broadest sense. In order to understand the impact of Smith's text across the academic disciplines, this volume brings together leading scholars from fields of economics, politics, history, sociology and literature. Each essay offers a different reading of Wealth of Nations and its legacy. Contributors consider the historical context in which Wealth of Nations was written, its reception and its profound impact on contemporary concepts of market liberalism, on education, on gender relations and on environmental debates. The volume also offers deconstructive analyses of the text and a feminist critique of Smith's construction of the economy. This volume will be the ideal companion to Smith's work for all students of literature, politics and economic history. [via]

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  • Doyle, Arthur Conan: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
    The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
    by Arthur Conan Doyle
    ISBN 0719530113 (0-7195-3011-3)
    Hardcover, J. Murray

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  • Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
    by Lewis Carroll
    ISBN 0723513635 (0-7235-1363-5)
    Hardcover, Egmont Books, Limited

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    Book summary:

    Source of legend and lyric, reference and conjecture, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is for most children pure pleasure in prose. While adults try to decipher Lewis Carroll's putative use of complex mathematical codes in the text, or debate his alleged use of opium, young readers simply dive with Alice through the rabbit hole, pursuing "The dream-child moving through a land / Of wonders wild and new." There they encounter the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, the Mock Turtle, and the Mad Hatter, among a multitude of other characters--extinct, fantastical, and commonplace creatures. Alice journeys through this Wonderland, trying to fathom the meaning of her strange experiences. But they turn out to be "curiouser and curiouser," seemingly without moral or sense.

    For more than 130 years, children have reveled in the delightfully non-moralistic, non-educational virtues of this classic. In fact, at every turn, Alice's new companions scoff at her traditional education. The Mock Turtle, for example, remarks that he took the "regular course" in school: Reeling, Writhing, and branches of Arithmetic-Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision. Carroll believed John Tenniel's illustrations were as important as his text. Naturally, Carroll's instincts were good; the masterful drawings are inextricably tied to the well-loved story. (All ages) --Emilie Coulter [via]

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  • Mac Anna, Ferdia: An Anthology of Irish Comic Writing
    An Anthology of Irish Comic Writing
    by Ferdia Mac Anna
    ISBN 0718138309 (0-7181-3830-9)
    Hardcover, M. Joseph

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  • Around the World in Eighty Days
    by Jules Verne
    ISBN 0721407218 (0-7214-0721-8)
    Hardcover, Ladybird Books Ltd

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    Book summary:

    Chapter I
    IN WHICH PHILEAS FOGG AND PASSEPARTOUT ACCEPT EACH OTHER,
    THE ONE AS MASTER, THE OTHER AS MAN
    Mr. Phileas Fogg lived, in 1872, at No. 7, Saville Row, Burlington Gardens, the house in which Sheridan died in 1814. He was one of the most noticeable members of the Reform Club, though he seemed always to avoid attracting attention; an enigmatical personage, about whom little was known, except that he was a polished man of the world. People said that he resembled Byronat least that his head was Byronic; but he was a bearded, tranquil Byron, who might live on a thousand years without growing old.
    Certainly an Englishman, it was more doubtful whether Phileas Fogg was a Londoner. He was never seen on 'Change, nor at the Bank, nor in the counting-rooms of the "City"; no ships ever came into London docks of which he was the owner; he had no public employment; he had never been entered at any of the Inns of Court, either at the Temple, or Lincoln's Inn, or Gray's Inn; nor had his voice ever resounded in the Court of Chancery, or in the Exchequer, or the Queen's Bench, or the Ecclesiastical Courts. He certainly was not a manufacturer; nor was he a merchant or a gentleman farmer. His name was strange to the scientific and learned societies, and he never was known to take part in the sage deliberations of the Royal Institution or the London Institution, the Artisan's Association, or the Institution of Arts and Sciences. He belonged, in fact, to none of the numerous societies which swarm in the English capital, from the Harmonic to that of the Entomologists, founded mainly for the purpose of abolishing pernicious insects.
    Phileas Fogg was a member of the Reform, and that was all.
    The way in which he got admission to this exclusive club was simple enough.
    He was recommended by the Barings, with whom he had an open credit. His cheques were regularly paid at sight from his account current, which was always flush.
    Was Phileas Fogg rich? Undoubtedly. But those who knew him best could not imagine how he had made his fortune, and Mr. Fogg was the last person to whom to apply for the information. He was not lavish, nor, on the contrary, avaricious; for, whenever he knew that money was needed for a noble, useful, or benevolent purpose, he supplied it quietly and sometimes anonymously. He was, in short, the least communicative of men. He talked very little, and seemed all the more mysterious for his taciturn manner. His daily habits were quite open to observation; but whatever he did was so exactly the same thing that he had always done before, that the wits of the curious were fairly puzzled.
    Had he travelled? It was likely, for no one seemed to know the world more familiarly; there was no spot so secluded that he did not appear to have an intimate acquaintance with it. He often corrected, with a few clear words, the thousand conjectures advanced by members of the club as to lost and unheard-of travellers, pointing out the true probabilities, and seeming as if gifted with a sort of second sight, so often did events justify his predictions. He must have travelled everywhere, at least in the spirit.
    It was at least certain that Phileas Fogg had not absented himself from London for many years. Those who were honoured by a better acquaintance with him than the rest, declared that nobody could pretend to have ever seen him anywhere else. His sole pastimes were reading the papers and playing whist. He often won at this game, which, as a silent one, harmonised with his nature; but his winnings never went into his purse, being reserved as a fund for his charities. Mr. Fogg played, not to win, but for the sake of playing. The game was in his eyes a contest, a struggle with a difficulty, yet a motionless, unwearying struggle, congenial to his tastes.

    and so much more [via]

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  • Boswell's London Journal, 1762-1763
    by James Boswell, Frederick Albert Pottle
    ISBN 0748602623 (0-7486-0262-3)
    Hardcover, Yale University Press

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    Book summary:

    Published by the Reprint Society, London 1952. Club Edition Seven Schillings for World Books Membe4rs Only [via]

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  • A Christmas Carol
    by Charles Dickens, Lisbeth Zwerger
    ISBN 0735812594 (0-7358-1259-4)
    Hardcover, North South Books

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    Book summary:

    In the history of English literature, Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, which has been continuously in print since it was first published in the winter of 1843, stands out as the quintessential Christmas story. What makes this charming edition of Dickens's immortal tale so special is the collection of 80 vivid illustrations by Everett Shinn (1876-1953). Shinn, a well-known artist in his time, was a popular illustrator of newspapers and magazines whose work displayed a remarkable affinity for the stories of Charles Dickens, evoking the bustling street life of the mid-1800s. Printed on heavy, cream-colored paper stock, the edges of the pages have been left rough, simulating the way in which the story might have appeared in Dickens's own time. Though countless editions of this classic have been published over the years, this one stands out as particularly beautiful, nostalgic, and evocative of the spirit of Christmas. [via]

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  • Nakanoin Masatada no musume: The Confessions of Lady Nijo
    The Confessions of Lady Nijo
    by Nakanoin Masatada no musume
    ISBN 0720600847 (0-7206-0084-7)
    Hardcover, Owen

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  • Crime and Punishment
    by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Margaret Brantley
    ISBN 074348763X (0-7434-8763-X)
    Softcover, Washington Square Pr

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    Book summary:

    Enduring literature illuminated by practical scholarship dostoyevsky's penetrating study of a man for whom the distinction between right and wrong disappears, and a riveting portrait of guilt and retribution. Each enriched classic edition includes: a concise introduction that gives readers important background information a chronology of the author's life and work a timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context an outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations detailed explanatory notes critical analysis, including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction a list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience enriched classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in enriched classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world's finest books to their full potential. Series edited by cynthia brantley johnson [via]

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  • The Da Vinci Code
    by Dan Brown
    ISBN 0739326740 (0-7393-2674-0)
    Softcover, Ballantine Books

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    Book summary:

    With The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown masterfully concocts an intelligent and lucid thriller that marries the gusto of an international murder mystery with a collection of fascinating esoterica culled from 2,000 years of Western history. A murder in the silent after-hours halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle.

    The duo become both suspects and detectives searching not only for Neveu's grandfather's murderer, but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England and history itself. Brown has created a page-turning thriller that also provides an amazing interpretation of Western history. Brown's hero and heroine embark on a lofty and intriguing exploration of some of Western culture's greatest mysteries--from the nature of the Mona Lisa's smile to the secret of the Holy Grail. Though some will quibble with the veracity of Brown's conjectures, therein lies the fun. The Da Vinci Code is an enthralling read that provides rich food for thought. --Jeremy Pugh, Amazon.com [via]

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  • Dracula
    by Bram Stoker
    ISBN 0743477367 (0-7434-7736-7)
    Softcover, Washington Square Pr

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    Awareness of Dracula as a masterly gothic thriller has increased ever since its publication in 1897, and the novel is regarded as one of the most seminal horror stories ever written, having inspired countless copycat tales and literary spin-offs. The tale of young Englishman Jonathan Harker's journey to Transylvania, into the very heart of Count Draculas evil realm, is compelling, but it is perhaps the journey of the vampire to England—and the dangers he poses to Jonathans beloved Mina—that is more horrifying.
    [via]

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  • Dreamcatcher
    by Stephen King
    ISBN 074343627X (0-7434-3627-X)
    Softcover, Pocket Books

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    Book summary:

    Stephen King fans, rejoice! The bodysnatching-aliens tale Dreamcatcher is his first book in years that slakes our hunger for horror the way he used to. A throwback to It, The Stand, and The Tommyknockers, Dreamcatcher is also an interesting new wrinkle in his fiction.

    Four boyhood pals in Derry, Maine, get together for a pilgrimage to their favorite deep-woods cabin, Hole in the Wall. The four have been telepathically linked since childhood, thanks to a searing experience involving a Down syndrome neighbor--a human dreamcatcher. They've all got midlife crises: clownish Beav has love problems; the intellectual shrink, Henry, is slowly succumbing to the siren song of suicide; Pete is losing a war with beer; Jonesy has had weird premonitions ever since he got hit by a car.

    Then comes worse trouble: an old man named McCarthy (a nod to the star of the 1956 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers) turns up at Hole in the Wall. His body is erupting with space aliens resembling furry moray eels: their mouths open to reveal nests of hatpin-like teeth. Poor Pete tries to remove one that just bit his ankle: "Blood flew in splattery fans as Pete tried to shake it off, stippling the snow and the sawdusty tarp and the dead woman's parka. Droplets flew into the fire and hissed like fat in a hot skillet."

    For all its nicely described mayhem, Dreamcatcher is mostly a psychological drama. Typically, body snatchers turn humans into zombies, but these aliens must share their host's mind, fighting for control. Jonesy is especially vulnerable to invasion, thanks to his hospital bed near-death transformation, but he's also great at messing with the alien's head. While his invading alien, Mr. Gray, is distracted by puppeteering Jonesy's body as he's driving an Arctic Cat through a Maine snowstorm, Jonesy constructs a mental warehouse along the lines of The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci. Jonesy physically feels as if he's inside a warehouse, locked behind a door with the alien rattling the doorknob and trying to trick him into letting him in. It's creepy from the alien's view, too. As he infiltrates Jonesy, experiencing sugar buzz, endorphins, and emotions for the first time, Jonesy's influence is seeping into the alien: "A terrible thought occurred to Mr. Gray: what if it was his concepts that had no meaning?"

    King renders the mental fight marvelously, and telepathy is a handy way to make cutting back and forth between the campers' various alien battlefronts crisp and cinematic. The physical naturalism of the Maine setting is matched by the psychological realism of the interior struggle. Deftly, King incorporates the real-life mental horrors of his own near-fatal accident and dramatizes the way drugs tug at your consciousness. Like the Tommyknockers, the aliens are partly symbols of King's (vanquished) cocaine and alcohol addiction. Mainly, though, they're just plain scary. Dreamcatcher is a comeback and an infusion of rich new blood into King's body of work. --Tim Appelo [via]

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  • The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of the Meditations
    by Marcus Aurelius, David V. Hicks, C. Scot Hicks
    ISBN 0743233832 (0-7432-3383-2)
    Hardcover, Simon & Schuster

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    Book summary:

    BEAR IN MIND THAT THE

    MEASURE OF A MAN IS THE WORTH OF THE THINGS HE CARES ABOUT.

    IF IT IS GOOD TO SAY OR DO

    SOMETHING, THEN IT IS

    EVEN BETTER TO BE CRITICIZED FOR

    HAVING SAID OR DONE IT.

    ARE MY GUIDING PRINCIPLES

    HEALTHY AND ROBUST? ON THIS HANGS EVERYTHING.

    Essayist Matthew Arnold described the man who wrote these words as "the most beautiful figure in history." Possibly so, but he was certainly more than that. Marcus Aurelius ruled the Roman Empire at its height, yet he remained untainted by the incalculable wealth and absolute power that had corrupted many of his predecessors. Marcus knew the secret of how to live the good life amid trying and often catastrophic circumstances, of how to find happiness and peace when surrounded by misery and turmoil, and of how to choose the harder right over the easier wrong without apparent regard for self-interest.

    The historian Michael Grant praises Marcus's book as "the best ever written by a major ruler," and Josiah Bunting, superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute, calls it "the essential book on character, leadership, duty." Never intended for publication, the Meditations contains the practical and inspiring wisdom by which this remarkable emperor lived the life not of a saintly recluse, but of a general, administrator, legislator, spouse, parent, and judge besieged on all sides.

    The Emperor's Handbook offers a vivid and fresh translation of this important piece of ancient literature. It brings Marcus's words to life and shows his wisdom to be as relevant today as it was in the second century. This book belongs on the desk and in the briefcase of every business executive, political leader, and military officer. It speaks to the soul of anyone who has ever exercised authority or faced adversity or believed in a better day. [via]

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  • Fahrenheit 451
    by Ray Bradbury
    ISBN 0743247221 (0-7432-4722-1)
    Hardcover, Simon & Schuster

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    In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury's classic, frightening vision of the future, firemen don't put out fires--they start them in order to burn books. Bradbury's vividly painted society holds up the appearance of happiness as the highest goal--a place where trivial information is good, and knowledge and ideas are bad. Fire Captain Beatty explains it this way, "Give the people contests they win by remembering the words to more popular songs.... Don't give them slippery stuff like philosophy or sociology to tie things up with. That way lies melancholy."

    Guy Montag is a book-burning fireman undergoing a crisis of faith. His wife spends all day with her television "family," imploring Montag to work harder so that they can afford a fourth TV wall. Their dull, empty life sharply contrasts with that of his next-door neighbor Clarisse, a young girl thrilled by the ideas in books, and more interested in what she can see in the world around her than in the mindless chatter of the tube. When Clarisse disappears mysteriously, Montag is moved to make some changes, and starts hiding books in his home. Eventually, his wife turns him in, and he must answer the call to burn his secret cache of books. After fleeing to avoid arrest, Montag winds up joining an outlaw band of scholars who keep the contents of books in their heads, waiting for the time society will once again need the wisdom of literature.

    Bradbury--the author of more than 500 short stories, novels, plays, and poems, including The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man--is the winner of many awards, including the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America. Readers ages 13 to 93 will be swept up in the harrowing suspense of Fahrenheit 451, and no doubt will join the hordes of Bradbury fans worldwide. --Neil Roseman [via]

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  • Faust:Parts 1 & 2
    by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, Bayard Taylor
    ISBN 0722179049 (0-7221-7904-9)
    Hardcover, Sphere

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  • Frances Hodgson Burnett's the Secret Garden
    by Frances Hodgson Burnett
    ISBN 0721406327 (0-7214-0632-7)
    Hardcover, Ladybird Books Ltd

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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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  • Hueffner, Ford M.: The Good Soldier
    The Good Soldier
    by Ford M. Hueffner
    ISBN 0742630986 (0-7426-3098-6)
    Hardcover, Classic Books

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  • Great Expectations
    by Charles Dickens, Charles Brown
    ISBN 0743487613 (0-7434-8761-3)
    Softcover, Pocket Classics

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    Book summary:

    An absorbing mystery as well as a morality tale, the story of Pip, a poor village lad, and his expectations of wealth is Dickens at his most deliciously readable. The cast of characters includes kindly Joe Gargery, the loyal convict Abel Magwitch and the haunting Miss Havisham. If you have heartstrings, count on them being tugged. [via]

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  • Gulliver's Travels
    by Leslie Kimmelman, Jonathan Swift, Nick Harris
    ISBN 0721456146 (0-7214-5614-6)
    Hardcover, Ladybird Books Ltd

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    An Englishman's two voyages carry him to Lilliput, a land of people six inches high, and Brobdingnag, a land of giants. [via]

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  • Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales
    by Hans Christian Andersen, Anthea Bell, Lisbeth Zwerger
    ISBN 0735813949 (0-7358-1394-9)
    Hardcover, North South Books

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    Book summary:

    Originally published in 1991, this stunning collection of classic fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by internationally acclaimed artist Lisbeth Zwerger, has been expanded with three stories. It is also completely redesigned in the same handsome format as the artist's recently published Alice in Wonderland, A Christmas Carol, and The Wizard of Oz. The artist has selected eleven of her favorite tales-familiar stories such as "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Princess and the Pea," and "The Nightingale," as well as lesser-known stories, such as "The Sandman," "The Jumpers," and "The Rose Tree Regiment." All are illustrated with Zwerger's signature style-marked by wit, grace, elegant simplicity, and insouciant charm. [via]

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  • Dickens, Charles: Hard Times
    Hard Times
    by Charles Dickens
    ISBN 0749307617 (0-7493-0761-7)
    Softcover, Heinemann

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  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
    by J. K. Rowling
    ISBN 0747545774 (0-7475-4577-4)
    Hardcover, Trafalgar Square Books

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    Book summary:

    What makes the Harry Potter series so successful? Maybe it's the fact that J.K. Rowling doesn't write children's books, she writes children's stories, more in the tradition of the Brothers Grimm than Dr. Seuss. The exploits of Harry and his friends captivate even the shortest attention spans by engaging the imagination with vivid characters and fast-moving action, instead of trying to merely catch the eye with colorful pictures or pop-up effects. Not surprisingly, the Potter tales sound wonderful read aloud, and adapt to the audiobook format extremely well. Broadway actor Jim Dale's impressive vocal range gives each character in the book its own distinctive voice--a considerable task, given the pantheon of witches, warlocks, ghosts, ghouls, dwarves, and elves that Harry encounters in his second outing. And thankfully, since the book is read unabridged, no one's favorite character is omitted. Engaging for children without being childish, the audio version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is worthy addition to the deservedly popular series. (Running time: 9 hours, 7 CDs) --Andrew Nieland [via]

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  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
    by J. K. Rowling
    ISBN 074754624X (0-7475-4624-X)
    Hardcover, Bloomsbury Pub Ltd

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    Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire CD Set tells the story of Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 18 CDs. The audio book is also available in two volumes, Part 1 and Part 2, each containing 9 CDs.

    Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the long-awaited, heavily hyped fourth instalment of a phenomenally successful series that has captured the imagination of millions of readers, young and old, across the globe. For J K Rowling the pressure is certainly on to continue to come up with thrilling, pacey storylines that allow her hero to mature into a young man without detracting from the magical secret that has made Harry into a superstar. In this book, the teenage Harry has a certain gawky charm that fits well with his advancing adolescence. As the story moves on, Harry too moves on to a new level of maturity that leaves the reader wondering how he will learn from his experiences, and liking him all the more as a character.

    Once returned to Hogwarts after his summer holiday with the dreadful Dursleys and an extraordinary outing to the Quidditch World Cup, the 14-year-old Harry and his fellow pupils are enraptured by the promise of the Triwizard Tournament: an ancient, ritualistic tournament that brings Hogwarts together with two other schools of wizardry--Durmstrang and Beauxbatons--in heated competition. But when Harry's name is pulled from the Goblet of Fire, and he is chosen to champion Hogwarts in the tournament, the trouble really begins. Still reeling from the effects of a terrifying nightmare that has left him shaken, and with the lightning-shaped scar on his head throbbing with pain (a sure sign that the evil Voldemort, Harry's sworn enemy, is close), Harry becomes at once the most popular boy in school. Yet, despite his fame, he is totally unprepared for the furore that follows.

    This is a hefty volume: 636 pages, of which probably at least 200 could have been cut without detracting from the story. The weight and complexity of the book is perhaps a hint that Rowling now has her eye sharply focused on her adult audience, and the average child-reader (particularly one who is coming to Harry Potter for the first time) may well find its girth daunting. Rowling's ironic and pointed observations on tabloid journalism and the nature of media hype is just one of the references littered through the book that will tickle the grown-ups but may well fly over the heads of her young fans.

    However, after a slow start, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire really starts to sparkle halfway through with Rowling's familiar magic (and yes, there is a death--sudden and tragic--and yes, Harry does start to notice girls). The crux of this story, however, is Harry's gradual coming-of-age and his handling of the increasingly determined threats to his own life.

    This book is pivotal, not just for the author for whom the heat is well and truly on, but for Harry and his readers who, by the last chapter, are left in little doubt that there is much more to come. (Ages 10 to adult) --Susan Harrison [via]

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  • Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
    by J. K. Rowling
    ISBN 0747532745 (0-7475-3274-5)
    Softcover, Bloomsbury Pub Ltd

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    Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Cassette Travel Bag is a complete and unabridged reading by Stephen Fry on six cassettes, contained in a travel box. A CD travel bag is also available.

    Just when it seems that there cannot possibly be another twist to the Harry Potter tale, Stephen Fry dons his haughtiest and naughtiest tones to bring Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to vibrant life on audio. Harry Potter has spent the first 10 years of his life at the mercy of the dreadful Dursleys--the aunt, uncle and fat, spoilt brat of a cousin who reluctantly gave him a home after the death of his mother and father. But on his 11th birthday Harry discovers that he is no ordinary boy, and despite the best efforts of his hideous relatives he escapes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to begin his new life as a trainee wizard. And the rest, as they say, is history...

    As Harry battles against the evils thrown in his path, Stephen Fry injects the proceedings with a wry, dry and extremely contagious humour that perfectly suits the tale, wringing out the best in Harry and his cohorts as they get to grips with their new lives at the sharp end of Hogwarts. Fry's innate upper-class drone is perfectly suited to the telling of this most magical tale, cracking into the high-pitched squawking of Hermione the swat, or the gentle tones of the firm but fair Dumbledore, or the evil sniping of slimey Snape at precisely the right moments.

    Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a fine story and much has been written about its success, but until you have heard Fry's cracking reading of this most magical of stories then you simply haven't lived. As with any audio book, this one is perfect for car journeys and an ideal way of introducing reluctant readers to the magic that is Harry Potter. (Ages 9 and over) --Susan Harrison

    Running time: 8 hrs 25 mins [via]

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  • Henry IV
    by William Shakespeare, Paul Werstine, Barbara A. Mowat
    ISBN 0743485041 (0-7434-8504-1)
    Softcover, Washington Square Pr

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    Book summary:

    FOLGER Shakespeare Library

    THE WORLD'S LEADING CENTER FOR SHAKESPEARE STUDIES

    Each edition includes:

    · Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play

    · Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play

    · Scene-by-scene plot summaries

    · A key to famous lines and phrases

    · An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language

    · An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play

    · Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books

    Essay by Alexander Leggatt

    The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu. [via]

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  • Doyle, Arthur Conan: The Hound of the Baskervilles
    The Hound of the Baskervilles
    by Arthur Conan Doyle
    ISBN 0719529484 (0-7195-2948-4)
    Hardcover, J. Murray : Cape

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  • Harris, Robert: Imperium
    Imperium
    by Robert Harris
    ISBN 074326603X (0-7432-6603-X)
    Hardcover, Simon & Schuster

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  • Jane Eyre: Library Edition
    by Charlotte Brontd, Caroline Plaisted, Celia Rees
    ISBN 0747587493 (0-7475-8749-3)
    Softcover, Trafalgar Square Books

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    Book summary:

    Jane Eyre is one of the great romances of all timea passionate tale of grim secrets, blazing love, and the fiery power of the human spirit. Stylish and teen-friendly, Bloomsbury Classics bring a cool, contemporary appeal to some of the most exciting books ever written. Each title has a foreword by a top children's author that explains "Why You Should Read This Book." Plus, a fun "newspaper" at the back of each book is packed with interesting facts and detailsincluding a brief author biography, details on the fashions and music of the times, and a gossip column about key figures of the day.
    [via]

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  • Journey to the East
    by Hermann Hesse
    ISBN 0720647851 (0-7206-4785-1)
    Hardcover, P. Owen

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    Book summary:

    In simple, mesmerizing prose, Hermann Hesse's Journey to the East tells of a journey both geographic and spiritual. H.H., a German choirmaster, is invited on an expedition with the League, a secret society whose members include Paul Klee, Mozart, and Albertus Magnus. The participants traverse both space and time, encountering Noahs Ark in Zurich and Don Quixote at Bremgarten. The pilgrims ultimate destination is the East, the Home of the Light, where they expect to find spiritual renewal. Yet the harmony that ruled at the outset of the trip soon degenerates into open conflict. Each traveler finds the rest of the group intolerable and heads off in his own direction, with H.H. bitterly blaming the others for the failure of the journey. It is only long after the trip, while poring over records in the League archives, that H.H. discovers his own role in the dissolution of the group, and the ominous significance of the journey itself.
    [via]

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  • Hardy, Thomas: Jude the Obscure
    Jude the Obscure
    by Thomas Hardy
    ISBN 0742627985 (0-7426-2798-5)
    Hardcover, Classic Books

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  • King Richard III: The Tragedy of
    by William Shakespeare, Paul Werstine, Barbara A. Mowat
    ISBN 0743482840 (0-7434-8284-0)
    Softcover, Washington Square Pr

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    Book summary:

    "Now is the winter of our discontent," intones Richard, Duke of Gloucester at the beginning of Shakespeare's Richard III, one of his most abidingly popular plays, and one of the most chilling portrayals of political tyranny ever seen on stage. Richard emerges from the chaos which surrounds the reign of Henry VI, already dramatised by Shakespeare earlier in his career, determined to become king by removing his elder brother Edward IV by convincing him that their brother Clarence is plotting against the crown. The deaths of both Clarence and Edward take Richard inexorably towards the crown, and the series of murders and conspiracies that Richard masterminds confirms his claim that "I am determined to prove a villain". Richard's political and sexual charisma are truly chilling, and his seduction of Lady Anne, over her husband's corpse is one of the most disturbing scenes in Shakespeare. At another level, the play is also a strongly anti-Yorkist play, which has a vested interest in portraying Richard as such as vicious tyrant before seeing him toppled, ushering in a period of rule which prefigured the Tudor dynasty of which Elizabeth I was herself a part. The play has had a deep and lasting influence on audiences and writers; Brecht rewrote the play as The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, while both Laurance Olivier and Ian Mckellen have produced memorable film versions of Richard III, the latter updating the play into a 1930s fascist state ruled over by a Richard akin to Oswald Mosley. --Jerry Brotton [via]

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  • Natsume, Soseki: Kokoro
    Kokoro
    by Soseki Natsume
    ISBN 0720600405 (0-7206-0040-5)
    Hardcover, Peter Owen

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  • Kydd
    by Julian Stockwin
    ISBN 0743214595 (0-7432-1459-5)
    Softcover, Simon & Schuster

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    Book summary:

    From C.S. Forester onwards, the tale of high adventure on the sea has produced some splendidly vivid writing; in fact, as genres go, there have probably been more consistently impressive creations in this field than in all historical fiction. With such a legacy looming behind him, a new author has to be able to present something special in order to make any kind of mark. With Kydd, Julian Stockwin quickly signals that he is an innovative and accomplished fresh talent in the field, with a complex and richly drawn hero (always so necessary in the naval tale) at the centre of an intelligently structured narrative.

    Thomas Paine Kydd is press-ganged in Guildford, and is wrenched from his safe profession of wig making to join the crew of the 98-gun line-of-battle ship Duke William. We have been treated to the horrors of the below-deck life of the common seaman before, but Stockwin renders these scenes as exuberantly as any of his predecessors. He is also particularly good at delineating the changing character of his hero, as Kydd comes to admire the skills of the seamen and (of course) becomes a true sailor himself. Although, at times, the book has the feel of the setting up of a new series, it's none the worse for that. Stockwin can command your attention with ease when his writing has such unyielding power as:

    The boatswain's mate advanced, taking the cat-o-nine-tails from the bag. He took a position a full eight feet away to one side, and drew the long deadly lashes through his fingers, experimentally sweeping back to ensure that there was enough clear space to swing it. Kydd stared across the few yards of empty deck at the man's pale, helpless body. At the instant it flew downward the drumbeats stopped, so the sickening smack of the blow came loud and clear. Donelly did not cry out, but his gasp was high and choked. The nine tails not only left long bruised weals, but at every point where they landed, blood began to seep.
    --Barry Forshaw [via]

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  • A Little Princess
    by Frances Hodgson Burnett
    ISBN 072140863X (0-7214-0863-X)
    Hardcover, Ladybird Books Ltd

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    Book summary:

    Sara Crewe, a pupil at Miss Minchin's London school, is left in poverty when her father dies but is later rescued by a mysterious benefactor. [via]

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  • Little Women
    by Louisa May Alcott
    ISBN 0723512116 (0-7235-1211-6)
    Hardcover, Egmont Books, Limited

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    Book summary:

    Part of the ANDRE DEUTSCH CLASSICS series, a classic story of four young women who struggle to overcome the trials of keeping up appearences whilst battling poverty and awaiting news of the fate of their father who is fighting the Civil War. Includes an introduction by Trevor McDonald. [via]

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  • Macbeth
    by William Shakespeare, Paul Werstine, Barbara A. Mowat
    ISBN 0743477103 (0-7434-7710-3)
    Softcover, Washington Square Pr

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    Book summary:

    Each edition includes:

    " Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play

    " Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play

    " Scene-by-scene plot summaries

    " A key to famous lines and phrases

    " An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language

    " An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play

    " Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books

    Essay by Susan Snyder

    The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu. [via]

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  • The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
    by Arthur Conan Doyle
    ISBN 071953013X (0-7195-3013-X)
    Hardcover, J. Murray ; Cape

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    Book summary:

    Stephen King started writing Storm of the Century as a novel, but it evolved into the teleplay of an ABC TV miniseries. Set in Maine's remote Little Tall Island, the tale is all about vivid small-town characters, feuds, infidelities, sordid secrets, kids in peril, and gory portents in scrambled letters. The calamitous snowstorm is nothing compared to the mysterious mind-reading stranger Linoge, who uses magic powers to turn people's guilt against them--when he's not simply braining them with his wolf-head-handled cane. Don't even glance at that cane--it can bring out the devil in you. Just as The Shining was concerned with marriage and alcoholism as much as it was with bad weather and worse spirits, Storm of the Century is more than a horror story. It's creepy because it's realistic.

    But it's also unusually visual. Linoge's eyes ominously change color, wind and sea wreak havoc, a basketball leaves blood circles with each bounce. The 100-year storm no doubt hits harder onscreen than on the page, but the snow is a symbol of the more disturbing emotional maelstrom that words evoke perfectly. And the murders of folks we've gotten to know is entirely terrifying in print. The crisp discipline of the screenplay format makes this book better than lots of King's more sprawling novels--the end doesn't wander and the dialogue crackles. Here's the real test: It's impossible to read parts 1 and 2 and not read part 3, "The Reckoning." --Tim Appelo [via]

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  • Much Ado About Nothing
    by William Shakespeare, Barbara A. Mowat, Paul Westine
    ISBN 0743482751 (0-7434-8275-1)
    Softcover, Washington Square Pr

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    Book summary:

    FOLGER Shakespeare Library

    The world's leading center for Shakespeare studies

    Each edition includes:

    " Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play

    " Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play

    " Scene-by-scene plot summaries

    " A key to famous lines and phrases

    " An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language

    " An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play

    " Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books

    Essay by Gail Kern Paster

    The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to theworld's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet forShakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open tothe public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performancesand programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu. [via]

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  • The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
    by Agatha Christie
    ISBN 0735105855 (0-7351-0585-5)
    Hardcover, Replica Books

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    Book summary:

    In the quiet village of King's Abbot a widow's suicide has stirred suspicion - and dreadful gossip. There are rumours she murdered her first husband, rumours that she was blackmailed, and rumours that her secret lover was Roger Ackroyd. When Ackroyd is found murdered it is unlucky for the killer that Hercule Poirot is close by. Setting up the traditional rules of mystery only to shatter them, this ingeniously tricky masterpiece startied fans, polarised critics, and stunned the Detection Club, the highly esteemed literary organisation, of which Christie herself was a member. One of the most famous detective novels ever written, and certainly one of the most controversial, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was championed by Dorothy L Sayers who said, "Christie fooled you (all)...It's the readers business to suspect everyone." And you will. [via]

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  • Dickens, Charles: Nicholas Nickelby
    Nicholas Nickelby
    by Charles Dickens
    ISBN 0749307579 (0-7493-0757-9)
    Softcover, Heinemann

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  • Wharton, Edith: Old New York
    Old New York
    by Edith Wharton
    ISBN 074345149X (0-7434-5149-X)
    Softcover, Pocket Classics

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  • Out of the Silent Planet
    by C. S. Lewis
    ISBN 0743234901 (0-7432-3490-1)
    Softcover, Scribner

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    Book summary:

    The first book in C. S. Lewis's acclaimed Space Trilogy, which continues with Perelandra and That Hideous Strength, Out of the Silent Planet begins the adventures of the remarkable Dr. Ransom. Here, that estimable man is abducted by a megalomaniacal physicist and his accomplice and taken via spaceship to the red planet of Malacandra. The two men are in need of a human sacrifice, and Dr. Ransom would seem to fit the bill. Once on the planet, however, Ransom eludes his captors, risking his life and his chances of returning to Earth, becoming a stranger in a land that is enchanting in its difference from Earth and instructive in its similarity. First published in 1943, Out of the Silent Planet remains a mysterious and suspenseful tour de force. [via]

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  • Perelandra
    by C. S. Lewis
    ISBN 074323491X (0-7432-3491-X)
    Softcover, Simon & Schuster

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    Book summary:

    The second book in C. S. Lewis's acclaimed Space Trilogy, which also includes Out of the Silent Planet and That Hideous Strength, Perelandra continues the adventures of the extraordinary Dr. Ransom. Pitted against the most destructive of human weaknesses, temptation, the great man must battle evil on a new planet -- Perelandra -- when it is invaded by a dark force. Will Perelandra succumb to this malevolent being, who strives to create a new world order and who must destroy an old and beautiful civilization to do so? Or will it throw off the yoke of corruption and achieve a spiritual perfection as yet unknown to man? The outcome of Dr. Ransom's mighty struggle alone will determine the fate of this peace-loving planet. [via]

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  • The Pickwick Papers
    by Charles Dickens
    ISBN 0749307536 (0-7493-0753-6)
    Softcover, Heinemann

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    Book summary:

    Dickens' first novel - with its creative use of the old tradition of graphic satire - is an episodic series of adventures featuring the noble Mr Pickwick and a range of characters such as Jingle, Sam Weller and various other members of the Pickwick Club. [via]

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  • The Scarlet Letter
    by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Margaret Brantley
    ISBN 0743487567 (0-7434-8756-7)
    Softcover, Washington Square Pr

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    Book summary:

    The Scarlet Letter: A Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Classic features:
    *More than 650 vocabulary words frequently tested on the SAT
    *Glossary of SAT words on the pages facing the text of the story
    [via]

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  • The Secret Garden : A Young Reader's Edition of the Classic Story
    by Frances Hodgson Burnett
    ISBN 0721456111 (0-7214-5611-1)
    Hardcover, Penguin Books, Limited

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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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  • Norwich, John Julius: Shakespeare's Kings: The Great Plays and the History of England in the Middle Ages 1337-1485
    Shakespeare's Kings: The Great Plays and the History of England in the Middle Ages 1337-1485
    by John Julius Norwich
    ISBN 0743200314 (0-7432-0031-4)
    Softcover, Scribner

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  • Doyle, Arthur Conan: Sign of Four
    Sign of Four
    by Arthur Conan Doyle
    ISBN 0719529476 (0-7195-2947-6)
    Hardcover, J. Murray, : Cape

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  • Skinner, Kiron K.: Stories in His Own Hand : The Everyday Wisdom of Ronald Reagan
    Stories in His Own Hand : The Everyday Wisdom of Ronald Reagan
    by Kiron K. Skinner, Annelise Anderson, Martin Anderson, George P. Shultz
    ISBN 0743226550 (0-7432-2655-0)
    Hardcover, Simon & Schuster

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  • Doyle, Arthur Conan: A Study in Scarlet
    A Study in Scarlet
    by Arthur Conan Doyle
    ISBN 0719529468 (0-7195-2946-8)
    Hardcover, J. Murray : Cape

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  • The Sun Also Rises
    by Ernest Hemingway
    ISBN 0743297334 (0-7432-9733-4)
    Softcover, Simon & Schuster

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    Book summary:

    The Sun Also Rises first appeared in 1926, and yet it's as fresh and clean and fine as it ever was, maybe finer. Hemingway's famously plain declarative sentences linger in the mind like poetry: "Brett was damned good-looking. She wore a slipover jersey sweater and a tweed skirt, and her hair was brushed back like a boy's. She started all that." His cast of thirtysomething dissolute expatriates--Brett and her drunken fiancé, Mike Campbell, the unhappy Princeton Jewish boxer Robert Cohn, the sardonic novelist Bill Gorton--are as familiar as the "cool crowd" we all once knew. No wonder this quintessential lost-generation novel has inspired several generations of imitators, in style as well as lifestyle.

    Jake Barnes, Hemingway's narrator with a mysterious war wound that has left him sexually incapable, is the heart and soul of the book. Brett, the beautiful, doomed English woman he adores, provides the glamour of natural chic and sexual unattainability. Alcohol and post-World War I anomie fuel the plot: weary of drinking and dancing in Paris cafés, the expatriate gang decamps for the Spanish town of Pamplona for the "wonderful nightmare" of a week-long fiesta. Brett, with fiancé and ex-lover Cohn in tow, breaks hearts all around until she falls, briefly, for the handsome teenage bullfighter Pedro Romero. "My God! he's a lovely boy," she tells Jake. "And how I would love to see him get into those clothes. He must use a shoe-horn." Whereupon the party disbands.

    But what's most shocking about the book is its lean, adjective-free style. The Sun Also Rises is Hemingway's masterpiece--one of them, anyway--and no matter how many times you've read it or how you feel about the manners and morals of the characters, you won't be able to resist its spell. This is a classic that really does live up to its reputation. --David Laskin [via]

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  • A Tale of Two Cities
    by Charles Dickens, Keith Cox
    ISBN 0743487605 (0-7434-8760-5)
    Softcover, Washington Square Pr

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    Book summary:

    This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. [via]

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  • Tales from the Arabian Nights
    ISBN 0721417590 (0-7214-1759-0)
    Hardcover, Ladybird Books Ltd

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    Book summary:

    The fables and legends of "Aladdin" and "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves", taken from the "Arabian Nights". In these two tales filled with mystery, intrigue and excitement, Aladdin and Ali Baba each make magical discoveries. [via]

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  • The Taming of the Shrew
    by William Shakespeare, Paul Werstine, Barbara A. Mowat
    ISBN 074347757X (0-7434-7757-X)
    Softcover, Washington Square Pr

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    Book summary:

    Renowned as Shakespeare's most boisterous comedy, The Taming of the Shrew is the tale of two young men -- the hopeful Lucentio and the worldly Petruchio -- and the two sisters they meet in Padua. Lucentio falls in love with Bianca, the apparently ideal younger daughter of the wealthy Baptista Minola. But before they can marry, Bianca's formidable elder sister, Katherine, must be wed. Petruchio, interested only in the huge dowry, arranges to marry Katherine -- against her will -- and enters into a battle of the sexes that has endured as one of Shakespeare's most enjoyable works. [via]

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  • Teacher Man: A Memoir
    by Frank McCourt
    ISBN 0743243781 (0-7432-4378-1)
    Softcover, Simon & Schuster

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    Book summary:

    For 30 years Frank McCourt taught high school English in New York City and for much of that time he considered himself a fraud. During these years he danced a delicate jig between engaging the students, satisfying often bewildered administrators and parents, and actually enjoying his job. He tried to present a consistent image of composure and self-confidence, yet he regularly felt insecure, inadequate, and unfocused. After much trial and error, he eventually discovered what was in front of him (or rather, behind him) all along--his own experience. "My life saved my life," he writes. "My students didn't know there was a man up there escaping a cocoon of Irish history and Catholicism, leaving bits of that cocoon everywhere." At the beginning of his career it had never occurred to him that his own dismal upbringing in the slums of Limerick could be turned into a valuable lesson plan. Indeed, his formal training emphasized the opposite. Principals and department heads lectured him to never share anything personal. He was instructed to arouse fear and awe, to be stern, to be impossible to please--but he couldn't do it. McCourt was too likable, too interested in the students' lives, and too willing to reveal himself for their benefit as well as his own. He was a kindred spirit with more questions than answers: "Look at me: wandering late bloomer, floundering old fart, discovering in my forties what my students knew in their teens."

    As he did so adroitly in his previous memoirs, Angela's Ashes and 'Tis, McCourt manages to uncover humor in nearly everything. He writes about hilarious misfires, as when he suggested (during his teacher's exam) that the students write a suicide note, as well as unorthodox assignments that turned into epiphanies for both teacher and students. A dazzling writer with a unique and compelling voice, McCourt describes the dignity and difficulties of a largely thankless profession with incisive, self-deprecating wit and uncommon perception. It may have taken him three decades to figure out how to be an effective teacher, but he ultimately saved his most valuable lesson for himself: how to be his own man. --Shawn Carkonen [via]

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  • The Tempest
    by William Shakespeare, Paul Werstine, Barbara A. Mowat
    ISBN 0743482832 (0-7434-8283-2)
    Softcover, Pocket Classics

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    Book summary:

    In The Tempest, long considered one of Shakespeare's most lyrical plays, Prospero -- a magician on an enchanted island -- punishes his enemies, brings happiness to his daughter, and comes to terms with human use of supernatural power. The Tempest embodies both seemingly timeless romance and the historically specific moment in which Europe begins to explore and conquer the New World. Its complexity of thought, its range of characters -- from the spirit Ariel and the monster Caliban to the beautiful Miranda and her prince Ferdinand -- its poetic beauty, and its exploration of difficult questions that still haunt us today make this play wonderfully compelling.

    THE NEW FOLGER

    LIBRARY SHAKESPEARE

    Designed to make Shakespeare's great plays available to all readers, the New Folger Library edition of Shakespeare's plays provides accurate texts in modern spelling and punctuation, as well as scene-by-scene action summaries, full explanatory notes, many pictures clarifying Shakespeare's language, and notes recording all significant departures from the early printed versions. Each play is prefaced by a brief introduction, by a guide to reading Shakespeare's language, and by accounts of his life and theater. Each play is followed by an annotated list of further readings and by a "Modern Perspective" written by an expert on that particular play. [via]

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  • Durband, Alan: The Tempest
    The Tempest
    by Alan Durband
    ISBN 0748703799 (0-7487-0379-9)
    Softcover, Trans-Atlantic Pubns

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  • That Hideous Strength
    by C. S. Lewis
    ISBN 0743234928 (0-7432-3492-8)
    Softcover, Scribner

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    Book summary:

    The final book in C. S. Lewis's acclaimed Space Trilogy, which includes Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, That Hideous Strength concludes the adventures of the matchless Dr. Ransom. The dark forces that were repulsed in Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra are massed for an assault on the planet Earth itself. Word is on the wind that the mighty wizard Merlin has come back to the land of the living after many centuries, holding the key to ultimate power for that force which can find him and bend him to its will. A sinister technocratic organization is gaining power throughout Europe with a plan to "recondition" society, and it is up to Ransom and his friends to squelch this threat by applying age-old wisdom to a new universe dominated by science. The two groups struggle to a climactic resolution that brings the Space Trilogy to a magnificent, crashing close. [via]

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  • The Three-Cornered World
    by Natsume Soseki, Alan Turney
    ISBN 0720611563 (0-7206-1156-3)
    Softcover, Peter Owen Ltd

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    Book summary:

    This novel is a key work in the Japanese transition from traditional to modern literature. An artist abandons city life to wander into the mountains to meditate, but when he decides to stay at a near-deserted inn he soon finds himself drawn to the daughter of the innkeeper. The artist becomes entranced by her. She reminds him of Millais's portrait of Ophelia drowning and he wants to paint her. Yet, troubled by a certain quality in her expression, he struggles to complete the portrait until he is finally able to penetrate the enigma of her life. Interspersed with philosophies of both East and West, Soseki's writing skillfully blends two very different cultures in this unique representation of the artistic sensibility. Natsume Soseki (1867-1916) was one of the first Japanese writers to be aware of Western culture and has been seen as a counter-reformation figure maintaining the virtues of tradition at a time of intellectual chaos. Soseki is generally acknowledged to have been one of the most important writers of the modern period.""--Times Literary Supplement. [via]

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  • Walden And Civil Disobedience
    by Henry David Thoreau, Alyssa Harad
    ISBN 0743487729 (0-7434-8772-9)
    Softcover, Pocket Classics

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    Book summary:

    ENDURING LITERATURE ILLUMINATED

    BY PRACTICAL SCHOLARSHIP

    Naturalist and philosopher Thoreau's timeless essays on the role of humanity -- in the world of nature, and in society and government.

    EACH ENRICHED CLASSIC EDITION INCLUDES:

    " A concise introduction that gives readers important background information

    " A chronology of the author's life and work

    " A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context

    " An outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations

    " Detailed explanatory notes

    " Critical analysis, including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work

    " Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction

    " A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience

    Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world's finest books to their full potential.

    SERIES EDITED BY CYNTHIA BRANTLEY JOHNSON

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  • Watership Down
    by Richard George Adams
    ISBN 0743277708 (0-7432-7770-8)
    Softcover, Simon & Schuster

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    Book summary:

    Watership Down has been a staple of high-school English classes for years. Despite the fact that it's often a hard sell at first (what teenager wouldn't cringe at the thought of 400-plus pages of talking rabbits?), Richard Adams's bunny-centric epic rarely fails to win the love and respect of anyone who reads it, regardless of age. Like most great novels, Watership Down is a rich story that can be read (and reread) on many different levels. The book is often praised as an allegory, with its analogs between human and rabbit culture (a fact sometimes used to goad skeptical teens, who resent the challenge that they won't "get" it, into reading it), but it's equally praiseworthy as just a corking good adventure.

    The story follows a warren of Berkshire rabbits fleeing the destruction of their home by a land developer. As they search for a safe haven, skirting danger at every turn, we become acquainted with the band and its compelling culture and mythos. Adams has crafted a touching, involving world in the dirt and scrub of the English countryside, complete with its own folk history and language (the book comes with a "lapine" glossary, a guide to rabbitese). As much about freedom, ethics, and human nature as it is about a bunch of bunnies looking for a warm hidey-hole and some mates, Watership Down will continue to make the transition from classroom desk to bedside table for many generations to come. --Paul Hughes [via]

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  • The Wind in the Willows
    by Kenneth Grahame, Inga Moore
    ISBN 0744575532 (0-7445-7553-2)
    Hardcover, Walker Books

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    Book summary:

    With a half-turn of the wheel Toad sent the car crashing through the low roadside hedge. One mighty bound, a violent shock, and the wheels of the car were churning up the thick mud of a horse-pond. Toad found himself flying through the air with the delicate curve of a swallow. He liked the motion, and was just beginning to wonder whether he would develop wings when he landed with a thump, in the rich soft grass of a meadow.
    This presentation of the well-loved children's story is in every way a classic, but it also retains a wonderful sense of fun.

    Abridged and illustrated by Inga Moore, this hardback edition could charm any reader with its sheer quality, its thick pages and incredibly beautiful illustrations.

    A breathtaking book, and a gift which would be endlessly appreciated. --Rachel Ediss [via]

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  • Nin, Anais: Winter of Artifice. Revised [ed.]: [and], House of Incest
    Winter of Artifice. Revised [ed.]: [and], House of Incest
    by Anais Nin
    ISBN 0720604230 (0-7206-0423-0)
    Hardcover, Owen

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  • The Winter's Tale
    by William Shakespeare
    ISBN 0743484894 (0-7434-8489-4)
    Softcover, Pocket Classics

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    Book summary:

    One of Shakespeare's most haunting and enigmatic late plays, The Winter's Tale is a fine example of Shakespeare's fascination with the dramatic genre of "romance": the portrayal of magical lands, familial conflict and exile, and final reunion and reconciliation. Drawing on Robert Green's story Pandosto, Shakespeare play tells the story of the middle-aged Leontes, king of Sicilia, and his childhood friend Polixenes, the king of Bohemia. Leontes mistakenly believes that his friend is having an affair with his wife, Hermione. In his jealousy, and consumed by "tremor cordis", he tries to murder Polixenes, who flees, and accuses his wife of adultery. Hermione gives birth to a baby girl, Perdita, who Leontes denounces as illegitimate, and casts her out into the wilderness. Hermione is ultimately proved innocent, but her son, Mamillius, dies of grief. Hermione collapses, apparently dead, and Leontes is left to pick up the tragic consequences of his actions. Time passes, and the action moves to Bohemia, where the lost child Perdita has grown up a shepherdess in the midst of "great creating nature". The final scenes of the play draw towards resolution and reconciliation between Leontes, Hermione and their lost daughter, culminating in one of Shakespeare's most moving final scenes. One of Shakespeare's most consummate plays, The Winter's Tale is a fascinating study of male insecurity and the relations between art and nature. --Jerry Brotton. [via]

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  • The Wizard of Oz
    by L. Frank Baum
    ISBN 0721408281 (0-7214-0828-1)
    Hardcover, Ladybird Books Ltd

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    Book summary:

    The Story of a little girl on a Journey to see the Wizard of Oz [via]

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  • The Wonderful Wizard of Oz : Centennial Edition
    by iBooks Staff
    ISBN 0743412982 (0-7434-1298-2)
    Softcover, ibooks, Incorporated

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    Book summary:

    The Wonderful Wizard of Oz must be one of the best-known, charming and unique children's stories ever but it is also more than a children's story, Oz stands as a demarcation point between American's rural past and urban future, harmoniously uniting a democratic spirit and a utopian vision with a prescient dark undercurrent that foreshadowed the Great Depression. This centennial edition, elegantly designed for all ages, includes rare and illuminating materials of interest to both first-time Oz readers and bibliophiles alike. About the Author L. Frank Baum is the author of 14 Oz books, as well as many other classics of American fantasy. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the best known of his legendary books. [via]

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  • The World's Great Classics
    ISBN 0717200019 (0-7172-0001-9)
    Hardcover, Xs Books

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    Book summary:

    Odyssey, The: The World's Great Classics, by Homer; tr. by S.H. Butcher and Andrew Lang [via]

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  • Wuthering Heights
    by Emily Brontd, Caroline Plaisted, Jennifer Donnelly
    ISBN 0747587507 (0-7475-8750-7)
    Softcover, Bloomsbury Pub Ltd

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    Book summary:

    "Wuthering Heights" seems bafflingly unlike other novels yet constantly speaks to popular imagination. This edition for students and teachers engages with some of the key issues in contemporary critical theory. [via]

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  • Young Miles
    by Lois McMaster Bujold, James P. Baen
    ISBN 0743436164 (0-7434-3616-4)
    Softcover, Baen Books

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    Book summary:

    It isn't easy, being Vor. Being a Vor lord on the war-torn planet Barrayar wasn't easy. Being an officer in Barrayar's military wasn't easy. And being the leader of a force of spaceborne mercenaries while maintaining a secret identity wasn't easy in fact it should have been impossible, to say nothing of being a capital offense on Barrayar. Not that impossibility or great danger would slow down young Miles Vorkosigan much. Washed out of the Barrayaran Military Academy for being overly fragile (he had been biochemically damaged during an assassination attempt while still in his mother's womb), Miles' natural (if unorthodox) leadership qualities quickly led to his off-handedly acquiring a fleet of nineteen ships and three thousand troops, all unswervingly loyal to him or at least to his alter ego, Admiral Naismith. In short order, he foiled a plot against his father, returned to and graduated from the academy, solved a murder among his people, joined a mutiny against a deranged superior officer, thwarted an interstellar invasion, and rescued the Barrayaran Emperor. Then things get interesting. Publisher's Note: "Young Miles" was previously published in parts as "The Warrior's Apprentice", "The Mountains of Mourning", and "The Vor Game". [via]

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