Published to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of The Great War, Classic Stories of World War I is a compilation of fiction and non-fiction excerpts from the works of world-class authors - such as Joseph Conrad and W. Somerset Maugham - who lived through the conflict. From the home front to the western front, on land or at sea, this collection is a unique insight into the 'war to end war.

A collection of the greatest stories ever written about World War II.World War II brought grief and destruction, but it also inspired some ofthe most impassioned literature in history. Classic Stories of World War II includes excerpts from novels such as James Jones’s From Here to Eternity and Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, as well as real-life accounts of the Battle of Britain by Guy Gibson and the exploits of the French Resistance by Nancy Wake. More than a dozen riveting stories of the war from esteemed authors are featured, providing the reader with a rich variety of perspectives that will bring a new understanding of this global conflict.

Translator: Anthony Briggs

A delight for dog-lovers, with a passing interest for dog-haters, this collection is published for the first time in English, in a new translation.

Turgenev's Mumu is rescued from drowning by a mute serf, Gerasim, and quickly becomes his closest friend and comforter until Gerasim's mistress intervenes with tragic consequences.

Shchedrin's Trezor is the perfect embodiment of canine fidelity, carrying out his duties to the letter, despite being chained up, badly treated and sometimes not even fed.

Chekhov's Kashtanka, when lost, is taken in by a circus clown and trained for an act in the ring. However, she prefers to return to her former abusive master, sitting in the audience at her first performance, rather than remain with her new caring, thoughtful owner.

These stories have long been held in high esteem, tugging at the readers' heartstrings. When Turgenev died in 1883 a wreath was sent to the grave of 'the author of Moomoo' by the British Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Translator: Will Stone

In the summer of 1902, a young unknown German-language poet named Rainer Maria Rilke, arrived in Paris with the intention of writing a monograph on the famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. From then on, Paris proved both a reliable base and an irresistible source of inspiration for Rilke. He was by turns arrested, appalled, tormented and inspired by the raw reality of the Parisian street, and the life he witnessed there gradually entered his writings, prefigured by prodigious letters and notes. These formed the basis of his prose masterpiece The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge, published in 1910. Maurice Betz was Rilke’s foremost translator into French and knew the poet personally. In 1941 he published an insightful essay around Rilke’s artistic relationship with Paris, concentrating on the fascinating and difficult evolution of The Notebooks. Already translated into other European languages, Rilke in Paris is now available in English translation for the first time.

Notes on the Melody of Things, Rilke wrote in 1898, aged twenty-three. The exquisite beauty of these enigmatic, barely known notes magisterially heralds the great poetry to come.

A Christmas Carol has become as much a part of Christmas as trees, stockings and mistletoe. Ireland's new Children's Laureate P.J. Lynch breathes new life into Dickens's classic ghostly tale for this magnificent paperback edition. Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean old skinflint, and our story opens on a Christmas Eve as cold as his heart. In the dead of night, Scrooge is visited by the tormented ghost of his old friend Jacob Marley. Having led a selfish, miserly life, Marley can find no peace in death: his spirit has wandered the earth for seven years. To avoid the same fate, Scrooge sets off on a hair-raising journey through his past, present and future. Will he see the error of his ways before it’s too late?

Reading A Christmas Carol has become for many a tradition during the festive season. The character of Ebenezer Scrooge has become the epitome of miserliness. But A Christmas Carol is a story of redemption as Scrooge is visited in turn by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

Alone in a new country, wealthy Sara Crewe tries to settle in and make friends at boarding school. But when she learns that she’ll never see her beloved father gain, her life is turned upside down. Transformed from princess to pauper, she must swap dancing lessons and luxury for hard work and a room in the attic. Will she find that kindness and genorosity are all the riches she truly needs?

A nature poem for every day of the year, progressing through the months and seasons. Each poem is chosen to chime with the natural world at that time of year, reminding us to connect to the natural world, which can only improve our lives.

A wonderful collection of big name poets and lesser names, famous odes and some unsung poems that help mark the daily turn of the seasons and all the rituals marking the significant moments of the year (from Candlemas to Christmas).

Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables is one of history's best selling novels. The classic has sold more than 50 million copies, and has been adapted into countless television programs and movies.

A fresh, funny and accessible retelling of Jane Austen's classic story, with witty black and white illustrations throughout.Emma Woodhouse is pretty, clever and rich, and sees no reason why she would ever need to get married. But she loves matchmaking for her neighbours, despite the advice of her friend Mr Knightley, who warns her against meddling. Her latest success - the wedding of her governess - makes her certain that she can find the right match for anyone.
Can Emma's lucky streak continue? Or will best laid plans unravel... as they always seem to do? Katy Birchall is the author of the IT Girl and Secrets of a Teenage Heiress series. An Austen obsessive, she's incredibly excited to introduce Emma Woodhouse to a whole new raft of readers. Eglantine Ceulemans captures all of Austen's satire and wit, bringing her colourful casts to life with warm and funny black and white illustrations. Illustrated and retold editions are also
available for: Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey. The perfect way to discover Austen for the first time, this bright and bold collection features some of the most inspiring and famous heroines in English literature. For readers aged eight and up.

In first-century Judea, Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur is falsely accused of assassinating a Roman governor, and sentenced to life as a galley slave. His fortunes are reversed when he saves the captain’s life and he returns, determined to seek his revenge against those who have brought misfortune to both himself and his family. His life becomes intertwined with that of Christ’s, and after witnessing His teachings and eventual crucifixion Ben-Hur discovers the redemptive power of forgiveness.

Everybody loves a Christmas story. The tradition of the Twelve Days of Christmas is a tradition of celebration, sharing and giving. And what better way to do that than with a story? Read these stories by the fire, in the snow, travelling home for the holidays. Give them to friends, wrap them up for someone you love, read them aloud, read them alone, read them together. Enjoy the season of peace and goodwill, mystery, and a little bit of magic.

There are ghosts here and jovial spirits. Chances at love and tricks with time.
There is frost and icicles, mistletoe and sledges. There’s a cat and a dog and a solid silver frog. There’s a Christmas cracker with a surprising gift inside.
There’s a haunted house and a SnowMama. There are Yuletides and holly wreaths. Three Kings. And a merry little Christmas time.
And for the icing on the Christmas cake, there are twelve festive recipes from Yuletides past and present. Red cabbage, gravlax, turkey biryani, sherry trifle, Mrs Winterson’s mince pies and more.

From the artistic passion of the St Petersburg poets and bohemians, to the collective suffering of a nation, Anna Akhmatova spoke to, and for, the soul of her people. This magnificent edition includes: more than 800 poems, half of them available in no other translated edition: translator's preface: biographical introduction by Roberta Reeder: more than 125 photographs, including a 65 page photo biography, and 'The Artist's Muse' images of Akhmatova in art: memoir by Isaiah Berlin: comprehensive notes to the poems: index of first lines: bibliography.

A celebration of love with a collection of everyone's favourite love poems. From the Song of Solomon, Catullus and Ovid, to recent masterpieces by the Irish Nobel Prize winner Seamus Heaney and the British Poet Laureate Andrew Motion. With favourites from WH Auden, Carol Ann Duffy, Federico Garcia Lorca and Jacques Prevert, this is a beautiful and comprehensive collection to treasure.

From the thrill of a new romance and the celebration of an enduring one, to the comedy of lust and the tragedy of profound loss, celebrated poets of past centuries and renowned. Wonderfully illustrated throughout, this is a handsome tome to keep and an even better one to gift to a loved one.

A diverse collection of poetry which celebrates both England and all that it means to be English - from the rolling hills, to those lost in battle over the centuries, to London's bustling streets and a nation obsessed with the weather. Ode to England encompasses a breadth of poetry from our most renowned writers - such as William Wordsworth, D. H. Lawrence and William Blake - alongside verses from less prestigious names which equally capture many inspiring visions of our `sceptered isle'. The poems are accompanied by stunning illustrations which pay further tribute to the beauty of this green and pleasant land.

Verses from our best-loved authors, such as William Wordsworth, William Blake and John Betjeman among others, are accompanied by beautiful illustrations - often taken from iconic tube posters - of London's famous sights, green parks and Londoners in their daily lives.

Epic poems celebrating London's vast and majestic presence sit alongside Cockney ditties about pie, mash and jellied eels in this new collection. Celebrating every aspect of 'the big smoke' - from the Houses of Parliament and the Blitz spirit, through to red double-decker buses and infamous rainy English summers - this is the perfect gift for any Londoner or visitor to the city.

The four March sisters couldn't be more different: Meg, the eldest, is dutiful and patient; Jo is adventurous, with dreams of being a great writer; shy, musical Beth is the peacemaker; and headstrong Amy likes the finer things in life. They may not always get along, but with their father away in the Civil War and their mother struggling to make ends meet, the sisters have never needed each other more. Together, the girls navigate growing up - from first love to sibling rivalry, loss and marriage. Whatever comes their way, they know they can rely on each other.

Perhaps Jane Austen’s best-loved book, «Pride and Prejudice» recounts the romantic clash between Lizzy Bennett, one of literature’s most engaging heroines, and the proud Mr. Darcy. It is a supremely satisfying story, balancing comedy and witty observation with profound insight on life and love.

An extraordinary tapestry, Ragtime captures the spirit of America in the era between the turn of the century & the First World War. The story opens in 1906 in New Rochelle, NY, at the home of an affluent American family. One lazy Sunday afternoon, the famous escape artist Harry Houdini swerves his car into a telephone pole outside their house. Almost magically, the line between fantasy & historical fact, between real & imaginary characters, disappears. Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, J.P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, Sigmund Freud & Emiliano Zapata slip in & out of the tale, crossing paths with Doctorow's imagined family & other fictional characters, including an immigrant peddler & a ragtime musician from Harlem whose insistence on a point of justice drives him to revolutionary violence.

Marianne Dashwood is young, flirtatious and ready to meet a knight in shining armour. Her sister, Elinor, is more restrained - she knows that when it comes to romance, slow and steady wins the race. But while both seem to have found what they want, the path to happiness isn't as straightforward as they first thought. True love has a habit of breaking the rules and turning up whenever it's least expected...

A great way to enjoy twenty of Shakespeare’s timeless plays, this volume
is a retelling of the stories in prose by the famous nineteenth-century
brother and sister Charles and Mary Lamb. Keeping Shakespeare’s own
words whenever possible but making the plots and language easily
accessible, this entertaining and readable collection has enthralled
both children and adults ever since it first appeared in 1807. Here
Shakespeare’s best-known tragedies and comedies come to life. Defined by
moving drama, vivid action, great wit, or fantastic imagination, each
play comes alive with charm and clarity for readers of any age—as a
helpful preface to the original Elizabethan version or even as
enriching, unforgettable stories in themselves.
With an Introduction by Susan J. Wolfson and an Afterword by Sylvan Barnet,
general editor of the Signet Classic Shakespeare series.

Collected here are Gogol's finest tales - from the demon-haunted 'St John's Eve' to the strange surrealism of 'The Nose', from the heart-rending trials of the copyist in 'The Overcoat' to those of the delusional clerk in 'The Diary of a Madman' - allowing readers to experience anew the unmistakable genius of a writer who paved the way for Dostoevsky and Kafka.

High above the Amazon rainforest lies the hidden dangers of a lost world... Ed Malone, a reporter for the London Journal,is convinced by the larger-than-life Professor Challenger to join him on a scientific expedition to explore a hidden plateau in the depths of the Amazon, which remains frozen in a time when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. Seemingly impossible to penetrate, this lost world holds great danger for the expedition team, as they become embroiled in a war between a tribe of Indians and brutal ape-men, and surrounded by terrifying prehistoric creatures ...

Written in the twilight of the Roman Republic, the poetry of Gaius Valerius Catullus offers a delicious insight into the passions and gossip of high Roman society. From the poet and his friends to cultural and political titans, including Caesar, Cicero, and Pompey, his cutting, modern verse spares no-one. In this new translation by Daisy Dunn, author of Catullus' Bedspread, his obscene honesty, arrogant wit and surprising tenderness capture Roman society at their best.Most famous for his obsessive love lyrics for the married Lesbia, Catullus' words are an immortal expression of youth, rebellion and agonised love.

When young D'Artagnan comes to Paris to seek his fortune, he is challenged to a duel with not one, but three of the king's Musketeers. But Athos, Porthos and Aramis become his trusted friends as he tries to prove himself worthy of becoming a fourth Musketeer. This title is specially abridged for younger readers.

Fifteen men on the dead man's chest Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! When young Jim Hawkins discovers a map showing the way to Captain Flint's treasure, he and Squire Trelawney set sail on the Hispaniola to search for the gold. Little do they know that among their crew is the dastardly pirate Long John Silver. Silver has a devious plan to keep the gold all to himself. Can brave Jim outwit the most infamous pirate ever to sail the high seas? Will he escape from Treasure Island alive?

Tea's cold, lunch is late and the great Professor has turned out to be a fraud - for Uncle Vanya, life has gone wonky, it's gone to hell. Only one thing can save him - a glamorous woman's love. But she's not interested either. And what's worse, she's married to the Professor. Samuel Adamson new version of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya - a dark and funny exploration of cross-purposed love, bitter jealousy and a dysfunctional family - opened at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, in February 2015.

A tale of love and loss - the first of Thomas Hardy's novels to win him widespread recognition and popularity - reissued to accompany a major motion picture due for release in May 2015.`I shall do one thing in thislife - one thing certain - that is, love you, and long for you, and keep wanting you till I die'. Independent and spirited, Bathsheba Everdene owns the hearts of three men..

A short collection showing Chekhov in an amusing, playful light, poking fun at his characters, with the moral detachment that also characterizes his major, serious works In "The Death of a Civil Servant," an administrative clerk accidentally sneezes on a hierarchical superior at the opera, which results in great embarrassment and hilarious and futile attempts at atonement. The other short stories included in this volume, "A Calculated Marriage," "The Culprit," "The Exclamation Mark," "The Speechmaker," "Who Is to Blame?," and "A Defenceless Creature" are in the same absurdly comical vein.

Arguably the first modern novel in the history of Russian literature, this story shocked readers when it was first published in 1862—the controversial character of Bazarov, a self-proclaimed nihilist intent on rejecting all existing traditional values and institutions, providing a trenchant critique of the established order. Turgenev's masterpiece investigates the growing nihilist movement of mid-19th-century Russia—a theme which was to influence Dostoevsky and many other European writers—in a universal, and often hilarious, story of generational conflict and the clash between the old and the new. This edition includes pictures and an extensive section about the author's life and works.