This historical fantasy, written by the son of the well-known German novelist Thomas Mann, takes Alexander the Great for its subject, charting his life and career, and examining his obsession with con
In this lesser known classic James explores in miniature the themes of his major fiction, enlivened by a characteristically keen eye for character and a wry appreciation of both pretension and the abs
An entertaining parody of small-town manners and morals, this comic novella is a revelation?When the aging Russian Prince, Prince K., arrives in the town of Mordasov, Marya Alexandrovna Moskaleva, a d
A celebration of the singular female characters to be found in Dickens's works In his novels Dickens presents a series of unrivaled portraits of women, young and old. From Little Nell to Miss Havisham
A new short biography of the author of Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov, by a preeminent Russian scholar?In this compelling new biography Anthony Briggs explores the effect of Dostoevsk
John Donne lived a life of contradiction. Born to a Catholic family of martyrs and exiles, he fought in the war against Spain, converted to Anglicanism and was appointed to a diplomatic position of so
Brief Lives offers short, authoritative biographies of the world's best-known literary figures. Both informative and entertaining, each title introduces the modern reader to the early life, writing ca
Poetic Lives offers short, authoritative biographies of the world's best-known poets, illustrated by extracts from their work. Each title traces its subject's youth, writing career and literary legacy
Charlotte Bronte's extraordinary literary talent manifested itself at an early age when she penned a series of imaginative and entertaining tales. Before her untimely death at the age of thirty-eight
Maggie Browne, the daughter of a deceased clergyman, is encouraged to give up her own life and passions and devote herself to her brother Edward. Through the example and guidance of her mother?who dot
`The Garden, My Mother, My Friends, the Man Dressed in Black, the Pictures Lined up Against the Fence...All of These Disappeared, and I Found Myself Inside a Tower, The Tower from the Pictures, with I
Much against his mother's consent, [Sir Kenelm Digby] married that celebrated beauty and courtesan, Mrs Venetia Stanley,... He would say that a handsome lusty man who was discreet might make a virtuou
Offering a woman’s take on life’s preoccupations, Jenny Wren presents her amusing thoughts on matters ranging from love and politics to tea and bills: "Why were such things invented?" Her witty musing
Widely considered the father of German literature, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a polymath whose life and thoughts made a huge impact on European philosophy, science, and literature. This scrupulous
Born in central Russia in 1828, Tolstoy saw action as a soldier before becoming a writer. His two novels, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are among the best loved in world literature. Anthony Briggs
As nuanced in her observations of human behavior as she is in her vivid depictions of French landscape and architecture, Wharton fully exploited her unique position as consort to Walter Barry, preside
`Mine-Haha is a fairy tale that morphs into something far more grotesque-a psycho-sexual Expressionist fable. It's so perversely erotic and freaky and anti-society, and that's probably why it's never
In this wickedly sharp collection of essays, the eminent wit and perennially popular Jerome K. Jerome muses on various subjects vital to successful living, among them "The Inadvisability of Following
On Deception presents the highlights of Houdini's writings on illusions, revealing him to have been a remarkably prescient champion of rationalism and an ardent opponent of the duping of susceptible i
Inside its glass dome the One State is a place of mathematical precision, a community where everything?belongs to?everyone, and integrity, clarity, and unerring loyalty reign over all. D-503, Builder
Poet, philosopher, and critic, Samuel Taylor Coleridge is now best remembered for the extraordinary "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and "Kubla Khan." With his friend William Wordsworth he founded t
Following a chance meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Parker, Charlotte Heywood accompanies them to their home in Sanditon, which her excitable hosts promise will be the future epicenter of society summers.?On
Serving as a perfect introduction to this well-known French writer, Flaubert scholar Meryl Tyers’ work covers the remarkable life of the renowned author of Madame Bovary and A Sentimental Education. A
Born in Hampshire in 1775, Jane Austen was one of seven children and began writing at an early age. In this new biography, leading Austen scholar Fiona Stafford offers a fresh perspective on the life
This new biography of Honore de Balzac presents a compelling portrait of one of literature's great workaholics, of a writer driven by the impossible and overarching ambition of chronicling the whole
An old man walks along deserted railway tracks, long since unused and overgrown; beside him a young, feral boy helps him along. It has been 60 years since the great Red Death wiped out mankind, and t
This volume collects together four of celebrated poet and preacher John Donne's most powerful sermons on death.Dean of St Paul's, John Donne was feted in his day not just as a poet but also as an insp
Published in 1886 and dedicated to the writer’s ally in idling?his pipe?this collection of entertaining essays established Jerome K. Jerome as an eminent English wit. "What readers ask nowadays in a b
The earliest of Chaucer’s major works, this charming and absorbing dream-poem is traditionally read as an allegorical elegy for Blanche of Lancaster, John of Gaunt’s first wife. A sleepless poet lies
A key text in the history of gay literature, Wings was published in 1906 to the scandalized reaction of contemporary society and the generations which followed. Its central theme of aestheticized sen
Left impoverished upon the death of her aunt, Emma Watson has no option but to be reunited with her estranged father and siblings. Initially delighted with her new life—including the fashionabl
Dostoevsky’s Underground Man is a composite of the tormented clerk and the frustrated dreamer of his earlier stories, but his Notes from the Underground is a precursor of his great later novels
A delightful tale of thwarted ambition and forbidden love, A Rogue’s Life follows the fortunes of an endearing young man. Proffering his own take on picaresque storytelling—and with many
Edward IV has recently died, leaving his offspring and potential future monarchs: twelve-year-old Edward, Prince of Wales, and Richard, Duke of York, aged nine. However, disturbing the natural succes
Carmen?the inspiration for one of the world’s most popular operas?is a story about the dark forces that lurk beneath the façade of civilization, where passions are brutal and erotic love is seductive
From his mythical lineage and portentous birth, it is clear that Pantagruel is destined to be a very special giant. His adventures, his exploits and even his friends - most notably the lecherous, fou
Written in a series of letters to the daughter of a friend, Love and Friendship tells of a young girl’s path to betrayal, by way of a seemingly ecstatic marriage. It is accompanied by The Three
Bawdy and thoroughly risqu&#eacute;, this 16th–century masterpiece is the work of Pietro Aretino, widely regarded as the originator of European pornographic writing. With a Foreword by Paul Bai
Written in diary form, The Diary of Adam and Eve is an ingenious, witty, and ultimately delightful retelling of the dawn of human creation with many a grain of truth for today's gender disputes. Mast
