HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. 'I am the Ghost of Christmas Present,' said the Spirit. 'Look upon me!' A celebration of Christmas, a tale of redemption and a critique on Victorian society, Dickens' atmospheric novella follows the miserly, penny-pinching Ebenezer Scrooge who views Christmas as 'humbug'. It is only through a series of eerie, life-changing visits from the ghost of his deceased business partner Marley and the spirits of Christmas past, present and future that he begins to see the error of his ways. With heart-rending characters, rich imagery and evocative language, the message of A Christmas Carol remains as significant today as when it was first published.

Jack London's adventure masterpiece is not only a vivid account of the Klondike gold rush and North American Indian life, but it is also an intriguing study of the effects different environments have on an individual. Celebrate the centennial anniversary of the classic tale of a wolf-dog who endures great cruelty before he comes to know human kindness.

The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850, is an American romancenovel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne; it is generally considered tobe his masterpiece. Set in Puritan New England in the 17th century,the novel tells the story of Hester Prynne, who gives birth aftercommitting adultery, refuses to name the father, and struggles tocreate a new life of repentance and dignity. Throughout, Hawthorneexplores the issues of grace, legalism, and guilt.

A collection of seven tales taken from the "Father Brown" books. Father Brown's cherubic face and unworldly simplicity, his glasses and huge umbrella, belie an uncanny understanding of the criminal mind. 作者简介： G.K. Chesterton(1874-1936).A man of many literary talents,among his works are novels,short stories,poems,essays and biographies.He is also remembered for his skills as an orator and wit and for his mastery of the paradox and the pun. Father Brown fist appeared in "The Bule Cross"printed in the Storyteller in 1910 and reprinted the next year in the innocence of Father brown.This collection of stories was followed by several others,all featuring the inconspicuous priest whose subtle understanding of good and evill was to make him Chesterton's most popular creation.

Emma Wodehouse has led a simple life, but during the course of this she at last reaps her share of the world's vexations. In this comedy of manners, the heroine learns to come to terms with the reality of other people, and with her own erring nature. Jane Austen was born in Steventon, Hampshire, on December 16, 1775. Her father, the Reverend George Austen, was rector of Steventon, where she spent her first twenty-five years, along with her six brothers (two of them later naval officers in the Napoleonic wars) and her adored sister, Cassandra. She read voraciously from an early age, counting among her favorites the novels of Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding, and Fanny Burney, and the poetry of William Cowper and George Crabbe. Her family was lively and affectionate and they encouraged her precocious literary efforts, the earliest dating from age twelve, which already displayed the beginnings of her comic style. Her first novels, Elinor and Marianne (1796) and First Impressions (1797), were not publis

The story of Undine Spragg,a beautiflu,spoilt young woman of nouveau riche parents ,the Custom of the both a superb novel of American society .The Spraggs may strive to find a suitable match for Undine in the upper echelons of society,but custom inevitably inposes some rules of its owvn. This clear and acccssible study guide includes: Critil introduction Chapter-by-chapter notes and commentary Outline of the plot and time-frame Character analyses Chronology and biography of Edith Wharton Critical viewpoints on the novel Stimulating ideas for discussion and essays Accompanies the Twentieth-Century Classics edition. 作者简介： John McRac is Special professor of Language in Literature Strdy at the University of Nottingham,and Professur Invite at the Universited'Avignon et des Pay s de Vuduse.He is joint series edior with Prfessor Ronald Carter of Penguin Student Editions ,for which he has edited Jane,A Christmas Carol,Apassage to India,the Garden Party and Other

Interest in supernatural phenomena was high during Charles Dickens lifetime.His natural inclination towards drama and the macabre lead him into the telling of ghost tales.Twelve ghosts stories are presented here,and the full range of Dickens' gothic talents can be seen.

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1821) relates Thomas De Quincey's early life and experiences of opium addiction at the time when that drug was widely used for the relief of pain, and before its addictive qualities were properly understood. It is a work which encompasses amusement with nightmare as the author experiences in turn the marvels of opium-induced dreams and equally vivid nightmares which are their counterpart.

For Kim, the orphaned son of an Irish soldier, India is an exotic, richly coloured, magical land with an exciting array of landscapes, people and cultures. From life as a street vagabond in Lahore, to companion and devotee of an old Tibetan lama, Kim learns to find a new vision amid the kaleidoscopic scenes before him, a vision that unites, not divides, and promotes harmony not discord. Kim is a masterly novel from an expert craftsman and presents an enduring and powerful portrait of India under the Raj. AUTHBIO: Born in Bombay in 1865, Rudyard Kipling retained a deep love for the colour and exotic richness of India throughout his life and this passion affected much of his writing. Best known for his masterpieces The Jungle Books, Kim, and Captains Courageous, Kipling also penned an extraordinary number of powerful and evocative poems and short stories including the remarkable Just So Stories. The first Englishman to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, Kipling commands a place amongst the finest of Eng

Introduction and Notes by Keith Wren, University of Kent at Canterbury A historical romance, The Three Musketeers tells the story of the early adventures of the young Gascon gentleman, D'Artagnan and his three friends from the regiment of the King's Musketeers - Athos, Porthos and Aramis. Under the watchful eye of their patron M. de Treville, the four defend the honour of the regiment against the guards of Cardinal Richelieu, and the honour of the queen against the machinations of the Cardinal himself as the power struggles of seventeenth century France are vividly played out in the background. But their most dangerous encounter is with the Cardinal's spy, Milady, one of literature's most memorable female villains, and Dumas employs all his fast-paced narrative skills to bring this enthralling novel to a breathtakingly gripping and dramatic conclusion

In a elegant and crumbling palazo old Miss Bordereau lives on with her niece,closely guarding her most precious treasure,a hoard of letters written to her in her youth by the great American love poet jeffrey Aspern.Adopting a nom de guerre the tale's narrator,a literary researcher,arrives at the palazzo and inveigles the two ladies into taking him in as their lodger.there he watches and waits for the moment to pounce.For he is determind to gain possession of the Aspern papers and willing to pay almost any price. 作者简介： Henry James（1843-1916），American novelist,play-wright,essaysit and critic,James remains one of the most infulential of the literary figures who were writing at the turn of the century. The Aspern papers(1888)is a fine example of what james termed a tale-too short for a novel and too long for a short story.In creating a world from a single incident and weaving his plot around it ,he reveals his unique mastery of the genre.

The love of a young British woman named Lucy Honeychurch for aBritish expatriate living in Italy is condemned by her stuffy,middle-class guardians, who prefer an eligible man of their ownchoosing. Publisher Comments: This Edwardian social comedy explores love and prim proprietyamong an eccentric cast of characters assembled in an Italianpensione and in a corner of Surrey, England. A charming youngEnglish woman, Lucy Honeychurch, faints into the arms of a fellowBritisher when she witnesses a murder in a Florentine piazza.Attracted to this man, George Emerson--who is entirely unsuitableand whose father just may be a Socialist--Lucy is soon at war withthe snobbery of her class and her own conflicting desires. Back inEngland she is courted by a more acceptable, if stifling, suitor,and soon realizes she must make a startling decision that willdecide the course of her future: she is forced to choose betweenconvention and passion. The enduring delight of this tale ofromantic intrigue is rooted in

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 Cynthia Marshall 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.

This collection of Poe’s best stories contains all the terrifying and bewildering tales that characterize his work。 As well as the Gothic horror of such famous stories as The Pit a,d th Pendulum。 The Fall of the House of Usher。 The Premature grial and The TelI-Tale Heart。 all of Po’s Auguste Dupin stories are included。 These are the first modern detective stories，and include The Murders in the Rue Morgue。 The Mystery of Marie Roget and The Purloned Letter。