This is a fascinating selection of Kipling's most famous short stories, bringing together the very best of his work. Lile's Handicap reflects his experiences of India.and contains two horror stories which permeate the collection with an air of haunted destinies. Delusions and obsessions, past lives and the slums of London in 1890 arc the fascinatingly diverse topics featured in Many Invcntions. While Traffics and Discovcrics contains three tales in which the subject matter ranges from unexplained mystery and the supernatural to an other-worldly house full of elusive but charming children. The Maltcsc Cat is Kipling's well-loved story about a polo pony. These stories remind us once again that Kipling is an undisputed master of story-telling.

With an Introduction and Notes by John M.L. Drew, University of Buckingham Wilde's only novel, first published in 1890, is a brilliantly designed puzzle, intended to tease conventional minds with its exploration of the myriad interrelationships between art, life, and consequence. From its provocative Preface, challenging the reader to believe in 'art for art's sake', to its sensational conclusion, the story self-consciously experiments with the notion of sin as an element of design. Yet Wilde himself underestimated the consequences of his experiment, and its capacity to outrage the Victorian establishment. Its words returned to haunt him in his court appearances in 1895, and he later recalled the 'note of doom' which runs like 'a purple thread' through its carefully crafted prose.

'Good people do a great deal of harm in this world. Certainly the greatest harm they do is that they make badness of such extraordinary importance. It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious ...' Beautiful, aristocratic, an adored wife and young mother. Lady Windermere is 'a fascinating Puritan' whose severe moral code leads her to the brink of social suicide. The only one who can save her is the mysterious Mrs Erlynne whose scandalous relationship with Lord Windermere has prompted her ladyship's fatal impulse. And Mrs Erlynne has a secret—a secret Lady Windermere must never know if she is to retain her peace of mind ...

When The Forsyte Saga was shown on television in 1967 it was hugely successful. The nation was gripped by the masterful visual telling of the Forsyte family's troubled story and adapted its activities to suit the next transmission. The Forsyte Saga comprising The Man of Property, In Chancery and To Let, is here produced by Wordsworth for the first time in a single volume. Initially, the narrative centres on Soames Forsyte - a successful solicitor living in London with his beautiful wife Irene. A pillar of the late Victorian upper middle class, materially wealthy, his appears to be a golden existence endowed with all the necessary possessions for a 'Man of Property', but beneath this very proper exterior lies a core of unhappiness and brutal relationships. The marriage of Soames and Irene disintegrates in bitter recrimination, creating a feud within the family that will have far-reaching consequences.

It is a Wednesday in mid-June 1923 andMrs Dalleway is to have a party. As Shespends the day in preparation, worryingabout the evening's success, she looks backover her life at the choices that have led herhere. Then an unexpected visitor calls ... PENGUIN POPULAR CLASSICS are the per-fect introduction to the world-famousPENGUIN CLASSICS series - which en-compasses the best books ever written,from Homer's Odyssey to Orwelrs 1984and everything in between. For a full listand ideas on what to read next, visitwww.penguinclassics.com

ENDURING LITERATURE ILLUMINATED BY PRACTICAL SCHOLARSHIP The thrilling adventure story set in the Yukon frontier, where a dog experiences both the cruelty of man and the freedom of the wild. EACH ENRICHED CLASSIC EDITION INCLUDES: A concise introduction that gives readers important background information Detailed explanatory notes Critical analysis, including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work 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. 作者简介： Jack London is best known for his books The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and The Sea-Wolf, but he was an incredibly prolific writer who left behind more than fifty volumes of novels, stories, journalism, and essays, many of which are still read around th

Based on Charlotte Bronte's personal experience as a teacher in Brussels. Villette is a moving tale of repressed feelings and subjection to cruel circumstance and position, borne with heroic fortitude. Rising above the frustrations of confinement within a rigid social order, it is also a story of a woman’s right to love and be loved.

Black Beauty had a fine, soft black coat, one white foot and a silver star on his forehead. This story of a horse's adventures, disappointments and joys is perhaps the most famous animal story of all time. Tens of millions of copies have been sold, and it remains as popular now as when it was first publishde over a century ago.

A marked departure from Edith Wharton's usual ironic contemplation of the fashionable New York society to which she herself belonged, Ethan Frome is a sharply-etched portrait of the simple inhabitants of a nineteeth-century New England village. The protagonist, Ethan Frome, is a man tormented by a passionate love for his ailing wife's young cousin. Trapped by the bonds of marriage and the fear of public condemnation, he is ultimately destroyed by that which offers-him the greatest chance at happiness. Like The House o/Mirth and many of Edith Whartons other novels, Ethan Frome centers on the power of local convention to smother the growth of the individual. Written with stark simplicity, this powerful and tragic novel has long been considered one of her greatest works. With an Introduction bv CYNTHIA GRIFFIN WOLFF

“What's an inventor? Who invented the light bulb?” Introducing beginner readers to the fascinating story of inventors through history with accurate illustrations, interesting facts and simple text for idependent reading.

Edited, introduced and annotated by Cedric Watts, Professor of English Literature, University of Sussex Henry V is the most famous and influential of Shakespeare's history plays. Its powerful patriotic rhetoric has resounded down the ages, gaining eloquent expression in Laurence Olivier's renowned film. Henry himself, astute and charismatic, who led his 'band of brothers' to victory in the Battle of Agincourt, could indeed seem to be 'this star of England'. In recent decades the play has attracted increasing critical attention and is now highly controversial. Kenneth Branagh's film-production reflected the changing valuation. Does this play have a sceptical sub-text which subverts its patriotism? Is Henry's achievement beset by irony? Has current scepticism distorted a predominantly and proudly nationalistic drama?

The Wordsworth Classics Shakespeare Series presents a newly-edited sequence of William Shakespeares works.The textual editing takes account of recent scholarship while giving the material a careful reappraisal. King Lear has been widely acclaimed as Shakespeares most powerful tragedy. Elemental and passionate, it encompasses the horrific and the heart-rending. Love and hate, loyalty and treachery, cruelty and self-sacrifice: all these contend in a tempestuous drama which has become an enduring classic of the worlds literature. In the theatre and on screen King Lear continues to challenge and enthral. This Wordsworth edition of King Lear provides a comprehensive, integrated text of the play.

Paddy Bouma's soft watercolors highlight this unusual Valentine's Day story of a loving grandmother-granddaughter relationship. Heather is disappointed that Mama can't stay home from work to spend the holiday with her. Making cookies with Grandma-including a big, heart-shaped one for Mama-cheers her up. But when Heather and Grandma check on the sheep, they find one of the new lambs cold and still. Young children will identify with Heather's pride in helping care for the lamb and her joyful anticipation of another surprise to share with Mama.

An exciting new edition of the complete works of Shakespeare with these features: Illustrated with photographs from New York Shakespeare Festival productions, vivid readable readable introductions for each play by noted scholar David Bevington, a lively personal foreword by Joseph Papp, an insightful essay on the play in performance, modern spelling and pronunciation, up-to-date annotated bibliographies, and convenient listing of key passages.

lf you’re bored with your wardrobe but don’t have the cash to buy new clothes，THE STYLE FILE has the answers to you r problem。It’s packed with Ideas to brighten up old clothes and for easy—to—make accessories。 The techniques used are alI carefully explained。There’S advice，too，about hair，body shape and make—up and plenty of suggestions for putting clothes together。Choose the right set 0f jewellery from the middle of the book，cut it out，make It up and complete your new look！