"Nineteen Eighty-Four" revealed George Orwell as one of thetwentieth century's greatest mythmakers. While the totalitariansystem that provoked him into writing it has since passed intooblivion, his harrowing cautionary tale of a man trapped in apolitical nightmare has had the opposite fate: its relevance andpower to disturb our complacency seem to grow decade by decade. InWinston Smith's desperate struggle to free himself from anall-encompassing, malevolent state, Orwell zeroed in on tendenciesapparent in every modern society, and made vivid the universalpredicament of the individual.

Joyce Carol Oates's Wonderland Quartet comprises fourremarkable novels that explore social class in America and theinner lives of young Americans. Spanning from the Great Depressionto the turbulent Vietnam War era, "Wonderland" is the epic accountof Jesse Vogel, a boy who emerged from a family tragedy with hislife spared but his world torn apart. Orphaned after watching hisfather murder his entire family, Jesse embarks on a personalodyssey that takes him from a Dickensian foster home to college andgraduate school to the pinnacle of the medical profession. As anadult, Jesse must summon the strength to reach across the"generation gap" and rescue his endangered teenaged daughter, whohas fallen into the drug-infused 1960s counterculture. Hailed byLibrary Journal as "the greatest of Oates's novels," "Wonderland"is the capstone of a magnificent literary excursion that plungesbeneath the glossy surface of American life. "Wonderland" is thefinal novel in Joyce Carol Oates's Wonderland Quartet. The booksthat co

'The year I turned ninety, I wanted to give myself a gift of anight of wild love with an adolescent virgin' He has never married,never loved and never gone to bed with a woman he didn't pay. Buton finding a young girl naked and asleep on the brothel owner'sbed, a passion is ignited in his heart - and he feels, for thefirst time, the urgent pangs of love. Each night, exhausted by herfactory work, 'Delgadina' sleeps peacefully whilst he watches herquietly. During these solitary early hours, his love for herdeepens and he finds himself reflecting on his newly found passionand the loveless life he has led. By day, his columns in the localnewspaper are read avidly by those who recognise in his outpouringsthe enlivening and transformative power of love. The publication of"Memories of My Melancholy Whores" spearheads "Penguin's"celebration of Marquez's 80th birthday in 2007.

In the hopeful 1950s, Frank and April Wheeler appear to be amodel cou-ple: bright, beautiful, talented, with two young childrenand a starter home in the suburbs. Perhaps they married too youngand started a family too early. Maybe Frank's job is dull. AndApril never saw herself as a housewife.Yet they have always livedon the assumption that greatness is only just around the corner.But now that certainty is about to crumble. With heartbreaking compassion and remorseless clarity, RichardYates shows how Frank and April mortgage their spiritualbirthright, betraying not only each other, but their bestselves.

Written with burning intensity in the last years of Roberto Bolano's life, "2666" has been greeted across the world as the great writer's masterpiece, surpassing everything in imagination, beauty and scope. It is a novel on an astonishing scale from a passionate visionary. 'The best book of 2008 ...A masterpiece, the electrifying literary event of the year' - "Time". 'Readers who have snacked on Haruki Murakami will feast on Roberto Bolano'- "Sunday Times". 'Bolano makes you feel changed for having read him; he adjusts your angle of view on the world' - "Guardian".

The bestselling tale of Romanov intrigue from the author of"The Kitchen Boy" Book groups and historical fiction buffs havemade Robert Alexanderas two previous novels word-of-mouth favoritesand national bestsellers. Set against a backdrop of ImperialRussiaas twilight, "The Romanov Bride" has the same enduringappeal. The Grand Duchess Elisavyetaas story begins like a fairytaleaa German princess renowned for her beauty and kind heartmarries the Grand Duke Sergei of Russia and enters the Romanovaslavish court. Her husband, however, rules his wife as he doesMoscowawith a cold, hard fist. And, after a peaceful demonstrationbecomes a bloodbath, the fires of the revolution link Elisavyetaasdestiny to that of Pavelaa young Bolshevikaforever.

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," by Mark Twain, is part ofthe "Barnes and Noble Classics" series, which offers qualityeditions at affordable prices to the student and the generalreader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages ofcarefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable featuresof "Barnes and Noble Classics": New introductions commissioned fromtoday's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authorsChronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and culturalevents Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations,parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, andfilms inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Studyquestions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectationsBibliographies for further reading Indices and Glossaries, whenappropriateAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed tosuperior specifications; some include illustrations of historicalinterest. "Barnes and Noble Classics "pulls together aconstella

A collection of Greek and Roman myths arranged in sections on the gods and early heroes, love and adventure stories, the Trojan war, and a brief section on Norse mythology.

The literary event of the season: a new novel from Ian McEwan,as surprising as it is masterful. Michael Beard is a Nobel prize–winning physicist whose best workis behind him. Trading on his reputation, he speaks for enormousfees, lends his name to the letterheads of renowned scientificinstitutions, and half-heartedly heads a government-backedinitiative tackling global warming. While he coasts along in hisprofessional life, Michael’s personal life is another matterentirely. His fifth marriage is crumbling under the weight of hisinfidelities. But this time the tables are turned: His wife ishaving an affair, and Michael realizes he is still in love withher. When Michael’s personal and professional lives begin to intersectin unexpected ways, an opportunity presents itself in the guise ofan invitation to travel to New Mexico. Here is a chance for him toextricate himself from his marital problems, reinvigorate hiscareer, and very possibly save the world from environmentaldisaster. Can a man

Winner of the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Ten years after RABBIT REDUX, Harry Angstrom has come to enjoyprosperity as the Chief Sales Representative of Springer Motors.The rest of the world may be falling to pieces, but Harrry's doingall right. That is, until his son returns from the West, and theimage of an old love pays a visit to his lot....

(Book Jacket Status: Not Jacketed) Introduction by JohnBayley

When Meaulnes first arrives at the local school in Sologne,everyone is captivated by his good looks, daring and charisma. Butwhen Meaulnes disappears for several days, and returns with talesof a strange party at a mysterious house and a beautiful girlhidden within it, he has been changed forever. In his restlesssearch for his Lost Estate and the happiness he found there,Meaulnes, observed by his loyal friend Francois, may risk losingeverything he ever had. Poised between youthful admiration andadult resignation, Alain-Fournier's compelling narrator carries thereader through this evocative and unbearably poignant portrayal ofdesperate friendship and vanished adolescence.

"For many days we had been tempest-tossed...the raging stormincreased in fury until on the seventh day all hope was lost." Fromthese dire opening lines, a timeless story of adventure begins. Onefamily will emerge alive from this terrible storm: the Robinsons--aSwiss pastor, his wife, and four sons, plus two dogs and a shiploadof livestock. Inspired by Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe," " thisheartwarming tale portrays a family's struggle to create a new lifeon a strange and fantastic tropical island. There each boy mustlearn to utilize his own unique nature as their adventures lead todifficult challenges and amazing discoveries, including a puzzlingmessage tied to an albatross's leg. But it is in the ingenuity andauthenticity of the family itself, and the natural wonders of thisexotic land that have made The Swiss Family Robinson," " firstpublished at the beginning of the nineteenth century, one of themost enduring and imitated stories of shipwreck and survival. "Fromthe Paperback edition."

Joyce Carol Oates's Wonderland Quartet comprises four remarkablenovels that explore social class in America and the inner lives ofyoung Americans. In Expensive People, Oates takes a provocative andsuspenseful look at the roiling secrets of America's affluentsuburbs. Set in the late 1960s, this first-person confession isnarrated by Richard Everett, a precocious and obese boy who seeshimself as a minor character in the alarming drama unfolding aroundhim. Fascinated by yet alienated from his attractive, self-absorbedparents and the privileged world they inhabit, Richard incisivelyanalyzes his own mismanaged childhood, his pretentious privateschooling, his "successful-executive" father, and his elusivemother. In an act of defiance and desperation, eleven-year-oldRichard strikes out in a way that presages the violence ofever-younger Americans in the turbulent decades to come. A NationalBook Award finalist, "Expensive People" is a stunning combinationof social satire and gothic horror. "You cannot put this novel a

The best-known novellas and stories of one of the seminalwriters of the twentieth century. Included are "The Judgment, " "ACountry Doctor, " and "A Hunger Artist." New Foreword by AnneRice.

This is the story of an artist as an aging man, strugglingthrough the wreckage of Japan's World War II experience. Ishiguro'sfirst novel.

(Book Jacket Status: Not Jacketed) An immediate success on itspublication in 1726, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS was read, as John Gay putit, "from the cabinet council to the nursery." Dean Swift's greatsatire is presented here in its unexpurgated entirety.

Everyone's in love with vampires, and if his name happens to be Edward Cullen, then readers of the wildly popular Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer can't help but be crazy about him. For all those who adore Bella Swan, Edward, and the rest of the Cullen family and can't get enough, this companion guide is a must-read and a terrific gift. The series follows an unlikely couple: Bella, a teenager, and her boyfriend Edward, a vampire that has sworn off human blood. But their love is ill-fated--being a vampire, Edward must keep his passion in check, lest he is driven to suck Bella's blood. With legends, lore, and myths about everything from vampires to werewolves to immortality, a bio of the author, and a ton of insight into the four-book series, this companion guide will give millions of readers the information that they've been waiting for since book one.

Mild, harmless and ugly to behold, the impoverished Pons is anageing musician whose brief fame has fallen to nothing. Living aplacid Parisian life as a bachelor in a shared apartment with hisfriend Schmucke, he maintains only two passions: a devotion to finedining in the company of wealthy but disdainful relatives, and adedication to the collection of antiques. When these relativesbecome aware of the true value of his art collection, however,their sneering contempt for the parasitic Pons rapidly falls awayas they struggle to obtain a piece of the weakening man'sinheritance. Taking its place in the Human Comedy as a companion toCousin Bette, the darkly humorous "Cousin Pons" is among of thelast and greatest of Balzac's novels concerning French urbansociety: a cynical, pessimistic but never despairing considerationof human nature.

The Gift is the last of the novels Nabokov wrote in his nativeRussian and the crowning achievement of that period in his literarycareer. It is also his ode to Russian literature, evoking the worksof Pushkin, Gogol, and others in the course of its narrative: thestory of Fyodor Godunov-Cherdyntsev, an impoverished e migre poetliving in Berlin, who dreams of the book he will someday write--abook very much like The Gift itself.

This authoritative, accurate text of the first edition (1868—69) of Little Women is accompanied by textual variants and thorough explanatory annotations. "Backgrounds and Contexts" includes a wealth of archival materials, among them previously unpublished correspondence with Thomas Niles and Alcott's own precursors to Little Women. "Criticism" reprints twenty nineteenth-century reviews. Seven modern essays represent a variety of critical theories used to read and study the novel, including feminist (Catharine R. Stimpson, Elizabeth Keyser), new historicist (Richard H. Brodhead), psychoanalytic (Angela M. Estes and Kathleen Margaret Lant), and reader-response (Elizabeth Vincent) . A Chronology and Selected Bibliography are also included. About the series: No other series of classic texts equals the caliber of the Norton Critical Editions. Each volume combines the most authoritative text available with the comprehensive pedagogical apparatus necessary to appreciate the work fully. Carefu

A satiric masterpiece about the allure and peril of money,"Our Mutual Friend" revolves around the inheritance of a dust-heapwhere the rich throw their trash. When the body of John Harmon, thedust-heap's expected heir, is found in the Thames, fortunes changehands surprisingly, raising to new heights "Noddy" Boffin, alow-born but kindly clerk who becomes "the Golden Dustman." CharlesDickens's last complete novel, "Our Mutual Friend" encompasses thegreat themes of his earlier works: the pretensions of the nouveauxriches, the ingenuousness of the aspiring poor, and the unfailingpower of wealth to corrupt all who crave it. With its flavorfulcast of characters and numerous subplots, "Our Mutual Friend" isone of Dickens's most complex--and satisfying--novels.

"The Metamorphosis and Other Stories," by Franz Kafka, is partof the ""Barnes and Noble Classics" "series, which offers qualityeditions at affordable prices to the student and the generalreader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages ofcarefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable featuresof "Barnes and Noble Classics": New introductions commissioned fromtoday's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authorsChronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and culturalevents Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations,parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, andfilms inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Studyquestions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectationsBibliographies for further reading Indices and Glossaries, whenappropriateAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed tosuperior specifications; some include illustrations of historicalinterest. "Barnes and Noble Classics "pulls together