Oscar Wilde took London by storm with his first comedy,Lady Windermere's Fan。 The combination of dazzling wit,subtle social criticism,sumptuous settings and the theme of a guilty secret proved a winner,both here and in his next three plays,A Woman of No Importance,An Ideal Husband,and his undisputed masterpiece,The Importance of Being Earnest。 This volume includes all Wilde’s plays from his early tragedy Vera to the controversial Salome and the little known fragments,La Sainte Courtisane and A Florentine Tragedy。 The edition affords a rare chance to see Wilde's best known work in the context of his entire dramatic output,and to appreciate plays which have hitherto received scant critical attention。 Wilde's palys have never failde to delight andindces adn are a lasting testimony to their author's supreme wit and therrical genius。
Pride and Prejudice, which opens with one of the most famous sentences in English Literature, is an ironic novel of manners. In it the garrulous and empty-headed Mrs Bennet has only one aim - that of finding a good match for each of her five daughters. In this she is mocked by her cynical and indolent husband. With its wit, its social precision and, above all, its irresistible heroine, Pride and Prejudice has proved one of the most enduringly popular novels in the English language.
The bestselling author of "When The Bough Breaks," "BloodTest," and "Over The Edge" delivers the most stunning novel yet andfeaturing psychologist-detective Dr. Alex Delaware. At a party fora controversial Los Angeles sex therapist, Alex encounters a facefrom his own past--Sharon Ransom, an exquisite, alluring lover wholeft him abruptly more than a decade earlier. Sharon now hints thathe desperately needs help, but Alex evades her. The next day she isdead, an apparent suicide. Driven by guilt and sadness, Alexplunges into the maze of Sharon's life--a journey that will takehim through the pleasure palaces of California's ultra-rich, intothe dark closets of a family's disturbing past, and finally intothe alleyways of the mind, where childhood terrors still hold sway.Also available on BDD Audio Cassette.
The story of 'Little Nell' gripped the nation when it first appeared. Described as a 'tragedy of sorrows', it tells of Nell uprooted from a secure and innocent childhood and cast into a world where evil takes many shapes, the most fascinating of which is the stunted, lecherous Quilp. He is Nell's tormenter and destroyer, and it is his demonic energy that dominates the book.
In Dorian Gray, Wilde's full-length novel, a fashionable youngman sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Also included inthe volume are three of the Irish master storyteller's shortworks.
Mining crimes of the past and politics, Truman ( Murder at thePentagon ) scants the basic plotting requirements of her 11thCapital Crimes case, which is marred by superfluous unsolvedmurders and an unconvincing conclusion. When the body of PaulineJuris, personal secretary of wealthy developer Wendell Tierney, isfound in the Potomac River, Tierney calls former attorney, now lawprofessor, Mackenzie Smith for advice. Mac, whose beloved wifeAnnabel wants him to stop dabbling in detection, agrees to seeWendell, but he refuses to ferret out the police line on the case,even though a former student of his heads the investigation team.Tierney, becoming chief suspect when love letters, purportedly fromhim, are found in the dead woman's apartment, again begs for Mac'shelp. Both Mac and Annabel are drawn into the case, which takes onanother twist when the suspect's adopted son, Sun Ben Cheong, isarrested for money laundering. Truman plumps up Mac's low-keysleuthing with the goings on of the fictitious Scarlet Sin
They tried to tell him that his father had killed himself, butKearney McRaven knew better. No matter what life had dealt him, hisfather would go down fighting. And as he delved deeper into themystery, he learned that just before his father died, the elderMcRaven had experienced a remarkable run of luck: he'd won nearlyten thousand dollars and the deed to a cattle ranch. Not yeteighteen, Kearney was determined enough to track down his father'smurderer and claim what was rightfully his. Now, followed everystep of the way by a shadowy figure, Kearney must solve the mysteryof his father's hidden past--a past that concealed a cold-bloodedkiller who would stop at nothing to keep a chilling secret.
"The Lonesome Gods" is Louis L'Amour's biggest and mostimportant historical novel to date, a sweeping adventure of theCalifornia frontier. Here is the fascinating story of JohannesVerne, a young man left to die by his vengeful grandfather, rescuedby outlaws and raised in part by the Indians of the desert.Strengthened by the love of two women--Miss Nesselrode, whosemysterious past fires her ambitions for the future and Meghan, awillful young beauty--Verne grows to become a rugged adventurer, aman strong enough to embrace the awesome power of the Palm Springsdesert, and bold enough to stake a claim in the bustling world ofopportunity that was early-day Los Angeles.
There are few authors who can weave nail-biting thrills,edge-of-your-seat drama, and romantic suspense as masterfully asJulie Garwood. Now she ratchets up the tension with "Murder List,"in which evil is on the hunt- and proves to be methodicallyorganized and chillingly successful. When Chicago detective AlecBuchanan is offered a prime position with the FBI, it is theperfect opportunity to leave the Windy City and follow in hisbrothers' footsteps to the top echelons of law enforcement. Butfirst he must complete one last assignment (and one that he is nottoo happy about): acting as a glorified bodyguard to hotel heiressRegan Hamilton Madison. The gorgeous exec has become entangled insome potentially deadly business. Someone has e-mailed her agraphic crime-scene photo-and the victim is no stranger. Regansuspects that the trouble started when she agreed to help ajournalist friend expose a shady self-help guru who preys onlonely, vulnerable women. In fact, the smooth-as-an-oil-slick Dr.Lawrence Shields may
Tender is the Night is a story set in tile hedonistic high society of Europe during the 'Roaring Twenties'.A wealthy schizophrenic. Nicole Warren, falls in love with Dick Diver - her psychiatrist. Tile resulting saga of the Divers troubled marriage and their circle of friends.includes a cast of aristocratic and beautiful people.unhappy love affairs, a duel. incest, and the problems inherent in the possession of great wealth. Despite cataloguing a maelstronl of interpersona conflict. Tender is the Night has a poignancy and warmth which springs frorn the quality of F. Scott Fitzgerald's writing and the tragic personal experiences on which the book is based.
When friends stop trusting each other, Darkness is there to fan the flames…. Things have turned black at the House of Night. Zoey Redbird’s soul has shattered. With everything she’s ever stood for falling apart, and a broken heart making her want to stay in the Otherworld forever, Zoey’s fading fast. It’s seeming more and more doubtful that she will be able pull herself back together in time to rejoin her friends and set the world to rights. As the only living person who can reach her, Stark must find a way to get to her. But how? He will have to die to do so, the Vampyre High Council stipulates. And then Zoey will give up for sure. There are only 7 days left… Enter BFF Stevie Rae. She wants to help Z but she has massive problems of her own. The rogue Red Fledglings are acting up, and this time not even Stevie Rae can protect them from the consequences. Her kinda boyfriend, Dallas, is sweet but too nosy for his own good. The truth is, Stevie Rae’s hiding a secret that
In this exciting collection of short stories, Louis L'Amour, thelegendary voice of the American West, celebrates the unique breedof men who worked the great cattle ranches. Men like Dan Regan, whorefused to surrender when trouble came -- Con Fargo, who wouldfight for what was his--despite the odds -- Rowdy Horn, asmall-time rancher with big-time dreams -- Tandy Thayer, too loyalto forget a friend ... Bill Carey, who might have fallen low, butnot low enough to let the likes of Tabat Ryerson ride off with awoman like Jane Conway -- and in the classic title story, DannyLonigan, a hard rider who faced a group of rustlers withoutfear--or mercy.
Book De*ion Dean Koontz’s uniquetalent for writing terrifying thrillers with a heart and soul isnowhere more evident than in this latest suspense masterpiece thatpits one man against the ultimate deadline. If there were speedlimits for the sheer pulse-racing excitement allowed in one novel,Velocity would break them all. Get ready for the ride of yourlife. From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. A diabolic killer plays a harrowing game of catand mouse with a reclusive bartender in Koontz's latest grippingsuspense thriller. Billy Wiles, a 30-something bartender and formerwriter, is content with his solitary Napa County existencelistening to "beer-based psychoanalysis" from tavern regulars;visiting his hospitalized, comatose fiancée, Barbara; and carvingwood sculptures. But the simple life gets mighty complicated whenhe finds a note with a deadly, time-sensitive ultimatum: he mustchoose between the death of a young schoolteacher or an elderlyhumanitarian in six hours. Reluctant local s
The original vampire Since its publication in 1897, Dracula continues to terrify readerswith its depiction of a vampire with an insatiable thirst for bloodand the group of hunters determined to end his existence before hedestroys a young woman's soul.
Welcome to New York City's Upper East Side, where Gossip Girl and her friends are the biggest stars ...whether or not the cameras are rolling. Lights, camera, scandal! Hollywood is invading New York and Serena is set for her big screen debut. She's already having an off-screen romance with her onscreen lover, Thaddeus. What will that mean for Hamptons-bound Nate? And if Nate is free, what about Blair? Sure, she's off to London to spend time with her royal boytoy, but Nate will always be Prince Charming in her eyes...
Set in an apocalyptic future ending in the year 2100, Shelley's 1826 novel concerns a plague that destroys almost all of humankind. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Every so often a character so captures the hearts andimaginations of readers that he seems to take on a life of his ownlong after the final page is turned. For such a character, one bookis not enough--readers must know what happens next. Now Dean Koontzreturns with the novel his fans have been demanding. With theemotional power and sheer storytelling artistry that are histrademarks, Koontz takes up once more the story of a unique younghero and an eccentric little town in a tale that is equal partssuspense and terror, adventure and mystery--and altogetherirresistibly odd. We're all a little odd beneath the surface. He'sthe most unlikely hero you'll ever meet--an ordinary guy with amodest job you might never look at twice. But there's so much moreto any of us than meets the eye--and that goes triple for OddThomas. For Odd lives always between two worlds in the small deserttown of Pico Mundo, where the heroic and the harrowing are everydayevents. Odd never asked to communicate with the dead--it'ssomething
The wild rush of action in this classic frontier adventure story has made The Last of the Mohicans the most popular of James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales. Deep in the forests of upper New York State, the brave woodsman Hawkeye (Natty Bumppo) and his loyal Mohican friends Chingachgook and Uncas become embroiled in the bloody battles of the French and Indian War. The abduction of the beautiful Munro sisters by hostile savages, the treachery of the renegade brave Magua, the ambush of innocent settlers, and the thrilling events that lead to the final tragic confrontation between rival war parties create an unforgettable, spine-tingling picture of life on the frontier. And as the idyllic wilderness gives way to the forces of civilization, the novel presents a moving portrayal of a vanishing race and the end of its way of life in the great American forests.
Des employés de ministère étriqués, une jeunesse bruyante quedistrait le canotage sur la Seine, des petits boutiquiers qui nerêvent que pêche à la ligne, des paysans ?pres au gain de laHaute-Normandie : c'est l'univers familier de Maupassant que nousretrouvons ici dans sa diversité. Et cependant, un thème unit cescontes : la destruction de l'individu. C'est en effet la mort quir?de dans ces quatre récits de la cruauté ordinaire que Maupassantfait para?tre de 1881 à 1883. Mais cette dureté n'empêche pas lagaieté, ni que la farce se mêle au tragique. Séduisante etgrin?ante tour à tour, la réalité que mettent en scène ceshistoires de la vie quotidienne n'est donc banale qu'en apparence.L'inquiétante étrangeté n'est jamais très loin et, dans ces contessi réalistes, Maupassant nous conduit aux frontières où s'effacentles explications les plus naturelles
A plucky street boy who smokes, gambles, and speaksungrammatically, Dick is also honest and hardworking. Aquintessential novel of adventure, romance, and coming-of-age, itis also an exhilarating tale of one boy's metamorphosis from dirtystreet urchin to gentleman.
Introduction and Notes by Robert Hampson, Royal Holloway College, University of London Nostromo is the only man capable of the decisive action needed to save the silver of the San Tome mine and secure independence for Sulaco, Occidental province of the Latin American state of Costaguana. Is his integrity as unassailable as everyone believes, or will his ideals, like those which have inspired the struggling state itself, buckle under economic and political pressures? Nostromo is an extraordinary illustration of the impact of foreign commercial exploits on a young developing nation, and the problems of reconciling individual identity with a social role.
The Diary of a Nobody is so unassuming a work that even its author, George Grossmith, seemed unaware that he had produced a masterpiece. For more than a century this wonderfully comic portrayal of suburban life and values has remined in print, a source of delight to generations of readers, and a major literary influence, much imitated but never equalled. If you don't recognise yourself at some point in The Diary you are probably less than human. If you can read it without laughing aloud you have no sense of humour.
In one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most eerie and accomplished stories, Holmes and Dr. Watson solve the case of the demonic creature roaming the moors near the Baskerville estate.