The Diamond as Big as the Ritz is an ominous fable about the pursuit of great wealth. Readers will be transported to a fabulous fantasy land of such opulence that its very existence has to remain a jealously guarded secret. Fatal consequences lie in store for 'bona fide' guests and uninvited visitors alike, while the sybaritic luxury of the place is evoked in an effortless prose style which is quintessentially F. Scott Fitzgerald. Also featured in this volume are The Cut-Glass Bowl, May Day, The Rich Boy, Crazy Sunday, An Alcoholic Case, The Lees of Happiness, The Lost Decade and Babylon Revisited.
Antony and Cleopatra is one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies: a spectacular, widely-ranging drama of love and war, passion and politics. Antony is divided between the responsibilities of imperial power and the intensities of his sexual relationship with Cleopatra. She, variously generous and ruthless, loving and jealous, petulant and majestic, emerges as Shakespeare's most complex depiction of a woman: 'Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale Her infinite variety.' Unsurpassed in sumptuous eloquence and powerful characterisation,Antony and Cleopatra deservedly retains its popularity in the theatre.lts insibhts into the corruptions of power and the ambiguities of desire remain timely. This volume is part of the new Wordsworth Classics'Shakespeare Series,in Which each volume has been freshly edited Cedric Watts.
With amazing vividness, Nina Foch essays Henry James's earliest (1881) and perhaps most accessible masterpiece. A penniless American girl is brought to Europe where her beauty, ingenuousness, and na veté attract a variety of suitors. In spite of wanting to do everything right, everything comes out wrong in this perceptive, subtle, and multilayered psychological novel, which Foch plays like a musical instrument. A rather loud one -- she hits all the notes correctly but coarsely. The effect is like a bordello pianist--albeit one with nimble fingers--playing Chopin on an old upright. A maladroit abridgment causes occasional confusion. Lackadaisical engineering adds stridency and calls attention to edits. Y.R. AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
A writer is held hostage by his number-one fan in the novel that"demand[s] that we take King seriously as a writer with a deeplyfelt understanding of human psychology" ( Publishers Weekly ).His deeply felt understanding of what terrifies us doesn't hurteither.
Charles Dickens (1821-1870) used his fiction to criticize the injustices of his time, especially the brutal treatment of the poor. He is also the author of Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations. He was born in Portsmouth, England.
Tom Jones is widely regarded as one of the first and most influential English novels.It is certainly the funniest. Tom Jones,the hero of the book,is introduced to the reader as the ward of a liberal Somerset squire.Tom is a generous but slightly wild and feckless country boy with a weakness for young women.Misfortune,followed by many spirited adventures as he travels to London to seek his fortune,teach him a sort of wisdom to go with his essential good-hearted-ness. This‘comic,epic poem in prose’will make the modern reader laugh as much as it did his forbears.Its biting satire finds an echo in today's society,for as Doris Lessing recently remarked 'This country becomes every day more like the eighteenth century,full of thieves and adventurers,rogues and a robust,unhypocritical savagery side-by-side with people lecturing others on morality.'
The classic nightmare tale in a thrilling new edition Spawned by a nightmare that Stevenson had, this classic tale ofthe dark, primordial night of the soul remains a masterpiece of theduality of good and evil within us all.
...that was the way Jack London saw life, and the more he lived it the more enamored of it he became. "All I saw," he once wrote, "was glamor of conquest, of scarlet adventure and yellow gold. ...The life was brave and wild, and I was living the adventure I had read so much about." Brilliant, poetic, swift with violence and action, his stories clearly illustrate the unique spirit of his unbridled genius. Critics admitted that the young firebrand -- "while frightfully primitive" -- was challenging Poe, Kipling and Melville as a one-in-a-million storyteller. The tales in this volume have been thrilling readers for nearly half a century.
HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. 'Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, "and what is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or conversations?"' So begins the tale of Alice, following a curious White Rabbit down a rabbit-hole and falling into Wonderland. A fantastical place, where nothing is quite as it seems: animals talk, nonsensical characters confuse, Mad Hatter's throw tea parties and the Queen plays croquet. Alice's attempts to find her way home become increasingly bizarre, infuriating and amazing in turn. A beloved classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has continued to delight readers, young and old for over a century.
What's the truth behind the legend of the hound of theBaskervilles? Is it really a devil-beast that's haunting the lonelymoors? Enter Sherlock Holmes to find the answer, in this, the onlyfull-length novel ever written by the creator of one of the mostpopular and enduring detective series ever written.
The Mill on the Floss, based on George Eliot's own experiences of provincial life, is a masterpiece of ambiguity in which moral choice is subjected to the hypocrisy of the Victorian age. As the headstrong Maggie Tulliver grows intowomanhood, the deep love which she has for her brother Tom turns into conflict, because she cannot reconcile his bourgeois standards withher own lively intelligence. Maggie is unable to adapt to her community or break free from it, and the result, on more than one level is tragedy.
Grade 5 Up-Opening with the classic line, "Call me Ishmael," the narrator's New England accent adds a touch of authenticity to this sometimes melodramatic presentation. The St. Charles Players do a credible job on the major roles, but some of the group responses, such as "Aye, aye Captain," sound more comic than serious. This adaptation retains a good measure of Melville's dialogue and key passages which afford listeners a vivid connection with the lengthy novel. Background music and appropriate sound effects enhance the telling of the story about Captain Ahab's obsessive pursuit of the malevolent white whale. The cassettes are clearly marked, and running times are noted on each side of the tapes. Announcements at the beginning of each side and a subtle chime signal at the end make it easy to follow the story, but a stereo player must be used to hear some dialogue. The lightweight cardboard package is inadequate for circulation. Done in a radio theatre format, the recording does a nice job of introducing the
Book De*ion Let number-one New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts flyyou into Lunacy, Alaska, and into a colorful, compelling new novelabout two lonely souls who find love - and redemtion... Lunacy was Nate Burke's last chance. As a Baltimore cop, he'dwatched his partner die on the street - and the guilt still hauntshim. With nowhere else to go, he accepts the job as chief of policein this tiny, remote Alaskan town, where the peace provides a balmfor his shattered soul - and an unexpected affair with pilot MegGalloway warms his nights... But other things in Lunacy are heating up. Nate suspects thekiller in an unsolved murder still walks the snowy streets. Hisinvestigation will unearth the secrets and suspicions that lurkbeneath the placid surface, as well as bring out the big-citysurvival instincts that made him a cop in the first place. And hisdiscovery will threaten the new life - and the new love - that hehas finally found for herself. "Roberts is among the best popul
Encouraged by the prphecy of three strange witches and the ambitions of his wife，the once noble warrior Macbeth slays the king in order to claim the throne of Scotland。But in committing shch an ignoble act，Macbeth comes to realize he has damned himself。 PENGUIN POPULAR CLASSICS are the perfect introduction to the world。famous PENGUIN CLASSICS series—whjch encompasses the best books ever written，from Homer’s Odyssey to Orwell’S 1984 and everything in between。For a fuII list and ideas on what to read next，visit www.Denguinclassics.com。
Set in 1482, Victor Hugo's powerful novel of 'imagination,caprice and fantasy' is a meditation on love, fate, architecture and politics, as well as a compelling recreation of the medieval world at the dawn of the modern age. In a brilliant reworking of the tale of Beauty and the Beast, Hugo creates a host of unforgettable characters - amongst them,Quasimodo, the hunchback of the title, hopelessly in love with the gypsy girl Esmeralda, the satanic priest Claude Frollo, Clopin Trouillefou, king of the beggars, and Louis XI, King of France.Over the entire novel, both literally and symbolically, broods the Cathedral of Notre-Dame. Vivid characters and memorable set-piece action scenes combine to bring the past to life in this story of love, lust,betraval, doom and redemption.
Drawn from the wondrous tales told to Kipling as a child byhis Indian nurses, "Just So Stories" creates the magicalenchantment of the dawn of the world, when animals could talk andthink like people.
Sherlock Holmes was not the only writing Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) did but Holmes and Dr. Watson are his most remembered characters. Holmes titled himself a "Consulting Detective". His powers of observation, his understanding of crime, and his insights into the criminal mind were brilliant. His knowledge of things not related to crime were extemely limited, except in opera and the violin. Like many other authors famous for a single character, Arthur Conan Doyle attempted to "kill" Holmes. But the readers would not let this happen. Holmes eventually appeared in 56 short stories and 4 novels. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
When a huge cyclone transports the orphan Dorothy and her little dog Toto from Kansas to the Land of Oz,she fears that she will never see Aunt Em and Uncle Henry ever again. But she meets the Munchkins, and they tell her to follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City where the Wonderful Wizard of Oz will grant any wish.On the way, she meets the brainless Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion. The four friends set off to seek their hearts' desires, and in a series of action-packed adventures they encounter a deadly poppy field, fierce animals, flying monkeys, a wicked witch, a good witch, and the Mighty Oz himself.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is the classic detective chiller. It features the world's greatest detective，Sherlock Holmes，in his most challenging case. The Baskerville family is haunted by a phantom beast with blazing eyes and dripping jaws'which roams the mist-enshrouded moors around the isolated gaskerville Hall on Dartmoor. Now the hound seems to be stalking young Sir Henry，the new master of the Baskerville estate. Is this fiendish spectre the manifestation of the family curse？Or is Sir Henry the victim of a vile and scheming murderer？Only Sherlock Holmes can solve this devilish affair. The Hound of the Baskervilles is introduced by David Stuart Davies，Editor of Sherlock Holmes-The Detective Magazine and several books concerning Sherlock Holmes.
在线阅读本书 Dr. Moreau, a scientist expelled from his homeland for cruelexperiments, finds a deserted island where he can create hideouscreatures with manlike intelligence. But as the rigid order onMoreau's island dissolves, the consequences of his experimentsemerge-and his creations revert to beasts more shocking than naturecould devise.
ENDURING LITERATURE ILLUMINATED BY PRACTICAL SCHOLARSHIP Dickens's epic novel of freedom, love, and the burning chaos of the French Revolution. EACH ENRICHED CLASSIC EDITION INCLUDES: *A concise introduction that gives readers important background information *A chronology of the author's life and work *A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context *An outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations *Detailed explanatory notes *Critical analysis, including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work *Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction *A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience 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.
