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Books > Fiction > Special features > Classic fiction
The gripping new thriller in the brilliant Constance Fairchild
series, from one of Scotland's foremost crime writers. On
compassionate leave following the death of her mother, Detective
Constable Constance Fairchild thought renting a cottage near
Aberystwyth, Wales would get her far enough from London to finally
relax. But trouble always seems to find Con, and it's not long
before she is cooling off in a police station cell after defending
herself from two would-be rapists. In custody she meets a young
Ukrainian woman, Lila, who confides in Con that she's been forced
by her manipulative boyfriend into prostitution and running drugs.
Fearing for her life, she has run away from him, only to end up in
the cells. Con offers to help, but when her cottage is ransacked,
and Lila subsequently disappears, she realises she's stumbled into
very dangerous company. International drug smugglers and ruthless
people traffickers - those who will stop at nothing to protect
their secrets. Out here at the end of the line, will Con find that
there's nowhere left to run? Praise for James Oswald: 'The new Ian
Rankin' Daily Record 'Creepy, gritty and gruesome' Sunday Mirror
'Crime fiction's next big thing' Sunday Telegraph
By the dim and yellow light of the moon, as it forced its way
through the window-shutters, I beheld the wretch-the miserable
monster whom I had created. He held up the curtain of the bed; and
his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws
opened... Frankenstein is the most celebrated horror story ever
written. It tells the dreadful tale of Victor Frankenstein, a
visionary young student of natural philosophy, who discovers the
secret of life. In the grip of his obsession he constructs a being
from dead body parts, and animates this creature. The results, for
Victor and for his family, are catastrophic. Written when Mary
Shelley was just eighteen, Frankenstein was inspired by the ghost
stories and vogue for Gothic literature that fascinated the
Romantic writers of her time. She transformed these supernatural
elements an epic parable that warned against the threats to
humanity posed by accelerating technological progress. Published
for the 200th anniversary, this edition, based on the original 1818
text, explains in detail the turbulent intellectual context in
which Shelley was writing, and also investigates how her novel has
since become a byword for controversial practices in science and
medicine, from manipulating ecosystems to vivisection and genetic
modification. As an iconic study of power, creativity, and,
ultimately, what it is to be human, Frankenstein continues to shape
our thinking in profound ways to this day.
OUT NOW IN CINEMAS AND NOMINATED FOR FOUR OSCARS A cool, cruel,
rediscovered classic of American noir adapted for cinemas by
Guillermo del Toro, starring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett and
Rooney Mara 'Read and shudder. And relish' Guardian 'A creepy,
all-too-harrowing masterpiece' Washington Post Stanton Carlisle,
employed as a carny at a travelling circus watches their freak-show
geek - an abject alcoholic, the object of the voyeuristic crowd's
gleeful disgust and derision - and wonders how a man could fall so
low. There's no way in hell, he vows, that anything like that will
ever happen to him. Unlike the tragic figure he sees before him,
Stan is young, clever and ambitious and quick to learn from the
other carnival acts. Initially teaming up with a beautiful but
vulnerable woman as part of a double act in which he mesmerises
her, Stan soon leaves his circus days behind him, becoming a
successful spiritualist who exploits the weak and the wealthy. But
even the very best con-men can meet their match.... With a new
introduction from James Smythe, Nightmare Alley is a forgotten
classic of Depression-era America: a brilliant, horrifying,
compulsive journey into the true darkness of the human mind.
'Instantly the spirit of hell awoke in me and raged...I was
suddenly struck through the heart by a cold thrill of terror.'
Stevenson's short novel, published in 1886, became an instant
classic. It was a Gothic horror that originated in a feverish
nightmare, whose hallucinatory setting in the murky back streets of
London gripped a nation mesmerized by crime and violence. The
respectable doctor's mysterious relationship with his disreputable
associate is finally revealed in one of the most original and
thrilling endings in English literature. In addition to Jekyll and
Hyde, this edition also includes a number of short stories and
essays written by Stevenson in the 1880s, minor masterpieces of
fiction and comment: 'The Body Snatcher', 'Markheim', and 'Olalla'
feature grave-robbing, a sinister double, and degeneracy, while 'A
Chapter on Dreams' and 'A Gossip on Romance' discuss artistic
creation and the 'romance' form. Appendixes provide extracts from
contemporary writings on personality disorder, which set
Stevenson's tale in its full historical context. ABOUT THE SERIES:
For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the
widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable
volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the
most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features,
including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful
notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further
study, and much more.
Sense and Sensibility is the story of the two Dashwood sisters, who
embody the conflict between the oppressive nature of "civilized"
society and the human desire for romantic passion. Elinor is
cautious and unassuming about sentimental matters, while Marianne
is wild and passionate, falling hopelessly in love with Mr
Willoughby. But the lessons in life and romance see the two
characters develop and change, with sense and sensibility needing
to be compromised as a matter of survival. Austen's first published
work, the novel has been read as an autobiographical reflection of
her relationship with her own sister Cassandra. Against the
backdrop of a fragile social context, Jane Austen creates a
romantic masterpiece of raw and intense quality.
The disquieting tales of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman explore a world of
contrast, where the supernatural erupts out of authentically drawn
portraits of New England life. This is a world of witchcraft,
secrecy, domestic spaces turned uncanny and ancestral vengeances
inflicted upon the unfortunates of the present. Collecting the best
of the author's strange tales - including 'The White Shawl', which
was unpublished during her lifetime - this volume casts a light on
an underappreciated contributor to weird fiction and the shadowy
corners of a dark imagination.
![In the Labyrinth (Paperback): Alain Robbe-Grillet](//media.loot.co.za/images/x80/306356502896179215.jpg) |
In the Labyrinth
(Paperback)
Alain Robbe-Grillet; Translated by Christine Brooke-Rose
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R305
R246
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The Battle of Reichenfels has been fought and lost. The army is in
flight. The enemy is expected to arrive in town at any moment. A
soldier, carrying a parcel under his arm, is wandering through an
unknown town. All the streets look the same, and he cannot remember
the name of one where he was supposed to meet the man who had
agreed to take the parcel. But he must deliver the parcel or at
least get rid of it... A brilliant work from one of the finest
exponents of the Nouveau Roman, In the Labyrinth showcases an
inventive, hypnotic style which creates an uncanny atmosphere of
deja vu, yet undermines the reader's expectations at every turn.
![Between the Acts (Paperback): Virginia Woolf](//media.loot.co.za/images/x80/31511124240179215.jpg) |
Between the Acts
(Paperback)
Virginia Woolf; Edited by Frank Kermode
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R249
R177
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Between the Acts is Virginia Woolf's last novel, and in her own
opinion it was `more quintessential' than any of her others. Set in
the summer of 1939 on the day of the annual village pageant at
Pointz Hall, the book weaves together the musings of several
disparate characters and their reactions to the imminence of a war
which is to change the pattern of history. Before the book was
published in the spring of 1941, Virginia Woolf had taken her own
life. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics
has made available the widest range of literature from around the
globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to
scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of
other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading
authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date
bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short
stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers,
designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith. 'The hour
should be evening and the season winter, for in winter the
champagne brightness of the air and the sociability of the streets
are grateful'. In such conditions, Virginia Woolf takes to London's
streets in search of a pencil. The account of her journey - the
people, the places, the pleasure - soon becomes one of the great
paeans to city life. This collection also includes other wonderful
essays, such as 'How Should One Read a Book?' and 'The Sun and the
Fish'. 'One of the great writers of the twentieth century' Guardian
HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved,
essential classics. 'Our consciousness rarely registers the
beginning of a growth within us any more than without us: there
have been many circulations of the sap before we detect the
smallest sign of the bud.' Set in the agricultural town of Raveloe
in the English countryside, Silas Marner is a tragic figure. Exiled
from a religious community because of a wrongful accusation of
theft, he works from day to day as a weaver, saving his money and
living a lonely life as a recluse. It is only when his money is
stolen and a small orphan girl, Eppie appears in his life that
Silas's fortunes begin to change and he truly begins to learn what
it means to regain his faith in life.
![Young Anne (Paperback): Dorothy Whipple](//media.loot.co.za/images/x80/442706821521179215.jpg) |
Young Anne
(Paperback)
Dorothy Whipple; Preface by Lucy Mangan
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R524
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A mysterious stranger appears at a New Year's Eve party, becoming
the enigmatic sleuthing sidekick to the snobbish Mr
Satterthwaite... So far, it had been a typical New Year's Eve house
party. But Mr Satterthwaite - a keen observer of human nature -
sensed that the real drama of the evening was yet to unfold. So it
proved when a mysterious stranger arrived after midnight. Who was
this Mr Quin? And why did his presence have such a pronounced
effect on Eleanor Portal, the woman with the dyed-black hair?
![The Winter's Tale (Paperback): William Shakespeare](//media.loot.co.za/images/x80/70097381521179215.jpg) |
The Winter's Tale
(Paperback)
William Shakespeare; Edited by Dr Barbara a. Mowat, Paul Werstine
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R200
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The authoritative edition of The Winter's Tale from The Folger
Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series
for students and general readers. The Winter's Tale, one of
Shakespeare's very late plays, is filled with improbabilities.
Before the conclusion, one character comments that what we are
about to see, "Were it but told you, should be hooted at / Like an
old tale." It includes murderous passions, man-eating bears,
princes and princesses in disguise, death by drowning and by grief,
oracles, betrayal, and unexpected joy. Yet the play, which draws
much of its power from Greek myth, is grounded in the everyday. A
"winter's tale" is one told or read on a long winter's night.
Paradoxically, this winter's tale is ideally seen rather than
read--though the imagination can transform words into vivid action.
Its shift from tragedy to comedy, disguises, and startling exits
and transformations seem addressed to theater audiences. This
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 the play's 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 -Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast
holdings of rare books -An annotated guide to further reading Essay
by Stephen Orgel The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC,
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. For
more information, visit Folger.edu.
In a poor town in Kansas, an African American family struggles. At
its centre sits Sandy Rodgers - a young boy attempting to find
purpose amid the chaos, meagreness and music of his surroundings.
His narrative intertwines with those of his family - his wandering
father, his fervent grandmother, his blues-singing aunt - to create
a brilliantly intricate portrait of Black life in the early
twentieth century. Not Without Laughter, Langston Hughes'
unforgettable debut novel, is a landmark in the history of a
racially divided America and one of the jewels of the Harlem
Renaissance.
![Surfeit of Suspects (Paperback): George Bellairs](//media.loot.co.za/images/x80/1299570585726179215.jpg) |
Surfeit of Suspects
(Paperback)
George Bellairs; Introduction by Martin Edwards
1
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R281
R229
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Following a mysterious explosion, the offices of Excelsior Joinery
Company are no more; the 3 directors are killed and the peace of a
quiet town in Surrey lies in ruins. When the supposed cause of
ignited gas leak is dismissed and the presence of dynamite
revealed, Superintendent Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is summoned to
the scene. But beneath the sleepy veneer of Evingden lies a hotbed
of deep-seated grievances. Confounding Littlejohn's investigation
is an impressive cast of suspicious persons, each concealing their
own axe to grind. Bellairs' novel of small-town grudges with
calamitous consequences revels in the abundant possible solutions
to the central crime as a masterpiece of misdirection.
Nine gripping tales of psychological terror and the supernatural, by the undisputed master of the American Gothic horror story: "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Masque of the Red Death," "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Pit and the Pendulum" and four others. Inspired, easily affordable classics for mystery lovers and horror story fans.
With an Introduction by David Stuart Davies. Father Brown, one of
the most quirkily genial and lovable characters to emerge from
English detective fiction, first made his appearance in The
Innocence of Father Brown in 1911. That first collection of stories
established G.K. Chesterton's kindly cleric in the front rank of
eccentric sleuths. This complete collection contains all the
favourite Father Brown stories, showing a quiet wit and compassion
that has endeared him to many, whilst solving his mysteries by a
mixture of imagination and a sympathetic worldliness in a totally
believable manner.
![Selected Stories (Paperback, New edition): Anton Chekhov](//media.loot.co.za/images/x80/655022503297179215.jpg) |
Selected Stories
(Paperback, New edition)
Anton Chekhov; Introduction by Joe Andrew; Notes by Joe Andrew; Series edited by Keith Carabine
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R129
R93
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With an Introduction and Notes by Joe Andrew, Professor of Russian
Literature, Keele University. Anton Chekhov is widely regarded as
one of the greatest writers of short stories. He constructs stories
where action and drama are implied rather than described openly,
and which leave much to the reader's imagination. This collection
contains some of the most important of his earliest and shortest
comic sketches, as well as examples of his great, mature works.
Throughout, the doctor-turned-writer displays compassion for human
suffering and misfortune, but is always able to see the comical,
even farcical aspects of the human condition. Chekhov sees and
depicts life with unwavering honesty and truthfulness, although a
clear moral sense can be detected beneath his apparent objectivity.
Based on the popular Netflix series! In the early 20th century,
esteemed writer Maurice Leblanc created Arsene Lupin, a French
Sherlock Holmes-type who became known as the gentleman thief.
Lupin's exploits, in pursuit of the rich, have been documented in
more than twenty stories and books, as well as in film. In January
2021, Netflix released a major hit in the entertaining Lupin
mystery-comedy series based on the stories. The Best Stories of
Arsene Lupin is a collection of the most engaging of Leblanc's
writing about Lupin, with a special foreword by West Point
associate professor of English and writer Matthew Carey Salyer.
With an Introduction and Notes by Dr Keith Carabine, University of
Kent at Canterbury. Lucia is one of the great comic characters in
English literature. Outrageously pretentious, hypocritical and
snobbish, Queen Lucia, 'as by right divine' rules over the toy
kingdom of 'Riseholme' based on the Cotswold village of Broadway.
Her long-suffering husband Pepino is 'her prince-consort', the
outrageously camp Georgie is her 'gentleman-in-waiting', the
village green is her 'parliament', and her subjects, such as Daisy
Quantock, are hapless would-be 'Bolsheviks'. In Lucia in London,
the prudish, manically ambitious Lucia launches herself into the
louche world of London society. Her earnest determination to learn
all about 'modern movements' makes her the perfect comic vehicle
for Benson's free-wheeling satire of salon society, and of the
dominant fads and movements of the 1920s, including vegetarianism,
yoga, palmistry, Freudianism, seances, Post-Impressionist art and
Christian Science. Meanwhile in Tilling, clearly modelled on
Benson's home town of Rye, Miss Mapp consumed by 'chronic rage and
curiosity' sits at her window, armed with her light-opera glasses
keeping baleful watch on her neighbours. 'Anger and the gravest
suspicions about everybody had kept her young and on the boil': and
Benson transmutes her boiling into a series of small humiliations
in his witty, malicious comedy. In his insightful Introduction
Keith Carabine shows that these books are excruciatingly funny
because Benson, like Jane Austen, invites the reader to view the
world through the self-deluded fabrications and day-dreams of Lucia
and the self-deluded chronic anger and jaundiced suspicions of
Elisabeth. Carabine also concentrates on the novels' disturbing,
bitchy, 'camp' humour whenever 'that horrid thing which Freud calls
sex' is raised.
No other writer has so scandalized proper society as the Marquis de
Sade, but despite the deliberate destruction of over three-quarters
of his work, Sade remains a major figure in the history of ideas.
His influence on some of the greatest minds of the last
century--from Baudelaire and Swinburne to Nietzsche, Dostoyevsky
and Kafka--is indisputable. This volume contains Philosophy in the
Bedroom, a major novel that presents the clearest summation of his
political philosophy; Eugenie de Franval, a novella widely
considered to be a masterpiece of eighteenth-century French
literature; and the only authentic and complete American edition of
his most famous work, Justine. This literary portrait of Sade is
completed by one of his earliest philosophical efforts, Dialogue
between a Priest and a Dying Man, a selection of his letters, a
fifty-page chronology of his life, two important essays on Sade,
and a bibliography of his work.
I entered the church...It struck me suddenly that all this crowd of
men and women standing all round, these priests chanting and moving
about the altar, were dead... Vernon Lee was a polymath whose
copious writings include deeply learned studies of art, music,
literature, and history, but also a small but exquisitely crafted
group of Gothic tales, most of which first appeared in fin de
siecle periodicals including the iconic Yellow Book. In these
stories of obsession and possession, transgressive desire reaches
out from the past - through a haunting portrait, a murdered poet's
lock of hair, the uncanny voice of a diabolical castrato - dragging
Lee's protagonists to their doom. Among those haunted by Lee's
'spurious ghosts' was Henry James, who praised her 'gruesome,
graceful...ingenious tales, full of imagination'. This new edition
includes Lee's landmark 1890 collection Hauntings complete, along
with six additional tales and the 1880 essay 'Faustus and Helena',
in which Lee probes the elusive nature of the supernatural as a
'vital...fluctuating...potent' force that resists definite
representation. Aaron Worth's contextual introduction, drawing upon
Lee's newly published letters, reassesses her place in the pantheon
of the fantastic. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford
World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature
from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's
commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a
wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions
by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text,
up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
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