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Books > Fiction > Special features > Classic fiction
"This Side of Paradise" was published in 1920. The novel explores
the lives and morality of post-World War I youth and the theme of
love corrupted by greed. "The Beautiful and the Damned" is about a
1920s socialite and his relationship with his wife, his service in
the army and his alcoholism. It explores the themes of love, money
and decadence. "The Great Gatsby" was first published in 1925 and
quickly became a classic novel. The Modern Library named it the
second best English-language novel of the 20th Century. Set in 1922
America is enjoying the roaring twenties, however Prohibition has
made alcohol an illegal substance and hence the bootleggers are
making a killing. "Tender Is the Night" is the final complete novel
that F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, it was published in 1934. It
explores complex relationships and mental health issues, it is
quite dark at times.
When art-thief and gambler Jim Markham falls foul of Satan, he must
undergo the ordeal of the seven footprints in order to avoid
slavery or death. If he fails he will be forced to carry out
Satan's demonic bidding for the next year of his life.
One summer before World War I, a young couple escapes on a romantic
weekend getaway to the small German town of Rheinsberg, north of
Berlin, in the midst of a rural landscape filled with country
houses and castles, cobble-stone streets, lush forests, and dreamy
lakes. The story of Wolfie and Claire, told with a fresh, new style
of ironic humor, became Kurt Tucholsky s first literary success and
the blueprint for love for an entire generation. Kurt Tucholsky was
a was a brilliant satirist, poet, storyteller, lyricist, pacifist,
and Democrat; a fighter, lady s man, one of the most famous
journalists in Weimar Germany, and an early warner against the
Nazis. Erich Kaestner called him a "small, fat Berliner," who
"wanted to stop a catastrophe with his typewriter." When Tucholsky
began to write, he had five voices in the end, he had none. His
books were burned and banned by the Nazis, who drove him out of his
country. But he is not forgotten. Rheinsberg is at once a
delightful and a deeply disquieting story. The lovers, Claire and
Wolfie a silly but harmless pair escape the confines of Berlin for
a romantic romp in the countryside. As their brief interlude nears
its end, already consigned to memory, there comes with it an end to
innocence, to frivolity. It was 1912; Kurt Tucholsky s prescience
was uncanny: the holiday is over and soon we will go to war.
--Binnie Kirshenbaum, author of Hester Among the Ruins and The
Scenic Route Once known as Weimar Germany s greatest political
satirist and one of that fabled era s most celebrated literary
figures, Kurt Tucholsky is today virtually unknown in America. Now,
readers have the chance to discover one of his early pieces of
fiction that exhibits the intense wit, charm, and rhetorical verve
for which he earned his reputation. Noah Isenberg, author of
Between Redemption and Doom: The Strains of German-Jewish Modernism
In Rheinsberg, Tucholsky delivers the newness and intensity of
young love, sweet, sometimes strident, with repartee juxtaposed
against the sylvan landscape of rural Germany. Poignant, biting,
tender: a reminder of what love promises and can be. Victoria
Zackheim, playwright, novelist, and anthologist A wonderful and
charming love story, finally rediscovered and brought to America
Claudia Dreifus, Professor of International and Public Affairs at
Columbia University, New York Teachers and students of history and
literature will welcome this collection of texts by Kurt Tucholsky,
an early 20th century master of literary and political criticism,
whose incisive and elegant voice will now be more widely available
in English. Atina Grossmann, Professor of History at Cooper Union
and author of Jews, Germans and Allies: Close Encounters in
Occupied Germany Rheinsberg a short story of two unconventional
lovers in the last carefree days of Germany before 1914. The first
major work by the anti-Nazi journalist and poet Kurt Tucholsky
finally appears in a new translation for English speakers. Ian
King, Professor of German, Chair of the Kurt Tucholsky Society
Jane Eyre ranks as one of the greatest and most perennially popular works of English fiction. Although the poor but plucky heroine is outwardly of plain appearance, she possesses an indomitable spirit, a sharp wit and great courage.
She is forced to battle against the exigencies of a cruel guardian, a harsh employer and a rigid social order. All of which circumscribe her life and position when she becomes governess to the daughter of the mysterious, sardonic and attractive Mr Rochester. However, there is great kindness and warmth in this epic love story, which is set against the magnificent backdrop of the Yorkshire moors.
Ultimately the grand passion of Jane and Rochester is called upon to survive cruel revelation, loss and reunion, only to be confronted with tragedy.
When Cora Lansquenet is savagely murdered with a hatchet, the
extraordinary remark she made the previous day at her brother
Richard's funeral suddenly takes on a chilling significance. At the
reading of Richard's will, Cora was clearly heard to say, "It's
been hushed up very nicely, hasn't it.... But he was murdered,
wasn't he?"
In desperation, the family solicitor turns to Hercule Poirot to
unravel the mystery....
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Frankenstein
(Paperback, Reissue)
Mary Shelley; Introduction by Siv Jansson; Notes by Siv Jansson; Series edited by Keith Carabine
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R122
Discovery Miles 1 220
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Frankenstein is the classic gothic horror novel which has thrilled
and engrossed readers for two centuries. Written by Mary Shelley,
it is a story which she intended would 'curdle the blood and
quicken the beatings of the heart.' The tale is a superb blend of
science fiction, mystery and thriller. Victor Frankenstein driven
by the mad dream of creating his own creature, experiments with
alchemy and science to build a monster stitched together from dead
remains. Once the creature becomes a living breathing articulate
entity, it turns on its maker and the novel darkens into tragedy.
The reader is very quickly swept along by the force of the elegant
prose, the grotesque, surreal imagery, and the multi-layered themes
in the novel. Although first published in 1818, Shelley's
masterpiece still maintains a strong grip on the imagination and
has been the inspiration for numerous horror movies, television and
stage adaptations.
The King in Yellow is a book of short stories by American writer
Robert W. Chambers, first published in 1895. The book is named
after a play with the same title which recurs as a motif through
some of the stories. The first half of the book features highly
esteemed weird stories, and the book has been described by critics
as a classic in the field of the supernatural. There are ten
stories, the first four of which ("The Repairer of Reputations",
"The Mask", "In the Court of the Dragon", and "The Yellow Sign")
mention The King in Yellow, a forbidden play which induces despair
or madness in those who read it. "The Yellow Sign" inspired a film
of the same name released in 2001.
Little Women is one of the best-loved children's stories of all
time, based on the author's own youthful experiences. It describes
the family of the four March sisters living in a small New England
community. Meg, the eldest, is pretty and wishes to be a lady; Jo,
at fifteen is ungainly and unconventional with an ambition to be an
author; Beth is a delicate child of thirteen with a taste for music
and Amy is a blonde beauty of twelve. The story of their domestic
adventures, their attempts to increase the family income, their
friendship with the neighbouring Laurence family, and their later
love affairs remains as fresh and beguiling as ever.
Dickens had already achieved renown with The Pickwick Papers. With
Oliver Twist his reputation was enhanced and strengthened. The
novel contains many classic Dickensian themes - grinding poverty,
desperation, fear, temptation and the eventual triumph of good in
the face of great adversity. Oliver Twist features some of the
author's most enduring characters, such as Oliver himself (who
dares to ask for more), the tyrannical Bumble, the diabolical
Fagin, the menacing Bill Sikes, Nancy and 'the Artful Dodger'. For
any reader wishing to delve into the works of the great Victorian
literary colossus, Oliver Twist is, without doubt, an essential
title.
The Little Prince describes his journey from planet to planet, each
tiny world populated by a single adult. It's a wonderfully
inventive sequence, which evokes not only the great fairy tales but
also such monuments of postmodern whimsy.
The author pokes similar fun at a businessman, a geographer,
and a lamplighter, all of whom signify some futile aspect of adult
existence.
For the first time ever, a very special edition of the classic
masterpiece, illustrated throughout in colour by the author himself
and with the complete text printed in two colours. Since it was
first published in 1954, The Lord of the Rings has been a book
people have treasured. Steeped in unrivalled magic and
otherworldliness, its sweeping fantasy and epic adventure has
touched the hearts of young and old alike. Over 150 million copies
of its many editions have been sold around the world, and
occasional collectors' editions become prized and valuable items of
publishing. This one-volume hardback edition contains the complete
text, fully corrected and reset, which is printed in red and black
and features, for the very first time, thirty colour illustrations,
maps and sketches drawn by Tolkien himself as he composed this epic
work. These include the pages from the Book of Mazarbul, marvellous
facsimiles created by Tolkien to accompany the famous 'Bridge of
Khazad-dum' chapter. Also appearing are two removable fold-out maps
drawn by Christopher Tolkien revealing all the detail of
Middle-earth. Sympathetically packaged to reflect the classic look
of the first edition, this new edition of the bestselling hardback
will prove irresistible to collectors and new fans alike.
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The Chianti Flask
(Paperback)
Marie Belloc Lowndes; Introduction by Martin Edwards
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R347
R326
Discovery Miles 3 260
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SHORTLISTED FOR THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS' CRIME FICTION BOOK OF THE
YEAR _________________________________ *** A Top Ten Kindle
Bestseller *** 'Pure nerve-shredding suspense from the first page
to the last' Erin Kelly 'Blair Witch meets Fleabag ... pure
mastery' Janice Hallett 'Dazzling' Riley Sager
_________________________________ Movie-making can be murder. The
project Final Draft, a psychological horror, being filmed at a
house deep in a forest, miles from anywhere in the wintry wilds of
West Cork. The lead Former soap-star Adele Rafferty has stepped in
to replace the original actress at the very last minute. She can't
help but hope that this opportunity will be her big break - and she
knows she was lucky to get it, after what happened the last time
she was on a set. The problem Something isn't quite right about
Final Draft. When the strange goings-on in the script start to
happen on set too, Adele begins to fear that the real horror lies
off the page... _________________________________ 'A roller-coaster
ride and fun in every sense, I loved it!' Andrea Mara 'Will have
you glued to your sunbed ... insists on being read in one sitting'
Gloss
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Dracula
(Hardcover)
Bram Stoker
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R278
R253
Discovery Miles 2 530
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'There he lay looking as if youth had been half-renewed, for the white
hair and moustache were changed to dark iron-grey, the cheeks were
fuller, and the white skin seemed ruby-red underneath; the mouth was
redder than ever, for on the lips were gouts of fresh blood, which
trickled from the corners of the mouth and ran over the chin and neck.
Even the deep, burning eyes seemed set amongst the swollen flesh, for
the lids and pouches underneath were bloated. It seemed as if the whole
awful creature were simply gorged with blood; he lay like a filthy
leech, exhausted with his repletion.'
Thus Bram Stoker, one of the greatest exponents of the supernatural
narrative, describes the demonic subject of his chilling masterpiece
Dracula, a truly iconic and unsettling tale of vampirism.
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