'The great English novelists are Jane Austen, George Eliot, Henry James and Joseph Conrad. . .'

So begins what is arguably F. R. Leavis's most controversial book, The Great Tradition, an uncompromising critical and polemical survey of English fiction that was first published in 1948. He puts a powerful case for "moral seriousness" as the necessary criterion for inclusion in any list of the finest novelists. In the course of his argument he adds D. H. Lawrence to the pantheon, and singles out Charles Dickens's Hard Times as the one work of his that has the strength of 'a completely serious work of art'.

The Great Tradition is full of Leavis's characteristically austere rejections of styles of fiction that he found lacking in moral intensity. He dismissed Lawrence Sterne for his 'irresponsible (and nasty) trifling'. Of Henry Fielding he wrote that he is important 'not because he leads to Mr J. B. Priestley but because he leads to Jane Austen, to appreciate whose distinction is to feel that life isn't long enough to permit of one's giving much time to Fielding or any to Mr Priestley.' Joyce's Ulysses, he said, was less a new start for fiction than 'a dead end'.

Fiercely serious, pugnacious and stimulating, The Great Tradition is an unforgettable defence of 'those creative geniuses whose distinction is manifested in their being peculiarly alive in their time'.

In hierdie bundel opwindende sketse neem die veelbekroonde skrywer haar lesers op reis: na Pelgrimsrus; die vergete dorpie Eselbank in die Sederberge; Paternoster aan die Weskus en Namibie. Sy reis ook verder: na die Skotse Hooglande, Buenos Aires met sy polsende tango, klein Griekse dorpies wat wit en blou en pragtig is. Die reise is te voet, per trein, per vliegtuig en selfs per besemstok! Scheepers het die vermoe om met die intimiteit van haar gewaarwordinge en die sensualiteit van haar belewenisse die leser deel te maak van reise na onbereikbare, ver plekke. Die bundel is ’n keur uit sketse wat in Beeld, Die Volksblad, De Kat en Rooi Rose verskyn het.

The music of the Smiths and their iconic frontman Morrissey is beautiful, witty, melancholic--music that makes outsiders feel as though they are part of something. Now an eclectic collection of acclaimed, up-and-coming writers lets their love of the band, its words and music, manifest itself in literary form with smart, emotion-filled, Smiths-inspired short fiction.

In "Please," edited by Peter Wild, love blooms by the cemetery gates and the death of a Miami disco dancer inspires a new TV show. Shoplifters of the world unite to tug a reluctant aardvark from a hole, while a naked birthday rendition of "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" is beamed across the globe. Here is fiction that melds the worlds of music and literature while celebrating the unique artistic contributions of one of the most beloved bands of the past two and a half decades.

Edited by New York Times bestselling author Jerome Groopman, The Best American Science Writing 2010 collects in one volume the most crucial, thought-provoking, and engaging science writing of the year. Distinguished by new and impressive voices as well as some of the foremost names in science writing--David Dobbs, Elizabeth Kolbert, and Larissa MacFarquhar among them--this eleventh edition features outstanding journalism from a wide variety of publications, providing a comprehensive overview of the year's most compelling, relevant, and exciting developments in the world of science. Provocative and engaging, The Best American Science Writing 2010 reveals just how far science has brought us--and where it is headed next.

Have you ever wondered:

Why Asians love "Hello Kitty"?

What the tattooed Chinese characters really say?

How to achieve feng shui for optimum make-out sessions?

Where Asian cuties meet the white guys who love them?

Then you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll realize this book is better than a Broadway production of Cats when you read scenes that include:

twenty-something Lindsey Owyang mastering the intricacies of office voicemail and fax dialing

an authentic Chinese banquet where Number One Son shows off his language skills by speaking "Chinglish"

dating disasters with grandsons of Grandma's mahjong partners

the discovery that the real China looks nothing like the pavilion at Disney World

karaoke

And all the while Lindsey is falling in lust with the "white devil" in her politically correct office. But will Grandma's stinky Chinese ointments send him running? Or will Lindsey realize that the path to true love lies somewhere between the dim sum and the pepperoni pizza?

Dogs Are Better Than Men

1. They never brag about their ex's stunning cleavage.
2. They don't moan or sulk if you're a half-hour late.
3. They never tell you a Brazilian would really turn them on.

After her most recent disaster with the King of the Unrepentant Jerks, Isabel "Izzy" Palmer is finally convinced that the only male she truly needs in her life is Henry, her lovable part wolfhound, part who-knows-what. Henry's faithful, he adores her madly, and he's great fun to sleep with. So who needs the additional heartache?

But even armed with powerful knowledge and a new resolve, Izzy starts to feel that familiar itch ... and it's all because of Nick. He's a vet for goodness sake -- confident, handsome and compassionate -- if a bit rough around the edges. After teasing her about Henry's unusual looks and questioning her most recent choice in men, Nick then has the gall to turn halfway charming. But he doesn't stop at halfway, and though she already has a best friend, Izzy realizes it doesn't preclude her from having a perfect match, too.

Defiant, humorous, empathetic and insightful, 'Not Quite Right For Us' pierces through the hierarchical mechanics of class, race, gender. A celebration of outsiderness and an ode to otherness, 'Not Quite Right For Us' is a singular collection of stories, essays and poems by a dynamic mix of established and surging voices alike, edited by Sharmilla Beezmohun and including Linton Kwesi Johnson, Aminatta Forna, Xiaolu Guo, Johny Pitts, Rishi Dastidar, Tim Wells and Rafeef Ziadah. This remarkable anthology marks the tenth anniversary of the live-literature organisation co-founded by Sharmilla, Speaking Volumes. Part cri du coeur, part warning shot, part affirmation, this is the book we need now.

n Versameling briewe van die broers W.E.G. en N.P. van Wyk Louw. Die briefwisseling tussen Van Wyk en W.E.G. Louw vanaf 1941 tot met Van Wyk Louw se dood in 1970 strek oor 'n periode van bykans dertig jaar. Die korrespondensie tussen die twee broers, waarby ook enkele briewe van Truida Louw aansluit, beslaan 'n totaal van 226 briewe, poskaarte en telegramme en foto's ingesluit.

The most-trusted anthology for complete works, balanced selections and helpful editorial apparatus, The Norton Anthology of American Literature features a cover-to-cover revision. The ninth edition introduces new General Editor Robert Levine and three new-generation editors who have reenergised the volume across the centuries. Fresh scholarship, new authors-with an emphasis on contemporary writers-new topical clusters and a new ebook make the Norton Anthology an even better teaching tool and an unmatched value for students.

This is a book about life in all its aspects, which mirrors the journey of every man and connects with that which is eternal, unchanging. In this book the author has sought far and wide among the great religions and philosophies, and has drawn on the work of inspired poets and writers, to find answers to some of the questions about life. Out of the seeming diversity, a timely message of hope and encouragement emerges, reminding all of the brotherhood of man and the underlying unity of all things. A special feature of this book is that every page is handwritten in calligraphy by Dorothy Boux who has also illustrated it with subtle watercolours.

A glorious companion volume to Robinson's world-wide bestselling trilogy. All Colours Mars Red Mars. Green Mars. Blue Mars. The Mars trilogy has rapidly assumed the status of modern science fiction classic, capturing the imagination of hundreds of thousands of readers around the world. Now, with The Martians, comes Kim Stanley Robinson's essential companion to the Mars series. New novellas and short stories head the collection, along with texts on the Martian constitution, maps and Martian inspired poetry. In short, The Martians is a unique collection of previously unpublished fiction, a fascinating addition to Robinson's oeuvre, and a must for all lovers of the red planet.

Before she wrote her Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller The Shipping News, E. Annie Proulx was already producing some of the finest short fiction in the country. Here are her collected stories, including two new works never before anthologized.

These stories reverberate with rural tradition, the rites of nature, and the rituals of small-town life. The country is blue-collar New England; the characters are native families and the dispossessed working class, whose heritage is challenged by the neorural bourgeoisie from the city; and the themes are as elemental as the landscape: revenge, malice, greed, passion. Told with skill and profundity and crafted by a master storyteller, these are lean, tough tales of an extraordinary place and its people.

Only the most talented storytellers create worlds that are beyond fantasy, worlds that become realities. In 'Legends' the reader can visit the most fabulous worlds ever created – by Terry Pratchett, Anne McCaffrey, George R.R. Martin, Tad Williams and Robert Jordan.

'The biggest names in contemporary fantasy have written novellas set in their most popular worlds. Fortunately, the standard matches the notion; maybe the contributors were spurred on by group rivalry' 'Time Out'

'An essential buy for every fantasy fan' 'SFX'

Exploring the Blackwell Collections (publishing and bookselling archives), Rita Ricketts discovered diverse characters associated with this world-famous company, between 1830 and 1940. There is a tailor's son saving souls, a reluctant radical, a hammerman poet, a spellbound princess, pauper apprentices, pioneering women, profligate printers and patriots publishing in protest against the authorities who sent so many to 'certain death' in the First World War. Some became famous: J.R.R. Tolkien, Wilfred Owen, John Betjeman, Dorothy L. Sayers, Vera Brittain, Edith Sitwell and Laurence Binyon, whose name is recollected wherever For the Fallen is read. Most were obscure, yet their memoirs, letters and journals, often disregarded in recorded history, are preserved here. This is what makes the collections a rarity and so appealing. Family memories of the first B.H. Blackwell and the diaries of his son and first apprentices document everyday life against the backdrop of the book trade, and also present a tableau of nineteenth and twentieth-century history ranging far beyond Oxford. The third B.H. Blackwell (Sir Basil) collected their stories, singling out Rex King whose diaries, 1918-1940, contain an astonishing reading list and a mordant dissection of the texts amounting to a critique of early twentieth-century English culture; rich fodder for any book or cultural historian. Rex King, like all the characters in this book, wrote for posterity. And Rita Ricketts, a consummate storyteller, has ensured that they will be read by a new generation.