This edition of Midsummer Night's Dream is especially designed for students, with accessible on-page notes and explanatory illustrations, clear background information, and rigorous but accessible scholarly credentials. This edition includes illustrations, preliminary notes, reading lists (including websites) and classroom notes, allowing students to master Shakespeare's work.
About the Series:
Newly redesigned and easier to read, each play in the Oxford School Shakespeare series includes the complete and unabridged text, detailed and clear explanations of difficult words and passages, a synopsis of the plot, summaries of individual scenes, and notes on the main characters. Also included is a wide range of questions and activities for work in class, together with the historical background to Shakespeare's England, a brief biography of Shakespeare, and a complete list of his plays.

Doris Lessing's contemporary gothic horror story--centered on the birth of a baby who seems less than human--probes society's unwillingness to recognize its own brutality.Harriet and David Lovatt, parents of four children, have created an idyll of domestic bliss in defiance of the social trends of late 1960s England. While around them crime and unrest surge, the Lovatts are certain that their old-fashioned contentment can protect them from the world outside--until the birth of their fifth baby. Gruesomely goblin-like in appearance, insatiably hungry, abnormally strong and violent, Ben has nothing innocent or infant-like about him. As he grows older and more terrifying, Harriet finds she cannot love him, David cannot bring himself to touch him, and their four older children are afraid of him. Understanding that he will never be accepted anywhere, Harriet and David are torn between their instincts as parents and their shocked reaction to this fierce and unlovable child whose existence shatters their belief in a benign world.

During the 1820s and 30s nautical melodramas "reigned supreme" on London stages, entertaining the mariners and maritime workers who comprised a large part of the audience for small theatres with the same sentimental moments and comic interludes of domestic melodrama mixed with patriotic images that communicated and reinforced imperial themes. However, generally the study of British theatre history moves from medieval and renaissance plays directly to the realism and naturalism of late Victorian and modern drama. Readers typically encounter a gap between Restoration and eighteenth-century plays like those of Oliver Goldsmith and Richard Brinsley Sheridan, and late-nineteenth plays by Henrik Ibsen and Oscar Wilde. Nineteenth-century drama, with the possible exception of plays by Byron, Shelley, and Wordsworth, remains all but invisible. Until recently, melodramatic plays written and performed during this "gap" received little scholarly attention, but their value as reflections of Britain's promulgation of imperial ideology - and its role in constructing and maintaining class, gender, and racial identities - have given discussions of melodrama force and momentum. The plays in included in these three volumes have never appeared in a critical anthology and most have not been republished since their original nineteenth-century editions. Each play is transcribed from the original documents and includes an author biography, a headnote about the play itself, full annotations with brief definitions of unfamiliar vocabulary, and explanatory notes. Comprehensive editorial apparatus details the nineteenth-century imperial, naval, political, and social history relevant to the plays' nautical themes, as well as discussing nineteenth-century theatre history, melodrama generally, and the nautical melodrama in particular. Contemporary theatre practices - acting, audiences, staging, lighting, special effects - are also examined. An extensive bibliography of primary and secondary texts; a complete index; and contemporary images of the actors, theatres, stage sets, playbills, costumes, and locales have been compiled to aid study further. The appendices include maps of Britain, Europe, and the East and West Indies.

During the 1820s and 30s nautical melodramas "reigned supreme" on London stages, entertaining the mariners and maritime workers who comprised a large part of the audience for small theatres with the same sentimental moments and comic interludes of domestic melodrama mixed with patriotic images that communicated and reinforced imperial themes. However, generally the study of British theatre history moves from medieval and renaissance plays directly to the realism and naturalism of late Victorian and modern drama. Readers typically encounter a gap between Restoration and eighteenth-century plays like those of Oliver Goldsmith and Richard Brinsley Sheridan, and late-nineteenth plays by Henrik Ibsen and Oscar Wilde. Nineteenth-century drama, with the possible exception of plays by Byron, Shelley, and Wordsworth, remains all but invisible. Until recently, melodramatic plays written and performed during this "gap" received little scholarly attention, but their value as reflections of Britain's promulgation of imperial ideology - and its role in constructing and maintaining class, gender, and racial identities - have given discussions of melodrama force and momentum. The plays in included in these three volumes have never appeared in a critical anthology and most have not been republished since their original nineteenth-century editions. Each play is transcribed from the original documents and includes an author biography, a headnote about the play itself, full annotations with brief definitions of unfamiliar vocabulary, and explanatory notes. Comprehensive editorial apparatus details the nineteenth-century imperial, naval, political, and social history relevant to the plays' nautical themes, as well as discussing nineteenth-century theatre history, melodrama generally, and the nautical melodrama in particular. Contemporary theatre practices - acting, audiences, staging, lighting, special effects - are also examined. An extensive bibliography of primary and secondary texts; a complete index; and contemporary images of the actors, theatres, stage sets, playbills, costumes, and locales have been compiled to aid study further. The appendices include maps of Britain, Europe, and the East and West Indies.

Little Women, by Louisa M Alcott, was published in 1868 and was the first children's book in America to become a classic. It tells the story of March girls - Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, describing the ups and downs of one eventful year in their family life. Essential Classics is a wonderful new series that offers a quick way into a range of exciting stories. Fast-moving and accessible, each story is a shortened, dramatically illustrated version of the classic novel, which loses none of the strength and flavour of the original. Includes glossary and a reading quiz.

Sexualities in History is a multidisciplinary collection of key articles by prominent scholars that looks at the constantly shifting meanings, languages, and practices of western sexualities. Offering a sustained exploration of sex as a social, cultural, and historical construct, this reader covers diverse topics like the construction of the body; reproduction and marriage; the impact of AIDs; sex in colonial contexts; postmodern sexual transgressions, and the discourse of pornography.

Bertolt Brecht is one of the most prolific and influential writer-directors of the twentieth century. This fascinating anthology brings together in one volume many of the most important articles written about Brecht between 1957 and 1997. The collection explores a wide range of viewpoints about Brecht's theatre theories and practice, as well as including three plays not otherwise available in English: The Beggar or The Dead Dog, Baden Lehrstuck and The Seven Deadly Sins of the Lower Middle Class.
Editors Martin and Bial have brought together a unique compendium which covers all the key areas including:
* the development of Brecht's aesthetic theories
* the relationship of Epic theatre to orthodox dramatic theatre
* Brecht's collaboration with Kurt Weill, Paul Dessau and Max Frisch
* Brecht's influence on a variety of cultures and contexts including England, Italy , Moscow and Japan.
Together these essays are an ideal companion to Brecht's plays, and provide an invaluable reconsideration of Brecht's work.
Contributors include: Werner Hecht, Mordecai Gorelik, Eric Bentley, Jean-Paul Sartre, Kurt Weill, Ernst Bloch, Darko Suvin, Carl Weber, Paul Dessau, Denis Calandra, W. Stuart McDowell, Ernst Schmacher, Hans-Joachim Bunge, Martin Esslin, Artuto Lazzari, Tadashi Uchino, Diana Taylor, Elin Diamond, and Lee Baxandall.

A selection of stories to support the teaching of English literary heritage and the influence, appeal and characteristics of myths and legends. The text also encourages pupils to read a wide range of styles and genres. Stories include: Persephone in Hell, Garfield and Blishen; The Fight with Grendel, Serraillier; The Princess in the Suit of Leather, Carter; The Invisible One, Leland; What are Friends For?, Dandapa; the Wicked King and His God Son, Jaffery; Whose Footprints?, McGaughrean; Deer Hunter and White Corn Maiden, Long; John Barlecorn, Burns; How Coyote Stole Fire, Sherwood, Haurland; Under Ben Bulben, Paul' Poor Man's Reward, Gratti; Balder, Sherwood; The Death of Gelert, Francis; Anansi and the Mid of god, McGaughrean; Pandora's Box Horowitz; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Morpurgo; What Icarus Saw, Francis

An ageing preacher, Reverend Kumalo, travels from a remote village to the metropolis of Johannesburg, to find his sister and his son. There, his world collapses as he slowly pieces together what has happened. However, there is hope even in despair - and the reverend understands what he must do to rebuild his family and community.

This classic South African novel takes the reader on a journey into the past and into the lives of ordinary people who answered fear, anger and hopelessness with love, compassion and respect. It asks questions, suggests solutions and highlights issues that are relevant to all South Africans today.

First published in 1948, it has sold over 15 million copies, and in 1960 the author, Alan Paton was awarded the Freedom Award for his role in countering the apartheid regime.

The bay owls came out of their house,
and they sat on the tree and waited.
A big branch for Sarah, a small branch for Percy,
and an old piece of ivy for Bill.
When three baby owls awake one night to find their mother gone, they can't help but wonder where she is. Stunning illustrations from unique and striking perspectives capture the owls as they worry about their mother: What is she doing? When will she be back? What scary things move all around them? Not surprisingly, a joyous flapping and dancing and bouncing greets her return, lending a celebratory tone to the ending of this comforting tale. Never has the plight of young ones who miss their mother been so simply told or so beautifully rendered.

This selection of 16 Greek myths provides tales of adventure, courage and mystery. Geraldine McCaughrean's re-telling makes them accessible for Key Stage 3 pupils.

Apple cider, applesauce, apple muffins, cakes, and pies Annie is a very busy apple farmer. She bakes yummy treats with the apples she picks and saves her best apples to sell at the market. Follow Annie through her apple-filled day of picking, counting, sorting, baking, and selling, and then try making some of her simple apple recipes.

The paperback editions of The Boxcar Children Mysteries: #5, Mike's Mystery; #6, Blue Bay Mystery; #7, The Woodshed Mystery; and #8, The Lighthouse Mystery are offered together in a cardboard case.

One of a series of top-quality fiction for schools. Evoking the mood of the American Twenties, and wealthy lives filled with excess and illusion, this is the story of Jay Gatsby's yearning for the beautiful Daisy.

One of a series of top-quality fiction for schools, this is Jack Shaefer's famous cowboy story which was made into an outstanding film. The tale is told by the boy into whose family corral a mysterious stranger rode in the summer of 1889.

A collection of stories which capture the life and experience of a Jewish child living in Eastern Europe during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Fourteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon is not like other boys his age. His uncle Press is a Traveler, and, as Bobby has learned, that means Uncle Press is responsible, through his journeys, for solving interdimensional conflict wherever he encounters it. His mission is nothing less than to save the universe from ultimate evil. And he's taking Bobby along for the ride.

Fresh from his first adventure on Denduron, Bobby finds himself in the territory of Cloral, a vast world that is entirely covered by water. Cloral is nearing a disaster of huge proportions. Reading the journals Bobby sends home, his friends learn that the desperate citizens of the endangered floating cities are on the brink of war. Can Bobby -- suburban basketball star and all-around nice guy -- help rid the area of marauders, and locate the legendary lost land of Faar, which may hold the key to Cloral's survival?

One of a series of top-quality fiction for schools, this is a retelling of 32 legends from Greek mythology.

"The Great Gatsby vividly depicts a high-spending, decadent society on the brink of the Great Depression. Learners will enjoy this story of Jay Gatsby's ill-fated love for Daisy Buchanan. This is the best edition for use in the classroom because of its excellent guidelines for answering exam questions. Understanding the text An informative introduction gives learners a comprehensive background to the text to facilitate their study. Clear summaries enable learners to understand the whole text quickly and easily. Stimulating activities consolidate learners' understanding and develop learners' ability to comment on language and style. Useful glossaries of difficult vocabulary and literary terms give learners the tools to answer exam questions more effectively."

In Collaborative Playwriting, five collectively written plays apply polyvocal methods in which clash and frisson replace synthesis, a dialogic approach to collective writing that has never before been articulated or documented. Based on the EU Collective Plays Project, this collection of plays showcases each voice in dialogic tension and in relation to the other voices of the text, offering an entirely novel approach to new play development that challenges the single (and privileged) authorial voice. Castagno's case-study approach provides detailed commentary on each of the various experimental methods, exploring the plays' processes in detail. The book offers an evolutionary path forward in how to develop new work, thus encouraging and promoting the writing of collective, hybrid plays as having profound benefits for all playwrights. The ground breaking approaches to playmaking in Collaborative Playwriting will appeal to playwriting programs, instructors, academics, professional playwrights, theaters and new play development programs; as well as courses in gender LGBTQ studies, script analysis, dramaturgy and dramatic literature across the theater studies curricula.

One of a series of fiction for schools. The moral of this story, set in the 21st century, is that freedom has to be won and kept by the young. It won the Guardian Prize for Children's Literature.

Set in the Northern Ireland of the 1980s, Cal tells the story of a young Catholic man living in a Protestant area. For Cal, some choices are devastatingly simple: he can work in an abattoir that nauseates him or join the dole queue; he can brood on his past or plan a future with Marcella. Springing out of the fear and violence of Ulster, Cal is a haunting love story that unfolds in a land where tenderness and innocence can only flicker briefly in the dark. See also: Lies of Silence by Brian Moore

One of a series of top-quality fiction for schools. Based on the author's own experiences, this is the story of a black teacher's trials and triumphs with a group of senior pupils in an overcrowded London school.

This classic edition of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is perfect for all ages: it comes complete with the novel, plus an introduction providing context and a glossary explaining key terms. Fantastic value for Conan Doyle's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes book Easy to read font in an accessible format Also available in Collins Classroom Classics The Sign of Four A new introduction provides context Bespoke glossary explains key terms