Miss Jean Brodie is a rare breed of teacher - passionate, independent-minded and romantically inspired, with not the slightest care for convention. She soon garners a devoted following of six young girls, who will become known as 'the Brodie set', and begins to shape them in her own image. But Miss Brodie is more than just an individual with an intense desire to control and mould her girls. Beneath the facade of this self-possessed woman lie some sinister truths, and a keen interest in fascism ...A tour de force of contemporary Scottish literature, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark is a compelling portrait of a woman's dark quest for immortality. This Macmillan Collector's Library edition features an afterword by publisher Anna South. Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much-loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

A weekly dinner party Ten amateur sleuths The Tuesday Night Club murders On a quiet Tuesday in St Mary Mead, a group of friends gather for dinner. A policeman, a clergyman, a solicitor, an author, an artist, and an unassuming lady with a shrewd gaze - Miss Jane Marple. Conversation naturally turns to crime. Each recounts a seemingly unsolvable mystery. Each thinks they know the answer. But it's the one they least expect who understands the true nature of each wicked act... Never underestimate Miss Marple 'Billions of readers can't be wrong.' Dreda Say Mitchell 'The plots are so good that one marvels . . . most of them would have made a full-length thriller.' Daily Mirror

HarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics. 'The reaches opened before us and closed behind, as if the forest had stepped leisurely across the water to bar the way for our return. We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness.' At the peak of European Imperialism, steamboat captain Charles Marlow travels deep into the African Congo on his way to relieve the elusive Mr Kurtz, an ivory trader renowned for his fearsome reputation. On his journey into the unknown Marlow takes a terrifying trip into his own subconscious, overwhelmed by his menacing, perilous and horrifying surroundings. The landscape and the people he meets force him to reflect on human nature and society, and in turn Conrad writes revealingly about the dangers of imperialism.

Follow the spiritual journey of an 'ordinary' woman, from housewife and mother, through divorce, tough times and financial hardship, to finding her true self, her power, her creativity, and the goddess within. Her anecdotes and memoirs are sometimes serious, often humorous, sensitive and passionate. A must for anybody embarking on their own voyage of discovery. Kay Milton is a Counselor, Tutor, Holistic Therapist, Reiki Master and Animal Healer. She has been following a spiritual path for the last fourteen years. She lives with her animals in a small Essex village

Originally published in 1951, The Hidden Fairing presents one man's moral choices, and their consequences, against the background of a society impressed by material success and divided by class and religious prejudices. Growing up on a croft in the remote Highland village of Barnfingal, Bartle MacDonald is shown little affection by his dour widowed mother. Consequently, he enjoys the benevolent attention of Lady Wain, whose annual presence with her family in the Big House brightens his world. He is also imaginatively excited by his grandmother's strange stories, shared in secret, about her past on the island of Wrack. These stories form a bond between them that later, for good or ill, influences Bartle's major life choices. Academically gifted, Bartle progresses to Glasgow University where he excells in Mathematics and, thanks to Lady Wain's patronage, he is offered a prestigious research post. However, Maysie Wain's high-handed rejection of his marriage proposal forces Bartle to realise that he can never really belong in her world, and he declines the position and the brilliant future he thought it promised, in favour of obscurity as a village dominie. Finally finding a form of contentment after a life peppered with disappointments, his equanimity is shattered by an echo from his past. But, like the other gifts he has received, is this latest 'fairing' a punishment or a reward?

Jacob Hochstetler is a peace-loving Amish settler on the Pennsylvania frontier when Native American warriors, goaded on by the hostilities of the French and Indian War, attack his family one September night in 1757. Taken captive by the warriors and grieving for the family members just killed, Jacob finds his beliefs about love and nonresistance severely tested.

Jacob endures a hard winter as a prisoner in an Indian longhouse. Meanwhile, some members of his congregation the first Amish settlement in America move away for fear of further attacks.

Based on actual events, Jacob's Choice describes how one man's commitment to pacifism leads to a season of captivity, a complicated romance, an unrelenting search for missing family members, and an astounding act of forgiveness and reconciliation.

A novel by Stephens. Truly unique, it is a mixture of philosophy, Irish folklore and the neverending battle of the sexes all with charm, humour and good grace.

An adventure story/satire criticizing hypocritical mores and institutions of the Victorian Age.

This is the most cherished novel from each of England's talented sisters, in one gorgeously packaged volume. The Bronte family was a literary phenomenon unequalled before or since. Both Charlotte's "Jane Eyre" and Emily's "Wuthering Heights" have won lofty places in the pantheon and stirred the romantic sensibilities of generations of readers. This "Leatherbound Classics" edition unites these two enduring favourites with the lesser known, but no less powerful work by their youngest sister, Anne Bronte. Drawn from Anne's own experiences as a governess, Agnes Grey offers a compelling view of Victorian chauvinism and materialism. Its inclusion makes "The Bronte Sisters" a must-have volume for anyone fascinated by this singularly talented family.

Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823-1901) began writing in 1848 and published about 100 works, chiefly novels. Her first commercial success was "The Heir of Redclyffe" (1854). During her lifetime, she was admired and respected by such notable literary figures as Alfred Tennyson and Henry James, and strongly influenced the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, especially William Morris and D. G. Rossetti.

Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823-1901) began writing in 1848 and published about 100 works, chiefly novels. Her first commercial success was The Heir of Redclyffe (1854). During her lifetime, she was admired and respected by such notable literary figures as Alfred Tennyson and Henry James, and strongly influenced the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, especially William Morris and D. G. Rossetti.

Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (1810-1865) was an English novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era. Much of her childhood was spent in Cheshire, in Knutsford, a town she would immortalise as Cranford.

Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (1810-1865) was an English novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era. Much of her childhood was spent in Cheshire, in Knutsford, a town she would immortalise as Cranford.

Rich and epic Historical Fiction set against the backdrop of the Great Famine and the Irish Diaspora. Perfect for fans of Winston Graham and Ken Follett. Set against the backdrop of the New World, this powerful novel follows the story of Ellen O'Malley. Torn from Ireland during the Great Famine, Ellen's odyssey has taken her from the harsh landscape of Australia to the killing fields of the American Civil War and poignantly explores forgiveness, longing and the changing role of women set free by war. Together with her natural daughter Mary and adopted daughter Louisa, Ellen helps tend the wounds of the soldiers who have fallen in battle. Surrounded by death and destruction, she little realizes that her estranged son, Patrick, and Lavelle, the husband she desperately seeks, are on opposing sides of the terrible conflict. Meanwhile, Lavelle and Ellen's former lover, Stephen Joyce, likewise seek her out - and each other - with tragic repercussions. Ellen's story is a tale of great loves, impossible choices and the triumph of the human spirit against all odds.

A novel from the author of "Bequeathed." Published in facsimile from the 1900 Authorized Edition from D. Appleton and Company.

George du Maurier's 1891 novel relates the story of two young lovers who are separated in childhood and then drawn together by destiny years later, even after they die.