Eight years ago, Anne Elliot followed the advice of Lady Russell, her only true friend, and broke off her engagement to the dashing young naval officer Frederick Wentworth. When Anne and the newly wealthy Captain Wentworth cross paths years later, it is clear that he has neither forgotten—nor forgiven—their past. Can true love survive heartbreak? Who should we listen to in matters of the heart? Filled with Jane Austen’s trademark wit and social commentary, Persuasion is a delightful romance and a surprisingly subversive exploration of our need to persuade, and be persuaded by, others.

This beautiful, giftable collection celebrates both the wisdom and tenacity of courageous women who defied society’s expectations and gifted the world with literary treasures through unparalleled fiction and poetry. We know many of their names--Austen and Alcott, Brontë and Browning, Wheatley, and Woolf--though some may be less familiar. They are here, waiting to introduce themselves.  They wrote against all odds. Some wrote defiantly; some wrote desperately. Some wrote while trapped within the confines of status and wealth. Some wrote hand-to-mouth in abject poverty. Some wrote trapped in a room of their father’s house, and some went in search of a room of their own. They had lovers and families. They were sometimes lonely. Many wrote anonymously or under a pseudonym for a world not yet ready for their genius and talent. The Women Who Wrote softcover edition offers: Stories from Jane Austen, Katherine Mansfield, Willa Cather, Louisa May Alcott, Edith Wharton, Zora Neale Hurston, and Virginia Woolf. Poems from Emily Dickinson, Gertrude Stein, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Dorothy Parker, and Phillis Wheatley. These women wrote to change the world. They marched through the world one by one or in small sisterhoods, speaking to one another and to us over distances of place and time. Pushing back against the boundaries meant to keep us in our place, they carved enough space for themselves to write. They made space for us to follow. Here they are gathered together, an army of women who wrote an arsenal of words to inspire us. They walk with us as we forge our own paths forward.

A thematically organized wit-and-wisdom-style packaging of quotes and excerpts from the works of Jane Austen. Jane Austen is one of the most eminently quotable authors in all of English letters and her books abound with delightful observations that are memorable for their sparkling wit and humor. This compilation collects several hundred quotes and extracts from Jane Austen's works, organized thematically and illustrated with spot art. Examples include: Marriage: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." (Pride and Prejudice); Happiness: "I wish as well as every body else to be perfectly happy; but, like every body else, it must be in my own way." (Sense and Sensibility); Personality: "I always deserve the best treatment, because I never put up with any other." (Emma).

Jane Austen, one of the nation's most beloved authors, whose face adorns our currency, surely needs no introduction, but while many are familiar with her groundbreaking novels, few have come across her short burlesque work The History of England. Billed a history 'from the reign of Henry IV to Charles I by a partial, prejudiced and ignorant historian', The History of England pokes fun at the overly verbose and grand histories of Austen's day. Written when she was just fifteen, this is a comic tour de force that shows Austen's wit developing into the satirical prowess she is remembered for.

Exam board: AQA A, Cambridge Assessment International Education Level & Subject: AS and A Level English Literature First teaching: September 2015 First examination: June 2017, 2021 This edition of Persuasion provides depth and context for A Level students, with the complete novel in an easy to read format, and a detailed introduction and bespoke glossary written by an experienced A Level teacher with academic expertise in the area. * Affordable high quality complete text of Persuasion, ideal for AS and A Level Literature * Perfectly pitched introductions provide the depth and demand required by AS and A Level * Explore the contemporary context, Jane Austen's writing, the novel's critical reception and subsequent interpretations for a deeper reading of the text * Expand your further reading with a list of key articles and critical and theoretical texts * Improve your understanding of the novel with unfamiliar concepts and culturally-specific terms defined in the glossary

HarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics. 'The real evils, indeed, of Emma's situation were the power of having rather too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself...' Beautiful, rich, self-assured and witty, Emma Woodhouse delights in matchmaking those around her, with no apparent care for her own romantic life. Taking young Harriet Smith under her wing, Emma sets her sights on finding a suitable match for her friend. Chided for her mistakes by old friend Mr Knightley, it is only when Harriet starts to pursue her own love interests that Emma realises the true hidden depths of her own heart. Delightful, engaging and entertaining, and with a dazzling gallery of characters, Emma is arguably Austen's most well-loved social comedy.

It is no tragedy that seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland is not cut out to be the heroine of one of the Gothic novels she reads so avidly with her new friend Isabella Thorpe. What may lead to tragedy on her first visit to the glamorous resort town of Bath, however, are Catherine's overactive imagination and her inability to read other people. Catherine has no clue that Isabella's tendency to say one thing and do another might make her an unreliable friend. It never occurs to her that her brother James, arriving unannounced in Bath with Isabella's brother John, has come to see Isabella, not her. After making a mistake that would shame any true heroine--falling in love with the wry and witty Henry Tilney before knowing his feelings for her--she fails to notice that the odious John Thorpe fancies himself in love with her, and vice versa. By the time Catherine visits Henry and his sister Eleanor at Northanger Abbey, her misconceptions and novel-fueled expectations virtually guarantee disaster. Yet, Catherine remains blissfully unaware of what awaits her.

Eight years ago, Anne Elliot broke off her engagement to the dashing young naval officer Frederick Wentworth on the advice of a friend. Now twenty-seven and considered a faded beauty, she is resigned to a spinster's life when she learns that Wentworth, now a captain and wealthy with prize money from the Napoleonic Wars, has returned. While Anne visits her married younger sister Mary, Wentworth pays frequent calls on Mary's two charming sisters-in-law. Although Anne tries to avoid him she cannot, and although she knows he has not forgiven her, his presence is a constant reminder of what she has lost. Published posthumously in 1818, Persuasion is both a delightful romantic comedy and an insightful exploration of our need to persuade, and be persuaded, by others. This volume is one of Barnes & Noble's Collectible Editions classics. Each volume features authoritative texts by the world's greatest authors in an exquisitely designed foil-stamped binding, with distinctive coloured edging and an attractive ribbon bookmark. Decorative, durable, and collectible, these books offer hours of pleasure to readers young and old and are an indispensable cornerstone for any home library.

Pride and Prejudice, which opens with one of the most famous sentences in English Literature, is an ironic novel of manners. In it the garrulous and empty-headed Mrs Bennet has only one aim - that of finding a good match for each of her five daughters. In this she is mocked by her cynical and indolent husband. With its wit, its social precision and, above all, its irresistible heroine, Pride and Prejudice has proved one of the most enduringly popular novels in the English language.

HarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics.

'Oh Mama, how spiritless, how tame was Edward's manner in reading to us last night I felt for my sister most severely. Yet she bore it with so much composure, she seemed scarcely to notice it. I could hardly keep my seat.'

Spirited and impulsive, Marianne Dashwood is the complete opposite to her controlled and sensible sister, Elinor. When it comes to matters of the heart, Marianne is passionate and romantic and soon falls for the charming, but unreliable Mr Willoughby. Elinor, in contrast, copes stoically with the news that her love, Edward Ferrars is promised to another.

It is through their shared experiences of love that both sisters come to learn that the key to a successful match comes from finding the perfect mixture of rationality and feeling.