Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Drawing its inspiration from Anthony Mann's 'The Fall of the Roman Empire' (1964) and Stanley Kubrick's 'Spartacus' (1960), Ridley Scott's Oscar-winning take on the Roman epic lavishes the genre with the very latest in computer-generated effects technology. After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) betrays the Emperor's beloved General Maximus (Russell Crowe) and takes the throne for himself. Maximus is sold as a slave and then trained as a gladiator, keeping himself strong with thoughts of revenge. Eventually he is taken to the Colosseum, where he prepares to fight in a contest presided over by the corrupt Commodus. Will he suffer the ultimate humiliation and die for the entertainment of his enemy or will he survive the rigors of the arena and find a way of exacting his revenge?

"Smart and scintillating. Red deftly conjures what most plays about artists don't: The exhilaration of the act." The New Yorker Under the watchful gaze of his young assistant and the threatening presence of a new generation of artists, Mark Rothko takes on his greatest challenge yet: to create a definitive work for an extraordinary setting. A moving and compelling account of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century whose struggle to accept his growing riches and praise became his ultimate undoing. Nominated for 7 Olivier Awards (2009) and winner of 6 Tony Awards (2010) including Best New Play, Red is published in Methuen Drama's Modern Classics series, featuring a new introduction by Michael Grandage.

Chicago, May 21, 1924. Nathan Leopold Jr., age eighteen, and Robert Loeb, age nineteen, killed fourteen-year-old Bobby Franks. They were quickly apprehended when Leopold's glasses were found near the corpse. Clarence Darrow defended them, pleading eloquently against capital punishment. Why would wealthy young men murder an innocent boy? What demons lurked behind Loeb's flashing good looks? Behind Leopold's saturnine intellect? This exquisite Off-Broadway hit explores the complex r

Drama

John Logan

Characters: 5 male, 2 female

Various sets.

This compelling drama by the author of Never the Sinner begins just moments before the 1936 execution of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, the German immigrant who was convicted of murdering the Lindbergh's baby. With prison guards doubling as other characters in flashback, Hauptmann tells his gripping story.

"It is one of rising anti German sentiment in America, of rich versus poor, of the state versus the individual." Hollywood Reporter.

"A spellbinding and surprisingly fresh ... engrossing drama, intelligently told." Variety.

"In telling one man's story, it succeeds in encompassing everything that is essential about America today." Newsday.

Clint Eastwood directs this feature film adaptation of the multi award-winning Broadway musical about 1960s pop group The Four Seasons. John Lloyd Young reprises his stage role as Frankie Valli, who is discovered by guitarist Tommy DeVito (Vincent Piazza), and along with bass player Nick Massi (Michael Lomenda) and keyboardist/songwriter Bob Gaudio (Erich Gergen) forms The Four Seasons. They sign a contract with producer Bob Crewe (Mike Doyle) and gradually find success but relationships within the band become strained over time. Narrated by each group member in turn, the story follows their rise to fame and eventual break-up, as well as the personal troubles they face along the way. The film features songs such as 'Rag Doll', 'Sherry', 'Big Girls Don't Cry', 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' and 'Who Loves You'.

Four of the big-screen 'Star Trek' spin-offs featuring the crew of 'The Next Generation'. In 'Generations' (1994), Captain James T Kirk (William Shatner) reluctantly comes out of retirement to attend the launch of the 'Enterprise B'. When the ship attempts to rescue two cargo ships trapped in a strange electrical field, part of its structure is shorn away - taking Kirk with it.

78 years later, 'Enterprise D' captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) is mourning the deaths of his brother and nephew when he is called to investigate an attack on the Amagosa Observatory. The culprits turn out to be Picard's old adversaries, renegade Klingons Lursa and B'Etor, allied with sinister El Aurian scientist Dr Soran (Malcolm McDowell). Soran was amongst those rescued by the 'Enterprise B', and is now desperate to return to the energy field - called the Nexus - which claimed Kirk's life. When Picard himself enters the Nexus, a historic encounter results. In 'First Contact' (1996), Captain Jean-Luc Picard, once assimilated by the alien Borg, now senses that they are about to return. He is proved correct when the Collective engages the Enterprise E in battle, only to escape through a temporal vortex into the Earth's past. Picard and his crew glimpse an alternative Earth which is dominated by the Borg and, in an attempt to find out how the Borg have altered the timeline, follow them back to the year 2063, one day before Zefram Cochran (James Cromwell) made the first warp drive journey. It was this event that attracted the attention of some passing Vulcans and established Earth's 'first contact' with alien life. While Riker (Jonathan Frakes) leads an away team to prevent the Borg from tampering with the Earth's history, Picard must repel a Borg invasion of the Enterprise.

In 'Insurrection' (1998), a Federation team are unobtrusively observing life on the remarkable world of Ba'ku, where 600 peaceful inhabitants enjoy the planet's youth-preserving qualities. However, forces within the alliance want to repatriate the population so that the planet's resources can be exploited more intensively. Captain Jean-Luc Picard leads his crew in an effort to protect Ba'ku's residents and thereby honour the Federation's Prime Directive: non-intervention in the development of other civilisations.

'Nemesis' (2002) is the tenth instalment in the 'Star Trek' film series. When Picard and the crew discover a disassembled prototype of their android colleague Data (Brent Spiner) on a distant planet, they take the parts back to the Enterprise and attempt to put them back together. Meanwhile, news arrives that the new Romulan leader Shinzon (Tom Hardy) wants to restore relations with the United Federation of Planets and Picard is sent to negotiate. When Picard arrives, he uncovers a shocking truth about Shinzon's connection to himself, and unearths a sinister plot to destroy the Earth.

It's 1970 and the 1967 Summer of Love has finally arrived in a small Midwestern town. A pair of hip outsiders open a record store in the midst of redneck Amerika, attracting every hipster misfit and hippie wannabe in the area.

PG and his sidekick Willard are doing pretty well selling marijuana and magic mushrooms. A little too well. Between the mob and the deputy sheriff, they may be in deeper trouble than they bargained for.