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  Fräulein Else

  Arthur Schnitzler

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  Depicting the evolution of a moral dilemma in dazzling stream-of-consciousness narrative, Arthur Schnitzler's Fräulein Else is a darkly witty exploration of Viennese social mores.
  Fräulein Else is the story of a young woman who, while staying with her aunt at a fashionable spa, receives a telegram from her mother begging her to save her father from debtor's jail by approaching an elderly acquaintance in order to borrow money from him. Forced by the exigencies of her family into the reality of a world entirely at odds with her romantic imagination, we are brought unremittingly to the horrific consequences of Else's realisation that her world is one in which everything has a price and where the veneer of morality is as brittle and transparent as glass.
  Translated from the German by F.H. Lyon, Arthur Schnitzler's modernist novella Fräulein Else is published by Pushkin Press.
  Arthur Schnitzler (b.1862) was born in Vienna, the son of a prominent Jewish doctor, and studied medicine at the University of Vienna. In later years he devoted his life to writing and was successful as a novelist, dramatist and short story writer. Schnitzler's work shows a remarkable ability to create atmosphere and a profound understanding of human motives.

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  A Princess of Mars

  Edgar Rice Burroughs

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  Two years before Edgar Rice Burroughs became a worldwide celebrity with the publication of Tarzan of the Apes, he published A Princess of Mars. A futuristic sci-fi fantasy romance, A Princess of Mars tells the story of John Carter, a Civil War veteran who inexplicably finds himself held prisoner on the planet Mars by the Green Men of Thark. Together with Dejah Thoris, the princess of another clan on Mars, the unlikely pair must fight for their freedom and save the entire planet from destruction as the life-sustaining Atmosphere Factory slowly grinds to a halt.

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  Merry Wives of Windsor The (Argo...

  William Shakespeare

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  William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time. 
  ‘Why, then the world ’s mine oyster, 
  Which I with sword will open.’ 
  Double-meanings, disguises and dirty laundry abound as Sir John Falstaff sets about improving his financial situation by wooing Mistress Page and Mistress Ford. But the ‘Merry Wives’ quickly cotton on to his tricks and decide to have a bit of fun of their own at Falstaff’s expense. 
  All of the Shakespeare plays within the ARGO Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts, and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations. 
  Thurston Dart, Professor of Music at London University and a Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge, directed the music for this production. 
  The full cast includes: Patrick Wymark; Peter Orr; Terrence Hardiman; Gordon Gardner; Frank Duncan; Anthony Arlidge; Dudley Jones; Roy Dotrice; David Buck; Anthony Handy; Tony Church; Philip Strick; Freda Dowie; Norman Mitchell; Raymond Clarke; Geraldine McEwan; Angela Baddeley; Susan Maryott; Beatrix Lehmann. 
  This top performing play is a testament to the best of European theatre, a short but impactful piece that continues to captivate audiences. The Merry Wives are not just characters, but a testament to Shakespeare's comedic genius. 
  For fans of Barbara A. Mowat (The Taming of the Shrew), Paul Werstine (The Two Noble Kinsmen), Sparknotes (Merchant of Venice), and Arthur Miller (Death of a Salesman).

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  The Picture of Dorian Gray

  Oscar Wilde

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  The Picture of Dorian Gray is a philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 American periodical Lippincott's Monthly Magazine issue. The novel-length version was published in April 1891.The story revolves around a portrait of Dorian Gray painted by Basil Hallward, a friend of Dorian's and an artist infatuated with Dorian's beauty. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton and is soon enthralled by the aristocrat's hedonistic worldview: beauty and sensual fulfillment are the only things worth pursuing. Newly understanding that his beauty will fade, Dorian desires to sell his soul to ensure that the picture, rather than he, will age and fade.The wish is granted, and Dorian pursues a libertine life of varied amoral experiences while staying young and beautiful; all the while, his portrait ages and visually records every one of Dorian's sins.

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  Malcolm

  George MacDonald

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  A masterpiece of mystery and spiritual power from one of the Victorian era’s greatest writers, the Scottish author who inspired C. S. Lewis.   This towering 1875 novel, set in the Scottish fishing village of Cullen, is considered by many as George MacDonald’s fictional masterwork. The intricate tale is more true to place than any of MacDonald’s books. As Malcolm is drawn into the web of secrets surrounding majestic Lossie House, with the marquis of Lossie and his tempestuous daughter Florimel at the center of them, we meet some of MacDonald’s most memorable characters. Through them Malcolm must unravel many mysteries that hang over the town and its people—and himself.   The Scottish dialect is more impenetrable than in many of MacDonald’s other Scottish novels, and has been translated into readable English in this newly updated edition by MacDonald’s biographer Michael Phillips. Calling it a “masterpiece of plot, drama, mystery, characterization, and spiritual depth,” it was Malcolm which in the 1970s set Phillips on his life’s-work to acquaint the world with MacDonald’s forgotten legacy through new editions of MacDonald’s work. Phillips says, “Malcolm is always an ideal choice for new readers to begin a deeper acquaintance with MacDonald,” especially as it is set in the locale from which The Cullen Collection of new editions derives its name. Phillips’s lengthy informative introduction sets Malcolm’s story colorfully into the context of MacDonald’s two 1870s visits to Cullen. Phillips also provides readers new to the works of MacDonald with a historical overview of the Scotsman’s writing and significance.

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  A Descent Into the Maelstrom

  Edgar Allan Poe

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  A Descent Into The Maelström is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe that first appeared in the May 1841 edition of Graham's Magazine. In the tale, a man recounts how he survived a shipwreck and a whirlpool. It has been grouped with Poe's tales of ratiocination and also labeled an early form of science fiction.

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