Publisher: JH
Many of E. W. Hornung's novels explore the classic fish-out-of-water scenario by exiling a sophisticated, well-born aristocratic to the austere environment of the Australian outback. My Lord Duke reverses the situation. A humble, rough-and-tumble fellow born and raised in the Australian bush finds out that he has inherited a sizable sum and is forced to navigate the mysterious mores of upper-crust London society.
One of the most revered works in English literature, Great Expectations traces the coming of age of a young orphan, Pip, from a boy of shallow aspirations into a man of maturity. From the chilling opening confrontation with an escaped convict to the grand but eerily disheveled estate of bitter old Miss Havisham, all is not what it seems in Dickens’ dark tale of false illusions and thwarted desire. Like much of Dickens’ work, the novel depicts an unstable society in which people’s life chances can change radically and suddenly, especially when under the influence of more powerful individuals who, for selfish or immoral reasons, have no qualms in altering, and often damaging, the lives of others. Cover illustrated by: Sheila Wong Sheila Wong is a graphic designer and illustrator based in the Pacific Northwest. Her work often pulls from a variety of experiences - from growing up as a child of Chinese immigrants in the Midwest, to years working in tech support and then design in the heart of Silicon Valley. When not at work, she is usually looking for new places to go camping, or building mechanical keyboards.Show book
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. ‘The moon's an arrant thief, And her pale fire she snatches from the sun.’ The story of Shakespeare’s sharp satire on wealth, greed and betrayal. Wealthy and popular, Timon of Athens helps his friends, gives many gifts, and holds a feast. After ignoring his true friends' warnings, Timon runs out of money, and none of his "friends" will help him. He runs away to a cave where he curses humanity, finds gold, funds someone to destroy Athens, and dies. 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: William Squire; Corin Redgrave; Donald Beves; David Rowe-Beddoe; Michael Burrell; Anthony White; Peter Woodthorpe; John Wood; Derek Jacobi; Peter Foster; Philip Strick; Trevor Nunn; Terrence Hardiman; David Coombes; Anthony Arlidge; Philip Strick; John Sharp; Gary O’Connor; Eric Rump; Tom Bussmann; Richard Kay; Corin Redgrave; Jill Daltry; Elizabeth Proud. This top performing piece of European theatre, short in length but rich in content, continues to captivate audiences with its timeless themes. The best of Shakespeare's lesser-known works, Timon of Athens remains a testament to the playwright's unparalleled skill and creativity. For fans of Richard Parsons (GCSE English Shakespeare Text Guide), and Arthur Miller (Incident at Vichy).Show book
Mary Frances Butts was born on 13th December 1890 in Poole, Dorset. Her early years were spent at Salterns, an 18th-century house overlooking Poole Harbour. Sadly in 1905 her father died, and she was sent for boarding at St Leonard's school for girls in St Andrews. Her mother remarried and, from 1909, Mary studied at Westfield College in London, and here, first became aware of her bisexual feelings. She was sent down for organising a trip to Epsom races and only completed her degree in 1914 when she graduated from the London School of Economics. By then Mary had become an admirer of the occultist Aleister Crowley and she was given a co-authorship credit on his ‘Magick (Book 4)’. In 1916, she began the diary which would now detail her future life and be a constant reference point for her observations and her absorbing experiences. During World War I, she was doing social work for the London County Council in Hackney Wick, and involved in a lesbian relationship. Life changed after meeting the modernist poet, John Rodker and they married in 1918. In 1921 she spent 3 months at Aleister Crowley's Abbey of Thelema in Sicily; she found the practices dreadful and also acquired a drug habit. Mary now spent time writing in Dorset, including her celebrated book of short stories ‘Speed the Plough’ which saw fully develop her unique Modernist prose style. Europe now beckoned and several years were spent in Paris befriending many artists and writing further extraordinary stories. She was continually sought after by literary magazines and also published several short story collections as books. Although a Modernist writer she worked in other genres but is essentially only known for her short stories. Mary was deeply committed to nature conservation and wrote several pamphlets attacking the growing pollution of the countryside. In 1927, she divorced and the following year her novel ‘Armed with Madness’ was published. A further marriage followed in 1930 and time was spent attempting to settle in London and Newcastle before setting up home on the western tip of Cornwall. By 1934 the marriage had failed. Mary Butts died on 5th March 1937, at the West Cornwall Hospital, Penzance, after an operation for a perforated gastric ulcer. She was 46. Her story ‘In Bayswater’ grippingly describes a man’s friendship with a dysfunctional family he rents a room from. As each facet reveals itself his opinion and decisions change, back and forth, this way and that….Show book
Herbert George "H. G." Wells (1866 - 1946) was an English writer.He was prolific in many genres, including the novel, history, politics, social commentary, and textbooks and rules for war games. Wells is now best remembered for his science fiction novels and is called a "father of science fiction"BOOK THE FIRST: THE DAYS BEFORE TONO-BUNGAY WAS INVENTED: Most people in this world seem to live "in character"; they have a beginning, a middle and an end, and the three are congruous one with another and true to the rules of their type. You can speak of them as being of this sort of people or that. They are, as theatrical people say, no more (and no less) than "character actors." They have a class, they have a place, they know what is becoming in them and what is due to them, and their proper size of tombstone tells at last how properly they have played the part.Show book
Black Beauty was written in 1877 and was subtitled "The Autobiography of a Horse." It quickly became known as the best-loved animal story. In addition to this, the book achieved its aim to "induce kindness, sympathy and an understanding treatment of horses." The story was used first by George Angell, founder of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and then by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. At a time when horses were relied upon for transport, the horse was the animal most likely to be abused. This book, by telling the story through the eyes of the animal, changed people's attitudes.Show book
After the collapse of her marriage to an illustrious German prince, Baroness Eugenia Münster arrives in America with her brother, in search of wealthy New England relatives. The duo have an immediate impact on their American cousins, the Wentworths. The Baroness captures the eye of young Clifford Wentworth, and his girlfriend’s older brother Robert; meanwhile, Felix falls for his American cousin Gertrude. The Wentworths are overawed by their European cousins and their frivolous lifestyle. What unfolds is a delightful comedy of manners that contrasts the apparently sophisticated and light-hearted Europeans with the serious and puritanical Americans. At times reminiscent of Jane Austen, The Europeans contains beautiful and vivid descriptions of mid-19th century upper-class New England life.Show book
