Editorial: Bu Classics Books
A man cursed with the ability to foresee the future and hear the thoughts of others finds himself trapped in a nightmare of isolation and horror. This Gothic departure from realism dives into the dark waters of consciousness, exploring the terrifying burden of knowing too much.
First published in 1850, David Copperfield begins with avid the tragedy of David's brother dying when David is just a boy. After this episode, he is sent by his step-father to work in London for a wine merchant. When conditions worsen he decides to run away and embarks on a journey by foot from London to Dover. On his arrival, he finds his eccentric aunt, Betsey Trotwood who becomes his new guardian. Being witness to the formation of David's character is quite fascinating. David begins as a strong child whose only aspiration is a better life. On the way to his adulthood, David sees how people enter and leave his life. Romanticism takes its place in David’s life as he gets married to Dora Spenlow who is not long for this world. Will David ever find stability and happiness? And what of his wife? Dickens proves to be a master in creating an autobiographical work that is a captivating page-turner.Charles John Huffam Dickens FRSA was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era.Ver libro
The bookshelves of British literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centuries of very talented authors. From these Isles their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected their talents endure. Among them is Edwin Pugh.Ver libro
In Through the Looking-Glass, Lewis Carroll once again invites readers to join Alice as she steps into another fantastical world—this time by passing through a mirror. On the other side, she finds a land where everything is reversed, and life itself resembles a giant game of chess. Each encounter—from the bumbling Tweedledum and Tweedledee to the tragic White Knight—brings Alice closer to her goal of becoming a queen on the chessboard of this topsy-turvy universe.Carroll enriches his whimsical storytelling with memorable poems like "Jabberwocky" and playful riddles that continue to challenge the imagination. Unlike the dreamlike wandering of Wonderland, this sequel carries a clearer structure, echoing the rules and strategy of a chess game. Yet beneath the surface lies the same blend of wonder, humor, and quiet reflection that makes Alice's journey as enchanting as ever.Ver libro
Tormented to distraction by the death of his true love, an old man embarks on a quixotic quest to find her. A tale that is tragic yet tender, Theodore Dreiser demonstrates the power of a love that bridges the gap between life and death.Ver libro
Annabel Lee is the last complete poem by Edgar Allan Poe. Like many of Poe's poems, it explores the theme of the death of a beautiful woman. The narrator, who fell in love with Annabel Lee when they were young, has a love for her so strong that even angels are jealous. He retains his love for her even after her death. There has been debate over who - if anyone - was the inspiration for Annabel Lee. Though many women have been suggested, Poe's wife Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe is one of the more credible candidates. ©2009 Listen & Live Audio, Inc.; (P)2009 Listen & Live Audio, Inc.Ver libro
William Pett Ridge was born at Chartham, near Canterbury, Kent, on 22nd April 1859. His family’s resources were certainly limited. His father was a railway porter, and the young Pett Ridge, after schooling in Marden, Kent became a clerk in a railway clearing-house. The hours were long and arduous, but self-improvement was Pett Ridge’s goal. After working from nine until seven o’clock he would attend evening classes at Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institute and then to follow his passion; the ambition to write. He was heavily influenced by Dickens and several critics thought he had the capability to be his successor. From 1891 many of his humourous sketches were published in the St James's Gazette, the Idler, Windsor Magazine and other literary periodicals of the day. Pett Ridge published his first novel in 1895, A Clever Wife. By the advent of his fifth novel, Mord Em'ly, a mere three years later in 1898, his success was obvious. His writing was written from the perspective of those born with no privilege and relied on his great talent to find humour and sympathy in his portrayal of working class life. Today Pett Ridge and other East End novelists including Arthur Nevinson, Arthur Morrison and Edwin Pugh are being grouped together as the Cockney Novelists. In 1924, Pugh set out his recollections of Pett Ridge from the 1890s: “I see him most clearly, as he was in those days, through a blue haze of tobacco smoke. We used sometimes to travel together from Waterloo to Worcester Park on our way to spend a Saturday afternoon and evening with H. G. Wells. Pett Ridge does not know it, but it was through watching him fill his pipe, as he sat opposite me in a stuffy little railway compartment, that I completed my own education as a smoker... Pett Ridge had a small, dark, rather spiky moustache in those days, and thick, dark, sleek hair which is perhaps not quite so thick or dark, though hardly less sleek nowadays than it was then”. With his success, on the back of his prolific output and commercial success, Pett Ridge gave generously of both time and money to charity. In 1907 he founded the Babies Home at Hoxton. This was one of several organisations that he supported that had the welfare of children as their mission. His circle considered Pett Ridge to be one of life's natural bachelors. In 1909 they were rather surprised therefore when he married Olga Hentschel. As the 1920’s arrived Pett Ridge added to his popularity with the movies. Four of his books were adapted into films. Pett Ridge now found the peak of his fame had passed. Although he still managed to produce a book a year he was falling out of fashion and favour with the reading public and his popularity declined rapidly. His canon runs to over sixty novels and short-story collections as well as many pieces for magazines and periodicals. William Pett Ridge died, on 29th September 1930, at his home, Ampthill, Willow Grove, Chislehurst, at the age of 71. He was cremated at West Norwood on 2nd October 1930.Ver libro
