Editorial: Sovereign
Nearly twenty years have passed since their first adventure in Africa, but he and his ward Leo Vincey are convinced that Ayesha did not die. Following their dreams, they wander for years through Asia. Taking refuge over winter in a remote lamasery, they meet the old Abbot Kou-En, who claims to recall a past-life encounter tales with a witch queen from the time of Alexander the Great.
In this sketch that features a young mountain girl, her family, and the feuding family across the street, Fitzgerald closes out his collection of Tales of the Jazz Age with this light and entertaining piece.Ver libro
Opening with the poem that made Poe a household name overnight, this collection of his short works includes the narrative poem "The Raven", the short story "The Fall of the House of Usher", and the first of Poe's "ratiocination" tales: "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", featuring the first of the fictional detectives: C. Auguste Dupin. From there we encounter the horror classics: The Pit & the Pendulum, the Cask of Amontillado and the Masque of the Red Death, and the Tell Tale Heart, before finishing with another tale of C. Auguste Dupin: The Purloined Letter. Narrated by Michael Ward.Ver libro
A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843; the first edition was illustrated by John Leech. A Christmas Carol tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. After their visits Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol at a time when the British were examining and exploring Christmas traditions from the past, such as carols, as well as new customs such as Christmas trees. He was influenced by experiences from his own past, and from the Christmas stories of other authors, including Washington Irving and Douglas Jerrold. Dickens had written three Christmas stories prior to the novella, and was inspired to write the story following a visit to the Field Lane Ragged school, one of several establishments for London's half-starved, illiterate street children. The treatment of the poor and the ability of a self-interested man redeeming himself by transforming into a more sympathetic character are the key themes of the story. There is discussion among academics as to whether this was a fully secular story, or if it is a Christian allegory.Published on 19 December, the first edition sold out by Christmas Eve; by the end of 1844 thirteen editions had been released. Most critics reviewed the novella positively. The story was illicitly copied in January 1844; Dickens took action against the publishers, who went bankrupt, further reducing Dickens's small profits from the publication. He went on to write four other Christmas stories in subsequent years. In 1849 he began public readings of the story which proved so successful he undertook 127 further performances until 1870, the year of his death. A Christmas Carol has never been out of print and has been translated into several languages; the story has been adapted many times for film, stage, opera and other media.With A Christmas Carol, Dickens captured the zeitgeist of the mid-Victorian revival of the Christmas holiday. He has been acknowledged as an influence on the modern Western observance of Christmas and inspired several aspects of Christmas, such as family gatherings, seasonal food and drink, dancing, games and a festive generosity of spirit.Ver libro
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. ‘If all the year were playing holidays; To sport would be as tedious as to work.’ The second play in Shakespeare's series of histories, musing on the realities of wielding power. While his son Price Hal spends time in the taverns, King Henry IV argues with his former ally Hotspur. Angry, Hotspur gathers a rebellion, and Henry and Hal go to battle to stop him. Henry's army wins the battle, while Hal redeems himself from his wild youth and kills Hotspur. 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: Anthony Jacobs; Gary Watson; Corin Redgrave; Ian Lang; John Tracy-Phillips; Frank Duncan; John Barton; Paul Scofield; John Wood; Denis McCarthy; John Arnott; William Squire; Richard Marquand; Peter Forster; Philip Strick; Donald Beves; David Jones; Simon Relph; Anthony Arlidge; Dilys Hamlett; Vivienne Chatterton; Eirian James. The best of European theatre is encapsulated in this performance, as the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players breathe life into Shakespeare's tale of power and rebellion. The performing arts, in their most authentic form, serve as a testament to the enduring relevance of these classic narratives. For fans of Richard Parsons (GCSE English Shakespeare Text Guide), and Arthur Miller (Incident at Vichy).Ver libro
The Adventure of the Dying Detective, in some editions simply titled "The Dying Detective" (first published 1913), is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Together with seven other stories, it is collected as His Last Bow (published 1917).Dr. Watson is called to tend Holmes, who is apparently dying of a rare tropical disease, Tapanuli fever, contracted while he was on a case. Watson is shocked, not having heard about his friend's illness. Mrs. Hudson says that Holmes has neither eaten nor drunk anything in three days.Holmes instructs Watson not to come near him, because the illness is highly infectious. In fact, he scorns to be treated by Watson and insults his abilities, astonishing and hurting the doctor. Although Watson wishes to examine Holmes himself or call in a specialist, Holmes demands that Watson wait several hours before seeking help. While Watson waits, he examines several objects in Holmes's room. Holmes grows angry when Watson touches items explaining that he does not like his things touched.At six o'clock, Holmes tells Watson to turn the gaslight on, but only half-full. He then instructs Watson to bring Mr Culverton Smith of 13 Lower Burke Street to see Holmes, but to make sure that Watson returns to Baker Street before Smith arrives.Famous works of the author Arthur Conan Doyle: A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of the Four, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Valley of Fear, His Last Bow, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, Stories of Sherlock Holmes, The Lost World.Ver libro
Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere. In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens’ across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author? The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature. Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something. In this Century Men still control almost all of ‘who’ and ‘what’ gets published. It is an unfair world but these male authors are also very gifted and none could argue with their status here. Their stories throw light onto the ills and dark corners of societies flaws and the damning rules that oppress the many. 01 - The Top 10 - The 19th Century - The Men - An Introduction 2 - The Signalman by Charles Dickens 3 - Bartleby the Scrivener - Part 1 by Herman Melville 4 - Bartleby the Scrivener - Part 2 by Herman Melville 5 - The Cloak by Nikolai Gogol also known as 'The Overcoat' 6 - The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant 7 - About Love by Anton Chekhov 8 - The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe 9 - The District Doctor by Ivan Turgenev 10 - Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne 11 - A Passion in the Desert by Honoré de Balzac 12 - Lost Hearts by M R JamesVer libro
