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  Secret Agent The (Argo Classics)

  Joseph Conrad

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  William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic fiction read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly abridged and remastered stories are now available to download for the first time. 
  Intrigue, espionage, and anarchy abound in what is still considered Conrad’s finest novel. Adolf Verloc, a Russian spy working for the police, is embroiled in a plot to blow up the Greenwich Observatory. When the attack goes awry, Verloc must face the consequences. 
  Beloved star of the screen and stage, Tim Pigott Smith provides a thrilling narration of this strikingly relevant tale. 
  This top-notch political adventure, masterfully narrated by Tim Pigott Smith, takes you on a rollercoaster ride of action and crime. The best of Conrad's works, it's a tale that resonates with the current times, making it a must-read for all. 
  For fans of Fjodor M. Dostojewskij (THE COMPLETE WORKS OF FYODOR DOSTOYEVSKY), James Joyce (Dubliners), Cormac Mccarthy (Stella Maris), Herman Melville (Bartleby, the Scrivener), and George Eliot (Middlemarch).

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  Our Lady of the Flowers

  Genet Jean

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  The shattering novel of underground life the New York Times called “a cry of rapture and horror . . . the purest lyrical genius.”   Jean Genet’s debut novel Our Lady of the Flowers, which is often considered to be his masterpiece, was written entirely in the solitude of a prison cell. A semi- autobiographical account of one man’s journey through the Paris demi-monde, dubbed “the epic of masturbation” by no less a figure than Jean-Paul Sartre, the novel’s exceptional value lies in its exquisite ambiguity.

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  Red Sky at Morning - A Novel

  Richard Bradford

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  Hailed as “a sort of Catcher in the Rye out West,” this classic coming-of-age story set during World War II is “a true delight” (Washington Post Book World). 
   
  In the summer of 1944, Frank Arnold, a wealthy shipbuilder in Mobile, Alabama, receives his volunteer commission in the U.S. Navy and moves his wife, Ann, and seventeen-year-old son, Josh, to the family’s summer home in the village of Corazon Sagrado, high in the New Mexico mountains. A true daughter of the Confederacy, Ann finds it impossible to cope with the quality of life in the largely Hispanic village and takes to playing bridge and drinking. Josh, on the other hand, becomes an integral member of the Sagrado community, forging friendships with his new classmates, with the town’s disreputable resident artist, and with Amadeo and Excilda Montoya, the couple hired by his father to care for their house. 
   
  Josh narrates the story of his fateful year in Sagrado and, with irresistibly deadpan, irreverent humor, describes the events and people who influence his progress to maturity. Unhindered by his mother’s disdain for these “tacky, dusty little Westerners,” Josh comes into his own and into a young man’s finely formed understanding of duty, responsibility, and love. 
   
  “A minor marvel: a novel of paradox, of identity, of an overwhelming YES to life that embraces with wonder what we are pleased to call the human condition. In short, a work of art.” —Harper Lee 
   
   “A refreshing book, straightforward, funny, touching and . . . true.” —New York Times Book Review 
   
  “A terribly funny book with some of the richest characters I’ve read about in some years.” —Groucho Marx

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  Picture of Dorian Gray The -...

  Oscar Wilde, Classic Audiobooks,...

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  The Picture of Dorian Gray is a haunting exploration of beauty, morality, and the corrupting influence of unchecked desire. Oscar Wilde's only novel tells the story of Dorian Gray, a strikingly handsome young man who becomes the subject of a portrait by the artist Basil Hallward. Under the influence of the hedonistic Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian wishes for eternal youth, allowing the portrait to age and bear the marks of his sins instead of him.As Dorian descends deeper into a life of debauchery and moral corruption, his outward appearance remains flawless, but the portrait reflects the growing darkness of his soul. Wilde's masterful prose delves into themes of vanity, the duality of human nature, and the consequences of living without conscience.The Picture of Dorian Gray is both a captivating story and a profound meditation on art, morality, and the human condition. It remains one of the most celebrated works of English literature, resonating with readers across generations.

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  Merchant of Venice 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. 
  'The quality of mercy is not strain'd, 
  It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven’ 
  Bassiano, a noble Venetian, hopes to woo the beautiful heiress Portia. However, he requires financial assistance from his friend Antonio. Antonio agrees, but he, in turn, must borrow from the Jewish moneylender Shylock. As recourse for past ills, Shylock stipulates that the forfeit on the loan must be a pound of Antonio’s flesh. 
  In the most renowned onstage law scene of all time, Portia proves herself one of Shakespeare’s most cunning heroines, disguising herself as a lawyer and vanquishing Shylock’s claims; meanwhile, Shylock triumphs on a humanitarian level with his plea for tolerance. 
  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: Donald Beves; John Barton; Toby Robertson; George Rylands; Gary Watson; Anthony Jacobs; Gerald Mosback; Derek Jacobi; Richard Marquand; Tony Church; Clive Swift; Michael Bates; Terrence Hardiman; Christopher Renard; John Tracy-Phillips; Margaretta Scott; Christine Baker; Janette Richer. 
  This short, yet impactful play, is a testament to the best of European theatre, showcasing the performing prowess of the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Merchant of Venice, a masterpiece by William Shakespeare, continues to resonate with audiences, proving the timeless nature of its themes and characters. 
  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 Female Husband

  Henry Fielding

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  Henry Fielding was born at Sharpham Park, near Glastonbury, in Somerset on April 22nd 1707.  His early years were spent on his parents’ farm in Dorset before being educated at Eton. 
   
  An early romance ended disastrously and with it his removal to London and the beginnings of a glittering literary career; he published his first play, at age 21, in 1728. 
   
  He was prolific, sometimes writing six plays a year, but he did like to poke fun at the authorities. His plays were thought to be the final straw for the authorities in their attempts to bring in a new law. In 1737 The Theatrical Licensing Act was passed.  At a stroke political satire was almost impossible. Fielding was rendered mute.  Any playwright who was viewed with suspicion by the Government now found an audience difficult to find and therefore Theatre owners now toed the Government line. 
   
  Fielding was practical with the circumstances and ironically stopped writing to once again take up his career in the practice of law and became a barrister after studying at Middle Temple.  By this time he had married Charlotte Craddock, his first wife, and they would go on to have five children. Charlotte died in 1744 but was immortalised as the heroine in both Tom Jones and Amelia.   
   
  Fielding was put out by the success of Samuel Richardson's Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded.  His reaction was to spur him into writing a novel.  In 1741 his first novel was published; the successful Shamela, an anonymous parody of Richardson's novel.  
   
  Undoubtedly the masterpiece of Fielding’s career was the novel Tom Jones, published in 1749.  It is a wonderfully and carefully constructed picaresque novel following the convoluted and hilarious tale of how a foundling came into a fortune. 
   
  Fielding was a consistent anti-Jacobite and a keen supporter of the Church of England. This led to him now being richly rewarded with the position of London's Chief Magistrate.  Fielding continued to write and his career both literary and professional continued to climb.   
   
  In 1749 he joined with his younger half-brother John, to help found what was the nascent forerunner to a London police force, the Bow Street Runners. Fielding's ardent commitment to the cause of justice in the 1750s unfortunately coincided with a rapid deterioration in his health.  Such was his decline that in the summer of 1754 he travelled, with Mary and his daughter, to Portugal in search of a cure.  Gout, asthma, dropsy and other afflictions forced him to use crutches. His health continued to fail alarmingly. 
   
  Henry Fielding died in Lisbon two months later on October 8th, 1754.

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