Other books that might interest you

• 

  Vanity Fair

  William Makepeace Thackeray

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  One of the great Victorian novels by an author at the height of his powers, Vanity Fair follows the fortunes of the calculating, upwardly-mobile Becky Sharp and her gentle, good-hearted friend Amelia Sedley as they leave their boarding school and embark upon their lives in Vanity Fair – the social-climbing, wealth-obsessed world of Regency England in the time of the Napoleonic Wars. William Makepeace Thackeray was a British novelist, author, and illustrator. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1848 novel Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of British society, and the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon, adapted for a 1975 film by Stanley Kubrick.

  Show book

• 

  Contrairy Mary - From their pens...

  Edwin Pugh

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  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.

  Show book

• 

  Heart of Darkness

  Joseph Conrad

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  "Heart of Darkness" is a novella written by Polish-English author Joseph Conrad, first published in 1902. The narrative follows Charles Marlow, a sailor and ivory transporter, as he travels up the Congo River into the African interior to meet the enigmatic and infamous ivory trader, Kurtz. The novella explores themes of imperialism, colonization, racism, and the darkness within human nature. It presents a stark and critical view of European colonialism and the exploitation of Africa and its people. "Heart of Darkness" is considered a significant work of English literature and has inspired numerous adaptations and critical discussions on its themes

  Show book

• 

  Richard Bruce - Burglar - Former...

  Edgar Wallace

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace was born on the 1st April 1875 in Greenwich, London.  Leaving school at 12 because of truancy, by the age of fifteen he had experience; selling newspapers, as a worker in a rubber factory, as a shoe shop assistant, as a milk delivery boy and as a ship’s cook.  
   
  By 1894 he was engaged but broke it off to join the Infantry being posted to South Africa. He also changed his name to Edgar Wallace which he took from Lew Wallace, the author of Ben-Hur.  
   
  In Cape Town in 1898 he met Rudyard Kipling and was inspired to begin writing. His first collection of ballads, The Mission that Failed! was enough of a success that in 1899 he paid his way out of the armed forces in order to turn to writing full time.  
   
  By 1904 he had completed his first thriller, The Four Just Men. Since nobody would publish it he resorted to setting up his own publishing company which he called Tallis Press. 
    
  In 1911 his Congolese stories were published in a collection called Sanders of the River, which became a bestseller. He also started his own racing papers, Bibury’s and R. E. Walton’s Weekly, eventually buying his own racehorses and losing thousands gambling.  A life of exceptionally high income was also mirrored with exceptionally large spending and debts.  
   
  Wallace now began to take his career as a fiction writer more seriously, signing with Hodder and Stoughton in 1921. He was marketed as the ‘King of Thrillers’ and they gave him the trademark image of a trilby, a cigarette holder and a yellow Rolls Royce. He was truly prolific, capable not only of producing a 70,000 word novel in three days but of doing three novels in a row in such a manner. It was estimated that by 1928 one in four books being read was written by Wallace, for alongside his famous thrillers he wrote variously in other genres, including science fiction, non-fiction accounts of WWI which amounted to ten volumes and screen plays. Eventually he would reach the remarkable total of 170 novels, 18 stage plays and 957 short stories. 
   
  Wallace became chairman of the Press Club which to this day holds an annual Edgar Wallace Award, rewarding ‘excellence in writing’.  
   
  Diagnosed with diabetes his health deteriorated and he soon entered a coma and died of his condition and double pneumonia on the 7th of February 1932 in North Maple Drive, Beverly Hills. He was buried near his home in England at Chalklands, Bourne End, in Buckinghamshire.

  Show book

• 

  Thuvia Maid of Mars

  edgar rice burroughs

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  In Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Thuvia, Maid of Mars," adventure ignites on the red planet as Carthoris of Helium embarks on a daring quest to rescue the captivating Thuvia, princess of Ptarth. Abducted amidst a backdrop of interplanetary intrigue, Thuvia's fate intertwines with ancient Martian conflicts and powerful forces. This thrilling tale of heroism and romance plunges readers into the vibrant, perilous world of Barsoom, where courage and love defy all odds.

  Show book

• 

  Great African American Literary...

  Langston Hughes, Arna Bontemps,...

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Hear rare recordings from five of the most-respected African American poets reading their own works: Langston Hughes, The Negro Speaks of Rivers; Arna Bontemps, Nocturne at Bethesda; Countee Cullen, Heritage; Gwendolyn Brooks, The Vacant Lot; and Sonia Sanchez, Black Magic. . 
  ©2009 Rick Sheridan (P)2009 Rick Sheridan

  Show book