Publisher: Good Press
This fun book covers several proverbs originating from various countries in Europe and contrasts them with those that come from the English language. The topics covered include parents, marriage, luck, ingratitude, and silence.
The Happy Prince and Other Tales (sometimes called The Happy Prince and Other Stories) is a collection of stories for children by Oscar Wilde first published in May 1888. It contains five stories: "The Happy Prince", "The Nightingale and the Rose", "The Selfish Giant", "The Devoted Friend", and "The Remarkable Rocket". Welcome to a special edition of a renowned classic.Show book
Whilst writer Charles Dickens needs no introduction, his ‘Haunted House’ anthology might, not least because in his role as editor he introduces a formidable array of known and lesser-known literary talents. Dickens started a tradition of releasing stories each Christmas with ‘A Christmas Carol’ in 1843. ‘The Haunted House’ was his 1859 offering and, as the name suggests, is set in a large house which, as his introductory story explains, is desired by John the narrator, as a temporary country retreat for health reasons. He is made aware of the terror the house holds for the locals but undaunted, he and his sister, Patty, take residence without any servants, save for the deaf stable hand, who is untroubled by the ghostly goings on. John and Patty invite friends to visit and except Patty who keeps her own room, they all draw lots for which rooms they will stay in but agree not to share their experiences of their rooms until the twelfth night. On that night they all gather together to feast on their experiences and share them with each other. The Haunted House is a skillful portmanteau by Dickens, assembling the best literary talent of his age including Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, Hesba Stretton, Adelaide Anne Proctor, George Augustus Sala and, of course, the literary leviathan himself to delight us, scare us and occasionally raise a laugh or two before the next moment of fear and dread come calling. 1 - The Haunted House - An Introduction 2 - The Mortals in the House by Charles Dickens 3 - The Ghost in the Cloakroom by Hesba Stretton 4 - The Ghost in the Double Room by George Augustus Sala 5 - The Ghost in the Picture Room by Adelaide Anne Proctor 6 - The Ghost in the Cupboard Room by Wilkie Collins 7 - The Ghost in Master B's Room by Charles Dickens 8 - The Ghost in the Garden Room, Part 1 by Elizabeth Gaskell 9 - The Ghost in the Garden Room, Part 2 by Elizabeth Gaskell 10 - The Ghost in the Corner Room by Charles DickensShow book
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. No story captures the uneasy feeling of being in a strange new world quite like Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. The beloved tale, read by the iconic Jane Asher, sees Alice following a peculiar White Rabbit into the bizarre world of Wonderland, where nothing seems to make sense and everything she knows is turned on its head.Show book
"In a Literary Household" by H. G. Wells is a short essay. H. G. Wells once different, humorous social satire and ironic.In the literary household of fiction and the drama, things are usually in a distressing enough condition. The husband, as you know, has a hacking cough, and the wife a dying baby, and they write in the intervals of these cares among the litter of the breakfast things.Show book
Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850) is arguably the greatest European novelist in terms of the range and power of his writing. Most of his short stories predate his long novels and are written in a different style.One of the earliest is An Episode of the Reign of Terror in which two nuns and a priest in hiding from the mob are visited by a stranger with a very peculiar request, and even odder motives behind it.The nuns and the priest are curious as to the identity of the mysterious man... but nothing can prepare the old priest for the shock he experiences when he discovers who his visitor really is....Show book
The latest in a new series of classic detective stories from the vaults of HarperCollins is a reissue of one of literature’s most audacious and thought-provoking novels of murder and intrigue, performed by Richard E. Grant. Includes John Inglisham’s foreword from the original Detective Story Club edition. “The Detective Story Club”, launched by Collins in 1929, was a clearing house for the best and most ingenious crime stories of the age, chosen by a select committee of experts. Now, almost 90 years later, these books are the classics of the Golden Age, republished at last with the same popular cover designs that appealed to their original readers. Originally published in 1886 as “Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”, Robert Louis Stevenson’s book had been propelled to massive success following a favourable review in The Times, and by 1901 had sold a quarter of a million copies. This is how the Detective Club described the book: ‘In addition to being one of the most amazing crime stories ever written, “Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is probably the most remarkable of all the writings of Robert Louis Stevenson. It would be unfair to the reader to give away the secret of this thriller. Suffice it to say that every page grips and the unforgettable portrait of a mast criminal takes shape until the sensational climax is reached, a climax of dramatic intensity, without equal in the realm of detective fiction. If one wished to append a moral to this crime fantasy it might well be this: “The self you choose to-day, and not the self you chose yesterday, is the fate of to-morrow.”’Show book
