Is Sophie Fevvers, toast of Europe's capitals, part swan...or all fake? Courted by the Prince of Wales and painted by Toulouse-Lautrec, she is an aerialiste extraordinaire and star of Colonel Kearney's circus. She is also part woman, part swan. Jack Walser, an American journalist, is on a quest to discover the truth behind her identity. Dazzled by his love for her, and desperate for the scoop of a lifetime, Walser has no choice but to join the circus on its magical tour through turn-of-the-nineteenth-century London, St Petersburg, and Siberia.

This enchanting journey takes readers on an intoxicating trip through a world so magical that only Angela Carter could have created it.

Lonesome Dove, a Pulitzer Prize-winning classic by Larry McMurtry, is an epic tale that stands as a monument to the last defiant wilderness of America. Set in the late nineteenth century, this novel takes us on an unforgettable journey to the small Texas town of Lonesome Dove.

Encounter a vivid cast of characters, ranging from heroes and outlaws to whores and dignified ladies, as well as Indians and settlers. This narrative is not only a love story and an adventure but also a reflection of the American frontier spirit. With its rich authenticity and beautiful prose, Lonesome Dove invites readers to laugh, weep, dream, and remember.

Through the eyes of the characters—Augustus McCrae and W.F. Call, former Texas Rangers with contrasting personalities and unspoken emotions—we experience the harsh realities and the deep bonds of friendship on a cattle drive from Texas to Montana. This grand novel captures the essence of the American dream and the indomitable pioneer spirit.

Raised from birth in the orphanage at St. Cloud's, Maine, Homer Wells has become the protege of Dr. Wilbur Larch, its physician and director. There Dr. Larch cares for the troubled mothers who seek his help, either by delivering and taking in their unwanted babies or by performing illegal abortions. Meticulously trained by Dr. Larch, Homer assists in the former, but draws the line at the latter.

Then a young man brings his beautiful fiancee to Dr. Larch for an abortion, and everything about the couple beckons Homer to the wide world outside the orphanage...

When the children of his village were struck with a mysterious illness, Number Ten Ox sought a wiseman to save them. He found Master Li Kao, a scholar with a slight flaw in his character. Together, they set out to find the Great Root of Power, the only possible cure.

The quest led them to a host of truly memorable characters, multiple wonders, incredible adventures—and strange coincidences, which were really not coincidences at all. And it involved them in an ancient crime that still perturbed the serenity of Heaven.

Simply and charmingly told, this is a wry tale, a sly tale, and a story of wisdom delightfully askew. Once read, its marvels and beauty will not easily fade from the mind.

The author claims that this is a novel of an ancient China that never was. But, oh…it should have been!

This is the inspirational novel that popularized the expression, What Would Jesus Do?

Written by a Congregational minister, it tells of four prominent members of a small town who resolve to undertake no action without first considering Christ's example.

Originally published in 1897, it continues to speak to modern readers.

Novel with Cocaine delves into the depths of an adolescent's cocaine addiction, presenting a Dostoevskian psychological novel of ideas. It explores the complex interplay between psychology, philosophy, and ideology through the story of Vadim, who, after formative experiences at school and with women, succumbs to drug abuse and the philosophical reflections it provokes.

Though the narrative makes little direct reference to the Revolution, it's set against a backdrop where the obsession with addictive forms of thinking resonates with the historical context. The novel critically examines how "our inborn feelings of humanity and justice" can lead to "the cruelties and satanic transgressions committed in its name."

Behind the large house, the fragrant camomile lawn stretches down to the Cornish cliffs. Here, in the dizzying heat of August 1939, five cousins gather at their aunt's house for their annual holiday ritual. For most, it is the last summer of their youth, filled with the heady exhilarations and freedoms of lost innocence, as well as the fears of the coming war.

The Camomile Lawn moves from Cornwall to London and back again over the years, weaving the stories of the cousins, their family, and friends. They are united by shared losses, lovers, family ties, and the absurd conditions imposed by war as their paths cross and recross.

Mary Wesley presents an extraordinarily vivid and lively picture of wartime London: the rationing, imaginatively circumvented; the fallen houses; the parties; the newfound comforts of sex; and the desperate humour of survival—all evoked with warmth, clarity, and stunning wit. Through it all, the cousins and their friends try to hold on to the part of themselves that laughed and played dangerous games on that camomile lawn.

In this gripping tale of turmoil and triumph on the high seas, Horatio Hornblower emerges from his apprenticeship as midshipman to face new responsibilities thrust upon him by the fortunes of war between Napoleon and Spain.

Enduring near-mutiny, bloody hand-to-hand combat with Spanish seamen, deck-splintering sea battles, and the violence and horror of life on the fighting ships of the Napoleonic Wars, the young lieutenant distinguishes himself in his first independent command.

He also faces an adventure unique in his experience: Maria.

Before George R. R. Martin, there was Dorothy Dunnett... THE PERFECT GIFT for fans of A Game of Thrones. 'She is a brilliant story teller, The Lymond Chronicles will keep you reading late into the night, desperate to know the fate of the characters you have come to care deeply about.' - The Times Literary Supplement

Checkmate is the sixth and final book in the series. It is 1557 and legendary Scottish warrior Francis Crawford of Lymond is once more in France. There he is leading an army to rout the hated English from Calais. Yet while Lymond seeks victory on the battlefield, he is haunted by his troubled past - chiefly the truth about his origins and his marriage (in name only) to young Englishwoman Philippa Somerville. As the French offer him a way out of his marriage and his wife appears in France on a mission of her own, the final moves are made in a great game that has been playing out over an extraordinary decade of war, love, and struggle - bringing The Lymond Chronicles to a spellbinding close.

'A masterpiece of historical fiction' - Washington Post
'Melodrama of the most magnificent kind' - The Guardian

Randamoozham is the masterpiece of the Jnanpith winning writer M. T. Vasudevan Nair. It was translated into English as Second Turn in 1997.

The novel is set as a retelling of the Indian epic Mahabharata, from the perspective of Bhima, the second Pandava.

The Mists of Avalon transports us to a vividly reimagined world of Arthurian legend, seen through the eyes of the women who wielded power from behind the throne. This spellbinding novel delves into the lives of these influential women, revealing a tale of passion, politics, and power.

As the great Arthurian epic unfolds, we witness the rise and fall of King Arthur, the valiant deeds of the Knights of the Round Table, and the enchantments of Merlin and Viviane. The women of Camelot, including Morgaine and Gwenhwyfar, navigate the intricate web of fate and ambition, each playing a pivotal role in the shaping of Arthur's kingdom.

The narrative weaves a tapestry of old and new religions, the conflict between differing worlds, and the ultimate destiny of the Isle of Avalon, as it fades into the mists of memory. This extraordinary literary achievement invites readers to explore the tumultuous and adventurous court of Camelot, as it has never been seen before.

This was no ordinary war. This was a war to make the world safe for democracy. And if democracy was made safe, then nothing else mattered - not the millions of dead bodies, nor the thousands of ruined lives...

This is no ordinary novel. This is a novel that never takes the easy way out: it is shocking, violent, terrifying, horrible, uncompromising, brutal, remorseless and gruesome... but so is war.

Discover the compelling and addictive adventure from one of the nation's favourite historical writers, perfect for fans of Game of Thrones. 'A brilliant storyteller, The Lymond Chronicles will keep you reading late into the night' - The Times Literary Supplement.

'I despised men who accepted their fate. I shaped mine twenty times and had it broken twenty times in my hands' - 1547. After five years imprisonment and exile far from his homeland, Francis Crawford of Lymond - scholar, soldier, rebel, nobleman, outlaw - returns to Edinburgh. But for many in an already divided Scotland, where conspiracies swarm around the infant Queen Mary, he is not welcome. Lymond is wanted for treason and murder, and he is accompanied by a band of killers and ruffians who will only bring further violence and strife. Is he back to foment rebellion? Does he seek revenge on those who banished him? Or has he returned to clear his name? No one but the enigmatic Lymond himself knows the truth - and no one will discover it until he is ready.

A Separate Peace is a poignant exploration of adolescence set against the backdrop of World War II. This American classic, which has captivated readers for over thirty years, unfolds within the confines of an all-boys boarding school in New England. We witness the story of Gene, an introverted intellectual, and his friendship with Phineas, a charismatic and daring athlete.

Their summer together is marked by a series of events that irrevocably change both their lives, mirroring the loss of innocence experienced by the country as a whole during the war. John Knowles' novel is not only a bestseller but also a profound parable about the darker aspects of adolescence and the complexities of friendship.

It was a time of crisis, a time of tragedy and a time of transcendent courage and determination. Leon Uris's novel is set in the midst of the ghetto uprising that defied Nazi tyranny, as the Jews of Warsaw boldly met Wehrmacht tanks with homemade weapons and bare fists. Here, painted on a canvas as broad as its subject matter, is the compelling story of one of the most heroic struggles of modern times.

From palace coups in the lost city of Hattusas to treachery in the Egyptian court of Tutankhamun, I, the Sun, the saga of the Hittite king Suppiluliumas, rings with authenticity and the passion of a world that existed fourteen hundred years before the birth of Christ. They called him Great King, Favorite of the Storm God, the Valiant. He conquered more than forty nations and brought fear and war to the very doorstep of Eighteenth Dynasty Egypt, but he could not conquer the one woman he truly loved.

One of the great classic tales of The Great American West...

It is 1881. Jesse James, at the age of 34, is at the height of his fame and powers as a singularly successful outlaw. Robert Ford is the skittish younger brother of one of the James gang: he has made himself an expert on the gang, but his particular interest - his obsession - is Jesse James himself. Both drawn to him and frightened of him, the nineteen-year-old is uncertain whether he wants to serve James or destroy him or, somehow, become him.

Never have these two men been portrayed and their saga explored with such poetry, such grim precision and such raw-boned feeling as Ron Hansen has brought to this masterful retelling.

Exodus is an international publishing phenomenon—the towering novel of the twentieth century's most dramatic geopolitical event. Leon Uris magnificently portrays the birth of a new nation in the midst of enemies—the beginning of an earthshaking struggle for power. Here is the tale that swept the world with its fury: the story of an American nurse, an Israeli freedom fighter caught up in a glorious, heartbreaking, triumphant era. Here is Exodus—one of the great bestselling novels of all time.

Robert Graves begins anew the tumultuous life of the Roman who became emperor in spite of himself. This novel captures the vitality, splendor, and decadence of the Roman world at the point of its decline.

Mrs. Mike is a classic and wholesome romantic tale that has enchanted millions of readers worldwide. It brings the fierce, stunning landscape of the Great North to life—and masterfully evokes the tender, touching moments that bring a man and a woman together forever.

Recently arrived in Calgary, Alberta after a long, hard journey from Boston, sixteen-year-old Katherine Mary O’Fallon never imagined that she could lose her heart so easily—or so completely. Standing over six feet tall, with “eyes so blue you could swim in them,” Mike Flannigan is a well-respected sergeant in the Canadian Mounted Police—and a man of great courage, kindness, and humor. Together, he and his beloved Kathy manage to live a good, honest life in this harsh, unforgiving land—and find strength in a love as beautiful and compelling as the wilderness around them.

Ichabod Crane, a superstitious schoolteacher, arrives in the eerie town of Sleepy Hollow to educate its young minds. However, his life takes a chilling turn as he becomes enamored with a wealthy farmer's daughter and hears tales of the Headless Horseman.

One fateful night, Ichabod encounters a dark, menacing figure riding behind him. The figure carries something unusual in its hands, and the encounter leaves Ichabod's fate a mystery, as he is never seen in Sleepy Hollow again.

This timeless tale, set in 1790, is a captivating blend of horror and suspense, making it a classic read for those who enjoy ghostly legends and historical fiction.

Remembrance of Things Past: Volume II delves into the intricate tapestry of Belle Epoque France, unfolding through the profound reflections of its narrator. This volume encompasses The Guermantes Way and Cities of the Plain, capturing the essence of art, time, and memory.

As the narrator grows up, falls in love, and experiences the tumultuous events of the First World War, the narrative mesmerizes readers with its intricate portrayal of human emotions and societal norms. The translation by C. K. Scott Moncrieff, later revised by Terence Kilmartin, has been celebrated for capturing the essence of Proust's monumental work.

This literary masterpiece invites readers into a world where personal experiences are intertwined with historical events, offering a unique perspective on the passage of time and the power of memory.

QB VII is a riveting courtroom drama by Leon Uris, exploring the depths of human nature under the most dire of circumstances. In Queen’s Bench Courtroom Number Seven, famous author Abraham Cady stands trial. In his book The Holocaust—born of the terrible revelation that the Jadwiga Concentration Camp was the site of his family’s extermination—Cady shook the consciousness of the human race. He also named eminent surgeon Sir Adam Kelno as one of Jadwiga's most sadistic inmate/doctors. Kelno has denied this and brought furious charges against Cady.

Sir Adam Kelno has spent his whole life covering up his past. After his political beliefs land him in Jadwiga, Poland’s worst concentration camp, Kelno earns privileges with the Nazis by performing inhumane operations on Jewish prisoners. Now, after rebuilding his name in a British colony and being knighted by the British monarchy, Kelno finally feels safe returning to London. But his past catches up with him when Cady's book names him one of the most sadistic doctors at Jadwiga. Anxious to quell the rumors, Kelno charges Cady with slandering his name. As the court proceedings draw out, Cady must fight to avenge his past while Kelno fights to save his future.

This novel not only delves into the horrors of the Holocaust but also presents a gripping legal battle, making it one of the great fictional trials of the century.

The Awakening, first published in 1899, remains a significant work of literature for its bold treatment of female marital infidelity and its exploration of a woman's social and personal turmoil. Kate Chopin's novel takes readers back to the late Victorian period, challenging the conventional romantic fiction of the time with its candid portrayal of Edna Pontellier, a woman confined within a repressive marriage, who seeks and discovers an intense emotional and physical connection beyond the realm of her matrimonial life.

The narrative is not only remarkable for addressing then-taboo subjects but also for its literary finesse. Edmund Wilson praised the work for being "quite uninhibited and beautifully written," drawing parallels with D. H. Lawrence's approach to infidelity. Today, while the shock factor of its central theme has diminished, the novel's psychological depth and stark honesty in the portrayal of an extramarital affair continue to garner admiration and critical acclaim.

"The truth is always made up of little particulars which sound ridiculous when repeated." So says Jack Crabb, the 111-year-old narrator of Thomas Berger’s 1964 masterpiece of American fiction, Little Big Man. Berger claimed the Western as serious literature with this savage and epic account of one man’s extraordinary double life. After surviving the massacre of his pioneer family, ten-year-old Jack is adopted by an Indian chief who nicknames him Little Big Man. As a Cheyenne, he feasts on dog, loves four wives, and sees his people butchered by horse soldiers commanded by General George Armstrong Custer. Later, living as a white man once more, he hunts the buffalo to near-extinction, tangles with Wyatt Earp, cheats Wild Bill Hickok, and fights in the Battle of Little Bighorn alongside Custer himself—a man he’d sworn to kill.

Hailed by The Nation as “a seminal event,” Little Big Man is a singular literary achievement that, like its hero, only gets better with age.

The scene is the village of Lyme Regis on Dorset's Lyme Bay... "the largest bite from the underside of England's out-stretched southwestern leg." The major characters in the love-intrigue triangle are Charles Smithson, 32, a gentleman of independent means & vaguely scientific bent; his fiancée, Ernestina Freeman, a pretty heiress daughter of a wealthy & pompous dry goods merchant; & Sarah Woodruff, mysterious & fascinating...deserted after a brief affair with a French naval officer a short time before the story begins. Obsessed with an irresistible fascination for the enigmatic Sarah, Charles is hurtled by a moment of consummated lust to the brink of the existential void. Duty dictates that his engagement to Tina must be broken as he goes forth once again to seek the woman who has captured his Victorian soul & gentleman's heart.

The Nick Adams Stories presents a memorable character maturing from childhood to adolescence, and then into a soldier, veteran, writer, and parent. This sequence closely parallels events in Hemingway's own life.

The book is divided into five sections:

• Northern Woods: Includes stories like "Three Shots", "Indian Camp", "The Doctor & the Doctor's Wife", "Ten Indians", and "The Indians Moved Away".
• On His Own: Features "The Light of the World", "The Battler", "The Killers", "The Last Good Country", and "Crossing the Mississippi".
• War: Comprises "Night Before Landing", "Nick Sat Against the Wall", "Now I Lay Me", "A Way You'll Never Be", and "In Another Country".
• Soldier Home: Contains "Big Two-Hearted River", "The End of Something", "The Three-Day Blow", and "Summer People".
• Company of Two: Includes "Wedding Day", "On Writing", "An Alpine Idyll", "Cross-Country Snow", and "Fathers & Sons".

This collection beautifully captures the essence of Nick Adams' life journey through different phases, mirroring Hemingway's own experiences.

Composed in the early thirteenth century, Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival is the re-creation and completion of the story left unfinished by its initiator Chrétien de Troyes. It follows Parzival from his boyhood and career as a knight in the court of King Arthur to his ultimate achievement as King of the Temple of the Grail, which Wolfram describes as a life-giving Stone.

As a knight serving the German nobility in the imperial Hohenstauffen period, the author was uniquely placed to describe the zest and colour of his hero's world, with dazzling depictions of courtly luxury, jousting and adventure. Yet this is not simply a tale of chivalry, but an epic quest for spiritual education, as Parzival must conquer his ignorance and pride and learn humility before he can finally win the Holy Grail.

The Clan of the Cave Bear is a moving saga about people, relationships, and the boundaries of love. Through Jean M. Auel's magnificent storytelling, we are taken back to the dawn of modern humans. With a girl named Ayla, we are swept up in the harsh and beautiful Ice Age world they shared with the ones who called themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear.

A natural disaster leaves the young girl wandering alone in an unfamiliar and dangerous land until she is found by a woman of the Clan, people very different from her own kind. To them, blond, blue-eyed Ayla looks peculiar and ugly—she is one of The Others, those who have moved into their ancient homeland. However, Iza cannot leave the girl to die and takes her with them.

Iza and Creb, the old Mog-ur, grow to love her, and as Ayla learns the ways of the Clan and Iza's way of healing, most come to accept her. But the brutal and proud youth who is destined to become their next leader sees her differences as a threat to his authority. He develops a deep and abiding hatred for the strange girl of the Others who lives in their midst and is determined to get his revenge.

Meet Oswald Hendryks Cornelius, Roald Dahl's most disgraceful and extraordinary character. Aside from being thoroughly debauched, strikingly attractive, and astonishingly wealthy, Uncle Oswald was the greatest bounder, bon vivant, and fornicator of all time.

In this installment of his scorchingly frank memoirs, he tells of his early career and erotic education at the hands of a number of enthusiastic teachers, of discovering the invigorating properties of the Sudanese Blister Beetle, and of the gorgeous Yasmin Howcomely, his electrifying partner in a most unusual series of thefts.

Join Uncle Oswald on his audacious adventures as he seduces the most famous men in Europe for his own wicked, irreverent reasons. It's a delightful and cheeky tale that combines historical figures with outrageous escapades.

Catch-22 is set during World War II, from 1942 to 1944, and follows the life of Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bombardier. The narrative primarily takes place while the fictional 256th Squadron is based on the island of Pianosa, in the Mediterranean Sea, west of Italy.

The book delves into Yossarian's experiences and those of his fellow airmen as they strive to maintain their sanity amidst the chaos of war, with the overarching goal of fulfilling their service requirements to return home.

Catch-22 is renowned for its unique blend of hilarity and horror, its originality, and its powerful vitality. It presents a microcosm of the twentieth-century world as perceived by someone dangerously sane, offering both outrageous humor and a poignant reflection on the human condition.

When two immortals meet in the long-ago past, the destiny of mankind is changed forever.

For a thousand years, Doro has cultivated a small African village, carefully breeding its people in search of seemingly unattainable perfection. He survives through the centuries by stealing the bodies of others, a technique he has so thoroughly mastered that nothing on Earth can kill him. But when a gang of New World slavers destroys his village, ruining his grand experiment, Doro is forced to go west and begin anew.

He meets Anyanwu, a centuries-old woman whose means of immortality are as kind as his are cruel. She is a shapeshifter, capable of healing with a kiss, and she recognizes Doro as a tyrant. Though many humans have tried to kill them, these two demi-gods have never before met a rival. Now they begin a struggle that will last centuries and permanently alter the nature of humanity.

The Faerie Queene was the first epic in English and one of the most influential poems in the language for later poets from Milton to Tennyson. Dedicating his work to Elizabeth I, Spenser brilliantly united medieval romance and renaissance epic to expound the glory of the Virgin Queen.

The poem recounts the quests of knights including Sir Guyon, Knight of Constance, who resists temptation, and Artegall, Knight of Justice, whose story alludes to the execution of Mary Queen of Scots. Composed as an overt moral and political allegory, The Faerie Queene, with its dramatic episodes of chivalry, pageantry and courtly love, is also a supreme work of atmosphere, colour and sensuous description.

Petersburg takes place over a short, turbulent period in 1905, offering a colorful evocation of Russia's capital. This novel is a kaleidoscope of images and impressions, an eastern window on the west, symbolizing the ambiguities and paradoxes of the Russian character.

History, culture, and politics are blended and juxtaposed; weather reports, current news, fashions, and psychology jostle together with people from Petersburg society in an exhilarating search for the identity of a city and, ultimately, Russia itself.

Rich Man, Poor Man is a captivating saga that explores the lives of two brothers in post-war America. This engrossing novel, so well written and fascinating, is the first of its series and one of Irwin Shaw's best works.

The story follows Rudolph, Gretchen, and Thomas Jordache, the children of an embittered German immigrant, as they navigate the quarter-century following World War II. Nurtured on traditional views of the American dream, each sibling pursues their own path to happiness and success.

Set in a small town on the Hudson River, this sprawling saga captures the essence of American life during a period of significant change. The family's journey is a gripping ride through a world devastated by conflict and transformed by commerce and culture.

Rich Man, Poor Man was the inspiration for one of the first primetime TV mini-series, further cementing its place in American cultural history.

Tayo, a young Native American, has been a prisoner of the Japanese during World War II, and the horrors of captivity have almost eroded his will to survive. His return to the Laguna Pueblo reservation only increases his feeling of estrangement and alienation. While other returning soldiers find easy refuge in alcohol and senseless violence, Tayo searches for another kind of comfort and resolution.

Tayo's quest leads him back to the Indian past and its traditions, to beliefs about witchcraft and evil, and to the ancient stories of his people. The search itself becomes a ritual, a curative ceremony that defeats the most virulent of afflictions—despair.

Black Beauty spends his youth in a loving home, surrounded by friends and cared for by his owners. But when circumstances change, he learns that not all humans are so kind. Passed from hand to hand, Black Beauty witnesses love and cruelty, wealth and poverty, friendship and hardship. Will the handsome horse ever find a happy and lasting home?

Carefully retold in clear contemporary language, and presented with delightful illustrations, these favorite classic stories capture the heart and imagination of young readers. By retelling the story in a shorter, simpler form, these books become highly engaging for children, and the color illustrations help with both comprehension and interest level. Black Beauty is part of a collectible series that has strong gift appeal.

Into the 'autobiography' of Clau-Clau-Claudius, the pitiful stammerer who was destined to become Emperor in spite of himself, Robert Graves packs the everlasting intrigues, the depravity, the bloody purges, and mounting cruelty of the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius, soon to culminate in the deified insanity of Caligula. I, Claudius and its sequel, Claudius the God, are among the most celebrated, as well as the most gripping historical novels ever written.

Cover illustration: Brian Pike

A vivid depiction of the suffering history has imposed upon the people of Bosnia from the late sixteenth century to the beginning of World War I, The Bridge on the Drina earned Ivo Andric the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961. A great stone bridge built three centuries ago in the heart of the Balkans by a Grand Vezir of the Ottoman Empire dominates the setting of Andric's stunning novel. Spanning generations, nationalities, and creeds, the bridge stands witness to the countless lives played out upon it:

Radisav, the workman, who tries to hinder its construction and is impaled on its highest point; to the lovely Fata, who throws herself from its parapet to escape a loveless marriage; to Milan, the gambler, who risks everything in one last game on the bridge with the devil his opponent; to Fedun, the young soldier, who pays for a moment of spring forgetfulness with his life. War finally destroys the span, and with it the last descendant of that family to which the Grand Vezir confided the care of his pious bequest - the bridge.

Alive and hiding in South America, the fiendish Nazi Dr. Josef Mengele gathers a group of former colleagues for a horrifying project—the creation of the Fourth Reich. Barry Kohler, a young investigative journalist, gets wind of the project and informs famed Nazi hunter Ezra Lieberman, but before he can relay the evidence, Kohler is killed.

Thus Ira Levin opens one of the strangest and most masterful novels of his career. Why has Mengele marked a number of harmless aging men for murder? What is the hidden link that binds them? What interest can they possibly hold for their killers: six former SS men dispatched from South America by the most wanted Nazi still alive, the notorious "Angel of Death"?

One man alone must answer these questions and stop the killings—Lieberman, himself aging and thought by some to be losing his grip on reality. At the heart of The Boys from Brazil lies a frightening contemporary nightmare, chilling and all too possible.

Arthritic and immobilized, Poirot calls on his old friend Captain Hastings to join him at Styles to be the eyes and ears that will feed observations to Poirot's still razor sharp mind. Though aware of the criminal's identity, Poirot will not reveal it to the frustrated Hastings, and dubs the nameless personage 'X'. Already responsible for several murders, X, Poirot warns, is ready to strike again, and the partners must work swiftly to prevent imminent murder.

Poirot’s final case, a mystery which brings him and Hastings back to Styles where they first solved a crime together. The story was both anticipated and dreaded by Agatha Christie fans worldwide, many of whom still refuse to read it, as it is known to contain Poirot’s death.

Agatha Christie wrote it during World War II, as a gift for her daughter should she not survive the bombings, and it was kept in a safe for over thirty years. It was agreed among the family that Curtain would be published finally in 1975 by Collins, her long-standing publishers, and that Sleeping Murder (the Marple story written during the war for her husband, Max) would follow.

Shōgun is the world-famous novel of Japan that marks the beginning of James Clavell's masterly Asian saga. Set in 1600, it narrates the tale of a bold English pilot whose ship is blown ashore in Japan, where he is immersed in the complex political and cultural tapestry of the country.

The story features John Blackthorne, who dreams of becoming the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe, control the trade between Japan and China, and return home a man of wealth and position. He encounters Toranaga, a formidable feudal lord with ambitions of becoming Shogun—the Supreme Military Dictator. Simultaneously, Blackthorne is drawn to the beautiful interpreter, Lady Mariko, who is torn between her loyalties to the Church and her country, and her love for Blackthorne, the outsider.

Shōgun offers a mesmerizing depiction of a nation on the brink of transformation, brimming with violence, intrigue, and the clash of cultures. It is a narrative that captures the struggle for power, ambition, and the inner conflicts of its characters.

In the four most bloody and courageous days of our nation's history, two armies fought for two dreams. One dreamed of freedom, the other of a way of life. Far more than rifles and bullets were carried into battle. There were memories. There were promises. There was love. And far more than men fell on those Pennsylvania fields. Shattered futures, forgotten innocence, and crippled beauty were also the casualties of war.

The Killer Angels is unique, sweeping, unforgettable—a dramatic re-creation of the battleground for America's destiny.

The Secret of the Unicorn is a classic graphic novel where Tintin, the world’s most famous traveling reporter, stumbles across a model ship at the Old Street Market. This isn't just any model ship—it's the Unicorn, carved by one of Captain Haddock's ancestors.

The model holds a clue to finding pirate treasure! Join Tintin as he embarks on an extraordinary adventure, spanning historical and political events, and thrilling mysteries.

Lust for Life is the classic fictional re-telling of the incredible life of Vincent Van Gogh. Vincent is not dead. He will never die. His love, his genius, the great beauty he has created will go on forever, enriching the world... He was a colossus... a great painter... a great philosopher... a martyr to his love of art.

Walking down the streets of Paris the young Vincent Van Gogh didn't feel like he belonged. Battling poverty, repeated heartbreak and familial obligation, Van Gogh was a man plagued by his own creative urge but with no outlet to express it. Until the day he picked up a paintbrush.

Written with raw insight and emotion, follow the artist through his tormented life, struggling against critical discouragement and mental turmoil and bare witness to his creative journey from a struggling artist to one of the world's most celebrated artists.

Lives of Girls and Women is the only novel from the award-winning author Alice Munro, known for her remarkable storytelling in The Love of a Good Woman. This insightful and honest book is autobiographical in form but not in fact, chronicling a young girl's journey to adulthood in rural Ontario during the 1940s.

Del Jordan lives at the end of the Flats Road on her father's fox farm, where her companions include an eccentric bachelor family friend and her rough younger brother. As she begins spending more time in town, Del is surrounded by women: her mother, an agnostic and opinionated encyclopedia saleswoman; her mother's boarder, the lusty Fern Dogherty; and her best friend, Naomi, with whom she shares both the frustrations and joys of adolescence.

Through these unwitting mentors and her own encounters with sex, birth, and death, Del explores the dark and bright sides of womanhood. Throughout, she remains a wise, witty observer and recorder of truths in small-town life. The result is a powerful, moving, and humorous demonstration of Alice Munro's unparalleled awareness of the lives of girls and women.

Set in France during the days immediately before World War II, The Age of Reason is the story of Mathieu, a French professor of philosophy obsessed with the idea of freedom. Translated from the French by Eric Sutton.

Death on the Installment Plan is the compelling story of young Ferdinand's first 18 years. His life unfolds amidst the grinding struggle of small shopkeepers to survive, filled with childhood sensations and fantasies that are lusty, scatological, violent, yet also imbued with poetry.

Ferdinand battles with his ineffectual insurance clerk father and his mother, who whines around the junkshop she runs for his benefit. He briefly attends the superbly funny Meanwell College in England, a Dickensian nightmare institution.

Humiliation, failure, and boredom are constants until Ferdinand teams up with the "scientist" des Pereires—an inventor, con-man, incorrigible optimist—whose last project is to grow enormous potatoes by electricity. Des Pereires proves to be one of the most lovable charlatans in French literature.

This novel mixes unmitigated despair with Gargantuan comedy, creating a style where invective and obscenity are laced with unforgettable poetry. Céline's influence has revolutionized the contemporary approach to fiction, making this work a forerunner of today’s "black comedy."