As wild and reckless as the most incorrigible of her male cousins, Amy Malory has reached a marriageable age and has set her sights on a most inappropriate mate: the straight-laced American ship captain who once nearly had her Uncle James hung for piracy.

Warren Anderson is shocked by the brazen advances of his despised enemy's beautiful niece. Though determined to resist her, he burns for the enchanting British minx. And an impassioned heart implores him to surrender to a love that could stoke the smoldering fires of a family feud into a dangerous, all-consuming blaze.

The Woodlanders is a captivating tale by Thomas Hardy, set in a secluded community in Dorset. This novel explores the disastrous impact of outside influences on a tranquil village.

At the heart of the story is Grace Melbury, a country girl who returns home from a middle-class school, feeling she has risen above her suitor, the simple woodsman Giles Winterborne. Despite previous discussions of marriage between them, Grace finds herself enchanted by the sophisticated newcomer, Dr. Edred Fitzpiers. This relationship is further encouraged by her socially ambitious father.

Betrayal, adultery, disillusionment, and moral compromise are central themes as Hardy masterfully depicts a community grappling with social class, gender roles, and evolutionary survival. The novel is a profound exploration of the capacities and limitations of language, set against the backdrop of the beautiful yet treacherous woodland landscape.

In the summer of 1983, twenty-year-old Nick Guest moves into an attic room in the Notting Hill home of the Feddens: conservative Member of Parliament Gerald, his wealthy wife Rachel, and their two children, Toby—whom Nick had idolized at Oxford—and Catherine, who is highly critical of her family's assumptions and ambitions.

As the boom years of the eighties unfold, Nick, an innocent in the world of politics and money, finds his life altered by the rising fortunes of this glamorous family. His two vividly contrasting love affairs, one with a young black clerk and one with a Lebanese millionaire, dramatize the dangers and rewards of his own private pursuit of beauty, a pursuit as compelling to Nick as the desire for power and riches among his friends.

Richly textured, emotionally charged, and disarmingly comic, this is a major work by one of our finest writers.

John le Carré's classic novels deftly navigate readers through the intricate shadow worlds of international espionage with unsurpassed skill and knowledge. A Murder of Quality is no exception, featuring the beloved British secret service agent, George Smiley.

George Smiley was simply doing a favor for Miss Ailsa Brimley, an old friend and editor of a small newspaper. Miss Brimley had received a letter from a worried reader: "I'm not mad. And I know my husband is trying to kill me." But the letter had arrived too late: its scribe, the wife of an assistant master at the distinguished Carne School, was already dead.

So George Smiley went to Carne to listen, ask questions, and think. His mission was to uncover, layer by layer, the complex network of skeletons and hatreds that comprised that little English institution. In life, as in espionage, nothing is quite what it appears.

Adrian Mole, now age thirty-four and three quarters, needs proof that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction so he can get a refund from a travel agency for the deposit he paid on a trip to Cyprus. Naturally, he writes to Tony Blair for some evidence.

He’s engaged to Marigold, but obsessed with her voluptuous sister. And he is so deeply in debt to banks and credit card companies that it would take more than twice his monthly salary to ever repay them.

He needs a guest speaker for his creative writing group’s dinner in Leicestershire and wonders if the prime minister’s wife is available. In short, Adrian is back in true form, unable—like so many people we know, but of course, not us—to admit that the world does not revolve around him.

But recognizing the universal core of Adrian’s dilemmas is what makes them so agonizingly funny.

The Complete Sherlock Holmes: Volume II delves into the fascinating world of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes. This volume includes a comprehensive collection of Holmes's adventures, offering readers a thrilling journey through mystery and deductive reasoning.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes features gripping tales such as the Adventure of the Empty House, the Adventure of the Norwood Builder, and the Adventure of the Dancing Men. Holmes's remarkable skills are showcased as he unravels complex puzzles and outwits cunning adversaries.

His Last Bow presents stories like the Adventure of Wisteria Lodge and the Adventure of the Cardboard Box, further highlighting Holmes's unparalleled expertise in solving the most enigmatic cases.

In the Case Book of Sherlock Holmes, readers encounter intriguing mysteries such as the Adventure of the Illustrious Client and the Adventure of the Blanched Soldier. Each story immerses the reader in the captivating world of Victorian London, where Holmes's intellect shines.

This collection also includes two parodies by Doyle, offering a glimpse into his witty side, as well as two insightful essays on the truth about Sherlock Holmes.

"When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

In this final collection of Sherlock Holmes adventures, the intrepid detective and his faithful companion Dr. Watson examine and solve twelve cases that puzzle clients, baffle the police, and provide readers with the thrill of the chase.

These mysteries involve an illustrious client, a Sussex vampire, the problems of Thor Bridge and of the Lion's Mane, a creeping man, and the three-gabled house. All these cases test the bravery of Dr. Watson and the brilliant mind of Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the greatest detective we have ever known.

How do you find a new way to approach a story as familiar as any in the English language? If you're Jack Whyte, you begin your retelling of the Arthurian saga by taking one giant step backward to the latter days of the Roman Empire in Britain, sometime between the first breaching of Hadrian's Wall and the legendary days of King Arthur.

Publius Varrus is the last legionnaire in Britain, and The Skystone is in many ways his story. He is a common man with aristocratic friends, and successful both as a soldier and an ironsmith. As the Roman world slowly crumbles around them, and Publius becomes involved in a political and personal vendetta, he and his friends seek to establish a refuge, a valley where the old Roman virtues will be kept alive and the empire's many faults be avoided.

A finely crafted historical novel, The Skystone pays close attention to the details of everyday life in fourth-century Britain. As the first book in Whyte's Camulod Chronicles, it makes few allusions to the usual details of the Arthurian legends until Publius comes into contact with a sword, a stone, a lake, and a Celtic tribe who name themselves Pendragon.

Sarum: The Novel of England is a masterpiece of breathtaking scope—a brilliantly conceived epic novel that traces the entire turbulent course of English history. This rich tapestry weaves a compelling saga of five families—the Wilsons, the Masons, the family of Porteus, the Shockleys, and the Godfreys—who reflect the changing character of Britain.

As their fates and fortunes intertwine over the course of the centuries, their greater destinies offer a fascinating glimpse into the future. An absorbing historical chronicle, Sarum is a keen tale of struggle and adventure, a profound human drama, and a magnificent work of sheer storytelling.

Risky in conception, hip and yet soulful, this is a prose poem of a novel — intense, lyrical, and highly evocative — with a mystery at its center, which keeps the reader in suspense until the final page. In a tour de force that could be described as Altmanesque, we are invited into the private lives of the residents of a quiet urban street in England over the course of a single day.

In delicate, intricately observed closeup, we witness the hopes, fears, and unspoken despairs of a diverse community: the man with painfully scarred hands who tried in vain to save his wife from a burning house and who must now care for his young daughter alone; a group of young clubgoers just home from an all-night rave, sweetly high and mulling over vague dreams; the nervous young man at number 18 who collects weird urban junk and is haunted by the specter of unrequited love.

The tranquillity of the street is shattered at day's end when a terrible accident occurs. This tragedy and an utterly surprising twist provide the momentum for the book. But it is the author's exquisite rendering of the ordinary, the everyday, that gives this novel its freshness, its sense of beauty, wonder, and hope. Rarely does a writer appear with so much music and poetry — so much vision — that he can make the world seem new.

In the New York Times bestselling Outlander novels, Diana Gabaldon introduced millions of readers to a dazzling world of history and adventure — a world of vibrant settings and utterly unforgettable characters. Now, one of these characters, Major Lord John Grey, opens the door to his own part of this world — eighteenth-century London, a seething anthill of nobility and rabble peopled by soldiers and spies, whores and dukes.

Great Britain is battling France for supremacy on three continents — and life is good for a soldier. The year is 1757. On a clear morning in mid-June, Lord John Grey emerges from London’s Beefsteak Club, his mind in turmoil. A nobleman and a high-ranking officer in His Majesty’s Army, Grey has just witnessed something shocking. But his efforts to avoid a scandal that might destroy his family are interrupted by something still more urgent: the Crown appoints him to investigate the brutal murder of a comrade in arms, who may have been a traitor.

Obliged to pursue two inquiries at once, Major Grey finds himself ensnared in a web of treachery and betrayal that touches every stratum of English society — and threatens all he holds dear. From the bawdy houses of London’s night-world to the stately drawing rooms of the nobility, and from the blood of a murdered corpse to the thundering seas ruled by the majestic fleet of the East India Company, Lord John pursues the elusive trails of a vanishing footman and a woman in green velvet, who may hold the key to everything — or nothing.

The early days of the Seven Years War come brilliantly to life in this historical mystery by an author whose unique and compelling storytelling has engrossed millions of readers worldwide.

The mystery of Ryhope Wood, Britain's last fragment of primeval forest, consumed George Huxley's entire, and long, life. Now, after his death, his sons have taken up his work. But what they discover is beyond what they could have expected. For the Wood is a realm where myths gain flesh and blood, tapping primal fears and desires subdued through the millennia. A realm where love and beauty haunt your dreams -- and may drive you insane.

Stephen Huxley has already lost his father to the mysteries of Ryhope Wood. On his return from the Second World War, he finds his brother, Christopher, is also in thrall to the mysterious wood, wherein lies a realm where mythic archetypes grow flesh and blood, where love and beauty haunt your dreams, and in promises of freedom lies the sanctuary of insanity.

Eccentric, arrogant, and ingenious, Sherlock Holmes remains the world's most popular and influential fictional detective. In four novels and fifty-six short stories, Holmes, with his trusted friend Dr. Watson, steps from his comfortable quarters at 221B Baker Street into the swirling fog of London. Combining detailed observation with brilliant deduction, Holmes rescues the innocent, confounds the guilty, and solves the most perplexing puzzles crime has to offer.

Volume I of The Complete Sherlock Holmes begins with Holmes's first appearance, A Study in Scarlet, a chilling murder novel complete with bloodstained walls and cryptic clues. This is followed by the baffling The Sign of Four, which introduces Holmes's cocaine problem and Watson's future wife.

Volume I also includes the story collections The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, and concludes with the tale "The Final Problem," in which Conan Doyle, tired of writing Holmes stories, kills off his famed sleuth.

Adrian Mole's first love, Pandora, has left him; a neighbor, Mr. Lucas, appears to be seducing his mother (and what does that mean for his father?). The BBC refuses to publish his poetry, and his dog swallowed the tree off the Christmas cake.

Why indeed?

In Nick Hornby's How to Be Good, Katie Carr is certainly trying to be good. That's why she became a GP, cares about Third World debt and homelessness, and struggles to raise her children with a conscience. It's also why she puts up with her husband David, the self-styled Angriest Man in Holloway.

One fateful day, she finds herself in a Leeds parking lot, having just slept with another man. What Katie doesn't yet realize is that her fall from grace is just the first step on a spiritual journey more torturous than the interstate at rush hour.

Because, prompted by his wife's actions, David is about to stop being angry. He's about to become good—not politically correct, organic-food-eating good, but good in the fashion of the Gospels. And that's no easier in modern-day Holloway than it was in ancient Israel.

Hornby means us to take his title literally: How can we be good, and what does that mean? However, quite apart from demanding that his readers scrub their souls with the nearest available Brillo pad, he also mesmerizes us with that cocktail of wit and compassion that has become his trademark.

The result is a multifaceted jewel of a book: a hilarious romp, a painstaking dissection of middle-class mores, and a powerfully sympathetic portrait of a marriage in its death throes. It's hard to know whether to laugh or cry as we watch David forcing his kids to give away their computers, drawing up schemes for the mass redistribution of wealth, and inviting his wife's most desolate patients round for a Sunday roast.

But that's because How to Be Good manages to be both brutally truthful and full of hope. It won't outsell the Bible, but it's a lot funnier.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix immerses readers in troubled times at Hogwarts, where the titular hero and his friends face a year shrouded in secrets, subterfuge, and suspicion. This fifth installment of J.K. Rowling's beloved series is brought to life through the artistic talents of Jim Kay and guest illustrator Neil Packer. Their collaboration results in a visual feast, featuring over 160 illustrations that capture the dark and enchanting world of Harry Potter.

Readers will encounter breathtaking scenes and iconic locations, as well as memorable characters such as Luna Lovegood, Professor Umbridge, and Grawp the giant. As the stakes rise, Harry Potter and Dumbledore's Army gear up for the impending conflict with Lord Voldemort. This edition is a treasure for both long-time fans and newcomers, inviting all to picture the magic in a new and spellbinding light.

His name was Feliks. He came to London to commit a murder that would change history. A master manipulator, he had many weapons at his command, but against him were ranged the whole of the English police, a brilliant and powerful lord, and the young Winston Churchill himself. These odds would have stopped any man in the world—except the man from St. Petersburg.

After enduring an injury at Dunkirk during World War II, Laurie Odell is sent to a rural veterans’ hospital in England to convalesce. There he befriends the young, bright Andrew, a conscientious objector serving as an orderly. As they find solace and companionship together in the idyllic surroundings of the hospital, their friendship blooms into a discreet, chaste romance.

Then one day, Ralph Lanyon, a mentor from Laurie’s schoolboy days, suddenly reappears in Laurie’s life, and draws him into a tight-knit social circle of world-weary gay men. Laurie is forced to choose between the sweet ideals of innocence and the distinct pleasures of experience.

Originally published in the United States in 1959, The Charioteer is a bold, unapologetic portrayal of male homosexuality during World War II that stands with Gore Vidal’s The City and the Pillar and Christopher Isherwood’s Berlin Stories as a monumental work in gay literature.

An invaluable guide to the art and mind of Virginia Woolf, "A Writer's Diary" was collected by her husband from the personal record she kept over a period of twenty-seven years.

Included are entries that refer to her own writing and those that are clearly writing exercises, accounts of people and scenes relevant to the raw material of her work, and finally, comments on books she was reading.

The first entry is dated 1918 and the last, three weeks before her death in 1941. Between these points of time unfolds the private world - the anguish, the triumph, the creative vision - of one of the great writers of our century.

John le Carré's classic novels deftly navigate readers through the intricate shadow worlds of international espionage with unsurpassed skill and knowledge. A Perfect Spy is one of his richest and most morally resonant novels.

Magnus Pym - son of Rick, father of Tom, and a successful career officer of British Intelligence - has vanished, to the dismay of his friends, enemies, and wife. Who is he? Who was he? Who owns him? Who trained him? Secrets of state are at risk. As the truth about Pym gradually emerges, the reader joins Pym's pursuers to explore the unsettling life and motives of a man who fought the wars he inherited with the only weapons he knew, and so became a perfect spy.

For several minutes he stood speechless, his eyes dazzled by the terrible beauty of the greatest weapon on earth.

He’s a self-made millionaire, head of the Moonraker rocket programme and loved by the press. So why is Sir Hugo Drax cheating at cards?

Bond has just five days to uncover the sinister truth behind a national hero, in Ian Fleming’s thrilling third 007 adventure.

Mrs. Dalloway is often heralded as Virginia Woolf's greatest novel, presenting a vivid portrait of a single day in a woman's life. Clarissa Dalloway is much more than a perfect society hostess—she is a character of depth and complexity, as she prepares her house for a party and is simultaneously flooded with memories of the past.

The narrative explores the inner experiences of Clarissa, as well as other characters, through Woolf's pioneering use of stream of consciousness. This technique illuminates the enormity found within everyday moments and insists that a life filled with errands and social obligations can be as significant a subject as any grand adventure.

With some of the most beautiful, complex, and idiosyncratic sentences ever written in English, Mrs. Dalloway is recognized as a revolutionary work of art that has influenced the novel as a literary form. It is a moving exploration of life's fleeting beauty, the passage of time, and the inner workings of human consciousness.

Falling Angels is a captivating novel by Tracy Chevalier, the renowned author of Girl With A Pearl Earring. Set in the emerging years of the twentieth century in England, the book beautifully captures the essence of a changing nation through a rich tapestry of characters.

The story unfolds through various shifting perspectives, including wives and husbands, friends and lovers, masters and their servants, and even a gravedigger's son. This multifaceted narrative offers a deep dive into the lives of two families navigating the societal transformations following the death of the Queen.

Chevalier's luminous imagery and masterful storytelling grace every page, making Falling Angels a dazzling tour de force that echoes her previous successes.

Five disparate voices inhabit Ali Smith's dreamlike, mesmerising Hotel World, set in the luxurious anonymity of the Global Hotel, in an unnamed northern English city.

The disembodied yet interconnected characters include Sara, a 19-year-old chambermaid who has recently died at the hotel; her bereaved sister, Clare, who visits the scene of Sara's death; Penny, an advertising copywriter staying in the room opposite; Lise, the Global's depressed receptionist; and the homeless Else who begs on the street outside.

Smith's ambitious prose explores all facets of language and its uses. Sara takes us through the moment of her exit from the world and beyond; in her desperate, fading grip on words and senses, she gropes to impart the meaning of her death in what she terms the "lift for dishes"—then comes a flash of clarity: "That's the name for it, the name for it; that's it; dumb waiter dumb waiter dumb waiter."

Blended with hers are other voices: Penny's bland journalese and Else's obsession with metaphysical poetry.

Hotel World is not an easy read: disturbing and witty by turns, with its stream-of-consciousness narrators reminiscent of Virginia Woolf's The Waves, its deceptively rambling language is underpinned by a formal construction. Exploring the "big themes" of love, death, and millennial capitalism, it takes as its starting point Muriel Spark's Momento Mori ("Remember you must die") and counteracts this axiom with a resolute "Remember you must live".

Ali Smith's novel is a daring, compelling, and frankly spooky read.

Mary Saunders, a lower-class London schoolgirl, was born into rough cloth but hungered for lace and the trappings of a higher station than her family would ever know. In 18th-century England, Mary's shrewd instincts will get her only so far, and she despairs of the plans made for her to carve out a trade as a seamstress or a maid. Unwilling to bend to such a destiny, Mary strikes out on a painful, fateful journey all her own.

Inspired by the obscure historical figure Mary Saunders, Slammerkin is a provocative, graphic tale and a rich feast of a historical novel. Author Emma Donoghue probes the gap between a young girl's quest for freedom and a better life and the shackles that society imposes on her.

Harley Quin is an enigma. Even his friend, Mr. Satterthwaite, is unable to understand how the man seems to appear and disappear almost like a trick of the light. When he does appear, it's usually in the sparkle of sunshine, or surrounded by a spectrum of coloured light pouring through a stained glass window.

In fact, the only consistent thing about the Mysterious Mr. Quin is that his presence is always a harbinger of love... or death.

United by a perfect chilling atmosphere and a graceful literary style, these ghostly stories range from the horror of vampires, homicidal ghosts, and monstrous spectral worms and slugs. These creatures make their appearance in the classic tales "Negotium Perambulans" and "And No Bird Sings".

On the lighter side, the collection includes humorous tales that poke fun at charlatan mediums and fake seances, such as "Spinach" and "Mr Tilly's Seance".

This edition brings together E.F. Benson's greatest stories, making it a must-read for any fan of Benson or of spectral stories.

What real reader does not yearn, somewhere in the recesses of his or her heart, for a really literate, first-class thriller--one that chills the body, but warms the soul with plot, perception, and language at once astute and vivid? In other words, a ghost story written by Jane Austen?

Alas, we cannot give you Austen, but Susan Hill's remarkable Woman In Black comes as close as our era can provide. Set on the obligatory English moor, on an isolated causeway, the story has as its hero Arthur Kipps, an up-and-coming young solicitor who has come north from London to attend the funeral and settle the affairs of Mrs. Alice Drablow of Eel Marsh House. The routine formalities he anticipates give way to a tumble of events and secrets more sinister and terrifying than any nightmare: the rocking chair in the deserted nursery, the eerie sound of a pony and trap, a child's scream in the fog, and most dreadfully--and for Kipps most tragically--The Woman In Black.

The Woman In Black is both a brilliant exercise in atmosphere and controlled horror and a delicious spine-tingler--proof positive that this neglected genre, the ghost story, isn't dead after all.

Skallagrigg unites Arthur, a little boy abandoned many years ago in a grim hospital in northern England, with Esther, a radiantly intelligent young girl suffering from cerebral palsy, and Daniel, an American computer-games genius.

Skallagrigg—whatever the name signifies, whoever he is—will come to transform all their lives. William Horwood's inspired, heart-rending story of rescue and redemptive love will undoubtedly touch your life too.

Intimacy by Hanif Kureishi is a poignant exploration of human relationships and the complexities of love and separation. Set in the vibrant city of London, this novel delves into the life of a middle-aged writer, who finds himself at a crossroads, contemplating leaving his partner and their two young sons for a younger woman.

This narrative unfolds over the course of a single night, revealing the protagonist's inner turmoil and mixed emotions. He is torn between the allure of newfound freedom and the heart-wrenching prospect of losing his family. The story is a raw and honest portrayal of a man grappling with his desires and responsibilities.

Kureishi's writing is both devastating and brilliant, capturing the essence of modern relationships with unflinching accuracy. The novel's staccato sentences and pinpoint precision offer a stark and sometimes uncomfortable look into the narrator's psyche.

Readers will find themselves immersed in this introspective journey, as the protagonist navigates the agonies and joys of trying to make a life with another person. Intimacy is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged read that will resonate with anyone who has ever faced the challenges of love and loss.

The Wrong Boy is a hilarious and bittersweet novel by Willy Russell, the playwright behind Educating Rita, Shirley Valentine, and the award-winning musical Blood Brothers.

Dear Morrissey,

I'm feeling dead depressed and down. Like a streetlamp without a bulb or a goose at the onset of Christmas time. Anyroad, I thought I'd pen a few lines to someone who'd understand...

It's 1991. Raymond Marks is a normal boy, from a normal family, in a normal northern town. Only lately, he's been feeling dead down. His dad left home after falling in love with a five-string banjo. His fun-hating grandma believes she should have married Jean-Paul Sartre: 'I could never read his books, but y' could tell from his picture, there was nothing frivolous about John-Paul Sartre.' Felonious Uncle Jason and Appalling Aunty Paula are lusting after the satellite dish.

And so he turns to the one person who'll understand what he's going through: Morrissey. Told through a series of heartfelt letters to the frontman of The Smiths, this is a laugh-out-loud funny, incredibly poignant tale from a character you can't help but love.

When A Single Man was originally published, it shocked many by its frank, sympathetic, and moving portrayal of a gay man in midlife. George, the protagonist, is adjusting to life on his own after the sudden death of his partner, determined to persist in the routines of his daily life.

An Englishman and a professor living in suburban Southern California, he is an outsider in every way. His internal reflections and interactions with others reveal a man who loves being alive despite everyday injustices and loneliness.

Wry, suddenly manic, constantly funny, surprisingly sad, this novel catches the true textures of life itself.

Charles Arrowby, leading light of England's theatrical set, retires from glittering London to an isolated home by the sea. He plans to write a memoir about his great love affair with Clement Makin, his mentor both professionally and personally, and to amuse himself with Lizzie, an actress he has strung along for many years.

None of his plans work out, and his memoir evolves into a riveting chronicle of the strange events and unexpected visitors—some real, some spectral—that disrupt his world and shake his oversized ego to its very core.

In exposing the jumble of motivations that drive Arrowby and the other characters, Iris Murdoch lays bare the truth of untruth—the human vanity, jealousy, and lack of compassion behind the disguises they present to the world.

Played out against a vividly rendered landscape and filled with allusions to myth and magic, Charles's confrontation with the tidal rips of love and forgiveness is one of Murdoch's most moving and powerful novels.

In Sunderland, England, a city quarantined by the cholera epidemic of 1831, a defiant, fifteen-year old beauty in an elegant blue dress makes her way between shadow and lamp light. A potter's assistant by day and dress lodger by night, Gustine sells herself for necessity in a rented gown, scrimping to feed and protect her only love: her fragile baby boy.

She holds a glimmer of hope after meeting Dr. Henry Chiver, a prisoner of his own dark past. But in a world where suspicion of medicine runs rampant like a fever, these two lost souls will become irrevocably linked, as each crosses lines between rich and destitute, decorum and abandon, damnation and salvation.

By turns tender and horrifying, The Dress Lodger is a captivating historical thriller charged with a distinctly modern voice.

Man and Superman is a powerful drama of ideas by George Bernard Shaw, first written in 1901. Shaw intended to encapsulate the new century's intellectual inheritance by drawing inspiration from a wide range of sources, including Byron's verse satire, Shakespeare, and authors such as Conan Doyle and Kipling.

The play explores the role of the artist, the function of women in society, and Shaw's theory of Creative Evolution. It is a satirical and buoyant exposé of the eternal struggle between the sexes, combining seriousness with comedy. The drama follows the story of Ann Whitefield, who becomes the joint ward of two men: the respectable Roebuck Ramsden and John Tanner, author of "The Revolutionist’s Handbook." Believing marriage would prevent him from achieving his higher intellectual and political ambitions, Tanner is horrified to discover that Ann intends to marry him. He flees to Spain, with the determined young woman in hot pursuit.

The chase leads them to the underworld, where the characters’ alter egos engage in a lively debate on human nature and philosophy in a scene often performed separately as "Don Juan in Hell." Shaw combines elements of comedy and serious philosophical discourse to create a work that remains a classic of twentieth-century English theatre.

London, 1936. Gordon Comstock has declared war on the money god; and Gordon is losing the war. Nearly 30 and "rather moth-eaten already," a poet whose one small book of verse has fallen "flatter than any pancake," Gordon has given up a "good" job and gone to work in a bookshop at half his former salary. Always broke, but too proud to accept charity, he rarely sees his few friends and cannot get the virginal Rosemary to bed because (or so he believes), "If you have no money ... women won't love you."

On the windowsill of Gordon's shabby rooming-house room is a sickly but unkillable aspidistra—a plant he abhors as the banner of the sort of "mingy, lower-middle-class decency" he is fleeing in his downward flight.

In Keep the Aspidistra Flying, George Orwell has created a darkly compassionate satire to which anyone who has ever been oppressed by the lack of brass, or by the need to make it, will all too easily relate. He etches the ugly insanity of what Gordon calls "the money-world" in unflinching detail, but the satire has a second edge, too, and Gordon himself is scarcely heroic. In the course of his misadventures, we become grindingly aware that his radical solution to the problem of the money-world is no solution at all—that in his desperate reaction against a monstrous system, he has become something of a monster himself. Orwell keeps both of his edges sharp to the very end—a "happy" ending that poses tough questions about just how happy it really is.

That the book itself is not sour, but constantly fresh and frequently funny, is the result of Orwell's steady, unsentimental attention to the telling detail; his dry, quiet humor; his fascination with both the follies and the excellences of his characters; and his courageous refusal to embrace the comforts of any easy answer.

Sam Bagshott, son of the late Boko Bagshott, had been at Blandings Castle only a short while, but long enough to know that anyone enjoying its hospitality must get the occasional shock. He was prepared for bad news in any form, but not the one in which it actually came.

Sam braced himself as the possibilities flitted through his mind. Was the house on fire? Had the Empress of Blandings taken to the bottle again? Had Constable Evans arrived with a search warrant? There was a wide area of speculation, and he was prepared for bad news in any form. In any form, that is to say, except the one in which it came.

Can the Empress of Blandings win the Fat Pigs class at the Shropshire Show for the third year running? Galahad Threepwood, Beach the butler, and others have put their shirt on this, and for Lord Emsworth, it will be paradise on earth. But a substantial obstacle lurks in the way: Queen of Matchingham, the new sow of Sir Gregory Parsloe Bart. Galahad knows this pretender to the crown must be pignapped. But can the Empress in turn avoid a similar fate?

In this classic Blandings novel, pigs rise above their bulk to vanish and reappear in the most unlikely places, while young lovers are crossed and recrossed in every room in Blandings Castle.

Agatha Christie is celebrated as the most widely published author of all time, with her works being outsold only by Shakespeare and the Bible. She is revered by generations of fans as the greatest mystery writer ever, and her novels are cherished worldwide.

The Unexpected Guest unfolds as a thriller and a puzzler, set on a foggy estate in Wales. The mystery begins when a stranger stumbles away from his ditched car towards a country manor, only to find a man murdered and his wife standing over him with a gun. The woman appears dazed, and her confession seems unconvincing. The unexpected guest decides to assist her by blaming the murder on an intruder.

However, as the police delve deeper, they uncover clues pointing to a man who died two years ago, opening a Pandora's box of loves and hates, suspicions, and intrigues to the night air.

Originally crafted by Agatha Christie as a play in 1954, it has been artfully rendered into a novel by Charles Osborne. The Unexpected Guest is a compelling tale of murder and deceit, sure to entertain and amuse fans of Christie worldwide.

It is the summer holidays and soon Harry Potter will be starting his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry is counting the days: there are new spells to be learnt, more Quidditch to be played, and Hogwarts castle to continue exploring. But Harry needs to be careful - there are unexpected dangers lurking...

The Triwizard Tournament is to be held at Hogwarts. Only wizards who are over seventeen are allowed to enter - but that doesn't stop Harry dreaming that he will win the competition. Then at Hallowe'en, when the Goblet of Fire makes its selection, Harry is amazed to find his name is one of those that the magical cup picks out. He will face death-defying tasks, dragons and Dark wizards, but with the help of his best friends, Ron and Hermione, he might just make it through - alive!

With their message of hope, belonging and the enduring power of truth and love, the story of the Boy Who Lived continues to delight generations of new readers.

Georgia Nicolson's year might just be the most fabbity fab fab ever! Between trying to reduce the size of her nose, stopping her mad cat Angus from terrorizing the neighborhood animals, and winning the love of handsome hunk Robbie, Georgia's life is anything but dull. Her diary captures the soaring joys and bottomless angst of being a teenager with humor and irreverence.

This wildly funny journal, in the spirit of Bridget Jones's Diary, will leave you laughing out loud. As Georgia would say, it's "Fabbity fab fab!"

In utter disbelief, Jane Marple read the letter addressed to her from the recently deceased Mr. Rafiel — an acquaintance she had met briefly on her travels. He had left instructions for her to investigate a crime after his death. The only problem was, he had failed to tell her who was involved or where and when the crime had been committed. It was most intriguing.

Soon she is faced with a new crime — the ultimate crime — murder. It seems someone is adamant that past evils remain buried...

Martyrs to hypochondria and general seediness, J. and his friends George and Harris decide that a jaunt up the Thames would suit them to a 'T'. But when they set off, they can hardly predict the troubles that lie ahead with tow-ropes, unreliable weather-forecasts and tins of pineapple chunks - not to mention the devastation left in the wake of J.'s small fox-terrier, Montmorency.

Three Men in a Boat was an instant success when it appeared in 1889, and proved so popular that Jerome reunited his now older - but not necessarily wiser - heroes in Three Men on the Bummel, for a picaresque bicycle tour of Germany. With their benign escapism, authorial discursions and wonderful evocation of the late-Victorian 'clerking classes', both novels hilariously capture the spirit of their age.

Nan King, an oyster girl, is captivated by the music hall phenomenon Kitty Butler, a male impersonator extraordinaire treading the boards in Canterbury. Through a friend at the box office, Nan manages to visit all her shows and finally meet her heroine. Soon after, she becomes Kitty's dresser and the two head for the bright lights of Leicester Square where they begin a glittering career as music-hall stars in an all-singing and dancing double act.

At the same time, behind closed doors, they admit their attraction to each other and their affair begins.

Harry Potter Trilogy is a magical collection of the first three books in the beloved series by J.K. Rowling. This box set includes hard cover editions of:

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Each book is housed in a beautifully designed slip case, making it a perfect gift for fans and new readers alike. Dive into the enchanting world of Hogwarts, where magic, friendship, and bravery come to life.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban finds Harry, along with his best friends, Ron and Hermione, embarking on his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After a summer with the Dursleys, Harry is eager to return to school. However, the mood at Hogwarts is grim. An escaped mass murderer is on the run, and the foreboding prison guards of Azkaban have been summoned to ensure the safety of the school.

The atmosphere is tense, and danger lurks around every corner, but Harry is determined to uncover the truth and confront the very wizard responsible for his parents' demise.

Meet Bridget Jones—a 30-something Singleton who is certain she would have all the answers if she could:

• lose 7 pounds
• stop smoking
• develop Inner Poise

123 lbs. (how is it possible to put on 4 pounds in the middle of the night? Could flesh have somehow solidified becoming denser and heavier? Repulsive, horrifying notion), alcohol units 4 (excellent), cigarettes 21 (poor but will give up totally tomorrow), number of correct lottery numbers 2 (better, but nevertheless useless)...

Bridget Jones' Diary is the devastatingly self-aware, laugh-out-loud daily chronicle of Bridget's permanent, doomed quest for self-improvement — a year in which she resolves to:

• reduce the circumference of each thigh by 1.5 inches
• visit the gym three times a week not just to buy a sandwich
• form a functional relationship with a responsible adult
• learn to program the VCR

Over the course of the year, Bridget loses a total of 72 pounds but gains a total of 74. She remains, however, optimistic. Through it all, Bridget will have you helpless with laughter, and — like millions of readers the world round — you'll find yourself shouting, "Bridget Jones is me!"

Two teens fall in love with each other and heroin. Tar has reasons for running away from home that run deep and sour, whereas Gemma, with her middle-class roots firmly on show, has a deep-rooted lust for adventure. Their first hit brings bliss, the next despair.

After running away from their troubled homes, two English teenagers move in with a group of squatters in the port city of Bristol and try to find ways to support their growing addiction to heroin. Sometimes maybe you need an experience. The experience can be a person or it can be a drug. The experience opens a door that was there all the time but you never saw it. Or maybe it blasts you into outer space.