Wordsworth

All Saints' Eve

Amelia B. Edwards, 2008

Over half a century before the rise of the great ‘Queens of Crime’, Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, Amelia B. Edwards was an expert practitioner of crime fiction and murder mysteries, of which the best dozen are included in this volume. These gripping tales range from ingenious ‘whodunnits’ — ‘All Saints’ Eve’ and ‘The Tragedy in the Palazzo Bardello’ — to encounters with homicidal lunatics — ‘Cain’ and ‘A Railway Panic’ — clairvoyant visions preventing disaster or imminent murder — ‘The Professor’s Story’ and ‘A Night on the Borders of the Black Forest’ — and ghost stories ‘The Four-fifteen Express’, ‘Number Three’, ‘In the Confessional’, ‘Sister Johanna’s Story’, and ‘Was It An Illusion?’ — in which supernatural visitations explain earlier crimes and murders. These tales, many of which have been long out of print, are an ideal read for those who like their mystery stories tinged with a touch of the supernatural. Подробнее

Tales of Mystery and the Macabre

Elizabeth Gaskell, 2008

‘In the great mirror opposite I saw myself, and right behind, another wicked fearful self, so like me my soul seemed to quiver within me, as though not knowing to which similitude of body it belonged…’ Elizabeth Gaskell is better known today for her pioneering social novels such as «Mary Barton» (1848) but she also wrote some fascinating tales of the supernatural and the macabre, which are collected here in this volume. The real charm of this dark anthology is its variety. Unlike so many writers of this kind of material, Gaskell allows the story to fit the style rather than the other way around and as result there is a charming freshness to each tale. This remarkable author uses different voices, tones and topics to engage her readers and as you turn from one story to the next you cannot be quite sure what to expect. Подробнее

The Trial

Franz Kafka, 2009

When people use the adjective 'Kafkaesque', it is «The Trial» they have in mind – the nightmarish world of Joseph K., where the rules are hidden from even the highest officials, and any help there may be comes from unexpected sources. K. is never told what he is on trial for, and when he says he is innocent, he is immediately asked 'innocent of what?' Is he perhaps on trial for his innocence? Could he have freed himself from the proceedings by confessing his guilt as a human being? Has the trial been set up because he is incapable of admitting his guilt, and hence his humanity? «The Tria»l is a chilling and at the same time blackly amusing tale that maintains, to the very end, a constant, relentless atmosphere of disorientation and quirkiness. Superficially the subject-matter is bureaucracy, but the story's great strength is its description of the effect on the life and mind of Josef K. It is in the last resort a description of the absurdity of 'normal' human nature. Подробнее

New Testament

William Tyndale, 2008

William Tyndale is the finest English translator of the Bible, and his «New Testament» one of the most influential works in English Literature. As a young man in pre-Reformation England, where unauthorised translation of the Bible was illegal, he heard a pompous divine claim that 'we were better be without God's law than the Pope's'. Tyndale's answer was: 'I defy the Pope and all his laws, and if God spares my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plough shall know more of the scripture than thou dost'. Unable to do this in England, he spent the rest of his life in exile on the Continent and was executed as a heretic in 1536. His translations — of the entire «New Testament» and much of the «Old Testament» — were smuggled into England, where an eager public risked their lives to read them. His «New Testament» with its clear, vivid style and resonant phrases, is a masterpiece of English prose and was the basis of the Authorized Version of 1611. Подробнее

Remembrance of Things Past Vol: I

Marcel Proust, 2006

Marcel Proust (1871-1922) spent the last fourteen years of his life writing «la recherche du temps perdu». It is an intimate epic, an excavation of the self, and a comedy of manners by turns and all at once. Proust is the twentieth century's Dante, presenting us with a unique, unsettling picture of ourselves as jealous lovers and unmitigated snobs, frittering our lives away, with only the hope of art as a possible salvation. He offers us a form of redemption for a sober and secular age. Scott Moncrieff's delightful translation was for many years the only access to Proust in English. A labour of love that took him nearly as many years as Proust spent writing the original. Moncrieff's translation strives to capture the extraordinary blend of muscular analysis with poetic reverie that typifies Proust's style. It remains a justly famous classic of translation. Подробнее

Remembrance of Things Past Vol: II

Marcel Proust, 2006

Marcel Proust (1871-1922) spent the last fourteen years of his life writing la recherche du temps perdu. It is an intimate epic, an excavation of the self, and a comedy of manners by turns and all at once. Proust is the twentieth century's Dante, presenting us with a unique, unsettling picture of ourselves as jealous lovers and unmitigated snobs, frittering our lives away, with only the hope of art as a possible salvation. He offers us a form of redemption for a sober and secular age. Scott Moncrieff's delightful translation was for many years the only access to Proust in English. A labour of love that took him nearly as many years as Proust spent writing the original. Moncrieff's translation strives to capture the extraordinary blend of muscular analysis with poetic reverie that typifies Proust's style. It remains a justly famous classic of translation. Подробнее

The Divine Comedy

Dante, 2009

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) is one of the most important and innovative figures of the European Middle Ages. Writing his «Comedy» (the epithet «Divine» was added by later admirers) in exile from his native Florence, he aimed to address a world gone astray both morally and politically. At the same time, he sought to push back the restrictive rules which traditionally governed writing in the Italian vernacular, to produce a radically new and all-encompassing work. The «Comedy» tells of the journey of a character who is at one and the same time both Dante himself and Everyman through the three realms of the Christian afterlife: Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. He presents a vision of the afterlife which is strikingly original in its conception, with a complex architecture and a coherent structure. On this journey Dante’s protagonist – and his reader – meet characters who are variously noble, grotesque, beguiling, fearful, ridiculous, admirable, horrific and tender, and through them he is shown the consequences of sin, repentance and virtue, as he learns to avoid Hell and, through cleansing in Purgatory, to taste the joys of Heaven. Подробнее

Scottish Ghost Stories

Rosemary Gray, 2009

Scotland has a notoriously rich and diverse cultural tradition when it comes to the supernatural. Many of her greatest writers from Sir Walter Scott and James Hogg to Robert Louis Stevenson and John Buchan have explored the country's unique folkloric heritage to spine-chilling effect. From Highlands to Lowlands, from blasted heath or remote glen to wretched hovel or austere castle, the very topography lends itself somehow to the strange and unexplainable. Leading off Edinburgh's colourful Royal Mile, which runs from the Palace of Holyrood to the gaunt castle on the rock, there are many narrow 'wynds' — passages ancient and mysterious. As soon as you leave the sunshine and enter these dark and reeking ways you know that you are in a city full of ghosts and spirits — unhappy souls condemned for ever to roam this antique city. Tormented spectres like them throng the pages of this disquieting collection. Lock your door, turn up the lights, put extra logs on the fire and as you start to read, utter a fervent prayer: From ghoulies and ghosties And long-leggety beasties And things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us! If this plea fails to work and they choose to come for you, despair; there is no hope; there is no escape. In truth, dear reader, if you are of a nervous disposition and liable to fearings and fantasies we are not sure this book is entirely suitable for you. You have been warned. Подробнее

Moonfleet

John Meade Falkner, 2009

When fifteen-year-old orphan John Trenchard is banished by his Aunt Jane, he goes to live at the local inn with the mysterious Elzevir Block, whose son has been killed by Customs Officers. Unofficially adopted by Block, John comes to learn the reasons for the noises in the graveyard at night, of 'Blackbeard' Mohune's lost treasure and Elzevir Block's secret. This dashing tale of eighteenth-century Dorset smugglers will be enjoyed by all who love stories of derring-do written in the tradition of «Treasure Island». Подробнее

The Casebook of Sexton Blake

D.S. Davies, 2009

Welcome to the breathtaking adventures of Sexton Blake! For the greater part of the 20th century, the countless escapades of super sleuth Sexton Blake kept millions of readers on the edge of their seats. Together with his faithful sidekick, the youthful Tinker, and his intelligent bloodhound, Pedro, he stood firm against an onslaught of crime and villainy, defeating his enemies with his extraordinary powers of deduction, iron fists and unyielding determination. This thrilling collection presents seven exploits from his ‘golden age’: «The Slave Market» In the dangerous depths of Africa, Blake races to the rescue of an old school friend! «A Football Mystery» Blake and Tinker join the England team to beat the cheating opposition! «The Man From Scotland Yard» Blake has his first encounter with the greatest super-villain he would ever meet! «The Law of the Sea» Blake goes down with the ship in his own version of the sinking of the Titanic! «The Brotherhood of the Yellow Beetle» Blake grapples with oriental cunning in the form of Prince Wu Ling! «A Case of Arson» A master crook is at work but Blake is on his trail! «The Black Eagle» A wronged man is out for vengeance. Can Blake stop him before it's too late? Sexton Blake, consulting detective! Подробнее

Uncle Silas

Sheridan Le Fanu, 2009

I thought I saw a human face, about the most terrible my fancy could have called up, looking fixedly into the room. The face gazed towards the bed, and in the imperfect light looked like a livid mask, with chalky eyes’. Master of the ghost story genre M.R. James commented that the, ‘final terrific murder-scene and escape can hardly be forgotten’ by those who have read «Uncle Silas». Neither does the opening disappoint. As the November winds wail in ivied chimneys we are drawn into a Victorian Gothic atmosphere of menacing, sombre gloom and ebony shadows. Sheridan Le Fanu leaves us in no doubt that we are in for a feast of exciting drama, luring us into the intensely claustrophobic world of the nineteenth century sensational novel. Le Fanu is amongst the top-notch exponents of the creepy, the criminal and the oppressive. In this tale of the orphaned teenage heiress Maud Ruthyn, fearing for her life at the hands of her sinister uncle, he has created a rattling good plot with the depth of a social novel and the power of high romance. Подробнее

The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allen Poe, 2009

Edgar Allan Poe received scant recognition for his efforts, until the publication of «The Raven» in 1845. The poem's popularity gave him a new visibility in literary circles. This title presents a collection of his tales and poems. Подробнее

Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales

Brothers Grimm, 2009

The Brothers Grimm rediscovered a host of fairy tales. Together with their well-known tales of «Rapunzel», «The Goose Girl», «Sleeping Beauty», «Hansel and Gretel» there are darker tales which deserve to be better known. This is a collection of their tales. Подробнее

The Castle

Franz Kafka, 2009

Kafka’s final novel was written during 1922, when the tuberculosis that was to kill him was already at an advanced stage. Fragmentary and unfinished, it perhaps never could have been finished; perhaps the tensions between K., the Castle and the village, K.’s struggle for acceptance or recognition by the mysterious Castle authorities or by the people of the village, never will and never can be resolved. Like much of Kafka’s work, The Castle is enigmatic and polyvalent. Is it an allegory of the sprawling Austro-Hungarian Empire as it disintegrates into modern nation states, or a quasi-feudal system giving way to a new freedom for the subject? Is it the search by a central European Jew for acceptance and integration into a dominant culture? Is it a spiritual quest for grace or salvation, or an individual’s struggle between his sense of independence and his need for approval? Is K. is an opportunist, a victim, or an outsider battling against an elusive authority? Is the Castle a benign source of authority or a whimsical system of control? Like K., the reader is presented with conflicting perspectives that rehearse the existential dilemmas and uncertainties of literary modernity. Подробнее

Epigrams of Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde, 2007

'There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about', said Oscar Wilde more than a hundred years ago. But this remark seems perhaps even more relevant to our present world where so many seek publicity at any cost. Wilde's well-turned phrases and spontaneous insults still cause much amusement and admiration. Most of us miss the opportunities for bon mots, finding them long after the moments have passed, but Wilde seems never to have been short of suitable words — flattering, witty and on occasions savagely cruel. Many of the quotes in this book are taken from Wilde's plays, novels and essays which were also packed with witticisms amounting to an outrageous philosophy. Wilde's extravagance and unconventional behaviour earned him loyal friends but also bitter enemies and in 1895 after a series of unfortunate events and court cases he was gaoled for two years with hard labour for indecent behaviour. Though from prison came a few last brilliant works, Wilde was never to recover his health or standing in society. He died in Paris bankrupt, broken and alone. He is buried at Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise — one of Paris' finest cemeteries — where today many pilgrims from all parts of the world come to pay their respects and leave tokens in recognition of his genius. Подробнее

What Katy Did at School and What Katy Did Next

Susan Coolidge, 1994

»What Katy Did at School and What Katy Did Next» continue the story of the high-spirited and rebellious American girl, Katy Carr, and her family, who first appeared in «What Katy Did». «What Katy Did at Schoo»l is a compelling tale of the intrigues of life at the New England girls’ boarding school which Katy attends. Her trials and adventures are all interwoven with a sense of fun and gently ironic good humour. «What Katy Did Next» describes a tour by Katy of Europe as she evolves from the child of earlier books into a spirited young woman, and brings to a satisfying close this delightful trilogy. Подробнее

The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories

Leo Tolstoy, 2004

Count Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) is best known for «War and Peace» and «Anna Karenina», commonly regarded as amongst the greatest novels ever written. He also, however, wrote many masterly short stories, and this volume contains four of the longest and best in distinguished translations that have stood the test of time. In the early story 'Family Happiness', Tolstoy explores courtship and marriage from the point of view of a young wife. In 'The Kreutzer Sonata' he gives us a terrifying study of marital breakdown, in 'The Devil' a powerful depiction of the power of sexual temptation, and, in perhaps the finest of all, 'The Death of Ivan Ilyich', he portrays the long agony of a man gradually coming to terms with his own mortality. Подробнее

Irish Ghost Stories With a word of warning to those of nervous a disposition, Wordsworth presents this spellbinding collection of chilling Celtic tales of the macabre, all drawn from the rich and varied literary tradition of a culture long enchanted by things supernatural, 'a land where ghosts and ghost-seers are so common'. Featuring the imaginative writing of such towering masters of the genre as Sheridan Le Fanu, Bram Stoker, Patrick Kennedy, Thomas Crofton Croker and George Moore, this volume of ghoulish masterpieces from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is an encapsulation of the arcane lore, magical landscape and fantastic creativity of the Irish. Don't attempt to read these horrifying tales alone in an empty house. Your blood will run cold as the unreal becomes real and the impossible all too possible. Indelible images will possess your imagination and haunt your dreams. Make sure all the lights are on and the doors are bolted. Подробнее

Thesaurus Do you know the difference between «stubborn» and «obstinate», between «cackle» and «chortle»? Learners of English often find it difficult to know which word to use. Or you may have used a particular word several times already in an essay or email, and so you want to use a different expression. This dictionary adopts a fresh approach by going beyond the mere listing of words as in an ordinary thesaurus. Differences between similar words are highlighted to show the various shades of meaning so that you will never be at a loss for the right word on the right occasion. Подробнее

The Selected Works of D: H. Lawrence

D.H. Lawrence, 2006

This selection of Lawrence's work underlines the intensity and innovation that made him one of the most distinctive and important of twentieth-century writers. «Sons and Lovers» — semi-autobiographical, is a powerful exploration of family, class, sexuality and the suffocating relationships of a man with a demanding mother and two very different lovers. «Women in Love» — perhaps Lawrence's most mature novel, was met with disgust by the critics, seeing only a sorry tale of sexual depravity in the love of the sisters, Ursula and Gudrun, for Rupert and Gerald. «Lady Chatterley's Lover» — Lawrence's novel, written in poetic and sexually explicit language, deals with the passionate relationship between Lady Constance Chatterley and Oliver Mellors, her emotionally and physically crippled husband's forthright and powerfully masculine gamekeeper. A watershed in twentieth-century literary fiction, its sensational content has earned the novel an enduring readership and notoriety. Other stories featured in this volume include «The Captain's Dol»l, «The Fox», «The Ladybird», «St Mawr», «The Princess», «The Virgin and the Gypsy» and «The Escaped Cock». Подробнее

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