A faithful new translation of Hans Christian Andersen's classic and enchanting stories.Hans Christian Andersen's tales have always seized the imagination with their blend of simplicity, eccentricity, and charm, but until now readers have had to content themselves with inaccurate retellings and inadequate translations. Now Diana Crone Frank and Jeffrey Frank offer a much-needed modern translation which returns faithfully to the original Danish. In this collection are twenty-two tales that best represent Andersen's literary legacy. H... read more

Famous for its ingenuity and wit, "The Canterbury Tales" is a major part of England's literary heritage. From the exuberant Wife of Bath's Arthurian legend to the Miller's worldly, ribald farce, these tales can be taken as a mirror of fourteenth century London and medieval society. Incorporating every style of Medieval narrative - bawdy anecdote, allegorical fable and courtly romance - the tales encompass the blend of universal human themes and individual personal detail that have fascinated readers for over 600 years. Here they ar... read more

Considered by many to the greatest novel ever written, Tolstoy's masterpiece is a story of family life set against the backdrop of war. The novel begins in 1805, in the crowded and gossip-filled rooms of a St Petersburg party, and follows the fortunes of the aristocratic Bolkonsky and Rostov families as Napoleon's armies sweep through Europe, culminating in the French invasion of Russia in 1812 and Napoleon's defeat. Tolstoy's vast novel takes in both the epic sweep of national events and the private experience of individuals, from... read more

English society during the Napoleonic wars. Becky is charming and amoral and well equipped to fight for worldly success. Amelia is sweet and sentimental and longs for her worthless soldier lover, while the good but dull Dobbin stands patiently by. With a cast of characters grotesque, corrupt and downright wicked, the vast sweep of the novel allows Thackeray's wit and morality to shine a light into society's murkier corners.

Raskolnikov, a destitute and desperate former student, wanders through the slums of St Petersburg and commits a random murder without remorse or regret. He imagines himself to be a great man, a Napoleon: acting for a higher purpose beyond conventional moral law. But as he embarks on a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a suspicious police investigator, Raskolnikov is pursued by the growing voice of his conscience and finds the noose of his own guilt tightening around his neck. Only Sonya, a downtrodden prostitute, can offer the c... read more

One of the first and greatest literary achievements of Greek civilisation, The Iliad focuses on the pivotal four days towards the end of the ten-year war between the Greeks and the Trojans. In a series of dramatic set pieces, it follows the tragic story of the humiliation of Achilleus at the hands of Agamemnon and his slaying of Hector: a barbarous act with repercussions that ultimately determine the fate of Troy. The Iliad not only paints an intimate picture of individual experience, but also offers a universal perspective in whic... read more

"A remarkable tour de force. Better than any translator of our time, Fagles catches the relentless sweep of the original...Bernard Knox's introduction to the poem is a masterpiece no reader, however sophisicated, can afford to miss" Maynard Mack, Yale University

In a gloomy house in provincial Saumur lives the miser Grandet with his wife and daughter, Eugenie, whose lives are stifled and overshadowed by his obsession with gold. But when the arrival of her handsome cousin, Charles, awakens Eugenie's desires, her passion brings her into a violent collision with her father that results in tragedy for all.

The most eloquent translation of Homer's epic chronicle of the Greek hero Odysseus and his arduous journey home after the Trojan WarThis is Homer's epic chronicle of the Greek hero Odysseus' triumph over Troy and arduous journey home: Odysseus survives a storm and shipwreck, the cave of the Cyclops and the isle of Circe, the lure of the Sirens' song and a trip to the Underworld, only to find his most difficult challenge at home, where treacherous suitors seek to steal his kingdom and his loyal wife, Penelope. First published 1967.

War is raging between the Greeks and the Trojans. Achilles, the great warrior champion of the Greek army, is angrily sulking in his tent and refusing to fight, after a row with his leader Agamemnon. But when the Trojan king Hector kills Achilles' beloved friend, he plunges back into the battle to seek his bloody revenge - even though he knows it will bring about his own doom. Robert Graves' gripping, vigorous retelling of "The Iliad" portrays quarreling kings and tarnished heroes, who leave suffering women behind them and are watch... read more

This beautiful gift set of Robert Fagles' award-winning translations of Homer brings the energy of contemporary language to these enduring heroic epics.

Focusing on the closing days of the Trojan War, this novel incorporates the same epic cast of gods and warriors from The Odyssey. From the kidnapping of Helen from her Greek home to the death of Achilles's companion, the battle rages between two warring nations and the gods who protect both sides. Thrilling in content, but literate and subtle in its meaning, "The Iliad" remains a classic among classics.

This edition Out of Print (Feb 2007) A beautiful restoration of Steadman's 1968 edition. The force of social satire and fantasy in the original text of Alice in Wonderland is as relevant today as when the novel was first published in 1865. This version of Carroll's classic tale is a startling departure from the traditional Victorian or Disney approaches. In his introduction, Ralph Steadman describes how a fresh illustrative perspective created an original, modern vision. The irony and satire of Alice in Wonderland acquires new l... read more

: Bringing together Carroll's timeless masterpieces and Peake's extraordinary drawings, with introductions by Will Self and Zadie Smith, this edition captures the playful, satirical and mysterious essence of Carroll's Alice stories. Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass have captivated the imagination of adults and children alike since they first appeared more than a hundred years ago. Since that time many artists have attempted to capture their dreamlike combination of impossible event... read more

A troubled young man commits the perfect crime - the murder of a vile pawnbroker whom no one will miss. Raskolnikov is desperate for money, but convinces himself that his motive for the murder is to benefit mankind. So begins one of the greatest novels ever written, a journey into the criminal mind, a police thriller, and a philosophical meditation on morality and redemption.

"War and Peace" is one of the richest novels ever written. Tolstoy's enthralling epic combines history and fiction in his depiction of Russia's lengthy war with the French armies of Napoleon and its effects on the domestic lives of those caught up in the conflict. He creates some of the most vital and involving characters in literature as he follows the rise and fall of families in St Petersburg and Moscow who are linked by their personal and political relationships. His heroes are the thoughtful yet impulsive Pierre Bezukhov, his ... read more

Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing, but unsuitable John Willoughby, she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Through their parallel experience of love - and its threatened loss - the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal h... read more

One of the foremost achievements in Western literature, Homer's Iliad tells the story of the darkest episode in the Trojan War. At its centre is Achilles, the greatest warrior-champion of the Greeks, and his refusal to fight after being humiliated by his leader Agamemnon. But when the Trojan Hector kills Achilles' close friend Patroclus, he storms back into battle to take revenge - although knowing this will ensure his own early death. Interwoven with this tragic sequence of events are powerfully moving descriptions of the ebb and ... read more

Widely regarded as the world's first modern novel, and one of the funniest and most tragic books ever written, Don Quixote chronicles the famous picaresque adventures of the noble knight-errant Don Quixote de La Mancha and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, as they travel through sixteenth-century Spain. From the Introduction by Harold Bloom: 'Grossman might be called the Glenn Gould of translators, because she, too, articulates every note. Reading her amazing mode of finding equivalents in English for Cervantes's darkening vis... read more