Athens and Sparta, the mighty city states of ancient Greece, locked together in a quarter century of conflict: the Peloponnesian War. Alexias the Athenian was born, passed through childhood and grew to manhood in those troubled years, that desperate and dangerous epoch when the golden age of Pericles was declining into uncertainty and fear for the future. Of good family, he and his friends are brought up and educated in the things of the intellect and in athletic and martial pursuits. They learn to hunt and to love, to wrestle and to question. And all the time his star of destiny is leading him towards the moment when he must stand alongside his greatest friend Lysis in the last great clash of arms between the cities.
In the summer of 1920 two men, both war survivors meet in the quiet English countryside. One is living in the church, intent upon uncovering and restoring an historical wall painting while the other camps in the next field in search of a lost grave. Out of their meeting, comes a deeper communion and a catching up of the old primeval rhythms of life so cruelly disorientated by the Great War.
'They could not have had a more perfect day for a garden party if they had ordered it'A windless, warm day greets the Sheridan family on the day of their garden party. As daughter Laura takes the reins on party preparations the news of a neighbour's demise casts a cloud over the host and threatens the entire celebration.The Penguin English Library - collectable general readers' editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century to the end of the Second World War.
Joseph Conrad's enduring portrait of the ugliness of colonialism in a deluxe edition with a gripping cover by "Hellboy" artist Mike Mignola"Heart of Darkness" is the thrilling tale of Marlow, a seaman and wanderer recounting his physical and psychological journey in search of the infamous ivory trader Kurtz. Traveling upriver into the heart of the African continent, he gradually becomes obsessed by this enigmatic, wraith-like figure. Marlow's discovery of how Kurtz has gained his position of power over the local people involves him in a radical questioning, not only of his own nature and values, but of those that underpin Western civilization itself.
Every night for three years the vengeful King Shahriyar sleeps with a different virgin, executing her next morning. To end this brutal pattern and to save her own life, the vizier's daughter, Shahrazad, begins to tell the king tales of adventure, love, ric
'The facts of life took on a fiercer aspect and, while he faced that aspect uncowed, he faced it with all the latent cunning of his nature aroused.'The biting cold and the aching silence of the far North become an unforgettable backdrop for Jack London's vivid, rousing, superbly realistic wilderness adventure stories featuring the author's unique knowledge of the Yukon and the behavior of humans and animals facing nature at its cruelest.The Penguin English Library - collectable general readers' editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century to the end of the Second World War.
WITH A NEW AFTERWORD BY GARY YOUNGE'[Native Son] possesses an artistry, penetration of thought, and sheer emotional power that places it into the front rank of American fiction' Ralph Ellison'The most important and celebrated novel of Negro life to have appeared in America' James BaldwinReckless, angry and adrift, Bigger Thomas has grown up trapped in a life of poverty in the slums of Chicago. But a job with the affluent Dalton family provides the setting for a catastrophic collision between his world and theirs. Hunted by citizen and police alike, and baited by prejudiced officials, Bigger finds himself the cause celebre in an ever-narrowing endgame.First published in 1940, Native Son shocked readers with its candid depiction of violence and confrontation of racial stereotypes. It went on to make Richard Wright the first bestselling black writer in America.
Part of Alma Classics Evergreen series, The Canterbury Tales are here presented in their original Middle-English. This edition contains a wealth of material and a substantial number of notes
In 1851, at the age of twenty-two, Tolstoy joined the Russian army and travelled to the Caucasus as a soldier. The four years that followed were among the most significant in his life, and deeply influenced the stories collected here. Begun in 1852 but unfinished for a decade, "The Cossacks" describes the experiences of Olenin, a young cultured Russian who comes to despise civilization after spending time with the wild Cossack people. Sevastopol Sketches, based on Tolstoy's own experiences of the siege of Sevastopol in 1854-55, is a compelling consideration of the nature of war, while Hadji Murat, written towards the end of his life, returns to the Caucasus of Tolstoy's youth to explore the life of a great leader torn apart by a conflict of loyalties. Written at the end of the nineteenth century, it is amongst the last and greatest of Tolstoy's shorter works.
The book that influenced writers from Carl Sagan to Stephen Hawking, Flatland is set in a two-dimensional world where life exists only in lines and shapes - until one of its inhabitants, 'A. Square', has his perspective transformed forever. This bril
Thirteen ingeniously crafted stories make up Vladimir Nabokov's baker's dozen. In some of these stories shadowy people pass through, cooped up by life, with nowhere to escape. In others, elusive glimpses of fleeting happiness, which flutter away befo
Agatha Christie's ingenious murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers.Beautiful Caroline Crale was convicted of poisoning her husband, yet there were five other suspects: Philip Blake (the stockbroker) who went to market; Meredith Blake (the amateur herbalist) who stayed at home; Elsa Greer (the three-time divorcee) who had roast beef; Cecilia Williams (the devoted governess) who had none; and Angela Warren (the disfigured sister) who cried 'wee wee wee' all the way home.It is sixteen years later, but Hercule Poirot just can't get that nursery rhyme out of his mind...
In this vivid portrait of one day in a woman's life, Clarissa Dalloway is preoccupied with the last-minute details of a party she is to give that evening. As she readies her house she is flooded with memories and re-examines the choices she has made over the course of her life.
Jane Austen revolutionized the literary romance, using it as a platform from which to address issues of gender politics and class consciousness among the British middle-class of the late eighteenth century.
A new omnibus of over 50 short stories, presented for the first time in chronological order. The new TV adaptations start in the autumn, starring Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple.
This beautiful collectible edition includes Louisa May Alcott's most famous classic, `Little Women', as well as the sequels, `Little Men' and `Jo's Boys'.
VINTAGE JAPANESE CLASSICS - five masterpieces of Japanese fiction in gorgeous new gift editions.Tanizaki's masterpiece is the story of four sisters, and the declining fortunes of a traditional Japanese family. With surgical precision, Tanizaki lays bare the sinews of pride, and brings a vanished era to vibrant life.
The violent murder of a mother and daughter in Paris leaves the police baffled - but the reclusive Dupin, an amateur detective, decides to investigate simply in his desire for truth and to prove a falsely imprisoned man innocent. Through his ground-breaking investigation, Dupin will reveal the incredible truth of this shocking misdeed.
The devil makes a personal appearance in Moscow accompanied by various demons, including a naked girl and a huge black cat. When he leaves, the asylums are full and the forces of law and order in disarray. Only the Master, a man devoted to truth, and Margarita, the woman he loves, can resist the devil’s onslaught.
This is one of the best novels ever written, in a chic new deluxe edition. Orphaned Jane Eyre endures an unhappy childhood, hated by her aunt and cousins and then sent to comfortless Lowood School. But life there improves and Jane stays on as a teacher, though she still longs for love and friendship. At Mr Rochester's house, where she goes to work as a governess, she hopes she might have found them - until she learns the terrible secret of the attic.
"The Turn of the Screw" tells the story of a young governess sent to a country house to take charge of two orphans. Unsettled by a sense of intense evil in the house, she soon becomes obsessed with the idea that something malevolent is stalking the children in her care.
The dilettantes who frequent Lady Tantamount's society parties are determined to push forward the moral frontiers of the age. Marjorie has left her family to live with Walter; Walter is in love with the luscious but cold-hearted Lucy who devours every man in sight; the repulsive Spandrell deflowers young girls for the sake of entertainment and all the while everyone is engaged in dazzling and witty conversation.
A fiendish classic murder mystery, from one of Japan's greatest crime writers, featuring the country's best-loved detectiveIn 1940s Japan, the wealthy head of the Inugami clan dies, and his family eagerly await the reading of the will. But no sooner are its strange details revealed than a series of bizarre, gruesome murders begins. Detective Kindaichi must unravel the clan's terrible secrets of forbidden liaisons, monstrous cruelty, and hidden identities to find the murderer, and lift the curse wreaking its bloody revenge on the Inugamis.The Inugami Curse is a fiendish, intricately plotted classic mystery from a giant of Japanese crime writing, starring the legendary detective Kosuke Kindaichi.
Based on Mailer's own experience of military service in the Philippines during World War Two, The Naked and the Dead' is a graphically truthful and shattering portrayal of ordinary men in battle. First published in 1949, as America was still basking
Botchan is a modern young man from the Tokyo metropolis, sent to the ultra-traditional Matsuyama district as a Maths teacher after his the death of his parents. Cynical, rebellious and immature, Botchan finds himself facing several tests, from the pupils - prone to playing tricks on their new, naive teacher; the staff - vain, immoral, and in danger of becoming a bad influence on Botchan; and from his own as-yet-unformed nature, as he finds his place in the world. One of the most popular novels in Japan where it is considered a classic of adolescence, as seminal as "The Catcher in the Rye", "Botchan" is as funny, poignant and memorable as it was when first published, over 100 years ago. In J. Cohn's introduction to his colourful translation, he discusses "Botchan's" success, the book's clash between Western intellectualism and traditional Japanese values, and the importance of names and nicknames in the novel.
New to Penguin Modern Classics, the seminal work of gay literature that sparked an infamous legal trial for obscenity and went on to become a bestseller. The Well of Loneliness tells the story of tomboyish Stephen, who hunts, wears trousers and cuts her hair short - and who gradually comes to realise that she is attracted to women. Charting her romantic and professional adventures during the First World War and beyond, the novel provoked a furore on first publication in 1928 for its lesbian heroine and led to a notorious legal trial for obscenity. Hall herself, however, saw the book as a pioneer work and today it is recognised as a landmark work of gay fiction. This Penguin edition includes a new introduction by Maureen Duffy. "The archetypal lesbian novel". (Times Literary Supplement). "One of the first and most influential contributions of gay and lesbian literature". (New Statesman). Radclyffe Hall was born in 1880. After an unhappy childhood, she inherited her father's estate and from then on was free to travel and live as she chose. She fell in love and lived with an older woman before settling down with Una Troubridge, a married sculptor.Hall wrote many books but is best known for The Well of Loneliness, first published in 1928. She died in 1943 and is buried in Highgate Cemetery in London. Maureen Duffy was born in 1933 and educated at Kings College London. She became a full-time writer in the 1960s, and has since written numerous screenplays, poetry and novels. A lifelong campaigner for gay rights and animal rights, Duffy is also president of the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society.
A brand new collection of short stories featuring the Queen of Crime’s legendary detective Jane Marple, penned by twelve remarkable bestselling and acclaimed authors. This collection of twelve original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple, wil
This is the "Penguin English Library Edition" of "The Man Who Was Thursday" by G. K. Chesterton. '"A man's brain is a bomb," he cried out, loosening suddenly his strange passion and striking his own skull with violence. "My brain feels like a bomb, night and day. It must expand! It must expand! A man's brain must expand, if it breaks up the universe".' In a park in London, secret policeman Gabriel Syme strikes up a conversation with an anarchist. Sworn to do his duty, Syme uses his new acquaintance to go undercover in Europe's Central Anarchist Council and infiltrate their deadly mission, even managing to have himself voted to the position of 'Thursday'. When Syme discovers another undercover policeman on the Council, however, he starts to question his role in their operations. And as a desperate chase across Europe begins, his confusion grows, as well as his confidence in his ability to outwit his enemies. But he has still to face the greatest terror that the Council has: a man named Sunday, whose true nature is worse than Syme could ever have imagined..."The Penguin English Library" - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.
Lord Copper, newspaper magnate and proprietor of 'The Daily Beast', has always prided himself on his intuitive flair for spotting ace reporters. That is not to say he has not made the odd blunder, however, and may in a moment of weakness make another. Acting on a dinner party tip from Mrs. Algernon Stitch, he feels convinced that he has hit on just the chap to cover a promising little war in the African Republic of Ishmaelia.
When a beautiful young woman is sent a letter inviting her to a sinister assignation, she immediately seeks the advice of the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes. For this is not the first mysterious item Mary Marston has received in the post. Every year for the last six years an anonymous benefactor has sent her a large lustrous pearl.
The Norwegian ambassador has been found dead in a seedy motel room in Bangkok. To avoid a scandal, Harry is sent to hush up the case. But he quickly discovers that there is much more going on behind the scenes, and that failing to solve a murder case is by no means the only danger in Bangkok. Available in English for the first time, this is the thrilling sequel to Nesbo's debut novel, THE BAT.
THE SECOND NOVEL IN THE RECORD-BREAKING, MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES BY RICHARD OSMAN 'Moving, hilarious, brilliantly suspenseful' Jeffery Deaver'A thing of joy' Kate Atkinson'The tonic we all need' Shari LapenaIt's the following Thursday.Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He's made a big mistake, and he needs her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life.As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. And if they find the diamonds too? Well, wouldn't that be a bonus?But this time they are up against an enemy who wouldn't bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians.Can the Thursday Murder Club find the killer (and the diamonds) before the killer finds them? 'This slick sequel will leave you buzzing' The Times'Fiendishly clever and brimming with wit on every page' Shari Lapena'He's not only done it again, but he's done it even better' Philippa Perry'Twisty, witty fun' Sunday Express'Superbly entertaining' Guardian'Full of humour and heart. I loved it' Harlan Coben'Darkly funny, offbeat and deftly written' Irish Independent'As gripping as it is funny' Evening Standard'If you liked The Thursday Murder Club, you're in for a treat, as this sequel is even better' Good Housekeeping'Warm, funny and oh-so British' i'A properly funny mystery steeped in Agatha Christie' Araminta Hall'It's like reading ice cream... a pure pleasure' Linwood Barclay'Osman's world is a soothing place to be' Sunday Telegraph'Pure pleasure to read' Observer'They'll cradle you through any winter of discontent' Richard and Judy, Daily Express
The untold story of Sherlock Holmes’ greatest rival, Moriarty!Before he was Sherlock’s rival, Moriarty fought against the unfair class caste system in London by making sure corrupt nobility got their comeuppance. But even the most well-intentioned plans can spin out of control—will Moriarty’s dream of a more just and equal world turn him into a hero…or a monster?The true mastermind behind the Jack the Ripper murders is none other than Britain’s media king, Charles Augustus Milverton. After that case comes to a close, Milverton digs into William Moriarty’s past. And it doesn’t take long for him to discover a certain court case where a boy from the slums sued a nobleman…
It was a case that gripped the nation. Luke Ryder's murder has never been solved.In December 2003, Luke Ryder was found dead in the garden of the family home in London, leaving behind a wealthy older widow and three stepchildren. Nobody saw anything.Now, secrets will be revealed - live on camera.Years later a group of experts re-examine the evidence on Infamous, a true-crime show - with shocking results. Does the team know more than they've been letting on?Or does the truth lie closer to home? Can you solve the case before they do? The truth will blow your mind.MEDIA REVIEWS'A stunning and ingenious novel' - Financial Times'This book had me riveted to the page. It is original, inventive and totally 21st Century, but with no compromise on thrills and tension... the twists are magnificent! It really is an equal triumph of style and content. Just brilliant!' - Janice Hallett'An excellent, wholly original whodunnit!' - Gilly MacMillan'I defy readers to put this brilliant book down for a second! Genius premise with all the twistiness you'd expect from Cara Hunter. Her best yet!' - Victoria Selman'Clever and innovative - an intriguing new take on the traditional crime novel.' - Emma Haughton'Reads like true crime - relentlessly twisty and utterly compelling' - Shari Lapena'Sharp, fresh, surprising, and authentic... absolutely brilliant.' - Andrea Mara'A one of a kind thriller.' - Robert Gold'Ingeniously plotted, brilliantly put together, incredible to experience. This is truly irresistible thriller writing' - B.P. Walter
The Japanese cult classic mystery 'Ayatsuji's brilliant and richly atmospheric puzzle will appeal to fans of golden age whodunits... Every word counts, leading up to a jaw-dropping but logical reveal' Publishers Weekly The lonely, rockbound island of Tsunojima is notorious as the site of a series of bloody unsolved murders. Some even say it's haunted. One thing's for sure: it's the perfect destination for the K-University Mystery Club's annual trip. But when the first club member turns up dead, the remaining amateur sleuths realise they will need all of their murder-mystery expertise to get off the island alive. As the party are picked off one by one, the survivors grow desperate and paranoid, turning on each other.Will anyone be able to untangle the murderer's fiendish plan before it's too late?
Harry Bosch is now working as a private investigator but if he thought being a PI would be less dangerous than being a homicide cop, he's in for a shock. Tracing possible heirs to ageing billionaire Whitney Vance's fortune seems like a straightforward cold case, and when Bosch discovers an unknown great-granddaughter, it's job done. Until the girl is killed in a hit-and-run and Harry's own life is threatened. Realising he's been set up, Bosch goes on the warpath to exact his own brand of justice.
The fourth volume in the #1 Sunday Times bestselling Murdle puzzle series! 'UTTERLY ADDICTIVE!' JANICE HALLETT, bestselling author of THE TWYFORD CODE and THE APPEAL 'AN ABSOLUTE PHENOMENON' RICHARD OSMAN, bestselling author of THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES Deductive Logico returns in Murdle: The School of Mystery, taking us back to his early days of Deduction College, where it all began. It was here that he befriended the student who would become Inspector Irratino! Join the young, budding detectives as they stumble upon a series of mysterious campus murders to discover: - Who committed the ghastly deed? - What weapon was used to dispatch the victim? - Where did the dreadful demise occur? Examine the clues, interview the witnesses, and use the power of deduction to complete the grid and catch the culprit. Packed with illustrations, codes, and maps, this is the must-have detective casebook for the secret sleuth in everyone. Not only the good die young! You'll need to be sharper than Sherlock if you dare to Murdle!
The Chalk Man is coming . . . PREORDER NOW.IF YOU ONLY READ ONE BOOK THIS YEAR MAKE IT THIS ONE. THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER . . .'If you like my stuff, you'll like this' STEPHEN KING'Wonderfully creepy - like a cold blade on the back of your neck' LEE CHILD'A tense gripper with a leave-the-lights-on shock ending' Sunday Times'There are shades of Stephen King when the reality bends into the sinister, and a deliciously creepy finale' Daily Mail---------------------You can feel it in the woods, in the school and in the playground; you can feel it in the houses and at the fairground. You can feel it in most places in the small town of Anderbury . . . the fear that something or someone is watching you.It began back in 1986, at the fair, on the day of the accident. That was when twelve-year-old Eddie met Mr Halloran - the Chalk Man.He gave Eddie the idea for the drawings: a way to leave secret messages for his friends and it was fun, until the chalk men led them to a body.Thirty years later, Ed believes the past is far behind him, until an envelope slips through the letterbox. It contains a stick of chalk, and a drawing of a figure.Is history going to repeat itself?Was it ever really over?Will this game only end in the same way?'[I] haven't had a sleepless night due to a book in a long time. The Chalk Man changed that' Fiona Barton, bestselling author of The Widow and The Child'Completely engrossing. Reminiscent of those unsettling Stephen King stories of childhood' John Boyne author of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas'A must-read' Daily Express'Deliciously creepy with a side order of Eighties nostalgia' Good Housekeeping'Plenty of plot twists and an evocative portrait of small-town-life in the 1980s . . . a riveting read' GuardianNow in chilling audio, narrated by the acclaimed actor ANDREW SCOTT, known for his roles in Spectre and Sherlock. ASA BUTTERFIELD known for Hugo and The Boy in Striped Pyjamas also stars as twelve-year-old Eddie.
'A brutal and thrilling page-turner' The Sun'Compelling' Heat 'The best pure mystery plot of the year' Morning Star'Gleefully gory and witty, with a terrific sense of place' Sunday Mirror ______________________After The Puppet Show, a new storm is coming . . .Jared Keaton, chef to the stars. Charming. Charismatic. Psychopath . . . He's currently serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of his daughter, Elizabeth. Her body was never found and Keaton was convicted largely on the testimony of Detective Sergeant Washington Poe.So when a young woman staggers into a remote police station with irrefutable evidence that she is Elizabeth Keaton, Poe finds himself on the wrong end of an investigation, one that could cost him much more than his career.Helped by the only person he trusts, the brilliant but socially awkward Tilly Bradshaw, Poe races to answer the only question that matters: how can someone be both dead and alive at the same time?And then Elizabeth goes missing again - and all paths of investigation lead back to Poe. The gripping new thriller in the Washington Poe series from M. W. Craven, winner of the CWA Gold Dagger Award for best crime novel of 2019.*Longlisted for the Crime Writers Association Gold Dagger 2020*Praise for MIKE CRAVEN'Dark, sharp and compelling' PETER JAMES'Fantastic' MARTINA COLE'Britain's answer to Harry Bosch' MATT HILTON'A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent' DAVID MARK'Truly mind-blowing' A. A. Dhand'A book that shines with tension, wit and invention' William Shaw'Washington Poe - a rising giant in detective fiction' Alison Bruce'A twisty thriller with a killer plot Ed James 'I loved this book!' Jo Jakeman'One of the best British crime novels I've read in a long time . . . Simply an unputdownable page-turner' Nick Oldham'Grabs you from the very first page. A dark and brilliantly twisted crime thriller' Colin Falconer'Dark and twisted in all the right places' Robert Scragg'In Tilly and Poe, MW Craven has created a stand-out duo who are two of the most compelling characters in crime fiction in recent years' Fiona Cummins'Dark, thrilling and unputdownable' Victoria Selman
Driving home one night, Gabe sees the face of a little girl he knows in the rear window of the car in front. She mouths one word - 'Daddy'. He never sees his five-year-old daughter, Izzy, again. The police believe she's dead. But three years later,
