Серия книг «Penguin Popular Classics» — 169 книг — стр. 2

Oscar Wilde's madcap farce about mistaken identities, secret engagements, and lovers entanglements still delights readers more than a century after its 1895 publication and premiere performance. The rapid-fire wit and eccentric characters of The Importance of Being Earnest have made it a mainstay of the high school curriculum for decades.

Cecily Cardew and Gwendolen Fairfax are both in love with the same mythical suitor. Jack Worthing has wooed Gwendolen as Ernest while Algernon has also posed as Ernest to win the heart of Jack's ward, Cecily. When all four arrive at Jack's country home on the same weekend the "rivals" to fight for Ernest's undivided attention and the "Ernests" to claim their beloveds pandemonium breaks loose. Only a senile nursemaid and an old, discarded hand-bag can save the day!

This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Edition includes a glossary and reader's notes to help the modern reader appreciate Wilde's wry wit and elaborate plot twists.

Oscar Wilde's madcap farce about mistaken identities, secret engagements, and lovers entanglements still delights readers more than a century after its 1895 publication and…

It follows in particular the fortunes of Jean Valjean who out of extreme poverty steals a loaf of bread and then spends many years trying to escape his reputation as a criminal. In later years he rises socially and is a respectable member of society; but he is not allowed to forget his past by the sadistic policeman Javert who is determined to expose him.
As Valjean struggles to elude his nemesis, we meet many other unforgettable characters: the tragically victimized Fantine and her daughter Cosette, whom Valjean has sworn to protect; the rascally Thenardier and the quick-witted street urchin Gavroche. Each of them prepares to meet their destinies at the barricades as the July Revolution comes to a dramatic climax.

It follows in particular the fortunes of Jean Valjean who out of extreme poverty steals a loaf of bread and then spends many years trying to escape his reputation as a criminal.…

Newland Archer, an eligible young man of the establishment, is about to announce his engagement to May Welland, a pretty ingenue, when May's cousin, Countess Olenska, is introduced into their circle. The Countess brings with her an aura of European sophistication and a hint of scandal, having left her
husband and claimed her independence.

Her sorrowful eyes, her tragic worldliness and her air of
unapproachability attract the sensitive Newland. Almost
against their will, a passionate bond develops between them. But Archer's life has no place for passion, and, with society on the side of May and all she stands for, he finds himself drawn into a bitter conflict between love and duty.

Newland Archer, an eligible young man of the establishment, is about to announce his engagement to May Welland, a pretty ingenue, when May's cousin, Countess Olenska, is…

At the age of ten, shy, vulnerable Fanny Price leaves behind her impoverished family in Portsmouth to go and live with her rich relatives at Mansfield Park.
Growing up with her cousins Tom, Edmund, Maria and Julia, she is aware that she is different from them
and that her place in society cannot be taken for granted, although she is not treated unkindly. A dashing couple from London, Mary Crawford and her brother Henry, enter this stable, rural world. They succeed in dazzling everyone at Mansfield Park, except for Fanny, who sees through their shallow veneer. Throughout the dramatic events that follow it is she who is able to bring back some stability to the ruptured lives of those around her.
One of the great novels of the nineteenth century, Mansfield Park echoes Jane Austen's fears and awareness of the dawn of a modern age, which was to bring about a complete break from the old country traditions and way of life.

At the age of ten, shy, vulnerable Fanny Price leaves behind her impoverished family in Portsmouth to go and live with her rich relatives at Mansfield Park.
Growing up with her…

Some years later, her father Sir Walter Elliot finds himself financially embarrassed and is forced to let the family home, Kellynch-hall. The new tenants prove to be Admiral and Mrs Croft, brother-in-law and sister to Wentworth, who has prospered and is now a captain. Although he and Anne are thrown into each other's company he still feels bitterness at her rejection. He becomes entangled with Louisa Musgrove while Anne receives the attentions of William Elliot, her cousin. Once again it seems as though happiness is about to elude them...

Some years later, her father Sir Walter Elliot finds himself financially embarrassed and is forced to let the family home, Kellynch-hall. The new tenants prove to be Admiral and…

The epic battle between man and monster reaches its greatest pitch in the famous story of "Frankenstein". In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor himself to the very brink. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship... and horror.

The epic battle between man and monster reaches its greatest pitch in the famous story of "Frankenstein". In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes…

The story of the orphan Oliver, who runs away from the workhouse only to be taken in by a den of thieves, shocked readers when it was first published. Dickens' tale of childhood innocence beset by evil depicts the dark criminal underworld of a London peopled by vivid and memorable characters - the arch-villain Fagin, the artful Dodger, the menacing Bill Sikes and the prostitute Nancy. Combining elements of Gothic Romance, the Newgate Novel and popular melodrama, in "Oliver Twist" Dickens created an entirely new kind of fiction, scathing in its indictment of a cruel society, and pervaded by an unforgettable sense of threat and mystery.

The story of the orphan Oliver, who runs away from the workhouse only to be taken in by a den of thieves, shocked readers when it was first published. Dickens' tale of childhood…

Great Expectations" opens unforgettably in a twilit and overgrown churchyard on the eerie Kent marshes. There, the orphan Pip is disturbed to meet an escaped convict, Magwitch, but gives him food, in an encounter that is to haunt both their lives. How Pip receives riches from a mysterious benefactor, snobbishly abandons his friends for London society and "great expectations", and grows through misfortune and suffering to maturity is the theme of one of Dicken's best-loved novels.
In "Great Expectations", Dickens blends gripping drama with penetrating satire to give a compelling story rich in comedy and pathos: he has also created two of his finest, most haunting characters in Pip and Miss Havisham.

Great Expectations" opens unforgettably in a twilit and overgrown churchyard on the eerie Kent marshes. There, the orphan Pip is disturbed to meet an escaped convict, Magwitch,…

In his imagination Melville lived as well as wrote Moby Dick, his great epic of whales and whaling. It tells the story of Ahab, Captain of the Pequod, and of his revenge-mission and insane pursuit of Moby Dick, the fierce white whale. Among Ahab's crew is Ishmael, a young man undergoing a gruelling rite of passage and pursuing a different salvation. As the Pequod circles the globe like a latter-day Noah's Ark, so Moby Dick ranges and digresses through space and time, through mythologies, religions and philosophies. It is Melville's great 'romance of adventure' and one of the greatest novels of all time.

In his imagination Melville lived as well as wrote Moby Dick, his great epic of whales and whaling. It tells the story of Ahab, Captain of the Pequod, and of his revenge-mission…

Along with "The Chimes" and "The Cricket on the Hearth", "A Christmas Carol" celebrates the joys of the festive season. Each of these books is politically provocative and aims to stimulate the reader's pity and charity for the poor, but the tone is so intimate and the style so humorous that poverty and ignorance yield to generosity and compassion.

Along with "The Chimes" and "The Cricket on the Hearth", "A Christmas Carol" celebrates the joys of the festive season. Each of these books is politically provocative and aims to…

One of Shakespeare's purest comedies, As You Like It allows the romantic idyll to run its course hindered only by disguise.
Banished to the Forest of Arden, Rosalind and her cousin Celia dress as boys to protect themselves in their exile. However, Rosalind's beloved, Orlando, is also in the forest, ignorant of her disguise. Meanwhile, Rosalind finds herself the object of female affections ...
This wonderfully witty play with its boldly outspoken heroine and core of optimism and romance pokes gentle fun at the game of love while praising its virtues and celebrating its triumphs.
This edition of the text contains notes, a glossary, and an introduction.

One of Shakespeare's purest comedies, As You Like It allows the romantic idyll to run its course hindered only by disguise.
Banished to the Forest of Arden, Rosalind and her…

"The Canterbury Tales", compiled in the late fourteenth century, is an incisive portrait, infused with Chaucer's wry wit and vibrant, poetical language. He evokes a spectrum of colourful characters, from the bawdy Wife of Bath to the gallant Knight, the fastidious Prioress and the burly, drunken Miller. As they wend their way from Southwark to Canterbury, tales are told to pass the time, and the stories are as diverse as the narrators, encompassing themes such as adultery, revenge, courtly love, lechery, avarice and penitence.
As humorous today as when it was written over six centuries ago, "The Canterbury Tales" remains one of the most popular and enjoyable of the classic works of literature.

"The Canterbury Tales", compiled in the late fourteenth century, is an incisive portrait, infused with Chaucer's wry wit and vibrant, poetical language. He evokes a spectrum of…

Antonio, the merchant of Venice, and Shylock the money-lender have struck a bargain whereby Shylock will lend Antonio some money provided that if Antonio cannot repay him, Shylock can claim a pound of Antonio's flesh. Antonio's ships are lost and Shylock seeks to enforce the contract. As Jew conflicts with Christian, the ancient argument for justice tempered by mercy is pleaded by Portia.
This edition of the text contains notes, a glossary and an introduction.

Antonio, the merchant of Venice, and Shylock the money-lender have struck a bargain whereby Shylock will lend Antonio some money provided that if Antonio cannot repay him, Shylock…

Shakespeare's last play is a mystical drama of estrangement and reconciliation.
Deposed from his dukedom in Milan and cast out to sea with his daughter, Miranda, Prospero has a miraculous power over the island on which they have made their home. As the play begins, Prospero has used his art to bring about another shipwreck. This time his usurping brother and his colleagues are cast ashore, but through the power of magic, love and forgiveness, chaos is gradually transformed into order.
This edition of the text contains notes, a glossary and an introduction.

Shakespeare's last play is a mystical drama of estrangement and reconciliation.
Deposed from his dukedom in Milan and cast out to sea with his daughter, Miranda, Prospero has a…

A heartwarming tale of a girl's constant affection and goodness through wealth and destitution. As a young child Sara Crewe is brought over from India by her father to join a girls' seminary in London. Her greatest joy is to 'pretend'

A heartwarming tale of a girl's constant affection and goodness through wealth and destitution. As a young child Sara Crewe is brought over from India by her father to join a…

Orphan sahib and bazaar-boy, Kim lives by his wits. His chameleon's talent for disguise draws him into the Great Game - British intelligence in India - and on a mission to thwart foreign agents on the North-West Frontier. Kim's travels coincide with the quest of his friend the Tibetan lama, who is seeking redemption from the Wheel of Life. They are the heroes of an adventure crammed with incident and humour, alive with the hustle, bustle, life and colour of India.

Orphan sahib and bazaar-boy, Kim lives by his wits. His chameleon's talent for disguise draws him into the Great Game - British intelligence in India - and on a mission to thwart…

Jim, the first mate aboard the Patna, dreams youthful dreams of heroism and of the daring act that will prove his courage.
But when the Patna, on a night crossing of the Arabian Sea, collides with a mysterious obstacle, Jim panics and jumps free. This single act of cowardice drives him to self-enforced exile as a white trader in the remote tropical outpost of Patusan.
Jim's search for redemption and his dramatic bid to vindicate his romantic ideals are the stuff of a magnificently vivid and subtle novel. With "Heart of Darkness", "Nostromo" and "The Secret Agent", "Lord Jim" ranks among Joseph Conrad's masterpieces.

Jim, the first mate aboard the Patna, dreams youthful dreams of heroism and of the daring act that will prove his courage.
But when the Patna, on a night crossing of the Arabian…

Eugenia's wit, guile and sophistication, and Felix's debonair vivacity form an uneasy alliance with the Puritan morality and the frugal, domestic virtues of the Americans. A rich and delicately balanced comedy of manners, The Europeans weighs the values of the established order against those of New England society, but makes no simple judgements, only subtle contrasts and beautifully observed comparisons.

Eugenia's wit, guile and sophistication, and Felix's debonair vivacity form an uneasy alliance with the Puritan morality and the frugal, domestic virtues of the Americans. A rich…

After Father is suddenly and mysteriously forced to leave home,
the children and their mother are transported from their comfortable London house to a cottage in the country. "Three Chimneys" lies beside a railway track - a constant source of excitement and pleasure to all three. They befriend the Station Master and Perks the Porter, as well as their jovial "Old Gentleman" who waves to them every day from the train. Peter,
Bobbie and Phyllis rapidly learn to fend for themselves,
although the disturbing mystery remains of where Father is -
and will he ever return?..
Following the trials and the joys of this Edwardian family, "The Railway Children" has proved to be enduringly popular. Формат издания: 11 см х 18 см.

After Father is suddenly and mysteriously forced to leave home,
the children and their mother are transported from their comfortable London house to a cottage in the country.…

As Alice steps through the looking glass she enters a world of magical creatures and impossible logic where nursery rhymes and chess pieces come alive, meeting Humpty Dumpty, Tweedledum and Tweedledee and the White Knight, among others. She learns about running fast enough to stay in the same place, why there is never jam today and about the importance of believing six impossible after breakfast. In fact, as she sets out on her quest to become a Queen of the Chess Board, it is not surprising that Alice becomes confused as to who is dreaming at all.

As Alice steps through the looking glass she enters a world of magical creatures and impossible logic where nursery rhymes and chess pieces come alive, meeting Humpty Dumpty,…