Essential Classics

As the Napoleonic Wars come to an end in 1814, admirals and captains of the Royal Navy are put ashore, their work done. Anne Elliot meets Captain Frederick Wentworth after seven years, by the chance of his sister and brother-in-law renting her father's estate, while she stays for a few months with her married sister, living nearby. They fell in love the first time, but she broke off the engagement.

One of the most universally loved and admired English novels, Pride and Prejudice was penned as a popular entertainment. But the consummate artistry of Jane Austen (1775 -1817) transformed this effervescent tale of rural romance into a witty, shrewdly observed satire of English country life that is now regarded as one of the principal treasures of the English language.

Few creatures of horror have seized imaginations and held them for so long as the anguished monster of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The story of Victor Frankenstein's terrible creation and the havoc it caused has enthralled generations of readers and listeners and inspired countless writers of horror and suspense.

This is Dorothy's original adventure in Oz, when she's carried away from her Kansas farm by the fateful tornado. Together with her friends the Tin Woodsman, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow, Dorothy overcomes the Wicked Witch of the West and befriends the amazing and wonderful Wizard of Oz. Those familiar only with the movie will find many more adventures in this book - adding to the delight and wonder. First published in 1900, L. Frank Baum's classic children's tale is one of the world's most beloved, enduring fantasy classics - and perhaps not as recognized as it ought to be for establishing a new, wholly American sort of mythology.

最も努力した人こそ、最も才能のある人だ　一世紀半以上にわたって世界中で読み継がれる永久不変の成功の真理

Billy Budd, Sailor is the final novel by American writer Herman Melville, first published posthumously in London in 1924 as edited by Raymond M. Weaver, a professor at Columbia University. Other versions were later published. Melville had begun writing the original work in November 1888, but left it unfinished at his death in 1891. Acclaimed by British critics as a masterpiece when published in London, it quickly took its place as a classic literary work in the United States.

This collection includes theatrical audio versions major plays that are not typically considered part of the Shakespeare cannon, but are plays in which Shakespeare may made material contributions. These are the plays Sir Thomas More, The Spanish Tragedy, and Thomas of Woodstock. Additional expert commentary from Hazel Jeffs provides insight into the potential authorship and major themes of each of these three classic plays of the Elizabethan period.

Herodotus wrote the first history book in the world. That is why he is sometimes called the "Father of History". He lived about 2500 years ago in the fifth century BC. He was born at a place called Halicarnassus in Asia Minor. The modern names for these places are Bodrum in Turkey. Herodotus was a keen traveler who went all over the ancient world and was interested in everything he saw and heard.

Supernatural short story written especially for the young Anne (Nannie) Wynne. It was originally published as "The Ghost's Touch" in The Irish Fireside, 30 September-14 October 1885; Harper's Weekly, 23 October 1885; and in The Ghost's Touch and Other Stories (with "My Lady's Money" and "Percy and the Prophet", Harper's Handy Series, no. 30, 1885).

Charles Dickens: 5 Essential Novels & A Christmas Carol brings together all the five most revered novels written during Dickens' lifetime, as well as his iconic Christmas story. In this collection you'll hear Stephen Fry narrating Great Expectations, Scrooge's ghostly journey narrated by Jason Isaacs, David Rintoul leading us through David Copperfield, and other award-winning narrators bringing Dickens' most beloved stories to life.