Great Classics

James Baldwin reading from Another Country and Giovanni's Room; WIlliam Styron reading from Lie Down in Darkness; James Jones reading from From Here to Eternity; and Philip Roth reading from Letting Go.

A terrifying encounter with an escaped convict in a graveyard on the wild Kent marshes; a summons to meet the bitter, decaying Miss Havisham and her beautiful, cold-hearted ward Estella; the sudden generosity of a mysterious benefactor—these form a series of events that change the orphaned Pip's life forever, and he eagerly abandons his humble origins to begin a new life as a gentleman. Dickens's haunting late novel depicts Pip's education and development through adversity as he discovers the true nature of his great expectations.

An astonishing collection of fifty of the greatest short stories ever written by some of literature's most highly acclaimed writers. 1. "Odour of Chrysanthemums" by D. H. Lawrence; 2. "Miss Harriet" by Guy de Maupassant; 3. "Twenty-six Men and a Girl" by Maxim Gorky; 4. "Hot Potatoes" by Arnold Bennett; 5. "Rats" by M. R. James; 6. "Zodomirsky’s Duel" by Alexandre Dumas; 7. "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin; 8. "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe; 9. "The Encased Man" by Anton Chekhov.

CHOSEN AS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: TIME, NPR, The New Yorker, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly As we witness monuments of white Western history fall, many are asking how is Shakespeare still relevant? Professor Farah Karim-Cooper has dedicated her career to the Bard, which is why she...

Great Expectations is arguably Dickens' greatest achievement, and remains a joy from start to finish. Featuring many of his most memorable characters and scenes, the novel follows the narrator, Pip, as he grows from a frightened child of the marsh country, to be transmuted into a prosperous young gentleman by a mysterious benefactor; and the story explores themes of crime and punishment, guilt and innocence, revenge and reward, wealth and poverty, love and rejection, and good and evil.

Another great audiobook classic from the world’s most prolific and prestigious new company, Icon Audio Arts. Presented by actor author Geoffrey Giuliano, here is an exciting "listen while you learn" audio production which promises to entertain, enlighten, and enliven the listener. Icon productions offers a daring, fresh perspective on the hundreds of perennial favorite tales which have inspired generations and imbued a deep love of literature and art in millions over time.

In this unflaggingly suspenseful story of aspirations and moral redemption, humble, orphaned Pip, a ward of his short-tempered older sister and her husband, Joe, is apprenticed to the dirty work of the forge, but dares to dream of becoming a gentleman. And, indeed, it seems as though that dream is destined to come to pass - because one day, under sudden and enigmatic circumstances, he finds himself in possession of "great expectations."

A terrifying encounter with an escaped convict in a graveyard on the wild Kent marshes; a summons to meet the bitter, decaying Miss Havisham and her beautiful, cold-hearted ward Estella; the sudden generosity of a mysterious benefactor - these form a series of events that change the orphaned Pip's life forever, and he eagerly abandons his humble origins to begin a new life as a gentleman. Dickens' novel depicts Pip's development through adversity as he discovers the true nature of his 'great expectations'.

The society of the early 19th century in England was not especially kind to orphans, and young Pip is no exception. Forced to live a life of sneaking and stealing from an early age, he has trouble finding a place to belong and make a home for the beginning of his life. When he meets the lonely and reclusive Miss Havisham, it seems that his luck changes, as his relationship with her inspires him to begin making an honest living in a trade. But when he suddenly gains a mysterious inheritance, his life is totally transformed, and he is able to live beyond his wildest dreams.

After an escaped prisoner bullies him into freeing him using stolen tools, seven-year-old orphan Pip is made to pay regular visits to the mysterious spinster Miss Havisham, who lives in the wedding dress she wore when jilted at the altar and keeps every clock in her crumbling mansion frozen at the same time. While there, he meets and instantly falls in love with her beautiful but aloof ward Estella

While visiting his parents gravesite in the marshy mists of a village graveyard, Pip, a young orphan living with his older sister, encounters a shivering, limping convict on the run. In spite of his fear of the man, Pip befriends the convict and gives aid, an act that spells considerable consequences for Pip later in life. Fate intervenes and Pip is sent to the household of Miss Havisham, a wealthy and eccentric spinster. Pip shares the household with Miss Havisham and her beautiful, but cold, adopted daughter Estella.

Listen to the story of Pip, an English orphan who rises to wealth. After he deserts his true friends, he becomes humbled by his own arrogance. Great Expectations is Dickens at his finest.

Serialised between December 1860 to August 1861, it tells the heartwarming story of Pip, a poor boy who gets an unexpected chance to move up in society. Charles Dickens (1812 - 9 June 1870) is arguably the greatest novelist England ever produced. His innate comic genius and shrewd depictions of Victorian life - along with his memorable characters - have made him beloved by readers the world over.

Great Expectations is one of Charles Dickens’ greatest critical and popular successes. The first-person narrative relates the coming-of-age of Pip (Philip Pirrip). Reared in the marshes of Kent by his disagreeable sister and her sweet-natured husband, the blacksmith Joe Gargery, the young Pip one day helps a convict to escape. Later he is sent to live with Miss Havisham, a woman driven half-mad years earlier by her lover's departure on their wedding day. Her other ward is the orphaned Estella, whom she is teaching to torment men with her beauty.

Plug in and prepare for your A-Level English Literature examination with this comprehensive audio study guide to The Great Gatsby. Includes the entire, unabridged audio narration of The Great Gatsby, as well as in-depth analysis on the text, covering the key areas of: Characters, Themes...

A critically acclaimed novelist pulls Nick Carraway out of the shadows and into the spotlight in this "masterful" look into his life before Gatsby (Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls and Chances Are). Before Nick Carraway moved to West Egg and into Gatsby's periphery...

Philip Pirrip, also known as Pip, a blacksmith’s apprentice in a country village, falls in love with Estella, the beautiful but cold-hearted daughter of eccentric Miss Havisham, a wealthy woman who lives in seclusion. He becomes motivated and aspires to become a gentleman to win her affection. His hopes are fueled when he receives a large and mysterious inheritance from a mysterious benefactor, this sets off a chain of events that will change his life.

The Pickwick Papers was Dickens' first novel. Retired businessman and confirmed bachelor Mr. Samuel Pickwick, Esquire, embarks on a journey through the English countryside accompanied by three fellow "Pickwickians": Mr. Tupman, Mr. Snodgrass, and Mr. Winkle. It is a joy to hear of their misadventures in search of stories and characters of interest and the repeated efforts of the quick-witted Sam Weller (Mr. Pickwick's manservant) to rescue them all from disaster.

In Dickens' most beloved novel, encounters with an escaped convict, the mysterious Miss Havisham, the beautiful but cold Estella, and his ups and downs with the kindly Joe Gargery all influence Pip's expectations and inform his struggle for moral redemption.

In this, perhaps Dickens' most profound and personal novel, we are invited to share in the sentimental education of Pip, the poor boy from the village forge who risks losing himself in snobbery and selfishness when he mysteriously inherits a fortune. The story moves from the bleak Kentish marshes of Pip's childhood to a thrilling climax that mingles tragedy and triumph.