Great Literature

Elizabeth was not just Queen, she was ruler. In an age of male supremacy she, by sheer force of character, became not only the unchallenged leader of the English but also the first leader of an empire upon which the sun never set. Erickson’s biography tells the truth about this extraordinary woman and profiles some amazing people - their personalities and culture.

Chaucer wrote about everyday people outside the walls of the English court-men and women who spent days at the pedal of a loom, or maintaining the ledgers of an estate, or on the high seas. In Chaucer's People, Liza Picard transforms The Canterbury Tales into a masterful guide for a gloriously detailed tour of medieval England, from the mills and farms of a manor house to the lending houses and Inns of Court in London. In Chaucer's People, we meet, again, the motley crew of pilgrims on the road to Canterbury.

Poppy Wilkinson is thrilled to be chosen as a contestant on The Great British Baking Contest. As an American with English roots, winning the crown as Britain’s Best Baker would open doors she’s dreamed of. In more ways than one. Appearing on the reality show is her chance to get into Broomewode Hall and uncover the secrets of her past. But strange things are happening on the show’s set: Accusations of sabotage, a black cat that shadows Poppy, suspiciously unsociable residents at Broomewode Hall - and the judges can be real witches.

Cal, a scout in the Avion Guard, struggles to meet the expectations of his father, who happens to be his commanding officer. Assigned to protect the wise and respected emerging cicadas of The Great Southern Brood, they encounter a crisis of great magnitude that sends father and son on an unexpected journey. Along the way, their eyes are opened by new friends to unsettling knowledge that prompts them to risk their lives in an effort to save an entire species.

Discover the books that have already changed the lives of millions. This unabridged guide to the literature of the spirit surveys 50 of the all-time classics, giving you their key ideas, insights, and applications - everything you need to know to start benefiting from these legendary works.

Would you - could you? - uphold the law at the cost of those you love? Falcio val Mond, First Cantor of the Greatcoats, is on the brink of fulfilling his dead King's dream: Aline is about to take the throne and restore the rule of law once and for all. But for the Greatcoats, nothing is ever that simple.

An anthology of over 40 classic nature poems, read by some of our finest actors. The majesty of nature has always inspired poets, and this collection contains a selection of the very best verses praising the natural world.

Londoners whisper that Mary Bennet is a great wyfe able to command fire-breathing draca. Mary knows better; she’s just a bookworm with lank hair. But she hopes to save a great wyfe—her sister Elizabeth, the great wyfe of war, who vanished into the depths of Pemberley lake with her blinded scarlet dragon. But when Mary encounters la Demoiselle des Parfums, Napoleon’s lethal lieutenant, her quest becomes a race. The lost artifact of music is the key. It might save Elizabeth. It might even heal the broken dragon song spreading blight across England.

In this poignant retelling of The Great Gatsby, set amongst L.A.’s Black elite, a young veteran finds his way post-war, pulled into a new world of tantalizing possibilities—and explosive tensions. AN ESQUIRE BEST BOOK OF SUMMER In 1945, Charlie Trammell steps off a cross-country train into...

The 200th anniversary of the birth of Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809 - 1892), one of the most popular of poets, is celebrated in 2009. Works such as The Charge of the Light Brigade, Crossing the Bar and Tears, Idle Tears have made him an internationally famous figure, and the second most quoted writer of all time (after Shakespeare).

The first three books in the Great Iron War steampunk dystopian adventure series, collected together in a digital box set. Join Jacob, Whistler, General Rommond, and Taberah as they fight on land, sea, and sky to push back the forces of the ruthless Regime. Includes: Hopebreaker, Lifemaker, and Shyshaker.

Peter, Mary, and Hank journey to the pyramid-studded desert of ancient Egypt. When the trio become friends with Pharaoh's daughter, they witness first-hand as Moses petitions Pharaoh for the Israelites' freedom. Plagues wreak havoc as the group races to decode the scroll, gets chased by a panther, and battles Pharaoh's cunning advisor, the Great Magician.

In the heart of Glasgow’s West End, seven women unknowingly carry the legacy of an ancient sisterhood. Each of them, the descendant of a long-forgotten coven, has built a life for herself—running bookshops, cafés, florists, and patisseries—blissfully unaware of the magick woven into their blood. Until now. When Isla Macrae, a sceptical bookseller, stumbles upon an old grimoire and a series of cryptic messages left by her late grandmother, she unlocks a mystery that has been hidden for generations.

A young Indian boy from Nipigon country in the Canadian wilderness carves a twelve-inch canoe with a kneeling Indian figure and frees it to undertake a journey to the Atlantic Ocean in his place. He must stay home and help his father, but yearns to learn about the world beyond his life in the village.

Edgar nominee Zilpha Keatley Snyder is a three-time Newbery Honor winner, and her book The Unseen was named as both a School Library Journal Best Book and Parents' Choice Silver Honor Winner. In William S. and the Great Escape, Snyder pens a middle-grade adventure sure to be ranked with her very best.

A trail of ominous clues comprise a mystery that leads from an English hamlet to the city of Paris to the wild prairie of the New World. The trap is set, the game is afoot; but can Holmes and Russell catch an elusive killer, or has the murderer caught them?

It is early 1846, and many Saints, including most of the Steeds, begin the difficult journey across Iowa as they move toward a new and distant home in the Rocky Mountains. Among them is the volatile Joshua Steed, who, intent on accompanying his now widowed mother, has temporarily left his wife and children behind in Nauvoo. With trouble brewing in that dying city, will they be in danger? And what is the secret that Joshua feels compelled to keep hidden from the other Steeds?

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly - but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden. Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market.

Emily's heart soars as the stone cottage on the cliff comes into view—it is just as she remembered. As she pushes open the weather-beaten door, she wonders if returning to this place will be a chance to start again… Heartbroken and searching for a new beginning, Emily is shocked to learn she has inherited her great-aunt Violet's cottage. She remembers summers spent running through its rose garden, but she hasn't seen her great-aunt in years… So why did she leave her Clifftop Cottage?

Chicago, 1923: Ten-year-old Dani Flanagan returns home to find police swarming the house, her parents dead. Michael Malone, the young patrolman assigned to the case, discovers there’s more to the situation—and to Dani Flanagan herself—than the authorities care to explore. Malone is told to shut his mouth, and Dani is sent away to live with her spinster aunts in Cleveland.