Great Literature

“The most convincing portrait I know of contemporary America . . . a great American novel.”— James Atlas, The Atlantic Monthly From acclaimed author Russell Banks, a masterful novel of hope lost and gained—a gripping, indelible story of fragile lives uprooted and transformed by injustice...

Je donnerais n’importe quoi, pour l’avoir à mes côtés, n’importe quoi, vraiment. Tout sauf sa vie, mais je suis presque sûr que c’est le prix à payer. Daisy Haites pensait avoir laissé son ancienne existence derrière elle : la pègre londonienne, sa famille et l’homme qu’elle aimait. Mais lorsque sa sécurité est à nouveau menacée, elle se retrouve sous la surveillance étouffante de son frère, Julian, un chef de gang impitoyable, et de son ex, Christian, tous deux déterminés à la protéger.

The story is told from the point of view of Pip, an orphan of humble origins who dreams of being a gentleman. From a chilling encounter with a convict when he was seven, through his coming of age and early adulthood, he tells of his "memorable days" and the "great changes" they wrought in him. Pip is apprenticed to kind-hearted Joe Gargery, the blacksmith, husband to his ill-tempered sister. On meeting the eccentric and reclusive Miss Havisham and her proud and haughty ward, the beautiful Estella, Pip becomes ashamed of his origins and hopes to one day better himself.

Great Expectations is the 13th novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel: a bildungsroman that depicts the personal growth and personal development of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens's second novel, after David Copperfield, to be fully narrated in the first person. The novel was first published as a serial in Dickens's weekly periodical All the Year Round, from 1 December 1860 to August 1861.

How did Patsy Mink become a member of Congress? Listeners will learn all about this great Asian American politician and the significant events in her life in this low-leveled biography.

A biography telling the life story of Booker T. Washington, along with his accomplishments toward promoting the education of African Americans.

With outrageous anecdotes about everyone from Leonardo Da Vinci to Caravaggio to Edward Hopper, Secret Lives of Great Artists recounts the seamy, steamy, and gritty history behind the great masters of international art. You'll learn that Michelangelo's body odor was so bad, his assistants couldn't stand working for him; that Vincent van Gogh sometimes ate paint directly from the tube; and Georgia O'Keeffe loved to paint in the nude. This is one art history lesson you'll never forget!

What was once the Peradaini Empire is now a wasted landscape of burned, empty cities and abandoned farmlands. The Blessing, now more numerous than ever, continues to spread across the continent, driving refugees to the dubious safety of the city walls. Unharvested crops mean that few strongholds have enough provisions to last the winter, although most know the grunts will take them before starvation will. But hope survives.

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.

For most people, World War Two has been over for six years, but it's still a brutal reality for Leni Mayer, brought to Buenos Aires by a Nazi who took her captive in 1940 and never let her go. Lonely and despairing, she longs for a chance to return to England and be herself again. Butterfly enthusiast Raymond Varela and his eight-year-old son Anton have come to Patagonia in an effort to start life afresh after the losses of the war years.

Umuosmar - the once peaceful kingdom of the dwarven lands has now become the central point of contention in an ongoing power struggle between ogres, giants, elves, and their newest and most deadly enemy - the cyclopes. The false demon woman who operates under the guise of an elven goddess has been released from her prison and now seeks full power over the kingdom. War-torn and ravaged - friendships shall be tested, alliances broken, and only a handful will live to see the light of day once more.

Twenty-four of the greatest science fiction stories of all time in this fourth sci-fi short story collection, including works by Jerry Dunham, Emmett Dowell, James Causey, Gordon Randall Garrett, James A. Cox, Phyllis Sterling Smith, Richard A. Sternbach, Robert Sheckley, E. G. Von Wald, Keith Laumer, Jerome Bixby, Frederik Pohl, Roger Dee, Arnold Marmore, James H. Schmitz, Lester del Rey, Cordwainer Smith, Ray Bradbury, and Philip K. Dick.

It is 1929. The world is about to change. Finn Evans is a successful Boston banker harboring a secret that threatens to unravel his carefully constructed idyllic life. Isabelle Lazar, a young Ukrainian farmer, endures unspeakable hardships in her homeland as she fights to save her family from the Soviet Union's iron grip. Barely escaping the Terror-Famine, she washes up alone on America's distant shores. Fate throws Finn and Isabelle together just as the stock market crash causes a devastating collapse of his world.

Groundbreaking for the time in which they were written, the vampire stories of the 1800s have inspired many modern writers. Enjoy the thrilling stories that originated the genre of vampire fiction.

A Rain of Fire: The dark forces of the Neo Hegemony strike, sweeping across the worlds of the Arcadian sector and crushing all in their path. One system stands against the onslaught: the Kingdom of New Avalon. But the men and women of their expeditionary forces are trapped behind enemy lines on a besieged planet. This box set also features Titan's Vengeance and A Relentless Fury.

In the snowy, magical world of the North Pole, there lived a kind little elf named Beth who was always ready to help. She loved Christmas more than anything and worked hard in her cozy toy workshop, full of lights, ribbons, and joy. But just before Christmas, Santa and Mrs. Claus came to Beth with a big problem: Astar, the youngest reindeer, had run away. He was too scared to fly—and without him, Santa’s sleigh wouldn’t have enough reindeer to fly around the world.

Don't toss out the cake and candles just yet. Philip Roth, who, among other notable achievements, changed the way Americans laugh about masturbation, celebrates his birthday on March 19th. Check out: I Married a Communist and Operation Shylock.

Vol. 2 of a 2-Volume collection of the finest fairytales by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, including Iron John, Snow-White and Rose-Red, The cunning little taylor, The seven Swabians, The nightingale, The garden of paradise, and many more. Included: A pdf document with full tracklist!

"Merciless Marvin the Magnificent" is back! (Which means, of course, that Fats the Fuse and Raymond the Rat are along for the ride). When Marvin makes his way into Macy's department store, he thinks he's discovered the best deal a mouse could wish for. But no sooner has he gathered his gang, and then gotten them cozily settled into a dollhouse in the toy department, than Macy's Santa goes missing.

Frances is worried about the monkey and organ grinder who play outside her window, especially after she sees them sleeping outside on the cold street after midnight. At the local Christmas pageant, she finds just the right words to express her compassion.