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"A powerful rendition, an incomparable tale." — The New York Times"Definitely a book to preserve and cherish." — Chicago Sun"The first complete English edition, brilliantly translated. Throughout it retains the beauty and sense of fatality that have made it one of legendary literature's most fascinating tales." — TimeThis immortal tale from the Age of Chivalry concerns the doomed love between a knight and a princess — one of the great romances of medieval literature, along with that of Lancelot and Guinevere. The heroic Tristan, nephew and champion of King Mark of Cornwall, journeys to Ireland to bring home his uncle's betrothed, the fair Iseult. Their shipboard voyage takes a tumultuous turn with a misunderstanding and a magic potion, and the lovers quickly find that there's no turning back.An enduring theme in Western art, literature, and music, Tristan and Iseult's tragic tale was most famously interpreted by Richard Wagner in his popular opera. This edition features J. Bédier's seamless weaving of many medieval sources into a captivating narrative, complemented by Hilaire Belloc's eloquent translation.

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Joseph Conrad (1857–1924) spent much of his life at sea, and his experiences as a mariner deeply influenced his fiction. He set many of his finest stories aboard ship, where his characters — closely confined, enduring the rigors of the sea — might struggle more intensely with the psychological and moral issues that engaged him. This volume contains three of Conrad's most powerful stories in this genre: «Youth: A Narrative» (1898), «Typhoon» (1902) and «The Secret Sharer» (1910).In each of these exciting tales, Conrad's celebrated prose style, rich in the cadences of the sea, draws readers into a story that probes deeply, often suspensefully, into the mysteries of human character. Here are adventures of the sea and of the soul, related by a novelist considered one of the greatest writers in the language, reprinted from authoritative editions.

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Praised by critics and studied by scholars, Jane Austen's novels endure because of their popularity with readers. The author's witty and astute observations elevate her tales of parties, gossip, and romance into matters of captivating drama, offering an evocative portrait of everyday life in the towns and countryside of Regency England. Austen's premature death at the age of forty-two curtailed her legacy, and her devotees have eagerly read and re-read her handful of books. This collection features two of her unfinished novels, an often overlooked pair of gems that enrich our appreciation of Austen’s storytelling gifts.These writings first appeared posthumously, when Austen's nephew included the texts in an 1871 memoir of his celebrated relative. The Watsons unfolds in a familiar domestic milieu, in which a spirited heroine finds her marriage opportunities narrowed by poverty and pride. In contrast, Sanditon ventures into markedly different territory. Set at a seaside resort, among a cast of hypochondriacs and speculators, it suggests that Austen's work might have taken some unexpected new directions. Even if these incomplete stories had been of little intrinsic value, they would have been of interest as literary records and curiosities. As it happens, they are of high quality and worthy of reading for their own sake, for pleasure as well as study.

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Undoubtedly the best-known detective in literature, Sherlock Holmes was the creation of British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930), who endowed his super sleuth with an extraordinary facility for solving crimes. Drawing on his remarkable powers of observation and deduction, coupled with an encyclopedic knowledge of crimes and criminals, Holmes seeks out his prey in the London underworld, where no evildoer is safe from his keen wits and tenacious pursuit.Reprinted from a standard text, this inexpensive volume offers mystery lovers a choice selection of six of the finest Sherlock Holmes stories: «A Scandal in Bohemia,» «The Red-headed League,» «The Adventure of the Speckled Band,» «The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb,» «The Final Problem,» and «The Adventure of the Empty House.» In these richly atmospheric stories, Victorian London comes vividly to life as hansom cabs clatter over the cobblestoned streets, gas lamps flare in the thick fog, and an almost palpable sense of excitement seizes the reader as Holmes and Dr. Watson set off on another adventure.

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Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) holds a unique place in American literature. Famous as a poet, he also penned short stories that are masterpieces of terror and suspense, infused with the horror and dread he knew from his feverish dreams and persistent fears of death. Fortunately for lovers of mystery, Poe was attracted by logic and analysis as well as fantasy. Fascinated by the narrative possibilities of tracking the perpetrator of a crime, he invented the modern detective story.This superb collection of five stories reveals Poe's virtuoso gifts for both crime fiction and the macabre. Two of his most famous tales, «The Mystery of Marie Roget» and «The Purloined Letter,» recount the exploits of C. Auguste Dupin, the first important fictional detective. «William Wilson» is a chilling tale of crime and evil. The two remaining stories, «MS. Found in a Bottle» and «The Oblong Box,» subtly but relentlessly convey a sense of unease, then dread, then outright terror.

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Completed in the early 11th century, The Tale of Genji is considered the supreme masterpiece of Japanese prose literature, and one of the world's earliest novels. A work of great length, it comprises six parts, the first part of which (also called The Tale of Genji) is reprinted here. The exact origins of this remarkable saga of the nobility of Heian Japan remain somewhat obscured by time, although its author, Lady Shikibu Murasaki, presumably derived many of her insights into court life from her years of service with the royal family.The novel centers on the life and loves of the prince known as «the shining Genji.» Far more than an exotic romance, however, the tale presents finely drawn characters in realistic situations, set against a richly embroidered tapestry of court life. Moreover, a wistful sense of nostalgia pervades the accounts of courtly intrigues and rivalries, resulting in an exquisitely detailed portrayal of a decaying aristocracy.Vibrant in its poetry and wordplay, subtle in its social and psychological observations, this work ranks in stature and significance with such Western classics as Cervantes' Don Quixote and Proust's Remembrance of Things Past. This inexpensive edition, featuring Arthur Waley's splendid translation of the first of the six-part series, offers readers a memorable taste of one of the world's first and greatest novels.

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Torn between his passion for two women and his abiding attachment to his mother, young Paul Morel struggles with his desire to please everyone ― particularly himself. Lawrence's highly autobiographical novel unfolds against the backdrop of his native Nottinghamshire coal fields, amidst a working-class family dominated by a brutish father and a loving but overbearing mother. Lushly descriptive passages range from celebrations of natural beauty and sensual pleasures to searing indictments of the social blight engendered by industrialism. Essential reading for any study of 20th-century literature. Unabridged reprint of the classic 1913 edition.

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Even those who have never read or seen Romeo and Juliet recognize the star-crossed lovers' names as symbols of forbidden romance. Shakespeare's enduring drama takes place during a sultry Italian summer, in a city already boiling with the enmity between two families. Tensions rise further when an irresistible passion develops between members of opposite sides and the play's mood alternates between hope and despair. Romeo and Juliet was among the author's most popular plays during his lifetime, and it remains one of his most frequently produced dramas. Furthermore, its youthful characters and romantic plot make it an appealing introduction to Shakespeare for younger readers. A definitive survey, this Dover Thrift Study Edition offers the drama's complete and unabridged text, plus a comprehensive study guide. Created to help readers gain a thorough understanding of Romeo and Juliet's content and context, the guide includes: • Scene-by-scene summaries• Explanations and discussions of the plot• Question-and-answer sections• Shakespeare biography• List of characters and more Dover Thrift Study Editions feature everything that students need to undertake a confident reading of a classic text, as well as to prepare themselves for class discussions, essays, and exams.

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As a young man, Silas Marner shut himself off from the world after being wrongly accused of theft and losing the girl he loved. Much later in life, the lonely, embittered weaver experiences two jolting events: he is robbed of his meager hoard of gold and he becomes the guardian of Eppie, a little orphan girl who makes her way to his cottage one wintry night. Eppie grows into a charming young woman who cares for the alienated Silas, helping him find love and hope in his life.First published in 1861, this classic English novel by George Eliot (pen name of Mary Anne Evans) is widely admired for its brevity and perfection of form. It has also long delighted students of literature and general readers alike with its masterly portrait of moral and psychological behavior in Victorian England, and with its mystery, intrigue, and heartwarming denouement.

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First published between 1668 and 1693, the Fables of La Fontaine rank among the masterpieces of French literature. This volume contains 75 of the best, in the original French with new English line-for-line literal translations. «The Cicada and the Ant,» «The City Rat and the Country Rat,» «The Fox and the Grapes,» many more.

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