Welcome to Blandings Castle, a place that is never itself without an imposter. Wodehouse himself once noted that "Blandings has impostors like other houses have mice." On this particular occasion there are two, both intent on a dangerous enterprise. Lord Emsworth's secretary, the Efficient Baxter, is on the alert and determined to discover what is...

This story of a proud rural beauty and the three men who court her is the novel that first made Thomas Hardy famous.Despite the violent ends of several of its major characters, Far from the Madding Crowd is the sunniest and least brooding of Hardy’s great novels. The strong-minded Bathsheba Everdene—and the devoted shepherd, obsessed fa...

Brought to you by Penguin. This Penguin Classic is performed by Pearl Mackie, best known for her role in Dr Who. When sensible, sophisticated Flora Poste is orphaned at nineteen, she decides her only choice is to descend upon relatives in deepest Sussex. At the aptly named Cold Comfort Farm, she meets the doomed Starkadders: cousin Judith, heaving...

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof first heated up Broadway in 1955 with its gothic American story of brothers vying for their dying father's inheritance amid a whirlwind of sexuality, untethered in the person of Maggie the Cat. The play also daringly showcased the burden of sexuality repressed in the agony of her husband, Brick Pollitt. In spite of the public...

One of the most important and enduring books of the twentieth century, Their Eyes Were Watching God brings to life a Southern love story with the wit and pathos found only in the writing of Zora Neale Hurston. Out of print for almost thirty years—due largely to initial audiences' rejection of its strong black female protagonist—Hurston'...

Since its publication in 1940, Native Son has become a classic of African-American literature and one of the most important books of this century. A stark and troubling account of murder, guilt, and racial hatred, it was among the first works to sound the alarm for the impending social violence that would explode during the 1960s. Bigger Thomas, a...

An old man, enchanted by tales of knightly courage, puts on his rusty armour and sets out on a quest of his own. For him, the world is filled with giants, knights and a peerless mistress. Others, such as his earthy squire Sancho Panza, see windmills, sheep and vulgar serving girls. But such prosaic interpretations do not satisfy the greatest figure...

This hugely engaging story of murder, superstition, religious politics and drama in a medieval monastery was one of the most striking novels to appear in the 1980s. The Name of the Rose is a thrilling story enriched with period detail and laced with tongue-in-cheek allusions to fictional characters, the most striking of which is the Franciscan fria...

The Trial is one of the great works of the twentieth century: an extraordinary vision of one man put on trial by an anonymous authority on an unspecified charge. Josef K, 30, lives in a large town in an unspecified country. He is summonsed to answer a charge and appears in the court room for his trial. Franz Kafka evokes all the reality of tri...

Written after The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe but designed by C.S. Lewis to be read first, this enchanting prequel, with its story of time travel, sorcery, and magic rings, is essential reading for anyone who wants to learn the backstory to the biggest movie release of the year. Hurled back in time to the birth of a new world, two y...

"It's a magic wardrobe. There's a wood inside it, and it's snowing! Come and see," begged Lucy. Lucy has stumbled upon a marvellous land of fauns and centaurs, nymphs and talking animals. But soon she discovers that it is ruled by the cruel White Witch, and can only be freed by Aslan, the great Lion, and four children. In the never-ending war bet...

Desperate to escape a harsh and narrow regime, two runaways unwittingly flee headlong into the centre of a terrible battle. This first sequel to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe includes all the hallmarks of its famous predecessor, though this time the fate of Narnia is wound up in the lives of its own children, and a talking horse!...

"Look sharp!" shouted Edmund. "All catch hands and keep together. This is magic. I can tell by the feeling. Quick!" Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are sitting on a station platform when they sense the magic beginning again. Suddenly they are pulled back to the land of Narnia. Evil King Miraz and his army can only mean trouble for Narnia, and Prin...

Drawn back to Narnia, Eustace Scrubb and his new friend Jill Pole are sent to rescue a captive prince. In a world where evil weaves a spell, Giants and Marsh-wiggles can be friend or foe, but the stakes are raised when they reach Underland and come face-to-face with a notorious and terrifying opponent. This was the fourth book written in The...

The last days of Narnia, and all hope seems lost as lies and treachery interweave to threaten the destruction of everything. As the battle lines are drawn, old friends are summoned back to Narnia, though none can predict the outcome in this magnificent ending to the famous series. This was the seventh and final book written in The Chronicles...

Gilbert Blythe has completed his schooling and is finally a doctor. So now he and his beloved Anne can be together. The couple marry and move to Four Winds Harbour to start their new life together. Anne and Gilbert buy an old home and fix it up, and the house quickly becomes their dream home. Along with their new home comes new neighbors and friend...

Sitting in his cramped basement room in Brixton, Battersby dreams of money, women, a T-bone steak - and a place to call his own. So he and a group of friends decide to save up and buy a house together. But amid grasping landlords, the temptations of spending money and the less-than-welcoming attitude of the Mother Country, can this motley group of...

Charming satire of the sentimental comedies of the day has entertained audiences since 1773. A young lady poses as a serving girl to win the heart of a young gentleman too shy to court ladies of his own class. Many delightful deceits, hilarious turns of plot must be played out before the play concludes happily.

Originally published in 1826 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer recounts some of Mark Twain's own childhood adventures along the Mississippi River — and introduces us to some of the most memorable characters in all of American literature: Tom Sawyer, Tom's Aunt Polly, his favorite girl Becky Thatcher, and his mischievous friend Huckleberr...

Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula, may not be the first vampire novel, but it is certainly the most famous. These scenarios couldn't be more different than the conservative Victorian era during which the book was published — though critically praised from the start as being ahead of its time it was not an immediate bestseller. The story...

Pride and Prejudice is one of the most beloved novels of all time. Elizabeth Bennett, the book's poverty-bound heroine has charmed readers with her wit and sincerity since the book was first published in 1813. Its hero, the handsome and wealthy Mr. Darcy, infuriates Elizabeth — and women readers around the world — with his rude arr...