Great Literature

Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts is a remarkable examination of 12 illuminated manuscripts from the medieval period. Noted authority Christopher de Hamel invites the listener into intimate conversations with these texts to explore what they tell us about nearly a thousand years of medieval history - and sometimes about the modern world too. In so doing, de Hamel introduces us to kings, queens, saints, scribes, artists, librarians, thieves, dealers, and collectors.

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).

Big plans are afoot! Butterbean is going to become a therapist. The white cat is going to do a commercial for caviar-flavored pet treats. And Wallace is moving into a great new apartment. But these plans don't include a group of rowdy raccoons taking over the loading dock and throwing the building into turmoil. Now residents from the whole building are coming to the Strathmore Seven for help—from Second Floor Biscuit, a Yorkie with an unfortunate haircut who faces eviction for barking at the intruders, to the loading dock rats, who are feeling intimidated and upset.

Many years ago, the storytellers say, the great King Arthur brought justice to England with the help of his gallant Knights of the Round Table. Sir Lancelot the Great: Of these worthy knights, there was never one so fearless, so chivalrous, so honorable, so…shiny as the dashing Sir Lancelot. Sir Givret the Short: Poor Givret: His size makes him so easy to overlook. But there’s more to knighthood than height. Sir Gawain the True The knights didn’t always act quite as gallantly as a true knight should. Even King Arthur’s nephew....

For one Long Island podiatrist, it takes an impromptu act of vandalism just to make him aware of his own being. Walking home in the sub-zero wind chill of a Friday night, he stumbles on a bottle of horseradish and mindlessly hurls it through the window of a popular store selling over-sexed tween fashions. This one tiny, out-of-character impulse turns his life vivid and terrifying, triggering waves of fear, crooked cops, and suspicions of anti-Semitism, both accurate and paranoid.

Warren is a work-obsessed journalist living in Central London. Quite happy to live out his monotone life, each day resembles the next until the fateful day he encounters an octogenarian zombie shambling down the middle of the road. Great Bitten: The First Clusterf*ck combines the first three books of the darkly humorous zombie series by UK author Dawn Peers.

Forty breathtaking short stories of gripping adventures, secrets and strange conspiracies. 'The Dust That Was Barren' by P. C. Wren. 'The Deserter' by Stacy Aumonier. 'The Lighthouse on Shivering Sand' by J. S. Fletcher. 'The Secret of the Smoked Spectacles' by William Le Queux. 'The 39 Steps' by John Buchan. 'Three Pennyworth of Luck' by Basil Murray. 'The Secret of Dr. Vaux’s Intrigue' by William Le Queux. 'A Thread of Scarlet' by J. J. Bell. 'How I Became a Secret Agent' by Dr. A. K. Graves.

In 1926, Henry Beston spent two weeks in a two-room cottage on the sand dunes of Cape Cod. He had not intended to stay longer, but, as he later wrote, "I lingered on, and as the year lengthened into autumn, the beauty and mystery of this earth and outer sea so possessed and held me that I could not go."

For millennia, the powers of good and evil have clashed on the battlefield for the loyalties of men. In the great controversy, at stake are not only individual freedoms, liberty of conscience and freedom of worship, but also fulfillment of prophecy and truth.

With the king of Garenland dead and the people eager for revenge, Otto and Wolfric turn their sights north to Garenland’s ancient enemy Straken. The Northern Army marches into enemy territory, while back in the capital, Otto rushes to train as many war wizards as he can. Outside forces refuse to leave them alone, and Otto is forced to deal with an ever-growing array of foes, unreliable allies, and an enemy that will do anything to see Garenland fall.

Dicen que la construcción del canal será la hazaña más grande en la historia de la ingeniería. Pero ¿quién va a construirlo? Para Francisco, un pescador lugareño que no tolera que las potencias extranjeras saqueen a pedazos su país, nada es más desagradable que la decisión de su hijo, Omar, de trabajar como excavador en la zona de perforación. Pero para Omar, cuya crianza fue tranquila y solitaria, este trabajo es la oportunidad de, por fin, encontrar una conexión.

Strange Tales of Scotland all deal with a particular aspect of Scottish mysteries. You'll learn of the ghost that appeared at the wedding of King Alexander II, and of monsters such as the Shellycoat and Water-horse that were thought to inhabit Scotland’s lochs...Finally, we have a look at the legend of the phantom armies of Scotland; soldiers who refuse to fade away even centuries after their wars have been fought, and their causes faded in history. Welcome to the Strange Tales of Scotland.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Signalman by Charles Dickens, Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Dracula by Bram Stoker, and a bonus story, "The Monkey’s Paw" by W.W. Jacobs. More than 30 hours of great classic horror is brought to haunting new life by three A-list narrators whose performances are nothing short of electrifying.

Through his alcoholism and her mental illness, his career lows and her institutional confinement, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald's devotion to each other endured for over 22 years. Now, for the first time, we have the story of their love in the couple's own letters. Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda consists of more than 75 percent previously unpublished or out-of-print letters, as well as extensive narrative on the Fitzgeralds' marriage by Fitzgerald scholars Jackson R. Bryer and Cathy W. Barks.

A fascinating collection of some of the great - but less well known - fairy tales of all time.

Blood and power bind three generations of women in the Ozark Mountains. So does an evil that’s followed them across the decades. 1931. Gracelynn Doherty lives peacefully on Tin Mountain, helping her adoptive granny work her cures. Despite whispers that the women are witches, the superstitious locals still seek them out, whether to remedy arthritis or a broken heart. But when evangelist Josiah Bellflower comes to town promising miracle healing, full bellies, and prosperity, his revivals soon hold Tin Mountain in thrall—and Granny in abject fear. Granny recognizes Josiah.

John Keats was largely unappreciated during his lifetime and died in Rome at the age of 26. Most of his 150 poems were written in just nine extraordinary months in 1819. This selection contains some of his finest works, including the principal "Odes", "La Belle Dame Sans Merci", "Old Meg", and "Much Have I Travelled".

Queen Bees looks at the lives of six remarkable women who made careers out of being society hostesses, including Lady Astor, who went on to become the first female MP, and Mrs Greville, who cultivated relationships with Edward VII, as well as Lady Londonderry, Lady Cunard, Laura Corrigan and Lady Colefax. Told with wit, verve and heart, Queen Bees is the story of a form of societal revolution and the extraordinary women who helped it happen.

"The Great Divorce" by C. S. Lewis is a thought-provoking and imaginative exploration of the afterlife. The novel follows a group of souls who are given the opportunity to leave their miserable existence in Hell and travel to Heaven. Along the way, they encounter a variety of characters and obstacles that test their understanding of morality, redemption, and the nature of God.

Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny chart a course for China to return the Reddimus Society's fourth artifact! Along the way they meet old friends and make new ones, but a thief threatens to ruin their trip. Then, after an unexpected stop in Thailand, they meet a suspicious man claiming to work for the Reddimus Society. The Aldens wonder if someone close to them is working for the other side. Who can the Boxcar Children trust to help them?