HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. 'I'll not listen to reason, she said, now in full possession of her voice, which had been rather choked with sobbing. Reason always means what someone else has got to say. 'First published in serial format in a magazine, Gaskell's Cranford is a delightfully light-hearted series of stories about early Victorian life in a country village. Following the lives of two spinster sisters, Miss Matty and Miss Deborah as they gossip about the inconsequential goings-on of the community around them, Gaskell's best-loved work affectionately comments on the role of women in society at that time and the changing face of the Victorian world.

For over fifty years, the Type Directors Club has encouraged the worldwide graphic arts community to achieve excellence in typography through its annual international competitions. Typography 31 is the only annual devoted exclusively to typography and presents the finest work in this field for the year 2009. Selected from approximately 2300 international submissions to the annual Type Directors Club competition, the winning designs are models of excellence and innovation in the use of type design, encompassing a wide range of categories, including books, magazines, corporate identities, logo types, stationery, annual reports, video and web graphics, and posters.

«In this electrifying continuation of Stefan's Diaries, fans of the hit television show «The Vampire Diaries» will finally learn about Stefan and Damon Salvatore's first days as vampires and the love triangle that would turn loving brothers into deadly enemies.»

An epic historical adventure set in an alternate 8th century China, from the author of the 2008 World Fantasy winner, Ysabel. Under Heaven is a novel of heroes, assassins, concubines and emperors set against a majestic and unforgiving landscape. An epic historical adventure set in an alternate 8th century China, from the author of the 2008 World Fantasy winner, Ysabel. Under Heaven is a novel of heroes, assassins, concubines and emperors set against a majestic and unforgiving landscape. For two years Shen Tai has mourned his father, living like a hermit beyond the borders of the Kitan Empire, by a mountain lake where terrible battles have long been fought between the Kitai and the neighbouring Tagurans, including one for which his father — a great general — was honoured. But Tai's father never forgot the brutal slaughter involved. The bones of 100,000 soldiers still lie unburied by the lake and their wailing ghosts at night strike terror in the living, leaving the lake and meadow abandoned in its ring of mountains. To honour and redress his father's sorrow, Tai has journeyed west to the lake and has laboured, alone, to bury the dead of both empires. His supplies are replenished by his own people from the nearest fort, and also — since peace has been bought with the bartering of an imperial princess — by the Tagurans, for his solitary honouring of their dead. The Tagurans soldiers one day bring an unexpected letter. It is from the bartered Kitan Princess Cheng-wan, and it contains a poisoned chalice: she has gifted Tai with two hundred and fifty Sardian horses, to reward him for his courage. The Sardians are legendary steeds from the far west, famed, highly-prized, long-coveted by the Kitans.

Everyone knows that Old King Cole is the merriest soul and that Jack is nimble, quick, and likes to jump over candlesticks. Now little ones can follow along word-for-word as Mickey and friends introduce them to classic Mother Goose rhymes. Sturdy board pages, a padded cover, and one rhyme per page make this ideal for the youngest group. This delightful book and CD set offers a Disney take on everything from Humpty Dumpty to Rock-A-Bye, Baby, and includes several nursery rhyme songs as well!

Fans of Gaiman and Vess will pounce on this creation; so too will readers who seek for their daughters affirmation that sidesteps traditional spiritual conventions.

«The second book of a new story arc in the «New York Times» — bestselling Vampire Diaries series.»

Can the secrets of one woman's past change another woman's future? Cate is a gifted young artist who survives in New York by producing remarkable copies of Old Masters.She arrives in London to stay with her aunt Rachel who owns an auction house, determined to leave the pain of her past behind. Cate is sent to Devon with Rachel's colleague Jack to value the contents of Endsleigh, the grand Georgian home of a former socialite. But inside, its once elegant interiors are now worn with age and dust. Then Cate discovers hidden in the back of one of the bookshelves, an old shoebox containing an exquisite pair of silk dancing shoes from the 1930's along with a mysterious collection of objects — a diamond brooch, a photograph of a handsome young sailor, a dance card, and a beautiful pearl and emerald bracelet from Tiffany's. Unable to solve the questions in her own life, Cate quickly becomes engaged in solving the mystery of the shoe box and begins to unravel the story of Baby Blythe; bright, beautiful and reckless, she was the most famous debutante of her generation. The clues in the box reveal a tale of a dark, addictive love, a tale that will lead Cate to uncover some secrets of her own. A timeless novel from the bestselling author of Elegance.

Matt Ridley, acclaimed author of the classics 'Genome' and 'Nature via Nurture', turns from investigating human nature to investigating human progress. In 'The Rational Optimist' Ridley offers a counterblast to the prevailing pessimism of our age, and proves, however much we like to think to the contrary, that things are getting better. Over 10,000 years ago there were fewer than 10 million people on the planet. Today there are more than 6 billion, 99 per cent of whom are better fed, better sheltered, better entertained and better protected against disease than their Stone Age ancestors. The availability of almost everything a person could want or need has been going erratically upwards for 10,000 years and has rapidly accelerated over the last 200 years: calories; vitamins; clean water; machines; privacy; the means to travel faster than we can run, and the ability to communicate over longer distances than we can shout. Yet, bizarrely, however much things improve from the way they were before, people still cling to the belief that the future will be nothing but disastrous. In this original, optimistic book, Matt Ridley puts forward his surprisingly simple answer to how humans progress, arguing that we progress when we trade and we only really trade productively when we trust each other. 'The Rational Optimist' will do for economics what 'Genome' did for genomics and will show that the answer to our problems, imagined or real, is to keep on doing what we've been doing for 10,000 years — to keep on changing.

Meet Carrie Bradshaw before 'Sex and the City!' The Carrie Diaries is the coming-of-age story of one of the most iconic characters of our generation. Before Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw was a small town girl who knew she wanted more. She's ready for real life to start, but first she must navigate her senior year of high school. Up until now, Carrie and her friends have been inseparable. Then Sebastian Kydd comes into the picture, and a friend's betrayal makes her question everything. With an unforgettable cast of characters, The Carrie Diaries is the story of how a regular girl learns to think for herself, and evolves into a sharp, insightful writer. Readers will learn about her family background, how she found her writing voice, and the indelible impression her early friendships and relationships left on her. Through adventures both audacious and poignant, we'll see what brings Carrie to her beloved New York City, where her new life begins.

The warm and wonderful new novel from the natural heir to Maeve Binchy Eleanor Levine left Ireland seventy years ago with little more than a suitcase and her mother's handwritten recipe book. Now, a lifetime later, she's returning from New York with hard won wisdom and memories of her own. A renowned psychoanalyst, Eleanor knows there's one final journey she has to make! Lovely young actress Megan Bouchier didn't have to chase success — it arrived effortlessly. Fame was what she always wanted until a disastrous affair made her the wrong kind of headlines — now Megan needs a place to hide! Darkly beautiful Rae is a wonderful wife, a loyal friend and a dedicated community carer. From Titania's Tea Rooms she dispenses tea and sympathy to everyone — until a painful secret from her past threatens everything she holds dear. Big-hearted teacher Connie O'Callaghan has given up on love. She's cheerfully approaching forty and besides, why does no man ever match the heroes in her beloved romantic novels? As Eleanor re-reads her mother's comforting words and watches life unfold from her window in Dublin's pretty Golden Square, she slowly becomes drawn into the lives of Megan, Rae and Connie. But can treasured wisdom handed down from mother to daughter really be relevant today? And what are the ingredients for a life well lived?

The perfect guide for those looking to improve their English grammar for use in the workplace. If you use English on a regular basis, but you feel you need to brush up a little on your grammar, Collins' new Business Grammar and Practice is the perfect solution. Well-known EFL experts Nick Brieger and Simon Sweeney guide the user through 72 short, succinct units to explain the structure of the English language. They provide examples of real usage, explanations and then practice exercises to cement your understanding. All of the sample sentences are taken from the COBUILD corpus, ensuring that users don't learn traditional, theoretical language, but rather, they come to understand real, useful, everyday expressions. Aimed specifically at the business learner, the vocabulary and structures used are a reflection of the English that is used in the business world around the globe today. Work through the book from start to finish, or pick and choose the topics of most interest to you.

The perfect guide for those looking to improve their English grammar for use in the workplace. If you use English on a regular basis, but you feel you need to brush up a little on your grammar, Collins' new Business Grammar and Practice is the perfect solution. Well-known EFL experts Nick Brieger and Simon Sweeney guide the user through 72 short, succinct units to explain the structure of the English language. They provide examples of real usage, explanations and then practice exercises to cement your understanding. All of the sample sentences are taken from the COBUILD corpus, ensuring that users don't learn traditional, theoretical language, but rather, they come to understand real, useful, everyday expressions. Aimed specifically at the business learner, the vocabulary and structures used are a reflection of the English that is used in the business world around the globe today. Work through the book from start to finish, or pick and choose the topics of most interest to you.

Understand what they're saying — however they say it This completely innovative self-study book and audio CD set is the perfect way for busy executives to improve their English listening skills. It features real people talking about their work and their lives in a variety of native and non-native accents alongside exercises and learning material. Collins English for Business is a new series of self-study skills books which focus on the language you really need to do business in English — wherever you are in the world. Each title includes tips on how to communicate effectively and how to communicate inter-culturally. Other titles in the series: Speaking and Writing. / Powered by COBUILD / Listening contents: Twenty 4-page units cover the key areas, such as Small talk, Working in English globally, Telephoning and Teleconferencing. / Each unit contains: — Exercises based on authentic audio recording — Grammar tips — Key phrases — Personal action plans / Audio CD containing 78 minutes of authentic recordings.

The perfect guide for those looking to improve their written English for use in the workplace. Collins' new Business Skills: Speaking guide features the language you really need to communicate — not the language you always meet in books.

The first volume in the hugely popular and highly acclaimed epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire. There is passion here, and misery and charm, grandeur and squalor, tragedy, nobility and courage. Now a major HBO TV series. During Spring 2011, the first volume of George R Martin's glorious high fantasy will be aired as an HBO series on Sky in the UK. Martin unfolds with astonishing skill a tale of truly epic dimensions, thronged with memorable characters, a story of treachery and ambition, love and magic. Set in a fabulous world scarred by battle and catastrophe over 8000 years of recorded history, it tells of the deeds of men and women locked in the deadliest of conflicts and the terrible legacy they will leave their children. In the game of thrones, you win or you die.

Opportunities multiply as they are seized. Written in the 6th century BC, Sun Tzu‘s The Art of War is a Chinese military treatise that is still revered today as the ultimate commentary on war and military strategy. Focussing on the principle that one can outsmart your foe mentally by thinking very carefully about strategy before resorting to physical battle, this philosophy continues to be applied to the corporate and business world. Words that are as resonant today in every aspect of our lives as they were when he wrote them.

Deep in the forest a call was sounding, and he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire, and to plunge into the forest. Half St. Bernard, half sheepdog, Buck is stolen away from his comfortable life as a pet in California and sold to dog traders. He soon finds himself aboard a ship, on its way to Northern Canada. Surrounded by cruelty, Buck's natural instincts and behaviour begin to emerge as he works as a mail carrying sled dog, scavenging for food, protecting himself against other dogs and sleeping out in the cold snow. Sold to a group of American gold hunters who are inexperienced living in the wilderness, the dogs are treated badly and as misfortune besets them, Buck is saved by John Thornton. Indebted to his new master, Buck remains by Thornton's side, saving him from drowning and protecting him with fierce loyalty throughout their time together. However, Buck can not deny the strong lure of the wilderness around him. Exciting and action-packed, THE CALL OF THE WILD explores the timeless relationship between man and dog, and the inevitable draw of primitive instincts that pull Buck away from civilization and humanity towards the lawless and harsh wilderness.

'Captivate, kill or destroy the whole force of the enemy' was the order given to the American soldiers. THE FORT is the blistering new novel from worldwide bestseller Bernard Cornwell. Summer 1779. Seven hundred and fifty British soldiers and three small ships of the Royal Navy. Their orders: to build a fort above a harbour to create a base from which to control the New England seaboard. Forty-one American ships and over nine hundred men. Their orders: to expel the British. The battle that followed was a classic example of how the best-laid plans can be disrupted by personality and politics, and of how warfare can bring out both the best and worst in men. It is a timeless tale of men at war, written by a master storyteller.

The perfect skills-based preparation book for the IELTS exam. This book has been specially created for foreign learners of English who plan to take the IELTS exam to demonstrate that they have the required ability to communicate effectively in English, either at work or at university.