A classic by a Russian master Prince Myshkin, the idiot, is an almost comically innocent Christ figure in a land of sinners, one whose faith in beauty contrasts sharply with that of his society's.

Set in the 1930s, the classic novel from bestselling author Lesley Pearse tells the story of one girl's struggle against cruelty and, her quest for love. Twelve-year-old Adele Talbot's unhappy mother Rose succumbs to madness after a family tragedy and Adele is placed in a bleak children's home. But when her trust is betrayed she runs away — hoping to find her grandmother in Sussex. By the time she does so, Adele is desperately ill and has to be nursed back to health among the beautiful Rye Marshes. And then she meets the wonderful Michael Bailey. As friendship blossoms into love and they come of age together — Adele becoming a nurse and Michael joining the RAF — she believes she can put her troubled past behind her. But with the outbreak of war and the sudden appearance of Rose, bearing shocking family secrets, suddenly all of Adele's hopes appear impossibly fragile...

«Let It Come Down», with its title from Macbeth, tells the story of Dyar, a New York bank clerk who throws up his secure, humdrum job to find a reality abroad with which to identify himself, and his macabre experiences in the inferno of Tangiers as he gives in to his darkest impulses. Rich in descriptions of the corruption and decadence of the International Zone in the last days before Moroccan independence, Bowles' second novel is an alternately comic and horrific account of a descent into nihilism.»

Fez, 1954, and American ex-pat Stenham reluctantly accepts a guide for his night-time walk home through the streets of the Medina. A nationalist uprising is transforming the country, much to the annoyance of Stenham, who enjoys the trappings of the old city. His path soon crosses with the young, illiterate son of a healer, another outsider to the newly politicised life of Morocco, in this brutally honest novel of life in the midst of terrorism, violence and the ugly opportunism that accompanies both. Bowles' most masterly novel combines his classic themes: the conflict of Eastern and Western cultures and the trials of otherness.

A hero will have his day. It is a task that no man has ever completed: to bring back a magical ram's fleece that lies hidden in a far-off land, guarded by an all-seeing serpent. But one man, Jason, must try. His life depends on it. Upon the orders of the King, Jason must cross deadly seas with the crew of his ship, the Argo, negotiate treacherous clashing rocks, fight fire-breathing bulls and confront the terror of the harpies before claiming his prize and winning the heart of the witch-princess Medea.

«Pozdnyshev and his wife have a turbulent relationship. When her beauty blossoms after the birth of their children, men begin to flock around her, and he becomes increasingly jealous. Convinced his wife is betraying him with a young musician, his overpowering suspicion drives him to ever more dangerous lengths. United by the theme of love, the writings in the «Great Loves» series span over two thousand years and vastly different worlds. Readers will be introduced to love's endlessly fascinating possibilities and extremities: romantic love, platonic love, erotic love, gay love, virginal love, adulterous love, parental love, filial love, nostalgic love, unrequited love, illicit love, not to mention lost love, twisted and obsessional love...»

«Mary» was Nabokov's first novel, begun in the spring of 1925, and in its heroine lie the shadowy presences of all his heroines to come.»

«Penguin Decades» bring you the novels that helped shape modern Britain. When they were published, some were bestsellers, some were considered scandalous, and others were simply misunderstood. All represent their time and helped define their generation, while today each is considered a landmark work of storytelling. Kingsley Amis' «Lucky Jim» was published in 1954, and is a hilarious satire of British university life. Jim Dixon is bored by his job as a medieval history lecturer. His days are only improved by pulling faces behind the backs of his superiors as he tries desperately to survive provincial bourgeois society, an unbearable 'girlfriend' and petty humiliation at the hands of Professor Welch. «Lucky Jim» is one of the most famous and influential of all British post-War novels.»

Ellie Faulkner's world has been destroyed. Her husband Greg died in a car crash — and he wasn't alone. In the passenger seat was the body of Milena Livingstone — a woman Ellie's never heard of. But Ellie refuses to leap to the obvious conclusion, despite the whispers and suspicions of those around her. Maybe it's the grief, but Ellie has to find out who this woman was — and prove Greg wasn't having an affair. And soon she is chillingly certain their deaths were no accident. Are Ellie's accusations of murder her way of avoiding the truth about her marriage? Or does an even more sinister discovery await her?

A broken heart is hard to mend. And a good heart is practically impossible to find...When Georgia Abbott's fiance cheats on her, she's left with a broken heart and the reality of her humdrum life in London. Until someone tells her about a job on Glow magazine: in Sydney. That's Sydney, Australia — where the welcome is as warm as the weather and the men look like Mel Gibson, but taller. What's she got to lose? So Georgia packs up and ships out Down Under. And at first things seem promising, as she's swept up in a whirl of A-list parties, dancing, and debauchery. But while Australian water may go down the plughole the other way, Australian men are — oh dear — starting to look all too familiar...

'When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what color really is'. Picasso said this in the 1950s, when he and Chagall were eminent neighbors living in splendor on the Cote d'Azur. But behind Chagall's role as a pioneer of modern art lay struggle, heartbreak, bitterness, lost love, exile, and the miracle of survival. Born the son of a Russian Jewish herring merchant, Chagall fled the repressive 'potato-colored' czarist empire in 1911 to develop his genius in Paris, living alongside Modigliani and Leger in La Ruche, the artist's colony where 'you either died or came out famous'. Through war and revolution in Bolshevik Russia, Weimar Berlin, occupied France and 1940s New York, he gave form to his dreams, longings and memories in paintings which are among the most humane and joyful of the 20th century. Drawing on numerous interviews with the artist's family, friends, dealers, collectors, and illustrated with two hundred paintings, drawings and photographs, many previously unseen, this elegantly written biography gives for the first time a full and true account of Chagall the man and the artist — and of a life as intense, theatrical and haunting as his paintings.

«Penguin Decades» bring you the novels that helped shape modern Britain. When they were published, some were bestsellers, some were considered scandalous, and others were simply misunderstood. All represent their time and helped define their generation, while today each is considered a landmark work of storytelling. The latecomers are Hartmann and Fibich, brought over to England as children to escape Nazi Germany, now living close to each other in London in their 60s, and still friends. Yet they could not be more different, each having adopted different strategies to reconcile themselves with their past and to cope with an uncertain world.»

This thorough, fascinating, and revelatory account draws on a wealth of archival materials never before seen by any outsider to unveil the inner workings of the world's first spy agency. MI6's early days were haphazard but it was quickly forged into an effective organization in the crucible of World War I.

A fresh, practical approach to two of Lewis Carroll's most beloved works, which chronicle the magical, captivating adventures of Alice of Wonderland.

Perhaps the most popular of all Sherlock Holmes stories, The Hound of the Baskervilles combines the traditional detective tale with elements of horror. When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead on the wild Devon moorland with the footprints of a giant hound nearby, the blame is placed on a family curse-and it is up to Holmes and Watson to solve the mystery of the legend. Rationalism is pitted against the supernatural and good against evil, as Sherlock Holmes tries to defeat a foe almost his equal.

Lavishly illustrated in full color, Insight Paris Step by Step features irresistible self-guided walks and tours, written by a local expert and packed with great insider tops. All walks and tours come with easy-to-follow full-color maps and handpicked places to eat and drink en route. The guide recommends top tours by theme, and also has an only in feature, highlighting a number of experiences or attractions that are unique to the destination. The overview provides background information on food, drink, shopping, entertainment, and key historical events. The directory provides a clearly organized A-Z list of practical information and hotel and restaurant listings to suit all budgets, plus nightlife listings! The guide also comes with a free pull-out map, complete with a places index and with the walks and tours clearly marked.

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization, and helped make us who we are.

George Orwell was an inveterate keeper of diaries. The Orwell Diaries presents eleven of them, covering the period 1931-1949, and follows Orwell from his early years as a writer to his last literary notebook. An entry from 1931 tells of a communal shave in the Trafalgar Square fountains, while notes from his travels through industrial England show the development of the impassioned social commentator. This same acute power of observation is evident in his diaries from Morocco, as well as at home, where his domestic diaries chart the progress of his garden and animals with a keen eye; the wartime diaries, from descriptions of events overseas to the daily violence closer to home, describe astutely his perspective on the politics of both, and provide a new and entirely refreshing insight into Orwell's character and his great works.