Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray exchanges his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Influenced by his friend Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life; indulging his desires in secret while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society. Only his portrait bears the traces of his decadence. The novel was a success de scandale and the book was later used as evidence against Wilde at the Old Bailey in 1895. It has lost none of its power to fascinate and disturb.

«View our feature on Mean Streets. An anthology of solid and suspenseful novellas from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher New York Times bestselling author Simon R. Green National bestselling authors Kat Richardson Thomas E. Sniegoski Here are four novellas featuring Harry Dresden, John Taylor, Harper Blaine, and Remy Chandler... paranormal private investigators who walk the streets no one else can walk and take the jobs no one else will take... Of course, if a case involves werewolves, zombies, demons, or other «unusual» circumstances, it may cost a bit extra.»

«If you've ever wondered how to climb the social ladder with grace, how to feel confident in every situation, or even how to make a lasting impression (but not the kind that lands you on the latest «Worst Dressed List») — Derek Blasberg is here, with quotes and secrets from all the socialites so girls everywhere can learn how to have class. This hilarious handbook will provide everything you need to know about fashion, socialising, dating, and etiquette. With tons of practical tips and tools for learning to flaunt what you've got, dozens of specific how-tos, common no-nos, and huge blunders that even smart girls make, this tongue-in-cheek book will train you to be a lady, and not a tramp!»

«New York Times» bestselling Grand Master of Crime Fiction Foreign Office diplomat Peter Darwin uncovers a peculiar operation involving a veterinary surgeon and the unexplained deaths of several valuable racehorses.»

From 'shotclog' a Yorkshire term for a companion only tolerated because he is paying for the drinks to Albanian having 29 words to describe different kinds of eyebrows, the languages of the world are full of amazing, amusing and illuminating words and expressions that will improve absolutely everybody's quality of life. All they need is this book! This bumper volume gathers all three of Adam Jacot de Boinod's acclaimed books about language — The Wonder of Whiffling, The Meaning of Tingo and Toujours Tingo (their fans include everyone from Stephen Fry to Michael Palin) — into one highly entertaining, keenly priced compendium. As Mariella Frostup said 'You'll never be lost for words again'.

«Secrets and surprises from Roald Dahl! Feast your eyes on a secret! Between these covers is a long-lost chapter — and the original ending — from «Charlie and the Chocolate Factory» and other delicious never-before-seen tidbits from Mr. Wonka's factory. Then slip into some tasty tales from Roald Dahl's life to discover more about the world's No. 1 storyteller. No Roald Dahl collection is complete without this splendiferous treat!»

Alice is twenty-nine. She adores sleep, chocolate, and her ramshackle new house. She's newly engaged to the wonderful Nick and is pregnant with her first baby.

After her parents' bitter divorce, young Maisie Farange finds herself shuttled between her selfish mother and vain father, who value her only as a means for provoking each other. Maisie — solitary, observant and wise beyond her years — is drawn into an increasingly entangled adult world of intrigue and sexual betrayal, until she is finally compelled to choose her own future. What Maisie Knew is a subtle yet devastating portrayal of an innocent adrift in a corrupt society. It is part of a relaunch of three James titles.

Set in Birmingham, The News Where You Are tells the funny, touching story of Frank, a local TV news presenter. Beneath his awkwardly corny screen persona, Frank is haunted by disappearances: the mysterious hit and run that killed his predecessor Phil Smethway; the demolition of his father's post-war brutalist architecture; and, the unmarked passing of those who die alone in the city. Frank struggles to make sense of these absences while having to report endless local news stories of holes opening up in people's gardens and trying to cope with his resolutely miserable mother. The result is that rare thing: a page-turning novel which asks the big questions in an accessible way, and is laugh-out-loud funny, genuinely moving and ultimately uplifting.

The creator of such quintessentially American fiction as Rip Van Winkle, Irving earned his preeminence with the masterpieces in miniature collected here: dozens of short stories, travel essays, biographical discourses, and literary musings.

Spot's dad takes him to visit the animals on the farm and Spot makes an exciting discovery. This classic lift-the-flap book by Eric Hill is reissued in the popular board book format with a new coloured cover and reoriginated art throughout. Toddlers will enjoying following Spot as he visits the farm and lifting the flaps to see what Spot finds!

The Gulag was Russia’s forgotten holocaust. The largest network of concentration camps ever created, it murdered millions and haunted all those who came out alive. Here, for the first time, is the full, moving story of its countless victims: how they lived, laboured, suffered – and survived to bear witness to one of history’s most terrible crimes.

When it comes to the mating game, Jane's still learning how to play. As a teenager she watched her elder brother falling in and out of love. Now she's embarking on her own affairs. There's the boyfriend with the irritatingly beautiful ex; the worldly Older Man; the commitment-phobe who calls her honey but never uses her name. Plenty of fish in the sea — but how do you find a man worth catching? When she finally resorts to 'How to Meet and Marry Mr Right', a hilarious guide to hunting out and reeling in the man of your dreams, Jane discovers that with love, life and men, a girl doesn't need rules ...

Olga Chekhova was a stunning Russian beauty and a famous Nazi-era film actress who was closely associated with Hitler; she was also the niece of playwright Anton Chekhov. After fleeing Bolshevik Moscow for Berlin in 1920, she was recruited by her composer brother Lev, to work for Soviet intelligence. In return, her family were allowed to join her. The extraordinary story of how the whole family survived the Russian Revolution, the civil war, the rise of Hitler, the Stalinist Terror, and the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union becomes, in Antony Beevor's hands, a breathtaking tale of compromise and survival in a merciless age.

A collection of six playlets, based on The Twits. They highlight the key points in the story and some can be acted by groups of children while others only need a couple of actors.

Pablo Escobar: billionaire drugs baron; ruthless manipulator, brutal killer and jefe of the infamous Medellín cartel. A man whose importance in the international drug trade and renown for his charitable work among the poor brought him influence and power in his home country of Colombia, and the unwanted attention of the American courts. Terrified of the new Colombian President’s determination to extradite him to America, Escobar found the best bargaining tools he could find: hostages. In the winter of 1990, ten relatives of Colombian politicians, mostly women, were abducted and held hostage as Escobar attempted to strong-arm the government into blocking his extradition. Two died, the rest survived, and from their harrowing stories Márquez retells, with vivid clarity, the terror and uncertainty of those dark and volatile months.

‘César Montero was dreaming about elephants. He’d seen them at the movies on Sunday...’ Only moments later, César is led away by police as they clear the crowds away from the man he has just killed. But César is not the only man to be riled by the rumours being spread in his Colombian hometown – under the cover of darkness, someone creeps through the streets sticking malicious posters to walls and doors. Each night the respectable townsfolk retire to their beds fearful that they will be the subject of the following morning’s lampoons. As paranoia seeps through the town and the delicate veil of tranquility begins to slip, can the perpetrator be uncovered before accusation and violence leave the inhabitants’ sanity in tatters?

'For twenty-one years I have been shuffling back and forth between classrooms and libraries. Now you tell me what the hell it's got me'. That's how Benjamin Braddock talked when he came down from university. Somehow it didn't seem to be what his father expected from a college education, and everyone was really appalled when Ben raped Mrs Robinson (that was her story anyway) and ran off with her daughter in the middle of her wedding to someone else... a brilliantly sordid tale of a young man's search for identity and a portrayal of the worst-behaved yet most sympathetic anti-hero of the day.