Macmillan Publishers

A Platonic dialogue in the form of a double anachronism — the action takes place two centuries after our era — Joseph Brodsky's only play, Marbles, is set in a prison cell that alone provides for the three unities of classic drama: those of time, place, and action. A nightmare rather than a utopia, this play proceeds according to the immanent logic of mental aggravation as its two characters, the inmates Publius and Tullius, examine the tautology of their psychological, historical, and purely physical confines. The fusion of its dour, somewhat terrifying vision with the macabre hilarity of its verbal texture allows Marbles to take its audience beyond the farthest reaches of the theatre of the absurd, into territory more suitable for modernist imagination than for human experience.

Includes: -Guide to pronunciation: simple phonetics based on English spelling -20 conversational lessons: useful vocabularies; interesting conversations with pronunciation and helpful footnotes -Cultural information: panorama of Russian life and literature -Complete reference grammar: clear explanations of rules of grammar and structure of the language -Bilingual dictionary: all useful words you need to know Special offer: -High quality sound -Compact and portable -Useful conversations -Easy to use -At home, in your car, or wherever you go

The magic of Herriot's storytelling has never been more vivid than in this collection of 53 stories about the Yorkshire vet's favorite animal and «man's best friend». Each story is introduced by Herriot and enhanced by one of Victor Ambrus's masterful drawings. A major publishing event for a worldwide audience.

Mercenary soldiers in the service of the Lady, the Black Company stands against the rebels of the White Rose. They are tough men, proud of honoring their contracts. The Lady is evil, but so, too, are those who falsely profess to follow the White Rose, reincarnation of a centuries-dead heroine. Yet now some of the Company have discovered that the mute girl they rescued and sheltered is truly the White Rose reborn. Now there may be a path to the light, even for such as they. If they can survive it.

Kidnapped form his safe California home. Thrown into a life-and-death struggle on the frozen Artic wilderness. Half St. Bernard, half shepard, Buck learns many hard lessons as a sled dog: the lesson of the leash, of the cold, of near-starvation and cruelty. And the greatest lesson he learns from his last owner, John Thornton: the power of love and loyalty. Yet always, even at the side of the human he loves, Buck feels the pull in his bones, an urge to answer his wolf ancestors as they howl to him.

Tor Classics are affordably-priced editions designed to attract the young reader. Original dynamic cover art enthusiastically represents the excitement of each story. Appropriate «reader friendly» type sizes have been chosen for each title — offering clear, accurate, and readable text. All editions are complete and unabridged, and feature Introductions and Afterwords. This edition of A Christmas Carol includes a Foreword and Biographical Note by Jane Yolen. Scrooge was a foul old man who wrapped his cold, uncaring heart in chains. Chains of greed. Bigotry. Contempt. Apathy. Selfishness. He detested the world, and was alone. Until the night his long-dead partner Marley appeared. A hideous spectre forced to walk the earth forever, Marley was damned. As Scrooge would be...unless he agrees to face three ghosts. One would take Scrooge back to the memories he'd buried. One would show Scrooge the world of joy and friendship he'd rejected. One would force Scrooge into the dreadful shadow of the future he'd forged. Three ghosts of Christmas. Of Christmas Past. Of Christmas Present. Of Christmas Yet to Come. All offering Scrooge a single gift — a chance. A last chance to give love. A last chance to join life.

Tor Classics are affordably-priced editions designed to attract the young reader. Original dynamic cover art enthusiastically represents the excitement of each story. Appropriate «reader friendly» type sizes have been chosen for each title — offering clear, accurate, and readable text. All editions are complete and unabridged, and feature Introductions and Afterwords. This edition of The Secret Garden includes a Foreword, Biographical Note, and Afterword by Jane Yolen. May is sullen and ugly. Orphaned, unloved and left alone, she has no reason to live. Colin is twisted and dying. Crippled, vicious, rejected by his own family, he has no hope to live. But Dickon is strange and wild. He sleeps on the moors, calls animals to him, and speaks the language of flowers — all he knows is how to live. And a bird of early spring leads them all to a mystery. A walled garden filled with ghosts of love and loss. Only Mary can unlock the garden's hidden door. Only Dickon can find the green pulse within the dead land. And only Colin can summon forth an ancient power that might give two lost children the strength to survive... They thought the power in the secret garden was magic. It was.

Tor Classics are affordably-priced editions designed to attract the young reader. Original dynamic cover art enthusiastically represents the excitement of each story. Appropriate «reader friendly» type sizes have been chosen for each title — offering clear, accurate, and readable text. All editions are complete and unabridged, and feature Introductions and Afterwords. This edition of «Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde» includes an Introduction and Afterword by Charles L. Grant. British lawyer Mr. Utterson had proof. Hyde was a foul, twisted, shrunken creature who had brutally stomped a little girl and beaten an old man to death — for no reason. Hyde left a trail of evil across London; the mere sight of him made stranger violent with fear and disgust... «But Hyde was Dr. Jekyll's sole heir.» And that made no sense at all. Henry Jekyll was the kindest, most civil, most respected man in England. What power could a monster like Hyde hold over Jekyll's soul? Utterson vowed to solve the mystery, and free his friend from Hyde's clutches...until his hunt led to a horror beyond blackmail, beyond extortion; to a secret so shocking, so sickening, so personal. — «That the sheer terror of the truth could drive men mad...»

Tor Classics are affordably-priced editions designed to attract the young reader. Original dynamic cover art enthusiastically represents the excitement of each story. Appropriate «reader friendly» type sizes have been chosen for each title — offering clear, accurate, and readable text. All editions are complete and unabridged, and feature Introductions and Afterwords. This edition of Treasure Island includes a Foreword, Biographical Note, and Afterword by Jane Yolen. A mysterious seaman hides at a country inn; cut-throats raid a sleepy English village; suddenly, young Jim Hawkins becomes the owner of a map leading to a lost tropical island and a fortune in stolen gold. Three adventures — Jim, Squire Trelawney, and Dr. Livesey — set out to find the treasure. But they trust the one they should most fear, Long John Silver. Charming, brave ruthless, murderous, Silver fills the squire's ship with pirates. And on the desolate, fever-infested island, the quest for gold becomes a deadly war of hide and seek. Desperate defenders against merciless killers battling over a cursed treasure won with blood, buried with blood, sought with blood. Incredible wealth that Jim and his friends can only claim... If they survive!

There are two worlds in racing. Winning and losing. Private detective Sid Halley has gone from one to the other — fast. First his career as a jockey ended when he lost his hand in a fall. Then his wife said a cold good-bye. Now he's on the trail of thugs who crush losers. With vicious pleasure. These are people who aim to win — at any price. There's a syndicate of owners with a sideline in violent kidnapping. And Trevor Deansgate, a bookmaker whose hatred of favourites goes one deathly step too far... For the sake of his health, Halley had better return to winning ways. Because to lose is to die...

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

Intended for post-intermediate students and for students preparing for the Cambridge First Certificate and Proficiency examinations, it is suitable for use in class and/or for self-study. The Wordbuilder represents a vast resource of vocabulary items including collocations and idiomatic expressions not easily retrievable from a standard dictionary. The book is made up of 60 units, each focussing on one vocabulary area. Each unit starts with a reference section, showing words in context, and continues with a practice section of exercises and ideas for further written or spoken practice. The Index contains every word and phrase and an Answer Key gives answers to exercises in the practice section of each unit.

He's rude, arrogant, cold, unfriendly, and easily bored. But nobody minds, because Sherlock Holmes is a genius at solving mysteries. This collection of some of Holmes's most intriguing cases includes unabridged tales of blackmail, lost fortunes, and, of course, murder.

Tor Classics are affordably-priced editions designed to attract the young reader. Original dynamic cover art enthusiastically represents the excitement of each story. Appropriate «reader friendly» type sizes have been chosen for each title — offering clear, accurate, and readable text. All editions are complete and unabridged, and feature Introductions and Afterwords.

Storm, shipwreck, pirates, and mutiny are the timeless themes of this recreated classic. The action-packed story lines retain all the impact of the author's own words, while photos and narrative illustrations help readers to absorb the full flavor of the original novel.

Tor Classics are affordably-priced editions designed to attract the young reader. Original dynamic cover art enthusiastically represents the excitement of each story. Appropriate «reader friendly» type sizes have been chosen for each title — offering clear, accurate, and readable text. All editions are complete and unabridged, and feature Introductions and Afterwords. This edition of The Scarlet Letter includes a Preface, Biographical Note, and Afterword by Keith Neilson. The Puritans thought Hester Prynne's crime was unforgivable. She was convicted, imprisoned — and then forced to wear, forever, a public reminder of her sin. The Scarlet letter. The Letter was unending punishment: it set hester apart from society, it tormented her days and haunted her soul. But the Letter haunted others, as well, its mystery turned Roger Chillingworth from a gentle healer into a man driven by revenge. Its meaning burned into Rev. Arthur Dimsdale's heart, as deadly as cancer. And its power loomed over the life of Hester's daughter, the uncontrollable child Pearl. Four people would be destroyed by a entangled web of guilt and secrets, unless one of them had the courage — and love — to reveal the truth of — The Scarlet Letter.

Tor Classics are affordably-priced editions designed to attract the young reader. Original dynamic cover art enthusiastically represents the excitement of each story. Appropriate «reader friendly» type sizes have been chosen for each title — offering clear, accurate, and readable text. All editions are complete and unabridged, and feature Introductions and Afterwords. This edition of A Tale of Two Cities includes a Foreword, Biographical Note, and Afterword by R.L. Fisher. They fled to London, seeking safety, and found each other — Dr. Manette, falsely imprisoned for decades; his daughter, Lucie, whose stunning beauty was matched by her loyalty and grace; and Charles Darnay, who abandoned a royal title he hated to risk being called a traitor in France, a spy in England. Together, their love touched the hearts of even stodgy banker Mr. Lorry and cynical, jaded lawyer Sydney Carton... But in Paris, the fires of revolution exploded in uncontrollable fury. The noble goals of freedom fighters became the crazed bloodbath called the Reign of Terror. And when three exiles returned home on an errand of mercy, they were trapped in a nightmare of mock trials and made rage. Once in Paris, nothing could save Darnay, Lucie, or Manette... Except a miracle.

Tor Classics are affordably-priced editions designed to attract the young reader. Original dynamic cover art enthusiastically represents the excitement of each story. Appropriate «reader friendly» type sizes have been chosen for each title—offering clear, accurate, and readable text. All editions are complete and unabridged, and feature Introductions and Afterwords. This edition of White Fang includes a Foreword, Biographical Note, and Afterword by Dwight V. Swain. He was three quarters wolf and all fury. Born in a cave, in famine, in the frozen arctic. Born in a world where the weak died without mercy, where only the swift, the strong, the cunning saw each dawn. It was White Fang's world--until he and his mother were captured by the man-gods. But men and their dogs taught White Fang to hate. He was beaten, abused, attacked. He was bought, sold, tortured, trained to kill in blood sports. Knowing no kindness, he became a mad, lethal, creature of pure rage. Only one man saw White Fang's intelligence and nobility. Only one had the courage to offer the killer a new life. But can a wolf understand the word «hope»? Can a creature of hatred understand the word «love»?

Tor Classics are affordably-priced editions designed to attract the young reader. Original dynamic cover art enthusiastically represents the excitement of each story. Appropriate «reader friendly» type sizes have been chosen for each title — offering clear, accurate, and readable text. All editions are complete and unabridged, and feature Introductions and Afterwords. Tales of laughter and tears, love and loss... Tales of old and young, rich and poor, the best and the worst... Tales of lies and truth, selfishness and sacrifice, loyalty and betrayal... O'Henry's stories are set in mansions and slums, teeming cities and desolate frontiers. Stories of grand adventure, thrilling romance, gripping suspense, hilarious comedy. Stories about turns of fate, twists of destiny, accidents of chance... and always. Always, endless surprises! The tales of O'Henry — stories as surprising... as life itself.

This collection of essays thrusts Brodsky — heretofore known more for his poetry and translations — into the forefront of the «Third Wave» of Russian emigre writers. His insights into the works of Dostoyevsky, Mandelstam, Platonov, as well as non-Russian poets Auden, Cavafy and Montale are brilliant. While the Western popularity of many other Third Wavers has been stunted by their inability to write in English, Brodsky consumed the language to attain a «closer proximity» to poets such as Auden. The book, which won a National Book Critics Circle Award, opens and closes with revealing autobiographical essay.

Wine merchant Tony Beach has expertly catered his latest society soiree, but the fun's over when a team of hit men crash the party... literally. The event leaves Tony with a bitter aftertaste of suspicion — and sets off a mystery that's an intoxicating blend of deception, intrigue, and murder.

The search for love, glittering with Richard Bach's unique, prismatic imagination. 'Did you ever feel that you were missing someone you had never met?'. Haunted by the ghost of the wise, mystical, lovely lady who lives just around the corner in time, Richard Bach begins his quest to find her, to learn of love and immortality not in the here-after, but in the here and now. Yet caught in storms of wealth and success, disaster and betrayal, he abandons the search, and the walls he builds for protection become his prison. Then he meets the one brilliant and beautiful woman who can set him free, and with her begins a transforming journey, a magical discovery of love and joy.

»A Part of Speech» contains poems from the years 1965-1978, translated by various hands.

In the eleventh century, in Persia, there lived a mathematician named Ghiyathuddin Abulfath Omar bin Ibrahim al-Khayyami--or, Omar, son of Abraham, the tent-maker. Omar wrote poetry, and while his rhymes received little attention in their day, they were rediscovered and translated into beautiful English — more than seven centuries later — by a gentleman and scholar named Edward FitzGerald. It was a meeting of minds, a great collaboration of the past and the present, and FitzGerald's rendition of those passionate verses has become one of the best loved poem cycles in the English language. With their concern for the here and now, as opposed to the hereafter, Omar Khayyam's quatrains are as romantic today as they were hundreds of years ago; they are a tribute to the power of one moment's pleasure over a lifetime of sorrow, of desire over the vicissitudes of time. «Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam», presented here with Edward FitzGerald's original preface, is truly a classic, and it will stand forever as one of our finest monuments to love.