Penguin Group

'I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills... Up in this high air you breathed easily... you woke up in the morning and thought: Here I am, where I ought to be.' From the moment Karen Blixen arrived in Kenya in 1914 to manage a coffee plantation, her heart belonged to Africa. Drawn to the intense colours and ravishing landscapes, Blixen spent her happiest years on the farm, and her experiences and friendships with the people around her are vividly recalled in these memoirs. Out of Africa is the story of a remarkable and unconventional woman, and of a way of life that has vanished for ever.

He is the Napoleon of crime, Watson... He sits motionless, like a spider in the centre of its web, but that web has a thousand radiations, and he knows well every quiver of each of them Sherlock Holmes, scourge of criminals everywhere, whether they be lurking in London's foggy backstreets or plotting behind the walls of an idyllic country mansion, and his faithful colleague Dr Watson, solve these breathtaking and perplexing mysteries. In Arthur Conan Doyle's The Five Orange Pips and Other Cases we encounter some of his most famous and devilishly difficult problems. The Penguin English Library includes 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.

There has been a lot of fighting hereabouts. The trenches have made themselves rather than been made, and run inconsequently in and out of the big thirty-foot high stacks of bricks; it is most confusing. The parapet of a trench which we don't occupy is built up with ammunition boxes and corpses. In one of the most honest and candid self-portraits ever committed to paper, Robert Graves tells the extraordinary story of his experiences as a young officer in the First World War. He describes life in the trenches in vivid, raw detail, how the dehumanizing horrors he witnessed left him shell-shocked. They were to haunt him for the rest of his life.

We are not like other folk, maybe, but there have always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm. Sensible, sophisticated Flora Poste has been expensively educated to do everything but earn a living. When she is orphaned at twenty, she decides her only option is to descend on relatives — the doomed Starkadders at the aptly named Cold Comfort Farm. There is Judith in a scarlet shawl, heaving with remorse for an unspoken wickedness; raving old Ada Doom, who once saw something nasty in the woodshed; lustful Seth and despairing Reuben, Judith's two sons; and there is Amos, preaching fire and damnation to one and all. As the sukebind flowers, Flora takes each of the family in hand and brings order to their chaos. Cold Comfort Farm is a sharp and clever parody of the melodramatic and rural novel.

One night in the rain, Ethan Wate opened his eyes and fell in love with Lena Duchannes. His life would never be the same. Lena is a Caster and her family is locked in a supernatural civil war: full of darkness and demons. On her sixteenth birthday Lena made a terrifying choice, which now haunts her day and night. And as her seventeenth birthday approaches Lena and Ethan face even greater danger. A Caster and a Mortal can never truly be together. Every kiss is a curse. Ethan's next heartbeat could be his last. It is their curse now...

Ethan Wate is in love with a caster girl. When he looks at Lena, it's like there's no one else in the world. But Ethan is mortal, and on her seventeenth birthday Lena made a choice that changed everything. The girl Ethan loves has broken the world with the supernatural powers she is struggling to control... Now, if they are to fix the chaos Lena has caused, one of them must make a terrible sacrifice. Sometimes there isn't just one answer. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending. This is the third installment of the spellbinding love story that began with Beautiful Creatures.

Everybody who is anybody is seen at the glittering parties held in millionaire Jay Gatsby's mansion in West Egg, east of New York. The riotous throng congregates in his garden, coolly debating Gatsby's origins and mysterious past. None of the frivolous socialites understands him and among various rumours is the conviction that 'he killed a man'.

Honey Money shows how men and women can do better in the workplace and life by boosting their attractiveness. Why are some people a success at everything? Why do doors open for them wherever they go? The answer, Catherine Hakim shows, is the power of erotic capital: a magic combination of attractiveness and charisma that is at the heart of how we work, live and conduct our relationships. She reveals why erotic capital is just as influential as how rich, clever or well-connected you are in life — often more so. And how reading this book can help you boost your potential. Should be read out to young girls because it states that you can be a feminist, you can be strong and independent and clever, and you can wear a nice frock and high heels while you do this.

This is the «Penguin English Library Edition» of «The Old Curiosity Shop» by Charles Dickens. 'But what added most to the grotesque expression of his face, was a ghastly smile, which, appearing to be the mere result of habit and to have no connexion with any mirthful or complacent feeling, constantly revealed the few discoloured fangs that were yet scattered in his mouth, and gave him the aspect of a panting dog'. The tale of «Little Nell» gripped the nation when it first appeared in 1841. Described as a 'tragedy of sorrows', the story tells of Nell uprooted from a secure and innocent childhood and cast into a world where evil takes many shapes, the most fascinating of which is the stunted, lecherous Quilp. Blending realism with non-realistic genres such as fairy-tale, allegory, and pastoral, the tale of Nell's tragedy contains some of Dickens most memorable comic and grotesque creations, including the dwarf Daniel Quilp, Dick Swiveller and Kit Nubbles. «The Penguin English Library» contains 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the first novels to the beginning of the First World War.

This is the «Penguin English Library Edition» of «Oliver Twist» by Charles Dickens. A parish child — the orphan of a workhouse — the humble, half-starved drudge — to be cuffed and buffeted through the world, despised by all, and pitied by none. Dark, mysterious and mordantly funny, «Oliver Twist» features some of the most memorably drawn villains in all of fiction — the treacherous gangmaster Fagin, the menacing thug Bill Sikes, the Artful Dodger and their den of thieves in the grimy London backstreets. Dicken's novel is both an angry indictment of poverty, and an adventure filled with an air of threat and pervasive evil. «The Penguin English Library» — 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.

Shows how a young man's life is transformed by a mysterious series of events — an encounter with an escaped prisoner; a visit to a black-hearted old woman and a beautiful girl; a fortune from a secret donor.

Chronicles David Copperfield's extraordinary journey through life, as he encounters villains, saviours, eccentrics and grotesques, including the wicked Mr Murdstone, stout-hearted Peggotty, formidable Betsey Trotwood, impecunious Micawber and odious Uriah Heep.

There is a church in the glittering frozen wastes of Northern Sweden. Inside, a sacrifice: the body of a man — slashed to pieces, hands severed, eyes gouged out. The victim's sister, Sanna, is first to discover the body and immediately finds herself the police's only suspect. Terrified and confused, she calls on a friend: hot-shot city lawyer Rebecka Martinsson. Rebecka hardly wants to return to Kirana — the small town she fled in disgrace years ago. But Sanna is frightened and she needs a loyal friend to clear her name. Someone not scared to dig deep and find the true killer. Yet Rebecka is not especially welcomed into the closed-lipped community of Kirana. She might know the town, the people and how suspicious they can be of strangers. But she has still to find out how dark the town's secrets have become in her absence.

I knew Sebastian by sight long before I met him. That was unavoidable for, from his first week, he was the most conspicuous man of his year by reason of his beauty, which was arresting, and his eccentricities of behaviour, which seemed to know no bounds. Charles Ryder, a lonely student at Oxford, is captivated by the outrageous and exquisitely beautiful Sebastian Flyte. Invited to Brideshead, Sebastian's magnificent family home, Charles welcomes the attentions of its eccentric, aristocratic inhabitants. But he also discovers a world where duty and desire, faith and earthly happiness are in conflict; a world which threatens to destroy his beloved Sebastian. A scintillating depiction of the decadent, privileged aristocracy prior to the Second World War, Brideshead Revisited is widely regarded as Evelyn Waugh's finest work.

Vanitas Vanitatum! Which of us is happy in this world? Which of us has his desire? or, having it, is satisfied? No one is better equipped in the struggle for wealth and worldly success than the alluring and ruthless Becky Sharp, who defies her impoverished background to clamber up the class ladder. Her sentimental companion Amelia, however, longs only for caddish soldier George. As the two heroines make their way through the tawdry glamour of Regency society, battles — military and domestic — are fought, fortunes made and lost. The one steadfast and honourable figure in this corrupt world is Dobbin with his devotion to Amelia, bringing pathos and depth to Thackeray's gloriously satirical epic of love and social adventure. The Penguin English Library — 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.

Late into the night we talked of love, of its complications. In my father's eyes they were imaginary... This conception of rapid, violent and passing love affairs appealed to my imagination. I was not at the age when fidelity is attractive. I knew very little about love. The French Riviera: home to the Beautiful People. And none are more beautiful than Cecile, a precocious seventeen-year-old, and her father Raymond, a vivacious libertine. Charming, decadent and irresponsible, the golden-skinned duo are dedicated to a life of free love, fast cars and hedonistic pleasures. But then, one long, hot summer Raymond decides to marry, and Cecile and her lover Cyril feel compelled to take a hand in his amours, with tragic consequences. Bonjour Tristesse scandalized 1950s France with its portrayal of teenager terrible Cecile, a heroine who rejects conventional notions of love, marriage and responsibility to choose her own sexual freedom.

From the land of fantastical castles, vast lakes and deep forests, the Brothers Grimm collected a treasury of enchanting folk and fairy stories full of giants and dwarfs, witches and princesses, magical beasts and cunning children. From classics such as «The Frog Prince» and «Hansel and Grettel» to the delights of «Ashputtel» — the original «Cinderella» — all hold a timeless magic which has enthralled children for generations. Illustrators Quentin Blake, Raymond Briggs, Axel Scheffler, Helen Oxenbury, Oliver Jeffers and Emma Chichester Clark have each chosen their personal favourite fairytale to illustrate, and their individual styles make this a unique treasury for everyone to enjoy.

The more I know of the world, the more am I convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much! Jane Austen's novel tells the story of Marianne Dashwood, who wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Through their parallel experience of love — and its threatened loss — the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love. The Penguin English Library includes 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.

In the summer of 1978 the Krasnansky family — bickering, tired and confused — arrive in Rome. Alongside thousands of other Soviet Jewish refugees they await passage to a new home in the West. But escaping Communism is not so easy, especially when some of the Krasnanskys insist on bringing it with them.

Buy now with one-click. Amazon's business model is deceptively simple: make online shopping so easy and convenient that customers won't think twice. Yet Amazon's success is largely down to CEO and founder Jeff Bezos, a man described as both a 'happy-go-lucky mogul' and a 'notorious micromanager'. His high energy, passionate approach to retailing has driven Amazon to the top. Jeff Bezos is smart. Originally a computer geek, he had the vision to capitalise on the untapped online market for books. He's also a calculating machine who creates 'deal-flow' charts for every major decision, from what business to create to how to choose a spouse. One Click explores what makes Bezos Bezos. Through detailed research and interviews with Amazon employees, competitors and observers, Richard Brandt has deciphered how Bezos thinks, what drives his actions and how he makes his business decisions. Amazon.com was waiting to be discovered. It took Bezos' unique character and strategy to make it happen. Anyone in the business world can learn from his reinvention of the retail landscape.

Author of the classic Skellig, David Almond has written his first adult novel. Like Emma Donoghue's bestselling Room, it's the story of a boy who's been incarcerated and comes out to find his way in the world.

A century after a devastating volcanic eruption forced Iceland's inhabitants to abandon its shores, the island is enshrouded in legend. Fishermen tell tales of seductive witches who steal men's hearts. But the mystery of the island is a matter of life and death for a community of women who once spilled noble blood to secure their freedom.

This is the sequel to the international bestseller The Go-Giver, applying its inspirational approach to real-world challenges. The Go-Giver took the business world by storm with its message that giving is the simplest, most fulfilling, and most effective path to success. It has inspired hundreds of thousands of readers; but some have wondered how the story's lessons stand up to the tough challenges of everyday, real-world business. Bob Burg and John David Mann answer that question in Go-Givers Sell More, a practical guide that turns giving into the cornerstone of a powerful and effective approach to selling. Most of us think of sales as a struggle to make people do something they don't really want to do. But that cut-throat mentality makes the process much harder than it has to be — especially in an economic downturn when customers are more suspicious and defensive than ever. It's far more effective (and satisfying) when salespeople think like Go-Givers and focus on creating value for the customer. Cultivate a trusting relationship and provide outstanding service, and great results will follow automatically. Illustrating their points with a wide range of real-life examples, Burg and Mann offer tips and strategies that anyone in sales can start applying right away.

This is the international bestseller with a radically simple message. The Go-Giver tells the story of an ambitious young man named Joe who yearns for success. Joe is a true go-getter, though sometimes he feels as if the harder and faster he works, the further away his goals seem to be. One day, desperate to land a big deal at the end of a bad quarter, he seeks advice from the enigmatic Pindar, a legendary consultant referred to by his devotees simply as the Chairman. Over the next week, Pindar introduces Joe to a series of 'go-givers': a restaurateur, a CEO, a financial adviser, a broker, and the 'Connector' who brought them all together. Pindar's friends share the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success and teach Joe how to open himself up to the power of giving. Joe learns that changing his focus from getting to giving — putting others' interests first and continually adding value to their lives — leads to unexpected returns. Imparted with wit and grace, The Go-Giver is a heartwarming and inspiring tale that brings new relevance to the old proverb 'Give and you shall receive'.