Penguin Group

Famously characterized as the story of two Dashwood sisters who embody the conflict between the oppressive nature of civilized society and the human desire for romantic passion, there is far more to this story of two daughters made homeless by the death of their father. Elinor, 19, and Marianne, 17, initially project the opposing roles with Elinor cautious and unassuming about romantic matters, while Marianne is wild and passionate when she falls hopelessly in love with the libertine Mr. Willoughby. But the lessons in love and life see the two characters develop and change with sense and sensibility needing to be compromised as a matter of survival. Written when Austen was just 19, this story has been read as a biographical reflection of her relationship with her own sister Cassandra, with the younger Jane being the victim of sensibility. However, the novel is far more than a simple case of passion versus manners, and depicts the romantic complications of two women made highly vulnerable by the loss of their father and estate.

It is Christmas Eve and the party is over. Clara creeps downstairs to find Nutcracker, a wooden doll given to her by her mysterious godfather Drosselmeier — a creator of fabulous mechanical toys, has come to life. Through her godfather's strange powers, Clara is caught up in a thrilling battle in which she and Nutcracker — in reality a prince transformed by an evil spell — overcome the Mouse King and his army. Clara's bravery is rewarded by a trip to the magical Land of Sweets, and in the end it is her love and loyalty that lift the curse, transforming Nutcracker back into his true self, and making Clara's dreams come true.This classic love story, which inspired the popular ballet that is danced to one of Tchaikovsky's most magical scores, is wonderfully retold by David Walser, in a direct translation from the original German story. Jan Pie kowski, master of illustration, brings the story vividly to life adding his own magic with exquisite illustrations on sparkling backgrounds. The finale is a multi-layered tableau of intricate laser-cut silhouettes, created in the style of traditional German papercraft. This beautiful and sumptuous novelty book is the ultimate Christmas gift.

There have been many books written on good business practice. All eminently sensible. All based on logic, common sense and good manners. It is essential if you want to be a supermarket manager. But for those wishing to break new ground, it is not enough. Logic and common sense have a habit of leading us to the same conclusions. If you are going to make your mark on the world you have to start thinking differently. To think differently, you have to think illogically. Whatever You Think Think The Opposite looks at life the wrong way in a bid to explain the benefits of making wrong decisions.

Set in an exotic Eastern landscape peopled by magicians and fantastic talking animals, Salman Rushdie's classic children's novel Haroun and the Sea of Stories inhabits the same imaginative space as Gulliver's Travels, Alice in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz. In this captivating adaptation for the stage, Haroun sets out on an adventure to restore the poisoned source of the sea of stories. On the way, he encounters many foes, all intent on draining the sea of all its storytelling powers.

Mozart is creative, brilliant and charming. But is he also a thief! Making his way to Prague for the opening of Don Giovanni, the great composer, playfully tries to steal an orange from a Bohemian family's garden. But no sooner has he taken the fruit than he is caught by a furious gardener. Desperate to escape, Mozart frantically scrawls an apologetic note to the owners of the tree. Soon, he finds himself not only forgiven but welcomed by a family who have adored the beauty of his music and are stunned to find the celebrity wandering lost in their orangery. And when they reveal it is their daughter's wedding, there can only be one guest of honour: the musical genius Amadeus.

Lord Copper, newspaper magnate and proprietor of the Daily Beast, has always prided himself on his intuitive flair for spotting ace reporters. That is not to say he has not made the odd blunder, however, and may in a moment of weakness make another. Acting on a dinner-party tip from Mrs Algernon Smith, he feels convinced that he has hit on just the chap to cover a promising little war in the African Republic of Ishmaelia. One of Waugh's most exuberant comedies, Scoop is a brilliantly irreverent satire of Fleet Street and its hectic pursuit of hot news.

When his buddy Hawk is beaten within an inch of his life, Spenser infiltrates a ruthless mob in the name of friendship — and revenge.

This companion to the 12-copy World of Peter Rabbit Giftbox contains numbers 13-23 of Beatrix Potter's Original Peter Rabbit Books plus the little biography, Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit.

A Powerhouse Collection of Classic Crime Novels, Back in Print After Ten Years!; Mickey Spillane, the all-time best-selling noir originator, is probably one of the most notorious writers in publishing history. Collected here for the first time, and featuring the books' original pulp cover art, are three of his greatest Mike Hammer novels, where the only crime is getting caught, where justice can be bought for the price of a beer, and where corruption lies around every corner.

In Mickey Spillane's classic private eye novels, the action exploded in a bone-crunching catharsis. Men and women didn't make love — they collided. Tough guys who wished to drive home a message, used their fists. Tougher broads used guile. And no-one's morals were loftier than the gutter. No apologies. Little redemption. These novels rendered critics powerless, shocked intellectuals, inspired a new wave of pulp mayhem, and left the public hungry for more. 1, The Jury sees homicide's hottest anti-hero Mike Hammer investigating the brutal murder of a close friend, and fighting with a desire to exact a terrible form of revenge. In My Gun Is Quick, Spillane's quick-fisted hero hunts for the killer of a red-head who gets her kicks in all the wrong ways. Vengeance Is Mine! sees Hammer infiltrating the Mafia to investigate a series of mysterious killings of women.

'I live on Brazzaville Beach... I am here because two sets of strange and extraordinary events happened to me... One in England, first, and then one in Africa.' On Brazzaville Beach, on the edge of Africa, Hope Clearwater examines the complex circumstances that brought her there. Sifting the details for evidence of her own innocence or guilt, she tells her engrossing story with a blunt and beguiling honesty that not only intrigues and disturbs but is also completely enthralling.

A desperate father hires Alatriste to rescue his daughter from a convent where a powerful priest is said to be using the girl as his personal concubine. Soon Alatriste discovers that he has become part of a religious and political conspiracy that leads all the way to the highest levels of the Inquisition.

Story-telling is an ingrained habit; I wouldn't know what else to do. But the mythology that is intriguing today is that of imagined alternatives. Somehow, choice and contingency have landed you where you are, as the person that you are, and the whole process seems so precarious that you look back at those climatic moments when things might have gone differently, when life might have spun off in some other direction, and wonder at this apparently arbitrary outcome In this fascinating new piece of fiction, Penelope Lively takes moments from her own life and asks what if she had made other choices: what if she hadn't escaped from Alexandria at the outbreak of WWII? What would her life have been like if she had become pregnant when she was 18? If she had married someone else? If she taken a different job? If she had lived her life abroad? In this highly original work, Penelope Lively examines alternative destinies, choices and the moments in our lives when we could have chosen a different path...

The citizens of Moonlight Cove are changing. Some are losing touch with their deepest emotions. Others are surrendering to their wildest urges. And the few who remain unchanged are absolutely terrified — if not brutally murdered in the dead of night. Enter the shocking world of Moonlight Cove, where four unlikely survivors confront the darkest realms of human nature...

Cabot Cove's posh retreat offers struggling artists a European spa, psychiatry and even hypnotism. But soon the retreat begins to look like a health hazard. A suicide attempt and a brutal murder quickly arouse the sheriff's attention — and Jessica's. And when an old friend mysteriously disappears, Jessica fears a twisted genius is at work writing a scenario for murder.

This is the classic story of Heidi, an unwanted child who finds love and happiness against all the odds.

Chase Benteen Calder was bound to wrest a fortune from Montana land, where the whisper of riches swept across a sea of buffalo grass. With Lorna at his side, a woman who took the tough ways of the land as her destiny, he would breathe life into his dream. Through the treacherous Texas prairie, the perils of Indian country, and a bustling Dodge City, they forged their way to Montana. With Calder strength, they would harvest their fortune from the rich earth, on the sprawling plains of This Calder Range.

The new bestseller from the original thrill-seeker — Jack Higgins. In Higgins' acclaimed bestseller Dark Justice, intelligence operative Sean Dillon and his colleagues in Britain and the United States beat back a terrible enemy, but at an equally terrible cost. One of them was shot, another run down in the street. Both were expected to survive — but only one of them does. As Detective Superintendent Hannah Bernstein of Special Branch lies recuperating in the hospital, a dark shadow from their past, scarred deep by hatred, steals across the room and finishes the job. Consumed by grief and rage, Dillon, Blake, Ferguson and all who loved Hannah swear vengeance, no matter where it takes them. But they have no idea of the searing journey upon which they are about to embark — nor of the war which will change them all.

Discovering his prodigious gift in boyhood and rising to the rank of international Grandmaster, Luzhin develops a lyrical passion for chess that renders the real world a phantom. As he confronts the fiery, swift-swooping Italian Grandmaster, Turati, he brings into play his carefully devised defence.

In the title piece of this collection of personal stories, Sarah Vowell addresses her ambivalent relationship to American history and citizenship. Elsewhere, she confronts a wide range of subjects, themes, icons and historical moments: Vietnam and Watergate; Canadian Mounties and German filmmakers; Starbucks and Buffy the Vampire Slayer; twins and nerds; the Gettysburg Address; and George W. Bush's inauguration. A book about politics, presidents, pop culture, patriotism and pretty much everything else that matters in the world today, «The Partly Cloudy Patriot» is a refreshing, thought-provoking guide to the crazy heart of America.

When the plane carrying the President of Taiwan explodes during their watch, Brick Maxwell and his squadron of Roadrunners are forced to trust a mysterious defector whose true loyalties are unknown as they set out to hijack the Black Star, a high-tech killing machine.

From cordon bleu cuisine in Paris to rustic country dishes in the heart of Provence, this invaluable guide lists over 3,200 of the best places to eat and stay in France. Covering all 16 regions, and richly illustrated, this is a mouthwatering and fascinating celebration of the best of French food and wine. A must-have for foodies and Francophiles alike.

When wealthy Rowland Mallet first sees a sculpture by Roderick Hudson, he is astounded and pronounces it to be a work of genius, and is equally entranced by the sculptor's beauty, spirit and charisma. Wishing to give the impoverished artist the opportunity to develop his talent, he takes Roderick from America to Rome, where he becomes the talk of the city. But Roderick soon loses his inspiration and Rowland loses control of his protégé, while both fall in love with women they cannot ever have. Can Roderick be saved from the path to self-destruction he seems set on? One of Henry James's first novels, Roderick Hudson (1875) is a compelling depiction of the artistic temperament and of a young man who, like Icarus, flies too close to the sun.

Volume four of the CALDER saga, in which Jessy persuades Ty to follow the family tradition and undertake the death-defying fight against the threat of development of the land that is his birthright. Follows THIS CALDER RANGE, STANDS A CALDER MAN and THIS CALDER SKY.