Penguin Group

Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is a member of Russia's dying aristocracy a man so lazy that he has given up his job in the Civil Service, neglected his books, insulted his friends and found himself in debt. Too apathetic to do anything about his problems, he lives in a grubby, crumbling apartment, waited on by Zakhar, his equally idle servant. Terrified by the bustle and activity necessary to participate in the real world, Oblomov manages to avoid work, postpone change and finally risks losing the love of his life. Written with sympathetic humour and compassion, Oblomov made Goncharov famous throughout Russia on its publication in 1859, as readers saw in this story of a man whose defining characteristic is indolence, the portrait of an entire class in decline.

As a playwright Chekhov was subversive, even revolutionary, breaking away from the prevailing fashions of contemporary theatre to create an exhilarating new form of drama. He created many plays without heroes and villains, and focused instead on the individual grappling with a moral dilemma. In place of the happy ending came ambiguity, in place of dramatic conflict came the solitary quest. Shocking to his first audiences, his plays are equally provocative today. A new translation by Peter Carson with an introduction by Richard Gilman.

Here's Rachel Walsh, twenty-seven and the miserable owner of size 8 feet. She has regular congress with Luke Costello, a man who wears his leather trousers tight. And she's fond — some might say too fond — of recreational drugs. Until she finds herself being frogmarched to the Cloisters — Dublin's answer to the Betty Ford Clinic. She's outraged. Surely she's not thin enough to be an addict? Heartsick and Luke-sick, she seeks redemption in the shape of Chris, a man with a past. A man who might be more trouble than he's worth.

In The Red Pony, John Steinbeck’s celebration of the spirit and courage of adolescence, we meet Jody Tiflin. Like most ten-year-old boys, Jody feels the urge for rebellion as well as the need to be loved. In these stories, Jody begins to learn about adulthood – its pains, its responsibilities and its problems – through the acceptance of his father’s gifts. First he is given a red pony and later he is promised the colt of a bay mare. But both these gifts bring tragedy as well as joy, and Jody not only learns some harsh lessons about life (and death), but is also made painfully aware of the fallibility of adults.

Jack Ryan. The early CIA days ... When young Jack Ryan joins the CIA as an analyst he is thrust into a world of political intrigue and conspiracy. Stationed in England he quickly finds himself debriefing a Soviet defector with an extraordinary story to tell: senior Russian officials are plotting to assassinate Pope John Paul II. The CIA novice must forget his inexperience and rely on all his wits to firstly discover the details of the plot – and then prevent its execution. For it is not just the Pope’s life that is at stake, but also the stability of the Western world …

Penguin Student Editions have been specifically designed for readers who are studying a text in detaol. They include a helpful introduction and explanatory notes, character sketches, a text summary, a chronology, language notes, a selection of questions and topics for discussion and analysis, as well as suggestions for further reading. There is not a modern short story writer anywhere to be compared with Roald Dahl. Each of his stories is so clever has such a startling twist at the end of it leaves the reader gasping. The then stories in this book may depict human nature at its darkest, but they are also brilliantly funny and completely unforgettable.

The controversial bestseller from Tom Clancy, the all-time master of the techno-thriller. CIA Deputy Director Jack Ryan joins the war on drugs. And when three American officials are assassinated in Colombia, the U.S. response is swift-and shocking.

Based on the legend of an early sixteenth-century astrologer and necromancer. Doctor Faustus is an enduring tale of the brilliant mind of a mortal man — and the soul he sold to the devil... This new edition includes a revised introduction, a history of the play on stage, and an updated bibliography by the editor, Sylvan Barnet of Tufts University.

Ralph Roberts hasn't been sleeping well lately. Every morning he wakes just a little bit earlier until pretty soon, he isn't sleeping at all. It wouldn't be so bad if not for the strange hallucinations — and the nightmares that keep coming to life.

Have you ever wondered what happened to your first love? Imagine bumping into her twelve years after you last saw her and realising you still fancy her rotten. This is what happens to Dig Ryan when he sees Delilah again. Now imagine you're Nadine. You've been Dig's best friend for the last fifteen years, and you've just realised that you're in love with him. Delilah was your nemesis at school and it turns out she stills is. When she resurfaces, you might find yourself feeling extremely jealous and start doing really childish things. Like phoning your first love, Phil, just to get your own back.... This is a story about ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends and what happens when you start messing with the past. And how sometimes what you're looking for isn't in the past or in the future, but right under your nose.

Intuition is not some magical property that arises unbidden from the depths of our mind. It is a product of long hours and intelligent design, of meaningful work environments and particular rules and principles. This book shows us how we can hone our instinctive ability to know in an instant, helping us to bring out the best in our thinking and become better decision-makers in our homes, offices and in everyday life. Just as he did with his revolutionary theory of the tipping point, Gladwell reveals how the power of 'blink' could fundamentally transform our relationships, the way we consume, create and communicate, how we run our businesses and even our societies.You'll never think about thinking in the same way again.

When I was sixteen I became an Islamic fundamentalist. Five years later, after much emotional turmoil, I rejected fundamentalist teachings and returned to normal life and my family. I tried to put my experiences behind me, but as the events of 7/7 unfolded it became clear to me that Islamist groups pose a threat to this country that we — Muslims and non-Muslims alike — do not yet understand. Why are young British Muslims becoming extremists? What are the risks of another home-grown terrorist attack on British soil? By describing my experiences inside these groups, the reasons I joined them and how, after leaving I recovered my faith and mind, I hope to explain the appeal of extremist thought, how fanatics penetrate Muslim communities and the truth behind their agenda of subverting the West and moderate Islam. Writing candidly about life after extremism, I illustrate the depth of the problem that now grips Muslim hearts and minds. I will lay bare what politicians and Muslim 'community leaders' do not want you to know. This is the first time an ex-member openly discusses life within radical Islamic organisations. This is my story.

This book has created a storm of controversy by bringing out into the open America’s relationship with the Israel lobby: a loose coalition of individuals and organizations that actively work to shape foreign policy in a way that is profoundly damaging both to the United States and Israel itself. Israel is an important, valued American ally, yet Mearsheimer and Walt show that, by encouraging unconditional US financial and diplomatic support for Israel and promoting the use of its power to remake the Middle East, the lobby has jeopardized America’s and Israel’s long-term security and put other countries – including Britain – at risk.

This shocking book, based on thousands of declassified documents and interviews with agents at all levels, shows the reality behind the glamorous myth: a blundering, chaotic and dangerously incompetent organization, so ineffective it was nicknamed ‘Can’t Identify Anything’ by Nato forces. In a story of botched coups, missed targets, lost operatives and fatal errors, Tim Weiner shows how the CIA now poses a threat not only to the security of the US, but the world.

The Pursuit of Glory brings to life one of the most extraordinary periods in European history – from the battered, introvert continent after the Thirty Years War to the dynamic one that experienced the French Revolution and the wars of Napoleon. Tim Blanning depicts the lives of ordinary people and the dominant personalities of the age (Louis XIV, Frederick the Great, Napoleon), and explores an era of almost unprecedented change, growth and cultural, political and technological ferment that shaped the societies and economies of entire countries.

A vivid, wide-ranging and engrossing account of Scotland's history, composed of eye-witness accounts by those who experienced it first-hand. Contributors range from Tacitus, Mary Queen of Scots and Oliver Cromwell to Adam Smith, David Livingstone and Billy Connolly. These include key historic moments — ranging from Bannockburn and Flodden to the SNP parliamentary victory in 2007 — along with a vast array of wonderfully readable insights into the everyday life of Scotland through the millennia. This is living, accesible history told by crofters, criminals, servants, house-wives, poets, journalists, nurses, politicians, novelists, prisoners, comedians, sportsmen and many more.

It's widely accepted in business that great companies grow their revenues and profits year after year — but bigger is not necessarily better. In Small Giants, journalist Bo Burlingham takes us deep inside fourteen remarkable privately held companies, from a brewery to a record label, that chose a different path to success. These organizations quietly rejected the pressure of endless growth, deciding to focus more on satisfying business goals — being the best at what they do, creating a stimulating place to work, providing perfect customer service and making important contributions to their communities. But what are the magic ingredients that make these companies unique? Why and how does their approach work in such widely varying industries? And what lessons can we learn from them? A fresh, inspirational guide to business strategy, Small Giants will help any entrepeneur consider new directions to make their company great.

As one of today's most influential business thinkers, Seth Godin has now collected the most provocative short pieces from his pioneering blog. This book also includes his most popular columns from Fast Company magazine and several of the short e-books he has written in the last few years. Includes: Clinging to Your Job Title? The Persistence of Really Bad Ideas The Seduction of 'Good Enough' Judging a Book by its Cover Do Less Small is the New Big is packed with inspiring ideas: as Godin says in his introduction, 'I'm certain that you're smart enough to see the stuff you've always wanted to do buried deep inside one of these riffs. And I'm betting that once inspired, you'll actually make something happen'.

The Stuff of Thought is an exhilarating work of non-fiction. Surprising, thought-provoking and incredibly enjoyable, there is no other book like it — Steven Pinker will revolutionise the way you think about language. He analyses what words actually mean and how we use them, and he reveals what this can tell us about ourselves. He shows how we use space and motion as metaphors for more abstract ideas, and uncovers the deeper structures of human thought that have been shaped by evolutionary history. He also explores the emotional impact of language, from names to swear words, and shows us the full power that it can have over us. And, with this book, he also shows just how stimulating and entertaining language can be.

The Bright Young Things of 1920s Mayfair, with their paradoxical mix of innocence and sophistication, exercise their inventive minds and vile bodies in every kind of capricious escapade, whether it is promiscuity, dancing, cocktail parties or sports cars. A vivid assortment of characters, among them the struggling writer Adam Fenwick-Symes and the glamorous, aristocratic Nina Blount, hunt fast and furiously for ever greater sensations and the hedonistic fulfilment of their desires. Evelyn Waugh's acidly funny and experimental satire shows a new generation emerging in the years after the First World War, revealing the darkness and vulnerability beneath the glittering surface of the high life.

The beginning of the twenty-first century will be remembered, Friedman argues, not for military conflicts or political events, but for a whole new age of globalization – a ‘flattening’ of the world. The explosion of advanced technologies now means that suddenly knowledge pools and resources have connected all over the planet, levelling the playing field as never before, so that each of us is potentially an equal – and competitor – of the other. The rules of the game have changed forever – but does this ‘death of distance’, which requires us all to run faster in order to stay in the same place, mean the world has got too small and too flat too fast for us to adjust? Friedman brilliantly demystifies the exciting, often bewildering, global scene unfolding before our eyes, one which we sense but barely yet understand. The World is Flat is the most timely and essential update on globalization, its successes and its discontents, powerfully illuminated by a world-class writer. In his new chapters: 'If It's Not Happening, It's Because You're Not Doing It' and 'What Happens When We All Have Dog's Hearing?' the author explores both the benefits and disadvantages of the very latest developments in global communication. The emergent popularity of blogging, pod-casting, YouTube and MySpace enable the modern world citizen to broadcast their views to a potential audience of billions, and the proliferation of Internet access to even the poorest communities gives everyone who wants to the tools to address issues of social injustice and inequality. On the other hand the technology that seems to improve communication on a global scale causes it to deteriorate on a local scale. Identifying ours as 'The Age of Interruption', Friedman discusses the annoyance and dangers of BlackBerrys in meeting rooms, hands-free kits in conversation and using a phone or iPod whilst driving. In an age when we are always 'connected' via email or mobile phone how can we hope to concentrate on one thing without interruption? As expected the author has revitalised this new edition of The World Is Flat with timely insights into the nature of our flat world.

If oil is a problem, it seems that cars are the solution. Working on innovative, environmental technologies and entirely new business models, the car industry could be launching society’s greatest leap forward in a hundred years. Zoom visits the boardrooms of oil executives and shows how some are fearlessly exploring new energy sources and designs. Elsewhere, Carson and Vaitheeswaran examine the alliances that are being formed to end our addiction to oil in both the West and the growing markets of China, India and Russia, as well as what Toyota and the Prius can teach us, economically and ecologically. Zoom also introduces the Thomas Edison of the twenty-first century, a legendary inventor whose revolutionary work with hydrogen-powered vehicles on a pure water loop is already having a positive impact on the environment and the marketplace.

Free markets, we’re told, mean free people. Yet around the world this ‘freedom’ is being paid for in blood. When a catastrophe occurs – whether war, terrorist attack or natural disaster – there are people cleaning up and cashing in, using chaos to force through brutal economic punishment. They are the shock doctors. Naomi Klein’s gripping and explosive book reveals who these global racketeers are, how their ideology has come to dominate our world – from raking in billions out of the tsunami, to plundering Russia and exploiting Iraq – and how they are making a killing.

1896: Four Englishmen flee for their lives across the merciless Kalahari Desert carrying a stolen fortune in raw diamonds and hunted by a fierce African tribe. The thieves manage to reach the waiting HMS Rove – only to die with their pursuers in a vicious storm that buries them all under tons of sand… The present day: Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the covert combat ship Oregon have barely escaped a mission on the Congo River when they intercept a mayday from a defenceless boat under fire off the African coast. Cabrillo takes action, saving the beautiful Sloane Macintyre – who’s looking for a long-submerged ship that may hold a fortune in diamonds. But what surprises Cabrillo is her story about a crazy fisherman who claims to have been attacked on the open sea by giant metal snakes in the same area. What begins as a snake hunt leads Cabrillo on to the trail of a far more lethal quarry – a deranged militant and his followers who plan to unleash the devastating power of nature itself against all who oppose them. In his latest bestseller, Clive Cussler, the Grandmaster of Adventure, shows once again that when it comes to page-turning action, he’s the man to beat.