HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. Winston Smith rewrites history. It''s his job. Hidden away in the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, he helps the Party, and the omnipresent Big Brother, control the people of Oceania. Winston knows what a good citizen of Oceania must do: show his devotion for Big Brother and the Party; abstain from all vices; and, most importantly, possess no critical thoughts of their own. The new notebook he''s begun to write in is definitely against the rules - in fact, the Thought Police could arrest him simply for having it. Yet, as Winston begins to write his own history, a seed of rebellion begins to grow in his heart - one that could have devastating consequences. In George Orwell''s final and most well-known novel, he explores a dystopian future in which a totalitarian government controls the actions, thoughts and even emotions of its citizens, exercising power through control of language and history. Its lasting popularity is testament to Orwell''s powerful prose, and is a passionate political warning for today.
Few literary masterpieces cast quite as awesome a shadow as Herman Melville''s Moby Dick. Captain Ahab''s quest for the white whale is a timeless epic - a thrilling tale of vengeance and obsession, and a searing parable about humanity lost in a universe of moral ambiguity.
Inspired by true events, Moby Dick is a work of astonishing psychological depth. It is perhaps the greatest sea story ever told and one of the great classics of literature.
''Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell''s heart I stab at thee; for hate''s sake I spit my last breath at thee...''
HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. The animals at Manor Farm have had enough of Farmer Jones - he''s drunk, he''s reckless and he cares little for the welfare of his animals. When Old Major, the old boar, calls a meeting, the animals are enthralled by his revolutionary plans, convinced that with the despot Jones overthrown, they can thrive on their own. However, soon after the farmer is banished from Manor Farm, the pigs begin to vie for control amongst themselves; the promised comforts never appear, no matter how hard they work; and their leaders begin to bear an uncanny resemblance to the very men they said they despised... George Orwell''s renowned fable became an instant success on publication after the Second World War. The novel has continued to captivate readers of all ages, and has secured Orwell''s position as one of the great writers of the twentieth century.
HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.
Young Charlotte Heywood arrives in Sanditon, a newly established seaside resort, with the Parkers: patrons and enthusiastic promoters of the town. Just as the town seeks to reinvent itself as a fashionable destination, Charlotte Heywood attempts to begin anew amongst its residents.
As she begins to settle into Sanditon society, with the Parkers and the rich widow Lady Denham, a slew of new arrivals stir up emotions. Among them are relatives of Lady Denham, seeking her generous fortune; Miss Lambe, a rich heiress; and Sydney Parker, the handsome young man who catches Charlotte''s eye. Charlotte must navigate the complicated web of liaisons, finding herself more involved than she ever intended...
Collected here with her unfinished work The Watsons, and the much-loved novella-in-letters, Lady Susan, Austen''s final, unfinished novel demonstrates her biting sense of humour and will give readers a thrilling glimpse of a genius at work.
How can you forge your own path in times of war, uncertainty and hardship? Meg longs for marriage; Amy wants to be a painter; Beth is content to stay at home; while Jo wants adventure and a life without limits. Four decidedly different sisters, growing up during the American Civil War, each facing their own unique challenge. Little Women tells the story of the March sisters. Through parties, travel, illness, arguments, dinners, love affairs and ice skating escapades, we follow these unforgettable women as they come of age. First published over 150 years ago, Little Women is a quintessential American classic has become a stage and screen favourite ever since, capturing the hearts of millions of readers across the world.
HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.
''Let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.'' A prophet waits to board a ship after 12 years away from his homeland. His journey is interrupted by a group of people who ask him to impart his wisdom before he leaves forever. What follows are 26 short chapters on everything from love, marriage and children, to freedom, reason, talking, time and death.
A guide to life and the human condition, this lyrical work of prose poetry has entranced readers for nearly 100 years. Described by many as the first self-help book, The Prophet was an instant bestseller when it was published in 1923, and is one of the most translated works in history.
HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. I sometimes fear we shall never wake till we are jerked out of it by the roar of bombs In 1936, George Orwell volunteered as a soldier in the Spanish Civil War. In Homage to Catalonia, first published just before the outbreak of World War II, Orwell documents the chaos and bloodshed of that moment in history and the voices of those who fought against rising fascism. His experience of the civil war would spark a significant change in his own political views, that readers today will recognise in much his later literary work; a rage against the threat of totalitarianism and control.
THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ''Every time Churchill took to the airwaves it was as if he were injecting adrenaline-soaked courage directly into the British people ... Larson tells the story of how that feat was accomplished ... Fresh, fast and deeply moving.'' New York Times A STARTLING, GRIPPING PORTRAIT OF WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE ALIVE IN BRITAIN DURING THE BLITZ, AND WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE AROUND CHURCHILL. On Winston Churchill''s first day as prime minister, Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next twelve months, the Nazis would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons and destroying two million homes. In The Splendid and the Vile , Erik Larson gives a new and brilliantly cinematic account of how Britain''s most iconic leader set about unifying the nation at its most vulnerable moment, and teaching ''the art of being fearless.'' Drawing on once-secret intelligence reports and diaries, #1 bestselling author Larson takes readers from the shelled streets of London to Churchill''s own chambers, giving a vivid vision of true leadership, when - in the face of unrelenting horror - a leader of eloquence, strategic brilliance and perseverance bound a country, and a family, together.
HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.
My Antonia is Willa Cather''s masterpiece about 19th-century Nebraskan pioneers.
My Antonia depicts the pioneering period of European settlement on the tall-grass prairie of the American midwest, with its beautiful yet terrifying landscape, rich ethnic mix of immigrants and native-born Americans, and communities who share life''s joys and sorrows.
Jim Burden recounts his memories of Antonia Shimerda, whose family settle in Nebraska from Bohemia. Together they share childhoods spent in a new world. Jim leaves the prairie for college and a career in the east, while Antonia devotes herself to her large family and productive farm. Her story is that of the land itself, a moving portrait of endurance and strength.
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ''The Putin book that we''ve been waiting for'' Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland ''Books about modern Russia abound ... Belton has surpassed them all. Her much-awaited book is the best and most important on modern Russia'' The Times A chilling and revelatory expose of the KGB''s renaissance, Putin''s rise to power, and how Russian black cash is subverting the world. In Putin''s People , former Moscow correspondent and investigative journalist Catherine Belton reveals the untold story of how Vladimir Putin and his entourage of KGB men seized power in Russia and built a new league of oligarchs. Through exclusive interviews with key inside players, Belton tells how Putin''s people conducted their relentless seizure of private companies, took over the economy, siphoned billions, blurred the lines between organised crime and political powers, shut down opponents, and then used their riches and power to extend influence in the West. In a story that ranges from Moscow to London, Switzerland and Trump''s America, Putin''s People is a gripping and terrifying account of how hopes for the new Russia went astray, with stark consequences for its inhabitants and, increasingly, the world. ''A fearless, fascinating account ... Reads at times like a John le Carre novel ... A groundbreaking and meticulously researched anatomy of the Putin regime, Belton''s book shines a light on the pernicious threats Russian money and influence now pose to the west'' Guardian
''Mendelsohn takes the classical costumes off figures like Virgil and Sappho, Homer and Horace ... He writes about things so clearly they come to feel like some of the most important things you have ever been told.'' Sebastian Barry Over the past three decades, Daniel Mendelsohn''s essays and reviews have earned him a reputation as ''our most irresistible literary critic'' (New York Times). This striking new collection exemplifies the way in which Mendelsohn - a classicist by training - uses the classics as a lens to think about urgent contemporary debates. There is much to surprise here. Mendelsohn invokes the automatons featured in Homer''s epics to help explain the AI films Ex Machina and Her, and perceives how Ted Hughes sought redemption by translating a play of Euripides (the ''bad boy of Athens'') about a wayward husband whose wife returns from the dead. There are essays on Sappho''s sexuality and the feminism of Game of Thrones; on how Virgil''s Aeneid prefigures post-World War II history and why we are still obsessed with the Titanic; on Patrick Leigh Fermor''s final journey, Karl Ove Knausgaard''s autofiction and the plays of Tom Stoppard, Tennessee Williams, and Noel Coward. The collection ends with a poignant account of the author''s boyhood correspondence with the historical novelist Mary Renault, which inspired his ambition to become a writer. In The Bad Boy of Athens, Mendelsohn provokes and dazzles with erudition, emotion and tart wit while his essays dance across eras, cultures and genres. This is a provocative collection which sees today''s master of popular criticism using the ancient past to reach into the very heart of modern culture.
WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2019 A BARACK OBAMA BEST BOOK OF 2019 SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION 2019 TIME''s #1 Best Nonfiction Book of 2019 A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ''A must read'' Gillian Flynn One night in December 1972, Jean McConville, a mother of ten, was abducted from her home in Belfast and never seen alive again. Her disappearance would haunt her orphaned children, the perpetrators of the brutal crime and a whole society in Northern Ireland for decades.
Through the unsolved case of Jean McConville''s abduction, Patrick Radden Keefe tells the larger story of the Troubles, investigating Dolours Price, the first woman to join the IRA, who bombed the Old Bailey; Gerry Adams, the politician who helped end the fighting but denied his IRA past; and Brendan Hughes, an IRA commander who broke their code of silence. A gripping story forensically reported, Say Nothing explores the extremes people will go to for an ideal, and the way societies mend - or don''t - after long and bloody conflict.
''10 Best Books of 2019'' - The New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Slate, NPR''s Fresh Air ''Best History Book of 2019'' - Amazon ''10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2019'' - TIME ''10 Best Nonfiction Books of the Decade'' - Entertainment Weekly ''20 Best Nonfiction Books of the Decade'' - Literary Hub ''10 Best True Crime Books of the Decade'' - CrimeReads
HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.
We walk about under a load of memories which we long to share and somehow never can.
John Flory, a white timber merchant in 1920s Burma, has unorthodox views. To him, the Burmese culture and people should be appreciated as things of beauty and worth. To the other white members of the European club of which he is member, these views are dangerous, undermining the foundation of British colonial rule.
Flory is drawn into a deadly rivalry when he befriends Veraswami, an Indian doctor, who is under the scrutiny of a corrupt magistrate. Flory defies the convention of imperial bigotry in Burma by offering to help his new friend, but the consequences to him, and Elizabeth Lackersteen, the woman he loves, will be explosive.
Based on his experiences as a policeman in Burma, Burmese Days was Orwell''s first novel, and sparked controversy for its scathing portrayal of colonial society.
From the award-winning, best-selling writer: a deeply moving tale of a father and son''s transformative journey in reading - and reliving - Homer''s epic masterpiece.
When eighty-one-year-old Jay Mendelsohn decides to enrol in the undergraduate seminar on the Odyssey that his son Daniel teaches at Bard College, the two find themselves on an adventure as profoundly emotional as it is intellectual. For Jay, a retired research scientist who sees the world through a mathematician''s unforgiving eyes, this return to the classroom is his ''one last chance'' to learn about the great literature he''d neglected in his youth - and, even more, a final opportunity to understand his son.
But through the sometimes-uncomfortable months that follow, as the two men explore Homer''s great work together - first in the classroom, where Jay persistently challenges his son''s interpretations, and then during a surprise-filled Mediterranean journey retracing Odysseus'' legendary voyages - it becomes clear that Daniel has much to learn, too: for Jay''s responses to both the text and the travels gradually uncover long-buried secrets that allow the son to understand his difficult father at last. As this intricately woven memoir builds to its wrenching climax, Mendelsohn''s narrative comes to echo The Odyssey itself, with its timeless themes of deception and recognition, marriage and children, the pleasures of travel and the meaning of home.
Rich with literary and emotional insight, An Odyssey is a renowned author-scholar''s most revelatory entwining yet of personal narrative and literary exploration.
''Her highly personal and reflective memoir ... is a must-read for anyone who cares about our role in a changing world'' Barack Obama THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR A TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR What can one person do? At a time of division and upheaval, Samantha Power offers an urgent response to this question - and calls for a clearer eye, a kinder heart, and a more open and civil hand in our politics and daily lives. The Education of an Idealist combines gripping storytelling, vivid character portraits and deep political insight, tracing Power''s journey from Irish immigrant to war correspondent and presidential Cabinet official. In 2005, her critiques of US foreign policy caught the eye of newly elected Senator Barack Obama, who invited her to work with him on Capitol Hill and then on his presidential campaign. After Obama was elected president, Power went from being an activist outsider to a government insider, navigating the halls of power while trying to put her ideals into practice. She served for four years as Obama''s human rights adviser, and in 2013 took one of the world''s most powerful diplomatic positions, becoming the youngest ever US Ambassador to the United Nations. A Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, Power transports us from her early years in Dublin to the streets of war-torn Bosnia into the White House Situation Room and the arena of high-stakes diplomacy. The Education of an Idealist lays bare the searing battles and defining moments of her life and shows how she juggled the demands of a 24/7 national security job with the challenge of raising two young children. Along the way, she illuminates the intricacies of politics and geopolitics, and reminds that in the face of great challenges there is always something each of us can do to advance the cause of human dignity.Honest, inspiring and evocatively written, Power''s memoir is an unforgettable account of the world-changing power of idealism - and of one person''s fierce determination to make a difference.
Less a mystery unsolved than a secret well kept The mystery has haunted generations since the Second World War: Who betrayed Anne Frank and her family? And why?
Now, thanks to radical new technology and the obsession of a retired FBI agent, this book offers an answer. Rosemary Sullivan unfolds the story in a gripping, moving narrative.
Over thirty million people have read The Diary of a Young Girl ,the journal teenaged Anne Frank kept while living in an attic with her family and four other people in Amsterdam during World War II, until the Nazis arrested them and sent them to a concentration camp. But despite the many works - journalism, books, plays and novels - devoted to Anne''s story, none has ever conclusively explained how these eight people managed to live in hiding undetected for over two years - and who or what finally brought the Nazis to their door.
With painstaking care, retired FBI agent Vincent Pankoke and a team of indefatigable investigators pored over tens of thousands of pages of documents - some never before seen - and interviewed scores of descendants of people familiar with the Franks. Utilising methods developed by the FBI, the Cold Case Team painstakingly pieced together the months leading to theinfamous arrest - and came to a shocking conclusion.
The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation is the riveting story of their mission. Rosemary Sullivan introduces us to the investigators, explains the behaviour of both the captives and their captors and profiles a group of suspects. All the while, she vividly brings to life wartime Amsterdam: a place where no matter how wealthy, educated, or careful you were, you never knew whom you could trust.
HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.
''Whatever comes,'' she said, ''cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside.'' ''A Little Princess'' tells the story of Sara Crewe, beloved daughter of the revered Captain Crewe. Sent to board at Miss Minchin''s Select Seminary for Young Ladies, Sara is devastated when her adored father dies. Suddenly penniless, Sara is banished to an attic room where she is starved, abused, and forced to work as a servant. How this exceptionally intelligent girl uses the only resources available to her, imagination and friendship, to overcome her situation and change her fortunes is at the centre of this enduring classic.
First published in 1905, ''A Little Princess'' is a heart-warming tale of hope, hardship and love set against a backdrop of Victorian England, and is one of the best-loved stories in all of children''s literature.
HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.
"I am writing this under an appreciable mental strain, since by tonight I shall be no more." This selection of works showcases the best-known, most chilling stories of H. P. Lovecraft, including Dagon , The Call of Cthulhu , The Thing on the Doorstep and Herbert West - Reanimator . They feature such deadly horrors as terrifying sea-creatures, menaces from outer space, evil-worshipping cults and unexpected murder by familiar hands. There is no place so frightful that Lovecraft did not venture there, and these tales will leave the imagination reeling, yet dare you to turn the page...
HarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics.
''The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.'' When Basil Hallward paints the portrait of young, handsome Dorian Gray, he falls prey to his dazzling beauty. Afraid that his youth and looks will waste away, Dorian expresses a wish that his portrait, and not he, will age and fade over time. His wish is granted, and over the ensuing years, Dorian indulges in every kind of vice and pleasure, never ageing nor disfiguring. Only his portrait, hidden to the world, bears the marks of his actions, and as his soul grows ever more wasted and corrupted, devastating consequences lie in wait.
The Picture of Dorian Gray is an exploration of the purpose of art, the superficial nature of youth and beauty, and the conflict between morality and intemperance. First published in its complete, uncensored form in 1891, it is Oscar Wilde''s only novel.
HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.
Jane Austen is remembered for her six masterpieces of the Regency era: from the heroines of Elizabeth Bennett and Emma Woodhouse, to the villains of Mrs. Norris and John Willoughby. But these characters were not born overnight. They sprung from Austen''s experiences as a young girl, and many early iterations can be found in the earliest of her writing: her Juvenilia.
Austen was only a teenager when she wrote her Juvenilia. In the ''History of England'', Austen champions (and laments) the great kings of England as ''a partial, prejudiced, and ignorant Historian''; in ''Lady Susan'', she writes a titular anti-heroine that schemes and cheats her way through high society; and in ''Love and Freindship'', Austen paints a picture of a woman looking back on her extremely unfortunate life.
Writing on the cusp of literary greatness, Love and Freindship offers a fascinating - and often surprising - insight into a young Jane Austen.
HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.
''Fear urged him to go back, but growth drove him on...'' Set in the frozen forests of the Yukon Territory, Canada, during the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s, ''White Fang'' tells the story of a young wolf-dog''s journey from the wild into human territory. As White Fang learns that civilisation is every bit as vicious and violent as nature - and that survival is only awarded to the fittest - we too see how instinct, sensation and emotion drive every one of us.
Published in 1906 to wide and instant acclaim, this is a remarkable and moving look at the timeless relationship between man and dog.
From the bestselling author Simon Winchester, a human history of land around the world: who mapped it, owned it, stole it, cared for it, fought for it and gave it back.
In 1889, thousands of hopeful people raced southward from the Kansas state line and westward from the Arkansas boundary to stake claims on the thousands of acres of unclaimed pastures and meadows. Across the twentieth century, water was dammed and drained in Holland so that a new province, Flevoland, rose up, unchartered and requiring new thinking. In 1850, California legislated the theft of land from Native Americans. An apology came in 2019 from the governor, but what of the call for reparations or return? What of government confiscation of land in India, or questions of fairness when it comes to New Zealand''s Maori population and the legacy of settlers?
The ownership of land has always been complicated, opaque, and more than a little anarchic when viewed from the outside. In this book, Simon Winchester explores the the stewardship of land, the ways it is delineated and changes hands, the great disputes, and the questions of restoration - particularly in the light of climate change and colonialist reparation.
A global study, this is an exquisite exploration of what the ownership of land might really mean - not in dry-as-dust legal terms, but for the people who live on it.
From Collins Classics and the author of ''The Great Gatsby'' comes this razor-sharp satire on the excesses of the Jazz Age.
From the author of The Great Gatsby, a tale of marriage and disappointment in the Roaring Twenties.
Fitzgerald''s rich and detailed novel of the decadent Jazz Era follows the beautiful and vibrant Anthony Patch and his wife Gloria as they navigate the heady lifestyle of the young and wealthy in 1920s New York. Patch is the presumptive heir to his grandfather''s fortune, and keeps his equally spoiled wife in comfort while biding time until his grandfather''s death. Patch is unable to hold down any kind of job and spends his days in luxury, indulging in whatever pleasures are available. But as the money begins to fail, so does their marriage. Patch''s gradual descent into alcoholism, depression and alienation from his marriage ultimately lead to his ruin. Fitzgerald''s novel is a remorseless exploration of the horrors of an age of excess and lost innocence.
F. Scott Fitzgerald is regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Despite his present popularity, Fitzgerald was often in financial trouble, due to the fact that only one of his novels sold well enough to support the extravagant lifestyle that he and his wife Zelda adopted, and later Zelda''s medical bills. His novel The Great Gatsby has sold millions of copies and remains a continual best-seller.
A new, fully updated edition of David Attenborough''s groundbreaking Life on Earth . David Attenborough''s unforgettable meeting with gorillas became an iconic moment for millions of television viewers. Life on Earth , the series and accompanying book, fundamentally changed the way we view and interact with the natural world setting a new benchmark of quality, influencing a generation of nature lovers. Told through an examination of animal and plant life, this is an astonishing celebration of the evolution of life on earth, with a cast of characters drawn from the whole range of organisms that have ever lived on this planet. Attenborough''s perceptive, dynamic approach to the evolution of millions of species of living organisms takes the reader on an unforgettable journey of discovery from the very first spark of life to the blue and green wonder we know today. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the book''s first publication, David Attenborough revisited Life on Earth , completely updating and adding to the original text, taking account of modern scientific discoveries from around the globe. This paperback edition also includes more than 60 full colour photographs, chosen by the author to help illustrate the book in a much greater way than was possible forty years ago. This updated edition provides a fitting tribute to an enduring wildlife classic, destined to enthral the generation who saw it when first published and bring it alive for a whole new generation.