**Charles Dickens's masterful assault on the injustices of the British legal system**
As the interminable case of 'Jarndyce and Jarndyce' grinds its way through the Court of Chancery, it draws together a disparate group of people: Ada and Richard Clare, whose inheritance is gradually being devoured by legal costs; Esther Summerson, a ward of court, whose parentage is a source of deepening mystery; the menacing lawyer Tulkinghorn; the determined sleuth Inspector Bucket; and even Jo, the destitute little crossing-sweeper. A savage, but often comic, indictment of a society that is rotten to the core, *Bleak House* is one of Dickens's most ambitious novels, with a range that extends from the drawing rooms of the aristocracy to the poorest of London slums. This edition follows the first book edition of 1853, and includes all the original illustrations by 'Phiz', as well as appendices on the Chancery and spontaneous combustion. In his preface, Terry Eagleton examines characterisation and considers Bleak House as an early work of detective fiction.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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The Road rings together short stories, journalism, essays, and letters by Vasily Grossman, the author of Life and Fate, providing new insight into the life and work of this extraordinary writer. The stories range from Grossman’s first success, “In the Town of Berdichev,” a piercing reckoning with the cost of war, to such haunting later works as “Mama,” based on the life of a girl who was adopted at the height of the Great Terror by the head of the NKVD and packed off to an orphanage after her father’s downfall. The girl grows up struggling with the discovery that the parents she cherishes in memory are part of a collective nightmare that everyone else wishes to forget. The Road also includes the complete text of Grossman’s harrowing report from Treblinka, one of the first anatomies of the workings of a death camp; “The Sistine Madonna,” a reflection on art and atrocity; as well as two heartbreaking letters that Grossman wrote to his mother after her death at the hands of the Nazis and carried with him for the rest of his life.
Meticulously edited and presented by Robert Chandler, The Road allows us to see one of the great figures of twentieth-century literature discovering his calling both as a writer and as a man. Views: 330
Ziggy, Rashawn, Jerome, and Rico -- the Black Dinosaurs -- are thrilled to discover that their hometown was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Even more exciting, their new friend Mr. Greene has given them an old map that shows a secret passage, dating back to the days of the Railroad, right under their own school! How can the Black Dinosaurs resist making plans to check it out? When a trapdoor slams behind them, locking them in the tunnel, there's only one thing they can do -- plunge deeper and deeper into the darkness. Where will the tunnel lead them? And will the old, crumbling walls hold until they find their way to the end? Views: 330
The tramp space ship Lost Star is a ship with a mysterious and very dangerous past. Its future is looking pretty iffy as well. Join the crew of the Lost Star as they cross orbits with cruel assassins, homicidal robots, deadly pirates, and the mythical dragons of space in this long, sweeping space opera which revisits, and reinvents, the golden age of science fiction space adventure.Wil Litang, first mate of the tramp freighter Lost Star, reluctantly accepts the job as acting captain for a voyage, replacing the dying Captain Miccall. Unknown to him, the Lost Star has a mysterious and dangerous past. A past that has caught up with it. Haunted by this deadly past and driven by economic necessity, Litang and the crew of the Lost Star must venture far from their comfortable orbit – out into the lawless asteroid drifts of the Nine Star Nebula.The Bright Black Sea is not your typical space opera. While it has space battles, it's not military SF. And while it's a tale full of mystery and danger, star empires are not falling and the fate of the galaxy is not hanging in the balance. Rather, The Bright Black Sea is a lighthearted, character-focused adventure novel. Set in a small nebula of nine stars, hundreds of planets and vast lawless asteroid belts, it takes classic space opera motifs – space pirates, sentient robots, and rockets – and incorporates them into a rich, episodic adventure. For mystery, danger, and romance, join Captain Wil Litang and the crew of the Lost Star as they sail the black and bright space of the Nine Star Nebula in this first volume of the Lost Star Stories.The adventures and misadventures of Wil Litang continue in volume two of the Lost Star Stories – The Lost Star's Sea, which takes as its model the planetary romance, the type of story made famous by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and fondly reinvents the classic story of a stranger stranded in a strange land for the 21st century. Also available from this ebook store.Other books by C. Litka:A Summer in Amber A post-apocalyptic, steampunkish adventure/romance set in Scotland after a series of powerful solar storms has thrown the modern world back into the 19th century.Some Day Days A new adult romance/science fiction story set in Oxford and Cambridge prior to the solar storms that set the stage for A Summer in Amber.Available from this ebook store Views: 330
One of her stories may get her killed...But a detective's on the caseJournalist Krys Kowalski doesn't shy away from uncovering scandal...even if it means putting her life in danger. When her latest investigation endangers her life, Krys enlists Detective Morgan Cavanaugh as a 24/7 bodyguard. But she won't give up, even as the attraction between her and Morgan simmers...even if the job costs her her life!USA TODAY Bestselling Author Views: 330
Take a bite out of this science fiction mystery series by reading the first two books. Follow Kat, a woman with no memory call the Pandora Project and Kim, a legal assassin known as the Phoenix as they uncover the mysteries of their past in a world of darkness. Follow them through their shaky partnership as they discover the bonds that bind them to a destiny that will either save or destroy.Take a bite out of this science fiction mystery series by reading the first two books. Follow Kat, a woman with no memory call the Pandora Project and Kim, a legal assassin known as the Phoenix as they uncover the mysteries of their past in a world of darkness. Follow them through their shaky partnership as they discover the bonds that bind them to a destiny that will either save or destroy their world.**Shades of Gray #1 Noir, City Shrouded By DarknessNoir was a mega-city plagued by a sun blocking mass called Dry Clouds that had mysteriously appeared three decades earlier. The Dry Clouds covered half the planet and forced those living under them to exist in endless night. On this world, corporations were in charge and breaking your contract with them could mean the termination of your life.Kimberly Griffin, a Life Closer (legal assassin) existed in a world of death. She Closed people for a living. It was a lonely demeaning existence, though she wouldn't admit it. There was nothing to drive her in the bleak reality until one day she ran into Kat.Kat, also known as the Pandora Project, was hunted by bio-mechas called Un-Men. She was an experiment of the Sphinx Corporation, and they were testing her to see if she could be the ultimate weapon. Kat refused to be a killer and tried to discover the truth behind her existence. Could she be a new form of bio-mecha?Kim discovered someone close to her had been murdered. Is Kat the key to finding out who did it? Or will her association with Kat only cause her more grief?Pandora of ancient times opened a box and let all good escape. Would Pandora be the hope the planet needed? Or would she destroy the world?**Shades of Gray #2 From Moscow, With Love bonus first half included.Worlds collide . . .A shaky partnership . . .In the second book of the Shades of Gray series, Kat found herself teamed up with Kim. Together they searched for clues to their past. Their partnership stood on shaky ground though. Kim, a Life Closer (legal assassin) known as the Phoenix, needed Kat for the moment, to help in her search for her mother's murder. Once Kim no longer needed Kat, would the Phoenix go through with eliminating her for knowing she's a Life Closer?A haunting melody . . .A forgotten time . . .Kat had discovered little about her past. Over a year ago, she woke to a world of endless night and had no memory of who she was. A music box, a letter, and a gun were her only clues. Kat discovered the melody the music box plays, put her in a trance and healed her body of any injures. Why? She didn't't know.Betrayal . . .A desperate fight . . .Voice, the one who regulated the Phoenix, had sent the Raven and the Wolf to Close her. Why? Kim didn't't know, only that she must eliminate the two Life Closers before they terminated her.Deception . . .The two women collide again . . .Kat was caught up in the struggle as the Raven and the Wolf were also hired to Close the sister of someone dear to her. Now she must protect the sister and Kim, but the Phoenix was hiding a dark secret that put the sister in an even deadlier predicament. What was Kim hiding?I will protect them all . . .No one will die today . . .Could Kat and Kim defeat the two Closers? Could Kat keep the promise to herself that no one else would die? What would happen in the end when Kat discovered the Phoenix's secret?Look for more of the Shades of Gray series.**Shades of Gray Series**1. Noir, City Shrouded By Darkness2. From Moscow, With Love3. Cerberus Versus Pandora4. Sisters Views: 329
With All the Trouble in the World, P. J. O'Rourke once again landed on best-seller lists around the country, confirming his reputation as the pre-eminent political humorist of our time. Attacking fashionable worries - all those terrible problems that are constantly on our minds and in the news, but about which most of us have no real clue - P. J. crisscrosses the globe in search of solutions to today's most vexing issues, including overpopulation, famine, plague, and multiculturalism, and in the process produces a hilarious and informative book which ensures that the concept of political correctness will never be the same again. "One of the funniest, most insightful, dead-on-the-money books of the year." - Los Angeles Times; "All the Trouble in the World is O'Rourke's best work since Parliament of Whores." - The Houston Post; "The dispatches are unfailingly funny....Mr. O'Rourke gets to the heart of the matter with a steady stream of wisecracks....Economists, political scientists... Views: 329
Okay, so officially, I've resigned from the Dark Witch Court as one of the witches who clean up paranormal problems no one else wants to handle, specifically the demons that escape from the Veil—the invisible layer that protects our world from the Netherworld demons.But when I'm called in to investigate a series of human deaths at a local New York restaurant, without any money coming in, I'm in no position to turn down the cash, so I unofficially take the gig.I quickly discover there's a new player in town. One who's been gone for hundreds of years, and one who's killing innocents with a magical virus.I hate to admit it, but even as a badass like me, I'm seriously out-magicked. If I can't find the culprits behind the magical virus, more innocent people will die. It's time for me to put on my big girl pants and show the Court just what kind of Dark witch I am. A very bad one.Hexes & Flames is a fast-paced urban fantasy adventure with a kick... Views: 329
Ridgwell Cullum (pseudonym of Sidney Groves Burghard) (13 August 1867 – 3 November 1943) was a British writer who wrote a large number of adventure novels over more than 30 years, usually set in sparsely populated regions of the USA or Canada. He left home aged 17 to join a gold rush in the Transvaal in South Africa, where he became involved in the conflict between British and Boer settlers; he travelled to the scene of another gold rush in Yukon in north-west Canada; he spent a few years cattle-ranching in Montana, USA. His first novel The Devil\'s Keg, set in Alberta, Canada, was published in 1903. After its success he settled in Britain and became a full-time writer. Several of his novels were made into films. Views: 329
Following the death of a friend, the poet and pets' mortician Dennis Barlow finds himself entering the artificial Hollywood paradise of the Whispering Glades Memorial Park. Within its golden gates, death, American-style, is wrapped up and sold like a package holiday-and Dennis gets drawn into a bizarre love triangle with Aimée Thanatogenos, a naïve Californian corpse beautician, and Mr. Joyboy, a master of the embalmer's art. Waugh's dark and savage satire on the Anglo-American cultural divide depicts a world where reputation, love, and death cost a very great deal. Views: 329
After Rome, before the Middle Ages, Italy belonged to the Ostrogoths. A corrupt governor. A young girl. An old man. Argolicus unravels the threads when he discovers his friend has been accused of raping a virgin.After Rome, before the Middle Ages, Italy belonged to the Ostrogoths.A corrupt governor. A young girl. An old man. Argolicus unravels the threads.When a life-long friend disappears, a peaceful retreat to the provinces turns into a challenge to the local governor for Argolicus. A cruel slander originates from the venal governor. When Argolicus visits the governor, he discovers an unscrupulous plot destined to impoverish his friend. When his lifelong tutor overhears a comment, they set out to find their friend only to discover base cruelty and a secret plot..A plot that challenges the King’s people, the roots of Roman civility, and his friend’s life.Affronted, he pursues the thread. Little does he know that his investigation will pitch him in a fight with thugs and ultimately set him head-to-head with the governor.5 Stars “A rich tapestry of interactions that serve to draw the reader deeper in...” “The feel of a time long passed as a mystery unfolds.” Views: 329
HardPress Classic Books Series Views: 329
