Product Description
HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.'Austen's best-loved tale of love, marriage and society in class-conscious Georgian England still delights modern readers today with its comedy and characters. It follows the feisty, quick-witted Elizabeth Bennet as her parents seek to ensure good marriages for her and her sisters in order to secure their future. The protagonists Darcy and Elizabeth learn much about themselves and those around them and Austen's expertly crafted comedy characters of Mrs Bennet and Mr Collins demonstrate her great artistry as a writer.Amazon.com Review
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

Next to the exhortation at the beginning of Moby-Dick,"Call me Ishmael," the first sentence of Jane Austen's Pride andPrejudice must be among the most quoted in literature. And certainlywhat Melville did for whaling Austen does for marriage--tracing theintricacies (not to mention the economics) of 19th-century British matingrituals with a sure hand and an unblinking eye.As usual, Austen trainsher sights on a country village and a few families--in this case, theBennets, the Philips, and the Lucases. Into their midst comes Mr. Bingley,a single man of good fortune, and his friend, Mr. Darcy, who is evenricher. Mrs. Bennet, who married above her station, sees their arrival asan opportunity to marry off at least one of her five daughters. Bingley iscomplaisant and easily charmed by the eldest Bennet girl, Jane; Darcy,however, is harder to please. Put off by Mrs. Bennet's vulgarity and theuntoward behavior of the three younger daughters, he is unable to see thetrue worth of the older girls, Jane and Elizabeth. His excessive prideoffends Lizzy, who is more than willing to believe the worst that other peoplehave to say of him; when George Wickham, a soldier stationed in thevillage, does indeed have a discreditable tale to tell, his words fall onfertile ground.

Having set up the central misunderstanding of the novel, Austen then bringsin her cast of fascinating secondary characters: Mr. Collins, thesycophantic clergyman who aspires to Lizzy's hand but settles for her bestfriend, Charlotte, instead; Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy'sinsufferably snobbish aunt; and the Gardiners, Jane and Elizabeth'slow-born but noble-hearted aunt and uncle. Some of Austen's best comedycomes from mixing and matching these representatives of different classesand economic strata, demonstrating the hypocrisy at the heart of so manysocial interactions. And though the novel is rife with romanticmisunderstandings, rejected proposals, disastrous elopements, and arequisite happy ending for those who deserve one, Austen never gets socarried away with the romance that she loses sight of the hard economicrealities of 19th-century matrimonial maneuvering. Good marriages forpenniless girls such as the Bennets are hard to come by, and even Lizzy,who comes to sincerely value Mr. Darcy, remarks when asked when she firstbegan to love him: "It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly knowwhen it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing hisbeautiful grounds at Pemberley." She may be joking, but there's more than alittle truth to her sentiment, as well.Jane Austen considered ElizabethBennet "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print". Readers ofPride and Prejudice would be hard-pressed to disagree. --AlixWilber ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1110)

History buffs, take note! But, if you're into a "quick read," pass...
This is a wonderful work that definitely is a window into the life of the 18th century. However, the reading of it is bogged down a little because of the speech ( wonderful, but tedious at the same time). Not for immediate gratification people but I will be reading all her works in due time...

NOT a children's version
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JMLFLW/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_img

This puzzles me: In a society in which (a) Jane Austen is more popular than ever; and (b) more than half of all babies born in the United States are born out of wedlock, how can a book remain this popular when the key sentence to the entire book is this:

"But how little of permanent happiness could belong to a couple who were only brought together because their passions were stronger than their virtue, she could easily conjecture."

Pride and Prejudice, to the best of my knowledge, has not been out of print in over 200 years. That means that not only is it telling an entertaining tale, it is also calling to something deep in the readers' souls. Examination of available books shows that at least a dozen sequels to it have been written; I have reviewed one and will soon review another, but I am not going to buy and read all of them. Therefore I might be missing something I would enjoy.

But what I am not missing is this: Jane Austen believed in sense and sobriety. She believed that the happiest marriage was one between a man and woman who were intellectually and spiritually in tune with one another.

To the readers, I say: Go thou and do likewise. Read the book. Then do what Elizabeth and Jane wold approve, and you will find yourself happier in the long run than those who ignore the principles Pride and Prejudice is meant to exhibit.

Shallow and Pretentious
I understand that Pride and Prejudice is an honored classic.However, for me personally, I finally listened to myself and put the book away after reading about half of the story.The problem is that the characters are shallow and pretentious, and are simply not very likable or compelling. I think the novel, with all its gossipy nature, is the 1812 version of celebrity gossip television shows.

I have read most of the English classics from the 1800s, including truly great romance novels such as Wuthering Heights or Tess of the D'UrberVilles, but sadly, found Pride and Prejudice to be boring and not worth my time. Full disclosure, as a middle-aged male, I may not actually be the target audience for the book. However, it should appeal to young women about the same age as the protagonists.

Austen's masterpiece
I've been a fan of Austen for 20 years and this is one of my favorites. It can appear to be a little stilted due to the time period it was written in, but the story is timeless and that's why movies keep getting made with it as a base story. This is my all time favorite Austen story!

Beloved Classic
I never tire of this story. Give me a romance based on humility any day!

Rather than review Pride and Prejudice or Jane Austen, I would like to compliment Bethany House Publishers on the margin notes in this Insight Edition. The editors supplemented this beloved classic with notes on historical and cultural details, facts from Austen's life that parallel or illuminate the novel, modern (including films) references, tips for love, themes of faith, comments on the characters and plot, and "parts of the novel that just make us smile." ... Read more

Product Description
A worldwide bestseller first published in 1980, this novel tells the story of Jennifer Parker, a successful lawyer who is loved by two men, one a politician, the other, a mafia don. Other work by the author includes "The Other Side of Midnight" and "If Tomorrow Comes". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (117)

Sidney Sheldon is a brilliant writer but...
I love Sidney Sheldon and I always will but after reading Rage of Angels; I was just gutted!

One of the reviewers mentioned the bit about the paternity suit and I must agree, that was kind of a stretch and wasn't it wrong of them to use the maple syrup on the kid?

The worst part of this book in my opinion was Joshua (in order not to add a spoiler); I did not appreciate Sidney Sheldon's take on Joshua's character, thats all I'm going to say.

And then what the heck is up with the ending? I do infact agree that Sidney rushed the ending of this book like he was on a tight schedule or something; I mean we weren't told who carried out the act on Thomas Colfax, Mary Beth should have been dealt with and then Ken Bailey, he (Sidney) just sort of forgot about them.

And then there's the situation with Adam Warner, its just d*mn depressing its p*ssing me off now to be honest.

How is it also possible that her child could have been kept a secret from the paparazzi, as popular as she was? All areas in the novel that Sidney failed to dwell on properly.

After reading his amazing work in IF TOMORROW COMES and MASTER OF THE GAME (though not as brilliant as the former but a good read), I was really looking forward to this one, however, it wont stop me from buying more of his books but this was a sad, bitter and gut-wrenching disappointment.

AMAZING!!!!!!!
This book was AWESOME from start to finish.I wanted more when it ended. This book was jam packed with interesting things. So many emotions to deal with. I am so happy I purchased this.I got it because it was a Sidney Sheldon because I never read any of his books. So glad I did. I want more.

awsome
This book was one of my all time favorite. The story brought out every one of my emotions,I felt like I really knew the main characters. I would highly reccomend this book. It was a real page turner from begining to end.

Very good, alittle slow starting
This the first Sidney Sheldon book I have read and I was alittle hestitant when I first started reading the book because I don't care for trail books, but it really took off.It was a good book, there were times when it was hard to put down.I will read another one of his books soon.

He was a beautiful, exciting animal
I remember watching the miniseries of Rage of Angels starring Jaclyn Smith, Ken Howard, and Armand Assante back in 1983 and loving it. Now, reading this book all these years later, I'm amazed how much of the story I recognized from that miniseries. Happily, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the novel at all (although I did tend to hear Jennifer Parker's dialogue in Jaclyn Smith's voice). This book is pure entertainment. Sheldon has a keen eye for detail and a gift for building suspense. I might quibble a bit with the number of Jennifer Parker's cases we delve into--a few times the story felt like it was bogging down in too many unrelated legal details. And occasionally, the story turned into a travelogue--as if Sheldon needed to justify travel expenses to the IRS or something. Another knock might be that Jennifer Parker and Adam Warner sometimes felt a bit too perfect. Jennifer, especially, always seemed to know exactly what to do with every specific case--however outlandish or unconventional. And I don't know of too many Senators who get to test pilot bomber prototypes, like Adam Warner does. But I like the way Sheldon shows Jennifer being seduced--both professionally and personally--by Michael Moretti. And although I didn't quite understand how she was able to justify some of her actions to herself, I could understand her fascination with Moretti and found him to be a much more interesting character than Warner. Overall, this is an excellent read that I gulped down in just a few sittings. ... Read more

Product Description
December 31, 1889. As the sky over New York City explodes with fireworks on the eve of the new decade, an explosion in the streets causes social tremors that will rock the lives of three women who share a house on Twenty-Third Street: suffragette Columbine Nash, her assistant Bell Huxton, and Marguerite Corbeau, a young girl they've adopted from the streets. Their paths will diverge, but their destinies are entwined in this volatile decade of high contrast, a time when wasp-waisted beauties attend fabulous balls, while underpaid seamstresses talk of anarchy and strike. In the midst of it all are three women, each living in a gilded cage of their own design, trapped by a difficult past, a promise made in haste, a blind faith in an unbending philosophy. Their liberation is the true story of The Gilded Cage. ... Read more

Product Description
Henry James' short novels provide an overview of his entire career and serve as an excellent introduction to his singular art and imagination. This collection includes The Turn of the Screw, Daisy Miller, The Beast in the Jungle, An International Episode, The Aspern Papers and The Altar of the Dead. Major course adoption potential.Amazon.com Review
The story starts conventionally enough with friends sharingghost stories 'round the fire on Christmas Eve. One of the gueststells about a governess at a country house plagued by supernaturalvisitors. But in the hands of Henry James, the master of nuance, thislittle tale of terror is an exquisite gem of sexual and psychologicalambiguity. Only the young governess can see the ghosts; only shesuspects that the previous governess and her lover are controlling thetwo orphaned children (a girl and a boy) for some evil purpose. Thehousehold staff don't know what she's talking about, the children areevasive when questioned, and the master of the house (the children'suncle) is absent. Why does the young girl claim not to see a perfectlyvisible woman standing on the far side of the lake? Are the childrenbeing deceptive, or is the governess being paranoid? By leaving thequestions unanswered, The Turn of Screw generatesspine-tingling anxiety in its mesmerized readers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (113)

Kindle Signet Turn of the Screw Plus is inferior to Bantam, "Complete"
The Kindle Signet THE TURN OF THE SCREW AND OTHER SHORT NOVELS contains:

An International Episode

Daisy Miller

The Aspern Papers

The Altar of the Dead

The Turn of the Screw

The Beast in the Jungle

Its introduction by Fred Kaplan is a little remote, and contains spoilers. The Bantam Classics TURN OF THE SCREW with other stories has what I think is a better selection, including WASHINGTON SQUARE.

Meanwhile the near-free COMPLETE HENRY JAMES, a purely ebook collection, has all these selections and many major novels as well. Go with Bantam if you want a good selection of top nouvelles and short novels. Go with COMPLETE if you want a lot of Henry James and can make your own choices about what's good.

Changed My Opinion Of James; Also, A Note On Spoilers
I don't want to use this space to objectively discuss the literary merit of THE TURN OF THE SCREW, or talk about the interpretational history of same, or to address any number of similar matters that others are much better qualified to than I am. I simply want to take a moment to note that this is the work that (for the space of a novella anyway) made me actually like Henry James.

Before I read this book, I hated, hated, HATED Henry James. Everything I read of his seemed to concern despicable characters mulling over petty social protocols, laid down in labyrinthine prose that would try the patience of a saint. I had always meant to attempt more of his work, largely in light of the fact that there were so many people whose opinions I respected who loved the stuff, but I couldn't quite get up the will until the other day where I picked up an old copy of TURN OF THE SCREW that I had sitting by my computer desk and actually made a running start of it.

Suprise! I actually found to be an entertaining (albiet difficult) read. I had been previously unaware that James was capable of creating a plot where you actually, you know, want to find how out things turn out, but here it was. Additionally, those long, complex sentences actually seem to be here for a reason this time - in a tale like TURN OF THE SCREW where the keynote is ambiguity, it actually makes stylistic sense to make the reader wind his way through the inchoate thoughts of a frightened young woman. Finally, I'm a sucker for an unreliable narrator like we find here (although she is not, in my opinion, either insane or hallucinatory). In short, I still don't think James is ever gonna be my go-to guy if I want to luxuriate in beautiful prose, but I do find it reassuring that he found a story where he could put his idiosyncratic style to good use.

POSTSCRIPT: A (hopefully) brief kvetch - why is it that, when dealing with classic fiction, so many people seem to think it's okay to include spoilers? I bring this up in this particular review as I don't believe I've ever seen so many as I have with writing (here and elsewhere) on TURN OF THE SCREW. To clarify: letting anyone know the ending of a story without forewarning them is terribly presumptuos and inconsiderate, regardless of said story's perceived literary merit, standing, or ubiquity. If you indulge in this odious practice, please refrain from doing so in the future.

Henry James at his best!
Love love love love this book. Not for the faint of heart - must love literature and be a dedicated reader to truly appreciate this book!

James Meets Edgar Allan Poe
So unlike the usual "young love" novel of this author, the drama of this novel centers upon mind games involvingapparitions - with the reader never knowing in full detail if the governess to whom the ghosts communicate exist or are merely figments of her deteriorating mind.

Basically a text of solitude's ability to fertilize fantasy, the reader experiences the growing paranoia of the governess as she attempts to understand who the haunting figures are, and for what reasons they keep coming to her.Drip by drip, step by step, the novel unfolds slowly to describe how she further becomes belabored by the experiences of intrusion created by fanciful appearances by allegedly former employees of the lord's home - who each left for reasons of totally unknown disrepute.

In the middle of this sequence are two adorable orphaned children whose care is now to be handled at their rich uncle's castle, all of whichis handled the old fashioned British way: send them off to someplace where the master does not have to see them, but deliver and afford them the luxuries which only the privileged few could enjoy (e.g. maids, private tutors and more).

These elementary school children are not allowed to attend the normal school - and the governess has the duty to educate these children who are exiled from the proper school.She wonders why they are outcasts to the school, and deduces that their relationship with theprevious governess and other aid - each who was the source of scandal and bad gossip - propagated the children's demise.But, she learns that more than her initial inclination may be the cause for the principal's order which prohibits their attendance at school.

Ultimately, the book ends with the twist and turn that is both despicable and expected.The mind's collapse under the extraordinary conditions at the manor have fully enveloped the psyche of the main character and the victim of her mental breakdown is the most ill suited.

Without love between young people and their everlasting joy, this book reads more like Poe than James.I was truly surprised by the topic and writing of this novel.

An Ambiguous Classic
If you are a fan of the Haunted House story then Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw" is a mandatory addition to any reading list along with "The Haunting of Hill House", "Hell House" and "The Shining" (although "The Turn of the Screw" is considered the finest ghost story ever written - if that floats you boat).

The story, about a young governess who is hired to raise two children in isolation at an English estate, contains some gothic elements with ghostly apparitions but is overall very understated in its horrific elements by modern standards.Written in the 1800's there are no real overtly frightening moments and the "haunted" theme is used as a vehicle to convey other real world horrors in a very ambiguous way.

The books strength, and weakness for the modern horror reader, is its structure and ambiguity.James writes a story that creates uncertainty regarding the governess's sanity (the story is the governess's interpretation of events as conveyed through her written recap) and presents many situations that remain unexplained at the story's conclusion.It is the constant questioning of events and truthfulness in the descriptions that makes the story interesting and utterly frustrating at the same time.The reader is never sure if the ghosts are real or just "fantasies" created in the mind of a manipulative governess.Furthermore, the reader is never really sure what exactly happened in the past at the house and to the children.There are hints of sexual impropriety which is where the real horror comes from, but again the reader needs to draw their own conclusions and nothing is ever revealed as absolute.I am sure (if I interpreted some of the book correctly) the subject matter was too taboo to talk about clearly during the time "The Turn of the Screw" was published.

I am glad I read "The Turn of the Screw" for its literary merits and place in haunted house fiction history.The ambiguity was somewhat refreshing in that the reader can interpret the information many ways. However, I also found it difficult to immerse myself in the Victorian period and follow the narrative in a way that would allow me to absorb the richness of James masterpiece. ... Read more

Product Description
The One Hundred Greatest Books - 2 Tapes for 1984 by George Orwell read by Derek Jacobi. 1 Tape for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles. 1 Tape for Henry James' the Turn of the Screw Read by Susannah York with the Introduction by Richard Baldwyn. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Classic childrens' fantasy fiction
This illustrated childrens' novel is one of the most beautiful unicorn stories written. There are two versions (different illustrators), both which are unique and artful. The story centres around good and evil, vice and innocence. Una appears one day, naked and playful, in a village of children. The villagers take her in, and the leader begins to wonder at Una's questions about why they are so frivolous. Eventually, Una goes in search of the unicorn and is finally faced with sacrifice, as the baddie of the novel tells her the only way she can save the unicorn is to give up her pure soul to him. ... Read more

Product Description
This audio celebrates Classic FM's most popular programme, Classic Romance. Presenter Nick Bailey has chosen a wonderful collection of romantic writing, illuminated by the words of Classic FM listeners themselves. For more than five years listeners have been entranced to hear other people's romantic encounters read out on the air. Now Nick Bailey has selected a few of the gems from the thousands of letters he has received: some are joyful, some very moving, some are amusing, but all provide a fascinating glimpse into the richness of people's lives. ... Read more

Product Description
The sixth volume in The Dark Tower series - the most anticipated series of publications in Stephen King's legendary career - The Dark Tower VI; Song Of Susannah is a pivotal instalment in the epic saga. It provides the key to the quest that defines Roland's life. In the next part of their journey to the tower, Roland and his band of followers face adversity from every side: Susannah Dean has been taken over by a demon-mother and uses the power of Black Thirteen to get from the Mid-World New York City. But who is the is the father of her child? And what role will the Crimson King play? Roland sends Jake to break Susannah's date with destiny, while he himself uses 'the persistence of magic' to get to Maine in the Summer of 1977. It is a terrible world: for one thing it is real and bullets are flying. For another, it is inhabited by the author of a novel called 'Salem's Lot. Song Of Susannah is driven by revelation and by suspense. It continues the Dark Tower seamlessly from Wolves Of The Calla and the dramatic climax will leave readers desperate to read the quest's conclusion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (391)

Dark Tower VI
The book allows me to get to and through Dark Tower VII, which I've had for some time---and it definitely needed to be read prior to VII, so thanks for the good deal and good condition of the book!! It's some of King's strangest work, but definitely worth the effort... in my opinion anyway.

Thanks again!

another great book in an amazing series!
My book arrived with a slightly dented corner because the packaging wasnt adequate but the story itself is great.

The Dark Tower, book 6
From the moment I started reading The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book 1),I was hooked. The saga is a breathtaking journey, and I couldn't wait to read this book.

It did not disappoint.The inter-weaving of the characters and their respective and collective adventures kept me captive. I could do little else other than read this latest installment.
I must stress, this is not a book to start reading unless you have followed the gunslingers through the first five books.If you already are a "constant reader" of this series, you need to read this.

Book 6 is now number 2 on my list
I very much enjoyed reading book 6, not once did I find it hard to turn the page.

My The Dark Tower book ranking:

Book 2 - The Drawing of the Three
Book 6 - Song of Susannah
Book 3 - The Waste Lands
Book 5 - Wolves of the Calla
Book 4 - Wizard and Glass
Book 1 - The Gunslinger

**Still need to read book 7**

The song of Stephen King
For better or worse, book 6 in the Dark Tower series sees a dramatic change in the story. Previously only hinted at in book 5 when we found Pere was also a character in the Stephen King book "Salem's Lot", here a major storyline is the question of what if you were just a character in a book written by someone else. King doesn't spend too much time dwelling on this philosophically, but instead plays with the idea. When he included himself as a character in his own book, I knew I was in for something different.

There are two main storylines here - Roland and Eddie attempt to secure the vacant lot with the rose (meeting King along the way) and Pere, Jake and Oy chase after Susannah, who's possessed by Mia and about to give birth. Using the Unfound Door, Susannah/Mia travels to New York City in 1999 with Mia mostly in charge. After she learns Mia betrayed Eddie and Roland, Susannah tries to fight for control. Stronger than Susannah but still naive and frightened by the big city, Mia needs Susannah's help to accomplish her goal of giving birth to her chap at a location determined by the Crimson King's men. Susannah learns more and more about the origin of the chap and Mia herself - a demon who made a deal with the Crimson King's men to become mortal in exchange for becoming a mother.

Jake and Pere have a small but important part in this novel. Traveling on the heels of Susannah, they must track her down and try to rescue her, a task originally selected for Roland and Eddie. Instead, Roland and Eddie travel to Maine 1977 where they must make the deal with Calvin Tower to secure the vacant lot with the rose. They get into a large battle with Balazar's men and get help from a local man. Before they can complete the deal and then try to travel and rescue Susannah, they follow Eddie's instincts and a new lead. They find out from the local who helped them that Stephen King lives in the area nearby which has been the center for strange happenings. They go to meet King, a meeting which has a big impact on all of them and raises the question of whether or not King has control over what happens to Roland and Eddie.

Personally, I feel this is the weakest entry in the series up to this point. The Susannah-Mia storyline has some interesting insight into the Dark Tower, but it feels repetitious at times when it comes to the struggle over the chap. I don't quite like King's handling of himself as a character in his own novel. While the question of one being a character in someone else's story (or someone else's dream, as many others have said) can be an interesting one, so far King hasn't explored it as much as played with it. It also feels like too much of a departure from the story up until now. While one could argue it relates to Roland's quest to see the Dark Tower and find out if the top room is empty, I feel that's a bit of a stretch. Naturally, at this point I still want to see how it all ends in the next and final book; I'll reserve full judgment of King's handling of this question until after reading it. ... Read more

Product Description
Eight audio cassettes carry these four classics of literature. "The Milol on the Floss" is read by Susannah York; "Macbeth" is performed by Anthony Quayle, Alec McCowan, Anthony Nichols and Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies; "The Poetry of T. S. Eliot" is read by the author; "Aesop's Fables" are read by Boris Karloff. ... Read more

Product Description
This reproduction was printed from a digital file created at the Library of Congress as part of an extensive scanning effort started with a generous donation from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.The Library is pleased to offer much of its public domain holdings free of charge online and at a modest price in this printed format.Seeing these older volumes from our collections rediscovered by new generations of readers renews our own passion for books and scholarship. ... Read more