British author Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials confronts some of the most urgent dilemmas of our time. These fourteen diverse essays offer literary and historical analysis as well as approaches f

Contains a selection of writing, with 100 of the best titles reviewed and a further 500 recommended. This book also allows you to browse by theme, and includes 'a reader's fast-guide to the classics',

Contains a selection of crime novels. With 100 of the best titles reviewed and a further 500 recommended, this book also allows you to browse by theme, and includes 'a reader's guide to the world of cr

02 The ultimate guide to the genre of life changing books. 03 Novels which transform our ideas about human possibilities, biographies which celebrate the achievements of extraordinary individuals, polemical works of no

Want to become a science-fiction buff, or expand your reading in your favourite genre? This book allows you to browse by theme, including special categories like 'science-fiction and film adaptations'.

256

Presents a variety of human endeavour and a great diversity of characters. This work features famous books by Darwin, Newton and Shakespeare - and also presents the stories behind some less well-known works, such as

"501 Must Read Books" is like the wisest, cleverest, best-read and most trusted friend you have ever had. The recommendations for inclusion in this comprehensive book were made by a bibliophile and writer with a peerl

Containing over 6000 phrases, this dictionary explains their meaning, explores their development and gives citations that range from the Venerable Bede to Will Self. It gives details such as - 'salad days' come from Antony an

Draws us into twelve of the authors' personal obsessions: from her slightly sinister childhood enthusiasm for catching butterflies to her monumental crush on Charles Lamb, from her wistfulness for the days of letter-writing t

Charles Dickens belongs to an exclusive literary club: he was immensely popular when he was alive, and his work has never fallen out of fashion. His books have been in print for over 140 years, and are

01 BEHIND THE BESTSELLERS is a collection of 50 fascinating stories about the lives, loves and literature that inspired the world's greatest books. Full of dinner party trivia, literary history and lore of all kinds, this is a reveali

This book is a collection of conversations between writers and their "mentors," taken from the pages of "The Believer," along with previously unpublished conversations. The term "mentors" is used loosely to s

Reading groups allow you to share your passion for literature, gain new insight and discover new friends. But how do you create your own group and how do you keep discussions lively and focussed? This book offers reader

Presents 170 themed reading lists designed for any type of reading, from "chick lit" to books on bicycling, covering a wide variety of tastes and topics.

In "Books that Changed the World" Andrew Taylor sets himself the challenging task of choosing and profiling the fifty most important and influential books in the history of the world. He has selected books from every

Presents an account of the friendship that blossomed between a writer and his subject. This book attempts to capture the spirit of a man who embodied the spirit of an age. Condemned by posterity as a lecher and a drunk, this

A reference guide to world literature in English includes information on writers, works, genres, and movements.

Presents Albert Camus' WWII resistance and early postwar writings published in Combat, the resistance newspaper where he served as editor-in-chief and editorial writer. These writing depict issues ranging from the liberation

01 â??What makes a classic? For me, it's a book I can't imagine having lived without; a truthful, wholly imagined world, in astonishing language, by a writer unafraid to probe those things that scare us and scar us and make us humanâ?

For many aficionados of the "New Yorker" magazine, the drawings of Peter Arno, William Steig, Charles Addams, and Saul Steinberg epitomize its sophisticated wit and disarming humor. This work considers the work of each artis

What is poststructuralist theory, and what difference does it make to literary criticism? Where do we find the meaning of the text: in the author's head? in the reader's? Catherine Belsey considers these and other question

An anthology of essays, interviews and short stories written by children and young adults aged 11-20. These young people relate or imaginatively recreate the story of someone who came to Australia as a refugee.

Gillian Beer's classic Darwin's Plots, one of the most influential works of literary criticism and cultural history of the last quarter century, is here reissued in an updated edition to coincide with the anniversary

New edition of this essential reference book, containing many new and updated entries.

This collection of John Updike's non-fiction writings includes a delightful preface, 'Everything Considered', in which he tells of his lifelong love affair with words; essays on travel, and on faith; introductions to some of the cl

Essential student textbook supporting the study of literature from the Middle Ages to the present.

This witty collection of essays recounts a lifelong love affair with books and language. Writing with humour and erudition, Fadiman moves easily from anecdotes about Coleridge and Orwell to tales of her own pathologically li

A concise, readable biography and critical review of Franz Kafka, one of the central intellectual and cultural figures of our time.

Presents a personal tour of the influential and era-defining books the West has ever produced. In each case, this title draws out themes, focuses on key passages and explains why they are important.

02 A tour of the most impressive, influential and era defining books mankind has ever produced 03 Paradise Lost, The Canterbury Tales, Don Quixotegreat literature can be read by anyone, with a little help. Anthony O'He

What is a grimoire? The word has a familiar ring to many people, particularly as a consequence of such popular television dramas as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed. But few people are sure exactly what it means.

The stories of the Trojan war, of Helen of Troy - the face that launched a thousand ships, Achilles' heel, Jason and the Argonauts and Odysseus' quest are embedded stories in our culture, yet we oft

The one thing all writers ignore is the one thing they need most: inspiration. And let's face it, writers thrive on dreams. This book provides success stories of how many writer-heroes got published. It details the early har

Never has contemporary fiction been more widely discussed and passionately analysed; recent years have seen a huge growth in the number of reading groups and in the interest of a non-academic readership in the discussio

People of all ages, classes and nationalities read novels for much the same variety of reasons - to escape pain or danger, to discover the past or experience the future. This title forms a series of intelligent conversations,

Drawing on examples from works by Graham Greene, Umberto Eco, Oscar Wilde, Montaigne, and others, this book examines the many kinds of 'non-reading' (forgotten books, unknown books, books discussed by others, books we've ski

02 A mischievous and provocative book about reading and talking about books that we have - or haven't - read. 03 In this mischievous and provocative book, a bestseller in France, Pierre Bayard contends that in this age

Ben Naparstek in conversation with Paul Auster, Russell Banks, Carlos Fuentes, Peter Handke, Seamus Heaney, Peter Hoeg, Michel Houellebecq, David Guterson, Elfriede Jelinek, Ismail Kadare, Peter Matthiessen, Jay Mcinerney, Rick Moo

01 'Coetzee the critic is every bit as good as Coetzee the novelist.' - Irish Times Following on from STRANGER SHORES which contained J.M. Coetzee's essays from 1986 to 1999, INNER WORKINGS, gathers together his literary essays from 2

Jorge Luis Borges is generally acknowledged to be one of the 20th century's most significant writers. But, the fact that he is an Argentine writer is rarely discussed. This is an introduction to the work of Jorge Luis Borges

"A Jury of Her Peers "is an unprecedented literary landmark: the first comprehensive history of American women writers from 1650 to 2000.
In a narrative of immense scope and fascination--brimming with Elaine Showa

What are Kafka's stories about? Are they dreams? Allegories? Symbols? Things that happen every day? But where and when? This work attempts to enter the flow, the tortuous movement, the physiology of the stories to discover w

Offers a comprehensive overview of the literature and critical debates of the period since 1945. This work demonstrates how literature has dealt with and been shaped by the changing face of the modern

"Writer's Digest" magazine has chronicled the work, opinions, and personalities of the 20th century's greatest literary minds. This title presents intriguing profiles of famous and infamous authors as well as historically ess

Inspired by the process of creating a library for his fifteenth-century home near the Loire in France, Alberto Manguel, the acclaimed writer on books and reading, has taken up the subject of libraries. 'Libraries', he says, '

Inspired by the process of creating a library for his fifteenth-century home near the Loire in France, Alberto Manguel, the acclaimed writer on books and reading, has taken up the subject of libraries. 'Libraries', h

When first published in 1982, A LITERATURE OF THEIR OWN quickly set the stage for the creative explosion of feminist literary studies that transformed the field in the 1980s. Launching a major new area for literary i

Fifteen women of many nationalities, including Stella Duffy, Kate Mosse, Candia McWilliam, Muriel Gray, Morag Joss, Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, Jean Marsh and Michelle Berry, offer their views on the little black dress.

Simon Goldhill examines the most basic areas of our lives today, from marriage and sex to politics and entertainment. Whether we are falling in love or waging wars in the name of democracy, he reveals how Classical ideas con

01 The secret history of novelists is often a history of exile and tourism â?? a history of language learning. Like the story of Gustave Flaubert and Juliet Herbert, it is a history of loss and mistakes. Flaubert's niece was taug

In this fiercely original and audacious work, George Steiner tells of seven books which he did not write. Because intimacies and indiscretions were too threatening. Because the topic brought too much pain. Because

An indispensable guide for anyone reading Joyce's masterpiece for the first time, provding a crystal clear, page-by-page, line-by-line running commentary on the plot of Ulysses.

Evokes the luxury and glamour of early-twentieth century Paris, the intellectual achievement of the modernist movement and the gossip, intrigue and scandal of aristocratic France. The author gives us a portrait of one writer'

Presents an account of the state of contemporary British fiction from 1970. This book examines both emerging and celebrated authors, considering the work of rising literary stars and weighing their merit against established

Examines the work produced by great artists - Beethoven, Thomas Mann, Jean Genet among them - at the end of their lives. This work helps the reader to see how, though these works often stood in direct contrast to the tastes

01 An entirely new kind of biography, IOscar's Books /Iexplores the personality of Oscar Wilde through his reading. It argues that reading exercised a formative influence on Wilde's character and was Ithe /Iinspirati

Explains the meanings of allusions in modern English, from Abaddon to Zorro, Rubens to Rambo.

The best-selling Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms (formerly the Concise dictionary) provides clear, concise, and often witty definitions of the most troublesome literary terms from abjection to zeugma. It is

First published in 1977, this classic reference work is a gazetteer of almost 2,000 places - villages, towns, cities, and landscapes - in Britain and Ireland detailing their connections with the lives of famous writer

For more than half a century, the "Paris Review" magazine has spoken with most of the leading novelists, poets and playwrights, and the interviews themselves have come to be recognised as an essential record of the writing l

This is the third volume of the acclaimed "Paris Review Interviews", described by Gary Shteyngart as a 'colossal literary event'.Since "The Paris Review" was founded in 1953, it has given us invaluable conversations with the greate

This title provides provocative and witty essays on the giants of world literature by renowned activist and author. Written over the last four decades, these provocative essays and diary entries explore the links betw

Long before there were creative writing workshops and degrees, how did aspiring writers learn to write? By reading the work of their predecessors and contemporaries, says the author. She aims to present an inside look at how

The author's 8th autobiographical work., A memoir of writer Mehta's thirty-three years of work with The New Yorker magazine's editor William Shawn.

A lively, trustworthy guide to the current best books for young people, by Australia's most respected YA book expert. With its emphasis on reading for pleasure, this book offers an exciting range of choices for readers of an

"The Rights of the Reader" grew from celebrated French writer Daniel Pennac's experiences of teaching in "challenging" schools. This is a translation of this edition.

This classic work, back in print for the first time in over a decade, questions the public's harsh perception of the artist, while at the same time gently poking fun at the artists' own, often inflated self-image

Get the lowdown on the best fiction ever written. Over 230 of the world's greatest novels are covered, from "Quixote" (1614) to Orhan Pamuk's "Snow" (2002), with fascinating information about their plots and the

For literature buffs and history enthusiasts, this is the first biography to compare George Orwell and Evelyn Waugh, two of the greatest 20th century English writers.

Hailed as the world's greatest playwright, William Shakespeare has captured the hearts and minds of more audiences than any other. Produced in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and illustrated in full colour, thi

02 A hugely entertaining and informative literary quiz book. 03 With questions ranging from the deliciously unexpected (Who's the only person in literary history both to have been shortlisted for the Booker Prize and t

Explores the enduring influence of two critics who define cultural sensibilities of a generation: Susan Sontag and Pauline Kael. Outwardly, they had several things in common, but were polar opposites in temperament and approa

Harry Haller is the Steppenwolf: wild, strange, shy and alienated from society. His despair and desire for death draw him into a dark, enchanted underworld. Through a series of shadowy encounters - romantic, freak

A noted literary scholar takes a close up look at seven classic English novels by women writers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries--Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Middlemarch, Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, and B

A lively introduction to Shakespeare's language, creating a greater appreciation of his linguistic creativity.

This comprehensive and discriminating account of Tolkien's work has been revised and expanded, to take account both of recent developments in scholarship, and of the recent films directed by Peter Jackson.

Contains essays by authors on favourite books, including John Banville, Julian Barnes, Andrea Barrett, Peter Carey, Jim Crace, Michael Cunningham, Margaret Drabble, Stephen King, David Lodge, Norman Mailer, Claire Messud, Jo

ON CONSIGNMENT

"Various Voices" is the only collection of Harold Pinter's prose, poems and political writing to span his career. This new edition includes a remarkable interview in which he reflects on his time as an evacuee in Cornw

The author of "Hip: The History" embarks on a wry, insightful, and playful discussion of Jack Kerouacs "On the Road," arguing for its relevance and shows that it is a book full of lessons about how to grow up.

Books hold the world's stories-from the earliest known myths and legends to postmodern fictions. They are also mirrors of many worlds - worlds here and distant, past and present, real and imagined - and thro

Reflects an intellect engaged with the challenges of assimilation faced by the 'serious traveller', one for whom there can be no single world view. This book brings clarity and experience to an exploration of the ways we thin

Traces the conception, writing and publication of the author's book. This work offers psychological and literary insights which suggests nothing less than a short story by the Great Master, Henry James, himself.