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A compelling narrative of the life of the greatest conqueror of all time- Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), who led the Macedonian army to victory in Egypt,...

Asser's revealing account of one of the great medieval kings Asser's Life of King Alfred, written in 893, is a revealing account of one of the greatest of medieval kings....

Only widely-available edition of Khayyam's lyrical poetry Revered in eleventh-century Persia as an astronomer, mathematician and philosopher, Omar Khayyam is now known first and foremost for his Ruba'iyat. The short...

A fascinating account of the time of the Vikings and the feuds of the Orkney Isles Written around AD 1200 by an unnamed Icelandic author, the Orkneyinga Saga is an...

Rousseau's final work and meditation After a period of forced exile and solitary wandering brought about by his radical views on religion and politics, Jean-Jacques Rousseau returned to Paris in...

A collection of von Kleist's haunting, unsettling stories In The Marquise of O-, a virtuous widow finds herself unaccountably pregnant. And although the baffled Marquise has no idea when this...

Hugo's Gothic tale of Quasimodo In the vaulted Gothic towers of Notre-Dame lives Quasimodo, the hunchbacked bellringer. Mocked and shunned for his appearance, he is pitied only by Esmerelda, a...

R. J. Hollingdale's selection structures Nietzsche's writings according to theme to give the fullest possible sense of the depth and scope of this extraordinary writer. The literary career of Friedrich...

Dreamlike Welsh tales from the thirteenth century Drawing on myth, folklore and history, the stories of the Mabinogion passed from generations of storytellers before they were written down in the...

Maupassant's story of a man whose ideals are corrupted by the world Young, attractive and very ambitious, George Duroy, known to his friends as Bel-Ami, is offered a job as...

One of the greatest of the Rougon-Macquart series, Zola's prostitute represents the destructiveness of a corrupt and decaying society Born to drunken parents in the slums of Paris, Nana lives...

Penguin Classics relaunch. Although written over four hundred years after Alexander's death, Arrian's account of the man and his achievements is the most reliable we have. Arrian's own experience as...

A collection of Schopenhauer's powerful and inventive philosophy One of the greatest philosophers of the nineteenth century, Schopenhauer (1788-1860) believed that human action is determined not by reason but by...

Rene Descartes was a central figure in the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century. In his Discourse on Method he outlined the contrast between mathematics and experimental sciences, and the...

The sacred texts of the Hindu faith The Upanishads, the earliest of which were composed in Sanskrit between 800 and 400 bce by sages and poets, form part of the...

'Envy remained hidden in her heart, like a plague germ which may come to life and devastate a city' Poor, plain spinster Bette is compelled to survive on the condescending...

An intriguing document giving insight into the founders of the Roman republic These nine biographies illuminate the careers, personalities and military campaigns of some of Rome's greatest statesmen, whose lives...

Pliny's letters provide a series of fascinating views on imperial Rome A prominent lawyer and administrator, Pliny (c. AD 61-113) was also a prolific letter-writer, who numbered among his correspondents...

Penguin Classics relaunch Nietzsche was one of the most revolutionary and subversive thinkers in Western philosophy, and Thus Spoke Zarathustra remains his most famous and influential work. It describes how...

Penguin Classics relaunch The son of a pagan father and a Christian mother, Saint Augustine spent his early years torn between conflicting faiths and world views. His Confessions, written when...

Penguin Classics relaunch Aeschylus (525-456 BC) brought a new grandeur and epic sweep to the drama of classical Athens, raising it to the status of high art. In Prometheus Bound...

'The most moving lines literature has achieved' Jorge Luis Borges In Paradise, having plunged to the uttermost depths of Hell and climbed the Mount of Purgatory, Dante ascends to Heaven,...

A selection of Cicero's speeches and letters, which have had a profound effect on the Western liberal tradition of political thought Lawyer, philosopher, statesman and defender of Rome's Republic, Cicero...

Tacitus' Annals of Imperial Rome recount the major historical events from the years shortly before the death of Augustus up to the death of Nero in AD 68. With clarity...

'The most moving lines literature has achieved' Jorge Luis Borges Beginning with Dante's liberation from Hell, Purgatory relates his ascent, accompanied by Virgil, of the Mount of Purgatory - a...

Rousseau's autobiography, giving a unique insight into the mind and life of one of the greatest thinkers of the Enlightenment Widely regarded as the first modern autobiography, The Confessions is...

Dante's descent into the Underworld to find his lost love. Guided by the poet Virgil, Dante plunges to the very depths of Hell and embarks on his arduous journey towards...

A new selection of the powerful and moving letters and poems Wilde wrote in prison, edited with an introduction by Colm T ibin At the start of 1895, Oscar Wilde...

Charles Dickens's final, unfinished novel, and one that has puzzled readers and inspired writers since its publication, The Mystery of Edwin Drood is edited with an introduction by David Paroissien...

The story in which Watson meets Holmes, and the famous partnership is formed Convalescing in London after a disastrous experience of war in Afghanistan, Dr John Watson finds himself sharing...

With new introduction by Cynthia Wall, chronology further reading, glossary, and explanatory notes. In 1665 the plague swept through London, claiming over 97,000 lives. Daniel Defoe was just five at...

The verses have influenced artists from the Renaissance onwards, from Botticelli to Shelley and Tennyson, Andre Gide and Stravinsky. Composed for recitation at festivals, these 33 songs were written in...

Completes the set of six 'Palliser' novels available in Penguin Classics. In the fourth of the 'Palliser' stories, Trollope follows Phineas Finn's return to the dangerous world of Westminster politics....

First time in Penguin Classics This was the most popular novel of Radcliffe's time and Radcliffe's portrayal of her heroine's inner life raised the Gothic romance to a new level....

A new edition of the last volume in Trollope's most popular series of novels When Reverend Josiah Crawley, the impoverished curate of Hogglestock, is accused of theft it causes a...

This edition is based on the first one-volume publication of Barnaby Rudge, reproducing all the original illustrations. Appendices include a map of London at the time of the Gordon Riots...

A selection of Browning's finest works, including the chilling 'My Last Duchess' and the popular 'The Pied Piper of Hamelin' Robert Browning was one of the greatest of English poets,...

Carpenter Adam Bede is in love with the beautiful Hetty Sorrel, but unknown to him, he has a rival, in the local squire's son Arthur Donnithorne. Hetty is soon attracted...

A new selection of Swift's witty, acerbic and polemical prose The political dilemma of Ireland; the state of faith in England; the charms of the Beggar's Opera; the importance of...

A new edition of Henry Fielding's exuberant satire, chronicling the life, loves and fortunes of Tom Jones. A foundling of mysterious parentage brought up by Mr Allworthy on his country...

The second part of Adam Smith's economic theory, stating the argument for free trade Smith's THE WEALTH OF NATIONS was the first comprehensive treatment of political economy. Originally delivered in...

A tale of inheritance and destiny, this is the story Dickens considered his best The greed of his family has led wealthy old Martin Chuzzlewit to become suspicious and misanthropic,...

The Comic masterpiece that catapulted the 24 year old Dickens to fame THE PICKWICK PAPERS began as a literary spoof centred around sketches of stock sporting fops by caricaturist Robert...

Spinoza's greatest philosophical work. Published shortly after his death, the Ethics is undoubtedly Spinoza's greatest work - an elegant, fully cohesive philosophical system that strives to provide a coherent picture...

Scott's invigorating tale of Rob Roy and the battle between the English and the Scotts When young Francis Osbaldistone discovers that his vicious and scheming cousin Rashleigh has designs both...

Penguin Classics relaunch When country-girl Grace Melbury returns home from her middle-class school she feels she has risen above her suitor, the simple woodsman Giles Winterborne. Though marriage had been...

Returns to the text of the first volume edition of 1848. Dombey and Son is both a firm and a family and the ambiguous connection between public and private life...

Penguin Classics relaunch. THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE was written towards the beginning of Hardy's career as a novelist and can be considered one of his most representative works. In...