Secondhand Classics Bargain Book Box DSH1110

Secondhand Classics Bargain Book Box

Step into a curated library featuring some of the most influential voices in Western literature, spanning from Ancient Greek tragedy to defining 20th-century modernism. This collection unites monumental works of fiction from Nobel laureate Patrick White and pioneering modernists like James Joyce and Aldous Huxley, with foundational Victorian mysteries, Romantic poetry, and essential early epics. It offers a deep dive into psychological complexity, societal critique, and timeless human drama, appealing to any reader eager to explore the foundational texts that shaped the literary landscape. Each book is secondhand and may show signs of wear.

1. A Fringe of Leaves by Patrick White
   Based loosely on a historical event, this novel follows Ellen Roxburgh, shipwrecked off the coast of colonial Queensland, who is forced to survive in the Australian wilderness. Captured by Indigenous people, Ellen must strip away her societal constraints and confront the raw reality of survival and assimilation. White delivers a powerful narrative of spiritual transformation and the terrifying collision between civilization and the primitive self, exploring the ultimate price of radical cultural displacement.

2. The Living and the Dead by Patrick White
   This early novel centers on the complex intellectual and emotional lives of the Standish family in London during the tumultuous years leading up to World War II. Focusing particularly on the emotionally detached intellectual, Elyot, the novel explores the difficulty of authentic connection and the isolation prevalent in modern urban life. White uses vivid character studies to dissect social artifice and the psychological gulfs that separate people, marking a crucial step in the development of his distinctive narrative style.

3. Riders in the Chariot by Patrick White
   The story follows four profoundly different individuals—a Jewish refugee, an Aboriginal outcast, an elderly spinster, and an eccentric washerwoman—each of whom experiences a mystical vision of a celestial chariot. As their paths converge and diverge, White explores themes of spiritual illumination, social alienation, and the cruel persecution meted out by the mundane world against those who possess genuine inner sight. This ambitious novel is a searing, profound mediation on faith, suffering, and the search for transcendent meaning in modern Australia.

4. The Solid Mandala by Patrick White
   This is the mesmerizing story of twin brothers, Arthur and Waldo Brown, whose lives are intertwined in a complex relationship defined by contrast: Waldo is the cold intellectual, while Arthur is the simple, intuitively wise spirit. Arthur carries a collection of mandalas—symbolic representations of the universe—which hold deep, inexplicable meaning for him, but which Waldo seeks to control. White provides a profound, often disturbing, psychological study of duality, madness, and the struggle for spiritual enlightenment beneath the superficial veneer of suburban life.

5. The Eye of the Storm by Patrick White
   The narrative revolves around Elizabeth Hunter, an aging, wealthy matriarch whose last days are spent in a Sydney mansion while her children plot over her inheritance. As a cyclone bears down on the city, Mrs. Hunter relives a pivotal, transformative experience from her past during an actual storm, confronting her family and her mortality. White delivers a penetrating, often savage examination of familial duty, emotional selfishness, and the ultimate dignity found in confronting death alone.

6. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
   This seminal modernist novel chronicles the intellectual and spiritual awakening of Stephen Dedalus, Joyce’s literary alter-ego, from his childhood experiences in Catholic Ireland through his university years. Written in an experimental style that mirrors Stephen's growing maturity, the narrative follows his painful rejection of social, religious, and political constraints. This is the definitive story of an artist seeking to forge his own identity and destiny through the purifying fire of creativity.

7. The Penguin Book of Australian Verse
   This comprehensive anthology gathers the rich and diverse poetic voices that define the Australian continent, spanning traditional ballads to contemporary verse. The collection captures the unique spirit of the land, exploring themes of identity, landscape, history, and the pioneering experience. It serves as an essential introduction to the history and evolution of Australian poetry, showcasing its distinct lyrical tradition and powerful imagery.

8. Selected Poems by Gwen Harwood
   Gwen Harwood is one of Australia's most highly regarded poets, celebrated for her technical brilliance, wit, and intense emotional honesty. This selection captures her broad range, from caustic satire and complex philosophical explorations to deeply moving meditations on motherhood and aging. Harwood's poetry often dissects the conflicts inherent in domestic life and the struggle for creative freedom, establishing her as a vital, insightful voice in 20th-century poetry.

9. The Woman Destroyed by Simone de Beauvoir
   This collection features three powerful novellas that meticulously examine the aging, disillusionment, and existential crises of women confronting profound shifts in their lives. De Beauvoir portrays the agonizing realization of loneliness and failure, often brought on by betrayal or the collapse of marriage. Each narrative offers a searing, unflinching look at the emotional destruction caused by relying on others for self-worth, making this an essential feminist text exploring the painful process of redefining one’s purpose late in life.

10. My Childhood by Gorky
    This powerful memoir details the harsh and often brutal early life of Maxim Gorky, born Alexei Peshkov, growing up with his impoverished but fascinating family in 19th-century Nizhny Novgorod. Gorky recounts a world marked by cruelty, drunkenness, and ignorance, yet illuminated by moments of kindness and the burgeoning awareness of art and storytelling. This vivid, moving account of survival and intellectual awakening provides crucial insight into the societal conditions that fueled the Russian Revolution.

11. The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy
    Set deep within the isolated, ancient woods of Dorset, this novel centers on the tragic love triangle involving the simple, loyal woodsman Giles Winterbourne, his beloved Grace Melbury, and the wealthier, sophisticated doctor Edred Fitzpiers. Hardy explores the relentless conflict between social aspiration and natural instinct, showing how class divisions and fate crush the honest, rooted lives of the 'woodlanders.' This is one of Hardy’s most atmospheric and emotionally devastating portrayals of rural life and doomed passion.

12. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
    Huxley’s dystopian classic transports the reader to the World State, a future society where eugenics, conditioning, and perpetual happiness achieved through the drug Soma eliminate pain, disease, and individuality. The stable, controlled world is challenged by the appearance of the "Savage," John, who introduces the citizens to literature, passion, and genuine suffering. This is a chilling, fiercely intellectual novel that remains a definitive cautionary tale about the perils of technological control and the cost of mandatory contentment.

13. A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
    Lucy Honeychurch is a young Englishwoman who, while chaperoned on a trip to Italy, witnesses a murder and is impulsively kissed by the unconventional George Emerson. Returning to the rigid class structures of Edwardian England, Lucy tries to deny her burgeoning feelings for George and align herself with social convention. Forster’s most charming novel is a witty, insightful exploration of personal freedom, the liberating power of passion, and the stifling constraints of English middle-class morality.

14. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
    Considered one of the earliest and finest examples of sensation fiction, this novel begins when drawing master Walter Hartright encounters a mysterious, distressed woman dressed entirely in white on a moonlit road. His discovery plunges him into a complex web of deceit, identity theft, and villainous machinations orchestrated by the unforgettable Count Fosco. Collins weaves an intricate, suspenseful narrative using multiple perspectives, establishing the enduring tropes of the mystery genre.

15. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
    This is widely regarded as the first modern English detective novel, centering on the theft of the eponymous massive, valuable diamond, originally taken from an Indian shrine. Told through various, often contradictory, accounts from the household members, the novel investigates the complex circumstances surrounding the jewel's disappearance during a birthday party. Collins masterfully employs suspense, red herrings, and meticulous plotting, defining the structure of the whodunit for generations of writers.

16. Border Ballads
    This selection brings together the fierce, evocative folk poetry of the English and Scottish borders, recounting centuries of feuding, raiding, and dark romantic passion. These traditional narrative songs capture the harsh realities of life in the unsettled border country, featuring themes of loyalty, supernatural encounters, and violent retribution. The ballads preserve a powerful oral tradition, filled with dramatic dialogue and raw, untamed emotion.

17. The Song of Roland
    The earliest surviving major work of French literature, this epic poem recounts the heroic, tragic final stand of Charlemagne’s rearguard, led by the noble paladin Roland, ambushed by Saracens at the Battle of Roncesvalles. Written centuries after the historical event, the poem transforms a military defeat into a powerful Christian legend of chivalry, betrayal, and martyrdom. This is a foundational text of medieval European literature, defining the ideals of knightly heroism and loyalty.

18. The Selected Poetry and Prose of Byron
    This volume collects the essential works of George Gordon, Lord Byron, the quintessential Romantic poet whose dramatic life and revolutionary verse captivated Europe. Featuring excerpts from his epic satires like Don Juan and deeply emotional lyrics, the collection showcases his passionate embrace of freedom, defiance of convention, and creation of the brooding, charismatic Byronic hero. His influence on literature, politics, and culture remains immeasurable.

19. The Theban Plays: King Oedipus, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone by Sophocles
    This volume contains the three magnificent tragedies concerning the royal house of Thebes, dealing with fate, hubris, and the devastating consequences of pursuing forbidden knowledge. King Oedipus is the definitive tale of a man doomed to fulfill a prophecy, while Antigone explores the eternal conflict between divine law and human decree. Sophocles’ work remains the cornerstone of Western drama, unparalleled in its psychological depth and ethical complexity.

20. A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings by Charles Dickens
    This collection features the beloved novella A Christmas Carol, in which the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is transformed by visits from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Also included are Dickens’ other short works exploring the holiday season, tradition, and the spirit of generosity. These works solidified the modern celebration of Christmas, using powerful sentiment and social commentary to advocate for compassion and communal joy.