Patrick Süskind's Perfume follows the life of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, abandoned at birth in the slums of eighteenth-century Paris, but blessed with an outstanding sense of smell. This gift enables Jean-Baptiste to master the art of perfume making, but one scent evades him: that of a virgin, whom he must possess to ensure her innocence and beauty are preserved. Laced with sense and suspense, this is a beguiling tale of lust, desire and deadly obsession. First published in German 1985; this translation 1986
D. H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover scandalized the world when it was first published in paperback, and helped put Penguin Books on trial. The powerful depiction of the sexual liaison of Constance Chatterley with the gamekeeper Mellors, while her invalid husband quietly seethes, brilliantly captures the perennial struggle between the classes and the sexes. First published 1928.
Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre to this day entrances readers with its passionate portrayal of a woman struggling to make a life for herself in a cruel and indifferent world. As orphan Jane becomes governess at Thornfield Hall, she falls in love with her employer, Mr Rochester, only to discover that he has a terrible secret, one which may jeopardize their future happiness. Jane Eyre's struggle for independence has echoed with readers ever since.
Life is good for Buck in Santa Clara Valley, where he spends his days eating and sleeping in the golden sunshine. But one day a treacherous act of betrayal leads to his kidnap, and he is forced into a life of toil and danger. Dragged away to be a sledge dog in the harsh and freezing cold Yukon, Buck must fight for his survival. Can he rise above his enemies and become the master of his realm once again?
Offering ancient wisdom on how to use skill, cunning, tactics and discipline to outwit your opponent, this bestselling 2000-year-old military manual is still worshipped by soldiers on the battlefield and managers in the boardroom as the ultimate guide to winning.
Dr Felix Hoenikker, has left a deadly legacy to humanity. He is the inventor of ice-nine, a lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet. Writer Jonah's search for its whereabouts leads him to Hoenikker's three eccentric children, to an island republic in the Caribbean where the religion of Bokononism is practised, to love and to insanity.
Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction is a funny and frightening satire on the end of the world and the madness of mankind.
This title includes more than two hundred full colour illustrations by Hugh Thomson. All Jane Austen's novels are presented in one volume. It features Jane Austen's romantic world captured by her finest illustrator, Hugh Thomson. It also includes Thomson's beautiful and evocative illustrations hand-coloured by Barbara Frith, one of Britain's finest colourists. Barbara Frith's renderings of Hugh Thomson's illustrations have won the approval and commendation of both Jane Austen's House Museum at Chawton and The Jane Austen Centre in ... read more
Count Dracula's castle is a hellish world where night is day, pleasure is pain and the blood of the innocent prized above all. Young Jonathan Harker approaches the gloomy gates with no idea what he is about to face . . .And back in England eerie incidents are unfolding as strange puncture marks appear on a young woman's neck . . . But can Harker's fiance be saved? And where is the evil Dracula?
Set in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Havana, Hemingway's magnificent fable is the story of an old man, a young boy and a giant fish. It was The Old Man and the Sea that won for Hemingway the Nobel Prize for Literature. Here, in a perfectly crafted story, is unique and timeless vision of the beauty and grief of man's challenge to the elements in which he lives.
Published for the first time in flipback - the new, portable, stylish format that's taken Europe by storm. 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.' So begins Jane Austen's perennially popular novel in which the prejudice of Elizabeth Bennett - surely one of literature's most engaging heroines - meets the pride of Mr Darcy as they pit their wits against each other in this classic tale of romantic misunderstanding. Published for the first time in flipback c... read more
A stunning new translation of the classic tale of Greeks, Trojans and the fall of Troy.
Man seduces another's wife then kidnaps her. The husband and his brother get a gang together to steal her back and take revenge. The woman regrets being seduced and wants to escape whilst the man's entourage resent the position they have been placed in. Yet the battle lines have been drawn and there is no giong back...
Not the plot of the latest Hollywood thriller, but the basis of The Iliad - the Greek classic that details the war b... read more
Hugh and Margaret Darcy are raising their family in Sydney amid the brothels, grog shops and rundown boarding houses of Surry Hills, where money is scarce and life is not easy. Filled with beautifully drawn characters that will make you laugh as much as cry, this Australian classic will take you straight back to the colourful slums of Sydney with convincing depth, careful detail and great heart.
One man's obsession with the mysterious life of a silent film star takes him on a journey into a shadow-world of lies, illusions, and unexpected love. After losing his wife and young sons in a plane crash, Vermont professor David Zimmer spends his waking hours mired in grief. Then, watching television one night, he stumbles upon a lost film by silent comedian Hector Mann, and remembers how to laugh ...Mann was a comic genius, in trademark white suit and fluttering black moustache. But one morning in 1929 he walked out of his house ... read more
The sole survivor of a shipwreck, Robinson Crusoe is stranded on an uninhabited island far from any shipping routes. At first he is in despair, but slowly, with patience and ingenuity, he transforms his dismal island into a tropical paradise. But for 24 years he has no human company - until one Friday, he rescues a prisoner from a boatload of cannibals.
Bond is sent to a casino in Royal-les-Eaux to disgrace the lethal Russian agent 'Le Chiffre' by ruining him at baccarat and forcing his Soviet spymasters to 'retire' him, but he soon finds that his quarry is not content to go without a fight. Preferring to work alone, 007 is annoyed to be assigned a female assistant, but his compelling attraction to the enigmatic Vesper Lynd only leads him into further danger . . .
Wild child Huck has to get away. His violent drunk of a father is back in town again, raising Cain. He won't rest until he has Huck's money. So the enterprising boy fakes his own death and sets out in search of adventure and freedom. Teaming up with Jim, an escaped slave with a price on his head, the two fugitives go on the run, travelling down the wide Mississippi River. But Huck finds himself wrestling with his conscience. Should he save Jim, or turn his friend over to a terrible fate?
HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.
Sebastian, at 17, has never eaten pizza, never been to school, never even hung out with other kids. He rides the subway at night to escape his father's strict, possessive parenting. Maria, 22 and mother to two young children, has just lost her job. Afraid to confess to her violent boyfriend, Maria resorts to riding the subway when he thinks she's at work. And then one night, on an empty train, Sebastian and Maria make eye contact ...
Maura, a young Australian chef, goes to Ireland to promote food and wine - and then on the way finds more romance than she'd bargained for. And while confronting a family secret from the past, she meets someone of the future.
Fiver could sense danger. Something terrible was going to happen to the warren - he felt sure of it. So did his brother Hazel, for Fiver's sixth sense was never wrong. They had to leave immediately, and they had to persuade the other rabbits to join them. And so begins a long and perilous journey of a small band of rabbits in search of a safe home. Fiver's vision finally leads them to Watership Down, but here they face their most difficult challenge of all..."Watership Down" is an epic journey, a stirring tale of adventure, courage... read more
