Classic Fiction

Puffin Classics - the definitive collection of timeless stories, for every child. Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this charming edition of Anne of Ingleside, the sixth volume of the adventures of red-haired Anne Shirley. Anne - now Mrs Doctor Blythe - is still sometimes as impetuous as when she...

Wrongly accused of theft and exiled from a religious community many years before, the embittered weaver Silas Marner lives alone in Raveloe, living only for work and his precious hoard of money. But when his money is stolen and an orphaned child finds her way into his house, Silas is given the chance to transform his life. His fate, and...

Pollyanna might just be a poor orphan, but she knows something that lots of grown-ups don't—how to be happy. The Complete and Unabridged Text "Most generally there is something about everything that you can be glad about, if you keep hunting long enough to find it." When her father dies, Pollyanna is sent to live with her stern Aunt Polly....

It's 1895, Melbourne is in crisis, and Pearl and Vally Cole's father has suggested the unthinkable: it might be time to close the grandest bookshop in the world. When a ghostly visitor offers Pearl magic that could save her home, she seizes her chance. But her new friend is not what he seems, and the unstoppable magic in the palm...

Bored on a hot afternoon, Alice follows a White Rabbit down a rabbit-hole without giving a thought about how she might get out. And so she tumbles into Wonderland: where animals answer back, a baby turns into a pig, time stands still at a disorderly tea party, croquet is played with hedgehogs and flamingos, and the Mock Turtle and Gryphon...

WINNER of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2016 A thrillingly reimagined fairy tale from the truly magical combination of author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell – weaving together a sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty with a thread of dark magic, which will hold readers spellbound from start to finish. On the eve of her wedding, a...

Twenty new titles in the much-loved and hugely successful Penguin English Library series. 'The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude' When The Awakening was first published in 1899, charges of sordidness and immorality seemed to consign it into obscurity and irreparably damage its...

"This is not a romance - I have too often faced the music of life to the tune of hardship to waste time in snivelling and gushing over fancies and dreams; neither is it a novel, but simply a yarn - a real yarn. Oh!" Written with all the high spirits of youth, My Brilliant Career is the unforgettable tale...

Twenty new titles in the much-loved and hugely successful Penguin English Library series. The Lighthouse was then a silvery, misty-looking tower with a yellow eye that opened suddenly and softly in the evening. To the Lighthouse is at once a vivid impressionistic depiction of a family holiday, and a meditation on marriage, on parenthood and childhood, on grief, tyranny and...

90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books Saadat Hasan Manto, the most widely read and translated writer in the Urdu language, captured the devastation and absurdity of the partition of India and Pakistan like no other. The Price of Freedom brings together ten of his best stories, focusing on human voices from the religious fracture that forever unhinged...

90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books I had rather die in the adventure of noble achievements, than live in obscure and sluggish security In 1666, Margaret Cavendish had a vision—there was a crack in reality at the North Pole leading to a utopian parallel universe, where gender roles, scientific orthodoxy, and political norms had been razed to...

90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books 'I'm not the sort of husband you dream of when you're walking alone along the avenue in the evening, am I? And it would be a disaster, wouldn't it?' How does love die? This question lies at the heart of Tolstoy's desperately sad novella. It tells the story of seventeen-year-old Masha...

90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books My delight in playing turned to a lust for playing, my lust for playing into a compulsion to play, a mania, a frenetic fury that filled not only my waking hours but also came to invade my sleep. I could think of nothing but chess, I thought only in chess moves...

A fun-filled sticker activity book based on the beloved classic toy range, Sylvanian Families - packed full of spring activities plus over 400 stickers. Freya the Chocolate Rabbit is organising a special spring picnic, and everyone in Sylvanian Village is invited! Join in with Freya and her friends in this fun sticker activity book, packed full of things to spot...

Stefan Zweig's classic novella of obsession, madness and chess. In 1941, a cruise ship is heading to Buenos Aires, and on board, a group of eager passengers challenge the reigning world chess champion to a match. At first, they lose pitifully, until a kind stranger aids them by whispering instructions. He is a masterful chess player, and as they play,...

The Narnia Chronicles, first published in 1950, remain some of the most enduringly popular ever published. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has been translated into 29 languages! The illustrations in this book have been coloured by the original artist, Pauline Baynes. Now published with the original cover, as designed by Pauline Baynes. "I'm dreaming," thought Shasta. "I could...

A heartwarming retelling of the classic story by Hans Christian Andersen. Andersen's story of the Ugly Duckling, rejected and bullied, lonely and miserable until he realises his magnificent true nature, has become one of our most cherished tales of growing up and finding your place in the world. With fun activities after the story, and online audio in both British...

When Mrs Ramsay tells her guests at her summer house on the Isle of Skye that they will be able to visit the nearby lighthouse the following day, little does she know that this trip will only be completed ten years later by her husband, and that a gulf of war, grief and loss will have opened in the meantime....

We takes place in a distant future, where humans are forced to submit their wills to the requirements of the state, under the rule of the all-powerful Benefactor, and dreams are regarded as a sign of mental illness. In a city of straight lines, protected by green walls and a glass dome, a spaceship is being built to spearhead the...

Follow the beloved and bestselling little yellow puppy, Biscuit, on a trip to the aquarium. This Level One I Can Read allows readers to grow into reading with Biscuit! When Biscuit takes himself to the aquarium, he sees fish of all different colours, sea turtles, large tanks of jellyfish, and even sea lions that bark just like him. Bark! Bark!...

Once upon a time was only the start . . . welcome to the Fairytale Woods. The wicked witch is on trial in a hilarious secret diary from million-copy bestselling author, comedian and actor Ben Miller.The wicked witch has gone one cackle too far and is faced with a choice: a four week wickedness management class, or a lifetime in...

From his Baker Street apartment, Sherlock Holmes wields his powers of deduction in pursuit of justice and truth, venturing out into foggy Victorian London accompanied by his faithful sidekick Dr Watson. This classic collection of Holmes tales includes many of the detective’s most-loved exploits: Holmes is confronted by a venomous snake in The Adventure of the Speckled Band, mystified by...

When the services of famed detective Sherlock Holmes are engaged to ensure the safety of Baskerville heir Sir Henry—recently arrived from America—Dr Watson is surprised to find his friend dismissive of the matter. In fact, Watson is dispatched alone to accompany Sir Henry to Baskerville Hall in Devon while Holmes deals with another case. Yet Watson finds the wild moors...

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 twenty-four years he has no human company—until one Friday, he rescues a prisoner from a boatload of cannibals....

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...

Push, pull and slide the colourful scenes to bring a classic fairy tale to life in this delightful introduction for toddlers to Goldilocks and the Three Bears! Little ones can immerse themselves in a magical world as they follow curious Goldilocks into the Bear family's home, sampling porridge, chairs and even their beds! Reimagined for a new generation with vibrant...

Out of his smoke-filled rooms in Baker Street stalks a figure to cause the criminal classes to quake in their boots and rush from their dens of iniquity. . . The twelve mysteries gathered in this first collection of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson's adventures reveal the brilliant consulting detective at the height of his powers. Problems...

Fall in love with one of the most beloved romance stories ever written. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a timeless novel about love, class, and the courage to challenge first impressions. The narrative centres on the reluctance of the sharp-witted Elizabeth Bennet to be forced into a ‘suitable’ marriage, and her equally strong dislike for the enigmatic Mr...

Lift the flaps and join in the fun with this bestselling preschool classic, Postman Bear by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, creators of The Gruffalo. Bear is writing letters to his friends. But what could his letters be about? Lift the flaps and join Frog, Squirrel and Mole for Bear's special surprise! With sturdy flaps on every spread and rhyming...

Celebrating 70 years of Horton, the kindly elephant determined to save the tiny Whos who live on a speck of dust. Because a person’s a person, no matter how small! Celebrate 70 years of Horton the elephant in this classic and hilarious tale about friendship and respect, from the inimitable Dr. Seuss. Horton the kindly elephant has his work cut...

Two beloved giants of children’s books – Dr. Seuss and Quentin Blake – come together for this joyous celebration of life. UP UP UP! Fill up the air. Up, flags! Balloons! UP! Everywhere! Join two of the most amazing talents in picture books in this warm and wonderful rhyming tale about getting UP and celebrating the many joys of life!...

On the banks of the Mississippi, Tom Sawyer and his friends seek out adventure at every turn. Then one fateful night they witness a murder. The boys swear never to reveal the secret and run away to be pirates and search for hidden treasure. But when Tom gets trapped in a cave with the murderer, can he escape unharmed?

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow. Living in Ancient Greece in the 5th Century BC, Aesop was said to be a slave and storyteller. His much-loved, enduring fables are revered the world over and remain popular as moral tales for children. With infamous...

One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World' HarperCollins is proud to present its 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. Elizabeth Bennet, full of vivacity and wit, lives a quiet country existence with her four sisters....

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrid, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young… If it was only the other way! The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde's first and only published novel, recounts the story of handsome Dorian Gray who, upon having his...

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. ‘A slow and heavy step, which had been heard upon the stairs and in the passage, paused immediately outside the door. Then there was a loud and authoritative tap.’ Set against the foggy backdrop of London and the English countryside, each story in this quintessential collection unravels an...

HarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics. She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older: the natural sequel of an unnatural beginning. Written at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Persuasion is a tale of love, heartache and the determination of one woman as she strives to reignite...

HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey work of the stars… First published in 1855, and edited, revised and expanded over thirty years, Leaves of Grass has become one of the most celebrated poetry collections in the history of American literature. A master...

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others. The animals at Manor Farm have had enough of Farmer Jones – he’s drunk, reckless and cares little for their welfare. When the boar, Old Major, shares his revolutionary plans, the animals are convinced they can...

The Great Gatsby, known as the Great American Novel of love and betrayal set in the Jazz Age. I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby’s house I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited. People were not invited – they went there. Considered one of the all-time great American works of fiction,...

Moominpappa's Book of Thoughts is a collection of philosophical anecdotes and other profound insights from the most senior Moomin, providing readers with an essential roadmap on how to go about life. During his long and eventful life, Moominpappa has had a knack of coming out with funny as well as profound thoughts, both in good times and bad.

One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World' HarperCollins is proud to present its 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.’ Elizabeth Bennet, full of vivacity and wit, lives a quiet country existence with her four sisters....

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. Oliver Twist 'Please, sir, I want some more.' An orphan boy of seemingly no consequence goes on an adventure that will change his life forever. Fleeing a cruel workhouse, Oliver finds himself taken under the wing of the Artful Dodger and caught up with a group of pickpockets...

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. I wish as well as every body else to be perfectly happy; but like every body else it must be in my own way. When the Dashwood family are forced into more modest circumstances, sisters Marianne and Elinor also find themselves suddenly entangled in matters of the heart....

HarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics. A Tale of Two Cities begins with the famous line, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." Set in Paris and London against the backdrop of the French Revolution, A Tale of Two Cities tells the story of Lucie Manette and her father Alexandre,...

46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. The monstrous thought came into my mind as I perused the fixed eyes and the saturnine face, that this was a spirit, not a man.

Use your best colouring pens and pencils in this colouring book full of Peter Rabbit and his woodland friends. Grab your best colouring pens and pencils and get creative with Peter Rabbit and his woodland friends! With wonderful pictures of Beatrix Potter's best-loved creations, including Peter Rabbit, this delightful colouring book will provide hours of fun for little artists, encouraging...

As the war escalates in Europe, the Henry clan, a family of American naval heroes, finds itself drawn into the center of the conflict and must send its patriarch and several sons into the fray. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.

An American classic—and Pulitzer Prize–winning story—that shows the ultimate bond between child and pet. No novel better epitomises the love between a child and a pet than The Yearling. Young Jody adopts an orphaned fawn he calls Flag and makes it a part of his family and his best friend. But life in the Florida backwoods is harsh, and so,...

Only edition in print A celebrated journalist in his lifetime, Ambrose Bierce began circulating his own sardonic, mischievous definitions of words in his various columns for San Francisco newspapers. Over several years, these were then compiled and expanded into entries for a mock dictionary originally published as The Cynic’s Word Book. One of the most popular satirical works of American...

The original American in Paris. This dark comedy, seen as one of the masterpieces of James's final period, has all the elements of great writing, brilliant plot, and gorgeous setting: An Edwardian gentleman from the States arrives in seedy and sophisticated Paris to rescue his wayward future step-son. But his innocent American background has not prepared him for such seduction......

The story of a naughty wooden puppet who has a penchant for lying and dreams of becoming a real boy, The Adventures of Pinocchio has entered our collective imagination and fascinated generations of young and adult readers since its first publication in 1883. Part fable, part coming-of-age novel, part cautionary tale, Pinocchio’s rollicking exploits through an unforgiving and often incomprehensible...

Fitzgerald's classic novel of the jazz era, in a stunning new hardback edition. These sumptuous new hardback editions mark the 70th anniversary of Fitzgerald's death. Between the First World War and the Wall Street Crash, the French Riviera was the stylish place for wealthy Americans to visit. Among the most fashionable are the Divers, Dick and Nicole, who hold court...

Persuasion narrates the emotional journey of its protagonist Anne Elliot, who chances upon Captain Wentworth, a suitor she was persuaded to reject seven years earlier. His reappearance causes her to reflect on her past decisions and contemplate her marital future. Vividly depicting the society holiday towns of Lyme Regis and Bath, and infused with its author’s trademark wit, Austen’s last...

Edited and annotated by leading Proust scholar William Carter, In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower is the second volume of one of the twentieth century’s great literary triumphs. It was this volume that won the Prix Goncourt in 1919, affirming Proust as a major literary figure and dramatically increasing his fame. Here the narrator whose childhood was reflected...

Heart of Darkness has unsettled generations of readers with its haunting portrait of colonialism in Africa. Acclaimed illustrator Peter Kuper delivers a visually immersive and profound interpretation of this controversial classic, evoking the danger and suspense at the heart of this brutal story. Longtime admirers of the novella will appreciate his innovative interpretations, while new readers will discover a brilliant...

COMING THIS AUTUMN: A MAJOR NETFLIX SERIES STARRING FLORENCE PUGH The magnum opus of a giant of American literature, East of Eden is an epic, unforgettable family saga of blood ties and betrayal. 'There is only one book to a man,' John Steinbeck wrote of East of Eden. 'It has everything in it I have been able to learn about...

Jane Austen's classic novel with cover artwork from the major new feature film starring Daisy Edgar-Jones. The more I know of the world, the more am I convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much! Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the...

Soon to be a limited streaming series starring Anna Chancellor and Bill Nighy. Considered by critics as one of the best of Agatha Christie's later novels, and a personal favourite for Christie herself, Ordeal by Innocence is a psychological thriller involving crimes from both past and present. According to the courts, Jacko Argyle bludgeoned his mother to death with a...

Experience a BRIEF ENCOUNTER with Eileen Chang, 'a giant of modern Chinese literature' The New York Times, in this breathtaking, newly translated collection of her most masterful stories on love, regret and nostalgia. From one of the great Chinese authors of the twentieth century, these newly translated stories illuminate the most intimate matters of the human heart. Since childhood, Ruliang...

Immerse yourself in a brief encounter with Simone de Beauvoir, the pioneering feminist and existentialist thinker, in this pair of stories about two very different sisters and one disappointing man. Two sisters must find their way in a world designed to confine them. Marcelle is the elder sister, a woman whose ambitions focus on becoming the companion of a 'man...

Playful, sharp and fantastical: a new selection of writing by Leonora Carrington, the last great Surrealist. In 1940, Leonora Carrington — a twenty-two-year-old British-born Surrealist artist — was persuaded to flee France and the advancing German army for Spain. Already suffering from a psychotic break occasioned by the arrest of her lover by the Nazi authorities, she was soon confined...

Embark on a BRIEF ENCOUNTER with Jacqueline Harpman, author of I Who Have Never Known Men, with this startling new collection of three never-before-translated stories, about orders given and defied. A startling new collection of three never-before-translated stories, from the author of I Who Have Never Known Men. In the wake of some unfathomable war, a woman wanders the forest,...

Things: A Story of the Sixties by Georges Perec offers a cool, exacting portrait of a couple torn apart by consumer desire. A young couple build their lives around the objects they long to own. From furniture to clothes to carefully imagined interiors, their desires shape their sense of who they are - and who they might become. Yet satisfaction...

Arrange a brief encounter with one of the original, and best, thriller writers, Graham Greene, and his iconic tale of espionage and betrayal - The Third Man. Graham Greene's iconic thriller is a shocking tale of espionage and deceit, told from amongst the smouldering ruins of war-torn Europe. Rollo Martins, a second-rate novelist, arrives penniless in post-war Vienna to visit...

Enjoy a BRIEF ENCOUNTER with Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, in this eerie tale of mesmerism, obsession, and unseen control. Arthur Conan Doyle's tense, unsettlingly supernatural tale of obsession and control. After Austin Gilroy's fiancée is hypnotised, he finds himself drawn into the orbit of the woman responsible—Miss Penclosa. Soon, disturbances begin to unsettle him: actions he cannot...

An enchanting Christmas classic packed full of pop-up magic. It's Christmas Eve and a party's in full swing, when two children are gifted a magical thing: The wooden toy soldier is met with delight, but soon it becomes the cause of a fight... The classic tale of The Nutcracker is retold in this stunning, layered pop-up book. The story takes...

A woman is unnerved when a sinister package arrives in the post—containing her old diary entries. Strange and gripping, this is the work of Marlen Haushofer, mistress of sustained dread and author of the cult classic, The Wall. An Austrian housewife sits in her loft intent on her drawings of birds and insects. Then one day a disturbing package arrives...

Enjoy a BRIEF ENCOUNTER with Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins, titans of Victorian fiction, in this witty, semi-autobiographical tale of travel and adventure. Two literary giants take to the road on a comic journey – both chaotic, and completely unforgettable. Tired of the grind of work, two apprentices set out on a walking tour with no fixed plan, determined to...

Relish a brief encounter with Mary Shelley, the grand dame of the Gothic imagination, in this incredible trio of supernatural tales of longing and loss. Three supernatural tales of longing and loss from the grand dame of Gothic fiction, Mary Shelley. When a storm drives their boat towards the rocks, a group of sailors is saved by the light of...

A compelling novel about the effort to be perfect, without losing sight of yourself - by the most iconic feminist of the twentieth-century, Simone de Beauvoir. She's living a perfect life - so why does Laurence feel so torn? Weekends in the country, weekdays in Paris - Laurence's life features all the trappings of 1960s French bourgeoisie. She has money,...

Macabre comedy, crime thriller, cosy romance: The Girls is a weird and wonderful tale of two women murderously desperate to stay together. In summer, and particularly when the wind blows south-west across the lawn, the sceptic tank gives out a strong stench... "Oh, it is a body," the girls say. "We have a body in there. No one you know....

For millions of readers, William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist remains the most terrifying novel ever written. Now, fifty-five years after it was first published and anticipating cult director Mike Flanagan's relaunch of the 'Exorcist' film franchise, here is a striking new hardback edition complete with a Foreword by one of today's bestselling horror novelists, Grady Hendrix. Father Damien Karras: 'Where...

Relish a BRIEF ENCOUNTER with H. P. Lovecraft, architect of cosmic terror, in this chilling tale of eldritch monstrosities and unspeakable evil in rural New England. In the decaying hills of Dunwich, something monstrous stirs. Wilbur Whateley is a strange child—of uncertain parentage, growing to abnormal size at abnormal speed. Shunned by the villagers of Dunwich, Wilbur and his grandfather...

Experience a brief encounter with James Joyce, the giant of modernism, in his haunting masterpiece of love, memory, and mortality. At a Christmas party, a revelation shatters a man's complacency forever. At a winter gathering in Dublin, friends and family come together for an evening of music, conversation and ritual. As the night unfolds, small tensions surface, and a chance...

Relish a BRIEF ENCOUNTER with F. Scott Fitzgerald, and his iconic, fairy-talesque story of a man aging backwards, from old age to birth. The classic, moving tale of a man born old, destined to die young, and live at odds with his time. To the confusion and embarrassment of his family, Benjamin Button is born an old man. As the...

A superb murder mystery set in the snowy wastes of ancient northern China. Judge Dee is again in relentless pursuit of evil in one of van Gulik's most strange, atmospheric, and ingenious murder mysteries. Set in a remote, freezing part of China, the novel twists together a girl's disappearance, the theft of some jewels, and a horrifying beheading. And, just...

Enjoy a BRIEF ENCOUNTER with Colette, France's most daring chronicler of desire, in this sparkling story of love, society, and awakening. A Parisian comedy of manners where wit meets rebellion. Raised by her family to become a courtesan, young Gigi scandalises everyone by refusing the path laid out for her. Instead, she dares to seek love on her own terms....

Experience a BRIEF ENCOUNTER like no other, with Italo Calvino, the master of post-war experimental fiction, and his mind-bendingly brilliant novella about a travelling band of Tarot readers. A magical, mystical novella about the art and power of storytelling, this is Italo Calvino's miniature masterpiece. A group of travellers chance to meet, first in a castle, then in a tavern....

A gripping, entertaining murder mystery that launched the career of one of America's greatest Golden Age crime writers - the perfect beach read for the summer. The summer holiday becomes a nightmare in this classic murder mystery, set during a heatwave. Phoebe Atwood Taylor can get more fun into a detective story than any writer at present producing books of...