Classic Fiction

Join Dostoevsky on his tumultuous honeymoon in this hypnotic cult classic, introduced by Susan Sontag. Why was I reading this book now, in a railway-carriage, beneath a wavering, flickering, electric light-bulb . . Summer, 1867: The newlywed Dostoevsky and his young wife Anna – his one-time secretary – are travelling to the German spa resort of Baden-Baden on honeymoon. Their...

A riveting read Sunday Times, Crime Book of the Year A smartly-paced thriller Evening Standard Dramatic, unnerving… exceptional The Sun SELECTED FOR BBC’S BETWEEN THE COVERS A NEW YORK TIMES Editor’s Pick THE SUNDAY TIMES’ Crime Book of the Year THE GUARDIAN’s Best Recent Crime and Thrillers THE EVENING STANDARD’s Best New Books of 2022 THE TIMES’ Best Crime Books...

Horniman, Birley and Craine is a highly respected legal firm with clients reaching to the highest in the land. When a deed box in the office is opened to reveal a corpse, the threat of scandal promises to wreak havoc on the firm's reputation—especially as the murder looks like an inside job. The partners and staff of the firm keep...

Christmas is a mysterious, as well as magical, time of year. Strange things can happen, and this helps to explain the hallowed tradition of telling ghost stories around the fireside as the year draws to a close. Christmas tales of crime and detection have a similar appeal. When television becomes tiresome, and party games pall, the prospect of curling up...

A series of grisly murders rocks London. At each location, only a jumble of bones remains, along with a bizarre bone sphere covered in arcane symbols. The son of the latest victim seeks the help of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, who discover a common thread that ties together the murders—and the persons responsible. Bizarre geometries—based on ancient schematics—point...

It is 1897, and Sherlock Holmes - The Spider's Web finds the renowned detective investigating a murder that took place during a society ball. Holmes and Watson rush to the scene, only to be shocked by the flippant attitude of the ball's hosts: the wealthy Ernest Moncrieff and his new wife Gwendolen. Suspicion naturally falls upon the party guests, yet...

"I have heard, Mr. Holmes, that you can see deeply into the manifold wickedness of the human heart." Scandal, treachery and crime are rife in Old London Town. A king blackmailed by his mistress, dark dealings in opium dens, stolen jewels, a missing bride—these are cases so fiendishly complex that only the great Sherlock Holmes would dare to investigate. For...

It is 1891, and a Catholic priest arrives at 221B Baker Street, only to utter the words "il corpe" before suddenly dropping dead. Though the man's death is attributed to cholera, when news of another dead priest reaches Holmes, he becomes convinced that the men have been poisoned. He and Watson learn that the victims were on a mission from...

Holidays offer us the luxury of getting away from it all. So, in a different way, do detective stories. This collection of vintage mysteries combines both those pleasures. From a golf course at the English seaside to a pension in Paris, and from a Swiss mountain resort to the cliffs of Normandy, this new selection shows the enjoyable and unexpected...

Based on actual events, Pamela is the story of a young girl who goes to work in a private residence and finds herself pursued by her employer's son, described as a "gentleman of free principles." Unfolding through letters, the novel depicts with much feeling Pamela's struggles to decide how to respond to her would-be seducer and to determine her place...

The smoking room on a transatlantic cruise ship is bound to be a hotbed of activity, but it's less common for it to be the site of a murder. Yet, when the lights flicker aboard the luxury Meganaut, making its way from New York to Paris, this is precisely what happens. In the darkness, a gunshot rings out, and when...

The smoking room on a transatlantic cruise ship is bound to be a hotbed of activity, but it's less common for it to be the site of a murder. Yet, when the lights flicker aboard the luxury Meganaut, making its way from New York to Paris, this is precisely what happens. In the darkness, a gunshot rings out, and when...

Knut Hamsun founded the modernist and postmodernist novel at once, writes James Wood in his introduction to this seminal work by a Nobel Prize-winning writer who has been recognised as one of the greatest literary figures of the twentieth century. A young man called John Nagel arrives to spend a summer in a small Norwegian coastal town, a stranger in...

For the passengers aboard the Latakia, the transatlantic journey from New York to Cherbourg promises weeks of rest and relaxation, no matter what class of ticket they have. But after an Italian baroness is found strangled in her cabin, the situation on board becomes more tense. The main suspect soon goes overboard, creating more questions than answers: Did a guilty...

When a beautiful staff member at a luxurious California boot camp is found brutally murdered, the owner pleads with the plucky senior sleuths, Angela Benbow and Caledonia Wingate, to investigate. Angela and Caledonia quickly join the party at The Time-Out Inn to check out their fellow guests: nice ladies on the surface, but beneath one of those mud-packs lurks a...

If much of the action is set in a bookshop or a library, it is a bibliomystery, just as it is if a major character is a bookseller or a librarian. - Otto Penzler A bookish puzzle threatens an eagerly awaited inheritance; a submission to a publisher recounts a murder that seems increasingly to be a work of non-fiction; an...

When Nurse Keate arrives at the Thatcher estate to care for a man with a bullet in his shoulder, she’s told that he shot himself accidentally. However, when the convalescing man is murdered soon thereafter, it becomes clear that the only “accident” was his not being fully killed the first time around. A murderer stalks the manor, and yet the...

Mr. Standfast is the third of five Richard Hannay thrillers. Brigadier-General Richard Hannay is recalled from active service on the Western Front and tasked with a secret mission to catch a dangerous German agent who is at large in Britain. Travelling incognito, he infiltrates a community of conscientious objectors with the aim of ferreting out the spy. During this adventure,...

Locked-room mysteries and other impossible crime stories have been relished by puzzle-lovers ever since the invention of detective fiction. Fiendishly intricate cases were particularly well suited to the cerebral type of detective story that became so popular during the 'golden age of murder' between the two world wars. But the tradition goes back to the days of Wilkie Collins, and...

After his university studies and a short stint in the army and the civil service, thirty-something Boris Pavlovich Raisky enjoys the life of an artist, frequenting St Petersburg’s elegant circles, dabbing at his paintings, playing a little music, and entertaining thoughts of writing a novel. But for a man like him, who has achieved nothing so far and by his...

In this melancholy and delicately written Japanese classic, a student befriends a reclusive elder at a beach resort, who he calls Sensei. As the two grow closer, Sensei remains unwilling to share the inner pain that has consumed his life and the shameful secret behind his monthly pilgrimages to a Tokyo cemetery. But when the student writes to Sensei after...

Grace Kilmichael, the well-known painter, is running away. She's escaping her husband and his wandering eye, her bullying grown-up children, and the tiresomeness of being herself. En route to Split and Dubrovnik, Grace travels through Paris and Venice, and to the glories of Torcello. Here she meets Nicholas—fascinating, rebellious, completely unsuitable (and half her age). Thrown into turmoil by their...

A mysterious murder near Esher, a gruesome delivery of two human ears packed in coarse salt, the disappearance of secret submarine plans, the sudden descent into madness of two brothers – these are only some of the apparently unsolvable cases contained in this volume. The great sleuth, assisted by his trusted friend Doctor Watson, is challenged to clear these cases...

A dark theatrical comedy about the vexed and violent relationship between Britain and Ireland, from twice Booker-shortlisted author Patrick McCabe. It's the summer of Brexit, and in a seedy hotel room on the South Coast of England, Chenevix Meredith finds his old comrade Henry Plumm murdered in the bathtub. Piecing together their shared history, Meredith looks back at the years...

Depending on who you ask, the term "whodunit" was first coined sometime around 1930, but the literary form predates that name by several decades. Still, it was in the years between the two World Wars—the so-called "Golden Age" of mystery fiction—that the style flourished. Short mysteries were published far and wide by a variety of authors, not just those primarily...

Depending on whom you ask, the term "whodunit" was first coined sometime around 1930, but the literary form predates that name by several decades. Still, it was in the years between the two World Wars—the so-called "Golden Age" of mystery fiction—that the style flourished. Short mysteries were published far and wide by a variety of authors, not just those primarily...

Sometimes, the police aren't the best suited to solve a crime. Depending on the case, you may find that a retired magician, a schoolteacher, a Broadway producer, or a nun have the necessary skills to suss out a killer. Or, in other cases, a blind veteran, or a publisher, or a hard-drinking attorney, or a mostly-sober attorney… or, indeed, any...

Sometimes, the police aren't the best suited to solve a crime. Depending on the case, you may find that a retired magician, a schoolteacher, a Broadway producer, or a nun have the necessary skills to suss out a killer. Or, in other cases, a blind veteran, a publisher, a hard-drinking attorney, a mostly-sober attorney… or, indeed, any sort of detective...

Of crime fiction's many sub-genres, none is so reflexive and intriguing as the "bibliomystery": stories that involve crimes set, somehow, in the world of books. In Vincent Starrett's A Volume of Poe, a bookseller is murdered; in Ellery Queen's The Adventure of the Three R's, the detective tracks the disappearance of a local Missouri author; and a killer stalks the...

The characters are quite extraordinarily living... A most original and grimly farcical situation. - Dorothy L. Sayers Robert Arthur Kewdingham is an eccentric failure of a man. In middle age, he retreats into a private world, hunting for Roman artefacts and devoting himself to bizarre mystical beliefs. Robert's wife, Bertha, feels that there are few things more dreadful than a...

The stunningly written, atmospheric new debut crime thriller you won’t want to miss! Winner of the 2024 CrimeFest Debut Crime Novel of the Year! A detective ready for a new life For years, Jake Jackson has been a high-flying detective in the city. One day he receives a letter from his reclusive uncle – he has left Jake his property...

When a counterfeit currency racket comes to light on the French Riviera, Detective Inspector Meredith is sent speeding southwards—out of the London murk to the warmth and glitter of the Mediterranean. Along with Inspector Blampignon—an amiable policeman from Nice—Meredith must trace the whereabouts of Chalky Cobbett, crook and forger. Soon their interest centres on the Villa Paloma, the residence of...

When Céline’s first novel, Journey to the End of the Night, was first published in 1932, it created an instant scandal, being extravagantly praised by its supporters and savagely attacked by its horrified opponents. Four years later came the sequel, Death on Credit. Both were a new kind of novel, frank about the author’s thoughts and actions in ways that...

An honest policeman, Sergeant Wigan, escorts a drunk man home one night to keep him out of trouble and, seeing his fine book collection, slowly falls into the gentle art of book collecting. Just as the friendship is blossoming, the policeman's book-collecting friend is murdered. To solve the mystery of why the victim was killed, and which of his rare...

A detective steeped in the art of magic solves the mystifying murder of two occultists. Now retired from the tour circuit on which he made his name, master magician The Great Merlini spends his days running a magic shop in New York’s Times Square and his nights moonlighting as a consultant for the NYPD. The cops call him when faced...

When Quinn first meets Bricky, she's working as a partner-for-hire at a dancehall, and he's struggling to shake the anxiety of his guilty conscience. Earlier that day, the young man took advantage of a found key and used it to rob a stranger's home. Now, with the purloined money in his pocket, Quinn is unable to escape the memory of...

Poverty-stricken and cut off from society, former law student Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov leads a desolate life in a dreary little room in St Petersburg. Having abandoned all hopes of sustaining himself through work, he now obsesses over the idea of changing his fortunes through an act of extreme violence: the killing of an elderly pawnbroker. His mind baulks at the...

Martin Greenough's walled-off mansion is the last remaining holdout in the Boston parkland known as the Fenway—an achievement that testifies to the elderly bachelor's great wealth. Childless and nearing the end of his life, he surrounds himself only with his cat, his servants, and a friend, Mrs. Warden—not to mention the circle of extended family members whose lives he both...

In the dog days of August, it is no surprise to see New Yorkers perspire. But this summer, a killer called the Cat gives the city a new reason to sweat. He selects his victims seemingly at random and strangles them, then escapes without leaving a clue. As the death toll climbs and the press whips the public into a...

Never had I been given a tougher problem to solve, and never had I been so utterly at my wits' end for a solution. A signalman is found dead by a railway tunnel. A man identifies his wife as a victim of murder on the underground. Two passengers mysteriously disappear between stations, leaving behind a dead body. Trains have been...

Following the loss of his sight in World War I, ex-intelligence officer Duncan Maclain honed his other senses and, with the help of his two German Shepherds, became one of the most successful and well-known private investigators in New York City, picking up on the unseen clues that often slip beneath the visual surface. The Miners Title and Trust is...

The Miners Title and Trust is typically dead quiet, having gone bankrupt. Then, late one evening, the bank's blind president, Blake Hadfield, plummets eight stories to his death in the building's lobby. The only witnesses are the security guard and Blake's estranged wife, who were both on the first floor. Blake's son, Seth, is found drunk and dazed on the...

In the countryside of Victorian England, a recluse and a beekeeper team up to catch a cunning villain. In a quiet village far from the noise of Victorian London, Sydney Silchester lives the life of a recluse led by two passions: privacy and honey. He gives up the former only when his stores of the latter run low. But when...

In the countryside of Victorian England, a recluse and a beekeeper team up to catch a cunning villain. In a quiet village far from the noise of Victorian London, Sydney Silchester lives the life of a recluse led by two passions: privacy and honey. He gives up the former only when his stores of the latter run low. But when...

An account of a journey on foot across the mountains to the two lost worlds of Central Africa. Summoned to Whitehall in 1949, Laurens van der Post was informed that in old British Central Africa there were two large tracts of country that London didn't really know anything about. He was tasked with going in on foot and taking a...

The Stars Look Down was A. J. Cronin's fourth novel, published in 1935, and this tale of a North-Country mining family was a great favourite with his readers. Robert Fenwick is a miner, and so are his three sons. His wife is proud that all her four men go down the mines. But David, the youngest, is determined that somehow...

The red robe concealed the blood until it made my hand sticky. Father Christmas had been stabbed in the back, and he was certainly dead. The murder of Father Christmas at one of London's great toy shops is just one of many yuletide disasters in this new collection of stories from the Golden Age of crime writing and beyond. Masters...

A magical pop-up edition of The Nutcracker. "He was dressed in a handsome red jacket lined down the front with white loops and brass buttons. His painted eyes sparkled a brilliant green, while a kind, good-natured smile hid beneath a snowy cotton beard." When Marie is given a nutcracker on Christmas Eve, she immediately loves it. Little does she realise...

This classical work of philosophy has inspired readers around the world for generations.Upon its initial publication in 1923, Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet garnered little acclaim, but it became a critical success in the 1930s and again in the 1960s when it inspired a generation of readers with its philosophical discussion on subjects such as love, friendship, beauty, and freedom. Gibran’s masterpiece of...

No library's complete without the classics! This new, enhanced leather-bound edition collects the beloved tales of Arabian Nights, translated by Sir Richard Burton.They are ancient stories, but they still enchant our imaginations today: "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," "Sinbad the Sailor," "Aladdin," and more. These and the other Middle Eastern stories collected in Arabian Nights are delightful, fascinating, and...

From the internationally acclaimed bestselling author of Code Name Verity comes a stunning new story of pearls, love and murder – a mystery with all the suspense of an Agatha Christie and the intrigue of Downton Abbey. Sixteen-year-old Julie Beaufort-Stuart is returning to her family's ancestral home in Perthshire for one last summer. It is not an idyllic return to...

A writer of the Harlem Renaissance, Nella Larsen wrote just two novels, published here, and a handful of short stories. Critically acclaimed, both speak powerfully of the contradictions and restrictions experienced by black women at that time. Quicksand, written in 1928, is an autobiographical novel about Helga Crane, a mixed race woman caught between fulfilling her desires and gaining respectability...

This supplement for Dracula's America: Shadows of the West contains a host of new rules and material and offers something for every player. - Two New Factions: The Forsaken, ragged survivors of the 7th Cavalry tormented by a bestial curse, and the Shadow Dragon Tong, crimelords with an agenda as mysterious as the powers wielded by their enforcers. - The...

Carnegie Medal-winning author Tanya Landman reignites another beloved Brontë classic in a phenomenal retelling accessible to all readers. The night that Heathcliff, an unkempt orphan, arrives at the Heights, Cathy’s life will change for ever … but theirs will not be a happy love story. From a harsh childhood to a foolish marriage, a troubled path of pain and punishment...

Introduce young readers to classic novels with exciting adaptations and fresh art.White Fang is part dog and part wolf, and the lone survivor of his family. In his lonely world, he soon learns to follow the harsh law of the North - kill or be killed. But nothing in White Fang's life can prepare him for the cruel owner who...

A sweeping story of love and rescue and an unforgettable journey back in time to the Second World War – from the Nation’s Favourite Storyteller At her ancestors’ home in Ithaca, Australian-Greek girl Nandi discovers – through a friendship with a very unusual flying fish – the extraordinary story of her Auntie Elena; of how she fell in love and...

Get ready to meet Violet Remy-Robinson – an amateur Sherlock Holmes in the making – in the fifth book in this delightful young detective series, perfect for fans of Robin Stevens, Enid Blyton and Anisha, Accidental Detective!‘There is a new girl sleuth on the block’ The TimesViolet and her friends can't believe their luck when they're invited to a wedding on a...

Get ready to meet Violet Remy-Robinson – an amateur Sherlock Holmes in the making – in this delightful young detective series, perfect for fans of Robin Stevens, Enid Blyton and Anisha, Accidental Detective!‘There is a new girl sleuth on the block’ The TimesWhen Count and Countess Du Plicitous move into the neighbourhood, Violet is sure there's something strange about them. And when her...

Get ready to meet Violet Remy-Robinson – an amateur Sherlock Holmes in the making – in the second book of this delightful young detective series, perfect for fans of Robin Stevens, Enid Blyton and Anisha, Accidental Detective!‘There is a new girl sleuth on the block’ The TimesViolet has spent her holidays exploring India with Godmother Celeste, including visiting Celeste's good friend the...

It’s not always easy being Death: a witty and gloriously gothic tale of friendship and discovery from bestselling Jenni Spangler. Twelve-year-old Valentine Crow has lived his entire life at the Foundling Hospital. Now, he and his best friend Philomena are leaving to begin their new lives as apprentices – but Valentine has been assigned to Death himself. Valentine finds himself...

Set sail for buried treasure in this illustrated picture book edition of Treasure Island. But beware of pirates!When young Jim Hawkins discovers a treasure map, he sets sail on the Hispaniola as the ship's cabin boy. But the crew-and the one-legged cook, Long John Silver-turn out to be worse than they appear! Can Jim find the gold before the scurvy...

Introduce young readers to classic novels with exciting adaptations and fresh art.A voyage for buried treasure spells trouble for cabin boy Jim Hawkins, who finds himself in the middle of a mutiny with some of the nastiest pirates to ever sail the seven seas.

Back in print for a new generation, a rollicking, rhyming train tale from the author of Goodnight Moon! From Kalamazoo to Timbuctoo, from Timbuctoo and back! This beloved story from 1951, about a big train and a little train that have just left Kalamazoo, has captured the imaginations of generations of children. Out of print for decades, it is back...

Age range 0 to 3Cause a little mischief with Tom!Life is always an adventure with Tom Sawyer! Never this classic story of American childhood been more charming than in this bright, modern, miniature book! Babies and adults alike will be enchanted by beloved characters like Tom and Huck.

The perfect gift for a young adventurer. Share your beloved childhood stories with the next generation! Robert Ingpen's illustrations beautifully capture the enchanting world of Oz, and his characterisations magically bring Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow and the Tin-Man to life.An iconic classic, The Wizard of Oz is a must-read for adults and children alike. Dorothy thinks she is lost forever when...

Mommy Goat leaves at home her seven little kids, and opening up the door is something Mommy Goat forbids! She warns the little goats: don't let anyone in, whoever it may be. If you do, the big bad wolf will get in and gobble you up for tea!The classic fairy tale The Seven Goats comes alive in this book! Fantastic,...

The unforgettable story of Dorothy's journey to the magical Land of Oz is retold in this beautiful gift book from renowned illustrator Julia Sarda.Meet Dorothy and her little dog, Toto, as they travel through the magical Land of Oz in search of the Emerald City, home to the mysterious Wizard of Oz. At Dorothy's side are her new friends, Scarecrow,...

When Mollie and Peter go to buy their mother a birthday present, they discover the most extraordinary thing: a chair that can fly and grant wishes! The Wishing-Chair takes them on some marvellous adventures - to a castle where they narrowly escape from a giant, to find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and even to...

Celebrate someone very special with this brand new board book with a fold out surprise. 2019 marks the 50th birthday of Eric Carle's beloved classic story The Very Hungry Caterpillar. In this brand new board book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar is going to a birthday party and excitement is in the air! Meet new animal friends on every page and...

Perfect for everyone who loves a funny dog story, this anniversary edition is sure to delight a whole new generation of readers. Everyone sees my dog differently. Some people even think she's the ugliest dog in the world.But I think she's beautiful ... in a sloppy kind of way! Written and illustrated by one of Australia's award-winning and much-admired picture...

Schooldays at St Clare's are never dull for twins Pat and Isabel O'Sullivan in Enid Blyton's much-loved boarding school series.In book one, the twins are simply not having it. St Clare's is beneath them and they're determined to cause a stir. But life at St Clare's is not as easy as they thought. They have several surprises and arguments before...

Wash ashore on the mystical isle of Prospero the wizard in this illustrated picture book edition of The Tempest. Magic, fairies, kings, and beasts will collide!Prospero causes a shipwreck to strand the royal retinue on his magical island. With the help of the sprite Ariel and the creature Caliban, the wizard seeks justice against those who betrayed him in the...

Beatrix Potter's best-loved The Tale of Peter Rabbit told in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Based on the official centenary edition published in 2002, the tale has been faithfully translated into the script of Middle Kingdom Egypt and illustrated with Potter's original artwork. Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist best known for her children’s books featuring...

In the town of Fenchester, seven resourceful children are yearning to be famous. One day, they come across a disused chapel, and an idea is formed. With a lick of paint and the addition of a beautiful curtain (which, however much they try, won't 'swish' as stage curtains ought), the chapel becomes a theatre - and The Blue Door Theatre...

THE THIRD BOOK IN THE PSAMMEAD TRILOGY, FOLLOWING FIVE CHILDREN AND IT AND THE PHOENIX AND THE CARPET'My all-time favourite classic children's author' JACQUELINE WILSON 'I love her books, particularly the Five Children and It sequence' NEIL GAIMAN 'The cheerful, child-centred anarchy of Five Children and It is still my inspiration and delight' KATE SAUNDERS At a pet shop near...

"She flies in the thick of snowflake swarms and when she peers through windows, they freeze in patterns like icy flowers."When the wintry Snow Queen steals away Gerda's friend Kay, she must journey to the faraway North to bring him home. A much-loved fairy tale of courage, determination and love.Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale is brought to life with wonderful...

A magical re-imagining of The Snowman from one of our most acclaimed writers, and inspired by Raymond Briggs' classic story. Beloved children's author Michael Morpurgo has re-imagined Raymond Briggs' classic The Snowman for a new generation of readers. One December morning, James is thrilled to wake up to see snow falling. He spends the whole day making his perfect snowman;...

Age range 5 to 9Delight children while enriching their library with this classic of English children's literature, now available as an elegant, giftable picture bookOrphan Mary Lennox arrives at Misselthwaite Manor sour and miserable. With the help of a clever robin, a mysterious key, and her new friend Dickon, Mary discovers a neglected garden and a lonely boy named Colin....

It's the oddest of all odd things, when two girls who have never met before suddenly stand before each other at summer camp - and discover that they're the spitting image of each other. Louise is from Vienna and has long, curly locks; Lottie is from Munich and wears her hair in two severe plaits - but that's truly the...