British Fiction Classic

A fun adventure in a Spain that never was, in the vein of Dumas and Stevenson, with more than a taste of Cervantes. Don Rodriguez is a young nobleman who is banished from the family castle, and must set out with his rapier and mandolin to win his own estate, and perhaps even a bride. Along with his trusty servant Morano, he journeys far into the heart of the mythical Shadow Valley. Echoes of The Princess Bride resonate throughout.

Take Me to Your President is another brilliant political satire by the author of The Mouse That Roared. After chasing his dog (who was chasing a rabbit), a simple farmer from a small village in England finds himself inexplicably on board a top-secret intergalactic missile. Before he can sort it out, the farmer finds himself touching down in the United States of America where he is mistaken for a Martian. And now it’s up to him to bring world peace. “Once again Leonard Wibberley—author of The Mouse That Roared—has conjured a unique sort of comedy from a blend of fantasy, blandly ...

You can’t fight love. Darcy knows he is falling for Elizabeth Bennet, but he doesn’t want to be connected to her ill-bred family, so he struggles to put her out of his mind. Until he receives an anonymous valentine. Caroline Bingley sent the valentine, but Darcy thinks it is from Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth thinks Mr. Darcy is an arrogant, disagreeable man, until he shows up on her doorstep, declaring his undying love for her. She is astonished. He is only half as obnoxious as he was before. What could have made the difference? A Valentine for Darcy is a Pride and Prejudice Variation ...

A fascinating collection of tales from some of Great Britain's finest classic authors.

Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly abridged and remastered stories are now available to download for the first time. What was it like to love, live, and rebel in Britain during the 19th and 20th centuries? These beloved British novels offer three dramatically different but universally recognisable experiences. Read by three luminaries of the stage and screen: Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellen, and Sir John Gielgud.

Determined to overcome Elizabeth’s objections to marriage, Darcy hatches a plot which inadvertently compromises them both. The undeniable tension comes to a head during an afternoon encounter that ensures she must belong to him forever, and though she feels their engagement is forced, Elizabeth finally succumbs. But the road to marriage is paved with external obstacles, and a brush with passion and death reveals an unexpected secret. Seduced to Marry is a steamy sensual Pride and Prejudice variation novella for readers who enjoy compromise, Darcy rescuing Elizabeth, rainstorms and touches...

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts Prince Hamlet and his revenge against his uncle, Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father in order to seize his throne and marry Hamlet's mother.

LADY CORA TAKES SOCIETY BY STORM . . . Lady Cora Midland, a highly-spirited country beauty, offers no pretensions, which wins her many admirers, despite her lack of knowledge on how to manage the beau monde. However, Matthew Harrington, Lord Lindmore, believes she is taking advantage of his elderly grandmother, who is assisting with the girl’s presentation, and he means to put a stop to the chit’s shenanigans. LORD MATTHEW LINDMORE IS IN DENIAL . . . So he might keep an eye on the woman, Lindmore reluctantly assists his grandmother in bringing Lady Cora out in Society. Yet, what ...

A spoiled English Lady rebels against the half-Native American half-English sea smuggler forced to be her husband and they discover the thrill of impetuous passion. Smuggled aboard a ship bound for the colonies, the English lady Keely Bartholomew is ill-prepared for life in America, much less the devilish half-breed captain Brock Forrester. This man, the illegitimate son of a Lenni-Lenape man and an English woman, is used to having his own way. When the tall, brawny, mixed-race man caresses her and holds her in his massive arms, looking at her with eyes as black as night, the heiress is ...

Stanley Featherstonehough Ukridge is positively convinced that his complete ignorance of chicken farming gives him a particular advantage in the subject. A bombastic blowhard, he persuades his wife and his mild-mannered chum to start a chicken farm with him. What could go wrong?

Patrick O’Brian is acclaimed as one of the greatest historical novelists of the twentieth century, celebrated throughout the world for his masterful roman fleuve, the Aubrey‒Maturin series. But he was also a prolific writer of short stories, and it is in this form that he first made his mark. Encompassing stories written in his unvarnished youth to tales told by a seasoned traveller, this is the most comprehensive collection of O’Brian’s short fiction ever published. It is a treasure chest, containing more than sixty tales, including rarities, uncollected works, and forgotten jewels.

In 1959, Nancy’s life changes dramatically when her family moves to a new town, Stevenage. Now there is room for a piano, Nancy loses herself in an imagined past of Mozart’s lesser known sister, while making unexpected discoveries of her own inscrutable mother’s history. In 1989 the piano becomes a fixture in a women’s community centre in the town, in a time of personal strife for Martha and her friends. The politics of the era threaten the existence of the centre, and the future of this group of women. A troubled young man buys the piano in 1997 and places it in his sparse flat at ...

“What I read in your hand is tragedy—a horrible tragedy that doesn’t come to one in a million people.” Bookseller Theodore Terhune buys the substantial library of the recently deceased James Strudgewick, a wealthy Yorkshireman who fell and drowned at a local beauty spot. Though his death was deemed accidental by the coroner, the locals remain suspicious and dislike Strudgewick’s nephew and heir. But Ronald Strudgewick has a cast-iron alibi—he was 30 miles away visiting with friend Robert Shilling in Thirsk at the time of his uncle’s death, and the police have already picked ...

Overworked locum Dr. Jervis is called to the bedside of a gentleman who refuses to see a doctor except on the condition that the doctor must be told neither his name nor his address. After a strange ride in a closed carriage, Jervis finds his patient apparently suffering the effects of morphine poisoning, and departs with a sense of uneasiness. Anxious to trace the man again, Jervis consults his old friend and colleague, the eminent scientific investigator Dr. John Thorndyke.

A woman goes missing. Her car is discovered in the Australian Outback, burnt out but there is no body. Her husband, her son and the local gigolo are all suspects but the case comes to a dead end then Police Constable Elizabeth West is bound, gaged and abducted by a ruthless killer. Can Detective Bigfoot save her? 'Deadly serious and laugh out loud funny.' Revised and Rewritten.

Emma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about youthful hubris and the perils of misconstrued romance. The story takes place in the fictional village of Highbury and the surrounding estates of Hartfield, Randalls, and Donwell Abbey and involves the relationships among individuals in those locations consisting of "3 or 4 families in a country village". The novel was first published in December 1815 while the author was alive, with its title page listing a publication date of 1816.

There’s a new detective on the Lake District beat. Owen Irvine is an ex-cop, a countryman, a craftsman - and a natural detective. So when he hears a disturbing tale of a con man who’s preying on vulnerable women in search of love, he just can’t help but become involved. J J Salkeld’s regular readers will already know the Kendal CID team, led by the newly un-retired DI Andy Hall. And although the police can’t commit investigative resources, recently promoted DC Abla Khan is only too keen to join Irvine on the trail of the man they call ‘Jason Strong’. But when events take a ...

The eternal lovers. Lilith in Heaven - and Longinus in Hell. Never to meet again. Satan's fury is terrible to behold. He seeks revenge for Lilith's defection and is gathering the Fallen to attack Purgatory. Archangel Michael will lead the angelic host and confront the demonic hordes on the field of battle. But the Great Dragon has laid a deadly trap for the Heavenspawn, one that will change the balance of the cosmos. The die is cast, and the harridans of Fate are watching and waiting. Longinus must escape from Asmodeus’ clutches and run the bloody gauntlet of Hell to save his friends on ...

This anthology looks back over some of the great love affairs of literary history. It includes readings of poetry, letters and scenes from fiction written by British poets and authors from Shakespearian times to the twentieth century. Here are real-life romantic couples, such as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats and Fanny Brawne, Lord Byron and Lady Caroline Lamb, Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning.

Some of the cast and production team are interviewed about their roles and the making of the 1997 hit film The Full Monty. Interviews with Hugo Speer, Simon Beaufoy, Petter Cattaneo, Ulberto Pasolini and Jill Taylor. Listen to find out about the cast's first reaction to the script, first auditions, how the script developed before filming and where the idea for the film actually came from. Includes many more fascinating facts and insights from such a funny, successful and widely known film!