Great Classics

Friedrich Engels spent two years (from 1842 to 1844) in Manchester, England, working at his father's factory. During that period he observed and recorded the effect of the industrial revolution on the labor market and the subsequent condition of what became the working class of England.

Great Expectations is arguably Dickens' greatest achievement, and remains a joy from start to finish. Featuring many of his most memorable characters and scenes, the novel follows the narrator, Pip, as he grows from a frightened child of the marsh country, to be transmuted into a prosperous young gentleman by a mysterious benefactor; and the story explores themes of crime and punishment, guilt and innocence, revenge and reward, wealth and poverty, love and rejection, and good and evil.

The 100 greatest poems of three major French authors, Baudelaire, Victor Hugo, Paul Verlaine, translated into English with perfect accuracy and elegance, narrated by Katie Haigh and Paul Edwards. Excerpts from Hugo's "Contemplations and Autumn Leaves", Baudelaire's "Flowers of Evil", which started as a banned book in France because of its indecency, and Verlaine's "Poèmes Saturniens": here is enough to delight in the greatest poetry lines ever written and to nourish one's literary culture.

A wonderful collection of great classic love stories for the incurable romantic in all of us. "The Scrupulous Father" by George Gissing, "The Marquise" by George Sand, "Her Lover" by Maxim Gorky, "A Long-Ago Affair" by John Galsworthy, "A Dill Pickle" by Katherine Mansfield, "Portrait of a Lady" by Jerome K. Jerome, "The Pig and Whistle" by George Gissing, "A Race for a Bride" by H. K. Hales, "The Christmas Tree and the Wedding" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, "The Girl Who Was Tired of Love" by Leonard Merrick...

Nick Carraway is expecting a normal life. He has a steady, if boring, job and a modest home. He even has some family nearby. But there's one thing he didn't plan for - his neighbor, the mysterious Jay Gatsby. Gatsby hosts lavish parties, while rumors about his sordid past fill the air. After attending an infamous Gatsby bash, Nick is pulled into love triangles, destructive wealth, secrets, and far too much champagne. Join Nick on a journey through art deco decay.

The story is told from the point of view of Pip, an orphan of humble origins who dreams of being a gentleman. From a chilling encounter with a convict when he was seven, through his coming of age and early adulthood, he tells of his "memorable days" and the "great changes" they wrought in him. Pip is apprenticed to kind-hearted Joe Gargery, the blacksmith, husband to his ill-tempered sister. On meeting the eccentric and reclusive Miss Havisham and her proud and haughty ward, the beautiful Estella, Pip becomes ashamed of his origins and hopes to one day better himself.

The Science of Being Great is another personal-growth classic from the pen of Wallace D. Wattles. His most famous book is The Science of Getting Rich. This is a companion to that book. In it the author, after studying the wisdom of the world's religious leaders and great philosophers, digests their wisdom and puts it all together in his own unique style. Using many examples and "power tools of thought", he demonstrates the power of thought and positive self-esteem as sure ways to greatness.

Hans Christian Andersen's most famous fairy tales in one great collection. 50 stories, among them: The red shoes, Thumbelina, The flying trunk, The snowman, The swineherd, and many more!

Great Expectations is one of Charles Dickens’ greatest critical and popular successes. The first-person narrative relates the coming-of-age of Pip (Philip Pirrip). Reared in the marshes of Kent by his disagreeable sister and her sweet-natured husband, the blacksmith Joe Gargery, the young Pip one day helps a convict to escape. Later he is sent to live with Miss Havisham, a woman driven half-mad years earlier by her lover's departure on their wedding day. Her other ward is the orphaned Estella, whom she is teaching to torment men with her beauty.

"El gran Gatsby", publicada en 1925, ha sido considerada en numerosas ocasiones la mejor novela norteamericana del siglo XX. La historia se desarrolla en Nueva York y Long Island en los años 20 del pasado siglo y retrata de una manera brillante esos locos años de las fiestas, el jazz y el desenfreno previos a la Gran Depresión.

Perennials are the backbone of the garden - a low-maintenance, long-growing mainstay that the garden revolves around. I've worked with perennials for 20 years, as a manager in the perennials section at the local nursery, and then as a municipal horticulturist in charge of more than 20 gardens around the city. I've grown perennials from seed, potted them bare-rooted, divided them, deadheaded them, treated them for diseases and pests. Everything I've learned over the years I share here in this book - Perennial Classics.

Considered one of the greatest American novels ever written, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald follows a cast of characters living in the fictional towns of West Egg and East Egg on prosperous Long Island in the summer of 1922. The story of the book primarily concerns the young and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his quixotic passion and obsession to reunite with his ex-lover, the beautiful former debutante Daisy Buchanan. Midwesterner Nick Carraway is lured into the lavish world of his neighbor, Gatsby.

Laughter, happiness, romance, and just a bit of deception and intrigue - these are what make up Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies. Though Shakespeare is probably most well-known for the dramatic tragedies that have defined the genre for centuries, his comedies are just as well beloved and performed in theaters across the globe. Shakespearean comedies are defined by their humorous writing, their satire, the often-tangled romances, disguises and deceptions, and a thoughtful “fool” who is often the bearer of the smartest lines in the plays.

The story is told from the point of view of Pip, an orphan of humble origins who dreams of being a gentleman. From a chilling encounter with a convict when he was seven, through his coming of age and early adulthood, he tells of his "memorable days" and the "great changes" they wrought in him.

Arthur Machen’s novella explores the disturbing consequences of toying with the line between the earthly world and the spiritual realm. The Great God Pan centers around an ominous woman named Helen, who lives in the woods and invites morbid happenings. The book faced harsh censure upon its publication in 1894 for its explicit content, but today it is considered a hallmark of horror fiction. Stephen King himself called it “one of the best horror stories ever written”, making it essential reading for any dedicated fans of the genre.

Philip Pirrip, also known as Pip, a blacksmith’s apprentice in a country village, falls in love with Estella, the beautiful but cold-hearted daughter of eccentric Miss Havisham, a wealthy woman who lives in seclusion. He becomes motivated and aspires to become a gentleman to win her affection. His hopes are fueled when he receives a large and mysterious inheritance from a mysterious benefactor, this sets off a chain of events that will change his life.

Do you want to learn more about the great author Thomas Hardy, but don’t have time to read/listen to huge, long biographies? Then let The History Journals take you on an hourly history tour of his life. Some of the most memorable stories of all time were written by the 19th century author and poet, Thomas Hardy.

Here is perhaps Charles Dickens’ most beloved story, Philip Pirrip, known as “Pip”, narrates his own incredible journey, from the hindsight of 50 years. Pip grows up with his older sister after losing his parents as a boy. His sister, a tough woman, rules Pip and her husband Joe with an iron fist. While playing in the marshes, Pip is accosted by an escaped criminal whom he decides to help by stealing food from his own home. Miss Havisham, an eccentric recluse, sends for Pip to come to her house to play with Estella, a haughty girl about his age.

One of the greatest of all horror writers, Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49) also composed pioneering tales that seized upon the scientific developments of an era marked by staggering change. In this collection of 16 stories, he explores such wide-ranging contemporary themes as galvanism, time travel and resurrection of the dead.

When F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby in the early 1920s, the American Dream was already on the skids. Originally based on the idea that the pursuit of happiness involves not only material success, but moral and spiritual growth, the dream had, by Fitzgerald's time, become increasingly focused on money and pleasure - a phenomenon with which the high-living writer was all too familiar.