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The House of Mirth
by Edith WhartonLily Bart is a beautiful socialite, born into a world of wealth and luxury – a world that threatens to slip through her fingers. The death of her parents and drying up of her family estate threaten to wrench her from the high-class lifestyle of her birth, unless she can secure a marriage to a wealthy young man. But Lily is growing older, and her window of marriageability is getting smaller. A penchant for gambling at bridge, and a secret desire to break free of the claustrophobic expectations of her social class, add extra complication to Lily’s already fraught situation.
The Iliad
by HomerThe oldest work of Western literature, and one of the greatest epic poems ever written. Presented here in the Alexander Pope translation. The Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War. Paris, the prince of Troy, has stolen off with Helen, the beautiful wife of Menelaus, the King of Sparta. He leads a coalition of Greek states in a ten-year-long siege of Troy, with the poem picking up the story in the tenth year, and telling of the rivalry between Agamemnon and Achilles. A tale of heroes and gods, it is one of the pillars of the Western canon.
The Iron Heel
by Jack LondonAn early example of modern dystopian fiction, The Iron Heel dabbles in sci-fi, and is a wonderfully unique, though often terrifying, example of London’s writing. Avis Everhard was born into a position of privilege as the daughter of an esteemed scientist and is also married to a socialist revolutionary. Despite her blessed life, Avis must still watch in horror as, in the early years of the twentieth century, democracy collapses in the United States, replaced by The Oligarchy, or Iron Heel. The middle class has been destroyed, and workers have been reduced to serfdom or poverty. Avis joins an underground resistance, and together they plan the glorious Second Revolt which is sure to obliterate The Oligarchy and put power back in the hands of the people – if they can pull it off…
The Jungle
by Upton SinclairUpton Sinclair's dramatic and deeply moving story exposed the brutal conditions in the Chicago stockyards at the turn of the nineteenth century and brought into sharp moral focus the apalling odds against which immigrants and other working people struggled for their share of the American dream. Denounced by the conservative press as an un-American libel on the meatpacking industry, The Jungle was championed by more progressive thinkers, including then president Theodore Roosevelt, and was a major catalyst to the passing of the Pure Food and Meat Inspection act, which has tremendous impact to this day.Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
The Jungle Book
by Rudyard KiplingSince its publication in 1894, Rudyard Kipling’s beloved masterpiece The Jungle Book has been celebrated by generations of readers. Composed of seven tales, each one accompanied by a poem, The Jungle Book introduces a lush, colorful world full of adventure and danger. The first three tales include some of the most charming and unforgettable characters in literature—the man-cub Mowgli, the black panther Bagheera, the wise brown bear Baloo, and the ruthless tiger Shere Khan. The other four tales each tell the story of a different animal, such as the travels of the white seal Kotick; the battle between the courageous mongoose Rikki-Tikki-Tavi and the deadly cobra Nag; Toomai and the elephant dance; and the camp animals of the queen’s guard.
The Lady in the Lake
by Raymond ChandlerIn his fourth novel appearance, private investigator Philip Marlowe is hired to find a businessman’s estranged wife, but instead finds a series of dead bodies and crooked cops. Although Chandler himself adapted the novel into a screenplay, it has never been used. The novel was filmed by Robert Montgomery, using a different, shorter script.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories
by Washington IrvingOriginally published under a pseudonym as The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories stands as Washington Irving’s best known literary collection, starring staple characters in American fiction: Ichabod Crane, the Headless Horseman, and Rip Van Winkle. Experience Gothic horror at its best, written by the “Father of the American short story,” in these classic larger-than-life tales sure to chill the faint of heart and thrill the brave-hearted. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
by Charles DickensWhen Nicholas's father dies, he, his mother and sister, Kate, are left penniless. To earn his keep, Nicholas becomes a tutor at Dotheboys Hall but soon discovers that the headmaster, Wackford Squeers, is a one-eyed tyrant who insists on a harsh regime. Nicholas embarks on an adventure that takes him from loathsome boarding schools to the London stage. Dickens confronts issues of neglect and cruelty in this blackly comic masterpiece.Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
The Little House in the Big Woods
by Laura WilderBased on the real-life adventures of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House in the Big Woods is the first book in the classic Little House series. Four-year-old Laura lives in a log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin, which she shares with her Pa, her Ma, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and their dog, Jack. Though pioneer life isn’t easy for the Ingalls family, they make the best out of every tough situation. They catch, hunt, and grow their own food; take trips to town; celebrate Christmas with homemade treats; and work together to complete the chores needed for survival and livelihood. Told over a year in their life, this book sets the tone for the rest of the series through its themes of hardship and family. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
The Little House on the Prairie
by Laura WilderThe adventures of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family continue in Little House on the Prairie as they leave their house in the Big Woods and set out for Kansas, travelling for many days in their covered wagon to find the best location to build their new house on the prairies. Once they do, they get to work, building, farming, hunting, and gathering food—and face more difficulty and danger than they have before. Just as they’re feeling settled, the Ingalls family is caught in a conflict. Will they have to move again? Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
The Long Goodbye
by Raymond ChandlerOne of the best and most personal novel’s by one of the greatest mystery writers of all time. When a friend of private investigator Philip Marlowe’s shows up at his house begging the detective to drive him to Tijuana airport, he agrees. Both his friend and his friend’s wife turn up dead, and when another case of Marlowe’s turns out to have connections to his friend’s death, he is determined to uncover what actually happened. Robert Gould played Marlowe in the 1973 film adaptation.
The Lottery and Other Stories
by Shirley JacksonThe first short story collection by Shirley Jackson, featuring one of her most celebrated works. The only collection of Jackson's short fiction to be published in her lifetime, it contains 25 stories, of which "The Lottery" is the most famous. When it was published in The New Yorker, it elicited an unprecedented stream of interest, both positive and negative, from its readers. It is a haunting take of the darker side of small town America, and one of Jackson's crowning achievements.Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
by T. S. EliotOne of T.S. Eliot's earliest, and most significant works. A great achievement of modernist literature, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock takes the form of the complex musings of the titular Prufrock as he considers life and his role in it. The poem draws heavily on allusion to classical works, including Dante's Divine Comedy and Shakespeare's Hamlet. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
The Loved One
by Evelyn WaughAmerica and Britain swirl together in this delightful satire. Dennis Barlow came to America as a poet, hired to write a screenplay for a movie studio. But that ended badly, and so he has taken a job at a pet cemetery, a choice that has left other members of the British expat community in Hollywood quite taken aback, though they are quickly distracted by the suicide of one of their own. Barlow is tasked with the funeral arrangements, during which process he meets the beautiful Aimée Thanatogenos. Can he keep himself in the good graces of his countrymen, and Ms. Thanatogenos – especially after the passing of other poets’ works as his own?
The Magician
by W. Somerset MaughamArthur Burdon is a man of science – a gifted surgeon, a saver of lives. But on a trip to Paris to visit his fiancé Margaret, an art student, his horizons are expanded when he meets Oliver Haddo. Haddo claims to be a magician – and displays gifts that seems to prove it. At first Arthur and his friends are blown away by Haddo’s astounding feats, but things take a turn for the worse when Haddo steals away Margaret. Oliver and his friends must rescue Margaret from the magician, lest she be sacrificed to fuel his dark arts…
The Maltese Falcon
by Dashiell HammettOne of the most influential mystery novels ever written, and the only one to star the legendary and iconic Sam Spade. When Spade's partner is killed on what appears to be a routine case, Spade is drawn into the search for a mysterious, valuable object known as the Maltese Falcon, and must contend with the eclectic criminals looking for it, any of which would happily kill Spade (or each other), or use him for their own ends. It has been adapted for film three times, most famously starring Humphrey Bogart. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
The Man in the Iron Mask
by Alexandre DumasThe Musketeers are back in another exciting adventure! This time a terrible secret threatens to bring down the throne of France. Aramis, Athos, Porthos, and d'Artagnan must rally once again to serve their king and save the country! Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
The Man in the Queue
by Josephine TeyThe captivating debut of Inspector Grant, one of fiction’s greatest detectives. As a crowd gathers excitedly to wait for a highly anticipated theatre performance, something transpires to put a damper on their evening—murder. A man in the queue is found dead, stabbed with a stiletto, and only Scotland Yard’s Inspector Grant can solve the mystery.
The Mother's Recompense
by Edith WhartonA feminist Oedipus, cut through with Wharton’s usual condemnation of social class and high society. Kate Clephane was driven out of New York years ago for abandoning her husband and daughter, Anne, which is why she is so surprised to be asked by to America by the same daughter. Anne is set to marry Chris Fenno, a war hero of questionable intentions – and a former lover of Kate’s, putting her in a particularly delicate situation. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
The Murder on the Links
by Agatha ChristieBeloved detective Hercule Poirot made his second appearance in this tale of murder, blackmail, and forbidden love.Hercule Poirot rushes to France in response to an urgent and cryptic plea from a client. But the Belgian detective arrives just too late: the man who had summoned him is found dead on a golf course, stabbed in the back with a letter opener and wearing an ill-fitting coat with a mysterious love letter in its pocket. Strange circumstances multiply, culminating in the discovery of a second body stabbed with the same murder weapon. While the local authorities pursue the false leads suggested by the evidence, Poirot relies instead upon his famous "little grey cells" to cut through the confusion and untangle a story of blackmail, forbidden love, and a long-buried secret.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
by Agatha ChristieIn this mesmerizing classic of detective fiction by world-renowned mystery author Agatha Christie, the brilliant Belgian detective Hercule Poirot makes his unforgettable–and legendary–debut.Who poisoned the wealthy Emily Inglethorpe, and how did the murderer penetrate and escape from her locked bedroom? Suspects abound in the quaint village of Styles St. Mary, just outside Essex. Among those basking in the shadow of doubt are the heiress’s fawning new husband, her two aimless stepsons, her volatile housekeeper, and a pretty nurse who works in a hospital dispensary. And though the identity of the culprit will prove as shocking as the crime, nothing gets past the calm logic and cool head of Hercule Poirot.“The key to the success of this style of detective novel lies in how the author deals with both the clues and the red herrings, and it has to be said that no one bettered Agatha Christie at this game.”–Elizabeth George“Future scholars of the simon-pure detective novel will hold that its greatest practitioner . . . has been Agatha Christie.”–The New York Times Book Review
The Nine Tailors
by Dorothy L. SayersIn the world of Lord Peter Wimsey, even bell-ringing isn’t free from murder.
Chance car troubles leave Lord Peter stranded in the small town, and when he discovers that a theft of emeralds from a family twenty years earlier was never solved, his detective’s curiousity is piqued.
But unsurprisingly, things turn out to be more complicated as Lord Peter could have suspected, as he begins to uncover a web of murder, conspiracy, and false identity.
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The Odyssey
by HomerThe incredible sequel to The Iliad, presented here in the Alexander Pope translation.
In the aftermath of the events of the Trojan war, Ulysses sets sail with his men for the shores of Ithaca, his home, but a failure to properly honour the gods enrages them, and Poseidon exacts revenge on Ulysses, keeping him from his destination and forcing him to wander the world.
Meanwhile Penelope, Ulysses's wife, must fend off the advances of a group of miscreant suitors who are convinced that her husband must have perished.
A tale of heroes and gods, it is one of the pillars of the Western canon.
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The Once & Future King
by T. H. WhiteThe definitive modern take on the timeless tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round table. The legends of King Arthur date back to medieval Europe, and have become some of the dominant myths of Western culture. In The Once & Future King, T. H. White reinvents the story for a modern audience. The novel starts by introducing the reader to a young Arthur - just a child, and far from the King he will become - as he is raised by the wizard Merlyn, and moves on to chronicle his rise to Kingship, the affair between Guinevere and Lancelot, and the eventual destruction of the round table. The first section, released independently as The Sword in the Stone, was adapted into an animated film by Walt Disney Pictures. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
The Painted Veil
by W. Somerset MaughamKitty Garstin, a wealthy debutante, loves her life.
She attends all the best functions, and attracts all the best men, though she would never dream of accepting any of their marriage proposals. Never, that is, until she finds herself at twenty-five, most prospects exhausted, facing the possibility of her younger sister beating her to the altar.
Not wanting to risk life as a spinster, she accepts the proposal of Walter Fane, a doctor, and joins him on a posting in Hong Kong.
In the wake of an affair with one of Walter's superiors, she accompanies her husband to the Chinese mainland, where a cholera epidemic is ravaging the populace.
While Walter battles the illness, Kitty's conflict is within - Who is she? Who does she want to be? And who can she be? Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.