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Queen Lucia
by E. F. BensonThe first volume of E.F. Benson's wildly satirical take on the Edwardian English upper class. The books were recently adapted by the BBC into a mini-series starring Sherlock's Mark Gatiss. Emmeline Lucas - Lucia, to her friends - is a determined social climber, determined to rise to the top of the town of Riseholme, a little one-street village inhabited by a strange group of the idle rich. The result is a mish-mash of petty schemes, gossip, and backstabbing the likes of which Riseholme has never seen. 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 Razor's Edge
by W. Somerset MaughamLarry Darrell is a pilot, wounded and traumatized in the first world war. He turns his back on a normal life to wander the world in search of meaning and happiness.
His wanderings eventually land him in Paris, where he reconnects with his former fiancé Isabel and her new husband Gray, a victim of the 1929 stock market crash.
In a place where none of them quite belong, they all must discover how to find happiness in their lives - and with each other. <>The Razor's Edge has been adapted for film twice, with the most recent version starring Bill Murray. 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.
Redburn
by Herman MelvilleThe life of a sailor isn’t all its cracked up to be.
Wellingborough Redburn cannot find employment in his native New York, and so signs aboard the merchantship Highlander, on its journey to Liverpool.
He discovers that he is a “boy,” the lowest rank among the crew, and has to contend with the worst, most offensive duties, and the abuse of the seaman Jackson. Redburn proves to be a quick study at both the craft of seafaring and the surprisingly intricate social dynamics among the crewmembers, but will it be enough to turn his voyage around?
Drawing equally on Melville’s experiences at sea and his talent for cleverly poking fun at human foibles, this is a wonderful treat from a spectacular writer.
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 Reef
by Edith WhartonA dark tale of jealousy, betrayal, and the inability to let go of the past. When Anna Leath’s husband passes away, she finds herself reunited with George Darrow, a former love from before her marriage.
But her frequent delaying of their reunion leads him into an affair with a young actress named Sophy. Eventually George and Anna come together, but their future is complicated by Anna’s stepson, who has fallen in love with a woman that his family disapproves of – Sophy.
Who, as it turns out, has been hired as Anna’s governess. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values.
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The Republic
by PlatoPlato’s most famous work and the bedrock of Western philosophy Written in the form of a Socratic dialogue, The Republic is an investigation into the nature of an ideal society. In this far-reaching and profoundly influential treatise, Plato explores the concept of justice, the connection between politics and psychology, the difference between words and what they represent, and the roles of art and education, among many other topics. A towering achievement of philosophical insight, The Republic is as relevant to readers today as it was to the citizens of ancient Athens. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Riders of the Purple Sage
by Zane GreyThe novel that shaped the Western. Jane Withersteen is a wealthy landowner and rancher living in Utah. The Mormon church is the dominant power in the area, and at the novel's outset Jane is being courted by one of their Elders, who seeks to possess her. Jane, ever the optimist, believes in a fundamental decency in all people, but is increasingly forced to confront the darkness in the church as is threatens to consume her, her friends, and her family. Riders of the Purple Sage stands as one of the earliest, most influential Western novels, and has been filmed several times. 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.
Rights of Man
by Thomas PaineThe Founding Father’s most influential work: an impassioned defense of democracy and revolution in the name of human rights.Whatever is my right as a man is also the right of another; and it becomes my duty to guarantee as well as to possess. In Rights of Man, Founding Father of the United States Thomas Paine makes a compelling case in favor of the French Revolution. Written in response to Edmund Burke’s highly critical Reflections on the Revolution in France, its forceful rebuke of aristocratic rule and persuasive endorsement of self-government made it one of the most influential political statements in history. Paine asserts that human rights are not granted by the government but inherent to man’s nature. He goes on to argue that the purpose of government is to protect these natural rights, and if a government fails to do so, its people are duty-bound to revolution. Originally published in two parts, in 1791 and 1792, Rights of Man was a popular sensation in the United States, while in England, its incendiary views were seen as a threat to the Crown. For its erudite prose and rigorous argumentation, it remains a classic text of political thought. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Rights of Man
by Thomas PaineA reflection on and endorsement of the French Revolution, Thomas Paine's Rights of Man advances the theory of the inherency of human rights that cannot be conferred or revoked by governments, and examines the circumstances within which revolution against governments would be acceptable within the context of human rights. As a result of his groundbreaking opinions, Thomas Paine was tried and convicted of seditious libel against the Crown of England, but escaped a sentence of death because he was residing in France at the time.Be it mystery, romance, drama, comedy, politics, or history, great literature stands the test of time. ClassicJoe proudly brings literary classics to today's digital readers, connecting those who love to read with authors whose work continues to get people talking. Look for other fiction and non-fiction classics from ClassicJoe.
The Road Through the Wall
by Shirley JacksonThe debut novel from one of the twentieth century's most fascinating authors. Pepper Street is a street in suburban California, home to a firmly middle-class group of families, families who have carved out a space for themselves that falls short of the glamour of the nearby upper class communities, but is comfortable and respectable nonetheless. Their communal calm, built on strict social hierarchy, racism, and exclusion, is shattered when a hole opens up in a wall at the end of the street, and things for the inhabitants of Pepper Street become much less stable and much less clear. 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 Road to Wigan Pier
by George OrwellA brutally honest portrait of Depression-era British poverty, written by one of the country’s great authors.
One of George Orwell’s non-fiction works, The Road to Wigan Pier is an investigation of the harsh living conditions found among the poorer classes in pre-World War II northern England.
The first half is a direct, often blunt description of several families and homes, while the second is a more abstract consideration of the potential for socialism to improve what he sees as unacceptable circumstance for the workers.
He also contemplates his own privileged, middle-class upbringing. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values.
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Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel DefoeRobinson Crusoe runs away from home to join the navy. After a series of adventures at sea, he is shipwrecked in a devastating storm, and finds himself alone on a remote desert island. He remains there many years, building a life for himself in solitude, until the day he discovers another man’s footprint in the sand . . .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.
Rockbound
by Frank DayA dreamy, optimistic, and youthful David Jung comes to claim his small share of the harsh domain of Rockbound, an island currently governed by the righteous and rapacious Uriah Jung. As David tries to find his way in a narrow and controlled world, he struggles for survival against his many conflicts and enemies: the sea, his own behavior, his best friend Gershom Born, the secret love he has for his teacher Mary Dauphiny, and—inevitably—his Jung relatives and their greedy ambitions for money and power. Rockbound is enormously evocative in the power, terror, and dramatic beauty of the Atlantic sea; unrelenting in its portrait of back-breaking labour, cunning bitterness, and family strife; and, most prominently, an incredible story of many passions—love, pride, greed, and yearning—and the rocky landscape of the human spirit. Simultaneously a book of its time and a timeless story, Rockbound was brought out from the quiet backlist of Canadian literature and ardently championed by Donna Morrissey to win Canada Reads 2005, hitting multiple bestseller lists on its way up. 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 Rough Riders
by Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt’s bestselling memoir chronicling the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry and its victory at San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American War. Yearning to join the fight for Cuban independence in the Spanish–American War, Theodore Roosevelt and Col. Leonard Wood formed the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry. They enlisted a motley crew from all walks of life, from cowboys and frontiersmen to Ivy League graduates. These 1,250 men became known as the Rough Riders. After training in San Antonio, Texas, they set out for the tropical jungles of Cuba. As they grappled with hunger, malaria, and occasional defeat, their many battles with the Spanish Army culminated in the death-defying charge to victory at San Juan Hill. Through it all, Roosevelt kept a pocket diary in which he made daily entries about his experiences and the men who fought beside him. Imbued with his trademark vigor and certainty of purpose, Roosevelt’s firsthand account of this historic campaign paints a vivid picture of the rugged, independent spirit that came to define American heroism. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Sanctuary
by William FaulknerA powerful novel examining the nature of evil, informed by the works of T. S. Eliot and Freud, mythology, local lore, and hardboiled detective fiction, Sanctuary is the dark, at times brutal, story of the kidnapping of Mississippi debutante Temple Drake, who introduces her own form of venality into the Memphis underworld where she is being held.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.
Sanctuary
by Edith WhartonAn early work by the great Edith Wharton, displaying incredible maturity and depth of insight. Kate is eagerly anticipating being married; wrapped up in fantasies of an idyllic future with her husband-to-be, Denis. These fantasies are tainted when she discovers that Denis has inherited money from his step-brother by failing to bring up his wife and child in court. She marries him anyway, but vows to protect their son, Dick, from falling into the same immorality as his father. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you high quality, classic works of literature in e-book form. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Save Me the Waltz
by Zelda FitzgeraldZelda Fitzgerald’s semi-autobiographical account of her life and her marriage to F. Scott Fitzgerald. Save Me the Waltz is the story of Alabama Beggs and her husband, the artist David Knight. Alabama’s determination to not live in her husband’s shadow leads her to devote herself to ballet. But will success on the stage make up for the unhappiness in her marriage? When the novel was published, it was largely ignored or derided as an inferior reflection of her husband's work, but recent readers have rediscovered it as a wonderfully unique perspective on the same subjects.Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you high quality, classic works of literature in e-book form. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Scalpel
by Horace McCoyWhat do you do when everything that you could possibly want doesn’t make you happy? Colonel Tom Owen has found a comfortable place in the world. He has a distinguished career as a military surgeon, starting during World War II and extending into the lingering action in Europe. He is content, until a period of leave brings him back home to Coalville, Pennsylvania. His brother Lloyd was killed in a mining accident and has been blamed for causing it. His nephew has left school and his mother is under siege from striking miners. Almost as shocking is his encounter with Helen Curtis – the daughter of the mine’s owner - who falls for him as hard as he falls for her. She convinces him to leave the army and hang his shingle back in Pittsburgh, but treating the ailments and the rich and fashionable quickly loses its charm. Dr. Owen believes himself a hack and fraud … maybe he’s right? 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.
Scoop
by Evelyn WaughHow far will one man go for a scoop that he doesn’t know, or care, about? William Boot is poor, but not unhappy. He is not burdened by the hustle and bustle of the big city and can fill his time in nature. He even writes a little about nature for a national newspaper. This is all well and good until he is mistaken for his cousin, a famous novelist, and shipped to a nation caught in a war to act as a foreign correspondent. If he can get out in one piece, much less get the scoop the paper wants, it will be a miracle. 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 Sea-Wolf
by Jack LondonNot all rescuers are heroes… Humphrey van Weyden is an intellectual, more accustomed to using his words than his hands. When his ferry collides with another vessel and sinks off San Francisco, he is rescued by the seal-hunting vessel Ghost and taken in by its captain, Wolf Larsen. Larsen is one part scholar and one part thug, well-educated (and entirely self-taught) but brutal, tyrannically ruling over his ship. He appreciates van Weyden’s intellect but insists on subjecting him to the worst menial labour and abuses by the crew to toughen him up. When the ship rescues the intelligent and beautiful poet Maud Brewster, and van Weyden begins to fall for her, it will take all his old intelligence and newfound toughness to keep them both safe. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you high quality, classic works of literature in e-book form. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
The Secret Adversary
by Agatha ChristieThe novel that introduced Tommy and Tuppence, a bantering pair of 1920s bright young things who solve a mystery together while falling for each other.The Great War is over and jobs are scarce. Tommy Beresford and Prudence "Tuppence" Cowley, who were friends before the war, run into each other in London and discover they are both equally short of money and opportunities. On a whim, they decide to start a business, advertising themselves as "The Young Adventurers." Their first job leads them into a series of increasingly dangerous situations involving international spies, a society beauty, a Russian count, the wreck of the Lusitania, an amnesia patient, an American millionaire, and a fiendishly clever arch-criminal known only as "Mr. Brown." By the time the dust settles, all the puzzle pieces have been fitted together--and the young couple have realized their feelings for each other and have become engaged.
Seven Pillars of Wisdom
by T. E. LawrenceThe classic account of war and adventure in the Middle East that transformed T. E. Lawrence into Lawrence of Arabia Originally intended as a study of the great cities of the Middle East, Seven Pillars of Wisdom is T. E. Lawrence’s masterful account of the Arab Revolt of 1916–18. As a liaison officer for the British Forces in North Africa, Lawrence advised local tribesmen in their rebellion against the Ottoman Turks. He fought alongside future king Emir Faisal and played a crucial role in convincing rival Arab leaders to coordinate their efforts. A fascinating blend of autobiography, military history, and adventure story, Seven Pillars of Wisdom is a towering literary achievement befitting the man known around the world as Lawrence of Arabia. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Shooting an Elephant
by George OrwellA biting critique of British imperialism, wrapped in a highly personal story about a police officer in colonial Burma. While he is most famous for his long-form fiction, including such works as Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm, George Orwell was also an accomplished essayist, and Shooting an Elephant stands as one of his best, and most well known, pieces. Orwell worked as a police officer in Burma earlier in his, and there has been a great deal of debate about whether the story is autobiographical. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in eibook form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
A Son at the Front
by Edith WhartonA brilliant, incisive look at the realities of the First World War, both at home and behind the lines. Unlike her previous World War I novel, The Marne, A Son at the Front was written after the war’s end, when the brutal cost of the conflict had had time to sink in. 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.
Summer
by Edith WhartonLove, lust, dreams, and ambition clash and intermingle in this brilliant novel. Charity Royall is a bored, eighteen-year-old librarian living in the small town of North Dormer. Her life becomes considerably more exciting when Lucius Harney, an architect, moves to town to conduct research for a book. The two bond quickly, and find themselves falling for one another, but there is competition in the form of Annabel Balch, a wealthy socialite who has taken a shine to Lucius, and Charity’s guardian, Lawyer Royall, whose feelings for Charity are more than simply protective. 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.