The Gate

The Gate

Calvin McKee

Religion / Christian / Classics

A young man must find a way to free the people from the rich rulers controlling them.A collection of 19 short stories spanning 40+ years of the author's career as an independent author. The stories are divided into three groups: Tales for Young Adults, Oddities, and Tales for Adults, and center on eerie Ridgewood, Pennsylvania and some of the characters who live there.
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Antony and Cleopatra (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series)

Antony and Cleopatra (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series)

William Shakespeare

Theatre / Classics / Poetry

John Wilders - literary advisor to the BBC TV Shakespeare series - brings thorough scholarship and a practical understanding of performance needs to this new edition. Clarity, accessibility and rigour are the hallmarks of an edition which will provide invaluable guidance for all its readers. "This edition has a very helpful introduction and good clear text, as well as the exceptionally excellent and detailed notes." Dr Michael Herbert, St Andrews University ''a useful treatment of a complex play'Barry Gaines, University of New Mexico, Shakespeare Quarterly **
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The Oxford Shakespeare: Henry IV, Part 2 (Oxford World's Classics)

The Oxford Shakespeare: Henry IV, Part 2 (Oxford World's Classics)

William Shakespeare

Theatre / Classics / Poetry

This edition offers a fully modernized text of one of Shakespeare's most fascinating plays. *Henry IV, Part 2* is the only play in the canon whose structure almost exactly mirrors that of its predecessor, and thereby affords unique perspectives on Shakespeare's art and craft. Far from being the impoverished country cousin of an illustrious work, *Part 2* introduces unforgettable new characters like Pistol and Shallow, and memorable minor players such as Doll Tearsheet and the reluctant Goucestershire recruits. Above all, it gives us more Falstaff. Although he is now politically distanced from Hal, he looms larger than ever as a mischievous figure who never ceases to fascinate with his unique blend of native wit, inventiveness, and corruption. Through a radical reconsideration of the play's text(s) and date, it is argued here for the first time that the character of Falstaff was called Oldcastle in *Part 2* as well as in as in *Part 1*, and that it was the vetting of *Part 2* for the 1596-7 Christmas performances at Court which led to the change of name in both plays. This edition moreover takes the view that the Folio-only passages in the play reflect the text of the original prompt-book. **
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The Captain's Daughter

The Captain's Daughter

Alexander Pushkin

Classics / Poetry / Fiction

An NYRB Classics Original Alexander Pushkin’s short novel is set during the reign of Catherine the Great, when the Cossacks rose up in rebellion against the Russian empress. Presented as the memoir of Pyotr Grinyov, a nobleman, The Captain’s Daughter tells how, as a feckless youth and fledgling officer, Grinyov was sent from St. Petersburg to serve in faraway southern Russia. Traveling to take up this new post, Grinyov loses his shirt gambling and then loses his way in a terrible snowstorm, only to be guided to safety by a mysterious peasant. With impulsive gratitude Grinyov hands over his fur coat to his savior, never mind the cold. Soon after he arrives at Fort Belogorsk, Grinyov falls in love with Masha, the beautiful young daughter of his captain. Then Pugachev, leader of the Cossack rebellion, surrounds the fort. Resistance, he has made it clear, will be met with death. At once a fairy tale and a thrilling historical novel, this singularly Russian work of the imagination is also a timeless, universal, and very winning story of how love and duty can summon pluck and luck to confront calamity.
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Letters of Anton Chekhov to His Family and Friends

Letters of Anton Chekhov to His Family and Friends

Anton Chekhov

Classics / Fiction / Humor and Comedy

How is this book unique? Font adjustments & biography included Unabridged (100% Original content) Illustrated About Letters of Anton Chekhov to His Family and Friends by Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904 was a Russian playwright and short story writer, who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short fiction in history. His career as a playwright produced four classics and his short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. Along with Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg, Chekhov is often referred to as one of the three seminal figures in the birth of early modernism in the theatre. Chekhov practiced as a medical doctor throughout most of his literary career: "Medicine is my lawful wife", he once said, "and literature is my mistress." Chekhov renounced the theatre after the reception of The Seagull in 1896, but the play was revived to acclaim in 1898 by Konstantin Stanislavski's Moscow Art Theatre, which subsequently also produced Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and premiered his last two plays, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. These four works present a challenge to the acting ensemble as well as to audiences, because in place of conventional action Chekhov offers a "theatre of mood" and a "submerged life in the text". Chekhov had at first written stories only for financial gain, but as his artistic ambition grew, he made formal innovations which have influenced the evolution of the modern short story. He made no apologies for the difficulties this posed to readers, insisting that the role of an artist was to ask questions, not to answer them.
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Deerbrook

Deerbrook

Harriet Martineau

Classics / Fiction / Historical

When the Ibbotson sisters, Hester and Margaret, arrive at the village of Deerbrook to stay with their cousin Mr Grey and his wife, speculation is rife that one of them might marry the local apothecary Edward Hope. Although he is immediately attracted to Margaret, Hope is ultimately persuaded to marry the beautiful Hester. The unhappiness of their marriage is compounded when a malicious village gossip accuses Hope of grave-robbing.
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The Plays of Anton Chekhov

The Plays of Anton Chekhov

Anton Chekhov

Classics / Fiction / Humor and Comedy

These critically hailed translations of The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, The Three Sisters and the other Chekhov plays are the only ones in English by a Russian-language scholar who is also a veteran Chekhovian actor. Without compromising the spirit of the text, Paul Schmidt accurately translates Chekhov's entire theatrical canon, rescuing the humor "lost" in most academic translations while respecting the historical context and original social climate. Schmidt's translations of Chekhov have been successfully staged all over the U.S. by such theatrical directors as Lee Strasberg, Elizabeth Swados, Peter Sellars and Robert Wilson. Critics have hailed these translations as making Chekhov fully accessible to American audiences. They are also accurate -- Schmidt has been described as "the gold standard in Russian-English translation" by Michael Holquist of the Russian department at Yale University. Swan song -- The bear -- The proposal -- Ivanov -- The seagull -- A reluctant tragic hero -- The wedding reception -- The festivities -- Uncle Vanya -- Three sisters -- The dangers of tobacco -- The cherry orchard.
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Jane Austen's Mansfield Park: Abridged

Jane Austen's Mansfield Park: Abridged

Emma Laybourn

Children's Books / Ebooks / Classics

This edition of "Mansfield Park" has been shortened to two-thirds of its original length, and slightly simplified, whilst preserving Jane Austen's style. It offers readers with good English a more approachable version of the great classic novel.This abridged edition of Jane Austen's "Mansfield Park" has been shortened to two-thirds of its original length, and slightly simplified, whilst preserving Jane's Austen's style. It is designed for readers with good English who wish to acquaint themselves with this classic novel, but who find themselves daunted by the length and density of the full text.
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Titus Andronicus & Timon of Athens

Titus Andronicus & Timon of Athens

William Shakespeare

Theatre / Classics / Poetry

** *“These words are razors to my wounded heart.”* ** **—Titus Andronicus** ** ** ** *“We have seen better days.”* ** **—Timon of Athens** Eminent Shakespearean scholars Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen provide fresh new editions of the two great tragedies: *Titus Adronicus, *a graphic story of revenge, and* Timon of Athens*, a cautionary tale about false friends and unearned loyalty. **THIS VOLUME ALSO INCLUDES MORE THAN A HUNDRED PAGES OF EXCLUSIVE FEATURES:** • original Introductions to *Titus Andronicus *and* Timon of Athens* • incisive scene-by-scene synopsis and analysis with vital facts about the work • commentary on past and current productions based on interviews with leading directors, actors, and designers • photographs of key RSC productions • an overview of Shakespeare’s theatrical career and chronology of his plays Ideal for students, theater professionals, and general readers, these modern and accessible editions from the Royal Shakespeare Company set a new standard in Shakespearean literature for the twenty-first century. *From the Trade Paperback edition.*
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