Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy—it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he’s assigned, he’ll...

When it was first produced in 1959, A Raisin in the Sun was awarded the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for that season and hailed as a watershed in American drama. A pioneering work by an African-American playwright, the play was a radically new representation of black life. "A play that changed American theater forever." The story tells of a Black family's experiences in south Chicago, as they attempt to improve their financial circumstances...

On January 10, 1776, Thomas Paine published his pamphlet "Common Sense", a persuasive argument for the colonies' political and economic separation from Britain. It cites the evils of monarchy, accuses the British government of inflicting economic and social injustices upon the colonies, and points to the absurdity of an island attempting to rule a continent. Today, it remains a landmark document in the struggle for freedom, distinguished not only...

"Willa Cather's third novel, The Song of the Lark, depicts the growth of an artist, singer Thea Kronborg, a character inspired by the Swedish-born immigrant and renowned Wagnerian soprano Olive Fremstad. Thea's early life, however, has much in common with Cather's own. Set from 1885 to 1909, the novel traces Thea's long journey from her fictional hometown of Moonstone, Colorado, to her source of inspiration in the Southwest, and to New York and the...

This nineteenth-century tale of an electric submarine, its eccentric captain, and the undersea world, anticipated many of the scientific achievements of the twentieth century. The adventures of a French scientist and his companions who travel the seven seas as prisoners in the submarine of the mysterious Captain Nemo.

An immensely popular bestseller upon its publication in 1905, The House of Mirth was Edith Wharton's first great novel. Set among the elegant brownstones of New York City and opulent country houses like gracious Bellomont on the Hudson, the novel creates a satiric portrayal of what Wharton herself called "a society of irresponsib- le pleasure-seekers" with a precision comparable to that of Proust. And her brilliant and complex characterization of...

Jean valjean, my brother you no longer belong to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I buy from you; I withdraw it from black thoughts and the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God." With ths proclamation of redemption, newly released prisoner jean valjean embarks on the path of virtue, and a classic of world literature soars. Les Miserables is the story of jean valjean's transformation from criminal to hero, and his dedication to doing good...

The Hunchback of Notre Dame, by Victor Hugo, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics: New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary...

The FLAME TREE COLLECTABLE CLASSICS are chosen to create a delightful and timeless home library. Each stunning edition features deluxe cover treatments, ribbon markers, luxury endpapers and gilded edges. The unabridged text is accompanied by a Glossary of Victorian and Literary terms produced for the modern reader.Mansfield Park was written just after Pride and Prejudice, offering an opposite view of the world and bringing a very modern perspective...

"This reissue of Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera is the first title in The Haunted Library, a new horror classics series presented by the Horror Writers Association and Poisoned Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks. The award-winning musical based on Leroux's work is world-famous, but many people are unaware that the show was inspired by a novel, originally published in a serialized form. The Phantom of the Opera is a timeless piece of gothic...