Collins Classics - Böcker

One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World'. HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics. Big Brother is Watching You Winston Smith rewrites history. It’s his job. Hidden away in the Records Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, he helps the Party and the omnipresent Big Brother control the people of Oceania. But the notebook he’s begun to write in is against the rules – in fact, the Thought Police could arrest him simply for having it. Despite the danger, a seed of rebellion has begun to grow in Winston’s heart – one that could have devastating consequences.In George Orwell’s final novel, he explores a dystopian future in which a totalitarian government controls the actions, thoughts and even emotions of its citizens. Its lasting popularity is testament to Orwell’s powerful prose, and is a passionate warning for today.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics. All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. The animals at Manor Farm have had enough of Farmer Jones – he’s drunk, reckless and cares little for their welfare. When the boar, Old Major, shares his revolutionary plans, the animals are convinced they can thrive on their own once the despot Jones is removed. But as the pigs vie for power, they begin to bear an uncanny resemblance to the tyrants they have overthrown …George Orwell’s renowned fable and satirical portrait of politics became an instant success upon its publication after the Second World War. The novel has continued to captivate readers of all ages, and has secured Orwell’s position as one of the great writers of the twentieth century.

One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World'. HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. Elizabeth Bennet, full of vivacity and wit, lives a quiet country existence with her four sisters. To the delight of their mother, determined to find her daughters suitable matches, the eligible Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley arrive in the neighbourhood, bringing with them dancing, wealth – and opportunity. Unimpressed at first by Darcy’s haughty air, Elizabeth vows to have nothing to do with him. But as she makes her own errors of judgement, the pair begin to understand each other and come to realise that first impressions are not always as they seem.Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s much-loved tale of marriage and society in Georgian England, continues to delight modern readers with its social comedy, well-drawn characters and subtle nuances.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics. ‘There are things in that wallpaper that nobody knows about but me, or ever will’ Hailed as one of the most distinctive and compelling literary voices of her era, Charlotte Perkins Gilman is praised today for her ground-breaking, feminist writing. Collected here, both The Yellow Wallpaper and Herland are extraordinary for scrutinising the patriarchal norms of turn-of-the-century America.In The Yellow Wallpaper a woman frantically paces the empty nursery at the top of a secluded mansion. Her husband John, a physician, is of no comfort and she can’t bear to sit with the new baby as his crying makes her much too nervous. And then there’s the putrid, yellow wallpaper which seems to shift and creep around the room before her very eyes…Herland, first published in 1915, follows a group of three men as they arrive in a female-only society. Peace and tranquillity thrive in this utopian land, forcing the explorers to question how their own corrupted, male-dominated world can survive.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.‘The reaches opened before us and closed behind, as if the forest had stepped leisurely across the water to bar the way for our return. We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness.’At the peak of European Imperialism, steamboat captain Charles Marlow travels deep into the African Congo on his way to relieve the elusive Mr Kurtz, an ivory trader renowned for his fearsome reputation. On his journey into the unknown Marlow takes a terrifying trip into his own subconscious, overwhelmed by his menacing, perilous and horrifying surroundings.The landscape and the people he meets force him to reflect on human nature and society, and in turn Conrad writes revealingly about the dangers of imperialism.

One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World'. HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.‘The flower bloomed and faded. The sun rose and sank. The lover loved and went. And what the poets said in rhyme, the young translated into practice.’Written for her lover Vita Sackville-West, ‘Orlando’ is Woolf’s playfully subversive take on a biography, here tracing the fantastical life of Orlando. As the novel spans centuries and continents, gender and identity, we follow Orlando’s adventures in love – from being a lord in the Elizabethan court to a lady in 1920s London.First published in 1928, this tale of unrivalled imagination and wit quickly became the most famous work of women’s fiction. Sexuality, destiny, independence and desire – all come to the fore in this highly influential novel that heralded a new era in women’s writing.

One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World'. HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.Winston Smith rewrites history. It’s his job. Hidden away in the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, he helps the Party, and the omnipresent Big Brother, control the people of Oceania.Winston knows what a good citizen of Oceania must do: show his devotion for Big Brother and the Party; abstain from all vices; and, most importantly, possess no critical thoughts of their own. The new notebook he’s begun to write in is definitely against the rules – in fact, the Thought Police could arrest him simply for having it. Yet, as Winston begins to write his own history, a seed of rebellion begins to grow in his heart – one that could have devastating consequences.In George Orwell’s final and most well-known novel, he explores a dystopian future in which a totalitarian government controls the actions, thoughts and even emotions of its citizens, exercising power through control of language and history. Its lasting popularity is testament to Orwell’s powerful prose, and is a passionate political warning for today

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.Plato's Republic has influenced Western philosophers for centuries, with its main focus on what makes a well-balanced society and individual.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics. ‘She wished to find out about this hazardous business of “passing,” this breaking away from all that was familiar and friendly to take one’s chance in another environment…’ The elegant Clare Kendry glides through New York’s high-society circles with ease, until the day she is reacquainted with her childhood friend, Irene. Clare chooses to ‘pass’ as white, hiding her African American heritage from her bigoted husband, while Irene leads a life that embraces it. As both women observe the other, a relationship of mutual fascination, obsession and secrets begins, one that will end in devastating circumstances.Published in 1929, Nella Larsen’s Passing lays bare the complexities of identity, race, class and gender. The novella established Larsen as one of the most important female authors in American literature and is considered a literary masterpiece of the Harlem Renaissance era.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.‘Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind…’Based on a lecture given at Cambridge and first published in 1929, ‘A Room of One’s Own’ interweaves Woolf’s personal experience as a female writer with themes ranging from Austen and Brontë to Shakespeare’s gifted (and imaginary) sister. ‘Three Guineas’, Woolf’s most impassioned polemic, came almost a decade later and broke new ground by challenging the very notions of war and masculinity.This volume combines two inspirational, witty and urbane essays from one of literature’s pre-eminent voices; collectively they constitute a brilliant and lucid attack on sexual inequality.

The Collins Complete Works of Oscar Wilde is the only truly complete and authoritative single-volume edition of Oscar Wilde’s works, and is available in both hardback and this paperback edition.Continuously in print since 1948, the Collins Complete Works of Oscar Wilde has long been recognised as the most comprehensive and authoritative single-volume collection of Wilde’s texts available, containing his only novel, The Portrait of Dorian Gray, as well as his plays, stories, poems, essays and letters, all in their most authoritative texts.Illustrated with many fascinating photographs, the book includes introductions to each section by Merlin Holland (Oscar’s grandson), Owen Dudley Edwards, Declan Kiberd and Terence Brown.Also included is a comprehensive bibliography of works by and about Oscar Wilde, and a chronological table of his life and work.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey work of the stars…First published in 1855, and edited, revised and expanded over thirty years, ‘Leaves of Grass’ has become one of the most celebrated poetry collections in the history of American literature. A master of free verse, Walt Whitman captures the true spirit of his homeland and its people through his poetry. He explores a wide range of themes, encompassing American identity and cultural values, democracy, nature and the mysteries of the human spirit.Featuring the poems of the original 1855 edition, ‘Leaves of Grass’ remains an influential work within the American literary tradition, studied and treasured around the world.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics. Tranquility is nothing else than the good ordering of the mind The extraordinary writings of Marcus Aurelius (CE 121-180), the only Roman emperor to have also been a Stoic philosopher, have for centuries been praised for their wisdom, insight and guidance by leaders and great thinkers alike. Never intended for publication, Meditations are the personal notes of a warrior-king studying his unique position of power, surrounded by loss and human fragility.Boldly confronting many of our greatest questions, Meditations wrestles with the complexities of human nature, rationality and moral virtue. This timeless and significant text will provide both inspiration and comfort to the twenty-first-century reader.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics. Is Mr Heathcliff a man? If so, is he mad? And if not, is he a devil? Heathcliff, an orphan, wild and unkempt, is taken in by Mr Earnshaw and raised as his son at Wuthering Heights on the bleak Yorkshire moors. He is drawn to Earnshaw’s daughter Catherine, and as the pair grow up together they become bound by an intense and passionate love. When Catherine’s father dies and Heathcliff is condemned to servitude, the difference in their social stations drives a wedge between them that will eventually become their downfall.A story of all-consuming love, obsession and revenge, Wuthering Heights is one of the most unique and emotive Gothic novels, and is considered Emily Brontë’s masterpiece.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.Confessions describes Saint Augustine’s conversion to Christianity and is the basis for his reputation as one of Christianity's most influential thinkers.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.‘One thing is certain, – that there is a mustering among the masses, the world over; and there is a dis irae coming on, sooner or later.’Viewed by many as fuelling the abolitionist movement of the 1850s and laying the groundwork for the Civil War, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s sentimental and moral tale of slaves attempting to secure their freedom was one of the most popular books of the nineteenth century. Centred round the long-suffering Uncle Tom, a devout Christian slave who endures cruelty and abuse from his owners, Tom is often celebrated as the first black hero in American fiction who refuses to obey his white masters. With other strong protagonists such as Eliza, a courageous slave who flees to the North with her son when she learns that he is to be sold, Beecher Stowe highlighted the plight of southern slaves and the breaking up of black families. Not without its controversy, more recent criticism has suggested that the novel contributed negatively to the stereotyping of the black community.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics. Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for. Meg longs for marriage; Amy wants to be a painter; Beth is content to stay at home; Jo wants adventure and a life without limits. Four decidedly different sisters, growing up during the American Civil War, each face their own unique challenge. Little Women tells the story of the March sisters. Through parties, travel, illness, arguments, dinners, love affairs and ice-skating escapades, we follow these unforgettable women as they come of age.First published over 150 years ago, Little Women is a quintessential American classic that has become a stage and screen favourite ever since, capturing the hearts of millions of readers across the world.

The Great American Novel of love and betrayal from the beloved author of The Great Gatsby. HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics. So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. Jay Gatsby’s Long Island mansion throngs with the bright young things of the Roaring Twenties. But Gatsby himself, young, handsome and mysteriously rich, never appears. He stands apart, yearning for something just out of reach – Daisy Buchanan, lost years before to another man. One fateful summer, when the pair finally reunite, their actions set in motion events that will unravel their lives, bringing tragedy to all who surround them.Widely considered F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, The Great Gatsby is a tale of excess and obsession, and a work of classic twentieth-century American literature.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics. We are not wholly bad or good, who live our lives under Milk Wood. On a dark moonless night in spring, the seaside town of Llareggub sleeps. Dreams of hope and heartache unfurl, revealing the innermost desires and fears of its inhabitants. But when morning arrives, the chaotic muddle of everyday life begins again: the hardships, the gossip, the quarrels, the moments of tenderness and love, all intertwined in a spectacular chorus of voices.A much loved and celebrated modern classic, Dylan Thomas originally wrote Under Milk Wood as a radio drama and it was first broadcast by the BBC in 1954. Since then, Thomas’s masterful and humorous depiction of his characters continues to entertain and resonate with readers today.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics. 'The wise are free from perplexities; the virtuous from anxiety; and the bold from fear.' Born Kong Qiu (孔丘) in what is now eastern China, Confucius began teaching a harmonious way of life based on humility, respect and the careful study of the ancients in the late sixth century BCE. Living conscientiously throughout the highs of his political career and struggles of self-imposed exile, his philosophy became so influential that, in the West, Confucianism became a byword for the tradition itself.A collection of his teachings compiled by his followers after his death, The Analects has for millennia attracted admirers all over the world and represented a cornerstone in East Asian thought, emphasising compassion, sincerity, and personal and social moral responsibility.

HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. ’For a time I believed that mankind had been swept out of existence, and that I stood there alone, the last man left alive. When a strange, meteor-like object lands in the English countryside, the inhabitants of Earth find themselves victims of a terrible attack. Ruthless Martians, armed with heat rays and poisonous smoke, are intent on destroying humanity. As the unnamed narrator struggles to find his way across decimated wastelands, the fate of the planet hangs in the balance…First serialised in 1897, The War of the Worlds terrified and thrilled its readers, the fictional alien invasion evoking a new and hair-raising idea: we are not alone. The imagination of H.G. Wells has had a lasting and significant impact on the science fiction genre, and continues to inspire the work of countless writers, artists and directors to this day.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS, John Bunyan’s masterful religious allegory, narrates the journey of an everyman hero, Christian, as he attempts to navigate the trials and tribulations of this world, the City of Destruction, on the path towards paradise, the Celestial City. Though weighed down by the burden of original sin, Christian overcomes the distractions of the world, moving past the Slough of Despond, the Hill of Difficulty and the Valley of the Shadow of Death, while simultaneously resisting the temptations of the Worldy Wise, the Vain and the Ignorant. The product of a lifetime of religious work and thought, Bunyan’s virtuosic narrative fundamentally altered Protestant belief, and remains one of the most important and influential works in the English language.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.‘Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee…’Few literary masterpieces cast quite as awesome a shadow as Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Captain Ahab’s quest for the white whale is a timeless epic – a thrilling tale of vengeance and obsession, and a searing parable about humanity lost in a universe of moral ambiguity.Inspired by true events, Moby Dick is a work of astonishing psychological depth. It is perhaps the greatest sea story ever told and one of the great classics of literature.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.'Ah, but let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart.'A tale of sin, punishment and atonement, The Scarlet Letter exposes the moral rigidity of a 17th-Century Puritan New England community when faced with the illegitimate child of a young mother. Regarded as the first real heroine of American fiction, it is Hester Prynne's strength of character that resonates with the reader when her harsh sentence is cast. It is in her refusal to reveal the identity of the father in the face of her accusers that Hawthorne champions his heroine and berates the weakness of Society for attacking the innocent.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics. Whoever is the occasion of another’s advancement is the cause of his own diminution. Considered one of the first works of modern philosophy, The Prince is a study on the nature of power and how to wield it. Originally written as a manual for the Duke of Urbino, Lorenzo de' Medici, Machiavelli details the flattery, intimidation and force a leader might use to reach supremacy – and stay there – using any means at their disposal.The origin of the term ‘Machiavellian’, in all its amoral and underhand realpolitik, this unscrupulous treatise remains a source of inspiration, and caution, for leaders today.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.‘How fleeting are the wishes and efforts of man! how short his time! and consequently how poor will his products be, compared with those accumulated by nature during whole geological periods.’Still considered one of the most important and groundbreaking works of science ever written, Darwin’s eminently readable exploration of the evolutionary process challenged most of the strong beliefs of the Western world. Forced to question the idea of the Creator, mid-nineteenth century readers were faced with Darwin’s theories on the laws of natural selection and the randomness of evolution, causing massive controversy at the time. However, Darwin’s theories remain instrumental in providing the backbone to modern biology today.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.‘We are in Transylvania; and Transylvania is not England. Our ways are not your ways, and there shall be to you many strange things.’Earnest and naive solicitor Jonathan Harker travels to Transylvania to organise the estate of the infamous Count Dracula at his crumbling castle in the ominous Carpathian Mountains. Through notes and diary entries, Harker keeps track of the horrors and terrors that beset him at the castle, telling his fiancé Mina of the Count’s supernatural powers and his own imprisonment. Although Harker eventually manages to escape and reunite with Mina, his experiences have led to a mental breakdown of sorts.Meanwhile in England, Mina’s friend Lucy has been bitten and begins to turn into a vampire. With the help of Professor Van Helsing, a previous suitor of Lucy’s, Seward, and Lucy’s fiancé Holmwood attempt to thwart Count Dracula and his attempts on Lucy and consequently Mina’s life.Arguably the most enduring Gothic novel of the 19th Century, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is as chilling today in its depiction of the vampire world and its exploration of Victorian values as it was at its time of publication.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.Northanger Abbey! These were thrilling words, and wound up Catherine's feelings to the highest point of ecstasy.While holidaying in Bath, young Catherine Moreland meets Henry Tilney and his sister Eleanor who invite her to their family estate, Northanger Abbey. An avid reader of Gothic romance novels, naive Catherine soon lets her imagination run wild, fuelled by her friendship with the vivacious Isabella Thorpe. It is only when the realities of life set in around her that Catherine’s fantastical world is shattered.Considered her most entertaining and satirical work, Austen expertly parodies the Gothic romance stories of her time and reveals much about her unsentimental view of love and marriage in the eighteenth century.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.‘From that hour we had no further occasion for the exercise of reason, or judgment, or skill, or contrivance. We were henceforth to be hurled along, the playthings of the fierce elements of the deep.’In Verne’s science-fiction classic, Professor Lidenbrock chances upon an ancient manuscript and pledges to solve the mysterious coded message that lies within it. Eventually he deciphers the story – that of an Icelandic explorer who travels to the centre of the earth, finding his way there via a volcano.Inspired by the manuscript, The Professor is determined to follow in the explorer’s footsteps and builds a crew of men which includes his nervous nephew Axel. Together they begin their journey to the centre of the earth, facing fearsome danger and adventure at every turn.