Signature Editions – serie

Robert W. Chambers's cult classic work of weird fiction and supernatural horror is now repackaged with a beautifully designed jacket by noted illustrator Malika Favre. First published in 1895, this collection of short stories by Robert W. Chambers is widely regarded as a foundational text of macabre literature. The King in Yellow was a bestseller in its day, and was later praised by horror emeritus H.P. Lovecraft. Its ten stories include "The Yellow Sign," considered by many critics to be one of the greatest tales of horror in the English language.

In 1851 Father Jean Marie Latour comes to serve as the Apostolic Vicar to New Mexico. What he finds is a vast territory of red hills and tortuous arroyos, American by law but Mexican and Indian in custom and belief. In the almost forty years that follow, Latour spreads his faith in the only way he knows—gently, all the while contending with an unforgiving landscape, derelict and sometimes openly rebellious priests, and his own loneliness. Out of these events, Cather gives us an indelible vision of life unfolding in a place where time itself seems suspended.

Eight years ago, Anne Elliot followed the advice of Lady Russell, her only true friend, and broke off her engagement to the dashing young naval officer Frederick Wentworth. When Anne and the newly wealthy Captain Wentworth cross paths years later, it is clear that he has neither forgotten—nor forgiven—their past. Can true love survive heartbreak? Who should we listen to in matters of the heart? Filled with Jane Austen’s trademark wit and social commentary, Persuasion is a delightful romance and a surprisingly subversive exploration of our need to persuade, and to be persuaded by, others.

A broadband factbook, this text covers all broadband technologies including: ISDN, ATM, SONET, DSL, Gigabit Ethernet and more.

When millions suffer under iron-fisted oppression, when anger and resentment boil into bloody rebellion, when triumph leads to savage vengeance—does one individual life matter? In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens interweaves the intensely personal dramas of Lucie Manette, Charles Darnay, and Sydney Carton with the terror and chaos of the French Revolution. The result is a powerful story of love, sacrifice, and redemption amid horrific violence and world-changing events.

The calamities that befall the hapless creatures of Aesop’s Fables! The fox can’t reach his grapes, then gets attacked by biting flies and loses his tail in a trap. And things don’t go much better for the hare, who is chased relentlessly by a hound, barely escaping with his life—only to be beaten in a race by a lowly tortoise. Misfortune turns to mayhem when a wolf is killed by his sweetheart’s father, a sheepdog preys on his own flock, and the mouse and his friend the frog are eaten by a hawk. On the brighter side, a tiny ant saves her new friend the dove from a hunter’s arrow, a bat persuades two different weasels not to eat her, and a kid goat uses his wits to escape from the jaws of a hungry wolf... For nearly three thousand years, the fables of Aesop have amused people of all ages as they provide commonsense lessons in the conduct of everyday life. The colorful characters and brief tales, by turns amusing and frightening, deliver a how-to course in applied moral philosophy. This edition features more than forty illustrations by the celebrated artist Ernest Griset.

Pip is a poor orphan, a boy with “no expectations” being raised by his unkind sister and her husband in a small home on the marshes of Kent. But when Pip meets the bizarre Miss Havisham and her beautiful ward, Estella, he starts to yearn for a life as a gentleman. However, Pip will discover that wealth and honesty do not go hand in hand, and that kindness can be found in the most surprising places. A love story, a mystery, and a sharp critique of upper-class English society, Great Expectations remains one of Dickens’s best-regarded works.

A restless tomboy with a wild imagination, Jo March bridles against societal conventions. She has no interest in becoming a lady; she will become a writer. Fortunately for Jo, her family supports her ambitions and understands her eccentricities. With their father serving as a chaplain in the Union Army and little money coming in, Jo and her three sisters work hard to help their mother keep the household afloat.Immensely popular from the day it was published, Little Women struck a chord with generations of young American women, demonstrating that women can pursue their dreams freely without compromising their values.

Handsome, clever, and rich, Emma Woodhouse delights in interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protégée, Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected.

Ten years have passed since the fall of Troy. The surviving Greek warriors who destroyed that city have returned home. All except Odysseus, whose wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus, await him. Claiming that Odysseus is dead, a host of suitors have taken up residence in his home, eating up his wealth and trying to persuade Penelope to marry one of them. Penelope steadfastly refuses. Odysseus, in fact, is alive. He has spent seven years as a captive of the nymph Calypso, and the gods finally take pity on him and persuade her to set him free. When he resumes his journey home, the sea god Poseidon sends a great storm to destroy his raft. Exhausted and near death, Odysseus and his men wash up on an island shore. They are delayed by Polyphemus the Cyclops, the Lotus-eaters, the Sirens, the sorceress Circe, and other strange creatures.Homer's The Odyssey, an epic poem from the eighth century BC, is not just a cornerstone of ancient Greek literature but also a deeply relevant work that addresses themes of perseverance, loyalty, and the challenges of returning home. Odysseus's long journey home after the Trojan War mirrors modern issues such as the plight of refugees and veterans reintegrating into society after long periods of conflict. His struggles and triumphs offer insights into human resilience and the quest for identity, themes that continue to resonate in today's global narrative of migration, displacement, and cultural integration.

Marianne Dashwood can’t understand her sister. How could the attractive, witty, and charming Elinor fall for the quiet, self-effacing, and rather dull Edward Ferrars? Similarly, Elinor worries that Marianne’s heart-first approach to life will hurt her, especially when it comes to the dashing John Willoughby. Meanwhile, both Edward and Willoughby harbor secrets that will force these women to doubt their philosophies, their judgment, and their chances for happiness. A compelling story with finely drawn characters, Sense and Sensibility remains one of Jane Austen’s best-loved novels and reflects Austen’s own uncertainty about whether sense or sensibility should ultimately triumph.

When Harriet Beecher Stowe was introduced to Abraham Lincoln in 1862, the president reportedly said, "So this is the little woman who made this great war." Apocryphal or not, the words were apt. Uncle Tom's Cabin portrayal of the evils of institutionalized slavery galvanized the American public to new abolitionist heights and today remains a crucial literary artifact in a country still wrestling with the legacies of its past.

In 1845, Henry David Thoreau moved into a cabin in the woods at Walden Pond to record a philosophical experiment in living: to simplify his life, to support himself entirely by his own labor, and to draw spiritual sustenance from his surroundings. The result: Walden: Or, Life in the Woods (1854). In 1846, Thoreau refused to pay a mandated poll tax, refusing to support a government that protected slavery and had launched an aggressive war against Mexico. In his essay “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau argues that it is the duty of every citizen to disobey immoral laws—and willingly suffer the legal consequences for doing so.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass is a cherished collection of stories featuring the titular character, Alice, and her misadventures through the curious and fantastical lands of Wonderland. As little Alice goes deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole, she meets an assortment of oddball characters, like the eccentric March Hare, the whimsical Mad Hatter, and the enigmatic Cheshire Cat, who will all become familiar faces within this strange world. If Alice is to navigate the dangerous yet fascinating landscape of Wonderland, she must learn who is friend and who is foe, and use her good sense to find a way home.

Featured in these pages are Edgar Allan Poe's best-loved and most-feared literary creations: the clever C. August Dupin, precursor to Sherlock Holmes; the terrifying ghouls of Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque; as well as the tragic sensibilities of The Raven and Other Poems. This is an essential treasury for Poe novices and experts alike.

“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here” read the now-famous words above the gate through which Dante, the protagonist of Inferno, crosses the threshold. But that forbidding inscription applies only to those without faith; and though Dante's journey through the nine circles of Hell begins with terror and confusion, it ends with an understanding of the divine plan and the realization of divine love. Along the way, Dante meets an array of sinners from Christian and classical history and legend--a fascinating cast of characters that has intrigued and instructed readers since Inferno was first published in 1317.

Born on a Maryland plantation, Frederick Douglass—born Frederick Bailey—doesn’t know the year of his birth. Separated from his mother in infancy, he sees her only a few times, always at night, before she dies. At the age of seven or eight, Frederick’s mistress begins teaching him to read, until her furious husband forbids it. Frederick realizes then that reading is his path to freedom, and he determines to run away to the northern United States—whatever the cost.In addition to the original text, this volume also includes 11 selected essays and speeches, among them the famous “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” (1852)

Here, in one volume, are the stories that transformed Sherlock Holmes into a household name: the fateful first meeting of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in A Study in Scarlet, the mysterious treasure of The Sign of the Four, the formidable Irene Adler of A Scandal in Bohemia—and many more! This collection includes A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of the Four, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.

Holmes has changed since his “resurrection” in “The Adventure of the Empty House” in 1903. He is as keenly observant and nimble of mind as ever, but his patience with British justice is wearing thin and at times he takes the law into his own hands and knowingly breaks the law. What can have happened to produce such uncharacteristic behavior in the world’s greatest detective? Included in this volume are the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel, The Valley of Fear, and the thirty-three stories comprising The Return of Sherlock Holmes, His Last Bow, and The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes.

A dazzling collection of short stories, including ·The “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving ·“The Sculptor's Funeral” by Willa Cather ·“The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman ·“The Gift of the Magi” by O. HenryAnd many more. This edition also features an introduction by Jane Smiley.

It is no tragedy that seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland is not cut out to be the heroine of one of the Gothic novels she reads so avidly with her new friend Isabella Thorpe. What may lead to tragedy on her first visit to the glamorous resort town of Bath, however, are Catherines overactive imagination and her inability to read other people.Catherine has no clue that Isabellas tendency to say one thing and do another might make her an unreliable friend. It never occurs to her that her brother James, arriving unannounced in Bath with Isabellas brother John, has come to see Isabella, not her. After making a mistake that would shame any true heroine – falling in love with the wry and witty Henry Tilney before knowing his feelings for her – she fails to notice that the odious John Thorpe fancies himself in love with her, and vice versa. By the time Catherine visits Henry and his sister Eleanor at Northanger Abbey, her misconceptions and novel-fuelled expectations virtually guarantee disaster. Yet, Catherine remains blissfully unaware of what awaits her.

Mrs. Darling dozes in the nursery as her children sleep. Suddenly, the window bursts open, and Peter Pan, the boy who refuses to grow up, flies in. Seeing a grown-up in the room, he gnashes his perfect set of pearly baby teeth at her. The children’s nurse, Nana, a Newfoundland dog, gallops in and chases the boy out the window, slamming it shut with her paws. Peter escapes just in time, but his shadow is not so lucky. Now it is trapped in the nursery, and everyone knows he will come back for it. When he does, Wendy, John, and Michael will begin the greatest adventure any siblings have ever had. Peter whisks the children off to Neverland to meet the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell the fairy, and Princess Tiger Lily. Together, they wage fierce battles against the evil Captain Hook and his dreaded band of ruthless pirates, whose only goal in life, it seems, is to destroy Peter and his friends.

In Call of the Wild, Buck lives as a pampered house dog in California. He eats well, sleeps when he wants, and is treated with affection by his owners—that is, until he is abducted by thieves and pressed into service as a sled dog for the Klondike Gold Rush. Mistreated by a succession of abusive owners, Buck comes to realize that the key to survival is channeling the instinctive wildness of his heritage, hitherto buried deep beneath the veneer of civilized life.White Fang tells the story of prospector Weedon Scott and White Fang, the dog he rescues from a cruel dog-fighter. Though the wolf-dog pup at first seems savage beyond rehabilitation, Scott's kind ministrations and earnest friendship eventually open the dog’s heart to an acceptance of domestication. Written in the first decade of the twentieth century, Call of the Wild and White Fang are landmark tales of adventure that put Jack London’s writing career on the map. They are also the work of a writer with an exquisite understanding of the dynamic between civilization and savagery.

What a study in contrasts is the friendship between Henry Jekyll and his boon companion, Edward Hyde. Where Jekyll is a handsome and respected man of science, Hyde is a surly and brutish misanthrope. Nevertheless, Jekyll has allowed Hyde free access to his home and laboratory and, surprisingly, made him the sole beneficiary of his will. Given the closeness of their bond, it seems peculiar that no one has ever seen the two men together in public. And yet they share a remarkable chemistry . . . First published in 1886, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale of the duality of human nature and his iconic presentation of what would come to be referred to as the “split personality.”

Young Jim Hawkins has no reason to suspect that Billy Bones, the pensioner who has taken up residence in his father’s inn, is anything other than an aging former mariner. But when violent altercations with visitors to the inn leave Billy on death’s doorstep, Jim discovers that they all are members of the crew of the notorious pirate Captain Flint, and that Billy has a map that shows the whereabouts of Flint’s buried treasure. . . First serialized in a children’s magazine between 1881 and 1882 as a coming-of-age story for young readers, Treasure Island has transcended its time and intended audience. Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel forged the template for the tale of pirate adventure, and many of its dramatic elements—including buried treasure, treasure maps, and pirate oaths, among others—have become iconic parts of virtually every pirate adventure story written in its wake.

Twenty-five-year-old Anthony Patch appears to have it all: a Harvard education, an apartment in New York City, memberships at all of the best clubs, and a generous trust fund to draw from. Sure, his grandfather is not happy with Anthony’s lack of initiative and feckless lifestyle, but can Anthony be blamed knowing that, as an orphan, he is destined to be the sole heir to his grandfather’s immense fortune? When Anthony is introduced by friends to the beautiful Gloria Gilbert, whose hedonism rivals his own, he is so smitten that he proposes marriage. Gloria accepts—and so begins the downward spiral of their lives. While their friends prosper, Anthony and Gloria live recklessly, outspending their assets and squandering their good fortune. Will they find the fortitude to change course and recover from the humiliating depths into which they've descended?

For most children, reading the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm is an essential experience; but when these stories were first collected, fairy tales were considered entertainment for adults as well. This edition of Grimm’s Fairy Tales brings together the best-known fairy and folk tales set down by the Brothers Grimm, including “Sleeping Beauty,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “The Frog-Prince,” and “Rumpelstiltskin,” in a package aimed at readers returning to the beloved stories of their youth.

Only yesterday, Gregor Samsa was a meek salesman, browbeaten by his unappreciative employer and depended on fiercely by his ungrateful family. This morning, Gregor awakens to discover that, overnight, he has been transformed into a monstrous insect. As Gregor frantically tries to conceal his predicament, neither his family nor his unsympathetic employer accept that a terrible metamorphosis has upended his existence. Is Gregor’s condition only temporary? Will he eventually revert back to the person he was and resume his normal life? Or might he have to accept that his transformation is only an outward expression of how he—and those in his life—actually see him? First published in 1915, Kafka’s best-known tale has inspired numerous interpretations for more than a century and helped to establish the term “Kafkaesque” as a reference to a bizarre and nightmarish experience. This collection of his short fiction, in a new translation, includes more than 30 of his short stories and sketches, including “In the Penal Colony,” “The Stoker,” “The Judgment,” “A Country Doctor,” “A Hunger Artist,” and more.

When Charles Marlow travels to Africa to serve as steamboat pilot for an ivory-trading company, he learns he is to rendezvous with Kurtz, a trading-post agent held in high regard. But the deeper Marlow penetrates into the jungle, the grimmer the assessments of Kurtz become. Described by Conrad himself as “something quite on another plane than an anecdote of a man who went mad in the Centre of Africa,” Heart of Darkness has long been regarded as a powerful appraisal of the fragility of civilization and the consequences of imperialism. This collection includes another five of Conrad’s incomparable tales of adventure, including “The Secret Sharer,” “Youth,” and “Typhoon.”