Bringing together a series of ingeniously linked myths & legends Ovid&s deliciously witty & poignant Metamorphoses describes a magical world in which men & women are transformed
- often by love
- into flowers trees animals stones & stars First published in 1567 this landmark translation by Arthur Golding was the first major English edition of the epic which

Includes:: such tales as the legend of Narcissus; the parable of Icarus; & the passion held by the witch-queen Circe for the great Aeneas A compelling adaptation that used imagery familiar to English sixteenth-century society it powerfully influenced Spenser Shakespeare & the character of Elizabethan literature



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When the young salesman Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning transformed into a monstrous insect his shock & incomprehension are coupled with the panic of being late for work & having to reveal his appearance to family & colleagues Although over the following weeks he gradually becomes used to this new existence confined within the bounds of the apartment & his parents & sister adapt to living with a grotesque bug Gregor notices that their attitudes towards him are changing & he feels increasingly alienated One of the masterpieces of twentieth-century world literature ' The Metamorphosis' is accompanied in this volume by a selection of other classic tales & sketches by Kafka
- such as ' The Judgement' ' In the Penal Colony' & 'A Country Doctor'
- all presented in a lively & meticulous new translation by Christopher Moncrieff

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' When Gregor Samsa woke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed into some kind of monstrous vermin' With a bewildering blend of the everyday & the fantastical Kafka thus begins his most famous short story The Metamorphosis A commercial traveller is unexpectedly freed from his dreary job by his inexplicable transformation into an insect which drastically alters his relationship with his family Kafka considered publishing it with two of the stories included here in a volume to be called Punishments The Judgement also concerns family tensions when a power struggle between father & son ends with the father passing an enigmatic judgement on the helpless son The third story In the Penal Colony explores questions of power justice punishment & the meaning of pain in a colonial setting These three stories are flanked by two very different works Meditation the first book Kafka published consists of light whimsical often poignant mood-pictures while in the autobiographical Letter to his Father Kafka analyses his difficult relationship in forensic & devastating detail ABOUT THE SERIES For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features including expert introductions by leading authorities helpful notes to clarify the text up-to-date bibliographies for further study & much more ...

Aristotle's probing inquiry into some of the fundamental problems of philosophy The Metaphysics is one of the classical Greek foundation-stones of western thought translated from the with an introduction by Hugh Lawson-Tancred in Penguin Classics The Metaphysics presents Aristotle's mature rejection of both the Platonic theory that what we perceive is just a pale reflection of reality & the hard-headed view that all processes are ultimately material He argued instead that the reality or substance of things lies in their concrete forms & in so doing he probed some of the deepest questions of philosophy What is existence? How is change possible? & are there certain things that must exist for anything else to exist at all? The seminal notions discussed in The Metaphysics
- of 'substance' & associated concepts of matter & form essence & accident potentiality & actuality
- have had a profound & enduring influence & laid the foundations for one of the central branches of Western philosophy Hugh Lawson-Tancred's lucid translation is accompanied by a stimulating introduction in which he highlights the central themes of one of philosophy's supreme masterpieces Aristotle (384-22 BC) studied at the Academy of Plato for 20 years & then established his own school & research institute ' The Lyceum' His writings which were of extraordinary range profoundly affected the whole course of ancient & medieval philosophy & are still eagerly studied & debated by philosophers today If you enjoyed The Metaphysics you might like Aristotle's The Nicomachean Ethics also available in Penguin Classics

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Mia Holl lives in a state governed by The Method where good health is the highest duty of the citizen Everyone must submit medical data & sleep records to the authorities on a monthly basis & regular exercise is mandatory Mia is young & beautiful a successful scientist who is outwardly obedient but with an intellect that marks her as subversive Convinced that her brother has been wrongfully convicted of a terrible crime Mia comes up against the full force of a regime determined to control every aspect of its citizens' lives ...

After battling for justice at great personal risk in his first recorded case Sergeant Caleb Cluff made a swift return to duty in this book The story opens one wet & windy night with the discovery of a young woman's corpse lying face down on the cobblestones of a passageway in the Yorkshire town of Gunnarshaw The deceased is Jane Trundle an attractive girl who worked as an assistant in a chemist's shop She yearned for the good life & Cluff finds more money in her handbag than she would have earned in wages There are echoes of Sherlock Holmes (' You know my methods Watson') in the title & in an exchange in the first chapter between Cluff & Superintendent Patterson but Cluff is very much his own man Little that goes on in & around the mean streets of Gunnarshaw escapes him He is scornful of detectives who rely solely on supposed facts ' More than facts were in question here the intangible invisible passions of human beings' Understanding those passions leads him gradually towards the truth about Jane's murder ...

Tracklist Somebody There Too Much Information Neo Futurist Cyclo Fascists Regrets Taking The Longer View Going Somewhere Tattered Now I Can See The Light Painting It Black Moonranch ...

Shortlisted for the Prix Goncourt Winner of the Goncourt du Premier Roman Winner of the Prix des Cinq Continents Winner of the Prix Francois Mauriac THE NOVEL THAT HAS TAKEN THE INTERNATIONAL LITERARY WORLD BY STORMHe was the brother of the Arab' killed by the infamous Meursault the antihero of Camus's classic novel Angry at the world & his own unending solitude he resolves to bring his brother out of obscurity by giving him a name
- Musa
- & a voice & by describing the events that led to his senseless murder on a dazzling Algerian beach A worthy complement to its great predecessor The Meursault Investigation is not only a profound meditation on Arab identity & the disastrous effects of colonialism in Algeria but also a stunning work of literature in its own right told in a unique & affecting voice

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The Mexican Revolution defined the sociopolitical experience of those living in Mexico in the twentieth century Its subsequent legacy has provoked debate between those who interpret the ongoing myth of the Revolution & those who adopt the more middle-of-the-road reality of the regime after 1940 Taking account of these divergent interpretations this Very Short Introduction offers a succinct narrative & analysis of the Revolution Using carefully considered sources Alan Knight addresses the causes of the upheaval before outlining the armed conflict between 1910 & 1920 explaining how a durable regime was consolidated in the 1920s & summing up the social reforms of the Revolution which culminated in the radical years of the 1930s Along the way Knight places the conflict alongside other 'great' revolutions & compares Mexico with the Latin American countries that avoided the violent upheaval ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable ...

Although not the first sports cars produced by Morris Garages (MG) the MG T-Series set themselves apart with an impressive radiator flanked by sweeping fenders & sparkling performance The cars featured an ash-wood body covered in steel bolted to the chassis & had leaf-spring suspension In this readable & informative book the author follows the development of the various MG T-Series models including the prewar Midgets & the MG TC TD & TF The book covers the technical developments such as the introduction of synchromesh gearing & hydraulic brakes as well as new engines Due to the post-war popularity of the cars in the United States after American GIs shipped examples back from Britain modifications were made for US editions Soon celebrities such as Clark Gable were driving them The author also describes the competing interests within the BMC group as other sports cars such as the Triumph TR2 & Austin Healey 100 were also developed As this book shows however whatever the competition the MG T-Series were always a class apart ...