The Golden Age of the English short story lies from its first wide acceptance in the middle of the nineteenth century until the middle of the twentieth a period when there were a great many outlets in Britain for shorter fictions The Penguin Book of English Short Stories celebrates this period through some of the most widely known writers of the time Though many of the chosen authors are more generally known for their novels here they provide some perfect examples of much shorter work Each of these concise evocative subtle & satisfying stories is a little jewel providing a small window into another world ...

Reflecting the voices of poets soldiers the families they left behind & their comrades who would never return The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry previously published as In Flanders Fields is edited with an introduction by George Walter in Penguin Classics Unrivalled for its range & intensity the poetry of the First World War continues to have a powerful effect on readers This anthology reflects the diverse experience of those who lived through the war
- bringing together the words of poets soldiers & civilians affected by the conflict Including famous verses from Rupert Brooke Siegfried Sassoon & Wilfred Owen; pieces by less well-known writers such as Gilbert Frankau & Osbert Sitwell; works by women describing the emotions of those at home; & the anonymous lyrics of soldiers' songs The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry offers a blend of voices that is both unique & profoundly moving This collection has been arranged thematically moving through the war's different stages from conscription through to its aftermath to offer the reader a variety of perspectives on the same common experiences George Walter's introduction discusses the role & scope of First World War poetry anthologies & how the canon has changed over the years This edition also contains notes & biographies George Walter is Lecturer in English at Sussex University His research interests are 20th-century literature; madness & creativity; constructions of Englishness; the cultural impact of the First World War He has edited editions of the poet Ivor Gurney's work for Everyman & Fyfield Books If you enjoyed The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry you might also like Robert Graves' Goodbye to All That available in Penguin Modern Classics
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From Moses to Nelson Mandela speeches have changed the way we see the world & the way the world is shaped The Penguin Book of Historic Speeches gathers together the world's greatest speeches bringing together the words of over one hundred men & women These brilliant & passionate declarations by Socrates Robespierre Lincoln Queen Elizabeth I Churchill Washington Pankhurst Gandhi & many others provide a vivid glimpse of history in the making while retaining their power to move & inspire today' Impeccable Mac Arthur prefaces each address with a short but scholarly historical explanation that sets the scene perfectly An attractive volume' Andrew Roberts Sunday Times' Works well not just as an anthology but as a history' Independent on Sunday ...

The Penguin Book of Irish Poetry features the work of the greatest Irish poets from the monks of the ancient monasteries to the Nobel laureates WB Yeats & Seamus Heaney from Jonathan Swift & Oliver Goldsmith to Eilean Ni Chuilleanain & Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill along with a profusion of lyrics love poems satires ballads & songs Reflecting Ireland's complex past & lively present this collection of Irish verse is an indispensable guide to the history culture & romance of one of Europe's oldest civilizations In his introduction to this new Penguin Classics edition Patrick Crotty explores the traditions of poetry in Ireland & relates the rich variety of the poems to the long & frequently troubled history of the island ...

Fully revised & updated Whether it was Churchill rousing the British to take up arms or the dream of Martin Luther King Fidel Castro inspiring the Cuban revolution or Barack Obama on Selma & the meaning of America speeches have profoundly influenced the way we see ourselves & society Gathered here are some of the most extraordinary & memorable speeches of the last century
- from Lenin to Reagan Thatcher to Malala Some are well known others less so but all helped form the world we now inhabit
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' Burning ice biting flame; that is how life began' The extraordinary Scandinavian myth cycle is one of the most enduring exciting dramatic & compelling of the world's great stories The Penguin Book of the Norse Myths compellingly retells these stories for the modern reader taking us from the creation of the world through the building of Asgard's Wall to the final end in Ragnarok You'll discover how Thor got his hammer & how Odin lost his eye the terrible price of binding the wolf Fenrir & why Loki the trickster can never be trusted The Norse myths are as thrilling to read as they are of vast cultural & historical importance In this gripping book Kevin Crossley-Holland brings alive the passion cruelty & heroism of these unforgettable stories ...

' Burning ice biting flame; that is how life began' The extraordinary Scandinavian myth cycle is one of the most enduring exciting dramatic & compelling of the world's great stories The Penguin Book of the Norse Myths compellingly retells these stories for the modern reader taking us from the creation of the world through the building of Asgard's Wall to the final end in Ragnarok You'll discover how Thor got his hammer & how Odin lost his eye the terrible price of binding the wolf Fenrir & why Loki the trickster can never be trusted The Norse myths are as thrilling to read as they are of vast cultural & historical importance In this gripping book Kevin Crossley-Holland brings alive the passion cruelty & heroism of these unforgettable stories ...

For the puzzle fanatic A collection of challenges from throughout history featuring some of the greatest ever puzzle masters -------------------------- A Sumerian Riddle (circa 18th Century) There is a house The blind enter it & then come out seeing What is that house? --------------------------A Charade I have wings yet never fly
- I have sails yet never go
- I cant keep still if I try Yet forever stand just so-------------------------- From the riddles of the ancients to puzzles that perplex the greatest minds of today The Penguin Book of Puzzles is a glorious compendium of conundrums from throughout history These challenges will require all the reader's wits to solve but range from the easy to the brain-bending & are suitable for novice & veteran puzzlers alike There is something here to suit every taste including crosswords mathematical challenges word games & logic conundrums but also some intriguing types of puzzles that have been unearthed from centuries gone by Timeless & entertaining there are hours of fun waiting in this miscellany of puzzlement

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The era between the accession of Henry VIII & the crisis of the English republic in 1659 formed one of the most fertile epochs in world literature This anthology offers a broad selection of its poetry &

Includes:: a wide range of works by the great poets of the age
- notably Sir Philip Sidney Edmund Sepnser John Donne William Shakespeare & John Milton Poems by less well-known writers also feature prominently
- among them significant female poets such as Lady Mary Wroth & Katherine Philips Compelling & exhilarating this landmark collection illuminates a time of astonishing innovation imagination & diversity



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'A bold anthology alive with provocations & insights' John Carey Sunday Times' The Boy-scouts mistook my signal & have killed the postman I've had very little practice in this sort of thing you see' The British short story tradition is probably the richest most varied & historically extensive in the world This new anthology celebrates the full diversity & energy of its writers subjects & tones from the story's origins with Defoe Swift & Fielding to the 'golden age' of the fin de siecle & Edwardian period ending with the First World War Including the most famous authors as well as some magnificent little-known stories never republished since their first appearance in magazines & periodicals these stories are by turns topical & playful ghostly & theatrical rumbustious & sublime Edited with an introduction by Philip Hensher ...