Charles Dickenss first published work The Pickwick Papers" was an instant success that captured the public imagination with its colourful characters & farcical plot. This " Penguin Classics" edition of Charles Dickenss is edited with notes & an introduction by Mark Wormald. Few first novels have created as much popular excitement as " The Pickwick Papers"
- a comic masterpiece that catapulted its twenty-four-year-old author to immediate fame. Readers were captivated by the adventures of the poet Snodgrass the lover Tupman the sportsman Winkle & above all by that quintessentially English Quixote Mr Pickwick & his cockney Sancho Panza Sam Weller. From the hallowed turf of Dingley Dell Cricket Club to the unholy fracas of the Eatanswill election via the Fleet debtors prison characters & incidents spring to life from Dickenss pen to form an enduringly popular work of ebullient humour & literary invention. This edition is based on the first volume edition of 1837 &

Includes:: the original illustrations. In his introduction Mark Wormald discusses the genesis of " The Pickwick Papers" & the emergence of its central characters. Charles Dickens is one of the best-loved novelists in the English language whose 200th anniversary was celebrated in 2012. His most famous books including " Oliver Twist" " Great Expectations" "A Tale of Two Cities" " David Copperfield" & " The Pickwick Papers" have been adapted for stage & screen & read by millions. If you enjoyed " The Pickwick Papers" you might like Dickens "A Christmas Carol" & " Other Christmas Writings" also available in " Penguin Classics". " Dickens sees human beings with the most intense vividness... Consequently his greatest success is " The Pickwick Papers"." (George Orwell). " One of my lifes greatest tragedies is to have already read " Pickwick Papers"
- I cant go back & read it for the first time." (Fernando Pessoa)."



...

Pictionary is the original ice breaker at parties which is guaranteed to leave you rolling around the floor in hysterics. You don&8217;t have to posses artistic skills to play the game in fact the funnier the drawings the better. It is all about imagination comical drawings & your team&8217;s ability to interpret your pictures. Carries EU Toy Safety Directive not suitable for children under 8 years ...

Although Snowdonia is not as prettily dressed up with pastures oakwoods or cottage gardens as the Lake District & it's not as wild & spacious as Scotland it shares many of the best attributes of both places
- & in just the right measure. & yet while the Lake District & Scotland have been well served by mountain guide books there has never been a comprehensive illustrated guide to the mountains of Snowdonia. The Pictorial Guides to the Mountains of Snowdonia by John Gillham changes all that. Influenced in his early years by the works of Poucher & Wainwright Gillham has adopted a unique style of 3D mapping that proved popular in his long-running TGO magazine series ' Way to Go'. In a brand new series of four books he uses the drawings to good effect charting ascents up almost all the Snowdonian mountains whether they be well-known or seldom-trod. The books are sumptuously illustrated by the author's colour photographs which have been taken in all seasons & in all weather conditions. The Pictorial Guide to the Mountains of Snowdonia Vol 1
- the Northern Peaks is the first in the series of four books. This volume encompasses the Carneddau the Glyderau & the Nantgwynant ranges. Mountains famous & not-so-famous large & not-so-large are brought to life by the author's panoramic 3-D sketch maps. In the north the Carneddau are the Cairngorms of Wales with a great expanse of long broad ridges rising from the Irish Sea. In the north they are remote & a serene quietude reigns while in the south the more celebrated peaks such as Carnedd Llewellyn are higher & more bouldery with their northern faces scoured by glaciers into cliffs crags & gullies. The Glyderau peaks face the Carneddau across Nant Ffrancon & the Llugwy valley. They're compact rugged & more random in their sculptural makeup: more Giacometti than Henry Moore. But all the great mountain features are here: corries jagged spurs tarns ridges & waterfalls. Both the scrambler & the walker will be in their element. Less well known are the mountains of Nantgwynant which lie to the east of Snowdon. Moel Siabod the northern bastion is a mighty peak with two fine ridges & a rocky spur providing a sporty ascent to the summit. The peaks to its south are knobbly grassy in some places: heathery in others & have jewel-like tarns made secretive by the rocky bluffs that protect them from the elements. Northern Snowdonia awaits your discovery...

...

The dreaded Great Aunt has invited herself to stay with Nancy & Peggy just as their friends Dick & Dorothea arrive for the Summer holiday. Nancy & Peggy have to become Martyrs wearing dresses & reading poetry (but breaking out at night) while Dick & Dorothea become Picts secret inhabitants of the country who must never let themselves be seen. Its a desperate gamble to keep everyone out of trouble
- but can it possibly work against the eagle eyes of the fearsome Great Aunt?
...

She began to scrape at the mortar. A few minutes later she was able to prise the edge of the brick loose. The resulting rush of foetid air made her gag but she focussed her torch beam on the enlarged hole & peered inside. Her eyes widened in horror. When art student Jude Evans vanishes on a photographic visit to a derelict Glasgow cinema her friend Liam enlists the help of his birth mother
- forensic scientist Dr Rhona Mac Leod
- in his search for her. Visiting other cinemas on her list they find clues to her disappearance & to the horrifying secret she may have discovered behind those walls. Throughout the investigation Rhona must deal with the news that a face from her past is literally back from the dead
- but for how long?


...

Wilde's only novel first published in 1890 is a brilliantly designed puzzle intended to tease conventional minds with its exploration of the myriad interrelationships between art life & consequence. From its provocative Preface challenging the reader to believe in 'art for art's sake' to its sensational conclusion the story self-consciously experiments with the notion of sin as an element of design. Yet Wilde himself underestimated the consequences of his experiment & its capacity to outrage the Victorian establishment. Its words returned to haunt him in his court appearances in 1895 & he later recalled the 'note of doom' which runs like 'a violet thread' through its carefully crafted prose. ...

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY IRVINE WELSH. Dorian is a good-natured young man until he discovers the power of his own exceptional beauty. As he gradually sinks deep into a frivolous glamorous world of selfish luxury he apparently remains physically unchanged by the stresses of his corrupt lifestyle & untouched by age. But up in his attic hidden behind a curtain his portrait tells a different story... ...

This is a beautiful leatherbound edition of Wilde's scandalous story of excess & corruption. It features a satin-ribbon bookmark distinctive stained edging & decorative marbled endpapers. This edition of a novel now acknowledged a landmark of literature will be an artful addition to any home library. Horror hides behind an attractive face in The Picture of Dorian Gray" Oscar Wilde's tale of a notorious Victorian libertine & his life of evil excesses. Though Dorian's hedonistic indulgences leave no blemish on his ageless features the painted portrait imbued with his soul proves a living catalogue of corruption. Desperate to hide the physical evidence of his unregenerate spirit Dorian will stop at nothing not even murder to keep his picture's existence a secret. A scandalous story when it was first published in 1890 Wilde's novel is acknowledged a landmark of literature today & a tale emblematic of its time. This exquisite collectible edition features an elegant bonded-leather binding a satin-ribbon bookmark distinctive stained edging & decorative marbled endpapers. It's the perfect gift for book-lovers & an artful addition to any home library." ...

Oscar Wildes tale of a Faustian pact in Victorian England The Picture of Dorian Gray" is a both a slow-burning Gothic horror & a brilliant philosophical investigation of youth beauty & desire. This " Penguin Classics" edition is edited with an introduction & notes by Robert Mighall. Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait Dorian Gray exchanges his soul for eternal youth & beauty. Influenced by his friend Lord Henry Wotton he is drawn into a corrupt double life; indulging his desires in secret while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society. Only his portrait bears the traces of his decadence. " The Picture of Dorian Gray" was a succes de scandale. Early readers were shocked by its hints at unspeakable sins & the book was later used as evidence against Wilde at the Old Bailey in 1895. It has lost none of its power to fascinate & disturb. This definitive edition

Includes:: a selection of contemporary reviews condemning the novels immorality & the introduction to the first " Penguin Classics" edition by Peter Ackroyd. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) son of an eminent eye-surgeon & a nationalist poet was educated in Dublin & Oxford & became the leading exponent of the new Aesthetic Movement. His work including short fiction such " The Happy Price" (1888) his novel " The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1891) gradually won him a reputation which was cemented by his phenomenally successful plays including "A Woman of No Importance" (1893) " An Ideal Husband" (1895) & " The Importance of Being Earnest" (1895). Imprisoned for homosexual acts he died after his release in exile in Paris. If you enjoyed " The Picture of Dorian Gray" you might like Joris-Karl Huysmans " Against Nature" ("A Rebours") Wildes real-life inspiration for the novel that slowly corrupts " Dorian Gray" also available in " Penguin Classics"."

...

' The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.' When Dorian Gray has his portrait painted he is captivated by his own beauty. Tempted by his world-weary decadent friend Lord Henry Wotton he wishes to stay forever young & pledges his very soul to keep his good looks. Set in fin-de-siecle London the novel traces a path from the studio of painter Basil Hallward to the opium dens of the East End. As Dorian's slide into crime & cruelty progresses he stays magically youthful while his beautiful portrait changes revealing the hideous corruption of moral decay. Ever since its first publication in 1890 Wilde's only novel has remained the subject of critical controversy. Acclaimed by some as an instructive moral tale it has been denounced by others for its implicit immorality. Combining elements of the supernatural aestheticism & the Gothic The Picture of Dorian Gray is an unclassifiable & uniquely unsettling work of fiction. 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. ...