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"."

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' 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. ...

This is the Penguin English Library Edition" of " The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde. I am jealous of everything whose beauty does not die. I am jealous of the portrait you have painted of me.. . Why did you paint it? It will mock me some day
- mock me horribly!. A story of evil debauchery & scandal Oscar Wildes only novel tells of Dorian Gray a beautiful yet corrupt man. When he wishes that a perfect portrait of himself would bear the signs of ageing in his place the picture becomes his hideous secret as it follows Dorians own downward spiral into cruelty & depravity. " The Picture of Dorian Gray" is a masterpiece of the evil in mens hearts & is as controversial & alluring as Wilde himself. " The Penguin English Library" 100 editions of the best fiction in English from the eighteenth century & the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War."
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Harper Collins is proud to present its new range of best-loved essential classics. ' How sad it is! I shall grow old & horrid & dreadful. But this picture will remain always young... If it was only the other way!' Wilde's first & only published novel recounts the story of handsome Dorian Gray who upon having his portrait painted desires that it will age & grow ugly while he may remain eternally beautiful. The painting which reflects each of Gray's sins & transgressions in its hideousness haunts him until it finally becomes unbearable. In this dark tale of duplicity & mortality Wilde creates a world where art & reality collide. ...

Published just before he reached the height of his fame Wildes only novel has endured as surely as the great plays for which he is celebrated. By exploring the actions of a young man who contracts to retain his outward beauty at the expense of inward corruption
- symbolized in a portrait that ages as he stays the same
- Wilde achieved a seminal novel that is part fable part comedy of manners & part treatise on the nature of art & beauty. As the figure in Dorians portrait changes to reflect Dorians inner decay the stage is set for a masterful tale about appearance reality & the ultimate burden of conscience. A lasting classic of sophisticated wit & playfulness The Picture of Dorian Gray" assembles all the elements of Oscar Wildes wide-ranging talents in a compelling reinterpretation of the Faustian myth."

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This is a fun & funky series charting the hopes dreams & schemes of the lively loveable Lucy
- wannabe fashion designer & Stand
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This is a purrfect series filled with chaos adventure & magic spells! Orla is very excited about entering the local photo competition
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This title features nearly 400 images showing in fine detail some of the changes that have taken place in Derby & the surrounding suburbs over a period of more than 150 years. The images have been arranged in the form of trails which for the most part the reader can easily follow on foot to get the maximum benefit from the book. In medieval times Derby grew in importance as a busy centre of trade attracting people from other towns & outlying villages. Derbys first Market Charter was not particularly detailed but the second granted fifty years later in 1204 by King John was much more precise. This Charter allowed a weekly market held from Thursday to Friday evening & granted the Burgesses the right to levy tolls from the traders as well as punish thieves. Later additions to the Charter gave the rights to hold fairs at Easter Whitsun & Michaelmas. However the most significant change in Derbys history took place on the 30 May 1839 when the first railway train steamed into the town. The excited crowds watching the trains arrival little realised how this event would change the face of Derby. Initially three railway companies operated from Derby until in 1844 they amalgamated to form the Midland Railway. This hectic activity attracted swarms of workers from all over the country & in 1851 records showed that 43 per cent of the adults in the town had been born outside the county. Derbys reputation as an industrial town was boosted even further with the arrival of Rolls-Royce at the beginning of the 20th century. The latest development in the city
- Derby having acquired city status in 1977
- has been the successful development of Pride Park on land previously used by the railway industry. This collection of images illustrates the industries the streets & markets & the people who lived in Derby & the former villages which once surrounded the town. The old scenes will bring back vivid memories for some & introduce others to what life used to be like in bygone days.

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This title features a fascinating collection of images that both locals & visitors to Nottingham will enjoy. Nottingham
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Award-winning original fiction for learners of English. At seven levels from Starter to Advanced this impressive selection of carefully graded readers offers exciting reading for every student's capabilities. Christina who works in an art gallery in Buenos Aires is waiting at the traffic lights on her motorbike. She notices two men with a gun in the car next to her. Seconds later she is hit by a taxi & wakes up in hospital with no memory of the accident or the two men. However the men are afraid of what might happen if her memory returns & plan to make sure it never does. Paperback-only version. Also available with Audio CD including complete text recordings from the book. ...