Harper Collins is proud to present its range of best-loved essential classics. 'I see that a man cannot give himself up to drinking without being miserable one-half his days & mad the other.' When Helen flees from her alcoholic husband in order to protect her son she defies societal convention. Earning a living as an artist she becomes the mysterious tenant of Wildfell Hall as she hides herself away & uses her art to support her child. However the beautiful & reclusive young woman soon begins to stir up malicious gossip & speculation. Captivated & drawn to Helen Gilbert Markham becomes suspicious when he begins to hear these stories however it is only when he reads Helen's diary that he learns the full cruelty that her husband subjected her to in her previous life. Rejecting the societal norms surrounding marriage in Victorian Society Anne Bronte's novel said to be based on the experiences of her own brother Branwell shocked her readers at the time & still remains a scandalous read today. ...

The Penguin Classics" edition of Anne Bronte's " The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" her groundbreaking study of a woman's valiant struggle for independence from an abusive husband is edited with an introduction & notes by Stevie Davis. Gilbert Markham is deeply intrigued by Helen Graham a beautiful & secretive young woman who has moved into nearby Wildfell Hall with her young son. He is quick to offer Helen his friendship but when her reclusive behaviour becomes the subject of local gossip & speculation Gilbert begins to wonder whether his trust in her has been misplaced. It is only when she allows Gilbert to read her diary that the truth is revealed & the shocking details of the disastrous marriage she has left behind emerge. Told with great immediacy combined with wit & irony " The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" is a powerful depiction of a woman's fight for domestic independence & creative freedom. In her introduction Stevie Davies discusses " The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" as feminist testament inspired by Anne Bronte's experiences as a governess & by the death of her brother Branwell Bronte & examines the novel's language biblical references & narrative styles. Anne Bronte (1820-1849) youngest of the Bronte sisters was born at Thornton West Yorkshire. Her father was a curate & her mother died when she was a baby leaving five daughters & one son. After the death of her sisters Maria & Elizabeth from tuberculosis in 1825 the Bronte children were homeschooled & together they created fantasy worlds & kingdoms which they explored in writing. Anne worked as a governess between 1840 & 1845 after which she published " Agnes Grey" (1847) & " The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" (1848) under the pen-name Acton Bell. Anne Bronte died in 1849. If you enjoyed " The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" you might also like Edith Wharton's " The Age of Innocence" also available in " Penguin Classics"." ...

Each volume in the Collector's Library" series has a specially commissioned Afterword brief biography of the author & a further reading list. The Afterword for this edition of " The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" is by Kathryn White an established expert on the Bronte family & former Librarian of The Bronte Parsonage Museum at Haworth on the Yorkshire Moors." ...

When the mysterious & beautiful young widow Helen Graham becomes the new tenant at Wildfell Hall rumours immediately begin to swirl around her. As her neighbour Gilbert Markham comes to discover Helen has painful secrets buried in her past that even his love for her cannot easily overcome. ...

Perfect for day trips & short breaks the OS Landranger Map series covers Great Britain with 204 detailed maps. Each map provides all the information you need to get to know your local area &

Includes:: places of interest tourist information picnic areas & camp sites plus Rights of Way information for England & Wales.

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With over 300 recipe ideas & many wonderful stories from the fruit garden Tender: Volume II -- A cook's guide to the fruit garden is the definitive guide to cooking with fruit from the presenter of BBC One's Simple Cooking. ' When I dug up my lawn to grow my own vegetables & herbs I planted fruit too. A handful of small trees
- plum apple & pear
- some raspberry blackberry & currant bushes & even strawberries in pots suddenly joined my patch of potatoes beans & peas. These fruits became the backbone of my home baking the stars in my cakes & pastries & even inspired the odd pot of jam. More than this I started to use them in new ways too from a weekday supper of pork chops with cider & apples to a Chinese Sunday roast with spiced plum sauce. The hot family puddings & fruit ices we had always loved so much suddenly took on a delicious new significance.' With over 300 recipe ideas & many wonderful stories from the fruit garden Tender: Volume II -- A cook's guide to the fruit garden is the definitive guide to cooking with fruit from the presenter of BBC One's Simple Cooking.

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It is the French Riviera in the 1920s. Nicole & Dick Diver are a wealthy elegant magnetic couple. A coterie of admirers are drawn to them none more so than the blooming young starlet Rosemary Hoyt. When Rosemary falls for Dick the Divers calculated perfection begins to crack. As dark truths emerge Fitzgerald shows both the disintegration of a marriage & the failure of idealism. Tender is the Night" is as sad as it is beautiful." ...

These sumptuous new hardback editions mark the 70th anniversary of Fitzgerald's death. Between the First World War & the Wall Street Crash the French Riviera was the stylish place for wealthy Americans to visit. Among the most fashionable are the Divers Dick & Nicole who hold court at their villa. Into their circle comes Rosemary Hoyt a film star who is instantly attracted to them but understands little of the dark secrets & hidden corruption that hold them together. As Dick draws closer to Rosemary he fractures the delicate structure of his marriage & sets both Nicole & himself on to a dangerous path where only the strongest can survive. In this exquisite lyrical novel Fitzgerald has poured much of the essence of his own life; he has also depicted the age of materialism shattered idealism & broken dreams. ...

From Collins Classics & the author of ' The Great Gatsby'
- now a major film
- a marriage unravels in this autobiographical

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F. Scott Fitzgerald's last completed novel Tender is the Night" is edited by Arnold Goldman with an introduction & notes by Richard Godden in " Penguin Modern Classics". Between the First World War & the Wall Street Crash the French Riviera was the stylish place for wealthy Americans to visit. Among the most fashionable are psychoanalyst Dick Diver & his wife Nicole who hold court at their villa. Into their circle comes Rosemary Hoyt a film star who is instantly attracted to them but understands little of the dark secrets & hidden corruption that hold them together. As Dick draws closer to Rosemary he fractures the delicate structure of his marriage & sets both Nicole & himself on to a dangerous path where only the strongest can survive. In this exquisite lyrical novel Fitzgerald has poured much of the essence of his own life; he has also depicted the age of materialism shattered idealism & broken dreams. F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) has acquired a mythical status in American literary history & his masterwork " The Great Gatsby" is considered by many to be the 'great American novel'. In 1920 he married Zelda Sayre dubbed 'the first American Flapper' & their traumatic marriage & Zelda's gradual descent into insanity became the leading influence on his writing. As well as many short stories Fitzgerald wrote five novels " This Side of Paradise" " The Great Gatsby" " The Beautiful & the Damned" " Tender is the Night" & incomplete at the time of his death " The Last Tycoon". After his death " The New York Times" said of him that 'in fact & in the literary sense he created a "generation" '. If you enjoyed " Tender is the Night" you might like Truman Capote's " Breakfast at Tiffany's" also available in " Penguin Classics". " One of the most wonderful writers of the twentieth century". (" Financial Times")." ...