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First performed about 1805, King Lear is one of the most relentlessly bleak of Shakespeare's tragedies. Probably written between Othello and Macbeth, when the playwright was at the peak of his tragic power, Lear's themes of filial ingratitude, injustice, and the meaninglessness of life in a seemingly indifferent universe are explored with unsurpassed power and depth.The plot concerns a monarch betrayed by his daughters, robbed of his kingdom, descending into madness. Greed, treachery, and cruelty are rife and the denouement of the play is both brutal and heartbreaking. In fact, so troubling is its vision of man's life that, until the mid-19th century, the play was performed most often with a non-Shakespearean happy ending, with Lear back on his throne and Cordelia, the daughter nearest his heart, happily married to the noble Edgar. But there is a dark magnificence to Shakespeare's original vision of the Lear story, and the play is performed today essentially as he wrote it, uncompromised by later «improvements.» King Lear is reprinted here from an authoritative British edition, complete with explanatory footnotes.
King Solomon's Mines
"A peculiarly thrilling and vigorous tale of adventure." — Andrew Lang «It goes and it grips and it moves with all the freshness of youth.» — Rudyard KiplingWhen Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island was first published, H. Rider Haggard made a five-shilling bet that he could write a better adventure tale. In 1885, he created King Solomon's Mines, a story in which Allan Quatermain, a gentleman adventurer, is hired to locate a man who had disappeared into the heart of Africa while hunting for the legendary lost diamond mines of King Solomon. The book became an instant sensation and has remained popular ever since.Tales of adventure in exotic settings were the hallmark of Haggard's art; and King Solomon’s Mines was no exception. Here were all the elements for which his novels were famous: a gripping tale in a foreign setting, supernatural adventures, terror, passion, and discovery. Praised as «the most amazing story ever written,» the book went on to become one of the bestselling novels of the 19th century.
Jewish Wit and Wisdom
"It's no disgrace to be poor," observed Sholom Aleichem, «but it's no great honor, either.» «Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city,» remarked George Burns, while Marc Chagall noted that «Art is the unceasing effort to compete with the beauty of flowers and never succeeding.» These and many more classic examples of Jewish wit and wisdom — sometimes hilarious, frequently profound, almost always incisive — enliven the pages of this entertaining and practical little volume.Some 500 aphorisms include observations and remarks from statesmen, writers, artist, philosophers, jurists, musicians, and celebrities — from the prophets of the Old Testament, the Talmud, and Maimonides to Joey Adams, Barbra Streisand, and Woody Allen. Here also are memorable quotes from Louis Brandeis, Martin Buber, Fanny Brice, Heinrich Heine, Sam Goldwyn, Golda Meir, Karl Marx, Groucho Marx, Herman Mankiewicz, Albert Einstein, and many others.Arranged alphabetically by author, these thought-provoking pronouncements will not only serve as a handy resource for speech writers and public speakers but will also amuse and inspire all readers.
Madame Bovary
At convent school, a girl acquires romantic notions of a lover who will live for her alone. She marries a kind but dull country doctor and discovers that «This life of hers was as cold as an attic that looks north; and boredom, quiet as the spider, was spinning its web in the shadowy places of her heart.» Emma Bovary's quest for escape from the emptiness of her bourgeois existence leads to infidelity and financial extravagance, and Gustave Flaubert's powerful and deeply moving examination of her moral degeneration is universally regarded as a landmark of nineteenth-century fiction.<BR>Flaubert was brought to trial by the French government on the grounds of this novel's alleged immorality but narrowly escaped conviction. <I>Madame Bovary</I> remains a touchstone for literary discussions of provincial life and adultery as well as a summit of prose art, a pioneering work of realism that forever changed the way novels are written. This complete and unabridged edition features the classic translation by Eleanor Marx-Aveling.
The Koran
As the sacred book of Islam, the Koran, or Qur'an in transliteration, is believed by devout Muslims to be the direct word of God, inscribed in Heaven and revealed by the archangel Gabriel to the prophet Muhammad before his death in A.D. 632. Written in Arabic, in rhymed prose, the text is not only regarded by believers as a guide to daily life but is also considered to be the finest work of Arabic prose in existence and one of the most important and influential books known to mankind.J. M. Rodwell's accessible translation restores the traditional ordering of the suras, or chapters, with early text dealing with God as creator, his greatness and authority, the role of Muhammad as God's messenger and of Islam in history. Later chapters deal with legal, social, and ethical issues. The text is divided into 114 chapters, each of which, like the Bible, is subdivided into verses.This edition of the Koran, in a convenient size that is ideal for prayer or study, will be invaluable to students of religion, history, and politics and of interest to anyone concerned with cultures of the Middle East.
Landmark Decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court
Legal drama at its finest, these are the majority decisions from the most influential Supreme Court cases in United States history. Starting with the 1803 case of Marbury v. Madison, which laid the foundation for the Supreme Court's current power, these thirteen far-reaching cases include: Dred Scott v. John F. A. Sandford, 1856; Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896; Brown v. Board of Education, 1954; Miranda v. Arizona, 1966; Roe v. Wade, 1973; Bush v. Gore, 2000; and many other important decisions. In most cases, the majority and dissenting opinions are included while concurring opinions are omitted. Brief introductions precede each case.
The Jefferson Bible
"Question with boldness even the existence of a god," Thomas Jefferson asserted, «because if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear.» America's third president regarded Jesus as a moral guide rather than a divinity, and in The Jefferson Bible, he highlights Christ's ethical teachings from the Gospels. Discarding the scriptures' supernatural elements and dogma, this volume reflects the deist view of religion, focusing on Jesus' message of absolute love and service.Jefferson undertook his self-appointed task in 1794, consulting not only the King James Bible but also Greek, French, and Latin versions. He selected verses from the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and arranged them in chronological order to form a single narrative. Although Jefferson shared his interpretation with friends and family, he declined to publish it, in keeping with his conviction that religion is a private matter—and also to avoid providing his political enemies with ammunition. Not until the turn of the twentieth century did the book appear in print, when it became a tradition to present it to new members of Congress. Unique and influential, this volume reflects not only the thinking of one of the nation's most brilliant statesmen, but also the ideology of the Enlightenment era.
Kidnapped
Set in the year 1751, this classic adventure story centers around David Balfour, a young Scotsman orphaned by the death of his father. Through the treachery of his uncle, the young hero finds himself shanghaied and headed for bondage in the New World. Just when things look their worst, a swashbuckling Highlander, Alan Breck Stewart, comes to the rescue.David eludes his shipboard captors and joins Stewart on a wild flight through the Highlands, pursued by both the King's forces and a notorious clan of Highland Jacobites. Flavorful, suspenseful, and peopled by realistic characters, this stirring novel was considered by the author to be his finest work of fiction. It is reprinted here, complete and unabridged, in a high-quality, inexpensive edition sure to delight a new generation of readers.
The Law of Love and The Law of Violence
An examination of the conflicts within and among nations, this treatise proposes a remedy based on true Christian doctrine: recognition of love as the supreme law of life. Written just before World War I, it articulates Tolstoy's famous dictum that it is morally superior to suffer violence than to do violence—a philosophy that has inspired Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and countless others. Famed for such popular novels as War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Tolstoy experienced a religious crisis at the age of fifty. Thenceforth he devoted himself to promoting the transformation of society, writing stories, essays, and books advocating the pursuit of an inner moral revolution. In the preface to this work, Tolstoy declares, «The only reason why I am writing this is because, knowing the one means of salvation for Christian humanity, from its physical corruption as well as from the moral corruption in which it is sunk, I, who am on the edge of the grave, cannot be silent.» A century later, Tolstoy's powerful plea for nonviolence continues to resonate.
Ivanhoe
"Take heed to yourself for the Devil is unchained!" the King of France warns his treacherous co-conspirator, Prince John of England. The «Devil» is none other than Richard the Lion-Hearted, headed home from the Third Crusade to reclaim his throne. Amid the heat of a tournament, King Richard comes to the aid of another Crusader who has returned in disguise. Wilfred of Ivanhoe also seeks to recover a lost heritage — and the hand of Lady Rowena, «a rose of loveliness, and a jewel of wealth; the fairest among a thousand.»Sir Walter Scott's historical romance was published in 1819 and has reigned supreme ever since as the epitome of chivalric novels. Set at the close of the 12th century, it unfolds in a kingdom torn asunder by the hatred between Saxons and Normans. Cedric the Saxon, a powerful lord attempting to restore the Saxon nobility, disinherits Ivanhoe because of his son's fealty to the Norman king. Prince John, assisted by the scheming knights of the Templar Order, clings to the crown by having his brother imprisoned. The dispossessed heroes, Ivanhoe and King Richard, face an uphill battle against firmly entrenched adversaries. The success of their fight rests upon the support of an unlikely crew of outsiders: Rebecca, a Jew accused of sorcery for her skill in the healing arts; Gurth, a swineherd slave; Wamba, a wise fool; and England's most famous outlaw, the legendary Robin Hood.Ivanhoe crackles with adventure, from a hostage drama inside a besieged castle to a trial by combat to determine the fate of an innocent maiden. A master storyteller's greatest tale, it brings the Middle Ages to life.