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Wild Strawberries: A Virago Modern Classic (Virago Modern Classics #379)
by Angela ThirkellPretty, impecunious Mary Preston, newly arrived as a guest of her Aunt Agnes at the magnificent wooded estate of Rushwater, falls head over heels for handsome playboy David Leslie. Meanwhile, Agnes and her mother, the eccentric matriarch Lady Emily, have hopes of a different, more suitable match for Mary. At the lavish Rushwater dance party, her future happiness hangs in the balance . . .
Asylum
by William Seabrook Joe Ollmann"Perhaps the most honest and haunting accounts of the struggle for mental health in literature." -- ObserverThis dramatic memoir recounts an eight-month stay at a Westchester mental hospital in the early 1930s. William Seabrook, a renowned journalist and explorer, voluntarily committed himself to an asylum for treatment of acute alcoholism. His sincere, self-critical appraisal of his experiences offers a highly interesting look at addiction and treatment in the days before Alcoholics Anonymous and other modern programs. "Very few people could be as honest as Seabrook is here," noted The New York Times, "and it is honesty plus the talent Seabrook has already had that makes a book of this sort first-rate." This edition of the soul-baring narrative features a new graphic novel-style introduction by Joe Ollmann, who also created the cover art."With zombies in vogue and his books coming back onto the market after decades out of print, maybe old Willie Seabrook, the lost king of the weird, can finally get the recognition and infamy he earned." - Benjamin Welton, Vice.com
Blandings Castle
by P. G. Wodehouse"I envy those who've never read [Wodehouse] before--the prospect of reams of unread Wodehouse stretching out in front of you is . . . something which is enticing to contemplate." --Tony Blair Welcome to Blandings Castle, home of the well-intentioned but often distracted Lord Emsworth--and there are quite a few distractions at this stately country house. Head gardener Angus McAllister has resigned before the Shrewsbury Agricultural Show, when Emsworth needs him most; Lady Constance, Emsworth's officious sister, has caged her daughter in the castle to keep her away from the persistent Beefy Bingham; and the Blandings pigman, Wellbeloved, has been sent to prison for drunken and disorderly conduct just days before Emsworth's adored sow can win first prize at the 87th Annual Shropshire Show. Through P.G. Wodehouse's expert wit, we witness Lord Emsworth trying to solve these predicaments and others, with the unexpected help (and hindrance) of a lively array of characters.
The Garden Murder Case: Philo Vance #9 (Philo Vance #9)
by S.S. Van DineA horse race turns into a murder case . . . &“Mr. Van Dine&’s amateur detective is the most gentlemanly, and probably the most scholarly snooper in literature.&” —Chicago Daily Tribune Aristocratic detective Philo Vance has gotten an anonymous invitation to a New York rooftop garden, where a group of wealthy friends gather to listen to the horse races. But on the night Vance attends, a guest dies of a gunshot wound after losing a load of money on a bet. Vance doesn&’t think it was suicide, though—and when two other people in the household are targeted, he has to take the lead in this Golden Age mystery featuring the classic character with a &“highbrow manner and [a] parade of encyclopedic learning&” (The New York Times).&“One of the high water mark Van Dine yarns.&” —Kirkus Reviews &“The perfect sleuth for the Jazz Age.&” —CrimeReads &“The Philo Vance novels were well-crafted puzzlers that captivated readers . . . the works of S.S. Van Dine serve to transport the reader back to a long-gone era of society.&” —Mystery Scene &“Outrageous cleverness.&” —Bloody Murder
Goodbye Mr Chips: The heart-warming classic that inspired three film adaptations
by James Hilton'A tiny, catch-in-the-throat story . . . perfectly done' New Yorker'One of the most endearing creations of modern fiction' TelegraphMr Chipping is a quiet, unassuming teacher at Brookfield Grammar School. Wholly conventional, he never veers from his established routines. Until, that is, he meets Katherine, who charms him and his students and teaches Mr Chipping that education is about more than just the hours spent in the schoolroom. As his love for Katherine blooms, Mr Chipping develops a sense of humour and a broad view of his role as a teacher and a friend to his students, becoming the beloved 'Mr Chips' to generations of schoolboys.Sweeping across four decades, Goodbye, Mr Chips features an extraordinary period of history, from the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870s to Hitler's rise to power in the 1930s, and demonstrates that, through it all, love and a good sense of humour can make all the difference.Goodbye, Mr Chips is the beloved classic of generations of readers, and sure to delight people of all ages.
Journeyman: A Novel
by Erskine CaldwellThe classic American novel of a philandering, murderous preacher from the national bestselling author of God&’s Little Acre. When preacher Semon Dye moves into the tiny Georgia town of Rocky Comfort, many of its citizens welcome him. After all, the only church in town is being used to store fertilizer. But sermons aren&’t the first thing on the mind of the tall, magnetic, and utterly dissolute man. Other callings take priority: women, whiskey, gambling, and hiding from the law. Even as he seduces wives, cheats at cards, and provokes old feuds, Dye manages to cast a dark spell over all the people in Rocky Comfort. Journeyman is a wicked send-up of religious fervor by an American master of dark political satire. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erskine Caldwell including rare photos and never-before-seen documents courtesy of the Dartmouth College Library.
Mandoa, Mandoa!: A Comedy of Irrelevance (Virago Modern Classics #211)
by Winifred HoltbyMandoa is a small African state. At its head a virgin princess conceives (immaculately) further princesses. The old traditions are undisturbed until the Lord High Chamberlain visits Addis and discovers baths and cocktail shakers, motor cars and telephones. This is 1931.
Why Eating Bogeys is Good for You (Mitchell Symons' Trivia Books #2)
by Mitchell SymonsEVER WONDERED . . .Why we have tonsils?Is there any cream in cream crackers?Why is the sea blue?And if kangaroos keep their babies in their pouches, what happens to all the poo?! Mitch Symons answers all these crazy questions and plenty more in this wonderfully funny and addictive book for children from 8 to 80!And yes, eating bogeys is good for you . . . but only your own!
The Worshipful Lucia & Trouble for Lucia
by E. F. BensonE. F. Benson's beloved Mapp and Lucia novels are sparkling, classic comedies of manners set against the petty snobberies and competitive maneuverings of English village society in the 1920s and 1930s.The Worshipful Lucia (1935; published in the UK as Lucia's Progress) and Trouble for Lucia (1939) are the last two novels in Benson's series. They chronicle the ongoing battles of his famous characters--Mrs. Lucia Lucas and Miss Elizabeth Mapp--in the idyllic seaside village of Tilling, which proves too small to contain both of them. While both are hypocritical snobs, Lucia is animated by marvelous delusions of grandeur and Mapp by insatiable curiosity and chronic rage; their epic collisions rock their small society and provide the narrative engines for Benson's gloriously farcical masterpieces.
Agents and Patients: A Novel
by Anthony PowellUnsavory artists, titled boobs, and charlatans with an affinity for Freud such are the oddballs whose antics animate the early novels of the late British master Anthony Powell. A genius of social satire delivered with a very dry wit, Powell builds his comedies on the foibles of British high society between the wars, delving into subjects as various as psychoanalysis, the film industry, publishing, and (of course) sex. More explorations of relationships and vanity than plot-driven narratives, these slim novels reveal the early stirrings of the unequaled style, ear for dialogue, and eye for irony that would reach their caustic peak in Powell s epic "A Dance to the Music of Time. " In "Agents and Patients," we return to London with the newly wealthy, memorably named Blore-Smith: an innocent, decent enough chap . . . and a drip. Vulnerable to the machinations of those with less money and more lust, Blore-Smith falls victim to two con artists whose ploys carry him through to the art galleries and whorehouses of Paris, Berlin, and beyond. Written from a vantage point both high and necessarily narrow, Powell s early novels nevertheless deal in the universal themes that would become a substantial part of his oeuvre: pride, greed, and what makes people behave as they do. Filled with eccentric characters and piercing insights, Powell s work is achingly hilarious, human, and true. "
August Folly: A Virago Modern Classic (Virago Modern Classics #365)
by Angela ThirkellAngela Thirkell is perhaps the most Pym-like of any twentieth-century author, after Pym herself - Alexander McCall It's August in the Barsetshire village of Worsted, and Richard Tebben, just down from Oxford, is contemplating the gloomy prospect of a long summer in the parental home. But the numerous and impossibly glamorous Dean family - exquisite Rachel, her capable husband and six of their nine brilliant children - have come for the holidays, and their hostess Mrs Palmer plans to rope everyone into performing in her disastrous annual play. Surrounded by the irrepressible Deans, Richard and his sister Margaret cannot help but have their minds broadened, spirits raised and hearts smitten.
August Folly: A Virago Modern Classic (Virago Modern Classics #365)
by Angela ThirkellIt's August in the Barsetshire village of Worsted, and Richard Tebben, just down from Oxford, is contemplating the gloomy prospect of a long summer in the parental home. But the numerous and impossibly glamorous Dean family - exquisite Rachel, her capable husband and six of their nine brilliant children - have come for the holidays, and their hostess Mrs Palmer plans to rope everyone into performing in her disastrous annual play. Surrounded by the irrepressible Deans, Richard and his sister Margaret cannot help but have their minds broadened, spirits raised and hearts smitten.
Britain's Best Political Cartoons 2022
by Tim BensonIn Britain's Best Political Cartoons 2022 the nation's finest satirists turn their eyes and their pens to the biggest, funniest and most poignant news stories of the year so far. Bringing much needed humour to a tumultuous year in politics, this companion features the work of Peter Brookes, Steve Bell, Morten Morland, Nicola Jennings, Christian Adams, Dave Brown, Brian Adcock and many more, alongside captions from Britain's leading cartoon expert. The result is a razor-sharp, witty and essential companion to another year like no other.__________________________________________________________________'A wonderful book . . . A beautiful thing to look at . . . Our brilliant cartoonists show there is still something to satirise . . . A great stocking filler.' Giles Coren'A blockbuster collection of the year's funniest political cartoons . . . [compiled by] Britain's leading authority on political cartoons . . . It made us chuckle.' Eamonn Holmes
Going to the Dogs: The Story of a Moralist
by Erich Kastner Cyrus Brooks Rodney LivingstoneGoing to the Dogs is set in Berlin after the crash of 1929 and before the Nazi takeover, years of rising unemployment and financial collapse. The moralist in question is Jakob Fabian, "aged thirty-two, profession variable, at present advertising copywriter . . . weak heart, brown hair," a young man with an excellent education but permanently condemned to a low-paid job without security in the short or the long run.What's to be done? Fabian and friends make the best of it--they go to work though they may be laid off at any time, and in the evenings they go to the cabarets and try to make it with girls on the make, all the while making a lot of sharp-sighted and sharp-witted observations about politics, life, and love, or what may be. Not that it makes a difference. Workers keep losing work to new technologies while businessmen keep busy making money, and everyone who can goes out to dance clubs and sex clubs or engages in marathon bicycle events, since so long as there's hope of running into the right person or (even) doing the right thing, well--why stop? Going to the Dogs, in the words of introducer Rodney Livingstone, "brilliantly renders with tangible immediacy the last frenetic years [in Germany] before 1933." It is a book for our time too.
The Kidnap Murder Case: Philo Vance #10 (Philo Vance)
by S.S. Van DineWhen a playboy is abducted, the highly educated detective “reveals himself as a gun-fighter who can pump hot lead with the best of them” (The New York Times).Recently returned from a refreshing sojourn in Egypt and on his way out the door to enjoy a dog show, Philo Vance is stopped in his tracks by a visit from the New York district attorney. Notorious gambler and ne’er-do-well Kaspar Kenting has been kidnapped from his uptown home, and the culprits are demanding that the fifty-thousand-dollar ransom be left inside a hollow tree at midnight. But things don’t go well—and the sophisticated and aristocratic detective is about to pick up a pistol and get down in the muck with some very unpleasant characters in this witty, suspenseful Golden Age mystery classic.“Mr. Van Dine’s amateur detective is the most gentlemanly, and probably the most scholarly snooper in literature.” —Chicago Daily Tribune
Live Alone And Like It (Virago Modern Classics #206)
by Marjorie HillisWho can resist a book with chapters such as 'A Lady and Her Liquor', 'Pleasures of a Single Bed' and 'Solitary Refinement'? In this priceless gem from a more genteel age, Marjorie Hillis provides no-nonsense advice for the single-but-hoping-not-to-be woman. 'This book is no brief for living alone. Five out of ten of the people who do so can't help themselves, and at least three of the others are irritatingly selfish. But the chances are that at some time in your life, possibly only now and then between husbands, you will find yourself settling down to a solitary existence . . . The point is that there is a technique about living alone successfully, as there is about doing anything really well. Whether you view your one-woman menage as Doom or Adventure, you need a plan, if you are going to make the best of it'And, lest you worry about how to put all the advice into practice, every chapter includes a case study providing examples of women who heeded -- and women who disregarded -- these golden rules.
The Story of Freginald (Freddy the Pig #4)
by Walter R. BrooksFreddy, the smallest and cleverest of the pigs on Bean Farm, is &“a pig of many parts, a paragon of porkers&” (The New York Times). Detective, politician, ambassador to the Martians—whatever the situation requests, Freddy fits the bill. There&’s never a dull moment for Freddy and the other animals on Bean Farm, who are &“as fast-mouthed and sharply funny as the Marx Brothers, as aphoristic and gimlet-eyed as astute as Noel Coward, and yet always affectionate and forgiving&” (The Globe and Mail). Freddy the Pig, the &“Renaissance Pig&” (The New York Times) of Bean Farm, is back to thrill his fans of all ages in these all-American children&’s classics.The Story of Freginald is another classic from Walter R. Brooks. This exciting tale is of a bear named Freginald who joins the famous Boomschmidt Circus and becomes known as the bear that recites poetry. Together with his new friend, Leo the Lion, Freginald sets off to find other unusual animal acts for the circus. The two friends are taken prisoner by a group of renegade farm animals and the entire circus must come to their rescue. A thrilling battle, a rival circus, and a strange mystery that can only be solved by Freddy the Detective all make for a rollicking tale for Freddy and Brooks fans everywhere.
Young Men in Spats
by P. G. Wodehouse"Sublime comic genius"--Ben Elton These eleven stories describe the misadventures of the delightfully idle "Eggs," "Beans," and "Crumpets" that populate the Drones club: young men wearing spats, starting spats, and landing in sticky spots. For the first of his many appearances in the Wodehouse canon, Uncle Fred comes to what he believes to be the rescue.
The Clockwork Twin (Freddy the Pig #5)
by Kurt Wiese Walter R. BrooksThe international sensation for readers young and old, Freddy the Pig, is back! Adoniram lives with his cruel aunt and uncle until a chance flood leads him to the irrepressible Freddy and Jinx the Cat. The animals convince him to stay at Bean Farm and Mr. Bean's brother even builds him a mechanical twin playmate. When Adoniram's aunt and uncle come looking for him, they mistake the clockwork twin for the real boy. A rollicking comedy of errors ensues, and it is once again up to Freddy and friends to save the day.
Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl
by Tracy QuanA fun, witty, sexy, page-turning novel written by a real-life, high-priced Manhattan call girl. This is the diary of Nancy Chan, busy career girl, in her thirties, newly engaged and trying to balance job and romance. But Nancy is a high-class call girl, a fact her banker fiance, Matt does not know (he thinks sheâ s a copy editor) and Nancy wants to keep it that way. With one foot in the bedrooms of her rich and demanding clients and one in the world of her fiancé and his family, Nancy demonstrates, in her inimitable fashion, that if you know the dance, you can keep those two worlds from colliding. At least for a while. This wonderfully intelligent, sexually frank, rollicking novel gives us fresh insight into the machinations and politics of being an expensive call girl in the modern world. Quan pulls no punches, gives no apologies, and has written one of the best and most honest books yet on the topic.
Dogs Rough and Smooth: Foreword By Susan Orlean
by Lucy DawsonForeword by Susan OrleanA charming facsimile edition of celebrated British illustrator Lucy Dawson’s 1937 classic collection of highly detailed and loveable drawings of dogs, complete with a cloth spine and ribbon marker—the companion volume to the acclaimed Dogs As I See Them.Lucy Dawson, also known as "Mac," was a preeminent British illustrator in the 1930s and 1940s revered for her paintings and etchings of dogs, from sporting and non-sporting breeds to hounds and herders. Though she worked in numerous mediums—pencil, pen, ink, and oil—her pastels set her work apart. Noted for her commercial dog postcards and her delightful "Tailwagger" series, she also created a "Puppies" series of 40 cigarette cards during World War II—produced in a limited quantity due to wartime restrictions on paper—which have become a rare collector’s item today. One of her most famous works is her portrait of "Dookie," the British Royal Family’s favorite Corgie, which was later reproduced as a Royal Family Christmas card.Dawson also published several books, including the beloved Dogs As I See Them, and its follow-up, Dogs Rough and Smooth. Now, Dogs Rough and Smooth is available in a lovely facsimile edition for a new generation discovering her superb craftsmanship. Printed on an uncoated stock that simulates the look and feel of a sketchbook, this delightful volume is filled with her beautiful, endearing drawings of a range of breeds. The illustrations are accompanied by notes in Dawson’s own handwriting as well as a short anecdotal text that provides amusing insight into the personalities of her canine models and the experience of drawing each.A stunning reproduction of this classic work filled with full-color and black-and-white complete drawings and sketches, Dogs Rough and Smooth features a foreword by acclaimed writer Susan Orlean, and is packaged in a three-piece case with a beautiful cloth spine and long ribbon bookmark. Dogs Rough and Smooth is sure to be a collector's item treasured by dog lovers of all ages and art connoisseurs for years to come.
The Education of Hyman Kaplan
by Leo RostenLeo Rosten wrote his first tale of Hyman Kaplan when he was 24 and it was published to great applause by the "New Yorker". Over the next two years the magazine ran all 15 of the original stories that were eventually published in 1937 as "The Education of Hyman Kaplan".
The Harry Bogen Novels: I Can Get It for You Wholesale and What's in It for Me? (The Harry Bogen Novels #2)
by Jerome WeidmanMeet one of the most unscrupulous businessmen in American literature—from a New York Times–bestselling novelist and Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright. Set in Manhattan’s garment district, Jerome Weidman’s debut novel, I Can Get It for You Wholesale, was a scathing satire of capitalist greed as personified by the shameless scoundrel Harry Bogen, who “became an archetypal figure in American literature: the abrasive young man who would do anything to get ahead” (The New York Times). Weidman’s prose was praised by no less than F. Scott Fitzgerald, who called the book “[a] break-through into completely new and fresh literary terrain; a turning point in the American novel,” and Ernest Hemingway, who enthused: “I think [Weidman] can write just a little better than anybody else that’s around.” The book was a sensation and spawned an “equally hard-driving” sequel, What’s in It for Me?, as well as a movie version and a musical starring Elliott Gould as Harry and featuring Barbra Streisand’s Broadway debut (The New York Times). As relevant today as when they were first published in the 1930s, both novels are now available in a single volume, featuring a foreword by Alistair Cooke. I Can Get It for You Wholesale: The stage for this savagely comic novel is Manhattan’s cutthroat garment district, where six thousand manufacturers of dresses are crammed into a few blocks. Their factories are cramped, noisy, and incredibly profitable—and Harry Bogen is going to take them for all they’re worth. A classic conniver, he knows that it’s easier, and a hell of a lot more fun, to turn a buck by lying than by telling the truth. First he convinces the shipping clerks—the pack animals of the garment industry—to go on strike. With the dress manufacturers brought to their knees, Harry will be there to pick them up again. His conscience might be conflicted, if he had one in the first place. “A slick job of writing, as hard-boiled as a twelve-minute egg.” —The New York Times What’s in It for Me?: In this sharp-witted sequel, Harry Bogen is again up to his old tricks. After Harry built his empire and became king of the garment district, he blew it up, leaving his partners in jail and securing the whole of the fortune for himself. It takes only three months for Harry to find that retirement does not suit him. His latest scheme starts with an order for one thousand dresses, bought at cut-rate price from a vendor who can’t afford not to sell. From there, Harry raises the stakes, juggling deals and spinning stories as fast as he possibly can. Will he secure himself fortune everlasting, or will this Napoleon meet his Waterloo?
I Can Get It for You Wholesale: A Novel (The Harry Bogen Novels #1)
by Jerome WeidmanNew York Times–bestselling author: The classic comic story of a con man out to pull the job of a lifetime in New York&’s Garment District. Just south of Times Square, more than six thousand manufacturers of dresses are crammed into the few blocks that make up Manhattan&’s garment district. Their factories are cramped, noisy, and incredibly profitable—and Harry Bogen is going to take them for all they&’re worth. A classic conniver, he knows that it&’s easier, and a hell of a lot more fun, to turn a buck by lying than by telling the truth. First he convinces the shipping clerks—the pack animals of the garment industry—to go on strike. With the dress manufacturers brought to their knees, Harry will be there to pick them up again. His conscience might be conflicted, if he had one in the first place. A bracing comic sensation when first published, I Can Get It for You Wholesale remains a timeless masterpiece—its hero still a scoundrel, and his charm as irresistible as ever. This ebook features a foreword by Alistair Cooke.
The Nutmeg Tree: A Novel
by Margery SharpSet in 1930s France, Margery Sharp's witty, warm-hearted novel tells the story of a free-spirited mother who is reunited with her very proper daughter after sixteen years, when her daughter asks her to inspect her fiancé Julia Packett has barely laid eyes on her daughter, Susan, since leaving her with her proper, well-heeled in-laws after her husband was killed in World War I. Now thirty-seven, her lack of prospects hasn't dimmed her spirit or appetite for life. So when Susan asks her to come to France for the summer to persuade her grandmother to allow her to marry her fiancé, Julia sets sail with the noblest intentions of being a paragon of motherhood. But at her mother-in-law's vacation villa in Haute Savoie, Julia sees that her priggish but lovely daughter is completely mismatched with a man who is just like herself: a charming, clever playboy. The arrival of Susan's legal guardian, the distinguished Sir William Waring, further complicates the situation. Soon Julia's efforts to pass herself off as a lady and secure her daughter's happiness spin out of control, leading to romantic entanglements and madcap adventures that challenge preconceived notions about the ultimate compatibility of any two people who fall in love.