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The Road Through the Wall
by Shirley JacksonThe debut novel from one of the twentieth century's most fascinating authors. Pepper Street is a street in suburban California, home to a firmly middle-class group of families, families who have carved out a space for themselves that falls short of the glamour of the nearby upper class communities, but is comfortable and respectable nonetheless. Their communal calm, built on strict social hierarchy, racism, and exclusion, is shattered when a hole opens up in a wall at the end of the street, and things for the inhabitants of Pepper Street become much less stable and much less clear. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Rights of Man
by Thomas PaineThe Founding Father’s most influential work: an impassioned defense of democracy and revolution in the name of human rights.Whatever is my right as a man is also the right of another; and it becomes my duty to guarantee as well as to possess. In Rights of Man, Founding Father of the United States Thomas Paine makes a compelling case in favor of the French Revolution. Written in response to Edmund Burke’s highly critical Reflections on the Revolution in France, its forceful rebuke of aristocratic rule and persuasive endorsement of self-government made it one of the most influential political statements in history. Paine asserts that human rights are not granted by the government but inherent to man’s nature. He goes on to argue that the purpose of government is to protect these natural rights, and if a government fails to do so, its people are duty-bound to revolution. Originally published in two parts, in 1791 and 1792, Rights of Man was a popular sensation in the United States, while in England, its incendiary views were seen as a threat to the Crown. For its erudite prose and rigorous argumentation, it remains a classic text of political thought. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Rights of Man
by Thomas PaineA reflection on and endorsement of the French Revolution, Thomas Paine's Rights of Man advances the theory of the inherency of human rights that cannot be conferred or revoked by governments, and examines the circumstances within which revolution against governments would be acceptable within the context of human rights. As a result of his groundbreaking opinions, Thomas Paine was tried and convicted of seditious libel against the Crown of England, but escaped a sentence of death because he was residing in France at the time.Be it mystery, romance, drama, comedy, politics, or history, great literature stands the test of time. ClassicJoe proudly brings literary classics to today's digital readers, connecting those who love to read with authors whose work continues to get people talking. Look for other fiction and non-fiction classics from ClassicJoe.
Riders of the Purple Sage
by Zane GreyThe novel that shaped the Western. Jane Withersteen is a wealthy landowner and rancher living in Utah. The Mormon church is the dominant power in the area, and at the novel's outset Jane is being courted by one of their Elders, who seeks to possess her. Jane, ever the optimist, believes in a fundamental decency in all people, but is increasingly forced to confront the darkness in the church as is threatens to consume her, her friends, and her family. Riders of the Purple Sage stands as one of the earliest, most influential Western novels, and has been filmed several times. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
The Republic
by PlatoPlato’s most famous work and the bedrock of Western philosophy Written in the form of a Socratic dialogue, The Republic is an investigation into the nature of an ideal society. In this far-reaching and profoundly influential treatise, Plato explores the concept of justice, the connection between politics and psychology, the difference between words and what they represent, and the roles of art and education, among many other topics. A towering achievement of philosophical insight, The Republic is as relevant to readers today as it was to the citizens of ancient Athens. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
The Reef
by Edith WhartonA dark tale of jealousy, betrayal, and the inability to let go of the past. When Anna Leath’s husband passes away, she finds herself reunited with George Darrow, a former love from before her marriage.
But her frequent delaying of their reunion leads him into an affair with a young actress named Sophy. Eventually George and Anna come together, but their future is complicated by Anna’s stepson, who has fallen in love with a woman that his family disapproves of – Sophy.
Who, as it turns out, has been hired as Anna’s governess. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values.
Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Redburn
by Herman MelvilleThe life of a sailor isn’t all its cracked up to be.
Wellingborough Redburn cannot find employment in his native New York, and so signs aboard the merchantship Highlander, on its journey to Liverpool.
He discovers that he is a “boy,” the lowest rank among the crew, and has to contend with the worst, most offensive duties, and the abuse of the seaman Jackson. Redburn proves to be a quick study at both the craft of seafaring and the surprisingly intricate social dynamics among the crewmembers, but will it be enough to turn his voyage around?
Drawing equally on Melville’s experiences at sea and his talent for cleverly poking fun at human foibles, this is a wonderful treat from a spectacular writer.
Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
The Razor's Edge
by W. Somerset MaughamLarry Darrell is a pilot, wounded and traumatized in the first world war. He turns his back on a normal life to wander the world in search of meaning and happiness.
His wanderings eventually land him in Paris, where he reconnects with his former fiancé Isabel and her new husband Gray, a victim of the 1929 stock market crash.
In a place where none of them quite belong, they all must discover how to find happiness in their lives - and with each other. <>The Razor's Edge has been adapted for film twice, with the most recent version starring Bill Murray. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. <>Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Queen Lucia
by E. F. BensonThe first volume of E.F. Benson's wildly satirical take on the Edwardian English upper class. The books were recently adapted by the BBC into a mini-series starring Sherlock's Mark Gatiss. Emmeline Lucas - Lucia, to her friends - is a determined social climber, determined to rise to the top of the town of Riseholme, a little one-street village inhabited by a strange group of the idle rich. The result is a mish-mash of petty schemes, gossip, and backstabbing the likes of which Riseholme has never seen. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Pylon
by William FaulknerOne of the few of William Faulkner’s works to be set outside his fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Pylon, first published in 1935, takes place at an air show in a thinly disguised New Orleans named New Valois. An unnamed reporter for a local newspaper tries to understand a very modern ménage a trois of flyers on the brainstorming circuit. These characters, Faulkner said, “were a fantastic and bizarre phenomenon on the face of the contemporary scene. . . . That is, there was really no place for them in the culture, in the economy, yet they were there, at that time, and everyone knew that they wouldn’t last very long, which they didn’t. . . . That they were outside the range of God, not only of respectability, of love, but of God too.” In Pylon Faulkner set out to test their rootless modernity to see if there is any place in it for the old values of the human heart that are the central concerns of his best fiction.Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Put Out More Flags
by Evelyn WaughWaugh brings some of his best characters back for another romp. Against the backdrop of the Phoney War, Alistair Trumpington wants only the chance to fight for a worthy cause, but instead he finds himself stuck in a never-ending series of military maneuvers, getting him nowhere closer to any front.
Meanwhile, the scoundrel Basil Seal sees the burgeoning war as an opportunity to help only himself.
Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
The Prince
by Niccolo MachiavelliThe ultimate treatise on statecraft. Machiavelli's work has held such power to shock that he was at one time identified with Satan himself. Published in 1532, it remains relevant—and fascinating—for modern readers.Sayre Street Books offers the world's greatest literature in easy to navigate, beautifully designed digital editions.
The Poems of Sappho
by SapphoPraised for their simplicity and sincerity, the poems of Sappho evoke powerful and memorable images through her focus on emotion and individualism that foreshadows modern poetry. This collection, translated by John Myers O’Hara, includes over 75 poems such as “Ode to Aphrodite,” “The Roses,” “Eros,” and “The Swallow.” Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Playback
by Raymond ChandlerThe last Philip Marlowe novel finished in Chandler’s lifetime.
Playback begins with private investigator Philip Marlowe being hired to investigate a woman, but soon discovers that she is the victim of blackmail, and that Marlowe has been suckered into being a pawn in a much bigger game.
He turns his attention to the young woman, hoping to free her from the nefarious characters hounding her. Despite being adapted from a screenplay, it is the only Marlowe novel to never be filmed. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
The Phantom of the Opera
by Gaston LerouxA classic ghost story, inspired by true events. Christine is an up-and-coming talent at the Paris Opera, so talented and beautiful that she attracts the attention of the opera house's mysterious phantom, in reality a deformed man named Erik. Overcome by love, the Phantom kidnaps her in a bid to make her his bride. It was famously adapted for the stage by Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1986 and to the screen in 1925, with Lon Cheney in the leading role. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Peyton Place
by Grace MetaliousPeyton Place is a sleepy little American town, like any other. But like any other, it harbours its fair share of secrets. Constance MacKenzie is a widower—or so the residents of Peyton Place believe. In reality, after leaving Peyton Place she carried on an affair that lasted until her illicit lover’s untimely death.
No one in town knows the truth—not even her daughter, Allison, a budding intellectual and aspiring author.
Allison feels lonely and isolated in Peyton Place, save for the company of her best friend, Selena Cross, a poor girl trapped under the thumb of an abusive step-father. As the ebb and flow of small-town drama cascades over Peyton Place, the three women must navigate the constraints of their pasts, the potential of their futures, and growing understandings of their own sexuality.
Peyton Place was a resoundingly successful—and deeply controversial—novel when published, bolstered by its colourful cast and frank discussions of sex and sexuality. It was adapted as a film, and then a prime time television series.
Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Parade's End
by Ford Madox FordA stark, modernist look at the realities of contemporary war. The four novels that makes up Parade's End (Some Do Not..., No More Parades, A Man Who Could Stand Up--, and Last Post) tell the story of Christopher Tietjens, a British government statistician who joins the army during the first world war. He suffers severe shell-shock, and must live through an unhappy marriage while suspicions run rampant that he has been having an affair. The novels have been referred to as classics of 20th century modernist literature, and Ford has been praised for his unwillingness to ascribe some sort of purpose or order to the violence of war. HBO, VRT, and BBC collaborated on a miniseries adaptation of the novels starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Rebecca Hall, and written by Tom Stoppard.
The Painted Veil
by W. Somerset MaughamKitty Garstin, a wealthy debutante, loves her life.
She attends all the best functions, and attracts all the best men, though she would never dream of accepting any of their marriage proposals. Never, that is, until she finds herself at twenty-five, most prospects exhausted, facing the possibility of her younger sister beating her to the altar.
Not wanting to risk life as a spinster, she accepts the proposal of Walter Fane, a doctor, and joins him on a posting in Hong Kong.
In the wake of an affair with one of Walter's superiors, she accompanies her husband to the Chinese mainland, where a cholera epidemic is ravaging the populace.
While Walter battles the illness, Kitty's conflict is within - Who is she? Who does she want to be? And who can she be? Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Out of Africa
by Isak DinesenAn enthralling depiction of the waning years of British colonial power. Out of Africa recounts the experiences of Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke in what was then British East Africa, now called Kenya. Blixen and her husband build a coffee plantation and staff it with local workers. At first things seems idyllic, but as the memoir progresses it traces the descent and ultimate failure of both the marriage and the plantation. It was adapted into a film in 1985, starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
O Pioneers!
by Willa CatherWidely known as Willa Cather’s first great novel and the first of the “prairie trilogy,” O Pioneers! is a work of fiction that conveys both the sharp physical realities and the mythic transformation of the American frontier and those who settled in it. Alexandra Bergson, the heroine of the novel, arrives in Nebraska with her family and grows up to make a prosperous farm despite the losses she experiences—but her love of the land comes at a cost. Filled with clear prose and a characterized landscape, this novel is about personal sacrifice, family loyalty, emotional and romantic ties, and belonging. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
On the Origin of Species
by Charles DarwinIn On the Origin of Species, naturalist Charles Darwin examines the role of natural selection in the evolution of plant and animal species. Revolutionary at the time of its publication in 1859, On the Origin of Species and Darwin's theory of natural selection served as one of the foundations or modern theories of evolution.Be it mystery, romance, drama, comedy, politics, or history, great literature stands the test of time. ClassicJoe proudly brings literary classics to today's digital readers, connecting those who love to read with authors whose work continues to get people talking. Look for other fiction and non-fiction classics from ClassicJoe.
On the Beach
by Nevil ShuteA classic work of post-apocalyptic fiction, and a haunting look at the capacity of humankind for self-destruction. On the Beach is set in the wake of World War III; the world has been rendered almost completely uninhabitable due to Nuclear Fallout, with the only liveable areas, located in the southern part of the planet, on a short clock as air currents threaten to eventually spread the fallout over the entire planet. When Austrlia receives a morse code message from the Seattle area, they dispatch one of the last nuclear submarines in hopes of finding survivors. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
On Liberty
by John Stuart MillOn Liberty presents John Stuart Mill's theory of utilitarianism, which posits that all conduct should be directed toward the achievement of happiness. The individual should be able to govern himself in this pursuit. One of the great works of 19th century philosophy, On Liberty remains relevant, highly-readable and fascinating.Sayre Street Books offers the world's greatest literature in easy to navigate, beautifully designed digital editions.
The Once & Future King
by T. H. WhiteThe definitive modern take on the timeless tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round table. The legends of King Arthur date back to medieval Europe, and have become some of the dominant myths of Western culture. In The Once & Future King, T. H. White reinvents the story for a modern audience. The novel starts by introducing the reader to a young Arthur - just a child, and far from the King he will become - as he is raised by the wizard Merlyn, and moves on to chronicle his rise to Kingship, the affair between Guinevere and Lancelot, and the eventual destruction of the round table. The first section, released independently as The Sword in the Stone, was adapted into an animated film by Walt Disney Pictures. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Oliver Twist
by Charles DickensOliver is an orphan living on the dangerous London streets with no one but himself to rely on. Fleeing from poverty and hardship, he falls in with a criminal street gang who will not let him go, however hard he tries to escape. In Oliver Twist, Dickens graphically conjures up the capital's underworld, full of prostitutes, thieves and lost and homeless children, and gives a voice to the disadvantaged and abused.Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.