This play is a dramatization of Boccaccio’s story of Gillette of Narbonne. Only the comic parts were of Shakespeare’s invention; he added the characters of the pusillanimous Parolles, the lofty courtier Lafew, the Clown Lavatch, and the long suffering Countess. He gave new depth and vitality to the leading characters, who are mere outlines in Boccaccio’s tale.The comedy has for its heroine a young woman who loves the haughty Bertram with an unrequited and despised passion,...

This collection of 35 short poems was first published in 1927, and is a sequel to When We Were Very Young, which was the first anthology of verse dealing with the domestic adventures of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh.As the author explains in the introduction: “We have been nearly three years writing this book. We began it when we were very young … and now we are six. So, of course, bits of it seem rather baby-ish to us, almost as if they had slipped out of some other book b...

Every victory begins with a sacrifice.Major Levi Cohen readies to retire after twenty years of peacetime service to the Terran Coalition. With mere weeks remaining, he allows the luxury of imagining days alongside his wife and eight-year-old son instead of separated by duty. He promised that this year he wouldn’t miss another one of David’s birthdays – and he intends to keep his word.His plans are cut short when the League of Sol sends a massive force of wa...

Mistaken identity (which the Elizabethans called “Error”) is nearly always amusing, whether on the stage or in actual life. The Comedy of Errors is a play in which this situation is developed to the extreme of improbability – but we lose sight of this improbability in the roaring fun which results. Nowadays we should call a play of this type a farce, since most of the fun comes from situations which are improbable and the play depends on these for success, rather than on character...

In 1875, Wellesley college opened its doors to women. The Story of Wellesley, written over a hundred years ago, by Florence Converse, a Wellesley professor and graduate herself, tells of the first 40 years of this remarkable school. Henry Fowle Durant founded it with a very specific philosophy which grew and changed as the decades passed. The first six presidents each approached their duty with different talents and goals. Students flourished and became supporting alumnae. Although the ind...

This collection contains eight of Shakespeare’s best loved comedies. Each exhibits the vigour, humour, and optimism of the young master before he turned to the gloom and bitterness of the great tragedies.ContentsA Midsummer Night’s DreamAll’s Well That Ends WellTwelfth NightMuch Ado About NothingThe Comedy of ErrorsAs You Like ItMeasure for MeasureThe M...

Romance and the French Revolution! Politics and love! Scaramouche, published in 1921, explores age-old tensions that continue into the present.“He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad …” So begins this historical tale of romantic adventure. Andre-Louis Moreau is an orphan and cousin of the beloved Aline. He is raised by his godfather, the Lord of Gavrillac, and matures into an educated lawyer—while Aline sets her mind on marrying the rich but...

This collection arguably contains some of the most charming lyrics ever written in English. The childlike simplicity and trust of these artless verses are unique.Blake’s poems can be enjoyed, not only for their historical importance in an age which was fiercely proud of its genius and its traditions, but also for their simple and beautiful expression of “two contrary states of the human soul.”Songs of Innocence was originally a complete collection of twenty-three poems, fir...

Brought to you by Penguin.We tend to think that everything important comes from the centre: from big cities, from established orthodoxies in the sciences and the arts, from the Establishment in all its forms. We think this because the centre tells us it is so, but it's a lie. It is only at the edges that we think, innovate and thrive.This book travels to the frontiers of human culture and consciousness; to the edges of continents, of evolution, of artistic ...

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.Based on Chaucer"s Knight"s Tale, The Two Noble Kinsmen was written at the end of Shakespeare"s career, as a collaboration with the rising young dramatist John Fletcher. Neglected until recently by directors and teachers, the play deserves to be better known for its moving dramatization of the conflict of love and friendship.

Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.GOD KNOWS, MY SON, BY WHAT BY-PATHS AND INDIRECT CROOK'D WAYS I MET THIS CROWN; AND I MYSELF KNOW WELL HOW TROUBLESOME IT SAT UPON MY HEAD. TO THEE, IT SHALL DESCEND WITH BETTER QUIET, BETTER OPINION, BETTER CONFIRMATION…Following his victory at the battle of Shrewsbury th...

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.One of Shakespeare"s final works, Cymbeline uses virtuoso theatrical and poetic means to dramatize a story of marriage imperiled by mistrust and painfully rebuilt in the context of international conflict.