A look China's recent cultural reinterpretation of the oldest canal in the world, dug when Confucius was alive, along which has traveled not only cargo but ideas, customs, and dialects The face of modern China is changing. Liam D'Arcy-Brown travels the length of the Grand Canal, a symbol of national identity, Chinese pride, and cultural achievement. For those with an interest in China and its culture, people, or heritage, this book provides an exciting, fascinating, and well-written accoun...

Spine-tingling stories by M. R. James, plus a chilling original drama and two bonus programmes about his life and workM. R. James was the master of the uncanny. His classic supernatural stories have haunted readers for over a century, and been adapted countless times for radio, TV and film.This collection features dramatisations of twelve of his most popular stories – The Mezzotint; Casting the Runes; The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral; A Warning to the...

A profound inquiry into what prompts human beings to act morallyMost foundational texts on theological ethics address either the person or society. In The Moral Life, James F. Keenan, SJ, posits that these two are inextricably linked. He presents eight stages of preparing for the moral life, describing vulnerability as the foundation for contemporary ethics. He understands vulnerability to be what establishes the human capacity for recognizing and respondi...

Michael Fassbender stars in this multi-voice reading of Bram Stoker’s legendary taleFirst published in 1897, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is widely regarded as the best gothic horror novel of all time. The popularity of the world’s most notorious vampire, Count Dracula, has ensured that it has never been out of print, and it remains a timeless classic.In this epistolary novel, journal entries, letters, newspaper clippings and a ship's log interweave to fo...

The story of Tess Durbeyfield, the most tragic of Thomas Hardy's heroines. Adapted by Alan Sharp for BBC Radio 4.John Durbeyfield (Keith Barron) learns that he is descended from the aristocratic Norman family of d'Urbervilles. He encourages his daughter, Tess (Claire Rushbrook), to befriend the family of Stoke d'Urbervilles where she meets Alec d'Urberville (Adam Godley).Tess is ultimately seduced by Alec and the effects of...

When you are winning gambling seems very easy. You place a bet and receive your winnings. The thrill is a joyous electric shock of joy and applause. And winnings.If you lose, well, at first you know your luck will turn. It must, you’re a winner. But if your luck fails, and keeps failing, misery endures and then envelops your life. Everything is centered on that next roll of the dice, the turn of the card …. Nothing else matters. You are addicted.01 - Short Stories About Gam...

A bold new dramatisation of Thomas Hardy's classic, in which his famous heroine evolves from a 'ruined maid' into a doomed but dignified woman in love.When Tess Durbeyfield's father discovers that their family is descended from the aristocratic Stoke-D'Urbervilles, he insists that Tess visits them to 'claim kinship'. Arriving at the great house, she is given a job by the D'Urbervillles' son, Alec, who is attracted by her innocence and beauty and at...

This book contains 350 short stories from 50 classic, prize-winning and noteworthy authors. Wisely chosen by the literary critic August Nemo for the book series 7 Best Short Stories, this omnibus contains the stories of the following writers: - Sheridan Le Fanu - H. and E. Heron - Charlotte Riddell - Flora Annie Steel - Amelia B. Edwards - Margaret Oliphant - Edward Bellamy - Arnold Bennett - S. Baring-Gould - Daniil Kharms - E.F. Benson - John Buchan - Ella D'Arcy - Jacques Futrelle - Fra...

Pure Evil is one of our greatest fears. No appeals to reason, no pleas of mercy or forgiveness will have the slightest impact on the mind of the oppressor. These Evil entities, surely we can’t name them as beings, include all sorts of monsters, demons, devils, vampires and other assorted ghouls that care little about the fate of you or I.1 - Essence of Evil - Tales of Monsters, Demons, Devils, Vampires & more2 - The Call of Cthulhu - Part 1 by H P Lovecraft3 - The C...

The classic Western, now newly repackaged as part of Bantam's Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures program--with never-before-seen material from Louis and his son, Beau L'Amour.It began with gold that had once belonged to Montezuma. Stolen and cached in a church in Mexico, it was recovered by two army officers who fled north for the French settlements. Along the way one stabbed the other to death. The remaining officer was eventually killed by Plains Indians, but he buri...

When you are winning gambling seems very easy. You place a bet and receive your winnings. The thrill is a joyous electric shock of joy and applause. And winnings.If you lose, well, at first you know your luck will turn. It must, you’re a winner. But if your luck fails, and keeps failing, misery endures and then envelops your life. Everything is centered on that next roll of the dice, the turn of the card …. Nothing else matters. You are addicted. These two sides of the coin are exa...

Passionate, strong-minded nonfiction from the National Book Award-winning author of The CorrectionsJonathan Franzen's The Corrections was the best-loved and most-written-about novel of 2001. Nearly every in-depth review of it discussed what became known as "The Harper's Essay," Franzen's controversial 1996 investigation of the fate of the American novel. This essay is reprinted for the first time in How to be Alone, along with th...