One of the most famous opening lines in English literature, the most compelling of stories, and a host of vivid characters, has won Pride and Prejudice its rightful pride-of-place on bookshelves throughout the world. For Mr Bennet, a quiet life is to be highly commended. For Mrs Bennet, finding eligible husbands for her five daughters is the most important of a mother's duties. For Elizabeth, marrying without affection is unthinkable. But for them...

A classic tale to share with the next generation, Little Women is a coming of age story of virtue and true love in nineteenth century America. A true classic, Little Women follows the lives of Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy March, four spirited sisters living in Civil War era America. Join the Marches as they navigate New England life with a father at war, financial hardships, and the lure and intrigue of the handsome young man who lives next door. Originally...

The mysterious tale of an orphan who is made into a gentleman, with one of the best opening scenes you'll ever read: " Hold your noise! Keep still, you little devil, or I'll cut your throat !" Little orphan Pip scarcely imagines how a terrifying encounter with a convict on the lonely marshes will later transform his life. Pip is more troubled by his visits to strange old Miss Havisham-her decaying wedding dress and the house full of memories-and...

"This timeless tale of an arrogant miser's transformation into a paragon of warmhearted generosity, recounted by one of the English language's most popular authors, is as much a part of the season as holly and mistletoe. Lovers of fiction, Dickens novels, picture books, and the holiday itself will delight in this magnificent hardcover edition of A Christmas Carol, illustrated by Arthur Rackham. A dozen full-page color plates and 18 black-and-white...

The Scarlet Letter is the story of three New England settlers at odds with the puritan society in which they live. Roger Chillingworth, an ageing scholar, arrives in New England after two years separation from his wife Hester to find her on trial for adultery. For refusing to reveal her lover's identity, she is condemned to wear a letter °' sewn onto her clothes. Roger resolves to discover and destroy the man who has stolen his honour. For the next...

HarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics. 'She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older: the natural sequel of an unnatural beginning.' Written at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Persuasion is a tale of love, heartache and the determination of one woman as she strives to reignite a lost love. Anne Elliot is persuaded by her friends and family to reject a marriage proposal...

One of the most famous and celebrated Victorian coming-of-age novels, David Copperfield charts the adventures and vicissitudes of its eponymous hero's life, from the misery of his childhood after his mother's marriage to the tyrannical Mr Murdstone, through to his first steps as a writer and his search for love and happiness. Along the way he encounters a vast array of gloriously vivid characters - many of whom number among the most memorable in literature...

"It’s the perfect match—gentleman lawyer Newland Archer will marry young socialite May Welland. The marriage should be a source of pride for Newland, accustomed as he is to meeting the expectations of New York’s high society. But when he falls for May’s exotic and enchanting cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska, he faces an impossible choice: should he be the dutiful husband and stay with his bride, or give in to his passions and follow the countess...

A horse in nineteenth-century England recounts his experiences with both good and bad masters. Here is the compelling tale of a spirited young Thoroughbred that captured the hearts of readers throughout Victorian England when it was first published in 1877. This masterfully illustrated classic is skillfully adapted by Newbery Award-winning author Robin McKinley and remains faithful to the original. A timeless tale of courage, hope, and strength guaranteed...

"The House of Mirth is a 1905 novel by the American author Edith Wharton. It tells the story of Lily Bart, a well-born but impoverished woman belonging to New York City's high society around the turn of the last century. Wharton creates a portrait of a stunning beauty who, though raised and educated to marry well both socially and economically, is reaching her 29th year, an age when her youthful blush is drawing to a close and her marital prospects...