The Secret Battle

For Socrates, as for Jesus Christ, we have few biographical details, and of those we do have nearly all come from Plato, his greatest admirer. But it is clear that Socrates contributed three new ideas to the development of philosophy: that goodness consists not in helping friends and harming enemies, but in not harming anyone at all; that goodness and knowledge are one and the same thing; and that...

A Christmas Carol was an overnight success when first published in 1843, and was followed by two further Christmas books, The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth, also included in this volume. But A Christmas Carol's Ebenezer Scooge is one of Dickens's most unforgettable characters, a miserable skinflint without equal. Even he, however, can be redeemed by the spirits of Christmas Past, ...

This is the story of Dorothy and her little dog Toto, who are carried away from Kansas by a cyclone and transported to the wonderful world of Oz. She meets three companions – the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion – and the three journey to the Emerald City of Oz to ask the Wizard of Oz to give them their hearts’ desires, which in Dorothy’s case is to return home to Kansas. On their ...

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a masterpiece of Victorian literature and one of the most potent and enduring of modern myths. Why has Dr Jekyll begun to associate with the ugly and violent Mr Hyde? When Jekyll's friend Utterson tries to solve this mystery he uncovers a horrific story of murder and suffering which leads eventually to the terrible revelation of Mr Hyde's true identity....

To celebrate ten successful years of the Collector's Library, this everlasting literary diary has been specially devised to mark the occasion. Recorded on each day is an event which took place on the same date in the past concerning a writer whose work is published in the series; a relevant quote accompanies every entry and illustrations from the best-loved titles appear throughout. Because each d...

Sherlock Holmes is back on the case in this collection of sparkling short stories. Not only does Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's brilliant detective investigate a fascinating series of crimes and misdemeanours in The Memoirs, but we also learn about Holmes' early days as a sleuth hound and encounter the detective's brilliant brother, Mycroft, who is a member of the Diogenes Club, one of the strangest est...

This companion volume to the Tales of Mystery and Imagination contains Edgar Allan Poe's best-known poetry, and a selection of his very best stories (many of which originate in his 1840s Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque), along with his finest tales from the last decade of his tragically short life. Many of these stories and poems tell of the familiar Рое themes of murder, obsession an...

As well as being one of the major literary figures of the twentieth century, William Butler Yeats (1865?1939) is the greatest lyric poet that Ireland has produced. He was the acknowledged leader of the Irish Literary Renaissance, and he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923. His early lyrical poetry includes 'When You are Old', 'The Cloths of Heaven' and 'The ...

Father Brown is a small, round Catholic priest with a highly developed understanding of the criminal mind, derived from his time listening to men confess their sins. His diminutive presence disguises a powerful intellect and ability to solve the strangest crimes in the most fascinating manner. This collection of stories draws upon all five Father Brown books and demonstrates the considerable range...