Anthony Patch expects to inherit millions from his grandfather in the 1920s, and when he and his wife spend without restraint, they do not receive the inheritance.

'It was unnecessary for all to perish, when, by the death of one, it was possible, and even probable, that the rest might be finally preserved.' Travelling aboard a whaling vessel, a young stowaway is swept up in myriad misadventures - mutiny, shipwreck, cannibalism - narrowly escaping numerous brushes with death. This rousing story of a daring sea voyage also presents its antihero with a host of psychological dilemmas, and offers an important insight...

A young governess turns up at a country estate in Essex to care for Miles and Flora, two young orphans left in care of their absentee uncle. Soon after her tenure begins, the governess begins to see strangers walking the grounds, and interacting with the siblings in odd and disturbing ways. The governess begins to feel they are not wholly human-but rather are ghosts haunting Miles and Flora, and their influence upon the children has tragic consequences....

The War of the Worlds is a first-person narrative of an unnamed protagonist from Surrey who lives through the invasion of southern England being invaded by Martians. A canister drops from the sky in a sudden explosion and lands near the narrator's home, opening to reveal an alien who has grey skin with large eyes and tentacles. As more and more of these canisters drop, a human delegation forms and approaches the Martians while waving white flags of...

The Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics: • New introductions commissioned from todays top writers and scholars • Biographies of the authors • Chronologies...

From Collins Classics, short stories from the author of 'The Great Gatsby' and including 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'. In these eleven stories, Fitzgerald depicts the Roaring Twenties as he lived them. He masterfully blends accounts of flappers and the smart set with more fantastical visions of America, always imbuing his narratives with his trademark themes of money, class, ambition and love. In 'May Day', Fitzgerald weaves an account of...

'This was the slaying of the Minotaur, which put an end forever to the shameful tribute of seven youths and seven maidens which was exacted from the Athenians every nine years.' The gods, heroes and legends of Greek mythology and their Roman interpretations are as fascinating as they are instructive. They include the almighty Zeus and his many wives; heroic Perseus, slayer of the snake-headed Medusa; Helen of Troy, whose beauty caused a great war;...

Collins Classics brings you a haunting selection of the finest horror stories from classic literature - featuring works by Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson and Mary Shelley - with additional content. Complete with a Life & Times section for each author, which offers insights into their lives, works and the time of publication, and a handy glossary adapted from the Collins English Dictionary, this Collins Classics Collection will...

Thoreau's famous account of a year spent in a cabin at Walden Pond near Concord, during which he made many observations about nature, human life, and the importance of simplicity. Also includes his influential essay "Civil disobedience," arguing that since what is law is not necessarily right, and just because the majority decides an issue doesn't automatically make that issue palatable to a man's conscience, individuals should sometimes oppose the...

The rugged west coast of Ireland seems like the perfect place for a holiday. Then everything starts to go wrong. Colin is aware of an awful smell coming off the land, a smell of death and decay… Colin and Prill were looking forward to a holiday of fun and adventure in Ireland. It would have been perfect if only they hadn't had to drag along their 'odd' cousin Oliver. But Oliver, it turns out, isn't their biggest problem. Almost from the moment...