Wilde’s only novel, first published in 1890, is a brilliantly designed puzzle, intended to tease conventional minds with its exploration of the myriad interrelationships between art, life and consequence. From its provocative Preface, challenging the reader to belief in ‘art for art’s sake’, to its sensational conclusion, the story self-consciously experiments with the notion of sin as an element of design. Yet Wilde himself underestimated the consequences of his experiment, and its capaci...

The award-winning history of 12 million German-speaking civilians in Europe who were driven from their homes after WWII: "a major achievement" ( New Republic).Immediately after the Second World War, the victorious Allies authorized the forced relocation of ethnic Germans from their homes across central and southern Europe to Germany. The numbers were almost unimaginable: between 12 and 14 million civilians, most of them women and children. And the losses we...

Dorian Gray is a remarkably handsome young man who views a painting of himself drawn by a friend and wishes that he could retain his youth and beauty, while the painting ages. His wish is granted, and he embarks on a life of debauchery and pleasure-seeking that leads to a predictably tragic and horrifying end.The Picture of Dorian Gray is Oscar Wilde’s first and only novel, often regarded as his most famous literary work, and one of the most controversial books of ...

“I wish I could love”“To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early or be respectable.” Oscar Wilde said it and we almost felt revenged.And since you`ll beg to know why, picture the following:You open a fashion magazine (say, Vogue’s thick September issue). In between the make-up/skincare/perfume/you-name-it adverts showing the immaculate faces of splendid creatures in no need of botox, your eyes fall upon ...

A groundbreaking history of the rise and decline of the vast and imposing Native American empire.In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, a Native American empire rose to dominate the fiercely contested lands of the American Southwest, the southern Great Plains, and northern Mexico. This powerful empire, built by the Comanche Indians, eclipsed its various European rivals in military prowess, political prestige, economic power, commercial reach, and cultura...

A brisk, concise, and readable overview of Irish history from the Protestant Reformation to the dawn of the twenty-first century.Five centuries of Irish history are explored in this informative and accessible volume. Beginning with Ireland's modern period at the dawn of the sixteenth century, John Gibney continues through to virtually the present day, offering an integrated overview of the island nation's cultural, political, and socioeconomic evolution.This ...

The ideals and opinions of Lord Henry Wotton, who believes that the only purpose of life is the pursuit of beauty, greatly affect the young, handsome Dorian Gray. Lamenting that one day his own good looks will diminish, Dorian offers to sell his soul if a beautiful painting of ages instead of his physical self. As Dorian pursues a hedonistic and reckless lifestyle, he soon realizes that his offer has been accepted, and with every sin he commits, the painting becomes more and more hideous.

"This excellent survey . . . spans the rise and fall of the Greco-Roman world. This conversational yet erudite history is a treat." ( Publishers Weekly, starred review)The magnificent civilization created by the ancient Greeks and Romans is the greatest legacy of the classical world. However, narratives about the "civilized" Greek and Roman empires resisting the barbarians at the gate are far from accurate. Tony Spawforth, an esteemed scholar, author, and B...

Why is the brain divided? The difference between right and left hemispheres has been puzzled over for centuries. In a book of unprecedented scope, Iain McGilchrist draws on a vast body of recent brain research, illustrated with case histories, to reveal that the difference is profound—not just this or that function, but two whole, coherent, but incompatible ways of experiencing the world. The left hemisphere is detail oriented, prefers mechanisms to living things, and is inclined to self-i...

Sarah J. Maas's sexy, richly imagined audio experience continues with the journey of Feyre's fiery sister, Nesta.Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she's struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can't seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it. The one person who ...

A pioneering exploration of the differences between the brain’s right and left hemispheres and their effects on society, history, and culture—"one of the few contemporary works deserving classic status” (Nicholas Shakespeare, The Times, London)“Persuasively argues that our society is suffering from the consequences of an over-dominant left hemisphere losing touch with its natural regulative ‘master’ the right. Brilliant and disturbing.”—Salley Vick...

All war is hell. But for troops serving in World War I, it was the bloodiest trench warfare ever known. GENERALS DIE IN BED is a first-hand account of one young man catapulted from new recruit to walking wounded on the Western Front. From day one, he’s surrounded by mud and fear. Artillery whistles down without warning. Boys, barely men, cry out for their mothers. Close combat is worse: sudden frenzied scrambles with German boys and bayonets that don’t come out smoothly. Regular rotation t...