Books in BBC Radio Presents series

A king foolishly divides his kingdom between his scheming two oldest daughters and estranges himself from the daughter who loves him. So begins this profoundly moving and disturbing tragedy that, perhaps more than any other work in literature, challenges the notion of a coherent and just universe. The king and others pay dearly for their shortcomings–as madness, murder, and the anguish of insight and forgiveness that arrive too late combine to make this an all-embracing tragedy of evil and suffering.Each Edition Includes:• Comprehensive explanatory notes • Vivid introductions and the most up-to-date scholarship • Clear, modernized spelling and punctuation, enabling contemporary readers to understand the Elizabethan English• Completely updated, detailed bibliographies and performance histories • An interpretive essay on film adaptations of the play, along with an extensive filmographyFrom the Paperback edition.

(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)Charles Dickens’s most celebrated novel and the author’s own favorite, David Copperfield is the classic account of a boy growing up in a world that is by turns magical, fearful, and grimly realistic. In a book that is part fairy tale and part thinly veiled autobiography, Dickens transmutes his life experience into a brilliant series of comic and sentimental adventures in the spirit of the great eighteenth-century novelists he so much admired. Few readers can fail to be touched by David’s fate, and fewer still to be delighted by his story. The cruel Murdstone, the feckless Micawber, the unctuous and sinister Uriah Heep, and David Copperfield himself, into whose portrait Dickens puts so much of his own early life, form a central part of our literary legacy.This edition reprints the original Everyman preface by G. K. Chesterton and includes thirty-nine illustrations by Phiz.From the Hardcover edition.

Come to the wild and desolate moors surrounding Wuthering Heights in this exclusive BBC Radio dramatization which captures all the brooding intensity of Emily Bronte's literary masterpiece with a full, rich cast and an original and deeply moving musical score.The only novel written by Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights was originally published under the pseudonym Ellis Bell, and at first was thought to be the work of Emily's sister, Charlotte the author of the classic, Jane Eyre. Wuthering Heights tells the tale of Heathcliff, a young orphaned gypsy boy, who is brought to the windswept moors of Yorkshire by Mr. Earnshaw, the master of Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff's childhood there is riddled with bullying and humiliation, but the master's daughter, the precocious and untameable Cathy, becomes his ally -- and a childhood fondness for one another grows to a great passion.Following a misunderstanding, Heathcliff believes that Cathy has rejected him, and leaves Wuthering Heights, only to return after three years have passed. When he returns, now mysteriously rich, he learns of Cathy's marriage to another, and vows to focus his passionate nature on merciless revenge. Heathcliff's retribution proves so destructive, that left in its wake are not only his enemies, but the very object of his obsession -- and ultimately, himself.

Charlotte Bronte's unique and impassioned masterpiece is one of the greatest love stories of all time.JANE EYREJane Eyre, a plain and penniless orphan, is educated at a school for orphaned girls where she eventually becomes a teacher. At 18,driven by a desire to broaden her horizons, she takes up a position as governess at Thornfield Hall and heads into the depths of fate. She is to be governess to Adele, the sweet little daughter of her employer, the arrogant, brooding and mysterious Mr. Edward Rochester. At first Jane finds him moody and abrupt, but he becomes fascinated with Jane's Independence and spirit and falls in love with her. And, in time, she with him. But on their wedding morning, Jane discovers that his past holds a dark secret, and she flees, heartbroken...Originally published under the pseudonym Currer Bell, Jane Eyre heralded a new kind of heroine -- one whose virtuous integrity, keen intellect and tireless perseverance broke through class barriers to win equal stature with the man she loved. Over a century after its publication in 1847, Jane Eyre is still regarded as one of the finest works in English literature. And, in this exclusive BBC production, with an arresting performance by Juliet Stevenson, Charlotte Bronte's exploration of how a woman comes to maturity in, the early 1800's comes marvelously and miraculously to life.

"The permanent popularity, now of mythic intensity, of Romeo and Juliet is more than justified," writes eminent scholar Harold Bloom, "since the play is the largest and most persuasive celebration of romantic love in Western literature."William Shakespeare (1564-1616) based his early romantic tragedy on Arthur Brooke's 1562 poem The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet. Shakespeare's resulting masterpiece, in turn, has inspired countless retellings around the world in mediums that include literature, dance, stage, and screen. "It is Shakespear all over, and Shakespear when he was young," declares William Hazlitt (1778-1830), acclaimed British essayist and critic, in his exuberant Introduction to this Modern Library edition."Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; Whose misadventuríd piteous overthrows, Do with their death bury their parents' strife."--PrologueFrom the Hardcover edition.

For the first time ever, these four stories are available in one audio boxed set. Winnie-The-Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner, A Party for Pooh, and Now We Are Six are classic stories of friendship and fantasy, sure to delight children of all ages.Alan Bennett has the perfect voice for reading the famous and beloved adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh, Christopher Robin, Tigger, Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, Piglet and Eeyore.In Winnie-the-Pooh, every day is an adventure. Whether Pooh is tracking a wild Woozle with Piglet, finding a tail for Eeyore, or sailing off in Christopher Robin's umbrella, he is always ready to lend a paw to his friends. The House at Pooh Corner continues the adventures of Pooh and his friends, as Pooh Bear and Piglet endeavor to surprise Eeyore with a new house, Tigger tries out a smorgasbord of breakfasts, and more. The third part includes six stories from A Party for Pooh (including "Kanga and Baby Roo Come to the Forest," "Piglet is Entirely Surrounded by Water," "Christopher Robin Gives a Pooh Party," "Tiggers Don't Climb Trees," "Rabbit Has a Busy Day," and "Tigger is Unbounced.") The fourth part of this special BBC production features the wonderful poems from Now We Are Six, beautifully read by Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal.

BBC Radio Presents' classic dramatization of Trollope's gently satirical moral tales of provincial life--contains two novels from Trollope's famous Barchester series. Dr.ThorneAn ironic but affectionate drama of wealth and wedlock starring John Wood, Leo McKern, Amanda Root and Eleanor Bron. Dr. Thorne, one of Trollope's most popular novels, is the story of the apparently penniless social outcast Mary Thorne and Frank Gresham whose lot it becomes to save his landed family's ailing fortunes by making a 'good marriage'. But his lack of hypocrisy and his love for Mary suggests a different outcome which can only be realized with the revelation of a secret known only to the good Dr. Thorne himself.Framely ParsonageThis classic novel captures the essence of Victorian England--where property, status, family and convention were paramount. Mark Robarts is a naive and ambitious young clergyman whose unwise association with spendthrift Sowerby and the dissolute Duke of Omnium brings him almost to the brink of ruin. Trollope's compassionately moral comedy features some of the most familiar characters of the series and stars David Haig, Anna Massey, Rosemary Leach and Kenneth Cranham.

"They say Aslan is on the move. Perhaps he has already landed," whispered the Beaver. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delightful strain of music had just floated by. And Lucy got that feeling when you realize it's the beginning of summer. So, deep in the bewitched land of Narnia, the adventure begins."They opened a door and entered a world--Narnia--the land beyond the wardrobe, the secret country known only to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. Lucy is the first to stumble through the back of the enormous wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old country house, discovering the magic world beyond. At first, no one believes her. But soon Edmund, Peter and Susan, too, discover the magic and meet Asland, the Great Lion, for themselves. And in the blink of an eye, they are changed forever.This superbly adapted radio dramatization from the BBC--world renowned for their excellence in radio programming--delightfully sweeps listeners into the marvelous heart of their imaginations and into the enchanted world of Narnia.This exquisite production of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe features a stellar cast, authentic sound effects, and wonderfully stirring music to warm and engage the hearts of children and adults whether they're hearing the story for the first or the fiftieth time.