Books in Thrifty Classic Literature series

Lily Bart, a beautiful and well-born woman, needs to find a wealthy husband of social position to escape her impoverished life. Unfortunately, this search leads to tragedy as Lily pursues her final chance for financial security…. Edith Wharton’s account of social hypocrisy amongst New York society reflects her own first-hand experience of growing up amongst the East Coast elite. As a result of her insight into this world, Wharton provides a compelling picture of social exclusion at the end of the nineteenth century. This larger format edition is ideal for school or college students. Here, the text ends with ten pages of ruled notepaper for personal analysis, chapter summaries, incorporating class notes and recording points for further thought. This volume contains the complete and unabridged text in addition to a personal notebook - which means it offers excellent value for money.

The Canterbury Tales recounts the stories told by pilgrims to one another as they make their way from London to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury. This volume contains the introduction to those tales by describing the characters who are embarking upon that pilgrimage. This interlinear edition places Chaucer’s original middle English text in alternating rows with a new translation into modern English. This allows readers to understand unfamiliar words and phrases immediately, and without needing to look elsewhere. Alongside, there is room in the wide outer margins for readers to write their own notes, define unfamiliar words, or perhaps, to consider alternative constructions. The translation into modern English differs only slightly from those found elsewhere. Here, the key difference is that each line is translated separately, and thereby avoids the problem seen in some translations that words are borrowed from adjacent lines to help maintain Chaucer’s rhyming structure. Accordingly, this translation adheres more closely to Chaucer’s own words; although, in doing so, it may occasionally contain rather more descriptive explanations than is usual in translated works. Nevertheless, this ‘word for word’ approach will greatly assist those new to Chaucer’s middle English. Parents will be pleased that The General Prologue contains no lewdness or vulgarity as can be found in some of the other Canterbury Tales. In this regard, it may appropriately be studied at Middle School level. This volume contains the complete and unabridged text (with line numbers), a helpful translation and a personal study notebook - which means it offers excellent value for money. This revised edition contains several textual and stylistic modifications to improve the accessibility of the text for all readers, but without sacrificing its academic integrity.

The Canterbury Tales recounts the stories told by pilgrims to one another as they make their way from London to the shrine of St. Thomas à Beckett in Canterbury. This volume contains the much loved, but rather bawdy, Miller’s tale which has proved to the most popular of all the Canterbury Tales. This interlinear edition places Chaucer’s original middle English text in alternating rows with an exemplar translation into modern English. This allows readers to understand unfamiliar words and phrases immediately, and without the need to look elsewhere. This volume contains the complete and unabridged text (with line numbers) and a helpful translation. Furthermore, there are ten ruled pages at the end of this book to write personal notes - which means it offers excellent value for money.

Sir Thomas More’s Utopia is both a work of fiction and a satirical comment upon the state of ‘civilisation’ in his time. It is presented in the form of dialogue between More, Raphael Hythloday and Peter Giles during one day spent together in a visit to the Low Countries. The discourse is based upon an imaginary island called Utopia. Book One contains Hythloday’s views on the deficiencies then existing in society, whilst Book Two presents his opinion on how the common people’s subjection to the wealthy elite can be avoided. In doing so, Utopia allows Sir Thomas More to ventilate his support for some of those ideals whilst distancing himself from others. This larger format edition is particularly well-suited for school and college students. Here, there is the double benefit of providing both a wide outer margin and ten pages of lined notepaper to add explanatory notes, summaries and points for further thought. This volume contains the complete and unabridged text in addition to a personal study notebook - which means it offers excellent value for money.

After an acrimonious divorce, young Maisie Farange finds herself being shuttled between her self-centred mother and vain father as a pawn in their game to inflict even further pain on one-another. In doing so, Maisie is plunged into a world of spite, intrigue and sexual betrayal in which she is forced to make a decision about where her future lies. James’ genius was to craft outrageously behaved characters from an otherwise tawdry domestic situation with enormous subtlety and incisive wit. Indeed, What Maisie Knew is regarded as one of James’ comic masterpieces. Furthermore, with astonishing prescience, James succeeded in writing a novel which has actually become more relevant to the lives of many modern-day families. This re-publication of the 1908 New York edition is ideal for school or college students. Here, the chief benefit is the ten pages of blank lined notepaper provided at the end of this volume, and is particularly useful for making notes, chapter summaries or essay plans. This edition contains the complete and unabridged text in addition to a personal notebook - which means it offers excellent value for money.

Shakespeare’s sonnets are a collection of 154 poems - of which the first 126 are addressed to a young man and deal mainly with expressing obsessional love. Of these, the first 14 sonnets, the so-called precreation sonnets, urge the man to marry and immortalise his beauty by producing offspring. The remaining 28 sonnets are addressed to a woman, of which the last two represent allegories of cupid. This larger format edition is ideal for school or college students. Here, the main benefit is the very wide margins which provide plenty of extra space to add explanatory notes, translations of unfamiliar words and points for further thought. This volume contains the complete and unabridged text in addition to a roomy personal notebook - which means it offers excellent value for money.

Eight years earlier, Anne Elliot had – with great remorse - broken off her engagement to Frederick, a naval officer, after Lady Russell had persuaded her that this was not an appropriate match. Now, Frederick has returned from sea to find Anne’s family facing financial ruin. Will Frederick and Anne be reunited, or are they destined to lead separate lives? This larger format edition is particularly well-suited for school and college students. Here, the book ends with ten pages of lined notepaper to add explanatory notes, summaries and points for further thought. This volume contains the complete and unabridged text in addition to a personal study notebook - which means it offers excellent value for money.

In his later years, King Lear decides to relinquish control over his kingdom and divide it amongst two of his three daughters – effectively disinheriting his favourite daughter, Cordelia. Unfortunately, King Lear misjudges his daughters’ loyalty, and quickly finds they have stripped him of everything - whilst his unfair treatment of Cordelia has further grave consequences … This larger format edition is ideal for school or college students. Here, the main benefit is the very wide margins which provide plenty of extra space to add explanatory notes, translations of unfamiliar words and points for further thought. This volume contains the complete and unabridged text in addition to a roomy personal notebook - which means it offers excellent value for money.

Villette was Charlotte Brontë’s fourth novel and has been applauded as an even greater novel than her most famous publication, Jane Eyre. Here, Brontë recounts the story of Lucy Snowe who, after an unexplained family disaster, eventually finds herself moving abroad to teach in Villette, a fictionalised version of Brussels. However, Lucy’s life becomes almost impossibly conflicted as she attempts to silence her erotic desires for Monsieur Paul. In doing so, Villette becomes a story of repressed passion by the cold and strong-willed Lucy – who, most tellingly, was called Lucy Frost in an earlier draft. This larger format edition is particularly well-suited for school and college students. Here, the book ends with ten pages of lined notepaper to add explanatory notes, summaries and points for further thought. This volume contains the complete and unabridged text in addition to a personal study notebook - which means it offers excellent value for money.

In 44 BC, a plot to assassinate Caesar was hatched between Brutus and Cassius in order to save the threatened Republic. These instigators are joined by others – leading to Caesar’s assassination and the creation of a Triumvirate of power held by Octavius, Mark Antony and Lepidus. However, discord between the conspirators provides Mark Antony with an opportunity to turn Rome’s citizens against the conspirators. In doing so, Rome is plunged into civil war …. This larger format edition is ideal for school or college students. Here, the main benefit is the very wide margins which provide plenty of extra space to add explanatory notes, translations of unfamiliar words and points for further thought. This volume contains the complete and unabridged text in addition to a roomy personal notebook - which means it offers excellent value for money.

Timid Fanny Price is sent to live with wealthy relatives at Mansfield Park. Many years later, as Fanny reaches marriageable age, she finds that numerous love triangles and quadrangles erupt during her uncle’s absence in the Caribbean on business. In doing so, Fanny finds herself competing unwillingly in a world of adultery and sexual passions as she weathers the scandals that befall the household. Mansfield Park is by far the most sexually charged of Jane Austen’s novels as it explores themes of sexual morality and the conflict between tradition and change. By doing so, Austen makes a clear break from her other ‘lighter’ novels and provides readers with an opportunity to experience her virtuosity as an author. This larger format edition is particularly well-suited for school and college students. Here, the book ends with ten pages of lined notepaper to add explanatory notes, summaries and points for further thought. This volume contains the complete and unabridged text in addition to a personal study notebook - which means it offers excellent value for money.

Much Ado About Nothing is widely considered to be one of Shakespeare’s finest comedies. It contains all the classic Shakespearean elements of deception, self-deception and mistaken identity whilst simultaneously exploring more serious themes of infidelity and court politics. This larger format edition is ideal for school or college students. Here, the main benefit is the very wide margins which provide plenty of extra space to add explanatory notes, translations of unfamiliar words and points for further thought. This volume contains the complete and unabridged text in addition to a roomy personal notebook - which means it offers excellent value for money.