Books in Complete Classics series

Set in the days of the British Raj, Kiplings finest novel is the exciting and touching tale of an Irish orphan-boy who has lived free in the streets of Lahore before setting out, with a Tibetan Lama, on a spiritual quest. Kim later enrols in the Indian Service and simultaneously embarks on an espionage mission of supreme importance. A thrilling climax in the Himalayas occurs when the two quests become entangled. Kims search for identity is staged within one of the most magnificent and affectionate portrayals of Indian culture in literature.

A new film adaptation of Gulliver's Travels brings Jonathan Swift's classic novel back into focus. In Gulliver's Travels we travel into the realms of the fantastical as Lemuel Gulliver, after being alternately shipwrecked, abandoned and then accosted, is compelled to dwell among a series of extraordinary civilizations. From being incarcerated by a diminutive race to being shunned by a clan of superior horses, Gulliver's far-ranging adventures are at once deliciously absurd and pertinently revealing. The vulgarities and imbecilities of human nature are paraded before our eyes in this novel that remains as one of the most wonderful satires of all time.

F. Scott Fitzgeralds modern classic is one of the key novels of the 20th century. Jay Gatsby is one of the most famous residents of Long Island, New York. His sumptuous mansion, lavish parties and glamorous lifestyle are renowned throughout the neighbourhood. And yet, beyond the status symbols, no one seems to know anything about this elusive, ephemeral figure. Gatsby seems to have it all. However, it soon becomes clear that the thing that he craves beyond all else cannot be bought. The Great Gatsby captures the hotbed of vice and corruption underlying the glitz and the glamour of the roaring 20s in the most exquisite prose.

Wives and Daughters is a sensitive coming-of-age tale set within a provincial town in Victorian England. Having lost her mother at a young age, Molly Gibsons entrée into womanhood and navigation of the adult world of attraction and relationships is stilted. By contrast, her stepsister Cynthia emanates self-confidence and is bolstered by her conniving, opportunistic mother. By unhappy mischance, Molly falls for the very man that the vivacious Cynthia has set her sights on. However, as events unfold, the deceptive nature of appearances becomes apparent, and a dramatic reversal of fortunes occurs. In the tradition of Jane Austen, Wives and Daughters is a captivating novel of social observation, humour and touching romance. Patience Tomlinson is an experienced audiobook reader and presents this novel with a steady, comfortable assurance.

The 13 stories in this entertaining set chart the activities of the world's greatest private detective from his sudden re-appearance after his supposed death at the Reichenberg Falls. Faithful Dr Watson recounts the "Adventure of The Empty House", the "Adventure of the Dancing Men" and others as with sharp observation and intelligent deductions, the supersleuth cuts through distractions and diversions to get to the truth. This is a companion set to "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes".

The sequel to The Lost World, Arthur Conan Doyles Poison Belt reunites the ever-popular Professor Challenger, intrepid journalist Edward Malone, dashing Lord John Roxton and the querulous Professor Summerlee for yet another adventure. When a sinister poison envelops the earth, the entire human race teeters on the brink of destruction, forcing the comrades to implement a desperate plan for survival. A cryptic telegram, a mysterious airborne poison and an eerie journey around post-apocalyptic London, this is vintage Conan Doyle. Glen McCreadys exhilarating reading brings all the tension and excitement of this classic tale vividly to life.

When the young and naïve Rosemary Hoyt comes to the French Riviera in the 1920s she is bedazzled by the glamorous lifestyles of Dick and Nicole Diver and their high-society set. Yet, beneath this polished veneer, the lives of the Divers are fraught with complexity and anxiety. As their mysterious, problematic past resurfaces, the struggle to keep up appearances takes its toll, and their seemingly perfect lives begin to deteriorate with alarming rapidity. Overflowing with descriptive brilliance and lyrical power, Tender is the Night is also remarkable for the strong autobiographical element to the story. In depicting Dick and Nicole Diver, Fitzgerald clearly explores his own tempestuous relationship with his schizophrenic but brilliant wife Zelda.

Buck is living the good life in the soft South, when he is snatched and transported to the savagery of the Northland. There, the Klondlike gold rush has brought out rough basic instincts of survival in men - and dogs. He adjusts to the gruelling regime of a sled dog, which almost kills him, but he survives to find a new and fulfilling way of life. "The Call of the Wild" is not only a classic tale, but also an enduring masterpiece of the inescapable laws of nature. It is now in unabridged form in a new reading by William Roberts.

For all those captivated by the trials of Jane Eyre, Anne Brontës heroine Agnes Grey is the ideal counterpoint. Agnes Grey is widely considered to be the best record of the precarious position of the governess in Victorian society, and the insolence, neglect and dependence that the gentle Agnes is forced to endure is conveyed with great feeling. Brontës account of Agness journey to find love, happiness and independence within the constraints of Victorian society is well-known and loved for its emotional subtlety and its incisive social scrutiny.

One of the great works of 19th-century England as well as one of the masterpieces of English fiction, this novel is set in the Midlands, 1830-32, in the fictitious town of Middlemarch. It is concerned with the blighted marriage of a young idealistic woman, but also presents a vivid portrait of England during the Georgian era. A film adaptation of the novel, directed by Sam Mendes and with screenplay by Andrew Davies, is due to be released in 2011. Middlemarch was listed in 'The 10 Greatest Books of All Time', The Top Ten (ed. J. Peder Zane, W.W. Norton & Company). This release presents a captivating insight into contemporary developments: medical science, the Great Reform Bill, the beginnings of the railways, the death of King George IV and the succession of his brother King William IV.

Oliver Twist, Dickens' second novel, has enthralled generations of readers since its publication in 1838. Orphaned and desolate, Oliver's journey to London and subsequent induction into its dingy underworld, is narrated with ceaseless energy by Jonathan Keeble. His depictions of Fagin and the terrifying Bill Sikes are particularly mesmerizing, and his reading is infused with a delicious knack for story-telling. This unabridged version has been long anticipated, and is a stand-out Naxos AudioBooks recording.