Books in The Complete Classics series

Though famous for War and Peace, Tolstoy was equally adept at shorter works as is shown by this novella. Ivan Ilyich Golovin is a high court judge living a carefree life in St Petersburg. One day, without warning, he is beset by pains and soon has to come to terms with the fact that he is going to die. The judge must learn to face death without fear and yet feel compassion for the family he is leaving behind.

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Elizabeth Gaskells birth we embark on a series of unabridged and abridged recordings of her major novels. North and South follows our widely-praised recording of Cranford (2008), transporting the listener to the heart of Victorian England by vividly delineating the social landscape and an unlikely romance which flourishes within it. Saddened to be leaving behind the sophistication of the South, Margaret Hale approaches her new life in the unrefined, industrialised North with dread. Appalled at the poverty, struggle, and mean conditions that surround her, her revulsion particularly centers on the factory owner John Thornton. Yet, when circumstances conspire to bring them together, Margaret begins to see past crude stereotypes. Conjuring up a fantastic sense of time and place, Gaskells novel of romantic suspense and changing perceptions, is a sheer delight in the hands of Manchester-born reader, Clare Wille.

Here, for the first time as an unabridged audiobook, this enigmatic modern classic details the adulterous entanglements of two couples on seemingly normal, friendly terms. The truth of these liaisons emerges, retrospectively and in fragments, from the viewpoint of the innocent and unsuspecting John Dowell. Dowells perpetual failure to grasp and understand the nature of the infidelities of the people around him makes this a compelling and intriguing first-person narrative. The gap between one persons interpretation of events and the reality is deftly illustrated in what has been critically acclaimed as a near perfect novel and one of the greatest English classics of the twentieth century. Kerry Shales reading is superb, evoking all the suspense and the subtleties of this fine novel.

A little mouse saves the life of a great lion; hungry Grasshopper, too lazy to store food, gets no mercy from the industrious ants; crafty Jackal tricks Klipspringer to escape death - but is himself tricked by the cock and the dog . Here are 16 of Aesop's wise, witty and timeless fables, portrayed for the first time in an African setting. This is an exciting new interpretation of one of the world's great classics.This unique story collection is vividly illustrated by Beverley Naidoo's fellow South African Piet Grobler, an internationally acclaimed illustrator. The two have previously collaborated on The Great Tug of War for Frances Lincoln

Beloved by all little girls, ballet stories enchant and open a world of magic. This collection of eight favorite ballet stories is filled with that magic and promise. The stories included are "Giselle," "The Firebird," "Ondine," "The Nutcracker," "Swan Lake," "Petrushka," "Sleeping Beauty," and "Coppelia." These timeless stories and sparkling illustrations will delight readers for years.

A little mouse saves the life of a great lion; hungry Grasshopper, too lazy to store food, gets no mercy from the industrious ants; crafty Jackal tricks Klipspringer to escape death — but is himself tricked by the cock and the dog. Selected for their wit and morals, here are 16 of Aesop's wise, witty, and timeless fables, portrayed for the first time in an African setting. This is an exciting new interpretation of one of the world's great classics, vividly illustrated by Piet Grobler, the internationally acclaimed South African illustrator of Fussy Freya and The Great Tug of War.

Toru Okada is going through a difficult time. He is without a job, his cat has disappeared and his wife is behaving strangely. Into this unbalanced world, come a variety of curious characters, a young girl sunbathing in a nearby garden, sisters who are very peculiar indeed, an old war veteran with a violent, disturbing story. Okada retreats to a deep well in a nearby house. And the story unfolds.

Atalanta, Medusa, Perseus, Pandora, Pegasus — the very names conjure up intriguing stories. These ten amazing and entertaining tales from Greek mythology, filled with wonder, are perfect for reading aloud to younger children. Sally Pomme Clayton’s spellbinding versions of these stories are each illuminated with glowing illustrations by the award-winning Jane Ray. Notes and a map show the places in Greece that are connected with the stories.