Books published by publisher Prestwick House, Inc.

This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Edition™ includes a glossary and reader’s notes to help the modern reader contend with Lewis Carroll’s language, themes, and symbols. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, first published in 1865, is usually thought of as a simple fantasy tale for children, enjoyable for its fun and whimsy. Through the years, though, the book has grown to become one of the most popular novels in literature, both for children and adults. Deeper than mere fantasy, Alice is a text rich in symbolism, satire, and thematic levels of meaning. The rigid and often nonsensical society filled with odd situations, incomprehensible rules, and unforgettable characters that Carroll allows us to enter is one that readers will fondly remember for the rest of their lives.

This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Classic™ includes a glossary and reader’s notes to help the modern reader contend with Cather’s allusions and vocabulary. My Ántonia, Willa Cather’s vivid portrayal of immigrant life on the American prairie during the nineteenth century, has been a favorite since it first appeared in 1918. The harsh—yet forgiving—land, the growth and maturity of Jim Burden, the narrator, the intriguing characters, and the force of Ántonia’s strength all combine to make this novel exceptional. Cather’s style perfectly depicts the sparseness of the prairie and the desolation of the immigrants’ existence in winter and comes alive when the glory and beauty of spring emerge. Whether you see it as a love story, an indelible portrait of a wise, enduring female character, or a coming-of-age novel, My Ántonia is deserving of its respected place in American literature.

This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Classics™ edition of Dracula™ includes a glossary and notes to help the modern reader appreciate Stoker'’s allusions, rich vocabulary, and Victorian setting.An apparently routine business venture becomes a battle for a young man'’s very soul. Almost too late, Jonathan Harker realizes that the charismatic and seductive Count Dracula of Transylvania has come to England with a purpose much more sinister than merely to purchase an English estate. Will the Count succeed in his quest to create a race of blood-lusting creatures of the night?Which will prove the stronger —— superstition or science? Defiantly challenging Victorian conventions, Bram Stoker’'s Dracula examines the nature of evil and arrives at the horrific conclusion that the forces which would destroy humanity are not lurking in the shadows of the night, but within the human soul.Modern readers still find that their own nightmares are evoked by Lucy's and Mina's battle against succumbing to the seductive enticements of the soulless vampire.

This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Classic includes a glossary and notes to help the modern reader appreciate The Iliad's vocabulary and references to Greek mythology. SO BEGINS THE ILIAD, Homer's epic tale about the Trojan War. Meet the gods and heroes of Greek and Roman myth and legend-the all-powerful Jove, Venus, goddess of love, swift Mercury, as well as the impulsive Paris, heroic Ajax, and the supposedly invincible Achilles. See these characters as the ancients understood them-capable of great valor and incredible pettiness, as ready to fight for sex as for the preservation of a culture. The gods, sometimes little more than a scheming, squabbling family, are the stuff of tabloid journalism, but it is the warriors who provide the action. Famous for some of the bloodiest, most graphic battle scenes in literature, The Iliad is more than a "prequel" to the better-known Odyssey. It is the genesis of an entire body of Western literature and the poetic record of a culture whose influence continues to this day.

"Two households, both alike in dignity,In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,"With these first lines, Shakespeares timeless play of young love and untimely death begins; as in life, it is sometimes comic, sometimes tragic, always poignantly beautiful. While our emotions are moved by the imagery and rhythms of Shakespeares verse, our minds are delighted by the sharpness of his insights into life, death, and the human condition.Written in the mid-1590s, the play is regarded as one of the Bards earliest masterpieces. To make Romeo and Juliet more accessible for the modern reader, our Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Edition includes a glossary of the more difficult words, as well as convenient sidebar notes to enlighten the reader on aspects that may be confusing or overlooked. In doing this, it is our intention that the reader may more fully enjoy the beauty of the verse, the wisdom of the insights, and the impact of the drama.

This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Edition™ includes a glossary and reader’s notes to help the modern reader enjoy the characters and situations as Austen intended and not merely as relics of a long-past era. Jane’s Austen’s delightfully scathing satire on class, pride, and proper behavior is as beloved today as it was when first published in 1813. The long road that the quick-witted, sharp-tongued Elizabeth Bennet and the haughty Darcy travel from mutual disdain to unfulfilled longing and finally to love and marriage is beset with obstacles in the form of Elizabeth’s insufferable mother, irrepressible younger sister, and Darcy’s own secret pain. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen has captured not only the frivolous sensibilities of early-nineteenth-century provincial England, but also the hearts and minds of anyone who has loved outside of social expectations and aspired to a happiness beyond mere propriety.

"Lord, what fools these mortals be!"Written in the 1590s — —reportedly for a wedding party attended by Queen Elizabeth I — —A Midsummer Night’'s Dream has all the charm of an afternoon frolic in the countryside. Fairies and magical potions add to the delight as love is turned upside down.Shakespeare moves us with the imagery and rhythms of his verse, and we revel in the sharpness of his insight into life, love, and the human condition. Memorable characters abound, playfulness and mischief control the plot, and the play-within-a-play remains one of the great scenes in English comedy.To make A Midsummer Night'’s Dream more accessible for the modern reader, this Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Classics edition includes a glossary of challenging words as well as convenient sidebar notes to help the reader through confusing or difficult portions of the text. This additional material will help the reader more fully enjoy the beauty of the verse, the wisdom of the insights, and the impact of the play.

EVERYONE DREAMS OF FINDING BURIED TREASURE, and that is why Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island is such an enduring classic. Treasure Island, published in 1883, gave Stevenson his first popular success, and it's easy to see why it remains a favorite of readers of all ages. The tale of young Jim Hawkins and his unlikely band of adventurers strikes at the very heart of our own desire to lose ourselves among hidden chests, cryptic maps, and treacherous companions. If you loved it when you read it earlier, you owe it to yourself to revisit the deceitful Long John Silver, the dull but reliable Dr. Livesey, and the pompously naïve Squire Trelawney. If this is your first visit to the high seas, find yourself a comfortable chair, because you won't be putting the book down until the last mutineer is brought to justice and last gold coin counted. This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Classic includes a glossary and notes to help readers unfamiliar with some of the vocabulary and nautical terms appreciate Stevenson's grand adventure.

This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Edition™ includes a glossary and reader’s notes to help the modern reader contend both with Hesse’s philosophical points and Siddhartha’s journey. First published in 1922, Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha is the tale of a young Indian priest who searches for personal enlightenment throughout his life. Although steeped in the mysticism of Hindu traditions, this classic is, above all, about Siddhartha’s search for independence from all teachings and freedom from all earthly knowledge. Siddhartha struggles with ignorance, prayer, loyalty, friendship, and desire during his quest for the essence of human existence, all the while seeking to understand truth through his experiences. His growth and revelations have enthralled and inspired readers for decades.

The adage says that there are two sides to every story, but as most contemporary literature teachers can attest, there are many sides to every story-or at least many ways of looking at a story. Prestwick House's Multiple Perspectives Lesson Guides provide the high school teacher with everything she needs to guide her students through the study of the titles she teaches from a variety of critical viewpoints. Every Multiple Perspectives Lesson Guide provides a general introduction to the work (plot summary, introductions to key characters, brief discussions of social and historical background); clear and concise explanations of three critical theories (including feminism, Marxism, Freudianism, new historicism, and formalism); and reading, writing, and discussion activities designed to help students probe the familiar text in new and deeper ways. Teachers who want to take their teaching of literature beyond the tired plot pyramid and want their students to experience the books they love more than reader-response alone will let them, will find Prestwick House Multiple Perspectives Lessons Guides to be an invigorating addition to their course syllabus.

With Vocabulary for the College Bound, it has never been easier to raise student test scores, increase comprehension, and expand vocabulary. This highly structured, but simply organized program succeeds in raising verbal scores on standardized tests and expanding sight vocabulary year after year because it emphasizes the basics: demonstration, practice, study, and review. This time-tested, six-book program includes lessons on synonyms and antonyms, words in context, sentence completion, and analogies. There are many exercises on roots, prefixes, suffixes, and inferences. Recommended for grade 11. This is a student classroom edition. Tests and answer keys are available from the publisher but are only sold to teachers and schools.