Books published by publisher Naxos

War threatens the rich, green fields of Wessex in Hardy's historical novel, The Trumpet-Major. The Napoleonic Wars are at their height, and upheaval and uncertainty plague British soil. In the midst of it all the impoverished beauty Anne Garland finds herself at the centre of a love quadrangle. She is torn between the persistent and annoying Festus Derryman, her womanising childhood sweetheart Bob Loveday, and the reliable and thoughtful John Loveday, the eponymous Trumpet-Major. Who will she choose? Hardy's eighth published novel is a gentle and humorous tale about the confusion and conflict of life.

First published in 1899, this beautiful, brief novel so disturbed critics and the public that it was banished for decades afterward. Now widely read and admired, The Awakening has been hailed as an early vision of woman's emancipation. This sensuous book tells of a woman's abandonment of her family, her seduction, and her awakening to desires and passions that threated to consumer her. Originally entitled "A Solitary Soul," this portrait of twenty-eight-year-old Edna Pontellier is a landmark in American fiction, rooted firmly in the romantic tradition of Herman Melville and Emily Dickinson. Here, a woman in search of self-discovery turns away from convention and society, and toward the primal, irresistibly attracted to nature and the senses. The Awakening, Kate Chopin's last novel, has been praised by Edmund Wilson as "beautifully written." And Willa Cather described its style as "exquisite," "sensitive," and "iridescent." This edition of The Awakening also includes a selection of short stories by Kate Chopin. "This seems to me a higher order of feminism than repeating the story of woman as victim... Kate Chopin gives her female protagonist the central role, normally reserved for Man, in a meditation on identity and culture, consciousness and art." -- From the introduction by Marilynne Robinson.

Father Brown is an eccentric priest with his own particular ways of dealing with crime. Narrator David Timson, having completed the whole of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes canon--a remarkable achievement--turns his hand to the genial but certainly not innocent priest! This collection contains a group of stories from The Innocence of Father Brown, told unabridged.Included here are "The Blue Cross," "The Secret Garden," "The Queer Feet," "The Flying Stars," "The Invisible Man, and "The Honor of Israel Gow."

The Portrait of a Lady tells the compelling and ultimately tragic tale of a beautiful young American woman’s encounter with European sophistication. Set principally in England and Italy, the story follows Isabel Archer’s fortunes as a variety of admirers vie for her hand. Her choice will be crucial, and she is not wanting for advice, whether from the generous-spirited Ralph Touchett or the charming but rootless Madame Merle.

Hardy’s third novel, A Pair of Blue Eyes , follows the story of Elfride Swancourt. The daughter of the Rector of Endelstow, a sparse sea-swept parish in Cornwall, Elfride is caught between two suitors of very different backgrounds: Stephen Smith, a young architect restoring the old parish church, and the respectable, older man of London society, Henry Knight. The blue-eyed and high-spirited protagonist must untangle the conflicting messages of her heart and her mind.

The thirteen stories in this entertaining collection chart the activities of the world's greatest detective from his sudden reappearance after his "death" at the Reichenberg Falls. Faithful Dr. Watson recounts "The Adventure of the Empty House," "The Adventure of the Dancing Men," and others, as Holmes' sharp observations and intelligent deductions cut to the truth of the matter. David Timson's recordings have won plaudits across the world. This is a companion set to The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

This famous novel deals with the early frontier period of American history and is set in 1757 during the Seven Years War between the French and the British. Intrepid frontiersman and scout Natty 'Hawkeye' Bumppo, has lived among Indians for most of his life, respecting their customs and acquiring the skills of an experienced woodsman. His closest companion Chingachgook, the Mohican chief, and his son Uncas are the last surviving members of the Mohican tribe. When the evil Magua threatens the life of an innocent English woman, Hawkeye and the Mohicans find themselves at the centre of a battle for honour and vengeance.