Bantam classic | St. Charles Public Library

1) Candide

Author

Voltaire, 1694-1778

Volume

ac51

Earliest Publication Date

1959

Description

Click to view

Candide is about a man who believes in the philosophy that: "what happens, happens for the best in the end" that was taught to him by his personal philosopher Dr. Pangloss. Candide goes through many, many trials and everyone he meets has had something terrible happen to them. He searches the world over for his love Cunegonde. And in the end finds that the simplest things in life: love, friends, and health are all that matters.

2) Pudd'nhead Wilson

Author

Twain, Mark, 1835-1910

Volume

jc 149

Earliest Publication Date

1922

Description

Click to view

Mark Twain's darkly comic short classic set in the antebellum South stands as a literary condemnation of slavery and racial inequality. Each enriched classic edition includes: A concise introduction that gives readers important background information. A chronology of the author's life and work. A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context. An outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations....

3) A Christmas carol

Author

Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870

Earliest Publication Date

1962

Description

Click to view

Chiltern creates the most beautiful editions of the Worlds finest literature. Your favorite classic titles in a way you have never seen them before: the tactile layers, fine details and beautiful colors of these remarkable covers make these books feel extra special and look striking on any shelf. This hardcover book has a matching blank lined journal (sold separately). They make a great gift when paired together but are also just as beautiful on their...

4) A midsummer night's dream

Author

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

Earliest Publication Date

1918

Description

Click to view

"Shakespeare everyone can understand--now in this new EXPANDED edition of MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM! Why fear Shakespeare? By placing the words of the original play next to line-by-line translations in plain English, this popular guide makes Shakespeare accessible to everyone. And now it features expanded literature guide sections that help students study smarter. The expanded sections include: --Five Key Questions: Five frequently asked questions...

5) As you like it

Author

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

Earliest Publication Date

1953

Description

Click to view

"Banished from her ambitious uncle's court, the lovesick Rosalind flees to the forest with her cousin, Celia. Disguised as the shepherds, they soon meet the dashing Orlando -- forced into hiding by a plot against his life, heartbroken at the separation from his beloved Rosalind. Fooled, Orlando grows close to this familiar stranger. But a local shepherdess, has also fallen for them too. As their hopes and dreams entangle, can everyone get what they...

6) A tale of two cities

Author

Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870

Earliest Publication Date

1942

Description

Click to view

A complex and profound book, The Tale of Two Cities explores the consequences of tyranny, fate and self-sacrifice. With much of the narrative played out in Paris, during the French Revolution Dickens examines the interplay between personal action, and the flow of history. Dr Manette, having travelled to Paris finds himself imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 brutal years, unable to see his kind and loving daughter Lucy. On his eventual return to London...

7) Cyrano de Bergerac: an heroic comedy in five acts

Author

Rostand, Edmond, 1868-1918

Earliest Publication Date

1951

8) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Author

Stevenson, Robert Louis, 1850-1894

Earliest Publication Date

1978

Description

Click to view

A kind and well-respected doctor is transformed into a murderous madman by taking a secret drug of his own creation.

9) Dracula

Author

Stoker, Bram, 1847-1912

Earliest Publication Date

1965

Description

Click to view

In a gripping and sensational work of classic Gothic fiction we discover the infamous Count Dracula. When English lawyer Jonathan Harker travels to an obscure town called Transylvania, the goal of his visit was most certainly not to do business with a vampire. As he makes his way through the village square, Harker is overcome with an eerie sensation that the Count is not who he says he is. Strewn with various charms and trinkets thrown at him from...

10) Early African-American classics

Earliest Publication Date

1990

11) Far from the madding crowd

Author

Hardy, Thomas, 1840-1928

Earliest Publication Date

1912

Description

Click to view

This updated authoritative edition of the classic Hardy novel, which was published anonymously and first attributed to George Eliot, is set from Hardy's revised, unedited final draft of 1912 and features a new Introduction and Afterword. There is in England no more real or typical district than Thomas Hardy's imaginary Wessex, the scattered fields and farms of which were first discovered in Far from the Madding Crowd. It is here that Gabriel Oak observes...

12) Fathers and sons

Author

Turgenev, Ivan Sergeevich, 1818-1883

Earliest Publication Date

1900

Description

Click to view

Considered one of the world's greatest novels, this controversial classic offers modern readers a vivid, timeless depiction of the clash between the older Russian aristocracy and the youthful radicalism that foreshadowed the revolution. Includes a new Introduction. Reissue.

13) Faust, part I

Author

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832

Earliest Publication Date

1985

14) Four comedies

Author

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

Earliest Publication Date

1988

15) Four tragedies

Author

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

Earliest Publication Date

1988

16) Further chronicles of Avonlea

Author

Montgomery, L. M. (Lucy Maud), 1874-1942

Earliest Publication Date

1989

Description

Click to view

More stories set in the hills near Green Gables, including a girl who risks losing her mother to find her father and a foolish lie threatens to make a spinster the town's laughingstock.

17) Great expectations

Author

Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870

Earliest Publication Date

1900

Description

Click to view

"Great Expectations is among the most masterful of Charles Dickens's novels. Displaying extraordinary tragicomic range, Dickens blends an atmosphere of brooding violence and guilt with sharp and often disturbing humor to create a drama charged with the thrilling intensity of a detective story and the poignancy of a spiritual autobiography. Much of the novel's power comes from Dickens's unequaled skill at making even the most wildly eccentric of characters...

18) Gulliver's travels; and other writings

Author

Swift, Jonathan, 1667-1745

Earliest Publication Date

1960

19) Hamlet

Author

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

Earliest Publication Date

1946

Description

Click to view

Featuring the images of some of the world's most famous stage and film actors, these additions to the all-new Oxford School Shakespeare introduce--and enthrall--young people to one of the greatest writers of all time. This season brings revised editions of five of the Bard's most famous plays--As You Like It, Othello, Hamlet, Love's Labour Lost and The Taming of the Shrew. Designed specifically for students unfamiliar with Shakespeare's rich literary...

20) Henry IV, part one

Author

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

Earliest Publication Date

1988

Description

Click to view

The story of a medieval monarch, his troublesome heir, and his constant struggle against plotters, schemers, and rebels. Set during the reign of Henry IV of England, this play portrays the rebellions faced by the medieval king, as well as his relationship with his son, heir to the throne. The young man indulges in a fun-loving, reckless lifestyle that he must find the strength to cast aside if he is to live up to his royal destiny. Featuring one of...