DescriptionAn actual event, a bomb attack on Greenwich Observatory in 1894, provided the inspiration for The Secret Agent . But Conrad offers more than a simple account of a bungled attempt at revolution. He provides an absorbing study of characters who disturb us as much as they enlist our sympathies. Mr Verloc, the secret agent of the title, who peddles shady wares; his anarchist friends, the ineffectual Michaelis, the philandering Comrade Ossipon, and the Professor, single-minded in his pursuit of the perfect detonator. Above all, it is the story of Verloc's wife, Winnie, and her journey from security to "utter desolation, madness, and despair". A challenging and exciting story, rightly acknowledged as a masterpiece of 20th-century literature.
DescriptionVictor Hugo began writing Les Miserables 20 years before its eventual publication in 1862. It is primarily a great humanitarian work that encourages compassion and hope in the face of adversity and injustice. It is also a historical novel of great scope, one that provides a detailed vision of 19th-century French politics and society. Hugo hoped Les Miserables would encourage a more progressive and democratic future and wrote the novel with a literary and political revolution in mind. Les Miserables emphasizes the three major predicaments of the 19th century, each symbolized by a major character: Jean Valjean represents the degradation of man in the proletariat, Fantine represents the subjection of women through hunger, and Cosette represents the atrophy of the child by darkness.
DescriptionNo historian has been able to capture so elegantly the factors influencing the formation of the state of Texas. Three-time winner of the Jefferson Davis Award, William C. Davis precisely describes the spirit of the times during this momentous period. The conflicts between Anglo Texans, native Tejanos, and Mexican officials that led to war come to life with invigorating detail.
DescriptionJan Valjean, que despues de ir a la carcel por robar un pedazo de pan, es inmisericordemente perseguido por un agente de la autoridad, Valjean, que trata de mostrar que el pasado ha convertido al hombre en un criminal. Hugo's classic tale set against the backdrop of political upheaval in 19th-century France retains its timeless appeal in this notably condensed rendition of the struggles of former convict Jean Valjean.
DescriptionThis book tells the story, for the first time, of the United States government's response to Guevara's ill-starred insurgency in Bolivia in 1967. Henry Butterfield Ryan argues that Guevara's life must be re-evaluated in light of secret documents only recently released by the CIA, the State Department, the Pentagon, and the National Security Council. Ryan's dramatic account of the last days of Che Guevara is sure to appeal to scholars and students of United States foreign policy, Latin American history, military history, and to all others interested in this modern revolutionary's remarkable life.
DescriptionFrom the acclaimed Modern Library Chronicles comes an exploration of a promising theory that when put to practice wreaked havoc on the world. An expert on communism, Richard Pipes follows the history of the Soviet Union from the 1917 revolution to the Cold War, and finally, to its deterioration and collapse.
DescriptionLes Miserables is set in the Parisian underworld. The protagonist, Jean Valjean, is sentenced to prison for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. After his release, Valjean plans to rob monseigneur Myriel, a saint-like bishop, but cancels his plan…
