DescriptionThe world of Victorian melodrama, of wilting heroines, brave and handsome heroes, horrible foreign villains, and powerful action with a host of scenes from the best plays of the period; acted, amusingly explained, and related to the development of the English-speaking theatre.
DescriptionPhineas Finn is an Irish M.P.A. climbing the political ladder, largely through the assistance of his string of lovers. The questions he is forced to ask himself about honesty, independence, and parliamentary democracy are questions still asked today. Phineas Finn is the second of Anthony Trollope's six Palliser novels. While each is a story within itself, together the volumes comprise a large, coherent composition that captures the fashions, slang, manners, and politics of two decades. Beginning with this segment of the Palliser novels, Trollope painted an unrivaled portrait of Parliamentary political society in the high Victorian period. Trollope's understanding of the institutions of mid-Victorian England and the unobtrusive irony which informs his sympathetic vision of human fallibility is a hallmark of these stories.
DescriptionOne of Dickens' earlier novels, dating from 1839, it charts the fortunes of an honourable young man, Nicholas Nickleby, who has set out to make his way in the world. Dickens presents his remarkably vivid display of Victorian characters and the life they lead, from the generous to the fated to crushed. Hope springs eternal, however, and righteous persistence brings rewards.
DescriptionA "Woman's Hour" reading by Janet Suzman of Jane Austen's last completed work. When the personable Captain Wentworth reappears in Anne Elliot's life several years after she had been persuaded to break off their engagement, he at first makes no secret of his angry indignation. A presentation from the BBC Radio Collection.
DescriptionElizabeth Gaskell's comic portrait of early Victorian life in a country town describes with poignant wit the uneventful lives of its lady-like inhabitants, offering an ironic commentary on the separate spheres and diverse experiences of men and women. As the external world necessarily impinges even on Cranford, the unlikely juxtapositions of old and new brought about by the pace of change are also explored: the effects of Victorian commerce and imperial expansion co-exist with the survival of customs and habits of thought from much earlier times. This critically up-to-date edition includes Gaskell's essay "The Last Generation in England", containing reminiscences of her childhood in Knutsford, and the comic story "The Cage at Cranford", as well as a lucid new introduction that discusses the originality and subtlety of Gaskell's portrayal of women's experience.
DescriptionLong ago in London Town, at a time when the muffin man's cries began the day and the lamplighter ushered in the night, two young orphans lived together in the bleak, cold shelter of a public workhouse. Lucy Wolcott and her little sister Glory have no o…
DescriptionAnne Perry's Victorian murder mysteries have enthralled millions with their evocative atmosphere and finely-crafted suspense. Now, in this mesmerizing best seller, the star of these mysteries, Inspector William Monk, returns to solve the most heartbreakin…
DescriptionWhen Charlotte Pitt, well-born wife of Thomas Pitt, the police investigator, learned of her mother's distress in losing a locket with a compromising picture, she did not know it was the beginning of several bizarre events that would end in sudden death. For hidden behind the sumptuous elegance of Ruthland Place were terrible secrets. Secrets so horrifying that only murder could conceal them. And only the dogged persistence of Charlotte and Thomas could reveal them.
DescriptionFlashman is back! When the memoirs of Sir Harry Flashman, the celebrated Victorian soldier and scoundrel, first came to light 30 years ago, we were introduced to adventures related with verve, dash, and meticulous historical detail. Now come three new episodes in the career of this eminent and disreputable adventurer. Flashy, as he is known to fans, is once again at the center of pivotal historic events: the attempted assassination of Emperor Franz Joseph in the 1880s; the Tranby Croft gambling scandal involving the Prince of Wales; and the aftermath of Rorke's Drift. Thrown into contact with assorted royalty, grand tarts, and political heavyweights, including Bismarck, Flashman observes the uncensored truth about some of the 20th century's greatest heroes and scoundrels.
