Persuasion unfolds against the backdrop of early 19th-century England, where societal norms and familial expectations shape the lives of its characters. At the heart of the narrative is Anne Elliot, a woman of quiet strength and discernment. The story begins with a fateful decision: Anne, guided by the counsel of her family, reluctantly breaks off her engagement with the charming and ambitious Captain Frederick Wentworth. Eight years pass, and the...

Naughty little Peter Rabbit goes into Mr MacGregor's garden to eat his radishes, but then the farmer spots him! How will Peter Rabbit get away?

A tale of Danny Meadwo Mouse and his friends and his fearsome enemies, Reddy Fox, Granny Fox and Hooty Owl.

"When an old pirate gives him a secret treasure map for safekeeping, Jim Hawkins is excited to finally have some adventure in his life. Jim assembles a pirate crew, finds a sailing ship, and sets course for the destination where he expects to find treasure beyond his wildest dreams. Along the way, he will have to learn how to protect himself and his loyal crew from the scoundrels who turn against him. Will Jim and his pirate friends find the treasure...

"A stirring classic of love, revenge, and resurrection, the novel's hero, Sydney Carton, a lazy alcoholic -- but honorable attorney who is in love with Lucie Manette, a beautiful woman brought up in London. When Lucie marries Charles Darney, a man condemned to death for his ties to the aristocratic Evremonde family, Carton makes the supreme sacrifice on the bloodstained streets of Paris. In this rousing historical romance, Dickens exposes his severe...

Chronicles the joys and sorrows of the four March sisters as they grow into young ladies in nineteenth-century New England.

The enchanting story of a shipwrecked family--a minister, his wife, and four sons--who are cast up on a desert island, build a wonderful house in a tree, and survive so cleverly and happily apart from the world that they never want to be rescued.

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. 'Cheerfulness, it would appear, is a matter which depends fully as much on the state of things within as on the state of things without and around us.' Considered one of her less well-known novels, Shirley is Charlotte Brontë's only historical work, set during the Napoleonic Wars. Wealthy and independent, Shirley is very different from her friend Caroline who has few...

Includes a critical and biographical profile of Herman Melville by tyrus Hillway, Assoc. Professor, Colorado State College of Education.