These stories all display the elegance and clarity of Turgenev's finest writing.

    They focus on the complexity of close relationships: between lovers, as in the poignant fantasy 'A Parisian Affair' or the touchingly ironical 'The Jewels'; between siblings, as in 'At Sea'; and between former partners, as in 'Encounter.' They reveal two sides of human nature: its grace and generosity, and also, as in 'Boule de Suif,' its greed and hypocrisy. Piquant and varied, Maupassant's stories lay humanity bare with deft wit and devastating honesty.Boule de suif --A Parisian affair --A woman's confession --Cock crow --Moonlight --At sea --Amillion --Femme fatale --Monsieur Jocaste --Two friends --Awakening --The jewels --Train story --Regret --Minor tragedy --The christening --Coward --Rose --Idyll --Mother Sauvage --Madame Husson's rose king --Encounter --Happiness --A bit of the other --Love --Hautot & son --New year's gift --The Horla --Duchoux --The lull-a-bye --Mother of invention --Who knows? --Laid to rest --The necklace.

    Forced to live in poverty as his family's land is sold to pay their debts, Cosmo Warlock, a young Scot, learns the importance of a spiritual inheritance.

    This Penguin Classics edition is translated by Ronald Wilks with an introduction by Donald Rayfield.This collection of Chekhov's finest early writing is headlined by 'The Steppe', which established his reputation, telling the unforgettable tale of a boy's journey to a new school in Kiev, travelling through majestic landscapes towards an unknown destiny. 'Gusev' depicts an ocean voyage, where the sea takes on a terrifying, primeval power; 'The Kiss' portrays a shy soldier's failed romantic encounter; and in 'The Duel' two men's enmity ends in farce. Haunting and highly atmospheric, all the stories in this volume show a writer emerging from the shadow of his masters - great Russian writers such as Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Turgenev and Nikolai Gogol - and discovering his own voice. They also illustrate Chekhov's genius for evoking the natural world and exploring inner lives.This is the first of three chronological volumes of Chekhov's short stories in Penguin Classics. Ronald Wilks's delicate translation is accompanied by a chronology and explanatory notes. This edition also contains an introduction and annotated bibliography by internationally renowned Chekhov scholar Donald Rayfield.Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) was born in Taganrog, a port on the sea of Azov. In 1879 he travelled to Moscow, where he entered the medical faculty of the university, graduating in 1884. During his university years, he supported his family by contributing humorous stories and sketches to magazines. He published his first volume of stories, Motley Tales, in 1886, and a year later his second volume In the Twilight, for which he received the Pushkin Prize. Today his plays, including 'Uncle Vanya', 'The Seagull', and 'The Cherry Orchard' are recognised as masterpieces the world over.If you enjoyed The Steppe, you might like Chekhov's The Lady with the Little Dog and Other Stories, also available in Penguin Classics.

    Pepper has to sew all day long just to earn enough to pay the rent and to feed the five growing Peppers. But she faces poverty and trouble with a stout heart, a smiling face, and the help of her jolly brood: blue-eyed Ben, the eldest and the man of the house at the age of 11; pretty Polly, so eager to cook for the family and make everyone happy and comfortable; and the three littlest Peppers, Joel, Davie, and baby Phronsie.A favorite of children, parents, and teachers for generations, this heartwarming classic first appeared in 1880. Since then, it has inspired countless young imaginations with its tender tales of the ways in which courage and good cheer can overcome adversity.

    Under the loving care of the hard-working widow 'Mamsie' Pepper, the Five Little Peppers get into adventures and scrapes, but always benefit from being together as one happy family. There's Ben and Polly, the elder of the two Peppers, Joel and Davie the two little boys, and lovely baby Phronsie, the darling of the family. Between them they grow up, fall in love and eventually have children of their own - filling the Little Brown house with another generation of happiness and laughter.This comprehensive collection contains all 12 of the "Five Little Peppers' books, complete and unabridged, in one beautifully formatted volume with a fully usable Table of Contents.Included:All twelve 'Five Little Peppers' Books by Margaret Sidney - published in consecutive order.An interactive table of contents with specific entries for every chapter of each individual book.Perfect formatting to avoid errors commonly found in some ebook collections.Books included:- Five Little Peppers and How They Grew- Five Little Peppers Midway- Five Little Peppers Grown Up- Phronsie Pepper- The Stories Polly Pepper Told- The Adventures of Joel Pepper- Five Little Peppers Abroad- Five Little Peppers at School- Five Little Peppers and Their Friends- Ben Pepper- Five Little Peppers in the Little Brown House- Our Davie Pepper

    Though it is the work of an older man, it is perhaps the brightest and freshest novel he ever wrote. The story of a young woman forced to choose a husband from among three unsavory men, the novel is remarkable for its wealth of minor characters and it romantic exuberance.