Best of
English-Literature

1980

Earthly Powers


Anthony Burgess - 1980
    His work is illuminated by a dazzling imagination, by a gift for character and plot, by a talent for surprise. In Earthly Powers Burgess created his masterpiece. At its center are two twentieth-century men who represent different kinds of power—Kenneth Toomey, eminent novelist, a man who has outlived his contemporaries to survive into honored, bitter, luxurious old age as a celebrity of dubious notoriety; and Don Carlo Campanati, a man of God, eventually beloved Pope, who rises through the Vatican as a shrewd manipulator to become the architect of church revolution and a candidate for sainthood. Through the lives of these two modern men Burgess explores the very essence of power. As each pursues his career—one to sainthood, one to wealthy exile—their relationship becomes the heart of a narrative that incorporates almost everyone of fame and distinction in the social, literary, and political life of America and Europe. This astonishing company is joined together by the art of a great novelist into an explosive and entertaining tour de force that will captivate fans of sweeping historic fiction.

The Young Warriors


Victor Stafford Reid - 1980
    When they go out hunting to celebrate, they suddenly discover that the forest is full of their enemies, the English Redcoats. In the campaign that follows, the defeat of the Maroons seems certain, but the young warriors help bring about a great victory.

The Big Red One


Samuel Fuller - 1980
    Describing Sam Fuller as a cult legend and a celluloid genius would be like describing Muhammad Ali as a boxer or Jimi Hendrix as a guitar player. He was a singular American visionary, a giant of independent filmmaking, and a king of bruised-knuckle cinematic poetry. The Big Red One is his masterpiece. Twenty years in the making, both the novel and the film are based on Fuller's own experiences with the Army's First Infantry Division ("the Big Red One") in World War II. The story centers on the friendship of five soldiers and follows them from the arid landscapes of Vichy French Africa to Europe to the beaches of Normandy on D-Day and onward into Germany. Excruciating scenes of suffering and brutality are juxtaposed against heartbreaking scenes of compassion and selflessness. In Fuller's vision the lines between heroism and villainy are blurred--"the only glory in war is surviving"--but The Big Red One also provides an epic adventure steeped in the true history of World War II.

Family Affairs


Catherine Gaskin - 1980
    But money and prestige cannot protect Kelly and her loved ones from tragedy. A gripping family saga blockbuster set in the Australian outback and London's high society from the 1930s to the 1970s. Perfect for fans of Penny Vincenzi and Barbara Taylor Bradford. From early beginnings as the illegitimate daughter of a housekeeper, Kelly Anderson is transformed into a sophisticated society hostess. Her journey from poverty and shame to wealth and prestige is an eventful one, with many twists and turns. It is a life full of love, passion, ambition and family loyalty. Kelly makes many sacrifices for the men in her life, but her most important role is as mother to three very different young women. Though not her daughters by birth, her ties to Laura, Julia and Kate are thicker than blood. Can Kelly save them from heartbreak and scandal? Shall each find her own place in what is still a man's world? And is there to be lasting happiness and love for Kelly? Or will dark forces and shocking events destroy all that she loves and has fought for?

Ulysses


Hugh Kenner - 1980
    Now completely revised to correspond to the definitive new Galber edition, Hugh Kenner's ULYSSES for the first time becomes widley available in the United States.With characteristic flair, Kenner explores the ways Joyce teaches us to read his novel as Joyce taught himself to write: moving from the simple to the complex, from the familiar to the strange and new, from the norms of the nineteenth-century novel to the open forms of modernism. Kenner offers new interpretations on a wide range of topics and details, including the Homeric parrallels, the flow of episodes and style, and the enigma of Molly's final word. Joyceans, teacher, their students, and all other readers will find cause for rejoicing in ULYSSES.

Poems by G. K. Chesterton


G.K. Chesterton - 1980
    A delightful collection worthy of a place atop any bookshelf, this compendium is a veritable must-have for fans of Chesterton's work, and is one not to be missed by the discerning collector. The poems contained herein include: 'To Edmund Clerihew Bentley', 'To Hilaire Belloc', 'To M.E.W., Lepanto', 'The March of the Black Mountain', 'Blessed are the Peacemakers', 'The Wife of Flanders', 'The Crusader Returns from Captivity', 'Glencoe', 'Love's Trappist', and many more. Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874 1936) was an English writer, philosopher, theologian, poet, orator, dramatist, journalist, literary and art critic, biographer, and Christian apologist, often referred to as the "prince of paradox." We are republishing this vintage work in a modern, affordable edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author."

The Call of the Wild / White Fang / The Sea-Wolf / 40 Short Stories


Jack London - 1980
    Contains the books:The Call of the WildWhite FangThe Son of the Wolf (Short story anthology)The God of His Fathers (Short story anthology)Children of the Frost (Short story anthology)The Faith of Men (Short story anthology)The Sea-WolfTwo Tales of the Klondike-The Gold Hunters of the North-Husky

The Umbrella Man


Roald Dahl - 1980
    A mother and daughter meet a gentlemanly old man on a street corner, who offers them a beautiful silk umbrella in exchange for a pound note.

The Ebony Tower. Eliduc. The Enigma


John Fowles - 1980
    

Shakespeare as Political Thinker


John E. Alvis - 1980
    Well-known thinkers discuss Shakespeare's understanding of politics, the idea of the best polity, the relationship between character and political life, and the interpenetration of poetry, politics, religion, and philosophy.

Apocalypse and the Writings on Revelation


D.H. Lawrence - 1980
    H. Lawrence's last book, written during the winter of 1929-30 when he was dying. It is a radical criticism of our civilisation and a statement of Lawrence's unwavering belief in man's power to create 'a new heaven and a new earth'. Ranging over the entire system of his thought on God and man, on religion, art, psychology and politics, this book is Lawrence's final attempt to convey his vision of man and the universe. Apocalypse was published after Lawrence's death, and in a highly inaccurate text. This edition is the first to reproduce accurately Lawrence's final corrected text on the basis of a thorough examination of the surviving manuscript and typescript. In the introduction the editor has discussed the writing of Apocalypse and its place in Lawrence's works, its publication and reception, and the significance of Lawrence's other writings on the Book of Revelation.