Wessex was the "partly-real, partly-dream" county that formed the backdrop for most of Hardy's writings—named after an Anglo-Saxon kingdom and modeled on the real counties of Berkshire, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. The poems deal with classic Hardy themes of disappointment in love and life, and the struggle to live a meaningful life in an indifferent world. Although Hardy's poetry was not as well received as his fiction, he continued to publish collections until his death, and thanks in part to the influence of Philip Larkin, he is increasingly realized as a poet of great stature.

    

    The author briefly recounts the making of The Wizard of Oz and discusses its plot, music, and themes.

    Isabelle Vanderschelden provides analysis and social context for the film and the reasons behind its success.

    Harshwardhana, the leader, believes they will win…Until he falls upon a sinister secret of the dark forces.Centuries later… Prithvi Sen is a regular college-going boy. His growth from childhood to adulthood has been plagued by an uncanny disease. Although medicines have it under control, Prithvi feels that the illness hasn’t revealed its truest nature yet. During his existential crisis, a drastic series of events occur and bring the most unexpected twist into his life. Could there be a link between Prithvi and the Dharmayodhas?

    Can she give up searching for the one and reclaim the other? Or is she fated to repeat the mistakes her mother made?Jaynie Highsmith grows up in Cub Creek on Hope Road acutely aware of the irony of its name, Hope, because she wants nothing more than to escape from it and the chaos of her childhood.Desperate to leave her past behind and make a new life, she is determined to become the best version of herself she can create. But when she does take off, she also leaves ~ and forgets ~ important parts of her past and herself.The new life is everything she wants, or so she thinks until she finds herself repeating the same mistakes her mother made. Is Jaynie destined for unhappiness? Is it like mother, like daughter? Did running away only delay the unhappiness she fears she is destined for?Seventeen years after leaving home, Jaynie needs a new fresh start and returning to Cub Creek is critical, but she is determined that the visit will be as short as possible and then she'll be out and free again. However, a longer stay may be vital to her future because if she has any hope of changing her destiny, Jaynie must reconcile the past she turned her back on with her present.

    Adele Burkhart, a controversial scientist privy to pivotal secrets that could spell doom for America! It's up to G.I. Joe to infiltrate Cobra's island base and rescue Dr. Burkhart before it is too late. Will they make it in time or will Cobra succeed? Find out in the issue that started it all!

    This road movie of a novel, which begins as a fifties coming-of-age story and ends in an isolated hippy commune under threat of revolution, provides a transcendent commentary on America then and now.

    But from the other side of the world someone is planning to take him out of the game forever. A deadly assassin is on his trail and his former handler has been brutally murdered. It seems that David Webb must once again turn to Jason Bourne to save his life and his family...THE BOURNE BETRAYAL: Jason Bourne takes a mission to rescue his only friend in the CIA, Martin Lindros, who disappeared in Africa while tracking nuclear shipments. Once safely back in America, Lindros persuades Bourne to help track the money trail of terrorists buying the nuclear material. But is the man he saved really Martin Lindros? Suddenly Bourne is on his own - gathering evidence, while trying to stay one step ahead of the terrorists who are determined to destroy the USA...THE BOURNE SANCTION: When an unknown terrorist organisation comes up on Central Intelligence radar, they have no choice but to employ a rogue agent capable of hunting down a shadowy terrorist mastermind on his own - Jason Bourne. Suddenly Bourne is plunged into the deadliest and most tangled operation of his double life: pursuing the head of a murderous terror group, while an assassin as brilliant and damaged as himself is getting closer by the minute...

    My Own Private Idaho charts the pilgrimage of a narcoleptic hustler who is searching for his long-lost mother in a world absent of love.

    Should D'Artagnan keep his promise and protect the headstrong and selfish King Louis or should he do what was right for France and put Philippe on the throne? But will Philippe really be a better King than Louis? Alexander Dumas' thrilling tale of one man's struggle with the conscience take us into 17th century France and examines the lives of people in power and those at their mercy

    

    There have been hardcovers and paperbacks, an issue with two spines, an issue with a magnetic binding, an issue that looked like a bundle of junk mail, and an issue that looked like a sweaty human head. McSweeney’s has won multiple literary awards, including two National Magazine Awards for fiction, and has had numerous stories appear in The Best American Magazine Writing, the O. Henry Awards anthologies, and The Best American Short Stories. Design awards given to the quarterly include the AIGA 50 Books Award, the AIGA 365 Illustration Award, and the Print Design Regional Award.Issue 47 brings with it a gale of bracing fiction from writers new and old—two never-before-seen stories from “Lottery” author Shirley Jackson, a portrait of a celebrity interview gone terribly wrong from Thomas McGuane, dark reflections from Lynn Coady and Mona Simpson, an excerpt from Bill Cotter’s latest novel, new work from Bob Odenkirk, and much, much more. From father-daughter surfing duels to sinister substitute teachers to a parlor drama called “Hitler Dinner Party” (thank you, Mr. Odenkirk), this one may well have it all. And its packaging, in ten separate booklets bedecked with one panoramic mega-illustration, ensures that you’ll always be able to carry at least part of it around.

    Hilariously funny, with all actions included.