Aucassin et Nicolette


Alexandre Micha
    It is the only known chantefable from what was once a very popular literary tradition, and it is from this work the term chantefable was coined in its concluding lines: "No cantefable prent fin" ("Our chantefable is drawing to a close"). Stylistically, the chantefable combines elements of the chanson de geste (e. g., The Song of Roland), lyric poems, and courtly novels-literary forms already well-established by the twelfth century. The work probably dates from the early 13th century, and is known from only one surviving manuscript dating from the later part of the century. The work's authorship is unknown. It is generally considered a roman d'adventure, or a romantic work of action and adventure.

The Complete Works


Michel de Montaigne
    A humanist, a sceptic, an acute observer of himself and others, he reflects the great themes of existence through the prism of his own self-consciousness. Apparent in every line he wrote, his virtues of tolerance, moderation and disinterested inquiry amount to an undeclared manifesto for the Enlightenment, whose prophet he is. This complete edition of his works supplements the Essays with travel diaries and letters, thereby completing the portrait of a true Renaissance man.

This Property is Condemned


Tennessee Williams - 1946
    

John Wayne: The Westerns


David Morrell - 2012
    He’s also a former professor of American Studies who writes in-depth profiles about film and music legends who changed our culture.Few film actors had the lasting popularity of John Wayne, especially in westerns. During his lifetime, Wayne was a top-ten box office star for twenty-four years. Three decades after his death, a 2012 Harris poll continued to place him among the top 5 most-liked film actors. In this comprehensive essay, award-winner David Morrell analyzes Wayne’s career in westerns and explores his fascinating personality, including his Latin studies in high school and his skills as a chess player. Even Wayne’s most knowledgeable fans will be surprised by this insightful study.Morrell’s fascination with Wayne motivated him to use this iconic actor as the inspiration for the main character of a historical novel LAST REVEILLE, which dramatizes America’s 1916 invasion of Mexico, supposedly to pursue the Mexican bandit, Pancho Villa, but actually to practice military exercises for America’s entry into World War I.Critical reaction:“John Wayne: the name still conjures political reaction and cinematic fascination. In this excellent e-essay, author David Morrell (First Blood) presents a thorough and evenhanded consideration of Wayne and his Westerns, from THE BIG TRAIL (1930) to THE SHOOTIST (1976). He’s precise about the narrative problems in THE SEARCHERS, insightful regarding the remarkable emotional range Wayne demonstrates in THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, and mystified at the meaning critics find in RIO BRAVO. While also examining Wayne’s drinking (16 martinis before a Thanksgiving dinner), smoking (five packs a day on THE ALAMO) and expertise as a chess player, Morrell allows us to appreciate and understand how Wayne, ‘an undeniable phenomenon,’ helped create that unique film category: John Wayne Westerns.”—Tom Clagett, ROUNDUP MAGAZINE (WESTERN WRITERS OF AMERICA)David Morrell is the award-winning author of First Blood, the novel in which Rambo was created. A former professor of American literature at the University of Iowa, he has written numerous New York Times bestsellers, including the classic Brotherhood of the Rose spy trilogy. The main character in Morrell’s western novel, Last Reveille, was inspired by Wayne’s career. “David Morrell is, to me, the finest thriller writer living today, bar none.”—Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Columbus Affair“Morrell, an absolute master of the thriller, plays by his on rules and leaves you dazzled.”—Dean Koontz, New York Times bestselling author of 77 Shadow Street

Cyrano de Bergerac: in a free adaptation


Martin Crimp - 2019
    While Roxane is in love with the beautiful but inarticulate Christian.Cyrano's generous offer to act as go-between sets in motion a poignant and often hilarious love-triangle, in which each character is torn between the lure of physical attraction and the seductive power of words.Martin Crimp's adaptation of Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac premiered at the Playhouse Theatre, London, in November 2019.

The Flight of Icarus


Raymond Queneau - 1968
    Looking for him among the manuscripts of his rivals does not solve the mystery, so a detective is hired to find the runaway character.

Tia Sharp: A Family Betrayal


Nigel Cawthorne - 2013
    On 3rd August 2012, Tia Sharp, a 12-year-old school girl, was reported missing from her grandmotherOCOs house in New Addington, south London. A call by her mother alerted the police to TiaOCOs disappearance and a massive search operation began. A nationwide appeal was launched to find Tia and her family, including her step-grandfather, 37-year-old Stuart Hazell, made a public appeal to find her. It was reported that Tia had disappeared after being dropped off at a train station to go shopping, but in the days that followed a very different story emerged. Only seven days after Tia was reported missing the terrible news came that her body had been found; wrapped in bin bags and hidden in her grandmotherOCOs attic. The truth that unfolded over the course of the day horrified the public; not only had the police searched the house on three separate occasions before discovering TiaOCOs body, late the following evening, Stuart HazellOCothe man who Tia trusted, the man who appealed for her returnOCoas change with murder. Nigel Cawthorne examines the appalling case of an evil step-grandfather who betrayed his familyOCOs trust, deceived friends and neighbors, and cut short the life of a young, well-loved girl."

Kingdoms of Sand: Books 1-3


Daniel Arenson - 2017
    This bundle contains the first three novels of Kingdoms of Sand, a fantasy series from a USA Today bestselling author. That's over 1,000 pages of battles, intrigue, and magic.Sweeping from snowy forests to cruel deserts, from bazaars of wonder to fields of war, here is a tale of legionaries and lepers, priests and paupers, kings and crows. Here a girl travels across endless dunes, seeking magic; a cruel prince struggles to claim a bloodstained throne; and a young soldier fights to hold back an overwhelming host. The fate of all civilization stands upon a knife's edge, for under the storm of war, even the greatest nations are but kingdoms of sand.

Halloween Collection: By the Light of the Moon \ One door Away from Heaven \ Seize the Night


Dean Koontz - 2015
    A terrifying Halloween treat perfect for Stephen King fans... BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOONWhen Dylan O'Conner pulls into a motel, all he wants is sleep. But he soon finds himself bound, gagged and being injected with a mysterious fluid by a lunatic doctor, who claims Dylan will be the carrier of his 'life's work'. He warns Dylan and fellow victim Jillian that he's being pursued and that they too are now targets. They're sceptical. But soon they realise he isn't so mad after all. . .ONE DOOR AWAY FROM HEAVEN Leilani Maddoc's tenth birthday is nine months away. Micky Bellsong is convinced that in nine months and one day, the girl will be dead. Micky's decision to save the child's life - and pit herself against an adversary as fearsome as he is cunning - takes her on a journey of incredible peril and stunning discoveries, a journey that will change her for ever...SEIZE THE NIGHTOne by one, the children of Moonlight Bay are disappearing. No one knows if they are dead or alive. Christopher Snow has glimpsed the dark and torrid secrets of the small-town community where he has spent his life. And only he has the key to the truth - a truth that could only exist in the genetic chaos of Moonlight Bay.