Nicholas Boulton

Dead Souls, by Nikolai Gogol, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics: • New introductions commissioned from todays top writers and scholars • Biographies of the authors • Chronologies of contemporary...

First published in 1862 after Dostoyevsky's imprisonment in a Siberian labor camp, "The House of the Dead" is a collection of memoirs, related by themes, that portrays the horrific life of convicts. The author drew on his own experiences in prison to depict the squalor, destitution, and severity of a Siberian camp with remorseless detail. Dostoyevsky reveals the characters of many of the other convicts, which includes the depravity many have come...

In Basil's secret and unconsummated marriage to the linen-draper's sexually precocious daughter, and the shocking betrayal, insanity, and death that follow, Collins reveals the bustling, commercial London of the 19th century wreaking its vengeance on a still powerful aristocratic world.

Old Jago is tucked away in the East End of London, conveniently placed so the wealthy and the fortunate can forget all about it and its unlucky residents. Dicky Perott does not have the luxury of forgetting about the ugly truth of Old Jago, because he and his family barely can afford the single-room home they live in, fighting off robbers, fleas, and the cold. Though he is just a young boy, Dicky already dreams of the day he can leave the slum forever,...

This vintage book contains William Wilkie Collins' 1880 novel, "Jezebel's Daughter". Based in the 1858 play "The Red Vial", it is a dramatic story of deceit and mystery based around Mrs. Fontaine, a disquieting widow who employs various poisons and remedies to manipulate her family and friends. This volume is highly recommend for lovers of chilling literature, and it is not to be missed by fans of Collins' masterful work. William Wilkie Collins (1824–1889)...

On the eve of World War II in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, an exiled Irish schoolteacher becomes involved with Justine, the Jewish wife of a Coptic Christian.

Hailed by Nabokov as "the greatest artist that Russia has yet produced," Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852) left his mark as a playwright, novelist, and writer of short stories. Gogol's works remain popular with both writers and readers, who prize his originality, imaginative gifts, and sheer exuberance. This collection offers an excellent introduction to the author's works. Opening a door to his bizarre world of broad comedy, fantasy, and social commentary,...

Darley, an exiled Irish schoolteacher, visits the psychiatrist Balthazar in an attempt to unravel his obsession with two women, Justine and Melissa.

Justine is the tragic story of a young woman who embarks on a journey to France where she plans to lead a life of uncompromising virtue. Justine watches as her sister, Juliette, becomes corrupted by a wicked Abbess in the nunnery where she was raised. Hoping to escape the same fate, Justine breaks out on her own only to become the victim of many who claim to be charitable and trustworthy, suffering sexual abuse and terror that force her to extreme...

Is there any music more instantly recognisable and beautifully scored than Tchaikovsky's wildly popular ballet Swan Lake? These and other works have become enduring classics, yet they were not uncontroversial in Tchaikovsky's day, and there are those that still wonder if his style is fundamentally European or ardently Russian. Find out more about Tchaikovsky's childhood obsession with music, his turbulent relationships with friends and colleagues,...