"From the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Civility -- a transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel. With his breakout debut novel, Rules of Civility, Amor Towles established himself as a master of absorbing, sophisticated fiction, bringing late 1930s Manhattan to life with splendid atmosphere and a flawless command of style. Readers and critics were enchanted; as NPR commented, "Towles...

Wealthy young widow Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, spent the obligatory year in mourning for her philandering husband. With her young daughter in tow, Frances moves from the English countryside and her money-grubbing in-laws to Victorian London, and welcomes her sister, Lily, arriving from New York for her first London social season. When mysterious burglaries start plaguing London's elite, an anonymous tip to the police implicates...

Desperate to escape his mothers matchmaking Vincent Hunt Viscount Darleigh flees to a remote country village. But even there another marital trap is sprung. So when Miss Sophia Frys intervention on his behalf finds her unceremoniously booted from her guardians home Vincent is compelled to act. He may have been blinded in battle but he can see a solution to both their problems: marriage. At first quiet unassuming Sophia rejects Vincents proposal....

Planning a school or amateur Shakespeare production? The best way to experience the plays is to perform them, but getting started can be a challenge: The complete plays are too long and complex, while scene selections or simplified language are too limited. "The 30-Minute Shakespeare" is a new series of abridgements that tell the "story" of each play from start to finish while keeping the beauty of Shakespeare's language intact. Specific stage directions...

Years ago, Emily's childhood nemesis, Emma Callum, scandalized polite society when she eloped to Venice with an Italian count. Now Emma's father-in-law lies murdered, and her husband has vanished. There's no one she can turn to for help but Emily, who leaves at once for Venice with her husband, the dashing Colin Hargreaves. Emily soon realizes that to solve the present-day crime, she must first unravel a centuries-old puzzle. But the past does not...

On a splendid August afternoon Susanna Osbourne is introduced to the most handsome man she has ever seen . . . and instantly feels the icy chill of recognition. Peter Edgeworth, Viscount Whitleaf, is utterly charming-and seemingly unaware that they have met before. With his knowing smile and seductive gaze, Peter acts the rake; but he stirs something in Susanna she has never felt before, a yearning that both frightens and dazzles her. Instantly she...

Society favorite Celeste Kilburn decides to explore life on the wild side of 1818 London, England, believing that all will be well with the scoundrel Kieran Ransome by her side as escort, but their experiences together lead to consequences that affect the possibility of their future together.

Frances Wynn, widow to the late Earl of Harleigh, has no sooner sent her mother and daughter off on a shopping trip to Paris than she and her fiancé, George Hazelton, are socializing with visiting members of the Russian royal family. Scandal also comes calling: Inspector Delaney turns up outside Frances's house with a young French woman claiming she is Mrs. George Hazelton. Mrs. Hazelton, aka Irena, also insists that she is the illegitimate daughter...

By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend's sister -- the lovely and almost-on-the-shelf -- Daphne Bridgerton. But the two of the know the truth -- it's all an elaborate ruse to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable ...

Set in late 19th century Russia high-society, aristocrat Anna Karenina enters into a life-changing affair with the affluent Count Vronsky.