Bridget Jone's Diary

When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships,gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.

It seemed to be an impossible task to outdo the former edition of "Dorian Gray" in the World's Classics series, but Bristow has achieved his goal. The quality of the explanatory notes is, simply, superb, and the introduction is succint but informative,

George Orwell's dystopian masterpiece, Nineteen Eighty-Four is perhaps the most pervasively influential book of the twentieth century, making famous Big Brother, newspeak and Room 101.'Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past'Hidden away in the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith skilfully rewrites the past to suit the needs of the Party. Yet he inwardly rebels against the totalitarian world he lives in, which demands absolute obedience and controls him through the all-seeing telescreens and the watchful eye of Big Brother, symbolic head of the Party. In his longing for truth and liberty, Smith begins a secret love affair with a fellow-worker Julia, but soon discovers the true price of freedom is betrayal.Eric Arthur Blair (1903-1950), better known by his pen-name, George Orwell, was born in India, where his father worked for the Civil Service. An author and journalist, Orwell was one of the most prominent and influential figures in twentieth-century literature. His unique political allegory Animal Farm was published in 1945, and it was this novel, together with the dystopia of Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), which brought him world-wide fame. All his novels and non-fiction, including Burmese Days (1934), Down and Out in Paris and London (1933), The Road to Wigan Pier (1937) and Homage to Catalonia (1938) are published in Penguin Modern Classics. If you enjoyed Nineteen Eighty-Four, you might like Orwell's Animal Farm, also available in Penguin Great Orwell.'His final masterpiece... enthralling and indispensible for understanding modern history'Timothy Garton-Ash, New York Review of Books'The book of the twentieth century... haunts us with an ever-darker relevance'Independent

The other side of Gone with the Wind - and just as unputdownable (The Sunday Times )A big, warm girlfriend of a book (The Times )Harper Lee's classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird has changed lives. It's direct descendent The Help has the same potential...an astonishing feat of accomplishment (Daily Express )Outstanding, immensely funny, very compelling, brilliant (Daily Telegraph )Immensely readable (Observer )Daring, vitally important and very courageous, I loved and admired The Help. Fantastic (Marian Keyes )A laugh-out-loud, vociferously angry must-read (Marie Claire )Touching, disgraceful, funny. Highly recommended (Daily Mail )Utterly brilliant (She )Remarkable, shocking, brave, brilliant (Easy Living )Wonderfully engaging dialogue (Good Housekeeping )A compelling, great first novel, with soaring highs, poignant side stories and laugh-out-loud anecdotes. You'll be sorry to finish it (Psychologies )A winning story of courage and truth (Woman & Home )A brisk, involving read (Metro )An exciting and atmospheric story (Rachel Cooke Observer Books of the Year )A wise, poignant novel. You'll catch yourself cheering out loud (People )