Great Expectations is one of Dickens' later works and considered one of his best. It is notable for it's more naturalistic depiction of characters; here motivations and personal viewpoints form the heart of the narrative. The story follows the arc of a young orphan's life as he first tries to raise himself to a higher station in life and finally discovers the solution to some mysteries and comes to terms with himself.

1895 Best Seller.

One of the most influential anti-war stories ever written The Red Badge of Courage was adapted as a film in 1951 by John Huston. Crane wanted to show what war was like and achieved a ground breaking 'psychological portrayal of fear'. The story follows an archetypical 19 year old recruit in the American Civil War.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ...' famous opening words of the Charles Dickens' classic A Tale of Two Cities (1859). Set against the French Revolution, this is a story of two men with very separate destinies but drawn towards the same woman. Considered by many to be one of Dickens' most memorable works. A must read.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland -The book that spawned a plethora of films, expressions and catchphrases. The word "wonderland" itself has been introduced to the English language referring to a marvellous, imaginary place. When Alice falls down a rabbit hole, she finds herself in a fantasy world - talking animals, playing cards and a whole lot of other fanciful, comical and wonderfully absurd nonsense. A story that has been delighting and enchanting children and adults alike for generations.

Sienkiewicz received the 1905 Nobel Price in Literature for his "outstanding merits as an epic writer".

The novel follows the developing love between a Christian woman and a Roman Patrician in the time of Nero. The romantic story arc is set against the conflict of the moral systems of the long established Roman Empire and the developing Christianity. Sienkiewicz uses this setting to explore morality and power, and his observations remain relevant today.

The novel is based on extensive historical research and gives a good view of life in those times.

A seminal work of Realism, and one of the most influential novels ever written.

"What is remarkable in Madame Bovary is that its mediocre beings, with their earthbound ambitions and pedestrian problems, impress us, by virtue of the structure and the writing that create them, as beings who are out of the ordinary within their ordinary manner of being." - Mario Vargas Llosa, in The Perpetual Orgy

The novel focuses on a doctor's wife, Emma Bovary, as she spirals out of control trying to escape the banalities and emptiness of provincial life.