Literary studies: general

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic fiction read by some of the world's most renowned voices.

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic fiction read by some of the world's most renowned voices.

'So wise and so well done.

A stunning collection of essays and memoir from twice Booker Prize winner and international bestseller Hilary Mantel, author of The Mirror and the LightIn 1987, when Hilary Mantel was first published in the London Review of Books, she wrote to the editor, Karl Miller, 'I have no critical training whatsoever, so I am forced to be more brisk and breezy than scholarly.

Writers shortlisted for the Guardian 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize read their shortlisted storiesCollected here are the six best stories chosen by the judging panel of the Guardian 4th Estate BAME short story prize 2018.

When is seduction about more than just sex?

Don't miss the brand-new book from the Sunday Times bestselling author Susan Lewis!

'A uniquely strange and wonderful work of literature' Philip Hoare'An exciting new voice' Mark Cocker, author of Crow CountryIn his late thirties, Edward Parnell found himself trapped in the recurring nightmare of a family tragedy.

Writers shortlisted for the Guardian 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize read their shortlisted storiesCollected here are the six best stories chosen by the judging panel of the Guardian 4th Estate BAME short story prize 2017.

From one of the most important chroniclers of our time, come two extended excerpts from her never-before-seen notebooks-writings that offer an illuminating glimpse into the mind and process of a legendary writer.

From New York Times bestselling author Amy Tan, a memoir on her life as a writer, her childhood and the symbiotic relationship between fiction and emotional memory.

'The best poet in America' Jean Genet'He brought everybody down to earth, even the angels' Leonard CohenThe definitive collection from a writer whose transgressive legacy and raw, funny, acutely observant writing has left an enduring markHere is Bukowski eating walnuts and scratching his back, rolling a cigarette while listening to Brahms, showering with Linda in the mid-afternoon.

A 'MAKING A MURDERER' set in South Africa - a gripping true-crime story of murder and the justice system in the shadow of apartheid'Gripping, explosive .

Unique, transgressive and as funny as its subject, A Life Discarded has all the suspense of a murder mystery.

The price for a country.

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of This Is Shakespeare, written and read by Emma Smith.

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Mad, Bad, Dangerous to Know written and read by Colm Toibin.

"e;I know hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continually close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself.

A story of love and grief.

A magnificent and timely examination of an age of fear, subversion, suppression and espionage, Adam Zamoyski explores the attempts of the governments of Europe to police the world in a struggle against obscure forces, seemingly dedicated to the overthrow of civilisation.

LONGLISTED FOR THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE 2014'A symphonic poem about postwar England and Englishness .

'It's comfort reading at its most soothing' Independent'Funny, heartfelt and very readable' Good HousekeepingIn this reimagined modern classic, prepare to meet a young woman who thinks she knows everything.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'It is good to meet the real Jane Austen at last' Independent on Sunday'Brilliantly illuminating .

All's Well That Ends Well is a play by William Shakespeare.

Join Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad on more adventures read by the wonderful Richard Briers.

Barbara Jefford, Robert Stephens and Alec McCowen lead a distinguished company in this haunting performance of Webster's powerful tragedy of murder, revenge and thwarted love.

A wonderfully charming recording available for the first time as a digital download.

My Last Duchess, How they Brought The Good News from Ghent to Aix 'Childe Rolande to the Dark Tower Came, Prospice, Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister, Home - Thoughts from Abroad, The Lost Leader, Porphyria's Lover, Memorabilia, Rabbi Ben Ezra, 'The Year at the spring', The Bishop Orders His Tomb, Andrea del Sarto, Fra Lippo LippiREAD BY JAMES MASON.

William Wordsworth was amongst the greatest of English Poets and this wonderful recording is now available for the first time as a digital download.

The poetic output of Samuel Taylor Coleridge was modest and fragmentary, but included some of the greatest poems of the Romantic period.

160 minutes of extract scenes from Shakespeare's finest plays and read by a staggering cast.

Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 performed by Sir John Gielgud and cast.

The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare, first published in 1602, though believed to have been written prior to 1597.

Julius Caesar is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599.

The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1594.

Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591, depicting the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England.

Another in the great Caedmon Shakespeare series from the 1960s.

From the author of The Lace Reader comes an emotionally resonant novel of tragedy, secrets, identity, and love.

A deeply engaging and completely original book about nineteenth-century Britain's fascination with good quality murder.

Classic fables are told with a twist by the wonderful children's author Michael Morpurgo.

The new novel from the bestselling author of THE SIXTH WIFE.

Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath.

Immerse yourself in a world where the wonderful Stephen Fry reads some of the more memorable short stories of our time.

An intimate portrait of Stephen Spender's extraordinary life written by Matthew Spender, shifting between memoir and biography, with new insights drawn from personal recollections and his father's copious unpublished archives.

Dickens' final novel, left unfinished at his death in 1870, is a mystery story much influenced by the 'Sensation Novel' as written by his friend Wilkie Collins.

On Christmas Eve, young Pip, an orphan being raised by his sister and her husband, encounters a convict in the village churchyard.

The classic Victorian tale of the little orphan who dared to ask for 'more' retains its heartwarming charm and relevance in our era.

Dickens worked on David Copperfield for two years between 1848 and 1850, carefully planning out the plot and structure.

This comic masterpiece is read by Paul Schofield.

This quintessential Christmas tale shows Dickens at his dazzling and provocative best, leaving Scrooge no doubts about the true spirit of Christmas, nor about the perils of ignoring the insistent ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come.