Penguin Black Classics

The tranquil atmosphere of the cathedral town of Barchester is shattered when a scandal breaks concerning the financial affairs of a Church-run almshouse for elderly men. In the ensuing furore, Septimus Harding, the almshouse's well-meaning warden, finds himself pitted against his daughter's suitor, Dr John Bold, a zealous local reformer. Matters are not improved when Harding's abrasive son-in-law, Archdeacon Grantly,...

Hašek's most important work was centred around the deeply funny story of a hapless Czech soldier in the Austro-Hungarian army—dismissed for incompetence only to be pressed into service by the Russians in World War I (where he is captured by his own troops). A mischief-maker, bohemian, and drunk, Hašek demonstrated his wit in this classic novel of the Czech character...

"Soseki is the representative modern Japanese novelist, a figure of truly national stature." - Haruki Murakami The father of modern Japanese literature's best-loved novel, in its first new English translation in half a century. No collection of Japanese literature is complete without Natsume Soseki's Kokoro, his most famous novel and the last he completed before his death. Published here in...

Independent and spirited Bathsheba Everdene has come to Weatherbury to take up her position as a farmer on the largest estate in the area. Her bold presence draws three very different suitors: the gentleman-farmer Boldwood, soldier-seducer Sergeant Troy and the devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak. Each, in contrasting ways, unsettles her decisions and complicates her life, and tragedy ensues, threatening the...

Describing Tolstoy's crisis of depression and estrangement from the world, A Confession (1879) is an autobiographical work of exceptional emotional honesty. By the time he was fifty, Tolstoy had already written the novels that would assure him of literary immortality; he had a wife, a large estate and numerous children; he was a happy man and in good health—yet life...

One of the most beloved translations of all time returns to Penguin Classics — Scott Moncrieff's masterful version of Proust. Remembrance of Things Past is one of the seminal works of the twentieth century, recording its narrator's experiences as he grows up, falls in love, and lives through the First World War. A profound reflection on art, time, memory, self,...

When Tess Durbeyfield is driven by family poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy D'Urbervilles and seek a portion of their family fortune, meeting her 'cousin' Alec proves to be her downfall. A very different man, Angel Clare, seems to offer her love and salvation, but Tess must choose whether to reveal her past or remain silent in the hope...

Penguin Classics relaunch Mary Barton, the daughter of disillusioned trade unionist, rejects her working-class lover Jem Wilson in the hope of marrying Henry Carson, the mill owner's son, and making a better life for herself and her father. But when Henry is shot down in the street and Jem becomes the main suspect, Mary finds herself painfully torn between the...

Elizabeth Gaskell's biography of her close friend Charlotte Brontë was published in 1857 to immediate popular acclaim, and remains the most significant study of the enigmatic author who gave Jane Eyre the subtitle An Autobiography. It recounts Charlotte Brontë's life from her isolated childhood, through her years as a writer who had 'foreseen the single life' for herself, to her...

The 1660s represent a turning point in English history, and for the main events—the Restoration, the Dutch War, the Great Plague and the Fire of London—Pepys provides a definitive eyewitness account, along with lively descriptions of his socialising, his amorous entanglements, his theatre-going and music-making. Unequalled for its frankness, high spirits and sharp observations, the diary is both a literary...

In writing his account of the relentless growth of the Roman Empire, the Greek statesman Polybius set out to help his fellow-countrymen understand how their world came to be dominated by Rome. Opening with the Punic War in 264 BC, he records the critical stages of Roman expansion - its campaigns throughout the Mediterranean, the temporary setbacks inflicted by Hannibal,...

This is a lightly revised edition of Mattingly's original translation, plus a new introduction, new notes, a chronology, and further reading by James Rives. The Agricola is both a portrait of Julius Agricola—the most famous governor of Roman Britain and Tacitus' well-loved and respected father-in-law—and the first detailed account of Britain that has come down to us. It offers fascinating...

Vivid biographies of famous characters from the Ancient Greek world, in a revised edition of Ian Scott-Kilvert's seminal translation. The Parallel Lives of Plutarch are cornerstones of Western literature, and have exerted a profound influence on writers and statesmen since the Renaissance, most notably Shakespeare. This selection of ten biographies spans the period from the start of the fourth century...

The Conquest of Bread by Peter Kropotkin is a seminal work that explores an alternative vision of society, where resources and opportunities are equitably shared for the benefit of all individuals, not just a select few. In this thought-provoking text, Kropotkin meticulously dissects the flaws within capitalist and state socialist systems, proposing a more humane and just way of organising...

History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides offers an in-depth, incisive chronicle of the momentous clash between the two Greek powerhouse city-states, Athens and Sparta. Set during the fifth century B.C., this profound historical text delves into the complex political, diplomatic, and military maneuvers that led to and sustained this protracted conflict. As the reader traverses the events meticulously detailed...

In The Art of Rhetoric, Aristotle delves into the intricacies of the art of persuasion, offering an extensive analysis of rhetoric as a central component of public discourse. The book is divided into three primary sections, each addressing different aspects of rhetoric: the speaker, the audience, and the speech itself. Aristotle's work not only explores the theory behind effective communication...

Early Greek Philosophy by Jonathan Barnes is a compelling anthology that delves into the very roots of Western philosophical thought. This volume brings together the seminal works of the Pre-Socratic philosophers, whose innovative and bold ideas laid the groundwork for the intellectual developments of Plato, Aristotle, and their successors. The thinkers featured in Early Greek Philosophy are renowned not just...

The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin is a compelling firsthand account of the young naturalist's earth-shattering expedition aboard the HMS Beagle. Setting sail from Devonport on 27 December 1831, the twenty-two-year-old Darwin embarked on a journey that would reshape the world of science. Though initially a leisurely voyage along the South American coast, the adventure broadened into a...

The Histories by Herodotus is an extraordinary work of classical literature that offers a compelling account of the ancient world. This landmark of historical writing, often regarded as the first great narrative history in Western literature, primarily centres on how a small confederation of Greek city-states united against the mighty Persian Empire. Set during the 5th century BC, the narrative...

Orwell and Politics is the definitive collection of George Orwell's timeless political writing, showcasing the enduring brilliance of one of the 20th century's most influential authors. This anthology comprehensively assembles Orwell's powerful political essays and journalism along with his enduring satire on totalitarianism, Animal Farm. The collection is arranged to illustrate Orwell's vast range of political interests. It includes provocative...

In late 1888, only weeks before his final collapse into madness, Nietzsche embarked on the task of composing his autobiography. Ecce Homo remains one of the most intriguing and bizarre examples of the genre ever written. This extraordinary work traces Nietzsche's life, work, and evolution as a philosopher, presenting an intimate portrait of the man behind some of philosophy's most...

One of the major poets of Romanticism, Wordsworth epitomized the spirit of his age with his celebration of the natural world and the spontanous expression of feeling. This volume contains a rich selection from the most creative phase of his life, including extracts from his masterpiece, The Prelude, and the best-loved of his shorter poems such as 'Composed Upon Westminster...

The Apocryphal Gospels offers a new translation of the oldest non-canonical Christian gospels, including the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, and the Gospel of Judas. In the early years of Christianity, several groups produced 'hidden' or 'apocryphal' gospels, providing alternative versions of the story of Christ. Sometimes these texts complemented the four canonical gospels, sometimes they subverted them,...

Timaeus and Critias holds a central place in Western thought and is best known to many for the story of Atlantis. Timaeus and Critias is a Socratic dialogue in two parts. A response to an account of an ideal state told by Socrates, it begins with Timaeus's theoretical exposition of the cosmos and his story describing the creation of the...

Jay Rubin's translation of Soseki's cherished novel, new to Penguin Classics. One of Soseki's most beloved works of fiction, the novel depicts the 23-year-old Sanshiro leaving the sleepy countryside for the first time in his life to experience the constantly moving 'real world' of Tokyo, its women and university. In the subtle tension between our appreciation of Soseki's lively humour...

Ruth is the story of Ruth Hilton, an orphaned young seamstress who captures the attention of a gentleman, Henry Bellingham, who is captivated by her simplicity and beauty. When she loses her job and home, he offers her comfort and shelter, only to cruelly desert her soon after. Nearly dead with grief and shame, Ruth is given the chance of...

One of George Eliot's most ambitious and imaginative novels, Romola is set in Renaissance Florence during the turbulent years following the expulsion of the powerful Medici family, during which the zealous religious reformer Savonarola rose to control the city. At its heart is Romola, the devoted daughter of a blind scholar, married to the clever but ultimately treacherous Tito. His...

Coming from a society where women were barred from serious writing and teaching, Julian, an anchorite of the great medieval city of Norwich, nevertheless uses her womanliness and the English vernacular of the day to describe a series of revelations which she received from God in the year 1373. She identifies the female nature of Christ's suffering and the motherhood...

A richly enthralling and evocative account of King Arthur. Le Morte D'Arthur is Sir Thomas Malory's richly evocative and enthralling version of the Arthurian legend. Recounting Arthur's birth, his ascendancy to the throne after claiming Excalibur, his ill-fated marriage to Guenever, the treachery of Morgan le Fay, and the exploits of the Knights of the Round Table, it magically weaves...

Penguin Classics brings this seminal work by Engels back into print, with a new introduction by historian Tristram Hunt. The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State (1884) was a provocative and profoundly influential critique of the Victorian nuclear family. Engels argued that the traditional monogamous household was, in fact, a recent construct, closely bound up with capitalist...

Regarded as the founder of Neo-Platonism, Plotinus (AD 204-270) was the last great philosopher of antiquity, producing works that proved in many ways a precursor to Renaissance thought. Plotinus was convinced of the existence of a state of supreme perfection and argued powerfully that it was necessary to guide the human soul towards this state. Here he outlines his compelling...

In her introduction, Janet Gezari discusses issues of dating and authenticity that arise with Brontë's poems, and the ways in which the Gondal poems relate to the lost prose narratives on the same subject. The poems of Emily Jane Brontë are passionate and powerful works that convey the vitality of the human spirit and of the natural world. Only twenty-one...

Although written over 400 years after Alexander's death, Arrian's The Campaigns of Alexander is our best source of knowledge of the man and his deeds. Arrian had himself been a military commander, and his record of the exploits of the world's greatest conqueror reveals sympathy for his subject, without the adulation or contempt which so often mar other histories of...

New to Classics The Book of Chuang Tzu draws together the stories, tales, jokes and anecdotes that have gathered around the figure of Chuang Tzu. One of the great founders of Taoism, Chuang Tzu lived in the fourth century BC and is among the most enjoyable and intriguing personalities in the whole of Chinese philosophy.

This is the Classics edition of one of the greatest works created by any culture, and overwhelmingly the most influential of all Tibetan Buddhist texts in the West. The most graceful English translation of this masterpiece of world literature—prepared with the participation of the Dalai Lama and eminent contemporary masters of this tradition appointed by the Dalai Lama. One of...

"I think this version is terrific. The light enjambed English hexameters are a great success. The effect is properly propulsive." - Prof A D Nuttall, Oxford Ovid's deliciously witty and exuberant epic starts with the creation of the world and brings together a series of ingeniously linked Greek and Roman myths and legends in which men and women are transformed,...

Faust, Part I by Goethe reworks the late-medieval myth of Dr Faust, a brilliant scholar so disillusioned he resolves to make a contract or wager with the devil, Mephistopheles. The devil will do all he asks on Earth and seek to grant him a moment in life so glorious that he will wish it to last for ever. But if...

Part of the authoritative and acclaimed Penguin Shakespeare series, now rejacketed in the celebrated Penguin Classics livery. A battle-hardened soldier, Antony is one of the three leaders of the Roman world. But he is also a man in the grip of an all-consuming passion for the exotic and tempestuous queen of Egypt. And when their life of pleasure together is...

To the Lighthouse is Woolf's most autobiographical novel, now in Penguin Black Classics. To the Lighthouse is at once a vivid impressionistic depiction of a family holiday, and a meditation on marriage, on parenthood and childhood, on grief, tyranny and bitterness. For years now, the Ramsays have spent every summer in their holiday home in Scotland, and they expect these...

Our Mutual Friend is Dickens' last completed novel, portraying a dark, macabre London. Our Mutual Friend centres on an inheritance—Old Harmon's profitable dust heaps—and its legatees: young John Harmon, presumed drowned when a body is pulled out of the River Thames, and kindly dustman Mr Boffin, to whom the fortune defaults. With brilliant satire, Dickens portrays a dark, macabre London,...

Nicholas Nickleby is relaunched as part of Penguin Classics, showcasing the work of a young novelist at the height of his powers. This book is truly one of the touchstones of the English comic novel. At the heart of the story is Nicholas Nickleby and the misfortunes of his family, around which Dickens created a cast of some of his...

Kipling's masterpiece about a boy's journey through imperial India, edited by Harish Trivedi. Kim is Kipling's epic rendition of the imperial experience in India and is also his greatest long work. Two men - Kim, a boy growing into early manhood, and the lama, an old ascetic priest - are fired by a quest. Kim is white, although born in...

New translation by Roger Pearson of the novel considered to be Zola's masterpiece. Considered by Andre Gide to be one of the ten greatest novels in the French language, Germinal is a brutal depiction of the poverty and wretchedness of a mining community in northern France under the second empire. At the centre of the novel is Etienne Lantier, a...

Chichikov, a mysterious stranger, arrives in the provincial town of N', visiting a succession of landowners and making each a strange offer. He proposes to buy the names of dead serfs still registered on the census, saving their owners from paying tax on them, and to use these souls as collateral to re-invent himself as a gentleman. In this ebullient...

When her family becomes impoverished after a disastrous financial speculation, Agnes Grey determines to find work as a governess in order to contribute to their meagre income and assert her independence. But Agnes's enthusiasm is swiftly extinguished as she struggles first with the unmanageable Bloomfield children and then with the painful disdain of the haughty Murray family. The only kindness...

How Much Land Does a Man Need? & Other Stories by Leo Tolstoy is a collection of short works that range from Tolstoy's earliest tales to the brilliant title story. Rich in insights and passion, these stories embody the themes that define all of Tolstoy's explorations: love, war, courage, and civilization.

The terrible spectacle of the beast, the fog of the moor, the discovery of a body—this classic horror story pits detective against dog. When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead on the wild Devon moorland with the footprints of a giant hound nearby, the blame is placed on a family curse. It is left to Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson...

The second part of Adam Smith's economic theory, stating the argument for free trade. Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations was the first comprehensive treatment of political economy. Originally delivered in the form of lectures at Glasgow, the book's publication in 1776 coincided with America's Declaration of Independence. These volumes include Smith's assessment of the mercantile system, his advocacy of...

First time in Penguin Classics for this Japanese work dedicated to the art of drinking tea — and much more — introduced by Christopher Benfey. For a generation adjusting painfully to the demands of a modern industrial and commercial society, Asia came to represent an alternative vision of the good life: aesthetically austere, socially aristocratic, and imbued with spirituality. The...

An inventive translation of a great historical epic, recounting the turbulent life and times of Chinggis Khan. 'By the Power of Eternal Heaven; By the Protection of the Majestic Imperial Fortune.' Born a poor nomad in an unforgiving world, Chinggis (or Genghis) Khan transformed the thirteenth century, ultimately ruling an empire that would stretch from Korea to Crimea and Syria...

Penguin Classics relaunch The Jewish War by Josephus is a superbly detailed and evocative record of the Jewish rebellion against Rome between AD 66 and 70, marked by treachery and atrocity. Originally a rebel leader, Josephus changed sides after he was captured, becoming a Rome-appointed negotiator. This unique position allowed him to observe these turbulent events firsthand, from the siege...

The story of the orphan Oliver, who runs away from the workhouse only to be taken in by a den of thieves, shocked readers when it was first published. Dickens's tale of childhood innocence beset by evil depicts the dark criminal underworld of a London peopled by vivid and memorable characters - the arch-villain Fagin, the artful Dodger, the menacing...

Captain Ahab is an eerily compelling madman who focuses his distilled hatred and suffering (and that of generations before him) into the pursuit of a creature as vast, dangerous, and unknowable as the sea itself. More than just a novel of adventure, this is a haunting social commentary populated with some of the most enduring characters in literature. Written with...

The Waves, Woolf's innovative modernist novel, is now available in a new Black Classics edition. Tracing the lives of a group of friends, this novel follows their development from childhood to middle age. While social events, individual achievements, and disappointments form its narrative, the novel is most remarkable for the rich poetic language that expresses the inner life of its...

A new translation of Simone Weil's best-known work—a political, philosophical, and spiritual treatise on what human life could be. An icon of twentieth-century French philosophy, Simone Weil was described by Andre Gide as 'the patron saint of all outsiders' and by Albert Camus as 'the only great spirit of our time'. In this, one of her last and best-known works,...

Aristotle's De Anima (On the Soul) is a seminal work that delves into the profound and intricate nature of the soul, exploring its defining characteristics and functions. Aristotle embarks on a comprehensive examination of living organisms, scrutinising their myriad behaviours, sensory capabilities, and perceptual depth. His quest is to establish a cohesive theory of the soul that integrates the principles...

A Treatise of Human Nature is David Hume's seminal work, where he embarks on an expansive exploration of the complexities of human psychology and the ways in which our minds navigate the world. The book is divided into three parts: the understanding, the passions, and morals, each addressing critical inquiries into human cognition, emotion, and conduct. Published in 1739-40 when...

A new collection of Pushkin's great narrative and lyric verse, translated by Antony Wood WINNER OF THE READ RUSSIA PRIZE 2020 Alexander Pushkin established what we know as Russian literature. This collection includes his strongly personal lyric verse, which springs spontaneously from his everyday life – his numerous loves, his exile, his hectic life in St Petersburg – while the...

An enchanting collection of the very best of Russian poetry, edited by acclaimed translator Robert Chandler. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, poetry's pre-eminence in Russia was unchallenged, with Pushkin and his contemporaries ushering in the 'Golden Age' of Russian literature. Although prose briefly gained the high ground, poetry again became dominant with the 'Silver Age', which held...

After the Bible, this is the most important foundational text in Judaism. The Talmud is one of the most significant religious texts in the world, second only to the Bible in its importance to Judaism. As the Bible is the word of God, The Talmud applies that word to the lives of its followers. In a range of styles, including...

The Gothic novel, which flourished from about 1765 until 1825, revels in the horrible and the supernatural, in suspense and exotic settings. This volume, with its erudite introduction by Mario Praz, presents three of the most celebrated Gothic novels: The Castle of Otranto, published pseudonymously in 1765, is one of the first of the genre and the most truly Gothic...

A superb translation by Michael Hofmann of some of Kafka's most frightening, strange and visionary short fiction. After Franz Kafka's death, in perhaps the most important of all acts of literary disobedience, his executor refused to agree to Kafka's wish that his great mass of unpublished fiction be destroyed. This fiction included not only The Castle and The Trial but...

Offers unexpurgated translation of the best-known tales including such classics as Sindbad the Sailor. The tales told by Shahrazad over a thousand and one nights to delay her execution by the vengeful King Shahriyar have become among the most popular in both Eastern and Western literature. From the epic adventures of Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp to the farcical Young...

A lively and enchanting collection of much-loved tales, new to Penguin Classics. Mystery and excitement abound in this lively collection of fairy tales, folklore, and legends, which celebrate Scotland's enormously rich oral tradition. This anthology offers a carefully chosen combination of old favourites such as Tam Lin, Thomas Rymer, and Adam Bell, as well as more modern stories by master...

One of the great masterpieces of Russian literature. Throughout his life, Isaac Babel was torn by opposing forces, by the desire both to remain faithful to his Jewish roots and yet to be free of them. This duality of vision infuses his work with a powerful energy from the earliest tales, including 'Old Shloyme' and 'Childhood', which affirm his Russian-Jewish...

Poet, pattern-designer, environmentalist and maker of fine books, William Morris (1834–96) was also a committed socialist and visionary writer, obsessively concerned with the struggle to achieve a perfect society on earth. News from Nowhere, one of the most significant English works on the theme of utopia, is the tale of William Guest, a Victorian who wakes one morning to find...

The first great German novel - an extraordinary recreation of the horrors of the Thirty Years War, written by a veteran of the conflict. First published in 1668, The Adventures of Simplicius Simplicissimus tells the picaresque, brilliantly described adventures of a boy swept up in the Thirty Years War and the terrible things that he experiences. Some of it is...

Medea, in which a spurned woman takes revenge upon her lover by killing her children, is one of the most shocking and horrific of all the Greek tragedies. Dominating the play is Medea herself, a towering and powerful figure who demonstrates Euripides' unusual willingness to give voice to a woman's case. Alcestis, a tragicomedy, is based on a magical myth...

Revised edition The master of ancient Greek comic drama, Aristophanes combined slapstick, humour and cheerful vulgarity with acute political observations. In The Frogs, written during the Peloponnesian War, Dionysus descends to the Underworld to bring back a poet who can help Athens in its darkest hour, and stages a great debate to help him decide between the traditional wisdom of...

A simple peasant seeks spiritual fulfilment in this apparently artless tale of popular piety. 'Here, see my belongings—a bag of dry crusts on my back and the Holy Bible in my breast pocket; that's it.' In 1884, a slim volume containing four short tales appeared in Russia. They told of a pilgrim, a lone wanderer, led by his quiet curiosity...

In his perfectly crafted haiku poems, Basho described the natural world with great simplicity and delicacy of feeling. These travel writings not only chronicle Basho's perilous journeys through Japan, but they also capture his vision of eternity in the transient world around him. The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches showcases Basho's exceptional ability to portray...

Few figures in intellectual history have proved as notorious and ambiguous as Niccolo Machiavelli. For while his treatise The Prince made his name synonymous with autocratic ruthlessness and cynical manipulation, The Discourses (c.1517) shows a radically different outlook on the world of politics. In this carefully argued commentary on Livy's history of republican Rome, Machiavelli proposes a system of government...

The complete collection of Donne's poems, including his famous Holy Sonnets, 'The Flea' and 'The Sun Rising'. No poet has been more wilfully contradictory than John Donne, whose works forge unforgettable connections between extremes of passion and mental energy. From satire to tender elegy, from sacred devotion to lust, he conveys an astonishing range of emotions and poetic moods. Constant...

A major new translation of a classic of Chinese literature almost completely unknown to the English-speaking world. The Strange Tales of Pu Songling (1640-1715) are exquisite and amusing miniatures that are regarded as the pinnacle of classical Chinese fiction. With their elegant prose, witty wordplay, and subtle charm, the 104 stories in this selection reveal a world in which nothing...

Published to coincide with the release of the film Bright Star, written and directed by Oscar Winner Jane Campion (The Piano, In the Cut), starring Abbie Cornish (Elizabeth: The Golden Age) and Ben Whishaw (Brideshead Revisited, Perfume). John Keats died aged just twenty-five. He left behind some of the most exquisite and moving verse and love letters ever written, inspired...

Edited and first published by William Caxton in 1485, Le Morte d'Arthur is Sir Thomas Malory's unique and splendid version of the Arthurian legend. Mordred's treason, the knightly exploits of Tristan, Lancelot's fatally divided loyalties and his love for Guenever, the quest for the Holy Grail; all the elements are there woven into a wonderful completeness by the magic of...

This revised edition features a new introduction by Robin Seager, putting the lives in the context of Plutarch's biography and literary career, discussing and comparing the individual lives, and analysing Plutarch's approach to his subject matter. Dramatic artist, natural scientist and philosopher, Plutarch is widely regarded as the most significant historian of his era, writing sharp and succinct accounts of...

In The Oresteia—the only trilogy in Greek drama which survives from antiquity—Aeschylus took as his subject the bloody chain of murder and revenge within the royal family of Argos. Moving from darkness to light, from rage to self-governance, from primitive ritual to civilized institution, its spirit of struggle and regeneration is eternal.

Part of the authoritative and acclaimed Penguin Shakespeare series, now rejacketed in the celebrated Penguin Classics livery. A noble but impoverished Venetian asks a friend, Antonio, for a loan to impress an heiress. His friend agrees, but is forced to borrow the sum from a cynical Jewish moneylender, Shylock, and signs a chilling contract to honour the debt with a...

New selection and translation of the great epic story of ancient India, revealing a mythic world of bloody conflict, magic and beauty. The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. It holds immense importance to the culture of the Indian subcontinent and is a major text of Hinduism. Its discussion of human goals—artha or 'purpose',...