Showing results by author "Edith Nesbit" in All Categories

Women, so often referred to as the gentler sex - in this volume at least, this is an unfounded and unlikely description. From their minds and pens comes a series of macabre, twisted tales that are anything but gentle. But as they weave their magic, usually black, and mesh you into their narrative you just know 'sugar and spice and all things nice' are not likely to be what little girls really are made of and certainly not these femme fatales.... 

As a rather sinister twist on the literary and social tradition of sense and sensibility first introduced a century before, Nesbit tells the story of two cousins representing two very different character traits. With Jane focusing on the practical sides of love and Mattie losing herself in sentiment, Nesbit very ably combines these traits with a moral code befitting each woman. 

Shakespeare is often referred to as the great teacher of life and for a good reason, too. His tales offer worldly wisdom on tap and a great abundance of it. In this collection of Shakespeare tales, we offer those that perhaps more than others teach us important lessons. 

Shakespeare often uses expressive language in his portrayal of jealousy. It is a 'green-eyed monster', an object that 'one might fight and conquer', 'an infection which strikes as quickly as the plague'. In this selection of Shakespeare stories, jealousy plays a prominent role, offering us a wonderful opportunity to learn how Shakespeare's characters are dealing with this vice.

This collection of Shakespeare's tales focuses on themes of friendship and betrayal. Included in this volume: 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona', 'The Comedy of Errors' and 'The Winter's Tale'. Read in English, unabridged.

In Shakespeare plays the tragic and the comic often fade into each other, turning into a harmonious blending of these two elements. Shakespeare takes a special delight in the employment of such harmonies. His tragedies never fail having their comic interludes, and his comedies often have a serious undertone. Still, the comic is not the tragic, and in this collection we offer some of the more humorous and witty tales from Shakespeare. The following Shakespeare adaptations are included here: A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It and Measure for Measure.

Justice, mortality, mercy in Vienna, dichotomy between corruption and purity. Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall. Mercy and virtue prevail, as the play does not end tragically, with virtues such as compassion and forgiveness being exercised at the end of the production. This edition of Measure for Measure is an adaptation of Shakespeare's eponymous drama, narrated in plain modern English, capturing the very essence and key elements of the original Shakespeare work. 

This collection of Shakespeare tales focuses on themes of revenge, opening with Hamlet, the greatest revenge play of all time, one of the finest examples of revenge that a young man plans for the murder of his father. This collection of Shakespeare adaptations also includes Macbeth and The Merchant of Venice, each offering a unique perspective on the psychology of revenge.

In the beginning, Timon is a wealthy and generous Athenian gentleman. He hosts a large banquet, attended by nearly all the main characters. Timon gives away money wastefully, and everyone wants to please him to get more, except for Apemantus, a churlish philosopher whose cynicism Timon cannot yet appreciate. This edition of Timon of Athens is an adaptation of Shakespeare's eponymous drama, narrated in plain modern English, capturing the very essence and key elements of the original Shakespeare work. 

Valentine is preparing to leave Verona for Milan so as to broaden his horizons. He begs his best friend, Proteus, to come with him, but Proteus is in love with Julia and refuses to leave. The play deals with the themes of friendship and infidelity, the conflict between friendship and love, and the foolish behaviour of people in love. This edition of The Two Gentlemen of Verona is an adaptation of Shakespeare's eponymous drama, narrated in plain modern English, capturing the very essence and key elements of the original Shakespeare work. 

Helena, the low-born ward of a French countess, is in love with the countess' son, Bertram, who is indifferent to her. Bertram goes to Paris to replace his late father as attendant to the ailing King of France. Helena, the daughter of a recently deceased doctor, follows Bertram, ostensibly to offer the King her services as a healer. The King is sceptical, and she guarantees the cure with her life: if he dies, she will be put to death, but if he lives, she may choose a husband from the court. 

Dass alle Wünsche in Erfüllung gehen - wer hat davon noch nicht geträumt? Für Anthea, Robert und Cyril wird dieser Traum Wirklichkeit, als sie dem Sandelf begegnen, einem übellaunigen Wesen mit der Gabe, Wünsche wahr werden zu lassen. Die Geschwister müssen bald erkennen, dass es fatale Folgen haben kann, wenn alle Sehnsüchte in Erfüllung gehen.

These magical stories contain some of the best things ever written in the realm of fairy tales. Included are the "Cathood of Maurice", the story of Kenneth, who is turned into a fish and has to be caught before he can transform back into a boy; and of Amabel, who opens the wardrobe and discovers inside an enormous railway station. There are also stories set in fairy tale lands inhabited by kings and queens, princes and princesses who have to outwit wicked fairies and evil magicians. A favorite is the tale of Princess Belinda, who was condemned to be ugly during the week and beautiful on Sundays.

When the King and Queen were ready to have a child, the Queen did what all good queens do; she visited the local witch. But she forgot to specify the King wanted a boy child. On the Princess’s 18th birthday, the King, who was a very disagreeable King, banished the Princess to an island surrounded by nine whirlpools and guarded by a dragon AND a gryphon. There she would spend eternity sewing her wedding dress and waiting for a Prince clever enough to free her.

Poor Sabrinetta, granddaughter to brave St. George the dragonslayer, has been banished to her dragon-proof tower while her evil cousin rules her kingdom. But when the dragon wakes and eats all of Prince Tiresome's hippopotamuses, he runs to the safety of her tower, throwing her out to fend off the dragon by herself. Can she and Elfin the pigkeeper save her people before the dragon has his way with them?

A young man, who was very much in love, had a dream, vision, or perhaps a premonition that his beloved had died, or would die. It all seemed so real. He was arrested for being drunk, but the waking dream colored everything about his future - and the desirable semi-detached. A memorable short mystery by beloved author Edith Nesbit.

"It all started when Effie got something in her eye…" and before the week was out, the country was overrun with dragons of all sizes. Effie and Harry decide something must be done, so they set out to wake St. George. Edith (E.) Nesbit was a master at weaving imagination and real life into timeless fairy tales, with fantastic mythical creatures, princes and princesses, magic, and just the right touch of silliness.

Thought of as the first modern writer for children, Edith Nesbit also wrote for adults, producing more than 50 books in total. Like many consummate writers who yearn to be recognised as poets, her other works are given greater recognition. Now, in this volume, you be the judge. These poems are brought to your ears by Ghizela Rowe and Richard Mitchley.

The island kingdom of Rotundia is normal in every way but one - all the animals are the wrong sizes. And when a purple dragon finds its way to the island and desires the princess as a birthday present, young Tom the garderners son, along with his lap dog sized elephant Fido, must find a way to save her. Edith (E.) Nesbit was a master at weaving imagination and real life into timeless fairy tales, with fantastic mythical creatures, princes and princesses, magic, and just the right touch of silliness.

Kind little Edmund loved to find out about things. (And finding out about things is not the same as learning about things, as you do in school.) One day he finds out about the creatures living in the mountain near his village and thinks maybe he doesn't like finding out about things so much after all. But once the creatures have been found, there is nothing to do but find a way to save the village before it's too late.