Anton Lesser

When David Copperfield's widowed mother remarries, David suffers from his stepfather's abuse. At age 8, David is sent away to a harsh school where the principal routinely beats the students. David's circumstances become even worse when he is removed from school and, at age 10, forced to labor from morning to night in a London warehouse. David then decides to take desperate action. He will run away to his great-aunt, who lives in Dover. Having never...

Hard Times appeared in weekly parts in Household Words in 1854, printed on the pages usually occupied by leading article on the major social issues of the day. In the overlapping worlds of Gradgrind's schoolroom, Bounderby the humbug industrialist and Sissy Jupe of Slearys' Circus, Dickens joyfully satirizes Utilitarianism, the self-help doctrines of Samuel Smiles and the mechanization of the mid-Victorian soul.

Sally Lockhart, trying to put her troubled past behind her after her fiancé's death, has settled into a comfortable life with her daughter, Harriet, her career, and her London friends. But her world comes crashing down around her when a complete stranger claims to be both her husband and Harriet's father, casting doubt on her spotless reputation. Seeking the answers to this terrible dilemma, Sally realizes with growing horror that there is...

A new translation of Homer's epic adventure endeavors to instill the poetic nature of its original language while retaining accuracy, readability, and character vibrancy, creating the most captivating rendition of one of the defining masterpieces of Western literature.

An Irish woman is caught in the middle of the war between the British and the Maori during the colonization of New Zealand in the 1860s.

In Paradise Regained, Satan again is on the prowl, having successfully tempted Adam and Eve, and forced their departure from the Garden of Eden. Here he sets out to tempt again, this time Jesus himself, as he comes to the end of his 40 days in the desert. The magisterial poetry of Milton enriches the encounter and, while not matching the greatness achieved in Paradise Lost, provides drama and depth.

DC Endeavour Morse and DI Fred Thursday investigate a series of murders and other mysteries in 1960s Oxford, England.

This novel contrasts youth and old age, beauty and deformity, freedom and restraint as Nell is ripped from her innocent nest and thrown into an evil world.

In an effort to give their younger brother, Norman a project to keep him busy now that he has joined the family publishing house, the older Warne brothers agree to publish Miss Beatrix Potter's first children's book. They don't expect the book to sell well, but they need to keep Norman busy. As a single woman living in Edwardian London, Beatrix suspects this endeavor may provide her with a small measure of freedom. But she also has very specific ideas...

Chancer John lives for playing the odds - and he's always willing to take a calculated risk. But when he meets the mysterious and beautiful female bookie Stan, he discovers there's much more to gambling than just greyhounds and horses. Lured by her huge payoffs, John finds himself sucked into a surreal and dangerous word ruled by money, power and control. The question is how far will John go for the ultimate last big win?