Moby Dick

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 to solve the mystery of the legend of the phantom hound before Sir Charles' heir comes to an equally gruesome end.

Orphaned as a young teenager, Lowlander David Balfour's only relative is his guardian and uncle, Ebenezer. Ill-thought of and disliked by many, it's not long before Ebenezer betrays his nephew and David finds himself trapped aboard a ship. He soon strikes up a friendship with fugitive stranger and Scottish Highlander Alan Breck, and becomes embroiled in the fierce Jacobite struggle against English rule. A tale of high-seas adventure, loyalty and intrigue, Kidnapped is considered the quintessential classic boys' adventure novel.

Edited, introduced and annotated by Cedric Watts, Research Professor of English, University of Sussex. Much Ado About Nothing has long been celebrated as one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies. The central relationship, between Benedick and Beatrice, is wittily combative until love prevails. Broader comedy is provided by Dogberry, Verges and the watchmen. The drama ranges between the destructively sinister and the lyrically romantic, giving the whole a complex and sometimes problematic character. Numerous revivals, in the theatre and on screen, have displayed the lively variety and interpretative openness of this engaging comedy.

Dealing with themes of determinism and inescapable fate, Thomas Hardy's novels are also reknowned for depicting the intimate relationship between character and the environment. Unflinchingly honest in portraying characters and their fortunes, Hardy depicts life with all its harsh realities. Tess of the D'Urbervilles received negative reviews when first published in 1891. Originally criticised as being too pessimistic, it is now regarded as a classic. The story of Tess's painful journey from girl to woman and her traumatic relationships with Alec D'Urberville and Angel Clare, is presided over by the unwavering hand of justice. The Major of Casterbridge recounts the life of Michael Henchard as he reaches the pinnacle of power, self esteem and self-satisfaction, only to lose it through folly and bad luck. The emotional rise and fall of Henchard is described with the greatest insight and sensitivity. Far from the Madding Crowd is the first of Hardy's Wessex tales. It relates the story of Bathsheba Everdene and the men who love her. Set against the farming community, tragedy and love unfold alongside the continual struggle of rural life.

Collected together in this special volume are six complete novels from the pen of Robert Louis Stevenson, each one filled with suspense, adventure and excitement. From the adventures of Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island to The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Stevenson's legacy of novels and adventure stories is considerable and filled with colourful characters and rich settings, making for exciting and compelling reads for adults and young readers alike. Treasure Island tells the tale of Jim Hawkins and his dramatic adventure involving bloodthirsty pirates and their sinister leader, Long John Silver, and has captured the imaginations of generations of young readers. Kidnapped, too, has all the ingredients of a classic adventure story. Set in the highlands of Scotland during the Jacobite rebellion its hero, Alan Breck Steward, fearless and romantic, is one of Stevenson's most engaging characters. Weir of Hermiston, written in 1896, was left unfinished by Stevenson at the time of his death but contains some of this best writing. A vibrant story about the austere Scottish judge and his son, the novel displays the fruition of Stevenson's narrative abilities. The Master of Ballantrae tells of the lifelong feud between Master Ballantrae and his young brother Henry. This novel in particular underlines Stevenson's preoccupation with destiny and fate. The Black Arrow originally appeared in serial form and is a tremendously exciting adventure story in which the hero, Richard Shelton, fight for the Yorkists during the War of the Roses, encounters Richard III and an infamous band of archers who use the dreaded black arrows. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, tells of how a doctor creates a separate personality, evil in instinct and repulsive in appearance, through the use of a special drug he has discovered. Robert Louis Stevenson's legacy of novels and adventure stories is considerable and filled with colourful characters and rich settings, exciting and compelling for adults and young readers alike.