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First published in January 1845, the poem is noted for its musicality, stylised language and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow descent into madness. The lover, often identified as a student, is lamenting the loss of his love, Lenore. Sitting on a bust of Pallas, the raven seems to further distress the protagonist with its constant repetition of the word nevermore. The poem makes use of folk, mythological, religious and classical references.

It is a fictionalised account of the first expedition across the Western Wilderness, crossing the Rocky Mountains. The journal chronicled a 1792 expedition led by Julius Rodman up the Missouri River to the Northwest. This 1792 expedition would have made Rodman the first European to cross the Rocky Mountains. The detailed journal chronicles events of the most surprising nature and recounts '[T]he unparalleled vicissitudes and adventures experienced by a handful of men in a country which, until then, had never been explored by "civilised man"'.

Edgar Allan Poe was a writer, poet, editor and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre, and is widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the United States and of American literature. Poe was one of the country's earliest practitioners of the short story and considered to be the inventor of the detective fiction genre, as well as a significant contributor to the emerging genre of science fiction.

The complete collection of Edgar Allan Poe's poems, read by Audie Award-winning actor Peter Noble. Edgar Allan Poe was a writer, poet, editor and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre, and is widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the United States and of American literature. Poe was one of the country's earliest practitioners of the short story and considered to be the inventor of the detective fiction genre, as well as a significant contributor to the emerging genre of science fiction.

First published in 1931 by The Adelphi, this essay describes the execution of a criminal during Orwell's time in Burma. Britain ruled over Burma for 62 years (1824-86), during which three Anglo-Burmese Wars were fought and Britain incorporated it into its Indian Empire. Britain administered Burma as an Indian province until 1937, when it became a separate, self-governing colony. Burma declared independence in 1948.

In April 1945, as Hitler’s Third Reich was unravelling, George Orwell published 'Anti-Semitism in Britain'. The short essay sketches the contours of British anti-Semitism, an essentially non-virulent, though a tenaciously pervasive, societal attitude that ran deep and cut across class and ideological differences.

According to biographer D. J. Taylor, the young Orwell displayed ‘an enthusiasm for poetry that in [his] formative years seems to have been as least as strong as any desire to write fiction’. Orwell’s poetry is not among his best known - or most highly praised - work but nonetheless shares similar concerns to (and displays the dry sense of humour present in) his prose. Mere foothills in the range of Orwell’s work perhaps - but building up to the summits later scaled.

Books v Cigarettes is a funny and irreverent essay comparing the costs of reading to other forms of recreation including smoking. Originating from the experience of an editor friend who was firewatching during the Second World War, who was told by factory workers that they had no interest in literature because they could not afford books, the essay first appeared in Tribune in 1946.

Published a mere two and a half months after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Orwell’s 'You and the Atomic Bomb' is notable as one of the first efforts to divine the social and political implications of a new weapon of previously unimaginable power. Its fame arises from Orwell’s coinage of a new term for the permanent standoff the bomb would foster between two great powers, the United States and the Soviet Union: the 'cold war'.

In this insightful and politically powerful essay, Orwell attempts to evaluate non-violence as a method of political leverage outside of the unique circumstances in which Gandhi successfully deployed his method. He discusses the particular context that gave Satyagraha political force: the struggle for national self-determination in colonial India, and looks to Gandhi’s method as a reference for what he feels is a necessary discussion of alternative methods of political resistance.

Cambridge Archaeology Professor Alex Harker is drawn back into the twisted clutches of the Mithras, who are seeking to unearth a knowledge lost to humankind since the dawn of civilization. His journey will take him from the Bay of Bengal to the murky depths of the Gibraltar strait, from the Swiss Alps to an island untouched for over 30,000 years, all in pursuit of this fateful knowledge.

At a remote farmhouse outside Turin, a mysterious religious exorcism goes horribly wrong, setting in motion a series of catastrophic events, that threatens to bring the world to its knees... Meanwhile, Professor Alex Harker is settling into his new life in the Templar Brotherhood, when he is suddenly whisked away to the Tower of London. There he learns of a disturbing murder, and a strange riddle hinting at a sinister truth.

For many of us, what lies beyond conventional portrayals of mental illness is often shrouded in mystery, misconception and fear. Dr Sean Baumann spent decades as a Psychiatrist at Valkenberg Hospital and, through his personal engagement with patients’ various forms of psychosis, he describes the lived experiences of those who suffer from schizophrenia, depression, bipolar and other disorders. The stories told are authentic, mysterious and compelling, representing both vivid expressions of minds in turmoil and the struggle to give form and meaning to distress.

Health and wellness entrepreneur Peter Darrow thought he had life all figured out. A native of the posh and privileged Upper East Side, the young millennial lived large, attending elite schools, throwing lavish birthday parties, and spending summers in the Hamptons. Then one day, his seemingly perfect, polished life came crashing down. Over the course of three hellish years, his father died, he inherited and burned through a shit-ton of money, his girlfriend dumped him, and his first business floundered.

Too many businesses miss opportunity after opportunity to design, plan, and achieve intentional business change. Why? Because they charter projects focused on delivering software products: IT projects. But as this groundbreaking book points out, there’s no such thing as an IT project - or at least there shouldn’t be. It’s always about intentional business change, or what’s the point? It’s time to stop providing simplistic, one-dimensional, all-you-gotta-do panaceas.

Brian Aldiss has announced that this book, Finches of Mars, will be his final science fiction novel. And what a way to end one of the most illustrious careers in the genre. Set on the Red Planet, it follows a group of colonists and the problems they have in setting up a new society. Life can be sustained, but new life will not prosper - the women on the planet only ever give birth to stillborn children. Exploring many of the author’s classic themes, this is a landmark novel in any genre.

When bon vivant Italian opera star turned pilot Pietro is shot down during WWII, he nearly loses his life. Worse, he's lost his passion for music and is close to losing his sanity in a soul-crushing prisoner-of-war camp in South Africa when he meets Iris. He has a vision of love worth dying for - worth living for - and realizes he must find his voice if he ever hopes to find her again.

In the fiery environment of an election season, with tensions stoked by an unrelenting heat wave, Danny Walker goes about the business of being a carefree boy. But when a horrific act of violence is visited on his family, his sense of innocence is shattered and his grip on reality slowly begins to fracture. In lean, lyrical prose - reminiscent of the work of J. M. Coetzee and Cormac McCarthy - Zimbabwean writer Ian Holding delivers a mesmerising coming-of-age tale of guilt and responsibility set within the fault lines of modern Africa.

Come away to ancient Jerusalem in the time of King Solomon - a city of great splendor and great squalor, of many gods and goddesses, of paupers and kings. Behold the beating heart of the Middle East, whose economic and political affairs reach far and wide and impact lands hundreds of miles away. Barbarism and wisdom. Lust and love. The most senseless violence and the most exquisite wisdom. All are joined together in Alexander Kuprin's brilliant Sulamyth.

A remarkable man makes the journey from England to Berlin. He has six days left to live and must relate his life story before he dies. He has witnessed firsthand the rise of the Nazis, experienced family tragedy, fought in the German army, been interred in a POW camp and faced persecution in peacetime Britain. He has survived at the limits of human endurance. His secret is someone else's salvation.