Best British & Irish Humor & Satire

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Seconds before the Earth is demolished for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is saved by Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised Guide . It could only happen to the cosmically displaced Arthur Dent and his comrades as they hurtle across the galaxy in a desperate search for a place to eat. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish Back on Earth, Arthur Dent is ready to believe that the past eight years were all just a figment of his stressed-out imagination. Mostly Harmless Just when Arthur Dent makes the terrible mistake of starting to enjoy life, all hell breaks loose. It's safe to say that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of the funniest science fiction novels ever written. Then in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe , Arthur and his new friends travel to the end of time and discover the true reason for Earth's existence.

One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted – while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she’s avoided all her life. Skilled, perceptive , Eleanor's world will feel familiar to you from the very first page. --Jojo Moyes, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Me Before You "Like a contemporary Jane Eyre, Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant is a woman scarred by profound loneliness, and the shadow of a harrowing childhood she can't even bear to remember. --Fiona Barton, New York Times bestselling author of The Widow "Honeyman's debut is a stunner, as buoyant and charming as it is heartwrenching and emotionally sophisticated. --Jojo Moyes, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Me Before You "Like a contemporary Jane Eyre, Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant is a woman scarred by profound loneliness, and the shadow of a harrowing childhood she can't even bear to remember. --Fiona Barton, New York Times bestselling author of The Widow "Moving, hilarious, and intriguing, just like its unique, anti-social, anti-heroine.You will fallin love with Eleanor Oliphant." --J. Ryan Stradal, New York Times bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest "Honeyman's debut is a stunner, as buoyant and charming as it is heartwrenching and emotionally sophisticated. --Jojo Moyes, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Me Before You "Like a contemporary Jane Eyre, Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant is a woman scarred by profound loneliness, and the shadow of a harrowing childhood she can't even bear to remember. --J. Ryan Stradal, New York Times bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest "Honeyman's debut is a stunner, as buoyant and charming as it is heartwrenching and emotionally sophisticated.

Then one morning the mail arrives, and within the stack of quotidian minutiae is a letter addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl from a woman he hasn’t seen or heard from in twenty years. Memories of his first dance with Maureen, his wedding day, his joy in fatherhood, come rushing back to him—allowing him to also reconcile the losses and the regrets. A novel of unsentimental charm, humor, and profound insight into the thoughts and feelings we all bury deep within our hearts, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry introduces Rachel Joyce as a wise—and utterly irresistible—storyteller. Amazon Best Books of the Month, July 2012: Harold Fry--retired sales rep, beleaguered husband, passive observer of his own life--decides one morning to walk 600 miles across England to save an old friend. Setting off on the long journey, he wears the wrong jacket, doesn't have a toothbrush, and leaves his phone at home--in short, he is wholly, endearingly unprepared. But as he travels, Harold finally has time to reflect on his failings as a husband, father, and friend, and this helps him become someone we (and, more important, his wife Maureen) can respect. Harold's journey, which parallels Christian's nicely but not overly neatly, takes him to the edge of death and back again. It will stick with you, this story of faith, fidelity and redemption .”— Minneapolis Star Tribune “For all of us perfectly responsible, stoop-shouldered suburbanites wearing a path in the living-room carpet, Harold’s ridiculous journey is a cause for celebration . This is J. Alfred Prufrock not just eating that peach, but throwing the pit out the window, rolling up his trousers and whistling to those hot mermaids. “From its charming beginning to its startling and cathartic denouement, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a comic and tragic joy .”— Cleveland Plain Dealer. This funny, poignant story about an ordinary man on an extraordinary journey moved and inspired me.”— Nancy Horan, author of Loving Frank “There’s t remendous heart in this debut novel by Rachel Joyce, as she probes questions that are as simple as they are profound: Can we begin to live again, and live truly, as ourselves, even in middle age, when all seems ruined? original, subtle and touching .”— Claire Tomalin, author of Charles Dickens: A Life “ The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry takes the most ordinary and unassuming of men and turns him into a hero for us all. “A gentle and genteel charmer, brimming with British quirkiness yet quietly haunting in its poignant and wise examination of love and devotion.

A foundling of mysterious parentage brought up by Mr. Allworthy on his country estate, Tom Jones is deeply in love with the seemingly unattainable Sophia Western, the beautiful daughter of the neighboring squire—though he sometimes succumbs to the charms of the local girls. Alice Wakely completed a doctoral dissertation on Samuel Richardson at Magdalen College, Oxford, and is currently at the University of York. His books include Richardson's Clarissa and the 18th Century Reader (1992), Sterne, the Moderns, and the Novel (2002), and co-edited with John Mee, The Cambridge Companion to English Literature 1740-1830 (2004).

The daughter of a pioneering feminist and an Enlightenment philosopher, Shelley lived and wrote at the center of British Romanticism, the “exuberant, young movement” that rebelled against tradition and reason and "with a rebellious scream gave birth to a world of gods and monsters" (del Toro). Nearly 1,000 notes that provide information and historical context on every aspect of Frankenstein and of Mary Shelley’s life Over 200 illustrations, including original artwork from the 1831 edition and dozens of photographs of real-world locations that appear in the novel Extensive listings of films and theatrical adaptations An introduction by Guillermo del Toro and an afterword by Anne K. Mellor. Klinger does not presume to add to the comprehensive body of scholarship on Shelley’s novel; he wants to illuminate the original text itself and showcase how complex and engaging it was―and still is. “In annotating Mary Shelley's Frankenstein , Les Klinger has pulled off the nearly impossible trick of making the original novel as interesting as the phenomena (from the many incarnations of the monster to the field of science fiction) which it spawned. “With the mind of a mad scientist and the heart of a voluptuary, Leslie S. Klinger has been striding through Sherlock Holmes and masterpieces of Fantastica for years now, illuminating, enlightening, clarifying, and amusing as he went. Klinger's deep research and knowledge of his subject shines through this entertaining and fascinating insight into Mary Shelley, her life and times, and the themes and vast impact of her earth-shaking novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. “A stunning one-stop emporium of all things Frankenstein, a standout volume even in the limitless sea of editions of this book.”. - Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Monthly.

Make a cup of tea and let yourself feel. In October 2016 she released the best-selling Poetry collection Pillow Thoughts .

World War II comes to Farleigh Place, the ancestral home of Lord Westerham and his five daughters, when a soldier with a failed parachute falls to his death on the estate. “The skills Bowen brings to her several mystery series, including Molly Murphy and Royal Spyness, inform the plotting in this character-rich tale, which will be welcomed by her fans as well as by readers who enjoy fiction about the British home front.” — Booklist. It features an English aristocrat’s daughter who works at London’s top-secret home of code breakers, Bletchley Park, and a number of others with high-stakes plots and plans.” — Library Journal. “ In Farleigh Field delivers the same entertainment mixed with intellectual intrigue and realistic setting for which Bowen has earned awards and loyal fans.” —New York Journal of Books. Through the character’s eyes, readers will be drawn into the era and begin to understand the sacrifices and hardships placed on English society.” — Crimespree Magazine. With a deep understanding of the wounded human heart, and an uncanny ability to capture the quiet emotions and the grand scale of war, she rises above her contemporaries. Rhys Bowen’s knowing voice transports Downton fans into a unputdownable family saga—a compelling journey through history, loss, honor and love.

The playscript for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was originally released as a 'special rehearsal edition' alongside the opening of Jack Thorne's play in London's West End in summer 2016. When Albus hatches a plot to go back in time to save the life of Cedric Diggory—what Albus views as the biggest mistake his father made—time becomes distorted and Harry is left to examine his own life, his relationship with his son, and how love can sometimes be much more complicated than it seems. This is an interesting extension of the "Harry Potter" universe, but readers should go into it knowing that it's its own beast. Rowling didn't write it (much to the fury and vitriol of many fans), and it is in script form, so it loses some of the magic that won over millions of readers back when it all began.

International bestselling author Ken Follett takes us deep into the treacherous world of powerful monarchs, intrigue, murder, and treason with his magnificent new epic, A Column of Fire . As power in England shifts precariously between Catholics and Protestants, royalty and commoners clash, testing friendship, loyalty, and love. The shrewd, determined young monarch sets up the country’s first secret service to give her early warning of assassination plots, rebellions, and invasion plans. Recommended reading by * The Washington Post * USA Today * New York Post * The Christian Science Monitor * The Philadelphia Inquirer *. A Column of Fire is absorbing, painlessly educational, and a great deal of fun.” —The Washington Post “Follett’s historical epics, including this one, evoke the Romantic adventures of Alexandre Dumas. “Fans of Follett's epic sagas The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End , set in the Middle Ages in the fictional city of Kingsbridge, will be thrilled by this latest installment.” —New York Post “[Follett is a] master of the sweeping, readable epic.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Look out for Jojo’s new book, Still Me, the next book featuring Louisa Clark from Me Before You and After You , coming soon! They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . “READ IT AND WEEP: Heartbreak collides with humor in Jojo Moyes’s Me Before You .”. — Good Housekeeping. There are also books where you become so invested in the characters, you force yourself to stop reading to prolong the experience because you don't want the story to end, and that's what can happen when you read Jojo Moyes' latest book, Me Before You . — Adriana Trigiani , New York Times bestselling author of The Shoemaker's Wife. “ME BEFORE YOU is a delicious surprise—funny and hopeful and heartbreaking, the kind of story that will keep you turning pages into the night. Lou Clark and Will Traynor will capture your heart and linger there long after their story has ended." — Eleanor Brown , New York Times bestselling author of The Weird Sisters. “Some books make you stop and think, compel you to examine your own take on life or your position or stand on an issue. Jojo Moyes’s Me Before You will surprise you—it is impossible not to put yourself in the characters’ shoes and you will find yourself thinking about the choices you might make if life changed in an instant. “Moyes’ twisting, turning, heartbreaking novel raises provocative moral questions while developing a truly unique relationship between two people brought together by chance. With shades of David Nicholls’ beloved One Day , Me Before You is the kind of book you simply can’t put down—even when you realize you don’t want to see it end. "Moyes’ latest is made heartwarming, thanks to the vibrancy of its main characters, both of whom will keep readers on their toes with their chemistry and witty repartee.

The authoritative edition of Macbeth from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes: -Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play. -Newly revised explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play. -Scene-by-scene plot summaries. -A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases. -An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language. -An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play. -Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books. -An up-to-date annotated guide to further reading. The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. Although some think that sometime between 1610 and 1613 Shakespeare retired from the theater and returned home to Stratford, where he died in 1616, others believe that he may have continued to work in London until close to his death.