20th Century's Best Books

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. The tragic story of the friendship between two migrant workers, George and mentally disabled Lenny, and their dream of owning a farm.

Billy Pilgrim travels through time to relive parts of his life. 2 cassettes.

8 cassettes / 12 hours
Unabridged.
Read by Jeremy Irons


Exhilarating, both appallingly funny and hauntingly sad, Lolita is Vladimir Nabokov's most famous and controversial novel, a twentieth century classic whose characters' names have become synonymous with the outrages and degradations of obsessive passion. When the aging emigre Humbert Humbert falls in love with the precocious nymphet Dolores Haze, all the rules -- of desire, decency, and literature -- are broken.  Lolita has the power to shock, challenge, and enrapture anyone who listens to this masterful performance by Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons.

Even if you're not a fan of audio - I urge you to listen to this recording. Engrossing, enraging, titillating, disturbing, fascinating -- Jeremy Irons oozes with all things right in literature.  The boundaries have been pushed.

Audio CDs read by Richard Poe. Unabridged.

Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12 he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Huxley's classic prophetic novel describes the socialized horrors of a futuristic utopia devoid of individual freedom.

Spoiled Southern belle Scarlett O'Hara never stops loving the married Ashley Wilkes even as she faces the hardships of life during the Civil War and the changes brought about by Reconstruction. Reprint.

THE GREATEST FANTASY EPIC OF OUR TIME

Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit who wanted to be left alone in quiet comfort. But the wizard Gandalf came along with a band of homeless dwarves. Soon Bilbo was drawn into their quest, facing evil orcs, savage wolves, giant spiders, and worse unknown dangers. Finally, it was Bilbo–alone and unaided–who had to confront the great dragon Smaug, the terror of an entire countryside . . .

This stirring adventure fantasy begins the tale of the hobbits that was continued by J.R.R. Tolkien in his bestselling epic The Lord of the Rings.

Fully dramatized and produced with cinema-quality sound design and music, each title in Radio Theatre's Chronicles of Narnia is now available in a travel-friendly size. Hosted by Douglas Gresham, stepson of C. S. Lewis, these timeless classics have mesmerized millions around the world. Upon entering an enchanted world called Narnia, four ordinary children learn extraordinary lessons in courage, self-sacrifice, friendship, and honor. Brought to life in London by a cast of more than 100 actors, including award-winners Paul Scofield, David Suchet, and Ron Moody, the 7-part Chronicles of Narnia provides over 22 hours of exhilaring listening entertainment.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: Four children in search of an adventure find themselves in the far-away land of Narnia--a world populated by talking animals, an evil White Witch, and a fearsome lion named Aslan. Over the years, countless millions have made the same journey, through C. S. Lewis' imaginative novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Now that incredible story unfolds as never before in the audio dramatization of this immortal classic-from the Peabody Award-winning Focus on the Family Radio Theatre team. Featuring talented actors, film-style sound design, and a rich musical score, this thrilling tale reminds us of the greatness of God's sacrificial love.

This magical realist novel tells the history of the Buendias family, the founders of Macondo, a remote South American settlement. In the world of the novel there is a Spanish galleon beached in the jungle, a flying carpet, and an iguana in a woman's womb.

Animal Farm, by George Orwell - Akasha Classics, AkashaPublishing.Com - Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the henhouses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the pop-holes. With the ring of light from his lantern dancing from side to side, he lurched across the yard, kicked off his boots at the back door, drew himself a last glass of beer from the barrel in the scullery, and made his way up to bed, where Mrs. Jones was already snoring. As soon as the light in the bedroom went out there was a stirring and a fluttering all through the farm buildings. Word had gone round during the day that old Major, the prize Middle White boar, had had a strange dream on the previous night and wished to communicate it to the other animals. It had been agreed that they should all meet in the big barn as soon as Mr. Jones was safely out of the way. Old Major (so he was always called, though the name under which he had been exhibited was Willingdon Beauty) was so highly regarded on the farm that everyone was quite ready to lose an hour¿s sleep in order to hear what he had to say.

The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning, along with the houses in which they were hidden. Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires, and he enjoys his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames. He never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid and a professor who told him of a future in which people could think. Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do.

This CliffsNotes study guide on John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath supplements the original literary work, giving you background information about the author, an introduction to the work, a graphical character map, critical commentaries, expanded glossaries, and a comprehensive index, all for you to use as an educational tool that will allow you to better understand the work. This study guide was written with the assumption that you have read The Grapes of Wrath. Reading a literary work doesn't mean that you immediately grasp the major themes and devices used by the author; this study guide will help supplement you reading to be sure you get all you can from Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. CliffsNotes Review tests your comprehension of the original text and reinforces learning with questions and answers, practice projects, and more. For further information on John Steinbeck and The Grapes of Wrath, check out the CliffsNotes Resource Center at www.cliffsnotes.com. IN THIS AUDIOBOOK • Learn about the Life and Background of John Steinbeck • Hear an Introduction to The Grapes of Wrath • Explore themes, character development, and recurring images in the Critical Commentaries • Learn new words from the Glossary at the end of each Chapter • Examine in-depth Character Analyses • Acquire an understanding of The Grapes of Wrath with Critical Essays • Reinforce what you learn to further your study online at www.cliffsnotes.com

A comparison of the three versions of Anne Frank's diary; Anne's original entries, including never-before-published material; the diary as she herself edited it while in hiding; and the best-known version, edited by her father.

B & W photographs throughout

This story is filled with dark comedy and crafted with a quality of writing that has garnered J.K. Rowling top awards in her country and ours. Harry Potter spent ten long years living with his aunt and uncle and stupid cousin, Dudley. Fortunately, Harry has a destiny that he was born to fulfill. One that will rocket him out of his dull life and into a unique experience at the Hogworts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The Great Gatsby celebrates a "heightened sensibility to the promises of life," an American capacity for hope that remains unsullied even by the falsity of what it pursues. Feel the texture of Fitzgerald's language as master reader Alexander Scourby, with cool precision, unfolds the mystery of Jay Gatsby. Gatsby embodies the nave American notion that it is possible to invent oneself and persuade the world to accept that definition. The novel that epitomizes the glamour and recklessness, promise and despair of the Jazz Age is a true classic of American literature. Complete and unabridged. 3 cassettes.

This audio set includes: The Fellowship of the Ring; The Two Towers; and The Return of the King. Undertaking the adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's best-known work was an enormous task, but with its first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on March 8, 1981, this dramatized tale of Middle Earth became an instant global classic. Thrilling dramatization by Brian Sibley and Michael Bakewell it boasts a truly outstanding cast including Ian Holm (as Frodo), Sir Michael Hordern (as Gandalf), Robert Stephens (as Aragorn), and John Le Mesurier. Tolkiens tale relates the perilous attempt by Frodo Baggins and company to defeat the evil Saruman and dispose of the Ruling Ring. Brian Sibley wrote the opening and closing narration for the character of Frodo, played by Ian Holm, who now stars as Bilbo in the feature films based on The Lord of the Rings.

A beautiful illustrated boxed set collecting the two most popular Tolkien hardbacks -- the Centenary edition of The Lord of the Rings and the 60th Anniversary edition of The Hobbit, both illustrated by Alan Lee. Since they were first published, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have been two books people have treasured. Steeped in unrivalled magic and otherworldliness, these works of sweeping fantasy have touched the hearts of young and old alike. Between them, nearly 100 million copies have been sold around the world. And no editions have proved more popular than the two that were illustrated by award-winning artist, Alan Lee -- the Centenary edition of The Lord of the Rings and the 60th Anniversary edition of The Hobbit. Now, for the first time, these two beautifully illustrated hardbacks have been collected together into one deluxe boxed set. Readers will be able to follow the complete story of the Hobbits and their part in the quest for the Ring -- beginning with Bilbo's fateful visit from Gandalf and culminating in the dramatic climax between Frodo and Gollum atop Mount Doom -- while also enjoying over seventy full-page colour paintings and numerous illustrations which accompany this epic tale.

The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.

Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.