Showing results by author "Edith Nesbit" in All Categories

"Her arms rested on a table beside her, and her head on her hands; but her face was turned full forward, and her eyes met those of the spectator bewilderingly." One day, a man who has recently enherited his aunt's house, discovers a portait of a woman in the attic. He brings it downstairs and becomes so infatuated by the woman it portrays that he prays she will come to life. By some mysterious power she does, and he learns that the two of them have a daunting history.

It wouldn’t be out of line to call this book a great world of pretend. It is actually eight short stories that are clever and magical, as well as frightening at times. The storyteller, Edith Nesbit, was born in 1858 in what is now Greater London. She had the imaginative foresight to concoct tales that often found her called the creator of modern children’s fantasy. Her imagination attracted children of her time and involved them in what seemed to be a real world filled with unexpected adventures. Her powers of invention brought us the magical stories we’re about to hear.

A young man’s inheritance includes more than a house when an ebony-framed painting of a beautiful woman starts to exert a strange hold over its new owner. Could this lead to his tragic demise?

Two young children time travel to see their family castle at various periods in English history - some in glory, some in wreckage, as their family just escaped from running a B&B. They come back to the castle seeking the hidden treasure which will let them bring it back to its old glory, thanks to the magical Mouldiwarp white mole that transforms them, along with the assistance of a witch they befriended unknowingly with a kindness.

The magic fantasy writing of the author of The Railway Children, bringing her fun and insights into the children meeting and appreciating new people and events at home and in travels on their magic carpet with the Phoenix as their guide.

A remarkable tale enjoyed by children and adults alike about a family hit hard by a father's removal to prison and their becoming poor but fighting back, as the mother does by writing and selling stories, the children supporting her and having marvelous adventures while bringing joy and help to many.

The Power of Darkness is a very spooky tale, and not for the faint of heart. A man who is afraid of the dark is tricked into a bet that forces him to spend the night in a Parisian wax museum.

Young Earnest befriends another little boy on his family’s weekly trips to church. But is he an imaginary friend conjured to amuse during long sermons, or is the little stone cherub something more? 'The Marble Child' is taken from the second volume of the Victorian Anthologies Horror series, featuring short stories by classic writers of the spooky, the scary and the supernatural. Guaranteed to give you the shivers, each collection includes familiar and loved creepy tales as well as those less well-known. With music by Benedict Edwards.

John makes up his mind to marry May Forster, the prettiest young woman in the village. After John asks her to marry him several times, May finally agrees. John says that his love for May is so great that he would come back from the dead if that was what she wanted him to do. Two days before his wedding, John leaves to visit his seriously ill godfather. May begs him not to go because she has a feeling that something bad will happen. John reassures her that nothing will prevent him from arriving at his wedding on time.

"The Ice Dragon" recounts the wonders that George and Jane experienced on the evening of the 11th of December, when they did what they were told not to do. They left their garden and took the road to the North Pole where they meet the Ice Dragon and the Sealskin Dwarfs.

Edith Nesbit's trilogy about a group of children who encounter a sand fairy and, through his intercession, embark on a wild round of adventures has been a staple of juvenile literature since the first volume was published in 1902. The three books are Five Children and It (1902), The Phoenix and the Carpet (1904), and The Story of the Amulet (1906).

As a rather sinister twist on the literary and social tradition of sense and sensibility first introduced a century before, Nesbit tells the story of two cousins representing two very different character traits. With Jane focusing on the practical sides of love and Mattie losing herself in sentiment, Nesbit very ably combines these traits with a moral code befitting each woman.

Shakespeare often uses expressive language in his portrayal of jealousy. It is a 'green-eyed monster', an object that 'one might fight and conquer', 'an infection which strikes as quickly as the plague'. In this selection of Shakespeare stories, jealousy plays a prominent role, offering us a wonderful opportunity to learn how Shakespeare's characters are dealing with this vice.

This collection of Shakespeare's tales focuses on themes of friendship and betrayal. Included in this volume: 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona', 'The Comedy of Errors' and 'The Winter's Tale'. Read in English, unabridged.

Bassanio, a young Venetian of noble rank, wishes to woo the beautiful and wealthy heiress Portia of Belmont. Having squandered his estate, he needs 3,000 ducats to subsidise his expenditures as a suitor. Bassanio approaches his friend Antonio, a wealthy merchant of Venice who has previously and repeatedly bailed him out. This edition of The Merchant of Venice is an adaptation of Shakespeare's eponymous drama, narrated in plain modern English, capturing the very essence and key elements of the original Shakespeare work.

This collection of Shakespeare tales focuses on themes of revenge, opening with Hamlet, the greatest revenge play of all time, one of the finest examples of revenge that a young man plans for the murder of his father. This collection of Shakespeare adaptations also includes Macbeth and The Merchant of Venice, each offering a unique perspective on the psychology of revenge.

In Shakespeare plays the tragic and the comic often fade into each other, turning into a harmonious blending of these two elements. Shakespeare takes a special delight in the employment of such harmonies. His tragedies never fail having their comic interludes, and his comedies often have a serious undertone. Still, the comic is not the tragic, and in this collection we offer some of the more humorous and witty tales from Shakespeare. The following Shakespeare adaptations are included here: A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It and Measure for Measure.

Justice, mortality, mercy in Vienna, dichotomy between corruption and purity. Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall. Mercy and virtue prevail, as the play does not end tragically, with virtues such as compassion and forgiveness being exercised at the end of the production. This edition of Measure for Measure is an adaptation of Shakespeare's eponymous drama, narrated in plain modern English, capturing the very essence and key elements of the original Shakespeare work.

Valentine is preparing to leave Verona for Milan so as to broaden his horizons. He begs his best friend, Proteus, to come with him, but Proteus is in love with Julia and refuses to leave. The play deals with the themes of friendship and infidelity, the conflict between friendship and love, and the foolish behaviour of people in love. This edition of The Two Gentlemen of Verona is an adaptation of Shakespeare's eponymous drama, narrated in plain modern English, capturing the very essence and key elements of the original Shakespeare work.

In the beginning, Timon is a wealthy and generous Athenian gentleman. He hosts a large banquet, attended by nearly all the main characters. Timon gives away money wastefully, and everyone wants to please him to get more, except for Apemantus, a churlish philosopher whose cynicism Timon cannot yet appreciate. This edition of Timon of Athens is an adaptation of Shakespeare's eponymous drama, narrated in plain modern English, capturing the very essence and key elements of the original Shakespeare work.