The Modern Library classics

First published in 1922, "The Waste Land" is T.S. Eliot's masterpiece, and is not only one of the key works of modernism but also one of the greatest poetic achievements of the twentieth century. A richly allusive pilgrimage of spiritual and psychological torment and redemption, Eliot's poem exerted a revolutionary influence on his contemporaries, summoning forth a rich new poetic language, breaking decisively with Romantic and Victorian poetic traditions. Kenneth Rexroth was not alone in calling Eliot "the representative poet of the time, for the same reason that Shakespeare and Pope were of theirs. He articulated the mind of an epoch in words that seemed its most natural expression."As influential as his verse, T.S. Eliot's criticism also exerted a transformative effect on twentieth-century letter, and this new edition of The Waste Land and Other Writings includes a selection of Eliot's most important essays. In her new Introduction, Mary Karr dispels some of the myths of the great poem's inaccessibility and sheds fresh light on the ways in which "The Waste Land" illuminates contemporary experience.From the Hardcover edition.

"In a spirited reappraisal of Western views of the East and Eastern views of the West, Bernard Lewis gives us an overview of two thousand years of commerce, diplomacy, war and exploration.". "Western businessmen - from the arms dealers who supplied Saladin with weapons to fight the Crusaders to the first oil prospectors - have seen great possibilities in the markets of the Middle East. And throughout the centuries, East and West have met in battle. We witness the outbreak of the Crimean War with Karl Marx and enter Egypt with Napoleon. We visit Baghdad and Cairo with George F. Kennan during World War II."--BOOK JACKET.

Wellington Redburn is a fifteen-year-old from the state of New York, with only one dream - to run away to sea. However, when he does fulfil this long-held fantasy, he quickly finds that reality as a cabin boy is far harsher than he ever imagined. Mocked by the crew on board the Highlander for his weakness and bullied by the vicious and merciless sailor Jackson, Wellington must struggle to endure the long journey from New York to Liverpool. But when he does reach England, he is equally horrified by what he finds there: poverty, desperation and moral corruption. Inspired by Melville's own youthful experiences on board a cargo boat, this is a compelling tale of innocence transformed, through bitter experience, into disillusionment. A fascinating sea journal and coming-of-age tale, Redburn provides a unique insight into the mind of one of America's greatest novelists.

The definitive collection of Emerson's major speeches, essays, and poetry, The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson chronicles the life's work of a true "American Scholar."As one of the architects of the transcendentalist movement, Emerson embraced a philosophy that championed the individual, emphasized independent thought, and prized "the splendid labyrinth of one's own perceptions." More than any writer of his time, he forged a style distinct from his European predecessors and embodied and defined what it meant to be an American. Matthew Arnold called Emerson's essays "the most important work done in prose."From the Trade Paperback edition.

Collects the poetry and correspondence of the English poet.

A collection of twenty-three stories about the Klondike gold rush of 1897 describes the brutal and frozen Yukon landscape and the extreme tactics men adopted to survive the ordeal.

Poet, celebrity, and revolutionary, Lord (George Gordon) Byron was one of the most influential and controversial figures of the first half of the nineteenth century, his distinctive, deeply felt work comprising one of the enduring high points of Romantic literature. From "Manfred," with its evocation of the figure that came to be called the "Byronic hero," to the melancholy "Childe Harold," to the satirical masterpiece "Don Juan" (presented here in judiciously selected form), this Modern Library Paperback Classic includes all of the essential Byron.

This novel is perfect for anyone who’s been in a long-term relationship, or realized that the majority of their social time is spent with other couples. A great reminder that marriage is a marathon, not a sprint.

Naturalistic study of a stratum of upperclass life in America, set in a Pennsylvania town.

"A neglected tour de force by the first American to win the Nobel Prize in literature, Kingsblood Royal is a stirring and wickedly funny portrait of a man who "resigns from the white race." When Neil Kingsblood - a typical middle-American banker with a comfortable life - makes the shocking discovery that he has African-American blood, the odyssey that ensues creates an unforgettable portrayal of two Americas, one black, one white.". "As timely as when it was first published in 1947, "one need only open today's newspaper to see the same issues passionately being discussed between blacks and whites that we find in Kingsblood Royal," says Charles Johnson. Perhaps only now can we fully appreciate Sinclair Lewis's astonishing achievement."--BOOK JACKET.

"The writings of Immanuel Kant became the cornerstone of all subsequent philosophical inquiry. They articulate the relationship between the human mind and all that it encounters and remain the most important influence on our concept of knowledge. As renowned Kant scholar Allen W. Wood writes in his Introduction, Kant "virtually laid the foundation for the way people in the last two centuries have confronted such widely differing subjects as the experience of beauty and the meaning of human history.""--BOOK JACKET.

"Like most great comedy," writes Darin Strauss in his Introduction, "Mr. Beluncle makes sport of the Stuffed Shirt, the Hypocritical Pious Gentleman, and the Tyrant, as well as the Big Spender--and all these descriptions fit a single character: Mr. Beluncle himself." One of V. S. Pritchett's most enduring characters, Mr. Beluncle is narcissistic, sanctimonious, and self-indulgent, yet despite these flaws he is undeniably compelling. Readers who follow this quirky British furniture salesman on his seemingly ordinary escapades--shopping for ridiculously expensive houses, attending services at his peculiar church, presiding over a tumultuous family meal--are in for a delightful and disquieting ride. Poignant, hilarious, and utterly unforgettable Mr. Beluncle is an ideal introduction to one of the English language's most gifted authors.From the Trade Paperback edition.

"The complexity and range of Robert Louis Stevenson's short fiction reveals his genius perhaps more than any other medium. Here, leading Stevenson scholar Barry Menikoff arranges and introduces the complete selection of Stevenson's brilliant stories, including the famed masterpiece Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, as well as "The Beach of Falesa" and Stevenson's previously uncollected stories.". "This Modern Library Paperback Classics edition includes explanatory notes, a Scots Glossary, and a unique appendix dedicated to Stevenson's influence on the Oxford English Dictionary."--BOOK JACKET.

"A work by turns hilarious and grim, Evelina tells the story of a young woman's education in the ways of the world, vividly rendering life in eighteenth-century England. Raised by a pastor after her mother died and her father abandoned her, Evelina leaves the seclusion of the country for her first season out, encounters all manner of people - from prospective husbands to rakes to vulgar relatives - and endures all manner of trials before she achieves her final triumph."--BOOK JACKET.