Books

Through the lives of its unforgettable and iconic characters – such as Magwitch, Miss Havisham and Estella – Great Expectations charts the course of an England undergoing rapid social and economic change, and tells a tale that is among the foremost classics of the English language.

Representing a departure from the social satire of most of his other novels and deemed by Dickens himself to be “the best story I have written”, A Tale of Two Cities is a powerful historical novel about the repercussions of epochal events on the personal lives of people on both sides of the Channel

Dickens's fourth novel, initially serialized in his magazine Master Humphrey's Clock between 1840 and 1841, The Old Curiosity Shop proved to be a huge hit on publication and is still regarded as one of its author's major works, featuring one of his best-loved and most memorable heroines.

At once a ferocious indictment of the author’s era and a timeless story of coming of age, this classic has enthralled readers and inspired countless adaptations and imitations since it was first published in 1838.

A masterpiece of psychological insight, Dostoevsky's 1866 novel features some of its author's most memorable characters – from the temperamental protagonist Raskolnikov to the amoral sensualist Svidrigailov and the immoral lawyer Luzhin. Presented here in a sparkling new translation by Roger Cockerell, Crime and Punishment is a towering work in nineteenth-century Russian fiction and a landmark of world literature.

Seen by many as the first existentialist novel and showcasing the best of Dostoevsky's dry humour, Notes from Underground was a pivotal moment in the development of modern literature and has inspired countless novelists, thinkers and film-makers

First appearing separately in the Strand Magazine, these stories were published together in 1892 in a volume that rapidly became one of the most popular Sherlock Holmes collections. Showcasing Arthur Conan Doyle's inimitable genius for mystery and storytelling, these tales are proof that the famous detective remains one of the greatest crime fighters ever created

What begins as a simple house-sharing enquiry soon turns into a fully fledged “study in scarlet”, a case of blood, murder and betrayal that will transport the reader from the streets of London to the early settlements of Salt Lake City in Utah…

First published in 1880, The Sign of the Four – the second Sherlock Holmes novel after A Study in Scarlet, published three years earlier – will sweep the readers away into a story of murders, betrayals, double-crossings and stolen treasures, and is an enduring testament to the storytelling genius of Arthur Conan Doyle

The most famous novel in Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes cycle, The Hound of the Baskervilles is a masterpiece of terror, suspense and mystery which has enthralled readers young and old since it was first published in 1902.