Literary Criticism

A biography of Dame Agatha Christie; in-depth profiles of ten of her most popular characters together with an analyses of the stories in which they appeared; a look at her espionage thrillers and non-crime titles; a section on film, TV and stage adaptations; appendices that include an exhaustive ...

‘Untold Stories’, Alan Bennett’s first major collection of prose since his bestselling ‘Writing Home’, brings together the finest and funniest of his writing over the last ten years. Following on from ‘Untold Stories: Part 1: Stories’ (also available from BBC Audio), ‘Part 2: The Diaries’ covers ...

Two recordings feature selected material from 'Untold Stories': 'Part 1: Stories' contains the title piece, and 'Part 2: The Diaries' covers Alan Bennett's much-celebrated diaries for 1997 to 2004. 'Part 1: Stories': 'Untold Stories' is a poignant family memoir recalling the marriage of Alan's pa...

Join our intrepid adventurers Otto and Cassandra (and Missy, the smartest bird in the universe) as they embark on a brand new Ladybird Audio Adventure!This time we're travelling back to Ancient Egypt!These audiobooks help children learn about their environment on journey of discovery with the nar...

Originally released as a serial between 1873 and 1877 in “The Russian Messenger”, this fantastically intricate novel in eight parts chronicles the lives and relationships of over a dozen characters and deals with such themes as marriage, faith, fidelity, betrayal, Russian society, and desire. The...

The stooping figure of my mother, waist-deep in the grass and caught there like a piece of sheep's wool, was the last I saw of my country home as I left it to discover the world'Abandoning the Cotswolds village that raised him, the young Laurie Lee walks to London.There he makes a living labourin...

We only have to 'remember, remember the 5th of November' to see a dark night filled with fireworks and bonfires. In their many different ways - through their sounds, rhythms, stories, surprises and jokes - these poems will set the fireworks crackling in our own heads.Michael Morpurgo has brought ...

Black is male, Black is female, Black is straight, Black is gay, Black is urban, Black is rural, Black is rich. And poor. Black is mixed-race, Black is immigrants, Black is more.There are countless ways to be BLACK ENOUGH.Featuring some of the most acclaimed bestselling American black authors wri...

Edited by National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi, Black Enough is an essential collection of captivating stories about what it’s like to be young and black in America.Black is maleBlack is femaleBlack is straightBlack is gayBlack is urbanBlack is ruralBlack is rich. And poorBlack is mixed-raceBla...

In difficult times, what children really need is hope.This collection, packed with short stories, poems, essays and pictures from the very best children's authors and illustrators, aims to provide just that. Within its pages you'll find animal friends from insects to elephants, high-flying grandm...