France

One of Zola's most famous realist novels, Therese Raquin is a clinically observed, sinister tale of adultery and murder among the lower classes in nineteenth-century Parisian society. Set in the claustrophobic atmosphere of a dingy haberdasher's shop in the passage du Pont-Neuf in Paris, this powerful novel tells how the heroine and her lover, Laurent, kill her husband, Camille, but are subsequently haunted by visions of the dead man, and prevented from enjoying the fruits of their crime. Zola's shocking tale dispassionately dissects the motivations of his characters—mere "human beasts", who kill in order to satisfy their lust—and stands as a key manifesto of the French Naturalist movement, of which the author was the founding father. Published in 1867, this is Zola's most important work before the Rougon-Macquart series and introduces many of the themes that can be traced through the later novel cycle.

A pilot stranded in the desert awakes one morning to see, standing before him, the most extraordinary little fellow. "Please," asks the stranger, "draw me a sheep." And the pilot realizes that when life's events are too difficult to understand, there is no choice but to succumb to their mysteries. He pulls out pencil and paper... And thus begins this wise and enchanting fable that, in teaching the secret of what is really important in life, has changed forever the world for its readers. Few stories are as widely read and as universally cherished by children and adults alike as The Little Prince, presented here in a stunning new translation with carefully restored artwork. The definitive edition of a worldwide classic, it will capture the hearts of readers of all ages.

Esta es la historia de Marco, un ya no tan joven fotógrafo que intenta encajar las piezas de la vida: su trabajo, mujer, su hija, su pasado... Esta es la historia de Marco, un recién estrenado padre que intenta descubrir cómo hacerle ver a su hija que la vida es un regalo, sin perder los nervios. Esta es la historia de Marco, que aún no sabe adónde va.

Something very strange is in the air of the harmonious town of Quiquendone. Unknown to its inhabitants, the mad genius Dr. Ox has unleashed a veil of oxyhydric gas over the town—his own living laboratory—in an attempt to spice things up. In his amusing portrait of an idyllic community suddenly overtaken by an appetite for aggression, Jules Verne points to the ease with which any society—and the modern resonance is unmissable—can be manipulated by its masters into hatred and war. Jules Verne was the originator of modern science fiction; among his works are Around the World in Eighty Days and Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Deeply shocking in its time, The Last Day of a Condemned Man is a profound and moving tale and a vital work of social commentary. A man vilified by society and condemned to death for his crime wakes every morning knowing that this day might be his last. With the hope for release his only comfort, he spends his hours recounting his life and the time before his imprisonment. But as the hours pass, he knows that he is powerless to change his fate. He must follow the path so many have trod before him—the path that leads to the guillotine.