Literature: history and criticism

‘I read a book one day and my whole life was changed’ ... So confesses the narrator of Orhan Pamuk’s novel The New Life. But what can we learn from reading books? Life Lessons from Literature poses this broad question by examining the works of some of...

It's time to diversify your reading list.This richly illustrated and vastly inclusive collection uplifts the works of authors who are often underrepresented in the literary world. Using their keen knowledge and deep love for all things literary,...

Connects the magical practice of theurgy to the time of Homer• Explores the many theurgic themes and events in the Odyssey and the Iliad• Analyzes the writings of Neoplatonists Porphyry and Proclus, showing how both describe the technical ritual praxis...

Discover the gods, goddesses, and heroes from Norse mythology with this beautiful handbook that captures the ancient stories that captivated the Vikings.Learn more about your favorite Norse gods, goddesses, and heroes with this collection of profiles...

An “extraordinarily brilliant” and “pleasurably naughty” (André Aciman) investigation into the Shakespeare authorship question, exploring how doubting that William Shakespeare wrote his plays became an act of blasphemy…and who the Bard might really be...

Uncover the fascinating and complex women from mythology and folklore with this collection of stories profiling powerful goddesses, mighty queens, and legendary creatures.Get inspired with 50 fascinating stories of powerful female figures from...

Shortlisted for the 2023 NSW Premier's Literary Award for Non-Fiction  Longlisted for the 2023 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary AwardFrom the best-selling author of The Tall Man and The Arsonist, a personal tale about death, life...

In this vividly rendered and empathetic biography of two of the greatest poets of the 20th century—Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton—“the friendship and rivalry that the pair shared—not to mention the titular cocktails at a Boston hotel—is explored in...

Finally sort out who’s who in Greek mythology—from gods, goddesses, heroes, monsters, and everyone in between!Greek mythology continues to appear in popular movies and books today but have you ever wondered about where these characters started out?...

Explains the relevance of ancient myths to the awakening to higher states of consciousness and enlivened experience of the world • Shows how higher consciousness can arise within each of us by following the guidance found in ancient myths • Reveals how...

A practical guide to the magical history, customs, and practices of pre-Christian Northern Europe • Details the everyday magic of the Northern Tradition, including household magic, protection spells, and the significance of the days of the week •...

Published to mark the 400th anniversary of the book's original publication, this facsimile edition faithfully reproduces one of the finest copies held in the British Library collections.The significance of the First Folio cannot be underestimated. It is...

Enjoy daily distraction with this engaging Almanac. Each date is assigned one or more literary connections. Book lovers will find extracts from authors' diaries and letters, chance upon the narrative twists and transformative moments in their favourite...

The sea is beautiful and alluring, but it is also dangerous and deadly. Above all, it is unknowable and untameable. Storytelling offered our ancestors a means to understand and interact with the natural world, and in time these stories coalesced into the...

Books; reading, collecting and the physical housing of them has brought the book-lover joy - and stress - for centuries. Fascinated writers have tried to capture the particular relationships we form with our library, and the desperate troubles we will...

This is a book of book lists. Not of the '1,001 Books You MUST Read Before You Die' variety but lists that tell stories. Lists that make you smile, make you wonder, and see titles together in entirely new ways. From Bin Laden's bookshelf to the books...

Chapters in this volume consist of six-page summaries of well-known contemporary novels illustrated with four-colour infographics and organised in thematic groupings: "If This Goes On" (e.g., Fahrenheit 451, The Handmaid's Tale); "Made in America" (e.g.,...

Wales is a land with a vast wealth of ghost stories, including fantastical animals, flickering death omens and unseen things that go bump in the night. Whether these tales are based on true events, or are the creations of active imaginations, is known...

'I awoke from a deep sleep I had taken under the shade of a tree in a field at the outskirts of a dark wood, without remembering how I had gotten there, or, indeed, where it was exactly, I had gotten.'So begins a most unusual odyssey, in which a writer...

The television writing of Russell T. Davies defies easy categorisation, ranging from children's programmes, across Shakespeare, historical drama and comedy, to the landmark series that have made him a household name: Queer As Folk, Doctor Who and It's a...