{"title":"S M Holden","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"emma-the-complete-unabridged-large-print-classic-edition-book-s-m-holden-9781541256446","title":"Emma The Complete \u0026 Unabridged Large Print Classic Edition","description":"This premium quality large print edition includes the complete, unabridged text of Jane Austen's classic tale of good intentions gone bad in a freshly edited and newly typeset edition. With a generous 7.44 x 9.69 page size, this edition is printed on heavyweight 55# bright white paper with a fully laminated cover featuring an original full color design. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ci\u003eEmma...\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The fourth of Jane Austen's published novels, \u003ci\u003eEmma\u003c\/i\u003e appeared in December 1815 to generally positive reviews and solid sales, following second editions of \u003ci\u003ePride and Prejudice\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSense and Sensibility\u003c\/i\u003e. A lively comedy of manners, \u003ci\u003eEmma\u003c\/i\u003e is also a novel about youthful hubris and the consequences of misinterpreted romance. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e As in Austen's other novels, the unfairness of the British legal and cultural systems that left women dependent upon marriage and family for social standing and economic security is an underlying theme as Austen, with characteristic dry humor and wit, explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in the Georgian-Regency period in England. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Austen set out to create a story around a heroine whom no one but myself will much like, and in the opening sentence introduces Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich. But Emma is spoiled, headstrong, self-satisfied, and not quite so wise or intuitive as she believes herself to be. Having attended a wedding where she had introduced the bride and groom and given herself credit for the marriage, she concludes that she should turn her attention to matchmaking. Against advice she pursues her new interest, oblivious to the fact that her imagination often colors her perceptions and blind to the dangers of meddling in other people's lives. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ci\u003eJane Austen...\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Born into a family at the lowest tier of the English landed gentry, Jane Austen (1775-1817) found modest critical and financial success in her lifetime, but by 1830 her books had been out of print for a decade when the copyrights were purchased and new illustrated editions included in Richard Bentley's popular Standard Novels series. With wider exposure they gained popularity and stature, and sold steadily if not spectacularly. 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Not a reproduction or machine-scanned text, this edition has been prepared by human editors working from an exact digital image of the actual classic edition. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e With a large 7.44x9.69 page size, this edition is printed on heavyweight bright white paper with a fully laminated cover featuring an original full color design. Page headers and modern design and page layout reflecting traditional publishing values, together with a detailed author biography discusiing the life of Dickens and the enduring literary significance of his work exemplify the attention to detail given this high quality volume. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e With well over 200 million copies sold and opening and closing lines that are among the most familiar in all of literature, \u003ci\u003eA Tale of Two Cities\u003c\/i\u003e (1859) is one of the best known and most widely-read books in all of literary fiction. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, the novel depicts the suffering of the French peasantry at the hands of the aristocracy and the subsequent abuses and brutality of the revolutionaries. Dickens, ever the social critic, manages to draw parallels to English society, and especially the stratified society of London, while creating his hallmark complex characters and compelling story. It has been remarked that Sydney Carton, a dissolute and disillusioned London barrister, is nonetheless the only protagonist in any of Dickens' major works who is, in the classical sense, heroic. While following several characters, the central plot revolves around Carton, Charles Darnay, a virtuous French aristocrat who falls prey to the wide-ranging and unreasoning fury of the Revolution, and Darnay's wife. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Born in Portsmouth England on February 7, 1812, Charles Dickens enjoyed a comfortable childhood until his father lost his post at the Navy Pay Office and ultimately landed in debtors' prison. Charles embarked upon an horrific stint pasting labels on jars of bootblack in a rat-infested slum while living in an attic. Teaching himself shorthand, he would later find work as a newspaper reporter and writer, covering the courts. These experiences, with his almost photographic memory, provided him with material for the colorful characters and vivid depictions of life in England which characterized his work for decades. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The publication of \u003ci\u003eThe Pickwick Papers\u003c\/i\u003e in serial form in 1836 brought Dickens success. Within a few years he became an international literary celebrity. Ultimately he would become the foremost novelist of the Victorian era and one of the most widely read writers in history. His books have never gone out of print, have been turned into films and plays, and are still widely read today. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Along with compelling storylines and unforgettable characters, Dickens' stories served as vehicles for social commentary, often harshly critical of class stratification and public institutions. In particular, and contrary to prevailing views, Dickens championed the poor, whom he saw as wretched not because of their own weaknesses and moral failures but because of their helplessness before society's attitudes and institutions. And yet Dickens managed throughout to maintain a humorous element, and satire and caricature fill the pages of his works. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Dickens died on June 9, 1870, following a stroke. 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Spoiled and self-absorbed, Mary soon finds that the mansion is not so empty as it seems at first and gradually learns that world does not revolve around her, and is filled with wonderful living things and people who can become friends. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Locked away behind a wall Mary discovers the Secret Garden, abandoned and neglected, and with the help of Dickon, a local boy as at home with the wildlife and plants of the moor as with the livestock and garden of his family's small farm, she begins to tend the garden. And as the garden begins to recover and bloom with the spring, so too does Mary, finding the meaning of friendship and the warmth of human companionship. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The most remarkable transformation, though, is the change that comes over her cousin Colin, sickly and feeble, hidden away from the world in his private room and expecting death. First through the companionship, and later the friendship, of Mary, and then through the magic of the garden, Colin too learns that the world, and the people living in it, can be wondrous things. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e An inspirational and uplifting story, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Secret Garden\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e is generally considered one the 100 best children's books, and imparts a message of the inherent power, and will, of all living things to thrive and the need for each individual to realize the importance and value of the natural world, and the people, around them.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50379133092113,"sku":"CIN1518780350VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50388166443281,"sku":"CIN1518780350G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53118409146641,"sku":"GOR014752924","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1518780350.jpg?v=1751054999"},{"product_id":"essential-h-g-wells-unabridged-large-print-edition-book-s-m-holden-9781727364002","title":"The Essential H. G. Wells Unabridged Large Print Edition","description":"This premium quality large print edition includes the complete text of five of H. G. Wells' best-known and best-loved science fiction classics - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, The Island of Dr. Moreau and The First Men in the Moon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - in a freshly edited and newly typeset edition using a clean, modern, easy-to-read typeface. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e With a large 7.44x9.69 page size, this edition is printed on heavyweight bright white paper with a fully laminated cover featuring an original full color design. Page headers and modern design and page layout exemplify the attention to detail given this volume. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Herbert George Wells (September 21, 1866 - August 13, 1946), was born to domestic servants-turned shopkeepers. Teetering on the brink of poverty after an injury ended his father's income as a part-time professional cricketer, Wells' parents apprenticed him to a draper in 1881, but he was dismissed in 1883. He then became a pupil-teacher in a system where older students helped teach younger students. Despite a wholly inadequate education, Wells, a voracious reader, won a scholarship to the Normal School of Science in London where he studied biology under T. H. Huxley. Wells completed coursework in biology and physics, but left the school after the 1886-1887 school year, having failed geology and lost his scholarship. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Although Wells is best known today for his science fiction works, his first published book was a biology textbook in 1893. The publication of \u003ci\u003eThe Time Machine\u003c\/i\u003e in 1895 launched Wells' long and successful writing career, and over the next several years he published \u003ci\u003eThe War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The First Men in the Moon\u003c\/i\u003e and a host of other lesser-known works ranging from humorous social commentary novels to non-fiction and socio-political polemics. In 1920, he published his revolutionary \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eOutline of History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, which became the model for numerous twentieth-century outline texts in a variety of disciplines. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Wells was an outspoken socialist and pacifist, although he supported Britain's entry into World War I and opposed efforts to bring about an early end to the war on unfavorable terms in 1916. Like most liberals and progressives of his era, he embraced the science of eugenics, espousing sterilization of failure as a means of improving the quality of the human race. He was an advocate of world governance and a strong supporter of the League of Nations. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Wells' works became increasingly political and didactic, and only his early science fiction novels are widely read today. But those novels provide timeless insights into science and society, are interesting for their often-accurate prediction of future events and scientific developments, and are easy to read and highly entertaining. Many of Wells' literary devices -- time travel, hostile aliens, mutant creatures, space travel -- are staples of science fiction today, but were unique and imaginative when presented by Wells. In literary circles, some of Wells' comic novels, virtually unknown to most readers today, are considered outstanding examples of 20th century British literature, and Wells is regarded as perhaps the pre-eminent exeplar of pre-World War I liberal optimism. 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Page headers and footers and modern design and page layout exemplify the attention to detail given this collector-quality volume. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Set among the minor gentry in the vicinity of the fictional town of Meryton, near London in Hertfordshire, the novel follows the activities of Elizabeth Bennet, the second of five daughters of a country gentleman and his rather crass and intellectually limited wife. The story opens with the uproar surrounding the news than a nearby manor house has been rented by a well-to-do young single man from London, and the machinations of the local residents with marriageable daughters which ensue. From that starting point through a series of events both momentous and mundane, appearances and judgments are put to the test as various characters are gradually revealed to be something other than what they have appeared. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eJane Austen\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Born into a family at the lowest tier of the English landed gentry, Jane Austen (1775-1817) found modest critical and financial success in her lifetime, but by 1830 her books had been out of print for a decade when the copyrights were purchased and new illustrated editions included in Richard Bentley's popular Standard Novels series. With wider exposure they gained popularity and stature, and sold steadily if not spectacularly. 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In Pride and Prejudice, for example, Austen uses the repetitive complaints of the mother to attack, indirectly and humorously, the entailed estate, a form of ownership in which only male heirs can inherit real estate, making the father's cousin, not his wife and daughters, the legal heir to their home. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e While it is common to identify Austen with Elizabeth, the relationship that develops between Jane, the oldest sister, and Mr. Bingley is remarkably reminiscent of a the brief relationship between young Jane Austen and Thomas LeFroy, a visitor who stayed for a time near Austen's family and would later become Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, perhaps the only romance of Austen's life. With the exception of a short period at a boarding school and visits to a brother who was, for a time, a London banker, Austen lived her entire life within a close-knit family group mainly located in the countryside very much like the settings of her novels. 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Also included is a detailed introductory essay discussing the life and work of Herman Melville and the history and significance of \u003ci\u003eMoby Dick\u003c\/i\u003e, providing the modern reader with useful background information to enhance the enjoyment of this classic. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Herman Melville is known today primarily for his iconic whaling novel, \u003ci\u003eMoby Dick\u003c\/i\u003e (1851), the story of the struggle between Captain Ahab and the great white whale, which appears on many lists of greatest books ever written and is considered an essential part of the Western Canon. Ironically, when the novel was published it was a monumental flop and signaled the end of Melvilles's career as a novelist. One theory is that the omission of the epilogue from the first printing left the book open to ridicule as a first-person narrative in which the narrator did not survive to tell the tale. He published several more novels, all without success, and in 1866 became a New York customs inspector, all but forgotten for the next fifty years. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e It was not until the rise of the modernist movement that \u003ci\u003eMoby Dick\u003c\/i\u003e was recognized as a great literary work. What once were regarded as serious flaws came to be viewed as literary innovations, and the novel went from being criticized as undisciplined and poorly crafted to being hailed as ahead of its time and visionary. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e For the modern reader, the complex analytical theories behind \u003ci\u003eMoby Dick\u003c\/i\u003e may get in the way of enjoying the novel for its own sake. Taking \u003ci\u003eMoby Dick\u003c\/i\u003e at face value, it is an interesting tale, rich with diverse characters and evocative themes like friendship, class and social status, good and evil, isolation and community, the existence of God, obsession and human perception. A vivid depiction of life aboard ship in the nineteenth century it is perhaps the most detailed and accessible existing picture of what was, for a time, the richest industry in the United States. If at times the text seems stilted or antiquated, as might be expected from any work from this era, it is equally true that at times the text attains a soaring, almost lyric tone. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The most casual reader cannot fail to appreciate the unforgettable characters, compelling storyline and vivid depictions of whales, whalers and whaling, and the obsession-driven quest after the great white whale upon which Ahab leads, and the crew follows, to their doom. And this, without anything more, makes Moby Dick essential reading. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Herman Melville (1819-1891) was an author of the American Renaissance, or Romantic, period. Born in New York City, he was the third child of a successful merchant. He worked as a schoolteacher before going to sea for the first time in 1839. Serving on a whaler in 1842, he jumped ship and spent a month living among South Pacific islanders. His first novel, Typee (1846), a bestseller, was based in part on his experiences in the South Pacific as was the successful sequel, Omoo (1847). The same year Melville, now a successful novelist, married Elizabeth Knapp Shaw. They would have four children between 1849 and 1855. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Mardi and Redburn, both published in 1849, met with limited success. Mardi in particular was criticized as so thematically dense as to be incomprehensible. White-Jacket (1850), based on Melville's brief service in the U.S. Navy, was his most influential work during his lifetime, with graphic descriptions of flogging that led directly to banning the practice on naval vessels. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ci\u003eMoby Dick\u003c\/i\u003e and several additional failed novels and poetry collections followed. 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Page headers and modern design and page layout exemplify the attention to detail given this premium quality volume. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGreat Expectations...\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Charles Dickens' quintessential Victorian coming-of-age tale, Great Expectations was originally published in serial form between December 1860 and August 1861. In response to contemporary literary criticism asserting that the story was too sad, Dickens later rewrote the ending. In keeping with long-standing literary tradition, this Summit Classics volume follows the 1874 edition, published as a full-length novel with the modified ending. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The tale follows the life of an orphan named Pip from childhood in and around the Kentish marshes to London and back again. Pip crosses paths with Abel Magwitch, an escaped convict, the well-off but unbalanced Miss Havisham, still wearing the wedding dress in which she was abandoned on her wedding day, and her beautiful adopted daughter Estella. Pip has a loyal friend in Joe, the brother-in-law who takes him on as an apprentice, where he is working when a lawyer, Mr. Jaggers, informs him that he is to receive a large sum from an anonymous benefactor and must immediately travel to London. As the real relationships and identities of the characters are revealed over the course of the story, Dickens delves into themes of love, loyalty, honesty and revenge. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCharles Dickens...\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Born in Portsmouth England on February 7, 1812, Charles Dickens enjoyed a comfortable childhood until his father lost his post at the Navy Pay Office and ultimately landed in debtors' prison. Young Charles embarked upon an horrific stint pasting labels on jars of bootblack in a rat-infested slum. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e He would later find work as a newspaper writer, covering politics and then the courts. These experiences, with his almost photographic memory, would provide him with material for the colorful characters and vivid depictions of life in England which would characterize his work for decades. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The publication of \u003ci\u003eThe Pickwick Papers\u003c\/i\u003e in serial form in 1836 brought Dickens success, and within a few years he had become an international literary celebrity. Ultimately he would become the foremost novelist of the Victorian era and one of the most widely read writers in history. His books have never gone out of print, have been turned into films and plays, and are still widely read today. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Along with his compelling storylines and unforgettable characters, Dickens' stories served as vehicles for social commentary, often harshly critical of class stratification and public institutions. In particular, and contrary to prevailing views, Dickens championed the poor, whom he saw as wretched not because of their own weaknesses and moral failures but because of their helplessness before society's attitudes and institutions. And yet Dickens managed throughout to maintain a humorous element, and satire and caricature fill the pages of his works. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Dickens died on June 9, 1870, following a stroke. Given the body of work he left behind, it is striking to note that Charles Dickens was just 58 years old at his death.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52099633840401,"sku":"CIN1726383342VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781726383349.jpg?v=1757086670"},{"product_id":"great-expectations-the-complete-unabridged-classic-edition-book-s-m-holden-9781508967828","title":"Great Expectations The Complete \u0026 Unabridged Classic Edition","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52963507896593,"sku":"CIN1508967822G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781508967828.jpg?v=1766438526"},{"product_id":"anne-of-green-gables-the-complete-unabridged-large-print-classic-edition-book-s-m-holden-9781541274068","title":"Anne of Green Gables The Complete \u0026 Unabridged Large Print Classic Edition","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53467024785681,"sku":"CIN1541274067VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781541274068.jpg?v=1777244427"},{"product_id":"tale-of-two-cities-the-complete-and-unabridged-classic-edition-in-large-print-book-s-m-holden-9781539834014","title":"A Tale of Two Cities The Complete and Unabridged Classic Edition in Large Print","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53632473039121,"sku":"CIN1539834018VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781539834014.jpg?v=1780923671"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/collections\/author-books-by-s-m-holden.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}