He and his family are embraced by the butchers, grocers, and bakers of the neighbourhood, whose clamour of stories and idiosyncratic child-rearing advice is as compelling as the city itself. This intimate and revelatory book is a celebration of Rome, a wondrous look at new parenthood and a fascinating account of the alchemy of writers.

Lo stesso giorno in cui sua moglie ha dato alla luce 2 gemelli, Anthony Doerr ha ricevuto il Roma Prize, premio che gli ha dato uno stipendio e una sistemazione di un anno a Roma … Four Seasons in Rome tratta le ripercussioni di quel giorno, descrivendo le variazioni variabili di Doerr in una delle città più incantevoli del mondo e del primo anno di genitorialità. Legge Plinio, Dante e Keats – i cronisti di Roma che lo hanno preceduto – e visita le piazze, i templi e le antiche cisterne che descrivono. Frequenta la veglia di un Papa Giovanni II morente e porta i suoi gemelli al Pantheon a dicembre per aspettare che la neve cada attraverso l’Oculus.

Lui e la sua famiglia sono abbracciati da macellai, bottegai e fornai del quartiere, il cui clamore di storie e consigli idiosincratici educativi sono avvincenti come la città stessa. Questo libro intimo e rivelatore è una celebrazione di Roma, uno sguardo meraviglioso alla nuova genitorialità e un affascinante resoconto dell’alchimia degli scrittori.

Also including Austen’s other short fictions, Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sanditon, this valuable new edition examines the ambitious and innovative works with which she inaugurated as well as closed her career.

In Ivanhoe Scott fashioned an imperial myth of national cultural identity that has shaped the popular imagination ever since its first appearance at the end of 1819. The most famous of Scottish novelists drew on the conventions of Gothic fiction, including its risky sexual and racial themes, to explore the violent origins and limits of English nationality. This edition uses the 1830 Magnum Opus text, corrected against the Interleaved Set, and incorporates readings from Scott’s manuscript.

The introduction examines the originality and cultural importance of Ivanhoe, and draws on current work by historians and cultural critics.

Vowing to eliminate the terrible inequities of the farmyard, the renamed Animal Farm is organised to benefit all who walk on four legs. But as time passes, the ideals of the rebellion are corrupted, then forgotten. And something new and unexpected emerges… First published in 1945, Animal Farm – the history of a revolution that went wrong – is George Orwell’s brilliant satire on the corrupting influence of power.

Largely overlooked because of their short lengths, they are finally together in a volume which reaffirms Tolkien’s place as a master storyteller for readers young and old. Roverandom is a toy dog who, enchanted by a sand sorcerer, gets to explore the world and encounter strange and fabulous creatures. Farmer Giles of Ham is fat and unheroic, but – having unwittingly managed to scare off a short-sighted giant – is called upon to do battle when a dragon comes to town; The Adventures of Tom Bombadil tells in verse of Tom’s many adventures with hobbits, princesses, dwarves and trolls;Leaf by Niggle recounts the strange adventures of the painter Niggle who sets out to paint the perfect tree; Smith of Wootton Major journeys to the Land of Faery thanks to the magical ingredients of the Great Cake of the Feast of Good Children.

This new collection is fully illustrated throughout by Oscar-winning artist, Alan Lee, who provides a wealth of pencil drawings to bring the stories to life as he did so memorably for The Hobbit and The Children of Húrin. Alan also provides an Afterword, in which he opens the door into illustrating Tolkien’s world. Taken together, this rich collection of tales from the author of The Children of Húrin will provide the reader with a fascinating journey into lands as wild and strange as Middle-earth.