Step into
the century
it came from.
You have read the story before. You have not seen the weather it was written in, the rooms it happened in, or the faces of the people who read it first. These volumes carry all of it: the complete text, paintings made in the same years by people who were there, the month the book came out of, and what was made of it since.
Nothing abridged, nothing simplified, nothing rewritten.
Full-page plates chosen for the book, each named with its painter and year.
Spelling and punctuation follow present-day American usage.
Every edition has its own ISBN and sells worldwide.
New this season
30 volumes made to be given
Most of our covers follow a house standard. These do not. Each was given its own art program, its own palette and gilt titling drawn for that book alone — the edition to reach for when the book is a present rather than a purchase.
Lady Audley's Secret
M. E. Braddon
$9.99
Dracula's Guest
Bram Stoker
$9.99
Thérèse Raquin
Émile Zola
$9.99
Bel Ami
Guy de Maupassant
$9.999 ways in
Literary Classics
The novels that made the novel.
170 02Adventure & the Sea
Wide horizons and long odds.
148 03Mystery & Crime
The pattern every mystery still follows.
63 04Love & Society
Courtship, consequence and the long view.
53 05Salon & Steppe
The Russian and continental masters.
49 06Gothic & Horror
Dread, and the architecture of it.
40 07Comedy & Satire
The century laughing at itself.
31 08The Gilded Library
Made to be given.
30 09Science Fiction
The future, as it was first imagined.
19 10Essays & Criticism
Thinking in public.
6We do not rewrite the classics. We set them again.
The text
Complete and unabridged. Spelling and punctuation follow present-day American usage; nothing else is touched. The sentences are the author’s.
The plates
Chosen for the book, reproduced full page, and named with painter and year. A picture we cannot attribute does not go in.
The volume
Newly set, with its own cover art and its series ornament. Nine shelves, one standard.
On reading the classics
Social Class in Classic Literature
From Austen's genteel drawing rooms to Dickens's grimy workhouses and Fitzgerald's glittering parties, classic literature holds a mirror to the realities of social class. These stories reveal how wealth, birth, and status have shaped — and constrained — human lives for centuries.
Read the essay →Justice and Revenge in Classic Literature
Classic literature is filled with characters who seek justice — and those who cross the line into revenge. From Hamlet's tormented indecision to Edmond Dantès's elaborate schemes, these stories probe the moral consequences of taking justice into one's own hands.
The Theme of Love in Classic Literature
From the restrained courtship of Austen's drawing rooms to the destructive passion of Brontë's moors, love has driven the greatest stories in classic literature. This article traces the many faces of love across centuries of fiction and poetry.
An Introduction to Greek Tragedy
Greek tragedy is the foundation of Western drama, exploring fate, justice, and human suffering with unmatched power. This guide introduces the three great tragedians and the key plays every reader should know.
The Rise of the English Novel: A Brief History
The English novel emerged in the eighteenth century and quickly became the dominant literary form of the modern world. This guide traces its origins through the pioneering works of Defoe, Richardson, Fielding, and Sterne.
Best Classic Horror Novels and Stories
From the Gothic terrors of Poe to the cosmic dread of Lovecraft, classic horror fiction explores the darkest corners of human fear. This guide surveys the genre's essential authors and works.
Best Classic Science Fiction Novels
Science fiction has imagined the future since Mary Shelley first brought a creature to life. This guide explores the classic novels that founded the genre and predicted the modern world.
The classic you finally finish.
Complete, illustrated, newly set, from $4.99.
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