Upper-intermediate

This collection of six short stories, based on Shakespeare's plays, is the perfect introduction to one of the world's greatest writers. Meet the tragic young lovers Romeo and Juliet, mad King Lear, angry young Hamlet, and many more of the most famous characters in world literature.

There is a climate of secrecy and fear at the Paris Opera. People are dying and a beautiful, talented young singer has disappeared. Is this the work of the Opera ghost? Is the ghost a man or a monster? And what else will he do to get what he wants?

Michael Henchard is a wealthy and respected man, but he has a terrible secret. Twenty years ago, when he was unemployed and penniless, he sold his wife to a sailor. Now she is looking for him again. Why? And what will happen when she finds him?

This collection brings together some of the best examples of late nineteenthand early twentieth-century short stories. Some are about ordinary people to whom something unexpected happens. Others are about unusual characters or events. Some of the stories are funny and others are more serious. All of them are highly enjoyable.

These nine stories will take the reader on an exciting journey to distant cultures and times. The collection includes folktales from South America, Africa, India, China, and Europe.

The Russian Revolution – four young people, Yury, Tonya, Lara and Pasha, find love and lose it in this extraordinary time. Their heart-breaking stories make Dr Zhivago one of the greatest romantic books, and films, of the century.

When Andrew Manson starts work as a doctor he discovers some unpleasant facts about the medical profession. He struggles against a system that seems to value money more than curing illness. But the system is extremely powerful. Will he win his battle?

In Washington, two Supreme Court judges are murdered and only the young and beautiful law student Darby Shaw knows why. She has uncovered a deadly secret but will anyone believe her? Can she stay alive long enough to persuade them she is right?

In these six stories we join the brilliant detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his friend Dr Watson, in a variety of exciting adventures. These include several suspicious deaths, the mystery of the engineer with the missing thumb, and the strange case of the two men who share a very unusual name.