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The NHB Drama Classics series presents the world's greatest plays in affordable, highly readable editions for students, actors and theatregoers. The hallmarks of the series are accessible introductions (focussing on the play's theatrical and historical background, together with an author biography, key dates and suggestions for further reading) and the complete text, uncluttered with footnotes. The translations, by leading experts in the field, are accurate and above all actable. The editions of English-language plays include a glossary of unusual words and phrases to aid understanding. In The Alchemist Face, Subtle and Dol Common are three rogues intent on conning the gullible out of their money. Setting up a quack-doctor's practice in Lovewit's house they promise miraculous services that cost their customers dear. Everything goes swimmingly, until Lovewit returns and the three turn against each other. Edited by Simon Trussler, with an introduction by Colin Counsell.

Title from PDF cover (viewed on Sept. 20, 2012).

Although Jane Austen is best known for novels such as Pride and Prejudice that deal with romantic entanglements and class conflicts, she was also a skilled essayist and humor writer. In'Love and Freindship'(sic), Austen sends up the epistolary novels that were popular in her day, as well as skewering some of the satire-worthy ideas about love and marriage that were common in the era.

On 28th April 1789 a small and unremarkable merchant vessel became one of the most famous ships in maritime history. HMS Bounty was under the command of 34-year-old Lieutenant William Bligh, an inexperienced commander who lacked the respect of a crew attracted to the promise of an easy life in a Tahitian paradise.Fletcher Christian led half the crew in mutiny against Bligh and after overpowering all resistance, they cast their deposed captain adrift along with those still loyal to him. Luckily for Bligh, his skills as a navigator were better than his skills as a captain and he managed to sail the 23ft boat 3,618 nautical miles to Timor in the Dutch East Indies with no chart or compass, and only a quadrant and a pocket watch for navigation. On returning to England he reported what had happened, and the Royal Navy hunted down and captured most of the mutineers.However, this is only half the story – William Bligh's version. The captured mutineers went on trial and their testimonies give a much less heroic portrait of their former captain, accusing him of unduly harsh treatment. Fletcher Christian's older brother Edward, a judge, oversaw a more balanced account of the mutiny. Of the mutineers who returned to England, only three were hanged; four were acquitted and three pardoned.This book gives the fullest version of the mutiny, allowing Bligh's account to sit alongside those of his detractors. The discrepancies are fascinating, and allow us to make up our own minds about this infamous mutiny.Also includes an exclusive Foreword by former World Sailor of the Year Pete Goss, who offers a unique perspective on the trials and tribulations of the Bounty's crew, whether castaway or mutineer.

Dive into a collection of thought-provoking essays from one of the most remarkable figures in history, Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius lays out his personal philosophy of stoicism, which involves honing one's discipline and eschewing base or excessive sensual pleasures. A must-read for fans of ancient history and philosophy.

Disappointed with the purely secular tone of the earlier West Indian histories, Thomas Coke concentrated on the history of the missions in the Caribbean. This work was written immediately after the abolition of slavery, but 25 years before emancipation, and based on a wealth of documentation.

Today, author Washington Irving is best remembered for the iconic tales'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'and'Rip Van Winkle.'However, Irving also produced a number of well-regarded works of history and biography. This brilliant volume combines fact and fiction, offering a satirical -- and often imagined -- history of New York from the perspective of make-believe Dutch historian Diedrich Knickerbocker.

The primal beating heart at the center of much of the Western literary canon can be found in the folk stories, myths, and fairy tales collected by the amateur folklorists Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm. Surprisingly graphic in comparison to their sanitized twentieth-century retellings, these intense tales are not for the faint at heart. A must-read for any fan of folklore.

Painter Benjamin West was an important figure in art history, as he was born in what later became the United States in 1738 and was reaching his creative peak just as the Revolutionary War broke out. As such, he is regarded as one of the first significant painters to focus on American history as his subject. This comprehensive biography of West is a must-read for art lovers.

Immerse yourself in the life of a small Scottish village as it begins to shake off centuries-old traditions and eases into the transition to the modern era, with all the attendant pitfalls and problems that such a major shift entails. Author John Galt skillfully illuminates a particular time and place with lush detail and keen insight.

The lives of the humble Pringle family of Scotland are turned upside down with the news that they have been named the recipients of a relative's inheritance. Trading quiet village life for the hustle and bustle of London is a difficult transition, and the family documents the bumpy ride in a series of letters to friends and relatives.

John Galt's novel The Provost details the rise to power of James Pawkie, an aspiring businessman and politician who becomes a big-time mover and shaker in the Scottish town of Irvine. Galt uses Pawkie's ascendance to comment on the perils of acquiring influence rapidly, as well as the all-too-keen temptation to misuse it for personal gain.

Philosopher and scholar Jeremy Bentham played an important role in the early formation of judicial philosophy and philosophy of law. He is also credited as playing a key part in the development of the moral philosophy known as utilitarianism, in which an action's justness is judged based on its ability to have a positive impact on the greatest number of people. Bentham brings both of these domains to bear in this fascinating look at the Apostle Paul.

New York-based author James Fenimore Cooper was an important cultural figure who contributed significantly to the development of a uniquely American voice in literature, one imbued with a keen appreciation for the mysteries of the natural world. The Pioneers is part of Cooper's sweeping Leatherstocking Tales series that delves into history of the young United States and its frontier spirit, much of which is seen from the perspective of quintessential pioneer Natty Bumppo.

Austrian-born journalist and novelist Karl Anton Postl (who often wrote under the nom de plume Charles Sealsfield) made a splash with his German-language novels, many of which are regarded as key works of the Romantic era. However, his insightful travelogues and explorations of national identity also proved popular with readers and critics alike. This collection of essays recounts the author's journey through the Mississippi Valley in the early nineteenth century.

This novel is part of the Scenes of Private Life section of Honore de Balzac's sweeping saga The Human Comedy. Renowned artist Theodore de Sommervieux falls head-over-heels in love with the beautiful, refined Augustine Guillaume, and soon the besotted pair are married. But after a blissful honeymoon period, the couple discovers that sometimes love is not enough to make a marriage work.

George Payne Rainsford James was a British writer who produced a remarkable number of historical novels and romances over the course of his thirty-year career. The sweeping epic Richelieu unfolds amidst the cultural tumult and political shifts of seventeenth-century France.

One of the earliest pieces Balzac penned for his sweeping story cycle The Human Comedy, this novella is found in the Scenes of Private Life section of the series. Social climber Emilie de Fontaine is a petulant brat who is determined to marry for status. One night at an opulent party, she falls in love at first sight with the dashing, aristocratic Maximilien. Is he good enough to fulfill her mile-long list of requirements for a spouse?

Today, the term'chivalry'has come to refer to small acts of kindness typically performed by a man toward a woman, such as opening a car door or offering up one's coat on a chilly evening. But in the medieval period, chivalry was a complex code of behavior that governed virtually every aspect of life. In this comprehensive volume, historical writer G. P. R. James provides a detailed account of the development and practice of chivalry.

Set in the aftermath of the French Revolution, this short story from the Scenes of Political Life section of Honore de Balzac's The Human Comedy immerses readers in the terrifying tumult of the period. Brimming with mystery and suspense, this is historical fiction at its very best.

The novella'The Hated Son'is a section from French writer Honore de Balzac's multi-volume masterwork, The Human Comedy. Set in the late 1500s and early 1600s, the tale follows a newly married woman who is pregnant -- and the baby's father is not her new husband. Terrified of what will become of herself and the child, she fears for both of their futures. The second part of the tale occurs several decades later. Will the illegitimate child ever be accepted by his mother's husband?

Predating Edgar Allen Poe's remarkably similar story'The Cask of Amontillado'by more than a decade, Honore de Balzac's chilling tale'La Grande Breteche'centers on a mysterious manor that sits abandoned in a town in central France. When a physician becomes curious about the estate and begins to question locals about it, he gradually unfurls a horrifying secret.

Like many of the short stories in Honore de Balzac's vast story cycle The Human Comedy,'The Red Inn'is a tale within a tale. After a pleasant dinner at the Red Inn, guests begin to swap anecdotes. German businessman Hermann contributes to the discussion with a story about a French soldier who was imprisoned after being unjustly accused of committing a murder.

Some of Honore de Balzac's best writing focuses on the frustrations and passions of women trapped in unhappy marriages. In the novella'The Deserted Woman,'the Vicomtesse de Beauseant is trapped, but it is partially a trap of her own making. Abandoned by her lover and estranged from her husband, she contemplates her limited options.

Immerse yourself in a French pastoral idyll in this engrossing tale from Honore de Balzac, whose unparalleled powers of description will whisk you away to La Grenadiere, a quaint estate in the midst of a blossoming orchard. Indeed, the house itself emerges as one of the most memorable characters in the story.

Master of realism Honore de Balzac highlights his brilliant knack for character development in the short story'Madame Firmiani.'The story's plot is slight, dealing in large part with the mysterious identity of Madame Firmiani's husband. As always, where Balzac truly shines is in delving into the nuance of human behavior and personality.

'The Purse'is a short story that makes up part of Honore de Balzac's epic cycle The Human Comedy. Daydreaming while working on a ladder, the painter Hippolyte Schinner accidentally falls and sustains an injury. Two neighbors -- a mother and daughter -- come to his aid, and he falls in love at first sight with the beautiful young woman, Adelaide. But over time, he begins to notice that the veneer of aristocratic gentility that the two project is not what it appears.

Part of the massive series that some regard as one of the masterworks of nineteenth-century realism, Honore de Balzac's The Human Comedy, the novel The Country Doctor focuses on Dr. Benassis, a physician by trade, who has deep-seated beliefs about social equality. While treating a prominent patient, Benassis expounds at length on his value system and discusses some of the reforms that he has helped to implement in the town.

A heartbroken cavalry officer, Auguste de Maulincour, is strolling through a rather seedy section of Paris when he happens to spot the object of his unrequited love, a married young woman named Clemence. Even more remarkable is the fact that he sees her furtively entering a house of ill repute. Aghast and yet intrigued, Auguste begins to follow Clemence -- and what he witnesses plunges him into a world of deception and dark secrets.

The History of King Philips War Commonly called the Great Indian War of 1675 and 1676

Set against the backdrop of the Peninsular War, Balzac's novella'Juana'focuses on a storied family of French courtesans who have achieved legendary status. For many generations, the women have lived outside of the bounds of polite society, eschewing the familial involvement of men and maintaining a matrilineal tradition. But with the birth of a little girl named Juana, everything changes.