This is a memoir written by a runaway slave in America during the 19th century, shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War. From the ppreface: "THE Author, thinking an account of his life and experience would be of service to persons into whose hands it might fall, has, by the advice of some of his friends, come to the conclusion to narrate, as correctly as possible, things that he encountered and that came under his notice during a period of some forty-five years. He hopes, after a perusal of his first attempt, the reader will pardon him for any errors which may have been committed; and if...

Of all the Victorian poets, Edward Lear has a good claim to the widest audience: admired and championed by critics and poets from John Ruskin to John Ashbery, he has also been read, heard, and loved by generations of children. As a central figure in the literature of nonsense, Lear has also shaped the evolution of modern literature and his work continues to influence and inspire writers and readers today. This collection of essays, the first ever devoted solely to Lear, builds on a recent resurgence of critical interest and asks how it is that the play of Lear's poetry continues to delight,...

Want To Name That Unnameable Fear? Does the very mention of spiders make your heart race? Does being in a crowd dry out your mouth and make you want to run for cover? Does the thought of touching someone give you sweaty hands and make your skin crawl? If you answered yes to any of these questions you're not weird. You are one of the one out of nine people that suffer from a phobia either mild or severe. Read on to learn the names of some of these unnameable fears.

The first appearance of Alice Goodman's two internationally-renowned and controversial libretti, alongside one of her masterful translations.

An NYRB Classics Original

Nixon in China and The Death of Klinghoffer played a crucial role in bringing opera back to life as a contemporary art form, and they have been popular--and, in the case of Klinghoffer, highly controversial--ever since they were first staged by the director Peter Sellars in the eighties and nineties. Both operas were conceived from the start as collaborations between composer and writer, and...