The Picture of Dorian Gray is the only novel published by Oscar Wilde. It tells the story of a young man obsessed with his own youth and beauty, as expressed in a portrait done by Basil Hallward, and terrified to lose it. He innocently wishes that the portrait would age instead of himself. As he descends with his new friend Lord Henry Wotton into a life of sin and debauchery inconsistent with Victorian values, he discovers that this wish has come true. The portrait ages and bears evidence of his increasingly violent life, while Dorian himself remains unchanged.
This bilingual edition of...

Born in Boston in 1809, Edgar Allan Poe struggled for most of his life to earn his living entirely through his writings. His most famous poem, "The Raven," earned him only $9 when it was published in 1845. His wife, Virginia, died two years after its publication, which seems to have sent Poe into a downward spiral of alcohol abuse and erratic behavior. Poe himself died only two years after Virginia, in 1849, at the age of 40.
This bilingual edition of some of the most famous of Poe's short stories is designed to assist those learning French. The original English text appears on the...

**Translation realigned with original, 2014**
Jean de La Fontaine was one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. Born in Chateau-Thierry in 1621, his literary career did not truly begin until he was in his thirties and spending most of his time in the French capital, Paris. Among La Fontaine's most famous works are his collections of fables, issued in several volumes between 1668 and 1694. The earliest of these books, from which the current collection was drawn, were mostly adapted from the works of Aesop, Babrius, and Phaedrus. La Fontaine initially wrote his rhyming...

The French author known as Voltaire was born in 1694 to a noble family in the province of Poitou. Voltaire was a writer of the Enlightenment movement and was well known in his own time for his attacks on the Catholic Church and for advocating freedom of religion and expression and the separation of church and state. "Candide" is widely regarded as his masterpiece, and is taught perhaps more often then any other piece of French literature. Published in 1759, it was widely banned immediately after its secretive publication because it contained blasphemy and seditious themes.
This bilingual...

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1563 or 1564. At 18, he married Anne Hathaway, who was already pregnant with the first of their three children. William left her and the children in Stratford to pursue an acting career in London, where he also began writing and became part owner of an acting company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men.
Around 1613, Shakespeare returned to Stratford and died there. His plays have been translated into every major modern language and are performed around the world more than the works of any other playwright.
This collection of all...

Black & White Illustrated Collection
for full color, see ISBN 978-0-9864006-3-6
Sophie Rostopchina, the Comtesse de Segur, was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1799. She wrote her first novel at the age of 58, and continued to write novels and stories for children and young people. Her most well-known novel, "Les Malheurs de Sophie" ("Sophie's Misfortunes") is about a young French girl who lives with her parents in a castle in the French countryside. The Comtesse died on February 9, 1874 in Paris.
This illustrated collection includes the short stories "Histoire de Blondine, de...

Volume 1 of 4

Alexandre Dumas, born in France in 1802, is one of the most widely read French authors in history. His novels of high adventure have been translated into nearly 100 languages and made into more than 200 movies. A very prolific author, Dumas's published works total more than 100,000 pages.

He died in 1870 and was buried in his birthplace of Villers-Cotterets. In 2002, the bicentennial of his birth, he was reinterred in the mausoleum of the Pantheon in Paris.

Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, a classic literary tale of revenge, was first published in serial form in...

Volume 2 of 4

Alexandre Dumas, born in France in 1802, is one of the most widely read French authors in history. His novels of high adventure have been translated into nearly 100 languages and made into more than 200 movies. A very prolific author, Dumas's published works total more than 100,000 pages.

He died in 1870 and was buried in his birthplace of Villers-Cotterets. In 2002, the bicentennial of his birth, he was reinterred in the mausoleum of the Pantheon in Paris.

Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, a classic literary tale of revenge, was first published in serial form in...

Volume 3 of 4

Alexandre Dumas, born in France in 1802, is one of the most widely read French authors in history. His novels of high adventure have been translated into nearly 100 languages and made into more than 200 movies. A very prolific author, Dumas's published works total more than 100,000 pages.

He died in 1870 and was buried in his birthplace of Villers-Cotterets. In 2002, the bicentennial of his birth, he was reinterred in the mausoleum of the Pantheon in Paris.

Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, a classic literary tale of revenge, was first published in serial form in...

Volume 4 of 4

Alexandre Dumas, born in France in 1802, is one of the most widely read French authors in history. His novels of high adventure have been translated into nearly 100 languages and made into more than 200 movies. A very prolific author, Dumas's published works total more than 100,000 pages.

He died in 1870 and was buried in his birthplace of Villers-Cotterets. In 2002, the bicentennial of his birth, he was reinterred in the mausoleum of the Pantheon in Paris.

Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, a classic literary tale of revenge, was first published in serial form in...