A novel about a man who finds himself transformed into a huge insect, and the effects of this change upon his life. This is a fantastic horror story about a hapless man who is turned into an insect. When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin. With this startling, bizarre, yet surprisingly funny first sentence, Kafka begins his masterpiece, The Metamorphosis. It is the story...

A groundbreaking reassessment of Picasso by one of today's preeminent art historians Picasso and Truth offers a breathtaking and original new look at the most significant artist of the modern era. From Pablo Picasso's early The Blue Room to the later Guernica, eminent art historian T. J. Clark offers a striking reassessment of the artist's paintings from the 1920s and 1930s. Why was the space of a room so basic to Picasso's worldview? And what happened...

A literary scholar poses twenty questions that reveal deep truths about the iconic writer and her lasting influence, demonstrating how Austen's genius can be better appreciated with an understanding of her books' character dynamics, unspoken sexuality, and period conventions.

Journalist and storyteller Toby Lester brings Vitruvian Man to life, resurrecting the ghost of an unknown Leonardo. Populated by a colorful cast of characters, including Brunelleschi of the famous Dome, "Da Vinci's Ghost" opens up a surprising window onto the artist and philosopher himself and the tumultuous intellectual and cultural transformations he bridged.

"The lost twin sons of the old merchant Egeon--both named Antipholus--find themselves in Ephesus, without either one even knowing of the other's existence. Meanwhile, Egeon has arrived in search of the son he thinks is still alive--and has been sentenced to death for the "crime" of being from Syracuse. To add to the confusion, the two Antipholuses have twin servants, both named Dromio. As the four men unwittingly encounter each other, the play is...

For each of Shakespeare's plays, provides an introduction, list of characters, plot summary, notes on reading the play, and notes on seeing the play. Also includes an introduction to Shakespeare and his time; a genre overview for each of the four types of play--history, comedy, tragedy, and romance; and overviews of selected non-dramatic poems.

Elie tells the electrifying story of how musicians of genius have made Bach's music new in our time, at once restoring Bach as a universally revered composer and revolutionizing the ways that music figures into our lives.

This illuminating study examines the renowned Lebanese author's poetic depictions of love in its various forms and phases. Kahlil Gibran sees love as a burning fire, creating and destroying. Though it is at the center of life, it is for many a wellspring of strife and unsolved problems. Indeed, it seems that the more we write about it, the more mysterious it becomes. Yet there are those rare authors who can shine the light of truth on the subject-authors...