Exclusively from Audible'Ah for darkness...not the darkness of a house which coops up a man among furniture, but the darkness where he can be free!' Maurice Hall knows he must choose between living life in the shadows or denying himself a chance at love and fulfilment. Aware of his attraction to the same sex, in a time where it was considered unlawful and immoral to have homosexual desires, Maurice must decide whether to battle or submit to a prejudiced 20th-century English society. A passionate and poignant tale, E.M. Forster's Maurice was a masterpiece ahead of its time. Incapable of believing that his contemporaries would accept its content, Forster refused to publish it, fearing that it would expose his sexuality along with his hero's. Having witnessed, at 16, the very public trial and chastisement of Oscar Wilde, Forster grew up with an acute awareness of the kind of society he inhabited. This affected him immensely and, as such, he refused to publish any further fiction during the last 37 years of his life. Despite being one of the most celebrated authors of British history, Forster's talents were as constrained as his love life. Realising that he could never publically talk or write about the issues he held close to his heart, Forster made A Passage to India his last work. He wasn't mistaken about his society, and when Maurice was published, posthumously, many were scandalised by the controversial content. Unfortunately, Forster never experienced the freedom which his protagonist seeks, but Maurice has far outlived an age of bigotry and is now widely celebrated and critically acclaimed. Narrator BiographyHaving started his career as a leading child actor, Peter Firth received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in Peter Shaffer's play Equus (1973) at only 21. He later starred with Richard Burton in its film adaption, earning him a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award nomination. His other film work has included roles in Pearl Harbor (2001) and The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005). He is best known for his role as Sir Harry Pearce in the BBC show Spooks (2002-2011), appearing in every episode of the show's 10 series. Recent roles have included Jacob Marley in the BBC's Dickensian series (2015) and Ernest Augustus in ITV's drama series Victoria (2016). He has narrated several audiobooks such as Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Birdsong and Witness. In 2015, Peter starred in Audible's multicast drama Amok. Read more

In this celebrated work, his only novel, Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind. Read more

“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian GrayThe Picture of Dorian Gray is a 1891 gothic and philosophical novel by Irish writer and playwright Oscar Wilde. First published as a serial story in the July 1890 issue of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, the editors feared the story was indecent, and without Wilde's knowledge, deleted five hundred words before publication.Despite that censorship, The Picture of Dorian Gray offended the moral sensibilities of British book reviewers, some of whom said that Oscar Wilde merited prosecution for violating the laws guarding the public morality. In response, Wilde aggressively defended his novel and art in correspondence with the British press.Wilde revised and expanded the magazine edition of The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) for publication as a novel; the book edition (1891) featured an aphoristic preface — an apologia about the art of the novel and the reader. The content, style and presentation of the preface made it famous in its own literary right, as social and cultural criticism. In April 1891, the editorial house Ward, Lock and Company published the revised version of The Picture of Dorian Gray.A True Classic that Belongs on Every Bookshelf! Read more

First published in the 1930s, The Berlin Stories contains two novels, The Last of Mr. Norris and Goodbye to Berlin. Classics of modern fiction, these novellas capture 1931 Berlin—charming, grotesque, and dangerous, as Hitler was ascending to power. The Berlin Stories is inhabited by a wealth of characters, in particular the nightclub performer Sally Bowles, whose misadventures were popularized on stage and screen in I Am a Camera and Cabaret. Read more

None

The Picture of Dorian Gray is an 1891 philosophical novel by writer and playwright Oscar Wilde. First published as a complete story in the July 1890 issue of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, the editors feared the story was indecent, and without Wilde's knowledge, deleted five hundred words before publication. Despite that censorship, The Picture of Dorian Gray offended the moral sensibilities of British book reviewers, some of whom said that Oscar Wilde merited prosecution for violating the laws guarding the public morality. In response, Wilde aggressively defended his novel and art in correspondence with the British press.Wilde revised and expanded the magazine edition of The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) for publication as a novel; the book edition (1891) featured an aphoristic preface — an apologia about the art of the novel and the reader. The content, style, and presentation of the preface made it famous in its own literary right, as social and cultural criticism. In April 1891, the editorial house Ward, Lock and Company published the revised version of The Picture of Dorian Gray.The only novel written by Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray exists in two versions, the 1890 magazine edition (in 13 Chapters) as submitted to Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, and the 1891 book edition (in 20 Chapters). As literature of the 19th century, The Picture of Dorian Gray is an example of Gothic fiction with strong themes interpreted from the legendary Faust. Read more

The last uncompleted novel of Ernest Hemingway, published posthumously in 1986, charts the life of a young American writer and his glamorous wife who fall for the same woman.A sensational bestseller when it appeared in 1986, The Garden of Eden is the last uncompleted novel of Ernest Hemingway, which he worked on intermittently from 1946 until his death in 1961. Set on the Côte d'Azur in the 1920s, it is the story of a young American writer, David Bourne, his glamorous wife, Catherine, and the dangerous, erotic game they play when they fall in love with the same woman. "A lean, sensuous narrative...taut, chic, and strangely contemporary," The Garden of Eden represents vintage Hemingway, the master "doing what nobody did better" (R. Z. Sheppard, Time). Read more

"Maurice" è forse il capolavoro di Forster. Certamente è la sua opera più intima e commovente, uno squisito esercizio privato di narrazione della verità. Sullo sfondo di una società vittoriana rigida ed esclusiva, scoppia tra Maurice e Clive, compagni di college, una passione complice e innominabile. Se per Clive la storia d'amore è destinata a seppellirsi nella "normalità", per Maurice è il calvario che conduce a una nuova vita.La tormentosa affermazione della diversità ha fatto di "Maurice" l'audiolibro più autentico e sofferto di Forster: scritto nel 1914, ma tenuto segreto per tutta la vita, autobiografico e ossessivamente rimaneggiato nel corso degli anni, è la commovente testimonianza cui lo scrittore ha affidato la rivelazione della propria omosessualità. Read more

Sometimes You Have to Get Lost to Find YourselfMark Anello thought he had it all figured out, but life had other plans. At 34, the suburban math teacher is unceremoniously dumped by his stand-up comedian boyfriend, leaving him feeling stuck and uninspired in Los Angeles. Desperate for a change, Mark flees to San Francisco, where he encounters Alessandro, a charming but disillusioned Italian tourist trapped in a loveless relationship. Their connection is immediate, and after months of long-distance emails, Mark follows his heart to Rome.But love doesn’t come easy. After three passionate summers together, Mark begins to sense Alessandro slipping away, embarking on new adventures while Mark is left to question everything. Left high and dry in a foreign country, heartbroken and alone, Mark stumbles into a new world—a seductive, high-stakes scene of neo-Bohemians, aristocrats, and avant-garde artists. Yet beneath the glamorous surface lurks a darker reality: a dangerous web of drugs, lust, and even murder in the elite European art circles.On the brink of destruction, Mark must navigate his way through the chaos to discover a new sense of self. As the world begins to heal from a global pandemic, he returns home transformed—armed with the hard-earned wisdom to embrace love on his own terms, let go of what no longer serves him, and face the future with clarity and compassion.Praise for Where the Nights Smell Like Bread“If you think Henry James had the last word in American-European relationships, you've not read Glen Peters’ sweepingly romantic and realistically detailed Where the Nights Smell Like Bread. This propulsive, superbly written first novel is an exciting tour guide and a daunting gay romance primer on the varieties of Old World disturbia, where first impressions are anything but true.” — Felice Picano, author of Ambidextrous: The Secret Lives of Children“This sexy, sad, life-affirming story of love, friends, and family found when you least intend, will make you nostalgic for lost love, hungry for sensual pleasures, yet glad you’re old and out of the game…but not necessarily in that order.” — Sara Marchant, author of Becoming Delilah and Essential Planner for my Mother’s Huge Cult Following“Where the Nights Smell Like Bread sweeps us along with narrative power. Glen Peters’ vividly drawn characters discover that they can’t escape the twists and turns of modern life whether they’re in Los Angeles, Madrid, or a small Italian mountain village. At the same time, they also experience the joys of family, whether born into, made, or found. Touching, compelling, and true, this book —and especially the narrator Mark—who will come alive and linger in your heart and mind.” — Georgia Hughes, editorial director,New World Library“A moving story of love lost and found, unfolding during adventures in Europe and under the encroaching shadow of the pandemic. Glen Peters’ writing is lyrical and haunting, as he explores one man’s journey to create a meaningful life.” — Emily Dwass, author of Diagnosis Female: How Medical Bias Endangers Women’s Health“A classic verse by Hafez translates, “The story of love is all but one, yet each time I hear one, it sounds unrepeated!” Glen Peters’ new novel, Where the Nights Smell Like Bread, is indeed a fresh story of love as it opens new doors that the reader may not even know existed. I finished it in just a few days and found it unlike any story I have ever read. The narrator remains objective throughout, but tender emotions are palpable on every page.” — Zoe Ghahremani, author of Sky of Red Poppies (San Diego Book-of-the-Month) Read more

A Room of One's Own:Virginia Woolf's Historic Essay.An afterword by publisher Aiden Ashlyn exploring the rich history and context of Woolf's inspirational work.Two PortraitsDive into the luminous mind of Virginia Woolf, one of the 20th century's most transformative writers. In this groundbreaking essay, Woolf illuminates the deep connection between women’s creativity and their financial freedom, offering a powerful call to action. She guides readers through the corridors of history, literature, and society, revealing the forces that have silenced women’s voices for centuries—and igniting a vision for a world where their stories and ideas can flourish.With wit, passion, and stunning clarity, Woolf argues that every woman needs "a room of her own" and an income to unlock her creative potential. Both timeless and fiercely relevant, A Room of One’s Own invites readers to reflect on the barriers that still exist and challenges them to imagine a world where all voices can thrive.Provocative, empowering, and beautifully written, this is a must-read for anyone who values the power of storytelling and the fight for equality. Discover why this work remains a cornerstone of feminist literature and a source of inspiration for generations.As part of Aiden Ashlyn’s Queer Classics, A Room of One’s Own is celebrated not only for its feminist insights but also for its subtle exploration of gender and identity, themes that resonate deeply with Woolf’s personal life and relationships. This edition highlights her queer legacy, providing context that enriches the text’s enduring relevance and underscores its importance to LGBTQ+ literary history. Read more

“Virginia Woolf’s Orlando can be daunting for new and experienced readers alike, but its pleasures await those willing to immerse themselves in this elusive and highly allusive text. This much-needed and long-awaited edition will prove a boon to readers, offering both useful textual annotations and informative contextual readings. Madelyn Detloff’s critical selections help to make this challenging text more accessible and provide an instructive framework for gaining a greater understanding of Woolf’s gender- and genre-bending novel.”―Ana R. Rojas, University of San Francisco“The Norton Critical Edition of Orlando is a tour de force, guiding readers through the dazzling world of Virginia Woolf’s novel with a range of important critical perspectives and their relevant archives. Detloff’s brilliant editorial vision tackles some of the most difficult topics surrounding Orlando and its adaptations across media, while doing justice to the ongoing revelations inspired by Woolf’s most audacious masterpiece.”―Amy E. Elkins, Macalester CollegeThis Norton Critical Edition includes:The first edition (1928) text of Orlando: A Biography, with an introduction and explanatory annotations by Madelyn Detloff, accompanied by illustrations from earlier editions.Provocative reviews from Woolf’s contemporaries and various written materials that place Orlando within a changing epoch.Seven critical essays on the novel’s major themes: gender, sexuality, class, feminism, and performance.A chronology of Woolf’s life and a selected bibliography. Read more

From one of the great American writers of the twentieth century—a coming-of-age story about a fourteen-year-old boy questioning the terms of his identity, the racism he faces, and the double-edged role of religion in his life. • Presented here in stunning hardcover with an introduction by Edwidge Danticat, award-winning author of Everything Inside.“Vivid imagery…lavish attention to details…. [A] feverish story.” —The New York TimesOriginally published in 1953, Go Tell It on the Mountain—based in part on James Baldwin’s childhood in Harlem—was his first major work. With a potent combination of lyrical compassion and resonant rage, he portrays fourteen-year-old John Grimes, the stepson of a fire-breathing and abusive Pentecostal preacher in Harlem during the Depression. The action of this short novel spans a single day in John’s life, and yet manages to encompass on an epic scale his family’s troubled past and his own inchoate longings for the future, set against a shining vision of a city where he both does and does not belong. Baldwin’s story illuminates the racism his characters face as well as the double-edged role religion plays in their lives, both oppressive and inspirational. In prose that mingles gritty vernacular cadences with exalted biblical rhythms, Baldwin’s rendering of his young protagonist’s struggle to invent himself pioneered new possibilities in American language and literature. Everyman's Library pursues the highest production standards, printing on acid-free cream-colored paper, with full-cloth cases with two-color foil stamping, decorative endpapers, silk ribbon markers, European-style half-round spines, and a full-color illustrated jacket. Contemporary Classics include an introduction, a select bibliography, and a chronology of the author's life and times. Read more

The gorgeous 75th-anniversary edition of Brideshead Revisited, the novel selected by Modern Library as one of the 100 best of the century and called "Evelyn Waugh's finest achievement" by the New York Times.  The wellsprings of desire and the impediments to love come brilliantly into focus in Evelyn Waugh's masterpiece -- a novel that immerses us in the glittering and seductive world of English aristocracy in the waning days of the empire. Through the story of Charles Ryder's entanglement with the Flytes, a great Catholic family, Evelyn Waugh charts the passing of the privileged world he knew in his own youth and vividly recalls the sensuous pleasures denied him by wartime austerities. At once romantic, sensuous, comic, and somber, Brideshead Revisited transcends Waugh's early satiric explorations and reveals him to be an elegiac, lyrical novelist of the utmost feeling and lucidity. "A genuine literary masterpiece." --Time "Heartbreakingly beautiful...The twentieth century's finest English novel." --Los Angeles Times  Read more

DanielI got my Ph.D. and a fantastic teaching job by keeping my nose to the grindstone and avoiding relationships. Not that I didn’t like men—quite the opposite—but getting involved took time I didn’t have.One summer evening, I went out for a drink and met the most beautiful guy I’d ever seen. After an unforgettable night, I couldn’t wait to meet up again, but I missed our date. Imagine my panic when I realized we’d forgotten to trade numbers.CalebA summer job as a law firm intern kept me busy, but one night, I needed to blow off some steam. At the bar, a gorgeous man saved me from an overzealous admirer. My rescuer gave me the kiss of my life, and I wound up in his bed. After the night turned out to be even better than the kiss, we made a date to meet again. Unfortunately, he no-showed on me, leaving me disappointed and confused for months.The following spring, when I showed up for a class taught by some hotshot new professor, a breathtaking man walked into the room. My heart stopped because my new professor was the guy who stood me up last summer. Was I glad to see him? I wasn’t sure. But one thing was certain—I was the very last person he wanted in his class.One man is trying to get tenure in the job of his dreams; the other is set to graduate and begin law school. Life brought them together under random circumstances, and their path isn’t an easy one. How can they make a relationship work without sacrificing everything?My Perfect Screwup is a contemporary gay romance involving a missed opportunity and second chance to get it right. The book includes a relationship between a college professor and student, age gap, unwavering connection, incendiary heat, found family, and dreamy HEA. Read more

'Gillian Freeman is among the finest contemporary novelists.' - Brigid Brophy, New Statesman 'Realistic and unsentimental ... Their relationship is handled with delicacy and has an authentic ring.' - Sunday Telegraph '[S]ober and scrupulously documented ... accurately and touchingly demonstrates the unselfconscious and comparatively guiltless love which working-class men often feel for each other.' - Time and Tide Dick and Reggie are 'leather boys', working-class London teens with an affinity for leather jackets and motorcycles who become friends through their involvement in a gang. For Dick, the money he gets from the gang's thefts helps to support his ailing grandmother; for Reggie, membership in the gang provides relief from an unhappy home life and a loveless marriage. When Reggie decides to leave his unfaithful wife and move in with Dick, the two soon discover their feelings for each other are much stronger than mere friendship. As they make plans for their future together, will they find the happiness they seek, or is their love doomed to end in tragedy? The first novel to offer an authentic portrayal of love between ordinary, working-class young men, Gillian Freeman's The Leather Boys (1961) is a groundbreaking classic of gay fiction that remains moving and compelling today. This edition includes a new introduction by Michael Arditti, who situates The Leather Boys alongside other early gay works by women writers like Mary Renault and Marguerite Yourcenar and argues that Freeman's novel and its 1964 film adaptation played a vital part in liberalizing British attitudes towards homosexuality. Read more

One of Virginia Woolf best known novels, Mrs Dalloway follows a day in the life of a post-World War One high-society woman preparing to host a party. In its stream of conscious style, Mrs Dalloway explores modern themes becoming one of the seminal works of modern fiction. Read more

Foster got kidnapped over four years ago, where a group of alphas repeatedly impregnated him and then took the babies. As he’s giving birth to a set of twins, the Omega Rescue Squad shows up, and an alpha named Daniel helps him deliver.Jayce is in heat when the Omega Rescue Squad comes for him, and he finds he can't fight his need for Daniel, one of the squad members. During the rescue, they spend a night together, after which he tells Daniel they don’t ever need to see each other again.Daniel has a problem. He believes he's fated to a couple of the rescued omegas he brought back to Pine Wood Falls. After he mates Jayce, he respects his wishes to be left alone, and gets to know Foster. He feels so drawn to him, and as they fall in love and get pregnant, he finds out something shocking about Jayce.Now Daniel has two omegas he has to care for—the one he fell in love with and the one he mated months ago. The three of them have to find a way to work things out, because their chance for a happy life hangs in the balance.*this non-shifter mpreg romance has lots of babies, birthing, knotting, and so much lactation. Read more

One moment destroyed our perfect love.This is an emotional, angsty, tearjerker Why Choose? Romance Duet by USA Today Bestselling Author Claudia Burgoa.I fell in love with Archer St. James long ago.We were children, but our hearts just knew it.We were soulmates.Our love was eternal.But it wasn’t.My future and my heart shattered the day he died.Well, they say he died, but I still sense him.They call it ghost pains.It’s like my soul can’t live without him.And after seven years, I’m almost ready to let him go…There are two men who claimed to care for me—even love me.One looks almost like the man I lost.The other is so different, but the invisible link between us pulls me to him.My already shattered heart is torn between the past, the present, and a dangerous future with two men.The End of Me is the first book of The Downfall of Us Duet. An angst-filled Why Choose? MMF romance about broken hearts, loss, and hope. Read more

2020 Reprint of the 1943 Edition. The only novel by avant-garde literary star Jane Bowles, the highly influential wife of legendary writer Paul Bowles, Two Serious Ladies is a modernist cult classic, mysterious, profound, anarchic, and funny, that follows two respectable women as they descend into debauchery. Christina Goering, eccentric and adventurous, and Frieda Copperfield, anxious but enterprising, are two serious ladies who want to live outside of themselves. Old friends, each will take a surprising path in search of salvation: during a visit to Panama, Mrs. Copperfield abandons her husband, finding solace in a relationship with a teenage prostitute; while Miss Goering, a wealthy spinster, pursues sainthood via sordid encounters with the basest of men. At the end the two women meet again, each radically altered by her experience. Read more

This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Edition™ includes the complete unabridged novel plus a glossary and reader’s notes to help the modern reader contend with Wilde’s many allusions and his complex approach to the human condition.Oscar Wilde’s only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, first appeared in 1891. Dorian Gray, a handsome young man, falls in with a group of “friends,” whose amoral philosophies he finds quite appealing. After he has his portrait painted, his frivolity and general demeanor degenerate into wickedness, but only the portrait bears the effects of his descent into decadence and serves as a powerful symbol of Gray’s internal ruin. Dorian himself, however, remains as young and unspoiled as the day he first sat for the painting.Wilde’s exploration of life without limits or consequences shocked its late-Victorian audience and remains highly un-settling to modern readers. We, like Dorian, are forced to reconsider whether total freedom and absolute knowledge are really worth their costs. Read more