Hellraiser: Boxed Set

• In 1987, Clive Barker placed his vision of Hell on film, launching one of the most disturbing and bloody franchises in horror history and gave birth to one of pop culture's most feared villains, Pinhead. Now the gates of Hell have re-opened and the iconic Lament Configuration can be yours. This collectible set features the original Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II, and the stunning new Hellrai

An old family home holds untold mysteries and horrors for Larry Cotton and his wife, Julia.
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Release Date: 25-JUN-2002
Media Type: DVDHaving made his reputation as one of the most prolific and gifted horror writers of his generation (prompting Stephen King to call him "the future of horror"), Clive Barker made a natural transition to movies with this audacious directorial debut from 1987. Not only did Barker serve up a chilling tale of d! evilish originality, he also introduced new icons of horror that since have become as popular among genre connoisseurs as Frankenstein's monster and the Wolfman. Foremost among these frightful visions is the sadomasochistic demon affectionately named Pinhead (so named because his pale, bald head is a geometric pincushion and a symbol of eternal pain). Pinhead is the leader of the Cenobites, agents of evil who appear only when someone successfully "solves" the exotic puzzle box called the Lamont Configuration--a mysterious device that opens the door to Hell. The puzzle's latest victim is Frank (Sean Chapman), who now lives in a gelatinous skeletal state in an upstairs room of the British home just purchased by his newlywed half-brother (Andrew Robinson, best known as the villain from Dirty Harry), who has married one of Frank's former lovers (Claire Higgins). The latter is recruited to supply the cannibalistic Frank with fresh victims, enabling him to reconstitute his! own flesh--but will Frank succeed in restoring himself comple! tely? Wi ll Pinhead continue to demonstrate the flesh-ripping pleasures of absolute agony? Your reaction to this description should tell you if you've got the stomach for Barker's film, which has since spawned a number of interesting but inferior sequels. It's definitely not for everyone, but there's no denying that it's become a semiclassic of modern horror. --Jeff Shannon Loaded with nearly 3 hours of bonus material, this 3 disc set comes in a custom made Hellraiser Puzzle Box that slides open to reveal the discs. Disc 1 Hellraiser, Disc 2 Hellbound: Hellraiser II; Disc 3 Hellraiser Blu Ray.

2009 Reaper Award Winner - Best In Show and Best Packaging

Elvis Has Left the Building

• Actors: Kim Basinger, John Corbett, Annie Potts, Sean Astin, Denise Richards.
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC.
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only).
• Rated: PG-13.
• Run Time: 90 minutes.

It's tough being the King.

Which is why in 1977 Elvis faked his own death and endured massive facial reconstruction surgery, and disappeared from the limelight to live a normal life as the unassuming Aaron King. Unfortunately, leaving fame behind also meant leaving his fortune behind, too, and now Elvis finds himself broke and living in near poverty in a small apartment in Los Angeles. Luckily for him, it turns out he's a pretty good private investigator.

Now in his seventies and contemplating a return to music (discreetly, of course), Elvis is hired to solve a baffling missing person case. The King digs deeper, and soon finds himself surrounde! d by the seedier elements of Los Angeles, from nefarious Hollywood producers who prey upon the young, to twin brothers with a very dark secret.

And as Elvis pieces the bizarre puzzle together, he slowly makes his singing comebackâ€"and will be reunited on stage with someone even the King himself never dreamed possible.



**Acclaim for the Novels of J.R. Rain**

"Gripping, adventurous, and romanticâ€"J.R. Rain's The Lost Ark is a breakneck thriller that traces the thread of history from Biblical stories to current-day headlines. Be prepared to lose sleep!"
â€"JAMES ROLLINS, international bestselling author of Altar of Eden and The Doomsday Key

"I enjoyed this immensely. The protagonist, Samantha Moon, is a female vampire with a husband and children. Those predate her condition; six years ago she was attacked by a vampire and rendered into one. Now she's trying to carry on with family and private eye business, and she'! s a feisty, skilled person, so is doing mostly okay. It is not! a horro r story; she buys animal blood to eat and doesn't generally prey on humans. But her husband has an increasing problem with her coldnessâ€"not of spirit, but of body. 'You sicken me and scare the hell out of me,' he tells her. 'And when I touch you it's all I can do to not gag.' She replies, 'Words every wife wants to hear.' I love this! What makes it special are her character and nature."
â€"PIERS ANTHONY, New York Times bestselling author of A Spell for Chameleon and On A Pale Horse

"Dark Horse is one of the best books I've read in a long time! A great classic detective story with a modern twist. Unique and interesting characters (I think I'm half in love with Jim Knighthorse now!), a great plot that kept me guessing until the end, and some of the funniest lines I've read anywhere."
â€"GEMMA HALLIDAY, author of Deadly Cool and Play Dead

"Impossible to put down. J.R. Rain's Moon Dance is a fabulous urban fantasy."
â€"APRIL VINE, author of! The Midnight Rose and Blindfolded by Lust

"Moon Dance is absolutely brilliant!"
â€"LISA TENZIN-DOLMA, author of Understanding the Planetary Myths and The Dolphin Experience

"Moon Dance is a must read. If you like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter, be prepared to love J. R. Rain's Samantha Moon, vampire private investigator."
â€"EVE PALUDAN, author of Letters from David and The Romance Writer's Pink Pages

"I totally loved The Body Departed. As someone who communicates with those who are either earthbound or have crossed overâ€"your descriptions and interpretations of the dialogue and circumstances could not have been written more accurately. My favorite scene is the one of Jesus stepping down from the cross and then the passionate and compassionate way it was treated as he went back to the cross. I will relive that for a long time to come. You're a wonderfully descriptive writer who paints a very creative, visionary ! canvass based in a paranormal pallet that only a few experienc! e and ma ny can enjoy."
â€"JULIE BELMONT, author of The Path to Personal Success and Freedom and Seizing Your Success

"Powerful stuff!"
â€"AIDEN JAMES, author of Cades Cove and Deadly NightIt's tough being the King.

Which is why in 1977 Elvis faked his own death and endured massive facial reconstruction surgery, and disappeared from the limelight to live a normal life as the unassuming Aaron King. Unfortunately, leaving fame behind also meant leaving his fortune behind, too, and now Elvis finds himself broke and living in near poverty in a small apartment in Los Angeles. Luckily for him, it turns out he's a pretty good private investigator.

Now in his seventies and contemplating a return to music (discreetly, of course), Elvis is hired to solve a baffling missing person case. The King digs deeper, and soon finds himself surrounded by the seedier elements of Los Angeles, from nefarious Hollywood producers who prey upon the young, to twin brothers wit! h a very dark secret.

And as Elvis pieces the bizarre puzzle together, he slowly makes his singing comebackâ€"and will be reunited on stage with someone even the King himself never dreamed possible.



**Acclaim for the Novels of J.R. Rain**

"Gripping, adventurous, and romanticâ€"J.R. Rain's The Lost Ark is a breakneck thriller that traces the thread of history from Biblical stories to current-day headlines. Be prepared to lose sleep!"
â€"JAMES ROLLINS, international bestselling author of Altar of Eden and The Doomsday Key

"I enjoyed this immensely. The protagonist, Samantha Moon, is a female vampire with a husband and children. Those predate her condition; six years ago she was attacked by a vampire and rendered into one. Now she's trying to carry on with family and private eye business, and she's a feisty, skilled person, so is doing mostly okay. It is not a horror story; she buys animal blood to eat and doesn't generally prey on humans! . But her husband has an increasing problem with her coldnessâ! €"not of spirit, but of body. 'You sicken me and scare the hell out of me,' he tells her. 'And when I touch you it's all I can do to not gag.' She replies, 'Words every wife wants to hear.' I love this! What makes it special are her character and nature."
â€"PIERS ANTHONY, New York Times bestselling author of A Spell for Chameleon and On A Pale Horse

"Dark Horse is one of the best books I've read in a long time! A great classic detective story with a modern twist. Unique and interesting characters (I think I'm half in love with Jim Knighthorse now!), a great plot that kept me guessing until the end, and some of the funniest lines I've read anywhere."
â€"GEMMA HALLIDAY, author of Deadly Cool and Play Dead

"Impossible to put down. J.R. Rain's Moon Dance is a fabulous urban fantasy."
â€"APRIL VINE, author of The Midnight Rose and Blindfolded by Lust

"Moon Dance is absolutely brilliant!"
â€"LISA TENZIN-DOLMA, author of Understanding the Planetary Myths a! nd The Dolphin Experience

"Moon Dance is a must read. If you like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter, be prepared to love J. R. Rain's Samantha Moon, vampire private investigator."
â€"EVE PALUDAN, author of Letters from David and The Romance Writer's Pink Pages

"I totally loved The Body Departed. As someone who communicates with those who are either earthbound or have crossed overâ€"your descriptions and interpretations of the dialogue and circumstances could not have been written more accurately. My favorite scene is the one of Jesus stepping down from the cross and then the passionate and compassionate way it was treated as he went back to the cross. I will relive that for a long time to come. You're a wonderfully descriptive writer who paints a very creative, visionary canvass based in a paranormal pallet that only a few experience and many can enjoy."
â€"JULIE BELMONT, author of The Path to Personal Success and Freedom and Seizing Your ! Success

"Powerful stuff!"
â€"AIDEN JAMES, author of ! Cades Co ve and Deadly NightHARMONY IS A COSMETICS SALES LADY WHOSE LIFE IS SHAPED BY ANEARLY ENCOUNTER WITH THE KING HIMSELF. IT ALL TAKES AN UGLY TURN WHEN SHE ACCIDENTALLY KILLS SOME ELVIS IMPERSONATORS & FLEES THE SCENE. RUNNING FROM THE FBI, HARMONY LEAVES ELVIS IMPERSONATORS IN HER WAKE.

2b Sabrina One-Shoulder Animal Print Dress - WINTER WILD ANIMAL (L)

• 97% polyester, 3% spandex.
• Machine wash.
• Imported.
• SKU 186697
• Style 70A5C202N337
• Mannequin is wearing a US size S.

Ruffled neckline, sheer sleeve action, ruching at sides, and hot print make this 2b dress a retro-modern way to turn up the heat on your party collection. Offers full-interior lining. Elevate it with metallic accented heels for glam allure. Shoulder back to hem: 28".

Forget Paris

• The romantic life of NBA referee Billy Crystal is on the rebound when he falls for airline employee Debra Winger. Crystal also directs this transatlantic comedy slam dunk with top-notch supporting cast of comedy pros, including Joe Mantegna, Cathy Moriarty and William Hickey.Running Time: 103 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG-13 Age: 053939250121 UPC: 0

The romantic life of NBA referee Billy Crystal is on the rebound when he falls for airline employee Debra Winger. Crystal also directs this transatlantic comedy slam dunk with top-notch supporting cast of comedy pros, including Joe Mantegna, Cathy Moriarty and William Hickey.Billy Crystal plays Mickey, a basketball referee who has to accompany his estranged father's body to France, where the old man requested to be buried with the other members of his D-Day platoon. Unfortunately for Mickey, the airline loses his body. Fortu! nately for Mickey, this leads him to meet Ellen (Debra Winger), an airline executive who takes personal charge of the case and even joins him at the funeral. A whirlwind Paris romance leads to marriage, but that's when the complications begin... The story of Mickey and Ellen's marriage is recounted by their friends (played by Joe Mantegna, Cynthia Stevenson, Julie Kavner, Richard Masur, John Spencer, and Cathy Moriarty) as they wait for Mickey and Ellen to arrive at a dinner party. And of course these friends have their own stories, which are played out in witty shorthand as they bicker about who's going to tell the next part of the Mickey/Ellen saga. Forget Paris is uneven (unsurprisingly, Winger is stronger in the dramatic sections and Crystal in the comic parts, a schism that takes its toll on their chemistry), but its best parts hold up, even if the whole is shaky. Plus, the movie's theme (that romantic memories aren't what makes a marriage work, you have to live! in the present) is explored with conviction and tenderness. --Bret Fetzer

Eight Below (Full Screen Edition)

• Inspired by a true story and the hit Japanese film NANKYOKU MONOGATARI, Frank Marshall s (ALIVE, CONGO) EIGHT BELOW captures a rugged world of ice, snow, and threatening weather that few will ever experience in person. As a guide for a National Science Foundation Research Base in Antarctica, Jerry Shepard (Paul Walker) is perfectly content to spend his time exploring the wilderness with his sled d

Walt Disney Pictures presents EIGHT BELOW, the thrilling tale of incredible friendship between eight amazing sled dogs and their guide Jerry (Paul Walker). Stranded in Antarctica during the most unforgiving winter on the planet, Jerry's beloved sled dogs must learn to survive together until Jerry â€" who will stop at nothing -- rescues them. Driven by unwavering bonds of friendship, enormous belief in one another, and tremendous courage, Jerry and the dogs make an incredible journey to reunite in th! is triumphant and inspiring action-adventure the whole family will treasure.Despite a likable cast of humans, it's the canine stars who steal the show in Eight Below, a terrific live-action adventure in the time-honored Disney tradition. Based on a true story that was previously filmed (much differently) as the 1983 Japanese hit Antarctica, this above-average family film takes place in 1993 and focuses on a dog-sled guide at an Antarctic research station (Paul Walker) who is forced by a severe storm to abandon eight beloved sled dogs for the duration of a harsh Antarctic winter. Left to fend for themselves, the rugged and resourceful dogs encounter danger at every turn, surviving for nearly six months while Walker and his closest colleagues (engagingly played by Bruce Greenwood, Moon Bloodgood, and American Pie's Jason Biggs) join forces to mount a daring rescue mission. Having endured similarly extreme conditions on his 1993 film Alive, director! Frank Marshall brings an abundance of natural splendor (and m! inimum u se of digital wizardry) to spectacularly arctic locations in Norway, Greenland and Canada, and Walker (star of The Fast and the Furious) lends an amiable sincerity to his compassionate role. For most viewers, however, it's the remarkable dogs (six Siberian huskies and two malamutes) who make Eight Below so thoroughly entertaining. It's not quite an instant family classic, but it comes pretty doggone close. --Jeff Shannon

Here on Earth: A Natural History of the Planet

• ISBN13: 9780802119766
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

The bestselling author of Turtle Moon and Practical Magic tells her most seductive and mesmerizing tale yet--the story of March Murray, who returns to her small Massachusetts hometown after nineteen years, encountering her childhood sweetheart...and discovering the heartbreaking and complex truth about their reckless and romantic love.

"A sound addition to an impressive body of work."--Boston Globe

"Sumptuous prose."--Denver Post

"Here on Earth is Hoffman's twelfth novel, and the spell she casts is stronger than ever."--Orlando Sentinel

* Includes a Reader's Guide

The New York Times bestseller and Oprah's Book Club selection...with a Reade! r's Guide included.Oprah Book Club® Selection, March 1998: Here on Earth is set in motion when March Murray and her teenage daughter travel from their California home to New England. Their stay is to be brief. Judith Dale, her childhood housekeeper-cum-foster mother, has died, and March must set things to right and get out of gloomy Jenkintown as quickly as possible. "Five days tops," she reassures her scientist husband. Instead, she is pulled back into the arms of Hollis, her first love--an avaricious, Heathcliff-like individual who radiates sulfur and cruelty. "She left and didn't come back, not even when he called her, and yet here she is, on this dark night; here and no place else." In this deep fable of loss and control, love and fear, Alice Hoffman allows us into her characters' cores and makes us wish their fortunes were happier. Here on Earth is filled with wisdom, what-ifs, and animals who seem, if not to know more than human bei! ngs, at least to know how to shy from danger.Chris Klein ("Ame! rican Pi e") and Leelee Sobieski ("Never Been Kissed") star in a "heartfelt story of romance, friendship and true love." (JUMP Magazine). Rich kid Kelley Morse (Klein) thought he had it all - money, good looks and a new Mercedes. But after a reckless car race destroys a roadside diner, Kelley finds himself sentenced to a summer of manual labor in a small town. That's where he meets and falls in love with Samantha, a girl from the other side of the tracks. But everything changes when Samantha's long-time boyfriend Jasper (Josh Hartnett, "The Faculty") uncovers their secret romance. This "sweet and romantic" (YM Magazine) tale of first love will capture your heart.Slumming among the locals of a small New York town, Kelley Morse (Chris Klein), graduating senior at a posh prep school and all-around insufferable rich kid, engages the testosterone of one of the hicks (Josh Hartnett) when he flirts with the guy's girlfriend, Samantha (LeeLee Sobieski). A car chase ensues, resulting in Sama! ntha's family's diner getting blown up, which in turn lands the boys in hot water with the law. The upshot is the snotty rich kid is sentenced to help the locals rebuild the diner. A romance develops between Kelley and Samantha, apparently because they like a particular Robert Frost poem. So now they're deep, see. But then their love is tested when Samantha contracts Ali MacGraw disease. You know, that's the sudden disease Ali McGraw gets in Love Story--really an excuse to emphasize the strength of the characters' love. You don't know what you got till it's gone, right? This film would be pretty bad if the performances weren't so engaging, especially LeeLee Sobieski's, who seems to be channeling Helen Hunt in this movie. Though Chris Klein never makes us believe for an instant that his arrogant character could make the changes he does, or that his and Sobieski's characters could ever really get together. The script is too thin to support any motivations, and the film! falls into formula weepy territory to appeal to teen tear duc! ts. Love rs of weepies might overlook the film's plot weaknesses in favor of the strong performances and the prospect of a good cry. --Jim Gay

Beginning at the moment of creation with the Big Bang, Here on Earth explores the evolution of Earth from a galactic cloud of dust and gas to a planet with a metallic core and early signs of life within a billion years of being created. In a compelling narrative, Flannery describes the formation of the Earth’s crust and atmosphere, as well as the transformation of the planet’s oceans from toxic brews of metals (such as iron, copper, and lead) to life-sustaining bodies covering 70 percent of the planet’s surface. Life, Flannery shows, first appeared in these oceans in the form of microscopic plants and bacteria, and these metals served as catalysts for the earliest biological processes known to exist. From this starting point, Flannery tells the fascinating story of the evolution of our own species, exploring several ear! ly human species—from the diminutive creatures (the famed hobbits) who lived in Africa around two million years ago to Homo erectus—before turning his attention to Homo sapiens. Drawing on Charles Darwin’s and Alfred Russell Wallace’s theories of evolution and Lovelock’s Gaia hypothesis, Here on Earth is a dazzling account of life on our planet.

Frontrunners

• FRONTRUNNERS is a smart and funny political documentary that follows the student council presidential campaign at one of the country s most prestigious public high schools: Stuyvesant High School in New York City. Follow 4 charming and idiosyncratic candidates as they navigate an electoral process that is said to be one of the most competitive at the high school level. These teenaged candidates fa

FRONTRUNNERS - DVD MovieCaroline Suh’s directorial debut, Frontrunners, is a charming, candid, and almost scary glimpse into the advanced levels of student sophistication in America’s top high schools. In this case, Suh, who has copious experience as a documentary producer, put her documentary research skills to use at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, an elite school in which students who aren’t admitted to Top Ten colleges are considered total rejects by their peers. Frontrunner! s charts the arc of the student government elections, starring four kids who want the presidency. Mike Zaytsev, Hannah Freiman, Alex Leonard, and George Zisiadis each select running mates and crave victory with varying degrees of conviction. The documentary is comprised of interview footage with the candidates at school, at home, and sometimes features the parents of the chosen few, expressing concerns about the pressures that are placed upon their children to succeed. The levels of competition are astounding; one scene capturing their "televised" debates shows how this school simulates real-life for hardcore training. Though the interviews are often hilarious, what really carries the film is ample footage of the candidates planning and enacting strategies. George, who seems to have been born to become president, cooks up political platforms as naturally as a thuggish student may shoot spitwads onto the classroom’s ceiling. Hannah, whose office bulletin board commemor! ates her trips to film festivals and theater events, is extrem! ely well -poised in front of a camera, resulting from what some may attribute to having been privy from her early years to a cultured lifestyle. So, as the presidential race unfurls, one sees not only a cutthroat teenage contest but also the ways in which students are shaped by their home lives. Frontrunners should provide proof to parents and public schools alike that youth will indeed succeed if one sets expectations and opportunity high. Bravo to Oscilloscope Laboratories (owned by Beastie Boy Adam Yauch) for releasing this humorously inspiring film. --Trinie Dalton

Committed: A Love Story

• ISBN13: 9780143118701
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

The #1 New York Times bestselling follow-up to Eat, Pray, Love--an intimate and erudite celebration of love.

At the end of her memoir Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert fell in love with Felipe, a Brazilian living in Indonesia. The couple swore eternal love, but also swore (as skittish divorce survivors) never to marry. However, providence intervened in the form of a U.S. government ultimatum: get married, or Felipe could never enter America again. Told with Gilbert's trademark humor and intelligence, this fascinating meditation on compatibility and fidelity chronicles Gilbert's complex and sometimes frightening journey into second marriage, and will enthrall the m! illions of readers who made Eat, Pray, Love a number one bestseller.

CliffsNotes on Wharton's The House of Mirth (Cliffsnotes Literature Guides)

• ISBN13: 9780764537165
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

ENDURING LITERATURE ILLUMINATED BY PRACTICAL SCHOLARSHIP

An incisive portrait of New York high society and the somber economics of marriage during the late nineteenth century, Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth tells the story of beguiling socialite Lily Bart’s ill-fated attempt to find happiness.

THIS ENRICHED CLASSIC EDITION INCLUDES:

• A concise introduction that gives the reader important background information

• A chronology of the author’s life and work

• A timeline of significant events that provides the book’s historical context

• An outline of key themes and plot points to guide the reader’s own interpretations

• Detailed explanatory notes

•! Critical analysis and modern perspectives on the work

• Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction

• A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader’s experience

Simon & Schuster Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world’s finest books to their full potential."The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth," warns Ecclesiastes 7:4, and so does the novel by Edith Wharton that takes its title from this call to heed. New York at the turn of the century was a time of opulence and frivolity for those who could afford it. But for those who couldn't and yet wanted desperately to keep up with the whirlwind, like Wharton's charming Lily Bart, it was s! omething else altogether: a gilded cage rather than the Gild! ed Age.

One of Wharton's earliest descriptions of her heroine, in the library of her bachelor friend and sometime suitor Lawrence Selden, indicates that she appears "as though she were a captured dryad subdued to the conventions of the drawing room." Indeed, herein lies Lily's problem. She has, we're told, "been brought up to be ornamental," and yet her spirit is larger than what this ancillary role requires. By today's standards she would be nothing more than a mild rebel, but in the era into which Wharton drops her unmercifully, this tiny spark of character, combined with numerous assaults by vicious society women and bad luck, ultimately renders Lily persona non grata. Her own ambivalence about her position serves to open the door to disaster: several times she is on the verge of "good" marriage and squanders it at the last moment, unwilling to play by the rules of a society that produces, as she calls them, "poor, miserable, marriageable girls.

! Lily's rather violent tumble down the social ladder provides a thumbnail sketch of the general injustices of the upper classes (which, incidentally, Wharton never quite manages to condemn entirely, clearly believing that such life is cruel but without alternative). From her start as a beautiful woman at the height of her powers to her sad finale as a recently fired milliner's assistant addicted to sleeping drugs, Lily Bart is heroic, not least for her final admission of her own role in her downfall. "Once--twice--you gave me the chance to escape from my life and I refused it: refused it because I was a coward," she tells Selden as the book draws to a close. All manner of hideous socialite beasts--some of whose treatment by Wharton, such as the token social-climbing Jew, Simon Rosedale, date the book unfortunately--wander through the novel while Lily plummets. As her tale winds down to nothing more than the remnants of social grace and cold hard ca! sh, it's hard not to agree with Lily's own assessment of hers! elf: "I have tried hard--but life is difficult, and I am a very useless person. I can hardly be said to have an independent existence. I was just a screw or a cog in the great machine I called life, and when I dropped out of it I found I was of no use anywhere else." Nevertheless, it's even harder not to believe that she deserved better, which is why The House of Mirth remains so timely and so vital in spite of its crushing end and its unflattering portrait of what life offers up. --Melanie Rehak

The tragic fall of one of the most heartbreaking characters in American literature, a beautiful socialite who loses her footing in the savage social-climbing world of 19th century New York high society

 

Lily Bart has no fortune, but she possesses everything else she needs to make an excellent marriage: beauty, intelligence, a love of luxury, and an elegant skill in negotiating the hidden traps and false friends! of New York's high society. But time and again Lily cannot bring herself to make the final decisive move: to abandon her sense of self and a chance of love for the final soulless leap into a mercenary union. Her time is running out, and degradation awaits. Edith Wharton's masterful novel is a tragedy of money, morality, and missed opportunity.

Since its publication in 1905 The House of Mirth has commanded attention for the sharpness of Wharton's observations and the power of her style. A lucid, disturbing analysis of the stifling limitations imposed upon women of her generation, Wharton's tale of Lily Bart's search for a husband of position in New York Society, and betrayal of her own heart, transformed the traditional novel of manners into an arrestingly modern document of cultural anthropology. With incisive contemporary analysis, the introduction by a leading scholar of American literature updates this increasingly important work.This collect! ion was designed for optimal navigation on Kindle and other el! ectronic devices. It is indexed alphabetically, chronologically and by category, making it easier to access individual books, stories and poems. This collection offers lower price, the convenience of a one-time download, and it reduces the clutter in your digital library. All books included in this collection feature a hyperlinked table of contents and footnotes. The collection is complimented by an author biography. Table of Contents List of Works by Genre and TitleList of Works in Alphabetical OrderList of Works in Chronological OrderEdith Wharton Biography Novels:The Age of InnocenceThe Bunner SistersThe Custom of the CountryEthan FromeThe Fruit of the TreeThe Glimpses of the MoonThe House of MirthThe ReefSanctuarySummerThe TouchstoneThe Valley of Decision Non-Fiction:Fighting FranceIn Morocco Short Stories Collections:Crucial InstancesThe Descent of Man and Other StoriesThe Greater InclinationThe Hermit and the Wild WomanTales of Men and Ghosts Short Stories:AfterwardThe Angel a! t the GraveAutres TempsThe Best ManThe Blond BeastThe Bolted DoorThe ChoiceComing HomeThe Confessional"Copy" A DialogueA CowardA Cup of Cold WaterThe Daunt DianaThe DebtThe Descent of ManThe DilettanteThe Duchess at PrayerThe EyesExpiationFull CircleThe Fulness of LifeThe Hermit and the Wild WomanHis Father's SonThe House of The Dead HandIn TrustA JourneyKerfolThe Lady's Maid's BellThe Last AssetThe LegendThe LetterThe LettersThe Long RunMadame de TreymesThe Mission of JaneThe Moving FingerMrs. Manstey's ViewThe Muse's TragedyThe Other TwoThe PelicanThe PortraitThe Pot-BoilerThe PretextThe QuicksandThe ReckoningThe RecoveryThe RembrandtSouls BelatedThe Triumph of NightThe Twilight of the GodA Venetian Night's EntertainmentThe VerdictXingu Poetry:Artemis to Actaeon, and Other VersesBotticelli's Madonna in the LouvreThe SonnetThis collection was designed for optimal navigation on Kindle and other electronic devices. It is indexed alphabetically, chronologically and by categor! y, making it easier to access individual books, stories and po! ems. Thi s collection offers lower price, the convenience of a one-time download, and it reduces the clutter in your digital library. All books included in this collection feature a hyperlinked table of contents and footnotes. The collection is complimented by an author biography. Table of Contents List of Works by Genre and TitleList of Works in Alphabetical OrderList of Works in Chronological OrderEdith Wharton Biography Novels:The Age of InnocenceThe Bunner SistersThe Custom of the CountryEthan FromeThe Fruit of the TreeThe Glimpses of the MoonThe House of MirthThe ReefSanctuarySummerThe TouchstoneThe Valley of Decision Non-Fiction:Fighting FranceIn Morocco Short Stories Collections:Crucial InstancesThe Descent of Man and Other StoriesThe Greater InclinationThe Hermit and the Wild WomanTales of Men and Ghosts Short Stories:AfterwardThe Angel at the GraveAutres TempsThe Best ManThe Blond BeastThe Bolted DoorThe ChoiceComing HomeThe Confessional"Copy" A DialogueA CowardA Cup of Cold! WaterThe Daunt DianaThe DebtThe Descent of ManThe DilettanteThe Duchess at PrayerThe EyesExpiationFull CircleThe Fulness of LifeThe Hermit and the Wild WomanHis Father's SonThe House of The Dead HandIn TrustA JourneyKerfolThe Lady's Maid's BellThe Last AssetThe LegendThe LetterThe LettersThe Long RunMadame de TreymesThe Mission of JaneThe Moving FingerMrs. Manstey's ViewThe Muse's TragedyThe Other TwoThe PelicanThe PortraitThe Pot-BoilerThe PretextThe QuicksandThe ReckoningThe RecoveryThe RembrandtSouls BelatedThe Triumph of NightThe Twilight of the GodA Venetian Night's EntertainmentThe VerdictXingu Poetry:Artemis to Actaeon, and Other VersesBotticelli's Madonna in the LouvreThe SonnetThe original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format.

CliffsN! otes on The House of Mirth takes you into the waning years! of the Gilded Age and the moral bankruptcy of New York City's elite class. Edith Wharton's story of a woman â€" whose beauty causes men to desire to possess her and women to be jealous of her â€" reflects the complicated struggle of the individual against the social strictures of a powerful, and triumphant, moneyed class.

This concise supplement to the satirically critical The House of Mirth, helps you understand the overall structure of the novel, actions and motivations of the characters, and the social and cultural perspectives of the author. Features that help you study include

• Chapter-by-chapter summaries and commentaries
• A character map that outline key characteristics and relationships
• Insightful character analyses
• A critical essay about the opulence and emptiness of the Gilded Age
• A review section that tests your knowledge

Classic literature or modern modern-day treasure â€" you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from! CliffsNotes study guides.