The Penguin Book of Cults

A chilling history of the most notorious cults of the past two thousand years 
 
The word “cult” conjures images of people in thrall to a charismatic leader who extracts obedience through lies and threats, and of apocalyptic prophecies, sexual perversion, and mass suicide. From the Celtic druids, whose ritual sacrifices inspired the folk horror film The Wicker Man, all the way up to the Peoples Temple and Heaven’s Gate, The Penguin Book of Cults charts the history of our fear of the religious other. 
 
Bringing to light little-known sources such as a “death tape” of Jonestown’s final hour, when Jim Jones led more than 900 of his followers to drink poison, and a minute-by-minute log of the FBI’s final assault on the Branch Davidian headquarters, and including accounts of drinking the blood of sacrificed cats, theories that we are living inside a hollow earth, and reports that space brothers from Venus are coming to redeem us from the threat of nuclear war, this volume opens a fascinating window into cults and why some of them have ended in spectacular violence.

Joseph P. Laycock (External Editor) 
Joseph P. Laycock is an assistant professor of religious studies at Texas State University and a co-editor of the journal Nova Religio. He is the author or editor of several books about religion, including Speak of the Devil, Spirit Possession Around the World, and The Seer of Bayside, and has written for Quartz and The New Republic. He lives in Austin, Texas.

The word “cult” conjures images of people in thrall to a charismatic leader who extracts obedience through lies and threats, and of apocalyptic prophecies, sexual perversion, and mass suicide. From the Celtic druids, whose ritual sacrifices inspired the folk horror film The Wicker Man, all the way up to the Peoples Temple and Heaven’s Gate, The Penguin Book of Cults charts the history of our fear of the religious other. 
 
Bringing to light little-known sources such as a “death tape” of Jonestown’s final hour, when Jim Jones led more than 900 of his followers to drink poison, and a minute-by-minute log of the FBI’s final assault on the Branch Davidian headquarters, and including accounts of drinking the blood of sacrificed cats, theories that we are living inside a hollow earth, and reports that space brothers from Venus are coming to redeem us from the threat of nuclear war, this volume opens a fascinating window into cults and why some of them have ended in spectacular violence.

Classical Myths and Stories, from the Amazons to Cleopatra

Women in Power

Classical stories about women who wield power, from the Amazons to Dido to Cleopatra 
 
In this fascinating anthology, ancient women threaten male power by stepping into the roles traditionally held by men. They command armies, exercise sexual autonomy, speak in public, issue laws and subject others (even masculine heroes and citizen men) to their control. All of these stories were written by men and none of them can be read as affirmations or celebrations of women in power. Instead, their sexist attitudes continue to justify women’s exclusion from power. 
 
Yet despite the fear and suspicion the male authors direct toward these women, we can find much to admire in their tales, from the coordinated action of the women of Aristophanes’s Assemblywomen, to the righteous anger of Boudicca against sexual violence by men in power, to the successful resistance of Amanirenas against Rome’s colonial expansion. Read differently, these tales testify to the long history of women in power and suggest new paths for female empowerment.

In this fascinating anthology, ancient women threaten male power by stepping into the roles traditionally held by men. They command armies, exercise sexual autonomy, speak in public, issue laws and subject others (even masculine heroes and citizen men) to their control. All of these stories were written by men and none of them can be read as affirmations or celebrations of women in power. Instead, their sexist attitudes continue to justify women’s exclusion from power. 
 
Yet despite the fear and suspicion the male authors direct toward these women, we can find much to admire in their tales, from the coordinated action of the women of Aristophanes’s Assemblywomen, to the righteous anger of Boudicca against sexual violence by men in power, to the successful resistance of Amanirenas against Rome’s colonial expansion. Read differently, these tales testify to the long history of women in power and suggest new paths for female empowerment.

Bundle (90 Components)

Penguin Archive

The Penguin Archive Collection: 90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books 
 
Taking you from a Japanese tea ceremony to the mean streets of New York, from ancient battlefields to haunted graveyards and all the way into outer space, this new Penguin Classics series brings together an eclectic range of some of the greatest, most transporting stories, ideas and poetry from ninety years of publishing. 
 
This bundle contains every title in the Penguin Archive series.

Taking you from a Japanese tea ceremony to the mean streets of New York, from ancient battlefields to haunted graveyards and all the way into outer space, this new Penguin Classics series brings together an eclectic range of some of the greatest, most transporting stories, ideas and poetry from ninety years of publishing. 
 
This bundle contains every title in the Penguin Archive series.

Festive Tales for a Joyeux Noël

A French Christmas

The English-speaking Francophiles and travellers among us who like nothing more than to suss out the soul of a foreign place can rejoice in this endearing collection of Christmas stories from ten of France’s most esteemed writers - past and present - skilfully translated

A joy to hold and page through, as it is beautifully produced ... The Christmas themes are treated with a refreshing originality and variety, and I can imagine returning to reread this collection for many Christmases to come

Wonderful anthology ... It's funky, it's wild, it's French

Guy de Maupassant (Contributor) 
GUY DE MAUPASSANT (1850-93) was known for his hugely influential short stories and the vivid realism of his novels. He was born in Normandy and served in the Franco-Prussian War, which would become the subject of some of his best-known stories. Maupassant enjoyed financial and critical success before illness led to his death in an asylum at the age of forty-two. 
 
Irène Némirovsky (Contributor) 
Irène Némirovsky was born in Kiev in 1903, the daughter of a successful Jewish banker. In 1918 her family fled the Russian Revolution for France where she became a bestselling novelist, author of David Golder, All Our Worldly Goods, The Dogs and the Wolves and other works published in her lifetime or soon after, such as the posthumously published Suite Française and Fire in the Blood. She was prevented from publishing when the Germans occupied France and moved with her husband and two small daughters from Paris to the safety of the small village of Issy-l'Evêque (in German occupied territory). It was here that Irène began writing Suite Française. She died in Auschwitz in 1942.

Joyeux Noël! Merry Christmas! These festive stories welcome Christmas à la française – delicious, chic and unexpected. 
 
Sparkling Parisian streets, opulent feasts, wandering orphans, kindly monks, oysters, bonbons, flickering desire, and more than a little wine: this collection of stories proves that the French have truly mastered Christmas. 
 
Bringing together the best French Christmas stories of all time, this lovely book includes classics by Guy de Maupassant and Alphonse Daudet, plus stories by the esteemed twentieth-century author Irène Némirovsky and contemporary writers Dominique Fabre and Jean-Philippe Blondel. 
 
Let these generous, joyous stories transport you and your loved ones into the heart of a very French Christmas.

The Big Book of Cyberpunk Vol. 1

VOLUME ONE OF TWO 
 
'A huge, eye-opening, mind-blowing surprise' Lisa Tuttle, Guardian 
 
A genre-defining-and redefining-collection of fiction's boldest, most rebellious, and most prescient genre, featuring a smorgasbord of stories from across the globe 
 
In The Big Book of Cyberpunk, award-winning anthologist Jared Shurin brings together over a hundred stories from more than twenty-five different countries. Here are tales that both establish and subvert the classic Cyberpunk tropes and aesthetic – from gritty, near-future noir to pulse-pounding action. Urban rebels undermine their monolithic corporate overlords, daring heists are conducted through back alleys and the darkest parts of the online world, and dangerous new technology, cybernetic enhancements, scheming AIs, corporate mercenaries, improbable weapons and roguish hackers all collide into rich, thrilling entertainment. Set across two volumes, these are stories that examine the near-now, extrapolating the most provocative trends into fascinating and plausible futures. 
 
We live in an increasingly Cyberpunk world, packed with complex technologies and globalised social trends. It is a world so bizarre that even the futurists couldn’t explain it – though many authors in this book have come closer than most. As both an introduction to the genre and the perfect compendium for the lifelong fan, The Big Book of Cyberpunk Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 offer more than a hundred ways to understand where we are, and where we’re going – or simply the opportunity to venture down dazzling, neon-slicked streets.

The Big Book of Cyberpunk Vol. 2

VOLUME TWO OF TWO 
 
'A huge, eye-opening, mind-blowing surprise' Lisa Tuttle, Guardian 
 
A genre-defining-and redefining-collection of fiction's boldest, most rebellious, and most prescient genre, featuring a smorgasbord of stories from across the globe 
 
In The Big Book of Cyberpunk, award-winning anthologist Jared Shurin brings together over a hundred stories from more than twenty-five different countries. Here are tales that both establish and subvert the classic Cyberpunk tropes and aesthetic [RR1] [SN2] – from gritty, near-future noir to pulse-pounding action. Urban rebels undermine their monolithic corporate overlords, daring heists are conducted through back alleys and the darkest parts of the online world, and dangerous new technology, cybernetic enhancements, scheming AIs, corporate mercenaries, improbable weapons and roguish hackers all collide into rich, thrilling entertainment. Set across two volumes, these are stories that examine the near-now, extrapolating the most provocative trends into fascinating and plausible futures. 
 
We live in an increasingly Cyberpunk world, packed with complex technologies and globalised social trends. It is a world so bizarre that even the futurists couldn’t explain it – though many authors in this book have come closer than most. As both an introduction to the genre and the perfect compendium for the lifelong fan, The Big Book of Cyberpunk Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 offer more than a hundred ways to understand where we are, and where we’re going – or simply the opportunity to venture down dazzling, neon-slicked streets.

The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries

A scintillating and unusual anthology of lost treasures from the timeless murder mystery genre 
 
For The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries, writer and anthologist Michael Sims did not summon the usual suspects. He sought the unfamiliar, the unjustly forgotten, and little-known gems by writers from outside the genre. This historical tour of one of our most popular literary categories includes stories never-before reprinted, features rebellious early &quot;lady detectives&quot;, and spotlights former stars of the crime field. For twenty-first century connoisseurs of crime, The Penguin Books of Murder Mysteries celebrates how the nineteenth century added a fierce modern twist to the ancient theme of bloody murder.

10 Parallel Texts

Great Japanese Stories

A captivating selection of short stories in the original Japanese alongside their English translations 
 This new dual-language edition of ten stories selected from The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories celebrates some of the very best Japanese literature from the past hundred years. Each story appears in the original Japanese alongside an expert English translation, providing unique cultural insight and literary inspiration for language learners. Ranging from a witty send-up of modern social graces to a powerful evocation of the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, this remarkable collection includes works from beloved authors Abe Akira, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Betsuyaku Minoru, Hoshi Shin'ichi, Kawakami Mieko, Kono Taeko, Murakami Haruki, Oba Minako, Ota Yoko and Uchida Hyakken.

This new dual-language edition of ten stories selected from The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories celebrates some of the very best twentieth-century literature from Japan. Each story appears in the original Japanese alongside an expert English translation, providing unique cultural insight and literary inspiration for language learners. Ranging from a witty send-up of modern social graces to a powerful evocation of the aftermath of the atomic bomb, this remarkable collection includes works from beloved authors Abe Akira, Uchida Hyakken, Kawakami Mieko, Oba Minako, Betsuyaku Minoru, Haruki Murakami, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Hoshi Shin’ichi, Kono Taeko, and Ota Yoko.

Festive Tales for La Dolce Vita (Vintage Christmas Tales)

An Italian Christmas

Buon Natale -- A Merry Christmas -- made all the more joyful with these literary treats filled with ancient churches, plates piled high with pasta, flowing wine, shimmering gifts and plenty of style. 
 
In this collection, classic works by Boccaccio to Pirandello intertwine with more recent stories from writers like Anna Maria Ortese, Natalia Ginzburg and Nobel laureate Grazia Deledda to bring together the greatest festive tales from the land of enchantment: Italy. 
 
An Italian Christmas showcases stories that put the passionate, fiery side of the festive period back into Christmas.

Luigi Pirandello, Camillo Boito, Matilde Serao, Anna Maria Ortese, Andrea De Carlo, Grazia Deledda, Giovanni Verga, Giovanni Boccaccio, Natalia Ginzburg

Buon Natale -- A Merry Christmas -- made all the more joyful with these literary treats filled with ancient churches, trains whistling through the countryside, steaming tureens, plates piled high with pasta, High Mass, dashed hopes, golden crucifixes, flowing wine, shimmering gifts and plenty of style. 
 
In this collection, classic works by Boccaccio to Pirandello intertwine with more recent stories from writers like Anna Maria Ortese, Natalia Ginzburg and Nobel laureate Grazia Deledda to bring together the greatest festive tales from the land of enchantment: Italy. Bursting with family chaos, carols and yuletide cheer, An Italian Christmas showcases stories that put the passionate, fiery side of the festive period back into Christmas.

Tales of Modern Motherhood

Hurricanes in Perfect Power

A stunning new collection of short stories about motherhood, selected and introduced by Candice Brathwaite. 
 
______________ 
 
'To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colours of a rainbow' MAYA ANGELOU 
 
The story of motherhood is an endlessly rich one: it's one of love - and all the highs and lows that come with that world-turning emotion - and, in the purest sense, of life itself. Within these pages, some of the finest writers in the world explore motherhood in wildly varying modes, from single parenthood to sisters coparenting, from the deepest hardships to the biggest celebrations. 
 
Selected and introduced by Candice Brathwaite, author of I Am Not Your Baby Mother. 
 
Stories by Lydia Davis, Anita Desai, Mary Gaitskill, Tessa Hadley, Jamaica Kincaid, Toni Morrison, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Irenosen Okojie, Casey Plett, Tabitha Siklos, Helen Simpson, Ali Smith

Candice Brathwaite (External Editor, Introducer) 
Candice Brathwaite is the Sunday Times bestselling author of I Am Not Your Baby Mother. She is a contributing editor at Grazia and a presenter on Lorraine, and her writing has appeared in the Guardian, Harper's Bazaar, Stylist, Metro and Huffington Post. She is also the founder of Make Motherhood Diverse - an online initiative that aims to ensure many more mothers see themselves reflected online - and a hugely popular influencer.

A stunning new collection of short stories about motherhood, selected and introduced by Candice Brathwaite. 
 
______________ 
 
'To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colours of a rainbow' MAYA ANGELOU 
 
The story of motherhood is an endlessly rich one. It's one of love - and all the highs and lows that come with that world-turning emotion - and, in the purest sense, of life itself. Within these pages, some of the finest writers in the world explore motherhood in wildly varying modes, from single parenthood to sisters coparenting, from the deepest hardships to the greatest celebrations. 
 
Selected and introduced by Candice Brathwaite, author of I Am Not Your Baby Mother. 
 
Stories by Lydia Davis, Anita Desai, Mary Gaitskill, Tessa Hadley, Jamaica Kincaid, Toni Morrison, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Irenosen Okojie, Casey Plett, Tabitha Siklos, Helen Simpson, Ali Smith

Classic Korean Folk Tales

The Sky Bridge of Birds

Discover the dark, whimsical wonder of ancient Korea in this spellbinding hardback collection of magical tales told and retold across the centuries. 
 
Leave behind drab, dark nights to battle the moonlit snowstorms of the winter mountains, shiver at the uncanny horror of the wild-cat woman, explore the enchanted halls of the fairy palace, and follow the strange cries that beckon from beneath the Mysterious Hoi Tree. 
 
The Sky Bridge of Birds brings together some of the best, most bewitching Korean folk stories from across the ages in one new beautiful hardback collection. Carefully commited to writing during the turn of the twenieth cenutry by a unique set of folklorists, the tales of yore presented in this new anthology will transport readers to a time of myth and mystery.

The Penguin Book of Brazilian Short Stories

What does Brazilian literature mean to you? Football and favelas, carnival and caipirinhas? Or perhaps, past these cliches, a multifarious literary landscape comes into view? 
 
Spanning 150 years of Brazilian history, these stories are a thrilling cross-section of a diverse short story culture. Ranging from luscious avant-garde writing by Clarice Lispector to realist wit by Machado de Assis, The Penguin Book of Brazilian Short Stories takes in wild humour, heart-breaking drama, the legacy of slavery, the influence of waves of immigration, and a surprising preponderance of ants. Ethnicity, family and loyalty collide in Chico Buarque’s ‘The Cousins from Campos’; and a man who absolutely does not know Javanese builds a career as a translator in Lima Barreto’s ‘The Man Who Knew Javanese’. 
 
Stories also comes with a note from the translator, illuminating the creative process of translation, and the anthology is supported by exploratory apparatus from editors Daniel Hahn and Padma Viswanathan. Rich, thought-provoking and playful, The Penguin Book of Brazilian Short Stories is a landmark text.

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