The twenty-five crisp and amusing short stories in this collection prove that elementary readings in French can also be entertaining. Some are original anecdotes and others adaptations of traditional French of French-Canadian stories, some are from anonymous sources, and some by acknowledged masters such as LaFontaine. All are distinguished by the classic literary virtue of the French—precision, economy, and the traditional Gallic twist. A delightful series of line drawings by Antje Lingner aptly reflects the spirit of the book. This collection is designed for reading in Grades XI and XII, and for introductory courses at the University or Extension course level. To encourage a quick response and facility in reading, the stories emphasize the idiomatic and rely heavily on dialogue, avoiding as much as possible an over-literary syntax. The text employs elementary vocabulary and constructions throughout and is representative in all respects of the spoken language today. The emphasis on conversational organization in the stories will be immediately apparent, and it is this feature that should be exploited in the classroom and other group situations. On a series of four long-playing records the entire text has been transcribed for use in oral and phonetics classes. The readings are given slowly but naturally and with a relish which catches the drama and humour of the material. The combination of text and recordings offers a most valuable method of acquiring aural familiarity with spoken French. The stories are supplemented with vocabulary, notes and exercises. For each story there is supplied a series of questions that lend themselves to oral answers and discussion; in addition there is a short exercise reviewing grammatical forms, with special emphasis on the verb, as well as a brief passage for prose translation into French.

The Comedy Collection of Michael Braham Gerstein is a variety of humorous stories and subjects. Michael’s prose shows the versatility of his imagination and the special brand of his zany humour. Ideal as a bedside companion.

Told in their separate voices, sixteen-year-old Prince Oliver, who wants to break free of his fairy-tale existence, and fifteen-year-old Delilah, a loner obsessed with Prince Oliver and the book in which he exists, work together to seek his freedom.

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE The #1 bestselling author of Saturday and Atonement brilliantly illuminates the collision of sexual longing, deep-seated fears and romantic fantasy in his unforgettable, emotionally engaging novel. The year is 1962. Florence, the daughter of a successful businessman and an aloof Oxford academic, is a talented violinist. She dreams of a career on the concert stage and of the perfect life she will create with Edward, the earnest young history student she met by chance and who unexpectedly wooed her and won her heart. Edward grew up in the country on the outskirts of Oxford where his father, the headmaster of the local school, struggled to keep the household together and his mother, brain-damaged from an accident, drifted in a world of her own. Edward’s native intelligence, coupled with a longing to experience the excitement and intellectual fervour of the city, had taken him to University College in London. Falling in love with the accomplished, shy and sensitive Florence—and having his affections returned with equal intensity—has utterly changed his life. Their marriage, they believe, will bring them happiness, the confidence and the freedom to fulfill their true destinies. The glowing promise of the future, however, cannot totally mask their worries about the wedding night. Edward, who has had little experience with women, frets about his sexual prowess. Florence’s anxieties run deeper: she is overcome by conflicting emotions and a fear of the moment she will surrender herself. From the precise and intimate depiction of two young lovers eager to rise above the hurts and confusion of the past, to the touching story of how their unexpressed misunderstandings and fears shape the rest of their lives, On Chesil Beach is an extraordinary novel that brilliantly, movingly shows us how the entire course of a life can be changed—by a gesture not made or a word not spoken.