Books published by Alma Books Ltd

While each play in the Berenger cycle is unique, they are all prime examples of Ionesco's conception of the theatre of the absurd, and touch on themes that preoccupied Ionesco throughout his career, such as mortality, alienation, freedom and the evils of Fascism.

Written when the author of Cain's Book was at the height of his creative powers and enjoying an increasing reputation in avant-garde literary circles, `The Holy Man' is here presented with `A Being of Distances', `Peter Pierce' and `A Meeting', stories which similarly tackle themes of loneliness and disenfranchisement."

The Flanders Road' is not only a masterpiece of stylistic innovation, but also a haunting portrayal - based on a real-life incident - of the chaos and savagery of war.

First published in 1939 to little fanfare, Tropisms was ahead of its time and finally received the recognition it deserved when it was republished in 1957 at the height of the nouveau roman movement, of which it is now considered a precursor.

A commercial and critical success when it was first published in 1931, and now considered by some to be Virginia Woolf's most ambitious novel. This new edition includes pictures and a section on Virginia Woolf's life and works.

Oscar Wilde claimed that Humiliated and Insulted is not "at all inferior to the other great masterpieces" and Friedrich Nietzsche is said to have wept over it. Its construction is that of an intricate detective novel, and the reader is plunged into a world of moral degradation, childhood trauma and, above all, unrequited love.

Part of Alma Classics new series: 101 Pages, The Frozen Deep is an action-packed tale of vengeance and sacrifice based on an actual doomed mission to the Arctic captained by Sir John Franklin.

Part of Alma Classics new series: 101 Pages, Three Years is, in the author's own words, " a novel of Moscow life" and an examination of its merchant classes. A powerful story of redemption and the nuances of human relationships, the novella helped cement Chekhov's reputation as a major figure in Russian literature.

Part of Alma Classics new series: 101 Pages, The Single Hound contains some of Dickinson's most original and poignant pieces.

Here presented with other five short stories focussing on the lives of prostitutes, Boule de Suif is a story about food, sex and politics.

Published anonymously in The London Magazine, the Confessions were an immediate success, and soon speculation was rife as to the identity of the mysterious Opium-Eater. The work, which introduced the literary world to De Quincey's unique "impassioned prose", is now widely deemed to be De Quincey's masterpiece.

First published in 1850, `The Diary of a Superfluous Man' was initially censored by the authorities, as some of its passages were deemed too critical of Russian society. This volume also includes two other masterly novellas, also touching on the theme of disappointed love: `Asya' and `First Love'.

Full of tragedy and passion, love and rivalry, the five sweeping tales contained in this volume display the precocious talent, lively imagination and flair for storytelling of the young Charlotte Bronte.

A classic tale of American Gothic, `The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' has found a central place in the collective imagination and inspired many adaptations. Also included in this volume is a selection of some of Irving's most celebrated ghostly tales, such as `Rip Van Winkle' and `The Devil and Tom Walker'.

Presented here with extra material about the author's life and works, notes and bibliographic information, The Castle of Otranto was the first and most influential novel of the eighteenth-century Gothic revival

This volume, which includes Joyce's first published book, Chamber Music, as well as his later collection Pomes Penyeach and several other uncollected poems, reveals a lesser-known facet of the great modernist's artistic career and a glimpse into his poetical sensibility.

Often considered to be Celine's funniest work, Guignol's Band showcases its author's idiosyncratic style at its finest, frantically blending slang, invective, onomatopoeia with literary language, and bridging the gap between gritty realism and absurd mysticism.

Initially composed by Poe as a public lecture towards the end his career and considered by him the culmination of all his life's work, Eureka is an extended treatise about the creation, existence and the ultimate end of the world.

Published in association with the English National Opera and edited by Nicholas John, this unique collection provides stimulating introductory articles together with the complete text of each opera in English and the original.

Written in 1949 but only published in 1979, Robbe-Grillet's first novel is a disquieting and satirical avant-garde political thriller which bridges the gap between traditional novel and the nouveau roman genre he would later espouse and make famous.

A veritable literary melting pot, Roussel's groundbreaking text makes ample use of wordplay and the surrealist techniques of automatic writing and private allusion.

This brilliantly executed novel, which showcases all the techniques that have secured Robbe-Grillet's place in the canon of Western literature, leaves behind a disturbing sense of unrest.

First published in 1965 to coincide with the internationally successful television series of the same name, Belle and Sebastien is a heart-warming story of camaraderie, adventure and freedom.

Presented in a verse translation opposite the original Russian text and enriched with notes, pictures and an appendix on Pushkin's life and works, this collection will be essential reading for anyone wishing to delve deeper into the Russian bard's genius.

This edition of Emily Bronte's poems contains a substantial amount of extra material, including notes, pictures and a section on Bronte's life and works.

Brand-new translation from acclaimed translator Hugh Aplin of One of the best-selling Russian classics in the UK over the last year.Includes many stories never translated into English before

Here presented in a new edition to include pictures and an extensive section on von Arnim's life and works, The Enchanted April has inspired generations of readers since and established Portofino and the Italian Riviera as a mainstay of the tourist circuit

The latest instalment in Dominique Demers's popular Adventures of Miss Charlotte series, The New Football Coach, brilliantly illustrated by Tony Ross, is a marvellous tale about believing in yourself and beating the odds.

This first volume is part of Alma's series of the complete bi-lingual poetic works of Alexander Pushkin. This edition is fully annotated.