Books published by Random House

Truman Capote was hailed as one the most meticulous writers in American letters-a part of the Capote mystique is that his precise writing seemed to exist apart from his chaotic life. While the measure of Capote as a writer is best taken through his work, Capote the person is best understood in his personal correspondence with friends, colleagues, lovers, and rivals.In Too Brief a Treat, the acclaimed biographer Gerald Clarke brings together for the first time the private letters of Truman Capote. Encompassing more than four decades, these letters reveal the inner life of one of the twentieth century's most intriguing personalities. As Clarke notes in his Introduction, Capote was an inveterate letter writer who both loved and craved love without inhibition. He wrote letters as he spoke: emphatically, spontaneously, and without reservation. He also wrote them at a breakneck pace, unconcerned with posterity. Thus, in this volume we have perhaps the closest thing possible to an elusive treasure: a Capote autobiography.Through his letters to the likes of William Styron, Gloria Vanderbilt, his publishers and editors, his longtime companion and lover Jack Dunphy, and others, we see Capote in all his life's phases-the uncannily self-possessed na•f who jumped headlong into the dynamic post—World War Two New York literary scene and the more mature, established Capote of the 1950s. Then there is the Capote of the early 1960s, immersed in the research and writing of his masterpiece, In Cold Blood. Capote's correspondence with Kansas detective Alvin Dewey, and with Perry Smith, one of the killers profiled in that work, demonstrates Capote's intense devotion to his craft, while his letters to friends like Cecil Beaton show Capote giddy with his emergence as a flamboyant mass media celebrity after that book's publication. Finally, we see Capote later in his life, as things seemed to be unraveling: when he is disillusioned, isolated by his substance abuse and by personal rivalries. (Ever effusive with praise and affection, Capote could nevertheless carry a grudge like few others). Too Brief a Treat is that uncommon book that gives us a literary titan's unvarnished thoughts. It is both Gerald Clarke's labor of love and a surpassing work of literary history.

It's time for a ride-along with Busytown's favorite police officer, Sergeant Murphy! Whether it's helping Busytown citizens find their lost items, handling huge traffic jams, or teaching the town about safety, children will love this fun and exciting story from the one and only Richard Scarry. Includes a sheet of stickers!

Essential Spanish and English vocabulary, in a portable paperback -- at the lowest price on the market. Less expensive than even small-size Spanish dictionaries, Random House Webster's Handy Spanish Dictionary offers over 40,000 definitions -- at a low price. Separate sections for Spanish-English and English-Spanish include the up-to-date language that students, businesspeople, and travelers need. Also included are International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) pronunciations for every word in English and Spanish. Just right for backpack, suitcase, or briefcase -- at a wallet-friendly price. Over 40,000 definitions Includes IPA pronunciations

Learn to read with Richard Scarry and Step Into Reading! In this Step 3 leveled reader, favorite author Richard Scarry presents three funny tales about happily resolved misunderstandings in the busy, busy world of Lowly Worm and Huckle Cat.With engaging characters, easy-to-follow plots, and popular topics, this is an ideal Step 3 reader for children who are ready to begin the exciting journey of reading on their own.

GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS 2020 -- BEST POETRY The collection of a lifetime from the bestselling novelist, poet - and cultural phenomenon. Before she became one of the world's most important and loved novelists, Margaret Atwood was a poet. Dearly is her first collection in over a decade. It brings together many of her most recognisable and celebrated themes, but distilled -- from minutely perfect descriptions of the natural world to startlingly witty encounters with aliens, from pressing political issues to myth and legend.By turns moving, playful and wise, the poems gathered in Dearly are about absences and endings, ageing and retrospection, but also about gifts and renewals. They explore bodies and minds in flux, as well as the everyday objects and rituals that embed us in the present. Werewolves, sirens and dreams make their appearance, as do various forms of animal life and fragments of our damaged environment.Dearly is a pure Atwood delight, and long-term readers and new fans alike will treasure its insight, empathy and humour.'A new volume of poetry by the writer of wit and optimism . . . Just when we needed her most' Gentlewoman*BOOK OF THE YEAR OBSERVER, FINANCIAL TIMES *

Discover an exquisitely told, tragic tale of thwarted love.It is in 1950s' Brighton that Marion first catches sight of Tom. He teaches her to swim in the shadow of the pier and Marion is smitten - determined her love will be enough for them both. A few years later in Brighton Museum Patrick meets Tom. Patrick is besotted with Tom and opens his eyes to a glamorous, sophisticated new world. Tom is their policeman, and in this age it is safer for him to marry Marion. The two lovers must share him, until one of them breaks and three lives are destroyed.'A moving story of longing and frustration' Observer

A NEW TRANSLATION BY ADAM THORPE A great novel that is also an inexhaustible pleasure to read' GuardianEmma Bovary is an avid reader of sentimental novels; brought up on a Normandy farm and convent-educated, she longs for romance. At first, Emma pins her hopes on marriage, but life with her well-meaning husband in the provinces leaves her bored and dissatisfied. She seeks escape through extravagant spending sprees and, eventually, adultery. As Emma pursues her impossible reverie she seals her own ruin. Madame Bovary is one of the greatest, most beguiling novels ever written. Thorpe's new translation is stunning and heartily recommendedScotsman Thorpe's new translation is to die for Independent [Thorpe s] hard work has yielded beauty. The rhythms are perfectly judged, unexpected enough to make the reader attend to every word Robert Chandler, TLS