Discipline lingue moderne

A man is killed in Richard Hannay's home. Before his death he tells Hannay a dangerous secret. Now Hannay's life is in danger. Who are his enemies and what are they trying to do? And how will he solve the mystery of ‘the thirty-nine steps'?

These are the stories of some of Shakespeare's most famous plays. We travel to Venice, Greece, Denmark and Rome, and meet many different people. There is a greedy money-lender, a fairy king and queen, some Roman politicians and a young prince who meets the ghost of his murdered father.

Doctor Faustus is a clever man who is greedy for knowledge and power. After he signs an agreement with the Devil, in his own blood, his new skills are admired around the world. But there are two sides to an agreement with the Devil. There is a price to pay...

Frankenstein is probably the most famous horror story in the world. Victor Frankenstein is a young scientist who creates a monster from parts of dead bodies. At first the monster looks for love and wants to be kind. But soon, he learns to hate people and becomes evil. Frankenstein has learnt how to create life. But will this life destroy him?

Alexander the Great has fascinated people since his death more than 2300 years ago. By the age of thirty he ruled the biggest Empire the world had ever known. This remarkable leader brought civilization to millions and shaped our world.

Rip Van Winkle walks into the mountains one day and meets some strange old men. He comes home twenty years later. One dark night, Ichabod Crane is riding home and sees a man on a black horse behind him. The man has no head. Are there ghosts in these stories? What do you think?

Anna Scott is an American film star. She is rich, beautiful and very famous. William Thacker is a shy man who has a small, unsuccessful bookshop in London. Their lives are different in every way, but they are both looking for someone special. Can a future together be more than a dream? Notting Hill is a wonderful – and very funny – love story.

Huck and Jim travel down the Mississippi from St. Petersburg to Cairo. Jim is a runaway slave so they have to be careful. They have a lot of adventures on the river. They even meet a king! But is he real? Huck soon finds out the truth.

Oliver's mother dies when he is born and he is brought up in a workhouse. His first years are cold and lonely – and then he runs away to London. But he falls into the hands of Fagin and the terrifying Bill Sykes. They try to turn Oliver into a criminal. Will he escape to find a better life?

Has Mrs Brown killed Granny on the beach? Why does Mrs Hill want to leave her husband? Who wants to steal the Professor's invention? And what is little Johnny trying to say? Discover the answers when you read the plays in this book. They are plays about ordinary people and the unusual, often funny, things that happen to them.

D'Artagnan wants to be a musketeer. He wants to fight for his king and his country. But the Queen has a problem with the Cardinal, so d'Artagnan and his new friends have to help her. The Cardinal is a very dangerous man. Who will win? Who will lose? And who will die?

Every year, millions of tourists visit New York—the most exciting city in the world. Read about its history, its sights and its people. What makes New York “the city that never sleeps?”

All kinds of people, from shopkeepers to kings, want the help of Sherlock Holmes in these six stories about the adventures of the famous detective. Who put a diamond in a chicken? Why is there a club for men with red hair? How did the man at the lake die? Can Sherlock Holmes solve the mysteries?

Tom Sawyer loves adventures. He has them at home, at school, and with his friends —Huck Finn, Joe Harper, and Becky Thatcher. Tom has one adventure in a graveyard, one in an old house, one in a cave. Who does he see in those places—and why is he afraid?

On the night of April 14, 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank. This is the full story. Why did the Titanic sink so quickly? Why did so many people die? What are the stories of all those people, young and old, rich and poor?

Katrina Kirby is a detective. People call her ‘K'. There has been a murder in a big country house. ‘K' knows that one of five people murdered Sir Michael Gray. Who did it? How? Why? This is a detective story with a difference: ‘K' needs your help with her case.

In 1974 two Black Americans fought in Zaire, in Africa. One was Muhammad Ali. After the fight, he was the boxing champion of the world — again. But why did a young boy from Kentucky start to box? Why did he stop boxing? And what is he doing now?

Count Dracula is a vampire. He drinks people's blood. He lives in a lonely castle in the mountains of Transylvania. But then he comes to England and strange things start happening. People change. People become ill. Professor Van Helsing knows about vampires, but can he stop Count Dracula?

Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark. His heart is filled with sadness and pain. Why? Only his two best friends, Horatio and Marcellus, know the true reason. The new king, Claudius, murdered Hamlet's father and married the young prince's mother. Will Hamlet be strong and brave enough to take revenge? Is he mad? Or does he have a secret plan?

Why is the frightening Mr Hyde a friend of the nice Dr Jekyll? Who is the evil little man? And why does he seem to have power over the doctor? After a terrible murder, everyone is looking for Mr Hyde. But he has disappeared. Or has he?

A young woman comes to a big house to teach two young children. It's her first job and she wants to do it well. But she begins to see strange things – the ghosts of dead people. Do the ghosts want the children?

This is the funniest book that you will read about English people! Why are the English different from Europeans? George Mikes' book describes the strange things the English do and say. And the English don't get angry when they read the book. They love it! You will too!

This wonderful story of fairies, dreams and lovers is as popular today as it was in Shakespeare's time. In a wood outside Athens, four young people are following their dreams, while fairies play strange games with them. Their world seems unreal – but is it really very different from our own?

‘We'll give a free dinner to the person who tells the best story. Now, put up your hands if you agree.' The pilgrims all held up their hands. A group of pilgrims are travelling together for five days from London to Canterbury. On the way, each pilgrim has to tell a story to keep the others amused. Some stories are happy, and some are sad. But they all have a message, and we can learn from them.