Fiction & Poetry, Modern & Contemporary Fiction
The Common Reader

The Common Reader: First Series

Paperback Published on: 14/09/2023
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15 reviews
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Bookseller Reviews

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The War of the Worlds
One of my all time favourites.
An imaginative tale of invasion in a gothic backdrop – there’s no means to communicate widely, rising panic and an unknown powerful invader. It deftly chal... READ MORE
Catriona at Waterstones Head Office
The War of the Worlds
A flagship for the sci-fi genre!
The War of the Worlds has made a grand impact on pop culture, from musicals and movies, to limited television series, and even graphic adaptations. Regardl... READ MORE
Emily at Waterstones Ballymena

Synopsis

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.

‘A good essay must have this permanent quality about it; it must draw its curtain round us, but it must be a curtain that shuts us in not out’

In the first volume of her critical essays, Virginia Woolf discusses the greatest authors of the literary canon – Jane Austen, George Eliot and Geoffrey Chaucer among others – with the everyday, ‘common reader’ in mind. With wit and insight, Woolf also revisits classic novels and examines scholarly subjects, from the Greek language to the Modern Essay, to the Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.

First published in 1925, The Common Reader is a stunning work from one of the most perceptive minds of the twentieth century, a collection which continues to nurture the joys of literature and reading to this day.

Publisher information

  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • ISBN: 9780008542139
  • Number of pages: 288
  • Dimensions: 178 x 111 x 22 mm
  • Weight: 150g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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The War of the Worlds
More horror than sci-fi
In a list of the best horror stories ever written, I am repeatedly surprised not to see The War of the Worlds on that list. Sure, on the surface of it, the... READ MORE
soorploom
The War of the Worlds
More Than Just A Sci-Fi Masterpiece
H. G. Wells' tale of Martian invasion may unfold without the aid of flashy CGI or surround sound, but it is surely unrivalled as the most vivid representat... READ MORE
Joshua Whitehead
The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds
This is one of the original alien invasion stories and it is still a good as when it was first published if not better. Unlike many of the modern day equiv... READ MORE
Ecowitch
The War of the Worlds
Another good version.
There seem to be a never-ending list of versions for 'The War Of The Worlds', but this is definately one of the better ones. A sixties setting drawing on H... READ MORE
Huggel
The War of the Worlds
Such a beautiful edition
The book is a lot thinner than expected but it’s still worth the read! So much different than the movie but in a good way. The cover is absolutely beautifu... READ MORE
Megan Hood
The War of the Worlds
Not what I expected
Was a little bit disappointed with this book I know it's a classic but I guess I was expecting more action but only because of the Tom cruise movie if your... READ MORE
Nicholas Layton
The War of the Worlds
Classic
The war of the worlds is my favourite wells novel. Published in 1898 the story still stands up as an excellent science fiction piece. The plot is great and... READ MORE
Book collector
The War of the Worlds
Not the original novel but a rewrite
This was one of a series of classic novels given a horror novel makeover. At the time I was looking for new authors and Eric s brown's contribution to this... READ MORE
Book collector
The War of the Worlds
Written to soon in a time that wasn't ready!
This book was pretty much pure nostalgia for me. So I feel I am very biased with this, lol. It was 100% written too soon. It has aged so well, but because... READ MORE
The Book Wyrm
The War of the Worlds
Wonderful
War of the worlds is one of my favourite books of all time and this lovely clothbound edition is the perfect thing for it. These clothbound classics are st... READ MORE
Bellå
The War of the Worlds
God Tier
Undeniably greatest sci fi horror/thriller ever written.
Luis-Enrique Lander
The War of the Worlds
Stunning
My first time reading this classic. Made all the more fantastic by the wonderful atmospheric painted illustrations by Richard Fairlamb. Highly recommended.
Geoff Senior
The War of the Worlds
Tumultuous and full of tumult
I had not read the book since I was a child and although still a thoroughly enjoyable read once you realise the words tumultuous and tumult are used on nea... READ MORE
Wilco009