Full catalogue

Epictetus, a former slave who became a philosopher, starts from a simple distinction. There are things that are up to us: our judgements, our desires and our choices. And there are things that are not: the body, money, other people's opinions. In short maxims, he teaches how to stop worrying about what is beyond our control, and to act on what is within our power. His advice helps us stay calm in the face of difficulties and feel less at the mercy of events. Many readers keep it close at hand all their lives. Its brief, clear sentences can be read one by one, at your own pace, in the language you are learning.

After her parents die in India, Mary, a lonely and spoilt little girl, is sent to live with an uncle in a large, isolated manor house in Yorkshire. There she hears of a garden that has been locked for ten years, and at last she finds its door, hidden under the ivy. At night, crying echoes through the corridors of the house. A radiant story, in which a garden coming back to life in spring helps children heal from loneliness. Tender and absorbing, the story is a pleasure to read in the language you are learning.

Black Beauty, a handsome black horse, tells his own life story: his peaceful early days in a meadow, then his years of work for very different masters. Some care for him with affection, others treat him harshly, and each new home brings him a different life. This moving novel, which changed the way a whole era saw animals, is about kindness, respect and dignity. Written in simple words, it is an ideal classic to read in the language you are learning.

In London, one rainy February, two women who do not know each other read the same small advertisement: a little medieval castle is to let for the month of April, in Italy, by the sea, among the wisteria and the sunshine. To share the cost, they join forces with two strangers, a young aristocrat and an old lady. Far from London and their habits, each of them slowly changes in the Italian light. A radiant novel full of humour, which makes you want to travel. Written in a light, lively style, it is a pleasure to read in the language you are learning.

Seneca, philosopher and adviser to the Emperor Nero, writes to those close to him to help them live better. The first of these six dialogues argues that life is not short, but that we waste it, busy with everything except living. The others speak of peace of mind, of the happy life and of the wise man's calm in the face of insults. His advice on the use of time and self-control still speaks to today's reader, and many of his sentences are made to be remembered. With the translation always in front of you, you can read this great classic in the language you are learning.

In 1845, Henry David Thoreau builds a cabin with his own hands beside Walden Pond, in the woods of Massachusetts, and lives there alone for two years. He grows beans, watches the seasons and the animals, and reduces his needs to the bare essentials. A book that invites you to ask what you really need in order to live. It has become a touchstone for everyone seeking a simpler, freer life, closer to nature. With the translation always in front of you, you can read it chapter by chapter, at your own pace, in the language you are learning.

At twenty-nine, Valancy Stirling lives under the thumb of her mother and a family who make fun of her, in a small town in Ontario. She consoles herself by dreaming of a blue castle where she would at last be happy. The day a doctor tells her she has only a year to live, she decides to obey no one any more. At last she says what she thinks, leaves home and meets Barney Snaith, a mysterious man the whole town speaks ill of. A romantic comedy full of humour, about the courage to live for yourself at last. By the author of “Anne of Green Gables”, this radiant novel is a joy to read in the language you are learning.

Benjamin Franklin tells the story of his life to his son, starting from his years as an apprentice in his brother's printing shop in Boston. At seventeen he runs away and arrives in Philadelphia almost penniless, with three large loaves under his arm. There he becomes a printer, publishes a newspaper, founds a library, and sets himself thirteen virtues that he checks every day in a little notebook. It is one of the first stories of success through hard work, and many readers still find in it common-sense advice on getting organised and persuading others. Franklin writes with humour and simplicity, and his book is easy to read in the language you are learning.