Latest news with #ClassicLiterature
Washington Post
30-07-2025
- Washington Post
What are the best adventure novels? Let's add a hidden gem to the list.
What are the greatest adventure novels ever written? By 'adventure' I don't mean 'exciting' — nearly all fiction should be exciting in some way — but rather stories that emphasize action, danger and heroism. My own nominees — and tastes will certainly differ — would include the following baker's dozen: Homer, 'The Odyssey'
Wall Street Journal
24-07-2025
- General
- Wall Street Journal
The Most-Taught Books in American Classrooms Have Barely Changed in 30 Years
Teenagers in English classrooms today in many ways seem a world apart from students decades ago. The books sitting on their desks, however, are remarkably similar. Classics including Shakespeare plays, F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' and Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible' all appear in the top 10 books assigned by English teachers at public middle and high schools today, according to a new report. Six of the top 10—John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men' and 'Hamlet' among them—overlap with the most-taught books reported in an influential 1989 study.
The Sun
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Classic Books are booming but it's the famous authors' cache not the literature that are the money spinners
Classic literature is enjoying a sudden surge, but it's the value of the books rather than the words in them that is generating a sales boom. Pawnbrokers are reporting a massive climb in the number of books it is offered for sale or for their owners to take out temporary loans. 3 Harry Potter books are making magic returns with £10,000-plus for mint condition first editions but classics from Enid Blyton and Fyodor Dostoevsky are also big money-spinners, says James Constantinou, owner of the Prestige Pawn chain. 'We're seeing a major shift with a 300% increase in book submissions this year,' adds James, star of the hit Channel 4 TV show Posh Pawn. 'Books are now being treated like art, jewellery or watches – rare, cultural items that hold and grow in value and people are starting to realise how much hidden value they've got at home.' A flawless first edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which was part of an original US print run, recently secured a £10,000 loan, while translation of works by Dostoevsky and Paul Dirac have been valued at around £4,000. 'These editions, printed in the UK with gold-inlaid spines, are significantly more valuable than their US counterparts. In one case, a customer pawned these classics to fund the purchase of an original Russian translation.' said James. 'Books are resilient, long-term investments - with loan valued climbing by 5-7% annually - and that goes for everything from classic literature to children's book,s with a first edition of The Wind in the Willows selling for £32,400, and rare Enid Blyton books fetching up to £1,000. 'Last year, we were getting five book submissions a week but that has tripled and there is a real feeling that people are becoming more aware of their value so it is worth checking out your bookshelves for any family heirloom first editions that could be worth a small fortune.' Rare Harry Potter books have good resale value but they are eclipsed by a first edition of Odyssey by James Joyce printed on handmade paper which was sold for £275,000 while first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby have been valued at £245,000. 3 3
