William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic fiction read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly abridged and remastered stories are now available to download for the first time.
Three of the finest novels of the 19th Century are brought together in this wide-ranging collection.
From the rumblings of provincial England in Silas Marner and Cranford to a wild and dangerous journey across the Holy Lands in Ivanhoe, these classic novels of the Georgian and Victorian period are as relevant and important today as they ever have been.
These classic stories are read by Fawlty Towers’ Prunella Scales; The Jewel in the Crown’s Tim Pigott-Smith; and Dame Judi Dench.
This collection includes:
• Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell, read by Prunella Scales
• Ivanhoe by Walter Scott, read by Tim Pigott-Smith
• Silas Marner by George Eliot, read by Dame Judi Dench
Sir Walter Scott was born in Scotland in 1771 and achieved international fame with his work. In 1813 he was offered the position of Poet Laureate, but turned it down. Scott mainly wrote poetry before trying his hand at novels. His first novel, Waverley, was published anonymously, as were many novels that he wrote later, despite the fact that his identity became widely known.
Elizabeth Gaskell (1810–1865) was a British novelist and short-story writer. Her works were Victorian social histories across many strata of society. Her most famous works include Mary Barton, Cranford, North and South, and Wives and Daughters.
Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era.