BOOKS

Following are the books I bought from online store, flipkart. I received it yesterday only. And this month is all going to be theirs. As I haven’t started reading yet, I will read to you what’s written on the back cover of the books ( for you may like them too ) :

1.Sonnets – William Shakespeare 

“ First published in 1609, the 154 sonnets refer cryptically to the poet’s relations with various persons particularly a handsome young man, a dark woman, and a rival poet. As the sequence of sonnets stands, it roughly falls into two sections: 1-126 are concerned mainly with the youth and 127-154 mainly with the mistress. 

The poems are characterised by the expression of strong feeling within an exquisitely controlled artistic form, and the themes are as varied as can be, for William Wordsworth in a sonnet about sonnets thought: ‘with this key / Shakespeare unlocked his heart’. The poems to the youth dwell on the great Renaissance themes of friendship, love, death, change and immortality and the relationship of the poet’s art to all these, while those on the ‘Dark Lady’ are concerned with the poet’s relationship with his mistress.”

2.THE GREAT WORKS OF KHALIL GIBRAN

“Khalil Gibran ( January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931 ) was a Lebanese-American artist, poet, and writer. Born in the town of Bsharri in modern-day Lebanon, as a young man he immigrated with his family to the United States and began his literary career. 

He is chiefly known in the English-speaking world for his 1923 book “The Prophet”, an early example of inspirational fiction including a series of philosophical essays written in poetic English prose. The book sold well despite cool critical reception, and became extremely popular in the 1960s counterculture. Khalil Gibran is the third best-selling writer of all time, behind Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu.”

3.On the Origin of Species – Charles Darwin

“Before Charles Darwin presented his revolutionary insights into the theory of evolution, it was believed that each species came to life individually and maintained its original form. He disputed this and proved that the law of nature was evolution – each living being descended from the common ancestors, and used ‘natural selection’ to survive in changing environments. His findings challenged the deeply held belief in divine creation and permanently transformed our understanding of the world. 

When it was first published in 1859, On the Origin of Species triggered one of the fiercest debates between science and religion in the history of the world, one that still rages. Today, more than a century and a half after its publication, it continues to exercise a tremendous influence in the fields of philosophy, history, theology and economics.”

4.THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY – OSCAR WILDE

The extract of this book is taken from the introductory notes from within the book because the back cover, unlike the rest above, contains no summary but the publishing house’s advertisement.

“The picture of Dorian Gray arrived in prim Victorian England in 1891 like a naked man at tea party, and was just about as well received. The novel tells the story of Dorian, a beautiful young man who remains eerily unmarked by age and excess, while, hidden away from view, his painted portrait registers every detail of his dissolute life. At once a Gothic tale of horror and a philosophical exploration of aestheticism, Dorian Gray probes the pleasures and dangers of life devoted to the gratifying the senses.”

NB: If I'm absent for long, please, take the books as an excuse. :-)