One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World'
'Brilliant ... very probably the funniest book ever written' Sunday Times
When sensible, sophisticated Flora Poste is orphaned at nineteen, she decides her only choice is to descend upon relatives in deepest Sussex. At the aptly-named Cold Comfort Farm, she meets the doomed Starkadders: cousin Judith, heaving with remorse for unspoken wickedness; Amos, preaching fire

At first glance, wheat farming may not appear to be a scintillating topic for a novel, but in the hands of renowned social realist Frank Norris, this seemingly quotidian activity is transformed into a fascinating analysis of the economic factors that spurred the expansion into the western United States. The first novel in a planned trilogy that Norris never completed, The Octopus: A Story of California is an enlightening and gratifying read.

For centuries, presenting a comrade-in-arms with a feather was the ultimate censure and a stinging symbol of cowardice. When British soldier Harry Feversham decides to resign his post and leave the military, he is subjected to this humiliating ritual. Will his reputation ever be redeemed? Read The Four Feathers to find out.