Virago Modern Classics

  A childhood favourite that deserves a re-read. ‘Oh, it seems so wonderful that I’m going to live with you and belong to you. I’ve never belonged to anybody’ When a scrawny, freckled girl with bright red hair arrives on Prince Edward Island, Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are taken by surprise; they’d asked for a […]

With the film starring Rachel Weisz and Sam Claflin scheduled for nationwide release next month, May feels like the perfect time to rediscover Daphne du Maurier’s mysterious, thrilling My Cousin Rachel. The Guardian placed this classic firmly ‘In the same category as Rebecca, but an even more consummate piece of storytelling’ while New York Times Book Review found My […]

  The March VMC book club pick was The Women’s Room, by Marilyn French. As a landmark text in feminist literature, it was an appropriate choice for the month which houses International Women’s Day and the Virago #BooksforChange social media challenge. The Women’s Room was first published in 1977, and is a biting social commentary of a […]

After many requests from readers, in 2017 we’ll be publishing the entire Anne Shirley series by L. M. Montgomery as Virago Modern Classics. The series will have covers illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini, who created the much loved covers for the Emily trilogy. Here are the books and covers in order.  L. M. Montgomery’s Anne Shirley books in order […]

With the film starring Rachel Weisz and Sam Claflin scheduled for nationwide release next month, May feels like the perfect time to rediscover Daphne du Maurier’s mysterious, thrilling My Cousin Rachel. The Guardian placed this classic firmly ‘In the same category as Rebecca, but an even more consummate piece of storytelling’ while New York Times Book Review found My […]

This year we started the Virago podcast, inviting some of our brilliant authors and friends of Virago to come in and read to us, debate with us, and discuss everything from feminism to erotic teddy bears (have a listen to Margaret Atwood’s interview for that one). Thanks to all the brilliant guests we’ve had this […]

  “Stories are mysterious things; they have a life of their own”- Joan Aiken In a writing career spanning six decades, Joan Aiken wrote stories of wolves, naughty pet ravens, pirates, necklaces made of raindrops, and much more. This Christmas, we publish a collection of her favourite stories, including The Gift Giving, which you can read exclusively below. […]

In January this year Emma Watson launched her feminist book club, Our Shared Shelf, inspired by her own exploration of brilliant literature about women and equality. As she wrote at the time, ‘there is so much amazing stuff out there! Funny, inspiring, sad, thought-provoking, empowering! I’ve been discovering so much that, at times, I’ve felt […]

Looking for a spooky story to get you in the mood for All Hallow’s Eve? Here are just a few suggestions in our Halloween reading list.   Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier With one of the most famous first lines in literature, Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca has all of the elements that make for a chilling tale, […]

Inspired by our re-issue of four Daphne du Maurier collections this month, earlier this year we teamed up with Stylist Magazine and asked your for your chilling short stories. The entries poured in – covering everything from magical realism to mental illness – and having whittled down almost 500 entries to a shortlist of 10, our judges have finally selected a winner. […]

To celebrate the long-standing heritage of Virago Modern Classics and the designers who made the hardback range such a success, in Autumn 2015 we launched three sets of mugs and notebooks based on some of our best loved classics. We’ve now added three new designs to the collection for 2016 – Angela Carter’s The Magic […]

In this exclusive piece, Angela Carter biographer and academic Edmund Gordon explains what it is that makes The Magic Toyshop truly magical to him. The Magic Toyshop is Angela Carter’s second novel, but the first to feature the heady surrealism that flavours all her greatest work. Zinging with lovely sentences and rich, uncanny images, it […]