Product Description

Ox-Tales is a set of four compelling and collectible books, each themed on one of the elements. ‘Earth’ features stories by Rose Tremain, Jonathan Coe, Marti Leimbach, Kate Atkinson, Ian Rankin, Marina Lewycka, Hanif Kureishi, Jonathan Buckley and Nicholas Shakespeare, and a poem by Vikram Seth. The idea behind Ox-Tales is to raise money for Oxfam and along the way to highlight the charity’s work in project areas: agriculture in Earth, water projects in Water, conflict aid in Fire, and climate change in Air. The four books will play a central role in the first ever Oxfam Bookfest, a new annual event launching in July 2009. Created in partnership with Hay Festival, the program includes more than 300 events across the UK.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10041 in Books
• Published on: 2009-07-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Review
`A fabulous insight into the literary landscape today' --Aesthetica

Review
`An admirable and ingenious idea... a rare treat to be able to read literature that literally improves the world'- Sebastian Shakespeare, Tatler

Review
`Fight poverty from the comfort of your own sofa by reading one of Oxfam's series of Ox-Tales' - Psychologies

Customer Reviews

Wonderful stories
These are wonderful stories, collected together to raise money for Oxfam. Highlights include Rose Tremain's The Jestor of Astapovo, a brilliant re-imagining of the last days of Tolstoy, and Hanif Kureishi's ghostly Long Ago Yesterday. The most impressive thing is that this book - and the other Ox-Tales collections - showcase the best in British writing, so as well as reading great stories by your favourite writers, you are bound to discover some fantastic writing from authors you might not already know. Get the set!

Sparkling short stories
This is a neat little paperback, ideal to carry in a bag or pocket and convenient to read on your commuting journey. At the same time you know you are helping the charity Oxfam. The book includes a poem by Vikram Seth and stories from Ian Rankin, Kate Atkinson, Nicholas Shakespeare and Rose Tremain amongst others as well as information about the charity's work.

From Russia in the early 1900s with a rural stationmaster overwhelmed by unexpected guests; to an African lady who is suddenly fascinated by the history of Charlotte Corday who murdered the French revolutionary, Marat; this is a brilliant collection from some of the masters of the art of storytelling. The first in a series of 4 books written around the themes of Earth, Air, Fire and Water and celebrating the work of the charity, this is a book well worth purchasing.

A triumph - as the Observer says
Ox-Tales is a set of four beautiful designed, highly collectible books, each themed on one of the elements. The stories are compelling, and every book bought raises money for Oxfam. What's not to like? `Earth' features stories by Rose Tremain, Jonathan Coe, Marti Leimbach, Kate Atkinson, Ian Rankin, Marina Lewycka, Hanif Kureishi, Jonathan Buckley and Nicholas Shakespeare, and a poem by Vikram Seth. As The Observer says: "Ox-Tales is a triumph: four volumes of mostly outstanding fiction that would be worth reading whether or not an NGO was responsible for it... A remarkable number of Britain's top writers have contributed [so] these volumes, more than being simply a collection of short stories, act as a showcase for contemporary British fiction."