As we step into 2025, it's the perfect time to revisit some timeless classics that have shaped literature and continue to resonate with readers. Whether you're a classics devotee or new to these iconic works, Vintage offers a treasure trove of stories that transcend time and place.
January
Although decades have passed since this novel was first published, The Handmaid’s Tale remains an evergreen, timely read. Offred is a Handmaid in The Republic of Gilead. She is placed in the household of the Commander, Fred Waterford – her assigned name, Offred, meaning ‘of Fred’. She has only one function: to breed. If Offred refuses to enter into sexual servitude to repopulate a devastated world, she will be hanged. Yet even a repressive state cannot eradicate hope and desire. Inspiring countless adaptations from the stage to the screen, 2025 marks its 40th anniversary, making it the perfect time to dive in.
February
There is no better time than the month of love to dive into this legendary literary love affair. At a dinner party in 1922, Virginia Woolf met the renowned author, aristocrat – and sapphist – Vita Sackville-West. It was to be the start of almost twenty years of flirtation, friendship and literary collaboration. Eavesdrop on the affair that inspired Orlando
March
Described by Ernest Hemingway as ‘the most sensational woman anyone ever saw’, this is the iconic Josephine Baker in her own words, translated into English for the first time. From dazzling audiences on the stage to working as a spy for the French Resistance, this gorgeous book offers an insight into one of the most beguiling figures of the twentieth century – a perfect pick for your Women’s History Month reading lists.
April
From our Vintage Earth series, this lush and hopeful novel shows how one person’s efforts can change the future for many. While hiking through the wild lavender in a wind-swept, desolate valley in Provence, a man comes across a solitary shepherd who sorts and plants hundreds of acorns as he walks through the wilderness. Year after year, the narrator returns to see the miracle being created: a verdant, green landscape that is a testament to the shepherd’s creative instinct.
May
Orlanda by Jacqueline Harpman (1999)
How would it be to jump into the skin of another? To be both a man and a woman at once? And what would happen if you found yourself attracted to yourself? Jacqueline Harpman, author of I Who Have Never Known Men Orlanda makes a stunning follow-up to our February pick to see the far-reaching impact of Virginia Woolf’s work.
June
A gripping coming-of-age story, a queer romance, a modern classic. If you haven’t read Jeanette Winterson’s explosive first novel, consider this your sign to finally pick it up. This is the story of Jeanette, born to be one of God’s elect, and perfectly suited for the life of a missionary – until she meets Melanie, and realises she loves a woman almost as much as she loves the Lord. Get your hands on a beautiful hardcover edition of this unforgettable read when Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is introduced into our Quarterbound Classics collection next spring.
July
Emma by Jane Austen (1815)
Speaking of beautiful hardcover editions – start your summer off on the right page with our Vintage Collector’s Classic edition of this charming novel of matchmaking gone wrong (or really, right ) that has inspired countless adaptations. Emma is young, rich and independent. She has decided not to get married and instead spends her time organising her acquaintances' love affairs. Her plans for the matrimonial success of her new friend Harriet, however, lead her into complications that ultimately test her own detachment from the world of romance.
August
For readers who enjoyed The Memory Police The Housekeeper and the Professor , a brilliant maths professor suffers with a condition resulting from a traumatic injury that allows him only eighty minutes of short-term memory. The Professor may not remember what he had for breakfast, but his mind is still alive with elegant mathematical equations from the past. He devises clever riddles and the numbers reveal a poetic world to both his Housekeeper and her son, and the three lost souls forge an affection more mysterious than imaginary numbers.
September
Whether you’ve already had the chance to pick up this rediscovered dystopian classic and are due for a reread, or you still have the delight of experiencing I Who Have Never Known Men for the first time ahead of you, we couldn’t think of a better pick to usher in your autumn reading. Deep underground, thirty-nine women are kept in isolation in a cage. Above ground, a world awaits. Has it been abandoned? Devastated by a virus? What will they discover when they eventually escape? This was one of the buzziest reads of 2024, so don’t let another year pass before you get to it.
October
For those looking to build their Halloween TBRs and readers of weird fiction year-round, Black Magic belongs on your October shelves. A craftsman by day and worshipper of the occult by night, Dirk Renswoude is delicately boned, ruthlessly cunning and downright evil. When fate brings the dashing Thierry to his door, the pair are astonished to find their hidden obsessions with the black arts mirrored in each other. The young occultists set off on a journey to hone their craft, but as Dirk’s talents grow, it becomes increasingly clear that he will stop at nothing to fulfil his dark desires and keep Thierry at his side.
November
The perfect brooding book to match the grey weather inevitable to return. A tale of two families joined and riven by love and hate, with Cathy and Heathcliff’s passionate, powerful bond at its centre. With Emerald Fennell’s adaptation on its way, 2025 is the perfect time to read (or reread) Emily Brontë’s stunningly original and shocking exploration of obsessive passion.
December
A Christmas novel that isn’t necessarily about Christmas – there's something about the cosy comfort of the March sisters’ relationship that makes it the right pick for December. Whichever you are drawn to – be it sensible, romantic Meg or sweet, sunshiny Beth, whether you are burning with ambition like Jo, or share with Amy the wish for a more beautiful nose – the March girls are all irresistible and will go on winning hearts and capturing imaginations for centuries to come.
