LibriVox: Recent Episodes
LibriVox
Listen to LibriVox Community Podcast #162 – Careers and LibriVox. Hosted by jpercival.
Duration: 12:35
Contributors: jpercival, shrimpphish, sjmarky
0:00 – Introduction
0:22 – Job Work as read by Larry Wilson from the October 13, 2019 Weekly Poetry Collection
1:52 – New Language Update
2:12 – Statistics and Libriversaries
3:20 – Archive Diving – What’s Your Time Budget for LibriVox?
3:49 – Careers and LibriVox with ShrimpPhish and sjmarky
8:21 – Forum Highlights: The Christmas Short Works Collection, The now completed https://librivox.org/adventskalender-2025-by-variousAdventskalendar
8:39– Bloopers by ShrimpPhish
12:23 – Goodbyes
We are interested in whatever feedback – positive or constructively critical – anyone has about our podcasts. Add a comment below or pop over to this forum thread. Any member of the community who has contributed readings to the LibriVox catalog can host a podcast and is most welcome to do so. Visit this thread on the forum to express an interest and float your ideas.
To Subscribe to the Librivox Community Podcast, go to: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LibrivoxCommunityPodcast Or hit this itunes link to get you to the subscribe page:http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=203970211
Recent past LibriVox Community Podcast files can be found at our spot on: Archive.org and archived shows for previous years can be found at: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013-2018.
Archived shownotes for the Community Podcast can be found at: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/ And the rss feed for those shownotes is: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/feed
Listen to LibriVox Community Podcast #161 – Continuing the Social Connection Conversation with the LibriVox Community. Hosted by jpercival.
Duration: 17:10
Contributors: jpercival, shrimpphish, carriemaestreb, sjr8545
0:00 – Introduction
0:22 – The Twenty Mule Team Brigade from the LibriVox 20th Anniversary Collection
1:28 – 20th Anniversary Congratulations
1:44 – Statistics and Libriversaries
2:55 – Archive Diving – LibriVox’s First Ever Introduction Disclaimer from The Secret Agent and the What if I Suck? thread
3:57 – Continuing the Social Connect Conversation with Carriemaestreb and sjr8545 and the podcast thread
13:24 – Forum Highlights: A New LibriVox Logo, Article about LibriVox, and How do you Prep?
14:05 – Bloopers by ShrimpPhish
17:00 – Goodbyes
We are interested in whatever feedback – positive or constructively critical – anyone has about our podcasts. Add a comment below or pop over to this forum thread. Any member of the community who has contributed readings to the LibriVox catalog can host a podcast and is most welcome to do so. Visit this thread on the forum to express an interest and float your ideas.
To Subscribe to the Librivox Community Podcast, go to: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LibrivoxCommunityPodcast Or hit this itunes link to get you to the subscribe page: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=203970211
Recent past LibriVox Community Podcast files can be found at our spot on: Archive.org and archived shows for previous years can be found at: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013-2018.
Archived shownotes for the Community Podcast can be found at: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/ And the rss feed for those shownotes is: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/feed
LibriVox celebrates its 20th anniversary this month. From the humble beginnings of a group of friends meeting online to becoming one of the world’s largest producers of free audiobooks, LibriVox volunteers have achieved many milestones in the last two decades. Let’s dive into LibriVox history.
All of the currently 20,648 completed LibriVox titles were chosen by its readers, and countless listeners have chosen their favourites over the years.
One of the most downloaded LibriVox books is The Art of War by Sun Tsu, a book of strategy from Ancient China that has lost none of its appeal.
Equally strategic (and almost as popular) is a world-famous sleuth invented by Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes still define detective fiction (and detectives) to this day.
Fact or fiction? Edward J. Ruppelt tried to settle this question once and for all in his 1956 Report on Unidentified Flying Objects.
Bernal Diaz del Castillo only had to worry about getting his facts right in the Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva Espana.
The figure of Dracula lies at the root of an entire genre of fiction, and while there are several versions of Bram Stoker’s classic in the LibriVox catalog, the dramatic reading scores consistently high marks with listeners.
Back to the 14,276 volunteers who come together online in the forums to produce audiobooks. LibriVox is entirely volunteer-run as well, with many daily admin tasks that often remain invisible.
All new members who signed up in the last few years received their welcome email from m8b1 (Maria). She read her childhood favourite, Outlaws of Ravenhurst by Sister M. Imelda Wallace for LibriVox herself.
Many new and old members read for the weekly/fortnightly poetry collections, run since their inception almost exclusively by aradlaw (David). He enjoys Edith Nesbit’s The Railway Children, a live performance of which he saw many years ago – real steam locomotive included!
Annise (Anne) has been librivoxing for almost as long. Nowadays, she’s involved in making mb4s and covers for the catalog. Her very first project as dedicated proof listener (DPL) was The Fairyland of Science by Arabella Buckley, another book for kids.
In the old days, kids were often told to be “seen, not heard”, and it seems that craigdav1 (David) took it to heart and became not a reader, but a serial DPL. The book that is always with him on a player is Plato’s Republic, all ten volumes of it.
Ancient Egypt is the setting for redrun’s favourite: The Cat of Bubastes by G. H. Henty. Maybe he needs this to balance his “job” at LibriVox: keeping the systems up and running…
It’s the nature of volunteering that readers come and go. Some only wanted to contribute their favourite book. Some stay for many years, leave for a while, then return again. And some, sadly, pass on for good, leaving their LibriVox legacy behind forever.
Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023) was LibriVox founding member and long-term admin. Her last recording was her favourite book: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Beth Thomas (1969-2020) was for many years the resident Drama Queen, involved in numerous plays and dramatic readings. Her final project, published a year after her death, was Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell.
Lars Rolander (1942-2016) brought many works of Selma Lagerlöf to an English-speaking audience. In Swedish, he read the four-book series En Nyckfull Kvinna by Emilie Flygare Carlen.
Andy Minter (1934-2017) and his dry wit were made for humorous books, and he never disappointed. One of his funny contributions can be found in Mark Twain’s 1601: Conversation, as it was by the Social Fireside, in the Time of the Tudors.
Dorothy Lieder (1915-2008) was probably the oldest reader at LibriVox. At the age of 92, she teamed up with her son John for a chapter in The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton W. Burgess.
But no need to dwell on the past. For every volunteer who moves on, a new one will come, not to follow in somebody’s footsteps, but to seek their own path in the adventure that is discovering old books through LibriVox.
Shakuntala is one of them. Penned in the 4th or 5th century by the Indian poet Kalidasa, it is a timeless story of love and betrayal, here recorded by a full cast in an English translation.
In contrast, the 20 Ukrainian Folk Tales by Volodymyr Hnatyuk and Ivan Rudchenko are offered in their original language. Most of these tales have a happy ending.
That many not be the case for the next compilation, so be warned: In der Geisterstunde und andere Spukgeschichten gathers six spooky stories by German author Paul Heyse.
Who knows what stories The Girls of St. Cyprian’s tell each other after midnight… During the day, they are focused on a competition, where they are set against other schools in the novel by Angela Brazil.
What ever they might set their minds to, It Can be Done. And even more so with this book of more than 200 inspiration poems compiled by Joseph Morris Bachelor and St. Clair Adams.
The Mission of LibriVox
to make all books in the public domain available, narrated by real people and distributed for free, in audio format on the internet
will never be done, and there will always be people who enjoy reading books and others who want to listen to them. So, LibriVoxers are confidently looking ahead and step forward to another 20 Years of LibriVox. And if you’re inspired to contribute – we’re happy to see you in the forums!
Listen to LibriVox Community Podcast #160 – Social Connection Brainstorm with the LibriVox Community. Hosted by CarrieMaeStreb.
Duration: 17:11
Contributors: CarrieMaeStreb, PeterWhy, Stagewalker, cavaet, marisad6, ShrimpPhish
00:00 – Introduction
00:17 – Social Connection Discussion
01:18 – PeterWhy’s Contribution
02:46 – Stagewalker’s Contribution
07:50 – cavaet’s Contribution
09:15 – marisad6’s Contribution
11:47 – CarrieMaeStreb’s Contribution
12:16 – Jim Mowatt Clip from the 52nd LibriVox Community Podcast
13:26 – Bloopers by ShrimpPhish
16:35 – Goodbyes
We are interested in whatever feedback – positive or constructively critical – anyone has about our podcasts. Add a comment below or pop over to this forum thread. Any member of the community who has contributed readings to the LibriVox catalog can host a podcast and is most welcome to do so. Visit this thread on the forum to express an interest and float your ideas.
To Subscribe to the Librivox Community Podcast, go to: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LibrivoxCommunityPodcast Or hit this itunes link to get you to the subscribe page: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=203970211
Recent past LibriVox Community Podcast files can be found at our spot on: Archive.org and archived shows for previous years can be found at: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013-2018.
Archived shownotes for the Community Podcast can be found at: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/ And the rss feed for those shownotes is: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/feed
Listen to LibriVox Community Podcast #159 – Firsts vs Lasts. Hosted by jpercival.
Duration: 17:53
Contributors: jpercival, shrimpphish, adrianstephens, clairemaestreb, redrun
00:00 – Introduction
00:24 – Clip from the first LibriVox Community Podcast Sept 14, 2006
01:14 – Booting the Swarmers and forum updates
01:40 – Statistics and Libriversaries
02:46 – LibriVox Featured Volunteer: Adrian Stephens
08:28 – Archive Diving: Oldest thread from September 2005 Normalise
08:50 – Firsts vs Lasts with submissions from clairemaestreb and redrun
13:48 – Forum Highlights: Best Microphone for LibriVox, Continued AI Swarm discussion, Proof Listener Requests.
14:42 – Bloopers by ShrimpPhish
17:38 – Goodbyes
We are interested in whatever feedback – positive or constructively critical – anyone has about our podcasts. Add a comment below or pop over to this forum thread. Any member of the community who has contributed readings to the LibriVox catalog can host a podcast and is most welcome to do so. Visit this thread on the forum to express an interest and float your ideas.
To Subscribe to the Librivox Community Podcast, go to: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LibrivoxCommunityPodcast Or hit this itunes link to get you to the subscribe page: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=203970211
Recent past LibriVox Community Podcast files can be found at our spot on: Archive.org and archived shows for previous years can be found at: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013-2018.
Archived shownotes for the Community Podcast can be found at: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/ And the rss feed for those shownotes is: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/feed
Listen to LibriVox Community Podcast #158 – To Poem or Not to Poem: That Is the Question. Hosted by jpercival.
Duration: 23:24
With contributions from ShrimpPhish, Rapunzelina, redrun, and cavaet.
00:00 – Introduction
00:25 – To Be or Not To Be by William Blake – Read by Craig Campbell
02:01 – Website and Forum Updates and New Keyword Feature
02:50 – Statistics and Libriversaries
03:30 – Archive Diving – 1st year anniversary poem contest and the winner
04:28 – Poetry and Short Works with Submissions by Rapunzelina, redrun, and cavaet
18:32 – Forum Highlights: Clean-up month wrap up, TheBoringReader’s Show and Tell, StJohn27’s Thoughts After a Few Recordings
19:12 – Bloopers by ShrimpPhish
23:12 – Goodbyes
We are interested in whatever feedback – positive or constructively critical – anyone has about our podcasts. Add a comment below or pop over to this forum thread. Any member of the community who has contributed readings to the LibriVox catalog can host a podcast and is most welcome to do so. Visit this thread on the forum to express an interest and float your ideas.
To Subscribe to the Librivox Community Podcast, go to: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LibrivoxCommunityPodcast Or hit this itunes link to get you to the subscribe page: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=203970211
Recent past LibriVox Community Podcast files can be found at our spot on: Archive.org and archived shows for previous years can be found at: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013-2018.
Archived shownotes for the Community Podcast can be found at: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/ And the rss feed for those shownotes is: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/feed
Listen to LibriVox Community Podcast #157 – Clean-Up Month Kick Off. Hosted by Jpercival.
Duration: 22:56
With contributions from Jpercival, ShrimpPhish, redrun, sparkleberry17, Rapunzelina, and adrianstephens.
00:00 – Introduction
00:22 – LibriVox in May – redrun
01:28 – May They All Get Into The Catalogue
01:51 – Statistics and Libriversaries
02:47 – Archive Diving – 2007 March Madness, 2009 November Clean Up, 2019 March Clean Up, 2021 March Clean Up
03:03 – Clean-Up Month: Project Status Table, How to Make Editing Quicker. Submissions by Rapunzelina, sparkleberry17, and adrianstephens
18:10 – Forum Highlights: Mouth Noises are Making Me Depressed, Updates to 1-Minute Test Guide for New Readers
18:58 – Bloopers by ShrimpPhish
22:44 – Goodbyes
We are interested in whatever feedback – positive or constructively critical – anyone has about our podcasts. Add a comment below or pop over to this forum thread. Any member of the community who has contributed readings to the LibriVox catalog can host a podcast and is most welcome to do so. Visit this thread on the forum to express an interest and float your ideas.
To Subscribe to the Librivox Community Podcast, go to: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LibrivoxCommunityPodcast Or hit this itunes link to get you to the subscribe page: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=203970211
Recent past LibriVox Community Podcast files can be found at our spot on: Archive.org and archived shows for previous years can be found at: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013-2018.
Archived shownotes for the Community Podcast can be found at: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/ And the rss feed for those shownotes is: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/feed
Listen to LibriVox Community Podcast #156 – Spring Cleaning.
Hosted by jpercival.
Duration: 14:06
Contributors: jpercival, ShrimpPhish, TriciaG
0:00 – Intro
0:20 – Spring Cleaning by Harry Graham from Coffee Break Collection 31 – Springtime
2:11 – Forum Slowness – Booting the Swarmers
2:36 – Statistics and Libriversaries
3:40 – Archive Diving “We need an Oprah or a very good waiter”
4:28 – Spring Cleaning: Submissions from ShrimpPhish and TriciaG
9:42 – Forum Highlights: Photos of Our Recording Setups, Quote, End Quote
10:07 – Bloopers by ShrimpPhish
13:52 – Goodbyes
We are interested in whatever feedback – positive or constructively critical – anyone has about our podcasts. Add a comment below or pop over to this forum thread.
Any member of the community who has contributed readings to the LibriVox catalog can host a podcast and is most welcome to do so. Visit this thread on the forum to express an interest and float your ideas.
To Subscribe to the LibriVox Community Podcast, go to: https://feeds.feedburner.com/LibrivoxCommunityPodcast Or hit this itunes link to get you to the subscribe page: https://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=203970211
Recent past LibriVox Community Podcast files can be found at our spot on: Archive.org and archived shows for previous years can be found at: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013-2018.
Archived shownotes for the Community Podcast can be found at: https://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/ And the rss feed for those shownotes is: https://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/feed
Listen to LibriVox Community Podcast #155 – What’s in a Name?. Hosted by jpercival.
Duration: 21:19
With contributions from Rapunzelina, mujinai, ShrimpPhish, Algy Pug, & Phineas2000
0:00 – Intro
0:21 – O Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore Art Thou from the Shakespeare Monologues Collection Vol. 16
1:49 – In Memorium: Rosemary McDonald (roselbex), Eva Davis (Bluechien)
2:04 – The Lady’s Museum Volume 1 – Section 8 (Rosie)
3:48 – After a Night of Rain Weekly Poetry – Section 7 (Eva)
5:07 – Statistics
6:01 – Archive Diving: Do You Think of Who Will Listen? (Suggested by ShrimpPhish)
6:42 – What’s in a Name: Submissions from Mujinai, ShrimpPhish, Algy Pug, Phineas2000, and Rapunzelina (What made you choose your nickname)
17:26 – Forum Highlights: Apple AI Audiobooks, Project Gutenberg/Microsoft AI Partnership, New Books vs New Versions
18:18 – Bloopers by ShrimpPhish
21:08 – Goodbyes
We are interested in whatever feedback – positive or constructively critical – anyone has about our podcasts. Add a comment below or pop over to this forum thread. Any member of the community who has contributed readings to the LibriVox catalog can host a podcast and is most welcome to do so. Visit this thread on the forum to express an interest and float your ideas.
To Subscribe to the Librivox Community Podcast, go to: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LibrivoxCommunityPodcast Or hit this itunes link to get you to the subscribe page: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=203970211
Recent past LibriVox Community Podcast files can be found at our spot on: Archive.org and archived shows for previous years can be found at: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013-2018.
Archived shownotes for the Community Podcast can be found at: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/ And the rss feed for those shownotes is: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/feed
Listen to LibriVox Community Podcast #154 – I Can’t Wait To Record This. Hosted by jpercival.
Duration: 14:16
With contributions from Jpercival, ShrimpPhish, LightCrystal, Piotrek, and KevinS.
0:00 – Introduction
0:23 – My Heart has Known Its Winter by Arna Bontemps from the Short Poetry Collection 260
1:20 – News Highlight: Project Status Table, Statistics, and February Libriversaries
3:26 – Archive Diving: From 2007, the New York Times was opening their archives and their current Time Machine
3:48 – I Can’t Wait to Record This, Submissions from LightCrystal (The Voyage of James Cook), Piotrek, and KevinS
9:16 – Forum Highlights: To Breathe or Not To Breathe, How-To For Audacity, Reaper Discussion Group, Wet Magic Dramatic Reading project start up.
10:20 – Bloopers by ShrimpPhish
14:04 – Goodbyes
We are interested in whatever feedback – positive or constructively critical – anyone has about our podcasts. Add a comment below or pop over to this forum thread. Any member of the community who has contributed readings to the LibriVox catalog can host a podcast and is most welcome to do so. Visit this thread on the forum to express an interest and float your ideas.
To Subscribe to the Librivox Community Podcast, go to: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LibrivoxCommunityPodcast Or hit this itunes link to get you to the subscribe page: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=203970211
Recent past LibriVox Community Podcast files can be found at our spot on: Archive.org and archived shows for previous years can be found at: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013-2018.
Archived shownotes for the Community Podcast can be found at: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/ And the rss feed for those shownotes is: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/feed
Listen to LibriVox Community Podcast #153 – New Year, New Goals, New Plans. Hosted by Jpercival.
Duration: 15:39
With contributions from Jpercival, ShrimpPhish, TriciaG, redrun, Kitty, HannaPonomarenko.
0:00 – Introduction
0:22 – A Happy New Year from A Happy New Year and Other Verses by Charles Edward de la Poer Beresford, read by Larry Wilson
1:21 – 20,000 Release: Hardcase by Luke Short, Statistics, and Libriversaries
3:00 – Archive Diving: Broadcasting LibriVox to Space
3:50 – Goals and Planning: Discussion thread
4:24 – Community Submissions – TriciaG (works by Pansy), redrun – read by jpercival
7:52 – Multilingual Collection and Collaboration Information by Kitty – Pronunciation Help: All Languages – Read by ShrimpPhish
9:48 – The accomplishments of the Russian-Ukrainian team by HannaPonomarenko – read by jpercival
- Russian Folk Tales by Afanasyev
- Marskarad by Olena Pchilka
- Chelovek v Futlyare by Anton Checkhov
- Samoubiytsa by Averchenko
- Anna Akhmatova’s Poems
- Zapiski okhotlika by Ivan Turgenev
12:16 – Bloopers by ShrimpPhish
15:27 – Goodbyes
We are interested in whatever feedback – positive or constructively critical – anyone has about our podcasts. Add a comment below or pop over to this forum thread. Any member of the community who has contributed readings to the LibriVox catalog can host a podcast and is most welcome to do so. Visit this thread on the forum to express an interest and float your ideas.
To Subscribe to the Librivox Community Podcast, go to: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LibrivoxCommunityPodcast Or hit this itunes link to get you to the subscribe page: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=203970211
Recent past LibriVox Community Podcast files can be found at our spot on: Archive.org and archived shows for previous years can be found at: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013-2018.
Archived shownotes for the Community Podcast can be found at: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/ And the rss feed for those shownotes is: http://librivox.org/category/librivox-community-podcast/feed
Listen to LibriVox Community Podcast #152 – What LibriVox Taught Me, hosted by Jessie Percival.
Duration: 15:25
This episode includes contributions from jpercival, shrimpphish, and redrun.
0:00 – Intro
0:25 – Here We Come a Wassailing from the Christmas Carol Collection 2006
2:12 – Archive.org update, Statistics, and Libriviersaries
3:45 – Adventskalender 2024 release announcement
5:37 – Archive diving – What if LibriVox Dies? a discussion inspired by a Reason Magazine Article
6:42 – Ceremonies for Christmas read by Tomas Cruz for Weekly Poetry
7:30 – Community Submissions
12:22 – Forum Highlights – Reaper Discussion Group and How to Become a DR/Play Coordinator
12:56 – Bloopers
15:09 – Goodbyes
We are interested in whatever feedback – positive or constructively critical – anyone has about our podcasts. Add a comment below or pop over to the forum thread for this episode, for comments.
Any member of the community who has contributed readings to the LibriVox catalog can host a podcast and is most welcome to do so. Visit the Community Podcast planning thread to express an interest and float your ideas.
To Subscribe to the Librivox Community Podcast, subscribe to the RSS feed on FeedBurner, or visit our page on the Apple Podcast Index or your favorite podcast app.
Past LibriVox Community Podcast recordings can be found at our spot on Archive.org: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013-present. The show notes for each episode can be found on LibriVox.org.
Listen to LibriVox Community Podcast #151 – Best Part of LibriVox, hosted by Jessie Percival.
Duration: 25:41
This episode includes contributions from jpercival, shrimpphish, loon, Czandra, SilverQuill, Winnifred, and ej400.
0:00 – Intro
0:41 – Statistics and Libriversaries
2:52 – A conversation between jpercival and ShrimpPhish
7:58 – LibriVox Archive – LibriVox Song and Knitter Invasion
9:27 – Community Submissions
21:37 – Suggestion and Help Forum Highlights
22:29 – Bloopers
25:30 – Goodbyes
We are interested in whatever feedback – positive or constructively critical – anyone has about our podcasts. Add a comment below or pop over to this forum thread, for comments on this episode.
Any member of the community who has contributed readings to the LibriVox catalog can host a podcast and is most welcome to do so. Visit this thread on the forum to express an interest and float your ideas.
To Subscribe to the Librivox Community Podcast, subscribe to the RSS feed on FeedBurner, or visit our page on the Apple Podcast Index or your favorite podcast app.
Past LibriVox Community Podcast recordings can be found at our spot on Archive.org: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013-2024. The show notes for each episode can be found on LibriVox.org.
Technology is ubiquitous in our world, and it’s all based on scientific discoveries. Let’s look at the beginnings of what we consider normal these days with 10 gems from our catalog.
One of the best-known families of scientists with three Nobel Prizes to their name are the Curies. The biography of Pierre Curie, written by his wife Marie Curie, gives insights into their public as well as their private lives.
For actress Ruth Morton, there is barely a distinction between these two. But when this gains her the attention of a stalker, detective couple Richard and Grace Duvall must look behind the scenes of the Film of Fear in the book by Frederick Arnold Kummer.
Everybody is afraid of something, whether it be spiders, the dark, strangers… Arthur Christopher Benson explores the reasons and psychology behind it in Where No Fear Was: A Book About Fear.
Robert Graves had to face his fears in the trenches of WWI. His early poetry, Over the Brazier, was published around that time, and it includes topics related to astronomy like the Jolly Yellow Moon and Star Talk.
There must have been a lot of talk when a group of space explorers strand on a distant planet. There, they try to colonize it despite the alien life surrounding them. Florence Carpenter Diendonne describes what happens in those 33 Years in a Star.
Much more pleasant is the trip through India with a steam-powered elephant. Until one of the group is targeted by his arch nemesis – who also wants to take control of the country… See what they do to step up to the challenge in Jules Verne’s novel The Steam House – also available in Spanish.
When a certain Mr. Snell calls on Nicholas Carter about a kidnapping, he is so unconvincing that the famous detective refuses to take the case. Can the Photographer’s Evidence change his mind?
Much more persuasive was the man who seduced Madeline, much to her fiance’s chagrin. When she cannot get over the incident, he gets her to undergo Dr. Heidenhoff’s Process to remove the haunting memory. See if it’s successful in the novel by Edward Bellamy.
Could the hive mind of bees be erased? While this is not addressed in la vie des abeilles, Maurice Maeterlinck discusses everything else going on in a beehive. This book is also available in German and English.
Science is never “done”, we discover something new every day. Paolo Mantegazza explores life in l’anno 3000 through the eyes of a couple planning to get married. Written in 1897, many of his predictions already came true – who knows where we’ll go from here?
Enjoy – and stay curious!
LibriVox will turn 19 in a few days and thus enter the final one of its teenage years. Let’s take a look back at the last year with 10 newly arrived gems from our catalog.
A young man just arrived at River Hall, The Uninhabited House in a fashionable neighborhood. He doesn’t know that its owner is not departed as believed and soon, things take a strange turn in the book by Charlotte Riddell.
Sir Cyril Shenstone’s life is full of twists and turns: from orphan to bookkeeper to savior of damsels and princes to captain in the British Navy. G. A. Henty sets this adventure around the time When London Burned.
But the best adventures are true. T. E. Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia) recounts his experiences during the two years of the Revolt in the Desert the outcome of which shapes the Middle East until today.
To this day, Citizen Kane is hailed as a cinematic masterpiece. Peter Bogdanovich, himself an acclaimed movie director, prepared a film-by-film deep dive into The Cinema of Orson Welles.
Dive into the Mediterranean with Greek author Andreas Karkavitsas. In the 21 stories collected in Λόγια της Πλώρης: Θαλασσινά Διηγήματα (Words of the Sail: Sea Tales) he explores life with and near the sea in all its facets.
In a short pamphlet, the Minute Tapioca Co. presents numerous and Faster Ways to Favourite Dishes with tapioca. Eat all the way from soups and mains to pies and sweet desserts.
Bambi’s Life in the Woods starts out sweet, as it should. But when his mother is killed, the young deer must learn to make friends and stand on his own feet in the famous story by Felix Salten.
Lady Connie takes her life into her own hands when she meets Oliver Mellors. Soon, he becomes Lady Chatterley’s Lover in the book by D. H. Lawrence, scandalous at the time more for crossing class boundaries than for its eroticism.
When a nobleman falls from a horse at a costume party, he rises up as king Enrico IV. His family indulges his beliefs, but 12 years later, who is doing the acting? Find out in Luigi Pirandello’s Italian comedy.
Of joy and sorrow and everything in between: poetry runs the gamut of human emotions. This year, LibriVox catalogued the Short Poetry Collection #250 with 30 poems by various artists like Robert Frost, Lord Byron, Christina Rossetti, and others.
In the last 19 years, LibriVox volunteers have produced many more collections, plays, books, series… In total, this amounts to 19,584 finished projects in 48 languages read by more than 13,000 members.
Thank you all for your contributions over the years, you made us what we are today!
But there is more to do – and more to come. Sign up and help us
…make all books in the public domain available, narrated by real people and distributed for free, in audio format on the internet.
Hugh McGuire, founder of LibriVox
Summer time means vacation time! But how about instead of going to a different place, you could go to a different time? Take a trip through history with 10 gems from our catalog.
Henry Kenton is traveling from Kentucky to South Carolina on the eve of the American civil war. He is anxious to complete a secret mission in Joseph A. Altsheler’s novel The Guns of Bull Run, the first book in a series.
Catherine Radziwill takes us back to Rasputin and the Russian Revolution. She discusses the controversial preacher’s influence on the Tsar’s family just before the monarchy collapsed in 1917.
124 years earlier, the French Revolution disposed of Marie Antoinette and her Son, Louis Charles. Louise Mühlbach tells the story of the boy’s life after his parents were killed in 1793.
The French Revolution ended in the Reign of Terror, which is the backdrop to The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel over his nemesis Chauvelin. This is our dramatic reading of Emma Orczy’s novel.
Not long before in England, the Jacobite rising had failed. Ewen Cameron fled to the Scottish Highland only to be dragged back into the plot, endangering friends and family. Will there be a happy ending in D. K. Broster’s novel The Gleam in the North?
Next, let’s follow Sigrid Undset to rural Norway where Kristin Lavransdatter wants to marry Erlend. Her family disapproves of the match, but will she be allowed to wear The Bridal Wreath in the end?
All is fair in love and war… José Milla y Vidaure tells the story of two rival families who vie for power and how the Captaincy General of Guatemala ceased to exist because of a secret group known as Los Nazarenos.
For a long time, Christians had to worship in secret underground meetings. James Orr summarizes The History and Literature of the Early Church from the Apostolic Age to the persecutions in the Roman Empire.
When Christians had taken firm hold over Europe, they in turn persecuted other religions. Over 200 years, 9 Crusades were fought to recover the Holy Land from Islamic rule. Learn about their causes and aftermath in the book by George W. Cox.
Not that the muslims – moors as they were called then – were peaceful either. Pelayo or Cavern of Covadonga retells King Pelayo’s 722 battle against the moorish invasion of Asturia in Northern Spain. This epic poem was written by Anna C. M. Ritchie.
Enjoy – and have a good trip!
There is something in the air that makes June a perfect month to get married. Be inspired – or reminisce – with 10 gems from our catalog.
As far as inspiration goes, Edward J. Wood has done plenty of research already. Read about different ceremonies for The Wedding Day in All Ages and Countries as well as surrounding folklore and superstitions.
However, the very first question to ask is Why Marry? Although Helen has many suitors, she is determined to remain unattached. But it wouldn’t be a comedy by Jesse Lynch Williams if things would go her way that easily…
Edmund Spenser found himself in the opposite predicament: The lady of his choice only consented after two years of courtship. Good for us though, as we can read all the details about it in Amoretti and Epithalamion.
Sometimes, you get more than you bargained for. A young Englishman searches for a lost heir – and is heading straight into An Outback Marriage. Bush Poet Andrew Paterson depicts early Australian society with much humor.
A little humor goes a long way and can help over the inevitable bumps of any relationship. Mary Stewart Doubleday Cutting tells 11 Little Stories of Married Life that run the gamut from blissful to miserable.
Even before her wedding day, Betty knew where she was heading – and preferred to escape her overbearing groom, not to mention her family. Find out what’s in store for her now in Grace Livingston Hill’s Exit Betty.
It would have been better for the monk Astorre not to fulfill his father’s dying wish. Yet, he left his monastery to get married and finds it hard to adapt to worldly life. Conrad Ferdinand Meyer details what happens after Die Hochzeit des Mönchs.
What exactly is The Morality of Marriage? In this collection of essays, Feminist Mona Caird is critical of the state of marriage laws in the Victorian era and advocates for a more equal partnership instead.
But what does that mean – especially when the two partners have different cultural backgrounds? Mae Franking knows first hand and tells us about her experiences in My Chinese Marriage, ghostwritten by Katherine Anne Porter.
Sometimes it’s best just to be a guest, like at The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz. This allegory marks the third original manifesto of the Rosicrucians, in the very first translation by E. Foxcroft.
Enjoy – and have a great (wedding) day!
February – the month of carnival, Mardi Gras, Shrovetide, Shrove Tuesday… Whatever it’s called where you are from, let’s have fun with 10 hilarious gems from our catalog.
Humor is best delivered in short bursts. And it can’t get any pithier than Frontier Humor in Verse, Prose and Picture, little vignettes from 19th century Canada by Palmer Cox.
Mody Coggin Boatright remembers his good ol’ dialect for his Tall Tales From Texas. These eight stories feature horses, cowboys, campfires, and Pecos Bill.
What once was the pinnacle of behavior leaves us chuckling today. Then again, already in 1753, Jane Collier’s Essay on the Art of Ingeniously Tormenting was meant tongue-in-cheek.
Mark Twain was the master of humor – but in this one he might even be serious: Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offences lists 114 (out of 115) offenses against literary art.
Humor is when you laugh regardless, says a German proverb, obviously inspired by the country’s bureaucracy… Rudolf Greinz writes about Der heilige Bürokrazius, a saint residing in public offices.
When Marc dreams up a lovely girl, he couldn’t have imagined that she’d come to life one day. Henry Farrell chronicles The Early Misadventures of Toffee in great detail.
The term misadventures doesn’t quite fit Roxy Hart’s crime – we’re talking murder after all. Maurice Watkins took the case from 1924 Chicago and turned it into a Broadway musical – and we made a play out of it.
How to exhibit Perfect Behavior at musicals, concerts, or in the opera was researched by Donald Ogden Stewart. This is an interesting glimpse what kind of social crises were feared in 1922.
No matter when, getting lost in New York counts as a crisis. Then again, since this is one of five Follies in Fiction penned by master humorist Stephen Leacock, it can’t be too serious.
Laughter is universal and independent of language and culture. Russian writer Nikolai Leskov collects seven short Святочные рассказы (Yuletide stories) on things that may not be as serious as they sound at first.
Enjoy – and do try to “laugh regardless”!
Happy New Year! A new year brings fresh starts, a chance to try something again or to go for something entirely new. Get inspired with 10 gems from our catalog.
Let’s start at the beginning – of humankind. C. H. Robinson follows the development of human society from the discovery of fire and working all the way to religions, architecture, and government in Longhead: The Story of the First Fire.
“Fire” had quite a different meaning in Eddie Rickenbacker’s life, as the recently invented airplane changed warfare forever. He received a medal of honor for Fighting the Flying Circus of Manfred from Richthofen in WWI.
From the Red Baron to the King of England, Richard III; both men haven’t been treated kindly by history. See what Jacob Abbott thinks of the king in his biography and find out why Shakespeare made him the main character in his first play.
Our very first dramatic reading was a short story by W. W. Jacobs. The Monkey’s Paw grants three wishes to its owner, but there’s a catch every time… Maybe the Whites are the first to break the curse, loving couple that they are?
Love is a wonderful feeling, possibly the only thing we can all agree upon. Five short stories by Spanish authors show the lighthearted and fun side of First Love and Spanish Life.
When foreign secretary Sir Ramon receives a letter from The Four Just Men, he knows this is no laughing matter. He and Scotland Yard are ready to fight – and even the press get involved in this early novel by Edgar Wallace.
When Sherlock Holmes arrives at the scene, the fighting is usually over. In A Study in Scarlet, he uses his wits to solve the case. Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1888 story marks the first appearance of the master sleuth – and of a magnifying glass.
Holmes and Watson never went “in search of lost time”, that was left to Marcel Proust. His seven-book masterpiece starts with the narrator’s childhood memories in Swann’s Way.
When Antonio Pigafetta set out with Magellan in 1519, the goal were the Spice Islands. Three years later, they had become the first people to circumnavigate the globe, a journey chronicled in Primer viaje en torno del globo by the Venetian.
Wheels make the world go around one could say, and maybe this is true for poetry as well. This first of six anthologies collects 40 poems by nine authors, notably the Sitwell siblings Edith, Osbert, and Sacheverall.
Enjoy – and good luck with your new beginnings!
So many celebrations this month! Whether you celebrate Christmas, the winter solstice or just the end of the year, get in the mood with 10 gems from our catalog.
Every year, kids anxiously await Christmas. “How many days left” can be easily deduced from an Adventskalender counting down the days with little daily gifts. This is a German tradition – and one of the oldest on LibriVox.
Gertrude Landa’s collection of Jewish Fairy Tales and Fables goes even further back in time. These parables from Talmud and Midrash teach ancient yet timeless lessons to kids and adults alike.
On Christmas Eve, Marie and Fritz find an old nutcracker under their tree. They are lucky to have Alexandre Dumas as guest who, after some prodding, readily tells them the Histoire d’un casse-noisette.
A bit later that night, presents can be found under that same tree. But how do they get there? William Walsh traces The Story of Santa Klaus through folklore and customs from all over the world.
Most adults don’t believe in Santa, or the afterlife, for that matter. But when recently widowed Esther stays with friends over Christmas, she must face The Irtonwood Ghost – and her hidden fears in the novel by Elinor Glyn.
Marian harbors many fears on the way to meet Patsy. Will she get along with her? Can she handle the reindeer farm without her father? And what is that Purple Flame haunting her? Find out in the novel by Roy Snell, set in the Alaskan winter.
Have the five Favorite American poets contained in this collection ever sat in a reindeer sleigh? That’s not sure, but their Winter Poems speak of experiences from the first snowfall to midnight mass for the dying year.
Before, however, a child must be born, and this one is announced by magicians, spirits, even a comet! It’s The Birth of Merlin that William Shakespeare and William Rowley imagine in this fun Jacobean play.
Much more serious is Thomas Guthrie, 19th century Presbyterian minister from Scotland. In The Angel’s Song, he reflects on the birth of Jesus Christ and its implications for his day and the future.
Lots of parties lie ahead, always the perfect reason to indulge in great food. Santa’s Sampler by the Kappa Alpha Theta. St. Louis Alumnae Chapter has recipes for hors d’oevres with a special section on Christmas gifts.
Enjoy – and have a wonderful December!
It’s International Men’s Day on November 19, a perfect time to celebrate all men: Fathers and sons, brothers and husbands, or simply loved ones outside of family ties. Here are 10 gems from our catalog to do just this.
Whether son or daughter, the closest man in everybody’s life is their father. Mamie Dickens, oldest daughter of the famous novelist, collected her memories in My Father as I Recall Him.
Karl Duschek’s father is more of the overbearing kind, and the artistic son struggles for recognition. But is assassinating the Russian Czar the right way to go about things? See what happens in Nicht der Mörder, der Ermordete ist schuldig by Franz Werfel.
Scotland Yard had been warned, yet Superintendent Sinclair has to deal with the murder of the home secretary. He enlists Sylvester Collins to help solve the case and try to figure out if the Wrong Letter had something to do with it in Walter Masterman‘s story.
Everything goes wrong for Silvio Astis in the novella by Roberto Arlt: He fails at friendship, jobs, even suicide. Only when he meets Rengo, things seem to go better, but will Silvio be able to tame el juguete rabioso (the mad toy)?
No matter what, nature cannot be tamed. Six members of the British expedition who attempted the Assault on Mount Everest in 1922 would certainly agree. The mountain was not climbed until May 1953.
Monsieur Jourdain also tries to climb … the social ladder. But is it enough to learn how a gentleman behaves to become one? Moliere’s satire The Bourgeois Gentleman is full with biting wit and social commentary.
Stingaree, of lesser British nobility, took the opposite direction in the social hierarchy. Subsequently, he finds himself a bush ranger in Australia. E. W. Hornung tells his adventures in 10 short stories.
Great adventures lie ahead for Richard of Woodville when he meets King Henry V and is entrusted a letter. Upon delivering it to Ghent, however, Richard is caught up in the Battle of Agincourt. Will he ever see his beloved Mary again in the novel by George P. R. James?
Richard Lovelace has similar worries, and he describes them in poetry from the viewpoint of a soldier going to war. Addressed to his Lucasta (Pure Light), he pleads for her loyalty and love while he is away.
Scientist’s partners also have to get used to a lot of absences, and only in rare cases does all the work lead to a Nobel Prize. In 1908, they were awarded to researchers of radioactivity and immunity, among others. Listen to biographies and Nobel speeches in this multilingual project.
Enjoy – and celebrate the men in your life!
World Animal Day on October 4 seeks to protect animals and their habitats. Learn about all sorts of beings that live among us with 10 gems from our catalog.
Before there were humans, strange animals roamed the planet. George Langford weaves palaeontological research about prehistoric elephants, squirrels or horses into his Stories of the First American Animals.
Horses also play a substantial role in the Short Stories by William Murray. The clergyman, journalist and avid outdoors man speaks about people, animals, and their interactions.
Most people’s interaction with Spiders starts with a piecing shriek, a shame, really. Zoologist Cecil Warburton explains their mating rituals, web architecture, and even mental capacities in this interesting book.
Insects are the least problem that Andy and his Swamp Cat Frosty are facing in Jim Kjelgaard’s book. In the swamp they live in, trigger-happy poachers and other unwanted dangers visit them daily.
As far as diving goes, a Pirate Shark must be a most unwanted danger. Still, the crew of the Seamew must dive to find the treasure they have been told about. Harry Sayler sets his underwater adventure just off the coast of Malaysia.
“Bear of the Sea” is the scientific name for The White Czar, a huge species of polar bear? Clarence Hawkes writes about the involvement of this stunning animal with the Eskimo who share the Arctic with him.
In the time of Aristophanes, sharing the skies with The Birds was unthinkable. Yet, they build a city in the clouds for two Athenians who want to rule the world by preventing gods and people from communicating directly…
If animals could talk, what would they tell us? Jean the La Fontaine had his thoughts about that and his Fables are famous worldwide. 240 of them were translated into English verse here, but we also have the original in French and an Italian version as well.
Ravens speak among each other in a variety of dialects. Warrior ants devise battle strategies. And some worms are unkillable. These are just some of The Strangest Things in the World collected by Thomas R. Henry.
Modern Technology makes collecting data so much easier. The US Fish and Wildlife Service investigated the Migration of Birds and shows flight routes and speed, and rates of migration in this interesting study from 1989.
Enjoy – and give your pets an extra treat!
World Peace Day is on September 21, but it’s unlikely the world will be pacified by then (and if, not for long…) Get a mostly historical view on War and Peace with 10 gems from our catalog.
War and Peace – we wouldn’t know one without the other. And sometimes the distinction is not that clear-cut. Michael Earls, Jesuit priest, writer, poet, and teacher wrote Ballads of Peace in War about WWI.
When the world’s secretaries of war receive a threatening message, “disarm within one year or see your battleships destroyed”, only reporter Jim Orrington takes it seriously. See if he can find The Man Who Ended War before it’s too late in the book by Hollis Godfrey.
Speaking of battleships, the naval battles of WWI are often overlooked in favour of the war in the trenches. Lewis R. Freeman collected Stories of the Ships from people who fought on the seas for the British and US navy.
But what if you don’t want to fight, like British officer Harry Feversham? He is promptly labelled a coward by his friends and even fiancée. Can he overcome the stigma of The Four Feathers in the novel by A. E. W. Mason?
Trygaeus is definitely not a coward, otherwise he wouldn’t dare to climb Mt. Olympus and question the gods about the ongoing Peloponnesian War. There he finds no gods but the God of War, and an unexpected prisoner… Aristophanes’s comedy Peace tells us the outcome of his journey.
Less clear is the result in the story by Poul W. Anderson. Captain Flandry hears that the Scothanis plan to conquer the Terran Empire. The ace saboteur is ready, but is taking the Tiger by the Tail such a smart move after all?
It’s certainly not a good idea to have only a small part of the inhabitants defending a city during a siege. G. A. Henty retells the historical facts from 70 BC in his adventure novel For the Temple: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem.
The fall of the French kings opened a new chapter in European history. But the French Revolution soon descended into the rule of terror. The last novel of Victor Hugo, Quatrevingt-treize, leads you to the streets of Paris in 1793. This book is also available in an English translation.
Joseph H. Alexander takes to a small Japanese island in March 1945. While his true account Closing In: Marines in the Seizure of Iwo Jima naturally focuses on the US perspective, the Japanese point of view is examined as well.
The best viewpoint on peace lies in the aftermath of war. Henry van Dyke penned his three short sermons on What Peace Means shortly after WWI, but they remain relevant to this day.
Enjoy – and have a peaceful September!
LibriVox is turning 18, and we’ve just got another year older better! In the last year, our volunteers have created over 1200 new audiobooks, so let’s celebrate our anniversary with 10 of the latest gems from our catalog. The most exciting thing of last year was the addition of another language to our catalog: Indonesian. […]
It’s July already and high time to think about summer vacation! Take a break with 10 relaxing gems from our catalog. Carruthers of the British Foreign Office needs to get away from it all, and he does so on a yachting holiday with a friend. But something sinister is going on in the Frisian Islands […]
Summer is approaching, and what’s better than spending it outside in nature? Prepare for your holidays with 10 gems from our catalog. The Turquoise Story Book is a treasure trove for all things summer and nature related. Find it in 101 stories, legends, and poems carefully selected by Ada and Eleanor Skinner. Great preparation is […]
Our latest LibriVox baby has arrived! It took us only 9 months to complete 1,000 more audiobooks, bringing our completed projects up to 18,000.
The book with this special number is Exodus from The Self-Interpreting Bible, an 18th century Christian commentary by Scottish minister John Brown. It was read as a solo by InTheDesert.
Of course, all our finished books are worth celebrating, and so are our 13,000+ volunteer readers (also roughly 1,000 more than 9 months ago – coincidence?) Together, we have completed recordings in 100 languages, and now have 2,260 stand-alone works in 46 languages besides English.
Thank you all!
And now? Well, the sky’s the limit, really. After all, our goal is to
make all books in the public domain available, narrated by real people and distributed for free, in audio format on the internet.
We’d love you to help out, be it as reader, proof-listener, book suggester, or just cheerer-from-the-sidelines. See you in the forums!
Are you ready for Towel Day on May 25? If not, don’t panic, but prepare yourself with 10 sci-fi gems from our catalog.
There’s no better book to get started than A Popular History of Astronomy During the 19th Century. Learn about solar theories and eclipses, comets, planetary evolution and many more things astronomy from Agnes Mary Clerke.
Imagine what you could learn – or even see for yourself – if you could become 1,000,000 years old, like Daryesh. Once The Lord of a Thousand Suns, he has been condemned to roam the galaxy in search of things long lost. Find out if he’s successful in the story by Poul W. Anderson.
American scientist successfully built a mechanical Brain to help with military functions. But in Edmond Hamilton’s novella, it takes over more and more mundane tasks – until it suddenly becomes conscious…
Space cadet Tom Corbett and his friends take a well-earned vacation. Instead of hunting dinosaurs, however, they find themselves in the middle of The Revolt on Venus, in our dramatic reading of Carey Rockwell’s fun book.
Mary Proctor knows how to tell fun stories for kids. Her Stories of Starland combine scientific facts about our solar system with the myths ancient people told each other about the heavens.
H. P. Lovecraft dives deep into the ancient lore of a mysterious, long forgotten god. But behold, when The Call of Cthulhu can be heard again on Earth, all unbelievers will be punished…
Is there any worse punishment than disappearing Beyond the Vanishing Point? George Randolph doesn’t think so, and he’s desperate to find his friends, who are trapped in the microscopic universe of Orena. Will he make it in time in the story by Ray Cummings?
Isaac Asimov tells of Worlds Within Worlds, but this is not one of his famous stories. Instead, he explains the origins of nuclear energy to laypeople and traces scientific discoveries from quantum mechanics all the way back to alchemy.
Not of alchemy, but of astronomy is Urania the muse, and thus she takes the narrator of Camille Flammarion’s book through our solar system. This is just the start of an interesting journey beyond human knowledge of the time.
We don’t need to leave Earth to make new experiences. In fact, we don’t even have to leave our homes. Follow Alfred Lord Tennyson into fantastic imaginary worlds with his Sea-Fairies and Other Poems.
So long – and thanks for … listening!
April 4th is International Children’s Day. Sadly, all of us have to grow up at some point, but why not try and recapture a child-like spirit with 10 gems from our catalog.
Nothing helps better with this than the classic stories by the Brothers Grimm, Aesop, H. C. Andersen… Augusta Stevenson took 17 of them and turned these Children’s Classics into Dramatic Form.
Other cultures have their own classics, of course. An anonymous author travelled to Persia, India, China, Indonesia, and Japan and collected local folklore for The Jade Story Book: Stories from the Orient.
Let’s move on to the interior of Brazil and the farm where Lucie lives. José Monteira Lobato tells of her adventures with her family and their farm animals in A menina do narizinho arrebitado.
Thornton W. Burgess wrote 150 books for children, and almost all involve animals. One of these books features Little Joe Otter and Peter Rabbit as they are going on adventures along the river and in the woods of the countryside.
In the Italian city of Siena, a dangerous horse race called the Palio is taking place each year. When Giorgio Terni meets a cart horse with Arabian blood, he is determined to take part. Find out how they fare in Gaudenzia, Pride of the Palio by Marguerite Henry.
If the two did win the race, maybe they received some Sugar Plums? Ella Farman Pratt wrote 25 poems for children in this collection. They run the gamut of life’s experiences, from beauty to sorrow and everything in between.
For real sweets, look no further than The Mary Frances Cook Book. Jane Eayre Fryer presents easy recipes for kids and intersperses them with charming little stories featuring kitchen utensils.
Just as important as cooking is mathematics. Jean Macé teaches basic arithmetic as well as fractions and how to read the time in the lovely little book L’ Arithmétique de Mademoiselle Lili.
Famous historical figures surely knew their math, especially greats like David Livingstone, Joan of Arc, and Elizabeth & Raleigh. Hear all about them and their True Stories of Wonderful Deeds.
Writing a novella at age nine definitely counts as such, and the girl who did that was Daisy Ashford. Her parody of Victorian society The Young Visiters features social climbers, innocent love and the perfect behaviour for gentlemen.
Enjoy – and have fun with your (inner) child!
March 8 is International Women’s Day to celebrate women and their strengths all over the world. We celebrate in our own way – with 10 gems from our catalog.
A.L.G. Bosboom-Toussaint explores how a woman is to behave. Leopold inherits a fortune – on the condition to marry a distant cousin. She, in turn, was raised like a boy and thus is called Majoor Frans. Is Leopold up to the challenge?
When in the early 19th century, Elizabeth Blackwell set her mind on becoming a doctor, she was advised to dress as a man to enter university. She did no such thing, and yet performed Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women.
The idea of same education is also explored in the Sarah Grand’s novel The Heavenly Twins. This set of boy and girl grow up in restrictive Victorian society, and their lives couldn’t turn out any more different.
Of course, rich women were always well-educated, even in 17th century France. This is how Das Fräulein von Scuderi becomes entangled in a murder case involving precious jewels. The novella by E.T.A. Hoffmann will tell you whether she can solve the crime.
Not necessarily criminal were the conditions of workers in cottons mills in the 19th century. Harriet H. Robinson was one of them, and she reached many people through her stories and essays. Loom and Spindle is a collection of her writings.
Many women put their thoughts to paper, but not all of them become well-known. From Queen’s Gardens – A Chorus of Many Voices is a collection of poetry by both famous authors, and those who remained undiscovered.
Some 100 years ago, much of the world’s remote parts were unexplored. Mina Benson Hubbard set out on A Woman’s Way Through Unknown Labrador and mapped the rivers on her journey. All that in a canoe, and only two years after her husband perished on a similar trip.
Giovanna on the other hand has two husbands in the novel by Grazia Deledda. When Costatino is convicted of murder, she has no way of supporting herself. After the Divorce, she marries Brontu who abuses her, but things get really complicated when Costatino is acquitted…
It takes Courage to create a new family. Aged only 12 years, the girl with this name is too young to marry, but as an orphan, she knows all about finding a new family. Our dramatic reading of Ruth Ogden’s novel tells you how her life turns out.
When their father doesn’t return to their log cabin, teenaged Nell takes her little brother and their dog and tries to lead them to safety. But in the middle of a Canadian winter, the Two on the Trail might not make it far in the book by Edith Elise Cowper.
Enjoy – and celebrate the women in your life!
Valentine’s Day should bring some fresh romance into your life, whether in an old relationship or a new one. Let’s celebrate all things love with 10 gems from our catalog.
All things love definitely include Homogenic Love. Edward Carpenter was an early LGBT pioneer who laid out his thoughts on homosexuality in this little book from the late 19th century.
In the early 20th century, Laurence Hope was a popular author. She spent her adult life in India and let the country and its people inspire her to original poetry. Some of it is collected in India’s Love Lyrics.
It’s said that love is eternal, it has certainly be around for long enough, as Langus‘ story from Ancient Greece shows. Two orphans grow up as neighbors and fall in love, but they must face many hardships before they can enjoy The Pastoral Loves of Daphnis and Chloe.
Gilliatt suffers self-imposed hardships when he tries to salvage the engine of a wrecked steamship. Just to win the hand of rich Deruchette, he becomes one of the Toilers of the Sea in the novel by Victor Hugo.
Charles Rex, on the other hand, is already a rich man when he discovers a female stowaway on his yacht. Although immediately drawn to her, he feels he must find her a more suitable match… Find out if he succeeds in the novel by Ethel M. Dell.
Fallen woman Kitty prefers to take matters in her own hands. When she meets widower Robert, all stars seem to align for the couple. May Sinclair writes about this Immortal Moment – but how long will it last?
The love of Cyrano de Bergerac and Roxane is meant to last a lifetime. Unfortunately, ugly Cyrano has to hide behind handsome Christian to woo Roxane in the famous love-triangle play by Edmond Rostand.
Elbert Hubbard did not include any love triangles in his Little Journeys to the Homes of Great Lovers. There is still enough tragedy to be found, however, in the stories of 12 famous couples including Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton, Dante and Beatrice, Petrarch and Laura…
Laurence Housman decided to publish an anonymous Englishwoman’s Love Letters because of “a request, conveyed under circumstances which the writer herself would have regarded as all-commanding”.
Renold decides to temporarily send his sister to a convent when he sees her secretly meeting Hippolyt, the count’s son. But she disappears and the mystery can only be solved on Schloß Dürande… This short novella was written by Joseph von Eichendorff.
Enjoy – and Happy Valentine!
Happy New Year! Have you made any New Year’s resolutions, big, small, or medium-sized? Get inspired to change your life with 10 gems from our catalogue.
But first, let’s properly celebrate A Happy New Year with 27 verses by Charles de la Poer Beresford. Some poems fit this season, others have more special topics, like the Londonderry city election.
It’s a very special day for Tom Playfair when he is sent to St. Maure’s boarding school run by Jesuits. There, the unruly boy must learn to adapt in the novel for young boys by Francis J. Finn.
When an American visits England, smaller adjustments are to be expected. But when WWI breaks out in this story by H. G. Wells, war upends the lives of everybody. It is possible that Mr. Britling Sees it Through?
In such cases, a Victorious Attitude is invaluable. Orison Swett Marden teaches you how to improve your life and overcome obstacles by reducing negative thoughts and having faith in yourself.
In football, such advice comes from the coach – but the team of Clearfield High hast just lost theirs. Can they find a new one before The Secret Play against Springfield? Ralph Henry Barbour knows more.
Want to know more about cooking? Janet McKenzie Hill is an expert on Salads, Sandwiches and Chafing-Dish Dainties. This short book will turn you into a veritable god or goddess of food.
Then again, being a god isn’t all it’s made out to be. The gods of Ancient Greece find themselves in modern society and need a new purpose. How this turns out is explored in the comedy Os Deuses de Casaca by Machado de Assis.
Johann Peter Hebel is a quite funny writer too. His short Kalendergeschichten were written for – and became a highlight of – the Rheinländischer Hausfreund. This is a selection of six of his stories.
The imperial diamonds, a highlight from Turkey, went missing in London. While police suspect an insider, Reginald Brett thinks otherwise. Can the hobby detective solve The Albert Gate Mystery in the story by Louis Tracy?
A new year – a new hobby! How about learning the Art of Ventriloquism and Vocal Illusions from Frederic Maccabe? This little book provides you with the theory and with practical exercises. Both will come handy when you start recording for us this year. Just sayin’…
Enjoy – and we wish you all a wonderful 2023!
Just in time for our end-of-2022-party, we reached another … well, not quite a milestone, but definitely reason enough for celebrations:
Mengelilingi Doenia Dalam 80 Hari is our very first book-length project in Indonesian!
This is a translation of Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days, a book that has always been extremely popular on LibriVox. In addition to the above Indonesian version, we also currently offer it in the original French, five English translations, as well as in Dutch, German, and Spanish.
This project took a group of Indonesian speakers 14 years to complete, which goes to show that LibriVoxers never give up! And also, that each and every contribution, no matter how small it may seem, brings us closer to our objective:
To make all books in the public domain available, narrated by real people and distributed for free, in audio format on the internet.
Join us – it’s fun! (No, really!)
If you needed just the right New Year’s Resolution for 2023, this is it! See you in the forums!
Happy December, month of Christmas! Whether you’ll be celebrating it or not, here are 10 gems from our catalog to lift your spirits.
Given the time of the year, The Spring of Joy may seem an odd choice. But Mary Webb was passionate about nature, and this collection of essays helped her through a bout of serious illness.
Even more serious is the mission of centurion Marcellus: eradicate the Christians of Rome. But when he delves deeper into their world and hears about The Martyr of the Catacombs, his own life is soon on the line too. Find out what happens in our dramatic reading of the book by James de Mille.
Not only Jesus is seen as the god of protection, compassion, and tenderness. In Hinduism, it is Sree Krishna, the Lord of Love, who has these attributes. Baba Premanand Bharati explains the circular life of the universe in this introduction to Hinduism.
Christie Tucker is introduced to the new railway in her town in a most exciting way: By a birthday train ride to visit her uncle for a day. But Christie’s Christmas doesn’t go as smoothly as planned in our brand-new novel by Pansy.
A soldier’s duty is never easy, especially during holidays. In La navidad en las montañas by Ignacio Manuel Altamirano, a soldier and a priest meet unexpectedly and proceed to celebrate Christmas together.
A group of colorful people come together on a missionary trip to northern Siberia. But На краю света (On the Edge of the World), life takes on a new meaning. Nikolai Leskov expresses rare ideas of freedom of faith in this Russian novel.
Although Buddhism is one of the largest faiths in the world, the absence of a god makes it more of a philosophy, rather than a religion. H. S. Olcott gives a very brief introduction to its history and morals in The Buddhist Catechism.
Some moral lessons are timeless and transcend culture. The Baital Pachchisi (aka the Vikram Betal) from 11 century India uses 25 short stories to teach children moral and social lessons. This edition is by Duncan Forbes.
For many kids, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without Santa Claus. But honestly, what do we really know about the guy on a reindeer sleigh who brings presents? L. Frank Baum lifts the mystery in his book The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.
No matter if you’re still a kid or already grown, you can prepare for your very own Christmas in Poetry. This is a collection of 40 Christmas carols and poems by many authors from different lands and different times.
Enjoy – and have a wonderful and merry Christmas!
With its early evenings and foggy mornings, November is the perfect month to slow down a little. Get some peace and quiet with 10 gems from our catalog. Lately, most of us spent more time than we wanted In the Closed Room. But for a shy girl whose family does some house sitting in the […]
October is World Blindness Awareness Month, and thanks to our volunteers, we have a number of books that deal with blindness and other disabilities. Let’s have a look at 10 of these gems from our catalog. When it comes to Blindness Awareness, few have done more here than Helen Keller. An illness took her sight […]
The worst heat waves should be over, so we can think about getting “hot” in a … ahem … different kind of way. Let’s explore classic adult-rated literature with 10 sexy gems from our catalog. From the very beginnings of humanity, Phallic Worship had its fixed place in religious practices. Follow Hargrave Jennings through times, […]
Today, LibriVox celebrates its 17th anniversary, and we do it in style with 17,000 completed audiobooks. The lucky winner dropped about 10 days ago, and it’s Eva – Lilith, a book of poetry exploring love by Austrian writer Bruno Ertler. It is read in German by lorda. Of course, all our books are winners, not […]
Next week, LibriVox will turn 17! In the last year, our volunteers have worked together to create more than 1300 new books for our catalog. Let’s have a look at 10 of these gems to kickstart our celebrations. What would the world look like if people worked together? 12 German authors gave it a try […]
It’s that time of the year again: next item on the schedule is a holiday. Or get out of the house and travelling with 10 gems from our catalog. Any favourite destinations? For Russian writer Nikolay Gumilyov, it was Africa. His poetry inspired by giraffes and hippos is collected in “The Tent”, which is a […]
Being able to keep secrets is what makes a great friendship. But are all secrets worthy of staying hidden? Answer this question with 10 gems from our catalog. Women are notorious for spilling the beans. Ms. Posket is not one of them. But when the lie about her age complicates life for her son, she […]
Humanity has been around for some 300,000 years and far indeed we have come in that time! Let’s look back at our common roots with 10 gems from our catalog. “Where do we come from” is one of humankind’s oldest questions, and it was finally answered by Darwin. In Man and His Ancestor, Charles Morris […]
Spring has come, where Mother Nature awakens after her long sleep. See what she’s got up her sleeves with 10 gems from our catalog. In 11 short chapters, Eva March Tappan explains to kids what lies hidden in the Earth’s bosom. Only serious Diggers in the Earth find her stores of gold, silver, copper, iron, […]
March brings spring and spring brings love and romance. If you’re ready to go out and find new love – or rekindle an old one – get in the mood with 10 gems from our catalog. 9 love letters make up our Love Letter Collection 2008. Find out how celebrities and normal people from real […]
It is known: February is the coldest month of the year. Or is it? Let’s take a closer look at things that may be different than expected with 10 gems from our catalog. To solve the February riddle from above, just imagine South-Sea Idylls in the Southern Hemisphere… Charles Stoddard did more than just imagine, […]
Happy Brand New 2022! Let’s hope that this year will finally allow us to overcome the pandemic that has held the world hostage for 2 years now… Lift your spirits with 10 gems from our catalog. Nowhere better to start than with the Outlook Odes by T.W.H. Crosland. His 31 poems in free verse are […]
Two years of the Corona pandemic, and never before have we needed heroes and heroines more than now. Let’s take a look at some classic heroes and their deeds with 10 gems from our catalog. Siegfried the dragon slayer is the archetypical hero. Born into a noble German family, he sets out on adventures from […]
In the darkening days of November, we shine a light at those who had to suffer unjust accusations. Let’s look at people who were wronged by the law (or others) with 10 gems from our catalogue. The classic story of a man wrongly imprisoned is by Alexandre Dumas. Edmond Dantes is sent to the Château […]
This has been an exciting year for LibriVox: Back in February, we celebrated 15,000 audiobooks, and only in July we added our 2,000th work in a language other than English to our catalog. And now, we’re in for a third milestone in a single year, and it almost feels like a 2-in-1, our LibriVox audiobook […]
The winners of the 2021 Nobel Prizes will be announced this month. What a great opportunity to look back at winners from the prize’s early years with 10 gems from our catalogue. The earliest laureate on our list is Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. He tells the story of Oyvind, who is in love with Marit, who only […]
These days, summer is on the way out and we’re on the way back to work. Every day, criminals and detectives work against each other on different sides of the law. Let’s look at both sides with 10 gems from our catalogue. A great and very bloody start is the German saga Das Nibelungenlied. It […]
On August 9, LibriVox celebrates 16 years of audiobooks. Since our last anniversary we have completed more than 1450 new projects, wow! Let’s celebrate with 10 gems from our new arrivals to our catalog. One reason for our enormous growth in the last year was the pandemic. COVID-19 was not the first virus killing thousands, […]
The LibriVox milestones come thick and fast this year! After cataloging 15,000 audiobooks in February, we can now celebrate 2000 books in a language other than English (LOTE). Enjoy our Italian Antologia di poetesse italiane, a collection of poems by female poets, spanning 500 years from the 13th to the 18th century. This project was […]
There are stories that have been told and retold so often, they have become universal and known throughout the world. Let’s delve into the world’s collective memory with 10 gems from our catalogue. Western civilisation is deeply rooted in the stories of ancient Greek and Rome. From Zeus to Venus, from Hercules to Ulysses, you […]
In June, many countries celebrate Father’s Day and they indeed deserve a big “Thank you!” Let’s have a look at what the world owes to dads – and other father figures – with 10 gems from our catalogue If I had a Father is the cry of sculptor Arthur Gervaise, unawares that his absentee dad […]
In May, many countries celebrate Mother’s Day, and after the last 12+ months, an extra big “Thank you mom!” is in order. Let’s have a look at what the world owes to moms – and mother figures – with 10 gems from our catalogue. In the old days, large families like in the novel by […]
Life seems to pick up speed again, leaving less time to read. Short Works to the rescue! Take a time-out – a brief one – with 10 gems from our catalog. Nothing shows better that “brevity is the soul of wit” than George W. Foote’s Flowers of Freethought. The founder of “The Freethinker” lays down […]
With the vaccinations for COVID-19 starting up all over the world, we may look into the future a bit more optimistically! Let’s take a glimpse into what may lie ahead of mankind with 10 gems from our catalog. Already in 1871, Edward Bulwer-Lytton speculated about The Coming Race in one of the very first sci-fi […]
In 2020, LibriVox welcomed an amazing amount of new volunteers, one of the few positive side-effects of the Covid19 pandemic. Consequently, we could finish many more books than usual, so it took us only 9 months since the last milestone to celebrate LibriVox audiobook # 15.000! Enjoy our drama production of Berenice, a play set […]
February marks Black History Month in the US, and together with the Black Lives Matter movement, LibriVox has risen to put out more books by African Americans. Delve into a truly black part of world history with 10 gems from our catalog. To understand the root of the evil, let’s follow British actress Fanny Kemble […]
Happy New Year 2021! With 2020 finally over, we can start to make new plans for the coming year, which will hopefully be much better… Let’s look into a brighter tomorrow with 10 gems from our catalog. All Things are Possible was the creed of Lev Shestov. Even when he was driven out of his […]
The year is almost over – thank goodness! But with everything that went wrong worldwide, 2020 has also shown us that we’re in this together, no matter where we live. Therefore, let’s celebrate what unites us as humans with 10 gems from our catalog.
Every one has the same ancestors – biologically speaking. A young man remembers his past life long Before Adam in his dreams – or are they nightmares? Jack London tells a story of pre-stone-age life, with his usual sense of humour.
While humour may be cultural, laughter is universal. Greek playwright Aristophanes has Dionysus venture to the underworld to bring back his favourite playwright, Euripides. Find out if he is successful in the ancient comedy The Frogs.
Breathing is generally a sign of life, but did you know that there’s a proper way to do it? In The Hindu-Yogi Science of Breath William W. Atkinson explains a number of exercises for breathing awareness and health.
Speaking of exercises, in the 12th century, Yoritomo Tashi wrote his famous book on Common Sense, How to Exercise It. Learn how to go all the way from virtues to harmony and finally, to perfect peace.
Humanity seeks peace and harmony – and many find them in a divine being. Our collection of The World’s Best Poetry brings you religious and devotional poems from various authors from around the globe under the title The Higher Life.
Others look for the divine on Earth – and for the perfect partner. Love is all around us, and our series on Love Stories brings you romantic tales with happy endings from various authors and countries.
Everybody loves stories, and for a long time, human history was preserved and nature explained in them. Seek the grain of truth in our collection of Myths and Legends Around the World.
John Cameron was a legend of English football, and even organised games with his fellow prisoners of WWI. In Association Football and How to Play It he talks about the history and tactics of the game that has become popular everywhere.
Every day when playing, kids build their own Magic World and dream themselves into it. Follow E. Nesbit into 12 stories for kids that have a special magical touch even for adults.
Another thing we all have in common – globally speaking – is our future. In 1894, John J. Astor IV created A Journey in Other Worlds: A Romance of the Future, where he imagines life in the year 2000. What do you think 2021 will look like?
Enjoy and take care of yourself and others!
Welcome to the final leg of the LV World Tour 2020! We have circled the globe once and now return to where LibriVox is from. Explore North America with 10 gems from our catalog.
Of course, everything is better with a friend. Therefore, a group of friends decide to spend A Summer in a Canyon, chock full with camp adventures. Follow Kate D. Wiggins’ story to California and enjoy the scenery on the way.
Exploring the American wilderness was a dangerous part of early settlers’ lives. But even among friends you thought you could trust, things can go terribly wrong… Read The Song of Hugh Glass by John Neihardt as a proof.
How much of the above story is true is debatable, but “history is written by the winners” is not a hollow phrase. Bernal Diaz del Castillo, a Spanish conquistador, details his version of Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España.
Phillip Whittemore finds himself between truth and lies when he happens upon the Fort of God deep in the woods of Canada. Now he tries to find out who these people are, where they are coming from and what they are hiding in Flower of the North by James Curwood.
Lots of secrets surround a legendary Aztec gold mine, and only their last descendant knows its location. Travel to Mexico with Mark Venner and see if he can crack The Mystery of the Four Fingers in the novel by Fred White.
The last leader of the Shawnee, Tecumseh, is one of the great heros of the Canadians. Opposing the US in the war of 1812, he died on the battlefield. Ethel T. Raymond details his life in Vol. 17 of The Chronicles of Canada.
Rosanna Leprohon penned an interesting family chronicle: Bookish Armand Durand is the son of Paul Durand and his first wife. His half brother Paul jun. is his polar opposite, and they do their best to reconcile their differences.
Even more different are the families of Blessed, an educated young man, and Zora, an unschooled girl from the swamps of the South. W.E.B. du Bois tells a haunting story of love in a world long gone in The Quest of the Silver Fleece.
Equally haunting when read with modern eyes is the autobiography of Booker T. Washington. How he raised himself Up From Slavery and helped many other black people to do the same is an excellent example for everyone.
Sadly, there are many bad examples too. When the Spanish conquered Mexico, they brought Christianity with them – and the inquisition. Vicente Riva Palacio set his novel Monja y Casada, Vírgen y Mártir in a convent during the inquisition.
Enjoy – and stay safe and curious!
Today we mark the 20th Anniversary of Distributed Proofreaders. Over the last 20 years, nearly 55,000 DP volunteers from around the globe have contributed to creating nearly 40,000 e-books for release into the public domain through Project Gutenberg. Friends of LibriVox will recognize Project Gutenberg as a major source of material for our volunteers, so LibriVox readers and listeners are among the many who have benefited from the work of DP over the years.
To mark this milestone, LibriVox volunteers have created two special audiobooks from the DP collection.
In The Shores of the Polar Sea by Edward Lawton Moss, we join the crew of the HMS Alert as they leave England in 1875 with orders to “attain the highest northern latitude, and, if possible, reach the Pole.” This was DP’s 35,000th title and they celebrated with this blog post.
The Living Animals of the Natural World, subtitled “a popular Natural History”, proposed to present the most updated version of the wonders of the Animal World in a new and clearer form. It used photography instead of the traditional illustrations and eminent specialists from the world of science and practical discovery contributed to the descriptions. The result is a very thorough picture of human knowledge of the animal world at the time it was published in 1902. When the book was completed by DP in 2019, it became Project Gutenberg’s 60,000th title and DP celebrated with this blog post.
You can read more about DP’s history and current activities here.
Congratulations DP on 20 years of great books!