Classic Audiobook Collection: Recent Episodes
Classic Literature
Classic audiobook collection of the great authors of all time. Explore the books that made these authors great. Full length audiobooks made available for free. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthew-jackson95/support
Studies in Word-Association by Carl Gustav Jung audiobook. Following his Psychology of the Unconscious Processes, this book is a series of papers compiled under the direction of Dr. Carl Jung, also known as the founder of psychoanalysis. It records research related to the association method conducted on persons with and without psychological conditions. Jung's work on association among 'normal' individuals formed the basis of psychological types Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Mystery of the Iron Box by Bruce Campbell audiobook. When Ken Holt's father, the famous newspaper writer, comes home for a Christmas visit, one of the gifts he brings is an antique iron box. Soon after he arrives a serious of unexplained events occur, including an attempted burglary. A hunch that the iron box is at the center of these occurrences sends Ken Holt and his friend Sandy Allen on an exciting adventure to solve the mystery! Ken Holt was the central characters in a series of 18 mystery stories for boys written by Sam and Beryl Epstein under the pseudonym Bruce Campbell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Chain of Destiny by Bram Stoker audiobook. Frank Stanford, strapping young man, heads out to the countryside to visit his old friends Mr. and Mrs. Trevor as the Scarp estate. What begins as a warm visit with his ersatz parental figures turns into something both ominous and wonderful with the announcement by Mrs. Trevor that they are to be visited by a young Miss Fothering who Mrs. Trevor feels Frank will fall in love with almost immediately. Frank takes it all in stride until he has a terrible nightmare that evening of dreadful things to come upon Miss Fothering's arrival. Will there be a 'happily ever after' for the pair of lovebirds or will an ancient family curse finally come to bare? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Recollections of Napoleon at St. Helena by Betsy Balcombe audiobook. In this memoir written by Betsy Balcombe, who was a precocious 14 year old at the time of events, we are provided with a rare account of the character, the moods and humanity of Napoleon Bonaparte. She recalls her initial shock and fear at the arrival of the famous, exiled prisoner on the remote Island of St. Helena where she and her family resided. And how surprised she was when Napoleon decided he wanted to live with them at 'the Briars' until his home in Longwood would be made ready for him. She relates from memory how she came to think of him as a friend, a delightful companion, and a remarkable man. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
(Volume 13) Arabian Nights - The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night by Anonymous audiobook. This is a collection of stories collected over thousands of years by various authors, translators, and scholars. They are an amalgam of mythology and folk tales from the Indian sub-continent, Persia, and Arabia. No original manuscript has ever been found for the collection, but several versions date the collection's genesis to somewhere between AD 800 and 900. The stories are wound together under the device of a long series of cliff-hangers told by Shahrazad to her husband to prevent him from executing her. In translating the Nights, R. F. Burton attempted to invent an English equivalent of medieval Arabic. In doing so, he drew upon Chaucerian English, Elizabethan English, and the 1653 English translation by Sir Thomas Urquhart of the first three books of Rabelais's Gargantua and Pantagruel (1532-1546). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
(Volume 6) Arabian Nights - The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night by Anonymous audiobook. This is a collection of stories collected over thousands of years by various authors, translators and scholars. They are an amalgam of mythology and folk tales from the Indian sub-continent, Persia, and Arabia. No original manuscript has ever been found, but several versions date the collection’s genesis to somewhere between AD 800-900. The stories are wound together under the device of a long series of cliff-hangers told by Shahrazad to her husband Shahryar, to prevent him from executing her. Many tales that have become independently famous come from the Book, among them Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and the voyages of Sinbad the Sailor. This collection comes from the sixth of sixteen volumes translated by Richard Francis Burton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
(Volume 4) Arabian Nights - The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night by Anonymous audiobook. This is a collection of stories collected over thousands of years by various authors, translators and scholars. They are an amalgam of mythology and folk tales from the Indian sub-continent, Persia, and Arabia. No original manuscript has ever been found for the collection, but several versions date the collection's genesis to somewhere between AD 800-900. The stories are wound together under the device of a long series of cliff-hangers told by Shahrazad to her husband Shahryar, to prevent him from executing her. Many tales that have become independently famous come from the Book, among them Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and the voyages of Sinbad the Sailor. This collection comes from the third of sixteen volumes translated by Burton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
(Volume 2) Arabian Nights - The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night by Anonymous audiobook. This is a collection of stories collected over thousands of years by various authors, translators and scholars. The are an amalgam of mythology and folk tales from the Indian sub-continent, Persia, and Arabia. No original manuscript has ever been found for the collection, but several versions date the collection's genesis to somewhere between AD 800-900. The stories are wound together under the device of a long series of cliff-hangers told by Shahrazad to her husband Shahryar, to prevent him from executing her. Many tales that have become independently famous come from the Book, among them Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and the voyages of Sinbad the Sailor. This collection comes from the second of sixteen volumes translated by Burton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
(Volume 1) Arabian Nights - The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night by Anonymous audiobook. The main frame story concerns a king and his new bride. The king, Shahryar, upon discovering his ex-wife's infidelity executes her and then declares all women to be unfaithful. He begins to marry a succession of virgins only to execute each one the next morning. Scheherazade agrees to marry him and each night, beginning on the night of their marriage, she tells the king a tale but does not end it so that the king keeps her alive in order to hear the next tale. The stories proceed from this original tale; some are framed within other tales, while others begin and end of their own accord. Some editions contain only a few hundred tales, while others include 1001 or more stories and 'nights.' Well known stories from the Nights include Aladdin, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A Texas Matchmaker by Andy Adams audiobook. As a boy Andy Adams helped with the cattle and horses on the family farm. During the early 1880s he went to Texas, where he stayed for 10 years, spending much of that time driving cattle on the western trails. A Texas Matchmaker is a narrative that describes the work of a cowboy on a large southTexas ranch during the late 1800’s. Adams is considered to be one of foremost writers of the life of the real American cowboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Border Riflemen by Albert W. Aiken audiobook. In this dime novel set on the American frontier, we meet a beautiful young girl, Sadie, who is fending off advances from the rough woodsman, known as Black Will. Luckily, Cooney Joe comes to her rescue while her father is out hunting. Life is hard on the frontier, and there is constant danger from Black Hawk and his warriors, but Sadie and her father try to live in peace with everyone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Brain and Personality, or the Physical Relations of the Brain to the Mind by William Hanna Thomson audiobook. One of the earlier works on brain science, relating what was then known or conjectured about the connection between the physical brain and the individual personality, including the ability of speech and language. As this is an early work (1910), some of the information related is, of course, outdated; but much of it is still relevant today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Gloves Past and Present by Willard M. Smith audiobook. From the preface: 'For thirty years I have devoted myself to the practical problems of the glove industry, and my connection with one of the substantial firms of master-merchant-glovers in the world has taught me how little gloves are known or appreciated by the millions of persons who buy them and wear them. The pursuit of glove lore--the historic romance of the glove--has long since been with me a selfish recreation. Now I desire to share it, as well as the practical knowledge, with all men and women who have missed seizing upon the real relation which gloves bear to life.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver by Thornton W. Burgess audiobook. When Paddy the Beaver moves into the Green Forest and wants to build his home, he never quite expected it would cause so much commotion! Being a focal point of attention, the forest animals watch him carefully and scrutinized his work, make fun of and question his building project, someone screams at him saying unkind things, and one forest animal sets his sights on hunting him to have him for lunch! That's an awful lot for a little beaver to overcome - do you think he can do it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Centuries of Meditations by Thomas Traherne audiobook. Thomas Traherne's best known work is a collection of paragraphs, divided into what he called 'Centuries', meditating in a particularly intense and visionary manner on God, nature and His relationship with the life of man. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Eleven years a drunkard by Thomas Doner audiobook. He tells of the shame, misery and pain which alcohol brought on him, and will bring to anyone whosoever be tempted by the pleasant feeling it produces at the time of drinking. It doesn't bring one home to shelter but drives them away. It leads one to forget the evil it brings and tempts one to pursue more for the pleasant feeling it produces. This 'pleasant feeling' produces many murderers in our land. It doesn't push the sufferer to ask for help but to lie about the drinking. Once Satan has a foothold he wants an even tighter grasp. He exhorts - you boys, to learn this lesson, 'If you do not take the first drink, you will not be tempted to take the second.' And if you take the first drink do not take the second or the monster will have done its work and will surely lead you to a third and a fourth and to associate with the inmates of taverns until you are committed to prison, executed in the gallows, a cripple (like Doner) or to a drunkard's grave. Filth, drunkenness, crime and blasphemy, Doner writes, are the rewards for stepping in this Snare of the Devil. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Crook in the Lot by Thomas Boston audiobook. A meditation on Ecclesiastes 7:3, 'Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight which he hath made crooked?,' The Crook in the Lot considers the purposes of God for suffering and affliction in the life of the Christian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Characters Of Theophrastus by Theophrastus audiobook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Brothers by Terence audiobook. 'Micio and Demea are two brothers of dissimilar tempers. Demea is married, and lives a country life, while his brother remains single, and resides in Athens.' Things quickly get a bit messy with hushed-up debauchery, kidnapping/elopement/theft of a slave, general carousing, and marriage nuptials - the usual for the day perhaps, except that: 'The Play concludes with a serious warning from Demea, who advises his relatives not to squander their means in riotous living; but, on the contrary, to bear admonition and to submit to restraint in a spirit of moderation and thankfulness.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Actress in High Life - An Episode in Winter Quarters by Susan Petigru King-Bowen audiobook. 1812 is the year and Portugal the location for this adventure. The characters for the most part are British officers. Lord Strathern sends for his daughter Lady Mabel Stewart presently in Scotland to join him in Elvas where he has stationed his brigade for the winter. The debonair Colonel l'Lisle is the hero of our story. The author provides a vivid look into the landscape, history and people of this era and often touches on liturgy...sometimes controversial among the characters. Very informative it is more travelogue than romance however. Enjoy!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Above the French Lines by Stuart Walcott audiobook. A collection of letters written by Stuart Walcott while training to be an aviator in France to prepare for combat. Walcott died in his first aerial combat after first downing a German bi-plane. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Valley of Fear by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook. Doyle's final novel featuring the beloved sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, brings the detective and his friend to a country manor where they are preceded by either a murder or a suicide. A secretive organization lies culprit and an infiltration of it is in order Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis audiobook. This 1926 Pulitzer Prize winning novel centers on the title character, a promising medical student who, as a doctor and following several intervening ventures, becomes a medical researcher in New York. A widespread killer plague takes him to a Caribbean island to produce and inject sera and do research. Fascinating characters, some professional, others romantic, impact his life. Striking similarities of the epidemic in this novel to the pandemic of the 2020's may today seem prophetic. The author won the 1930 Nobel Prize in literature, chiefly for 'Arrowsmith'. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Prayers and Meditations by Samuel Johnson audiobook. The prayers and meditations of Samuel Johnson, published posthumously by George Strahan to whom Johnson had entrusted the manuscripts. Johnson had been writing these down for over forty years. They often show him at his most repentant, melancholy and fragile -- and the book was controversial because of it -- but they also show the goodness, sense and strength which has always characterised this great man. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
An American Robinson Crusoe by Samuel B. Allison audiobook. An American Robinson Crusoe is a short version of the original story. An indolent, rebellious teen goes on a marine voyage against his parents' wishes. The ship (and all of its crew) is lost in a storm, but Robinson makes it to a deserted island. He has no tools, no weapons, but he lives for over 28 years on the island. He befriends many animals on the island and after over 20 years living solo, he is joined by a young 'savage' who becomes his constant companion. The transformation from the young, lazy teen to a self-sustaining, incredibly knowledgeable adult is one of the major themes in the story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Actions And Reactions by Rudyard Kipling audiobook. A collection of short stories by the author of the Jungle book, Kim and Just So Stories. Each story is followed by a poem, so if you like If, this may also be a book for you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Across Mongolian Plains - A Naturalists Account of China's Great Northwest by Roy Chapman Andrews audiobook. An account of a 1918 journey to Northern China by famed adventurer/paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews. Andrews, who was the inspiration for the many explorer hero characters (including Indiana Jones), wrote this book for the general public, excluding 'scientific details' that they might find 'wearisome'. NOTE: This book contains many accounts of hunting animals for sport and for exhibition in a museum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Dog Crusoe and His Master by Robert Ballantyne audiobook. This is a story of an adventure involving a young man, his dog, and two friends. Together they wander through the Western prairies on a mission to make peace between the 'pale-faces' and the 'Red men'. They face many perils and become heroes many times over. This wonderful story takes the characters (and the reader) on an action-packed journey through the Western prairies during the times when relations between the white man and the Natives were not always peaceful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
My Doggie and I by Robert Ballantyne audiobook. This story surrounds a child waif, a young woman, a young gentleman doctor, and an elderly lady. This tale unfolds the story of a bond that brings these unlikely friends together and merges their separate paths of life into one common path. The bond is 'Dumps', or 'Pompey', the 'doggie'. With many twists, turns, and uncertainties, the ending may surprise the reader. All's well that ends well in this doggie 'tail'. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plunkitt of Tammany Hall by Plunkitt audiobook. 'I seen my opportunities and I took 'em.', George Washington Plunkitt of Tamminy Hall. There's good graft and bad graft according to Plunkitt. Listen to this candid discourse from a 19th century politician, and decide for yourself if things have changed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Many-Sided Franklin by Paul Leicester Ford audiobook. A fast-paced, somewhat racey look into the life, accomplishments and idiosyncrasies of Benjamin Franklin. Acclaimed biographer Paul L. Ford uses Franklin’s letters, papers and journals to step us through Franklin's many adventures, to reveal intimate details of his personal life - relations with siblings, wife, children, friends, business partners; his physique, health, illnesses, schooling, personal habits and goals; his opinions on education, philosophy, religion, friendship, industry; his library; his career as printer and publisher, writer and journalist, politician and diplomat, scientist, humorist, jack of all trades; and his relations at home and abroad with the “fairer sex“. Goes beyond the official Autobiography. A must read for Franklin devotees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Patanjali audiobook. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are in themselves exceedingly brief, less than ten pages of large type in the original. Yet they contain the essence of practical wisdom, set forth in admirable order and detail. The theme, if the present interpreter be right, is the great regeneration, the birth of the spiritual from the psychical man: the same theme which Paul so wisely and eloquently set forth in writing to his disciples in Corinth, the theme of all mystics in all lands. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Christie's Christmas by Pansy audiobook. Now that the railroad has come through, Christie Tucker's parents have decided to save enough for her to go to her well-to-do Uncle Daniel for a one-day visit, on Christmas, which is also Christie's birthday. It's her first trip away from home -- and on the cars! Of course, the trip doesn't turn out exactly as expected. That one day, and how Christie lived it, has consequences that keep coming! Addressed by the author to girls, it is still a pleasant story for adults, too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Carry On, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse audiobook. 'Leave it to Jeeves' was Bertie's motto, be the question one of a colour of a tie, the style of a hat, the cut of a coat. Jeeves was always right. There was no one like him to placate rich uncles or indignant mammas. He said just the right thing at just the right moment. What did it matter that Jeeves was somewhat of a tyrant, and that without his approval Bertie could not grow so much as a moustache? Was he not always there to lean on in moments of stress? And moments such as these were frequent in the life of Bertie and his friends. Jeeves service was extended to them all. 'Carry On, Jeeves' is a collection of ten short stories, many of which had previously appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, and some were rewritten versions of stories in the collection My Man Jeeves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
An Iron Will by Orison Swett Marden audiobook. Orison Swett Marden was well-known at the turn of the 20th century for his inspirational and spiritual books of self-help. This one deals with the importance of a man developing his own will-power. Swett Marden here offers advice on how to achieve success and how to overcome disappointments through self-belief, persistence and determination, all within a spiritual and moral framework. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Cupid's Cyclopedia by Oliver Herford audiobook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A Bachelor's Dream by Mrs. Hungerford audiobook. This is a wonderfully written novel by Mrs. Hungerford about the perennial bachelor and the various interests in his life, where he is a doctor by trade. From taking care of his sister's children to a possible love on the horizon, the author keeps us on our toes in this quick read of a book with its many unexpected twists and turns! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Adventure of the Broad Arrow - An Australian Romance by Morley Roberts audiobook. When a few men decide to go for looking for gold in the outback of Australia, days of extreme heat with no water and no rain in sight, make them turn back and give up the trip; all but two of them that is, Smith and Mandeville, aka the 'Baker. Smith and Baker decide to tough it out and go after their dreams, chancing their lives to find 'their luck'. Little do they realize, they will put their lives in grave danger, and this quest for gold will turn into a nightmare. Life threatening food and water deprivation is a constant issue, and they had no idea they would stumble upon an unknown tribe of prehistoric white men that are head hunters and cannibals. Will they survive the harsh bush conditions, the fierce inferno of the desert, and a deadly tribe? And what about the gold? Is there gold to be found, and if so, will it ever be their reality? An incredible adventure with lots of twists and turns awaits... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Clock Strikes Thirteen by Mildred A. Wirt Benson audiobook. Penny Parker is a teen-aged sleuth and amateur reporter who has an uncanny knack for uncovering and solving unusual, sometimes bizarre mysteries. The only daughter of widower Anthony Parker, publisher of the 'Riverview Star,' Penny has been raised to be self-sufficient, outspoken, innovative, and extraordinarily tenacious. Her cheerful, chatty manner belies a shrewd and keenly observant mind. Penny was the creation of Mildred A. Wirt, who was also the author of the original Nancy Drew series (under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene). Wirt became frustrated when she was pushed to 'tone down' Nancy Drew and make her less independent and daring. With Penny Parker, Wirt had a freer hand and received full credit. Wirt once said, ' 'I always thought Penny Parker was a better Nancy Drew than Nancy is.' In 'The Clock Strikes Thirteen,' Penny is confronted by two mysteries that ultimately converge. First there is the odd extra chime from the Hubell Clock Tower at midnight and the inexplicable replacement of the dedicated old clock tower caretaker by a shiftless friend of a real estate developer. Then there is a series of terrorizing attacks of local farmers, including a barn burning. The attacks appear to be the work of a band of thugs known as the 'Night Riders.' With the help of her friend Louise, Penny works to solve the dual mystery before an another attack and to save an innocent man from jail. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Wishing Well by Mildred A. Wirt Benson audiobook. PENNY PARKER is a teen-aged sleuth and amateur reporter with an uncanny knack for uncovering and solving unusual, sometimes bizarre mysteries. The only daughter of widower Anthony Parker, publisher of the 'Riverview Star,' Penny has been raised to be self-sufficient, outspoken, innovative, and extraordinarily tenacious. Her cheerful, chatty manner belies a shrewd and keenly observant mind. Penny was the creation of Mildred A. Wirt, who was also the author of the original Nancy Drew series (under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene). Wirt became frustrated when she was pushed to 'tone down' Nancy Drew and make her less independent and daring. With Penny Parker, Wirt had a freer hand and received full credit. Wirt once said, ' 'I always thought Penny Parker was a better Nancy Drew than Nancy is.' In THE WISHING WELL, the once-grand, now abandoned Marborough Estate and its legendary stone wishing well have become the center of odd happenings. The reclusive owner unexpectedly returns, only to lock herself secretively away in the mansion. Soon after, an ancient stone is unearthed on the estate, upon which is carved a 400-year-old message. Or is it a hoax? Who are the two strangers who repeatedly visit the wishing well in the dead of night? Penny boldly investigates, certain that danger threatens her new friend Rhoda, a gifted, but poverty-stricken artist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson audiobook. This entertaining book of adventure, love and war was a Bestseller in 1900 and 1901. The heroine Alice Roussillon is a brave young woman who grew up in a small town on the Wabash River in Indiana during the revolutionary war. The characters are all distinctive and compelling. It gives a great insight into the frontier life of that era and includes true historical accounts and personages such as the wicked Lieutenant Governor Henry Hamilton and George Rogers Clarke who was responsible for expelling the British from Fort Sackville in Vincennes in 1779. From the foreword: ' 'Accept, then, this book, which to those who care only for history will seem but an idle romance, while to the lovers of romance it may look strangely like the mustiest history.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dead Men's Shoes by Mary Elizabeth Braddon audiobook. Sybil, a gentlewoman who has to work for a living, finally finds employment as her rich uncle's house keeper. Nothing could be better: she would finally have an easy job in which she is treated well, and inherit her uncle's money after his death. But then she falls in love with the wrong man. When her uncle is poisoned, suspicion falls upon her. How would she be able to clear her name? What really happened to her uncle? This is a first rate murder mystery, for fans of Wilkie Collins. Yet it is also a story about love: family love, romantic love, and the love we bear for our community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Boy, The Wandering Dog by Marshall Saunders audiobook. Another 'dog's-eye view' book for children by this early activist for the American Humane Society. In this tale, we follow the travels and adventures of Boy, a loveable and loyal wire-haired fox-terrier in city and country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Beautiful Joe by Marshall Saunders audiobook. Beautiful Joe is a real dog, and 'Beautiful Joe' is his real name. He belonged during the first part of his life to a cruel master, who mutilated him in the manner described in the story. He was rescued from him, and is now living in a happy home with pleasant surroundings, and enjoys a wide local celebrity. The character of Laura is drawn from life, and to the smallest detail is truthfully depicted. The Morris family has its counterparts in real life, and nearly all of the incidents of the story are founded on fact. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Andrew the Glad by Maria Thompson Daviess audiobook. 'There are some women who will brew mystery from the decoction of even a very simple life. Matilda is one of them, remarked the major to himself as he filled his pipe and settled himself before his high-piled, violet-flamed logs...' A sweet, heartfelt, old-fashioned romance. The middle-aged adults take a kindly interest in the affairs of the young people, with many having friendships across generations in a way not often seen today. Experience life with Phoebe, David, Caroline, Andrew, and the Buchanans in a small town in the Harpeth Valley, Tennessee in the early 1900s. This book reflects many of the feelings and attitudes prevalent at the time of its original publication. It may contain references that reflect mores and opinions that directly conflict with today’s prevailing sentiments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Able McLaughlins by Margaret Wilson audiobook. The Able McLaughlins won the Pulitzer Prize for a novel in 1924 in Margaret Wilson's debut work. Aptly described as 'Little House on the Prairie - but for adults' the novel follows a group of Scottish families who pioneer the Iowa prairie in the 1860’s. The main storyline concerns Wully, the eldest McLaughlin son, who returns home from the Civil War to find that his sweetheart, Chirstie, has experienced an unspeakable tragedy that will profoundly affect the couple's lives. Their story is one of shame and honor, secrets and guilt, fear and loathing, revenge and forgiveness. But perhaps the stars of the novel are the strong older women such as Wully’s mother, Isobel, whose love and matriarchal strength keeps the family together as well as Chirstie’s stepmother, Barbara, who finds ways to make her good-for-nothing husband keep his promises. Interlaced with the plots are richly detailed descriptions of frontier prairie life, the love that families share, and the relationships within the Scottish immigrant community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery audiobook. Valancy Stirling, plain, twenty nine, and as yet unsought, is given a year to live by a great heart specialist. This is the story of her year in which she finds a blue castle of happiness in the Canadian woods. The Blue Castle is a 1926 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, best known for her novel Anne of Green Gables. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Christmas With Lucy Maud Montgomery - A Selection Of Stories by Lucy Maud Montgomery audiobook. This work is a selection of Christmas stories (or sometimes chapters) of Lucy Maud Montgomery from different sources and different times. The focus is widened a bit to include a few works about Thanksgiving Day and New Year’s Day. LMM was a prolific Canadian author in the early 20th century whose works were very popular in her own country as well as the United States, and indeed around the world. Perhaps her most read novel was her first, Anne Of Green Gables. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Mind The Paint Girl by Louis Tracy audiobook. 'The 'Mind The Paint' Girl, by Louis Tracy, is a delightful novelization of Sir Arthur Pinero's sparkling comedy now having a successful New York run.... Mr. Tracy has caught the very spirit of the drama and has told its story with much of the same vivre that has packed the theatre and made it impossible to get seats except several weeks in advance. It is the story of the meteoric rise of a lovely young musical comedy actress whose song 'Mind the Paint' put London at her feet and the opportunity of placing several British coronets on her head.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Bartlett Mystery by Louis Tracy audiobook. This is a fast-paced mystery, set in New York City, has two or three really interesting ('round') characters, a solid plot, no cheap plot-twists, two full-fledged sub/urban battles and some real surprises. Winifred Bartlett, a beautiful and poor orphan, suddenly finds herself homeless and out of a job. Prince Charming (nee Rex Carshaw) comes on to her by accident and begins to take an interest. As strange, apparently unconnected disasters continue to batter poor Winnie, Rex and two police detectives (the most interesting characters in the book) probe the causes and forces threatening the dear girl's well-being and, ultimately, her very life and liberty. It turns out that it is Winifred's close resemblance to her mother, who died long ago in Vermont, that threatens certain powerful interests in contemporary (1913) New York. An unusually large cast of bad guys - each with a different motive for getting rid of Winifred - includes a US Senator, and unsuccessful book binding supervisor, an influential NY soc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Loss of the S.S. Titanic by Lawrence Beesley audiobook. This is a 1st hand account written by a survivor of the Titanic about that fateful night and the events leading up to it as well as the events that followed its sinking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Bobbsey Twins on Blueberry Island by Laura Lee Hope audiobook. The Bobbsey twins are off to spend a summer full of fun and adventures on Blueberry Island. They will encounter a cave, and gypsies, and other things I won't tell you about. You can find out by listening to this book! As with many children's books written during this time in history, there are racial stereotypes that would not pass muster today. To edit them out would be to erase history, so I'm reading the book, as is. There is a 'fat black mammy' named Dinah, and gypsies (of undetermined geographical origin) who naturally steal because they don't know any better. These stereotypes can act as a good springboard for educating your child on how far we have come, and how far we still need to go, to erase racism altogether. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Bobbsey Twins at Snow Lodge by Laura Lee Hope audiobook. The Bobbsey Twins are back at school after summer vacation, but Danny Rugg, the school bully, is up to mischief again--and this time he's trying to pin it onto Bert. Bert gets accused of freezing a giant snowball to the school steps, and all the evidence seems to point against him. Christmas is coming too, and the Bobbsey Twins are busy planning for their trip to Snow Lodge--where a lost treasure, a restored friendship, and exciting adventures await. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bunny Brown and his Sister Sue at Camp Rest-a-While by Laura Lee Hope audiobook. Number 5 in the Bunny Brown series. This charming volume sees Bunny Brown, his sister Sue, their parents, Uncle Tad, and Bunker Blue (along with faithful dog Splash!) camping for the whole entire summer! There are adventures, mysteries, 'marshmallow candy' roasts, and missing pies, and there is always LOTS of fun following the two siblings! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Begum's Fortune by Jules Verne audiobook. A novel with some utopian elements, but primarily dystopian. A French doctor and a German professor both inherit a vast fortune as descendants of a French soldier who married the rich widow of an Indian prince. They both decide to go to America and establish their own 'ideal' society. Dr. Sarrasin, the French doctor, is focused on maintaining public health. He builds Ville-France. Professor Schultze, the German scientist, is a bit of a militarist and racist. He builds Stahlstadt and devotes his city to the production of ever more powerful weapons so that he can destroy Sarrasin's city. They manage to get the US to cede sovereignty to two cities so that the two newly rich men can create their utopia. The setting for Ville-France would place it on the Oregon Coast, near Bandon, Oregon. The location for the second city, Stahlstadt, is less clear, but the description would place it somewhere near Roseburg, Oregon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Art of Conversation - Twelve Golden Rules by Josephine Turck Baker audiobook. Many of us find it challenging to speak to other people, for various reasons. Some of us are afraid of being called a bore. Others are worried that we will be accused of hogging attention. Many of us simply don't know what to talk about. This book is an entertaining and enlightening manual that may be able to help. Through a series of twelve dialogues between a man and a woman, we are introduced to twelve 'golden rules' that will help us navigate the waters of interpersonal communication. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Twixt Land and Sea by Joseph Conrad audiobook. While the central figures in each of the three stories in this collection are sailing captains, the main action in two of them takes place on land, albeit in sight of the sea. In 'A Smile of Fortune', a naive young sea captain falls into grave moral peril when he locks horns with a wily ship chandler in Mauritius. In 'The Secret Sharer', a newly appointed sea captain is confronted with an altogether different kind of challenge when he attempts to haul in a rope ladder over his ship's side one evening and finds it much heavier than usual. In 'Freya of the Seven Isles', Jasper Allen, the captain of a lovely little brig, floats on a cloud of love, expecting soon to marry Freya, the daughter of an East Indies plantation owner, and not taking seriously the pretentions of an older Dutch naval officer who sees himself as Jasper's rival. The depth of psychological insight in these stories is variable, but each is a gripping and suspenseful example of Conrad's magazine fiction in the years immediately preceding the Great War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Daniel Boone by John S. C. Abbott audiobook. This is a detailed biography of the life and adventures of Daniel Boone. His accomplishments are brushed over in history classes these days and not given the recognition they deserve. This biography clearly paints a picture of the benevolent person of Daniel Boone as well as the achievements he made in furthering European settlement in America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Walpole by John Morley audiobook. Robert Walpole, 1st Duke of Orford (1676-1745), is generally regarded as the first prime minister of Great Britain. This is a short biography of this important and controversial statesman by the British historian and anti-imperialist, John Morley (1838-1923) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Airplane Boys among the Clouds by John Luther Langworthy audiobook. Elephant and Larry arrive at Sunrise Lake, looking for the Bird boys, Frank and Andy, who are trying out a new biplane. Many adventures await these young men in their airplane! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Untempered Wind by Joanna E. Wood audiobook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
David Hume and his Influence on Philosophy and Theology by James Orr audiobook. David Hume justly takes rank as the most distinguished member of that brilliant circle of literary men whose names gave such a lustre to the second half of the eighteenth century in Scotland. His speculations were the most profound, and, with the possible exception of Adam Smith in a particular department, his influence was the widest and most deeply felt, of any. But even his warmest friends could scarcely have predicted the influence he was destined to exercise, or the important results that were to spring from his thoughts. It required time to clear away the mists that had gathered round his name, and to place him in his true light in the eyes of posterity. At a century and a half’s distance, we are in a better position to take an impartial survey of his work and its effects. The result must be, that, however we may judge of Hume in particular respects, we cannot deny to him a right to the title of a great and independent thinker. It is indicated in the text that the point of view from which Hume’s philosophy is mainly regarded is that of an experiment to explain knowledge, and generally the intellectual and moral outfit of man, without the assumption of a rational nature in man. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Lesley Castle by Jane Austen audiobook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Mystery of Pain by James Hinton audiobook. This book is addressed to the sorrowful, ... to whom their own or others' pain is a daily burden, upon whose hearts it weighs with an intolerable anguish. I seek to speak to these ; not as a teacher, but as a fellow. Sharing their feeling, and knowing well how vain is the attempt to throw off misery, or to persuade ourselves that life is better than it is, I would fain share with them also some thoughts that have seemed to me capable of casting a bright gleam of light athwart the darkness, and, if they are true, of bringing an immense, an incredible joy out of the very bosom of distress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Charing Cross Mystery by J. S. Fletcher audiobook. Here's another intriguing mystery by J. S. Fletcher, centering on why a former high-level police official was murdered, and on whether - and if so how - the murder was linked to two glamorous and high-profile sisters, one of whose photo was found in the dead man's pocket. As usual, Fletcher creates a number of different detectives -- a lawyer, his assistant, several policemen, a police spy, and even the dead man's granddaughter -- following various lines of inquiry. These lines converge rapidly in the last few chapters, when the author lets the reader weave them together into a coherent whole: the solution to the mystery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Improvement of the Mind by Isaac Watts audiobook. 'No man is obliged to learn and know everything; this can neither be sought nor required, for it is utterly impossible; yet all persons are under some obligation to improve their own understanding; otherwise it will be a barren desert, or a forest overgrown with weeds and brambles. Universal ignorance or infinite errors will overspread the mind which is utterly neglected and lies without any cultivation. The common duties and benefits of society, which belong to every man living, as we are social creatures, and even our native and necessary relations to a family, a neighborhood, or government, oblige all persons, whatsoever, to use their reasoning powers upon a thousand occasions; every hour of life calls for some regular exercise of our judgment, as to time and things, persons and actions: without a prudent and discreet determination in matters before us, we shall be plunged into perpetual errors in our conduct. Now, that which should always be practiced must at some time be learned.' This version has been abridged from Watt's original by Stephen Norris Fellows as follows: 'In endeavoring to adapt it to the needs of the present, the following changes have been made: First — Nearly one-third of the book has been eliminated, as being too theological or too closely related to the age and country of the author. Second — A brief but comprehensive analysis has been prepared, which appears as a table of contents. Third — Prominence is given to some of the more essential doctrines by stating them in large type, while explanatory and illustrative matter is given in smaller type. But few changes have been made in the text other than those mentioned above, as it seemed desirable to preserve the unique and forcible style of the author. The original work was first published in 1727, and although it is over one hundred and fifty years old, yet its teachings are in substantial harmony with the truest pedagogical doctrines of to-day. It is believed that in its present form and dress it is adapted to private reading, and reading circles, and also as a text-book in Secondary and NormaI Schools.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
All in the Day's Work by Ida Tarbell audiobook. In this autobiography, written when the author was 82 years old, Ida Tarbell looks back at her life and remarkable career as an investigative journalist. Ms. Tarbell is best known for her 1904 work, 'The History of the Standard Oil Company,' which was a significant factor in the dissolution of the Standard Oil monopoly. She was a noted writer and lecturer, served on two presidential committees, and is considered by her actions to be an important feminist (although she was critical of the feminist movement) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On the Witness Stand - Essays on Psychology and Crime by Hugo Munsterberg audiobook. Eight sketches by one of the pioneers of applied psychology, which highlight the mind of the witness on the witness stand, and how one can be an unreliable eyewitness. The last essay, on the prevention of crime, takes another direction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Secret City by Hugh Walpole audiobook. Written in the first person, The Secret City is a novel in three parts of a journey through post World War I Russia and the Revolution, during a period of Civil War and economic collapse. Our hero sets sail in 1916 and is swept up into the Revolution.The memories of a more opulent life remain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Joseph Conrad by Hugh Walpole audiobook. This is a literary biography of Joseph Conrad (1857 – 1924) who is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in English. He was granted British nationality in 1886, but always considered himself a Pole. Though he did not speak English fluently until he was in his twenties (and always with a marked accent), he was a master prose stylist who brought a distinctly non-English sensibility into English literature. He wrote stories and novels, many with a nautical setting, that depict trials of the human spirit. Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole, CBE (1884 – 1941) was an English novelist. He was the son of an Anglican clergyman, intended for a career in the church but drawn instead to writing. Among those who encouraged him were the authors Henry James and Arnold Bennett. His skill at scene-setting, vivid plots, and high profile as a lecturer brought him a large readership in the United Kingdom and North America. He was a best-selling author in the 1920s and 1930s, but has been largely neglected since his death.... Joseph Conrad said of him, 'We see Mr. Walpole grappling with the truth of things spiritual and material with his characteristic earnestness, and we can discern the characteristics of this acute and sympathetic explorer of human nature.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jeremy And Hamlet by Hugh Walpole audiobook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Duchess of Langeais by Honore de Balzac audiobook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Chouans by Honore de Balzac audiobook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Brethren by H. Rider Haggard audiobook. Set in the days of the Crusaders, this books tells of a young maiden named Rosamund, and her twin cousins. Godwin is the grey eyed thoughtful man, and Wulf is the blue eyed warrior. They are both knights of England and they are both in love with their fair cousin. But the riddle of the story is which does Rosamund love? The adventure begins when Rosamund is taken from England and carried to the East. The plot thickens as the two young knights follow her in hopes of rescuing her from the Muslim leader, Saladin. As the Cross and the Crescent face each other at the Battle of Hattin, the story of Rosamund is unfolded and the riddle is solved. With dangerous lions, a moon light duel on a bridge, and beautiful Arabian horses, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Burglars Club by Henry Augustus Hering audiobook. 'He's one of us,' the burglar explained. 'You see, we are men who have pretty well exhausted the pleasures of life. We've all been in the Army or the Navy, all of us are sportsmen, and we are bachelors; so there isn't much excitement left for us. We've started a Burglars' Club to help things on a bit. The entrance fee is a town burglary, the subject to be set by our president, and every other year each member has to keep up his subscription by a provincial line.' (excerpt from the book) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Ancient Allan by H. Rider Haggard audiobook. This is the thrilling tale as told by Allan Quatermain of events in his life, or should we say his lives? By the use of a mystical herb, he is transported to a time when he was an Egyptian hunter and warrior fighting to free Egypt from the bonds of the Easterns and to win the heart of the lovely Amada. We learn with him the importance of honor and truthfulness in all our dealings. We also see the necessity of bravery in dealing with enemy forces as well as our love interests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Colour Out of Space by H. P. Lovecraft audiobook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tales of Space and Time by H. G. Wells audiobook. Five short Science Fiction stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Man of the Desert by Grace Livingston Hill audiobook. Fleeing from an aggressive suitor, Hazel Radcliffe becomes hopelessly lost in the Arizona desert. Exhausted, she falls unconscious from her pony. Soon she is found by John Brownleigh, a handsome missionary who lives nearby. As he cares for her, a strong and true love grows between them. She was raised in luxury, he was raised to serve God. They part knowing very little about each other except for the love they feel. Back home among her family and friends, Hazel makes an important decision. She will do all she can to change, but can she do so before it's too late? Follow her journey of coming closer to the Lord and finding true love in an unlikely place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Big Blue Soldier by Grace Livingston Hill audiobook. Back from the Great War, a penniless and disillusioned young soldier finds himself in the home of Miss Marilla Chadwick, a sweet old lady who is expecting her nephew for dinner. Mary Amber, Miss Marilla's neighbor, is also there. He hates girls. She hates men. What will be the result? He will fight girl in the concrete! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dawn of the Morning by Grace Livingston Hill audiobook. Fresh from school, mistreated and neglected by her father and stepmother, sixteen-year-old Dawn consents to marry a friend of her father's whom she has only met, but the wedding does not go as planned. Scared and confused, she runs away after the ceremony. Many adventures follow lovely and resourceful Dawn on her journey to becoming an independent woman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Agincourt - A Romance by George Payne Rainsford James audiobook. The Battle of Agincourt provided a surprise English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place in 1415 and brought a turning point in the war between France and England after failed negotiations. This romance by James begins in the lead-up to the battle, with the mysterious 'Hal of Hadnock' shown hospitality by Sir Philip Beauchamp while on an unknown journey. He is befriended by young Richard of Woodville, who has suspicions regarding Hal. Gradually, we learn more of Hal and Richard as we follow their fortunes and the twists and turns surrounding Richard’s love for Mary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Black Oxen by Gertrude Atherton audiobook. Lee Clavering, a young playwright falls in love with an Austrian countess, not noticing the adoring glances from the outgoing flapper, Janet. Unknown to the young lover, the object of his devotion is defying age with artifice in this controversial pseudo-science fiction romance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
An Unwilling Guest by Grace Livingston Hill audiobook. A young society woman travels to the country to visit her aunt, only to end up as the unwilling guest of a neighboring family. The daughter is not so sure how to deal with this unpleasant circumstance. The young man of the household has met her before. Through them, she gains new perspectives on life, faith, and love Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Mind And Its Education by George Herbert Betts audiobook. 'We are to study the mind and its education; but how? It is easy to understand how we may investigate the great world of material things about us; for we can see it, touch it, weigh it, or measure it. But how are we to discover the nature of the mind, or come to know the processes by which consciousness works? For mind is intangible; we cannot see it, feel it, taste it, or handle it. Mind belongs not to the realm of matter which is known to the senses, but to the realm of spirit, which the senses can never grasp. And yet the mind can be known and studied as truly and as scientifically as can the world of matter.' This book of over a hundred years is full of useful and practical information. The author's elegant use of referencing poetry and literature in forming mental images as a way of educating our creative minds makes for a most pleasurable read Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Olga Romanoff by George Griffith audiobook. Olga Romanoff (1894) is a science fiction novel by the English writer George Griffith, first published as The Syren of the Skies in Pearson's Weekly. The novel continues (from The Angel of the Revolution) the tale of a worldwide brotherhood of anarchists fighting the world armed with fantastical airships, ending on an apocalyptic note as a comet smashes into the earth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fancies Versus Fads by G. K. Chesterton audiobook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Amethyst Cross by Fergus Hume audiobook. Things look bleak for Lesbia Hales. Her father does not let her marry the man she loves. Her mother is dead. She has to keep secrets in order to promote what she wants for herself. One day, her lover, George Walker, is injured in her home and someone stole the expensive amethyst cross. Who could have done that and why? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ada Merton by Francis J. Finn audiobook. The conversion of an indifferent father and mother, through the death of an only child, is well told in another story by Fr Finn, S.J. entitled Ada Merton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Black Candle by Emily Murphy audiobook. Emily Murphy wrote about the Vancouver, BC Downtown Eastside and its various residents. This is one of her quotes from the book - 'It is hardly credible that the average Chinese peddler has any definite idea in his mind of bringing about the downfall of the white race, his swaying motive being probably that of greed, but in the hands of his superiors, he may become a powerful instrument to that end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
File No. 113 by Emile Gaboriau audiobook. As the story opens the impregnable safe of the Fauvel bank is robbed of 350,000 francs. As the only keyholders are Andre Fauvel the owner and his trusted head cashier it stands to reason that one of the two must be guilty. Both adamantly refute the charge. Enter the celebrated detective, and master of disguise, Monsieur Le coq who is determined to prove the accused Prosper Bertomy innocent and why he was framed. Believing the crimes linked he enlists the aid of 'The Squirrel'', an aspiring detective, in order to unravel the ingenuous plot of two despicable scoundrels, the Marquis de Clameran and Raoul Lagors, who have coerced the banker's wife and his niece Madeleine into giving up their money and precious jewels. With his methodical and superior investigative skills Le Coq uncovers the past betrayals, deceit, lies and family secrets that led to this vile plot which has affected so many lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Birth of Tragedy by Friedrich Nietzsche audiobook. In this famous early work of German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, he investigates the artistic characteristics of Apollonian (reason) and Dionysian (passion) characteristics in Greek art, specifically in Greek tragedy as it evolved. Then he applies his conclusions about Greek tragedy to the state of modern art, especially modern German art and specifically to the operas of Richard Wagner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Settlers of the Marsh by Frederick Philip Grove audiobook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Animal Ghosts by Elliott ODonnell audiobook. This is a collection of ghost stories in which the antagonists are various animals. Divided up into chapters of ghost sightings by each group of animals, you will hear of hauntings by dogs, cats, birds, jungle animals, etc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Heart of the New Thought by Ella Wheeler Wilcox audiobook. A new book of original essays by this gifted woman dealing with The New Thought in practice. It deals with the practice of New Thought in our daily lives. A helpful and inspiring book, fully equal to the very best work this author has done. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wired Love - A Romance of Dots and Dashes by Ella Cheever Thayer audiobook. A telegraph operator meets a mysterious stranger 'on the wire'. Throw in the most clumsy gent in literature, a stern matron, an actress with a mysterious past and a whole lot of Charlotte Russes and bear grease, and you have a most romantic of comedies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Autobiography of a Newspaper Girl by Elizabeth L. Banks audiobook. Elizabeth Banks was an American journalist and author. She grew up in Wisconsin, then lived in England the last forty years of her life. She became a regular contributor to English publications such as The Daily News, Punch, St James' Gazette, and London Illustrated. She created a sensation by recording her observations on the plight of the lower classes, which she researched posing as a housemaid, street sweeper, and Covent Garden flower girl. Her later journalistic writings promoted women's right to vote and denounced prison conditions for jailed suffragettes. This memoir was written about 10 years into her career, when she was better known but was not financially secure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Book of All Power by Edgar Wallace audiobook. The Book of All Power by Edgar Wallace is set in London at the beginning, and then the action moves to Russia. The story covers the period from 1910 to 1919 during which the Russian Revolution takes place and this results in drastic changes to Russian society. This book could be described as a romantic adventure story and the main characters are a weird assortment - Malcolm Hay, a young Englishman, a beautiful Grand Duchess of the Russian Aristocracy, a Russian general, a Jewish bookbinder, and an American sharp shooter. Much happens, and the Russian characters, heavily influenced by their religion and politics, provide a fascinating insight into the mind of the Russian people, aristocrats and peasants, and all those in between. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Secresy, or, the Ruin on the Rock by Eliza Fenwick audiobook. This is the story of Caroline and Sibella, two female friends. Strong and smart women who try to make it in a man's world while keeping their values and loyalties intact. The only way to do that is to hide a few secrets. Yet secrets cannot remain hidden for ever, and everything has a price. This is both a social novel and a gothic novel. A true page turner with all the elements of a good 18th century novel: a woman locked in an estate, a hidden pregnancy, some politics of marriage, villains, sentimentality and thought provoking philosophy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A Voyage to the Moon by Cyrano de Bergerac audiobook. This is an edition by Professor Curtis Page of the Lovell translation of a seminal work of science fiction by Cyrano de Bergerac. Arguably a whimsical forerunner to the adventure stories of Jules Verne, and the French sci-fi tradition generally, it is a utopian novel of space travel complete with rocket powered flight and extra-terrestrial beings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Calico Cat by Charles Miner Thompson audiobook. The consequences of letting your irritation get the better of you are humorously portrayed in this story of a self-important man who fires a shotgun at an annoying cat on his fence.. and hits a man skulking in the bushes. What did the cat do to enrage him? Why was the man in the bushes? And how can the whole matter be covered up and done away with before the neighbors start gossiping? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Adopting of Rosa Marie by Carroll Watson Rankin audiobook. In this charming girl's book we meet again the four chums of Dandelion Cottage. Their friendship knit closer than ever by their summer at playing house, the girls enlarge their activity by mothering a pretty little Indian baby. 'Those who have read Dandelion Cottage will need no urge to follow further. . . . A lovable group of four children, happily not perfect, but full of girlish plans and pranks and a delightful sense of humor.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Mystery of the Sycamore by Carolyn Wells audiobook. Instead of prison time, former governor, Samuel Appleby, sentences his former rival, Daniel Wheeler to imprisonment on his homestead with a very strange addendum. He then endeavors to convince Mr. Wheeler to endorse his son’s candidacy for governor with a promise of commuting his sentence. In the meantime, Samuel Appleby is murdered in Wheeler’s home. The discovery of the identity of the murderer has many twists and turns filled with love, devotion, gumshoe dialog, and weird circumstances that will delight the listener in a most unusual way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Crime, Its Causes and Remedies by Cesare Lombroso audiobook. Published as the third volume in the Modern Criminal Science Series, Cesare Lombroso, renowned Italian criminologist, collected a wealth of information regarding the incidence, classification, and causes of crime. Crime calendars, the geography of crime, unusual events and circumstances leading to more frequent crime, political motivations and associations of criminal enterprise and an assessment of the real value and effectiveness of prisons and reform programs are all included in this three part volume. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Mystery of the Boule Cabinet by Burton Egbert Stevenson audiobook. Three men are dead. Killed by a very powerful poison. Their deaths seem to be connected to a very old cabinet purchased in France and a notorious French criminal. What is the link? It is up to the lawyer Lester and the newspaperman Godfrey to pool their talents and solve the mystery Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Cocoa and Chocolate by Arthur W. Knapp audiobook. As that heavenly bit of chocolate melts in our mouths, we give little thought as to where it came from, the arduous work that went in to its creation, and the complex process of its maturation from a bean to the delicacy we all enjoy. This 'little book' details everything you have ever wanted to know (and some things you never knew you wanted to know) about cocoa and chocolate from how the trees are planted and sustained to which countries produce the most cacao beans. Do cacao beans from various countries differ? What makes some types of chocolate higher quality than other kinds? Are there any health benefits to eating chocolate? Read on to learn the answers to these and many other questions about that wondrous little treat we call chocolate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
George Muller of Bristol by Arthur T. Pierson audiobook. George Muller was a great hero of faith. His greatest aim was to demonstrate that God answers prayer and can be trusted for every minute detail of life. Spending countless hours asking God to provide his needs, he only relied upon God. God called him to care for orphans and he conducted his orphanage in the same way, on faith alone. When a certain need was apparent, they would immediately go to God in prayer. In this dynamic dependance on God, He always proved faithful. He also established over a hundred schools, educating over a hundred thousand people! His example of absolute dependence on God stands in the gap of history to declare that God is enough, and He is faithful! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Economics by Aristotle audiobook. Economics may not have been written by Aristotle. The author provides examples of methods used by the state to raise money including debt, currency devaluation, commodity controls, tariffs, sales tax, fines, violence and sacrilege. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Clouds by Aristophanes audiobook. Strepsiades is an Athenian burdened with debt from a bad marriage and a spendthrift son. He resolves to go to the Thinking Shop, where he can purchase lessons from the famous Socrates in ways to manipulate language in order to outwit his creditors in court. Socrates, represented as a cunning, manipulative, irreverent sophist, has little success with the dull-witted Strepsiades, but is able to teach the old man's son Phidippides a few tricks. In the end, the play is a cynical, clever commentary on Old Ways vs. New Ways, to the disparagement of the former Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Real Mother Goose by Anonymous audiobook. A heartwarming collection of nursery rhymes that will take you back to your childhood! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
An Introduction to Yoga by Annie Besant audiobook. Four lectures by Annie Besant to give an outline and better understanding of Yoga Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Reflections on the Formation and Distribution of Wealth by Anne Robert Jacques Turgot audiobook. 'This Essay May be Considered as the Germ of the Treatise on The Wealth of Nations, Written by the Celebrated Smith' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Cynthia Wakeham's Money by Anna Katharine Green audiobook. A young lawyer is called to the house of a dying woman to draw up her will. While searching for her legal heirs, meets a beautiful woman with a mysterious scar. The lawyer soon finds that his search for the heirs leads to some very unusual occurrences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Empire of Business by Andrew Carnegie audiobook. This collection of essays by Scottish-American steel industrialist Andrew Carnegie, gathered from various periodicals and first published in book form in 1902, provides insight into one of history’s richest and most notable entrepreneurs/philanthropists. Carnegie shares his outlook on the economic situation in America at the turn of the 20th century, the state of the US oil, coal, rail, and steel industries, the relationship between capital and labour, individualism vs. socialism, the public/private sector partnership, the upward climb of humanity into prosperity, the importance of land and population, trade and the best uses of tariffs, etc. He also discusses the personal rewards of hard work, integrity, thrift, how to accumulate wealth, cultivation of the lifelong reading habit, use of libraries, and other advice for achieving success. Included is one of his most famous little essays, 'The Three Legged Stool' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aladdin by Adam Oehlenschlager audiobook. This retelling of Aladdin in dramatic verse begins in the humble home of a tailor, whose son spends his days in idleness and brings his parents nothing but grief. Soon, however, this son is brought to a magical grotto, where he finds a great treasure which will bring him his fortune. This story will have some twists and turns that are almost certain to be different from the story you know. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf audiobook. The Ramsey family, with house guests, visit the Isle of Skye at least twice. The plot is not at all the point though, as this is a book about how people think and feel and relate. There’s insight into the world of childhood thought and emotion, and a variety of views of adult cares and perceptions. I hope this doesn’t make it sound ‘difficult’, it doesn’t need to be – just let the sentences flow and make your own sense of the words. It’s perhaps as close as a novel can come to the highly individual experience of looking at a painting. … Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot audiobook. The Waste Land is T. S. Eliot's Modernist masterpiece, first published in 1920. Rich in allusions to Shakespeare, Dante, Baudelaire, the Bible, Marvell, Buddha, and the folklore of the Holy Grail, among other sources, the poem emphasizes the fundamental fragmentation and lack of connection that characterizes modern life and relationships. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West audiobook. In 1916 on an isolated country estate just outside London, Captain Chris Baldry, a shell-shocked captain suffering from amnesia, makes a bittersweet homecoming to the three women who have helped shape his life. Will the devoted wife he can no longer recollect, the favorite cousin he remembers only as a childhood friend, and the poor innkeeper's daughter he once courted leave Chris to languish in a safe, dreamy past--or will they help him recover his memory so that he can return to the front? The answer is revealed through a heart-wrenching, unexpected sacrifice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Life in the Iron Mills by Rebecca Harding Davis audiobook. This 1861 novella was the first published work by Rebecca Harding Davis: writer, social reformer, and pioneer of literary realism. It tells the story of Hugh Wolfe, a Welsh laborer in an iron mill who is also a talented sculptor, and of Deborah, the hunchbacked woman who unrequitedly loves him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Children of Odin by Padraic Colum audiobook. Master storyteller Padraic Colum's rich, musical voice captures all the magic and majesty of the Norse sagas in his retellings of the adventures of the gods and goddesses who lived in the Northern paradise of Asgard before the dawn of history. Here are the matchless tales of All-Father Odin, who crosses the Rainbow Bridge to walk among men in Midgard and sacrifices his right eye to drink from the Well of Wisdom; of Thor, whose mighty hammer defends Asgard; of Loki, whose mischievous cunning leads him to treachery against the gods; of giants, dragons, dwarfs and Valkyries; and of the terrible last battle that destroyed their world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Not George Washington by P. G. Wodehouse audiobook. It has been said that behind every successful man is a good woman. This is certainly true in the case of James Orlebar Cloyster. However, some funny things happened on his road to success. His story is humorously told from the point of view of several parties involved. According to Wikipedia, the book is a humorous, fictionalized account of Wodehouse's early years as a journalist, with Wodehouse being portrayed by the character of Cloyster Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Passing by Nella Larsen audiobook. Nella Larsen, a novelist of the Harlem Renaissance, wrote two brilliant novels that interrogated issues of gender and race. In Passing, her second novel published in 1929, she examines the troubled friendship between two mixed-race women who can pass as white. One, Irene Redfield, marries a black man and lives in Harlem, while the other, Clare Kendry, marries a bigoted white man. Clare re-enters Irene's life after an absence of many years, and stirs up painful questions about identity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Dolliver Romance and Other Pieces by Nathaniel Hawthorne audiobook. This post-humous collection of stories, sketches and essays by celebrated quintessential New England author Nathaniel Hawthorne gives us glimpses of the many different facets of Hawthorne's personality. The titular tale The Dolliver Romance was an unfinished manuscript that was edited and prepared for publication after Hawthorne's death and relates the story of an aged man with a small child in his care who swallows a magical tincture daily that rejuvenates his vitality, reversing the aging process. Also in a more fantastical vein are the stories 'The Ancient Ring', a legend told of a ring cursed, and 'Graves a Goblins', a wryly humorous and moving tale from the point of view of a ghost. In addition, found within are non-fiction essays such as 'Sketches from Memory' and 'My Trip to Niagara' where Hawthorne evokes a sense of place and time in a most remarkable and vivid fashion. We also see Hawthorne's somber, allegorical side in stories such as 'Fragments from the Journal of a Solitary Man' and 'The Old Woman's Tale', stories told with a nuanced touch. For fans of Hawthorne, this collection provides a last look at various works a master storyteller has given so generously. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne audiobook. The Blithedale Romance is the story of four principal characters who work with -- and sometimes against -- each other on Blithedale, a communal farm antecedent to those that sprang up later in the 1960s, and similar to one on which Hawthorne himself lived in 1841. These communes arose out of the pressures on society and the individual brought by the Industrial Revolution. Some were organized around religious philosophies, some were secular. Among the secularists, the Transcendental movement mentioned in the novel espoused the idea that the individual's intuition, rather than religious dogma, was the true path to spiritual enlightenment. Our four characters, like so many who fled to these communes, struggle to free mankind from bondage as they struggle with the unaccustomed day-to-day tasks of farm life. But they are plagued by a mystery that follows them from the world, and ultimately leads to tragedy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Rappaccini's Daughter by Nathaniel Hawthorne audiobook. The story is set in Padua in a distant, but unspecified past. From his quarters, Giovanni, a young student of letters, observes Beatrice, the beautiful daughter of Dr. Rappaccini, a scientist working in isolation. Beatrice is confined to the lush and locked gardens filled with poisonous plants by her father. Having fallen in love, Giovanni enters the garden and meets with Beatrice a number of times regardless of the warning of his mentor, Professor Baglioni, that Rappaccini is up to no good and he and his work should be avoided. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our Old Home by Nathaniel Hawthorne audiobook. These essays, based on Hawthorne’s stay in England from 1853 to 1857 as American Consul in Liverpool, were first published in the form of a series of travel articles for The Atlantic Monthly. In these writings, he displays his humor, his empathetic nature, his pride in his country, and sometimes his sharp judgment of others. He shares with us the difficulties of being a consul in the 1850’s, takes us on a tour with him through rural England and Scotland, shows us the splendors of London, and the horrors of the poverty that so many suffered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In Colonial Days by Nathaniel Hawthorne audiobook. A collection of British aristocrats, soldiers, gentlemen and ladies gather at the Province House inn, as the American imperial possessions crumble around them Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys by Nathaniel Hawthorne audiobook. The author has long been of opinion that many of the classical myths were capable of being rendered into very capital reading for children. In the little volume here offered to the public, he has worked up half a dozen of them, with this end in view. A great freedom of treatment was necessary to his plan; but they remain essentially the same, after changes that would affect the identity of almost anything else. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Journal of Lewis and Clark by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark audiobook. The expedition of Messrs. Lewis and Clark, for exploring the river Missouri, and the best communication from that to the Pacific Ocean, has had all the success which could be expected. They have traced the Missouri nearly to its source; descended the Columbia to the Pacific Ocean, ascertained with accuracy the Geography, of that interesting communication across the continent; learned the character of the country, its commerce and inhabitants; and it is but justice to say that Messrs. Lewis and Clark, and their brave companions, have, by this arduous service, deserved well of their country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands by Mary Seacole audiobook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ophelia, The Rose of Elsinore by Mary Cowden Clarke audiobook. This story is from Mary Cowden Clarke's multi-volume work The Girlhood of Shakespeare's Heroines, in which she imagined the early lives of characters from Portia to Beatrice to Lady Macbeth. In her revision of Ophelia from Hamlet, she creates a backstory for Shakespeare's tragic heroine, from her infancy to just before the action of Hamlet begins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Pauline's Passion and Punishment by Louisa May Alcott audiobook. Before she wrote Little Women and Little Men, Louisa, writing under the pseudonym A.M. Barnard, had this `blood and thunder' thriller (as she called them) published in 1863 by a weekly pulp magazine. This was during the period when Louisa worked a nurse during the American Civil war. The rigid and unfair roles of men and women of this period, their expectations and desires, plays a large in this story of betrayed love, anger, petulance, and ultimately, vengeance. The story is well written and plotted of course, being an Alcott story, so listeners can expect to enjoy a captivating and satisfying story read to them by one of the best and most highly polished readers around Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Behind a Mask, or a Woman's Power by Louisa May Alcott audiobook. Fans of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women will remember that her heroine Jo wrote racy novels before turning her hand to more 'serious' literature. Alcott, writing under the pseudonym A. M. Barnard, often did the same, and Behind a Mask (1866) is one of her sensation novels. It focuses on Jean Muir, who enters the home of the wealthy Coventry family as governess to their sixteen-year-old daughter. But is the beguiling Miss Muir all that she seems to be? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tao Te Ching by Lao-Tze audiobook. Also known as the Tao Teh King. The Tao Te Ching title literally translates to "The Book of the Way and of Virtue", and is written by the "Old Master". Lao-Tze's Tao Te Ching illuminates The Tao: a guiding principle of the universe and all within it. By exploring the nature of dualities and complements, Lao-Tze dissects strength and weakness; presence and absence; life and death. The Tao Teh King has served as a foundation for centuries of philosophy and wisdom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Secret Agent - A Simple Tale by Joseph Conrad audiobook. The Secret Agent is Conrad's dark, and darkly comic story of a band of spies, anarchists, agents-provocateurs plotting and counter-plotting in the back streets of London in the early 20th Century. The novel centers on Verloc, a shop-owner, phony-anarchist and double-agent, who becomes embroiled in an ambitious terrorist plan to bomb the Greenwich Observatory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Letters of Jane Austen by Jane Austen audiobook. This recording includes a selection of Jane Austen's letters, edited by Susan Coolidge and chosen from the collection of Austen's great-nephew, Edward, Lord Brabourne. The letters are mostly addressed to Austen's sister Cassandra, with whom she was very close. There are also some letters written to two of her nieces, Anna Austen Lefroy and Fanny Knight. They include some references to her published work, including Sense and Sensibility (abbreviated 'S and S'), Pride and Prejudice (also called First Impressions, or P and P), Mansfield Park ('MP') and Emma. They are also replete with details about her family life, including the extended families and careers of her brothers, James, Edward, Frank, Henry, and Charles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Dead by James Joyce audiobook. A group of Dubliners gather together for a Christmas celebration in James Joyce's transcendent tale of the mundanity and magic in life and death. 'The Dead' is taken from Joyce's collection of short stories Dubliners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Carmilla by J. Sheridan LeFanu audiobook. Laura grew up on a castle in the Austrian mountains with her father, slightly lonely as there are no potential companions around. Her loneliness is at an end when a carriage accindent close by their castle brings a mysterious visitor: Carmilla was injured in the accident, and remains at the castle to heal. But there is something dark about Carmilla. Is Laura in danger? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What Maisie Knew by Henry James audiobook. When Beale and Ida Farange are divorced, the court decrees that their only child, the very young Maisie, will shuttle back and forth between them, spending six months of the year with each. The parents are immoral and frivolous, and they use Maisie to intensify their hatred of each other. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Island by George Gordon Byron audiobook. Written late in his career, Byron's narrative poem The Island tells the famous story of the mutiny on board the Bounty, and follows the mutineers as they flee to a South Sea island, 'their guilt-won Paradise.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Odd Women by George Gissing audiobook. George Gissing's 1893 novel takes on the 19th century 'Woman Question' by looking at themes of feminism, marriage, and love. The novel raises these issues through the lives of several contrasting women: Mary Barfoot, a feminist philanthropist who helps train women for careers; her close friend Rhoda Nunn, who believes marriage is a disastrous choice for women; and Monica Madden, who starts out as one of their protegees but chooses to marry a seemingly kind older man. As Monica experiences the challenges of married life, Rhoda finds herself drawn to Mary's cousin, the charming but apparently profligate Everard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mozart - The Man and the Artist as Revealed in His Own Words by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart audiobook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Notes on Nursing by Florence Nightingale audiobook. Notes on Nursing was published in 1859 and is a fascinating view into the theories underpinning the early development of modern nursing and public health reform by 'the Lady with the Lamp', Florence Nightingale. Emphasising common sense and thought for the patient's care in many more ways than just administering physician-prescribed medicines, this is still a very relevant book for those interested in health or caring for the sick and infirm today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Semi-Detached House by Emily Eden audiobook. If you're a Jane Austen fan, you'll enjoy Emily Eden's comic novels of manners, The Semi-Detached House (1859) and The Semi-Attached Couple (1860). At the opening of The Semi-Detached House, the beautiful (but rather petulant) Lady Blanche Chester, newly married and pregnant, is being installed in a suburban house while her husband is away. Her encounters with her neighbors, and the intrigues of the neighborhood, soon come to absorb and annoy her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Royal Children of English History by E. Nesbit audiobook. From the first chapter: 'History is a story, a story of things that happened to real live people in our England years ago; and the things that are happening here and now, and that are put in the newspapers, will be history for little children one of these days. And the people you read about in history were real live people, who were good and bad, and glad and sorry, just as people are now-a-days.' E. Nesbit writes about some of the people behind the names, dates and battles of English History in this lovely book for older children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Life in a Thousand Worlds by William Shuler Harris audiobook. A jolly romp, which could be perhaps be described as Gulliver’s Travels Through Our Solar System and Beyond, as written by a great admirer of C. S. Lewis, on a rainy Sunday afternoon, after one too many mugs of cocoa. Includes some thought on alien philosophies and how to apply them to moral and social problems here on Planet Earth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare audiobook. William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice was probably written between 1596 and 1598, and was printed with the comedies in the First Folio of 1623. Bassanio, an impoverished gentleman, uses the credit of his friend, the merchant Antonio, to borrow money from a wealthy Jew, Shylock. Antonio pledges to pay Shylock a pound of flesh if he defaults on the loan, which Bassanio will use to woo a rich heiress, Portia. A subplot concerns the elopement of Shylock's daughter Jessica with a Christian, Bassanio's friend Lorenzo. In its focus on love and marriage, the play shares certain concerns with Shakespeare's other comedies. Yet its depiction of the tensions between Jews and Christians in early modern Venice - and its highly dramatic trial scene in Act 4 - create darker currents in the play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Bab Ballads by William S. Gilbert audiobook. The Bab Ballads are a collection of light verse by W. S. Gilbert, illustrated with his own comic drawings. Gilbert wrote the Ballads before he became famous for his comic opera librettos with Arthur Sullivan. In writing the Bab Ballads, Gilbert developed his unique 'topsy-turvy' style, where the humour was derived by setting up a ridiculous premise and working out its logical consequences, however absurd. The Ballads also reveal Gilbert's cynical and satirical approach to humour. They became famous on their own, as well as being a source for plot elements, characters and songs that Gilbert would recycle in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas. The Bab Ballads take their name from Gilbert's childhood nickname, and he later began to sign his illustrations 'Bab' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oroonoko, or The Royal Slave by Aphra Behn audiobook. Aphra Behn was the first woman writer in England to make a living by her pen, and her novel Oroonoko was the first work published in English to express sympathy for African slaves. Perhaps based partly on Behn's own experiences living in Surinam, the novel tells the tragic story of a noble slave, Oroonoko, and his love Imoinda. The work was an instant success and was adapted for the stage in 1695 (and more recently by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1999). Behn's work paved the way for women writers who came after her, as Virginia Woolf noted in a Room of One's Own (1928): 'All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn, ... for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Lewis and Clark by William R. Lighton audiobook. In the years 1804, 1805, and 1806, two men commanded an expedition which explored the wilderness that stretched from the mouth of the Missouri River to where the Columbia enters the Pacific, and dedicated to civilization a new empire. Their names were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. This book relates that adventure from its inception through its completion as well as the effect the expedition had upon the history of the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On Secret Service by William Nelson Taft audiobook. Detective-Mystery stories based on real cases solved by government agents. Created initially in 1865, the U.S. Secret Service continued to expand over the years, particularly following the assassination of President McKinley in 1901. The episodes in this compilation are comprised of authentic stories, dramatized, while remaining true to the actual incidences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton audiobook. Edith Wharton was a novelist of manners of late 19th Century New York 'Society', who spent much of her life in France. In this novel she tells the story of Undine Sprague, the thrice- (or more) married, upwardly mobile beauty from 'Apex City', transplanted to New York, and finally to France, leaving the dead and wounded in the wake of her 'experiments in happiness'. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Idylls of the King by Alfred Tennyson audiobook. Idylls of the King, published between 1856 and 1885, is a cycle of twelve narrative poems by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson which retells the legend of King Arthur, his knights, his love for Guinevere and her tragic betrayal of him, and the rise and fall of Arthur's kingdom. The whole work recounts Arthur's attempt and failure to lift up mankind and create a perfect kingdom, from his coming to power to his death at the hands of the traitor Mordred. Individual poems detail the deeds of various knights, including Lancelot, Geraint, Galahad, and Balin and Balan, and also Merlin and the Lady of the Lake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tangled Trails by William MacLeod Raine audiobook. The aptly titled 'Tangled Trails, A Western Detective Story' takes the listener through a web of curious incidents revolving around the murder of a prominent man in Denver. Kirby Lane was quite obviously the guilty party in the murder of his uncle. Lane, among others, had had a falling out with his uncle, the victim James Cunningham. But there were some who believed his nephew to be innocent of the hideous crime. Lane feared the guilty party to be a female bronco rider whom he had befriended, as her presence at the scene of the crime was quite evident, albeit only to him. There were others also who appeared to be implicated in the murder for various reasons, thus leading to a veritable tangling of clues and suspects. Was there a detective capable enough to untangle this web? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
My School Days by E. Nesbit audiobook. A short memoir about the author's school days, serialised in The Girl's Own Paper from October 1896 to September 1897. It includes stories about teachers, fellow pupils, the things that scared her most as a child (and even as an adult) and a vivid account of the best summer of her childhood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Way of the Wind by Zoe Anderson Norris audiobook. From the comfort of the hills of Kentucky traveled Celia and her husband Seth to the desolate prairies of Kansas, where cyclones, tornadoes, and endless wind were to greet them. Always, there was the wind cutting across the plains as the young couple builds their home while working the soil, while Seth awaits the wise men of the east to begin building the magic city where he has staked his territory on the plains. But sometimes life plays cruel tricks upon us. Sometimes our hopes are dashed by happenstance. Sometimes our greatest dreams born of purest intentions become our deepest tragedies. All too often we seek the calmness and serenity in life only to learn that we have inadvertently walked directly into The Way of the Wind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Ghost Pirates by William Hope Hodgson audiobook. The Ghost Pirates is a powerful account of a doomed and haunted ship on its last voyage, and of the terrible sea-devils (of quasi-human aspect, and perhaps the spirits of bygone buccaneers) that besiege it and finally drag it down to an unknown fate. With its command of maritime knowledge, and its clever selection of hints and incidents suggestive of latent horrors in nature, this book at times reaches enviable peaks of power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Last Trail by Zane Grey audiobook. Return with us to those thrilling days of yesteryear as Mike Vendetti narrates this early Zane Grey novel of hardy pioneers taming the wild west. Yes, despite the difficult times, romance flourishes and the bad guys are eliminated almost single handedly as our heroes Jonathan Zane and his sidekick Lew “Deathwind” Wetzel fight their way through mud, blood, gore, savage Indians, and despicable outlaws, to make the land safe for pioneer families as they settle the wild west. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins audiobook. The Woman in White is an epistolary novel written by Wilkie Collins in 1859, serialized in 1859-1860, and first published in book form in 1860. It is considered to be to the first mystery novel, and is widely regarded as one of the first (and finest) in the genre of ’sensation novels’….
The Woman in White is also an early example of a particular type of Collins narrative in which several characters in turn take up the telling of the story. This creates a complex web in which readers are unsure which narrator can, and cannot, be trusted. Collins used this technique in his other novels, including The Moonstone. This technique was copied by other novelists, including Bram Stoker, author of Dracula (1897), although by the end of the 19th century the technique was considered “old-fashioned”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Frog Prince and Other Stories by Walter Crane audiobook. Here are three charming fairy tales with happy endings. They feature an enchanted frog; a princess, her brothers, and a dastardly plot against them; and a magical lamp with a Genius inside. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October Vagabonds by Richard le Gallienne audiobook.
Richard and his friend Colin must sadly return from their distant hermitage to New York City at summer's end. However, rather than take the train on the 430 mile trip to the city, the two decide to walk the route, for as Richard stated: "Don't you hate the idea of being hurled along in a train, and suddenly shot into the city again, like a package through a tube?" Certainly a lengthy walk it would be, but the two decide that the trip itself can be the most rewarding, and their trek begins. Along the way, they meet people they never would have met; they witness landscape, nature and habitat which they wouldn't have otherwise seen; and they learn about themselves and their place in the world which they may not have otherwise comprehended. A clever travelogue of two artistic types from first person point of view.
Dhammapada by Buddha audiobook.
The Dhammapada is is a Buddhist scripture, containing 423 verses in 26 categories. According to tradition, these are verses spoken by the Buddha on various occasions, most of which deal with ethics. It is is considered one of the most important pieces of Theravada literature. Despite this, the Dhammapada is read by many Mahayana Buddhists and remains a very popular text across all schools of Buddhism.
The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell audiobook.
The Problems of Philosophy is one of Bertrand Russell's attempts to create a brief and accessible guide to the problems of philosophy. Focusing on problems he believes will provoke positive and constructive discussion, Russell concentrates on knowledge rather than metaphysics.
Russell guides the reader through his famous distinction between "knowledge by acquaintance and knowledge by description" and introduces important theories of Plato, Aristotle, René Descartes, David Hume, John Locke, Immanuel Kant, Georg Hegel and others to lay the foundation for philosophical inquiry by general readers and scholars alike.
Treasury of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter audiobook.
Born in Victorian London on July 28th, 1866, Beatrix Potter created some of the best-loved children’s stories of all time. Starting with Peter Rabbit and moving through the rest of these delightful tales, the Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter will warm the hearts both of those who remember her fondly from their childhoods and those who discover for the first time the magic of these timeless stories.
Studies in Pessimism by Arthur Schopenhauer audiobook.
Arthur Schopenhauer, an early 19th century philosopher, made significant contributions to metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics. His work also informed theories of evolution and psychology, largely through his theory of the will to power – a concept which Nietzsche famously adopted and developed. Despite this, he is today, as he was during his life, overshadowed by his contemporary, Hegel. Schopenhauer's social/psychological views, put forth in this work and in others, are directly derived from his metaphysics, which was strongly influenced by Eastern thought. His pessimism forms an interesting and perhaps questionable contrast with his obvious joy in self-expression, both in the elegance of his prose and in his practice of playing the flute nightly.
His brilliance, poetry, and crushing pessimism can be seen immediately in this work, as for example in this claim from the first chapter: "The pleasure in this world, it has been said, outweighs the pain; or, at any rate, there is an even balance between the two. If the reader wishes to see shortly whether this statement is true, let him compare the respective feelings of two animals, one of which is engaged in eating the other." We see also, in this work, his misogyny, as for example in his claim that "as lions are provided with claws and teeth, and elephants and boars with tusks, . . . so Nature has equipped woman, for her defence and protection, with the arts of dissimulation; and all the power which Nature has conferred upon man in the shape of physical strength and reason, has been bestowed upon women in this form." Given his opening comment, the translator, T.B. Saunders, seems to have been at least somewhat sympathetic to this perspective.
Buried Alive by Arnold Bennett audiobook.
The hero is Mr Priam Farll, a painter of considerable ability. He is, however, extremely shy – so shy that when his valet, Henry Leek, dies suddenly, the doctor believes the dead man to be Priam Farll and the live man the valet. The artist does not try to disabuse him. After the funeral (in Westminster Abbey), Priam Farll marries a widow and lives a happy life until the loss of his wife’s money means he has to take up painting again. A connoisseur of art recognises his style but thinks the paintings are by an imposter. He makes a fortune by buying his works through a small dealer and selling them in America as genuine. Meanwhile Priam Farll refuses through his obstinate shyness to prove his own identity.
Adeline Mowbray by Amelia Opie audiobook.
Everybody makes mistakes, and everything has a price. This novel describes, according to its name, the life of Adeline Mowbray, full of everything: sorrow, happiness, falsehood, truth, kindness, and mistakes. This novel is an exploration of the human heart. Be prepared for a strong and enjoyable read
The Adventures of a Dog, and a Good Dog, Too by Alfred Elwes audiobook.
This fictional work is written in 1st person by the dog himself. It's a cute story of the adventures in the life of a noble dog who is appropriately named, Job. The canine society in which he lives is an interesting parallel to human society
The Mind and the Brain by Alfred Binet audiobook.
“This book is a prolonged effort to establish a distinction between what is called mind and what is called matter. Nothing is more simple than to realise this distinction when you do not go deeply into it; nothing is more difficult when you analyse it a little. At first sight, it seems impossible to confuse things so far apart as a thought and a block of stone; but on reflection this great contrast vanishes, and other differences have to be sought which are less apparent and of which one has not hitherto dreamed.
The Red House Mystery by A. A. Milne audiobook.
Antony Gillingham arrives at the Red House moments after a gunshot is heard. The room is locked, the murderer has disappeared and, in Antony's opinion, the police are going about it the wrong way. Antony, who was looking for a new profession anyway, decides to solve the murder himself, with a little help from his friend Bill.
Under the Andes by Rex Stout audiobook.
Under the Andes was written by Rex Stout years before his creation of the immensely popular Nero Wolfe series of novels, and while perhaps his future writing style is still blossoming, certainly his knack for weaving a fantastic tale of mystery and adventure will have most readers anxious for the next phase of adventure at every turn.
The story finds two brothers and a pretty female companion on a journey which eventually takes them to a series of underground caves under the Andes of South America, where they encounter a lost tribe of Incas who have apparently survived hundreds of years oblivious of the outside world. The apparent 'king' of the tribe has become infatuated with the fair-skinned female intruder of the group and, well, suffice it to say there's a lot of action, attempted escapes, heroism, and peculiar interactions between all, reminiscent of H. Rider Haggard with a touch of Edgar Rice Burroughs.
People Minus X by Raymond Z. Gallun audiobook.
A disastrous experiment destroys the moon and kills millions on earth. The invention of artificial flesh lets them return to life as androids, a second and perhaps superior human species. Mounting tensions between the naturals and the “phonies” erupts in violence. Will this scientific advance bring eternal life and the gift of travel to the stars or bring about mankind’s self-destruction?
Wandl the Invader by Ray Cummings audiobook.
There were nine major planets in the Solar System and it was within their boundaries that man first set up interplanetary commerce and began trading with the ancient Martian civilization. And then they discovered a tenth planet--a maverick! This tenth world, if it had an orbit, had a strange one, for it was heading inwards from interstellar space, heading close to the Earth-Mars spaceways, upsetting astronautic calculations and raising turmoil on the two inhabited worlds. But even so none suspected then just how much trouble this new world would make. For it was WANDL THE INVADER and it was no barren planetoid. It was a manned world, manned by minds and monsters and traveling into our system with a purpose beyond that of astronomical accident!
Unwise Child by Randall Garrett audiobook.
When a super-robot named Snookums discovers how to build his own superbombs, it becomes obvious that Earth is by no means the safest place for him to be. And so Dr. Fitzhugh, his designer, and Leda Crannon, a child psychologist acting as Snookums’ nursemaid, agree to set up Operation Brainchild, a plan to transport the robot to a far distant planet. But the space ship becomes the scene of some frightening events--the medical officer is murdered, and Snookums appears to be the culprit…
The Man Who Hated Mars by Randall Garrett audiobook.
To escape from Mars, all Clayton had to do was the impossible. Break out of a crack-proof exile camp—get onto a ship that couldn't be boarded—smash through an impenetrable wall of steel. Perhaps he could do all these things, but he discovered that Mars did evil things to men; that he wasn't even Clayton any more. He was only—The Man Who Hated Mars. Included in this recording are four more stories by Garrett: Bramblebush, Viewpoint, Time Fuze and Heist Job on Thizar. These are some of Garrett's lesser known short stories. Excitement mounts......
That Sweet Little Old Lady by Randall Garrett audiobook.
Randall Garrett had this story first published in Astounding Science Fiction September and October of 1959. His twisted sense of humor and gift for the bizarre situation with believable characters shines here. In the not too distant future, Ken Malone, young but promising FBI agent , is given the most important and difficult assignment of his career: find a spy who is stealing information from the Ultra Top Absolute Secret project to develop a non-rocket space ship at Yucca Flats Labs in Nevada. But this is not a normal spy, this spy laughs at the FBI and all attempts to find him or her because they use an unknown new method to steal the information directly from the minds of the scientists. And then of course, there is the Sweet Little Old Lady who is immortal and the stunning nurse and the Las Vegas gangsters and ... well, you had better listen to the story to find out the details
Quest of the Golden Ape by Randall Garrett audiobook.
How could this man awaken with no past—no childhood—no recollection except of a vague world of terror from which his mother cried out for vengeance and the slaughter of his own people stood as a monument of infamy?
Nor Iron Bars A Cage. by Randall Garrett audiobook.
Iron bars do not confine a Man—only his body. There are more subtle, and more confining bindings, however....Police methods of the future will naturally use complex new technology but police will still need to deal with the same old sad human nature, forever doing horrible deeds. The night stick may be replaced by the hypo-gun but is prison the only solution? Listen to this neat story by Randall Garrett and see.
Damned If You Don't by Randall Garrett audiobook.
We've all heard of the wonderful invention that the Big Corporation or the Utilities suppressed? The one that would revolutionize society with it's simplicity? Well usually, that Wonderful Invention won't work, actually. But what if there really was one or two like that? Would the oil industry, or the power conglomerates, or the auto monopolies actually be nasty enough to suppress something that would help the rest of the world just so they could go on making profits? Well of course they would, silly! But then there is another possibility, one that is explored in the uniquely wonderful way of Randall Garrett. And one that you may not suspect. And one that may even change your opinions just a bit so watch out.
But, I Don't Think by Randall Garrett audiobook.
The title is obscure and a bit unsettling I admit; what could it possible mean? Randall Garrett wrote a story here that had me blissfully going in the wrong direction until he quietly yanked the rug from under my feet and made me fume a bit with irritation and amazement. I loved it and hated it because it did not end the way I wanted it to but the way it obviously should. The society and culture in the galaxy he has presupposed is as fascinating as the story itself and I can only hope he expanded on it in other books somewhere. The publisher quotes another story by R. Phillip Dachboden to indicate what he meant "As every thinking man knows, every slave always yearns for the freedom his master denies him...
But, gentlemen," said the Physician, "I really don't think we can consider any religion which has human sacrifice as an integral part as a humane religion." "At least," added the Painter with a chuckle, "not as far as the victim is concerned." The Philosopher looked irritated. "Bosh! What if the victim likes it that way?"
Anything You Can Do by Randall Garrett audiobook.
An alien crash lands on Earth, and for ten years terrorizes the planet, hiding, periodically killing and eating people and stealing materials for some unknown purpose. The only hope is Bart Stanton, a medically-engineered superman, designed for the sole purpose of confronting the “Nipe”
Anchorite by Randall Garrett audiobook.
Randall Garrett sticks a sharp needle into our government and society in this wonderful story. He projects the current trends towards paternalistic government into the future. Yes, we have attained a world government and everyone is equal whether they want to be or not; everyone is taken care of no matter how incompetent, stupid or sleazy they are and everyone is out to undermine everyone else. The author predicts (sadly only too well) what the trends of today will eventually produce if allowed to continue. But wait! there is hope in the asteroid belt where jerks and incompetents are weeded out by hard physical laws and only those who possess common sense and the ability to actually survive are allowed to govern. But will the Earth government allow this to continue? Of course not. Listen to this great story to have a peek into the future.
A Spaceship Named McGuire by Randall Garrett audiobook.
Can a spaceship go crazy? Well, yes it can if it has a brain. And the new MG (magnetogravitic drive) experimental robot space ship does indeed have a 'brain'. Completely bewildered as to why the first six models of their supposedly perfect new ship model, the MG-YR, nicknamed the McGuire, have gone totally bonkers after activation and before they could ever be used, the company has called in the services of Daniel Oak. They suspect sabotage of course. Daniel Oak is the hard boiled private investigator with nerves of steel and a mind of the same substance. He is extremely expensive to hire but gets results; and he knows his way around crime, space ships and especially women. What he finds out is surprising!
In Tune With The Infinite by Ralph Waldo Trine audiobook.
Trine tells us that by connecting and harmonizing with the Universe we attract love, health, peace and success. Trines' writings may have been the most important to the "New Thought" movement of the late 1800's and early 1900's which was the forerunner to the "New Age" movement.
The Man from Glengarry by Ralph Connor audiobook.
With international book sales in the millions, Ralph Connor was the best-known Canadian novelist of the first two decades of the Twentieth Century. The Man from Glengarry was his most popular and accomplished work. Immediately after its publication in 1901, the novel spent several months in the top ranks of the New York Times "Books in Demand" list.
We follow the story of Ranald Macdonald, who is shaped by family and community in rural eastern Ontario in the early decades after Canadian confederation. This is a book about the making of men, but also, ultimately, about the making of a nation, as the mature Ranald moves west to take a leadership role in the fledgling province of British Columbia.
The Man from Glengarry features adventure and romance, and is, above all, a work of serious moral purpose. "Ralph Connor" was the pen-name of the Reverend Charles Gordon, a prominent Canadian minister, and his stories are woven through with his religious convictions. His is a two-fisted Christianity — or, as he said in his autobiography, a religion that can appeal to "red-blooded" people who aren't afraid to engage in physical conflict for causes that they know are right.
Glengarry School Days by Ralph Connor audiobook.
With international book sales in the millions, Ralph Connor was the best-known Canadian novelist of the first two decades of the Twentieth Century. Glengarry School Days (1902), hugely popular in its time, is based on his memories of growing up in rural Ontario around the time of Canadian confederation. Although Connor saw himself as writing moral fiction for adults, generations of younger readers have also enjoyed these affectionate and gently amusing sketches, and excerpts from Glengarry School Days have appeared in school anthologies.
Bacon by R. W. Church audiobook.
This investigation of Bacon the scholar and man of letters begins with a look at the early days and progresses to his relationships with Queen Elizabeth and James I. It includes accounts of his positions as solicitor general, attorney-general, and chancellor. The book concludes with Bacon's failure, his overall philosophy, and summaries of his writings
Fast in the Ice by R. M. Ballantyne audiobook.
At the age of 16 Ballantyne went to Canada and was six years in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company. His rule in writing, being in every case, was to write as far as possible from personal knowledge of the scenes he described.
In this book he details the lives of the crew as they must overwinter in the frozen north including their meetings with Eskimos and bears and their struggles with disease. This is a realistic account of what life was like for the explorers of the Arctic.
Away in the Wilderness by R. M. Ballantyne audiobook.
Jasper Derry was on a mission. He had left the northern wilderness a few years earlier when he had worked for the Hudson's Bay Company, but in doing so he had also left some unfinished business behind. Now he is on his quest to complete those affairs. We travel with Jasper and his two companions through the rugged, desolate region, and while doing so, we learn a great deal of just how wild and untamed the wilderness was in the mid-19th century. This is an adventure, a series of learning experiences, and a lesson in bonding to ensure survival away in the wilderness.
Witch of the Demon Seas by Poul William Anderson audiobook.
"Guide a black galleon to the lost, fear-hauntedCitadel of the Xanthi wizards—into the very jaws of Doom? Corun, condemned pirate of Conahur, laughed. Aye, he'd do it, and gladly.It would mean a reprieve from the headsman's axe—a few more precious moments of life and love ... though his lover be a witch!"
The Sensitive Man by Poul William Anderson audiobook.
Poul Anderson delves into the realm of human potential in this exciting story and asks some penetrating questions for us to think about. What if psychology finally enabled people to even partially control all those automatic reactions of our minds and bodies? What if we were not slaves to anger, fear, emotions, hormones, blood pressure and the thousand other things that our bodies 'take care of' from instant to instant? What if those things could be brought under the control even partially of our reason and minds? In this story one man stood between a power-hungry cabal and their world mastery—but a man of, shall we say, unusual talents.
The Golden Slave by Poul William Anderson audiobook.
100 B.C. The Cimbrian hordes galloped across the dawn of history and clashed in screaming battle against the mighty Roman legions. Led by their chief, Boierik, and his son, Eodan, the hungry and homeless pagan tribes hurled back the Romans time after time in their desperate search for land. But for all the burning towns, the new-caught women weeping, the wine drunk, the gold lifted, the Cimbri did not find a home. And now it was over. At Vercellae the Roman armies shattered them completely. Only a few survived—and for them death would have been more merciful. Eodan, the proud young chieftain, had been caught and sold into slavery, his infant son murdered and his beautiful wife, Hwicca, taken as a concubine. But whips and slave chains could not break the spirit of this fiery pagan giant who fought, seduced and connived his way to a perilous freedom to rescue the woman he loved
Snowball by Poul William Anderson audiobook.
Simon's new source of power promised a new era for Mankind. But what happens to world economy when anyone can manufacture it in the kitchen oven?... Here's one answer!
Sentiment, Inc. by Poul William Anderson audiobook.
The way we feel about another person, or about objects, is often bound up in associations that have no direct connection with the person or object at all. Often, what we call a "change of heart" comes about sheerly from a change in the many associations which make up our present viewpoint. Now, suppose that these associations could be altered artificially, at the option of the person who was in charge of the process....
Inside Earth by Poul William Anderson audiobook.
This story takes place in the not so distant future. Earth has been conquered and is a subjugated planet, the much too humanoid new rulers now extract heavy taxes, control industry and reproduction and interfere in every aspect of life. Rumors of their brutality and vicious massacres increase every day. Obviously, they must be thrown out and rebellion seethes among the patriots. But on the other hand, others are not so eager to get rid of the overlords: the terrible nationalistic wars have been stopped, famine is long gone and health care is almost universally available. Still, the elite intellectual portion of the earth's population plot to remove the heavy heel of the oppressors from their necks and let earth be free again. But time and again the attempts for freedom have been crushed the Valgolians mainly because national, ethnic, religious and racial prejudices and hatred among the earthlings keep the conspirators from working together. Obviously, no conqueror wants his subjects to revolt against his rule. Obviously? This one would go to any lengths to start a rebellion!
The Chapter Ends by Poul Anderson audiobook.
Far, far in the future the Earth is still spinning around the Sun, on the edge of the galaxy, dozing in obscurity, forgotten by it's trillions of progeny and completely irrelevant. But this doesn't matter to the few millions who still live there in simplicity and quiet happiness. But then interstellar politics dictates that they must all leave Earth because ... well, listen to the story as told by the great Poul Anderson as he explores what the Earth means to humans and to one man in particular.
A Fool There Was by Porter Emerson Browne audiobook.
Two friends were asked by their respective fathers on their death beds to promise to marry a special girl, who lived across the street and who they had been very fond of since childhood. Once they reached young manhood, one of these fulfilled his father's wish. The story takes off from there, and, while all three continued to be very close to one another as they grew older, the married man was sent abroad on business, allowing his friend to take care of his wife and child while he was away. While overseas, the married man fell into temptation. Many twists and turns, as well as surprises were to follow, rendering the reader curious as to how it would all turn out
Apology by Plato audiobook.
The Apology is Plato's version of the speech given by Socrates as he defended himself in 399 BC[2] against the charges of "corrupting the young, and by not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in other daimonia that are novel" . "Apology" here has its earlier meaning of speaking in defense of a cause or of one's beliefs or actions. The general term apology, in context to literature, defends a world from attack (opposite of satire-which attacks the world). The text is written in the first person from Socrates' point of view, as though it were Socrates' actual speech at the trial. During the course of the speech, Socrates twice mentions Plato as being present. There is, however, no real way of knowing how closely Socrates' words in the Apology match those of Socrates at the actual trial, even if it was Plato's intention to be accurate in this respect
The Canadians of Old by Philippe Aubert de Gaspe audiobook.
In his mid-70s, Philippe Aubert de Gaspé took on the project of recording the culture and heritage of French Canada, especially that of the late 1700s, the world of his youth. The result, published in French in 1863, was the historical fiction "Les Anciens Canadiens (literally, “The Canadians of Old”).
In this book, inspired by the historical novels of Sir Walter Scott, Aubert de Gaspé collects the customs, traditions, folk tales, superstitions, and songs of the Quebec people, weaves in memories of life in his own ancestral home, and sets all this within the momentous historical events that transformed Canada in the 18th century. Much of the book is historically accurate, based sometimes on the author’s own experiences and sometimes on memories passed on to him by eyewitnesses.
For example, the account of being sent to debtor’s prison came from the author’s own experience.
The fantastic ghost story of “La Corriveau” was based on the true story of a murderess whose body was on public display in iron chains (a “cage”) for weeks after her execution. That initial incident had already blossomed into material for lurid legend; Aubert de Gaspé was the first to incorporate this legend into a work of literature.
The book’s storyline hinges on the British Conquest of Quebec in 1759 and the ensuing trauma caused to French Canada. Fictional characters are intertwined with historical figures such as a famous shipwreck survivor and specific military officers.
This book is an engaging window on cultural history and one of the first great works of French Canadian literature.
The English translator of this edition, Charles G. D. Roberts, was himself a distinguished author. He has been called “the father of Canadian poetry.” - Summary by Bruce Pirie
*Warning: Listeners may be offended by some of the racial labels and depictions. Words that were considered acceptable in the nineteenth century may be offensive today.
The Variable Man by Philip K. Dick audiobook.
Predictability has come a long way. The computers of the future can tell you if you’re going to win a war before you fire a shot. Unfortunately they’re predicting perpetual standoff between the Terran and Centaurian Empires. What they need is something unpredictable, what they get is Thomas Cole, a man from the past accidentally dragged forward in time. Will he fit their calculations, or is he the random variable that can break the stalemate?
The Eyes Have It & Tony and the Beetles by Philip K. Dick audiobook.
Aliens have invaded the earth! Horrible one celled creatures disguised as normal human beings ! Well, at least that is what it seems to the author. Yes, The Eyes Have It is a whimsical story, making gentle fun of certain writing styles, but only a topflight science-fictionist like Philip Dick , we thought, could have written this story, in just this way. Tony and the Beetles takes place far in the future when Earth's enormous colonial empire is well established but the question is, how long can it last? 10 year old Tony grows up fast when history catches up with the human race. A sobering look at human history .. and our probable future. Two very different stories but both entertaining.
The Defenders by Philip K. Dick audiobook.
The terrible destruction of total nuclear war between the Western and Eastern Blocks has succeeded in sterilizing the surface of the earth. No living creature can now exist there and all humans on both sides, have fled to the hives built miles below the surface where they constantly work to produce the war materials necessary to carry on the battle. For 8 years now, the actual fighting between these super powers has been conducted by robots known as Ledeys since only they can sustain the terrible levels of radiation caused by the constant bombardment. They are the Defenders, standing between the combatants far below and ultimate victory or defeat. Life is hard in the tunnels, but liveable, while it is lethal on the surface. The ledeys keep the generals informed on everything through vids and pictures; but how can this continue? what will happen? Who will win?
The Crystal Crypt & Beyond the Door by Philip K. Dick audiobook.
Science fiction (abbreviated SF or sci-fi with varying punctuation and case) is a broad genre of fiction that often involves sociological and technical speculations based on current or future science or technology.
Second Variety by Philip K. Dick audiobook.
Early victories by the USSR in a global nuclear war cause the United Nations government to retreat to the moon leaving behind troops and fierce autonomous robots called “Claws”, which reproduce and redesign themselves in unmanned subterranean factories. After six bloody years of conflict the Soviets call for an urgent conference and UN Major Joseph Hendricks sets out to meet them. Along the way he will discover what the Claws have been up to, and it isn’t good… - Second Variety was first published in the May 1953 edition of Space Science Fiction Magazine.
Beyond Lies the Wub & The Skull by Philip K. Dick audiobook.
Two stories in the inimitable Philip Dick style. What is a Wub? A 400 pound slovenly, fat, ungainly, drooling animal that looks like a cross between a walrus and an enormous hog? Well, yes that is pretty much what he looks like and for 50 cents, a good bargain no matter how he tastes. The hungry spaceship crew expect to find out. Of course the Wub may not entirely agree but it doesn't have much to say about it. The second story, The Skull, is a skillful mesh of time travel, unscrupulous governments, prisoners, and religion. With an assassin thrown in for good measure. Enjoy!
The Green Odyssey by Philip Jose Farmer audiobook.
Alan Green is a space traveler stranded on a barbaric planet who has been taken slave and made a consort to an insipid and smelly queen. His slave-wife, though beautiful and smart, nags him constantly. He’s given up hope of ever returning to Earth when he hears of two astronauts who have been captured in a kingdom on the other side of the planet, and sets out on an action-packed journey on a ship sailing across vast grasslands on rolling pin-like wheels in a desperate scheme to save them and return home. Due to the non-renewal of its copyright, this book is in the public domain
Armageddon - 2419 A.D. by Philip Francis Nowlan audiobook.
Elsewhere I have set down, for whatever interest they have in this, the 25th Century, my personal recollections of the 20th Century. Now it occurs to me that my memoirs of the 25th Century may have an equal interest 500 years from now—particularly in view of that unique perspective from which I have seen the 25th Century, entering it as I did, in one leap across a gap of 492 years.
This statement requires elucidation. There are still many in the world who are not familiar with my unique experience. Five centuries from now there may be many more, especially if civilization is fated to endure any worse convulsions than those which have occurred between 1975 A.D. and the present time.
I should state therefore, that I, Anthony Rogers, am, so far as I know, the only man alive whose normal span of eighty-one years of life has been spread over a period of 573 years. To be precise, I lived the first twenty-nine years of my life between 1898 and 1927; the other fifty-two since 2419. The gap between these two, a period of nearly five hundred years, I spent in a state of suspended animation, free from the ravages of katabolic processes, and without any apparent effect on my physical or mental faculties.
History of New Brunswick by Peter Fisher audiobook.
Originally published in 1825 under the title: Sketches of New Brunswick : containing an account of the first settlement of the province, with a brief description of the country, climate, productions, inhabitants, government, rivers, towns, settlements, public institutions, trade, revenue, population, &c., by an inhabitant of the province. The value of this history is in the fact that it was written when the Province was still in its infancy. Although there had been a few small settlements established in New Brunswick prior to 1783, the main influx of settlers were Loyalists who chose to remove to the area from the United States following the American Revolution.
The Valley of the Giants by Peter B. Kyne audiobook.
The man was John Cardigan; in that lonely, hostile land he was the first pioneer. This is the tale of Cardigan and Cardigan's son, for in his chosen land the pioneer leader in the gigantic task of hewing a path for civilization was to know the bliss of woman's love and of parenthood, and the sorrow that comes of the loss of a perfect mate; he was to know the tremendous joy of accomplishment and worldly success after infinite labour; and in the sunset of life he was to know the dull despair of failure and ruin. Because of these things there is a tale to be told, the tale of Cardigan's son, who, when his sire fell in the fray, took up the fight to save his heritage--a tale of life with its love and hate, its battle, victory, defeat, labour, joy, and sorrow, a tale of that unconquerable spirit of youth which spurred Bryce Cardigan to lead a forlorn hope for the sake not of wealth but of an ideal.
The Red Hell of Jupiter by Paul Ernst audiobook.
What is the mystery centered in Jupiter's famous "Red Spot"? Two fighting Earthmen, caught by the "Pipe-men" like their vanished comrades, soon find out!
Three Men and a Maid by P. G. Wodehouse audiobook.
This book with two titles, Three Men and a Maid in the USA and The Girl on the Boat in the UK is a typical PG Wodehouse romantic comedy, involving, at various times: a disastrous talent quest, a lawyer with a revolver, a bulldog with a mind of his own and a suit of armour!
The maid, or marriageable young woman, of the American title is red-haired, dog-loving Wilhelmina "Billie" Bennet. The three men are Bream Mortimer, a long-time friend and admirer of Billie, Eustace Hignett, a poet of sensitive disposition who is engaged to Billie at the opening of the tale, and Sam Marlowe, Eustace's would-be-dashing cousin, who falls for Billie at first sight. All four find themselves on an ocean liner headed for England together (hence the British title), along with an elephant-gun-wielding young woman called Jane Hubbard who is smitten with Eustace the poet. Typically Wodehousian romantic shenanigans ensue. Even Estace's redoubtable mother (a Theosophist author and public speaker) fails to quell the excitement
The Little Nugget by P. G. Wodehouse audiobook.
Mrs Nesta Ford, in her London hotel room, reveals to her new friend Lord Mountry that she hopes to take her son Ogden on a yachting trip proposed by Mountry, despite her ex-husband having won custody of the boy. As Mountry leaves, Cynthia Drassilis arrives with Ogden, whom she has led away from his father's country house. Mrs Ford rewards Cynthia, but soon Mr Ford's secretary, a Mr Minnick, arrives to recover the stolen child. Cynthia tries to bribe his colleague, Mrs Sheridan, but to no avail, as she believes Nesta's influence has spoiled the boy. After they have gone, Nesta reveals to Cynthia Ogden's past as the 'Little Nugget', and the repeated attempts to kidnap him made by US gangsters. Nesta wishes to call in professional help, but Cynthia persuades her she can still do it, with the help of her new fiancé, a wealthy man called Peter Burns, who she suggests can take up a post at Ogden's new school, posing as a trainee schoolmaster.
The Intrusion of Jimmy by P. G. Wodehouse audiobook.
The action begins with playboy bachelor Jimmy Pitt in New York; having fallen in love on a transatlantic liner, he befriends a small-time burglar and breaks into a police captain's house as a result of a bet. The cast of characters head to England, and from there on it is a typically Wodehousian romantic farce, set at the stately Dreever Castle, overflowing with imposters, detectives, crooks, scheming lovers and conniving aunts.
Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse audiobook.
Bertram Wooster's manservant, Jeeves, is renown for his ability to apply his keen intellect to solve all problems domestic, and Bertie's friends and relatives flock to him for his counsel. But Wooster, jealous of Jeeves's fame, decides to step in and take over as the fixer of his pal's engagement, his aunt's gambling debts and old school-mate's desire to propose marriage. How far will Bertie sink them all in the soup? Will Jeeves come to the rescue? "Right Ho, Jeeves" features of course Bertie and Jeeves as well as Gussie Fink-Nottle, Tuppie Glossop, Aunt Dahlia and Anatole the high-strung French chef in this P.G. Wodehouse farce of England's upper crust
A Dog of Flanders by Ouida audiobook.
"Nello and Patrasche were left all alone in the world." So begins the poignant story of the two orphans who were to become inseparable companions. They were Nello, an orphaned youth, and Patrasche, the dog which he and his grandfather saved from near death one day. The tale takes place outside of Antwerp, and so popular has this story become that there is a commemorative statue of Nello and Patrasche standing in the village yet today. The story is powerful, and masterfully written by Marie Louise de la Ramée under the pseudonym Ouida.
The Fisherman and His Soul by Oscar Wilde audiobook.
To get what we want is often the greatest curse of all. The fisherman here accidentally catches a mermaid in his net. He falls in love with the Mermaid and tells her that he wants to marry her. She tells him that he can only marry her if he sends away his soul. From a Witch, the Fisherman learns how to send his soul away. The Soul makes several attempts to persuade the Fisherman to take him back, eventually convincing him to do so with the tale of a beautiful dancer who lives nearby. Too late does the Fisherman discover that the soul which he sent out into the world without a heart has become evil. So be careful what you set your heart on. This story was first published in 1896 in the book A House of Pomegranates
Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde audiobook.
Lady Windermere's Fan: A Play About a Good Woman is a four act comedy by Oscar Wilde, published in 1893. As in some of his other comedies, Wilde satirizes the morals of Victorian society, and attitudes between the sexes.
The action centres around a fan given to Lady Windermere as a present by her husband, and the ball held that evening to celebrate her 21st birthday.
Midnight by Octavus Roy Cohen audiobook.
The crime seemed to have lost itself in the sleety cold of the December midnight upon which it was committed. The trails were not blind--there were simply no trails. The circumstances baffled explanation--a lone woman entering an empty taxicab; a run to a distant point in the city; the discovery of the woman's disappearance, and in her stead the sight of the dead body of a prominent society man--that, and the further blind information that the suit-case which the woman had carried was the property of the man whose body was huddled horribly in the taxicab.
A Network of Crime by Nicholas Carter audiobook.
Nick Carter is a fictional detective who first appeared in 1886 in dime store novels. Over the years, different authors, all taking the nom de plume Nicholas Carter, have penned stories featuring "America's greatest detective". Nick gets called to investigate a bloody double murder - one man stabbed, another shot. But was the perpetrator the criminal, or the target of the crime?
The Great Stone Face and Other Tales of the White Mountains by Nathaniel Hawthorne audiobook.
A collection of four short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the common theme of which is New Hampshire's White Mountains. Consists of: The Great Stone Face, written in 1850 and revolves around the 'Old Man of the Mountain (Cannon Mtn.) in New Hampshire which sadly collapsed on May 3, 2003; The Ambitious Guest, written in 1835; The Great Carbuncle, written in 1837; and Sketches From Memory, written sometime prior to The Great Carbuncle as will become obvious.
The Wailing Asteroid by Murray Leinster audiobook.
There was no life on the asteroid, but the miles of rock-hewn corridors through which the earth party wandered left no doubt about the purpose of the asteroid. It was a mighty fortress, stocked with weapons of destruction beyond man's power to understand. And yet there was no life here, nor had there been for untold centuries. What race had built this stronghold? What unimaginable power were they defending against? Why was it abandoned? There was no answer, all was dead. But—not quite all. For in a room above the tomb-like fortress a powerful transmitter beamed its birdlike, fluting sounds toward earth. Near it, on a huge star-map of the universe, with light-years measured by inches, ten tiny red sparks were moving, crawling inexorably toward the center. Moving, at many times the speed of light, with the acquired mass of suns ... moving, on a course that would pass through the solar system. The unknown aliens would not even see our sun explode from the force of their passing, would not even notice the tiny speck called Earth as it died....
The Red Dust by Murray Leinster audiobook.
You who have read "The Mad Planet" by Murray Leinster, will welcome the sequel to that story. The world, in a far distant future, is peopled with huge insects and titanic fungus growths. Life has been greatly altered, and tiny Man is now in the process of becoming acclimated to the change. We again meet our hero Burl, but this time a far greater danger menaces the human race. The huge insects are still in evidence, but the terror they inspire is as nothing compared to the deadly Red Dust. You will follow this remarkable story with breathless interest. "Burl raised his spear, and plunged down on the back of the moving thing, thrusting his spear with all the force he could command. He had fallen upon the shining back of one of the huge, meat-eating beetles, and his spear had slid across the horny armor and then stuck fast, having pierced only the leathery tissue between the insect's head and thorax."
The Mad Planet by Murray Leinster audiobook.
It is 30,000 years following dramatically changed climate conditions on earth which had let massive amounts of carbon dioxide belch from the interior of the planet into the atmosphere. Over the millenia this would have quite devastating effects on life as it had once been known. Much of the human and animal population would not survive the climate change, and indeed those few humans who did survive knew nothing of all which their predecessors had learned and built. Indeed, they knew not even of their existence. On the other hand insects and fungi would flourish over time.And so those few remaining humans were unknowingly at the very beginning of the building of a tribal society, which at the time of the story of Burl simply meant food and survival. And so it was Burl who chose to travel beyond his small tribal community in an effort to hunt for something new and different to hopefully impress Saya, the young female of his tribe to whom he felt a peculiar attraction. The Mad Planet is Burl's adventure.
The Machine that Saved the World by Murray Leinster audiobook.
They were broadcasts from nowhere--sinister emanations flooding in from space--smashing any receiver that picked them up. What defense could Earth devise against science such as this? In the far future of 1972, on a secret military installation, Staff Sergeant Bellews is an expert on the latest scientific discovery: a way for ordinary machines like vacuums and lawnmowers to gather experience in their jobs, becoming error free over time. Then the strange broadcasts began to blow up transmitters everywhere. Were they from space? Enemies? the future? He didn't care until they started messin' with his machines. Then he took it personally.
The Forgotten Planet by Murray Leinster audiobook.
The "forgotten" planet had been seeded for life, first with microbes and later with plants and insects. A third expedition, intended to complete the seeding with animals, never occurred. Over the millennia the insects and plants grew to gigantic sizes. The action of the novel describes the fight for survival by descendants of a crashed spaceship as they battle wolf-sized ants, flies the size of chickens, and gigantic flying wasps.
The Deadly Dust by Murray Leinster audiobook.
Murray Leinster does not disappoint with this gem of a story. The dust is deadly. It is slowly drifting down over the North American continent. Not ordinary dust, this dust is highly radioactive and silently deadly. Only one person sees too clearly that the USA is doomed and everyone in it unless this horrible, silent, death brining 'dust' can be stopped. And he, Doctor David Murfree, the only person to see the danger, cannot get permission from his superior to take leave from his civil servant job so that he can find the only man in America who might know what is causing this dust and perhaps even fix it. .
The Ambulance Made Two Trips by Murray Leinster audiobook.
Big Jake Connors is taking over his town through violence, inimidation and bribery but Detective Sergeant Fitzgerald can only grind his teeth in frustration. The gangsters seem to have everything going their way until the day that a little dry cleaning establishment declines their offer of 'protection' and strange things start to happen. Murray Leinster gives us another wonderful product of 'what if' from his limitless imagination to enjoy in this gem of a story. Listen and smile.
The Aliens by Murray Leinster audiobook.
The human race was expanding through the galaxy ... and so, they knew, were the Aliens. Who were these beings? Traces of them could be found scattered on planets everywhere, some very recent, but the aliens themselves were never encountered. They were obviously just as advanced technologically as humans and obviously looking for planets to expand to, just like humans. But what would happen when the two races, human and alien met? From history it was obvious that a war should be planned for, two expanding empires cannot tolerate rivals and they would clash and it could happen at any time. Would it be a war to the death? Sadly, that was the most probable outcome. Hundreds of human ships were designed specifically to frantically comb the known universe to gather information about them to prepare for war. Which was inevitable of course.
Tanks by Murray Leinster audiobook.
Tanks and the future of war is what Murray Leinster speculates about in this story. Written in the 1920's he observed the terrible new inventions that were used in World War I to kill people, armored tanks and poisoned gas and then tells us how war will be fought in the future. In this case the war will occur in 1932 and be between the US and the 'Yellow enemy'. It was published in the very first issue of Astounding Stories of Super Science, January 1930. It is science fiction in the sense that it guesses what the future will hold for man based on developing the technology that was coming into being at the time, the 1920's. He leads off with a 'quote' from a future historian "... The deciding battle of the War of 1932 was the first in which the use of infantry was practically discontinued ... —History of the U.S., 1920-1945
Talents, Incorporated by Murray Leinster audiobook.
Bors felt as if he'd been hit over the head. This was ridiculous! He'd planned and carried out the destruction of that warship because the information of its existence and location was verified by a magnetometer.
But, if he'd known how the information had been obtained--if he'd known it had been guessed at by a discharged spaceport employee, and a paranoid personality, and a man who used a hazel twig or something similar--if he'd known that, he'd never have dreamed of accepting it. He'd have dismissed it flatly!
Space Tug by Murray Leinster audiobook.
Joe Kenmore heard the airlock close with a sickening wheeze and then a clank. In desperation he turned toward Haney. "My God, we've been locked out!"
Through the transparent domes of their space helmets, Joe could see a look of horror and disbelief pass across Haney's face. But it was true! Joe and his crew were locked out of the Space Platform.
Four thousand miles below circled the Earth. Under Joe's feet rested the solid steel hull of his home in outer space. But without tools there was no hope of getting back inside. Joe looked at his oxygen meter. It registered thirty minutes to live.
Space Platform by Murray Leinster audiobook.
SPACE PLATFORM tells the exciting story of a young man helping to build this first station. With scientific accuracy and imagination Murray Leinster, one of the world's top science-fiction writers, describes the building and launching of the platform. Here is a fast-paced story of sabotage and murder directed against a project more secret and valuable than the atom bomb!
Sand Doom by Murray Leinster audiobook.
The problem was as neat a circle as one could ask for; without repair parts, they couldn’t bring in the ship that carried the repair parts!
Planet of Dread by Murray Leinster audiobook.
Humans have expanded to myriads of worlds throughout the galaxies but they have found that the only way for colonies to be self sustaining, was to reproduce the total ecology of their home world; the original Earth. This meant bringing the entire ecosystem, the good, the bad and the ugly. Viruses as well as grass, goats as well as stink bugs and allowing the whole mixture to ultimately produce an inhabitable world for humans. But what happens when this system is not properly supervised? Moran and the others in the space yacht Nadine find a world where strange things have been brewing for over a hundred years and may or may not survive an environment gone mad.
Pariah Planet by Murray Leinster audiobook.
When the blue plague appeared on the planet of Dara, fear struck nearby worlds. The fear led to a hate that threatened the lives of millions and endangered the Galactic peace. But the Med Service ship Aesculapius 20 with Calhoun and Murgatroyd the Tormal aboard are on the job and have stumbled into the horrible mess caused by unreasoning hatred, quarantine, mass starvation and worse. Calhoun must use all his medical knowledge and significant skills to even understand the situation here in neglected Sector 12. Can he and Murgatroyd untangle this Gordian's knot and live to tell the tale? Maybe and maybe not. Listen and find out.
Operation - Outer Space by Murray Leinster audiobook.
Jed Cochrane is about to take off on man's first interstellar voyage. His mission: Make sure it's good television!
Med Ship Man by Murray Leinster audiobook.
Join Space Medical Service officer Calhoun and his sidekick Murgatroyd the tormal on another exciting adventure, this time on what should be a routine visit to the planet Maya, which upon arrival appears to be completely devoid of all life!
Creatures of the Abyss by Murray Leinster audiobook.
Orejas de ellos, "the things that listen", whispered the superstitious fishermen when the strange occurrences began off the Philippine coast. How else explain the sudden disappearance of a vessel beneath a mysterious curtain of foam? The writhings of thousands of maddened fish trapped in a coffin-like area of ocean? What monsters gorged at the bottom of the Luzon Deep and what were their plans? Radar expert Terry Holt and the crew of the Esperance had to devise a weapon against the horrifying creatures which threatened mankind with extinction. Here are terror, excitement, and the clutch of cold death as combined by a master hand in the field of science fiction.
A Thousand Degrees Below Zero by Murray Leinster audiobook.
The War to End All Wars has ended and the world has taken a deep breath and is trying to recover normal life in 1919. But a super Villan intent on ruling the entire world has other ideas. In his super fast helicopter (the Black Flyer) he sorties out to block the major ports and rives of the world until all nations with icebergs made by his fiendishly clever devices until they admit his supremacy and kneel before his might. The might of nations are helpless before him but he does not count on our hero, a scientist specializing in low temperatures who was also a gunner in WWI. Teamed with a daring pilot flying the latest fastest bi plane in the army, they tangle with this brilliant but deranged person and might be able to bring him down. Do they? Listen and find out in this thrilling adventure where planes zoom at up to 200 mph!!!!
A Matter of Importance by Murray Leinster audiobook.
The importance of a matter is almost entirely a matter of your attitude. And whether you call something "a riot" or "a war" ... well, there is a difference, but what is it? Someone steals a space ship? The local police know how to handle that. A broken down freighter in a far distant solar system? That's their normal job too. A bunch of idiots want to start a war? Just another days' work for the boys in blue. The twisted mind of Murray Leinster takes on an Earth empire of thousands of planets and that has moved beyond armies or navies. No need for 'em any more when you have an experienced police force, eh? They've seen it all and everything is routine to the guys and gals of the Empire Police.
Lady's Life on a Farm in Manitoba by Mrs. Cecil Hall audiobook.
In 1881, Mrs. Cecil Hall's brother went to Manitoba to farm. In 1882, she went out for a visit of some two months, and followed that visit with a long sojourn in Colorado, returning to England as the snows began to fall. While there, she had to give up her "Lady's ways" and help on the farm in many ways she'd never stoop to at home. She makes hay, cooks, paints the barn roof, and cleans. Through it all, the newness helped her keep her temper, and these letters home show an insight into the settlement of Western Canada. These letters have a feel of "Little House on the Prairie" from an English lady's point of view.
The House by the Lock by Mrs. C. N. Williamson audiobook.
What secrets lay within the walls of the house by the lock? What secrets, if any, are held by the man who owns that mysterious house?
A body is found in a backwater creek not far from the house by the lock, but what leads Noel Stanton on a quest to determine who the killer might be is more than merely the disappearance of his American friend Harvey Farnham. He has reason to believe that the wealthy and influential owner of the house, Carson Wildred, might somehow be implicated in the coincidental disappearance and murder. But as Stanton's search progresses, he learns that his friend is safe and sound back in the U.S. and he therefore must learn more about the house itself with its peculiar construction, it's hidden passageways, and the peculiar smoke occasionally seen rising from its inaccessible areas. But everything is accounted for by the police, the servants, and Mr. Wildred during his investigation, leaving a most strange mystery left for Stanton to unravel.
The House of a Thousand Candles by Meredith Nicholson audiobook.
A top ten bestseller of 1906, The House of a Thousand Candles is part adventure/mystery and part romance. The book begins with young Jack Glenarm returning from various exploits in Europe and Africa for the reading of his grandfather’s will. In it, he stands to inherit his grandfather’s estate, but only if he can remain for one year in residence at the old man’s unfinished “House of a Thousand Candles” in Annandale, Indiana, with only his grandfather’s mysterious valet for company. If he violates the terms of the will, the house will go to a young woman, heretofore unknown to him, whom the will also forbids Jack to marry if he wants to retain his inheritance. This all sounds very mundane to Jack and he fully expects to be quite bored in very short order. Soon after Jack’s arrival at Glenarm House, however, various strange occurrences ensue, and he soon finds himself absorbed in the most lively adventure of his life!
The Rangeland Avenger by Max Brand audiobook.
If you enjoy a fast moving western dealing with vengeance and well-deserved payback, you'll like The Rangeland Avenger by Max Brand. A soft spoken but ruthless gunman cuts a path of deadly payback across the Wild West in this exciting adventure.
The Children's Life of the Bee by Maurice Maeterlinck audiobook.
Buzz, buzz, buzz. A fascinating and beautifully written explanation of the life of the honey bee. Maeterlinck, who won the Noble Prize for Literature, wrote a more scholarly work called The Life of the Bee but then rewrote it in simpler terms so that children could appreciate what goes in a hive. The book describes in simple language the inner workings of a hive from its beginning with a swarm to the fully functional hive with thousands of workers, drones and a queen busily building, repairing and gathering.
The Courage of the Commonplace by Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews audiobook.
The short story of a young man who came to terms with himself and became a man on a day when he had proven to be a failure to his family, his friends, his classmates, the girl he liked, and most importantly to himself.
The Planet Savers by Marion Zimmer Bradley audiobook.
The Terran colony on the planet Darkover faces imminent destruction by a plague of the deadly Trailmen's Fever. The only hope is to develop a serum in time, but this requires the cooperation of the elusive native Trailmen, the brilliant parasitologist Dr. Jay Allison, and his split personality.
Falcons of Narabedla by Marion Zimmer Bradley audiobook.
Somewhere on the Time Ellipse, Mike Kenscott became Adric of the Scarlet Tower, and the only way to return to his own identity was to find the Keep of the Dreamer, and loose the terrible Falcons of Narabedla. A classic novella by master science fiction writer Marion Zimmer Bradley,
The Mystery of the Hidden Room by Marion Harvey audiobook.
A classic mystery/detective story in the Sherlock Holmes tradition, the hidden room suggested by the title of this book does not remain a mystery for very long as the book progresses. Written in the first person, the husband of his (Carlton Davies) former lover is found dead one night at the stroke of midnight, and Davies finds his ex-lover standing over the dead body immediately after the shot was fired, with a gun in her hand. It was no secret that she never truly loved her husband, who had blackmailed her into marrying him. The jury ships Ruth to prison, and the stage is set for Davies to locate the right detective for the case, and for a series of events with twists and turns and surprises that will keep the reader guessing who was responsible for this murder.
Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook by Maria Montessori audiobook.
This is the authoritative book written by Montessori to describe her methods. It gives an overview of the Montessori Method as developed for 3 to 6 year olds. It is a short work, intended as a manual for teachers and parents, detailing the materials used as well as her philosophy in developing them. "As a result of the widespread interest that has been taken in my method of child education, certain books have been issued, which may appear to the general reader to be authoritative expositions of the Montessori system. I wish to state definitely that the present work, the English translation of which has been authorized and approved by me, is the only authentic manual of the Montessori method ...
The Absentee by Maria Edgeworth audiobook.
Published in 1812, “The Absentee” by Maria Edgeworth examines social injustice in 19th-century Britain. At that time, the management of many Irish estates suffered from the absenteeism of their Anglo-Irish landlords.
We meet Lord and Lady Clonbrony. Lord Clonbrony struggles with debt, while Lady Clonbrony tries to shed her Irish connections and earn status in London’s high society (known as “the ton.”) Meanwhile, their son, Lord Colambre, is wary of the entanglements of that society and escapes to the family estate in Ireland, where he discovers the abuses that have arisen in the family’s absence.
Maria Edgeworth was a pioneer of realism in fiction, and one of the most successful and popular novelists of her time. She offered satirical portraits of society manners and sympathetic treatment of regional life. Her work won admiration from authors such as Jane Austen and Sir Walter Scott. “The Absentee” is named in the reference list “1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.”
Ormond by Maria Edgeworth audiobook.
Maria Edgeworth was one of the most popular writers of her time, a sharp and witty observer of society manners, and a favorite author for Jane Austen.
“Ormond,” published in 1817, is a “coming-of-age” novel, tracing a young man’s development as he approaches the age of majority. When we meet him, Harry Ormond has his “heart in the right place,” but is unsettled of character, naïve and impulsive. The central issue is: “What kind of man will he become?”
In part, Harry is influenced by the books he reads: Fielding’s “Tom Jones,” Richardson’s “Sir Charles Grandison,” and works of the French Enlightenment. More important, however, are influences from the company he keeps, much as Prince Hal in Shakespeare’s “Henry IV” takes shape as a reflection of the people around him. As an orphan, Harry had been adopted by Sir Ulick O’Shane, a man of society, full of subtlety and strategies, who exploits his public trust for private advantage (a practice known at that time as “jobbing”). Harry also spends time with Sir Ulick’s cousin Cornelius, a Falstaffian figure of hearty good cheer and eccentric rural lifestyle. (He enthrones himself on a tiny island in an Irish lake, calls himself the “King of the Black Islands” and nicknames Ormond “Prince Harry.”) Later, Harry follows Cornelius’s daughter to Paris, where he witnesses the glamorous dissipation of French society in the years before the Revolution.
This novel explores the challenges of bringing together apparent oppositions: reconciling promised loyalty with assertion of self, Anglo-Irish landlords with their Irish tenants, Catholics with Protestants, and the impulsive heart with the rational head.
“Ormond” is named in the reference list “1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.”
Warrior of Two Worlds by Manly Wade Wellman audiobook.
"He was the man of two planets, drawn through the blackness of space to save a nation from ruthless invaders. He was Yandro, the Stranger of the Prophecy—and he found that he was destined to fight both sides." Another swashbuckler in space from Manly Wade Wellman. Who could ask for anything more?
Venus Enslaved by Manly Wade Wellman audiobook.
A rip-snorting, 1940s science fiction adventure from the pen of Manly Wade Wellman. What chance had the castaway Earthman and his crossbow-weaponed Amazons against the mighty Frogmasters of the Veiled Planet? Hmmm? What chance indeed? From his broad shoulders, rippling muscles fighting spirit and keen intelligence, our hero finds a way to victory and perhaps even love. Listen and enjoy.
Mercenary by Mack Reynolds audiobook.
Every status-quo-caste society in history has left open two roads to rise above your caste: The Priest and The Warrior. But in a society of TV and tranquilizers--the Warrior acquires a strange new meaning...
Adaptation by Mack Reynolds audiobook.
In 1960 when this was published, the Cold War was at its height. Communism and Free Enterprise (Democracy) were locked in a ferocious struggle to prove that their political ideology was the best form of government for human kind. No holds were barred in this fight; propaganda was poured forth by both sides in a constant push to be seen as better, more progressive, more productive. Nuclear war was a constant threat. I know, I lived through that time. Thankfully the world came through that stressful time without a hot war but the question was not really settled: which is the better system? This story explores that question. "Hardly had man solved his basic problems on the planet of his origin than he began to fumble into space. Barely a century had elapsed in the exploration of the Solar System than he began to grope for the stars. And suddenly, with an all but religious zeal, mankind conceived its fantasy dream of populating the galaxy."
War-Lords of the Moon by Linton Davies audiobook.
Bruce Ross, on the Earth-Moon run, asked a simple question, "How are the stars behaving, Harry?" But Harrell Moore could only stare at him in horror. For the stars had run amok—cosmic engines of destruction in the hands of the twisted genius of the Moon! A rip-snortin space shoot-em-up from 1939 with space ships, an evil genius who follows his horoscope and plans to rule everyone, ray guns, death beams (both red and green) and a diaphanously clad beautiful moon princesses in love with the hero.
The Hemlock Avenue Mystery by Lily A. Long audiobook.
"The Hemlock Avenue Mystery" is one of a series of mysteries written by Lily Augusta Long using the pseudonym Roman Doubleday.
A lawyer is accused of killing a rival lawyer, both having battled in court on numerous occasions. A newspaper reporter following the case is bent on determining the facts behind the murder. As it happens, there are two women also suspected of participating in the crime, and a third who was apparently utterly unconscious of what had occurred. It's up to the reporter turned detective to unravel the clues, few as they are.
Alice's Adventures Underground by Lewis Carroll audiobook.
This is the handwritten book that Carroll wrote for private use before being urged to develop it later into Alice in Wonderland. It was generously illustrated by Carrol and meant to entertain his family and friends. When a sick child in a hospital enjoyed it so much, the mother wrote him saying it had distracted her for a bit from her pain and led eventually to Carroll expanding the story. The Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson and the Reverend Robinson Duckworth rowed in a boat, on 4 July 1862, up the Isis with the three young daughters of Henry Liddell, (the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University and Dean of Christ Church) : Lorina Charlotte Liddell (aged 13, born 1849); Alice Pleasance Liddell (aged 10, born 1852); Edith Mary Liddell (aged 8, born 1853). The journey began at Folly Bridge near Oxford and ended five miles away in the village of Godstow. During the trip the Reverend Dodgson told the girls a story that featured a bored little girl named Alice who goes looking for an adventure. The girls loved it, and Alice Liddell asked Dodgson to write it down for her. He began writing the manuscript of the story the next day, although that earliest version no longer exists. The girls and Dodgson took another boat trip a month later when he elaborated the plot to the story of Alice, and in November he began working on the manuscript in earnest. To add the finishing touches he researched natural history for the animals presented in the book, and then had the book examined by other children—particularly the MacDonald children. He added his own illustrations but approached John Tenniel to illustrate the book for publication, telling him that the story had been well liked by children. On 26 November 1864 he gave Alice the handwritten manuscript of Alice's Adventures Under Ground, with illustrations by Dodgson himself, dedicating it as "A Christmas Gift to a Dear Child in Memory of a Summer's Day". Some, including Martin Gardner, speculate there was an earlier version that was destroyed later by Dodgson when he printed a more elaborate copy by hand.
Victory by Lester del Rey audiobook.
The earth is undefended. A ripe, juicy, rich plum just innocently waiting for one of the many new and warlike civilizations in the nearby universe to reach down and pluck to plunder and rape. Well... undefended can mean many things. In this case, humans have colonized many worlds and found many surprisingly human like races among the stars. But when these human colonies are threatened and even viciously attacked by really alien civilizations, earth does nothing to help them. Earth, fat, rich earth sits back and lets her own colonies be practically wiped out, claiming a neutrality that seems a thin veil for cowardice and deceit. How this happens and the story behind the story is what this exciting story is all about.
Let em Breathe Space by Lester del Rey audiobook.
The old space freighter Wahoo is all Dr. Pietro can afford for his expedition to the rings of Saturn. Although built for a crew of 6 the good doctor crams 19 people into the Wahoo, and after 5 months they are really getting on each other’s nerves. Then someone starts killing people and poisoning the air giving plants in the hydroponics bay. Can our hero Paul Tremaine find the killer before he suffocates? Perhaps you should hold your breath. – Let’em Breathe Space was first published in the July 1953 edition of Space Science Fiction magazine.
What I Believe by Leo Tolstoy audiobook.
"The inner working of my soul, which I wish to speak of here, was not the result of a methodical investigation of doctrinal theology, or of the actual texts of the gospel; it was a sudden removal of all that hid the true meaning of the Christian doctrine – a momentary flash of light, which made everything clear to me. It was something like that which might happen to a man who, after vainly attempting, by a false plan, to build up a statue out of a confused heap of small pieces of marble, suddenly guesses at the figure they are intended to form by the shape of the largest piece; and then, on beginning to set up the statue, finds his guess confirmed by the harmonious joining in of the various pieces.
Sevastopol by Leo Tolstoy audiobook.
Sevastopol Sketches are three short stories written by Leo Tolstoy and published in 1855 to record his experiences during the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855) in the Crimean War (1853-1856). The name originates from Sevastopol, a city in Crimea. The book has also been released under the anglicized title The Sebastopol Sketches and is sometimes titled Sevastopol Stories. These brief "sketches" formed the basis of many of the episodes in Tolstoy's magnum opus, War and Peace.Sevastopol in December: In Sevastopol in December, Tolstoy uses second person narrative (with the pronoun 'you') in an introductory tour of life in Sevastopol. The detailed tour is arguably similar to one Tolstoy may have been given upon arrival in Sevastopol in November, 1854…. Tolstoy also uses Sevastopol in December to introduce the reader to the settings, mannerisms, and background he uses in Sevastopol in May and Sevastopol in August. For example, when referring to the enemy, either the British or the French, but only the French are featured in the Sketches; they are referred to as " 'him', as both soldiers and sailors say".Sevastopol in May In Sevastopol in May, Tolstoy examines the senselessness and vanity of war. The story examines many aspects of the psychology of war, heroism, and the misleading presence of humanism in truces (misleading because countries continuously go to war with one another, despite past truces). Tolstoy concludes by declaring that the only hero of his story is truth.
My Confession by Leo Tolstoy audiobook.
"My Confession" is a brief autobiographical story of Leo Tolstoy's struggle with a mid-life existential crisis of melancholia. It describes his search for answers to the profound questions "What will come of my life?" and "What is the meaning of life?", without answers to which life, for him, had become "impossible." Tolstoy reflects on the arc of his philosophical life until then: his childhood abandonment of his Russian orthodox faith; his mastery of strength, will, power, and reason; and how, after he had achieved tremendous financial success and social status, life to him seemed meaningless. After despairing of his attempts to find answers in science, philosophy, eastern wisdom, and his fellow men of letters, he describes his turn to the wisdom of the common people and his attempts to reconcile their instinctive faith with the dictates of his reason. The main body of the text ends with the author reaching a compromise: faith, he realizes, is a necessity, but it must be constrained by reason. However, an epilogue that describes a dream he had some time after completing the body of the text suggests that he has undergone a radical personal and spiritual transformation.
Master and Man by Leo Tolstoy audiobook.
A land owner, Vasili Andreevich, takes along one of his peasants, Nikita, for a short journey to another town. He wishes to get to the town quickly 'for business'. They find themselves in the middle of a blizzard, but the master in his avarice wishes to press on. They eventually get lost off the road and they try to camp. The master's peasant soon finds himself about to die from hypothermia. The master leaves him on the horse to stubbornly try to find the road. When he returns, he attains a spiritual/moral revelation, and Tolstoy once again repeats one of his famous themes: that the only true happiness in life is found by living for others.
Family Happiness by Leo Tolstoy audiobook.
After a brief romance, the 17 year old Marya falls in love with the much older Sergyei Mikhailitch, an old family friend, and the two are married. They share an initially blissful life but after moving to St. Petersburg, Marya becomes enchanted with society and a rift opens between the two.
Childhood by Leo Tolstoy audiobook.
Childhood, published in 1852, is the first novel in Leo Tolstoy’s autobiographical trilogy, which also includes Boyhood, and Youth. Published when Tolstoy was twenty-three, the book gained immediate notice among Russian writers including Ivan Turgenev, and heralded the young Tolstoy as a major figure in Russian letters. Childhood is an expressionist exploration of the internal life of a young boy, Nikolenka, and was a new form in Russian writing, mixing fact, fiction and emotions to render the moods and reactions of the narrator. Childhood is Tolstoy’s first published work. Translated into English by C. J. Hogarth.
Boyhood by Leo Tolstoy audiobook.
Boyhood is the second in Tolstoy's trilogy of three autobiographical novels, including Childhood and Youth, published in a literary journal during the 1850s.
Bethink Yourselves by Leo Tolstoy audiobook.
As Russia goes to war against Japan, Tolstoy urges those at all levels of society, from the Tsar down to the common soldier, to consider their actions in the light of Christ's teaching. "However strange this may appear, the most effective and certain deliverance of men from all the calamities which they inflict upon themselves and from the most dreadful of all—war—is attainable, not by any external general measures, but merely by that simple appeal to the consciousness of each separate man which, nineteen hundred years ago, was proposed by Jesus—that every man bethink himself, and ask himself, who is he, why he lives, and what he should and should not do."
A Confession by Leo Tolstoy audiobook.
Leo Tolstoy's "A Confession," written in 1882 shortly after a life-altering spiritual crisis, is a brutally sincere reflection on life, morality, and the nature of faith. Tolstoy describes in great detail the process by which he lost his faith in established Christian churches, the meaninglessness of wealth and fame, the agony of acute depression, and how he overcame misery and dread through personal study of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Along the way, he contrasts the artificial faith and arrogance of educated people with the genuine faith and humility of the Russian peasant. This work, and others of its ilk, were aggressively censored by the Tsarist regime and directly led to Tolstoy being excommunicated by the Russian Orthodox Church.
Thralls of the Endless Night by Leigh Douglass Brackett audiobook.
This is a classic story from the early days of science fiction pulp magazines. Leigh Brackett, a female author who stood with the best of them during the period, always has a quirky way of examining human behavior whether on earth or a distant planet. A "tribe" composed of Hans, Officers and a Captain have been marooned on a strange place, out of touch with other humans for many generations. They have to eke out a living with great difficulties in a difficult and hostile environment. Does this sound sort of familiar? There are also really neat 'Piruts' in the story who always try to get the supposed benefit of living close to the Ship. I liked it and the ending is cool too.
The Jewel of Bas by Leigh Douglass Brackett audiobook.
There was a boy-God, sleeping through eternity. And there were his "Stone of Life" and the androids he had created of matter and energy. And there was a world that was to die from the machinations of the androids' diabolic minds. There were Mouse and Ciaran to stem the death-flood—two mortals fighting the immortals' plans for conquest. [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Planet Stories Spring 1944.
The Dragon Queen of Jupiter by Leigh Douglass Brackett audiobook.
The French Foreign legion has been exported to Space as the Space foreign legion. They are fighting now on Jupiter and the natives, led by their Dragon Queen, are winning. Earth and Mars need places for people to live and grow food but Jupiter may be too hard a nut to crack. Will the Legion be able to hold off the hordes Beetle Bombs and venomous snakes until a relief column arrives? Or will they die in horrible pain like most of them already have? And then the Dragon Queen uses the ultimate weapon, a parasite that stops them from drinking any water.
Terror Out of Space by Leigh Douglass Brackett audiobook.
In the wake of unexpected meteor activity, a wave of inexplicable madness sweeps the already strange and ill-charted world of Venus. Racing to locate the source of the disturbance, Lundy and his team from Tri-World Police, Special Branch quickly find that locating the problem isn't half so tough as transporting IT back to headquarters. Out of his depth metaphysically and quickly sinking into the black pit of a Venusian sea, Lundy is about to discover his own profound reserves of strength and pit them against that which lurks behind a veneer of beauty-- the Unknown.
Shannach - The Last by Leigh Douglass Brackett audiobook.
A true pulp science fiction from 1952 from the pen of Leigh Douglas Brackett. In the deep caves of Mars an alien race ruled and enslaved men and women with cruel and unfeeling desires. This was about the challenged by one weak man. He knew what he had to do and would die trying to do it. The question is, was he hurting or helping them? A cryptic summary because this is a cryptic story. What looks like a simple straightforward plot has layers of deception and subtle humor. Was he destroying the aliens, or were they just using him? Listen and find out.
Enchantress Of Venus by Leigh Douglass Brackett audiobook.
Eric John Stark, the Conan of the Spaceways, continues his adventures in this exciting story. This time he is on the shores of Venus' gaseous red seas seeking the whereabouts of a missing comrade. The villains, a cruel and power-hungry family that rules over the pirate enclave of Shuruun do all they can to stop him but his mighty muscles and quick reflexes might, just might get him through. Listen along and see.
Black Amazon of Mars by Leigh Brackett audiobook.
Carrying out the last wishes of a comrade, mercenary Eric John Stark takes on the task of returning a stolen talisman to a walled city near the Martian pole; a city that guards the mysterious Gates of Death. Now all he has to do is get past the brutal clans of Mekh and the shadowy Lord Ciaran to get to Kushat where they’ll probably attempt to kill him. All while he tries to hold on to a talisman that imprints ancient memories of the Gates in his mind. That’s not easy for a human raised by Mercurian aborigines. - Black Amazon of Mars is the third story to feature Brackett’s hero Eric John Stark, and was later expanded into the novel People of the Talisman. It was first published in Planet Stories magazine in March of 1951.
Venus Boy by Lee Sutton audiobook.
If you ever make a trip to the green planet of Venus, the first thing you'll see will be the fifty-foot high statue of Venus' greatest hero. It stands on the very top of towering New Plymouth Rock at the edge of the old colony of New Plymouth. Even from the rocket cradle, anyone can tell that the statue is of a twelve-year-old boy smiling up at the Venusian jewel bear perched on his shoulder. Cut into the huge rock below the statue are the words,
"Virgil Dare (Johnny) Watson And the Marva, Baba. May their Friendship Endure!"
Virgil Dare Watson, called Johnny by his friends, was the first human being born on Venus. He was named after Virginia Dare, the first pioneer child born in North America, and for a long time he was the only child on all Venus. And that would have been a lonely thing to be if it had not been for Baba. Baba, the bear, was not only Johnny's pet, but his best friend, too, and the only one who knew about his three secrets.
Because of these secrets, Johnny got himself, his jewel bear, Baba, and the whole colony of New Plymouth into desperate trouble. And because of these secrets, he also became a hero worthy of a statue—Venus' greatest hero.
Bobby in Search of a Birthday by Lebbeus Mitchell audiobook.
The sweet story of a five year old boy named Bobby, who is an orphan. When Bobby learns that other children have birthdays, he goes hunting to find his. Go with him and meet the Man with the Pocketful of Quarters and the Lady who Likes Little Boys and learn how he finds his birthdays and a family besides!
The Golden Goose Book by L. Leslie Brooke audiobook.
Here are four delightful fairy tales that have fascinated children and adults for centuries. Several, such as The Three Bears and The Three Little Pigs are well known and can be listened to with delight as each remembered and beloved part is come to. Others, such as The Golden Goose and Tom Thumb are not so well known and listening to them can be exciting because we do not know exactly what is to come as the story unfolds.
Tik-Tok of Oz by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
In this really exciting and well written story of Oz, the Shaggy Man is on a quest to find his long lost brother. But all does not go smoothly. Oh no. Because his brother is being held prisoner deep underground by the evil, grumpy and not very nice King of the Gnomes, Along the way to find him, he is joined by Polychrome, a Daughter of the Rainbow (a fairy), Betsy Bobbin (a human girl), Hank (a small mule and Betsy's faithful protector), Tik-Tok (the famous wind up mechanical man), the Rose Princess (an ex fairy who is now a mortal), Ann (the Queen of the Oogaboos on her way to conquer the world), her army (17 officers and one private, File), a tunnel through the earth, the famous and all powerful Jin-Jin and last but definitely not least, Quox (a young dragon who talks funny and was great fun to read). The scrapes and adventures this motley crew get into are enough to fill a book. And this is the book. Listen and enjoy!!
The Tin Woodman of Oz by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
A Faithful Story of the Astonishing Adventure Undertaken by the Tin Woodman, assisted by Woot the Wanderer, the Scarecrow of Oz, and Polychrome, the Rainbow's Daughter. The Tin Woodman, whose real name is Nick Chopper, seeks to find the Munchkin Girl he had courted before he became a tin man. Sadly, she has a new love and no longer cares for him. As he attempts to regain her affection, Nick discovers a fellow tin man, Captain Fyter, as well as a Frankenstein monster-like creature, Chopfyt, made from their combined parts by the tinsmith, Ku-Klip. Many exciting adventures happen to everyone involved and the Land of Oz contributes much magic and happiness to the outcome.
The Surprising Adventures of the Magical Monarch of Mo by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
"I dare say, there are several questions you would like to ask at the very beginning of this history. First: Who is the Monarch of Mo? And why is he called the Magical Monarch? And where is Mo, anyhow? And why have you never heard of it before? And can it be reached by a railroad or a trolley-car, or must one walk all the way? These questions I realize should be answered before we (that "we" means you and the book) can settle down for a comfortable reading of all the wonders and astonishing adventures I shall endeavor faithfully to relate. In the first place, the Monarch of Mo is a very pleasant personage holding the rank of King. He is not very tall, nor is he very short; he is midway between fat and lean; he is delightfully jolly when he is not sad, and seldom sad if he can possibly be jolly. How old he may be I have never dared to inquire; but when we realize that he is destined to live as long as the Valley of Mo exists we may reasonably suppose the Monarch of Mo is exactly as old as his native land. And no one in Mo has ever reckoned up the years to see how many they have been. So we will just say that the Monarch of Mo and the Valley of Mo are each a part of the other, and can not be separated." And so starts this fun series of 'surprises' as Baum calls the chapters, each a delightful present to unwrap carefully and enjoy fully.
The Story of the Magic Cloak by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
L.Frank Baum, or the Wizard of Oz fame, wrote this delightful book and considered it his best of all that he wrote. it tells the story of faries who weave a magic cloak one day that has the ability to grant it's owner one wish. That's all, just one. After this they must then give it away to another person who will then have a wish of their own. The travels of this magic cloak through it's owners and their adventures and misadventures makes this book truly magical and fun to read.
The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
The Scarecrow of Oz is the ninth book set in the Land of Oz written by L. Frank Baum. Published on July 16, 1915, it was Baum's personal favorite of the Oz books and tells of Cap'n Bill and Trot journeying to Oz and, with the help of the Scarecrow, overthrowing the cruel King Krewl of Jinxland
The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
Yes, this is another wonderful OZ book with all the old familiar characters and some new delightful ones. The Patchwork Girl, a free spirit if ever there was one, is brought to life in this story and then sets out into the wonderful world of OZ to help her friend Ojo find the ingredients for a magic potion to save his Uncle. The five things they need are strange and the places and people they meet along their journey are sometimes dangerous and sometimes funny but the Patchwork Girl always finds humor and fun in all of them. They are accompanied by the Glass Cat who is stuck up and arrogant because of her good looks and 'pink brains'. Another fun book well written by Baum and worth listening to by fans of OZ from 7 to 107.
The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
The Marvelous Land of Oz Being an account of the further adventures of the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman and also the strange experiences of the highly magnified Woggle-Bug, Jack Pumpkin-head, the Animated Saw-Horse and the Gump; the story being A Sequel to The Wizard of Oz.
The Magic of Oz by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
This is the second to last book in the OZ series that Baum actually wrote himself before he passed away. "A Faithful Record of the Remarkable Adventures of Dorothy and Trot and the Wizard of Oz, together with the Cowardly Lion, the Hungry Tiger and Cap'n Bill, in their successful search for a Magical and Beautiful Birthday Present for Princess Ozma of Oz." - Summary by Baum. Almost all the marvelous creatures of OZ are involved in this far reaching adventure story with tons of danger, evil magic, dastardly plots and heroic last minute acts of bravery to finally save the day. The Lonesome Duck makes her first and last appearance in this book which, by itself, makes it a 'must listen to' in my opinion.
Rinkitink in Oz by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
Rinkitink in Oz is the tenth book in the Oz series written by L. Frank Baum, first published in 1916. It was originally written in 1905 as a stand alone fantasy work and subsequently rewritten as an Oz book. Therefore, most of the action takes place outside of Oz in neighboring fairy countries. It tells the story of Prince Inga's quest to rescue his parents from captivity after his island home is ravaged by enemies. With the help of three magical pearls and the more dubious assistance of the excessively jolly King Rinkitink and his surly goat, Bilbil, his travels lead him to the underground caverns of the Nome King where he is united with some people from Oz who help him to free his parents and restore his island kingdom.
Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
Ozma of Oz was the third title in the Oz series by L. Frank Baum. In this book Dorothy is shipwrecked and lands on the shores of a fairy country that adjoins Oz, the land of Ev. There she meets Tiktok, a wind up mechanical man, a talking chicken, Billina, and Ozma, the girl ruler of Oz who is leading a quest to rescue the royal family of Ev from their captivity by the Nome King. Dorothy is also reunited with her old friends, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion. Together the adventurers travel to the Nome King's underground kingdom and have many exciting adventures before returning to Oz, and for Dorothy, eventual return to her family in the "civilized" world.
Mary Louise in the Country by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
The Bluebird Books is a series of novels popular with teenage girls in the 1910s and 1920s. The series was begun by L. Frank Baum using his Edith Van Dyne pseudonym, then continued by at least three others, all using the same pseudonym. Baum wrote the first four books in the series, possibly with help from his son, Harry Neal Baum, on the third.
The books are concerned with adolescent girl detectives— a concept Baum had experimented with earlier, in The Daring Twins (1911) and Phoebe Daring (1912). The Bluebird series began with Mary Louise, originally written as a tribute to Baum's favorite sister, Mary Louise Baum Brewster. Baum's publisher, Reilly & Britton, rejected that manuscript, apparently judging the heroine too independent. Baum wrote a new version of the book; the original manuscript is lost.
The title character is Mary Louise Burrows.In this volume, Mary Louise and Gran'pa Jim take a house for the summer in a quiet place called Cragg's Crossing. There, they meet with any number of peculiar people - and one very peculiar mystery!!
Little Wizard Stories of Oz by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
The "Little Wizard Stories of Oz" are six short stories written by L. Frank Baum in 1913. By all accounts, Baum intended to finish the Oz series with "The Emerald City of Oz," published in 1910. Following that, he attempted to write non-Oz books, publishing "The Sea Fairies" in 1911 and "Sky Island" in 1912. But, (as Baum himself laments in the prefaces of many of his Oz books,) his "little tyrants" were only interested in hearing more Oz stories. So in 1913, he returned to writing about Oz, putting out both The "Little Wizard Stories" and "The Patchwork Girl of Oz" that year.
The Little Wizard Stories were geared toward younger children and were originally published separately, "similar in style to today's Little Golden Books." The next year, they were published together as one volume.
Each Little Wizard Story revolves around the adventures of two famous Oz characters, and their humorous adventures in and around the land of Oz.
The complete King James Bible audiobook.
The 1769 Oxford Edition. The King James Bible is one of the most important books in the English speaking world, so influential that its language permeates facets of society from religion, politics, literature, art, education and music.
The King James Version of the Sermon On The Mount audiobook.
The Sermon On The Mount is one of the teachings in the ministry of Jesus Christ. In The Sermon On The Mount is found many sayings and important precepts held by Christian churches, sayings such as The Beatitudes, The Lord's Prayer, and other teachings about forgiveness, giving, and the "Golden Rule" about doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. Men such as Tolstoy and Gandhi found special meaning in The Sermon On The Mount, and Christians have read and listened to this important portion of scripture for centuries.
The Bible version used for this reading is the King James Version. This traditional Bible has been praised for its poetic beauty, and imagery
It Could Be Anything by Keith Laumer audiobook.
A science fiction story by the great Keith Laumer - what more needs to be said? - But I will say more nevertheless. A young man sets out from his rural town to see the world for himself. What is really over the next hill? What does a big city look like? Is there really an ocean? After all, we only have the testimony of others that tell us about these things. Full confidence and belief in himself, he boards the local train, falls asleep and then ..... finds himself alone, the three cars abandoned .... the engine is gone and the tracks; well, the tracks just end in the middle of a grain field. What is going on? What kind of reality is this? Or is what we 'know' just illusions and in fact, It Could Be Anything!!!
Gambler's World & The Yillian Way by Keith Laumer audiobook.
Here are two stores starring the always unconventional Terrestrial Diplomat, Retief. As a diplomat, Retief does not always follow procedure. Well the truth is that he almost never follows procedure but somehow his wit and strength manage to salvage most situations from the bumbling of the other diplomats. His sardonic approach to inter galactic negotiations in these two stories is a delight to hear.
The Branding Iron by Katharine Newlin Burt audiobook.
From the cold and mountainous regions of Wyoming to the bright lights of the big city, The Branding Iron is the story of a remarkable woman, Joan Carver. Born of poor means, at a fairly young age Joan decides to leave her father and strike out on her own, but she is to face more difficulties and hardships than she had reckoned for, and the men she encounters on her way share different means of dealing with her; and she of them. She becomes her own individual, with a strong will and a determination to lead her life as she sees fit. As with many of Ms. Burt's stories, The Branding Iron is filled with unexpected surprises at each turn.
Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich audiobook.
Julian of Norwich (c. November 8, 1342 – c. 1416) is considered to be one of the greatest English mystics. Little is known of her life aside from her writings. Even her name is uncertain, the name "Julian" coming from the Church of St Julian in Norwich, where she occupied a cell adjoining the church as an anchoress. At the age of thirty, suffering from a severe illness and believing she was on her deathbed, Julian had a series of intense visions. (They ended by the time she overcame her illness on May 13, 1373.) These visions would twenty years later be the source of her major work, called Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love (circa 1393). This is believed to be the first book written by a woman in the English language. Julian became well known throughout England as a spiritual authority.
An Antarctic Mystery by Jules Verne audiobook.
Edgar Allan Poe's telling of Arthur Pym's narrative is shown to be true as events come together that bring out clues that help Captain Len Guy trace the fate of his brother's ship the Jane; the very ship that Arthur Pym was on board at the time of his disappearance. Through the efforts of Mr. Joerling, the crew of the Halbrane is enticed to make the trip to Antarctica to search for any survivors of the Jane.
Trees and Other Poems by Joyce Kilmer audiobook.
"I think that I shall never see, a poem as lovely as a tree; A tree whose hungry mouth is presd against the sweet earth's flowing breast ...".
Almost all of us, including myself of course, have heard and enjoyed those famous words which begin Kilmer's poem, Trees. There is even a National Forest in the United States named in honor of this poem. Here is a recording of the entire book of poems in which it was first published in 1914. Joyce Kilmer was an American writer and poet mainly remembered for this short poem but he was a prolific poet whose works celebrated the common beauty of the natural world as well as his Roman Catholic religious faith, Kilmer was also a journalist, literary critic, lecturer, and editor. While most of his works are largely unknown, a select few of his poems remain popular and are published frequently in anthologies.
At the time of his deployment to Europe during World War I (1914–1918), Kilmer was considered the leading American Roman Catholic poet and lecturer of his generation, whom critics often compared to British contemporaries G. K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc . He enlisted in the New York National Guard and was deployed to France with the 69th Infantry Regiment (the famous "Fighting 69th") in 1917. He was killed by a sniper's bullet at the Second Battle of the Marne in 1918 at the age of 31. He was married to Aline Murray, who later became a poet and author in her own right, with whom he had five children.
The Black Star by Johnston McCulley audiobook.
The Black Star was a master criminal who took great care to never be identifiable, always wore a mask so nobody knew what he looked like, rarely spoke to keep his voice from being recognized, and the only mark left at the scenes of the crimes which he and his gang committed were small black stars which were tacked as a sign of their presence, and an occasional sarcastic note to signify his presence and responsibility. Even those who worked for him knew nothing of him, all of which were making his crimes virtually unsolvable. The police were at a complete loss as to his identity and at a method of stopping his criminal activities. He seemed to have the perfect strategic setup and all advantages were in his favor. He even somehow knew where the wealthy kept their jewels and money, and knew when they would remove valuable items from their safes and deposit boxes. Thus Roger Verbeck decided to take on the case of the Black Star using his own methodology. The Black Star will keep you guessing from beginning to end, just as he kept the police and Verbeck guessing.
Johnston McCulley was a prolific writer in the pulp fiction vein, and his Zorro series would become immensely popular. However, prior to Zorro, the Black Star was among his first repeating characters which kept readers of the day in continual suspense until his next appearance. McCulley also wrote mysteries and detective stories using various pseudonyms, including Harrison Strong.
Raggedy Ann Stories by Johnny Gruelle audiobook.
To the millions of children and grown-ups who have loved a Rag Doll, the author dedicated these stories. Now listen as eight voices read to you Raggedy Ann's exciting adventures, as gentle and charming today, as they were when first published in 1918.
Find out what is written on her candy heart, what was the gift the fairies brought, and all about Raggedy Ann's new sisters.
The Ultimate Weapon by John W. Campbell audiobook.
The star Mira was unpredictably variable. Sometimes it was blazing, brilliant and hot. Other times it was oddly dim, cool, shedding little warmth on its many planets. Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate. That star had to be steady, reliable, with a good planetary system. And in his astronomical searching, he found Sol.
With hundreds of ships, each larger than whole Terrestrial spaceports, and traveling faster than the speed of light, the Mirans set out to move in to Solar regions and take over.
And on Earth there was nothing which would be capable of beating off this incredible armada—until Buck Kendall stumbled upon THE ULTIMATE WEAPON.
Islands of Space by John W. Campbell audiobook.
As Earth's faster-than-light spaceship hung in the void between galaxies, Arcot, Wade, Morey and Fuller could see below them, like a vast shining horizon, the mass of stars that formed their own island universe. Morey worked a moment with his slide rule, then said, "We made good time! Twenty-nine light years in ten seconds! Yet you had it on at only half power...." Arcot pushed the control lever all the way to full power. The ship filled with the strain of flowing energy, and sparks snapped in the air of the control room as they raced at an inconceivable speed through the darkness of intergalactic space. But suddenly, far off to their left and far to their right, they saw two shining ships paralleling their course! They held grimly to the course of the Earth ship, bracketing it like an official guard. The Earth scientists stared at them in wonder. "Lord," muttered Morey, "where can they have come from?"
Invaders from the Infinite by John W. Campbell audiobook.
The famous scientific trio of Arcot, Wade and Morey, challenged by the most ruthless aliens in all the universes, blasted off on an intergalactic search for defenses against the invaders of Earth and all her allies. World after world was visited, secret after secret unleashed, and turned to mighty weapons of intense force--and still the Thessian enemy seemed to grow in power and ferocity. Mighty battles between huge space armadas were but skirmishes in the galactic war, as the invincible aliens savagely advanced and the Earth team hurled bolt after bolt of pure ravening energy--until it appeared that the universe itself might end in one final flare of furious torrential power....
The Story of My Boyhood and Youth by John Muir audiobook.
"The only fire for the whole house was the kitchen stove, with a fire box about eighteen inches long and eight inches wide and deep,- scant space for three or four small sticks, around which in hard zero weather all the family of ten shivered, and beneath which in the morning we found our socks and coarse, soggy boots frozen solid." Thus, with perceptive eye for detail, the American naturalist, John Muir, describes life on a pioneer Wisconsin farm in the 1850's. Muir was only eleven years old when his father uprooted the family from a relatively comfortable life in Dunbar, Scotland, to settle in the backwoods of North America.
The elder Muir was a religious fundamentalist. What his father taught, John Muir writes, was "grim self denial, in season and out of season, to mortify the flesh, keep our bodies in subjection to Bible laws, and mercilessly punish ourselves for every fault, imagined or committed." Muir's father believed that the Bible was "the only book human beings could possibly require," while John secretly read every volume of poetry and literature he could get his hands on. With no formal schooling after leaving Scotland, John also learned from nature--keenly observing details of the seasons, the life of the farm oxen, and wild animals and birds. John also became an amateur inventor, eking out time from farm chores by getting up at 1 a.m. to whittle intricate wooden clocks by candlelight in the unheated farm house basement.
Muir finally made a break for freedom--his decision was to go to Madison, Wisconsin, and enter his clocks in the State Fair, with the hope that somebody might see them and offer him a job in a machine shop! All the baggage he carried the day he left home was a package made up of "two clocks and a small thermometer made of a piece of old washboard, all three tied together with no covering or case of any sort, the whole looking like one very complicated machine." His father's goodbye was to admonish John about the "wicked world" and to warn him sternly that if he should find himself in need of money, none would be forthcoming. John would have to depend on himself.
How John Muir made his way from that Wisconsin farm to become the great American naturalist, spokesman for Yosemite and the California redwoods, is the stuff of legend: which makes Muir's autobiographical account of his early boyhood a fascinating read
The Tar Baby - And Other Rhymes of Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris audiobook.
26 of Uncle Remus's stories put into verse and song. With the exception of the Tar Baby story, they were all new to this publication of 1904 and cover a variety of humorous subjects from Adan and Eve (De Appile Tree) to Brer Rabbit's Gigglin' Place. There are also genuine Camp Meeting Songs and a Corn Shuckin' Song.
Uncle Remus Returns by Joel Chandler Harris audiobook.
Uncle Remus tells these 11 stories but to the son of the original "little boy" who is visiting his grandmother on the plantation. As always Uncle Remus can be relied upon to provide funny and pointed insight into human personalities through his story telling. These were all published in the Uncle Remus magazine from 1905 and 1906 and gathered together in this book by the author.
Uncle Remus and Friends - 17 stories by Joel Chandler Harris audiobook.
Uncle Remus, that genial old storyteller, knows how to spin these wonderful tales about the 'criteers' that the little 6 year old boy (and many of us adults!) love to listen to. Yet the 'Brer Rabbit and 'Brer Fox and the others sound a lot like the people all around us. They tell stories about personalities and faults and virtues in a way that is unique to Uncle Remus. As the shadows grow longer outside, draw up a rocking chair next to the little boy, settle back and listen to the wise old man tell these stories. These 17 stories were specially chosen from Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings and include The Wonderful Tar-Baby Story, Miss Cow falls a Victim to Mr. Rabbit; Mr. Fox and the Deceitful Frogs; Mr. Rabbit grossly deceives Mr. Fox and lots of others.
Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit by Joel Chandler Harris audiobook.
Uncle Remus' stories feature a trickster hero called Br'er Rabbit ("Brother" Rabbit), who uses his wits to slide out of trouble and gain the advantage over the slower witted other animals, many of whom are trying to eat him. Br'er Rabbit stories were mostly collected directly from the afro-american oral story-telling tradition and are said to be a direct interpretation of Yoruba tales of Hare. This book contains 11 unique stories and was the last one published before the author's death.
The Will and the Way Stories by Jessie Benton Fremont audiobook.
Simply put, this is a book of 9 short vignettes each of which describes a different scenario which demonstrates the age old adage: 'where there's a will, there's a way'.
The Valley of Silent Men by James Oliver Curwood audiobook.
James Kent has learned that he is terminally ill with perhaps only days to live, and so decides to confess to a murder and thus save an innocent man. Nobody believes his confession, particularly Marette, a mysterious girl who had shown up at Athabasca Landing only weeks before. Kent’s illness takes a turn and his death is postponed, and he sets about to find out more about the girl, who he ends up falling in love with, although she’ll not reveal her past to him, nor what she knows about the murder. A story of intrigue, suspense, action, and above all, a story of love in the furthest outreaches of the Great White North where three great rivers flow; the Athabasca, the Slave, and the McKenzie, and where somewhere is hidden The Valley of Silent Men.
The Honor of the Big Snows by James Oliver Curwood audiobook.
What unseen force may have brought young Jan Thoreau and his music from out of the barren lands into the remote camp of Lac Bain, forever changing the lives of those few who lived there? What brought him to the home of John and Melisse Cummins as the latter lay on her death bed? Moreover, what was the great sorrow and overpowering sadness which permeated the life of the young man in the months and years following his arrival, and by what means was he to struggle with The Honor of the Big Snows?
The Golden Snare by James Oliver Curwood audiobook.
With but two years of service in the RNMP Philip Raine finds himself somewhat unwillingly on the trail of Bram Johnson, wanted for murder and a wild, untamed and savage man who commands a pack of wolves as his brethren.But most peculiar of all is the snare which Bram had had in his possession and had somehow lost. It was a golden snare intricately woven out of the finest, most delicate flaxen hair of a woman. But what could possibly be the relationship between this half-human murderer and a woman who could have borne a crown of such beauty and elegance? The mystery of Bram Johnson and his wolves and the golden snare becomes one which Raine feels compelled to unravel even as he pursues the wild man and his pack among his own territory of the Canadian barren lands.
The Gold Hunters by James Oliver Curwood audiobook.
In The Gold Hunters we find 3 men in search of a treasure of gold hidden away in the upper reaches of the Canadian wilderness. One, a young white man, another his half breed friend, and the third the wise old Indian sage who communes with the wilderness as only his people have done through the generations. The 3 men know the gold is there, they had found the map which is leading them to it. Yet it seems that the map is leading them to places that don't exist, and each day finds a new adventure and new dangers which they must overcome if they are to achieve their reward.
The Flaming Forest by James Oliver Curwood audiobook.
A tale of mystery, romance, and honor, as David Carrigan must choose between his duty as an officer of the law and a girl who holds him captive; a girl who Carrigan thinks he may have fallen in love with no less! Who is this strange girl Jean-Marie, and why won't she give him his freedom? And who are the people that she surrounds herself with along the great Canadian rivers and wilderness barrens and forests of the northwest?
The Danger Trail by James Oliver Curwood audiobook.
Chicago engineer Jack Howland is sent to the edge of the Canadian barren lands north of Prince Albert to establish a train route through some of the most treacherous terrain in North America. He would soon learn that it was not only the terrain that was forbidding, as he begins to understand why the previous engineers sent on the same mission had been forced to give up the task and flee back to the south. Mysterious visitors, suspicious characters, strange apparent coincidences, and one particularly mysterious girl meet Howland at every turn in this suspenseful tale of adventure, excitement, danger, and romance set in the northern Canadian wilderness.
The Country Beyond by James Oliver Curwood audiobook.
The Country Beyond, subtitled A Romance In the Wilderness, is a story of "Jolly" Roger McKay, an outcast on the run from the law; Nada, the girl he falls in love with; and Peter, the devoted mixed-breed dog who links the two together as no human could, as action, adventure, and romance take them through the Northwest Canadian wilderness in search of The Country Beyond.
Nomads of the North by James Oliver Curwood audiobook.
An unlikely pair were Neewa, the black bear cub who had been orphaned at a young age, and Miki, part Mackenzie hound, part Airedale and Spitz who had become separated from his master in the frozen reaches of northern Canada. But the two befriended one another, and these nomads fended for themselves until they too became separated in an unfortunate way. While Neewa searched for his friend, Miki was taken by northern trappers who felt he could be trained to become a good fighting dog, a valuable asset in the north. What follows is Miki's attempts to flee from his captors and search for his master, and Neewa's search for his canine friend.
No Clue by James Hay audiobook.
“No Clue! A Mystery Story” finds detective Jefferson Hastings at the home of wealthy but eccentric Arthur Sloane one hot summer night, when two other guests at Sloanehurst stumble across the body of young Mildred Brace lying dead on the lawn. Sloane’s daughter Lucille asks Hastings to help solve the crime, but Hastings gets surprisingly little help from anybody he interviews, including Mr. Sloane himself and even the mother of the victim. With few clues to aid him and nobody beyond suspicion, including himself, seemingly rock solid alibis begin to fall apart, expanding the list of potential suspects, and Hastings must rely on subtle expressions and the scant evidence at hand to try to solve the murder.
The Great Taxicab Robbery by James H. Collins audiobook.
In 1912, $25,000 was stolen during a bank transfer in New York City in broad daylight. In what may appear astonishing in today's world, the transfer occurred in a New York City taxicab. This factual account brings true crime of the early twentieth century to life. The various methods used by the detectives and police in their attempts to solve the mystery behind the robbery, and hopefully bring the thieves to justice, makes for great reading, particularly when one considers the fact that the accounts occurred over a century ago, and are quite authentic. Although the police now have higher technological advantages than was available over a century ago, the reader may find that many general techniques haven't changed all that much over the years. The characters involved with this true caper prove ingenious on both sides.
The Trawler by James Brendan Connolly audiobook.
The Trawler is a short story revolving around the trying life of a group of bank fishermen based in Gloucester. Skipper Hugh Glynn worked his men hard; some said too hard, and Arthur Snow was one who had paid the ultimate price.
Arthur's close friend Simon Kippen decided he'd ask to take the place of his fallen friend aboard Hugh Glynn's vessel as a dory mate, and from there we have a tale of the open seas between Gloucester and Newfoundland where perhaps only the names and locations have changed from the countless stories of similar nature; the key being that this one, however, is first hand.
Snowdrift by James B. Hendryx audiobook.
The story revolves around Carter Brent, an alcoholic and gambler who had struck gold many times in the Yukon, but gambled and drank it away in Dawson; and Snowdrift, the half-breed who had spent her life with a wandering band of Indians in the frozen north country. Snowdrift had been raised by Wananebish, yet never knew who her father was, and yet Wananebish had somehow been able to send her to be schooled at a nearby mission.
The paths of this unlikely pair would cross in the barren lands of the Yukon where Brent had hopes of finding more gold, but it was well known that there was no gold in the region between Dawson and the MacKenzie. But Brent had that certain knack for striking gold, and due to his way of life, also had a certain knack for gambling and drinking it away. Plenty of action follows, while Brent performs his search with little or no money, runs across Snowdrift, and while a band of fellow gamblers who know of his luck follows closely on his trail, he must get his prize back to Dawson.
The Thing in the Attic by James B. Blish audiobook.
Honath the Pursemaker is a heretic. He doesn’t believe the stories in the Book of Laws which claims giants created his tree-dwelling race. He makes his opinion known and is banished with his infidel friends to the floor of the jungle where dangers abound. Perhaps he’ll find some truth down there.
The Black Fawn by James Arthur Kjelgaard audiobook.
Bud Sloan was an orphan who had been 'sold out' of the orphanage to work on a farm once he'd been old enough to labor. The farm where he was to work was owned by an aging farmer and his wife who had raised a large family and were now left alone.
One day, after his chores were done, Bud wandered into the woods nearby and with mouth agape, he noticed a newborn jet black fawn all alone and apparently confused in his new surroundings. Bud resolved that day that this baby fawn was just like himself, an orphan, and would be bound to him in spirit. But many obstacles would keep the two separated, and the black fawn would eventually become the target of the local hunters.
Six Feet Four by Jackson Gregory audiobook.
A hotel is robbed one night, and a cowboy makes his getaway with but few witnesses. When a young woman is also robbed, suspicion falls on one particular man who matches the description of the former thief. The robber is without a doubt a tall man; six feet four inches tall. Buck Thornton, at six feet four, in the area, and acting a bit peculiarly, becomes the suspect and sets about to uncover the true culprit. However, what he discovers during his detective work shocks him. Surely it couldn't be? He sets out to capture the thief and clear his name and just maybe prove to the girl who had been robbed that he was innocent of the crime.
Salvage in Space by Jack Williamson audiobook.
This is an SF tale of excitement, danger, derring-do and strangely enough, love. A lonely and very poor asteroid miner, slowly collecting bits of metallic ore in the asteroid belt on his slowly accumulating 'planet' of debris, sees and captures a derelict space ship with a horrible monster aboard .. as well as a dead but lovely girl. How does it all end? Well you will need to listen to find out. One of Jack Williamson's early tales that earned him his reputation as a master story teller.
The Shaggy Man of Oz by Jack Snow audiobook.
"During the past few years, several readers have written me asking: "What ever happened to the Nome King's tunnel under the Deadly Desert?" The answer will be found in this book. Everyone who has read the Oz books knows and loves Shaggy. He first met Dorothy in "The Road To Oz," and from that time on had a number of adventures in which he discovered such famous Oz personages as the Patchwork Girl, Ojo, Unk Nunkie, the Glass Cat, Betsy Bobbin and her Mule Hank, and many others. So, it is about time that the Shaggy Man had an Oz book all his own—and here it is—faithfully recorded from the latest messages received from the Land of Oz."
The Magical Mimics in Oz by Jack Snow audiobook.
The land of OZ is the happiest fairyland anywhere, but there are evil creatures whose only ambition is to destroy that happiness. Lurking inside Mount Illuso, just south of the Deadly Desert, live the Magic Mimics, a race devoted to causing the maximum chaos and unhappiness everywhere, but mainly in the land of OZ. Until now they have been kept at bay by a spell, but when Princess Ozma leaves OZ for 3 days, their foul machinians are quicly put into play. Princess Dorothy is left in chage of OZ and must deal with these happiness crushing beings. Can she do it? Will Toto help? You bet!!! Listen to this rip snorting adventure in oz and enjoy all of your old friends again. .
Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev audiobook.
The fathers and children of the novel refers to the growing divide between the two generations of Russians, and the character Yevgeny Bazarov has been referred to as the "first Bolshevik", for his nihilism and rejection of the old order.
Turgenev wrote Fathers and Sons as a response to the growing cultural schism that he saw between liberals of the 1830s/1840s and the growing nihilist movement. Both the nihilists (the "sons") and the 1830s liberals sought Western-based social change in Russia. Additionally, these two modes of thought were contrasted with the conservative Slavophiles, who believed that Russia's path lay in its traditional spirituality.
Fathers and Sons might be regarded as the first wholly modern novel in Russian Literature (Gogol's Dead Souls, another main contender, is sometimes referred to as a poem or epic in prose as in the style of Dante's Divine Comedy). The novel introduces a dual character study, as seen with the gradual breakdown of Bazarov's and Arkady's nihilistic opposition to emotional display, especially in the case of Bazarov's love for Madame Odintsova and Fenichka. This prominent theme of character duality and deep psychological insight would exert an influence on most of the great Russian novels to come, most obviously echoed in the novels of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky.
The novel is also the first Russian work to gain prominence in the Western world, eventually gaining the approval of well established novelists Gustave Flaubert, Guy de Maupassant, and Henry James, proving that Russian literature owes much to Ivan Turgenev.
Silas Strong by Irving Bacheller audiobook.
Per the author: "The book has one high ambition. It has tried to tell the sad story of the wilderness itself—to show, from the woodsman's view-point, the play of great forces which have been tearing down his home and turning it into the flesh and bone of cities." But this story is much more than that. It revolves around Silas Strong and his distaste for the modernization and destruction of his beloved forest surroundings, and how it pleases him to teach younger folk how to appreciate that which has been given us. He takes matters into his own hands, as only Silas Strong can do.Addison Irving Bacheller was an American journalist and writer who founded the first modern newspaper syndicate in the United States. He was a graduate of St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York in 1882.
Eben Holden by Irving Bacheller audiobook.
Eben Holden - A Tale of the North Country. Having lost both parents and his home in northern Vermont, orphan Willie Brower is taken in by Eben Holden, "Uncle Eb" who transports him westward to save him from being sent to an orphanage. Through the Adirondacks and into the St. Lawrence valley they travel. Eben is kind, happy, and loves to tell stories to the youngster, many of which were to shape the life and ideals of Willie during his life.
This story follows Willie as a young orphan, later as a journalist, and finally as a soldier who enlists in the army at the outset of the American Civil War. The book was immensely popular when it was published in 1900 and the years to follow, as the characters were all drawn from people who the author had known himself.
Cobb's Anatomy by Irvin S. Cobb audiobook.
Irvin Shrewsbury Cobb was born on June 23, 1876. At seventeen years of age, he began writing for the Paducah Daily News, his hometown paper. At nineteen he became the managing editor; up to that point, our nation's youngest. He worked as a columnist, a humorist and an author. But 'horror,' and 'short stories,' are not why he is remembered. He is remembered because he was, and still is, funny. And although he is now dead--he died March 11, 1944--this work "Cobb's Anatomy," among others, has left an indelible mark upon mankind: a smile.
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting audiobook.
Doctor Dolittle and his friends travel to South America to meet the greatest naturalist in the New World.
A note to listeners: This book was written in a different time, and as such, contains language and sentiments that are offensive to modern sensibilities.
Doctor Dolittle's Zoo by Hugh Lofting audiobook.
Doctor Dolittle, the man who can speak with the animals, is back home but running short of money to care for all the animals who need his help. He invites animals into his garden and encourages them to build their own societies and come and go as they please. This works very well. He has a mouse and rat town, a dog community, a burrow for badgers, and so forth. This does not make any money and only gets him into trouble with his neighbors. But the stories told by these mice and rats are entertaining and fun. And there is a mystery too, which Kling, the dog detective, helps solve. All of this with Lofting's usual delightful whimsy and light hearted touch that make you smile at every other sentence.
Doctor Dolittle's Post Office by Hugh Lofting audiobook.
Doctor Dolittle's Post Office is the exciting third in the series of Hugh Lofting's Doctor Dolittle books. As usual, the Doctor has many adventures while helping his animal friends and the people he meets. At the start book, Doctor Dolittle gets help from the sea birds to help to capture a notorious slave trader and free his captives, then organizes the postal service of a small African kingdom, Fantippo, ruled over by King Koko. He does this of course with the help of all his animal friends especially the birds. He discovers a hidden island populated by peace loving creatures, gets thrown into another African jail, invents animal alphabets, and defeats at least two armies. Each of the animals in the Dolittle family also tells a quaint and personal story. The postal program grows into a worldwide postal and publishing service for the benefit of animals everywhere. ..Whew! what an adventure!
The World I Live In by Helen Keller audiobook.
The World I Live In by Helen Keller is a collection of essays that poignantly tells of her impressions of the world, through her sense of touch, smell, her imagination and dreams.
My hand is to me what your hearing and sight together are to you. In large measure we travel the same highways, read the same books, speak the same language, yet our experiences are different. All my comings and goings turn on the hand as on a pivot. It is the hand that binds me to the world of men and women. The hand is my feeler with which I reach through isolation and darkness and seize every pleasure, every activity that my fingers encounter. With the dropping of a little word from another's hand into mine, a slight flutter of the fingers, began the intelligence, the joy, the fullness of my life. Helen Keller, quoted from her essay, The Seeing Hand
The Repairman by Harry Harrison audiobook.
This is a collection of 3 of Harry Harrison marvelous early stories that were published in Galaxy, Analog and Fantastic Universe. The Repairman (1958) is a straight fun SF story of a man getting a job done. It is most typical of his later style in series like the Stainless Steel Rat; Toy Shop (1962), a short piece exploring bureaucratic blindness and one ingenious way around it and The Velvet Glove (1956), my favorite for its writing style, fun perspective, sly social commentary on the scene in 1956 and just plain delightful imagination. And he manages to pack excitement and mystery in at the same time.
The Misplaced Battleship by Harry Harrison audiobook.
"It might seem a little careless to lose track of something as big as a battleship ... but interstellar space is on a different scale of magnitude. But a misplaced battleship—in the wrong hands!—can be most dangerous." The world class con man and thief known as the Stainless Steel Rat (diGriz) has another very big problem to solve and this science fiction novella by the great Harry Harrison will see if he can solve it and perhaps four or five more like it before this fascinating and funny tale is finished. 'Use a thief to catch a thief' sounds great but it sometimes has unexpected results.
The K-Factor by Harry Harrison audiobook.
The human race has reached the stars, colonized many planets and done amazing things in all areas of scientific progress. But humans are still humans and remain both honorable and not so honorable; some with high ideals and others with very low ones indeed. So why hasn't war occurred in several centuries among the hundreds of planets? Has man really changed? Not on your life it hasn't! Read how science has given man peace but at what cost?
Planet of the Damned by Harry Harrison audiobook.
Once in a generation, a man is born with a heightened sense of empathy. Brion Brandd used this gift to win the Twenties, an annual physical and mental competition among the best and smartest people on Anvhar. But scarcely able to enjoy his victory, Brandd is swept off to the hellish planet Dis where he must use his heightened sense of empathy to help avert a global nuclear holocaust by negotiating with the blockading fleet, traversing the Disan underworld, and cracking the mystery of the savagely ruthless magter.
Arm of the Law by Harry Harrison audiobook.
A quiet backwater outpost on Mars gets a surprise in the form of a new police recruit - in a box! Yep, it's a prototype robot cop sent to the backwater station for testing. And Harrison tells the strange, funny and scary things that begin to happen after that, as only he can.
The Brand of Silence by Harrington Strong audiobook.
Harrington Strong was a pseudonym used by author Johnston McCulley, creator of the character Zorro and many others. The Brand of Silence - A Detective Story finds Sidney Prale returning to New York after ten years during which he sought his fortune. But he finds New York a very changed place, and even more distressing, he finds that his old friends are now turning their backs on him, his old haunts no longer welcome him, and there seems to be a conspiracy against him.
Why can't he receive service in hotels, restaurants, and theaters that he once frequented? Who is working against him? And just as importantly, why? And what is the meaning of the notes he receives which remind him of "retribution"?
Janet of the Dunes by Harriet T. Comstock audiobook.
Known primarily for her children's books, Harriet T. Comstock would occasionally depart from that genre and showcase her writing talent in adult prose as well. Janet of the Dunes is one such departure wherein she masterfully takes us into the lives of the bold men and women who tended those life saving stations along the seaboard which many a ship relied upon for their safety. They were simple people, large of heart and as close-knit as a tiny community can and must ever be, and they, above all else, took their duties very seriously. The story revolves primarily around Janet and her "Cap'n Billy Daddy" and how their lives and their devotion to one another are touched by the others within the small circle of people of the dunes, the hills, and the light.
The Wailing Octopus by Harold L. Goodwin audiobook.
Rick and Scotty fly off to the Caribbean, along with Drs. Briotti and Zircon, in search of pirate treasure. They soon become entangled with foreign spies and a hurricane and Steve Ames and the U.S. Navy, and it's a non-stop race to the treasure!
Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet by Harold L. Goodwin audiobook.
"Foster, Lieutenant, R. I. P.," blared the voice horn, and five minutes later Rip Foster was off into space on an assignment more exciting than any he had ever imagined. He could hardly believe his ears. Could a green young Planeteer, just through his training, possibly carry out orders like these? Sunny space, what a trick it would be! From the moment Rip boards the space ship Scorpius there is a thrill a minute. He and his nine daring Planeteers must cope with the merciless hazing of the spacemen commanding the ship, and they must outwit the desperate Connies, who threaten to plunge all of space into war. There are a thousand dangers to be faced in high vacuum—and all of this while carrying out an assignment that will take every reader's breath away.
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen audiobook.
The Little Mermaid" (Danish: Den lille havfrue, literally: "the little sea lady") is a very well known fairy tale by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen about a young mermaid willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince. The tale was first published in 1837 and has been adapted to various media including musical theatre and animated film. But this tale is not the Disney version, all cleaned up and made pretty. This is the way Andersen wrote it. The Little Mermaid is indeed at the happy wedding of her beloved prince, but she is not the bride. And then she becomes a big bubble. Curious? Listen and find out what happens.
The Protector by Harold Bindloss audiobook.
Harold Bindloss, while born in England, based most of his novels in western Canada, and The Protector is based primarily in and around Vancouver and Victoria.
There is often danger involved in the mining and timber industries north of Vancouver, and there is also danger in the trust given to people who own and operate these mines and timber lands. And finding one's way in locating them can be equally as difficult as well. Wallace Vane and his trusted friend Carroll seemed to encounter these dangers in a seemingly endless journey both for business purposes and for adventure in their search for adequate timber land which they had inadvertently heard of.
What is the driving force behind Wallace Vane? Did he regret leaving his home country and the people he knew when he left England, therefore had something to prove, but didn't even realize it himself? Was it simply a secret joy that he received whenever he observed the beauty of his adopted country with its mountains, forests, and crystal clear water? Perhaps it was his reasonable success in the lumber industry? Or was it something deeper within him? Something, perhaps, that he didn't even recognize himself?
Northwest! by Harold Bindloss audiobook.
Northwest! takes place in western Canada, primarily western Alberta and British Columbia. The story revolves around Jimmy not being sure whether or not he shot and killed a Northwest Mounted while he and some friends were out hunting one day. Not exactly a bushman, he needs to head northwest to avoid capture by the officials who are out to find him and bring him to trial. At least that's what he suspects. Survival in the wilderness for one who was raised in British class proves to be a daunting experience, and we learn of the trials he is to be put through while he is on the lam.
The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen audiobook.
This is a recording of seven immortal and delightful fairy tales written by Hans Christian Andersen. The Little Match Girl is of course the first, followed by The Swineherd, The Real Princess, The Leap Frog, The Elderbush, The Bell and finally, The Old House. They cover a wide range of topics but all demonstrate the storytelling genius of the prolific Danish author who gave us so many memorable and cherished tales.
The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen audiobook.
This is a collection of a few of my personal favorite stories by Hans Christian Andersen that I most loved as a child and still enjoy as an adult. The Emperor's New Clothes was funny from my earliest years because even then I could see that it poked fun at adults and their silly pretensions; The Ugly Duckling I think, was enjoyable because the bullied little one turned out so well and it had a happy ending although I thought even as a child that the protagonist should have gone back and brought those mean barnyard fowl down a peg or two. Little Tiny or Thumbellina is just a sweet story with adventure thrown in and The Brave Little Tin Soldier was and is a tribute to bravery and steadfastness. The last story, There Is No Doubt About It ! was so obviously silly and fun even to a young child and frankly, I just love the way the animals talk in this story.
The Spirit of Sweetwater by Hamlin Garland audiobook.
Clement had unwittingly succeeded where others had failed at mining in the western Colorado mountains. Now he found himself wanting to share his success with some deserving soul, and one day found a young dying woman to whom he seemed inexplicably drawn. However he had a past which his conscience told him must be revealed in order for him to be worthy of a dying woman's love. Should a man of means expend the effort to clear his conscience in order to attempt a relationship destined to last but a short time?
The Green World by Hal Clement audiobook.
The planet was an enigma. Among the thousands of inhabitable planets that had been discovered and visited, Veridis alone seemed to defy the laws of planetary development and evolution. It was extremely young, barely 10 million years had passed since it was completely molten and yet now it was covered with life of all kinds; kinds that should have not had a chance to even begin to develop, much less reach their current stage. To investigate this anomaly among the stars, a team of experienced specialists was sent out to delve further into the mystery and if possible, solve it. Other than the obvious fields of planetology and geology, other specialties were included like paleontology and archaeology. The highly dangerous flora and fauna of the planet do not help at all. So, what is the cause? It lies deeper in the Green Planet than anyone thinks and is much more dangerous than they can ever imagine.
Attitude by Hal Clement audiobook.
They had been captured, but by whom? And why where they allowed to build anything they wanted to escape? The space cruiser was powerful and built to fight anything in the galaxy, but somehow, in the empty rift between galaxies, they had been rendered helpless and brought to this prison. Even stranger was that their captors had not harmed any of them at all, used no weapons and allowed them to use all equipment brought from their ship inside the prison. And did not utter a sound. Stranger and stranger. Where were they, and how could they escape? And where could they go if they did? Follow these space men as they match wits with an utterly unknown life form
The Call of Cthulhu by H. P. Lovecraft audiobook.
The worshipers of this ancient tentacled horror are still with us, waiting for this terrible being to awake and take vengeance again on an earth filled with nonbelievers. Lovecraft delves into this eons old cult in the greatest detail of any of his stories about Cthulhu and gives us hints about how it is worshiped and the abominable rituals involved. Creepy. Very creepy.
Herbert West - Re-Animator by H. P. Lovecraft audiobook.
"Herbert West—Reanimator" is a story by American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft that was first serialized in February through July 1922 in the amateur publication Home Brew. The story was the basis of the 1985 horror film Re-Animator and its sequels, in addition to numerous other adaptations in various media. You want zombies? Listen to this because Lovecraft was one of the very first and he got zombies right: scary, evil, implacable and out to get you.
Jacqueline of Golden River by H. M. Egbert audiobook.
Jacqueline seems to have contracted a touch of amnesia, as she is found in an apartment with a dead man, and with a weapon in her hand. But she remembers nothing of any incident, remembers not her name nor where she comes from, not even why she is where she was found. She only remembers her father, and that he is in danger. Action and adventure soon follow, as Paul Hewlett and Jacqueline attempt to get answers to her questions, taking them on a journey into Quebec and points northward, and Paul knows that they are being followed during their trip. What secrets are both Jacqueline and Paul unaware of? What will they uncover following their northbound journey? Who is Jacqueline?
H. M. Egbert was one of multiple pseudonyms used by author Victor Rousseau Emanuel.
Half-Past Bedtime by H. H. Bashford audiobook.
Ah, the wonderful adventures of Marian after she meets the strange Mr. Jugg. "And who are you, Mr Jugg?" she inquired. "I'm the King of the Bumpies," he replied. When Marian was puzzled there came a little straight line, exactly in the middle, between her two eyebrows. "What are bumpies?" she said. "My hat!" he gasped. "Haven't you ever heard of bumpies?" Marian shook her head. "Oh dear, oh dear!" he sighed. "Have you ever heard of angels?" "Well, of course," said Marian. "Everybody's heard of angels." "Well then, bumpies," said Mr Jugg, "are baby angels. They're called bumpies till they've learned to fly." "I see," said Marian, "but why are they called bumpies?" "Because they bump," said Mr Jugg, "not knowing how."
The Passionate Friends by H. G. Wells audiobook.
H. G. Wells is best known for his science fiction, but some of his greatest works were in other genres. The Passionate Friends is a love story. It also is a story about dreams, despair, jealousy, sex, the struggle against social convention, the future of civilization, and much much more. It is written by a father to his son, "not indeed to the child you are now, but to the man you are going to be." He writes it so that one day, perhaps when he is dead, his grown son can read it and rediscover him as a friend and equal. In the process, he tries to make sense of a lifetime's experiences and distill some kind of wisdom from them. It is quite simply a beautiful book, both inspiring and heartbreaking.
The Discovery Of The Future by H. G. Wells audiobook.
The Discovery of the Future is a 1902 philosophical lecture by H. G. Wells that argues for the knowability of the future. It was originally delivered to the Royal Institution on January 24, 1902. Wells begins by distinguishing between "two divergent types of mind," one that judges and attaches importance principally to what has happened in the past and one that judges and attaches importance principally to what will happen in the future. To the former he attributes the adjectives "legal or submissive," "passive," and "oriental," and to the latter the adjectives "legislative, creative, organizing, or masterful," and "active," calling it "a more modern and much less abundant type of mind."... Confessing himself to be among "those who believe entirely in the forces behind the individual" rather than in individuals themselves as determining causes, Wells argues that there is "no reason why we should not aspire to, and discover and use, safe and serviceable, generalizations upon countless issues in the human destiny." Wells devotes the last part of his text to speculations about "the question what is to come after man," considering it "the most persistently fascinating and the most insoluble question in the whole world." He concludes with a statement of personal faith "in the coherency and purpose in the world and in the greatness of human destiny."
Ann Veronica by H. G. Wells audiobook.
Ann Veronica was a controversial book detailing the development of a naive school girl into a "New Woman". When it was published, the Spectator described it as a "poisonous book ... capable of poisoning the minds of those who read it." Although it is unlikely to offend modern listeners in this way, this novel addresses many feminist issues that are still relevant today.
The Man Who Lost Himself by H. De Vere Stacpoole audiobook.
Best known for his literary work The Blue Lagoon, which has been made into film several times over, H. De Vere Stacpoole’s first publication was a book titled The Intended in 1894. Stacpoole was disappointed at its lack of commercial success, and felt the story was too good to let go. He eventually re-worked the book, culminating in The Man Who Lost Himself, a light-hearted story of a luckless American visiting London on yet another of his failed business ventures, when he happens upon a gentleman of status and wealth, who also just happens to be his exact look-alike.
Time Crime by H. Beam Piper audiobook.
The Paratime Police had a real headache this time! Tracing one man in a population of millions is easy--compared to finding one gang hiding out on one of billions of probability lines!
Temple Trouble by H. Beam Piper audiobook.
Did you know that our little earth is not limited to the single time line on which we happen to live? There are actually thousands, no millions of parallel times, each existing alongside all the rest. Some extremely primitive, some very advanced, bot all unaware of the others. Of course this does not affect us at all, unless ... unless one of these time lines discovers the existence of the others and then a way to move easily back and forth from one to the other. Then a few problems might happen. Well, it has happened and the ParaPolice are kept busy sorting out things like what happened here ...
Space Viking by H. Beam Piper audiobook.
A galactic war has left the Terran Federation in ruins. Formerly civilized planets have decivilized into barbarism. Space Vikings roam the wreckage, plundering and killing for gain. Lord Lucas Trask of Traskon was no admirer of the Space Vikings, but when murder takes his wife on his wedding day, Trask trades everything he has for his own Space Viking ship and sets out on a galaxy-wide quest for revenge.
Oomphel in the Sky by H. Beam Piper audiobook.
Natives of the distant planet of Kwannon believe that their world is about to end, and in preparing for the apocalypse, may be unnecessarily bringing about their own demise. The planetary government can’t overcome its own bureaucracy to help them, and the military is overwhelmed. Can a single newsman change the course of a whole people, and save their world?
Naudsonce by H. Beam Piper audiobook.
Naudsonce? What does THAT mean? Well, to find out you will need to listen to this story where Piper's unique mind explores what we mean by 'communication' and how it happens. The joint Space Navy-Colonial Office expedition was looking for new planets suitable for colonization; they had been out, now, for four years, which was close to maximum for an exploring expedition. They had entered eleven systems, and made landings on eight planets. Three had been reasonably close to Terra-type but were all disqualified by terrible animals or warlike inhabitants. Now, finally here was an ideal world; their last chance before returning in disgrace. Now the only thing was to get an agreement from the local king or whatever to the colonization. Easy, right? Well first, you've got to talk to them ...... and there the trouble starts.
Ministry of Disturbance by H. Beam Piper audiobook.
Science Fiction at it humorous best written in the golden age of all the greats and published in Astounding Science Fiction December 1958. Piper can't be matched for sardonic comment on human nature. The Empire is stagnant; thousands of planets spread around Earth but nothing new is allowed to happen and disturb the static situation. Our emperor Paul knows this but is powerless to make a dent in the centuries old hide bound bureaucracy of intergalactic politics. But is there a plot to overthrow him? It certainly looks like it. Follow this story closely as it builds to an excellent and exciting climax. Piper's talent and creativity shine through in this story.
Lone Star Planet by H. Beam Piper audiobook.
New Texas: its citizens figure that name about says it all. The Solar League ambassador to the Lone Star Planet has the unenviable task of convincing New Texans that a s'Srauff attack is imminent, and dangerous. Unfortunately it's common knowledge that the s'Srauff are evolved from canine ancestors—and not a Texan alive is about to be scared of a talking dog! But unless he can get them to act, and fast, there won't be a Texan alive, scared or otherwise!
Last Enemy by H. Beam Piper audiobook.
An undercover Paratimer has disappeared on assignment while in an alternate time line, and it’s up to Verkan Vall of the Paratime Police to save her. To do so, he must infiltrate a universe in which assassination is an honorable profession, and reincarnation a scientific fact. Will Verkan Vall survive in a world of killers and the undead?
Four Day Planet by H. Beam Piper audiobook.
Fenris isn't a hell planet, but it's nobody's bargain. With 2,000-hour days and an 8,000-hour year, it alternates blazing heat with killing cold. A planet like that tends to breed a special kind of person: tough enough to stay alive and smart enough to make the best of it. When that kind of person discovers he's being cheated of wealth he's risked his life for, that kind of planet is ripe for revolution.
Fables for the Frivolous by Guy Wetmore Carryl audiobook.
One of the earliest works by the American parodist, Guy Wetmore Carryl, these fables are adapted from Jean de La Fontaine’s original writings. The fables are written in verse, and are light-hearted re-tellings of fables from two centuries before, each ending with a moral and a pun. Among the more celebrated of the fables are The Persevering Tortoise and the Pretentious Hare, The Arrogant Frog and the Superior Bull, and The Sycophantic Fox and the Gullible Raven.
The British Barbarians by Grant Allen audiobook.
After Civil Servant Philip Christy crosses paths with the mysterious Bertram Ingledew in the respectable suburb of Brackenhurst, Philip and his sister Frida, married to the wealthy Scot Robert Monteith, become friends with the stranger. Bertram has some unconventional concepts about society, and as the story unfolds, his beliefs and actions cause much disruption in the family and the neighbourhood.
Who is Bertram? Where does he come from? Allen explores some interesting ideas about society, some of which are curiously relevant today.
The story is preceded by an introduction which, although it may appear to have no connection with the story itself, the reader is earnestly besought by the author to read. The introduction begins as a diatribe against publishers, and develops into a philosophical justification of Allen's writing, and may, if desired, be omitted by the listener who is only interested in the story.
The Story of the Pony Express by Glenn D. Bradley audiobook.
The Story of the Pony Express offers an in depth account behind the need for a mail route to connect the eastern U.S. with the rapidly populating west coast following the gold rush of California, the springing up of lumber camps, and all incidental needs arising from the settling of the western frontier. Here we learn of the inception of the Pony Express, its formation, successes, failures, facts, statistics, combined with many anecdotes and names of the people who were an integral part of this incredible entity which lasted but less than two years, yet was instrumental in the successful settlement of two thirds of the land mass comprising the expanding country.
Orthodoxy by Gilbert K. Chesterton audiobook.
Orthodoxy is a book that has become a classic of Christian apologetics. In the book's preface Chesterton states the purpose is to "attempt an explanation, not of whether the Christian faith can be believed, but of how he personally has come to believe it." In it, Chesterton presents an original view of the Christian religion. He sees it as the answer to natural human needs, the "answer to a riddle" in his own words, and not simply as an arbitrary truth received from somewhere outside the boundaries of human experience.
Equation of Doom by Gerald Vance audiobook.
A world weary space pilot on the lam from earth for crimes unspecified; the most beautiful (earthly) tri-D woman in the universe who is determined to be the most powerful too; a planet of crafty and unscrupulous giant frogs intent on kicking out all aliens; and finally beings who live outside of time. Mix them all together and some very interesting things happen. Very interesting. And disastrous. But there's more! Why did 3000 worlds across the galaxy suddenly blossom almost simultaneously with very similar life and intelligence? Could there have been a common ancestor? Well, give or take a million years, simultaneously. The answer to all these questions is in this story. Listen and find out what happens in Equation of Doom.
Stoicism by George Stock audiobook.
This short book is part of the Philosophies Ancient and Modern series, which attempts to make Western philosophy more accessible to the general public.
In this volume, George Stock provides a concise primer on Stoicism, the ancient philosophy that maintained that the universe is governed entirely by fate, and that humans can achieve happiness only by cultivating a calm acceptance of the vicissitudes of life. Among the Stoics of the Greek and Roman world were its founder, Zeno, the former slave Epictetus, and the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. George Stock discusses not only the Stoic ethics, but also less well-known aspects of Stoicism, such as its division of the branches of philosophy, its account of logic, and its natural philosophy.
QRM-Interplanetary by George O. Smith audiobook.
QRM-Interplanetary is one of eleven science fiction novelettes by George O. Smith published in Astounding Science Fiction magazine between 1942 and 1945.
The Lifted Veil by George Eliot audiobook.
The Lifted Veil is a novella by George Eliot, first published in 1859. Quite unlike the realistic fiction for which Eliot is best known, The Lifted Veil explores themes of extrasensory perception, the essence of physical life, possible life after death, and the power of fate. The novella is a significant part of the Victorian tradition of horror fiction.
Silas Marner by George Eliot audiobook.
Silas Marner (originally published in 1861): Betrayed by a beloved friend and accused of a crime he didn’t commit, awkward Silas Marner is expelled from his beloved religious community — the only community he has ever known. He exiles himself in the remote village of Raveloe. Friendless and without family, set apart from the villagers by their superstition and fear of him, he plies his weaving trade day after day, storing up gold which becomes his idol. When his gold is stolen, he is rescued from despair by the arrival on his lonely hearth of a beautiful little girl, whom he adopts, and through whom he and the other people of the village learn that loving relationships are more fulfilling than material wealth.
Middlemarch by George Eliot audiobook.
The book examines the role of education in the lives of the characters and how such education and study has affected the characters. Rosamond Vincy's finishing school education is a foil to Dorothea Brooke's religiously-motivated quest for knowledge. Rosamond initially admires Lydgate for his exotic education, and his intellect. A similar dynamic is present in Dorothea and Casaubon's relationship, with Dorothea revering her new husband's intellect and eloquence. In both cases, however, the young wives' expectations of their husbands intellects are not reflected in reality.Despite extreme erudition, Mr. Casaubon is afraid to publish because he believes that he must write a work that is utterly above criticism. In contrast, Lydgate at times arrogantly flaunts his knowledge, making enemies with his fellow physicians. He regards the residents of Middlemarch with a certain amount of contempt stemming from his belief that the townspeople are backwards and uninteresting. However, his education has not included tact and politicking, skills necessary in a small town but are seen by Lydgate as below him, the brilliant doctor.
A Man of Honor by George Eggleston audiobook.
New Yorker Robert Pagebrook travels to Virginia to visit relatives. The Civil War has ended and family ties are in order to be re-established. All goes well; the family relationships are as they should be, perhaps even better than expected. Unique character studies develop as Pagebrook finds himself in a financial predicament, becoming indebted and with no resources available, as his bank back home has dissolved. It is up to Robert Pagebrook to find a way to prove to his kin that he is still a Man of Honor.
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw audiobook.
Pygmalion (1913) is a play by George Bernard Shaw based on the Greek myth of the same name. It tells the story of Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics (based on phonetician Henry Sweet), who makes a bet with his friend Colonel Pickering that he can successfully pass off a Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, as a refined society lady by teaching her how to speak with an upper class accent and training her in etiquette. In the process, Higgins and Doolittle grow close, but she ultimately rejects his domineering ways and declares she will marry Freddy Eynsford-Hill – a young, poor, gentleman. - The play was later the basis for the successful movie adaptation "My Fair Lady" with Audrey Hepburn as Eliza and Rex Harrison as Prof. Higgins.
Mrs. Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw audiobook.
The story centers on the relationship between Mrs Kitty Warren, a rich woman, described by the author as "on the whole, a genial and fairly presentable old blackguard of a woman" and her daughter, Vivie. Mrs Warren is a middle-aged woman whose Cambridge-educated daughter, Vivie, is horrified to discover the sinister way her mother acquired her fortune.
Arms and The Man by George Bernard Shaw audiobook.
Arms and the Man is a comedy by George Bernard Shaw that takes place in 1885, during the Serbo-Bulgarian War. Raina Petkoff is engaged to the gallant Sergius Saranoff, hero of the recent Bulgarian victory over the Serbs. But she is distracted by the abrupt arrival of Captain Bluntschli, a Swiss mercenary who fought for the Serbian army. He takes refuge in her bedroom after the battle and although he is initially threatening, reveals that he carries chocolate creams instead of bullets. Will Raina marry the posturing Sergius or the chocolate cream soldier? Extra intrigue is provided by saucy servant girl Louka, her dour fiance Nicola, and Raina's hand-wringing parents.
A Columbus of Space by Garrett P. Serviss audiobook.
A classic science fiction adventure in the style of and dedicated to the readers of Jules Verne. An independent scientist discovers the secret of “inter-atomic energy”, and with it builds a craft which carries himself and three friends to Venus, where they discover the dwellers of the dark side, incredible floating cities, and peril at every turn.
The Sign of the Broken Sword by G. K. Chesterton audiobook.
In the freezing English countryside, Father Brown leads Flambeau to the many monuments and shrines of the great General St. Claire. "Sacred to the Memory of General Sir Arthur St. Clare, Hero and Martyr, who Always Vanquished his Enemies and Always Spared Them, and Was Treacherously Slain by Them At Last. May God in Whom he Trusted both Reward and Revenge him." is the inscription that they read on each of them. Flambeau knows nothing of him but listens to the story of this man as Father Brown tells it. Was St. Claire truly a hero and martyr? What is the mystery behind his last foolish and hopeless charge against an overwhelming enemy? This detective story delves into human psychology for many of the clues to unravel the tangled threads. A fascinating story and said to be one of Chesterton's best Fr. Brown stories.
St. Francis of Assisi by G. K. Chesterton audiobook.
For Chesterton, Francis of Assisi is a great paradoxical figure, a man who loved women but vowed himself to chastity; an artist who loved the pleasures of the natural world as few have loved them, but vowed himself to the most austere poverty, stripping himself naked in the public square so all could see that he had renounced his worldly goods; a clown who stood on his head in order to see the world aright. Chesterton gives us Francis in his world-the riotously colorful world of the High Middle Ages, a world with more pageantry and romance than we have seen before or since. Here is the Francis who tried to end the Crusades by talking to the Saracens, and who interceded with the emperor on behalf of the birds. Here is the Francis who inspired a revolution in art that began with Giotto and a revolution in poetry that began with Dante. Here is the Francis who prayed and danced with pagan abandon, who talked to animals, who invented the creche. I read this book as a young man and not only did it introduce me to the amazing world of Chesterton, but it was a revelation of how an entire culture could be captured in a slim volume.
The Night of the Long Knives by Fritz Leiber audiobook.
"I was one hundred miles from Nowhere—and I mean that literally—when I spotted this girl out of the corner of my eye. I'd been keeping an extra lookout because I still expected the other undead bugger left over from the murder party at Nowhere to be stalking me." In a Post apocalyptic world, the few people left must be strong. And must not hesitate to kill. Of course, killing another Deathlander was one of the chief pleasures and urges of all the solitary wanders in this vast wasteland. Kill and kill again. But this other was a girl and that brought up the second great urge: sex. Which was it to be today? Perhaps both? And who would walk away afterward?
The Creature from Cleveland Depths by Fritz Leiber audiobook.
"The Creature from Cleveland Depths” also known as “The Lone Wolf” tells the story of a writer and his wife who refuse to move below-ground after the cold-war gets hot. The underground society discovers a decline in their ability to creatively innovate, and must consult with surface dwellers to develop products that satiate the needs of a people living like moles. But the latest product to result from this alliance, “The Tickler” has frightening implications that only our heroes seem to notice.
The 64-Square Madhouse by Fritz Leiber audiobook.
A machine of blinking lights and smelling of ozone is entered into a Grand Master chess tournament. One of the first of those things called computers. Would it be shamed by human genius or would it out think these human prodigies through sheer calculating power? Well, the machine was not perfect. It could be tricked. It could make mistakes. And—it could learn!
No Great Magic by Fritz Leiber audiobook.
They were a traveling group of Shakespearean players; perfectly harmless, right? wrong. For one thing, why did they have spacemen costumes in their wardrobes,next to caveman ones? Why was the girl in charge of backstage suffering from amnesia and agoraphobia? No Great Magic is needed to perform the plays they put on, but sometimes great science. No matter where, or when.
Nice Girl With 5 Husbands by Fritz Leiber audiobook.
Four quirky short stories by the talented Fritz Leiber: Nice Girl with 5 Husbands, A Pail of Air, The Last Letter and A Bad Day for Sales.
The Tunnel Under the World by Frederik Pohl audiobook.
This famous Pohl story explores cybernetic robots and implanted personalities in a way that certainly expanded my way of looking at reality. Is that wall really real? or is it just kinda, sorta real? And who am I? The protagonist, Guy Burckhardt, wakes up screaming from a horrible dream of explosions, searing fire, choking gas and other terrible ways to die. But he wakes up so it must have been just a bad nightmare, right? To find out that piece of information you will need to listen to this inventive and scary story.
The Knights of Arthur by Frederik Pohl audiobook.
Sailors Sam Dunlap and Arthur check in to a New York hotel to await their mate Vern Engdahl when a girl shows up proposing to purchase Arthur. They need guys like Arthur to help run the city, and the fact that he fits in a small suitcase is even better. – The Knights of Arthur was first published in the January 1958 edition of Galaxy Science Fiction magazine.
Search the Sky by Frederik Pohl audiobook.
Ross was a junior trader on Halsey's Planet, and had great prospects but was not happy at all. Everything smelled of decay. The whole planet seemed to be slowly disappearing, the population dwindling month by month and year by year and yet no one seemd to care or even notice. Something was very, very wrong. When the first interstellar transport in 30 years arrived on Halsey's Planet, it brought things to a head. The ship had touched on six other colony worlds - and all six had been devoid of human life. Where was everybody? It was almost as if humankind, when separated by cosmic distances from Mother Earth, could not survive. He didn't know the answer but he knew it all smelled highly of decay. Decay and Rot. This highly praised novel by C.M.Kornbluth and Frederick Pohl was first published in 1954 was seen as a wonderful satire on various trends in the society of the 1950's.
Over Prairie Trails by Frederick Philip Grove audiobook.
When Frederick Philip Grove settled in a remote area of Manitoba in the early years of the 20th century, he found work teaching in a school over 30 miles from his home. He commuted by horse-and-wagon or horse-and-sleigh each weekend, and seven of those long and challenging journeys are recorded in “Over Prairie Trails,” published in 1922.Grove has a sharp eye for details of nature that were of life-and-death importance to the lone prairie traveller — the shifting aspects of skies, wind, fog, and snow. On one level, the book is a treasury of documentary observation and nature writing.However, while Grove claims to offer a naturalist’s “plain truth,” we come to realize that he is creating a “tale” as much as a nature diary. He selects and arranges his material. Sometimes this means transforming his accounts into archetypal heroic journeys, casting himself as the Odyssean adventurer who battles his way through seas of snow and fog to return to his wife and child. At other times, his reports launch meditations on the nature of observation, consciousness, and the construction of meaning.“Over Prairie Trails” is a landmark in Canadian writing, influencing the way nature — especially the Canadian winter— would be written about for decades to come.
The Web of the Golden Spider by Frederick Orin Bartlett audiobook.
The Web of the Golden Spider is a tale of mystery, intrigue and adventure that begins in the city, progresses to a mutinous open sea voyage, eventually leading to the remotest areas on the slopes of the Andes of South America. Wilson, our hero, finds himself in the midst of a battle between a deposed queen and revolutionists who have banded together in an effort to bring their country together as a republic. Wilson, although torn between helping mercenaries, freedom fighters and revolutionaries, is more concerned with the rescuing of the girl he has fallen in love with, but who has been snatched from him by a mysterious priest. That, and the finding of the famed treasure of El Dorado rumored to have been buried beneath Lake Guadiva.
The Mystery of the Ravenspurs by Fred M. White audiobook.
The Ravenspurs have for generations resided quietly in prosperity and comfort at their seaside castle. But the clan is suddenly besieged with strange happenings which are dwindling the population of the family to only a few which remain, and those few find themselves in fear of becoming the very last of the powerful family if the cause of their untimely deaths and disappearances is not uncovered soon. It will take a great deal of detective work and a touch of travel to help unravel the mystery of the Ravenspurs.
The Harbor of Doubt by Frank Williams audiobook.
Young Code Schofield had lost his schooner May Schofield in an Atlantic gale a few months ago, and now the townspeople on the small island of Grande Mignon off the coast of New Brunswick were beginning to talk suspiciously of the events surrounding that loss. Insurance investigators have been summoned to investigate, friends are alienating themselves from Code, and he finds himsef challenged by even those he's known and trusted his whole life. Does Code Schofield have anything to prove, and if so, to whom, and why?
Buccaneers and the Pirates of Our Coast by Frank Richard Stockton audiobook.
Buccaneers is non-fiction, a highly readable history of how piracy began and spread throughout the region in response to the plundering of Spanish colonialism. It is written with great flair for the dramatic by the author of The Lady or the Tiger?
If you care to read along while listening, the online text features a facsimile version of Buccaneers & Pirates that includes an antique map of the Caribbean which is a nice reference for readers and listeners for islands’ names, ports, hideaways, and buried treasure!
3 Science Fiction Stories by Frank Herbert audiobook.
As the title indicates, here are three SF stories by Frank Herbert, Missing LInk, originaly purlished in Astounding SF, 1959; Operation Haystack, also published in Astounding SF 1959; and Old Rambling House, published in Galaxy SF 1958.
Concerning Genealogies by Frank Allaben audiobook.
Written over a century ago, this comprehensive book offers insight into the methods used (still to this day, in spite of modern computers) to research and compile a family history. As stated in the preface of the book, "Strong emphasis is laid upon the importance of employing the historical method..." which is sorely lacking in today's computerized compilations.
The Tragic Bride by Francis Brett Young audiobook.
The story centers on Gabrielle Hewish, only and lonely child of Sir Jocelyn Hewish, a loveable lush and owner of the peaceful Roscarna estate nestled in the Irish countryside. In due course, young Gabrielle falls in love with a Navy man whose untimely demise sends her into a depression, and the consequences of which alter her future, culminating in a fascinating and quite unpredictable relationship with Mrs. Payne and her troubled son Arthur. A story of understanding in it's finest sense and aptly titled, The Tragic Bride is both interesting as a story and telling as a character study.
Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett audiobook.
Little Lord Fauntleroy is a sentimental children's novel by American (English-born) author Frances Hodgson Burnett, serialized in St. Nicholas Magazine in 1885. It was a runaway hit for the magazine and was separately published in 1886. The book was a commercial success for its author, and its illustrations by Reginal Birch set fashion trends. Little Lord Fauntleroy also set a precedent in copyright law in 1888 when its author won a lawsuit over the rights to theatrical adaptations of the work.
The Lone Ranger Rides by Fran Striker audiobook.
Fans of the old radio shows and the TV series The Lone Ranger will recognize the characters in this book - the Lone Ranger, his faithful Indian sidekick Tonto and his trusty horse, Silver. The Lone Ranger Rides, a wonderful western story in itself, also details the origins of why a Texas Ranger would strike out on his own, wearing a mask at all times, and how he met his companions Tonto and his ever dependable equine friend Silver.
Twilight in Italy by D. H. Lawrence audiobook.
This is one of the author's "travel books", recounting his walking journeys in and around the Lago di Garda in Northern Italy. Every turn prompts musings on the nature and character of the people he encounters and their relationship to the land which they inhabit. His insights, while sometimes condescending, show elements of Lawrence's analysis of the human condition, and his despair over the relentless erosion of a bucolic environment with the advance of modernism.
The White Peacock by D. H. Lawrence audiobook.
Lawrence’s first novel is set in Nethermere (his name for the real-life Eastwood in Nottinghamshire). The plot is narrated by Cyril Beardsall and focuses in particular on the relationship of his sister Lettie with two admirers, the more handsome and down to earth George and the more effete gentleman Leslie. She eventually marries Leslie although she is sexually attracted to George. George marries the conventional Meg and both marriages end in unhappiness.The countryside of the English midlands is beautifully evoked and there is powerful description also of the impact of industrialisation on both town and country.
The Trespasser by D. H. Lawrence audiobook.
Brief Encounter meets Tristan und Isolde - on the Isle of Wight, under a vast sky florid with stars. The consequence is tragic indeed for one of the parties, Siegmund, when he sacrifices family life for a few days’ transcendent rapture. His lover, the self-contained Helena, is strong enough to bear a return to the scruffy suburbs. Redemption of a kind is granted to the deserted wife, Beatrice. But between these robust Lawrentian women Siegmund is cancelled out. His love-death is no cosmic swoon but a sordid exit in an unkempt box-room.
In this very British romance, there is no earthly escape from outworn attachments and life’s deadening routine...
The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence audiobook.
The Rainbow is a 1915 novel by British author D.H. Lawrence. It follows three generations of the Brangwen family, particularly focusing on the sexual dynamics of, and relations between, the characters.
The Prussian Officer and Other Stories by D. H. Lawrence audiobook.
The collection of short stories - of which The Prussian Officer is one - was Lawrence’s first such book. A German officer and his orderly are the focus of the piece and, while socially the superior of his orderly, the officer demonstrates his is the distinctly baser character.
The Lost Girl by D. H. Lawrence audiobook.
"There is no mistake about it, Alvina was a lost girl. She was cut off from everything she belonged to."
In this most under-valued of his novels, Lawrence once again presents us with a young woman hemmed in by her middle-class upbringing and (like Ursula Brangwen in The Rainbow) longing for escape. Alvina Houghton's plight, however, is given a rather comic and even picaresque treatment. Losing first her mother, a perpetual invalid, and later her cross-dressing father, a woefully ineffectual small-scale entrepreneur, Alvina feels doomed to merge with the tribe of eternal spinsters who surround her in the dreary mining community of Woodhouse.
Into this drab environment enter the Natcha-Kee-Tawara: a polyglot, poly-amorous troupe of travelling players united, on- and off-stage, in a fantasy of Native American nomadism. Enter Ciccio, the surly dark-eyed horseman. The Italian's potent and threatening physicality overwhelms Alvina and soon will propel her into - what? Perdition, or the paradoxical freedom of a girl who 'like(s) being lost'?
Sea and Sardinia by D. H. Lawrence audiobook.
A travel book describing a journey taken by Lawrence and his wife Frieda (whom he refers to as the Queen Bee) by sea from Sicily to Sardinia and then in the interior of that island
England, My England by D. H. Lawrence audiobook.
A book of ten short stories, written with Lawrence's typical sensibility to and awareness of social mores, set around the period of the First World War
Tor, A Street Boy of Jerusalem by Florence Morse Kingsley audiobook.
Tor is a young beggar living in the city of Jerusalem during the tumultuous time of the Roman occupation. Shouts of hope are the last thing this street boy expects when he witnesses Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Tor comes face to face with the man Jesus and from that moment his life is forever changed. With thievery, injustice, and brutality as the backdrop of this novel, Tor learns to trade his hatred for love, and what it means to be a follower of Christ. This novel is for ages eight and up.
The Heart of Philura by Florence Morse Kingsley audiobook.
Once again Mrs Kingsley does not shy away from the highs and lows of life in the quickly changing world of the 1900s…the ageing women working to support themselves or their families, in jobs that will soon disappear...the washerwoman, butter-woman and the little dressmaker….the contrast between the socialite of Boston and the drudge in the kitchen….the old farmers and the independent, college-educated young people…and, with an acceptance of the realities of life we might think of as “modern”, the impact of an illegitimate child on the lives of its mother and her whole family. In her new role as the ministers wife, Miss Philura’s independent (dare one say rebellious?) spirit continues to blossom, while deep in her heart there is a secret longing waiting to be realised….The arrival of a mysterious new family in the village will have unexpected consequences for the lives of several people in Innesfield; fortunately the heart of Philura is big enough and brave enough to embrace it all.
Neighbors by Florence Morse Kingsley audiobook.
The final story featuring the inhabitants of the growing township of Innisfield: Mrs Philura Pettibone’s story reaches its long-awaited conclusion and Miss Malvina’s life is changed forever by the arrival of various ”fur’ners”. Published in 1917, with America’s entry into the war in Europe imminent, the story dwells on friendships, the melting- pot of nationalities that make up the USA, and the personal struggle between pacifism and patriotism in wartime. While the writing keeps its gently ironic style for most of the time, it also features more serious and sometimes rather melodramatic themes.
Miss Philura's Wedding Gown by Florence Morse Kingsley audiobook.
Follow-up to "The Transfiguration of Miss Philura"....will the conviction of mild-mannered Miss Philura that "Ask and you have already received" be proved right or will her hopes be dashed, and the disapproving judgement of her fellow parishioners and neighbours be vindicated instead? Witty and gently critical observations on life in a small American township, particulary its female population, and the stirrings of change at the turn of the century.
And So They Were Married by Florence Morse Kingsley audiobook.
This is the story of Elizabeth North, a young woman who becomes engaged and with the aid of a social climbing friend begins to plan her wedding beyond what she can afford. Her friend Evelyn Tripp convinces Elizabeth that she “simply can’t afford” not to live a fashionable and expensive lifestyle. However, her husband and her grandma help her to see sense and pull herself out of the debt she has got herself into.
The Turnpike House by Fergus Hume audiobook.
A prolific writer of crime and detective stories Fergus Hume is known for his clever plots. The Turnpike House is another wonderful example of his many intriguing mysteries. EXCERPT: "Suddenly there was the cry of a human being in pain. The light was extinguished, and the mists closed thicker round the ruined building; it might be to hide the sight within the room. Could the walls only have spoken they would have shouted "Murder!" with most miraculous voice. But the age of miracles being past, the walls were dumb, and there was no clamour to greet the horror of this deed done in darkness."
The Spider by Fergus Hume audiobook.
Arthur Vernon, member of the Athenian club and member of “society,” has a secret. His father has died and left him destitute, so he has begun a private investigation agency under the name “Nemo.” It would be disastrous if this were known among his associates at the club, and especially if his intended in-laws found out. But he is quite sure no one else knows, that is until his old college classmate, Constantine Maunders, visits him with a proposition he can’t refuse. Maunders knows all, and he wants to be made a partner in the agency, providing “Nemo” with black-mail worthy information on other people in society in return for a share of the financial rewards for their silence. Vernon is appalled, particularly as “Nemo” is engaged in solving a high profile blackmail case. These are the beginning of Vernons conundrums as the clues unfold.
The Silver Bullet by Fergus Hume audiobook.
Dr. Jim Herrick and his friend Robin are on a walking tour in the English countryside when they come across a large house where all the lights in the house are on and all of the doors are open. While trying to find someone at home, they discover the body of Colonel Carr, dead from a gunshot wound. After reporting their discovery to the authorities, Dr. Jim decides he would investigate the murder. Suspects abound as the Colonel was an intensely disliked person. A classic “who done it” written by a well respected British mystery writer will hold the attention of a listener throughout the tale.
The Sacred Herb by Fergus Hume audiobook.
A rich playboy comes home from travels abroad and is bully-ragged by his eccentric aunt into finding meaning for his life. This he does by helping a school chum save his fiancée from the gallows and the playboy falls head over heels in love with the fiancée. A web of deception and lies is revealed and also a long list of who loves who filled with how much each is willing to accept. The colorful cast includes a south sea captain, a fortuneteller, and a colorful doctor who is an authority on the inhabitants and customs of Easter Island. Then, of course, there is the sacred herb!—Enjoy!!
The Pagan's Cup by Fergus Hume audiobook.
A quiet seaside village with an old church and older family and its tyrannical head who tries to mould her adopted son to her whims, the vicar and his beautiful daughter and stranger looking for acceptance among the natives and the invisible bind among them forms the background for this English Mystery
The Opal Serpent by Fergus Hume audiobook.
An old pawnbroker is found strangled with his lips pinned together with an opal serpent broach. He has a beautiful daughter who is apparently the heir of his large estate. But another claimant has made herself known as the actual daughter of the pawnbroker. Follow detective Hurd as he unravels the convoluted mystery of the old man’s death and attempts to determine who is the rightful heir.
The Mikado Jewel by Fergus Hume audiobook.
A widow has been murdered in the home of a relative on a foggy night in London town when all residents were off on to the theatre, and one to run an errand involving the title bauble. Who done it? Old dark house mystery full of period cliches is pulp fun for the new year.
The Lady From Nowhere by Fergus Hume audiobook.
A mysterious woman is found murdered in a yellow boudoir. Who is she and where does she come from? Detective Absalom Gebb is on the case.
The Girl From Malta by Fergus Hume audiobook.
One evening as the P. and O.'s vessel "Neptune" steams away from Australia to Britain, Ronald Monteith, a young, wealthy Australian is taken into the confidence of a fellow-passenger Lionel Ventin who relates the story of his rather tragic life. When Ventin is found stabbed to death in his cabin the next morning Monteith vows to find the murderer, thinking it must surely be the vengeful wife of whom he spoke who is responsible. When arriving in London he immediately seeks the help of a barrister and a detective. However, as he delves deeper into the mystery, he is mortified to find the evidence begins to point to the girl he has fallen in love with - the girl from Malta..
The Crimson Cryptogram by Fergus Hume audiobook.
Young Dr Ellis, a struggling new physician, is enjoying a quiet evening smoking and enjoying conversation with his journalist friend Cass, when their mysterious neighbour, Mrs Moxton, bursts in upon them with startling news - her husband has been murdered! Rushing to the scene, the two men discover Mr Moxton, stabbed in the back. They investigate the body thoroughly, but find no real clues to his assailant except for a mysterious series of markings, scrawled in blood on the dead man's sleeve
The Clock Struck One by Fergus Hume audiobook.
Fergus Hume was a prolific writer of Victorian murder mysteries and The Clock Struck One is another great example of his inventive plots. Julian Edermont living in near seclusion for the last 20 years fearful of an unknown assailant is beaten to death in his study following an argument with his ward's fiance Dr. Allen Scott. The secret revealed to Allen during this argument is such that he breaks off his engagement to Dora refusing to reveal the cause. Since those around her seem unwilling to share what they know it is up to Dora to discover the truth and unmask the murderer of her guardian.
The Bishop's Secret by Fergus Hume audiobook.
Bishop Pendle is the Church of England bishop in a small fictitious English cathedral town. Several years into his work, he receives a visit from a disreputable-looking visitor. The bishop is much upset. What transpired between them that has so upset the good churchman? And then there is the murder. Fergus Hume was one of the most prolific and most popular of 19th century novelists. "Mr. Hume won a reputation second to none for plot of the stirring, ingenious, misleading, and finally surprising kind, and for working out his plot in vigorous and picturesque English. In "The Bishop's Secret," while there is no falling off in plot and style, there is a welcome and marvelous broadening out as to the cast of characters, representing an unusually wide range of typical men and women. These are not laboriously described by the author, but are made to reveal themselves in action and speech in a way that has, for the reader, all the charm of personal intercourse with living people...."
Red Money by Fergus Hume audiobook.
Greed and lost love collide to create dark secrets. Through twists and turns, corrupt aristocrats let family and honor overshadow love and true happiness. In the end, evil passes and good endures.
Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume audiobook.
“The following report appeared in the Argus newspaper of Saturday, the 28th July, 18--
“Truth is said to be stranger than fiction, and certainly the extraordinary murder which took place in Melbourne on Thursday night, or rather Friday morning, goes a long way towards verifying this saying. A crime has been committed by an unknown assassin, within a short distance of the principal streets of this great city, and is surrounded by an impenetrable mystery. …
“On the twenty-seventh day of July, at the hour of twenty minutes to two o'clock in the morning, a hansom cab drove up to the police station in Grey Street, St. Kilda, and the driver made the startling statement that his cab contained the body of a man who he had reason to believe had been murdered….” (Excerpt from the first chapter.)
Hagar of the Pawn-Shop by Fergus Hume audiobook.
Hagar Stanley, a beautiful young Gypsy, is driven by sexual harassment to leave her tribe and seek refuge with her uncle Jacob, a miserly London pawnbroker. He dies after teaching Hagar the business, and she takes over running the popshop till the legitimate heir can be traced. In the odd assortment of objects that pass across her counter, Hagar uncovers one mystery after another. Some items are linked to actual crimes, others to iniquitous acts of human deceit and betrayal. Whether investigating independently or alongside the police, Hagar combines her native shrewdness with woman's intuition to help untangle the webs of wickedness she encounters, that justice might prevail in the end. Though the individual mysteries in Hagar of the Pawn-shop may be read separately, they are so arranged by Fergus Hume as to form a linked set, with characters from earlier stories popping up again later on, one as Hagar's love interest and another as her nemesis.
The Offshore Pirate by F. Scott Fitzgerald audiobook.
This is a long short story in 6 parts from Fitzgerald's 1920 short story collection, Flappers and Philosophers. It predates the screwball movie comedies of the 1930's in that it features a determined young heiress trying to get what she wants out of life.
The Ice Palace by F. Scott Fitzgerald audiobook.
The story is about Sally Carrol Happer, a young southern woman from the fictional city of Tarleton, Georgia, who becomes engaged one summer to Harry Bellamy, a man from an unspecified northern town. The following winter, on a visit to Harry's home town to meet Harry's family, Sally Carrol begins to have second thoughts...
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald audiobook.
The curious Case of Benjamin Button, a 1921 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, now a major motion picture, features Benjamin Button, who, born as an old man much to the dismay and chagrin of his father and family Doctor, ages backwards until he leaves this world as a newborn.
The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald audiobook.
This novel tells the story of Anthony Patch, a 1920s socialite and presumptive heir to a tycoon's fortune; the relationship with his wife Gloria, his service in the army, and alcoholism.
Tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald audiobook.
Tales of the Jazz Age (1922) is a collection of eleven short stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Divided into three separate parts, according to subject matter, it includes one of his better-known short stories, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". Several of the stories had also been published earlier, independently, in either The Metropolitan, Saturday Evening Post, Smart Set, Collier's, Chicago Tribune, or Vanity Fair.
Flappers and Philosophers by F. Scott Fitzgerald audiobook.
Flappers and Philosophers was the first collection of short stories written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1920. It includes eight stories: * "The Offshore Pirate" * "The Ice Palace" * "Head and Shoulders" * "The Cut-Glass Bowl" * "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" * "Benediction" * "Dalyrimple Goes Wrong" * "The Four Fists"
Bernice Bobs Her Hair by F. Scott Fitzgerald audiobook.
Pretty but socially clueless Bernice lets her know-it-all cousin push her around, but eventually, something's gotta give!
Man Overboard! by F. Marion Crawford audiobook.
Peculiar happenings aboard the schooner Helen B. Jackson when one night during a storm, the small crew found themselves diminished by one. Somebody had gone overboard, and it was surmised that it was one of the twin Benton brothers. But oddly enough, it seemed that the 'presence' of the missing twin continued to exist on board during the following weeks. For example, one extra set of silverware was found to be used after each meal, but nobody claimed to be using them. What then did happen that stormy night, and which brother, if indeed it was one of the brothers, was the man who went overboard?
Sentry of the Sky by Evelyn E. Smith audiobook.
There had to be a way for Sub-Archivist Clarey to get up in the world—but this way was right out of the tri-di dramas
The Biography of a Grizzly by Ernest Thompson Seton audiobook.
I first read this little book when I was in the fifth grade, and now more than fifty years later, I still find it fascinating. Ernest Thompson Seton was a man with a concern for nature her creatures and an excellent story teller. I could almost feel Wahb, the great grizzly’s pain and frustration as he tried to avoid contact with humans and just be left alone to carry out his bear business. Listening to this audio book will be an hour and a half well spent.
The Jack-Knife Man by Ellis Parker Butler audiobook.
A lighthearted tale which revolves around old Peter Lane, who lives in a houseboat on the Mississippi River and mostly whiles away his time whittling with his jack-knife and not really doing much else. That is, until one night, a sickly woman knocks at his boat door holding her son in her arms. This encounter would change Peter's life, as the old man befriends little Buddy and is determined to keep him and raise him as his own, provided he is able to keep a host of others from laying claim to the orphan.
The Confessions of a Daddy by Ellis Parker Butler audiobook.
The wry humor of Ellis Parker Butler, who gave us the classic Pigs Is Pigs, takes us into his own married life where Marthy and Hiram live quietly in their Colorado town. They don't have trouble with anyone of their neighbors. Why should they, as they don't have any kids that could cause the neighbors trouble? And oh, luckily they don't have kids because how could Hiram otherwise afford to give his wife, Marthy a new silk dress? Really lucky. The neighbors kids are cute and all but ugh, they are much better off without kids and their expenses and sicknesses and trouble. Except that one boy, well, he's cool, Hiram wouldn't mind having him around and teaching him how to fish. Or maybe the neighbors youngest daughter, shes so nice. All of this superiority changes when they expect a child of their own and then the poor little thing is born. Funny, poignant and oh, so true!
The Master-Knot of Human Fate by Ellis Meredith audiobook.
A tale of two people, and their search for answers to unknown questions. Adam and Robin find themselves inexplicably alone after an apparent natural cataclysm, and are compelled to learn how to survive, how to endure, but most importantly to themselves, how to enjoy, understand their new roles in life, and understand each other.
Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell audiobook.
If you like Jane Austen, you will probably like this book!
Mrs. Gaskell, as she was often referred to, is considered one of the greatest British novelists of the Victorian era. She was one of the earliest novelists ever to use dialect in her works, finding often that no word but the vernacular would suffice to convey the meaning she wanted to achieve. She was the author of The Life of Charlotte Brontë, a much-acclaimed and sometimes-reviled biography of her friend and peer.
Wives and Daughters revolves around Molly Gibson, only daughter of a widowed doctor living in a provincial English town in the 1830s. The novel was first published in the Cornhill Magazine as a serial from August 1864 to January 1866. When Mrs Gaskell died suddenly in 1865, it was not quite complete, and the last section was written by Frederick Greenwood.
Ruth by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell audiobook.
The book is a social novel, dealing with Victorian views about sin and illegitimacy. It is a surprisingly compassionate portrayal of a 'fallen woman', a type of person normally outcast from respectable society. The title of the novel refers to the main character Ruth Hilton, an orphaned young seamstress who is seduced and then abandoned by gentleman Henry Bellingham. Ruth, pregnant and alone, is taken in by a minister and his sister. They conceal her single status under the pretense of widowhood in order to protect her child from the social stigma of illegitimacy. Ruth goes on to gain a respectable position in society as a governess, which is threatened by the return of Bellingham and the revelation of her secret.
Round the Sofa by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell audiobook.
Round the Sofa (1859), is a book of stories by the lady that Charles Dickens called his “dear Scheherazade” due to her skill as a story teller. That Lady was Mrs. Elizabeth Gaskell (North and South, Wives and Daughters, Cranford etc.). Mrs. Gaskell begins with Round the Sofa, a short story which she uses as a device to stitch together six previously published stories into a single work. It introduces us to a set of characters who take turns to recount stories to one another during their weekly soirée. My Lady Ludlow tells the story of the widowed, aristocratic Lady Ludlow and her fierce resistance to change. It is told through the eyes of one of her young charges. Incidentally, it was one of the books used to create the TV series Cranford. An Accursed Race is actually an essay about a persecuted minority group, the Cagots in Western France. The Doom of the Griffiths. A Gothic short story about a cursed family and set in Wales. Half a Life-Time Ago. A novella set in the Wiltshire Dales. The Poor Clare. A Ghostly short story! The Half Brothers. A sad short story about brotherly love and a sheep-dog dog named Lassie!
North and South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell audiobook.
Set in Victorian England, North and South is the story of Margaret Hale, a young woman whose life is turned upside down when her family relocates to northern England. As an outsider from the agricultural south, Margaret is initially shocked by the aggressive northerners of the dirty, smoky industrial town of Milton. But as she adapts to her new home, she defies social conventions with her ready sympathy and defense of the working poor. Her passionate advocacy leads her to repeatedly clash with charismatic mill owner John Thornton over his treatment of his workers. While Margaret denies her growing attraction to him, Thornton agonizes over his foolish passion for her, in spite of their heated disagreements. As tensions mount between them, a violent unionization strike explodes in Milton, leaving everyone to deal with the aftermath in the town and in their personal lives.
Elizabeth Gaskell serialized North and South between September 1854 and January 1855 in Charles Dickens’s magazine Household Words. Upon its publication, Gaskell established herself as a novelist capable of serious discourse on social responsibility and advocacy for change in defiance of established authority.
Mr. Harrison's Confessions by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell audiobook.
It is asserted that the inspiration for Elizabeth Gaskell's marvellous stories of Cranford was her childhood home of Knutsford, a small town in Cheshire and to where she returned for a while as a young woman. This assertion is born out by an essay she wrote in 1849 entitled The Last Generation in England, in which she writes about "The town in which I once resided ...". There can be little doubt when reading this that it provided her with the template for Cranford.
In 1851 the year she began to write Cranford, she also wrote a novella entitled Mr. Harrison's Confessions. It describes the life of a country doctor in a small provincial town. Mrs. Gaskell's model for this town could also only have been Knutsford which she knew and loved so well. The story revolves around the arrival in the town of a young doctor and the attempts of the ladies of the town to place his status within their society and of course to find him a suitable wife. It is often thought of as a prequel to Cranford
Both of these pieces together with the novels, My Lady Ludlow and Cranford were used by the BBC to create the Television series Cranford in 2007.
Cranford by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell audiobook.
Cranford is the best-known novel of the 19th century English writer Elizabeth Gaskell. It was first published in 1851 as a serial in the magazine Household Words, which was edited by Charles Dickens.
The fictional town of Cranford is closely modelled on Knutsford in Cheshire, which Mrs Gaskell knew well. The book has little in the way of plot and is more a series of episodes in the lives of Mary Smith and her friends, Miss Matty and Miss Deborah, two spinster sisters. The "major" event in the story is the return to Cranford of their long-lost brother, Peter, which in itself is only a minor portion of the work...
Cousin Phillis by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell audiobook.
Cousin Phillis (1864) is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell about Paul Manning, a youth of seventeen who moves to the country and befriends his mother's family and his second cousin Phillis Holman, who is confused by her own placement at the edge of adolescence. Most critics agree that Cousin Phillis is Gaskell's crowning achievement in the short novel. The story is uncomplicated; its virtues are in the manner of its development and telling.
Peace on Earth, Good Will to Dogs by Eleanor Hallowell Abbott audiobook.
If you don't like Christmas stories, don't read this one!
And if you don't like dogs, I don't know just what to advise you to do!
For I warn you perfectly frankly that I am distinctly pro-dog and distinctly pro-Christmas, and would like to bring to this little story whatever whiff of fir-balsam I can cajole from the make-believe forest in my typewriter, and every glitter of tinsel, smudge of toy candle, crackle of wrapping paper, that my particular brand of brain and ink can conjure up on a single keyboard! And very large-sized dogs shall romp through every page! And the mercury shiver perpetually in the vicinity of zero! And every foot of earth be crusty-brown and bare with no white snow at all till the very last moment when you'd just about given up hope! And all the heart of the story is very,—oh very young!
For purposes of propriety and general historical authenticity there are of course parents in the story. And one or two other oldish persons. But they all go away just as early in the narrative as I can manage it.—Are obliged to go away!
Yet lest you find in this general combination of circumstances some sinister threat of audacity, let me conventionalize the story at once by opening it at that most conventional of all conventional Christmas-story hours,—the Twilight of Christmas Eve."
Pollyanna Grows Up by Eleanor H. Porter audiobook.
Pollyanna, now cured of her crippling spinal injury, and able to walk again, goes to live in Boston with Mrs. Carew, a heart-broken woman searching for her lost nephew. Her Aunt Polly goes abroad with her new Uncle, Dr. Chilton. While in Boston, Pollyanna meets new friends and has several interesting adventures...
A startling change in Aunt Polly's and Pollyanna's circumstances require Pollyanna to come up with a workable solution. Pollyanna's solution brings all her new friends from Boston and her old friends in Beldingsville together. Pollyanna also discovers she has to make a choice. Who will win her heart?
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton audiobook.
The House of Mirth (1905), by Edith Wharton, is a novel about New York socialite Lily Bart attempting to secure a husband and a place in rich society. It is one of the first novels of manners in American literature, and one of the first to openly explore how American Victorian society offered little social mobility for women.
The Greater Inclination by Edith Wharton audiobook.
This is Edith Wharton's earliest published collection of short stories (1899). Like much of her later work, they touch on themes of marriage, male/female relationships, New York society, and the nature and purpose of art. One of the stories, "The Twilight of the God," is written as a short play. The role of Warland is read by mb, and the role of Oberville by Bruce Pirie.
The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton audiobook.
"The Glimpses of the Moon" (1922) is about Nick and Susy Lansing, both of whom live a decadent life in Europe by sponging off wealthy friends. They marry out of convenience and have an "open" relationship, but are unprepared for where their feelings will take them.
The Fruit of the Tree by Edith Wharton audiobook.
When published in 1907, this novel about the lives of a wealthy mill owner, her socially progressive husband and friends caused a stir due to its treatment of drug abuse, mercy killing, divorce and second marriages.
Tales of Men and Ghosts by Edith Wharton audiobook.
Tales of Men and Ghosts was published as a collection in 1910, though the first eight of the stories had earlier appeared in Scribner's and the last two in the Century Magazine. Despite the title, the men outnumber the ghosts, since only "The Eyes" and "Afterward" actually call on the supernatural. In only two of the stories are women the central characters, though elsewhere they play important roles. Wharton enjoys subjecting her subjects -- all of them American gentlemen and gentlewomen, in the conventional senses of the word -- to various moral tests and sometimes ironic tests. Some of the stories deal with the intellectual fashions of the day -- "The Blond Beast" basing itself, to some degree, on Nietzsche, and "The Debt" on variants of Darwinism. Though "Afterward" is set in England, and "The Letters" in France, the rest of the stories are squarely in Wharton's own New York city, rather than (say) in what she calls "the soul-deadening ugliness of the Middle West," thus avoiding the need to come to terms with what fashion-conscious New Yorkers still today call "fly-over country" for everything that lies between the west bank of the Hudson River and San Francisco Bay.
Summer by Edith Wharton audiobook.
The story is one of only two novels by Wharton to be set in New England. The novel details the sexual awakening of its protagonist, Charity Royall, and shares many plot similarities with Wharton's better known novel, Ethan Frome. Only moderately well-received when originally published, Summer has had a resurgence in critical popularity since the 1960's.
Sanctuary by Edith Wharton audiobook.
Kate Orme, shocked by the discovery of her fiance's complicity in a tragedy, and by society's willingness to overlook such transgressions, nevertheless marries him. Years later, her son faces a moral crisis similar to the one that showed her his father's moral weakness
Old New York by Edith Wharton audiobook.
Old New York (1924) is a collection of four novellas (False Dawn; The Old Maid; The Spark; New Year's Day) by Edith Wharton, revolving around upper-class New York City society in the 1840s, 1850s, 1860s, and 1870s.
Bunner Sisters by Edith Wharton audiobook.
“Bunner Sisters,” like “The Age of Innocence” is set in 1870s New York, however the lives of Ann Eliza and Evelina Bunner reflect impoverished New York. The sisters run a "very small shop, in a shabby basement, in a side street already doomed to decline." Shabby as it is, the sisters are happy in their small orderly community of supportive women. The story tells of the destruction of this life, and how the once content sisters are thrown into the realistic world outside of their little shop.
Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster audiobook.
On a journey to Tuscany with her young friend and traveling companion Caroline Abbott, widowed Lilia Herriton falls in love with both Italy and a handsome Italian much younger than herself, and decides to stay. Furious, her dead husband's family send Lilia's brother-in-law to Italy to prevent a misalliance, but he arrives too late. Lilia marries the Italian and in due course becomes pregnant again. When she dies giving birth to her child, the Herritons consider it both their right and their duty to travel to Monteriano to obtain custody of the infant so that he can be raised as an Englishman.
A Passage to India by E. M. Forster audiobook.
E. M. Forster’s A Passage to India (1924) is widely acclaimed as one of the hundred best literary works of 20th century. Time magazine rates it among the top 100 English-language novels of all time.
A Passage to India is set at the moment when the lasting supremacy of the British Raj could no longer be taken for granted. Imperial power had been effectively supported by old and deep-seated religious and cultural conflicts between India’s Hindu and Muslim populations, which divided and sapped the local powers ultimately needed to overthrew imperial rule in 1947. Forster illustrates how this rift begins to be overshadowed by the increasing resistance of all Indians to the extreme racism, oppression and socio-political mismanagement of British rule.
The work is perhaps best known for his brilliant development of the relationships between his characters, which are fraught by a wide range of precarious cultural, social, political and economic dualisms: e.g., Occident / Orient; imperialist / colonial; men / women. He carries the idea expressed in his famous words “only connect” (from Howards End) to its limits, examining the difficulties – often the inherent impossibility – of “connection” across racial, sexual, religious and social divides.
Villette by Charlotte Bronte audiobook.
After a tragedy in her family, Lucy Snow leaves her home to become a teacher at a French boarding school. Lucy soon begins to fight against an overwhelming sense of desolation. Meeting a charming doctor and a strict, peculiar schoolmaster changes her life forever-- and threatens to break her spirit.
A House to Let by Charles Dickens audiobook.
A House to Let is a short story originally published in 1858 in the Christmas edition of Dickens' Household Words magazine. Each of the contributors wrote a chapter (stories within a story, or, in the case of Adelaide Anne Procter, poetry) and the story was edited by Dickens, who also wrote the first and last chapters with Wilkie Collins.
The plot concerns an elderly woman, Sophonisba, who notices signs of life in a supposedly empty dilapidated house (the eponymous "House to Let") opposite her own, and employs the efforts of an elderly admirer, Jabez Jarber, and her servant, Trottle, to discover what is happening within
The Woman in the Alcove by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
"I was, perhaps, the plainest girl in the room that night. I was also the happiest—up to one o'clock. Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse. Why and how, I am about to relate." Thus begins this mystery told by Anna Katharine Green, one of the first writers of detective fiction in America and renowned for writing well plotted, legally accurate stories
The Thief by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
At a dinner party, a valuable coin is lost while being passed around among the guests to look at. One of the gentlemen insists to empty his pockets to the host to free himself of all suspicion, and the other gentlemen concur, except one, who absolutely refuses, and leaves the house. Is he the thief or did he have another reason to wish to avoid inspection of his pockets?
The Sword of Damocles by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
Anna Katharine Green is best known as one of the first women detective writers, and The Sword of Damocles, first published in 1881, does indeed include several mysteries. There is a very brief appearance by her famous detective, Mr Gryce, but at the heart of the book, which is subtitled A Story of New York Life, are a number of very different love stories.
The Staircase at the Heart's Delight by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
Detective Ebenezer Gryce tells the story of the case with which he begun his career in 1840. Several wealthy men were drowned and washed ashore in New York City, and the first clue leads to a dubious money lender...
The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
It is the noon hour at a museum in New York City. The date: May 23, 1913. The weekday, attendance is light; the attendees are scattered between two floors. Suddenly a cry rings out from the second floor. Scrambling to Section II, the museum director discovers a teenage girl dead with an arrow through her heart. An older woman hovers over her whispering incoherent phrases in the girl's ear and offering incomprehensible answers to the director's questions. She is the only witness to the crime, or accident, as the case may be. How will the feeble, 83 year-old Mr. Gryce unravel this mystery when this witness is apparently insane?
Anna Katharine Green was noted for her scientific approach to the murder mystery. In The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow she breaks more ground with her in-depth study of the psychological interplay between the murderer, the victim and the witnesses. Although more quietly paced, this mystery presents many elements of a current psychological thriller: blind ambition, narcissism, obsession and betrayal. Green adds a peculiar twist with the fact that two heartbroken relatives of the victim sacrifice virtually everything to protect the murderer
The Millionaire Baby by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
A reward of five thousand dollars is offered, by Phil Ocumpaugh, to whoever will give such information as will lead to the recovery, alive or dead, of his six-year-old daughter, Gwendolen, missing since the afternoon of August the 16th, from her home in New York. (quote from the book)
The Mill Mystery by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
In the quiet New England village of S--, a young and beloved minister is found dead, ignominiously drowned in a dye vat in a dilapidated mill. Almost immediately, rumors of suicide begin to circulate. But was it suicide? How could a devout man of the cloth come to believe life was hopeless? The young woman to whom he was secretly engaged is adamant that it could not be. When this young woman tragically dies on the same day as her lover, it is left to her roommate Constance Sterling, a young woman without family or prospects, to determine the truth.
The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
The Leavenworth Case is a gripping detective novel set in New York, and is one of the first detective fiction novels to be written by a female. Indeed, it was the first novel by Anna Katharine Green who came to be known as 'the mother of the detective novel', and 'The Leavenworth Case' was cited by Agatha Christie as an influence on her own fiction. The story plot twists and turns leaving the reader uncertain as to the identity of the murderer until the very end. This is one of the best detective stories you will ever hear.
The House of the Whispering Pines by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
The country club house The Whispering Pines was closed for the winter, but only one day after he locked the place personally, the narrator sees smoke come out of the chimney. He decides to investigate and enters the house. Hidden in the dark, he sees the sister of his fiance, the girl he secretly loves, run out of the house with tears in her eyes. Upstairs then, he discovers the dead body of his betrothed...
The Filigree Ball by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
[The Moore House] was standing when Washington was a village. It antedates the Capitol and the White House. Built by a man of wealth, it bears to this day the impress of the large ideas and quiet elegance of colonial times; but the shadow which speedily fell across it made it a marked place even in those early days. While it has always escaped the hackneyed epithet of "haunted," families that have moved in have as quickly moved out, giving as their excuse that no happiness was to be found there and that sleep was impossible under its roof.
That there was some reason for this lack of rest within walls which were not without their tragic reminiscences, all must acknowledge. Death had often occurred there, and while this fact can be stated in regard to most old houses, it is not often that one can say, as in this case, that it was invariably sudden and invariably of one character. A lifeless man, lying outstretched on a certain hearthstone, might be found once in a house and awaken no special comment; but when this same discovery has been made twice, if not thrice, during the history of a single dwelling, one might surely be pardoned a distrust of its seemingly home-like appointments, and discern in its slowly darkening walls the presence of an evil which if left to itself might perish in the natural decay of the place, but which, if met and challenged, might strike again and make another blot on its thrice-crimsoned hearthstone. - Excerpt from Chapter I
The Doctor, his Wife, and the Clock by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
A man has been shot dead in his house. Ebenezer Gryce is on the case, but he has no leads, no witnesses, no evidence -- until he decides to talk to the neighbors of the victim, a blind doctor and his beautiful wife.
The Circular Study by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
In this well-plotted, character-driven mystery, Detective Gryce receives a cryptic message calling him to the scene of a “strange” crime. He soon finds that the adjective is correct, for in a quiet brownstone house in a respectable New York City neighborhood, he finds the body of a man brutally stabbed to death, yet lovingly laid out on the floor of his study. The only apparent witnesses are a deaf and dumb butler driven mad by the event, and a caged bird that sings out a vital but puzzling clue. Before he solves the crime, with the help of the redoubtable Miss Amelia Butterworth, Gryce must uncover a motive that spans generations and the passions that have kept it alive. Anna Katharine Green was a pioneering writer of detective fiction in the United States. Her first such novel, The Leavenworth Case, was published in 1878. She is credited with changing the genre by making her stories legally accurate. She invented the "girl detective." But her works remained popular because of their lively, twisting plots and the strong characters she developed.
The Amethyst Box by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
On the evening before his marriage, Sinclair loses a precious curiosity from his collection: an amethyst box, containing a tiny flask of deadly poison. He suspects that this poison is in the possession of either his betrothed or her cousin, the girl his best friend Worthington loves. Turning to Worthington for help, they try to recover the box before the poison can be administered.
The Chief Legatee by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
Hours after his lavish wedding in early 20th-century New York, millionaire Roger Ransom discovers his bride, Georgian, missing. The sinister man who crashed their reception seems to be the culprit, but evidence turns up that she left of her own free will. In a journey of surprising revelations, Ransom uncovers a truth more complex and bizarre than he could have imagined.
Author Anna Katharine Green is known as the mother of the detective novel for launching the genre late in the 19th century and sparking that passion for fireside sleuthing that still burns among audiences today.
The Bronze Hand by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
In this brief crime novel, set in the days of Lincoln's presidential election, a man responds to a cry for help from a woman who lives in the same block of apartments. She claims that a ring has been stolen from her finger and asks the man to assist her in recovering it.
That Affair Next Door by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
A perplexing mystery novel published in 1897, That Affair Next Door focuses on a mysterious murder that has occurred in a quiet neighborhood, incidentally in the house next door to the home of the curious Miss Butterworth. Consequently, the middle-aged spinster becomes directly involved in the unraveling of the gruesome crime, instigated by her inquisitive and resolute nature.
One of My Sons by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
A young girl frantically summons a gentleman walking by on the street to come in and help her grandfather. Arthur Outhwaite answers her cry for help only to find himself as the last person to see her grandfather alive and left with the admonishment from the dying man to deliver a letter to someone, and to that person only. Unfortunately, he dies before he can inform Outhwaite who that particular person is. Being in a house of strangers, Outhwaite is thrust into the mystery of not only finding this unknown person, but is also faced with the mysterious circumstances under which the child's grandfather died.
Missing - Page Thirteen by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
The story revolves around a brave, young and quite petite female detective known by the name of Violet Strange. As she is summoned to solve the mystery of a page gone missing from a very important document, her insight and deduction skills become essential to the lives of several individuals who add color and dimension to Green's story. They are the chemical scientist, the bride and groom and the eccentric misanthrope. Will the brilliant young detective be able to solve this unusual mystery, and what other unknowns will she be able to uncover during her investigations?
This is one of the most enticing and thrilling stories Green has written. Nicknamed the mother of modern detective fiction, she carefully and intricately weaves every facet of the story into a whole fabric that unfolds quite brilliantly toward the end. Always one step ahead of us. Green opens up a world of mystery and deduction that very few other authors were able to create.
Lost Man's Lane by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
After several people apparently vanish into thin air while walking along the same country road, New York detective Mr Gryce calls on the skills of Miss Amelia Butterworth to help him solve this most puzzling crime. The author of Lost Man’s Lane, Anna Katharine Green, has been described as the first female American writer of detective stories.
Hand and Ring by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
THE town clock of Sibley had just struck twelve. Court had adjourned, and Judge Evans, with one or two of the leading lawyers of the county, stood in the door-way of the court-house discussing in a friendly way the eccentricities of criminals as developed in the case then before the court. Mr. Lord had just ventured the assertion that crime as a fine art was happily confined to France; to which District Attorney Ferris had replied:
Doctor Izard by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
By a mysterious contrivance, penniless and parentless Polly Earle has become an heiress with $20,000. (A respectable little fortune in 1895, when DOCTOR IZARD was published). Raised by kind neighbors in a village in Massachusetts, Polly is now eighteen and a beauty.
Her happiness seems assured. But there are ominous questions in the background. What made her father disappear so abruptly when Polly was four years old? Is there a mystery about her mother's death as well? Why does Polly's friend Doctor Izard avoid village society? And who is that sinister old tramp hanging around town, saying nothing and observing everything?
Emma McChesney & Co. by Edna Ferber audiobook.
This is the final volume in the trilogy following the smart, stylish, divorced and independent businesswoman Emma McChesney in her career from stenographer, then drummer (traveling salesman) to owner of her own company. (The first was Roast Beef, Medium and the second Personality Plus). Edna Ferber first gained success with these stories and later went on to write Show Boat, Giant and other well known books. First published in 1915, Emma's son, Jock, has moved to Chicago with his new wife. Emma decides to sell in South America and proves she has not lost her magic touch. Emma gets involved in romance, saving a business and many other things. Emma symbolizes the ideal woman at the dawn of the twentieth century: sharp, capable, charming, and progressive.
The World With A Thousand Moons by Edmond Hamilton audiobook.
Other than boasting of having a thousand moons, this nasty planet could only brag of having the most numerous, vicious, mean, death dealing set of animals every encountered anywhere. The atmosphere was nice though if you didn't mind the screams of pain constantly in the air. And the most notorious space pirate in the universe has you captive there. Things are not looking good for Lance Kenniston and his Jovian sidekick at the moment.
The City at World's End by Edmond Hamilton audiobook.
A surprise nuclear war may cause the End of the World, but not the way anyone could have imagined.
Citadel of the Star Lords by Edmond Hamilton audiobook.
Out of the dark vastness of the void came a conquering horde, incredible and invincible, with Earth's only weapon—a man from the past!
Thuvia, Maid of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs audiobook.
In this novel the focus shifts from John Carter, Warlord of Mars, and Dejah Thoris of Helium, protagonists of the first three books in the series, to their son, Carthoris, prince of Helium, and Thuvia, princess of Ptarth. Helium and Ptarth are both prominent Barsoomian city state/empires, and both Carthoris and Thuvia were secondary characters in the previous two books.
Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs audiobook.
Pellucidar is a fictional "Hollow Earth" milieu invented by Edgar Rice Burroughs for a series of action adventure stories. The stories initially involve the adventures of mining heir David Innes and his inventor friend Abner Perry after they use an "iron mole" to burrow 500 miles into the earth's crust. This is the second book in the series.
Jungle Tales of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs audiobook.
Jungle Tales of Tarzan is a collection of twelve loosely-connected short stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, comprising the sixth book in order of publication in his series about the title character Tarzan. Chronologically, the events recounted in it actually occur between chapters 12 and 13 of the first Tarzan novel, Tarzan of the Apes.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe audiobook.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1841. Poe referred to it as a "tale of ratiocination" featuring the brilliant deductions of C. Auguste Dupin; it is today regarded as one of the first detective stories and is almost certainly the first locked room mystery.
Blindfolded by Earle Ashley Walcott audiobook.
Giles Dudley is called upon by his cousin Henry Wilton to assist him in San Francisco, but the reason for the summons is not at all clear. Dudley answers the summons, only to find himself immediately wrapped in the middle of mystery and intrigue, the roots and ends of which he is utterly unaware. He has been given to care for a mysterious young boy whom he hasn't even seen. His cousin has mysteriously disappeared. Dudley's role in the mystery has him convinced that as he goes about trying to assist his cousin with whatever it was he wanted to accomplish, he does so completely blindfolded.
The Mystery of the Locks by E. W. Howe audiobook.
Davy's Bend was a dying, lonely, uncared-for river town. So when a stranger showed up one day and bought the old unoccupied house called 'The Locks' one dreary day, the inhabitants of the town were naturally very curious about the stranger, and very curious about his reasons for buying the old house. The Locks had been known for years to display at nighttime a single light showing up in one room, and there was one room in the house which was strictly off-limits to anyone. What was the history behind The Locks that nobody dared to talk about? What was the reason for the stranger's unannounced arrival and purchase of The Locks? Small, dying towns tend to keep their secrets to themselves, and Davy's Bend was no exception. Nor was the stranger's.
The Clockwork Man by E. V. Odle audiobook.
In the future, people will be fitted with clockwork devices in their heads which, among other things, allows them to travel through time. Well, it seems one of these devices has frizzed-out, and a Clockwork man appears in the middle of a cricket match in 1923. The Clockwork Man by E.V. Odle is believed to be the first instance of a human-machine cyborg appearing in literature.
Some Experiences of an Irish R.M. by E. Oe. Somerville audiobook.
This is the first of three novels which Edith Somerville and her cousin Violet Martin wrote about the English Major Sinclair Yates who leaves the army to take up a position of Resident Magistrate in the West of Ireland in about 1895. The tales tell in a humorous way of his struggles with a new job, new culture, and with his landlord and neighbour Mr. ‘Flurry’ Knox whose prime, if not only, interest is in hunting, which forms the background to all the stories. Miss Somerville was herself the first woman anywhere to become an M.F.H.
Wet Magic by E. Nesbit audiobook.
A book about children who find magic in every day life .. and discover that mermen and mermaids actually have a whole underwater kingdom with Kings and Queens and of course Princesses. Of course you probably know these delightful children from their earlier adventures with magic, Bernard, Mavis, Kathleen, and Francis. Just normal children who believe in the fun of imagining and of magic. In this story Francis, who has always loved the idea of the sea but has never actually seen it, is very excited about going to the seashore for holiday. He finds an old aquarium and the others help him lug it home only to have their hopes dashed by Aunt Enid who was in charge temporarily. But then the magic starts when he unwittingly recites a magic charm. At the seashore the children execute a daring rescue of a supposed mermaid who 'die in captivity' and oh, lots and lots more. Enjoy these adventurous children and their wet magic in the sea.
The Machine Stops by E. M. Forster audiobook.
The Machine Stops is a short science fiction story. It describes a world in which almost all humans have lost the ability to live on the surface of the Earth. Each individual lives in isolation in a 'cell', with all bodily and spiritual needs met by the omnipotent, global Machine. Most humans welcome this development, as they are skeptical and fearful of first-hand experience. People forget that humans created the Machine, and treat it as a mystical entity whose needs supersede their own. Those who do not accept the deity of the Machine are viewed as 'unmechanical' and are threatened with "Homelessness". Eventually, the Machine apocalyptically collapses, and the civilization of the Machine comes to an end.
Howards End by E. M. Forster audiobook.
The book is about three families in England at the beginning of the twentieth century. The three families represent different gradations of the Edwardian middle class: the Wilcoxes, who are rich capitalists with a fortune made in the Colonies; the half-German Schlegel siblings (Margaret, Tibby, and Helen), who represent the intellectual bourgeoisie and have a lot in common with the real-life Bloomsbury Group; and the Basts, a couple who are struggling members of the lower-middle class. The Schlegel sisters try to help the poor Basts and try to make the Wilcoxes less prejudiced. The motto of the book is "Only connect..."
Triplanetary - First in the Lensman series by E. E. Smith audiobook.
Triplanetary was first serialized in Amazing Stories in 1934. After the Lensman series became popular, Smith took his Triplanetary story and turned it into the first of the Lensman series, using it as a prequel to give the back story for the protaganists in the Lensmen series. He added 6 new chapters, doubling it in size and it's really a different book from the serialized novel, being published 14 years after the first. It was put into Gutenberg just last year.
The novel covers several episodes in an eons-long eugenics project of the super-intelligences of the Arisia. This alien race is breeding two genetic lines to become the ultimate weapon in Arisia's cosmic war with their arch enemy, the Eddore. The initial chapters cover the Kinnison genetic line during the fall of Atlantis and Nero's (Gharlane of Eddore) reign in Rome. These tales were inserted into the novel following the serialized release, along with chapters covering members of the Kinnison line in World Wars One, Two and Three. The final chapter of Triplanetary tells of the discovery of the inertialess drive that allows faster than light travel. Patrolman Conway Costigan and his friends engage in a space battle with Gray Roger the pirate gangster. This conflict is complicated by the arrival of the technologically superior, extra-Solar, amphibian-like Nevians, resulting in the first interstellar war involving humans. In this story Virgil Samms and Roderick Kinnison, two very important members of the eugenics project, are introduced. They will play the leading roles in the next story, First Lensman.
The Vortex Blaster by E. E. Smith audiobook.
Uncontrolled, terribly violent Atomic Vortices are slowly destroying civilization on every human planet throughout the galaxy. Nothing can contain or stop them despite the lensmen's best efforts until one destroys the home and family of "Storm" Cloud, brilliant atomic physicist. The tragedy triggers actions on his part that pit him one-on-one against the horrible vortices. Introducing "storm" Cloud as THE Vortex Blaster
The Skylark of Space by E. E. Smith audiobook.
The novel begins with the accidental discovery, in a Government laboratory in Washington D. C., of a form of clean nuclear power. Our hero, Dr. Richard Seaton, uses this power to build first a flying belt and then an interstellar spaceship. He later discovers that the process operates by generation and manipulation of gravity fields.
When his government coworkers do not believe him, Seaton acquires rights to his discovery from the government and commercializes it with the aid of his friend, millionaire inventor Martin Crane. A former colleague, Dr. Marc DuQuesne, joins with the unscrupulous World Steel Corporation to try to steal Seaton's invention. The resulting conflict escalates, as Seaton and Duquesne develop greater and greater technical capabilities and enlist more and more powerful alien races as allies..
The Galaxy Primes by E. E. Smith audiobook.
They were four of the greatest minds in the Universe: Two men, two women, lost in an experimental spaceship billions of parsecs from home. And as they mentally charted the Cosmos to find their way back to earth, their own loves and hates were as startling as the worlds they encountered.
Tedric by E. E. Smith audiobook.
This is a wonderful combination of far future science fiction with Conan like sword and sorcery; lots of blood, gore, honor and evil. The immensely powerful hero, Tedric, is a man's man who refuses to accept the cruel human sacrifices demanded by the 'god' Sarpedion and is set on destroying him. To do this he needs some secrets of metallurgy that future social scientists are willing to give him. He manages to overcome all obstacles until of course he meets the dazzlingly lovely Lady Rhoaan who stops him cold. A great story written by the incomparable E. E. "Doc" Smith, author of the Lensman series. And there is a great sequel to this story which will be added to the catalog. It is called Lord Tedric.
Spacehounds of IPC by E. E. Smith audiobook.
When the Inter-Planetary Corporation's (IPC) crack liner “IPV Arcturus” took off on a routine flight to Mars, it turned out to be the beginning of a unexpected and long voyage. There had been too many reports of errors in ship's flight positions from the Check Stations and brilliant physicist Dr. Percival (“Steve”) Stevens is aboard the Arcturus on a fact-finding mission to find out what's really happening, and hopefully save the honor of the brave pilots of the space-liner Arcturus from the desk-jockeys' in the Check Stations implications of imprecision - the nastiest insult you could cast at a ships pilot. He and the pilots are right, it was the Check Stations that were out of position, not the ships. But that's cold consolation because before the Arcturus reaches Mars it's attacked by a small, mysterious, globe shaped spaceship.
Masters of Space by E. E. Smith audiobook.
The Masters had ruled all space with an unconquerable iron fist. But the Masters were gone. And this new, young race who came now to take their place--could they hope to defeat the ancient Enemy of All?
Lord Tedric by E. E. Smith audiobook.
Time is the strangest of all mysteries. Relatively unimportant events, almost unnoticed as they occur, may, in hundreds of years, result in Ultimate Catastrophe. On Time Track Number One, that was the immutable result. But on Time Track Number Two there was one little event that could be used to avert it—the presence of a naked woman in public. So, Skandos One removed the clothing from the Lady Rhoann and after one look, Lord Tedric did the rest!
First Lensman by E. E. Smith audiobook.
The Secret Planet. No human had ever landed on the hidden planet of Arisia. A mysterious space barrier turned back both men and ships. Then the word came to Earth, "Go to Arisia!", Virgil Samms of the Galactic Patrol went--and came back with the Lens, the strange device that gave its wearer powers no man had ever possessed before. Samms knew the price of that power would be high. But even he had no idea of the ultimate cost, and the weird destiny waiting for the First Lensman. First Lensman is the sequel to Triplanetary, and the second book of E.E. "Doc" Smith's classic Lensman series.
Anything Once by Douglas Grant audiobook.
An unlikely pair of wanderers they were; the orphan girl Lou and her travelling partner Jim Botts. Jim appeared in need of following some apparent 'rules' during the journey, while Lou seemed in need of better clothing, and perhaps some refinement. But who was most benefitting whom on the week-long journey from rural village to big city? And which of the two was willing to try anything once?
Written by Isabel Ostrander under the pseudonym Douglas Grant.
Raiders of the Universes by Donald Wandrei audiobook.
It was the 34th century and all five of the Federation of Planets around Sol were buzzing with their usual activity when the Raiders appeared. They were indeed Raiders of Universes because they had ravaged many systems before reaching Earth and showed no signs of slowing down in the least. Their weapons were invincible, their greed merciless and their natures completely alien. Indeed 'they' were from another dimension entirely. Eating up entire solar systems and planets, they slowed down just a bit when intelligent life was found on Earth. Not much since they were in a hurry, but just long enough to tell the Earthlings to mine all the Radium ore on Earth and put it conveniently on the surface ...... in six days....or else. -
The Flying Saucers are Real by Donald Keyhoe audiobook.
The Flying Saucers are Real is a book that investigates numerous encounters between USAF fighters, personnel, and other aircraft, and UFOs between 1947 and 1950. Keyhoe contended that the Air Force was actively investigating these cases of close encounter, with a policy of concealing their existence from the public until 1949. He stated that this policy was then replaced by one of cautious, progressive revelation. Keyhoe further stated that Earth had been visited by extraterrestrials for two centuries, with the frequency of these visits increasing sharply after the first atomic weapon test in 1945. Citing anecdotal evidence, he intimated the Air Force may have attained and adapted some aspect of the alien technology: its method of propulsion and perhaps its source of power. He believed the Air Force or the US Government would eventually reveal these technologies to the public when the Soviet Union was no longer a threat.
Donald E. Keyhoe, who relates here his investigation of the flying saucers, writes with twenty-five years of experience in observing aeronautical developments. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. He flew in active service with the Marine Corps, managed the tour of the historic plane in which Bennett and Byrd made their North Pole flight, was aide to Charles Lindbergh after the famous Paris flight, and was chief of information for the Aeronautics Branch, Department of Commerce.
A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay audiobook.
A Voyage to Arcturus is a novel by Scottish writer David Lindsay, first published in 1920. It combines fantasy, philosophy, and science fiction in an exploration of the nature of good and evil and their relationship with existence. It has been described by critic and philosopher Colin Wilson as the "greatest novel of the twentieth century" and was a central influence on C. S. Lewis' Space Trilogy.
Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore audiobook.
Everyone’s favorite Christmas poem, Clement Clarke Moore’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Filled to the brim with all the trappings of the holiday, from dancing sugarplums to flying reindeer.
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
This story of Santa Claus veers away slightly from the traditional stories of his beginnings. L. Frank Baum creates a world of fantasy that surrounds Santa Claus's life. Orphaned at an infant he is found by the nymph Necile, who convinces the great Ak to allow her to raise Claus for her own. As he grows older he meets his fellow humans, and sees the neglect of children. This sets him on the path to making toys and becoming the beloved Saint Nicholas we are familiar with today.
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.
Sherlock Holmes is involved in a simple case of finding the owner of a battered hat and a dead goose. Or so he thinks. All too soon this hat and duck turn into a first class case of felony and theft of a very precious Blue Carbuncle. A fun and well written tale.
Gift of the Magi by O. Henry audiobook.
The Gift of the Magi is an O. Henry short story in which a young couple are very much in love with each other but can barely afford their one-room apartment. For Christmas, they each make a sacrifice to purchase a gift for the other, with ironic results.
The moral of the story is that physical possessions, however valuable they may be, are of little value in the grand scheme of things. The true unselfish love that the characters, Jim and Della, share is greater than their possessions.
O. Henry ends the story by clarifying the metaphor between the characters in the story, Della and James (or Jim), and the Biblical Magi. The Gift of the Magi features O. Henry's characteristic twist ending and use of flowery diction.
Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence audiobook.
Women in Love is a novel by British author D. H. Lawrence published in 1920. It is a sequel to his earlier novel The Rainbow (1915), and follows the continuing loves and lives of the Brangwen sisters, Gudrun and Ursula. Gudrun Brangwen, an artist, pursues a destructive relationship with Gerald Crich, an industrialist. Lawrence contrasts this pair with the love that develops between Ursula and Rupert Birkin, an alienated intellectual who articulates many opinions associated with the author. The emotional relationships thus established are given further depth and tension by an unadmitted homoerotic attraction between Gerald and Rupert. The novel ranges over the whole of British society at the time of the First World War and eventually ends high up in the snows of the Swiss Alps.
The Behavior of the Honey Bee in Pollen Collecting by D. B. Casteel audiobook.
The value of the honey bee in cross pollinating the flowers of fruit trees makes it desirable that exact information be available concerning the actions of the bee when gathering and manipulating the pollen. The results recorded in this manuscript are also of value as studies in the behavior of the bee and will prove interesting and valuable to the bee keeper. The work here recorded was done by Dr. Casteel during the summers of 1911 and 1912.
The Island of Appledore by Cornelia Meigs audiobook.
Any one who knows the coast of New England will know also the Island of Appledore and just where it lies. Such a person can tell you that it is not exactly the place described in this book, that it is small and bare and rocky with no woods, no meadows, no church, or mill, or mill-creek road. Perhaps all that the story tells of it that is true is that there the rocks give forth their strange deep song, “the calling of Appledore,” as warning of a storm, that there the poppies bloom as nowhere else in the world, that there the surf comes rolling in, day in and day out, the whole year through, and that there one’s memory turns back with longing, no matter how many years of absence have gone by. There, also, you can sit for hours to watch the huge, green breakers come foaming and tumbling in endless procession up the stony beach; you can watch the nimble sandpipers and the tireless, wheeling gulls; and if you choose you can spin for yourself just such a story as this one of Billy Wentworth and Captain Saulsby and Sally Shute, a tale of mysteries and perils and midnight adventures on the shores of Appledore.
Project Mastodon by Clifford D. Simak audiobook.
Clifford Simak deals with the implications of time travel in his own unique way in this story. What if a group of guys did it on their own, without any help from government or industry? On a shoestring,so to speak? Would anyone believe them? What would you do if you could go back 150,000 years to a time when mastodons and saber toothed tigers roamed North America? And what happens when they run out of money? All these questions are explored in the usual humorous, wry Simak way in this story.
Hellhounds of the Cosmos by Clifford D. Simak audiobook.
From Astounding Stories of 1932. Earth is being attacked by horrible black monsters that appear from nowhere and destroy and kill everything and everyone in their paths. Nothing affects them, nothing stops them; they are impervious to all weapons. Earth is doomed. But there is one hope and it rests on the shoulders of 98 brave men. Can they do it? can they find a way of retaliating? Listen and find out.
The World That Couldn't Be by Clifford D. Simak audiobook.
Layard was a curiosity to sociologists. The planet supported thriving tribes of natives but they were genderless. How could tribes form without families? But Gavin Duncan didn’t care. He had come to Layard to farm vua plants. Their berries cured mental illnesses and were one of the most expensive commodities in the galaxy. He was going to make his fortune if he could just keep the Cytha at bay, a big, dumb animal that could munch through 10 rows of vua in a night. Despite native superstitions he was going to have to hunt and kill the pest if he was to protect his crop. It was a dim-witted beast. How hard could it be? – “The World That Couldn’t Be” was first published in the January 1958 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction magazine.
The Orphan by Clarence Edward Mulford audiobook.
Many men swore that The Orphan was bad, and many swore profanely and with wonderful command of epithets because he was bad, but for obvious reasons that was as far as the majority went to show their displeasure. Those of the minority who had gone farther and who had shown their hatred by rash actions only proved their foolishness; for they had indeed gone far and would return no more. But Sheriff Jim Shields is tracking The Orphan, wanted for the murder of sheepherders, and won’t stop until he brings the bad man to justice. Often billed as the second book in Clarence Mulford’s Hopalong Cassidy series, Hoppy doesn’t appear in this one, but it’s still as rip-roaring a western as you’ll ever see.
Loss of the Sultana by Chester D. Berry by Chester D. Berry audiobook.
April, 1865. The country was in turmoil. The U.S. Civil War had come to an end, thousands of Union prisoners of war had recently been released, and President Lincoln had just been assassinated. The steamship 'Sultana' left New Orleans on April 21st, traveled to Vicksburg, Mississippi where it took on 1,965 federal soldiers and 35 officers, all recently released prisoners of war, most of them held at the prison camps of Cahaba (or Cahawba, near Selma, Alabama) and Andersonville (in southwest Georgia), and now finally headed for their homes. The 'Sultana' arrived in Memphis, Tennessee on April 26th and headed north toward Cairo, Illinois carrying over 2,100 passengers, but designed for a capacity of only 376. At approximately 2:00 a.m. of the 27th, mere hours after the assassination of John Wilkes Booth, the 'Sultana' mysteriously exploded while steaming about 7 miles north of Memphis, killing over 1,500 on board (estimates vary). The sole reason this incident received such scant attention at the time, and ever since, is the fact that the country was understandably absorbed in the recent assassinations. Subsequent inquiry into the 'Sultana' disaster would uncover some startling revelations into its cause, some believe leading directly to the topmost levels of the U.S. Government. The loss of the 'Sultana' was the greatest maritime disaster in U.S. history, up until the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This book, composed by Chester Berry, one of the survivors, is unique in that it gives firsthand account from well over 100 of the survivors of the tragedy in their own words. Note - The online e-text (link provided) includes 3 lists for reference that are not included in this audio release: 1 - An official list of prisoners of war on the Sultana, including company served with 2 - Persons known to have been on board the Sultana, but not reported 3 - Name, Company, Regiment, and present (1892) residence of living survivors
The Ghost of Guir House by Charles Willing Beale audiobook.
Do you think you understand ghosts? Now you will.
Paul Henley, seemingly summoned to a mysterious rural Virginia mansion from his home in New York, finds himself as a guest at a remote, dilapidated colonial house with a host and a hostess every bit as mysterious as the house itself. Might Dorothy, his hostess, somehow be implicated in the hideous crime which he came to know took place in the hidden depths of Guir House some years ago? He hardly thought so, she seemed so innocent. And yet ....
Rebels of the Red Planet by Charles Louis Fontenay audiobook.
Dark Kensington had been dead for twenty-five years. It was a fact; everyone knew it. Then suddenly he reappeared, youthful, brilliant, ready to take over the Phoenix, the rebel group that worked to overthrow the tyranny that gripped the settlers on Mars.
The Phoenix had been destroyed not once, not twice, but three times! But this time the resurrected Dark had new plans, plans which involved dangerous experiments in mutation and psionics.
And now the rebels realized they were in double jeopardy. Not only from the government's desperate hatred of their movement, but also from the growing possibility that the new breed of mutated monsters would get out of hand and bring terrors never before known to man.
The Heroes, or Greek Fairy Tales for my Children by Charles Kingsley audiobook.
The Heroes, or Greek Fairy Tales for my Children by Charles Kingsley is a collection of three Greek mythology stories: Perseus, The Argonauts, and Theseus. The author had a great fondness for Greek fairy tales and believed the adventures of the characters would inspire children to achieve higher goals with integrity.
Kentucky's Famous Feuds and Tragedies by Charles G. Mutzenberg audiobook.
As this book will show, there have been a variety of clashes and feuds which have taken place in and near Kentucky over the years, primarily in the 19th century. The most renowned of these was that between the Hatfield and McCoy clans, which is delved into with great detail herein. This is not to downplay some of the other family feuds which occurred however, most of which have not attained the notoriety of the aforementioned. Take a ride through some of Kentucky's Famous Feuds and Tragedies, and begin with the Hatfields and the McCoys
The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens audiobook.
The Old Curiosity Shop tells the story of Little Nell, a beautiful and virtuous young girl who lives with her grandfather in his shop of curiosities. Her grandfather loves her dearly, and Nell does not complain, but she lives a lonely existence without friends of her own age. Her only friend is Kit, an honest young lad who works at the shop, and whom she is teaching to write. Unbeknownst to Nell, her grandfather is obsessed with their precarious financial position and is attempting to make Nell a good inheritance by winning at cards. He keeps these nocturnal activities a secret, but borrows heavily from the evil Quilp, a dwarf, in order to raise new capital. In the end, he gambles away what little money they own, and Quilp seizes the opportunity to take possession of the shop and make Nell's and her grandfather's lives a misery. Indeed, her grandfather suffers a breakdown, which leaves him bereft of his wits. Courageously, Nell decides to escape Quilp, and she and her grandfather run away to the country to live as beggars, travelling into the Midlands of England.
There, then, follow the multifarious adventures of Nell and her grandfather, Quilp and his sly minions and accomplices, who would be Nell's vehement pursuers throughout the entire story, the noble schoolmaster, and many, many other personages as bright and memorable as Dickens' heroes always are. But... let us hear the story itself, shan't we?
Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens audiobook.
Born in the Marshalsea Prison for Debtors, Amy—Little Dorrit—the daughter of the ruined, but self-respectful William Dorrit, has put her entire heart in caring for her dear father, until one day her humble path is crossed by Arthur Clennam. Their meeting proves providential not only for Amy's life, but for the whole Dorrit family, whose new rise will, in many ways, be also their fall. As in all his novels, in Little Dorrit Dickens ushers us into a fascinating and startlingly rich world of human characters and destinies, where virtue and nobility cross swords with vice and villainy, where strength and weakness intertwine with prejudice and magnanimity and where the author's inspired pen wields a compelling and unforgettable power over the readers.
Pocket Island by Charles Clark Munn audiobook.
Along the coast of Maine are littered thousands of small islands. One such, named 'Pocket Island' by the locals was so called because of a pocket formed twice daily by the waning of the tides. The coast of Maine holds many secrets and legends, and Pocket Island was no exception.
Subtitled "A Story of Country Life in New England", this story holds such varied and fascinating glimpses into the lives of a few individuals, and is not limited to merely a story of ghosts, of war, of barn dances, friendship, tales of rum-runners, smugglers, and seafarers. Rather it is all of the above, and much more, all wrapped nicely around a story of love.
Is Pocket Island truly haunted by ghosts of the past? The story begins ca. 1824, and takes us through the U.S. Civil War and beyond
The Mystery of the Pinckney Draught by Charles C. Nott audiobook.
Charles Pinckney, member of the South Carolina legislature, Confederation Congress, U.S. Congress, and notably the Constitutional Convention of 1787, may have been regarded by some as perhaps the true author of the U.S. Constitution, although most likely James Madison would vehemently argue the point. This book investigates what may, or may not have happened to the draft of the Constitution which was drawn up by Charles Pinckney and submitted to the Constitutional Convention in May of 1787, and how (or if) it differed from the Constitution which was adopted. The questions which are delved into most deeply revolve around the following mystery: why, if, and by whom Pinckney's version of this important document was overlooked, or was it possibly destroyed intentionally (or for other reasons).
Author Charles C. Nott was formerly Chief Justice of the United States Court of Claims, appointed by president Lincoln.
History of Billy the Kid by Charles A. Siringo audiobook.
A cowboy outlaw whose youthful daring has never been equalled in the annals of criminal history. When a bullet pierced his heart he was less than twenty-two years of age, and had killed twenty-one men, Indians not included.
The author feels that he is capable of writing a true and unvarnished history of "Billy the Kid," as he was personally acquainted with him, and assisted in his capture, by furnishing Sheriff Pat Garrett with three of his fighting cowboys--Jas. H. East, Lee Hall and Lon Chambers.
The facts set down in this narrative were gotten from the lips of "Billy the Kid," himself, and from such men as Pat Garrett, John W. Poe, Kip McKinnie, Charlie Wall, the Coe Brothers, Tom O'Phalliard, Henry Brown, John Middleton, Martin Chavez, and Ash Upson. All these men took an active part, for or against, the "Kid." Ash Upson had known him from childhood, and was considered one of the family, for several years, in his mother's home.
Other facts were gained from the lips of Mrs. Charlie Bowdre, who kept "Billy the Kid," hid out at her home in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, after he had killed his two guards and escaped.
The Mystery Girl by Carolyn Wells audiobook.
Was it murder or suicide? All entrances to the study where the body was found were locked from the inside. The future college president and groom-to-be had no known cause for suicide, yet no clues in either direction appeared to make any sense. Was Anita, the Mystery Girl, who had just arrived in the New England college town, somehow been implicated? Had she any reason to ensure of the demise of the well-liked man? Perhaps some love letters between the two that nobody was to know about? And what of the mark of a ring on the deceased man's forehead? The college town was abuzz, and it seemed everyone had their own ideas of what actually happened.
The Clue by Carolyn Wells audiobook.
Once Carolyn Wells began, or re-invented her writing career, 'The Clue' was her initial book which strayed from children's writings into mysteries and detective stories. It is also when we are introduced to her most famous of detectives, Fleming Stone.
On the eve of her wedding day, Madeleine Van Norman, a beautiful young lady who is soon to come into her family fortune is found dead, apparently stabbed with an ominous blood-stained letter opener found nearby. There is nobody within the household who is not considered a suspect by the police, but how could a killer have slipped through the doors of Madeleine’s locked bedroom? It must have been suicide, as a note was found lying on a table near her body. Or was it? An intriguing mystery ensues which hinges on the discovery of a single, all-important clue.
Deep Lake Mystery by Carolyn Wells audiobook.
Imagine, if you will, a murder committed in a sealed room. A room which has been sealed from the inside, that is, with no possible means of exit, excepting a dangerous plunge through a window into a deep, foreboding lake with swirling eddies and rocks abound. Add to that image a wreath of flowers around the head and across the chest of the victim, a crucifix, an orange, a feather scarf tucked in here and there, two crackers, a handkerchief, and a feather duster. And a nail. Oh, and one more item to add to the curious array of arranged paraphernalia - a watch in a water pitcher by the bedside. Now place yourself in a position to solve the mystery behind this obvious murder of a wealthy man who was liked by everyone, and had no known enemies.
Carolyn Wells was a well known author of children's stories, until she began reading mystery stories written by Anna Katherine Green, and from then on she devoted her writings to puzzling mysteries in a similar vein.
Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi audiobook.
This is the wonderful story of Pinocchio, the puppet who must learn many lessons before he can become a real boy. Carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a small Italian village, he dreamed of becoming a real boy but strays from the path of goodness many times and is very willing to listen to temptation. He has also been used as a character who is prone to telling lies and fabricating stories for various reasons. The story has appeared in many adaptations in other mediums. Pinocchio has been called an icon of modern culture, and one of most reimagined characters in the pantheon of children's literature. Listen to his many adventures, scrapes, misdeeds and pranks followed by bouts of sincere repentance and remorse. But these last only until the next enticing adventure or misdeed presents itself. Of course he does finally learn his lesson and does become a real boy when finally understanding that love and duty come first before pleasure and play.
Venus Has Green Eyes by Carl Selwyn audiobook.
Flip Miller was a man about the universe, surviving one harrowing escapade after another and seeking for the lucky break that would make his fortune. Finally he had found in in a scrap of a map to a lost mine on Venus. Only he was foolish enough to search it out in the steaming jungle of that mud covered planet. But it was true and unbelievable riches were soon to be his. Well, as soon as he could get a ride out of the mud island where his plane had broken down. The one thing he was never afraid of in all his adventures were women. Were there women on this planet that might just might not fall for his rugged looks and boundless self confidence. Of course not. Captain Vixen, the princess of Venus may just be a type of woman he hasn't met before and one worthy of his mettle. If he loses this battle of the sexes, then of course he will die. Will he teach even this fierce wild woman what if feels like to be a true woman in the arms of a strong man? Listen and find out.
Cosmic Castaway by Carl Richard Jacobi audiobook.
"Within a year Earth would be a vassal world, with the Sirian invaders triumphant. Only Standish, Earth's Defense Engineer, could halt that last victorious onslaught—and he was helpless, the lone survivor of a prison ship wrecked in uncharted space."
Giants on the Earth by Captain S. P. Meek audiobook.
The Earth is ruled by cruel Jovian overlords and has been for 40 years. Earthlings are slaves who seethe with anger but are helpless in view of the Jovian's disintegrating ray weapons compared to their own swords. Will Earth be doomed to suffer this tragedy forever, and if not, who will take this yoke from their necks? Damis, the half-breed product of a Jovian father and earthling mother, that's who! Listen and find out how he does this. This is a straightforward space opera with villains, heroes, huge space battles, creatures who have moved beyond sex and a beautiful heroine. There is even a seraglio. Fast moving and exciting to the end this pot boiler is fun to listen to.
Where the Path Breaks by Captain Charles de Crespigny audiobook.
The soldier awakened from the brink of death eight months after his injury on the battlefield. As he slowly regained his senses and his memory, the face of a girl creeps into his mind, and he soon recalls that this girl had married him out of pity on the day he went into battle. The wedding had been a true "war wedding". Inspired by the face and the vague recollections which were taking shape, and after learning that his day-bride had since remarried (believing her day-husband killed in action), the battle-scarred soldier decides to re-invent himself, take on a new name, and seek a new life. To what extent his former life would have upon his adopted life unfolds in unforgettable detail with each chapter of Where the Path Breaks. Captain Charles de Créspigny was a pseudonym used by Charles Norris (C.N.) Williamson
The Jewel of Seven Stars by Bram Stoker audiobook.
The Jewel of Seven Stars (also published under the name: The Jewel of the Seven Stars) is a horror novel by Bram Stoker first published in 1903. The story is about an archaeologist's plot to revive Queen Tera, an ancient Egyptian mummy.
Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington audiobook.
Up From Slavery is the 1901 autobiography of Booker T. Washington detailing his slow and steady rise from a slave child during the Civil War, to the difficulties and obstacles he overcame to get an education at the new Hampton University, to his work establishing vocational schools—most notably the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama—to help black people and other disadvantaged minorities learn useful, marketable skills and work to pull themselves, as a race, up by the bootstraps. He reflects on the generosity of both teachers and philanthropists who helped in educating blacks and native Americans. He describes his efforts to instill manners, breeding, health and a feeling of dignity to students.
The Land of Frozen Suns by Bertrand W. Sinclair audiobook.
Bertrand W. Sinclair was known for his novels which centered in and around the rugged and frozen terrain of Montana and later, British Columbia. The Land of Frozen Suns is primarily an action and adventure novel which takes place near the northern most reaches of British Columbia at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
Bob Sumner, after having been shanghaied onto a boat heading north up the Mississippi from his comfortable home town of St. Louis, is put to work on the "New Moon" and finds himself in the much less comfortable territory mentioned earlier, where he is forced to learn all about treachery, double-crossing, and finds his trust in fellow man questioned more often than he was accustomed to. At the same time, he finds himself needing to learn how to survive in an environment which seemed the antithesis to his old style of life.
The Hidden Places by Bertrand W. Sinclair audiobook.
Hollister, returning home from the war physically scarred but otherwise healthy and intact, finds life difficult among society, and so chooses to roam about a bit seeking a future for himself. He eventually leads himself to a remote area in British Columbia, which begins the tale of the next phase of his life; a life which becomes far richer in totality than he would have imagined in his old unwelcoming haunts. A life among the hidden places.
The Heath Hover Mystery by Bertram Mitford audiobook.
A stranger appears in the middle of the night at Heath Hover while John Seward Mervyn is tending the modest location in a wooded area near a pond. Legends abound regarding Heath Hover; legends such as one's inability to spend a full night at the Heath on certain nights of the year, and that the place was quite simply.... haunted. These were legends which Mervyn has set out to disprove. He would, however, soon find that these were but a few of the mysteries surrounding this peculiar locale. And what was beyond that cellar door that appeared to open by itself at the right (wrong) times? A trip to the other side of the world might just hold the answers to the Heath Hover mystery.
Gargoyles by Ben Hecht audiobook.
The author, Ben Hecht, was a prolific writer as well as a renowned screenwriter, producer, and director of films. His screenwriting skills include some of the most popular films of Hollywood's golden era, including "Gone With the Wind", "Wuthering Heights", "Spellbound", and "Scarface", to name but a few.
Hecht had already established himself as a novelist and an author of short stories when "Gargoyles" was published. "Gargoyles" delves deep into the psyches of individuals and of their relationships within social classes, revealing both the darker sides and the sentimental sides. Sometimes the characteristics, values and ethics of his characters are altered over time, as they (sometimes unwittingly) look within themselves and acknowledge what they valued most, how their egos affect their decisions and ethics, yet not always understanding the reasons those values are so crucial to them. What we learn is the results of these changes, as we center on the lives of George Basine, his friends, and his family, and most importantly, the masks that each wore.
Officer 666 by Barton Wood Currie audiobook.
Bored with his life as a wealthy businessman's only son, Travers Gladwin learns of a plot by a renowned art burglar to rob his house, so rather than thwart the planned burglary, he borrows a police uniform from a friend and decides to confront the robber by posing as an officer. When the burglar arrives at the house, he tries to pass himself off as Travers Gladwin. From there, things only get more complicated, including the arrival of the burglar's girlfriend who believes that her beau is the wealthy man's son. Comical and timely, the book was made into a movie multiple times, each hugely successful.
Lonesome Land by B. M. Bower audiobook.
Val had come to Montana to marry a cowboy named Manley, envisioning a life of wedded bliss, freedom, and was anticipating happiness in her adopted part of the country. She would soon learn that the winters could be cruel and lonesome for a woman living on a ranch which was situated miles from the nearest neighbor. She would learn that her husband spent most of his time drinking. And she would learn that everybody has their own methods of dealing with the harshness and loneliness of the land she has come to call home. Val is determined to re-invent her notions about men and women, her new duties in life, and life as it existed in the relatively new West. At every turn, her will and her strength are tested. Would she find the strength within herself to overcome the hardships, or would she succumb to the reality of her surroundings?
The House of the White Shadows by B. L. Farjeon audiobook.
Is a defense attorney bound to defend his client, or with his conscience, when he knows that the man he is defending is guilty of the charges against him after the trial has already commenced? And if friends hold a belief that he may have been aware of it before the trial commenced, yet they are endeared to the man and his family as upstanding and of the highest grade? Might it not become cause for blackmail, and therefore potential retribution? "The House of White Shadows" brings these issues to the forefront, while the reader learns of the background of the advocate, his family history, and the house in question. The characters in the story, the history of the house, the truth behind the white shadows are all woven together in a fascinating manner to be brought to fruition as the books progress with dramatic insight and understanding.
Mr. Farjeon's style is remarkable for its vivid realism. The London "Athenæum" in a long and appreciative review styles him "a master of realistic fiction." On account of his sentiment and minute characterization he is regarded as a follower of the method of Dickens. No writer since that master can picture like Farjeon the touching and pathetic type of innocent childhood, pure in spite of miserable and squalid surroundings. He can paint, too, a scene of sombre horror so vividly that even Dickens himself could scarcely emulate its realism
The Hill of Dreams by Arthur Machen audiobook.
The novel recounts the life of a young man, Lucian Taylor, focusing on his dreamy childhood in rural Wales, in a town based on Caerleon. The Hill of Dreams of the title is an old Roman fort where Lucian has strange sensual visions, including ones of the town in the time of Roman Britain. Later it describes Lucian's attempts to make a living as an author in London, enduring poverty and suffering in the pursuit of art. Generally thought to be Machen's greatest work, it was little noticed on its publication in 1907 save in a glowing review by Alfred Douglas. It was actually written between 1895 and 1897 and has elements of the style of the decadent and aesthetic movement of the period, seen through Machen's own mystical preoccupations.
The Poisoned Pen by Arthur B. Reeve audiobook.
The many adventures of Professor Craig Kennedy were chronicled by Arthur B. Reeve (October 15, 1880 - August 9, 1936). Reeve was an American mystery writer who created 82 Craig Kennedy mystery stories. The stories have a very Sherlock Holmes type feel, In fact Kennedy has been referred to as the "American Sherlock Holmes". Along with his reporter friend, Walter Jameson, Kennedy solves many crimes and unveils mysteries using science.
This book contains twelve of Professor Kennedy's adventures. The interesting thing about these stories is Kennedy uses newly discovered science from his time period, which we take for granted today. The title story features the use of special inks. One which disappears in sunlight and one which appears in sunlight, so that the text on a note found in possession of a murder victim changes completely, making it almost impossible for Kennedy to track down the killer. Each story features a fascinating look at life in the early 20th century, and even includes some action along the way.
The Master Mystery by Arthur B. Reeve audiobook.
While Harry Houdini didn't rise to fame as a screen actor, silent film makers of the day sought to capitalize on his fame. The Master Mystery was Houdini's first such attempt, and it was embraced by the viewing public, leading to other screen roles following.
The hero (or superhero) is Quentin Locke, scientist, agent of the U.S. Justice Department, and not surprisingly, an escape artist extraordinaire.
The Master Mystery follows agent Locke through many pitfalls, in true serial fashion, as he is tasked with uncovering a band of thugs and a peculiar metal robot (reportedly the first robot in film) with a brain, called an automaton, which has been robbing potential inventors of their patent rights.
All in good fun by today's standards, we find our hero escaping a straitjacket, a diver's suit, and an electric chair to name but a few, and of course winning the hand of the daughter of one of the industrialists along the way.
The Card by Arnold Bennett audiobook.
The ‘Card’ in question is Edward Henry Machin - His mother called him ‘Denry’. This light-hearted story is of his rise from humble beginnings as the son of a washerwoman and sempstress in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, in the pottery towns (which Arnold Bennett christened ‘The Five Towns’) of the English Midlands; how, by his own wits, enterprise and ‘nerve’ he rose to wealth, married bliss and public recognition as the youngest-ever mayor of his home town.
“’And yet,’ demanded Councillor Barlow, ‘what’s he done? What great cause is he identified with? ’‘He’s identified,’ said the speaker, ‘with the great cause of cheering us all up’.”
Peace by Aristophanes audiobook.
The 'Peace' was brought out four years after 'The Acharnians' (422 B.C.), when the War had already lasted ten years. The leading motive is the same as in the former play—the intense desire of the less excitable and more moderate-minded citizens for relief from the miseries of war.
Trygaeus, a rustic patriot, finding no help in men, resolves to ascend to heaven to expostulate personally with Zeus for allowing this wretched state of things to continue. With this object he has fed and trained a gigantic dung-beetle, which he mounts, and is carried, like Bellerophon on Pegasus, on an aerial journey. Eventually he reaches Olympus, only to find that the gods have gone elsewhere, and that the heavenly abode is occupied solely by the demon of War, who is busy pounding up the Greek States in a huge mortar. However, his benevolent purpose is not in vain; for learning from Hermes that the goddess Peace has been cast into a pit, where she is kept a fast prisoner, he calls upon the different peoples of Hellas to make a united effort and rescue her, and with their help drags her out and brings her back in triumph to earth. The play concludes with the restoration of the goddess to her ancient honours, the festivities of the rustic population and the nuptials of Trygaeus with Opora (Harvest), handmaiden of Peace, represented as a pretty courtesan.
Such references as there are to Cleon in this play are noteworthy. The great Demagogue was now dead, having fallen in the same action as the rival Spartan general, the renowned Brasidas, before Amphipolis, and whatever Aristophanes says here of his old enemy is conceived in the spirit of 'de mortuis nil nisi bonum.' In one scene Hermes is descanting on the evils which had nearly ruined Athens and declares that 'The Tanner' was the cause of them all. But Trygaeus interrupts him with the words:
"Hold-say not so, good master Hermes; Let the man rest in peace where now he lies. He is no longer of our world, but yours."
Here surely we have a trait of magnanimity on the author's part as admirable in its way as the wit and boldness of his former attacks had been in theirs.
Lysistrata by Aristophanes audiobook.
First performed in classical Athens c. 411 B.C.E., Aristophanes’ “Lysistrata” is the original battle of the sexes. One woman, Lysistrata, brings together the women of all Greece, exhorting them to withhold sexual contact from all men in order that they negotiate a treaty. Double entendres abound as men of Greece attempt to keep Lysistrata and her prurient gang from putting an end to the Peloponnesian war. Notably risqué, this comic drama sheds light on gender relations in ancient Athens
Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope audiobook.
This is the second in Trollope’s ‘Barsetshire’ series of novels. The later novels in the series move away from Barchester itself but 'Barchester Towers' is very much a sequel to the first book ‘The Warden’, which is also available from Librivox.
The old bishop dies, the archdeacon, Dr. Grantly fails to succeed him and a new bishop, Dr. Proudie is appointed. Dr. Grantly gains a worthy foe, not the new bishop but his wife, Mrs. Proudie, strict Sabbatarian and power behind the Episcopal throne together with the bishop’s chaplain, Mr. Slope.
John Bold is also dead and Eleanor, now a wealthy young widow sets clerical hearts fluttering. The new bishop must deal with the wardenship of Hiram’s Hospital. Will it go to Mr. Harding? All is to play for. Then the old Dean dies and the stakes are raised.
The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope audiobook.
The Prisoner of Zenda tells the story of Rudolf Rassendyll, an English gentleman on holiday in Ruritania, a country not a thousand miles from Bavaria. There, by reason of his resemblance to the King of Ruritania he becomes involved in saving the King’s Life and his Throne from the King’s dastardly brother and his allies. Woods, moated castles, pomp, swordplay, gallantry, villainy and a beautiful princess. What story could ask for more?
The Citizen's Almanac by Anonymous audiobook.
This is a recording of a booklet given to new naturalized American citizens, it contains an explanation of fundamental documents, symbols and anthems of the United States. "Today you are a citizen of the United States of America— becoming “a peer of kings” as President Calvin Coolidge once said. This occasion is a defining moment that should not soon be forgotten, for it marks the beginning of a new era in your lifetime as a U.S. citizen. Naturalized citizens are an important part of our great democracy, bringing a wealth of talent, ability, and character to this Nation. Your fellow citizens recognize the sacrifices you have made to reach this milestone and with open arms we welcome you. The United States offers an abundance of freedom and opportunity for all its citizens and we wish you all the best along the way."
Three Thousand Dollars by Anna Katharine Green audiobook.
This short story by Anna Katharine Green revolves around a plot to steal some goods secured safely within an impenetrable vault within the confines of Mr. Stoughton's business concern. Nobody seems to have any clue as to how the vault can be accessed, and yet access is gained once a day by person or persons unknown, by a means not known to anyone, apparently Mr. Stoughton himself included! Every clerk in the office is suspect, as the devious plot to plunder the vault's contents unfolds.
Lilac Fairy Book by Andrew Lang audiobook.
Andrew Lang's Fairy Books or Andrew Lang's "Coloured" Fairy Books are a twelve-book series of fairy tale collections. Although Andrew Lang did not collect the stories himself from the oral tradition, the extent of his sources (who had collected them originally), made them an immensely influential collection, especially as he used foreign-language sources, giving many of these tales their first appearance in English. As acknowledged in the prefaces, although Lang himself made most of the selections, his wife and other translators did a large portion of the translating and telling of the actual stories. Many of them were illustrated by Henry J. Ford. Lancelot Speed also did some illustrations
Voodoo Planet by Andre Norton audiobook.
The sequel to Plague Ship, Voodoo Planet finds the Solar Queen banned from trade and starting her supposed quiet two-year stint as an interstellar mail carrier. But instead her crew accepts a visit to the safari planet of Khatka, where they find themselves caught in a battle between the forces of reason and the powers of Khatka's mind-controlling wizard.
Storm Over Warlock by Andre Norton audiobook.
The Throg task force struck the Terran survey camp a few minutes after dawn, without warning, and with a deadly precision which argued that the aliens had fully reconnoitered and prepared that attack. Eye-searing lances of energy lashed back and forth across the base with methodical accuracy. And a single cowering witness, flattened on a ledge in the heights above, knew that when the last of those yellow-red bolts fell, nothing human would be left alive down there.
And so Shann Lantee, most menial of the Terrans attached to the camp on the planet Warlock, was left alone and weaponless in the strange, hostile world, the human prey of the aliens from space and the aliens on the ground alike.
The Revolt of the Angels by Anatole France audiobook.
Anatole France, in his satirical and allegorical fashion, weaves a tale of fantasy which finds a mischievous guardian angel stealing books from his earthly charge, who happens to be an archbishop in possession of a plethora of literature, mostly theological in nature. After voracious reading and then becoming a "fallen" angel, he decides to search for and recruit other "fallen" angels who devise a plan to attempt an overthrow of the rule which had set their fate, realizing that revolt is necessary and inevitable. What follows is preparation for a battle to revenge what has befallen them (and mankind itself). But surprises find their way into the plans, as well as the question that if they win the war, what will change?
The Kitchen Cat and Other Stories by Amy Walton audiobook.
These are three stories that will delight your heart and soul. The little girl Ruth in the first story is very privileged young lady with everything she could wish for except,of course, for companionship. Her mother has passed away and her father is a very busy lawyer who barely notices she is there. But then Ruth finds a scruffy, skinny and mostly ugly cat; the cat who lives in the kitchen and cellars,hence The Kitchen Cat. Her attempts to befriend this stray despite insurmountable obstacles make this story a really heart warming tale. She does eventually find the best kind of companionship but I won't tell you with who or when. Sarah's Sunday Out is the tale of a pampered little dog who wants to see the world and finally The Toad in the Hole is the tale of a somewhat selfish little girl and her lesson in seeing things from another's point of view. All are bitter sweet and all are delightful. You will be glad you listened to them. I know I'm glad I read them.
The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter by Ambrose Bierce audiobook.
A tragic but very captivating tale of a monk in the 17th century.
Can Such Things Be by Ambrose Bierce audiobook.
24 short stories in fairly typical Bierce fashion - ghostly, spooky, to be read (or listened to) in the dark, perhaps with a light crackling fire burning dimly in the background. Stories of ghosts, apparitions, and strange, inexplicable occurrences are prevalent in these tales, some of which occur on or near Civil War fields of battle, some in country cottages, and some within urban areas. Can Such Things Be? implies and relates that anything is possible, at any time.
A Yankee Girl at Fort Sumter by Alice Turner Curtis audiobook.
Sylvia Fulton is a ten-years-old girl from Boston who stayed in Charleston, South Carolina, before the opening of the Civil War. She loves her new home, and her dear friends. However, political tensions are rising, and things start to change. Through these changes, Silvia gets to know the world better: from Estrella, her maid, she starts to understand what it is to be a slave, from her unjust teacher she learns that not all beautiful people are perfect, and from the messages she carries to Fort Sumter she learns what is the meaning of danger. However, this is a lovely book, written mostly for children.
The Willows by Algernon Blackwood audiobook.
A tale of horror in which a pleasant sojourn down the Danube tumbles terrifyingly awry as the veil between this world and an unfathomably weird dimension is inadvertently pierced by an innocent pair of vacationers, "The Willows", arguably Algernon Blackwood's seminal contribution to supernatural literature, has had a lasting influence on the field. No less a personage than H. P. Lovecraft describing it as "...the greatest weird tale ever written." A reading will reveal a clear influence to one familiar with Lovecraft's work. The masterful handling of mystery and suspense that build to a quite satisfyingly unnerving crescendo may be particularly noted by the discerning aficionado of the genre
The Bright Messenger by Algernon Blackwood audiobook.
Julian LeVallon, born and raised alone in the Jura Mountains, is referred to psychiatrist Dr. Edward Fillery for care in London. But is LeVallon merely a schizophrenic with a secondary personality, "N.H." (non-human), or is he really an Elemental Being, a "bright messenger" who brings, perhaps, a new age of human evolution? And if so, is the human race ready for a major step forward?
The Push Of A Finger by Alfred Bester audiobook.
Science fiction from the 50s by one of the masters, Alfred Bester. Society has committed itself to complete stability. Nothing is allowed to upset this stability, nothing that is not planned and approved and accounted for in advance. Yes, this is hard to imagine but this has produced decades, nay, centuries of predictable prosperity and peace. Even the newspapers have very little to write about. One reporter however is curious about the "Prog" building, where pronouncements are issued every day just as Moses issued the commandments. Everyone is locked out of course but he wants to know more, he wants in by any means and the results of that obsession are more far reaching than anyone can imagine. What would happen if just a tiny push with a finger to a critical element is made at the very beginning of a process? A little nudge that sends it in a completely different direction? Hmmm?
The Best American Humorous Short Stories by Alexander Jessup audiobook.
Eighteen short stories by famous and little known authors compassing the period 1839 - 1914. The editor's very extensive introduction is omitted from this LibriVox audio book.
Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley audiobook.
Crome Yellow, published in 1921 was Aldous Huxley’s first novel. In it he satirizes the fads and fashions of the time. It is the witty story of a house party at ‘Crome’ where there is a gathering of bright young things. We hear some of the history of the house from Henry Wimbush, its owner and self appointed historian; Apocalypse is prophesied, virginity is lost, and inspirational aphorisms are gained in a trance. Our hero, Denis, tries to capture it all in poetry and is disappointed in love.
The author, Aldous Huxley, was born in 1894 and began writing poetry and short stories in his early twenties; this was his first novel and established his literary reputation.
His Dog by Albert Payson Terhune audiobook.
Albert Payson Terhune, perhaps best known for his book Lad, a Dog (later turned into a popular movie), was also a breeder of collies and a journalist. Some of his collie lines survive to this day.
His Dog is a story about Link Ferris who finds an injured dog on his way home one evening. Knowing nothing about dogs, Link nurses the dog back to health and the two form a bond such as only can be formed between human and canine. Unable to locate the collie's owner, Link christens his dog 'Chum' who becomes invaluable in tending to the daily needs of his meager farm.
Unknown to Ferris however, Chum's original owners have been looking for their lost collie, and the story finds Link torn between that which he knows is morally right and his love for what he believes has become his dog.
The Lucky Piece - A Story of the North Woods by Albert Bigelow Paine audiobook.
While riding a stage back to the city late in the summer, a youngster had no money to spend, and so gives his lucky piece as payment to a young girl selling berries by the roadside. As time passes, in the Adirondack mountains of northern New York state, a tale unfolds involving two young women, two young men, and a bevy of characters the likes of which lend to a series of events which make up a fascinating story. Constance was one not to be controlled, she was a free spirit, as in fairy tales, wont to follow the moment rather than ideas presented to her by others. Frank came from a well to do family who expected nothing but success from their offspring. Robin appeared of suspicious origin, but was noble in nature, while Edith Morrison was quite well known at the Lodge in the mountains where the tale takes place. There are love stories, mushrooms, close and distant relationships, and life in the Adirondacks in this story which revolves around the lucky piece which once served as payment for a hatful of berries.
The Moon Pool by Abraham Merritt audiobook.
Dr. David Throckmartin’s scientific expedition to the South Sea Islands discovers among ancient ruins a portal into Muria, an unknown underground world. After the disappearance of Throckmartin, his wife and two companions, his old friend Dr. Walter Goodwin enters Muria with a rescue party, only to confront an fantastic world filled with incredible beings, astounding scientific advances, and the worship of the most evil of all creatures, The Dweller.
The Secret Battle by A. P. Herbert audiobook.
Like many soldiers at the beginning of their military careers, Harry Penrose has romantic ideas of climbing the ranks and attaining hero status. However, while stationed at Gallipoli, the realities of war begin to take their toll on Penrose, not only physically, but also mentally where the war has become a 'battle of the mind.' This is his story as related by a fellow soldier, as well as the story of the campaign at Gallipoli which is vividly portrayed from the author's own personal experiences.
During his tenure as an officer, Penrose slowly asserts himself; the war takes a toll on his personality, but he begins to live up to his early dreams of heroism. However, his creeping self-doubt grows by degrees; following Gallipoli, he is reassigned from his post as scouting officer once on the Somme, knowing he cannot face another night patrol, and earns the wrath of his commanding officer - an irascible Regular colonel - over a trivial incident. The colonel piles difficult, risky work on him - remarking to the narrator that "Master Penrose can go on with [leading ration parties] until he learns to do them properly" - and Penrose submits, working doggedly to try and keep from cracking. After a long period of this treatment, by the winter of 1916, Penrose's spirit is worn down. What follows his downward spiral may surprise and even shock today's readers, but was common and controversial at the time.
Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne audiobook.
Winnie the Pooh, the loveable little bear with a great big heart (and only a slightly less large appetite for honey), has fun and adventures in this book. All of the other residents of the 100 acre wood join in to help this happen. Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga and Roo and of course the every depressed Eeyore who manages to lose his tail somehow. But what more needs to be said except that it Christopher Robin and Pooh are here? Listen and enjoy.
The Rainbow Trail by Zane Grey audiobook.
The Rainbow Trail is a sequel to The Riders of the Purple Sage. Both novels are notable for their protagonists' mild opposition to Mormon polygamy, but in The Rainbow Trail this theme is treated more explicitly. The plots of both books revolve around the victimization of women in the Mormon culture: events in Riders of the Purple Sage are centered on the struggle of a Mormon woman who sacrifices her wealth and social status to avoid becoming a junior wife of the head of a local church, while The Rainbow Trail contrasts the older Mormons with the rising generation of Mormon women who will not tolerate polygamy and Mormon men who do not seek it.
Essays in Radical Empiricism by William James audiobook.
William James (1842 – 1910) was a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher. He wrote influential books on the young science of psychology, educational psychology, psychology of religious experience and mysticism, and the philosophies of pragmatism and Radical Empiricism.
Essays in Radical Empiricism is a collection edited and published posthumously by his colleague and biographer Ralph Barton Perry in 1912. It was assembled from a collection of reprinted journal articles published from 1904–1905 which James had deposited in August, 1906, at the Harvard University for supplemental use by his students.
Fidelity by Susan Glaspell audiobook.
The small Midwestern town of Freeport was scandalized years ago when Ruth Holland, then a young girl, ran away to the West with a married man. Now that she's returned home to take care of her dying father, she faces some hard truths about who her true friends are and where her life is headed.
A Chronicle of Aboriginal Canada by Stephen Leacock audiobook.
This book describes Canada from the beginning of existence to its first European discoverers and includes a brief history of the aboriginal people. These little books were designed to cover Canadian history in a scholarly and readable fashion.
The Life of St. Teresa by St. Teresa of Jesus audiobook.
Saint Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, (March 28, 1515, at Gotarrendura (Ávila), Old Castile, Spain – October 4, 1582, at Alba de Tormes, Salamanca, Spain) was a prominent Spanish mystic, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation. She was a reformer of the Carmelite Order and is considered to be, along with John of the Cross, a founder of the Discalced Carmelites. In 1970 she was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI.
On Loving God by St. Bernard of Clairvaux audiobook.
On Loving God is one of the best-known and most influential works of Medieval Christian mysticism. Written at the request of one of the cardinals of Rome, it describes the four “levels” of love for God, and puts Christian devotion in the context of God’s love for mankind.
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott audiobook.
Follows the fortunes of the son of a noble Saxon family in Norman England as he woos his lady, disobeys his father, and is loved by another. Set in late 12C England and in Palestine with Richard Cœur-de-Lion at the Crusades, it's another ripping historical yarn by Scott.
Reflections on War and Death by Sigmund Freud audiobook.
Anyone, as Freud tells us in Reflections on War and Death, forced to react against his own impulses may be described as a hypocrite, whether he is conscious of it or not. One might even venture to assert—it is still Freud's argument—that our contemporary civilisation favours this sort of hypocrisy and that there are more civilised hypocrites than truly cultured persons, and it is even a question whether a certain amount of hypocrisy is not indispensable to maintain civilisation. When this travesty of civilisation, this infallible state that has regimented and dragooned its citizens into obedience, goes to war, Freud is pained but not surprised that it makes free use of every injustice, of every act of violence that would dishonour the individual, that it employs not only permissible cunning but conscious lies and intentional deception against the enemy, that it absolves itself from guarantees and treaties by which it was bound to other states and makes unabashed confession of its greed and aspiration to power. For conscience, the idea of right and wrong, in the Freudian sense, is not the inexorable judge that teachers of ethics say it is: it has its origin in nothing but "social fear," and whereas in times of peace the state forbids the individual to do wrong, not because it wishes to do away with wrongdoing but because it wishes to monopolise it, like salt or tobacco, it suspends its reproach in times of war. The suppression of evil desires also ceases, and men, finding the moral ties loosened between large human units, commit acts of cruelty, treachery, deception and brutality the very possibility of which would have been considered incompatible with their degree of culture.
This Crowded Earth by Robert Bloch audiobook.
Robert Bloch (1917 – 1994) was a prolific writer in many genres. As a young man he was encouraged by his mentor H. P. Lovecraft, and was a close friend of Stanley G. Weinbaum. Besides hundreds of short stories and novels he wrote a number of television and film scripts including several for the original Star Trek. In 1959 Bloch wrote the novel Psycho which Alfred Hitchcock adapted to film a year later. He received the Hugo Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and he is a past president of the Mystery Writers of America. Published in Amazing Stories in 1958, This Crowded Earth is a thriller set on an overpopulated Earth of the future.
Stamped Caution by Raymond Z. Gallun audiobook.
When an alien spacecraft crashes in Missouri a team of army investigators is dispatched. Among the debris they find a Martian infant and decide to raise him in their lab. Is he too strange to form a relationship with humans? Maybe, but he does have cute eye-stalks. – Stamped Caution was first published in the August 1953 issue of Galaxy magazine.
Love Among the Chickens by P. G. Wodehouse audiobook.
Jeremy Garnet, a second-rate novelist, gets talked into joining his old pal Stanley Featheringstonehaugh Ukridge in an insane plan to start a chicken ranch. Garnet should bail out on his crazy friend, but he falls in love with one of Ukridge's neighbors, Phyllis. Soon he is up to his neck in sick chickens, bad debts, a hostile future father-in-law, a sinister plot, and dirty golf. It all gets a bit thick, what?
The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley audiobook.
The Last Man is an early post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by Mary Shelley, which was first published in 1826. The book tells of a future world that has been ravaged by a plague. The plague gradually kills off all people. Lionel Verney, central character, son of a nobleman who gambled himself into poverty, finds himself immune after being attacked by an infected "negro," and copes with a civilization that is gradually dying out around him.
The Child's Book of American Biography by Mary Stoyell Stimpson audiobook.
In every country there have been certain men and women whose busy lives have made the world better or wiser. The names of such are heard so often that every child should know a few facts about them. It is hoped the very short stories told here may make boys and girls eager to learn more about these famous people
The Door Through Space by Marion Zimmer Bradley audiobook.
At one time Race Cargill had been the best Terran Intelligence agent on the complex and mysterious planet of Wolf. He had repeatedly imperiled his life amongst the half-human and non-human creatures of the sullen world. And he had repeatedly accomplished the fantastic missions until his name was emblazoned with glory.
But that had all seemingly ended. For six long years he'd sat behind a boring desk inside the fenced-in Terran Headquarters, cut off there ever since he and a rival had scarred and ripped each other in blood-feud.
But when THE DOOR THROUGH SPACE swung suddenly open, the feud was on again—and with it a plot designed to check and destroy the Terran Empire.
The Book of Wonder by Lord Dunsany audiobook.
The Book of Wonder (1912) is an amazing collection of fourteen tales by one of the pioneers and masters of the fantasy genre Lord Dunsany. Strangeness and humor abound in these delightful stories that were influential to many writers including H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith and Fritz Leiber among others
What Men Live By and Other Tales by Leo Tolstoy audiobook.
Although Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was a wealthy landowner, in his later life he had what was considered a “religious awakening.” This experience went on to inform his writing and his lifestyle in profound ways. His views transcended the specifics of religion, as known in his day - so much so he came to be a helpful guide both to Mohandas Gandhi and to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The four stories in this collection ask profound questions and gently supply helpful, non-dogmatic hints to their answerings: What is the most important thing to do? Who is the most important person? When is the most important time? What is worth owning? What is the most profound religion? What rules should men live by? How much land does a man need? Who is God? What should we bother to discuss? How should we act towards one another? How should we respond to cruelty and violence? And many more. Wonderful stories written in a relaxed style.
Insurgent Mexico by John Reed audiobook.
In the autumn of 1913 John Reed was sent to Mexico by the Metropolitan Magazine to report the Mexican Revolution. He shared the perils of Pancho Villa's army for four months, present with Villa's Constitutional Army when it defeated Federal forces at Torreón, opening the way for its advance on Mexico City. Reed's time with the Villistas resulted in a series of outstanding magazine articles that brought Jack a national reputation as a war correspondent. Reed deeply sympathized with the plight of the peons and vehemently opposed American intervention, which came shortly after he left. Jack adored Villa, while Carranza left him cold. Jack's Mexican reports were later republished in book form as Insurgent Mexico, which appeared in 1914.
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome audiobook.
Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog), published in 1889, is a humorous account by Jerome K. Jerome of a boating holiday on the Thames between Kingston and Oxford.
The book was intended initially to be a serious travel guide, with accounts of local history of places along the route, but the humorous elements eventually took over, to the point where the serious and somewhat sentimental passages now seem like an unnecessary distraction to the essentially comic novel. One of the most praised things about Three Men in a Boat is how undated it appears to modern readers. The jokes seem fresh and witty even today.
The three men were based on Jerome himself and two real-life friends, George, and Harris. The dog, Montmorency, however, was entirely fictional, but, as Jerome had remarked, "had much of me in it."
Dear Enemy by Jean Webster audiobook.
Dear Enemy is the sequel to Jean Webster's novel Daddy-Long-Legs. The story as presented in a series of letters written by Sallie McBride, Judy Abbott's college mate in Daddy-Long-Legs. Among the recipients of the letters are the president of the orphanage where Sallie is filling in until a new director can be installed, his wife (Judy Abbott of Daddy-Long-Legs), and the orphanage's doctor (to whom Sallie addresses her letters: "Dear Enemy").
The Alaskan by James Oliver Curwood audiobook.
A wilderness story of adventure and intrigue in Alaska in the 1920’s.
Boys Book of Famous Soldiers by J. Walker McSpadden audiobook.
These 12 stories give a personal portrait of twelve famous soldiers from the past two centuries. Each story explores the early life of the soldier —to trace his career up from boyhood through the formative years. Such data serves to explain the great soldier of later years. Summary compiled from the preface of the book.
Atlantis - The Antediluvian World by Ignatius Loyola Donnelly audiobook.
"Atlantis: The Antediluvian World is a book published during 1882 by Minnesota populist politician Ignatius L. Donnelly, who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during 1831. Donnelly considered Plato's account of Atlantis as largely factual and attempted to establish that all known ancient civilizations were descended from this supposed lost land. Many of its theories are the source of many modern-day concepts we have about Atlantis, like the civilization and technology beyond its time, the origins of all present races and civilizations, a civil war between good and evil, etc."
Histories Vol. 1 by Herodotus of Halicarnassus audiobook.
The Histories of Herodotus of Halicarnassus is considered the first work of history in Western literature. Written about 440 BC, the Histories tell the story of the war between the Persian Empire and the Greek city-states in the 5th century BC. Herodotus traveled extensively around the ancient world, conducting interviews and collecting stories for his book. The rise of the Persian Empire is chronicled, and the causes for the conflict with Greece. Herodotus treats the conflict as an ideological one, frequently contrasting the absolute power of the Persian king with the democratic government of the Greeks.
Pictures of Jewish Home-Life Fifty Years Ago by Hannah Trager audiobook.
Hannah Trager published Pictures of Jewish Home-Life Fifty Years Ago in 1926, so the book is a portrait of day to day life for a Jewish family in Jerusalem around 1876. In each chapter, Mr. Jacobs reads a letter from his cousins living in Jerusalem many years earlier, each one teaching his family and friends about a different holiday or tradition of their people.
Omnilingual by H. Beam Piper audiobook.
An expedition to Mars discovers the remains of an advanced civilization, which died out many thousands of years ago. They recovered books and documents left behind, and are puzzled by their contents. Would the team find their “Rosetta Stone” that would allow them to unlock the Martian language, and learn the secrets of this long-dead race?
Geronimo by Geronimo audiobook.
Geronimo’s Story of His Life is the oral life history of a legendary Apache warrior. Composed in 1905, while Geronimo was being held as a U.S. prisoner of war at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Geronimo’s story found audience and publication through the efforts of S. M. Barrett--Lawton, Oklahoma, Superintendent of Education, who wrote in his preface that “the initial idea of the compilation of this work was . . . to extend to Geronimo as a prisoner of war the courtesy due any captive, i.e. the right to state the causes which impelled him in his opposition to our civilization and laws.” Barrett, with the assistance of Asa Deklugie, son of Nedni chief Whoa as Apache translator, wrote down the story as Geronimo told it --beginning with an Apache creation myth. Geronimo recounted bloody battles with Mexican troopers, against whom he had vowed vengeance in 1858 after they murdered his mother, his wife, and his three small children. He told of treaties made between Apaches and the U.S. Army--and treaties broken. There were periods of confinement on the reservations, and escapes. And there were his final days on the run, when the U.S. Army put 5000 men in the field against his small band of 39 Apache.
Geronimo had been a prisoner of war for 19 years when he told his story. Born in 1829, he was by then an old man, no longer a warrior, and he had come to an accommodation with many things “white,” including an appreciation of money. U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs personnel took him to the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, where he roped cows in the “wild west show” and signed his name for “ten, fifteen, or twenty five cents.” By then he was perhaps the United States’ most “famous” Indian. In 1905 he was even invited to ride horseback in President Theodore Roosevelt’s inaugural parade (though still a prisoner of war!).
Geronimo dedicated his book to Roosevelt with the plea that he and his people be allowed to return to their ancestral land in Arizona. “It is my land, my home, my father’s land, to which I now ask to be allowed to return. I want to spend my last days there, and be buried among those mountains. If this could be I might die in peace.” Geronimo died at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in 1909, still a prisoner of war.
The Harvester by Gene Stratton-Porter audiobook.
The Harvester is one of Gene Stratton-Porter’s romantic novels which combine a love of nature, high moral ideals and a good plot.
This is the story of a young man who lives in the country side with his dog and other animals and grows herbs to sell to medical drug supply houses.
One evening, he has a vision of his Dream Girl and this is the story of his search for her and what happens when he finds her.
The Club of Queer Trades by G. K. Chesterton audiobook.
A collection of six wonderfully quirky detective stories, featuring the 'mystic' former judge Basil Grant. Each story reveals a practitioner of an entirely new profession, and member of the Club of Queer Trades.
The White Moll by Frank L. Packard audiobook.
Frank Lucius Packard (February 2, 1877 – February 17, 1942) born in Montreal, Quebec, was a Canadian novelist. Packard is credited with bridging the gap from the “cozy” style mysteries to the more gritty, hard-boiled style of such writers as Dashiell Hammet and Raymond Chandler. Packard also wrote a series of novels, beginning in 1917, featuring Jimmie Dale. A wealthy playboy by day, at night, Jimmie becomes a crimefighter “The Gray Seal” complete with mask and secret hide-out, “The Sanctuary”. This character certainly influenced later crime-fighting characters such as Batman and The Shadow.
In The White Moll (1920) Rhoda Gray, “The White Moll”, an angel of mercy who spends her time helping the poor in the slums of New York City, is drawn into the criminal world when she attempts to help Gypsy Nan, who is not what she seems. Accused of a crime and on the run from the police, she must battle the most nefarious criminal gang in the New York underworld to prove her innocence. Populated by such characters as Pierre Dangler, the Pug, Pinkie Bonn, Skeeny, the Sparrow and above all “the Adventurer”, this story contains shoot-outs, car chases, adventure and enough suspense and deception to satisfy the most avid mystery lover.
The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers audiobook.
Containing many realistic details based on Childers' own sailing trips along the German North Sea coast, the book is the retelling of a yachting expedition in the early 20th century combined with an adventurous spy story.
It was one of the early invasion novels which predicted war with Germany and called for British preparedness. The plot involves the uncovering of secret German preparations for an invasion of the United Kingdom. It is often called the first modern spy novel, although others are as well, it was certainly very influential in the genre and for its time.
The book enjoyed immense popularity in the years before World War I and was extremely influential. Winston Churchill later credited it as a major reason that the Admiralty decided to establish naval bases at Invergordon, the Firth of Forth and Scapa Flow.
The Grey Woman by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell audiobook.
A "Bluebeard" story in which a young woman marries a man whom she discovers has killed his previous wives and is trying to kill her as well.
The Thing from the Lake by Eleanor M. Ingram audiobook.
To get away from city life periodically, New Yorker Roger Locke purchases an abandoned farm house in rural Connecticut, and with the assistance of his cousin Phillida and her beau Ethan Vere, he sets about fixing up the place.
Immediately however, an unseen mysterious woman begins giving him warnings during nocturnal visits to leave the house at once. Soon he begins hearing strange ominous sounds emanating from the tiny lake at the back of the house coupled with a permeation of sickly odors. An evil presence then begins to visit him during the witching hours of the late night, challenging him to a battle of wits from which there can be only one victor.
Is his mysterious female visitor there to help and encourage him to flee from the house, or is she working in tandem with The Thing From the Lake?
A gripping, occasionally frightening tale, Ms. Ingram wastes no time in grabbing the reader into the story and manages to weave a tale that will leave the reader guessing at every turn of events.
Life of Charlemagne by Einhard audiobook.
Einhard was employed by Charlemagne as a court historian. At the request of Charlemagne's son and successor Louis the Pious, he wrote a biography of Charlemagne, the Vita Karoli Magni or Life of Charlemagne (c. 817–830), which provides much direct information about Charlemagne's life and character. In composing this he made full use of the Frankish Royal annals. Einhard's literary model was the classical work of the Roman historian Suetonius, the Lives of the Caesars.
Afterward by Edith Wharton audiobook.
Mary and Ned Boyne have fled their dreary life in Wisconsin for a home in rustic Dorsetshire. But you can only run so far, and some things - some secret things - may follow you. A creepy and tragic ghost story from one of the masters.
Olive by Dinah Maria Craik audiobook.
Inspired by Jane Eyre, Dinah Maria Craik's 1850 novel, Olive, was one of the first to feature a disabled central character. 'Slightly deformed' from birth, Olive believes that she will never be able to marry like other women, so she devotes her life to her art, her mother, and above all, her religion. It takes a dark secret from the past and a new, fascinating acquaintance, to make her realize what her life could be.
The Seven Sleuths Club by Carol Norton audiobook.
Some girls from a day school started a club called Spread Sunshine Club, but change the name when they decide to find some mysteries to solve. They add another girl to their club and before they realize a mystery has began! This is a book by the same author of Bobs, a Girl Detective. She had another writing name.
Spirits in Bondage by C. S. Lewis audiobook.
Spirits in Bondage is C.S. Lewis’s first book and the first of his works to be available in the public domain. It was released in 1919 under the pseudonym of Clive Hamilton and was written in a period of darker thought for C.S. Lewis than was later evidenced in his Christian apologist writings.
The darkness of the verse is most evident in Part One (The Prison House), begins to change in the short transitional Part Two (Hesitation) and attains a more hopeful tone in the final Part Three (Escape). Yet a dreamy effect, influenced by Celtic and Druid mythology, persists throughout.
Spirits in Bondage consists of forty poems that provide an intriguing insight into the youthful heart of C.S. Lewis and occasionally provides interesting lyrical foreshadowing of some of the landscapes portrayed in his famous Chronicles of Narnia series.
The Art of Controversy (or - The Art of Being Right) by Arthur Schopenhauer audiobook.
The Art of Controversy (or The Art of Being Right) (Die Kunst, Recht zu Behalten) is a short treatise written in 1831 by the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer in which he presents thirty-eight methods of gaining an unfair advantage in a debate and thereby being right even if you are wrong. Schopenhauer champions the virtue of dialectical argument, in his view wrongly neglected by philosophers in favour of logic, and goes on to discuss the distinction between our conscious intellectual powers and our will. The text is a favourite of debaters including the philosophers AC Grayling and Mary Warnock, and the Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
He Knew He Was Right by Anthony Trollope audiobook.
He Knew He Was Right is a 1869 novel written by Anthony Trollope which describes the failure of a marriage caused by the unreasonable jealousy of a husband exacerbated by the stubbornness of a willful wife. As is common with Trollope's works, there are also several substantial subplots. Trollope considered this work to be a failure; he viewed the main character as unsympathetic, and the secondary characters and plots much more lively and interesting.
The Fortunes of Philippa by Angela Brazil audiobook.
The Fortunes of Philippa is based on the author's mother, Angelica Brazil, who had grown up in Rio de Janeiro and attended an English boarding school at the age of 10, finding the English culture, school life and climate confronting.
Humility by Andrew Murray audiobook.
A book on the all importance of humility, how Jesus was humble, and how we also can become humble. Murray wrote "Without humility, there can be no true abiding in God's presence or experience of His favor and the power of His spirit. Without it there can be no abiding faith or love or joy or strength."
A Little Maid of Province Town by Alice Turner Curtis audiobook.
Plucky eight year old Anne Nelson, living in Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod, is determined to bring the Revolutionary War to an end so that she can be reunited with her soldier father. Will she succeed in carrying an important message from Boston to Newburyport, warning the American troops to be prepared, or will she be caught by the English ships patrolling the harbor?
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson audiobook.
David Balfour, a lad of seventeen and newly orphaned, is directed to go and live with his rich uncle, the master of the estate of Shaws in the lowlands of Scotland near Edinburgh. His uncle, Ebenezer (as close a miser as Dickens' Ebenezer Scrooge), is shocked to suddenly have his young relative descend on him and tries to rid himself of David with an arranged accident. Failing that, he pays the captain of a brig to kidnap David and sell him into slavery in Carolina. A collision in the fog brings onboard the brig a survivor, Alan Breck Stewart, who is carrying a dangerous amount of gold on his person. David warns him of a plan by the brig's captain and crew to overpower him and seize the money, and then finds himself fighting alongside Alan in a battle royale. By good fortune, Alan is handy with a sword and they have access to the firearms locker, and the pair so completely defeat the crew that barely enough hands remain to sail her. Limping to port, she is holed by rocks, and David finds himself a castaway. Being in Alan's presence continues to be a chancey business. David is talking to Colin Roy Campbell, the King's Factor who has been oppressing Alan's people, when the man is shot to death, and David is chased as an accomplice. The two "take to the heather" and barely survive near brushes with redcoats as they thread through the Trossachs and other highland ranges of Scotland. Only after an arduous weeks-long trek through territory where they are actively hunted do they emerge in the more settled districts around the river Forth, only to find guards upon the bridge. With no money remaining, they must somehow cross to Queensferry, find Ebenezer's lawyer, and lay claim to David's inheritance in order to send Alan safely on to France.
Green Mansions by William Henry Hudson audiobook.
"Green Mansions: A Romance of the Tropical Forest" is a narration of his life story by Abel, a Venezuelan, to a comrade. Once a wealthy young man, he meddled in politics to the extent of provoking a revolution... which failed.
Escaping into the tropical forests of Guyana Abel takes up gold hunting, then journal-writing, and fails at both. Now with no aim for his life, he drifts until he takes up residence with a remote Indian tribe. Soon he learns of a wood the Indians avoid, as it is inhabited by a dangerous Daughter of the Didi, who, they say, slew one of them with magic. The fellow was in fact hit with a poisoned dart by accident, but his dying belief that she had caught the dart and hurled it at him survived him.
Intrigued, Abel visits the wood repeatedly, and eventually encounters Rima. She indeed is something magical. She seems to have a pact with nature: animals don't molest her, she speaks in a melodious birdsong (as well as Spanish), and she even makes her garments of spider silk. When Abel is bitten by a venomous snake that acts protective of her, she and her "grandfather" Nuflo nurse Abel back to health.
Both Abel and Rima are wonderments to each other, someone unlike any other person they have ever encountered. They fall in love, a love that is stymied by Rima's inability to understand the feelings Abel creates in her. On a long trek to discover Rima's origins, they find that her unique people no longer exist, but they finally confront the magnetism that is drawing them together. Finally they find joy, and make plans... until Rima is murdered by the Indians.
And then it is time for vengeance!
The Three Midshipmen by William Henry Giles Kingston audiobook.
This is the start of a series of four books following three friends through their career in the navy. Terence, Jack and Alick first meet at a boarding school, and become fast friends, not least because together they stand up to the school bullies. Later, they join the navy together, and though they join different ships and are mostly apart, adventures involving sea battles, storms, and even pirates, have a way of allowing their paths to cross in order to look after one another as they did in school. -
The Mutiny of the Bounty and other narratives by William Bligh audiobook.
In Bligh's own words, we hear about the lead-up to the famous mutiny and what happened afterwards with the mutineers and the castaways. This work contains two additional narratives by Bligh: Life of a Sailor Boy and The Sunken Treasure.
The Two Destinies by Wilkie Collins audiobook.
Mary Dermody is destined to be together with George Germaine one day, or so at least her grandmother prophesies. Destiny at first doesn't seem to adhere to this plan, and the pair is separated and lose sight of each other. But when George saves a young woman from drowning, a strong connection seems to develop between them, which seems to be almost supernatural..
The Queen of Hearts by Wilkie Collins audiobook.
The elderly Brothers Owen, Morgan and Griffith live a quiet, retired life in the countryside, which is turned upside-down by Griffith's ward, the young Jessie Yelverton. Originally, her visit to them was to last only six weeks, but for a very certain reason, the gentlemen must find a way to prolong her visit and get Jessie to stay for ten more days. To make her stay, they promise to tell her an entertaining and exciting story each night...
A Rogue's Life by Wilkie Collins audiobook.
"The story offers the faithful reflection of a very happy time in my past life. It was written at Paris, when I had Charles Dickens for a near neighbor and a daily companion, and when my leisure hours were joyously passed with many other friends, all associated with literature and art, of whom the admirable comedian, Regnier, is now the only survivor. The revising of these pages has been to me a melancholy task. I can only hope that they may cheer the sad moments of others. The Rogue may surely claim two merits, at least, in the eyes of the new generation—he is never serious for two moments together; and he "doesn't take long to read."
Society as I Have Found It by Ward McAllister audiobook.
Mark Twain illustrator Dan Beard recalled discussing McAllister’s book with Twain. “It was before Webster & Company failed that Ward McAllister’s book (Society as I have Found It) appeared, and when he (Twain) sauntered into my studio one day, I said: ‘Mr. Clemens, have you read Ward McAllister’s book?’ ‘Yes; have you?’ he replied. ‘Indeed, I have. I have read it through several times, and intend to read it again. It is one of the most humorous books I ever read.’ ‘That’s so,’ said Mark, ‘that’s so. Now, I will tell you something. I spent three months writing a satire on that book of Ward McAllister’s. And when I got through, I again read McAllister’s book, and then my satire, and then tore the blamed thing up. Some things are complete in themselves and cannot be improved upon, and I take off my hat to Mr. McAllister.’” (ref. A Bibliography of the Work of Mark Twain by Merle Johnson) Wikipedia says: "McAllister's downfall came when he published a book of memoirs entitled Society as I Have Found It in 1890. The book, and his hunger for media attention, did little to endear him to the old guard, who valued their privacy in an era when millionaires were the equivalent of modern movie stars." N.B. - NOT included in this recording is the author's extensive collection of period stationery, found at the end of the book.
Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo audiobook.
This is the story of a man’s monumental struggle against nature, to win the hand of the woman he loves, and surmount every difficulty that Nature puts in his path
Tom Swift and His War Tank by Victor Appleton audiobook.
Tom Swift, that prolific youthful inventor, is engaged in trying to help the Allies win WWI. After reading newspaper accounts of the British tanks, Tom takes a sheet of paper and sets out to design a better one from scratch. And fortunately, he can throw the whole family business behind his venture.
He has two problems: First, his friends and acquaintances are questioning his patriotism because he hasn't enlisted as a rifleman for the front lines. Even his girl is worried his blood isn't true-blue. But that's because he is developing his tank in secret, and they don't know he's concentrating on winning the war the American way, with machines.
The second problem is that the German spies have penetrated the secret of what is being built in the high-security shop on the Swift property. And they will stop at nothing to steal its design - not kidnapping Tom, and not kidnapping the tank itself, complete with crew.
Tom and his buddies had better work fast, or the American riflemen are going to find the Kaiser's soldiers using American-designed tanks against them!
Tom Swift and the Electronic Hydrolung by Victor Appleton audiobook.
The US Government is very smartly letting Tom Swift Jr. handle the recovery of its probe to Jupiter. But a mystery missile suddenly intercepts the probe and splashes it in the South Atlantic.
Faced with a huge search task to find the probe on the ocean bottom, Tom soon realizes that the same shadowy group that attacked the probe is competing to find it, and no holds are barred: kidnap, coercion, and lethal force are all in play.
Under such circumstances, what can Tom do? What he does every time, of course! He invents some utterly cool device to get the job done! And his Electronic Hydrolung is just the beginning!
The Kama Sutra by Vatsyayana audiobook.
The Kama Sutra, or Aphorisms on Love, has survived at least 1400 years as a dominant text on sexual relations between men and women. Vatsyayana claimed to have written the Kama Sutra while a religious student, “in contemplation of the Deity” - but references to older works, shrewd disputations by Vatsyayana of those authors' recommendations, and careful cataloging of practices in various of the Indian states indicate much more emphasis on kama, or sensual gratification.
Part of the book discusses the 64 arts of love employed by masters of coitus. Learning each of these and when and how to practice them, Vatsyayana affirms, not only leads to the best gratification, but makes the artist a person of great desirability.
Once the means of sexual congress are discussed, the many types of male-female relationships and their proper prosecution are covered. Some of these have small relevance to the modern world, such as how to sneak into the King's harem, but are interesting nonetheless. Others, such as how to get money from a lover, will probably remain useful as long as there are humans in the world.
The translator's concluding remarks call the book primitive; so might also modern women who are told that if their name ends in “l” or “r” they should not be married, because they are worthless. But in tackling the subject of human sexuality, Vatsyayana nevertheless will always attract readers (or, in this case, listeners!).
The Ordeal of Mark Twain by Van Wyck Brooks audiobook.
This book, published in 1920, analyzes the literary progression of Samuel Clemens and his shortcomings (which are debatable). Brooks attributes Clemens' increasing sense of pessimism to the repression of his creative spirit due largely to his mother and his wife.
The Burial of the Guns by Thomas Nelson Page audiobook.
This is a book of short stories centered around the Civil War and its aftermath. The author was a prominent Virginian in his day, and his writing shows a talent for poignant reminiscences. The title comes from the second story, in which an artillery unit detached from Lee's army determines to follow their last orders - not to let their cannons fall into Union hands - despite Lee's surrender and the end of the War in Virginia. The other stories focus on individuals in the post-War years.
Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock audiobook.
Deep in the fens of the British coast sits the gloomy mansion that goes by the name Nightmare Abbey. It is inhabited by persons of very low opinion of the human race, and in fact they pride themselves in the depths of their detestation. Others of its denizens believe the ultimate exercise and product of the human mind ought to be chaos.
Now let the young master of the house get snared by the wiles of a beautiful young lady. And for good measure, toss in another beautiful young lady. Now Scythrop (named in honor of an ancestor who became bored with life and hanged himself) is about to find that two such make too much of a good thing!
Peacock wrote Nightmare Abbey as a satire, and he has folded in allusions to or quotations from literally dozens of other works. He makes use of many long, impressive-sounding words (some of which he very possibly made up!). Ignore these and his occasional Latin phrase, treat the rest as a farce, and you're on track for a fun listen!
The Strenuous Life by Theodore Roosevelt audiobook.
This book is a collection of Theodore Roosevelt’s published commentaries and public addresses on the general theme of the requirements for individual and collective success in the personal, civic, political, and social arenas.
What Katy Did at School by Susan Coolidge audiobook.
The continuing story of Katy Carr, recounting the time she spent at boarding school with her sister Clover.
What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge audiobook.
What Katy Did is a children's book written by Susan Coolidge, the pen name of Sarah Chauncey Woolsey. It follows the adventures of Katy Carr and her family, growing up in America in the 1860s. Katy is a tall untidy tomboy, forever getting into scrapes but wishing to be beautiful and beloved. When a terrible accident makes her an invalid, her illness and recovery gradually teach her to be as good and kind as she has always wanted.
War Is a Racket by Smedley Butler audiobook.
Marine Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler's expose of American Corporate Imperialism. Butler said, “I served in all commissioned ranks from second lieutenant to Major General. And during that period I spent most of my time being a high-class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street, and for the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer for capitalism. I suspected I was just part of the racket all the time. Now I am sure of it.”
Through the Magic Door by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.
In this volume, Arthur Conan Doyle invites us into his library and discusses his favourite literature with the listener.
The Poison Belt by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.
Three years after the events that took place in The Lost World , Professor Challenger urgently summons his fellow explorers (Professor Summerlee, Lord John Roxton, and reporter E.D. Malone) to a meeting. Oddly, he requires each to bring an oxygen cylinder with him.
What he soon informs them is that from astronomical data and just-received telegraphs of strange accidents on the other side of the world, he has deduced that the Earth is starting to move through a region of space containing something poisonous to humankind.
Shutting themselves tightly up in Challenger's house, they start to consider what may be done. But as their countrymen start to drop, will their oxygen last long enough to determine and implement a solution?
The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.
The Lost World is a 1912 novel by Arthur Conan Doyle concerning an expedition to a plateau (native name is Tepuyes) in South America (Venezuela) where prehistoric animals (dinosaurs and other extinct creatures) still survive. The character of Professor Challenger was introduced in this book. Interestingly, for a seminal work of dinosaur-related fiction, the reptiles only occupy a small portion of the narrative. Much more time is devoted to a war between early human hominids and a vicious tribe of ape-like creatures.
The Royal Book of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson audiobook.
The Royal Book of Oz (1921) is the fifteenth in the series of Oz books, and the first to be written by Ruth Plumly Thompson after L. Frank Baum's death. Although Baum was credited as the author, it was written entirely by Thompson.
The Scarecrow is upset when Professor Wogglebug tells him that he has no family, so he goes to where Dorothy Gale found him to trace his "roots." Then he vanishes from the face of Oz.
Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion mount a search for their friend, but when that is successful, they will need to become a rescue party!
The Nature and Authority of Conscience by Rufus Jones audiobook.
Rufus Matthew Jones (January 25, 1863 – June 16, 1948) was an American religious leader, writer, magazine editor, philosopher, and college professor. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Haverford Emergency Unit (a precursor to the American Friends Service Committee). One of the most influential Quakers of the 20th century, he was a Quaker historian and theologian as well as a philosopher. In 1917 he helped found the American Friends Service Committee. This work was delivered as a Swarthmore Lecture in August 1920.
Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling audiobook.
Real men don't take guff from snotty kids. Neither does Disko Troop, skipper of the "We're Here", a fishing schooner out of Gloucester, Massachusetts, when his crew fishes Harvey Cheyne out of the Atlantic. There's no place on the Grand Banks for bystanders, so Harvey is press-ganged into service as a replacement for a man lost overboard and drowned. Harvey is heir to a vast fortune, but his rescuers believe none of what he tells them of his background. Disko won't take the boat to port until it is full of fish, so Harvey must settle in for a season at sea. Hard, dangerous work and performing it alongside a grab-bag of characters in close quarters is a life-changing experience.
And when Harvey at last is reunited with his parents, who have thought him dead for months, he must face the hard decisions of how he will allow his experience to change his life.
The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson audiobook.
In the unsettled years of England's War of the Roses, where a man stood on the issue of kingship could make his fortune... or end his life. Dick Shelton, a nobly-born lad, is on the cusp of manhood, and he is thrust bodily into this stew where allegiances shift under one's feet. Circumstances cause him to fall in with a gentlemaiden in boy's disguise. Until he learns of the deception, Dick is unaware that the young lady is an heiress whom his guardian Sir Daniel had kidnapped. And the introduction of an outlaw with a penchant for putting black arrows into the bodies of the men who had wronged him affords Dick a worrying hint - that Sir Daniel might have been the man that had murdered Dick's father!
Amusement Only by Richard Marsh audiobook.
This is a collection of 12 short stories of mystery and humor, which are, as the title says, for amusement only.
Vagabond Adventures by Ralph Keeler audiobook.
Ralph Keeler failed as a novelist, but this autobiography reflects a life well-lived with humor and adventure. Keeler was in the same literary circle as satirist Bret Harte, novelist Charles Warren Stoddard, editor Thomas Bailey Aldrich, and essayist William Dean Howells. He so impressed Mark Twain that Twain wrote an essay about him called "Ralph Keeler". In 1873, on his way to Cuba, he reportedly was thrown overboard by a Spanish loyalist who objected to his backing of the revolutionary, anti-Spanish movement.
Phaedo by Plato audiobook.
Plato's Phaedo is one of the great dialogues of his middle period, along with the Republic and the Symposium. The Phaedo, which depicts the death of Socrates, is also Plato's seventh and last dialogue to detail the philosopher's final days (the first six being Theaetetus, Euthyphro, Sophist, Statesman, Apology, and Crito).
In the dialogue, Socrates discusses the nature of the afterlife on his last day before being executed by drinking hemlock. Socrates has been imprisoned and sentenced to death by an Athenian jury for not believing in the gods of the state and for corrupting the youth of the city. The dialogue is told from the perspective of one of Socrates' students, Phaedo of Elis. Having been present at Socrates' death bed, Phaedo relates the dialogue from that day to Echecrates, a fellow philosopher. By engaging in dialectic with a group of Socrates' friends, including the Thebans Cebes and Simmias, Socrates explores various arguments for the soul's immortality in order to show that there is an afterlife in which the soul will dwell following death. Phaedo tells the story that following the discussion, he and the others were there to witness the death of Socrates.
Ten From Infinity by Paul W. Fairman audiobook.
It began when a pedestrian got hit by a cab in New York City. No doubt it was the only motor mishap in the history of creation that reached out among the stars—for far out in space a signal was registered: Something has gone wrong....
And something had gone wrong, for the doctors discovered their accident patient had two hearts. It was the beginning of the discovery that the Earth had been invaded by 10 such creatures from Outer Space.
Every effort was made to learn their purpose. An orbital flight was launched to spot alien bodies—only to be destroyed in space. One of the alien men was captured—but no threat of pain or death could unlock the secret in his brain.
Something had gone wrong. And somehow, some way had to be found to make it right—before the threat of danger overwhelmed all mankind.
Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death by Patrick Henry audiobook.
This speech was given March 23, 1775, at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia, and is credited with having singlehandedly convinced the Virginia House of Burgesses to pass a resolution delivering the Virginia troops to the Revolutionary War. In attendance were Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. Reportedly, the crowd, upon hearing the speech, jumped up and shouted, "To Arms! To Arms!"
The First Battle of Bull Run by P. G. T. Beauregard audiobook.
General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was one of the senior commanders of Southern forces during the Civil War. It was he who initiated the hostilities by opening fire on Ft. Sumter in Charleston harbor, in April, 1861.
In July of that year, having taken command of the Confederate Army of the Potomac, he triumphed in the first serious clash of the war, at Manassas, Virginia. His army, aided by reinforcements from Johnston's army in the Shenandoah Valley, routed a Federal army under General McDowell. Had it been his army instead that routed, it is possible the Civil War might have ended that same year, as the path to Richmond would have been wide open.
This is his account of the battle, including the strategic situation leading up to it. As an afterward, he added a very revealing appraisal of the relations between him and Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and the reasons why, in his opinion, the South failed to win its war of secession.
The Cloak by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol audiobook.
"The Cloak" is a short story by Ukrainian-born Russian author Nikolai Gogol, published in 1842. The story and its author have had great influence on Russian literature, as expressed in a quote attributed to Fyodor Dostoevsky: "We all come out from Gogol's 'Overcoat'." The story has been adapted into a variety of stage and film interpretations.
Twice-Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne audiobook.
Twice-Told Tales is a short story collection in two volumes by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The first was published in the spring of 1837, and the second in 1842. The stories had all been previously published in magazines and annuals, hence the name.
Mosses From An Old Manse by Nathaniel Hawthorne audiobook.
"Mosses from an Old Manse" is a short story collection by Nathaniel Hawthorne, first published in 1846. The collection includes several previously-published short stories and is named in honor of The Old Manse where Hawthorne and his wife lived for the first three years of their marriage. A second edition was published in 1854, which added "Feathertop," "Passages from a Relinquished Work, and "Sketches from Memory."
Many of the tales collected in "Mosses from an Old Manse" are allegories and, typical of Hawthorne, focus on the negative side of human nature. Hawthorne's friend Herman Melville noted this aspect in his review "Hawthorne and His Mosses": "This black conceit pervades him through and through. You may be witched by his sunlight, transported by the bright gildings in the skies he builds over you; but there is the blackness of darkness beyond; and even his bright gildings but fringe and play upon the edges of thunder-clouds." William Henry Channing reviewed the collection in The Harbinger and noted that its author "had been baptized in the deep waters of Tragedy" and his work was dark with only brief moments of "serene brightness" which was never brighter than "dusky twilight".
The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne audiobook.
"The wrongdoing of one generation lives into the successive ones and... becomes a pure and uncontrollable mischief." Hawthorne's moral for "The House of the Seven Gables," taken from the Preface, accurately presages his story. The full weight of the gloomy mansion of the title seems to sit on the fortunes of the Pyncheon family. An ancestor took advantage of the Salem witch trials to wrest away the land whereon the house would be raised... but the land's owner, about to be executed as a wizard, cursed the Pyncheon family until such time as they should make restitution.
Now, almost two centuries later, the family is in real distress. Hepzibah, an old maid and resident of the house, is forced by advanced poverty to open a shop in a part of the house. Her brother Clifford has just been released from prison after serving a thirty-year sentence for murder, and his mind struggles to maintain any kind of hold on reality. Cousin Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon is making himself odious by threatening to have Clifford committed to an institution. And after all these years, the deed to a vast tract of land, that would settle great wealth on the family, is still missing.
One bright ray of sunshine enters the house when cousin Phoebe arrives for an extended stay to allow unhappy matters in her end of the family to sort themselves out. While she lightens the lives of Hepzibah and Clifford, she also attracts the attention of a mysterious lodger named Holgrave, who has placed himself near the Pyncheon family for reasons that only come clear at the end of the story.
The real crisis arrives when the Judge, who strongly resembles the Colonel Pyncheon who built the house so many years ago, steps up his demands on Hepzibah and Clifford and unwittingly triggers the curse.
This World is Taboo by Murray Leinster audiobook.
Calhoun is an Interstellar Medical Serviceman, and he's needed on Dara. Trouble is: Dara is forbidden. Taboo. And breaking quarantine will make Calhoun a presumed plague-carrier and subject to being shot on sight by anyone from Weald. But hey! If he did the smart thing, we wouldn't have a story! But why are men from Dara shooting at him?
Conquest Over Time by Michael Shaara audiobook.
Pat Travis, a spacer renowned for his luck, is suddenly quite out of it. His job is to beat his competitors to sign newly-Contacted human races to commercial contracts...
But what can he do when he finds he's on a planet that consults astrology for literally every major decision - and he has arrived on one of the worst-aspected days in history?
Michael Shaara, later to write the Pulitzer-winning novel "The Killer Angels", wrote this story for Fantastic Universe in 1956.
Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge audiobook.
Mary Mapes Dodge created an instant bestseller with "Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates." She wanted the book to be partly a book of travels and partly a domestic story. It is a tale written for children that adults also find interesting and uplifting. Dodge writes as if she is sending a series of letters from Holland to children in America, and her you-are-there perspective is aided by a nice attention to detail and vivid imagery.
The Brinkers are a poor but stoic family under a dark cloud - Raff, the man of the house, fell from the dikes while reinforcing them during a bad storm, and for ten years he has been in a vegetative state. With no steady income, the family's lot is grinding poverty. Despite their unfortunate circumstances, Hans and Gretel are cheerful children, yet always attentive to the needs of their mother and their present-but-not-really-there father. Their social standing is very low, but they both attract firm friends, even among the gentry, for their honesty, industry, and good-heartedness.
Then a glorious skating race is proposed for the town of Broek, with the prize a pair of silver skates for both the winning boy and girl. In the weeks leading up to the race, we follow the adventures of five of the local boys who are showing a visiting relative from England the sights of the Netherlands. Hans improbably meets the one man who might be able to heal his father, and somehow Hans finds a way to afford some skates so that he and Gretel can enter the race.
This all leads up to a dramatic, moving, and entirely satisfactory conclusion. "Hans Brinker" hits a series of high notes and encourages children to cultivate and display their finer qualities.
The Treaty With China by Mark Twain audiobook.
"A good candidate for 'the most under-appreciated work by Mark Twain' would be 'The Treaty With China,' which he published in the New York Tribune in 1868. This piece, which is an early statement of Twain's opposition to imperialism and which conveys his vision of how the U.S. ought to behave on the global stage, has not been reprinted since its original publication until now."
Tom Sawyer Abroad by Mark Twain audiobook.
Tom Sawyer Abroad is a novel by Mark Twain published in 1894. It features Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn in a parody of Jules Verne-esque adventure stories. In the story, Tom, Huck, and Jim set sail to Africa in a futuristic hot air balloon, where they survive encounters with lions, robbers, and fleas to see some of the world's greatest wonders, including the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Like Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, Detective, the story is told using the first-person narrative voice of Huck Finn.
The Gilded Age, A Tale of Today by Mark Twain audiobook.
The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today is an 1873 novel by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner that satirizes greed and political corruption in post-Civil War America. The term gilded age, commonly given to the era, comes from the title of this book. Twain and Warner got the name from Shakespeare's King John (1595): "To gild refined gold, to paint the lily... is wasteful and ridiculous excess." Gilding a lily, which is already beautiful and not in need of further adornment, is excessive and wasteful, characteristics of the age Twain and Warner wrote about in their novel. Another interpretation of the title, of course, is the contrast between an ideal "Golden Age," and a less worthy "Gilded Age," as gilding is only a thin layer of gold over baser metal, so the title now takes on a pejorative meaning as to the novel's time, events and people.
Although not one of Twain's more well-known works, it has appeared in more than 100 editions since its original publication in 1873. Twain and Warner originally had planned to issue the novel with illustrations by Thomas Nast. The book is remarkable for two reasons–-it is the only novel Twain wrote with a collaborator, and its title very quickly became synonymous with graft, materialism, and corruption in public life.
The Stolen White Elephant by Mark Twain audiobook.
In this Mark Twain short story an Indian elephant, en route from India to Britain as a gift to Queen, disappears in New Jersey. The local police department goes into high gear to solve the mystery but it all comes to a tragic end.
Sketches New and Old by Mark Twain audiobook.
This collection of 63 writings by Mark Twain was published in 1875. Among other sketches, it contains "The Jumping Frog" in the original English, followed by a French translation (read here by Caroline Mittler) which Twain re-translated into English, showing how the French translation of his work was "badly flawed." In many of these sketches, Twain shows his talent for outrageous and hilarious inventiveness, often in reaction to current events.
Some Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion by Mark Twain audiobook.
Written for the Atlantic magazine in 1877, this is a collection of stories about a trip Mark Twain made with some friends to Bermuda.
The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain audiobook.
The Prince and the Pauper (1882) represents Mark Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. The book, set in 1547, tells the story of two young boys who are identical in appearance: Tom Canty, a pauper who lives with his abusive father in Offal Court, London, and Prince Edward son of Henry VIII of England. Due to a series of circumstances, the boys accidentally replace each other, and much of the humor in the book originates in the two boys' inability to function in the world that is so familiar to the other (although Tom soon displays considerable wisdom in his decisions). In many ways, the book is a social satire, particularly compelling in its condemnation of the inequality that existed between the classes in Tudor England. In that sense, Twain abandoned the wry Midwestern style for which he was best known and adopts a style reminiscent of Charles Dickens.
Old Times on the Mississippi by Mark Twain audiobook.
Old Times on the Mississippi is a non-fiction work by Mark Twain. It was published in 1876. Originally published in serial form in the Atlantic Monthly, in 1875, this same work was published as chapters 4 through 17 in Twain's later work, Life on the Mississippi (1883). Old Times on the the Mississippi has one last chapter that has nothing to do with the rest of the book. A Literary Nightmare describes the funny/sad/maddening effect that a catchy jingle can have on those unlucky enough to be captured by one.
Newspaper Articles by Mark Twain by Mark Twain audiobook.
This is a collection of newspaper articles written by Samuel Clemens, for various newspapers, between 1862 and 1881. After Feb 3rd 1863, he began using the pen name Mark Twain. This compilation is the work of Project Gutenberg and contains articles from TERRITORIAL ENTERPRISE, THE SAN FRANCISCO DAILY MORNING CALL, THE SACRAMENTO DAILY UNION, DAILY HAWAIIAN HERALD, ALTA CALIFORNIA, THE CHICAGO REPUBLICAN, and THE GALAXY.
Mark Twain's Letters from Hawaii by Mark Twain audiobook.
By the time Mark Twain worked as a roving reporter for the Sacramento Union, he had held positions with other newspapers in Nevada and California. However, his assignment in 1866 to visit and report on the Sandwich Islands, changed his life. These 25 "letters" from Hawaii gave him an international "scoop" and opened the door for a lifetime of speaking engagements. “I went to Maui to stay a week and remained five. I had a jolly time. I would not have fooled away any of it writing letters under any consideration whatever.” –Mark Twain
A Horse's Tale by Mark Twain audiobook.
Soldier Boy is the top steed at Fort Paxton. He is Buffalo Bill’s favorite horse and has led a life of glory and honor. One day General Alison’s orphaned niece arrives and proceeds to charm every man, woman, and beast for miles around including Soldier Boy. Buffalo Bill takes her under his wing and ultimately “lends” her Soldier Boy so that they may seek adventure together. And so they do. – “A Horse’s Tale” was first published in the August and September, 1906 issues of Harper’s Monthly magazine.
In Defense of Harriet Shelley by Mark Twain audiobook.
Mark Twain pulls no punches while exposing the "real" Percy Shelley in this scathing condemnation of Edward Dowden's "Life of Shelley". Even though, as Twain writes, "Shelley's life has the one indelible blot upon it, but is otherwise worshipfully noble and beautiful", Twain shows how Shelley's extra-marital conduct might easily be seen to have been the cause of his wife Harriet's suicide.
Goldsmith's Friend Abroad Again by Mark Twain audiobook.
This satire on the U.S.A.'s myth of being the "Home of the Oppressed, where all men are free and equal", is unrelenting in its pursuit of justice through exposure. It draws a scathingly shameful portrait of how Chinese immigrants were treated in 19th century San Francisco.
Following the Equator by Mark Twain audiobook.
Following the Equator (American English title) or More Tramps Abroad (English title) is a non-fiction travelogue published by American author Mark Twain in 1897. Twain was practically bankrupt in 1894 due to a failed investment into a "revolutionary" typesetting machine. In an attempt to extricate himself from debt of $100,000 (equivalent of about $2 million in 2005) he undertook a tour of the British Empire in 1895, a route chosen to provide numerous opportunities for lectures in the English language. In Following the Equator, an account of that travel published in 1897, the author unmasks and criticizes racism, imperialism and missionary zeal in observations woven into the narrative with classical Twain wit. Of particular interest, historically, are Twain's references to Cecil Rhodes in Australia and South Africa, the in-depth description of "Thugs" and "Thuggee" in India and the Boer War period and diamonds in South Africa.
Those Extraordinary Twins by Mark Twain audiobook.
"Those Extraordinary Twins" was published as a short story, separate and distinct from its origins inside Twain's "The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson". As Twain explains, he extricated "Twins" from "Pudd'nhead" when he found, as he was writing, that he'd created a farce inside a tragedy. This is the excised farce, a story about Italian Siamese twins who completely take over a small Missouri town, splitting it down the middle with half supporting one head and the other, the other.
Europe and Elsewhere by Mark Twain audiobook.
This collection of articles came from Mark Twain's travels and experiences abroad. While many had been previously published, there also were many that had never before seen the light of day...which one reviewer said had never been Twain's intent for them, having consigned them to obscurity. With introductory essays by Brander Matthews and Albert Bigelow Paine, the book paints a clear picture of the complexity and wide variety of Samuel L. Clemens' thinking, where it originated and how it developed.
A Double Barrelled Detetive Story by Mark Twain audiobook.
A Double Barreled Detective Story is a short story/novelette by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), in which Sherlock Holmes finds himself in the American west.
The Death Disk by Mark Twain audiobook.
Mark Twain's "Death Disk" was inspired by the historical account of the execution of Colonel John Poyer of Pembroke, Wales on April 21, 1649. A small child was given the responsibility of selecting which of three rebel leaders of a civil uprising would receive a death penalty. The unfortunate fate was given to Poyer who was shot in front of a large crowd at Covent Garden. In 1883 Twain read about the child's role in the execution in a copy of Carlyle's Letters and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, (Wiley & Putnam, 1845, pp. 344-345). In his personal notebook, Twain's imagination led him to remark, "By dramatic accident, it could have been his own child" (Notebook #22, reprinted in Mark Twain's Notebooks & Journals, Volume III, 1883-1891, p. 14). In December 1883, Twain wrote his friend William Dean Howells, "Now let's write a tragedy" (Mark Twain-Howells Letters, Volume II, p. 455). In his letter to Howells, he included the manuscript of the closing scene where a young girl unknowingly gives her own father a death sentence. Twain's original version ended in the father's execution. Twain's plan to complete the tragedy went nowhere for over a decade. In December 1899 he wrote from London to Katharine Harrison that he had recently completed "The Death Disk." Twain had revised the story and it now included a miraculous ending well-suited for the Christmas season. It was published in the 1901 Christmas issue of Harper's Magazine. On February 8, 1902, the story was staged as a one-act play at the Children's Theatre at Carnegie Hall. According to an announcement in The New York Times, February 7, 1902, child actress Beatrice Abbey (stage name of Mrs. Ethel Foster Hollearn) would star in the lead role in the play titled "Little Lady and Lord Cromwell." In Twain's autobiographical dictation on August 30, 1906, he recalled the struggles he had with the story. By that time he also recalled the title incorrectly: "In the course of twelve years, I made six attempts to tell a simple little story which I knew would tell itself in four hours if I could ever find the right starting point. I scored six failures; then one day in London I offered the text of the story to Robert McClure and proposed that he publish that text in the magazine and offer a prize to the person who should tell it best. I became greatly interested and went on talking upon the text for half an hour; then he said, 'You have told the story yourself. You have nothing to do but put it on paper just as you have told it.' I recognized that this was true. At the end of four hours, it was finished, and quite to my satisfaction. So it took twelve years and four hours to produce that little bit of a story, which I have called 'The Death Wafer'" (Mark Twain in Eruption, pp. 199-200).
Fennimore Cooper's Literary Offences by Mark Twain audiobook.
Fenimore Cooper - author of The Deerslayer, The Last of the Mohicans, etc - has often been praised, but just as often been criticised for his writing. Mark Twain wrote a funny, vicious little essay on the subject, in which he states: "In one place in 'Deerslayer,' and in the restricted space of two-thirds of a page, Cooper has scored 114 offences against literary art out of a possible 115."
Christian Science by Mark Twain audiobook.
Christian Science is a 1907 collection of essays Mark Twain wrote about Christian Science, beginning with an article that was published in Cosmopolitan in 1899. Although Twain was interested in mental healing and the ideas behind Christian Science, he was hostile towards its founder, Mary Baker Eddy (1821–1910). He called her, according to American writer Caroline Fraser, "[g]rasping, sordid, penurious, famishing for everything she sees—money, power, glory—vain, untruthful, jealous, despotic, arrogant, insolent, pitiless where thinkers and hypnotists are concerned, illiterate, shallow, incapable of reasoning outside of commercial lines, immeasurably selfish."
Alonzo Fitz & Other Stories by Mark Twain audiobook.
A collection of Twain short stories including: The Loves Of Alonzo Fitz Clarence And Rosannah Ethelton On The Decay Of The Art Of Lying About Magnanimous-Incident Literature The Grateful Poodle The Benevolent Author The Grateful Husband Punch, Brothers, Punch The Great Revolution In Pitcairn The Canvasser's Tale An Encounter With An Interviewer Paris Notes Legend Of Sagenfeld, In Germany Speech On The Babies Speech On The Weather Concerning The American Language Rogers
Ultima Thule by Mack Reynolds audiobook.
Ronny Bronston has dreamed all his life of getting a United Planets job that would take him off-world. He finally gets the opportunity when he is given a provisional assignment with Bureau of Investigation, Section G. But will he be able to complete his assignment and find the elusive Tommy Paine?
Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott audiobook.
Louisa May Alcott's overwhelming success dated from the appearance of the first part of Little Women: or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, (1868) a semi-autobiographical account of her childhood years with her sisters in Concord, Massachusetts. Part two, or Part Second, also known as Good Wives, (1869) followed the March sisters into adulthood and their respective marriages.
The Lost Princess of Oz by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
Who is stealing all the magic in Oz? Dorothy and her friends set out to comb all of Oz, not only for magic stolen from Glinda and the Wizard, but also for the kidnapped princess, Ozma. Along the way, they explore regions never seen in other Oz books, meeting strange and interesting people and animals, and falling into peril more than once. It’s a desperate mission – for if the thefts are all linked, then it means that some magician unknown to them has acquired powers beyond any available to them now. How will they find him? And how will they conquer him? Not one of them knows – but with continuing faith that goodness will triumph, they march forth to try.
Greylorn by Keith Laumer audiobook.
Commander Greylorn has a problem. No, actually he has two of them. It's not enough that the remaining residents of Earth have pinned their last hope of salvation on him and his mission. He has to find a colony that presumedly was established at an unknown star two centuries before and beg their help. But first, he has the small matter of a mutiny on board his starship, and people are trying to kill him!
Written in an era when radios used vacuum tubes, the scientific component of the story is quaint and dated. But Laumer makes the centerpiece of his tale the retelling of how, four years out on the voyage, his crew decides it wants to give up and go home when it meets an alien race... that apparently breeds humans in captivity as food animals! Beating the aliens, shanghaiing the crew, finding the colony and saving Mother Earth - just the ingredients for a rattling good yarn!
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran audiobook.
The prophet Al Mustafa, before leaving the city where he has been living twelve years, stops to address the people. They call out for his words of wisdom on many sides of the human condition, and he addresses them in terms of love and care. He has much to offer from his observations of the people, and he illustrates with images they can relate to. The author, Gibran, was influenced by the Maronites, the Sufis, and the Baha’i. His philosophy, though deist, is primarily aimed at the good within ourselves, and the common-sense ways in which we can unlock it. An illustration from his chapter on Friendship: “And let your best be for your friend. If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also. For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill? Seek him always with hours to live.” The prophet’s gentle words have inspired their translation into over 108 languages. Listen to them with an open mind. You may find some burdens and frustrations hidden within you eased
The Master of the World by Jules Verne audiobook.
Chief Inspector Strock gets the tough cases. When a volcano suddenly appears to threaten mountain towns of North Carolina amid the non-volcanic Blue Ridge Mountains, Strock is posted to determine the danger. When an automobile race in Wisconsin is interrupted by the unexpected appearance of a vehicle traveling at multiples of the top speed of the entrants, Strock is consulted. When an odd-shaped boat is sighted moving at impossible speeds off the New England coast, Stock and his boss begin to wonder if the incidents are related. And when Strock gets a hand-lettered note warning him to abandon his investigation, on pain of death, he is intrigued rather than deterred. Set in a period when gasoline engines were in their infancy and automobiles were rare, and when even Chief Inspectors had to engage a carriage and horses to move about, the appearance of a vehicle that can move at astounding speeds on land, on water - and as later revealed, underwater and through the air - marks a technological advance far beyond the reach of nations. It is technology invented by and for the sole benefit of a man who styles himself (with some justification) "The Master of the World." This book is a sequel to an earlier Verne novel, "Robur the Conqueror", but enough detail is given to fully appreciate this story without having first read the other.
The Blockade Runners by Jules Verne audiobook.
Writing at the end of the American Civil War, Verne weaves this story of a Scottish merchant who, in desperation at the interruption of the flow of Southern cotton due to the Union blockade, determines to build his own fast ship and run guns to the Confederates in exchange for the cotton piling up unsold on their wharves. His simple plan becomes complicated by two passengers who board his new ship under false pretenses in order to carry out a rescue mission, one which Capt. Playfair adopts as his own cause. This is going make the Rebels in Charleston rather unhappy with him. Sure, his new ship is fast - but can it escape the cannonballs of both North and South?
The Point of Honor by Joseph Conrad audiobook.
Set during the Napoleonic Wars, this story features two French Hussar officers, D'Hubert and Feraud. Their quarrel over an initially minor incident turns into a bitter, long-drawn out struggle over the following fifteen years, interwoven with the larger conflict that provides its backdrop. At the beginning, Feraud is the one who jealously guards his honor and repeatedly demands satisfaction anew when a duelling encounter ends inconclusively; he aggressively pursues every opportunity to locate and duel his foe. As the story progresses, D'Hubert also finds himself caught up in the contest, unable to back down or walk away. This Conrad short story evidently has its genesis in the real duels that two French Hussar officers fought in the Napoleonic era. Their names were Dupont and Fournier, which Conrad disguised slightly, changing Dupont into D'Hubert and Fournier into Feraud. In 1977, it was turned into a movie, "The Duellists", starring Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel.
New Discoveries at Jamestown by John L. Cotter audiobook.
Chances are, you are reading this because you are aware that Jamestown, Virginia, celebrated its 400th birthday in 2007. It was the first "successful" English settlement in America. Although the colonists eventually moved upriver to be quit of the hard luck and difficult conditions on the small island, they left behind a trove of possessions - used, worn out, or forgotten. Did you ever stop to consider just how many different items you have, need, or use, to live, work, and amuse yourself? Chances are that you would seriously underestimate! But once you put such a list together, another person could tell quite a story about the life you lead. The puzzle of archeology is how to tell that story, just from the discovery of the traces you leave behind. Literally hundreds of thousands of artifacts have been recovered from this pioneering community during three major efforts (1903, the 1950's, and 1994-present) to reconstruct how Europeans of the early 17th century managed to transplant themselves to a wild and hostile land. The authors, writing for the National Park Service in 1956, relate a fascinating tale of the colonists' resources, their possessions, and their manufactures. They relate documentary evidence from England, Virginia, and elsewhere, and then match it up with items found on the site. Think about packing for a trip to a new world, where you will spend the rest of your life. There are no shops, no regular supply deliveries. You will build your own home. Food is strictly grown or caught on your own. The local folks (Indians) may be (and were, at some times!) hostile to your presence. You will depend on only a few dozen other people to help you with the things you don't know how to do, and they will depend on you. How do you prepare? What do you take? This is that story.
Nights With Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris audiobook.
That the little boy loved Uncle Remus and his stories was so obvious that the tale-spinning sessions began drawing additional listeners. Daddy Jack, an old "Africa man" visiting from down-state; Sis Tempy, the strong chief of the mansion's servants; and Tildy, a young and pretty servant-girl - all found their way to Uncle Remus' rude cabin when their duties or interests permitted, to sit around the hearth and hear the wonderful tales of the animals, and foremost among them, Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox. It turned out that some of the tales had different ways of telling, and the visitors took their turns at being the story-teller. Always one or more clever animals humbled or hornswoggled others among their community with flattery, wide-eyed mystery, or outright fraud. After the success of Harris' "Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings" , he went on to write eight more books compiling the tales he himself had heard on the plantation in his young days. This is the first of those sequels.
The Diary of a Country Parson by James Woodforde audiobook.
The Revd. James Woodforde was an English clergyman, best known for his vivid account of parish life in the 18th century. His diary, edited by John Beresford, remained unpublished until the 20th century. The diary provides a wonderfully full account of the small community in which the diarist lived — of the births and deaths, comings and goings, illnesses, and annual celebrations, along with many other details of daily life. As a churchman, Woodforde himself was conscientious by the standards of his time, charitable and pious without being sanctimonious and again typical of his day, deeply suspicious of enthusiasm. The value of the diary to the historian lies in the wealth of primary source material it provides, while the general reader can bring from it the authentic flavor of 18th-century English country life
The Pathfinder by James Fenimore Cooper audiobook.
Natty Bumppo goes by many names: La Longue Carabine, Hawk Eye, Leatherstocking, and in this tale, The Pathfinder. Guide, scout, hunter, and when put to it, soldier, he also fills a lot of roles in pre-Revolution upstate New York. An old friend, Sergeant Dunham of the 55th Regiment of Foot, asks him to guide his daughter through the wilderness to the fort at Oswego where Dunham serves. With the French engaging native Indian allies against the British and the Yankee colonists, such a journey is far from safe. Dunham has a plan in mind - to see his daughter Mable married off to the most redoubtable frontiersman and marksman in the territory, who is Pathfinder himself. But as an attractive and marriageable young lady, she draws other suitors. Then a military expedition contrives to put Sgt. Dunham, Mable, Pathfinder, and two other wooers into an isolated and dangerous garrison. Here treachery raises the stakes, and with the soldiers of the detachment shot down or captured, all of them must show mettle for any of them to escape with their scalps.
The Call of the Wild by Jack London audiobook.
In this novel (often mistakenly classified a children’s book) the main protagonist Buck, a St. Bernard/Collie mix, is abducted and sold to a trainer of sled dogs in Alaska. He adapts to the brutal conditions and is finally acquired by a loving man. When this new owner is killed, Buck follows the ‘call of the wild’ and joins a pack of wolves.
The Piazza Tales by Herman Melville audiobook.
A collection of six short stories by American writer Herman Melville, published in May 1856. Except for the newly written title story, "The Piazza," all of the stories had appeared in Putnam's Monthly between 1853 and 1855. The collection includes what has long been regarded as three of Melville's most important achievements in the genre of short fiction, "Bartleby, the Scrivener", "Benito Cereno", and "The Encantadas", his sketches of the Galápagos Islands. (Billy Budd, arguably his greatest piece of short fiction, would remain unpublished in his lifetime.) One should note that the era's prevalent racism occasionally surfaces, as in describing blacks as "indisputable inferiors", to be found in "Benito Cereno".
Bartleby, The Scrivener by Herman Melville audiobook.
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street is a novella by the American novelist Herman Melville (1819–1891). It first appeared anonymously in two parts in the November and December 1853 editions of Putnam's Magazine, and was reprinted with minor textual alterations in his The Piazza Tales in 1856.
The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells audiobook.
Britain won the Moon Race! Decades before Neal Armstrong took his "giant leap for mankind" two intrepid adventurers from Lympne, England, journeyed there using not a rocket, but an antigravity coating. Mr. Bedford, who narrates the tale, tells of how he fell in with eccentric inventor Mr. Cavor, grew to believe in his researches, helped him build a sphere for traveling in space, and then partnered with him in an expedition to the Moon. What they found was fantastic! There was not only air and water, but the Moon was honeycombed with caverns and tunnels in which lived an advanced civilization of insect-like beings. While Bedford is frightened by them and bolts home, Cavor stays and is treated with great respect. So why didn't Armstrong and later astronauts find the evidence of all this? Well, according to broadcasts by Cavor over the newly-discovered radio technology, he told the Selenites too much about mankind, and apparently, they removed the welcome mat!
Little Wars by H. G. Wells audiobook.
A Game for Boys from twelve years of age to one hundred and fifty and for that more intelligent sort of girl who likes boys' games and books. With an Appendix on Kriegspiel Miniature war gaming got its start with the publication in 1913 of this thoroughly entertaining little account of how H.G. Wells, with certain of his friends, took their childhood toys and turned play into acceptable middle-aged sport by subjecting the exercise to the civilizing influence of actual rules. While wargaming progressed far past these beginnings, Wells observes how "little wars" with even his elementary rules can suggest the wholesale crudity of the real thing. "You have only to play at Little Wars three or four times to realise just what a blundering thing Great War must be. Great War is at present, I am convinced, not only the most expensive game in the universe, but it is a game out of all proportion. Not only are the masses of men and material and suffering and inconvenience too monstrously big for reason, but--the available heads we have for it, are too small. That, I think, is the most pacific realisation conceivable, and Little War brings you to it as nothing else but Great War can do." Wells leaves almost hanging the tantalizing concept that we might someday simulate war, as an instrument of international decision-making, rather than practice actual combat. But most of this book is just the fun of evicting the boys from the playroom and spending happy days there, away from the "skirt-swishers", developing the framework under which two gentlemen might meet and accumulate boastable victories!
Floor Games by H. G. Wells audiobook.
H.G. Wells had so much fun playing with his children on the floor of their playroom, he decided to write a jovial little book to inspire other parents in their pursuit of quality time with the kids. While the raw materials available from hobby stores of his day were woefully short of the variety and quality of what can be bought easily now, he and his sons created their own worlds to rule. This short work describes two games of imagination played out upon the floor of his home - an archipelago of islands, and a thoroughly integrated city, conveniently organized with two mayoral positions for his sons “G.P.W.” and “F.R.W.” While the toy people appearing in their worlds were often of martial nature, Wells decided to leave description of military games to a later book: “Little Wars.”
The Perfect Wagnerite by George Bernard Shaw audiobook.
The Perfect Wagnerite: A Commentary on the Niblung's Ring (originally published London, 1898) is a philosophical commentary on Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, by the Irish writer George Bernard Shaw. Shaw offered it to those enthusiastic admirers of Wagner who "were unable to follow his ideas, and do not in the least understand the dilemma of Wotan." He interprets the Ring in Marxian terms as an allegory of the collapse of capitalism from its internal contradictions. Musicologically, his interpretation is noteworthy for its perception of the change in aesthetic direction beginning with the final scene of Siegfried, in which he claimed that the cycle turns from Musikdrama back towards opera.
Wulf the Saxon by George Alfred Henty audiobook.
Wulf the Saxon is a classic George Henty tale of nobility, loyalty and courage set in 11th century Britain. It relates the adventures of Wulf, a young, but extremely capable Saxon Thane. Wulf with his friends and servitors devote their lives to the service of Harold Godwinson, both before and after he becomes king of England. They are directly involved in capturing castles, rescuing shipwreck survivors, foiling assassination attempts and entering the terrible battles at Stamford Bridge and Senlac field by Hastings.
The background of the novel is set in the stormy period prior to the Norman conquest of Britain and the story centers around real people and events, even offering a historically correct and lucid insight to the intrigues surrounding the religious and political alliances which led to the events of 1066; an absolute turning point in England's history.
The Big Time by Fritz Leiber audiobook.
A classic locked room mystery, in a not-so-classic setting.
Socialism - Utopian and Scientific by Friedrich Engels audiobook.
The main idea of "Socialism: Utopian and Scientific" (1880) was distinguishing scientific socialism and utopian socialism. Engels begins by chronicaling the thought of utopian socialists, starting with Saint-Simon. He then proceeds to Fourier and Robert Owen. In chapter two, he summarizes dialectics, and then chronicles the thought from the ancient Greeks to Hegel. Chapter three summarizes dialectics in relation to economic and social struggles, essentially echoing the words of Marx.
The Lone Star Ranger by Zane Grey audiobook.
Buck Duane, son of a famous gunfighter, falls prey to the old problem - called out by a cowboy who wants to make trouble, Duane kills him and then must ride off to the lawless country near the Neuces River to escape being arrested and perhaps, hanged. His brief encounter with deadly gun-play has ignited a deep urging to repeat the adrenaline rush but is tempered by ghosts that haunt his sleep. He only dares to release his inner demon when he is taking down an outlaw who is particularly known for his brutality.
He develops a reputation for killing the most notorious Texas outlaws, which draws an unexpected interest: a captain of the Texas Rangers offers him a pardon and a ranger's badge if he will infiltrate the gang of the shadowy figure known as "Cheseldine" who wields vast power in West Texas, and make it possible for the Rangers to break the gang's hold on the region's towns. Duane accepts, never guessing in his wildest nightmares that he would sniff out this Cheseldine, his hideouts, his lieutenants... and fall in love with his daughter!
Beasts, Men and Gods by Ferdinand Ossendowski audiobook.
“Beasts, Men and Gods” is an account of an epic journey, filled with perils and narrow escapes, in the mold of “The Lord of the Rings.”
The difference is: it’s all true.
Ferdinand Ossendowski was a Pole who found himself in Siberia and on the losing side during the Bolshevik Revolution. To escape being rounded up and shot, he set out with a friend to reach the Pacific, there to take ship back to Europe. During his journey he fell in with dozens of other military men who shared the same objective… but nearly every one of them perished on the way.
It’s up to you to decide whether Ossendowski was threatened most by the beasts, by the men, or by the gods, or indeed, by the severe and uncompromising landscapes of Siberia, Mongolia, and China. That he survived at all seems improbable. The mystical mysteries and magics of Buddhism, “The Yellow Faith”, were woven about and through his sojourn and had no little part in his survival. Time after time he was put in the delicate position of being the bargainer between warring groups, and ultimately, only incredible luck and his friendship with the Hutuktu of Narabanchi Monastery saw him through.
When published in the United States, this book caused a sensation and became a best-seller.
Mark Twain and the Happy Island by Elizabeth Wallace audiobook.
This Mark Twain Memoir by Elizabeth Wallace paints an idyllic portrait of his time in Bermuda, not long before his death in 1910. Wallace and Twain met in Bermuda in 1908, became fast friends, and shared time together on the island and regular correspondence until 6 weeks before Twain's death. According to one academician, "Wallace’s deep affection for Twain is evident in her writings, so she also may have wished to burnish his legacy. As a result, Happy Island is a popular treatment in a breezy, occasionally sentimental style. It portrays Twain as a fun and caring friend but only hints at weightier matters."
Anecdotes of Dogs by Edward Jesse audiobook.
"Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends."
The character, sensibilities, and intellectual faculties of animals have always been a favourite study, and they are, perhaps, more strongly developed in the dog than in any other quadruped, from the circumstance of his being the constant companion of man. I am aware how much has been written on this subject, but having accumulated many original and interesting anecdotes of this faithful animal, I have attempted to enlarge the general stock of information respecting it.
It is a pleasing task, arising from the conviction that the more the character of the dog is known, the better his treatment is likely to be, and the stronger the sympathy excited in his behalf.
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton audiobook.
Edith Wharton's 1911 novel Ethan Frome tells the story of a tragic love triangle. Set in the highly symbolic wintry landscape of Starkfield, Massachusetts, the narrative centers on the title character's fraught relationships with his "sickly, cantankerous" wife Zeena and his young, beautiful cousin Mattie Silver.
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Crucial Instances by Edith Wharton audiobook.
This is Edith Wharton's second published collection of short stories (1901). One of these seven stories, "Copy: A Dialogue," is written as a short play. The role of Hilda is read by Arielle Lipshaw, and the role of Ventnor by Mark F. Smith.
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Master Flea by E. T. A. Hoffmann audiobook.
Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (1776 – 1822), better known by his pen name E.T.A. Hoffmann (Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann), was a German Romantic author of fantasy and horror, a jurist, composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist. Hoffmann's stories were very influential during the 19th century, and he is one of the major authors of the Romantic movement.
He is the subject and hero of Jacques Offenbach's famous but fictional opera The Tales of Hoffmann, and the author of the novelette The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, on which the famous ballet The Nutcracker is based. The ballet Coppelia is based on two other stories that Hoffmann wrote. Also Schumann's Kreisleriana is based on one of Hoffmann's characters.
Master Flea was published in 1822.
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Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence audiobook.
This intimate portrait of a coal-miner's family fastens on each member in turn: Walter Morel, the collier; Gertrude, his wife; and the children: William, Annie, Arthur, and Paul. When Mrs. Morel begins to be estranged from her husband because of his poor financial sense and his drinking habits, she comes to inhabit the lives of her children - most particularly, her sons. She is determined that they will grow to be something more than men that come home blackened with coal dust every day and roaring with drink every night. As each grows up and moves away, she must release him. But Paul, she holds; they have a bond that defies time and the attractions of young women.
Lawrence originally intended the book's title to be "Paul Morel" and it is on this son - and his lovers - that he spends the bulk of his tale. The strong mother can make a success of her son, but if he cannot learn to leave his mother's apron strings, will he really be a better man than his father?
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The Fortunes of Glencore by Charles James Lever audiobook.
Viscount Glencore has retreated to live alone with his son in Glencore castle after his wife deserted him claiming she did not love him. He wishes to exact revenge on her by denouncing the marriage and therefore proclaiming his son to be illegitimate. This consequently robs the child of his birthright and upon his father telling him his intentions, the boy runs away and refuses to return home. Glencore asks his old friend Upton to become the boys guardian to which he agrees after much protestation against it. The boy and his companion Billy move abroad to pursue their schooling and try to live a life of anonymity but all does not go according to plan.
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Henrietta Temple by Benjamin Disraeli audiobook.
The Armine family, in particular the young Ferdinand Armine, is in great financial difficulties. Ferdinand's grandfather has burdened the family estate with large debts, which his father did not manage to diminish. Ferdinand himself is not disposed to live with his small income alone, and during his time in Malta with his regiment, he incurs debts of his own.
The only thing that can easily pay for his debts and restore the house of Armine now is for Ferdinand to marry well, and the chosen wife for him is his cousin Katherine, the heiress to their grandfather's wealth. Katharine, who has idolized her cousin like their grandfather did, immediately consents to the marriage. But for Ferdinand, the match is a matter of necessity, not of love.
Just as Ferdinand is beginning to realize that this planned marriage will be a loveless one for him, a chance meeting with the beautiful Henrietta Temple changes everything. "There is no love but love at first sight", and this young lady proceeds to turn Ferdinand's world upside down.
Henrietta Temple is a semi-autobiographical novel and the author's first true success. Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield and later British Prime Minister, based this novel on his affair with the married Henrietta Sykes.
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The Elusive Pimpernel by Baroness E. Orczy audiobook.
First Published in 1908, The Elusive Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy is the 4th book in the classic adventure series about the Scarlet Pimpernel.
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El Dorado by Baroness E. Orczy audiobook.
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David Copperfield by Charles Dickens audiobook.
"David Copperfield" or "The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery" was first published in 1850. Like all except five of his works, it originally appeared in serial form. Many elements within the novel follow events in Dickens' own life, and it is probably the most autobiographical of all of his novels. It is also Dickens' "favorite child."
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The Battle of Life by Charles Dickens audiobook.
While "The Battle of Life" is one of Charles Dickens' Christmas Books - his annual release of a story just before Christmas - this one breaks the tradition by not being concerned with Christmas. Rather, its subtitle, "A Love Story", reveals more of the plot.
The major events of this book take place on land that once was a battleground. That is just a backdrop for Dickens' idea of the real battle of life - finding and winning the right partner, so that life will go on to the next generation. The family that lives there is rather confused in its affections and intentions regarding who should end up with whom. We are thrust into the fight to make things work out, and, happily for a Christmas book, Dickens leads us on to a happy ending.
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Over the Top by Arthur Empey audiobook.
Arthur Guy Empey was an American who responded to the sinking of the Lusitania by enlisting with the British Army to fight in France. His experiences in the trenches, including his ultimate wounding and convalescence, became this book. When published in 1917, it was a major hit and helped the recruiting effort when America entered the Great War.
If you've heard of the horror of trench warfare in WWI and want to see it from below dirt level, Empey offers it all here.
Also included is Empey's popular "Tommy's Dictionary of the Trenches" which humorously demystifies the slang used by the British soldier.
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How to Live on Twenty-Four Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett audiobook.
"Which of us lives on twenty-four hours a day? And when I say 'lives,' I do not mean exists, nor 'muddles through.'" -- Arnold Bennett knew a "rat race" when he saw one. Every day, his fellow white-collar Londoners followed the same old routine. And they routinely decried the sameness in their lives.-- So Bennett set out to explain how to inject new enthusiasm into living. In this delightful little work, he taught his fellow sufferers how to set time apart for improving their lives. Yes, he assured them, it could be done. Yes, if you want to feel connected with the world, instead of endlessly pacing the treadmill (or, "exceeding your programme", as he called it), you must do so.-- For time, as he gleefully notes, is the ultimate democracy. Each of us starts our day with 24 hours to spend. Even a saint gets not a minute more; even the most inveterate time-waster is docked not a second for his wastrel ways. And he can choose today to turn over a new leaf! -- Bennett believed that learning to discern cause and effect in the world would give his readers an endless source of enjoyment and satisfaction. Instead of only being able to discuss what they had heard, they could graduate to what they thought... and lift themselves completely from the deadening influence of a day at the office.
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Mark Twain by Archibald Henderson audiobook.
Many writers have penned studies of Mark Twain's life and work through the years. Twain authorized this biography, having met and hosted the writer, Archibald Henderson, on a few occasions. Henderson considered this work to be an homage to one of his biggest idols, who guided him through his youth and adolescence. He writes, "It is an appreciation originating in the heart of one who loved Mark Twain’s works for a generation before he ever met Samuel L. Clemens. It is an interpretation springing from the conviction that Mark Twain was a great American who comprehensively incorporated and realized his own country and his own age as no American has so completely done before him."
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The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas audiobook.
In the late 1600s a man was doubly-imprisoned: his body in an iron cell and his face in an iron mask. Who the “man in the iron mask” was, why he was imprisoned, and how he was treated during imprisonment, remains a mystery that has captivated historians for centuries. Before Dumas penned the final volume of his D’Artagnan Romances, “The Man in the Iron Mask,” he wrote that “everything connected with the masked prisoner arouses the most vivid curiosity.” This essay is a comprehensive summary of theories regarding the masked prisoner’s identity and history from the 1770s to Dumas’ time (1840s).
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The Boys Life of Mark Twain by Albert Bigelow Paine audiobook.
Albert Bigelow Paine was Samuel Langhorne Clemens' (Mark Twain's) biographer. He lived with Twain, collecting ideas and material for a biography, for a few years before Twain's death in 1910. Six years later Paine published this "story of a man who made the world laugh and love him".
For those who have read or listened to Mark Twain's works, Paine's work is an invaluable resource to better understand Twain, the stories behind his stories and his life with those he loved and with whom he worked.
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The Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln audiobook.
After having written and released an initial draft of this proclamation in September of 1862, minor changes were made and Lincoln signed it on January 1st, 1863. It declared free the slaves in 10 states not then under Union control, with exemptions specified for areas already under Union control in two states. Lincoln spent the next 100 days preparing the army and the nation for emancipation, while Democrats rallied their voters in the 1862 off-year elections by warning of the threat freed slaves posed to northern whites.
Once the abolition of slavery in the rebel states became a military objective, as Union armies advanced south, more slaves were liberated until all three million of them in Confederate territory were freed. Lincoln's comment on the signing of the Proclamation was: "I never, in my life, felt more certain that I was doing right, than I do in signing this paper."
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The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln audiobook.
It was a cloudy November day in 1863 when thousands gathered to hear renowned orator Edward Everett dedicate a national cemetery at the site of a pivotal battle early in July of that year. Also present to deliver "a few appropriate remarks" was the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln spoke but 278 words; Everett later wrote to the President, "I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes." Though there are surviving transcripts of Everett's lengthy speech, it is Lincoln's words which have come to be known as "The Gettysburg Address"
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Chancellorsville and Gettysburg by Abner Doubleday audiobook.
Abner Doubleday began the Civil War as a Union officer and aimed the first cannon shot in response to the bombardment opened on Ft. Sumter in 1861. Two years later, after a series of battles (including Antietam, where he was wounded), Doubleday took over a division in the Army of the Potomac's 1st Corps.
These are his memoirs of service in two of the War's great campaigns. At Chancellorsville, a very promising start made by General Hooker against Lee's Confederate forces fell to a defeat when, in Doubleday's estimation, normal and prudent precautions against surprise in the heavily-wooded battlefield were not carried out; he also seemingly apologizes for Hooker's lack of leadership during the battle as a result of his having been stunned by a cannon ball hitting the post against which he was leaning.
After Chancellorsville, Hooker was replaced as Army Commander by General George Meade. Doubleday describes the curious circumstances that led the two opposing armies to meet at Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. When Doubleday's superior, General John Reynolds, was killed by a sharpshooter on the first day's battle, he took over the 1st Corps and fought it well against converging Confederate divisions that badly outnumbered him. The Corps was forced by battle losses to retire, but its desperate fight bought the time needed for Union reinforcements to pour into Gettysburg and thus prevent a defeat in detail.
General Howard of the XIth Corps replaced Doubleday as the senior commander on the field, and mistakenly wrote to Meade that 1st Corps had routed after practically no fighting. Thus, when Meade arrived, he removed Doubleday from command of 1st Corps, replacing him with a more junior general from another Corps. The snub would embitter Doubleday against Meade. This book is in part Doubleday's revenge, as he picks apart Meade's indecision after the battle was essentially won, with the repulse of the famous Pickett's Charge. In his view, Meade could have won the war at that moment.
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The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare audiobook.
The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare's earliest comedies, and was inspired by classical Roman comedy and the Italian commedia dell'arte. Baptista Minola, a rich gentleman of Padua, has two daughters: Katherina, renowned for her sharp tongue, and Bianca, who is sought after by multiple suitors. Baptista decides that Bianca cannot marry until her elder sister finds a husband. Enter Petruchio, who has come to "wive it wealthily in Padua," and who is convinced by Bianca's suitors to woo Katherina. The play ultimately poses the question of who is the bigger shrew: Kate or Petruchio. The subplot involves the subterfuge employed by Lucentio to woo the lovely Bianca.
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Othello by William Shakespeare audiobook.
Othello is the story of a cross-cultural romance between the title character, a noble moor who is a general in the Venetian army, and Desdemona, a beautiful and virtuous Venetian lady. The newly-married couple fall prey to the machinations of Iago, Othello's jealous ensign, who plots to destroy their union.
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The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins audiobook.
The story concerns a young woman called Rachel Verinder who inherits a large Indian diamond, the Moonstone, on her eighteenth birthday.
The book is widely regarded as the precursor of the modern mystery and suspense novels. T. S. Eliot called it 'the first, the longest, and the best of modern English detective novels'. It contains a number of ideas which became common tropes of the genre: a large number of suspects, red herrings, a crime being investigated by talented amateurs who happen to be present when it is committed, and two police officers who exemplify respectively the 'local bungler' and the skilled, professional, Scotland Yard detective.
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Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman audiobook.
American poet Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, is a collection of poems notable for its frank delight in and praise of the senses, during a time when such candid displays were considered immoral. Where much previous poetry, especially English, relied on symbolism, allegory, and meditation on the religious and spiritual, Leaves of Grass exalted the body and the material world.
Whitman was inspired to begin Leaves of Grass after reading an essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson which expressed a need for a uniquely American poet. When the book was first published, Whitman sent a copy to Emerson, whose praiseful letter of response helped launch the book to success. Whitman’s hero, Abraham Lincoln, read and enjoyed an early version of Leaves of Grass. Despite such high recommendations, Whitman faced charges of obscenity and immorality for his work, but this only led to increased popularity of the book.
Whitman continually revised and republished Leaves of Grass throughout his lifetime, notably adding the “Drum-Taps” section after Lincoln’s assassination. The book grew from 12 poems in its first publication, which Whitman paid for and typeset himself, to nearly 400 poems in its final, “Death Bed Edition.” This recording is of the final edition.
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The Adventures of Maya the Bee by Waldemar Bonsels audiobook.
The Adventures of Maya the Bee is an exciting tale for children of all ages. Themes of growth and development of courage and wisdom are found, as well as the extreme joy and satisfaction that Maya experiences in the beauty of creation and all creatures. Her ultimate and innate loyalty to her Nation of Bees is acted out in the final heroic scenes. This story gives us the delightful sense of having seen a small segment of the world through a Bee's eyes.
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Universal Declaration of Human Rights by United Nations General Assembly audiobook.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was ratified in 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly. It defines the fundamental rights of individuals, and exhorts all governments to protect these rights.
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The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides audiobook.
The History of the Peloponnesian War is an account of the Peloponnesian War in Ancient Greece, fought between the Peloponnesian League (led by Sparta) and the Delian League (led by Athens) in the 5th Century BC. It was written by Thucydides, an Athenian general who served in the war. It is widely considered a classic and regarded as one of the earliest scholarly works of history. The History is divided into eight books. These book divisions are the work of editors in later antiquity.
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The Adventures of Danny Meadow Mouse by Thornton W. Burgess audiobook.
This is the story of a chubby little meadow mouse and his family in the big forest and fields where he lives. His many adventures are sometimes scary but they always end with him escaping the many hunters who mean him harm.
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Common Sense by Thomas Paine audiobook.
Common Sense, Paine's pro-independence monograph published anonymously on 10 January 1776, spread quickly among literate colonists. Within three months, 120,000 copies are alleged to have been distributed throughout the colonies, which themselves totaled only four million free inhabitants, making it the best-selling work in 18th-century America. Its total sales in both America and Europe reached 500,000 copies. It convinced many colonists, including George Washington and John Adams, to seek redress in political independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain, and argued strongly against any compromise short of independence.
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Utopia by Thomas More audiobook.
This book is all about the fictional country called Utopia. It is a country with an ‘ideal’ form of communism, in which everything really does belong to everybody, everyone does the work they want to, and everyone is alright with that. This country uses gold for chamber pots and prison chains, pearls and diamonds for children’s playthings, and requires that a man and a woman see each other exactly as they are, naked, before getting married. This book gave the word 'utopia' the meaning of a perfect society, while the Greek word actually means ‘no place’. Enjoy listening to this story about a country that really is too good to be true.
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The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy audiobook.
Like all of Hardy's work, The Return of the Native (1878) is passionate and controversial, with themes and sympathies beyond what a good Victorian would ever admit. A modern and honest novel of chance and choice, faith and infidelities, this dark story asks what is free will and what is fate? What is the true nature of nature, and how do we fit together? Can we fit together?
A tragedy set in the barren land of Edgon Heath. Our heroine, Eustacia, is proud, passionate, cruel, fickle, avaricious, and desperate. She burns every life she touches, never able to find the mad love and exotic world she dreams of. Our supposed hero, Clym, is modest, steady, plain, moral, and dutiful. He is satisfied returning from Paris to the simple comfort of home.
When they come together, the Heath will come apart.
Originally released as five books, in classic tragic form, a sixth, tacking on a 'happy ending', was added by editor and public pressure.
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Confessions by St. Augustine of Hippo audiobook.
The Confessions outlines Augustine's sinful youth and his conversion to Christianity. It is widely seen as the first Western autobiography ever written, and was an influential model for Christian writers throughout the following 1,000 years, through the Middle Ages. It is not a complete autobiography, as it was written in his early 40s, and he lived long afterwards, producing another important work (City of God). It does, nonetheless, provide an unbroken record of his development of thought and is the most complete record of any single person from the 4th and 5th centuries. It is a significant theological work, featuring spiritual meditations and insights.
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The White Company by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.
Set during the Hundred Years' War with France, The White Company tells the story of a young Saxon man who is learning what it is to be a knight. Raised by Cistercian Monks and rejected by a violent elder brother, Alleyn Edricson takes service with one of the foremost knights in the country. When Alleyn falls in love with the knight's daughter, he must prove himself to be a courageous and honourable knight before he can win her hand. Alleyn and his friends set forth with the other men-at-arms to join Prince Edward in Bordeaux, from where they will take part in the Prince's campaign into Spain. It is in Spain that Alleyn and others must prove themselves to be very valiant and hardy cavaliers.
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The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.
What really killed Sir Charles Baskerville? Is his nephew, Sir Henry, in danger from the legendary family curse, a gigantic black hound? Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are on the case in this classic mystery, set on lonely Dartmoor in Devonshire. Neolithic ruins, a perilous quagmire, eerie sounds in the night, and (of course) fog all add to the fun, with an escaped convict thrown in for good measure.
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The Story of the Middle Ages by Samuel B. Harding audiobook.
Intended for a youthful audience, The Story of the Middle Ages, published in 1906, tells the history of the Middle Ages in simple and entertaining fashion, and helps to explain the influence of the Middle Ages on modern times. Topics covered include the rise of the Christian church, Feudalism, Charlemagne, the Crusades, the Hundred Years' War, and the daily life of peasant, noble, and clergy.
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The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson audiobook.
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a novella by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1886. London lawyer Utterson is driven to investigate Edward Hyde, the unlikely protégé of his friend Dr Henry Jekyll, suspecting the relationship to be founded on blackmail. The truth is worse than he could have imagined. Jekyll’s ‘full statement of the case’, the final chapter of the book, explores the idea of dual personality that led him to his experiments, and his inexorable and finally fatal descent into evil.
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More William by Richmal Crompton audiobook.
The second of Crompton's series of 39 books about William Brown, our cheeky 11 year-old protagonist. A hero to some, a dastardly villain to others, this book is structured round a year in his life. Starting with William waking up on Christmas morning and ending with him going to sleep the following Christmas Eve, there are the usual round of misadventures, misunderstanding and general mayhem in between. When a boy like William wakes up under a motto that says "A Busy Day Is A Happy Day" alongside a copy of "Things A Boy Can Do", the chaos is just around the corner. Includes the very first William short story - "Rice Mould". Often dismissed as children's literature, the first few books of William stories were probably aimed more at an adult audience. They resonate with a distinctly English humour, but there are obvious echoes from 'Tom Sawyer' and 'Huckleberry Finn'.
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And Then the Town Took Off by Richard Wilson audiobook.
The town of Superior, Ohio, certainly was living up to its name! In what was undoubtedly the most spectacular feat of the century, it simply picked itself up one night and rose two full miles above Earth! Radio messages stated simply that Superior had seceded from Earth. But Don Cort, stranded on that rising town, was beginning to suspect that nothing was simple about Superior except its citizens. Calmly they accepted their rise in the world as being due to one of their local townspeople, a crackpot professor. But after a couple of weeks of floating around, it began to be obvious that the professor had no idea how to get them down. So then it was up to Cort: either find a way to anchor Superior, or spend the rest of his days on the smallest—and the nuttiest—planet in the galaxy!
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Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini audiobook.
Scaramouche is a romantic adventure and tells the story of a young aristocrat during the French Revolution. His successive endeavors as a lawyer, politician, actor, lover, and buffoon lead his enemies to call him "Scaramouche" (also called Scaramuccia, a roguish character in the commedia dell'arte), but he impresses many with his elegant orations and precision swordsmanship.
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Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini audiobook.
Captain Blood is an adventure novel by Rafael Sabatini, originally published in 1922. It concerns the sharp-witted Dr. Peter Blood, an Irish physician, who is convicted of treason in the aftermath of the Monmouth rebellion in 1685, and enslaved on the Caribbean island of Barbados. He escapes and becomes a pirate.
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Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde audiobook.
Collection of children’s stories written in 1888, dealing primarily with love and selfishness. These stories are generally sad, with a moralistic message. The collection includes: The Happy Prince, The Nightingale and the Rose, The Selfish Giant, The Devoted Friend, and The Remarkable Rocket.
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The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli audiobook.
The Prince (Italian: Il Principe) is a political treatise by the Italian diplomat, historian and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli. The descriptions within The Prince have the general theme of accepting that ends of princes, such as glory, and indeed survival, can justify the use of immoral means to achieve those ends.
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Around the World in Seventy-Two Days by Nellie Bly audiobook.
This is a true account by American woman journalist who, in 1889, set out to see whether she could beat the fictional journey in Jules Verne’s 1873 novel, Around the World in Eighty Days. Wearing one dress and carrying one handbag, Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman (pen name “Nellie Bly”), reported her travels back to avid readers in America
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Euthyphro by Plato audiobook.
Awaiting his trial on charges of impiety and heresy, Socrates encounters Euthyphro, a self-proclaimed authority on matters of piety and the will of the gods. Socrates, desiring instruction in these matters, converses with Euthyphro, but as usual, the man who professes to know nothing fares better than the man who claims to be an expert. One of Plato’s well-known Socratic Dialogues, Euthyphro probes the nature of piety, and notably poses the so-called Euthyphro Dilemma: Do the gods love a thing because it is holy, or is a thing holy because it is loved by the gods?
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Mr. Spaceship by Philip K. Dick audiobook.
The war with the Yucks from Proxima Centauri was claimed to be a stalemate but they were really winning. The mine belts they laid seemed to propagate themselves and were slowly strangling Terran planets. How did they do that? What was their secret? The answer was baffling and the best human minds could only conclude that their ships and mines were somehow alive. So, the next desperate step was to ask "If they are using organic ships, why can't we do the same?". Thus Mr. Spaceship was conceived and carried out. But will a conscious warship do what the generals wish? Perhaps and perhaps something entirely surprising!
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Psmith in the City by P. G. Wodehouse audiobook.
Mike’s dream of studying and playing cricket at Cambridge are thwarted as his father runs into financial difficulties. Instead, Mike takes on the job of clerk at the “New Asiatic Bank.” Luckily, school friend Psmith, with his boundless optimism and original views, soon joins his department, and together they endeavour to make the best of their new life in London.
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A Damsel in Distress by P. G. Wodehouse audiobook.
A Damsel in Distress is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the U.S. on October 4, 1919 by George H. Doran, New York, and in the U.K. by Herbert Jenkins, London, on October 17 1919. It had previously been serialised in The Saturday Evening Post, between May and June that year.
Golf-loving American composer George Bevan falls in love with a mysterious young lady who takes refuge in his taxicab one day; when he tracks her down to a romantic rural manor, mistaken identity leads to all manner of brouhaha.
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The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne audiobook.
The story begins in seventeenth-century Salem, Massachusetts, then a Puritan settlement. A young woman, Hester Prynne, is led from the town prison with her infant daughter, Pearl, in her arms and the scarlet letter “A” on her breast. The scarlet letter "A" represents the act of adultery that she has committed; it is to be a symbol of her sin for all to see. She will not reveal her lover’s identity, however, and the scarlet letter, along with her public shaming, is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy.
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In the Bishop's Carriage by Miriam Michelson audiobook.
Nancy 'Nance' Olden, a young and very pretty woman, is an accomplished liar and thief. Raised in a horrific orphanage, called the Cruelty by its occupants, Nance and her criminal boyfriend, Tom Dorgan, are pulling a con when the book begins. The results of their act propel Nance into a series of events that she could never have imagined. This was Miriam Michelson's first novel and it was considered a 'blockbuster' in its day. Ranked fourth on the list of bestsellers of 1904 by "Publishers Weekly," Michelson's book was a source of controversy due to the dubious ethics and morals of its heroine.
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The Blonde Lady by Maurice Leblanc audiobook.
In "The Blonde Lady, being a record of the duel of wits between Arsène Lupin and the English detective" - original title "Arsène Lupin contre Herlock Sholmes" - the gentleman-burglar once more meets his enemy, the English detective Herlock Sholmes. If in the last story of "Arsène Lupin, gentleman-burglar" Sherlock Holmes arrives too late (the name was at a later date changed to Herlock Sholmes in reply to complaints and threats by Conan Doyle regarding copyrights), in the two stories that compose "The Blonde Lady" these two great intellects are bound in opposite directions. Where one chooses to abide to the law, the other uses his power and wits to crime - and who is going to win?
These two stories appeared in chapters and as separate pieces in the magazine Je Sais Tout, during the years of 1906 and 1907, and were published together as a book first in 1908, being the second of the books where Arsène Lupin, the kind-hearted and humorous thief, is the main character.
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King Arthur and His Knights by Maude L. Radford audiobook.
A collection of King Arthur's adventures, from his ascent to King of Britain to his death. This book includes some of the crucial Arthurian legends about Sir Lancelot, the Knights of the Round Table, Queen Guinevere, and the search for the Holy Grail.
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Frankenstein by Mary Shelley audiobook.
A student discovers the secret of animating lifeless matter and, by assembling body parts, creates the monster Frankenstein. Rejected by society, Frankenstein vows revenge on his creator.
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Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon audiobook.
Mary Elizabeth Braddon's first novel, Lady Audley's Secret, was one of the most popular English novels of its day. Published serially in 1862, it tells the story of the lovely Lucy Graham, who becomes Lady Audley at the beginning of the novel, and who conceals a scandalous secret from her new husband and his family. The plot, which includes madness, bigamy, attempted murder, and seduction, made this a shocking but highly successful story for Victorian audiences. It remains one of the best examples of 19th century sensational fiction, and is a wonderfully absorbing book.
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Poems Every Child Should Know by Mary E. Burt audiobook.
This anthology of poetry, published in 1904, contains such favorites as The Raven, My Shadow, and The Village Blacksmith, as well as many lovely poems that may be unfamiliar. Most of the poems in this collection are short enough for children to memorize.
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The Story of Abraham Lincoln by Mary A. Hamilton audiobook.
In this biography for young adults, Mary A. Hamilton gives a British person’s perspective on the 16th President of the United States. A glowing tribute to “Honest Abe”, the author traces Lincoln’s ancestral roots and recounts his birth in Kentucky, his youth in Indiana, his adult life in Illinois and his years in the White House. She also provides a good background on the causes and course of the American Civil War.
Hamilton is not always historically precise. For example, she erroneously names Jefferson Davis as the Southern Democratic candidate for president running against Lincoln and Douglas in 1860 rather than John C. Breckinridge. However, overall “The Story of Abraham Lincoln” is a good summarization and interesting account of the life, values and politics of Lincoln.
Cautions: Chapter 7 contains a single use of an epithet for African-Americans in a quotation from a British magazine. Chapter 8 ends with an example of a stereotypical Southern black dialect which many may find offensive.
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The American Claimant by Mark Twain audiobook.
The American Claimant is an 1892 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. The story focuses on the class differences and expectations of monarchic, hierarchical Britain and the upstart, "all men are created equal" America. Twain wrote the novel with the help of phonographic dictation, the first author (according to Twain himself) to do so. This was also (according to Twain) an attempt to write a book without mention of the weather, the first of its kind in fictitious literature. Indeed, all the weather is contained in an appendix, at the back of the book, which the reader is encouraged to turn to from time to time.
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Roughing It by Mark Twain audiobook.
Roughing It is semi-autobiographical travel literature written by American humorist Mark Twain. It was authored during 1870–71 and published in 1872 as a sequel to his first book Innocents Abroad. This book tells of Twain's adventures prior to his pleasure cruise related in Innocents Abroad.
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The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain audiobook.
When you dive into Mark Twain’s (Samuel Clemens’) The Innocents Abroad, you have to be ready to learn more about the unadorned, ungilded reality of 19th century “touring” than you might think you want to learn. This is a tough, literary journey. It was tough for Twain and his fellow “pilgrims”, both religious and otherwise. They set out, on a June day in 1867, to visit major tourist sites in Europe and the near east, including Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, “the Holy Land”, and Egypt. What Twain records, in often humorous, sometimes grotesque but always fascinating detail, are the day-to-day ups and downs of discovering the truth about people and places. The truths they learn are often far different than their education and rumor have made them preconceive.
This is a voyage of discovery. It’s long and, in places, tiresome. But it’s revelatory about so much. As with some of his other works, Twain includes popular prejudices of his time, which are today considered socially unacceptable. His references to “Indians”, “Negroes” and “infidels” come to mind.
Beyond the lows, though, there are the highs of Twain’s cutting wit and insight as he guides us along the bumpy and often dangerous voyage.
No need to buckle up. Just take it slow, and steady…like the journey itself.
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Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain audiobook.
Life on the Mississippi is a memoir by Mark Twain detailing his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War.
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The Colors of Space by Marion Zimmer Bradley audiobook.
Bart Steele, Space Academy graduate, is on his way home to his father's business - he runs a fleet of spaceships for interstellar travel. The secret for fast interstellar travel though is still tightly kept by the alien race Lhari. An agreement between humans and Lhari has been made that permits humans only to travel in cold sleep as passengers aboard Lhari vessels as to not reveal the secret.
Some humans – the Mentorians - have had a slight genetic shift which enhanced their vision to withstand the light levels that the aliens Lhari use and live in. Mentorians perceive a wider optical spectrum than ordinary humans – some can see the ‘eighth color’. Mentorians act as translators, middleman and interpreters between the two races. But their ability sets them apart from the rest of humanity. Bart, half Mentorian, has this ability.
Bart, surgically altering his appearance to hire as a Lhari on a homeworld bound Lhari vessel, attempts to steal the secret of the Warp Drive - an attempt on which countless humans spies have failed before.
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Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney audiobook.
The Five Little Peppers series was created by Margaret Sidney covering the life of five children with the surname Pepper. The Pepper children were very poor, and their widowed mother was left to raise them by herself. In order of age (descending), the children's names were Ben (Ebaniezer), Polly (Mary), Joel, Davie, and Phronsie. Five Little Peppers and How They Grew is the first book in the series.
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The Story Girl by Lucy Maud Montgomery audiobook.
The Story Girl, by Anne of Green Gables author L.M. Montgomery, tells about the summer Felix and Beverly King visit their cousins in Carlise, Canada. Along with various cousins and other soon-to-be-friends, they meet Sara Stanley, the Story Girl, a cousin who has a story for every situation. As the children pass the summer, they get into trouble, have adventures, listen to the Story Girl's enchanting tales, and then... get into a bit more trouble!
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Anti-Imperialist Writings by Mark Twain audiobook.
This audiobook is a collection of Mark Twain's anti-imperialist writings (newspaper articles, interviews, speeches, letters, essays and pamphlets).
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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court by Mark Twain audiobook.
Come and hear the strange tale of The Boss Hank Morgan, a modern day (at the time of publication) Connecticut Yankee who inexplicably finds himself transported to the court of the legendary King Arthur (as the title of the book implies). Hank, or simply, The Boss, as he comes to be most frequently known, quickly uses his modern day knowledge and education to pass himself off as a great magician, to get himself out of all sorts of surprising, (and frequently amusing) situations, as well as to advance the technological and cultural status of the nation in which he finds himself.
In the rather un-subtle sub-text of the story, Twain uses The Boss to express a surprisingly pragmatic and frequently contradictory philosophy. The Boss explores the relative merits of Democracy, and Monarchy, he expresses his views on the “Nature v. Nurture” debate, he frequently speaks forcefully against an established Church, but just as strongly advocates for religion and a variety of churches (just not a compulsory one) and he devotes at least one afternoon to introducing his companions to the concept of inflation. In a far more subtle, yet no less forceful manner, the Boss shares with the reader some views about taxation, slavery (both literal and wage slavery), trade unions, the origins of the German language, the nature of marriage, and probably most powerfully, death.
It is a tall order for a relatively brief text, but Twain manages it all with surprising clarity. No one will agree fully with the Boss on all of these matters, and I would be surprised if Twain himself would. In fact the Boss’s views are so pragmatic, and often contradictory, the reader is left to wonder if Twain himself is alternately speaking through the Boss, and setting him up as a straw man. Either way it is a delightful story and a great piece of American Literature, to say nothing of an excellent argument for education.
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A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain audiobook.
A Tramp Abroad is a work of non-fiction travel literature by American author Mark Twain, published in 1880. The book details a journey by the author, with his friend Harris (a character created for the book, and based on his closest friend, Joseph Twichell), through central and southern Europe. While the stated goal of the journey is to walk most of the way, the men find themselves using other forms of transport as they traverse the continent. The book is often thought to be an unofficial sequel to an earlier Twain travel book, The Innocents Abroad.
As the two men make their way through Germany, the Alps, and Italy, they encounter situations made all the more humorous by their reactions to them. The narrator (Twain) plays the part of the American tourist of the time, believing that he understands all that he sees, but in reality understanding none of it.
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Rilla of Ingleside by Lucy Maud Montgomery audiobook.
Written in 1921, this is the final book in L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series. Set during World War I, it shows the courage and endurance of the sisters, mothers and wives (and brothers and fathers) left to tend the home front. The main focus of the book is on Anne and Gilbert’s youngest daughter, Rilla
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Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery audiobook.
This is the continuing story of Anne Shirley and the third book in the Anne of Green Gables series. In it Anne attends Redmond College where she is studying for her BA. She has many trials and tribulations along the way, including some romance. In Anne of the Island the reader is also introduced to many new characters, that in the true sense of Anne are also "kindred spirits".
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Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery audiobook.
Following Anne of Green Gables, the book covers the second chapter in the life of Anne Shirley. Anne of Avonlea follows Anne from the age of 16 to 18, during the two years that she teaches at Avonlea school. It includes many of the characters from Anne of Green Gables, as well new ones like Mr Harrison, Miss Lavendar Lewis, Paul Irving, and the twins Dora and Davy.
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Anne's House of Dreams by Lucy Maud Montgomery audiobook.
Anne's House of Dreams is book five in the series, and chronicles Anne's early married life, as she and her childhood sweetheart Gilbert Blythe begin to build their life together.
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Little Women by Louisa May Alcott audiobook.
Little Women is the classic story of The March family, which consists of Mr. and Mrs. March and their four girls--Practical, yet fashion conscious Meg, who longs for the nice things they used to have. Rambunctious, book worm, Jo, who wants to become a writer and wishes she were born a boy. Shy and quiet, home-loving Beth, who loves to play the piano and play with her kitties. Finally, the youngest, artistic Amy, who longs for an aristocratic nose!
The story takes place during the American Civil War, and begins with Mr. March away from home as a chaplain to the Union army, while his wife and daughters remain at home to work and wait for his safe return. This book follows their joys and sorrows and scrapes along the path to the girl's becoming grown up "little women".
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Little Men by Louisa May Alcott audiobook.
Little Men (published 1871) is considered the second book of the Little Women trilogy written by Louisa May Alcott. (The book Good Wives (1869) was originally the sequel to the novel Little Women (1868), however those two novels are now usually published as a single volume.) The final book of the trilogy is Jo's Boys (1886).
Little Men follows the life of Jo Bhaer and the students who live and learn at the Plumfield Estate School that she runs with her husband. The mischievous kids, whom she loves and cares for as her own, learn valuable lessons as they become proper gentlemen and ladies. We also get cameo appearances of almost all the characters found in the previous books, almost all of them happy and well.
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Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters by Logan Marshall audiobook.
This is a detailed and accurate account of the most awful marine disaster in history, constructed from the real facts as obtained from those on board who survived
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll audiobook.
In this children's classic, a girl named Alice follows falls down a rabbit-hole into a fantasy realm full of talking creatures. She attends a never-ending tea party and plays croquet at the court of the anthropomorphic playing cards.
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Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy audiobook.
Two love stories are set against the backdrop of high society in Tsarist Russia. Anna awakes from a loveless marriage to find herself drawn irresistibly to the dashing cavalry officer, Count Vronsky. Levin struggles with self-esteem, and even flees to the country, before gaining courage to return and offer himself to the beautiful and pure Kitty. Through troubled courtships, reconciliations, marriage and the birth of each one’s first child, Anna and Levin experience joy and despair as they each struggle to find their place in the world and meaning for their lives
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Rainbow Valley by L. M. Montgomery audiobook.
Rainbow Valley, the seventh book in the Anne of Green Gables series explores the world of Anne & Gilbert’s six children along with the exploits of the Merediths, the children of the town’s new minister. With no mother and an absent-minded father, the Meredith children are not being properly brought up. This leads to their many adventures causing the ladies of the town to gossip, risking their father's job. These kind-hearted, but misguided children fumble their way through bringing themselves up, and learn about life and love along the way.
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The Chronicles of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery audiobook.
Chronicles of Avonlea is a collection of short stories by L.M. Montgomery, related to the Anne of Green Gables series. It features a number of stories relating to the fictional Canadian village of Avonlea, and was first published in 1912.
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Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery audiobook.
Following Anne of Green Gables, the book covers the second chapter in the life of Anne Shirley. Anne of Avonlea follows Anne from the age of 16 to 18, during the two years that she teaches at Avonlea school. It includes many of the characters from Anne of Green Gables, as well new ones like Mr Harrison, Miss Lavendar Lewis, Paul Irving, and the twins Dora and Davy.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthew-jackson95/support
Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery audiobook.
This is the continuing story of Anne Shirley and the third book in the Anne of Green Gables series. In it Anne attends Redmond College where she is studying for her BA. She has many trials and tribulations along the way, including some romance. In Anne of the Island the reader is also introduced to many new characters, that in the true sense of Anne are also "kindred spirits".
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthew-jackson95/support
Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
The Road to Oz takes Dorothy and her friends on an adventure in Oz to a grand party in honor of Ozma's birthday. It all starts near her home on Uncle Henry's farm in Kansas when she tries to help a shaggy stranger find the road he is seeking. On the way they find a young boy, Button-Bright, and together they get lost, only to find themselves in the fairylands of Oz.
Once again in the Land of Oz, Dorothy and her friends encounter a number of new fantasy characters: some good, some bad, some amusing, and all entertaining. They make their way eventually to the Emerald City to participate in Ozma's Birthday Celebration. In the end, Dorothy arrives safely back home, a little tired from her adventures, but quite content.
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Aunt Jane's Nieces by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
Jane Merrick is a wealthy, elderly, difficult invalid woman who is preparing for her approaching death. In her youth, she inherited her money and estate from her fiancé, Thomas Bradley, who died before their wedding took place. With no children of her own, she calls for her three teenaged nieces to visit her, so she can decide who will inherit her estate. They are Louise Merrick, Elizabeth De Graf, and Patsy Doyle, children of Jane's younger brother and sisters. Each of the three cousins is a different type.
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The Awakening by Kate Chopin audiobook.
The Modern Library edition of The Awakening has an introduction by Kay Gibbons, who writes: “The Awakening shocked turn-of-the-century readers with its forthright treatment of sex and suicide. Departing from literary convention, Kate Chopin failed to condemn her heroine’s desire for an affair with the son of a Louisiana resort owner, whom she meets on vacation. The power of sensuality, the delusion of ecstatic love, and the solitude that accompanies the trappings of middle- and upper-class life are the themes of this now-classic novel.” – As Kay Gibbons points out, Chopin “was writing American realism before most Americans could bear to hear that they were living it.”
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The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx audiobook.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote their Manifesto in December 1847, as a guide to the fundamental principles and practices of Communists. The Manifesto also predicted the ultimate downfall of the capitalist system.
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The Story of the Three Little Pigs by L. Leslie Brooke audiobook.
This version of the classic tale of the three pigs, their houses and a wolf, published in 1904, has a new twist in its second half.
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The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne audiobook.
A story of castaways, similar to Robinson Crusoe and The Swiss Family Robinson, this book details the escape from Civil War-era Richmond, Virginia, of five Northern men who dared to go aloft in a balloon in the midst of a hurricane. Deposited on a lonely island in the Pacific, they make do with Yankee ingenuity where Chance has left them nothing. Only later do they find they have a hidden benefactor: Captain Nemo, of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, who resides, alone, secretly on the island. In time, the tiny colony becomes so prosperous that it is able to rescue another castaway from an island a hundred miles away. But all their work will come to naught - their island's volcano is about to awake!
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Journey to the Interior of the Earth by Jules Verne audiobook.
Journey to the Interior of the Earth is an 1864 science fiction novel by Jules Verne (published in the original French as Voyage au centre de la Terre). The story involves a professor who leads his nephew and hired guide down a volcano in Iceland to the “center of the Earth”. They encounter many adventures, including prehistoric animals and natural hazards, eventually coming to the surface again in southern Italy.
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From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne audiobook.
From the Earth to the Moon (French: De la Terre à la Lune) is a humorous science fantasy story written in 1865 by Jules Verne and is one of the earliest entries in that genre. It tells the story of three well-to-do members of a post-American Civil War gun club who build an enormous sky-facing columbiad and ride a spaceship fired from it to the moon.
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Typhoon by Joseph Conrad audiobook.
Typhoon is a short novel by Joseph Conrad, begun in 1899 and published in Pall Mall Magazine in 1902. It is a classic sea yarn that describes how Captain Macwhirr sails the Siamese steamer Nan-Shan into a typhoon. Other characters include the young Jukes and Solomon, the head engineer. The novel classically evokes the sea-faring life at the turn of the century. While Macwhirr is emotionally estranged from his family and crew, and though he refuses to consider an alternate course to skirt the typhoon, his indomitable will in the face of a superior natural force elicits grudging admiration.
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Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad audiobook.
A classic of early literary modernism, Lord Jim tells the story of a young "simple and sensitive character" who loses his honor in a display of cowardice at sea -- and of his expiation of that sin against his own "shadowy ideal of conduct" on the remote island of Patusan. The novel, written by Conrad for magazine serialization during an intense and chaotic ten months in 1899 and 1900, has, in the words of Thomas C. Moser, "the rare distinction of being a masterpiece in two separate genres. It is at once an exotic adventure story of the Eastern seas in the popular tradition of Kipling and Stevenson and a complexly wrought 'art novel' in the tradition of Flaubert and James.
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Ashton-Kirk, Investigator by John Thomas McIntyre audiobook. Ashton-Kirk, who has solved so many mysteries, is himself something of a problem even to those who know him best. Although young, wealthy, and of high social position, he is nevertheless an indefatigable worker in his chosen field. He smiles when men call him a detective. "No; only an investigator," he says. He has never courted notoriety; indeed, his life has been more or less secluded. However, let a man do remarkable work in any line and, as Emerson has observed, "the world will make a beaten path to his door." Those who have found their way to Ashton-Kirk's door have been of many races and interests. Men of science have often been surprised to find him in touch with the latest discoveries, scholars searching among strange tongues and dialects, and others deep in tattered scrolls, ancient tablets and forgotten books have been his frequent visitors. But among them come many who seek his help in solving problems in crime. "I'm more curious than some other fellows, that's all," is the way he accounts for himself. "If a puzzle is put in front of me I can't rest till I know the answer." At any rate his natural bent has always been to make plain the mysterious; each well hidden step in the perpetration of a crime has always been for him an exciting lure; and to follow a thread, snarled by circumstances or by another intelligence has been, he admits, his chief delight. There are many strange things to be written of this remarkable man--but this, the case of the numismatist Hume, has been selected as the first because it is one of the simplest, and yet clearly illustrates Ashton-Kirk's peculiar talents. It will also throw some light on the question, often asked, as to how his cases come to him.
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The Yosemite by John Muir audiobook.
John Muir's adventure guide for the Yosemite Valley.
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Paradise Lost by John Milton audiobook.
Paradise Lost is the first epic of English literature written in the classical style. John Milton saw himself as the intellectual heir of Homer, Virgil, and Dante, and sought to create a work of art which fully represented the most basic tenets of the Protestant faith. His work, which was dictated from memory and transcribed by his daughter, remains as one of the most powerful English poems. (Summary by Caeristhiona)
This is a recording of the text of Milton’s first edition of 1667, which had ten books, unlike the second edition (1674) which was redivided into twelve books in the manner of Virgil’s Aeneid.
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20000 Leagues Under the Seas by Jules Verne audiobook.
Captain Nemo, The Nautilus, and the mysterious depths of the ocean. Unforgettable. Come join an adventure that will roam among coral and pearls, sharks and giant squid, with wonders of biology and engineering that will thrust us from the Antarctic to Atlantis. Whether voyaging a yarn of the glorious unknown, a tale of the darkness that grips the heart of men, or a reinterpretation of Homer’s Odyssey, we’ll all enjoy the fantastic trip. Seasickness optional.
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Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum audiobook.
Joshua Slocum was the first man to sail around the world alone in a small boat. He personally rebuilt an 11.2 metre sloop-rigged fishing boat that he named the Spray. On April 24, 1895, he set sail from Boston, Massachusetts. More than three years later, he returned to Newport, Rhode Island, on June 27, 1898 having circumnavigated the world, a distance of 46,000 miles (74,000 km).
In 1899 he described the voyage in Sailing Alone Around the World now considered a classic of travel literature. It is a wonderful adventure story from the Age of Sail and a book of which Arthur Ransome declared, "boys who do not like this book ought to be drowned at once".
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Heidi by Johanna Spyri audiobook.
Hear Heidi if you’ve ever longed to see the Swiss mountain slopes. This story transports the listener from the fine air and freedom of the mountaintop to the confines of Frankfurt, back to the peaks again, bounding in flowered fields with goats at your heels and sky utterly surrounding you.
We meet Heidi when she is 5, led up the mountain by her aunt who has raised the orphan but must leave now for a position in Frankfurt. In a mountain cottage overlooking the valley is Heidi’s grandfather, and there with him the girl’s sweet, free nature expands with the vista. The author’s voice is straightforward, and so is our reader’s, with the child’s wonder, devotion, and sometimes humorous good intentions. When Heidi is taken from the mountains and nearly doesn’t make it back again, the most humorous as well as most heart-wringing scenes occur. All she learns during her absence from the mountain she brings back as seeds that will grow to benefit everyone around her.
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The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss audiobook.
The Swiss Family Robinson has delighted generations of readers with its exciting tale of a family which, though shipwrecked, displays “the right stuff” and builds a charming colony that later, they do not want to leave. Cut off from the comforts and companionship of other humans, they use a familiarity with natural history and biology to find the resources and build the tools to construct a canoe, weave cloth, irrigate a garden, and turn an immense hollow tree into a lofty house with a spiral staircase. They domesticate buffaloes, wild asses, and monkeys. They establish farms and plantations. And finally, they have a terrifying encounter with natives from a nearby island.
Johann David Wyss, the author, did not live to complete his tale. Storytellers over the years have injected so many episodes into the various versions that probably none closely match the original. (Indeed, the Baroness de Montholieu expanded the book from two volumes into five when she translated it into French.) This effort was re-translated into English in 1849 by W.H.G. Kingston, abridging the edition severely. It follows the British sensibilities of the period in terms of sentence structure and emphasis.
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Emma by Jane Austen audiobook.
Sherry reads Jane Austen’s sparkling comedy of manners with wit and vivacity, and brings the characters to life. Mr. Woodhouse worries and frets, Miss Bates chatters on, and Emma blithely manipulates and misunderstands her friends and family until she finally learns her lesson!
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Idle Thoughts Of An Idle Fellow by Jerome K Jerome audiobook.
Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, published in 1886, is a collection of humorous essays by Jerome K. Jerome. It was the author’s second published book and helped establish him as a leading English humorist. The book consists of 14 independent articles arranged by themes.
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Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris audiobook.
That the little boy loved Uncle Remus and his stories was so obvious that the tale-spinning sessions began drawing additional listeners. Daddy Jack, an old "Africa man" visiting from down-state; Sis Tempy, the strong chief of the mansion's servants; and Tildy, a young and pretty servant-girl - all found their way to Uncle Remus' rude cabin when their duties or interests permitted, to sit around the hearth and hear the wonderful tales of the animals, and foremost among them, Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox.
It turned out that some of the tales had different ways of telling, and the visitors took their turns at being the story-teller. Always one or more clever animals humbled or hornswoggled others among their community with flattery, wide-eyed mystery, or outright fraud.
After the success of Harris' "Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings" ( http://librivox.org/uncle-remus-by-joel-chandler-harris/ ), he went on to write eight more books compiling the tales he himself had heard on the plantation in his young days. This is the first of those sequels.
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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald audiobook.
Set in 1925, this is a novel of the Jazz Age; of ambition, of the careless rich, of wild parties and flappers and bootleg booze; and the efforts of a dreamer to reunite with his lost love.
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A Room With A View by E. M. Forster audiobook.
When Lucy Honeychurch travels to Italy with her cousin, she meets George Emerson, a bohemian and an atheist who falls in love with her. Upon her return to England, she is forced to choose between free-spirited George and her more conventional fiancé, Cecil Vyse. The story is both a romance and a critique of English society at the beginning of the 20th century.
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Mansfield Park by Jane Austen audiobook.
Mansfield Park features Austen’s frailest and perhaps most scrupulous heroine, Fannie Price. As the eldest daughter in a poor family, Fannie is sent to rich relatives when she’s just old enough to fully appreciate the shame of her circumstances. Without pride or prejudice, Fanny sticks to principles in all matters. And matters certainly put her to the test.
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Ulysses by James Joyce audiobook.
Still one of the most radical novels of the 20th Century, James Joyce's Ulysses is considered to have ushered in the era of the modern novel. Loosely based on Homer's Odyssey, the book follows Leopold Bloom and a number of other characters through an ordinary day, twenty four hours, in Dublin, on June 16, 1904. The text is dense and difficult, but perfectly suited to an oral reading, filled with language tricks, puns and jokes, stream of consciousness, and bawdiness.
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The United States Bill of Rights by James Madison audiobook.
The Bill of Rights are the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, and were ratified on December 15, 1791
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Dubliners by James Joyce audiobook.
Masterful short stories about life in Dublin at the turn of the century, by James Joyce.
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Above Life's Turmoil by James Allen audiobook.
The turmoil of the world we cannot avoid, but the disturbances of mind we can overcome. The duties and difficulties of life claim our attention, but we can rise above all anxiety concerning them. Surrounded by noise, we can yet have a quiet mind; involved in responsibilities, the heart can be at rest; in the midst of strife, we can know the abiding peace. The twenty pieces which comprise this book, unrelated as some of them are in the letter, will be found to be harmonious in the spirit, in that they point the reader towards those heights of self-knowledge and self-conquest which, rising above the turbulence of the world, lift their peaks where the Heavenly Silence reigns.
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Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin audiobook.
Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin is a collection of short stories that give a snapshot into the life of a legendary hero or an event in history. Hear how Alexander the Great tamed Bucephalus, the kindness of Doctor Goldsmith, William Tell, George Washington and his hatchet, King Alfred as well as many other interesting tales.
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Cleopatra by Jacob Abbott audiobook.
A biography of the famous Cleopatra of Egypt, written in a manner, equally interesting to children and to adults.
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Moby Dick, or the Whale by Herman Melville audiobook.
Few things, even in literature, can really be said to be unique — but Moby Dick is truly unlike anything written before or since. The novel is nominally about the obsessive hunt by the crazed Captain Ahab of the book’s eponymous white whale. But interspersed in that story are digressions, paradoxes, philosophical riffs on whaling and life, and a display of techniques so advanced for its time that some have referred to the 1851 Moby Dick as the first “modern” novel.
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Walden by Henry David Thoreau audiobook.
Walden by Henry David Thoreau is one of the best-known non-fiction books written by an American. Published in 1854, it details Thoreau’s life for two years, two months, and two days around the shores of Walden Pond. Walden is neither a novel nor a true autobiography, but a social critique of the Western World, with each chapter heralding some aspect of humanity that needed to be either renounced or praised. Along with his critique of the civilized world, Thoreau examines other issues afflicting man in society, ranging from economy and reading to solitude and higher laws. He also takes time to talk about the experience at Walden Pond itself, commenting on the animals and the way people treated him for living there, using those experiences to bring out his philosophical positions. This extended commentary on nature has often been interpreted as a strong statement to the natural religion that transcendentalists like Thoreau and Emerson were preaching.
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Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe audiobook.
Among the most “banned” books in the United States, Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is a novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe which treats slavery as a central theme. Stowe was a Connecticut-born teacher at the Hartford Female Academy and an active abolitionist. The novel is believed to have had a profound effect on the North’s view of slavery. In fact, when he met Harriet Beecher Stowe, President Lincoln is said to have commented, “So you’re the little lady whose book started the Civil War.” First published on March 20, 1852, the story focuses on the tale of Uncle Tom, a long-suffering black slave, the central character around whose life the other characters—both fellow slaves and slave owners—revolve. The novel depicts the harsh reality of slavery while also showing that Christian love and faith can overcome even something as evil as enslavement of fellow human beings.
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Caesar and Cleopatra by George Bernard Shaw audiobook.
Caesar and Cleopatra, a play written in 1898 by George Bernard Shaw, was first staged in 1901 and first published with Captain Brassbound's Conversion and The Devil's Disciple in his 1901 collection, Three Plays for Puritans. It was first performed at Newcastle upon Tyne on March 15, 1899. London production was at the Savoy Theatre in 1907. Shaw wants to prove that it was not love but politics that drew Cleopatra to Julius Caesar. He sees the Roman occupation of ancient Egypt as similar to the British occupation that was occurring during his time. Caesar understands the importance of good government, and values these things above art and love.
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Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte audiobook.
A tale of passion and vengeance set in the bleak Yorkshire moors, Wuthering Heights depicts the mutual love of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff till destruction and death rend the narration. There is no place for remorse in our antihero's breast as he sets about ruining the lives of those he considers responsible for his own misery. Yet cruelty is only to be met with compassion in the following generations. Romantic, impassioned and wild, it is also a dark journey in the human soul.
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The Channings by Ellen Wood audiobook.
This is a saga about life in a small town in England during the Victorian era. The "stars" of this saga are the Channings. Mr. Channing was ill and, because of his poverty, his six children have to work. Many things happen during this saga: a man confesses to a theft which he thinks his brother did, a lady is engaged to a gentleman much above her station, and so much more. But in the middle of all this you can find plenty of family love.
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Queen Elizabeth by Jacob Abbott audiobook.
There are certain names which are familiar, as names, to all mankind; and every person who seeks for any degree of mental cultivation, feels desirous of informing himself of the leading outlines of their history, that he may know, in brief, what it was in their characters or their doings which has given them so widely-extended a fame. Consequently, great historical names alone are selected; and it has been the writer's aim to present the prominent and leading traits in their characters, and all the important events in their lives, in a bold and free manner, and yet in the plain and simple language which is so obviously required in works which aim at permanent and practical usefulness. This volume is dedicated to Queen Elizabeth.
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The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 1 by Edward Gibbon audiobook.
The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, a major literary achievement of the 18th century published in six volumes, was written by the celebrated English historian Edward Gibbon. Volume I was published in 1776, and went through six printings (a remarkable feat for its time). Volumes II and III were published in 1781; volumes IV, V, VI in 1788-89. The original volumes were published as quartos, a common publishing practice of the time. The books cover the period of the Roman Empire after Marcus Aurelius, from just before 180 to 1453 and beyond, concluding in 1590. They take as their material the behavior and decisions that led to the decay and eventual fall of the Roman Empire in the East and West, offering an explanation for why the Roman Empire fell. Gibbon is sometimes called the first “modern historian of ancient Rome.” By virtue of its mostly objective approach and highly accurate use of reference material, Gibbon’s work was adopted as a model for the methodologies of 19th and 20th century historians.
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Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte audiobook.
Jane Eyre is not your typical romance. It is a story of a woman who struggles with a world in which she doesn't quite fit. Once finished with her schooling, and with no family that really cares of her she strikes out on her own as a governess. Jane Eyre searches for love, someone to care for her, and someone to care for, and finds it in unexpected places.
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Great Expectations by Charles Dickens audiobook.
This classic tale tells of an orphan, Pip, who through a series of strange circumstances first finds a trade as a blacksmith's apprentice and then learns that he has "great expectations" of a future inheritance from an anonymous benefactor. He soon learns to live the profligate life of a gentleman as he gradually sheds his associations with the gentle souls of his past, Joe (the blacksmith) and Biddy (a level-headed young lady). He throws his money at improving the prospects of his roommate and friend Herbert and his heart at an "ice princess" whose heart will never respond. But then an escaped convict from his distant past comes calling, and all Pip's hopes dissolve.
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Bleak House by Charles Dickens audiobook.
Bleak House is the ninth novel by Charles Dickens, published in 20 monthly parts between March 1852 and September 1853. It is widely held to be one of Dickens' finest and most complete novels, containing one of the most vast, complex and engaging arrays of minor characters and sub-plots in his entire canon. Dickens tells all of these both through the narrative of the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and as an omniscient narrator. Memorable characters include the menacing lawyer Tulkinghorn, the friendly but depressive John Jarndyce and the childish Harold Skimpole. The plot concerns a long-running legal dispute (Jarndyce and Jarndyce) which has far-reaching consequences for all involved
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Metaphysics by Aristotle audiobook.
Metaphysics (Ancient Greek: ΜΕΤΑ ΤΑ ΦΥΣΙΚΑ; Latin: METAPHYSICA; English: After the Physics) discusses topics including substance, accident, causation and God. The text was lost in Western Europe during the Dark Ages.
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White Fang by Jack London audiobook.
White Fang (1906) was written as a companion to Jack London's successful Call of the Wild (1903). It is the tale of a wild dog born in the wild and eventually brought to civilization. The story is viewed primarily through the eyes of its canine protagonist and deals with themes of morality and redemption.
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The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting audiobook.
In The Story of Doctor Dolittle (1920), the first of Hugh Lofting's Doctor Dolittle books, we are introduced to the good doctor who gives up treating people after Polynesia, his parrot, teaches him animal languages. His fame in the animal kingdom spreads throughout the world and soon he sets off to cure a monkey epidemic in Africa, finding all sorts of exciting adventures on the way.
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Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger audiobook.
Horatio Alger, Jr. was well known for his best-selling series of books highlighting “the American Dream” of poor boys making good and becoming rich and successful through “luck and pluck”. Ragged Dick was the first in this niche, and follows the adventures of Dick Hunter, a ragged bootblack as he makes the decision to “grow up ’spectable”, and how he goes about achieving his goals through the help of his friends, his inherent honesty, and his belief in hard work and study.
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The Iliad by Homer audiobook.
The Iliad, together with the Odyssey, is one of two ancient Greek epic poems traditionally attributed to Homer. The poem is commonly dated to the 8th or 7th century BC, and many scholars believe it is the oldest extant work of literature in the Greek language, making it the first work of European literature. The existence of a single author for the poems is disputed as the poems themselves show evidence of a long oral tradition and hence, multiple authors. The poem concerns events during the tenth and final year in the siege of the city of Iliun, or Troy, by the Greeks.
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Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens audiobook.
A wayside tavern where the local men drink and gossip; an unsolved, twenty year old murder at a nearby mansion; a very talkative black raven; a London locksmith and his family; a man apparently returned from the dead; a hangman who enjoys his job way too much; an anti-Catholic lord; a large and violent mob; and the British Militia—what do all these things have in common? All have, in some way, touched or been touched by the lovable, young, simple-minded “idiot,” Barnaby Rudge.
Barnaby’s good nature makes him a joy to most who know him. Unfortunately, his eagerness to please and his gullibility make him an easy prey for the unscrupulous. Can he emerge unscathed when once he gets tangled up with the wrong crowd?
Once again, Dickens has managed to temper the horrific with his characteristic wit and humor, as he tells this tale based on the "no-popery" or Gordon riots of 1780.
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A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens audiobook.
A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a historical novel by Charles Dickens; it is moreover a moral novel strongly concerned with themes of guilt, shame, redemption and patriotism.
The plot centers on the years leading up to French Revolution and culminates in the Jacobin Reign of Terror. It tells the story of two men, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, who look very alike but are entirely different in character.
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Dracula by Bram Stoker audiobook.
The classic vampire story by Bram Stoker revolves around a struggle between good and evil, tradition and modernity, and lust versus chastity. The author didn’t invent vampires, but his novel has so captured the public’s imagination that he is rightly considered their popularizer. Listen and you will meet not only the Count himself, but heroes Jonathan Harker and Abraham Van Helsing, plus an array of madmen, psychiatrists, and fair maidens who cross paths with the fanged menace.
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Anthem by Ayn Rand audiobook.
Anthem is a dystopic science fiction story taking place at some unspecified future date. Mankind has entered another dark age as a result of what Rand saw as the weaknesses of socialistic thinking and economics. Technological advancement is now carefully planned (when it is allowed to occur, if at all) and the concept of individuality has been eliminated (for example, the word "I" has disappeared from the language). As is common in her work, Rand draws a clear distinction between the "socialist/communal" values of equality and brotherhood and the "productive/capitalist" values of achievement and individuality. The story also parallels Stalinist Russia, which was currently going on at the time as the story was published.
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Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas audiobook.
Let's continue the D'Artagnan Romances that we've already started with The Three Musketeers.
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The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas audiobook.
The Three Musketeers (Les Trois Mousquetaires) is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. It recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to become a musketeer. D'Artagnan is not one of the musketeers of the title; those are his friends Athos, Porthos, and Aramis -- inseparable friends who live by the motto, "One for all, and all for one".
The Three Musketeers was first published in serial form in the magazine Le Siècle between March and July 1844. Dumas claimed it was based on manuscripts he had discovered in the Bibliothèque Nationale. It was later proven that Dumas had based his work on the book Mémoires de Monsieur D'Artagnan, capitaine lieutenant de la première compagnie des Mousquetaires du Roi (Memoirs of Mister D'Artagnan, Lieutenant Captain of the first company of the King's Musketeers) by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras (Cologne, 1700).
Dumas' version of the story covers the adventures of D'Artagnan and his friends from 1625 to 1628, as they are involved in intrigues involving the weak King Louis XIII of France, his powerful and cunning advisor Cardinal Richelieu, the beautiful Queen Anne of Austria, her English lover, George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, and the Siege of La Rochelle. Adding to the intrigue are the mysterious Milady de Winter, and Richelieu's right-hand man, the Comte de Rochefort.
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The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas audiobook.
The Count of Monte Cristo (French: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. It is often considered, along with The Three Musketeers, as Dumas's most popular work. The writing of the work was completed in 1844. Like many of his novels, it is expanded from the plot outlines suggested by his collaborating ghostwriter Auguste Maquet.
The story takes place in France, Italy, islands in the Mediterranean and the Levant during the historical events of 1815–1838 (from just before the Hundred Days through the reign of Louis-Philippe of France). The historical setting is a fundamental element of the book. It is primarily concerned with themes of justice, vengeance, mercy, and forgiveness, and is told in the style of an adventure story.
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Nuggets of the New Thought by William Walker Atkinson audiobook.
A series of essays by this forceful writer, constituting the cream of his magazine articles upon New Thought topics. The famous "I Can and I Will" essay forms the opening chapter. "The Secret of the I AM," of which 40,000 copies have been sold, is also contained in this volume.
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The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving audiobook.
The quiet Dutch community of Sleepy Hollow lay in the Adirondack mountains on the western shore of the mighty Hudson River in America’s colonial period. The solitude of the woods was breathtaking, and not even a schoolmaster was immune from the eerie miasma which everyone knew permeated the dense forest. Written in 1820, Washington Irving’s The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow has become a classic of American literature, and has been retold in many different ways. Here is the original, from Irving’s own hand.
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The Science of Being Well by Wallace D. Wattles audiobook.
If you are seeking better health and ways to stay well…This book is for you! Wallace D. Wattles was an American author and a pioneer success new thought movement writer. His most famous work and first book is a book called The Science of Getting Rich in which he explains how to get rich. Additionally, In the Science of Getting Well, Wattles suggests the reader to think and ACT in a Certain Way. As with his first book, Wattles explains in simple concepts the keys to Getting Well. With faith and discipline, Wattles suggests you can stay well. Says Wattles “for those who want health, and who want a practical guide and handbook, not a philosophical treatise. It is an instructor in the use of the universal Principle of Life, and my effort has been to explain the way in so plain and simple a fashion that the reader, though he may have given no previous study to New Thought or metaphysics, may readily follow it to perfect health”
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Candide, or The Optimist by Voltaire audiobook.
“Candide, or Optimism” (1759) is a picaresque novel by the Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire. Voltaire never openly admitted to having written the controversial Candide; the work is signed with a pseudonym: “Monsieur le docteur Ralph”, literally “Mister Doctor Ralph.”Sardonic in outlook, it follows the naïve protagonist Candide from his first exposure to the precept that “all is for the best in this, the best of all possible worlds,” and on through a series of adventures that dramatically disprove that precept even as the protagonist clings to it.The novel satirizes naïve interpretations of the philosophy of Gottfried Leibniz and is a showcase of the horrors of the 18th century world. In Candide, Leibniz is represented by the philosopher Pangloss, the tutor of the title character. Despite a series of misfortunes and misadventures, which include being present at the Lisbon Earthquake, Pangloss continually asserts that “Tout est pour le mieux dans le meilleur des mondes possibles” (“All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds”). The novel ends with Candide finally rejecting the optimism espoused by Pangloss, saying, “Il faut cultiver notre jardin” (“It is necessary to cultivate our garden”).
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The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine audiobook.
The Age of Reason: Being an Investigation of True and Fabulous Theology, a deistic treatise written by eighteenth-century British radical and American revolutionary Thomas Paine, critiques institutionalized religion and challenges the inerrancy of the Bible. Published in three parts in 1794, 1795, and 1807, it was a bestseller in America, where it caused a short-lived deistic revival. British audiences, however, fearing increased political radicalism as a result of the French revolution, received it with more hostility. The Age of Reason presents common deistic arguments; for example, it highlights the corruption of the Christian Church and criticizes its efforts to acquire political power. Paine advocates reason in the place of revelation, leading him to reject miracles and to view the Bible as an ordinary piece of literature rather than as a divinely-inspired text. Yet, The Age of Reason is not atheistic: it promotes natural religion and argues for a creator-God.
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The Power of Concentration by Theron Q. Dumont audiobook.
A series of twenty lessons designed to help develop and improve the power of concentration.
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Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse audiobook.
Siddhartha is one of the great philosophical novels. Profoundly insightful, it is also a beautifully written story that begins as Siddhartha, son of an Indian Brahman, leaves his family and begins a lifelong journey towards Enlightenment. On the way he faces the entire range of human experience and emotion: he lives with ascetics, meets Gotama the Buddha, learns the art of love from Kamala the courtesan, and is transformed by the simple philosophy of the ferryman Vasudeva whose wisdom comes not from learned teachings but from observing the River. Herman Hesse (1877-1962) was a German-Swiss novelist, poet, and painter. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946.
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Typee by Herman Melville audiobook.
Typee is Herman Melville's first book, recounting his experiences after having jumped ship in the Marquesas Islands in 1842, and becoming a captive of a cannibal island tribe. It was an immediate success in America and England, and was Melville's most popular work during his lifetime. It was not until the end of the 1930's that it was surpassed in popularity by Moby Dick, more than thirty years after his death. The story provoked harsh criticism for its condemnation of missionary efforts in the Pacific Islands. Many sought to discredit the book, claiming that it was a work of fiction, but this criticism ended when the events it described were corroborated by Melville's fellow castaway, Richard T. Greene, who appears in the story as the character Toby
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The Creature from Beyond Infinity by Henry Kuttner audiobook.
A lone space traveler arrives on Earth seeking a new planet to colonize, his own world dead. At the same time a mysterious plague has infected Earth that will wipe out all life. Can a lone scientist stop the plague and save the world? Or will the alien find himself on another doomed planet?
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The Turn of the Screw by Henry James audiobook.
The Turn of the Screw is a novella written by Henry James. It is a ghost story that was originally published in 1898. A nameless governess reports the events of two ghosts who stalk the young children she has charge over. Is she reliable, or an imaginative neurotic?
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The Republic by Plato audiobook. The Republic is a Socratic dialogue by Plato, written in approximately 380 BC. It is one of the most influential works of philosophy and political theory, and arguably Plato's best known work. In it, Socrates and various other Athenians and foreigners discuss the meaning of justice and whether the just man is happier than the unjust man by constructing an imaginary city ruled by philosopher-kings. The dialogue also discusses the nature of the philosopher, Plato's Theory of Forms, the conflict between philosophy and poetry, and the immortality of the soul.
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The Story of Mankind by Hendrik van Loon audiobook.
Relates the story of western civilization from earliest times through the beginning of the twentieth century, with special emphasis on the people and events that changed the course of history. Portrays in vivid prose the achievements of mankind in the areas of art and discovery, as well as the political forces leading to the modern nation-states. Richly illustrated with drawings by the author. Winner of the first Newbery Award in 1922, The Story of Mankind has introduced generations of children to the pageant of world history.
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Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard audiobook.
Allan Quatermain was the quintessential Victorian English gentleman cum African big-game hunter. In this book, the second in the series, Quaterman and his two good friends from KSM have tired of their dull and unfulfilling lives in England, and decide to search for the truth of an old tale about the existence of an isolated white kingdom deep in darkest Africa. Their journey and subsequent adventures are sure to satisfy those who enjoy tales of dangerous quests and heroic just-in-time derring-do.
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The Cosmic Computer by H. Beam Piper audiobook.
Conn Maxwell returns from Terra to his poverty-stricken home planet of Poictesme, "The Junkyard Planet", with news of the possible location of Merlin, a military super-computer rumored to have been abandoned there after the last war. The inhabitants hope to find Merlin, which they think will be their ticket to wealth and prosperity. But is Merlin real, or just an old rumor? And if they find it will it save them, or tear them apart?
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The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. He was devised by Scottish author and doctor Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A brilliant London-based detective, Holmes is famous for his prowess at using logic and astute observation to solve cases. He is perhaps the most famous fictional detective, and indeed one of the best known and most universally recognizable literary characters. Join Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes, in Holmes' fourth book.
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The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.
When a young lady approaches Sherlock Holmes looking for help in finding out what happened to her father when he disappeared 10 years earlier, both Holmes and Watson are sent on a mission involving stolen treasure, service in colonial India and a secret pact among four ex-convicts.
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His Last Bow by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.
His Last Bow: Some Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of previously published Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, including the titular short story, "His Last Bow. The War Service of Sherlock Holmes" (1917). The collection's first US edition adjusts the anthology's subtitle to Some Later Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes. All editions contain a brief preface, by "John H. Watson, M.D.", that assures readers that as of the date of publication (1917), Holmes is long retired from his profession of detective but is still alive and well, albeit suffering from a touch of rheumatism.
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Dream Psychology by Sigmund Freud audiobook.
Not a few serious-minded students, [...], have been discouraged from attempting a study of Freud's dream psychology. The book in which he originally offered to the world his interpretation of dreams was as circumstantial as a legal record to be pondered over by scientists at their leisure, not to be assimilated in a few hours by the average alert reader. In those days, Freud could not leave out any detail likely to make his extremely novel thesis evidentially acceptable to those willing to sift data. - Freud himself, however, realized the magnitude of the task which the reading of his magnum opus imposed upon those who have not been prepared for it by long psychological and scientific training and he abstracted from that gigantic work the parts which constitute the essential of his discoveries.
The publishers of the present book deserve credit for presenting to the reading public the gist of Freud's psychology in the master's own words, and in a form which shall neither discourage beginners, nor appear too elementary to those who are more advanced in psychoanalytic study. - Dream psychology is the key to Freud's works and to all modern psychology. With a simple, compact manual such as Dream Psychology there shall be no longer any excuse for ignorance of the most revolutionary psychological system of modern times.
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Reginald by Saki audiobook.
Saki (December 18, 1870 - November 14, 1916) was the pen name of the British author Hector Hugh Munro. His witty, biting and occasionally odd short stories satirised Edwardian culture. Saki is considered a master of the short story and has been compared to O. Henry and Dorothy Parker as well as Noel Coward and Oscar Wilde (who clearly influenced Saki.) His first collection of short stories, Reginald, was published by Methuen Press in 1904 though these stories first appeared in the 'Westminster Gazette'. The stories in this collection are a foil for allowing the jaded and insider/outsider figure of Reginald to comment on some ridiculous or provincial attitude prevalent in upper class Edwardian society, although one can easily recognize these same attitudes in our society today. Long popular and well known, Saki's brilliant humour is as enjoyable now as it was almost a century ago.
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Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert audiobook.
Published in book form in April 1857, the novel focuses on a doctor's wife, Emma Bovary, who has adulterous affairs and lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities and emptiness of provincial life. Though the basic plot is rather simple, even archetypal, the novel's true art lies in its details and hidden patterns. Flaubert was notoriously perfectionist about his writing and claimed to always be searching for le mot juste (the right word)".
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Lilith by George MacDonald audiobook.
Lilith, written by the father of fantasy literature, George MacDonald, was first published in 1895. Its importance was recognized in its later revival in paperback by Ballantine Books as the fifth volume of the celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in September, 1969.
Lilith is considered among the darkest of MacDonald's works, and among the most profound. It is a story concerning the nature of life, death and salvation. Many believe MacDonald is arguing for Christian universalism, or the idea that all will eventually be saved.
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The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald audiobook.
The Princess and the Goblin is an enthralling fantasy tale written by George MacDonald. Her nurse Lootie raises the princess Irene in a house on a mountain, it is here that she meets her mysterious great-great-grandmother, and her friend the minor boy Curdie. Things are peaceful for Irene until the hideous race of goblins that live beneath the mountain start planning something big…
Through his writing George MacDonald has influenced such writers as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis.
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Adam Bede by George Eliot audiobook.
Adam Bede, the first novel written by George Eliot (the pen name of Mary Ann Evans), was published in 1859. It was published pseudonymously, even though Evans was a well-published and highly respected scholar of her time. The novel has remained in print ever since, and is used in university studies of 19th century English literature.
The story's plot follows four characters rural lives in the fictional community of Hayslope—a rural, pastoral and close-knit community in 1799. The novel revolves around a love triangle between beautiful but thoughtless Hetty Sorrel, Captain Arthur Donnithorne, the young squire who seduces her, Adam Bede, her unacknowledged lover, and Dinah Morris, Hetty's cousin, a fervent Methodist lay preacher.
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The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer audiobook.
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century (two of them in prose, the rest in verse). The tales, some of which are originals and others not, are contained inside a frame tale and told by a group of pilgrims on their way from Southwark to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral.
The themes of the tales vary, and include topics such as courtly love, treachery, and avarice. The genres also vary, and include romance, Breton lai, sermon, beast fable, and fabliau. The characters, introduced in the General Prologue of the book, tell tales of great cultural relevance.
The version read here was edited by D. Laing Purves (1838-1873) “for popular perusal” and the language is mostly updated.
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The Secret of the Night by Gaston Leroux audiobook.
Gaston Leroux, perhaps best known as the author of The Phantom of the Opera in its novel form, was also the author of a popular series of mystery novels featuring a young journalist cum detective named Joseph Rouletabille. It is most likely that Leroux styled his hero after himself. Rouletabille was in the tradition of other great detectives who solved their cases by pure deductive reasoning. Much as Sherlock Holmes, who eliminated the impossible and concluded that whatever remained, however improbable must be the truth, Rouletabille included the known facts about the case and eliminated everything that was not a known fact, no matter how much it appeared to relate to the case. In The Secret of the Night, the names of the characters are often challengingly Russian and the plot involves, appropriately, both the Czar and the Nihilists.
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The Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. Chesterton audiobook.
Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936) was an influential and prolific English writer of the early 20th century. He was a journalist, a poet and a novelist. He wrote 80 books and 200 short stories in addition to his other work. He is perhaps best remembered for his ‘Father Brown’ stories; two collections of which are available at Librivox.org.
‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ has some similarities to the Father Brown stories: Horne Fisher the eponymous hero is connected and indeed related to many of the high-ranking politicians of his age and thus ‘knows too much’ about the background of the mysteries in which he becomes embroiled and which he unravels.
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The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton audiobook.
In a surreal turn-of-the-century London, Gabriel Syme, a poet, is recruited to a secret anti-anarchist task force at Scotland Yard. Lucian Gregory, an anarchist poet, is the only poet in Saffron Park, until he loses his temper in an argument over the purpose of poetry with Gabriel Syme, who takes the opposite view. After some time, the frustrated Gregory finds Syme and leads him to a local anarchist meeting-place to prove that he is a true anarchist. Instead of the anarchist Gregory getting elected, the officer Syme uses his wits and is elected as the local representative to the worldwide Central Council of Anarchists. The Council consisting of seven men, each using the name of a day of the week as a code name; Syme is given the name of Thursday...
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass audiobook.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is a memoir and treatise on abolition written by famous orator and ex-slave, Frederick Douglass. It is generally held to be the most famous of a number of narratives written by former slaves during the same period. In factual detail, the text describes the events of his life and is considered to be one of the most influential pieces of literature to fuel the abolitionist movement of the early 19th Century in the United States.
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The Story of the Treasure Seekers by Edith Nesbit audiobook.
This is the story of the Bastable children and their attempts to help the family finances by searching for treasure.
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The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka audiobook.
The Metamorphosis (in German, Die Verwandlung, "The Transformation") is a novella by Franz Kafka, first published in 1915, and arguably the most famous of his works along with the longer works The Trial and The Castle. The story begins with a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, waking to find himself transformed into a giant "monstrous vermin"
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The Rosary by Florence L. Barclay audiobook.
"The Rosary" is a beautiful love story. Gareth Dalmain falls in love with the Honorable Jane Champion. She loves him back, but does not trust his love, as is known to be a great lover of beauty, and she - alas - is very plain. Just as she decides to trust him, she receives news that he has been blinded in a hunting accident. She wants to go visit him, but he will not receive her, as he wants only her love - not her pity. With the help of their mutual friend and doctor, she gets the position as his nurse under a presumed name, and thereby gets to know the 'new' Gareth.
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This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald audiobook.
This Side of Paradise is the debut novel of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Published in 1920, and taking its title from a line of the Rupert Brooke poem Tiare Tahiti, the book examines the lives and morality of post-World War I youth. Its protagonist, Amory Blaine, is a wealthy and attractive Princeton University student who dabbles in literature and has a series of romances that eventually lead to his disillusionment. In his later novels, Fitzgerald would further develop the book's theme of love warped by greed and status-seeking.
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Four Max Carrados Detective Stories by Ernest Bramah audiobook.
Ernest Bramah is mainly known for his 'Kai Lung' books - Dorothy L Sayers often used quotes from them for her chapter headings. In his lifetime however he was equally well known for his detective stories. Since Sherlock Holmes we have had French detectives, Belgian detectives, aristocratic detectives, royal detectives, ecclesiastical detectives, drunken detectives and even a (very) few quite normal happily married detectives. Max Carrados was however probably the first blind detective.
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Dere Mable by Edward Streeter audiobook.
Bill is in training camp, preparing to go off to World War I. This book is a collection of love letters written to his sweetheart, Mable. The letters are humorous, mis-spelled, and have many stories of life in an army camp - all from Bill's unique perspective.
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The Coming Race by Edward George Bulwer-Lytton audiobook.
Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (1803-1873) was an English novelist, poet, playright, and politician. Lord Lytton was a florid, popular writer of his day, who coined such phrases as "the great unwashed", "pursuit of the almighty dollar", "the pen is mightier than the sword", and the infamous incipit "It was a dark and stormy night." .
The Coming Race drew heavily on his interest in the occult and contributed to the birth of the science fiction genre. Unquestionably, its story of a subterranean race of men waiting to reclaim the surface is one of the first science fiction novels. The novel centres on a young, independently wealthy traveler (the narrator), who accidentally finds his way into a subterranean world occupied by beings who seem to resemble angels, who call themselves Vril-ya. The hero soon discovers that they are descendants of an antediluvian civilisation who live in networks of subterranean caverns linked by tunnels. The narrator suggests that in time, the Vril-ya will run out of habitable spaces underground and will start claiming the surface of the earth, destroying mankind in the process, if necessary.
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Acres of Diamonds by Russell H. Conwell audiobook.
One of the most requested motivational lectures of all time. "I say that you ought to get rich, and it is your duty to get rich ... The men who get rich may be the most honest men you find in the community. Let me say here clearly ... ninety-eight out of one hundred of the rich men of America are honest. That is why they are rich. That is why they are trusted with money. That is why they carry on great enterprises and find plenty of people to work with them. It is because they are honest men. ." The central idea of the work is that one need not look elsewhere for opportunity, achievement, or fortune—the resources to achieve all good things are present in one's own community; look in your own backyard for those acres of diamonds. This theme is developed by an introductory anecdote, credited by Conwell to an Arab guide, about a man who wanted to find diamonds so badly that he sold his property and went off in futile search for them. The new owner of his home discovered that a rich diamond mine was located right there on the property. Conwell elaborates on the theme through examples of success, genius, service, or other virtues involving ordinary Americans contemporary to his audience: "dig in your own backyard!".
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The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling audiobook.
This classic children's book by Rudyard Kipling tells the story of Mowgli, a young boy raised by wolves: his escapades and adventures with his dear friends Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear, his capture by the Monkey-People, his attempt at reintegration into human society, and his ultimate triumph over the lame tiger Shere Khan. The account of Mowgli's adventures is followed by several short stories, including the tales of the brave white seal, Kotick, and the tenacious mongoose, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. Packed with adventure and Jungle Law wisdom, this book has pervaded popular culture as the basis of many film and stage adaptations, including the popular Disney movie, and through its adoption as a motivational book by the Cub Scouts.
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Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson audiobook.
David Balfour, a lad of seventeen and newly orphaned, is directed to go and live with his rich uncle, the master of the estate of Shaws in the lowlands of Scotland near Edinburgh. His uncle, Ebenezer (as close a miser as Dickens' Ebenezer Scrooge), is shocked to suddenly have his young relative descend on him and tries to rid himself of David with an arranged accident. Failing that, he pays the captain of a brig to kidnap David and sell him into slavery in Carolina.
A collision in the fog brings onboard the brig a survivor, Alan Breck Stewart, who is carrying a dangerous amount of gold on his person. David warns him of a plan by the brig's captain and crew to overpower him and seize the money, and then finds himself fighting alongside Alan in a battle royale. By good fortune, Alan is handy with a sword and they have access to the firearms locker, and the pair so completely defeat the crew that barely enough hands remain to sail her. Limping to port, she is holed by rocks, and David finds himself a castaway.
Being in Alan's presence continues to be a chancey business. David is talking to Colin Roy Campbell, the King's Factor who has been oppressing Alan's people, when the man is shot to death, and David is chased as an accomplice. The two "take to the heather" and barely survive near brushes with redcoats as they thread through the Trossachs and other highland ranges of Scotland. Only after an arduous weeks-long trek through territory where they are actively hunted do they emerge in the more settled districts around the river Forth, only to find guards upon the bridge. With no money remaining, they must somehow cross to Queensferry, find Ebenezer's lawyer, and lay claim to David's inheritance in order to send Alan safely on to France.
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Just William by Richmal Crompton audiobook.
William is a mischievous eleven year old who is puzzled by the adult world, which is no less puzzled by him. The humor is gentle and pleasing. The series of books is better known in the United Kingdom than in the U.S.
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The Enchanted Castle by Edith Nesbit audiobook.
Three children, forced to remain at school during the holidays, go in search of adventure. What they find is a magic castle straight out of a fairy tale, complete with an enchanted princess at the center of a maze. Or is it? The castle turns out to be just a country estate, and the princess is only the housekeeper's niece, playing at dressing up. But the magic ring she shows them proves -- to her surprise and horror -- to really be magic. Soon they are caught in an adventure where statues come alive, lost lovers are reunited, and wishes can be granted -- but always for a price.
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The Clue of the Twisted Candle by Edgar Wallace audiobook.
Well-known mystery writer John Lexman is charged with murder and sent to Broadmoor Prison. His friend T.X., head of a special branch of Scotland Yard, tries to prove his innocence.
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Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs audiobook.
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Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Berens audiobook.
This is a comprehensive collection of all the major and minor gods of Rome and Greece, with descriptions of festivals and retellings of major mythological stories.
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Queen Lucia by E. F. Benson audiobook.
E. F. Benson was born at Wellington College in Berkshire, where his father, who later went on to become the Archbishop of Canterbury, was the first Headmaster. He wrote 105 books in all.
Queen Lucia (first published in 1920) was the first of Benson’s ‘Mapp and Lucia’ novels of which there were six. This first book is a comedy of manners based in the provincial village of Riseholme, where Emmeline Lucas (the Queen Lucia of the title) presides over the social and artistic universe of the gullible residents. Her aide-de-camp in these matters is the somewhat effete Georgie Pillson and the chief competitor for her ‘crown’ is Daisy Quantock. The scandal of the Guru, the psychical goings on with Princess Popoffski and the arrival into the sleepy village of a famous Prima Donna all conspire to threaten her supremacy…
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Robinson Crusoe by Daniel DeFoe audiobook.
Daniel Defoe’s The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner (1719) is considered by many the first English novel. Based on the real-life experiences of the castaway Alexander Selkirk, the book has had a perennial appeal among readers of all ages-–especially the young adult reading public–-who continue to find inspiration in the inventive resourcefulness of its hero, sole survivor of a shipwreck who is marooned on an uninhabited island.
Especially poignant, after more than two decades of unbroken solitude, is the affection that Robinson develops for Friday, another survivor fleeing certain death at the hands of enemy tribesmen from the South American continent.
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The Sayings of Confucius by Confucius audiobook.
Promoting virtues such as filial devotion, compassion, loyalty, and propriety, these dialogues between the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius and his disciples comprise the crux of Confucianism.
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Kathleen by Christopher Morley audiobook.
A group called the Scorpions, eight Oxford undergraduates, find a letter Kathleen wrote a letter to Joe at Oxford. They build up an image of Kathleen and Joe from the letter and set out to find and meet Kathleen. The competition between them leads to many entertainingly funny scenarios.
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Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson audiobook.
Nature is a short essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson published anonymously in 1836. It is in this essay that the foundation of transcendentalism is put forth, a belief system that espouses a non-traditional appreciation of nature. Recent advances in zoology, botany, and geology confirmed Emerson's intuitions about the intricate relationships of Nature at large. The publication of Nature is usually taken to be the watershed moment at which transcendentalism became a major cultural movement.
Henry David Thoreau had read "Nature" as a senior at Harvard College and took it to heart. It eventually became an essential influence for Thoreau's later writings, including his seminal Walden.
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Essays - First Series by Ralph Waldo Emerson audiobook.
“We live in succession, in division, in parts, in particles. Meantime within man is the soul of the whole; the wise silence; the universal beauty, to which every part and particle is equally related, the eternal ONE. And this deep power in which we exist and whose beatitude is all accessible to us, is not only self-sufficing and perfect in every hour, but the act of seeing and the thing seen, the seer and the spectacle, the subject and the object, are one. We see the world piece by piece, as the sun, the moon, the animal, the tree; but the whole, of which these are shining parts, is the soul”.
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Laws by Plato audiobook.
Laws (Greek: Νόμοι) is Plato's last and longest dialogue. It is generally agreed that Plato wrote this dialogue as an older man, having failed in his effort in Syracuse on the island of Sicily to guide a tyrant's rule, instead having been thrown in prison.
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Alcibiades 1 by Plato audiobook.
As Jowett relates in his brilliant introduction, 95% of Plato's writing is certain and his reputation rests soundly on this foundation. The Alcibiades 1 appears to be a short work by Plato with only two characters: Socrates and Alcibiades. This dialogue has little dramatic verisimilitude but centres on the question of what knowledge one needs for political life. Like the early dialogues, the question is on whether the virtues needed by a statesman can be taught, on the importance of self-knowledge as a starting point for any leader. While this may be only partially the work of Plato, or even not his at all, Jowett favoured the work with his magisterial translation and appears to favour its inclusion in the canon of true works.
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The Adventures of Sally by P. G. Wodehouse audiobook.
This romantic comedy stars a young American girl named Sally, who inherits a considerable fortune and finds her life turned upside down. The typically Wodehouseian cast includes Sally's ambitious brother, an assortment of theater people, a pair of English cousins, and, of course, an Uncle. It's jolly good fun!
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My Man Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse audiobook.
Bertram Wooster is an English gentleman living in New York, who seems to get himself into all sorts of jams. It’s up to his manservant Jeeves to come up with the plan to save the day from unpleasant houseguests, stingy uncles, broken hearts, and hard-partying aunts.
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Bill the Conqueror by P. G. Wodehouse audiobook.
Hailed as one of the funniest writers of the 20th century, P. G. Wodehouse cheerfully radiates humor that is both sophisticated and popular. In Bill the Conqueror, Wodehouse creates an array of entertaining characters who gallop around England and America in quest of love and money. Our far-from-perfect hero Bill is a dissipated American former football player and man of action, who tangles with odious relatives, bumbling gangsters, suave white-collar crooks, and even his exasperating but well-meaning friend Judson, as he seeks to become worthy of the woman of his dreams, whichever one she might be. As you might expect, the course of true love never did run smooth.
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A Gentleman of Leisure by P. G. Wodehouse audiobook.
A wealthy, love-sick bachelor, crooks, and card-sharps ensconced in an English castle make for a classic Wodehousian comedy of star-crossed lovers, imposters and stolen jewels. It all gets a bit thick, what?
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The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde audiobook.
Dorian Gray, a young man of wealth and stature in late 1800's London, meets Lord Henry Wotton while posing for a portrait by his friend Basil Hallward. Once the painting is complete, Dorian realizes that it will always be young and attractive, while he will be forced to age and wither with the years. Carelessly, he wishes the opposite were true. What happens is a treatise on morals, self-indulgence and how crucial personal responsibility is towards one's self.
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The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde audiobook.
The American Minister and his family have bought the English stately home Canterville Chase, complete with the ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville - blood-stains, clanking chains and all. But these modern Americans will have no truck with ghostly goings-on, and set out to beat the spectre at his own game.
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Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde audiobook.
The Importance of Being Earnest is a classic comedy of manners in which two flippant young men, in order to impress their respected beloveds, pretend that their names are “Ernest,” which both young ladies believe confers magical qualities on the possessor. It was first performed for the public on February 14, 1895 at the St. James’ Theatre in London, and is regarded by many critics and scholars as being the wittiest play in the English language.
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The Adventures of Ulysses by Charles Lamb audiobook.
Lamb used Homer's Odyssey as the basis for the re-telling of the story of Ulysses's journey back from Troy to his own kingdom of Ithaca. Not a direct translation and deemed modern in its time, Lamb states in the preface that, "I have gained a rapidity to the narration which I hope will make it more attractive and give it more the air of a romance to young readers".
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Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens audiobook.
Oliver Twist is an 1838 novel by Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial.
Like most of Dickens' work, the book is used to call the public's attention to various contemporary social evils, including the workhouse, child labour and the recruitment of children as criminals. The novel is full of sarcasm and dark humour, even as it treats its serious subject, revealing the hypocrisies of the time.
It has been the subject of numerous film and television adaptations, and the basis for a highly successful British musical, Oliver!.
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The Autobiography of Charles Darwin by Charles Darwin audiobook.
The Autobiography of Charles Darwin is the autobiography of the British naturalist Charles Darwin which was published in 1887, five years after his death.
Darwin wrote the book, which he entitled Recollections of the Development of my Mind and Character, for his family. He states that he started writing it on about May 28, 1876 and had finished it by August 3.
The book was edited by Charles Darwin's son Francis Darwin, who removed several passages about Darwin's critical views of God and Christianity (see Charles Darwin's views on religion). It was published in London by John Murray as part of The life and letters of Charles Darwin, including an autobiographical chapter.
The omitted passages were later restored by Darwin's granddaughter Nora Barlow in a 1958 edition to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the publication of The Origin. This edition was published in London by Collins under the title of The Autobiography of Charles Darwin 1809-1882. With the original omissions restored. Edited and with appendix and notes by his granddaughter Nora Barlow.
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George Washington by Calista McCabe Courtenay audiobook.
In this biography for young people, Calista McCabe Courtenay takes the reader from George Washington the surveyor to his early military career, first as a colonel in the Virginia militia and then as a member of General Braddock'a staff during the French and Indian War. He later commanded the Virginia forces before joining the First Continental Congress. Much of the book is devoted to his campaigns during the American Revolution. At the end, we see him as President for two terms.
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Penrod and Sam by Booth Tarkington audiobook.
Follow more of the hilarious life of the boy Penrod Schofield, his friends Sam Williams, Herman, Verman, Georgie, Maurice, and the love of his life, Marjorie Jones.
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Penrod by Booth Tarkington audiobook.
Join Penrod Schofield and his wistful dog Duke, in a hilarious romp through turn of the century Indianapolis, chronicling his life, loves, and mostly the trouble he gets into.
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The Alchemist by Ben Jonson audiobook.
An outbreak of plague in London forces a gentleman, Lovewit, to flee temporarily to the country, leaving his house under the sole charge of his butler, Jeremy. Jeremy uses the opportunity given to him to use the house as the headquarters for fraudulent acts. He transforms himself into 'Captain Face', and enlists the aid of Subtle, a fellow conman and Dol Common, a prostitute. In The Alchemist, Jonson unashamedly satirizes the follies, vanities and vices of mankind, most notably greed-induced credulity. People of all social classes are subject to Jonson's ruthless, satirical wit. He mocks human weakness and gullibility to advertising and to "miracle cures" with the character of Sir Epicure Mammon, who dreams of drinking the elixir of youth and enjoying fantastic sexual conquests. The Alchemist focuses on what happens when one human being seeks advantage over another. In a big city like London, this process of advantage-seeking is rife. The trio of con-artists - Subtle, Face and Dol - are self-deluding small-timers, ultimately undone by the same human weaknesses they exploit in their victims.
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The Old Man in the Corner by Baroness E. Orczy audiobook.
Created by Baroness Orczy, author of the famous Scarlet Pimpernel series, The Old Man in the Corner was one of the earliest armchair detectives, popping up with so many others in the wake of the huge popularity of the Sherlock Holmes stories. The Old Man relies mostly upon sensationalistic "penny dreadful" newspaper accounts, with the occasional courtroom visit for extra laughs. He narrates all this information (while tying complicated knots in a piece of string) to a Lady Journalist who frequents the same tea-shop.
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Mental Efficiency and Other Hints to Men and Women by Arnold Bennett audiobook.
In this light-hearted yet thought-provoking collection of articles, Bennett offers his thoughts on exercising the mind, organising your life, the advantages (and disadvantages) of marriage and other pocket philosophies.
The book stands the test of time, and much is still relevant and amusing - perhaps even more so, with nearly 100 years of hindsight, than when it was originally written.
The book "X" to which Bennett refers in Chapter 5 is An Essay on the Principle of Population by Thomas Malthus
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The Grand Babylon Hotel by Arnold Bennett audiobook.
Theodore Racksole, a rich American multi-millionaire, buys the Grand Babylon Hotel, a luxurious hotel in London, as a whim - and then finds out there are strange things going on - a German prince is supposed to arrive but never turns up, someone is found murdered in the hotel, but then the body disappears. With the help of his independent daughter Nella and another German prince, Racksole sets out to solve the mystery.
Bennett wrote this as a 15-part serial, for a lark, in 15 days, and sold it for 100 pounds. It first appeared in The Golden Penny in 1902, which described it as "the most original, amusing, and thrilling serial written in a decade"
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Politics by Aristotle audiobook.
The Politics, by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, is one of the most influential texts in political philosophy. In it, Aristotle explores the role that the political community should play in developing the virtue of its citizens. One of his central ideas is that "Man is a political animal," meaning that people can only become virtuous by active participation in the political community. Aristotle also criticizes his teacher Plato, classifies and evaluates six different types of constitutions and political institutions, and describes his vision of the ideal state. Aristotle's views on women and slavery are unenlightened by today's standards, but his work remains enduring and relevant to this day.
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An Englishwoman's Love-Letters by Anonymous audiobook.
It need hardly be said that the woman by whom these letter were written had no thought that they would be read by anyone but the person to whom they were addressed. But a request, conveyed under circumstances which the writer herself would have regarded as all-commanding, urges that they should now be given to the world; and, so far as is possible with a due regard to the claims of privacy, what is here printed presents the letters as they were first written in their complete form and sequence.
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The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang audiobook.
Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book (1889) was a beautifully produced and illustrated edition of fairy tales that has become a classic. This was followed by many other collections of fairy tales, collectively known as Andrew Lang's Fairy Books.
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Star Born by Andre Norton audiobook.
Andre Norton's "Star Born" pictures a human colony in another galaxy, driven away from Earth generations ago by a repressive government. Considered outlaws, the colonists are in permanent hiding.
They have developed friendship and cooperation with a local race of "mermen" who are equally at home on land or sea. But that race only took to the sea to escape a malevolent power that hunted them and killed them violently for sport - Those Others.
With a global decline in the population and reach of Those Others, contacts are few and the humans have no direct knowledge of them. So it is a major surprise when Dalgard, a human scout on his coming-of-age expedition, along with his "knife-brother" Sssuri of the mermen, run into a party of Those Others who are bent on reclaiming hideous weaponries left behind in one of their abandoned cities... and find that they are being aided by new arrivals from Earth!
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The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas audiobook.
The Black Tulip, written by Alexandre Dumas père and published in 1850, is a historical novel placed in the time of Tulipmania in the Netherlands. The novel begins with the 1672 politically motivated mob lynching of the de Witt brothers and then follows the story of Cornelius van Baerle, godson of Cornelius de Wit. Cornelius Van Baerle has joined the race to breed a truly black tulip – and to win the prize of 100,000 guilders, as well as fame and honour. As he nears his goal he is jailed and then of course rescued – by the beautiful Rosa, daughter of the jailer.
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The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison audiobook.
The Federalist Papers (correctly known as The Federalist) are a series of 85 articles advocating the ratification of the United States Constitution. Seventy-seven of the essays were published serially in The Independent Journal and The New York Packet between October 1787 and August 1788 . A compilation of these and eight others, called The Federalist, was published in 1788 by J. and A. M’Lean. The Federalist Papers serve as a primary source for interpretation of the Constitution, as they outline the philosophy and motivation of the proposed system of government.The authors of the Federalist Papers wanted to both influence the vote in favor of ratification and shape future interpretations of the Constitution. According to historian Richard Morris, they are an "incomparable exposition of the Constitution, a classic in political science unsurpassed in both breadth and depth by the product of any later American writer."
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Relativity - The Special and General Theory by Albert Einstein audiobook.
This is an introduction to Einstein’s space-bending, time-stretching theory of Relativity, written by the master himself. Special and General relativity explain the structure of space time and provide a theory of gravitation, respectively. Einstein’s theories shocked the world with their counterintuitive results, including the dissolution of absolute time. In this book he brings a simplified form of his profound understanding of the subject to the layperson. In the words of Einstein: “The present book is intended, as far as possible, to give an exact insight into the theory of Relativity to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of theoretical physics.” The book is challenging at times but, when approached patiently, proves itself one of the most lucid explanations of Relativity to be found anywhere. [Due to transcription or optical character recognition errors in creating online texts, and because of less-than-clear fonts in some printed texts, the variables as read in some of the equations here are not as Einstein intended. For example, the numeral ‘one’ has frequently been printed and read as the letter ‘I.’ In addition, some equations do not translate well into the spoken word. If you require completely accurate renditions of Einstein’s mathematical formulas, we suggest that you consult a published text.]
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain audiobook.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (published 1876) is a very well-known and popular story concerning American youth. Mark Twain's lively tale of the scrapes and adventures of boyhood is set in St. Petersburg, Missouri, where Tom Sawyer and his friend Huckleberry Finn have the kinds of adventures many boys can imagine: racing bugs during class, impressing girls, especially Becky Thatcher, with fights and stunts in the schoolyard, getting lost in a cave, and playing pirates on the Mississippi River.
One of the most famous incidents in the book describes how Tom persuades his friends to do a boring, hateful chore for him: whitewashing (i.e., painting) a fence.
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Meditations by Marcus Aurelius audiobook.
Marcus Aurelius wrote Meditations in Greek while on campaign between 170 and 180, as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. These memos survive and continue to inspire others to this day. These writings take the form of quotations varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs. He explicates the Stoic philosophy that the only way a man can be harmed by others is to allow his reaction to overpower him. He shows no particular religious faith in his writings, but seems to believe that some sort of logical, benevolent force organizes the universe in such a way that even "bad" occurrences happen for the good of the whole.
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The Prince by Machiavelli audiobook.
The Prince is a political treatise by the Florentine writer Niccolò Machiavelli, originally called “De Principatibus” (About Principalities). It was written around 1513, but not published until 1532, five years after Machiavelli’s death. The treatise is not actually representative of his published work during his lifetime, but it is certainly the best remembered one
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Jack and Jill by Louisa May Alcott audiobook.
When Jack and Jill tumble off of their sled on the first good snow of the season, their injuries cause them to be bedridden for many months putting an end to their fun and frolics. Their parents and friends fill their days with the joys of Christmas preparations, a theatrical production and many other imaginative events. Both learn how to become better friends to each other and their other school mates through their many trials. This is sure to become a family favorite!
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Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery audiobook.
Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic children’s novel, Anne of Green Gables tells the story of a red headed orphan girl with a personality you can’t help but love. Despite her “tragical” past, Anne’s optimism and imagination have helped her to always see the best in things. Anne’s life changes considerably when she is accidentally adopted by the Cuthberts, a brother and sister who thought they were getting a boy to help out on the farm. The Cuthberts decide Anne will have to be sent back to the orphange but before they know it, she has begun to work her way into their hearts.
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Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott audiobook.
This is the story of Rose, a rich but lonely and sickly girl who has been recently orphaned and sent to live with her maiden aunts. When Rose's guardian, Uncle Alec, returns from abroad he takes over her care. Through his unorthodox theories about child-rearing and her exposure to the exploits of her seven male cousins and numerous aunts, Rose becomes happier and healthier, cured of many of her fears and prejudices. She also makes friends with Phebe, her aunts' maid of her own age, whose cheerful attitude in the face of poverty helps to illustrate to Rose her own good fortune.
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Through the Looking-glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll audiobook.
Through the Looking Glass, the sequel to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, was written in 1872 and it finds Alice in a land when she walks through a mirror into the Looking-Glass House. The land is full of mythological creatures and characters and nursery rhyme characters. Alice makes a guest appearance in a bizarre game of chess with Humpty Dumpty! A charming, witty story!
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The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll audiobook.
This is a whimsical poem that takes the reader on a sailing hunt for the mythical Snark. The Bellman, the Butcher, the Baker, the Beaver and others named and unnamed provide a fast-paced, almost maniacal, romp to find the elusive Snark. In the reading, you begin to suspect that Dr. Seuss may have found some inspiration from Carroll. The reading is a fast ride of thirty minutes and is suitable for children and adults alike.
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Sylvie and Bruno by Lewis Carroll audiobook.
The novel has two main plots; one set in the real world at the time the book was published (the Victorian era), the other in the fictional world of Fairyland. While the latter plot is a fairy tale with many nonsense elements and poems, similar to Carroll's most famous children's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the story set in Victorian Britain is a social novel, with its characters discussing various concepts and aspects of religion, society, philosophy and morality.
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Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch audiobook.
The framing story concerns a man who dreams of speaking to Venus about love while she wears furs. The unnamed narrator tells his dreams to a friend, Severin, who tells him how to break him of his fascination with cruel women by reading a manuscript, Memoirs of a Supersensual Man.
This manuscript tells of a man, Severin von Kusiemski, so infatuated with a woman, Wanda von Dunajew, that he requests to be treated as her slave, and encourages her to treat him in progressively more degrading ways. At first Wanda does not understand or relate to the request, but after humouring Severin a bit she finds the advantages of the method to be interesting and enthusiastically embraces the idea; though at the same time, she disdains Severin for allowing her to do so.
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The Three Hostages by John Buchan audiobook.
The Three Hostages is the fourth of five Richard Hannay novels. The Richard Hannay novels are action/mystery/spy novels with a James bond feel. This book starts out with Richard Hannay married to Mary Lamington living in Fosse Manor. He is asked to work undercover and figure out who kidnapped three children of prominent people, while Scotland Yard investigate the abductions officially. Different friends help him solve the mystery. It's suspenseful and a fun action packed mystery!
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Your Mind and How to Use It by William Walker Atkinson audiobook.
William Walker Atkinson was one of the most prominent contributors to the literature of the New Thought movement, a non-denomination spiritual philosophy which developed in the late Nineteenth Century. Although he achieved eminence in a number of professions, Atkinson never sought personal publicity, and many of his numerous works were published under a variety of pseudonyms.
Most of Atkinson’s works are manuals of practice rather than pure expositions of philosophy. Many of his books are concerned with the training of the mind, and one of the most typical of these is Your Mind and How to Use It: A Manual of Practical Psychology, first published in 1911.
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Thought Vibration by William Walker Atkinson audiobook.
William Walker Atkinson (December 5, 1862 – November 22, 1932) was an attorney, merchant, publisher, and author, as well as an occultist and an American pioneer of the New Thought movement.
Atkinson was a prolific writer, and his many books achieved wide circulation among New Thought devotees and occult practitioners. He published under several pen names, including Magus Incognito, Theodore Sheldon, Theron Q. Dumont, Swami Panchadasi, Yogi Ramacharaka, Swami Bhakta Vishita, and probably other names not identified at present. The works published under the name of William Walker Atkinson generally treat themes related to the mental world, occultism, divination, psychic reality, and mankind's nature. They constitute a basis for what Atkinson called "New Psychology" or "New Thought". These titles include Thought-Force in Business & Everyday Life (1900), Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World (1906) and Practical Mental Influence (1908).
Due in part to Atkinson's intense personal secrecy and extensive use of pseudonyms, he is now largely forgotten, despite having obtained mention in past editions of Who's Who in America, Religious Leaders of America, and several similar publications - and having written more than 100 books in the last 30 years of his life. His works have remained in print more or less continuously since 1900.
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Dynamic Thought; Or, The Law of Vibrant Energy by William Walker Atkinson audiobook.
This book is a marriage of the Ancient Occult Teachings to the latest and most advanced conceptions of Modern Science--an odd union, for the parties thereto are of entirely different temperaments. The marriage might be expected to result disastrously, were it not for the fact that a connecting link has been found that gives them a bond of common interest. No two people may truly love each other, unless they also love something in common--the more they love in common, the greater will be their love for each other. And, let us trust that this will prove true in this marriage of Occultism and Science, celebrated in this book.
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The Phenomenology of Mind, Volume 2 by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel audiobook.
Phänomenologie des Geistes (1807) is Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's most important and widely discussed philosophical work. Hegel's first book, it describes the three-stage dialectical life of Spirit. The title can be translated as either The Phenomenology of Spirit or The Phenomenology of Mind, because the German word Geist has both meanings. Phenomenology was the basis of Hegel's later philosophy and marked a significant development in German idealism after Kant. Focusing on topics in metaphysics, epistemology, physics, ethics, history, religion, perception, consciousness, and political philosophy, The Phenomenology is where Hegel develops his concepts of dialectic (including the Master-slave dialectic), absolute idealism, ethical life, and Aufhebung. The book had a profound effect in Western philosophy, and "has been praised and blamed for the development of existentialism, communism, fascism, death of God theology, and historicist nihilism." Note, this is the second volume of two.
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The Phenomenology of Mind, Volume 1 by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel audiobook.
Phänomenologie des Geistes (1807) is Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's most important and widely discussed philosophical work. Hegel's first book, it describes the three-stage dialectical life of Spirit. The title can be translated as either The Phenomenology of Spirit or The Phenomenology of Mind, because the German word Geist has both meanings. Phenomenology was the basis of Hegel's later philosophy and marked a significant development in German idealism after Kant. Focusing on topics in metaphysics, epistemology, physics, ethics, history, religion, perception, consciousness, and political philosophy, The Phenomenology is where Hegel develops his concepts of dialectic (including the Master-slave dialectic), absolute idealism, ethical life, and Aufhebung. The book had a profound effect in Western philosophy, and "has been praised and blamed for the development of existentialism, communism, fascism, death of God theology, and historicist nihilism."
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The Logic of Hegel by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel audiobook.
This is the William Wallace translation of the first part of Hegel's Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences on logic. This is an outline of Hegel's logical system that he would use and elaborate on during his lectures, it is a shorter version of his earlier publication The Science of Logic. The William Wallace translation is very influential and famous for its clarity, although he took some liberties and does not always stick closely to Hegel's original text.
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A Man Obsessed by Alan Edward Nourse audiobook.
Jeffrey Meyer had a killing on his mind. It meant nothing to him that his towering Twenty-first Century world was going mad. He shouldered aside the rising tide of narcotics-mania, the gambling fever, the insatiable lust for the irrational. Jeff had his own all-consuming obsession—Paul Conroe must die! After a five-year frenzied chase, Jeff had his victim cornered; he'd driven him into the last hideaway of the world's most desperate men—the sealed vaults of the human-vivisectionists. And Jeff knew that to reach his final horrible objective, he must offer himself also as a guinea pig for the secret experiments of the world's most feared physicians!
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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
The story chronicles the adventures of a girl named Dorothy Gale in the Land of Oz. As Baum says in the introduction "It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out." And it succeeds wonderfully. It is one of the best-known stories in American popular culture and has been widely translated. This is the first of thirteen more Oz books.
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The Enchanted Island of Yew by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
A fairy has become bored with her life, and convinces some young girls to transform her into a human boy so she can go on adventures. The adventures come fast and furious, as the newly-named Prince Marvel explores the surrounding kingdoms. A masochistic squire accompanies Marvel, helping him with assorted kings, knights, dragons, and other medieval menaces along the way.
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The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
The Emerald City of Oz (1910) was the sixth Oz book written by L. Frank Baum, a title he hoped would be the last. In this book, Dorothy and her impoverished Uncle Henry and Aunt Em are on the brink of losing their Kansas farm. Consequently, Ozma invites them all to live in the Emerald City. They then explore the countryside, visiting a series of strange beings including the Cuttenclips, the Fuddles, the Rigmaroles, the Flutterbudgets, and the residents of Utensia, Bunbury and Bunnybury. Aunt Em and Uncle Henry also meet old friends like the Wizard, the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, Jack Pumpkinhead and H. M. Wogglebug T. E. The travelers’ idyll is brought short by the plot of an old enemy, the Nome King. Seeking revenge for the loss of his magic belt, the Nome King has an underground tunnel built so he can invade and plunder Oz and enslave its peoples. Our friends manage to defeat the Nome King and his allies, but sobered by this threat, Glinda and Ozma decide to cut off Oz from the outside world forever. Happily for Oz fans, forever lasted only three years. Baum invented a way to reopen communications with Oz and eight more Oz books were published between 1913-1920.
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Mother Goose in Prose by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
Whether Mother Goose was a real person or a myth, the songs that are attributed to her name are what we remember from our childhood. Some of these nursery rhymes are complete tales in themselves. There are others which are mere suggestions, leaving the imagination to weave in the details of the story. Many of the rhymes’ origins even at the time of this books writing, could be traced back decades or centuries. L Frank Baum in 1897, while living in Chicago, collected the rhymes and created short stories around them which add context and understanding for children who are drawn to the familiar melodies.
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Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
Glinda of Oz is the fourteenth Land of Oz book and is the last one written by the original author L. Frank Baum, although the series was continued after his death by several other authors.
Dorothy and Ozma discover that a war is brewing in a distant and unexplored part of Oz, between two mysterious races, the Flatheads and the Skeezers. The girls set out to try to prevent the fighting, not knowing what dangers await them.
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Dorothy & the Wizard in Oz by L. Frank Baum audiobook.
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz was the fourth of 14 Oz books written by L. Frank Baum (1856-1919). Published in 1908, while Baum was resident in Coronado, California, it is considered one of the “darker” of the Oz tales. However, it also is enlivened by Baum’s considerable wit, penchant for puns, and dry social commentary. In this title, Dorothy, her kitten Eureka, Jim, a cab horse, and Zeb, a ranch hand, descend into the earth through a rift opened by an earthquake. There they encounter the “humbug” wizard who once ruled Oz. In their journey back to the earth’s surface, they meet a number of potentially dangerous magical peoples and creatures including the cold-blooded Mangaboos, invisible bears, the flying wooden Gargoyles, a den of dragonettes, and an eccentric inventor. With a little help from Ozma, the group end up in Oz where they are treated to feasts and celebrations. The animals end up humbled by a few of their experiences in Oz, where all animals can talk, and return home a little wiser.
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The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame audiobook.
This much-loved story follows a group of animal friends in the English countryside as they pursue adventure … and as adventure pursues them! The chief characters - Mole, Rat, and Toad - generally lead upbeat and happy lives, but their tales are leavened with moments of terror, homesickness, awe, madcap antics, and derring-do.
Although classed as children’s literature, The Wind in the Willows holds a gentle fascination for adults too. The vocabulary is decidedly not “Dick and Jane”, and a reader with a love of words will find new ones to treasure, even if well-equipped for the journey. Parents will appreciate the themes of loyalty, manners, self-restraint, and comradeship which are evident throughout the book. When the characters err, they are prompt to acknowledge it, and so a reading of this book can model good behavior to children, who will otherwise be enchanted with the many ways in which the lives of these bucolic characters differ from modern life.
This book was so successful that it enabled the author to retire from banking and take up a country life somewhat like that of his creations. It has been adapted for screen, stage, and even a ride at the original Disneyland.
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The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame audiobook.
What would you do if you discovered a dragon living in a cave on a hill above your home? Make friends, read poetry together? It turns out that not all dragons are intent on pillaging the countryside. Some might actually enjoy peace, quiet, and the occasional banquet. The Boy of this story knows how to handle dragons, and life is good… until a knight in shining armor arrives in town to exterminate his friend! It doesn’t matter that it’s a “good” dragon — rules are rules, you know!
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Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne audiobook.
Around the World in Eighty Days (French: Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is a classic adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in 1873. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly-employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate the world in 80 days on a £20,000 wager set by his friends at the Reform Club.
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English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs audiobook.
A collection of traditional English fairy tales.
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Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad audiobook.
Set in a time of oppressive colonization, when large areas of the world were still unknown to Europe, and Africa was literally on maps and minds as a mysterious shadow, Heart of Darkness famously explores the rituals of civilization and barbarism, and the frighteningly fine line between them.
We get the tale through a classic unreliable narrator, relating as Marlow, a ship’s captain, tells how he was sent by the Company to retrieve the wayward Kurtz, and was shaken to discover the true depths of darkness in that creature’s, and in his own, soul. Conrad based the work closely on his own terrible experience in the Congo.
This work has been reinterpreted and adapted into many modern forms, the most well known being the film Apocalypse Now.
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Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift audiobook.
Gulliver's Travels (1726, amended 1735), officially Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, is a novel by Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of the "travelers' tales" literary sub-genre. It is widely considered Swift's magnum opus and is his most celebrated work, as well as one of the indisputable classics of English literature.
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A Letter Concerning Toleration by John Locke audiobook.
Letter Concerning Toleration by John Locke was originally published in 1689. Its initial publication was in Latin, though it was immediately translated into other languages. In this "letter" addressed to an anonymous "Honored Sir" (actually Locke's close friend Philip von Limborch, who published it without Locke's knowledge) Locke argues for a new understanding of the relationship between religion and government. One of the founders of Empiricism, Locke develops a philosophy that is contrary to the one expressed by Thomas Hobbes in Leviathan, primarily because it supports toleration for various Christian denominations. Locke's work appeared amidst a fear that Catholicism might be taking over England, and responds to the problem of religion and government by proposing toleration as the answer. Unlike Hobbes, who saw uniformity of religion as the key to a well-functioning civil society, Locke argues that more religious groups actually prevent civil unrest. Locke argues that civil unrest results from confrontations caused by any magistrate's attempt to prevent different religions from being practiced, rather than tolerating their proliferation. Locke's primary goal is to "distinguish exactly the business of civil government from that of religion." He makes use of extensive argument from analogy to accomplish his goal, and relies on several key points. The thing that he wants to persuade the reader of is that government is instituted to promote external interests, relating to life, liberty, and the general welfare, while the church exists to promote internal interests, i.e., salvation. The two serve separate functions, and so, must be considered to be separate institutions.
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Random Reminiscences of Men and Events by John D Rockefeller audiobook.
A good book by the oil revolutionist of the 20th century. As they say "Men should listen to experience" and this book is all about the experience of the second highest taxpayer of the US during the 20's.
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The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan audiobook.
Richard Hannay’s boredom is soon relieved when the resourceful engineer is caught up in a web of secret codes, spies, and murder on the eve of WWI. This exciting action-adventure story was the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1939 classic film of the same name. John Buchan (1875-1940) was Governor General of Canada and a popular novelist. Although condemned by some for anti-Semitic dialog in The Thirty-Nine Steps, his character’s sentiments do not represent the view of the author who was identified in Hitler’s Sonderfahndungsliste (special search list) as a "Jewish sympathiser."
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Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm audiobook.
A classic collection of oral German folklore, brought together for posterity by the scholarly brothers Grimm in the 1800s, this epitome of fairy tales includes many of the world’s best known stories. In these dark foreboding woods, you will find: Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Rumpelstiltskin, Lily and the Lion (better known as Beauty and the Beast), and Snow White and Rose Red, among other timeless works. These tales were later heavily revised and sanitized, but here are presented closer to their grim and beloved originals.
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History of Julius Caesar by Jacob Abbott audiobook.
The book chronicles the extraordinary life and leadership of Rome’s Emperor Julius Caesar, from his early years to his assassination.
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Alexander the Great by Jacob Abbott audiobook.
Alexander the Great was one of the most successful military commanders in history, and was undefeated in battle. By the time of his death, he had conquered most of the world known to the ancient Greeks.
Alexander the Great is one of many biographies aimed at young people written by Jacob Abbott and his brother. The biographies are written in such a way that makes them appealing and easily accessible to everyone.
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Robin Hood by J. Walker McSpadden audiobook.
Robin Hood is a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes. The origin of the legend is claimed by some to have stemmed from actual outlaws, or from ballads or tales of outlaws.
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The Admirable Crichton by J. M. Barrie audiobook.
Lord Loam, a British peer, considers class divisions to be artificial. He promotes his views during tea-parties where servants mingle with his aristocratic guests, to the embarrassment of all. Crichton, his butler, particularly disapproves of this.
Loam, his family, a maid, and Crichton are shipwrecked on a deserted tropical island. The resourceful Crichton is the only one of the party with any practical knowledge. Eventually, social roles are reversed, and Crichton becomes the governor.
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Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie audiobook.
Peter Pan is the well-loved story of three children and their adventures in Neverland with the boy who refuses to grow up. Swashbuckling, fairy dust, and flight; mermaid lagoons, ticking crocodiles, and Princess Tiger Lily; second to the right and then straight on till morning. You know the story... and if you don't, please start listening immediately!
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The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle audiobook.
Robin Hood is the archetypal English folk hero; a courteous, pious and swashbuckling outlaw of the mediæval era who, in modern versions of the legend, is famous for robbing the rich to feed the poor and fighting against injustice and tyranny. He operates with his "seven score" (140 strong) group of fellow outlawed yeomen – named the Merry Men. He and his band are usually associated with Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire.
The Victorian era generated its own distinct versions of Robin Hood. The traditional tales were often adapted for children, most notably in Howard Pyle's Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. These versions firmly stamp Robin as a staunch philanthropist, a man who takes from the rich to give to the poor.
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Letters of Two Brides by Honore de Balzac audiobook.
Letters of Two Brides is an epistolary novel. The two brides are Louise de Chaulieu (Madame Gaston) and Renée de Maucombe (Madame l'Estorade). The women became friends during their education at a convent and upon leaving began a life-long correspondence. For a 17 year period, they exchange letters describing their lives.
Michelle Crandall reads Renee’s letters, and Kara Shallenberg reads Louise’s. Letters from the men in their lives are read by Peter Yearsley, David Barnes, Denny Sayers, and Sean McKinley
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The Odyssey by Homer audiobook.
The Odyssey is one of the two major ancient Greek epic poems (the other being the Iliad), attributed to the poet Homer. The poem is commonly dated to between 800 and 600 BC. The poem is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, and concerns the events that befall the Greek hero Odysseus in his long journey back to his native land Ithaca after the fall of Troy.
It takes Odysseus ten years to return to his native land of Ithaca after ten years of war; during his 20-year absence, his son Telemachus and his wife Penelope must deal with a group of unruly suitors who have moved into Odysseus' home to compete for Penelope's hand in marriage, since most have assumed that Odysseus has died.
The poem is a fundamental text in the Western canon and continues to be read in both Homeric Greek and translations around the world.
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The Story of My Life by Helen Keller audiobook.
The Story of My Life is a personal account of Helen Keller's life, from her early days to those as an adult. It includes how she came to meet her teacher Ann Sullivan, and learnt to communicate using the manual alphabet. It then goes on to chronicle her days as a college student.
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Andersen's Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen audiobook.
A collection of eighteen fairy tales - some popular, some lesser known - by famous Danish author H.C. Andersen.
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King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard audiobook.
King Solomon’s Mines, first published in 1885, was a best-selling novel by the Victorian adventure writer H. Rider Haggard. It relates a journey into the heart of Africa by a group of adventurers led by Allan Quatermain in search of the legendary wealth said to be concealed in the mines of the novel’s title. It is significant as the first fictional adventure novel set in Africa, and is considered the genesis of the Lost World literary genre. - Haggard wrote over 50 books, among which were 14 novels starring Allan Quatermain.
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Your Invisible Power by Genevieve Behrend audiobook.
Genevieve Behrend was a teacher of Mental Science, a New Thought discipline created by Thomas Troward (1847- 1916). Your Invisible Power, published in 1921, is her first and most famous book. It is a guide to the use of visualization and other mental processes in life enhancement and the achievement of personal goals.
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The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux audiobook.
An old theatre under new management; a diva who thinks she can sing; a young ingenue who really can; a masked man who wreaks havoc if he doesn't get his own way. Secrets, intrigues, falling chandeliers! The Phantom of the Opera is here!
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The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux audiobook.
This crime novel was possibly the first to involve a 'locked room mystery', in which an attempted murder takes place, but with no obvious way for the perpetrator to have escaped. The author, Gaston Leroux, is better known as the author of The Phantom of the Opera: prepare to feel the hairs standing up on the back of your neck...
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The Joyful Wisdom by Friedrich Nietzsche audiobook.
"The Joyful Wisdom," written in 1882, just before "Zarathustra," is rightly judged to be one of Nietzsche's best books. Here the essentially grave and masculine face of the poet-philosopher is seen to light up and suddenly break into a delightful smile. The warmth and kindness that beam from his features will astonish those hasty psychologists who have never divined that behind the destroyer is the creator, and behind the blasphemer the lover of life. In the retrospective valuation of his work which appears in "Ecce Homo" the author himself observes with truth that the fourth book, "Sanctus Januarius," deserves especial attention: "The whole book is a gift from the Saint, and the introductory verses express my gratitude for the most wonderful month of January that I have ever spent." Book fifth "We Fearless Ones," the Appendix "Songs of Prince Free-as-a-Bird," and the Preface, were added to the second edition in 1887.
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Beowulf by Francis Barton Gummere audiobook.
This is a short but beautiful book, and the Gummere translation really captures the feel of the Old English. Beowulf tells the story of a mysterious young warrior who saves the Spear-Danes from the terrible monster Grendel and his venomous mother. Long a mainstay of English Literature 101 courses at universities around the world, it is not only one of the oldest, but one of the most exciting English folktales ever invented.
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A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett audiobook.
The novel tells of the troubles of a wealthy young girl, Sara Crewe, who is sent to an oppressive London boarding school during her father’s campaign in India. Thanks to Capt. Crewe’s money, Sara is treated as a little princess until, one day, word comes of her father’s tragic death. Miss Minchin, the school’s greedy headmistress, wastes no time in putting the now-penniless Sara to work for her room and board. It is only through the friendship of two other girls, her own resolute nature, and some astonishing luck that Sara eventually finds her way back to happiness.
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How to Analyze People on Sight Through the Science of Human Analysis - The Five Human Types by Elsie Lincoln Benedict and Ralph Paine Benedict audiobook.
In this popular American book from the 1920s, accomplished public speaker and self-help charlatan Elsie Lincoln Benedict outlines her pseudo-scientific system of "Human Analysis". She proposes that, within the human race, five sub-types have developed through evolutionary processes, each with its own distinct character traits and corresponding outward appearance. She offers to teach the reader how to recognize these five types of people and understand their innate differences. Her ideas have never been taken seriously by the scientific community, but this book is considered a classic within its genre and remains in print today.
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Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter audiobook.
Pollyanna tells the story of Pollyanna Whittier, a young girl who goes to live with her wealthy Aunt Polly after her father's death. Pollyanna's philosophy of life centers around what she calls "The Glad Game": she always tries to find something to be glad about in every situation, and to always do without delay whatever she thinks is right. With this philosophy, and her own sunny personality, she brings so much gladness to her aunt's dispirited New England town that she transforms it into a pleasant, healthy place to live. Eventually, however, even Pollyanna's robust optimism is put to the test when she loses the use of her legs in an accident.
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The Kybalion by The Three Initiates audiobook.
The Kybalion: Hermetic Philosophy is a 1908 book claiming to be the essence of the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus, published anonymously by a group or person under the pseudonym of "the Three Initiates"
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The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit audiobook.
Edith Nesbit’s classic story, in which three children, pulled suddenly from their comfortable suburban life, move to the country with their mother, where they come to know and love the ways of the railways.
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The Warlord of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs audiobook.
Warlord of Mars is a Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel, the third of his famous Barsoom series. John Carter continues his quest to be reunited with his wife, the princess Dejah Thoris, and discovers more fantastic creatures and ancient mysterious Martian races.
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The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs audiobook.
The Land That Time Forgot is a science fiction novel, the first of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Caspak trilogy. His working title for the story was "The Lost U-Boat." Starting out as a harrowing wartime sea adventure, the story ultimately develops into that of a fantastical lost world.
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The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs audiobook.
The Gods of Mars is a 1918 Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel, the second of his famous Barsoom series.It can be said that the novel set the tone for much science fiction to come. Its influence can clearly be seen in franchises such as Star Trek and Farscape. While Burroughs no doubt borrowed liberally from the pulp fiction of his day, particularly westerns and swashbuckling tales, the pacing and themes set the tone for the soft science fiction genre.
The protagonist, John Carter, with his proficiency in hand-to-hand combat and flirtations with beautiful alien women, could be said to have set the mold for later influential icons like Captain James T. Kirk and James Bond.
At the end of the first book, A Princess of Mars, John Carter is unwillingly transported back to Earth. The Gods of Mars begins with his arrival back on Barsoom (Mars) after a ten year hiatus, separated from his wife Dejah Thoris, his unborn child, and the Red Martian people of the nation of Helium, whom he has adopted as his own. Unfortunately, John Carter materializes in the one place on Barsoom from which nobody is allowed to depart: the Valley Dor, which is the Barsoomian heaven.
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A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs audiobook.
Part One of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Mars-Series. Easy, swank, pulp read about an omnipotent gentleman teleported to Mars, finding an outlandish society of ape-, tree- and lizardmen, red-, white-, yellowmen, brains on legs, strange bastions and curious apparatuses, where the strongest survives and women are needy beauties to be saved. How can something be so platitudinous and at the same time so imaginative and enthralling? Boys’ book for sure.
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Two Poe Tales by Edgar Allan Poe audiobook.
Edgar Allan Poe is best known for his famous short horror stories; however, horror is not the only genre in which he wrote. How To Write a Blackwood Article and its companion piece A Predicament are satirical works exploring the pieces of the formula generally seen in short horror stories (“articles”) found in the Scottish periodical “Blackwood’s Magazine” and the successful misapplication of said formula by – horrors! – a woman author! – respectively.
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Fighting the Flying Circus by Eddie Rickenbacker audiobook.
This is the WWI memoirs of Medal of Honor winner, Capt Eddie Rickenbacker. He fought in and eventually became commander of the 94th "Hat-in-the-Ring" Squadron, which ended the war with the highest number of air victories of any American squadron. The circus mentioned in the title refers to the German squadron commanded by the famous Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen.
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The Amateur Cracksman by E. W. Hornung audiobook.
"I'd tasted blood, and it was all over with me. Why should I work when I could steal? Why settle down to some humdrum uncongenial billet, when excitement, romance, danger and a decent living were all going begging together?"- A. J. Raffles, The Ides of March.
The Amateur Cracksman is the first collection of stories about A. J. Raffles, gentleman, cricketer, and thief. After stopping his old school friend, Bunny Manders, from a desperate attempt at suicide, Raffles introduces the unsuspecting Bunny to a new way of earning a living, burglary. Though frequently horrified by Raffles's actions, the conscience-stricken Bunny stands by him through all their adventures, firm to his promise, "When you want me, I'm your man!"
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The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri audiobook.
The Divine Comedy (Italian: Commedia, later christened "Divina" by Giovanni Boccaccio), written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321, is widely considered the central epic poem of Italian literature, the last great work of literature of the Middle Ages and the first great work of the Renaissance. A culmination of the medieval world-view of the afterlife, it establishes the Tuscan dialect in which it is written as the Italian standard, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature. - The Divine Comedy is composed of three canticas (or "cantiche") — Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise) — composed each of 33 cantos (or "canti"). The very first canto serves as an introduction to the poem and is generally not considered to be part of the first cantica, bringing the total number of cantos to 100. - The poet tells in the first person his travel through the three realms of the dead, lasting during the Easter Triduum in the spring of 1300
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The Way of Peace by James Allen audiobook.
The Way of Peace is your guide to the power of meditation; self and truth; the acquirement of spiritual power; the realization of selfless love; entering into the infinite; saints, sages, and saviors; the law of service; and the realization of perfect peace.
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The Path to Prosperity by James Allen audiobook.
The Path to Prosperity’ (sometimes rendered as The Path of Prosperity) is part one of James Allen’s first published work titled ‘From Poverty to Power’ alternatively titled ‘The Realization of Prosperity and Peace’ (1901).
Part one is an empowering volume which is likely to enlighten the reader as to how much power they have over outward circumstances by virtue of their own thoughts. Allen regularly communicates this by providing examples on how the laws which govern the inner-world (of thought) operate in a manner similar to the laws of nature. Free from speculative philosophies, ideals, and dogma; it provides highly practical guidance on how to bring about lasting changes in any area of one’s life.
Part two (titled ‘The Way of Peace’) dives deeper into the concept of self-perfection and was later published as a separate book.
Excerpt from forward: “And I dreamed of writing a book which should help men and women, whether rich or poor, learned or unlearned, worldly or unworldly, to find within themselves the source of all success, all happiness, all accomplishment, all truth.”
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The Mastery of Destiny by James Allen audiobook.
James Allen's inspirational and thought-provoking books have inspired millions. In The Mastery of Destiny, he instructs readers on developing self-control, willpower, concentration, and motivation. Through discipline and mindfulness, we can create a life of unending happiness, prosperity, and, most importantly, self-mastery.
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Man: King of Mind, Body, and Circumstance by James Allen audiobook.
The problem of life consists in learning how to live. It is like the problem of addition or subtraction to the schoolboy. When mastered, all difficulty disappears, and the problem has vanished. All the problems of life, whether they be social, political, or religious, subsist in ignorance and wrong-living. As they are solved in the heart of each individual, they will be solved in the mass of men. Humanity at present is in the painful stage of “learning.” It is confronted with the difficulties of its own ignorance. As men learn to live rightly, learn to direct their forces and use their functions and faculties by the light of wisdom, the sum of life will be correctly done, and its mastery will put an end to all the “problems of evil.” To the wise, all such problems have ceased.
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Light on Life’s Difficulties by James Allen audiobook.
When a man enters a dark room he is not sure of his movements, he cannot see objects around him, or properly locate them, and is liable to hurt himself by coming into sudden contact with them. But let a light be introduced, and immediately all confusion disappears. Every object is seen, and there is no danger of being hurt. To the majority, life is such a dark room, and their frequent hurts—their disappointments, perplexities, sorrows and pains—are caused by sudden contact with principles which they do not see, and are therefore not prepared to deal with. But when the light of wisdom is introduced into the darkened understanding, confusion vanishes, difficulties are dissolved, all things are seen in their true place and proportion, and henceforth the man walks open-eyed and unhurt, in the clear light of wise comprehension.
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From Passion to Peace by James Allen audiobook.
The first three parts of this book, Passion, Aspiration, and Temptation, represent the common human life, with its passion, pathos, and tragedy. The last three parts, Transcendence, Beatitude, and Peace, represents the Divine Life—calm, wise and beautiful—of the sage and Savior. The middle part, Transmutation, is the transitional stage between the two; it is the alchemic process linking the divine with the human life. Discipline, denial, and renunciation do not constitute the Divine State; they are only the means by which it is attained. The Divine Life is established in that Perfect Knowledge which bestows Perfect Peace.
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Foundation Stones to Happiness and Success by James Allen audiobook.
This is one of the last books written by James Allen. Like all his works it is eminently practical. He never wrote theories, or for the sake of writing, or to add another to his many books; but he wrote when he had a message, and it became a message only when he had lived it out in his own life, and knew that it was good. Thus he wrote facts, which he had proven by practice.
To live out the teaching of this book faithfully in every detail of life will lead one to more than happiness and success—even to blessedness, satisfaction and peace.
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Eight Pillars of Prosperity by James Allen audiobook.
It is popularly supposed that a greater prosperity for individuals or nations can only come through a political and social reconstruction. This cannot be true apart from the practice of the moral virtues in the individuals that comprise a nation. Better laws and social conditions will always follow a higher realization of morality among the individuals of a community, but no legal enactment can give prosperity to, nay it cannot prevent the ruin of, a man or a nation that has become lax and decadent in the pursuit and practice of virtue.
The moral virtues are the foundation and support of prosperity as they are the soul of greatness. They endure for ever, and all the works of man which endure are built upon them. Without them there is neither strength, stability, nor substantial reality, but only ephemeral dreams. To find moral principles is to have found prosperity, greatness, truth, and is therefore to be strong, valiant, joyful and free.
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As A Man Thinketh by James Allen audiobook.
Allen's books illustrate the use of the power of thought to increase personal capabilities. Although he never achieved great fame or wealth, his works continue to influence people around the world, including the New Thought movement.
Allen's most famous book, As a Man Thinketh, was published in 1902. It is now considered a classic self-help book. Its underlying premise is that noble thoughts make a noble person, while lowly thoughts make a miserable person.
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The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn audiobook.
Florence Scovel Shinn, an illustrator living in New York City, became a teacher of New Thought after a divorce. New Thought was a movement which holds the belief that individuals can create their own reality through intentional thoughts and prayer, much like the current Law of Attraction movement. The Game of Life and How to Play It is her first book, and is remarkable for being written by a woman and meant for a genteel female audience.
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The Adventures of Pinocchio by C. Collodi audiobook.
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi (here transl. by Carol della Chiesa). The first half was published in serial form between 1881 and 1883, and then completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio, an animated marionette, and his poor father, a woodcarver named Geppetto. It is considered a classic of children’s literature and has spawned many derivative works of art, such as Disney’s classic 1940 animated movie of the same name, and commonplace ideas, such as a liar’s long nose.
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Poor Richard's Almanack by Benjamin Franklin audiobook.
A brief biographical sketch of Franklin's life, followed by a collection (published in 1899) of 670 aphorisms, apothegms, or proverbs - short, pithy, instructive sayings - that were scattered throughout the pages of his Poor Richard's Almanack over its 25 years of once-a-year publication (1732-1758). Many of these sayings are familiar to all . . . "a penny saved is a penny earned" . . . "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" . . . but there are many more for you to laugh at, ponder over and learn from! Most were not invented by him, but these little gems of wisdom Franklin gleaned from all over the world are what made his Almanack so wildly popular, and himself a wealthy man.
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All the Brothers Were Valiant by Ben Ames Williams audiobook.
Joel Shore, newly appointed captain of the whaling ship Nathan Ross following his brother's apparent demise as captain of the same ship, elects to make his first cruise as captain to the very location where his brother had last been seen - the Gilbert Islands, in order to try to learn more about what happened to his brother. The focus of this tale is of that voyage halfway around the globe and the adventures which he and his crew encounter.
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The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness E. Orczy audiobook.
The classic story of Sir Percy Blakeney and his alter ego, the Scarlet Pimpernel. A great adventure, set during the French Revolution.
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The Amazons - A Farcical Romance by Arthur W Pinero audiobook.
This 1895 farce inspired by the outlandish idea of women wearing pants, centers around the predicament of the three daughters of the eccentric Marchioness of Castlejordan, who determined to have sons, raised them like boys. She encouraged them to dress and act like boys at home, yet dress like ladies when out. As the girls come of age, they are conflicted. They want to please mother by acting as her sons, but, suddenly smitten with three gentlemen, they are compelled to grow up and be ladies. When their suitors secretly come to woo, they aren’t sure what to do……and what will mother do if she finds out?
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Black Beauty by Anna Sewell audiobook.
Black Beauty is a fictional autobiographical memoir told by a horse, who recounts many tales, both of cruelty and kindness. The title page of the first edition states that it was "Translated from the Original Equine by Anna Sewell." It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she was confined to her house as an invalid. After its publication in 1877, Sewell lived just long enough to see her first and only novel become an immediate bestseller, as well as it encouraging the better treatment of many cruelly-treated animals.
Although initially intended for people who work with horses, it soon became a children's classic. While outwardly teaching animal welfare, it also contains allegorical lessons about how to treat people with kindness, sympathy and respect. The story is narrated in the first person and each short chapter relates an incident in Black Beauty's life, with Sewell's detailed observations and extensive descriptions of horse behaviour lending the novel a good deal of verisimilitude.
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The Consolation of Philosophy by Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius audiobook.
Consolation of Philosophy (Latin: Consolatio Philosophiae) is a philosophical work by Boethius written in about the year 524 AD. It has been described as the single most important and influential work in the West in medieval and early Renaissance Christianity, and is also the last great work that can be called Classical.
Consolation of Philosophy was written during Boethius' one year imprisonment while awaiting trial, and eventual horrific execution, for the crime of treason by Ostrogothic King Theodoric the Great. Boethius was at the very heights of power in Rome and was brought down by treachery. It was from this experience he was inspired to write a philosophical book from prison reflecting on how a lord's favor could change so quickly and why friends would turn against him. It has been described as “by far the most interesting example of prison literature the world has ever seen.”
The Consolation of Philosophy stands, by its note of fatalism and its affinities with the Christian doctrine of humility, midway between the heathen philosophy of Seneca the Younger and the later Christian philosophy of consolation represented by Thomas Aquinas.
The book is heavily influenced by Plato and his dialogues (as was Boethius himself)
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Plague Ship by Andre Norton audiobook.
Lured by its exotic gems, the space trader Solar Queen lands on the little-known planet of Sargol, only to find the ruthless Inter-Solar Company there ahead of them. Adapting quickly to the culture of Sargol’s feline inhabitants, the crew of the Queen beat out their rivals and successfully make a deal with the natives. But soon after takeoff, the Queen’s crew is stricken with a plague, and they are now banned from landing on any inhabited planet. Will the Queen’s crew save themselves, or be condemned to drift forever through space?
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Penguin Island by Anatole France audiobook.
The novel (original French title -- L'Île des Pingouins) is a satire on human nature. The first publication was in 1908. These penguins are mistaken for humans by the 97-year-old priest, Father Mael, because of his bad eyesight. He baptizes them, and once baptized, they have no choice but to become human. They take on human traits (build civilizations, go to war, etc.). The book is very funny and powerful.
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Memory - How to Develop, Train and Use It by William Walker Atkinson audiobook.
An in-depth series of chapters devoted to the use of our memory system; as the title suggests, how to develop our memory system, how to train it to improve it, and how to make the best use of it in our everyday lives, and to improve our positions in life. This is not intended to be a series of chapters to impress friends and colleagues, nor to play 'tricks' on others, rather it is for the betterment of individuals in whatever walk of life in which they may be involved by training and using their memory toward that end.
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The Hindu-Yogi Science of Breath by William Walker Atkinson audiobook.
Increase your awareness about the forgotten art of breathing as researched, practiced and written by our Eastern brothers. Inside you will find how our Western society has perhaps forgotten the proper way to breath, hence leaving us more susceptible to disease and poor health. This book explains in layman's terms what happens inside our bodies when we inhale and then exhale. And the effects improper breathing has on both our internal and external extremities. It describes nature's proximity for the respiratory, and circulatory systems. The final sections include invaluable Yogi breathing exercises for increased breathing awareness and better health. Salaam.
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Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare audiobook.
Shakespeare's great festive comedy, probably written and first performed around 1601, follows the adventures of twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated from each other by a shipwreck. Viola, believing her brother dead, disguises herself as a page in order to serve the lovesick Duke Orsino, who has been rejected by the Countess Olivia. The ensemble cast includes a roster of wonderfully comic characters: Olivia's drunken uncle Sir Toby Belch, his foolish friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek, the witty serving woman Maria, the social-climbing steward Malvolio, and the clever, riddling clown Feste.
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The Tempest by William Shakespeare audiobook.
Banished from his own lands by a usurping brother, Prospero and his daughter Miranda have been living on a deserted island for years, until fate brings the brother within the range of Prospero's powers. Will he seek revenge, or reconcilement?
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Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare audiobook.
Romeo and Juliet is perhaps the most famous of Shakespeare’s plays and is thought to be the most famous love story in Western history. It concerns the fate of two very young lovers who would do anything to be together
The Montagues and the Capulets of Verona, Italy, are in the midst of a long-standing feud when Romeo Montague drops in on a masquerade party at the Capulets’. While there he meets and woos the daughter of the house, Juliet. She likewise returns his passion, and their secret meeting later that night on her bedroom balcony begins a series of tragic events that no one could have foretold.
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Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare audiobook.
Written around the middle of his career, Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare's great festive comedies. The men are back from the war, and everyone is ready for romance. The dashing young Claudio falls for Hero, the daughter of Leonato, governor of Messina, and his friend Don Pedro helps him secure her affection. These youthful lovers are contrasted with the more experienced (and more cynical) Benedick and Beatrice, who have to be tricked into falling in love. Don Pedro's bastard brother, Don John, provides the intrigue, and the dimwitted constable Dogberry provides the laughs.
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A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare audiobook.
Magic, fairies, young lovers chasing each other through a forest, a man with a donkey's head, and impish Puck wreaking havoc right and left. What's going on here? It's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare at his most fanciful. The play opens with Theseus, Duke of Athens, preparing for his wedding. Egeus complains to Theseus that his daughter Hermia refuses to marry Demetrius. When Hermia is given the choice between marriage to Demetrius or life as a nun, she and her true love Lysander flee into the forest. Demetrius follows them; and Helena, who loves Demetrius, follows him. Also in the forest are Oberon and Titania, king and queen of the fairies, at odds with one another. At Oberon's behest, Puck causes Demetrius to fall in love with Helena -- oops, he missed, that was Lysander instead. Mayhem ensues. In the meantime, a group of bumbling craftsmen rehearses a play. Puck gives one of them, Bottom, the head of an ass and makes Titania fall in love with him. Further hilarity results as Bottom sees nothing at all odd about this. Eventually everything is straightened out, Bottom and the rest "perform" their play, there is a triple wedding, and Puck assures us the whole thing has been a dream.
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Macbeth by William Shakespeare audiobook.
Murder and madness, witches and war: Librivox presents a recording of Macbeth, perhaps Shakespeare's best known tragedy. Macbeth, a general in King Duncan's army, is given a prophecy by a trio of witches: he himself will become king. Fired by ambition and goaded by his ruthless wife, he murders Duncan and assumes the throne. More killings follow as Macbeth attempts to retain his crown, until he discovers that prophecies are not always what they seem.
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King Lear by William Shakespeare audiobook.
King Lear is widely held as the greatest of Shakespeare's tragedies; to some, it is the greatest play ever written. King Lear abdicates the British throne, to divide his kingdom among his three daughters in proportion to their professed love of him. His plan misfires when Cordelia, his youngest and favourite daughter, refuses to flatter her father; she is disinherited and banished.
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Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare audiobook.
William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, based on true events, concerns the conspiracy against Julius Caesar, his assassination in 44 BC, and its immediate aftermath. Probably written in 1599 and among the first of Shakespeare's plays to be performed at the Globe Theater, Julius Caesar is one of his best-known dramas and has received innumerable performances throughout the centuries.
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Henry V by William Shakespeare audiobook.
After the turmoil and uncertainty of Henry IV a new era appears to dawn for England with the accession of the eponymous Henry V. In this sunny pageant Chorus guides us along Henry's glittering carpet ride of success as the new king completes his transformation from rebellious wastrel to a truly regal potentate. Of course, there is an underlying feeling that the good times won't last, and this is all the more reason to enjoy the Indian summer before the protracted and bitter fall of the house of Lancaster.
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King Henry IV by William Shakespeare audiobook.
As the play opens, King Henry IV (formerly Henry Bolingbroke) and Henry Percy (Hotspur) argue over the disposition of prisoners from the Battle of Holmedon. The King’s attitude toward Mortimer and the Percy family prompts them to plot rebellion. In the meantime, his son Prince Hal is living the low life in the company of Sir John Falstaff. As the time of battle nears, Prince Hal joins his father and is given a high command. The play’s climax is the Battle of Shrewsbury, in which Prince Hal and Hotspur meet and fight, with Prince Hal and the forces of the King prevailing.
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Hamlet by William Shakespeare audiobook.
Hamlet is commonly regarded as one of the greatest plays ever written. Drawing on Danish chronicles and the Elizabethan vogue for revenge tragedy, Shakespeare created a play that is at once a philosophic treatise, a family drama, and a supernatural thriller. In the wake of his father's death, Prince Hamlet finds that his Uncle Claudius has swiftly taken the throne and married his mother, Queen Gertrude. The ghost of the dead king then appears and charges Claudius with 'murder most foul.' Hamlet is called to revenge his father's death: but will he be able to act before it is too late?
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As You Like It by William Shakespeare audiobook.
One of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, As You Like It is a pastoral comedy of mistaken identity, wit, and love. Daughter of a banished duke and forced to flee the court, Rosalind hides in the Forest of Arden disguised as a man. When her true love Orlando also shows up in the forest, she courts him without revealing her identity. Meanwhile, Phebe mistakenly falls in love with her disguise, Silvius pines for Phebe, Jacques philosophizes, and Touchstone makes fun of it all, and love and happiness triumph (for the most part) as Rosalind orchestrates a happy ending amid the confusion.
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Imaginary Conversations by Walter Savage Landor audiobook.
This is a group of Imaginary Conversations by Walter Savage Landor. It is a series of dialogues of historical and mythical characters. Marcellus and Hannibal, Queen Elizabeth and Cecil, Peter the Great and Alexis, Louis XIV and Father La Chaise, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn are just a few of the delights on offer. Plenty to choose from and some great reads.
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The Science of Being Great by Wallace D. Wattles audiobook.
The Science of Being Great is the second book of Wattles' trilogy. In this volume he argues that the power of thought and positive self-esteem is the only true measure of a person's greatness.
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The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles audiobook.
Would you like to be rich? Yes? Well, who wouldn't.
The Science of Getting Rich is a book written by the New Thought Movement writer Wallace D. Wattles. The book is still in print after almost 100 years. According to USA Today, the text is "divided into 17 short, straight-to-the-point chapters that explain how to overcome mental barriers, and how creation, not competition, is the hidden key to wealth attraction."
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The Tragedy of the Korosko by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a British author most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger. He was a prolific writer whose other works include science fiction stories, historical novels, plays and romances, poetry, and non-fiction.
Plot Summary: A group of European and American tourists is enjoying its trip in Egypt in the year 1895. They are sailing up the River Nile in a "a turtle-bottomed, round-bowed stern-wheeler", the Korosko. They intend to travel to Abousir at the southern frontier of Egypt, after which the Dervish country starts. They are attacked and abducted by a marauding band of Dervish warriors.
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A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.
A Study in Scarlet, a short novel published in 1887, was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's first Sherlock Holmes story. At the beginning of the book, Dr. Watson meets the detective for the first time and we ride along with them to the scene of a murder. The crime baffles the Scotland Yard detectives, but of course Holmes solves it easily. In the second half of the story, the scene shifts to Utah as we learn the murderer's history. The action returns to London in the last two chapters. In his first adventure, Holmes demonstrates many of the traits for which he later became well known: meticulous study of a crime scene, brilliant deductive reasoning, aptitude for chemistry and music, and the somewhat annoying habit of withholding crucial facts from Watson (and consequently the reader) until the conclusion of the case.
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Sir Nigel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.
By 1348 the House of Loring has fallen on hard times. Together, the Black Death and the greedy monks of Waverley have bled away all of the Loring wealth. Even the manor house will have to go to pay their debts.
Then a chance encounter with the King of England provides Nigel, the last of the Lorings, with the chance to seek his fortune in the constant wars with France. But more importantly for Nigel it also means that he may be able to do the "three small deeds" that will show he is worthy to ask for the hand of the Lady Mary in marriage.
Filled with chivalry, humour, and high romance, Sir Nigel is simply a rattling good yarn.
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The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.
Having left Sherlock Holmes apparently deceased at the conclusion of The Final Problem (in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes), we now find that he is alive after all! In this collection, first published in 1905, the great detective causes Watson to faint (The Empty House), demonstrates that cryptography is elementary (The Dancing Men), and gets engaged (Charles Augustus Milverton). Join in the fun as Holmes deduces his way through these thirteen adventures.
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The Mystery of Cloomber by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.
This novel is written by the author of, among other novels, the Stories of Sherlock Holmes. It is narrated by John Fothergill West, who tries to discover why the tenant of Cloomber Hall, General Heatherstone, is nervous to the point of being paranoid. Why are his fears becoming stronger every year at the fifth of October? And why doesn't he let his children leave home? This is a great mystery novel with a sharp twist at the end.
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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of twelve stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring his famous detective. They were originally published in the Strand Magazine from July 1891 to June 1892. The title character was named after famous American poet Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
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Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson audiobook.
Treasure Island is an adventure novel, a thrilling tale of "buccaneers and buried gold." Traditionally considered a coming of age story, it is an adventure tale of superb atmosphere, character and action, and also a wry commentary on the ambiguity of morality—as seen in Long John Silver—unusual for children's literature then and now.
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The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde audiobook.
Collection of children’s stories written in 1888, dealing primarily with love and selfishness. These stories are generally sad, with a moralistic message. The collection includes: The Happy Prince, The Nightingale and the Rose, The Selfish Giant, The Devoted Friend, and The Remarkable Rocket
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The 1,000,000 Bank Note by Mark Twain audiobook.
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Mental Telegraphy by Mark Twain audiobook.
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Eve's Diary by Mark Twain audiobook.
Eve’s Diary is a humorous monologue about Eve’s experiences at the dawn of creation. She is fascinated by every aspect of the new world around her and… Adam! The following is an extract from Adam:
“She is all interest, eagerness, vivacity, the world is to her a charm, a wonder, a mystery, a joy; she can’t speak for delight when she finds a new flower, she must pet it and caress it and smell it and talk to it…. And she is color-mad: brown rocks, yellow sand, gray moss, green foliage, blue sky…none of them is of any practical value, so far as I can see, but because they have color and majesty, that is enough for her, and she loses her mind over them…. If there is anything on the planet that she is not interested in, it is not in my list.”
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain audiobook.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) by Mark Twain is one of the truly great American novels, beloved by children, adults, and literary critics alike. The book tells the story of “Huck” Finn (first introduced as Tom Sawyer’s sidekick in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer), his friend Jim, and their journey down the Mississippi River on a raft. Both are on the run, Huck from his drunk and abusive father, and Jim as a runaway slave.
As Huck and Jim drift down the river, they meet many colorful characters and have many great adventures. The true heart of the story, however, is the friendship between Huck and Jim. A constant theme throughout the book is Huck’s internal struggle between what he has been taught, that helping a runaway slave is a sin, and what he truly believes, that Jim is a good man and it couldn’t possibly be wrong to help him.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was unique at the time of its publication (1884) because it is narrated by Huck himself and is written in the numerous dialects common in the area and time in which the book is set. Although the book was originally intended as a sequel to the children’s book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, as Twain wrote Adventures of Huckleberry Finn it progressed into a more serious work. Twain’s views on slavery and other social issues of the time become clear through the words, thoughts, and actions of Huck Finn. The book has always been the subject of great controversy, and according to The American Library Association it was fifth on the list of most frequently challenged books in the 1990s.
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King Arthur by Joseph Comyns Carr audiobook.
A retelling of the classic legend of King Arthur, Guinevere & Sir Lancelot.
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The Sea Voyage by John Fletcher audiobook.
Albert, a handsome French pirate, and his crew get shipwrecked on a barren, rocky island after a severe storm. They encounter another pair of castaways who reveal a quite unusual secret- yet another strange group of people inhabit the island. Albert soon learns that these people are actually an Amazonian-like tribe of women, and proposes an alliance for the benefit of both parties. Love and hijinks ensue in a battle of the sexes.
Notable for imitating many elements of William Shakespeare's The Tempest, the collaborators also consulted nonfictional traveler's accounts to bring their vision to life. Frequently re-envisioned by other playwrights and performed with considerable popularity, it is now considered a fascinating play in that it highlights the Jacobean excitement over colonialism and their attitudes towards it.
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Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen audiobook.
The two eldest Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, one of whom (Elinor) embraces practicality and restraint while the other (Marianne) gives her whole heart to every endeavor. When the Dashwoods - mother Mrs. Dashwood, Elinor, Marianne, and youngest sister Margaret - are sent, almost impoverished, to a small cottage in Devonshire after the death of their father and the machinations of their brother's wife, they accept their new circumstances with as much cheer as they can muster even though their brother and his wife have taken over the family estate and fortune. Marianne finds herself falling in love with the dashing Willoughby, who ends up being not all that he appears. Elinor, the more sensible of the two, falls for Edward Ferrars, a match that seems much more suitable. All of these pleasant connections are, however, soon disrupted. Willoughby leaves and ignores Marianne. Elinor finds out an unexpected secret about Ferrars that puts her on her caution in pursuing their relationship. As these complications develop, Marianne soon finds herself distraught despite having attracted another suitor, the reliable, but older, Colonel Brandon. Elinor steps into the breach to try to help her sister regain her equilibrium. Both learn what a broken heart can feel like and adjust in their own separate ways. Since this is an Austen novel and a romance, be assured that all comes right in the end.
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Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen audiobook.
Pride and Prejudice is the most famous of Jane Austen’s novels, and its opening is one of the most famous lines in English literature - “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Its manuscript was first written between 1796 and 1797, and was initially called First Impressions, but was never published under that title. Following revisions it was published on 28 January 1813 by the same Mr. Egerton of the Military Library, Whitehall, who had brought out Sense and Sensibility. Like both its predecessor and Northanger Abbey, it was written at Steventon Rectory.
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Persuasion by Jane Austen audiobook.
Anne Elliott, Jane Austen's only aging heroine, has devoted her life to caring for her financially irresponsible family. Just when she is growing content with her uneventful lifestyle, a long-lost flame re-enters the picture -- now as the beau of her significantly younger cousin. Anne is now faced with a choice: will she watch Captain Wentworth settle into life with another woman, or will she strive to win back his love and escape her family?
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Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen audiobook.
Northanger Abbey is a hilarious parody of 18th century gothic novels. The heroine, 17-year old Catherine, has been reading far too many “horrid” gothic novels and would love to encounter some gothic-style terror — but the superficial world of Bath proves hazardous enough
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War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells audiobook.
H. G. Wells wrote The War of the Worlds in 1898, when there was much speculation about life on the planet Mars. The book is considered to be one of the first science fiction novels. In the story, an English gentleman narrates the events of a violent and fast paced Martian invasion.
The frightening images of people fleeing from gigantic tripod machines and the prospect of life under Martian rule have served as a bottomless well of inspiration for popular culture. The novel has served as a template for many derivative or inspired works, including comics, countless books, a TV series, several films, a bestselling musical, and the famous Orson Wells broadcast. Overall, The War of the Worlds has become an early milestone in and inspiration for the invasion genre.
The novel demonstrates Wells' typical pessimistic outlook on human nature and offers a good deal of criticism on society and people's ignorance and vanity. The War of the Worlds can be read as an indictment of European colonial actions around the globe at that time - with which the injustice of the Martian invasion can be compared. Wells has since been credited with predicting quite a number of technologies, such as laser-like rays, industrial robot-like machines, and chemical-warfare.
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The Time Machine by H. G. Wells audiobook.
The Time Machine is a novel by H. G. Wells, first published in 1895, later made into two films of the same title. This novel is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel using a vehicle that allows an operator to travel purposefully and selectively.
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Pandora's Box by Frank Wedekind audiobook.
Pandora's Box (1904) (Die Büchse der Pandora) is a play by the German dramatist Frank Wedekind. It forms the second part of his pairing of 'Lulu' plays (the first is Earth Spirit [1895]), both of which depict a society "riven by the demands of lust and greed". G. W. Pabst directed a silent film version (Pandora's Box), which was loosely based on the play, in 1929. Both plays together also formed the basis for the opera Lulu by Alban Berg in 1935 (premiered posthumously in 1937). In the original manuscript, dating from 1894, the 'Lulu' drama was in five acts and subtitled 'A Monster Tragedy'. Wedekind subsequently divided the work into two plays: Earth Spirit (German: Erdgeist, first printed in 1895) and Pandora's Box (German: Die Büchse der Pandora). It is now customary in theatre performances to run the two plays together, in abridged form, under the title Lulu. Wedekind is known to have taken his inspiration from at least two sources: the pantomime Lulu by Félicien Champsaur, which he saw in Paris in the early 1890s, and the sex murders of Jack the Ripper in London in 1888. The premiere of Pandora's Box, a restricted performance due to difficulties with the censor, took place in Nuremberg on 1 February 1904. The 1905 Viennese premiere, again restricted, was instigated by the satirist Karl Kraus. In Vienna Lulu was played by Tilly Newes, later to become Wedekind's wife, with the part of Jack the Ripper played by Wedekind himself.
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The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett full audiobook.
Mary Lennox is a spoiled, middle-class, self-centered child who has been recently orphaned. She is accepted into the quiet and remote country house of an uncle, who has almost completely withdrawn into himself after the death of his wife. Mary gradually becomes drawn into the hidden side of the house: why does she hear the crying of a unseen child? Why is there an overgrown, walled garden, its door long locked?
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The Tragedy of Mariam (1613) is the first original drama written in English by a woman. Elizabeth Cary drew on Jewish histories by Josephus to create a closet drama (written to be read, rather than performed live) about Mariam, the second wife of Herod the Great. At the beginning of the play, Mariam believes that Herod has been killed by Octavius, and struggles with how to respond. On the one hand, she is relieved, as she is angry with Herod for killing her brother and grandfather. On the other, she knows that he loved her, and she feels caught by her sense of duty as his wife. When Herod unexpectedly returns, Mariam must decide what to do.
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Lady Susan by Jane Austen audiobook.
Jane Austen demonstrated her mastery of the epistolary novel genre in Lady Susan, which she wrote in 1795 but never published.
Although the primary focus of this short novel is the selfish behavior of Lady Susan as she engages in affairs and searches for suitable husbands for herself and her young daughter, the actual action shares its importance with Austen’s manipulation of her characters' behavior by means of their reactions to the letters that they receive.
The heroine adds additional interest by altering the tone of her own letters based on the recipient of the letter. Thus, the character of Lady Susan is developed through many branches as Austen suggests complications of identity and the way in which that identity is based on interaction rather than on solitary constructions of personality. Lady Susan’s character is also built by the descriptions of the other letter-writers; but even though their opinions of this heroine coincide with the image that develops from her own letters, Austen demonstrates the subjectivity of the opinions by presenting them – primarily – in the letters of one woman to another, thereby suggesting the established literary motifs of feminine gossip and jealousy. Readers recognize these subjective motifs and examine all of the idiosyncrasies of the characters in order to create their own opinion of Lady Susan – as they would of any real acquaintance.
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The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells audiobook.
The Island of Doctor Moreau is an 1896 science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells, addressing ideas of society and community, human nature and identity, religion, Darwinism, and eugenics.
When the novel was written in the late 19th century, England's scientific community was engulfed by debates on animal vivisection. Interest groups were even formed to tackle the issue: the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection was formed two years after the publication of the novel. The novel is presented as a discovered manuscript, introduced by the narrator's nephew; it then 'transcribes' the tale.
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Invisible Man by H. G. Wells audiobook.
The Invisible Man (1897) is one of the most famous science fiction novels of all time. Written by H.G. Wells (1866-1946), it tells the story of a scientist who discovers the secret of invisibility and uses it on himself. The story begins as the Invisible Man, with a bandaged face and a heavy coat and gloves, takes a train to lodge in a country inn whilst he tries to discover the antidote and make himself visible again. The book inspired several films and is notable for its vivid descriptions of the invisible man--no mean feat, given that you can't see him!
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The Constant Couple by George Farquhar audiobook.
George Farquhar, the author of this comedy, was the son of a clergyman in the north of Ireland. He was born in the year 1678, discovered an early taste for literature, and wrote poetic stanzas at ten years of age. In 1694 he was sent to Trinity College, Dublin, and there made such progress in his studies as to acquire considerable reputation. But he was volatile and poor—the first misfortune led him to expense; the second, to devise means how to support his extravagance.
In the year 1700 he brought out this comedy of "The Constant Couple; or, A Trip to the Jubilee." It was then the Jubilee year at Rome, and the author took advantage of that occurrence to render the title of his drama popular; for which cause alone it must be supposed he made any thing in his play refer to that festival, as no one material point is in any shape connected with it
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The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton audiobook.
In an era before the advent of electric lights, telephones or motor vehicles, there exists a small cluster of aristocratic "old revolutionary stock" families that rule New York's social life. Under the rules of this society, "being things" is better than "doing things" and reputation and outward appearances come at the exclusion of everything else. In this Gilded Age, when America’s expansion and increased industrialism produce a group of newly wealthy robber barons and financiers, the patient, time-honored values of the old ruling class, and century, are giving way to the expediencies of the new. Caught at this cusp, a triangle of lovers, who must choose between the expectations of family and society, and the deepest yearnings of the heart.
Newly engaged couple, Newland Archer, a young lawyer, and May Welland, a society debutante, are part of the old world, where the "right people" follow the "correct rules" and marry into "acceptable families." The arrival from Europe of May’s cousin, the Countess Ellen Olenska, complicates their union, as Ellen’s mysterious past threatens to cast a shadow of scandal over the newly betrothed couple. Newland Archer, at first critical of Ellen's bohemian lifestyle, and her seemingly wilful ignorance of the rules and customs of his Old New York, is soon captivated by Ellen's warmth, spirit, and her generous and loving heart. Will he cast off the life for which he's been groomed, or sacrifice happiness for duty and the greater good of the social order?
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The Monster Men by Edgar Rice Burroughs audiobook.
Dr. Arthur Maxon has a dream: to create an artificial human being! His first twelve experiments have resulted only in grotesque, subhuman monsters. But Number Thirteen is perfect, and will make an ideal mate for Virginia, Dr. Maxon’s only daughter. But his monstrous plan goes awry when it is disrupted by pirates and Maxon’s duplicitous assistant, Carl von Horn.
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The Efficiency Expert by Edgar Rice Burroughs audiobook.
Our hero, Jimmy Torrance, Jr., has a hard time finding suitable employment after a brilliant (athletically, at least) college career, despite all kinds of assistance from his friends in the underworld and the wealthy and sophisticated young woman with whom he falls in love. Set in contemporary America, mostly Chicago, this 1921 short novel is one of a handful of Burroughs' works that does not take us to a fantasy or an exotic setting.
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The Chessmen of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs audiobook.
The Chessmen of Mars is a science fiction novel by the mental sword and physical pen wielding author Edgar Rice Burroughs. It the fifth installment of his Barsoom series. The Chessmen of Mars is a tale of wonder and excellence that follows John Carter and Dejah Thoris, along with their daughter Tara, princess of Helium, as she is sought after by Gahan, Jed of Gathol. Adventure and perile ensue as the story unfolds.
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At the Earth's Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs audiobook.
This is the first book in the Pellucidar series. Pellucidar is a fictional Hollow Earth milieu invented by Edgar Rice Burroughs for a series of action adventure stories. The stories initially involve the adventures of mining heir David Innes and his inventor friend Abner Perry after they use an "iron mole" to burrow 500 miles into the earth's crust.
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A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens audiobook.
A classic tale of what comes to those whose hearts are hard. In a series of ghostly visits, Scrooge visits his happy past, sees the difficulties of the present, views a bleak future, and in the end amends his mean ways.
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Full audiobook of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin written by Benjamin Franklin.
Franklin wrote his autobiography in the form of an extended letter to his son. While recording the events of his life, he adds instructions for good living which makes this work America’s first “How to Succeed” book. Edited by Frank Woodworth Pine (1869-1919)
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The Maid of Maiden Lane audiobook by Amelia E. Barr.
The Maid of Maiden lane is a wonderful love story in which Amelia E. Barr intertwines the hot political and social issues that were occurring in America during the last decade of the 18th century with an excellent love story plot. Some of those issues include: the moral dilemma and debate over the French Revolution, and how that event touched the lives of the immigrants in America; the prejudices between the immigrants from England, and those from France or Holland, and how those animosities affected the ordinary lives of the people; and the political debate over titles, foreign policy, and such things(for example)as where the capital of the nation was to reside, New York or Philadelphia. The author gives us a picture of New York City that is vastly different from today, with it's residential areas and tree lined roads as the backdrop for this very interesting drama. Cornelia, the Maiden of Maiden lane, is loved by two young men. Who she chooses, and the obstacles that the two face because of the opposition of their fathers, friends, and a huge mistake that turns everything upside down, propels the story towards its climax, where a surprise character, spiritual in nature, comes to the rescue, while sacrificing her own desire for love to help the two lovers. Good character, love, and the family ties and relationships that existed during those times are very well portrayed by the author, and the book is as interesting from a historical point of view as it is from a truly interesting and sweet old fashioned love story.
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Alice in Wonderland audiobook by Alice Gerstenberg.
A dramatization of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass for the stage. In this version, Alice goes through the looking glass and encounters a variety of strange and wonderful creatures from favorite scenes of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland the Through the Looking Glass. Including a conversation with the Red and White Queens, encounters with Humpty Dumpty, the Mock Turtle, the Cheshire Cat, and the Caterpillar, and of course everyone's favorite Mad Tea Party.
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