Audio Books
Showing 51–100 of 2033 results
A Book About Myself
A book written by Theodore Dreiser detailing a history of his life and how he became a writer. – Summary by Michele Eaton
A Book of American Explorers
This book tells the story of exploration in America in the words of the explorers themselves. It consists of extracts from narratives of the early discoverers and explorers of the American continent from the Northmen in 10th century to 17th century Massachusets Bay Colony. – Summary by Kikisaulite
A Book of Bargains
This is a volume of short horror stories by American-born short story writer, poet and critic Vincent O’Sullivan. Sometimes considered the last of the decadents, O’Sullivan was a notable literary figure of his time, a friend of Oscar Wilde, and a favourite of many critics. The stories in the Book of Bargains are all of them notable horror stories, each involving a bargain with the devil – either explicitly or figuratively. – Summary by Carolin
A Book of Discovery
Telling the history of geographical discoveries, “Book of Discovery” is a record of splendid endurance, of hardships bravely borne, of silent toil, of courage and resolution unequalled in the annals of mankind, of self-sacrifice unrivalled and faithful lives laid ungrudgingly down. Of the many who went forth, the few only attained. It is of these few that this book tells. (From the Preface of the book).
A Book of English Martyrs
This volume is a simple narrative suited to children’s understanding of the thrilling times when English Catholics suffered for the Faith in the troubled days of the sixteenth century, when Tyburn tree was a concrete fact, and when ardent love hurled the defiance, “Come rack! Come rope!” Martyrs lay and cleric are here commemorated. The Carthusians, Houghton, Lawrence, Webster; the Jesuits, Campion, Sherwin, Southwell; the secular priests, Hart, Lacey, Ingleby; the countess of Salisbury, mother of Cardinal Pole; the Chancellor of England Blessed Thomas More, Philip Earl of Arundel, and Margaret Clitherow, harborer of priests. Their stories are told whenever possible in the words of records of the time (Summary from America Magazine, Volume 14, 1916)
A Book of Fairy Tales
This is a collection of fairy tales, retold by Sabine Baring-Gould. The collection contains such well-known stories as Cinderella and the Beauty and the Beast, but also tales which are now not as widely known, such as the Yellow Dwarf and the White Cat. – Summary by Carolin
A Book of Fairy-Tale Bears
Bears make an appearance in so many fairy tales and fables, it is difficult to imagine a fairy-tale world without them. However, in most of those fairy tales, the bear is just a side-character. In this volume, Clifton Johnson has collected 18 stories in which the bear takes a lead role. – Summary by Carolin
A Book of Fairy-Tale Foxes
Wild animals play a big role in many fairy tales, and foxes are some of the best-represented animals in folklore. In this volume, Clifton Johnson has collected stories about foxes from all over the world, adapted for children as bedtime fairy tales. – Summary by Carolin
A Book of Giants
Tales of very tall men of myth, legend, history, and science (Subtitle of Book) – Summary by Henry Wysham Lanier
A Book of Myths
This is a collection of myths–mostly Greek with a smattering of others from the east–written in a clear and easy-to-read style. Lang complemented each myth with poetry by other authors who, like her, were inspired by these ancient stories of the gods. Lang chose these stories because they portrayed heroic gods, faithfully and blindly worshipped by man. Ultimately, however, these gods demonstrated the same frailties as humans, and were found to be just as corrupt. Still, as Lang said, in spite of this these myths portrayed “a wonderful humanity that strikes a vibrant cord . . . .” This is significant to a deeper understanding of the collection as it was published in 1914 against the backdrop of the first world war, the war to end all wars–a war that doomed millions of common men to suffer “Promethean agonies,” and die on battlefields in a most un-heroic way. As you listen to the narration, compare the gods of myth–with all their human frailties–to the 20th century, god-like European leaders who traded the wonderful innocence of humanity for the notion of “a noble cause.” – Summary by James K. White
A Book of Nonsense
In 1846 Lear published A Book of Nonsense, a volume of limericks that went through three editions and helped popularize the form. This book contains 112 of these funny, imaginative verses that have been well loved by many generations of children (and adults). ( Summary by Phil Chenevert )
A Book of Old English Ballads
In this selection… the aim has been to bring within moderate compass a collection of these songs of the people which should fairly represent the range, the descriptive felicity, the dramatic power, and the genuine poetic feeling of a body of verse which is still, it is to be feared, unfamiliar to a large number of those to whom it would bring refreshment and delight. (Summary from introduction)
A Book of Scoundrels
An ironic history of British criminals, mostly pre-Victorian pickpockets, highwaymen and thieves. Here we meet Moll Cutpurse the Queen of thieves, Jonathan Wild the Thief-taker General, Captain Hind the gallant highwayman and many others. The book begins with an essay on the artistic achievements of thievery followed by a sequence of short biographies. Summary by Greg Lewin
A Book of Sibyls: Mrs. Barbauld, Miss Edgeworth, Mrs. Opie, Miss Austen
This book is a biography of four woman authors whose names were well known by readers at the time of its publication (1883) : Anna Barbaud, Maria Edgeworth, Amelia Opie, and Jane Austen. Though most of us today are only familiar with the writings of Austen, all four of these women are well worth taking the time to get to know. The author, Anne Thackeray Ritchie, was the eldest daughter of William Makepeace Thackeray. – Summary by Ciufi Galeazzi
A Book of Twenty-four Sonnets
This is a collection of 24 sonnets by Laurens Maynard. This rather unknown poet brings many classical themes into this volume, with biblical figures beginning the circle and then in somewhat chronological order arriving in the poet’s present day (1894) life. All readers should find a sonnet to their tastes in this collection. – Summary by Carolin
A Book of Whales
A Book of Whales is a natural history of whales for the layman. – Summary by A. Gramour
A bunch of keys, where they were found and what they might have unlocked – A Christmas book
This is a little collection of short stories, written by different authors and published in 1865. It is a Christmas book, and the stories will make you feel an old-fashioned Christmas spirit. All stories relate to a key that opens something, be it a door, a box, or a heart. – Summary by Carolin
A Christmas Miscellany
A selection of eight short works, chapters, or poems about Christmas. – Summary by david wales
A Christmas Miscellany 2020
Nine stories, chapters, or essays about Christmas or around Christmas. – Summary by David Wales
A Confederate Girl’s Diary
Sarah Morgan Dawson was a young woman of 20 living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when she began this diary. The American Civil War was raging. Though at first the conflict seemed far away, it would eventually be brought home to her in very personal terms. Her family’s loyalties were divided. Sarah’s father, though he disapproved of secession, declared for the South when Louisiana left the Union. Her eldest brother, who became the family patriarch when his father died in 1861, was for the Union, though he refused to take up arms against his fellow Southerners. The family owned slaves, some of whom are mentioned by name in this diary. Sarah was devoted to the Confederacy, and watched with sorrow and indignation its demise. Her diary, written from March 1862 to June 1865, discourses on topics as normal as household routines and romantic intrigues to those as unsettling as concern for her brothers who fought in the war. Largely self-taught, she describes in clear and inviting prose, fleeing Baton Rouge during a bombardment, suffering a painful spinal injury when adequate medical help was unavailable, the looting of her home by Northern soldiers, the humiliation of life under General Butler in New Orleans, and dealing with privations and displacement in a region torn by war. She was a child of her time and place. Her inability to see the cruelty and indignity of slavery grates harshly on the modern ear. Regardless of how one feels about the Lost Cause, however, Sarah’s diary provides a valuable historical perspective on life behind the lines of this bitter conflict. (Introduction by Christine Dufour)
A Confession (Version 2)
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. Summary by Paul Rizik.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
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. (Review written by Steve Andersen)
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (version 2)
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court is an 1889 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. The work is a very early example of time travel in literature, anticipating by six years H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine of 1895 (however, unlike Wells, Twain does not give any real explanation of his protagonist’s traveling in time). Some early editions are entitled A Yankee at the Court of King Arthur. (Summary by Wikipedia)
A Contented Man
LibriVox volunteers bring you 11 recordings of A Contented Man by Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev. This was the Weekly Poetry project for September 5, 2021. —— Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was a Russian novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, translator and popularizer of Russian literature in the West. Constance Clara Garnett was an English translator of nineteenth-century Russian literature. She was the first English translator to render numerous volumes of Anton Chekhov’s work into English. Altogether, she translated 71 volumes of Russian literature, many of which are still in print today. – Summary by Wikipedia
A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy
As a precursor to Capital, Marx outlines his analysis of capitalism and critiques classical economic theories. – Summary by Tray
A Country Doctor
A Country Doctor is a fiction novel by American author Sarah Orne Jewett. The book, which was first published in 1884, was based on the relationship between Jewett and her physician father. The main character of A Country Doctor, Nan, is a young woman who encounters much strife when she decides to go against the traditional values of the day and become a doctor. The book has been listed as an example of the shift in the perception of the role of women in society, with the main character of Nan choosing to pursue her career in medicine rather than a marriage and family – Summary by Wikipedia
A Country Mouse
You could be forgiven upon reading that title, not to mention auditing the opening scene, for thinking that this is a play of a simple country girl fallen among aristocratic Victorian-era swingers in the big city. But this Country Mouse is anything but innocent. – Summary by Son of the Exiles Cast list: The Duke of St. Kitts (aged 65): Alan Mapstone Lord Robert Wyckham (aged 30): Greg Giordano John Bowlby, M.P. (aged 36): ToddHW The Hon. Archibald Vyse (aged 28): ksb013 Jephcot (a butler, aged 60): Wayne Cooke Servant: James R. Hedrick Lady Sylvia Bowlby (aged 26): Matea Bracic Violet Aynsley (aged 24): Jenn Broda Angela Muir (aged 18): TJ Burns Mrs. Cropper (aged 50): WendyKatzHiller Stage Directions: Michele Eaton Editing: Michele Eaton
A Course of Lectures on the Principles of Domestic Economy and Cookery
“This course of lectures is designed to meet the wants of two classes of persons: First?Those who are experienced housekeepers, familiar with the principles and practice of cookery, but who desire information concerning the preparation of the finer dishes of the modern school. Second?The young ladies in attendance at the University and others like them, who have had their time and attention so engrossed with studies and other duties that they have not had the opportunity to qualify themselves in this most important branch of a woman?s education.” – Summary by From the Introduction
A Cousin’s Conspiracy
Ernest Ray is a young boy who sets out to reclaim the inheritance that was unjustly with held from his father and given to a cousin. (Introduction by Abigail Rasmussen)
A Crown for Joanna
She was born a princess, heir to her father?s kingdom of Portugal, and she might at will have reigned from almost any throne in Europe. But instead of this, she made what to her world seemed a thoroughly mad choice ? for she chose to have a throne in heaven. Today those scepters are dust which she would not accept, and as Blessed Joanna of Portugal she possesses a throne imperishable? This children?s biography of Blessed Joanna of Portugal was written by Sister Mary Jean Dorcy, a Catholic Dominican Nun. The author is probably best known for her exquisitely intricate paper cutting silhouettes, with which she illustrated her books. (Introduction from the original book and by Maria Therese)
A Cruise in an Opium Clipper
Eamont was an opium clipper built in Cowes. It was the subject of an 1891 book, A cruise in an opium clipper, by Captain Lindsay Anderson. Eamont was involved in the opening of Japan to foreigners in 1858, serving as a dispatch boat between Nagasaki and Shanghai, and was one of the first vessels to open up a trade with Formosa?. The Eamont was sent on some very dangerous trips. She was one of the first vessels to open up a trade with Formosa, and made the first survey of the port of Taku, which she entered by bumping over the reef in spite of a tremendous surf beating upon it at the time, a most daring performance. And in her efforts to trade with the Formosans she had to withstand the attack of hundreds of armed natives right on top of a typhoon, which she succeeded in riding out on her moorings. But the captain of the Eamont was a famous fighting man, as the Chinese pirates knew to their cost?. The Eamont was also employed in the negotiations for the first commercial treaty with Japan. (See Wikipedia article on Eamont (schooner)) – Summary by Wikipedia and david wales
A Cruising Voyage Around the World
First to the South-seas, Thence to the East-Indies, and Homewards by the Cape of Good Hope. Begun in 1708, and Finish’d in 1711. Containing a Journal of All the Remarkable Transactions; Particularly, of the Taking of Puna and Guiaquil, of the Acapulco Ship, and Other Prizes; an Account of Alexander Selkirk’s Living Alone Four Years and Four Months in an Island; and a Brief Description of Several Countries in Our Course Noted for Trade, Especially in the South-sea. With Maps of All the Coast, from the Best Spanish Manuscript Draughts. And an Introduction Relating to the South-sea Trade. (Woodes Rogers) The story of the first privateer and his adventures; including the account of Alexander Selkirk’s living alone on an island off Chile which formed the background to Robinson Crusoe. (Kim)
A Cry From An Indian Wife
LibriVox volunteers bring you 13 recordings of A Cry From an Indian Wife by E. Pauline Johnson,. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for January 29, 2012. In 1892 the opportunity of a lifetime came to this young versifier, when Frank Yeigh, the president of the Young Liberals’ Club, of Toronto, conceived the idea of having an evening of Canadian literature, at which all available Canadian authors should be guests and read from their own works. Among the authors present on this occasion was Pauline Johnson, who contributed to the programme one of her compositions, entitled “A Cry from an Indian Wife”; and when she recited without text this much-discussed poem, which shows the Indian’s side of the North-West Rebellion, she was greeted with tremendous applause from an audience which represented the best of Toronto’s art, literature and culture. She was the only one on the programme who received an encore, and to this she replied with one of her favourite canoeing poems. The following morning the entire press of Toronto asked why this young writer was not on the platform as a professional reader; while two of the dailies even contained editorials on the subject, inquiring why she had never published a volume of her poems, and insisted so strongly that the public should hear more of her, that Mr. Frank Yeigh arranged for her to give an entire evening in Association Hall within two weeks from the date of her first appearance. It was for this first recital that she wrote the poem by which she is best known, “The Song my Paddle Sings.” ( Summary from the Biographical Sketch included in Flint And Feather, collected verse by E. Pauline Johnson )
A Crystal Age
A Crystal Age is a utopian novel written by W. H. Hudson, first published in 1887. The book has been called a “significant S-F milestone” and has been noted for its anticipation of the “modern ecological mysticism” that would evolve a century later. (Summary by Wikipedia)
A Day With Great Poets
Who was John Milton? The author of Paradise Lost you say? Well, certainly, but he was also a man, going about his daily life like any of us in 17th century England, (except that he was a genius of course). Take time to read about a day in his life and learn more about him and his likes, dislikes, background and proclivities. Also, the same with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Walt Whitman, Lord Byron, Keats and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Each of them a man or woman of their times, living each day like us, but seeing shades and hues of life that we can only experience through their exquisite poetry. These are meant by the author to be brief biographies with examples of their works and some insights into their common foibles as humans in addition to human geniuses. If you love to read poetry, you will enjoy reading these short bios which contain much of their best poetry in them. The selections are from a number of stand alone sources but Browning is part of another book and the link below is to that directly. (Summary by phil chenevert)
A Failure of Initiative: Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina
In September 2005, the House of Representatives created the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina. The Committee was charged with conducting “a full and complete investigation and study and to report its findings to the House not later than February 15, 2006, regarding– (1) the development, coordination, and execution by local, State, and Federal authorities of emergency response plans and other activities in preparation for Hurricane Katrina; and (2) the local, State, and Federal government response to Hurricane Katrina.” The Committee presents the report narrative and the findings that stem from it to the U.S. House of Representatives and the American people for their consideration. Members of the Select Committee agree unanimously with the report and its findings. Other Members of Congress who participated in the Select Committee?s hearings and investigation but were not official members of the Select Committee, while concurring with a majority of the report?s findings, have presented additional views as well, which we offer herein on their behalf. First and foremost, this report is issued with our continued thoughts and prayers for Katrina?s victims. Their families. Their friends. The loss of life, of property, of livelihoods and dreams has been enormous. And we salute all Americans who have stepped up to the plate to help in any way they can. (Summary modified from the Preface.)
A Fair Barbarian
The setting is a small English village in the 19th century. When her niece shows up on her doorstep unexpectedly, a quiet spinster finds her life turned upside down. (Summary by Linda Andrus)
A Fair Mystery
(Written by Charlotte M. Brame under the pen name Bertha M. Clay.) Honest Mark Brace is about to lose his farm, land of his ancestors, home to his wife, Patty, and small daughter, Mattie, when out of a dark and stormy night comes the answer to his prayers. A tiny babe, tender and fair, left on their doorstep with a note asking Mark and Patty to bring the child up as their own, to raise it to be good, like themselves, and to accept for their troubles a hundred pounds a year. The farm is saved, and all is peaceful for a while as the beautiful baby, Doris, grows into an even more beautiful child. But as she grows, so too grows her awareness of her own loveliness, of her difference from the humble farmers who raise her. Doris hungers for luxury, jewels and velvet, bright fetes and ardent admirers. Confident that her ethereal beauty and native wit will bring her everything she deserves, she focuses her energies on obtaining these things and sets in motion a chain of events that will break hearts, rip at the mystery surrounding her birth, and culminate in the greatest tragedy of them all. A story of love in many forms, A Fair Mystery is part romance, part tragedy, and part social commentary, one which asks us to pause a moment and reflect on what it is that is truly worth having in this life. (Summary by Elanor Sakamoto)
A Fairy Glee
This poem is taken from Volume X, A Library of American Literature: An Anthology in Eleven Volumes. 1891. Vols. IX?XI: Literature of the Republic, Part IV., 1861?1889
A Family Man
John Builder is a solid, middle-class Englishman. He is very domineering but finds that the women around him are insistent on living their own lives. They will not let him take control. His world begins to fall apart around him. Summary by Michele Eaton Cast: Stage Directions: MichaelMaggs Mr Builder: Adrian Stephens Maud: Jenn Broda Guy: John Payton Topping: Alan Mapstone Harris: Andrew Kennedy Camille: JennPratt Mrs Builder: WendyKatzhiller Annie: Michele Eaton Mayor: ToddHW Athene: Diana Helen Kennedy Ralph: Anthony Joseph Sergeant: David Purdy Moon: James R. Hedrick Chantrey: Mark Kilkelly Boy’s Voice: ksb013 Journalist: Sonia
A Family of Noblemen
Meet the Golovliovs, the ultimate dysfunctional family. In the difficult transition years before and after the liberation of Russia?s serfs, the Golovliovs are a gentry family ill-equipped to face the adaptations necessary in the new social order. Petty, back-biting, greedy, rigid, ignorant, and cruel, their personalities are captured in the array of nicknames they themselves give each other: The Hag, Little Judas, Simple Simon, Pavel the Sneak, the Orphans, the Blood-Sucker. They hate each other ferociously and utterly despise the peasants around them, who are gradually awakening to the potentialities of their new freedoms. In this most famous of Saltykov-Shchedrin?s novels, there is a keen sympathy toward the plight of women caught in the complexities of social change: Anninka and Lubinka, the aristocratic orphans who, seeking independence, recklessly cast themselves into the bohemian life; the matriarch Arina Petrovna, whose desperately vigorous administration of the estate leads to an exhilarating but only temporary stability; the peasant girl Yevpraksia, who is resistlessly taken by the loathsome Porfiry Vladimirych as his mistress. Far from a piece of social propaganda, A Family of Noblemen shows a subtle portraiture of the complex characters and convoluted circumstances of the time. (Expatriate)
A Far Country
The book follows the career of Hugh Paret from youth to manhood, and how his profession as a corporation lawyer gradually changes his values. The book received positive reviews, and was the second best-selling novel in the United States in 1915. – Summary by Wikipedia
A Fatal Message
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”. This tale opens with Nick eavesdropping on two strangers in the next booth as he finishes his lunch. One of the men works at the telegraph office and is discussing an unusual wire he received. Nick’s interest is aroused.
A Father of Women and Other Poems
Alice Meynell was an English essayist, critic, and poet who was also a leading suffragist, serving as vice-president of the Women Writers’ Suffrage League, She and her husband Wilfrid Meynell were active in publishing and editing literary works including helping to launch the first works of Francis Thompson, author of “Hound of Heaven.” The Meynell’s converted to Roman Catholicism and many of the poems in this volume, published just five years before her death, reflect religious themes. – Summary by Larry Wilson
A Few More Verses
Susan Coolidge was the pen name of Sarah Chauncey Woolsey, who is best known for her What Katy Did series. This is the second of three volumes of her verse. (Summary by Rachel)
A Plain English Handbook: How to create clear SEC disclosure documents
The Plain Writing Act of 2010 (Act) is intended to make it easy for the public to understand government documents. The SEC, like other federal agencies, must write documents in plain writing, defined under the Act as writing that is “clear, concise, well-organized, and follows other best practices appropriate to the subject or field or audience.” Starting in October 2011, the Act requires us to write new and substantially revised documents in plain language using the Federal Plain Language Guidelines. As a disclosure agency, the SEC is committed to communicating with investors in easily understandable language. In 1998, the SEC published a guide, A Plain English Handbook: How to Create Clear SEC Disclosure Documents, showing securities lawyers and companies ways to reduce legalese. (Summary by the SEC) Reader Note: The examples in Chapter 7 – Designing the Document convey visual information. Please refer to the e-text to see these examples.
A Selection of 19th Century Scientific Verse
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, it was common for discoveries in branches of science such as botany, astronomy and medicine to be described in book-length treatises in verse. By the end of the 19th century this mode of popularising science was falling from favour as the studies of science and the humanities diverged and study became more specialised. This small selection of somewhat lighter-hearted verse written by distinguished scientists and mathematicians of the day includes poems by James Clerk Maxwell, William J. Macquorn Rankine and James Joseph Sylvester. (Summary by Ruth Golding)