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By: Guy Wetmore Carryl (1873-1904)

Book cover Fables for the Frivolous (Version 2)

Fables for the Frivolous is 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 Aesop-style 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. ( from Wikipedia)

Book cover How a Fisherman Corked up His Foe in a Jar

LibriVox volunteers bring you 13 recordings of How a Fisherman Corked up His Foe in a Jar by Guy Wetmore Carryl. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project fo September 22, 2013.Guy Wetmore Carryl was an American humorist and poet. Some of his better known poems were parodies on nursery rhymes and Aesop's Fables. (

By: Hallie Erminie Rives (1874-1956)

Tales From Dickens by  Hallie Erminie Rives Tales From Dickens

The Old Curiosity Shop; Hard Times; A Tale of Two Cities; Oliver Twist; The Pickwick Papers. Have you read any or all of these famous Dickens stories? The author of this marvelous book, Rives Ermine, a highly successful author in her own right, simply wanted to retell the basic elements of some of Dickens best beloved novels and story lines. Now is your chance to revisit these stories and revive the memories of great reads. Of it you haven't gotten around to some of these classics, this would be a marvelous chance to listen to what they are about so you can enjoy them even more in the original later...

By: Hannah Webster Foster (1758-1840)

Book cover Coquette, Or The History of Eliza Wharton

The classic early American epistolary novel about the seduction and ruin of a passionate young woman. Based on the true story of Elizabeth Whitman, whose lonesome death in childbirth in a Connecticut inn sparked widespread discussion and outrage, the novel went through many editions and innumerable printings in the century after its initial publication in 1797.

By: Harriet Lummis Smith

Peggy Raymond's Vacation (or Friendly Terrace Transplanted) by  Harriet Lummis Smith Peggy Raymond's Vacation (or Friendly Terrace Transplanted)

Sequel to The Girls of Friendly Terrace (or Peggy Raymond's Success). As the summer opens the girls fan themselves on the porch, wishing for a get away. As it happens, opportunity knocks, leading them into a country vacation along with a few more members to the party.

By: Harry A. Lewis

Book cover Hidden Treasures

"Some succeed while others fail. This is a recognized fact; yet history tells us that seven-tenths of our most successful men began life poor." A selection of mini-biographies teaches us how some successful men have overcome odds to make their mark on history.

By: Harry Houdini (1874-1926)

Book cover Magician Among the Spirits

Houdini, an escape artist and illusionist, became interested later in his life in debunking spiritualists, disbelieving anyone who claimed to have supernatural powers. This was during an era where paranormal phenomena, especially seances, were extremely popular. Although skeptical of their claims, he longed to find a credible source to communicate with family members he had lost. This book chronicles his travels and the many people he spoke with and his observations of their 'powers' and along the way also reveals many of the tricks they employed to deceive their paying customers. - Summary by Phyllis Vincelli

By: Hendrik van Loon (1882-1944)

Book cover Golden Book of the Dutch Navigators

This is a story of magnificent failures. The men who equipped the expeditions of which I shall tell you the story died in the poorhouse. The men who took part in these voyages sacrificed their lives as cheerfully as they lighted a new pipe or opened a fresh bottle. Some of them were drowned, and some of them died of thirst. A few were frozen to death, and many were killed by the heat of the scorching sun. But what of it? It was all in the day's work. These excellent fellows took whatever came, be it good or bad, or indifferent, with perfect grace, and kept on smiling...

By: Henry A. Sherman (1870-?)

Book cover Children's Bible

This is a Book of Children's Bible Stories.

By: Henry Handel Richardson (1870-1946)

Book cover Getting of Wisdom (Version 2)

Henry Handel Richardson was the pseudonym of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, a writer who was born in 1870 to a reasonably well-off family which later fell on hard times. The author's family lived in various Victorian towns and from the age of 13 to 17 Richardson attended boarding school at the Presbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne, Victoria. It's this experience that feeds directly into The Getting of Wisdom. Laura Tweedle Rambotham, the main character, is the eldest child of a country family...

By: Henry Stanton

Book cover Sex: Avoided Subjects Discussed in Plain English (version 2)

Henry Stanton was appalled at the shocking lack of information given to young people about sex and reproduction in his time. He felt this was a crime that needed to be fixed and so he wrote this book explaining sex for young and old. Ignorance of basic reproductive processes he felt led to experimentation that then led to sin, crime and prostitution. While this book is definitely not written in what I would call Plain English, contains some very questionable 'facts' about masturbation and menstruation and might seem very moralistic and dogmatic to our current society, he does hold out high ideas for all in affairs of self respect, love and marriage...

By: Hermann Hesse (1877-1962)

Book cover Siddhartha (Version 2)

A major preoccupation of Hesse in writing Siddhartha was to cure his "sickness with life" by immersing himself in Indian philosophy such as that expounded in the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. The reason the second half of the book took so long to write was that Hesse "had not experienced that transcendental state of unity to which Siddhartha aspires. In an attempt to do so, Hesse lived as a virtual semi-recluse and became totally immersed in the sacred teachings of both Hindu and Buddhist scriptures...

By: Hesiod

Book cover Works and Days, The Theogony, and The Shield of Heracles

Works and Days provides advice on agrarian matters and personal conduct. The Theogony explains the ancestry of the gods. The Shield of Heracles is the adventure of Heracles accepting an enemy's challenge to fight.

By: Homer (c. 8th cen - c. 8th cen)

Book cover Homeric Hymns, Epigrams, and The Battle of Frogs and Mice

Homeric Hymns are thirty-three poems each paying homage to a certain Greek god. Only a few of the poems are more than 250 lines while the rest are about a dozen lines each. They are written in Homeric style and traditionally attributed to Homer but their true provenance is unknown. The Epigrams are a series of fragments on disparate topics including sailors, children and potters and are similarly attributed to Homer although it appears Hesiod and others wrote some of them. Finally, Battle of Frogs and Mice is a light-weight parody -- literally, at one-fiftieth the number of lines -- of Homer's famous battle of Greeks and Trojans epic, Illiad.

Book cover Iliad (Pope Translation)

Homer’s Iliad is the first great work of Western literature. Composed in twenty-four books of Greek hexameter poetry, it portrays the events of the last year of the Trojan War. Its translation into rhyming couplets by Alexander Pope is considered by some the greatest act of translation in English. Its power sweeps the reader along through an epic tale that begins with the wrath of Achilles and ends with the burial of Hector, breaker of horses. (Introduction by Steve Perkins)

Book cover Iliad of Homer, Rendered into English Blank Verse

"It must equally be considered a splendid performance; and for the present we have no hesitation in saying that it is by far the best representation of Homer's Iliad in the English language." - London Times, 1865"The merits of Lord Derby's translation may be summed up in one word, it is eminently attractive; it is instinct with life; it may be read with fervent interest; it is immeasurably nearer than Pope to the text of the original. Lord Derby has given a version far more closely allied to the original, and superior to any that has yet been attempted in the blank verse of our language." - Edinburgh Review, January 1865.

By: Horace Walpole (1717-1797)

Book cover Castle of Otranto (Version 2)

The Castle of Otranto is regarded as the first Gothic novel, a genre appealing to a taste for terror and set in a remote past when prodigies and magic can be imagined to have existed, with violent contrasts between purity and ungoverned passions. The author represents the tale as having been translated from a black letter Italian volume of the 15th century but describing much earlier events. This fictional antiquity and the depiction of mysterious wonders, dark subterranean passages, fearsome apparitions, marvelous coincidences, and especially a savage threat to spotless innocence are all typical of this genre, which does not assure a reader of a happy ending.

By: Ida Laura Pfeiffer (1797-1858)

Book cover Woman's Journey Round the World

Ida Laura Pfeiffer was an Austrian traveler and travel book author, one of the first female explorers, whose popular books were translated into several languages. "The Woman's Journey Around the World, from Vienna to Brazil, Chili, Tahiti, China, Hindostan, Persia, and Asia Minor" is the travel diary of the first of her two trips "around the world", following her successful trips to the Holy Land and to Iceland.

By: Imbert de Saint-Amand (1834-1900)

Book cover Marie Antoinette and the Downfall of Royalty

Paris in 1792 is no longer what it was in 1789. In 1789, the old French society was still brilliant. The past endured beside the present. Neither names nor escutcheons, neither liveries nor places at court, had been suppressed. The aristocracy and the Revolution lived face to face. In 1792, the scene has changed."France was now on the verge of the Reign of Terror (la Terreur), the violent years following the Revolution, and this book chronicles the terrible period of French history which culminated in the proclamation: "Royalty is abolished in France...

By: Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm (1785-1863)

Book cover Household Tales (Version 2)

Do you like fairy tales and stories about all sorts of animals and people? Here are a wide variety of stories that go from warm and fuzzy to wild and scary to suit any mood. Many of these are familiar to us and we look forward to hear them again, but many are also unfamiliar tales that will treat your ears and brain to something new but equally wonderful. All collected by the famous brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. - Summary by philchenevert

Book cover Grimm's Fairy Stories

Fairies, Evil Step Mothers, Enchanted Forests, Golden Geese, Poor Little Children, Fairy Godmothers, Magic wells, and oh, so many many more of the things that make those well loved stories thrilling to tell and listen to are in this little book. And there are a few that you may never have heard of before. just to spice things up a bit. Some are short and some are long but all have a big helping of magic and wonder. Do you like stories like this? well, here you are! - Summary by phil chenevert

Book cover Grimms' Fairy Tales (Version 3)

Grimms' Fairy Tales, originally known as the Children's and Household Tales, is a German collection of fairy tales or folk lore by the Grimm brothers or "Brothers Grimm", Jacob and Wilhelm, first published on 20 December 1812. - Summary by Cliff Stone

By: James Frazer (1854-1941)

Book cover Golden Bough. A Study in Magic and Religion. Part 4. Adonis Attis Osiris. Volume 1

The fifth volume and the first of two in the fourth part of Frazer's seminal work on the evolution of belief deals with the semi mythological legends of the Mediterranean and the eastern civilizations. Many analogies are traced between the worship of Osiris and the worship of the dead, especially of dead kings. The conclusion to which these analogies appear to the point is that under the mythical pall of the glorified Osiris, the god who died and rose again from the dead, there once lay the body of a dead man...

By: Jefferson Davis (1808-1889)

Book cover Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government, Volume 1a

The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government (1881) is written by Jefferson Davis, former President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Davis wrote the book as a straightforward history of the Confederate States of America and as an apologia for the causes that he believed led to and justified the American Civil War. Davis spared little detail in describing every aspect of the Confederate constitution and government, in addition to which he retold in detail numerous military campaigns...

Book cover Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government, Volume 1b

The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government (1881) is written by Jefferson Davis, former President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Davis wrote the book as a straightforward history of the Confederate States of America and as an apologia for the causes that he believed led to and justified the American Civil War. Davis spared little detail in describing every aspect of the Confederate constitution and government, in addition to which he retold in detail numerous military campaigns...

By: Joan Conquest (1883-1941)

Book cover Zarah the Cruel

As told to a group of Bedouins as they sit around the fire, this tale , set in the Arabian desert, tells of a Holy Man accused of murder, and forced to flee and lead a nomadic life until he can prove his innocence. Some listeners may be offended by the ideas presented in this text. This is a reflection of the thinking at the time it was written. It is policy to not censor works.

By: John Bunyan (1628-1688)

Book cover Pilgrim's Progress in Words of One Syllable

The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come is a Christian allegory written by John Bunyan and published in February, 1678. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature, has been translated into more than 200 languages, and has never been out of print. The author says in the preface " I have endeavored as far as possible to avoid hard and technical expressions, and I cannot but think that the mere fact of the brevity of the words must be a great attraction to beginners of all ages.

Book cover Holy Life the Beauty of Christianity

Written in the late 1600s by John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim's Progress, this treatise exhorts Christians to holy living. Bunyan takes as his text Psalm 93:5, 'Holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, forever,' and from it he presents true holiness as true beauty, calling his fellow believers out of the religious hypocrisy of his era to a genuine pursuit of God. Spiritually, this work is a little-known gem from a respected religious figure, and historically it is a unique look at the Christian church and family in the seventeenth century. Whatever your reason for coming to 'A Holy Life,' it is worth the read...or listen. - Summary by Jennifer Raimundo

By: John George Nicolay (1832-1901)

Book cover Abraham Lincoln: A History (Volume 1)

This is the biography of Abraham Lincoln, written by two of his private secretaries.

By: John Locke (1632-1704)

Book cover Essay Concerning Humane Understanding

John Locke's essays on human understanding answers the question “What gives rise to ideas in our minds?”. In the first book Locke refutes the notion of innate ideas and argues against a number of propositions that rationalists offer as universally accepted truth. In the second book Locke elaborates the role played by sensation, reflection, perception and retention in giving rise to simple ideas. Then he elaborates on how different modes, substances and relations of simple ideas (of the same kind) give rise to complex ideas v...

Book cover Essay Concerning Human Understanding Book IV

This is the fourth book of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding. His book deals with knowledge and probability. He asks how far knowledge can go, if there are universal propositions, what are judgment and probability and deals with faith, reason and enthusiasm. - Summary by Soupy

By: John McCrae (1872-1918)

Book cover Then and Now

volunteers bring you 15 recordings of Then and Now by John McCrae This was the Weekly Poetry project for October 2, 2022. ------ The reminiscence of the poet on a stormy evening. - Summary by David Lawrence

Book cover In Flanders Fields and Other Poems

John McCrae, physician, soldier, and poet, died in France a Lieutenant-Colonel with the Canadian forces. The poem which gives this collection of his lovely verse its name has been extensively reprinted, and received with unusual enthusiasm. The volume contains, as well, a striking essay in character by his friend, Sir Andrew MacPhail.

By: John T. Morse (1840-1937)

Book cover John Quincy Adams

This biography contains three main sections. the first covers Adams's early years and his time as a diplomat--both in America and overseas. The second tells of his two careers as Secretary of State and President. The last involves his years in the House of Representatives.

By: John Toland (1670-1722)

Book cover Hypatia

Hypatia is John Toland's biography of the one he calls "a most beautiful, most vertuous, most learned, and every way accomplish’d lady, who was torn to pieces by the clergy of Alexandria, to gratify the pride, emulation, and cruelty of their Archbishop, commonly but undeservedly stiled St. Cyril." - Summary by Leni

By: Joseph Rodman Drake (1795-1820)

Book cover Culprit Fay and Other Poems

A collection, The Culprit Fay and Other Poems, was published posthumously by his daughter in 1835. His best-known poems are the long title-poem of that collection and the patriotic "The American Flag" which was set as a cantata for two soloists, choir and orchestra by the Czech composer Antonin Dvořák in 1892-93, as his Op. 102. In the early part of the 19th Century both Drake and his friend Halleck were widely hailed by Americans as among the leading literary personalities and talents produced by this country...

By: Josephine Butler (1828-1906)

Book cover Native Races and the War

Josephine Elizabeth Butler was a Victorian era British feminist who was strongly committed to liberal reforms. As a result of her efforts, international organisations including the International Abolitionist Federation were set up to campaign against state regulation of prostitution and the trafficking in women and children. This book reflects her abhorrence of slavery in all its forms and is particularly pertinent in our world of today.

By: Katharine Elizabeth Dopp (1863-1944)

Book cover Early Cave-Men

The People Who Wanted To Live in Caves. This little book takes us back to the time when our ancestors lived, or wanted to live, in caves. Unfortunately the caves of that time were mostly used by large animals like the Sabre Toothed Tiger and bears who could easily kill and eat our ancestors. Thus the subtitle of this book is The Age of Combat. This book, aimed at children, tries to show how certain things could have taken place to enable our species to eke out a living alongside the much stronger beasts, such as why we wanted to live in caves; the hazards and rewards of living in caves; the taming of fire; and how early tools were invented...

By: King James Version (KJV)

Book cover Bible (KJV) Apocrypha/Deuterocanon: Book of Tobit

The Book of Tobit (from Hebrew: טובי‎ Tobi "my good") is a book of scripture that is part of the Catholic and Orthodox biblical canon, pronounced canonical by the Council of Carthage of 397 and confirmed for Roman Catholics by the Council of Trent (1546).

Book cover Bible (KJV) 14: 2 Chronicles (Version 2)

Probably written by the prophet Ezra, 2 Chronicles covers the period from the beginning of King Solomon's reign to the conclusion of the Babylonian exile. Like 1 Chronicles, it focuses on the correct way to worship God. (Introduction by Joy Chan)

Book cover Bible (KJV) NT 05: Acts (version 2)

The Acts of the Apostles, also known as The Book of Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament. It follows the 4 Gospel accounts not only in order but in chronology. As the Gospels end with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Acts begins with the 11 Apostles and His other disciples embarking on the adventure of following Him and fulfilling His Great Commission (see Matthew 28:16-20 for the most commonly cited version of the Great Commission). Though several heroes of the early Christian church are included in this narrative, much of the book tells the story of the Apostle Paul from his conversion to Christianity to his missionary journeys. (Introduction by Jason Justice)

Book cover Bible (KJV) 18: Job (version 2)

Job was a prosperous landowner who encountered a series of misfortunes, leading him to question himself and his relation to his God. A grand sweep of ecclesiastical argument brings Job to a new level of insight and acceptance.

Book cover Bible (KJV) 08: Ruth (version 2 Dramatic Reading)

The Book of Ruth in the Bible takes a new interpretation as it comes to life in this dramatic reading. Ruth, a young Moabitess whose husband dies, must make the decision to stay in her homeland or go with her mother-in-law Naomi back to Naomi’s homeland of Israel, where she will most likely be an outcast. Will she choose to go back to her gods and old lifestyle, or follow her love for her mother-in-law and learn about a new God and way of life?

Book cover Bible (KJV) 17: Esther (version 2 Dramatic Reading)

The seventeenth book of the King James Bible, Esther recounts a tale of two queens. Queen Vashti is the loveliest woman in the land, but when she refuses to come to her husband's banquet, she is banished from the kingdom. Hadassah is called to take her place - a beautiful young woman with a secret. Hadassah is Jewish, but her guardian warns her to keep her identity hidden. Taking on the name Esther - which means "hidden" - she moves in to the palace, but when a wicked man hatches a plot to rid the land of Jews, her guardian asks her to take on a terrible job...

Book cover Bible (KJV) NT 06: Romans (Version 2)

The book of Romans was written by Paul the Apostle on his third missionary journey. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write about life as a person before Christ and life as a believer after Christ. He talks about the life before Christ being impossible to live, as the flesh has dominion over a person. Gloriously bringing hope, he writes of the One who did live the impossible life, and how He now lives within the believer. Jesus becomes the new manager of their body to produce what fruit glorifies Himself. This book is so clearly pointing to the Life-giver; the believer who was once dead, may walk in newness of life, having a intimate relationship with Jesus.

By: Laura Rountree Smith (1876-1924)

Book cover Tale of Bunny Cotton-Tail

Little Bunny Cotton-tail is a very naughty bunny. He runs away, he won't go to school, and he keeps nibbling on Farmer Jones' cabbage! Mother Bunny will have to ask for help to get her little bunny to behave.

Book cover Gingerbread Boy and Joyful Jingle Play Stories

Short funny stories for children that not only are fun to read and listen to, but have neat rhymes in each story. So if you like a bit of poetry thrown in amid the prose, these are for you. - Summary by Phil Chenevert

Book cover Twinkle Toes and His Magic Mittens

Another delightful Laura Rountree Smith children's book. Illustrated by F. R. Morgan We are three little kittens Who once lost our mittens The kittens now go about having adventures with their friend, Twinkle Toes, and learning valuable life lessons along the way. - Summary by JHedrick

By: Laurence Oliphant (1829-1888)

Piccadilly A Fragment of Contemporary Biography by  Laurence Oliphant Piccadilly A Fragment of Contemporary Biography

Laurence Oliphant, author, international traveller, diplomatist and mystic, who spent a decade in later life under the influence of the spiritualist prophet Thomas Lake Harris, writes here under the amusing guise of Lord Frank Vanecourt, bringing us a veritable pot-pourri of events from everyday life in 1865 as he moves amongst the great, the good, and not so good who reside in the exclusive area of London's Piccadilly W1 and its surroundings. (Introduction by Nigel Carrington)

By: Leonard Woolsey Bacon (1830-1907)

Book cover History of American Christianity

Published in 1897, this book describes the advent of Christianity in the United States from the landing of the first explorers with their mission to convert the natives to the time immediately following the Civil War. Bacon discusses the church's response to the social, political and religious issues of the day, and provides an introduction to the beginnings of such para-church organizations as the YMCA and American Bible Society.

By: Lew Wallace (1827-1905)

Book cover Ben Hur (Dramatic Reading)

In this dramatic reading of the classic epic Ben Hur, rediscover the wonder of three wise men who travel through the wilderness together. Thirty years later, Judah ben Hur accidentally looses a tile upon the head of the Roman governor and is sentenced to the galleys for life. When he escapes, he is caught up in his thirst for revenge against his accuser, Messala, and his search for the Messiah of his people, the King who is to come. As Judah learns more about this King, however, he begins to realize that the kingdom he is searching for may not be found in what he can see and the revenge he is seeking may not be found in the way that he expects...

By: Louis Aubrey Wood (1883-1955)

Book cover Chronicles of Canada Volume 21 - The Red River Colony: A Chronicle of the Beginnings of Manitoba

This, volume 21 of the Chronicles of Canada series, describes the settlement of the Red River Colony by Lord Selkirk, and the struggles it had against the North-West Company. The fledgling settlement eventually became the city of Manitoba.

By: Louis Hémon (1880-1913)

Book cover Maria Chapdelaine (version 2)

The novel Maria Chapdelaine portrays life in rural Quebec at the beginning of the 20th century. Published first in French in 1913, it is a famous example of the genre known as "novels of the land" . These stories sought to reinforce and preserve the cultural, linguistic, and religious heritage of French Canada — a heritage at risk because of French Canada's historical situation as a conquered enclave inside English North America. Maria is a young woman whose family works the farm they have cleared from the harsh Quebec forest — "a land that has no pity...

By: Mabel Bent (c.1847-1929)

Book cover Southern Arabia

Southern Arabia recounts a threatening four-month journey into North Eastern Ethiopia by the Bents. These brave travelers were the first to travel without disguise in a region where Westerners had formerly been fortunate to escape with their lives.

By: Marcel Proust (1871-1922)

Book cover Swann's Way (Version 2)

Swann's Way is the first book in the seven-volume work In Search of Lost Time, or Remembrance of Things Past, by Marcel Proust. It is a novel written in the form of an autobiography. Proust's most prominent work, it is popularly known for its length and the notion of involuntary memory, the most famous example being the "episode of the madeleine."

Book cover Swann's Way (Version 2)

"Swann's Way" is the first of the seven parts of Marcel Proust's great autobiographical novel "In Search of Lost Time." From the very first page the reader is drawn into the many facets of memory, memory as prompted by all the human senses. "Swann's Way was rejected by a number of publishers, including Fasquelle, Ollendorff, and the Nouvelle Revue Française . André Gide was famously given the manuscript to read to advise NRF on publication, and leafing through the seemingly endless collection of memories and philosophizing or melancholic episodes, came across a few minor syntactic errors, which made him decide to turn the work down in his audit...

Book cover Within a Budding Grove

"In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower" is the second volume of Proust's heptalogy, "In Search of Lost Time" . Shadow insightfully deals with adolescent longing, and continues Proust's profound meditation on the nature of memory. The original French version was awarded the prestigious Prix Goncourt in 1919. NOTE: This book contains language that would have been considered appropriate at the time and which may not be appropriate today.

By: Margaret O. Oliphant (1828-1897)

Book cover Mystery of Mrs. Blencarrow

The location is the English Lake District and the characters very ordinary people. Mrs. Blencarrow is a widow with five children and control of her late husband's small estate. She is eminently respectable and is involved with the usual round of tea and dinner parties as expected in a quiet town. She is unremarkable, apart from her disdain for scandal, or even gossip of any kind. Imagine the surprise when a stranger describes her as "a woman with a history"? That can only mean a disreputable past or even a scandal, but as she has lived in the community for 18 years, without a hint, what could it possibly be?

Book cover Hester: A Story of Contemporary Life, Volume 2

Catherine Vernon has a firm hand on her family and on the family business. Her plans for her young protege Edward, whom she loves like a son, are disturbed by the arrival of Hester, a 14-year-old girl who is just as strong willed. The conflict between Catherine and Hester is resolved through their mutual love for Edward. On one level a love story, Hester is unusual for its time in its portrayal of women in business. - Summary by Anne Erickson

Book cover Oliver's Bride

Betrothed to one woman but married to another whose heart will be broken. Summary by Michele Eaton

Book cover House Divided Against Itself

"A house divided against itself cannot stand." So said Abraham Lincoln in 1858. Here we have the irascible Mr. Waring, an elderly English ex-patriot, living in Italy with his charming daughter, Frances. Mr. Waring was there long before the hotels and the tourists, and resents them all, especially the gawkers, of which there were many... and most of them fellow Englishmen. We see that petite Frances is mistress of the house, and carries out her duties in the fashion of a true English lady, although this is more by accident than design, since she barely remembers the land of her birth, nor are there any English ladies to guide her...

Book cover Hester: A Story of Contemporary Life, Volume 1

Catherine Vernon has a firm hand on her family and on the family business. Her plans for her young protege Edward, whom she loves like a son, are disturbed by the arrival of Hester, a 14-year-old girl who is just as strong willed. The conflict between Catherine and Hester is resolved through their mutual love for Edward. On one level a love story, Hester is unusual for its time in its portrayal of women in business. - Summary by Anne Erickson

Book cover For Love and Life Vol. II

Edgar faces a crisis and must swallow his pride. Should he ask Lord Newmarch for a job? And what of his planned proposal to his beloved Gussy? In a flash, his plans... his life... have been turned upside down.

Book cover Hester: A Story of Contemporary Life, Volume 3

This volume completes the story of Hester and her struggle to find her way in the family she belongs to by birth but not by upbringing. The bank that her father once worked for is again threatened, and Hester's response to her suitors is decided. - Summary by Anne Erickson

Book cover For Love and Life Vol. 1

“The device on his shield was a young oak tree pulled up by the roots, with the Spanish word Desdichado, signifying Disinherited.” The novel opens with Mrs. Murray walking with two of her grandchildren along the banks of Loch Arroch in the Scottish border country. They appear to be well-to-do and distinguished, but all is not well within the family and sacrifices are necessary. - Summary by Lynne Thompson

By: Marguerite of Navarre (1492-1549)

Book cover Heptameron of the Tales of Margaret, Queen of Navarre, Vol. 1

THE HEPTAMERON, first published posthumously in 1558, is divided into seven complete days containing 10 stories each, and an eighth day containing only 2 stories. The stories, many of which deal with love and infidelity, resulted in "accusations of looseness" by critics of the day. The author, Margaret of Navarre (also known as Margaret of Angoulême) became an influential woman in the intellectual and cultural circles of the French Renaissance. From an 1892 essay by the translator George Saintsbury: "In so large a number of stories with so great a variety of subjects, it naturally cannot but be the case that there is a considerable diversity of tone...

Book cover Heptameron of the Tales of Margaret, Queen of Navarre, Vol. 3

THE HEPTAMERON (here Volume 3 of 5), first published posthumously in 1558, is divided into seven complete days containing 10 stories each, and an eighth day containing only 2 stories. The stories, many of which deal with love and infidelity, resulted in "accusations of looseness" by critics of the day. The author, Margaret of Navarre (also known as Margaret of Angoulême) became an influential woman in the intellectual and cultural circles of the French Renaissance. From an 1892 essay by the translator George Saintsbury: "In so large a number of stories with so great a variety of subjects, it naturally cannot but be the case that there is a considerable diversity of tone...

Book cover Heptameron of the Tales of Margaret, Queen of Navarre, Volume 4

THE HEPTAMERON (here Volume 4 of 5), first published posthumously in 1558, is divided into seven complete days containing 10 stories each, and an eighth day containing only 2 stories. The stories, many of which deal with love and infidelity, resulted in "accusations of looseness" by critics of the day. The author, Margaret of Navarre (also known as Margaret of Angoulême) became an influential woman in the intellectual and cultural circles of the French Renaissance. From an 1892 essay by the translator George Saintsbury: "In so large a number of stories with so great a variety of subjects, it naturally cannot but be the case that there is a considerable diversity of tone...

By: Maria Thompson Daviess (1872-1924)

Book cover Heart's Kingdom

Nickols Powers is in love with the beautiful Charlotte and desperate to marry her. Charlotte however, is independent and reluctant to accept his religious views as a good wife should. However, she may still be convinced by the charismatic preacher building a new church in her own backyard.

Book cover Heart's Kingdom (version 2 dramatic reading)

Charlotte Powers is a woman who loves life, and is set to marry Nickols just as soon as she can figure herself out. However, coming home and meeting the charismatic pastor that seems to have influenced all her friends, tips her worldview, and she doesn't know what to do. Rev. Mr. Goodloe: Larry Wilson Nickols Powers Jr: Levi Throckmorton Judge Nickols Powers & Mr. Todd: ToddHW Billy Harvey: Shakira Searle Charlotte Morgan: Sarah Terry Martha: Beth Thomas Dabney: Joseph Tabler Mammy: Rosslyn Carlyle Harriet...

By: Mary Anne Barker (1831-1911)

Book cover Station Life in New Zealand

Station Life in New Zealand is a collection of cheerful and interesting letters written by Lady Mary Anne Barker (nee Mary Anne Stewart) that is a New Zealand "classic". These letters are described in the Preface as "the exact account of a lady's experience of the brighter and less practical side of colonisation". The letters were written between 1865 and 1868 and cover the time of her travel with her husband (Frederick Broomie) to New Zealand and life on a colonial sheep-station at their homestead "Broomielaw", located in the Province of Canterbury, South Island of New Zealand...

By: Mary Antin (1881-1949)

Book cover They Who Knock at Our Gates: A Complete Gospel of Immigration (Version 2)

In this extended essay, Mary Antin asks us to consider three questions: First: A question of principle: Have we any right to regulate immigration? Second: A question of fact: What is the nature of our present immigration? Third: A question of interpretation: Is immigration good for us? In doing so, she asks us to step back from the usual discussion around immigration, which tends to focus on practical matters, and consider the underlying principles involved. What do we owe our fellow humans and what is our national mission as Americans?

By: Mary Ella Lyng

Book cover History Plays for the Grammar Grades

A charming collection of 14 short American history plays for the very young - ranging from Christopher Columbus to George Washington to Susan B Anthony.

By: Mary MacLane (1881-1929)

Book cover My Friend Annabel Lee

Published in 1903, this selection of dialogues by Mary MacLane entails a mystery of wondering who she is speaking with. Is it the statue she describes at first? Is it an imaginary friend? Is it the author’s alter-ego? Or perhaps, is it a friend she knows in-the-flesh whom the author wished no one to recognize the identity of? These questions are never truly answered for how could a statue send word by postal mail or know some of the deeper vulnerabilities of the author without her knowing them...

By: Matthew Phipps Shiel (1865-1947)

Book cover Purple Cloud

The story, a recording of a medium's meditation over the future writing of the text, details the narrator's (Adam Jeffson's) expedition to the North Pole during the 20th century on board the Boreal. Jeffson's fiancée, the Countess Clodagh, poisons her own cousin in order to secure a place on the ship for Jeffson, because the expedition was known to be one of the best ever planned. A millionaire, who died some years previously, had ordered in his will that he would pay 175,000,000 dollars to the first person standing at the North Pole...

By: Max Beerbohm (1872-1956)

Book cover Seven Men

In order to liven up the literary history of Great Britain in the 1890s (as if Oscar Wilde, Stevenson, Kipling, Hardy, etc., were not lively enough) Max Beerbohm wrote short biographies of six imaginary writers. Though their works of course no longer exist, he leaves the impression that the literary world is really none the poorer. It is, of course, the six men themselves (Beerbohm himself is the seventh man of the title) who are worth our attention. ( Nicholas Clifford) Note that the Gutenberg edition of Seven Men is incomplete, but the missing sections may be found separately James Pethel http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/759 E.V. Laider http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/761

Book cover Happy Hypocrite: A Fairy Tale For Tired Men

Sir Henry Maximilian "Max" Beerbohm was an English essayist, parodist, and caricaturist. The Happy Hypocrite: A Fairy Tale for Tired Men is a short story with moral implications. Beerbohm's tale is a lighter, more humorous version of Oscar Wilde's classic tale of moral degeneration, The Picture of Dorian Gray. The Happy Hypocrite tells the story of a man who deceives a woman with a mask in order to marry her.

By: Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533-1592)

Book cover Essays book 2

Michel Eyquem de Montaigne is one of the most influential writers of the French Renaissance, known for popularising the essay as a literary genre. He is also known as the father of Modern Skepticism. His pieces became famous for his apparent effortless ability to merge serious intellectual speculation with casual anecdotes and autobiography. His main work, Essais (translated literally as "Attempts" but traditionally as "Essays"), contains some of the still most widely influential essays ever written. This is the second volume of that important work.

Book cover Essays book 3

Michel Eyquem de Montaigne is one of the most influential writers of the French Renaissance, known for popularising the essay as a literary genre. He is also known as the father of Modern Skepticism. His pieces became famous for his apparent effortless ability to merge serious intellectual speculation with casual anecdotes and autobiography. His main work, Essais (translated literally as "Attempts" but traditionally as "Essays"), contains some of the still most widely influential essays ever written. This is the third volume of that important work.

By: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616)

Book cover Don Quixote, Vol. 2 (Ormsby Translation)

Don Quixote is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Published in two volumes, in 1605 and 1615, Don Quixote is considered the most influential work of literature from the Spanish Golden Age and the entire Spanish literary canon. As a founding work of modern Western literature and one of the earliest canonical novels, it regularly appears high on lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published.... The story follows the adventures of a hidalgo named Mr. Alonso Quixano who reads so many chivalric romances that he loses his sanity and decides to set out to revive chivalry, undo wrongs, and bring justice to the world, under the name Don Quixote de la Mancha...

By: Molière (1622-1673)

Book cover Miser

The Miser is a comedy of manners about a rich moneylender named Harpagon. His feisty children long to escape from his penny-pinching household and marry their respective lovers. Although the 17th-century French upper classes presumably objected to the play's message, it is less savage and somewhat less realistic than Molière's earlier play, Tartuffe, which attracted a storm of criticism on its first performance.

Book cover Learned Women

By: Morgan Robertson (1861-1915)

Book cover Pirates

A dozen men jailbreak from a naval prison, and steal the newest destroyer tied up at the docks to escape in: the fastest ship in the navy. However a young officer was the only one on board, and is now a part of the voyage to escape. Things get tense when he awakens, and finds his boyhood rival and enemy is one of the jailbreakers on board! Can the officer find a way to sabotage their escape, without being thrown overboard himself? - Summary by Joe DeNoia

Book cover Wreck of the Titan, or Futility

The Titan: the latest and most awesome industrial feat of modern luxury ocean liner, holding two thousand passengers, is set to sail the Northern Lane Route between New York and England. This alleged unsinkable and indestructible vessel is set to beat the record for this voyage in less than 5 days! In her crew: John Rowland; a drunk, and washed-out naval seaman. On the passenger list: Myra Selfridge, and her little daughter. A former lover who wants nothing to do with Rowland, due to his drinking...

By: Ned Wayburn (1874-1942)

Book cover Art of Stage Dancing

Ned Wayburn, a popular and outstanding choreographer of the early 1900's, writes about the different styles and requirements of dancing and his way of teaching it.

By: Nellie Bly (1864-1922)

Book cover Six Months In Mexico

This is an account of Nellie Bly's travels through Mexico in 1885. The book was originally a series of individual articles that she submitted to the Pittsburgh Dispatch newspaper for publication. In them she described the conditions of the people and the political system she found in Mexico. Her narratives focused mostly on the impoverished and disadvantaged in a country whose government was extremely corrupt. Bly was perhaps what we now term a feminist, striving for the empowerment and independence of women...

By: Nora Archibald Smith (1859-1934)

Book cover Tales of Laughter

Time to exercise your funny bone. This fun collection of stories from around the world will make children of all ages smile and chuckle. A LAUGHING SONG When the greenwoods laugh with the voice of joy, And the dimpling stream runs laughing by; When the air does laugh with our merry wit, And the green hill laughs with the noise of it; When the meadows laugh with lively green, And the grasshopper laughs in the merry scene; When Mary and Susan and Emily With their sweet round...

By: Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924)

Book cover Pushing to the Front

Published in 1894, this is the first book by the renowned inspirational author, Dr. Orison Swett Marden. Pushing to the Front is the product of many years of hard work, and marks a turning point in the life of Dr. Marden. He rewrote it following an accidental fire that brought the five-thousand-plus page manuscript to flames. It went on to become the most popular personal-development book of its time, and is a timeless classic in its genre. Filled with stories of success, triumph and the surmounting of difficulties, it is especially well-targeted at the adolescent or young adult...

Book cover Iron Will

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.

Book cover How to Succeed

In this volume, Orison Swett Marden explains the road to success in simple terms for the benefit of anyone, who wishes to follow in his footsteps. Over 100 years after publication, most of these lessons are still valid today.

Book cover How They Succeeded

Success! Alluring, fascinating, informative. Why are some people successful while others languish on the scrap heap of life? Hard work? Luck? Nepotism? Genius? Here we have the Life Stories of Successful Men Told by Themselves. 22 people who made their mark on their chosen field, some of whom have gone down in history... Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie. Others were no less successful in their day, but whose names have not made their mark to such an extent. - Summary by Lynne Thompson

By: Pansy (1841-1930)

Book cover Sunshine Factory

Seven very short sweet stories by Pansy that you will not soon forget! They are stories children will love, and everyone can enjoy. They will make you smile and laugh and bring tears to your eyes. And each one teaches an important lesson in a sweet, encouraging way.

By: Patanjali (c. 150 BC - )

Book cover Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (version 2)

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.

Book cover Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: The Book of the Spiritual Man (version 3)

This is Charles Johnston's translation of and commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Johnston's interpretation of this seminal yogic text focuses on "the birth of the spiritual from the psychical man."

By: Philip Francis Nowlan (1888-1940)

Book cover Airlords of Han

Airlords of Han is the 2nd Buck Rogers story, the sequel to Armageddon 2419 A.D.. Anthony Rogers takes the fight to free 25th Century America to the Han overlords. From the March, 1929 issue of Amazing Stories.

Book cover Armageddon- 2419 A.D.

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...

Book cover Armageddon- 2419 A.D. (Version 3)

This is the original ‘Buck Rogers’ SF classic. Thrill to the adventures of Anthony "Buck" Rogers, one of the most celebrated characters in the history of science fiction. Famed in comic strips, television, in movies, and even radio, this is the first novel to introduce Buck Rogers to the reading public. In Armageddon – 2419 A.D., Buck, a victim of accidental suspended animation, awakens five hundred years later to discover America groaning under the tyranny of the villainous Han, ruling from the safety of their armored machine-cities...

Book cover Armageddon- 2419 A.D. (Version 2)

Armageddon—2419 A.D. is the first appearance of the character that would become Buck Rogers. First published in the August 1928 issue of Amazing Stories, followed by a sequel in March 1929. These two novellas would spawn a comic strip that would run for over 40 years, a radio series, a movie serial, and a bevy of imitators.

By: Pierre Souvestre (1874-1914)

Book cover Exploits of Juve (version 2)

The second book in the Fantômas series by the prolific authors Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre (they published 32 Fantômas novels between 1911 and 1913.) Fantômas broke the mold of the Gentlemen burglars like Raffles and Arsene Lupin. He killed without compunction. His anarchic ruthlessness, especially as portrayed by silent film pioneer Louis Feuillade, made Fantômas the darling of the French avante garde, such as the artist René Magritte and novelist Robert Desnos.

By: Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809-1865)

Book cover What is Property? An Inquiry into the Principle of Right and of Government

What Is Property?: or, An Inquiry into the Principle of Right and of Government (French: Qu'est-ce que la propriété ? ou Recherche sur le principe du Droit et du Gouvernment) is an influential work of nonfiction on the concept of property and its relation to anarchist philosophy by the French anarchist and mutualist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, first published in 1840. In the book, Proudhon most famously declared that “property is theft”. Proudhon believed that the common conception of property conflated two distinct components which, once identified, demonstrated the difference between property used to further tyranny and property used to protect liberty...


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