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By: Thomas Newbigging (1833-1914)

Book cover Lancashire Characters and Places

An eclectic collection of essays on late 19th-century Lancashire culture and life, including essays on the poets John Critchley Prince and Edwin Waugh. Thomas Newbigging was born in Glasgow and died in Knutsford, Chesshire, living in between in Rossendale, Pernambuco, and Manchester. A gas manager by profession and writer-historian by inclination, his two major works were the Handbook for Gas Engineers and Managers (1889) and the History of the Forest of Rossendale (1893).

By: George Eggleston and Dolores Marbourg

Book cover Juggernaut: A Veiled Record

Edgar Braine was consistently successful at all he set out to accomplish. He went through life with goals and worked diligently and with ethical purity in reaching those goals, from becoming editor of the local newspaper on up to his political aspirations. That was how his mother, in her waning years, had advised him to reach his goals, and Edgar was determined to honor her advice. There was one caveat in his mothers advice however, and it is for Edgar to determine exactly what she meant by it. Is success measured by the interactions between business, politics, and marriage?

By: Murray Leinster (1896-1975)

Murder Madness by Murray Leinster Murder Madness

Murder Madness! Seven Secret Service men had completely disappeared. Another had been found a screaming, homicidal maniac, whose fingers writhed like snakes. So Bell, of the secret "Trade," plunges into South America after The Master--the mighty, unknown octopus of power whose diabolical poison threatens a continent!

By: Charles Major (1856-1913)

Book cover When Knighthood Was in Flower

Set during the Tudor period of English history, When Knighthood Was in Flower tells the tribulations of Mary Tudor, a younger sister of Henry VIII of England who has fallen in love with a commoner. However, for political reasons, King Henry has arranged for her to wed King Louis XII of France and demands his sister put the House of Tudor first, threatening, "You will marry France and I will give you a wedding present – Charles Brandon's head!"

By: Washington Irving (1783-1859)

Book cover Letters of Jonathan Oldstyle, Gent.

The Letters of Jonathan Oldstyle, Gent. (1824) is a compilation of eight humorous and observational letters written by American writer, Washington Irving, under the pseudonym, Jonathan Oldstyle. These eight letters and one additional were first published as a series of "Letters to the Editor" of the New York paper, The Morning Chronicle, between 1802 and 1803. In them Oldstyle skewered the local New York social scene on the topics of etiquette, marriage, fashion, and other particulars of human interaction...

By: Charles Willard Diffin (1884-1966)

Moon Master by Charles Willard Diffin Moon Master

Through Infinite Deeps of Space Jerry Foster Hurtles to the Moon—Only to be Trapped by a Barbaric Race and Offered as a Living Sacrifice to Oong, their Loathsome, Hypnotic God.

By: Lydia Maria Child (1802-1880)

The Freedmen's Book by Lydia Maria Child The Freedmen's Book

Lydia Maria Child, an American abolitionist, compiled this collection of short stories and poems by former slaves and noted activists as an inspiration to freed slaves. In her dedication to the freedmen, she urges those who can read to read these stories aloud to others to share the strength, courage and accomplishments of colored men and women. In that spirit, this recording aims to gives that voice a permanent record. As in the original text, the names of the colored authors are marked with an "x".

By: Charlotte Grace O'Brien (1845-1909)

Basil, or, Honesty and Industry by Charlotte Grace O'Brien Basil, or, Honesty and Industry

A poor boy discovers the value of honesty and industry. More than that, he discovers the value of his relationship with God. (Introduction by Robert Harder)

By: Selma Lagerlöf (1858-1940)

Liliecrona's Home by Selma Lagerlöf Liliecrona's Home

Liliecrona's Home was published in Sweden 1911 and translated into English by Anna Barwell and published in London 1913. The story is set in the same surroundings in the district of Värmland, which Lagerlöf knew so well, and used in many of her books. At the bottom of the dried out Svartsjö lake (Black Lake) there lies the Lövdala Parsonage with its stables and outhouses. There resides the goodhearted, widowed, Pastor Lyselius and his beautiful daughter. Here one day, arrives his new wife, who turns out to be a wicked stepmother...

By: Johanna Spyri (1827-1901)

Book cover What Sami Sings With The Birds

Old Mary Ann has done her best to bring up her son on her own. Like other relatives, her son has a longing to travel off over the mountains. Mary Ann goes with him. Later on her son marries, but loses his wife after she gives birth to their son. Mary Ann assumes responsibility of her grandson, while her son moves away in the agony of his grief. This is the story of what happens to her grandson and where his Grandmother, the songs of the birds, and his faith leads him.

By: Various

Book cover King's Daughter and Other Stories for Girls

A charming collection of short stories for young girls, including The King's Daughter, The Old Brown House, A Story for School Girls, What One Lie Did, Two Ways of Reading the Bible, Courtesy to Strangers, Live for Something, and Jennie Browning. Each story subtly teaches an important lesson.

By: Unknown (1870-1916)

Book cover Reginald in Russia and other sketches

Reginald in Russia is the title story in a collection of fifteen witty and satirical stories, sketches and one "playlet" by that master of the short story H. H. Munro, better Known as Saki. The stories are: Reginald in Russia -- The Reticence of Lady Anne -- The Lost Sanjak -- The Sex That Doesn't Shop -- The Blood-feud of Toad-Water -- A Young Turkish Catastrophe -- Judkin of the Parcels -- Gabriel-Ernest -- The Saint and the Goblin -- The Soul of Laploshka -- The Bag -- The Strategist -- Cross Currents -- The Baker's Dozen (A Playlet) -- The Mouse.

By: Saki (1870-1916)

Book cover Unbearable Bassington

The Unbearable Bassington was the first novel written by Saki (H. H. Munro). It also contains much of the elegant wit found in his short stories. Comus (The Unbearable) Bassington, is a charming young man about town. His perversity however thwarts all his mother’s efforts to advance his prospects and lands him in hot water. Like many a “black sheep” he ends up being sent off to one of the colonies to fend for himself. This book showcases Saki’s wonderful writing and that ability to be so very funny and terribly sad at the same time.

By: Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896)

Book cover Eliza Crossing the River

LibriVox volunteers bring you 9 recordings of Eliza Crossing the River by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for April 27th, 2014.Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American abolitionist and author. Her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) was a depiction of life for African Americans under slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the United States and United Kingdom. It energized anti-slavery forces in the American North, while provoking widespread anger in the South...

By: William Shakespeare (1554-1616)

Book cover Reign of King Edward the Third

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: Anonymous

Book cover Little Girl to Her Flowers

This is a small volume with short poems about flowers. Listeners may wish to refer to the online text, which includes very neat illustrations.

By: Pansy (1841-1930)

Little Fishers and Their Nets by Pansy Little Fishers and Their Nets

Thirteen year old Nettie Decker is called home after having lived with another family for 7 years, to find that her father is a drunkard and her family is in poverty and hopelessness because of it. Her stepmother has given up, and her stepbrother is headed down the same path as her father. As she struggles with the reality of her home life, she meets a friendly neighbor boy, with whom she pledges to do all she can to save her father and stepbrother.

By: Robert Eustace (1854-1943)

Book cover Miss Florence Cusack Mysteries

Miss Florence Cusack was featured as an amateur detective who assists in solving crimes in five short stories authored by L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace that appeared in Harmsworth/London Magazine. Mr. Bovey's Unexpected Will, 1899 The Arrest of Capt. Vandeleur, 1899 A Terrible Railway Ride, 1900 The Outside Ledge, 1901 Mrs. Reid's Terror, 1901 This project includes all five stories read from their original sources. - Summary by J. M. Smallheer

By: Grace Livingston Hill (1865-1947)

Book cover Dawn of the Morning

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. - Summary by karlkzumich

By: Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-1873)

Book cover Wyvern Mystery

A classic with a pinch of romance, a pinch of gothic, and a dash of mystery, are you interested yet? When young Alice Maybell’ father dies she is taken in by Squire Fairfield, a widower with two handsome young sons, Charles and Harry. As Alice grows into a lovely young woman she attracts the attentions of more than one admirer, not all welcome. She marries the man she loves whilst fleeing the home she grew up in, but the blissful happiness that follows is short-lived. She finds herself pulled into the middle of the secrets of her husbands family’s past...

By: Frances Milton Trollope (1779-1863)

Book cover Widow Married: A Sequel to The Widow Barnaby

EXCERPT: The existence of Mrs. Barnaby , the existence of Mrs. Barnaby, up to the hour in which she pledged her vows to Major Allen, before the altar of the principal church in Sydney, had, on the whole, been a very happy one. She had, in fact, very keenly enjoyed many things, which persons less fortunately constituted might have considered as misfortunes and to the amiable and well-disposed reader a continuation of the history of such a mind can hardly fail of being useful as an encouragement and example.

By: Olive Schreiner (1855-1920)

Book cover Dreams

Olive Schreiner was a South African writer and intellectual born in 1855 to missionary parents in the Eastern Cape. She was one of the earliest campaigners for women's rights. She was also very critical of British Imperialism in her homeland and particularly of their racist policies against the Boers, Jews, Indians and the Black races of South Africa. As a result of her public support for the Boers, all her manuscripts and her house were burned during the Anglo-Boer War and she was interned in a concentration camp for several years...

By: Roy J. Snell (1878-1959)

Book cover Curlie Carson Listens In

It is early in the days of radio, and amateurs are using it more and more, and using it illegally. Enter Curlie Carson, who has the job of tracking down the miscreants. Sounds boring. You wouldn't expect high speed car chases, kidnapping, double dealing, and maybe even murder.

By: Fred M. White (1859-1935)

Book cover Corner House

A deserted house with a troubled past. A mysterious countess who captivates everyone with her wealth and beauty -- well, almost everyone. An equally mysterious derelict who holds a secret to the countess's past. A fresh crime that threatens to ruin a promising young doctor. A plucky young governess determined to save him. Who will prevail?

By: Anna Katharine Green (1864-1935)

Book cover Doctor Izard

The opening scene takes place in a hospital ward where two patients lie, apparently dying, when a man enters and offers a proposition to one of them. The story then shifts to another town where, years earlier, Polly Earle’s mother died of unknown causes and her father disappeared, leaving Polly, a small child, parentless and penniless. Raised by neighbors, Polly is now a beautiful young woman engaged to be married. A stranger arrives and makes an unsettling request of Polly. Doctor Izard, an intensely private person who had attended her mother, becomes involved. Anna Katherine Green, a prolific and popular mystery writer, was considered to be "The American Agatha Christie".

By: Horatio Alger, Jr. (1832-1899)

Book cover Rough and Ready OR Life Among the New York Newsboys

Join Rough and Ready for his adventure on the streets of New York City. Working as a newsboy, Rough and Ready tries to support himself and his sister on his meager earnings. Unfortunately, their stepfather is seeking to kidnap little Rose, getting an education is hard work, swindlers are trying to trick him out of his money, and thieves are planning nefarious deeds. Luckily for Rough and Ready, he makes some good friends along the way. Summary by Tori Faulder

By: Fergus Hume (1859-1932)

Book cover Tracked by a Tattoo

Mysteries abound in this crime novel by Fergus Hume. Mr. Fanks, detective of Scotland Yard, is not all he seems, for when off-duty, he assumes his real identity of Octavius Rixton, well-to-do idler. When the scent of a murder reaches him, he is instantly Mr. Fanks and on the pursuit. A guilty looking innkeeper nicknamed Queen Beelzebub and a suspicious doctor named Renshaw further complicate his beginning investigation, and he finds the body is a man with a tattoo on his arm that has been partially obliterated by a knife. Where no one is as he seems the mystery can only deepen before its solution. - Summary by Don W. Jenkins

By: Joris-Karl Huysmans (1848-1907)

Book cover Cathedral

It is the third of Huysmans' books to feature the character Durtal, a thinly disguised portrait of the author. He had already featured the character of Durtal in Là-bas and En route, which recounted his conversion to Catholicism. La Cathédrale continues the story. After his retreat at a Trappist monastery, Durtal moves to the city of Chartres, renowned for its cathedral. Huysmans describes the building in great detail. - Summary by Wikipedia

By: José Maria de Eça de Queirós (1845-1900)

Book cover Our Lady of the Pillar

A ghost story and love story all at once, set in medieval Portugal. Don Ruy is in love with Dona Leonor, but her husband has guessed his feelings and hatches a plan. Don Ruy rides right into a trap, but on the way, a dead man joins him and saves his life. - Summary by Carolin

By: Grace Livingston Hill (1865-1947)

Book cover Pansies for Thoughts

The young Grace Livingston compiled this book using quotes from her aunt's works; Isabella Macdonald Alden . It is a quote for each day of the year from one of the "Pansy Books" plus a bit of related scripture or verse. - Summary by LikeManyWaters

By: Martha Finley (1828-1909)

Book cover Mildred at Roselands

In order to recover her health, Mildred Keith goes to visit her mother's extended family, the Dinsmores, in the South. Mildred makes new friends while at Roselands, learns important lessons and grows in her faith in Christ.

By: Helen Wells (1910-1986)

Book cover Clue of the Gold Coin

Vicki Barr is a popular mystery series for girls published by Grosset & Dunlap from 1947 to 1964. This book is volume 12 of The Vicki Barr Air Stewardess Series. When a shipment of priceless gold doubloons being transported on her flight from New York to Tampa goes missing, Federal Airline's stewardess Vicki Barr is unwittingly dragged into a sinister conspiracy spanning two countries. Vicki faces a determined group of criminals willing to go to any lengths to stop her from discovering their secret...

By: Pansy (1841-1930)

Book cover Making Fate

A group of young adults away on a nutting expedition is delayed in a hospitable home by a sudden rainstorm. After the storm, Marjorie insists that she must get home that night, albeit late, out of respect and care for her mother. Others want to extend the fun and stay away overnight. Ralph, the driver of their wagon and unspoken beau of Marjorie, is swayed by the teasing ridicule of Estelle to refuse to take them home that night. Unknown to the party, unexpected opportunities occur at Ralph's and Estelle's homes that same night, and their delay and subsequent actions profoundly affect the course of all three of their lives. Sequel: Overruled

By: Grace Livingston Hill (1865-1947)

Book cover Unwilling Guest

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. - Summary by LikeManyWaters

By: Pansy (1841-1930)

Book cover What She Said and What She Meant, and People Who Haven't Time and Can't Afford It

Two short stories by Pansy. In "What She Said and What She Meant," Mrs. Marks detests gossip and avoids it as much as she can. But what she does say is vague and suggestive. It is taken, added to, and passed on by others, so that it is no longer what she meant, and threatens to ruin people's reputations and lives in the process. In "People Who Haven't Time and Can't Afford It," Mrs. Leymon is awakened to the needs of the abject poor in her town and works out how to help them. But will she find anyone able and willing to give of their time and money to help her with the scheme?

By: Helen Randolph

Book cover Secret of Casa Grande

While visiting their friend, Florence, at her home in Mexico, Jo Ann and Peggy noticed a barred window which has no opening into any of the rooms of an ancient adobe house. Curious to find out what it is, the girls tried to investigate but no one seems eager to help them. Undaunted, the girls made plans to get there only to encounter dangers and find a thrilling discovery. - Summary by Mary Escano

By: Pansy (1841-1930)

Book cover Miss Priscilla Hunter, and My Daughter Susan

Two shorter stories in one book. In "Miss Priscilla Hunter," the church has been carrying debt for years. It's an embarrassment, and it is hindering them from doing necessary work. They've tried to chip away at it in the past with festivals and fundraisers, but it seems like it will never go away. Miss Hunter, a poor seamstress, finally takes matters into her own hands and works to KILL that debt once and for all! In "My Daughter Susan," we tag along with Susan in what is apparently a typical day for her, seeing how she works for others and her Lord, within the context of temperance.

By: Joel Chandler Harris (1848-1908)

Book cover Kidnapping of President Lincoln, and Other War Detective Stories

While detective work always makes for exciting stories, the circumstances under which the detective works play a huge role in the thrill. The stories in this collection follow detectives as they unravel mysteries in times of war, where danger awaits them at every turn. - Summary by Carolin

By: Eden Phillpotts (1862-1960)

Book cover Deal With The Devil

A Deal with the Devil is a classic tale with a humorous twist. We find that on the night preceeding his 100th birthday Grandpapa, a cantankerous yet loveable sort, has made a deal with the devil, which his granddaughter, in part, will pay. - Summary by Angelique G. Campbell

By: Arnold Bennett (1867-1931)

Book cover Riceyman Steps

Arnold Bennet's masterly novel is a gritty tale about a bookseller whose life and love of a woman are afflicted by miserliness. It is set in London's characterful Clerkenwell district shortly after the First World War. - Summary by Anthony Ogus

By: Walter De la Mare (1873-1956)

Book cover Crossings: A Fairy Play

Under the terms of a will, the Wildersham children have to relocate from the family house in the city to "Crossings" in the country, and to spend the first fortnight alone fending for themselves in the house. The children encounter interesting country neighbors, including ghosts and fairies. Or are they dreaming? Walter De La Mare was a poet, and we have a number of his poems available at. This is his only play: "Crossings was produced for the first time in 1919, at the Wick School, Hove, to celebrate the coming of Peace...

By: Richard Marsh (1857-1915)

Book cover Judith Lee - Pages From Her Life

Judith Lee is a young woman with an unusual gift, she can read lips at a distance as well as she can hear the person next to her. Her skill leads her into a number of adventures. Written by Richard Marsh and published in the Strand Magazine in 1911, Marsh creates a strong independent female detective.

By: Grace Livingston Hill (1865-1947)

Book cover Story of a Whim

A group of girls send gifts and letters to one whom they think to be a young woman like them. "Christie" is really a poor young bachelor tending his orange grove in sunny Florida. Through his correspondence with Hazel he becomes a Christian, and falls in love with her. What will happen when she takes a trip south to meet her dear pen-pal? - Summary by LikeManyWaters

By: Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961)

Book cover Five Continental Op Stories

Before Sam Spade chased the black bird in The Maltese Falcon and Nick and Nora Charles stirred their first martinis in The Thin Man, the Continental Op walked early twentieth century San Francisco’s mean streets for the Continental Detective Agency. Dashiell Hammett used his own experiences as a Pinkerton operative to lend realistic detail to this creation. These first five stories were published in Black Mask magazine in 1923. - Summary by Winston Tharp

By: Grace Livingston Hill (1865-1947)

Book cover Big Blue Soldier

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! - Summary by LikeManyWaters

By: Mark Twain (1835-1910)

Book cover How To Tell A Story, and Other Essays (Version 2)

The complete collection of works using this title. Other versions, including the Project Gutenberg version, have been radically shortened. Mark Twain published several collections of his short stories and essays. This collection, like the others, dramatically demonstrates the eclectic nature of his work and the depth of his humanistic thinking. Each essay stands alone. Listeners will find many instances where modern times come to mind.

By: Jack London (1876-1916)

Book cover Abysmal Brute

Young Pat Glendon is twenty-two years old, weighs two-hundred and twenty pounds, has never drunk alcohol nor tasted tobacco and knows little of city life. He’s all muscle, moves with cat-like grace and possesses great stamina and strength acquired from living natural in the wilds of northern California with his father. Young Pat is a natural at prize-fighting. In addition to his brawn he has speed and a natural instinct for the sport. His father, a former heavyweight prize-fighter himself, has trained Young Pat and believes it is time for the boy to take on the heavyweight world...

By: Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1835-1915)

Book cover Lady's Mile

If you drive through the Lady's Mile, the most fashionable district in London, you will see people whose most distinguished ambition was to be known in that circle. A novelist, a painter, and some aristocrats, willing to prove themselves to the world. But what happens behind closed doors? Is the Lady's Mile as respectable as it seems? - Summary by Stav Nisser.

By: Annie Denton Cridge (1825-1875)

Book cover Man's Rights; or, How Would You Like It?: Comprising Dreams

"Man's Rights; or, How Would You Like It?: Comprising Dreams" is the first known feminist utopian novel written by a woman. The text features nine dreams experienced by a first-person female narrator. In the first seven dreams, she visits the planet Mars, finding a society where traditional sex roles and stereotypes are reversed. The narrator witnesses the oppression of the men on Mars and their struggle for equality. In the last two dreams, the narrator visits a future United States ruled by a woman president.

By: H. G. Wells (1866-1946)

Book cover Men Like Gods

In the summer of 1921, a disenchanted journalist escapes the rat race for a drive in the country. But Mr. Barnstaple's trip exceeds his expectations when he and other motorists are swept 3,000 years into the future. The inadvertent time travelers arrive in a world that corresponds exactly to Barnstaple's ideals: a utopian state, free of crime, poverty, war, disease, and bigotry. Unfettered by the constraints of government and organized religion, the citizens lead rich, meaningful lives, passed in pursuit of their creative fancies...

Book cover Bealby; A Holiday

Bealby is the comical story of the escapade of a thirteen-year-old boy when he rebels against his placement as a steward's-room boy in the great house of an estate named Shonts and flees—not, however, before thoroughly upsetting a weekend party where the nouveau riche couple renting Shonts is entertaining the Lord Chancellor. - Summary by Wikipedia

By: F. Anstey (1856-1934)

Book cover Statement of Stella Maberly

From childhood Stella Maberly has been violently wilful and jealous, yet certain of her own superiority. She can be loving and friendly, but soon loses friends, when in the grip of her “demons” she acts with disdain and subtle cruelty, and then revels in the misery of her loneliness. Her paranoia results in tragedy for her best friend Evelyn, and Stella comes to believe that Evelyn is possessed by an evil spirit. In this statement Stella reflects on the events leading to her present situation...

By: Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823)

Book cover Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne

Ann Radcliffe is the founder of the gothic novel. This novel is no exception. The wicked baron murdered the good earl's father twelve years before the novel began. Only twelve years later, free from his mother's wishes, can the earl seek revenge. Meanwhile, Mary, the earl's beautiful sister is falling in love with a peasant. Yet her brother was abducted by the baron and he wants to marry her. She may have to wed him in order to secure his return. We see Mary's conflict along with a description of her brother's captivity...

By: H. C. Bailey (1878-1961)

Book cover Call Mr. Fortune

Call Mr. Fortune is a collection of short stories which introduce Reginald Fortune. Reggie, like his father, is a physician. The son applies his diagnostic skills to crime-solving. As he is not a civil servant, he is free to represent the government, the accused, or the injured.

By: Pansy (1841-1930)

Book cover Cunning Workmen

Miss Cora Parkhurst is an irresponsible and flighty Sunday school teacher for a group of young ladies. She has simply no time to prepare the lessons, nor any knowledge of what it means to be a sincere Christian. Mr. Robert Hammond is an earnest, dedicated Sunday school teacher for a group of young men. Mr. Hammond invites Miss Parkhurst to the weekly teachers' meeting to spur her on, only to discover how much spiritual help and encouragement she needs! Meanwhile, Miss Parkhurst's fiance, Mr. George Tracy, is ambivalent towards any religious activities that interfere with his and Cora's relationship, and despises Mr. Hammond.

By: William Elliot Griffis (1843-1928)

Book cover Japanese Fairy World: Stories from the Wonder-Lore of Japan

William Elliot Griffis born in Philadelphia in 1843, was an educator, author and Congregational minister. In 1870 he was invited to go to Japan in order to modernize the school system and became the Superintendent of Education in the Province of Echizen. Whilst there he became interested in the folk lore, legends and stories of the East and began to collect tales from the story tellers that he met with and the literature that he found there. The thirty four wonderful stories in this collection are some of the ones that he found and fortunately decided to share with us...

By: Gustavus Rosenberg Alden (1832-1924)

Book cover Sevenfold Trouble

This story is an honest record of what we, who are all writers, and all very intimate friends, have seen and heard as we looked on at the lives of certain people in whom we are deeply interested. We used to talk about these people when we sat together after the day's work was done."They don't understand one another," said one of the ministers, "else there wouldn't be much trouble.""I think the little girl means better than she is supposed to," said Grace."And I know the two boys are not half so mean as they are made out to be," declared Paranete...

By: Carolyn Wells (1862-1942)

Book cover Curved Blades

In this suspensful whodunit a mean-spirited and wealthy dowager is found murdered in her boudoir supposedly killed once by poison and also by a blow to the head. Most bizarre is the fact that she is found sitting in front of her mirror lavishly dressed wearing a fortune in pearls and gems. Her niece, her social secretary, her cousin managing her finances, a mysterious count and a maid acting rather suspiciously are the suspects. The police are getting nowhere so famous criminologist Fleming Stone is called in. However is it possible he is so taken with the primary suspect that she could prevent him from solving the mystery??? - Summary by Celine Major

By: Arnold Bennett (1867-1931)

Book cover Loot Of Cities

Published in 1917, this is a collection of a novella and seven short stories by one of the cleverest authors of the early twentieth century. ‘In Queen's Quorum , a survey of crime fiction, Ellery Queen listed Bennett's The Loot of Cities among the 100 most important works in the genre. This collection of stories recounts the adventures of a millionaire who commits crimes to achieve his idealistic ends. Although it was "one of his least known works," it was nevertheless "of unusual interest, both as an example of Arnold Bennett's early work and as an early example of dilettante detectivism".’ - Summary by David Wales

By: Frank Gelett Burgess (1886-1951)

Book cover Master of Mysteries

Subtitled, "Being an account of the problems solved by Astro, seer of secrets, and his love affair with Valeska Wynne, his assistant." Classic detective stories, with an atypical solver of them. Note, the book itself is published with no author name, which explains the introduction. Don't understand what I mean? Listen and find out! - Summary by TriciaG

By: Martha Finley (1828-1909)

Book cover Mildred and Elsie

Mildred returns home from visiting her mother's relatives. She continues to grow in wisdom and beauty and receives many proposals of marriage. She is an ever-increasing blessing to her family and community. In-laws are added to the family, and they enjoy a visit from Horace Dinsmore and his daughter Elsie. - Summary by Amy

By: Various

Book cover Black Cat Vol. 01 No. 01 October 1895

The Black Cat was a monthly literary magazine, publishing original short stories, often about uncanny or fantastical topics. Many writers were largely unknown, but some famous authors also wrote original material for this magazine. This is the very first issue, offering the following 7 stories: "In gold time", by Roberta Littlehale: in wild-west days, when two rivals love the same woman, tragedy ensues "The unturned trump", by Barnes MacGreggor, pseudonym of H. D. Umbstaetter : to while away the...

By: A. E. W. Mason (1865-1948)

Book cover Affair at the Semiramis Hotel

Inspector Hanaud is a member of the French Sûreté. He is said to have been the model for Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, as well as the opposite of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. The Affair At The Semiramis Hotel , a novella, is the second Hanaud mystery. Did the robbery/murder really happen or was it the mescal-induced hallucination of the witness? The first novel is At The Villa Rose . The third is The House Of The Arrow . In 1910, Mason undertook to create a fictional detective as different as possible from Sherlock Holmes, who had recently been resuscitated after his supposed death by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1903...

By: Ella Scrymsour (1888-1962)

Book cover Perfect World

Almost certainly the merging of two separate magazine novellas, where Scrymsour attempted to weave together the plots. In this fantasy/ science fiction novel, the two young gentlemen protagonists are transported from a company town dominated by their family coalmine into an underground cave system where an oligarchic exiled race of dwarf Israelites has lived for 3000 years and grown horns. More space and time travel follow bringing our heroes to Jupiter, where romance follows. - Summary by Lynne Thompson

By: A. E. W. Mason (1865-1948)

Book cover House Of The Arrow

A young English girl is accused in Dijon of murdering her French aunt. Hanaud to the rescue! Inspector Hanaud is a member of the French Sûreté. He is said to have been the model for Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, as well as the opposite of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. In 1910, Mason undertook to create a fictional detective as different as possible from Sherlock Holmes, who had recently been resuscitated after his supposed death by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1903. Inspector Gabriel Hanaud was...

By: Various

Book cover Black Cat Vol. 01 No. 02 November 1895

The Black Cat was a monthly literary magazine, publishing original short stories, often about uncanny or fantastical topics. Many writers were largely unknown, but some famous authors also wrote original material for this magazine. In this second issue are included the following 8 stories: "A Calaveras hold-up", by Roberta Littlehale: can love make a man mend his ways or are some relationships doomed from the start ? "From a trolley post", by Margaret Dodge: a boring bus-stop wait is interrupted...

By: Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961)

Book cover Tenth Clew and Other Continental Op Stories

Biographer Nathan Ward has called “The Tenth Clew” Dashiell Hammett’s “first real jewel of a story.” In it, Hammett’s nameless Continental Detective Agency operative survives being knocked unconscious and dumped in San Francisco Bay. This kind of action was what his Black Mask magazine editors and readers were asking for, and Hammett somewhat grudgingly obliged them with continuing stories of the Continental Op.

By: Various

Book cover Black Cat Vol. 01 No. 03 December 1895

The Black Cat was a monthly literary magazine, publishing original short stories, often about uncanny or fantastical topics. Many writers were largely unknown, but some famous authors also wrote original material for this magazine. The following 6 stories are included in this third issue: "The great star ruby", by Barnes MacGreggor, pseud. of H. D. Umbstaetter : a man tells the thrilling story of the theft of a very valuable ruby "The interrupted banquet", by René Bache : at this strange dinner party, a young man is told some shocking news by the other guests "The archangel", by James Q...

By: Louis Tracy (1863-1928)

Book cover "Mind The Paint" Girl

"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." Note that we also have the play itself available here at. - Summary by Bookseller Magazine of 1912

By: Ring Lardner (1885-1933)

Book cover How To Write Short Stories, with examples

Here are 10 humorous short stories by Ring Lardner , an American sports columnist and short-story writer best known for his satirical writings on sports, marriage, and the theatre. His contemporaries Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, and F. Scott Fitzgerald all professed strong admiration for his writing.

By: Various

Book cover Black Cat Vol. 01 No. 04 January 1896

The Black Cat was a monthly literary magazine, publishing original short stories, often about uncanny or fantastical topics. Many writers were largely unknown, but some famous authors also wrote original material for this magazine. This is the fourth issue, containing the following 7 stories: "In Solomon's Caverns", by Charles Edward Barns: lost in a huge cavern, a man struggles to survive and find his way back to civilization "An angel of Tenderfoot Hill", by Frederick Bradford: can two years of...

By: Martha Finley (1828-1909)

Book cover Mildred's Married Life

Mildred and Charlie Landreth begin married life together and enjoy many simple home pleasures. Together with Mildred's younger sister, they journey South to visit friends and relatives. - Summary by Amy

By: Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

Book cover Fanatics

This is a story about a town in Ohio during the civil war. The town is divided by ideology, but can they be united by love and respect? - Summary by Stav Nisser.Note to listeners: Because of the subject of this book, some of the ideas described and the words used can be offensive.

By: Pansy (1841-1930)

Book cover Grandpa's Darlings

Fiction, or fact? The narrator asserts it's fact. The narrator is an author, whom her little nieces call "Auntie Belle". There's also an "Auntie Dule" , Grandpa and Grandma, Mama and Papa, and eventually an Uncle Ross . The book is made up of vignettes of the funny sayings or doings of little Minnie and little Gracie, and how these lead to Grandpa's wise lessons for both the little ones and the adults. - Summary by TriciaG

By: P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975)

Book cover Bill the Conqueror

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.

By: Samuel Hopkins Adams (1871-1958)

Book cover Flaming Youth

This book tells the story of the Fentriss sisters and their mother. They are educated and rich. They live in a suburb. They are looking for love. Their quest for love leads them to many different places. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote about it: "the novel persuaded certain moralistic people that a woman could be seduced without being immoral". It was scandalous for the time because of the frank descriptions of sexuality and relationships. Yet to the modern readers it may seem as if someone wrote this book only a few years ago...

By: Charles Monroe Sheldon (1857-1946)

Book cover Born to Serve

Despite a college education and a good family name, Barbara cannot get the teaching job she needs to help her mother and herself through some hard years. When she sees a need for a hired girl in her community, Barbara makes the unthinkable choice of lowering herself to the work of a servant. But is service really to be despised? And must all the challenges and snubs which come with the position rob her young life of its purpose, joy, and hopes and dreams? - Summary by HannahMary

By: John Buchan (1875-1940)

Book cover Three Hostages

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! - Summary by Kimberly Shoemaker

By: Ernest Oldmeadow (1867-1949)

Book cover Susan

Susan is a perfect gem of a maid until suddenly she begins to mess things ups and is so distracted that her mistress Gertrude is determined to find out what is bothering her. After much prodding Susan confesses that she has had a marriage proposal by letter from a Lord Ruddington whom she has never met. Should she accept?? Things get a little complicated as we follow this delightful story which unfolds in diary form written by Miss Gertrude. It will make you smile and sometimes laugh out loud. Enjoy! - Summary by Celine Major

By: Jules Verne (1828-1905)

Book cover Master Zacharius

Master Zacharius is a man of science, skill, and overpowering pride. He is the first to successfully, and accurately, regulate time. Does this not make him God-like? What then, should such a man do when his time is running out and his legacy is in danger?

By: Various

Book cover Black Cat Vol. 01 No. 05 February 1896

The Black Cat was a monthly literary magazine, publishing original short stories, often about uncanny or fantastical topics. Many writers were largely unknown, but some famous authors also wrote original material for this magazine. The fifth issue has the following 6 stories: "The mysterious card", by Cleveland Moffet : a man desperately tries to understand the horrible message which utterly destroyed his life "Tang-u", by Lawrence E. Adams: through excellent eyesight, a young boy saves the lives...

By: Pansy (1841-1930)

Book cover David Ransom's Watch

A tale of human choices and lost opportunities, and how one's choices affect so many other lives, for good or ill. A borrowed watch. A selfish younger brother. An engagement and flirtation. A trip to the city to replace the watch turns David Ransom's life in a whole new direction. - Summary by TriciaG

By: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851)

Book cover Falkner

Falkner is the last novel by Mary Shelley, best known as the author of Frankenstein and The Last Man. It tells the impossible love story between Elizabeth Raby and Gerald Neville. She is an orphan, raised by a tyrannical father figure. The man who raised her drove Gerald Neville's mother to her death years before. Can these men reconcile for the woman both love and start anew? Or would Elizabeth have to give up her happiness? Mary Shelley considered this her best novel. You may read it and see what you think. - Summary by Stav Nisser and Wikipedia.

By: Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870)

Book cover Marie Antoinette Romances, Vol 2: The Mesmerist's Victim

This 2nd volume of the Marie Antoinette Romances continues the intrigues of "Balsamo, The Magician" and adds to them the schemes of philosophers and the stirrings of revolution. Balsamo carries on his occult tactics to weaponize the state secrets that he gained in the previous volume. A serious romance and illness takes root in the court of King Louis XV, convincing one of the leading philosophic minds of the era, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, that “the breath of heaven will blast an age and a monarchy.” - Summary by jvanstan

By: Baroness Emma Orczy (1865-1947)

Book cover Case of Miss Elliott

A sequel to the stories published in The Old Man in the Corner, this second book in the series includes twelve new mysterious cases that The Old Man in the Corner unravels over his milk and cheesecake at the ABC Tea Shop, all the while tying and untying knots in a bit of string. His audience is Polly Burton, a young journalist, who has to begrudging admit that the Old Man's solutions are indeed plausible explanations to these cases which have baffled both the police and coroner. Orzy's Old Man is an early 20th century example of the armchair detective. Summary by J. M. Smallheer

By: Various

Book cover Black Cat Vol. 01 No. 06 March 1896

The Black Cat was a monthly literary magazine, publishing original short stories, often about uncanny or fantastical topics. Many writers were largely unknown, but some famous authors also wrote original material for this magazine. This is the sixth issue, offering the following 5 stories: "Eleanor Stevens' will", by Isabel Scott Stone: a rich woman's final will creates a stir among fortune hunters ''To let'', by Alice Turner Curtis: midnight screams scare away new residents in a cottage with a terrible history "Of course - Of course not", by Harry M...

By: Bram Stoker (1847-1912)

Book cover Lady of the Shroud

As the title suggests, this work does flirt with the supernatural. Yet it is essentially a political novel—a utopian experiment in a fictitious Balkan country, the Land of the Blue Mountains. The story spans the years from 1892 to 1909. It includes a beautiful love story and an adventure tale—a double rescue requiring strength, cunning, and cutting-edge technology. These various aspects are unified by the character of the hero, a purely admirable individual whom we love and admire from the very first and who acquires immense power...

By: H. C. Bailey (1878-1961)

Book cover Mr. Fortune's Practice

Mr. Fortune is a physician crime solver, using early forensic science techniques. This second volume brings seven more cases for him to solve for the police.

By: E. M. Delafield (1890-1943)

Book cover Tension

When the role of ‘Lady Superintendent’ becomes available at the Commercial and Technical College for South West England, the calm and capable Pauline Marchrose is the successful applicant. This is good news for Sir Julian, the college director, who greatly admires her diligence and ability. Mark Easter, Sir Julian’s agent, feels admiration for her too, which rapidly becomes romantic attraction. But Mark already has a wife, albeit in name only. And Sir Julian’s wife, Lady Edna Rossiter, discovers that Pauline Marchrose is the same woman who jilted her cousin Clarence after he was paralysed in an accident...

By: Charles Monroe Sheldon (1857-1946)

Book cover For Christ and the Church (dramatic reading)

Rev. Mark Spencer is about to give up on writing his sermon one Saturday night when the Devil comes to him and tries to discourage him by reminding him how few of the people who have pledged themselves to make their motto, 'For Christ and the Church' keep it. The minister decides to preach a sermon like nothing the people in his congregation have ever heard before--a sermon that stirs them to action and to give themselves fully to God. A sermon that urges them to pledge themselves again to Christ and the Church! - Summary by Esther ben SimonidesCast ListRev...

By: Victor Hugo (1802-1885)

Book cover Hans of Iceland

Hans of Iceland was written in 1821 and is the very first novel written by young Victor, years before he became the great Hugo. It has all the ingredients of a gothic novel: dreadful murders by the hand of a human monster, a young hero in love with the destitute heroine, royal court-intrigues and rebellious uprising, all set in dungeons, dark towers and the untamed nature of Norway.This audio-book has been recorded as Dramatic Reading with all the voices performed by one single reader, including laughs, sobs, groans, occasional screams and a lot of growls. I hope you will enjoy listening to this adventurous journey just as much as I enjoyed recording it. - Summary by Sonia

By: Rosalind Goforth (1864-1942)

Book cover Chinese Diamonds for the King of Kings

In this small book Rosalind Goforth tells many stories of 'diamonds' in China that have been tested and come out pure in the King of Kings' hand for His service. Sketch 9 speaks of the awful facts of the "heathen" that Rosalind Goforth had witnessed. Although she speaks of these as being confined to merely non-Christian persons, many of these evils are characteristics of people in countries generally classified as "Christian". Please be advised that this fact may cause this chapter to be offensive to some.

By: Florence Morse Kingsley (1859-1937)

Book cover Paul: A Herald of the Cross

This is an exciting sequel to the earlier books Titus: A Comrade of the Cross and Stephen: A Soldier of the Cross. It tells the story of the apostle Paul, from his conversion through his imprisonment.

By: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851)

Book cover Lodore

The author of Frankenstein returns with her take on an Austen novel. The mother is proud, the father has many vices, yet the aristocratic name must be kept. Even more so when lord Lodore dies. His wife and daughter find themselves without protection. This novel is conserned with gender equality, education and social justice. - Summary by Stav Nisser.

By: Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881)

Book cover Crocodile

Ivan Matveich, the most ordinary person you might hope to meet, is swallowed alive by a crocodile at a sideshow. Finding life inside the belly of the beast quite comfortable, he makes a home for himself there. His disquisitions on the state of the world from inside the crocodile make him quite a name for himself; while all the while the discussion rages outside as to whether the beast is going to be cut open to release him or not, its value as a sideshow attraction having massively increased owing to the presence of the human voice buried inside it. One of Jorge Luis Borges' seven most favourite stories. - Summary by Tony Addison

By: J. M. Barrie (1860-1937)

Book cover Tommy and Grizel

This book continues Sentimental Tommy, also in the catalogue. Tommy grows up and marries Grizel. But life is not only roses and rainbows. This book has all the elements of a good love story, but it is also a book about growing up and finding out your distinct voice in the world. - Summary by Stav Nisser.

By: Grace Livingston Hill (1865-1947)

Book cover Miranda

The third book in the Marcia Schuyler/Miranda trilogy, this story focuses on the irrepressible Miranda Griscom. She has repeatedly rejected a wealthy suitor's proposals of marriage. The townsfolk are puzzled: why would she give up such a chance? But "jest plain, hombly, turn-upnose, freckle-faced, red-haired M'randy Griscom" has a long-secret love for a man who was accused of murder, whose escape she orchestrated.

By: Mrs. C. M. Livingston

Book cover Aunt Hannah and Martha and John

Aunt Hannah's fondest wish had been that her nephew John would marry a local girl and take over the family farm. Trouble was, John was never very interested in the farm and followed his own path, first to college and then to seminary. Now he was settling into his first pastorate and as anyone could see, his wife Mattie was simply not fit to be a housekeeper or a pastor's wife in a country church. If only he had listened to his Aunt Hannah!

By: Rosa Campbell Praed (1852-1935)

Book cover Policy and Passion

"Policy and Passion, a Novel of Australian Life" tells the story about a father and daughter, torn between the policy of the country in which they live and the passions both have. The father, Thomas, is a rising politician until his love for a married woman changes the game while the daughter, Honora, falls in love with an English nobleman. But this is not only a love story. This novel tells about the early days of Australia, and tells the story of a whole community. It receives scholarly attention as a work about colonialism. - Summary by Stav Nisser


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