Audio Books Podcasts

The Pritzker Military Library Presents: Author Series show

The Pritzker Military Library Presents: Author SeriesJoin Now to Follow

The Pritzker Military Library, located in Chicago, Illinois, has extensive collections in military history and military fiction, especially those works that illustrate the role of the citizen-soldier. Part of the mission of the library is to develop appropriate programs focusing on the concept of the Citizen Soldier as an essential element for the preservation of democracy. The Library has an extensive programming schedule. Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public. All programs are available as a live webcast and are also archived for later viewing at www.pritzkermilitarylibrary.org. Features the best authors, historians, journalists, and members of the military discussing their latest books on military history and military fiction.

By Pritzker Military Library

Librivox: Chronicles of Canada Volume 14 - The War With the United States : A Chronicle of 1812 by Wood, William show

Librivox: Chronicles of Canada Volume 14 - The War With the United States : A Chronicle of 1812 by Wood, WilliamJoin Now to Follow

"International disputes that end in war are not generally questions of absolute right and wrong. They may quite as well be questions of opposing rights. But, when there are rights on both sides; it is usually found that the side which takes the initiative is moved by its national desires as well as by its claims of right. This could hardly be better exemplified than by the vexed questions which brought about the War of 1812." This volume of the Chronicles of Canada series explains both the causes of the War of 1812 and the campaigns of the war from a primarily Canadian viewpoint, a perspective that is very often missed in writings on this Americo-British conflict. (By Sibella)

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Librivox: Alice in Blunderland: an Iridescent Dream by Bangs, John Kendrick show

Librivox: Alice in Blunderland: an Iridescent Dream by Bangs, John KendrickJoin Now to Follow

From Alice in Blunderland: "Certain of our members claim that they have a right to sell their votes for 0 apiece--" "Mercy!" cried Alice, "Why, that is--that is terrible." "It certainly is," said the March Hare ruefully, it's rotten. Here I've been holding out for ,250 for mine, and these duffers want to go in for a cut rate that will absolutely ruin the business." John Kendrick Bangs takes Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and turns it into a political satire in many ways as fresh, keen and relevant today as it was a hundred years ago. (Summary by Ruth Golding)

By LibriVox

Librivox: Don Juan, Canto 5 by Byron, George Gordon, Lord show

Librivox: Don Juan, Canto 5 by Byron, George Gordon, LordJoin Now to Follow

Juan, captured by Turkish pirates and sold into slavery is bought by a beautiful Princess as her toy-boy. Dressed as an odalisque, he is smuggled into the Sultan's harem for a steamy assignation. Unbelievably, Byron's publisher almost baulked at this feast of allusive irony, blasphemy (mild), calumny, scorn, lesse-majeste, cross-dressing, bestiality, assassination, circumcision and dwarf-tossing. This was the last Canto published by the stuffy John Murray (who had, however, made a tidy fortune on the earlier parts of the Epic). Although Byron's mood starts, after this, to grow darker and his bitterness at English hypocrisy to grow sharper, his discursive comedy and precise and intriguing rhyme is rarely better than in Canto V. (Summary by Peter Gallagher)

By LibriVox

Librivox: Brewster's Millions by McCutcheon, George Barr show

Librivox: Brewster's Millions by McCutcheon, George BarrJoin Now to Follow

The story revolves around Montgomery Brewster, a poor man who inherits a large sum of money. However, there is a catch — he has to spend every penny within 30 days, and end up with nothing at that time. Should he make the deadline, he stands to gain an even larger sum; should he fail, he remains penniless. Brewster finds that spending so much money is more difficult than he first thinks, especially when the lawyers are trying to make him fail so that they can claim the money. What makes it worse is that he starts to be a little too successful with some ventures, actually making money from them. Can Brewster empty his pockets in time for the deadline, or will he end the book as he started it, with nothing?

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Librivox: Hymns to the Night by Novalis show

Librivox: Hymns to the Night by NovalisJoin Now to Follow

"Hymns to the Night" is the last published work of Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (1772-1801), the German philosopher and early Romantic poet whose pen name was simply “Novalis”. The work alternates poetry and prose, exploring a personal mythology of darkness and light, but it is also a free-associative chronicle of a young man rationalizing the untimely death of his fiancé. This version (1897) was translated by influential fantasy author and novelist George MacDonald, who cited it as a great – and early – inspiration. "Hymns to the Night" is also available to Librivox listeners in the original German. (Summary by Pete Williams)

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Librivox: Summa Theologica - 01 Pars Prima, Initial Questions by Aquinas, Thomas, Saint show

Librivox: Summa Theologica - 01 Pars Prima, Initial Questions by Aquinas, Thomas, SaintJoin Now to Follow

The Summa Theologica (or the Summa Theologiae or simply the Summa, written 1265–1274) is the most famous work of Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225–1274) although it was never finished. It was intended as a manual for beginners as a compilation of all of the main theological teachings of that time. It summarizes the reasonings for almost all points of Christian theology in the West, which, before the Protestant Reformation, subsisted solely in the Roman Catholic Church. The Summa's topics follow a cycle: the existence of God, God's creation, Man, Man's purpose, Christ, the Sacraments, and back to God.(Summary adapted from the Wikipedia) This is part one of six parts of the Pars Prima, consisting of the Initial Questions.

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Librivox: Tales of Terror and Mystery by Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir show

Librivox: Tales of Terror and Mystery by Doyle, Arthur Conan, SirJoin Now to Follow

Though Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is best known for his detective stories, he also wrote other short stories which are masterpieces of mystery and suspense. In some of the stories in "Tales of Terror and Mystery", a suppressed uneasiness gradually builds up and evolves into sheer terror. In others, the story line unexpectedly changes and comes to a horrific conclusion. Sit back in the comfort of your armchair and let yourself be transported to the strange but compelling world created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

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Librivox: Mother Night by Johnson, James Weldon show

Librivox: Mother Night by Johnson, James WeldonJoin Now to Follow

Librivox volunteers bring you fifteen different readings of Mother Night , by James Weldon Johnson. This weekly poetry project (for the week of 2/26/2006) was selected to celebrate Black History Month. (Summary by Annie Coleman)

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Librivox: Point of Honor, The by Conrad, Joseph show

Librivox: Point of Honor, The by Conrad, JosephJoin Now to Follow

Set during the Napoleonic Wars, this story features two French Hussar officers, D'Hubert and Feraud. Their quarrel over an initially minor incident turns into a bitter, long-drawn out struggle over the following fifteen years, interwoven with the larger conflict that provides its backdrop. At the beginning, Feraud is the one who jealously guards his honor and repeatedly demands satisfaction anew when a duelling encounter ends inconclusively; he aggressively pursues every opportunity to locate and duel his foe. As the story progresses, D'Hubert also finds himself caught up in the contest, unable to back down or walk away. This Conrad short story evidently has its genesis in the real duels that two French Hussar officers fought in the Napoleonic era. Their names were Dupont and Fournier, which Conrad disguised slightly, changing Dupont into D'Hubert and Fournier into Feraud. In 1977, it was turned into a movie, "The Duellists", starring Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel. (summary adapted from Wikipedia)

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