Arts Podcasts

Librivox: Deadwood Dick's Doom; or, Calamity Jane's Last Adventure by Wheeler, Edward L. show

Librivox: Deadwood Dick's Doom; or, Calamity Jane's Last Adventure by Wheeler, Edward L.Join Now to Follow

This western, published around 1899, is a dime novel that has it all: roguish gun men, hostile Indians, chilvarous gentlemen to protect the hapless females, and - in Calamity Jane - even a female who can hold her own. The fictional character of the hero, Deadwood Dick, appeared in more than a hundred stories and became so famous the name was claimed by several men who actually lived in Deadwood, South Dakota. (Summary by Gesine/Wikipedia)

By LibriVox

Librivox: Fables de La Fontaine, livre 03 by La Fontaine, Jean de show

Librivox: Fables de La Fontaine, livre 03 by La Fontaine, Jean deJoin Now to Follow

Voici le troisième des douze livres des Fables de La Fontaine. Celles-ci datent du XVIIe siècle et ont été enregistrées par des lecteurs de divers horizons. This is the third book from a collection of 12. The fables were written and first published in the 17th century. They portray humans' behaviour in the society. (Summary by Ezwa)

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Librivox: Round the Moon by Verne, Jules show

Librivox: Round the Moon by Verne, JulesJoin Now to Follow

Around the Moon, Jules Verne's sequel to From the Earth to the Moon, is a science fiction novel continuing the trip to the moon which left the reader in suspense after the previous novel. It was later combined with From the Earth to the Moon to create A Trip to the Moon and Around It. (Summary from wikipedia)

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Librivox: Just So Stories (version 2) by Kipling, Rudyard show

Librivox: Just So Stories (version 2) by Kipling, RudyardJoin Now to Follow

The stories, first published in 1902, are fantastic accounts of how various natural phenomena came about. The original editions of Just So Stories were illustrated with woodcuts by Kipling himself. Read along online and see the illustrations at mainlesson.com . Each story is accompanied by a poem, in a somewhat ballad style. Many of the stories are addressed to "Best Beloved" (they were first written for Kipling's eldest daughter, Josephine, who had died during an outbreak of influenza in 1899), and throughout they use a comically elevated style inspired by the formal speech of India, full of long and improbable-sounding words, some of them made up. As a result, it is a delight to read them aloud, and easy to memorise passages from them. (Summary from Wikipedia)

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Librivox: Trimmed Lamp, The : and other Stories of the Four Million by Henry, O. show

Librivox: Trimmed Lamp, The : and other Stories of the Four Million by Henry, O.Join Now to Follow

Born in 1862 and died in 1910, O. Henry’s birth name is William Sydney Porter; however, he adopted the pen name O. Henry while in prison. He published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his lifetime. The Trimmed Lamp follows The Four Million and provides another series of short stories that take place in New York City in the early years of the 20th century and are representative of the surprise endings that popularized O. Henry’s work. They also capture his use of coincidence or chance to create humor in the story. O Henry wrote about ordinary people in everyday circumstances. He is quoted as once saying, “There are stories in everything. I’ve got some of my best yarns from park benches, lampposts and newspaper stands.” I hope you enjoy the following readings as much as I enjoyed recording them. (Summary by Marian Brown)

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Librivox: Tik-Tok of Oz by Baum, L. Frank show

Librivox: Tik-Tok of Oz by Baum, L. FrankJoin Now to Follow

Betsy Bobbin encounters many strange and exciting adventures and people in the land of Oz; a side-plot is Queen Ann of Oogaboo's mission to take over Oz. (Summary by Ryan T.)

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Librivox: Dorothy Dale's Camping Days by Penrose, Margaret show

Librivox: Dorothy Dale's Camping Days by Penrose, MargaretJoin Now to Follow

So the parties separated and then Dorothy was free to leave her hiding place. She longed to tell her friends the strange story, but she knew that the finding of Tavia was the one and only thing to be thought of just then. "Are you sure that this is the direction in which the boys went?" asked Nat, with something like a sigh. Dorothy looked over the rough woodland. "No," she said, "there was a swamp, for I distinctly remember that they picked their way through tall grass, and about here the grass is actually dried up." (Extract from Chapter 26)

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Librivox: Penguin Island by France, Anatole show

Librivox: Penguin Island by France, AnatoleJoin Now to Follow

The novel (original French title -- L'Île des Pingouins) is a satire on human nature. The first publication was in 1908. These penguins are mistaken for humans by the 97-year-old priest, Father Mael, because of his bad eyesight. He baptizes them, and once baptized, they have no choice but to become human. They take on human traits (build civilizations, go to war, etc.). The book is very funny and powerful. (Summary by Michael)

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Librivox: Machine Stops, The by Forster, E. M. show

Librivox: Machine Stops, The by Forster, E. M.Join Now to Follow

The Machine Stops is a short science fiction story. It describes a world in which almost all humans have lost the ability to live on the surface of the Earth. Each individual lives in isolation in a 'cell', with all bodily and spiritual needs met by the omnipotent, global Machine. Most humans welcome this development, as they are skeptical and fearful of first-hand experience. People forget that humans created the Machine, and treat it as a mystical entity whose needs supersede their own. Those who do not accept the deity of the Machine are viewed as 'unmechanical' and are threatened with "Homelessness". Eventually, the Machine apocalyptically collapses, and the civilization of the Machine comes to an end. (Wikipedia) Comment by book coordinator: A condensed rapidfire of details and ideas imagining a dystopian world. Good thing he made it a short story. And the world he describes feels so appalling, although we are good on the way to be where Forster imagined us - shocker. So imaginative for 1909! Staying at home with the telly and internet and instant messaging and videoconferencing, google and pizza delivery and all flats and all cities look alike. And the loss of Patience! Damn this is good and so true - with one big exception the many buttons for all the machines functions. But how would Forster know of digital interfaces? That would have been too much to foresee.

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Librivox: Gettysburg Address, The (version 3) by Lincoln, Abraham show

Librivox: Gettysburg Address, The (version 3) by Lincoln, AbrahamJoin Now to Follow

The Dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, in November, 1863, followed a few short months after the roiling, acrid clouds of gun smoke dissipated, leaving a little crossroads town in Pennsylvania heir to the human tragedy of over 7,000 corpses and 21,000 men suffering wounds. It was a most unnatural disaster. On November 19, the chief executive made the trip to the still-dazed, shot-torn community to deliver, almost as an afterthought (for he was not the keynote speaker), an address that clarified his belief that the Negro race should be liberated from their slavery, and that despite the loss of so much blood and life, the Union should hold to the goal of completing this emancipation. That he knew the eyes of the nation would rest of him was evident; this address was the first speech since his inauguration that he prepared in advance. But these carefully crafted words - only 269 of them - became a vital part of our nation's identity, and are a signature to the bedrock of our beliefs.

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