Arts Podcasts
Librivox: Prisoner of Zenda, The by Hope, AnthonyJoin Now to Follow
The Prisoner of Zenda tells the story of Rudolf Rassendyll, an English gentleman on holiday in Ruritania, a country not a thousand miles from Bavaria. There, by reason of his resemblance to the King of Ruritania he becomes involved in saving the King’s Life and his Throne from the King’s dastardly brother and his allies. Woods, moated castles, pomp, swordplay, gallantry, villainy and a beautiful princess. What story could ask for more? Sir Anthony Hope-Hawkins, A moderately successful barrister and novelist, published 'The Prisoner of Zenda' in 1894. Since then it has never been out of print and has spawned plays, operettas, musicals, several films and TV series. He subsequently wrote other novels, but none achieved similar success except perhaps ‘Rupert of Hentzau’, a sequel to the ‘Prisoner’. (Summary by Andy Minter)
By LibriVox
Librivox: Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, The by Baum, L. FrankJoin Now to Follow
This story of Santa Claus veers away slightly from the traditional stories of his beginnings. L. Frank Baum creates a world of fantasy that surrounds Santa Claus's life. Orphaned at an infant he is found by the nymph Necile, who convinces the great Ak to allow her to raise Claus for her own. As he grows older he meets his fellow humans, and sees the neglect of children. This sets him on the path to making toys and becoming the beloved Saint Nicholas we are familiar with today. (summary by Kri)
By LibriVox
Librivox: Peterchens Mondfahrt by Bassewitz, Gerdt vonJoin Now to Follow
Peterchens Mondfahrt ist ein Märchen für Kinder von Gerdt von Bassewitz. Es handelt von den Abenteuern des Maikäfers Herr Sumsemann, der zusammen mit den Menschenkindern Peter und Anneliese zum Mond fliegt, um von dort sein verlorengegangenes sechstes Beinchen zu holen. 1911 erschien die Geschichte zuerst als Theaterstück, 1915 dann als Buch mit Illustrationen von Hans Baluschek. Die Geschichte gilt heute als ein Klassiker der deutschen Kinder- und Jugendliteratur. - Zusammenfassung aus Wikipedia
By LibriVox
Librivox: Selected Poems of Robert Frost by Frost, RobertJoin Now to Follow
Robert Frost, who lived from March 26, 1874 to January 29, 1963, was a winner of 4 Pulitzer prizes and one of America’s best loved poets. This selection of his poems is a short walk through the variety of his simplistic natural themes and complex social understandings. (Summary by Becky Miller, Canal Winchester, Ohio)
By LibriVox
Librivox: Selected Lullabies of Eugene Field by Field, EugeneJoin Now to Follow
The sweetest songs the world has ever heard are the lullabies that have been crooned above its cradles. The music of Beethoven and Mozart, of Mendelssohn and Schumann may perish, but so long as mothers sing their babies to sleep the melody of cradle lullabies will remain. Of all English and American writers the one who sang most often and most exquisitely these cradle songs was Eugene Field, the children's poet. His verses not only have charm as poetry, but a distinct song quality and a naive fancy that is both childlike and appealing. That they were written out of Eugene Field's deep and genuine love of children and out of his sympathetic understanding of their wondering minds is evident from the fact that his lullabies have taken a high and what seems to be a permanent place in the world's classic literature of childhood. (Excerpted by Becky Miller from the Introduction by Edwin Osgood Grover to “Cradle Lullabies” by Eugene Field, published in 1909)
By LibriVox
Librivox: Mystery, The (LibriVox NaNoWriMo novel 2006) by LibriVox volunteersJoin Now to Follow
The idea was to write a whole novel in the month of November, based on the guidelines of the National Novel Writing Month . The twist is that there are up to 30 people writing together, instead of one toiling alone. Each writer signed up to do one section of 1,700+ words, in English. Plot and particulars were agreed before the start. Each writer also recorded his/her own chapter, which can be downloaded here. The resulting novel is in the public domain. (Summary by Gesine)
By LibriVox
Librivox: Short Story Collection Vol. 010 by VariousJoin Now to Follow
Librivox’s Short Story Collection 010: a collection of 10 short essays and fiction in the public domain read by a variety of Librivox members.
By LibriVox
Librivox: Vindication of the Rights of Woman, A by Wollstonecraft, MaryJoin Now to Follow
Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) is best known for A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in which she argued that women are not naturally inferior to men, but only appeared to be because they lacked education. She suggested that both men and women should be treated as rational beings and imagined a social order founded on reason. - Today, Wollstonecraft is considered a foundational thinker in feminist philosophy. Her early advocacy of women's equality and her attacks on conventional femininity and the degradation of women presaged the later emergence of the feminist political movement. Feminist scholars and activists have cited both her philosophical ideas and personal struggles as important influences in their work. (Summary from Wikipedia)
By LibriVox
Librivox: Little Wars (A Game for Boys from twelve years of age to one hundred and fifty and for that more intelligent sort of girl who likes boys' games and books) With an Appendix on Kriegspiel by Wells, H. G.Join Now to Follow
Miniature wargaming got its start with the publication in 1913 of this thoroughly entertaining little account of how H.G. Wells, with certain of his friends, took their childhood toys and turned play into acceptable middle-aged sport by subjecting the exercise to the civilizing influence of actual rules. While wargaming progressed far past these beginnings, Wells observes how "little wars" with even his elementary rules can suggest the wholesale crudity of the real thing. "You have only to play at Little Wars three or four times to realise just what a blundering thing Great War must be. Great War is at present, I am convinced, not only the most expensive game in the universe, but it is a game out of all proportion. Not only are the masses of men and material and suffering and inconvenience too monstrously big for reason, but--the available heads we have for it, are too small. That, I think, is the most pacific realisation conceivable, and Little War brings you to it as nothing else but Great War can do." Wells leaves almost hanging the tantalizing concept that we might someday simulate war, as an instrument of international decision-making, rather than practice actual combat. But most of this book is just the fun of evicting the boys from the playroom and spending happy days there, away from the "skirt-swishers", developing the framework under which two gentlemen might meet and accumulate boastable victories!
By LibriVox
Librivox: Wonderwings and other Fairy Stories by Howes, EdithJoin Now to Follow
A collection of three short stories about fairies, complete with good moral lessons (as every fairy tale should be). (Summary by Claire Goget)
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