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Excerpt: Chapter 1. The countryside and the man on a lovely spring morning in the year 1829, a man of fifty or thereabouts was wending his way on horseback along the mountain road that leads to a large village near the Grande Chartreuse. This village is the market town of a populous canton that lies within the limits of a valley of some considerable length. The melting of the snows had filled the boulder- strewn bed of the torrent (often dry) that flows through this valley, which is closely shut in between two parallel mountain barriers, above which the peaks of Savoy and of Dauphine tower on every side....

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Religion

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Excerpt: Chapter 1. Miriam, Hilda, Kenyon, Donatello Four individuals, in whose fortunes we should be glad to interest the reader, happened to be standing in one of the saloons of the sculpture-gallery in the Capitol at Rome. It was that room (the first, after ascending the staircase) in the centre of which reclines the noble and most pathetic figure of the Dying Gladiator, just sinking into his death-swoon. Around the walls stand the Antinous, the Amazon, the Lycian Apollo, the Juno; all famous productions of antique sculpture, and still shining in the undiminished majesty and beauty of their ideal life, although the marble that embodies them is yellow with time, and perhaps corroded by the damp earth in which they lay buried for centuries. Here, likewise, is seen a symbol (as apt at this moment as it was two thousand years ago) of the Human Soul, with its choice of Innocence or Evil close at hand, in the pretty figure of a child, clasping a dove to her bosom, but assaulted by a snake....

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One of the first collections of poetry by Robert Frost, published in 1914. (Summary written by Gesine) Contents (with beginning time):

Part 1
• Mending Wall (00:01:20)
• The Death of the Hired Man (00:03:45)
• The Mountain (00:12:20)
• A Hundred Collars (00:18:14)

Part 2
• Home Burial (00:00:18)
• The Black Cottage (00:06:16)
• Blueberries (00:12:56)
• A Servant to Servants (00:18:44)

Part 3
• After Apple-picking (00:00:16)
• The Code (00:02:16)
• The Generations of Men (00:08:01)
• The Housekeeper (00:18:55)

Part 4
• The Fear (00:00:16)
• The Self-seeker (00:05:27)
• The Wood-pile (00:16:35)
• Good Hours (00:18:47)

...

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Poetry

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The Gospel of Matthew (Greek: Κατά Μαθθαίον or Κατά Ματθαίον, Kata Maththaion or Kata Matthaion; literally, according to Matthew) is a synoptic gospel in the New Testament, one of four canonical gospels. It narrates an account of the life and ministry of Jesus. It describes his genealogy, his miraculous birth and childhood, his baptism and temptation, his ministry of healing and preaching, and finally his crucifixion and resurrection. The resurrected Jesus commissions his Apostles to go and make disciples of all nations. (Summary from Wikipedia)...

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Religion

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A madcap Frenchman posing as an ambassador's barber blackmails a dishonest duke to introduce him as a nobleman to a wealthy belle of Bath. Since the duke himself hopes to mend his fortunes by wedding this very woman, he attempts to murder Beaucaire, and failing that to discredit him. To test the lady's mettle, Beaucaire allows his deception to be exposed--up to a point--and there we must draw the curtain to preserve the surprise ending. ( Summary by Thomas A. Copeland )...

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Adventure, Fiction, Literature, Romance

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Excerpt: The double sorwe of Troilus to tellen, That was the kyng Priamus sone of Troye, In louynge how his auentures fellen ffro wo to wele, and after out of ioie, My purpos is, er that I parte fro ye. Thesiphone, thow help me for tendite Thise woful vers that wepen as I write. To the clepe I, thow goddesse of torment, Thow cruwel furie, sorwynge evere in peyne, Help me that am the sorwful instrument That helpeth loveres, as I kan, to pleyne; ffor wel sit it, the sothe for to seyne, A woful wight to han a drery feere, And to a sorwful tale a sory chere....

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Table of Contents: Book I, 1 -- Book II, 29 -- Book III, 74 -- Book IV, 121 -- Book V, 165

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Mike’s dream of studying and playing cricket at Cambridge are thwarted as his father runs into financial difficulties. Instead, Mike takes on the job of clerk at the “New Asiatic Bank.” Luckily, school friend Psmith, with his boundless optimism and original views, soon joins his department, and together they endeavour to make the best of their new life in London. (Summary written by Gesine)...

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Comedy

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Excerpt: Modeste Mignon by Honore de Balzac, translated by Katharine Prescott Wormeley.

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“The paradox of all this part of his life lies in this--that, destined as he was to be the greatest enemy of Mahomedanism, he was quite exceptionally a friend of Mahomedans.” (Summary quoted from Gilbert Keith Chesterton)...

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Essay/Short nonfiction, History

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Excerpt: Second April by Edna St. Vincent Millay.

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Contents SPRING ............................................................................................................................................. 5 CITY TREES .................................................................................................................................... 6 THE BLUE-FLAG IN THE BOG .................................................................................................... 6 JOURNEY........................................................................................................................................11 EEL-GRASS.................................................................................................................................... 12 ELEGY BEFORE DEATH ............................................................................................................. 12 THE BEAN-STALK ........................................................................................................................ 13 PASSER MORTUUS EST .............................................................................................................. 14 PASTORAL................

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Excerpt: The Children of the Night For those that never know the light, The darkness is a sullen thing; And they, the Children of the Night, Seem lost in Fortune?s winnowing. But some are strong and some are weak, -- And there?s the story. House and home Are shut from countless hearts that seek World-refuge that will never come....

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Contents The Children of the Night .................................................................................................................................................................................. 7 The Children of the Night ................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Three Quatrains ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 The World ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 9 An Old Story ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Ballade of a Ship .................................................................

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Olive Green is the pseudonym for the prolific late 19th Century/early 20th Century author, Myrtle Reed. She wrote over thirty-three books and hundreds of magazine articles and pamphlets during her short lifetime. Ms. Reed was best known for writing romance novels that often included themes of everlasting and unrequited love, ironic revenge, mystery, and the occult. Her best known book is Lavender and Old Lace , which later became the basis for Arsenic and Old Lace . Ms. Reed used the name Olive Green to write books and articles about domestic homemaking and cooking. Her cookbooks include How to Cook Fish , What to Have for Breakfast , and One Thousand Simple Soups . Myrtle Reed committed suicide in 1911 just after the publishing of her last novel, A Weaver of Dreams . Her collection of stories about women who led important and independent lives, The Spinster Book , is also available for /the-spinster-book-by-myrtle-reed/ listening on . Summary by http://www.breadchick.com/ Mary aka Breadchick...

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Cookery, Advice, Instruction

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Because she used to herd Goats in the high places and the rocky places, she went by the name of Girl-go-with-the-Goats. But that was not the name that she herself called herself. She called herself Maid-alone... So begins Padriac Colum's renderation of this classical, well-known tale. He was a master story teller, and in this short book combines vivid characters and a depth of plot with the rough-hewn simplicity the story demands. If you are fond of Cinderella stories, you will enjoy this book. And if you believe you dislike all such, it may yet win you over and change your mind....

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Children, Fairy tales

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To tell the truth, this story — “A trip to Polesye” — is not so much complicated with philosophical or psychological ideas. In this story author had another goal — to describe the beauty of places where he was born, the beauty of nature. The only thing which hero’s doing is the travel on horses across the small villages in the heart of Russia. You can also appreciate the artistic, colorful and talanted description of all that nature if you will read/listen to this small story. (Summary written by Yakovlev Valery)...

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Biography

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Shipwrecked and castaway, Daniel DeFoe’s hard-luck character is still the standard for “growing where you’re planted.” Captured by pirates, he makes his break in a small boat and undergoes desperate adventures before winning his way back to civilization. But Crusoe proves willing to chance his luck a second time when, after sweating his way to prosperity as a planter in Brazil, he undertakes a voyage that isn’t needful… and is marooned on a small island off South America. Crusoe shows the value of single-minded labor as he pursues ways to feed, shelter, and clothe himself. His ardent wish is to escape his island – why is it that the only people who come there are cannibals? But he spends more than two decades in isolation before acquiring a sidekick – the man Friday you’ve probably heard of. And who would guess his way to salvation would depend on leading a last-ditch fight against a shipful of mutineers? For other castaway stories inspired by “Robinson Crusoe”, listen to “The Swiss Family Robinson” (http://snipurl.com/swiss_family) and “The Mysterious Island” (http://snipurl.com/mysterious_island). (Summary by Mark F. Smith)...

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Adventure, Literature, Sea stories

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No matter how enlightened, chances are you've been raised around superstitious lore of one kind or another. Fanny Dickerson Bergen was one of the original researchers of North American oral traditions relating to such key life events and experiences as babyhood and childhood, marriage, wishes and dreams, luck, warts and cures, death omens and mortuary customs, and such truck, as Huck Finn would say.You'll be surprised at how many of these old saws you'll know. Here's a quote from Chapter One, Babyhood:Monday’s child is fair of face, Tuesday’s child is full of grace, Wednesday’s child is sour and sad, Thursday’s child is merry and glad, Friday’s child is loving and giving, Saturday’s child must work for a living; But the child that is born on the Sabbath day Is blithe and bonny, good and gay. --Baldwinsville, N. Y.All of these readings are as short as 5 minutes and no longer than 15 minutes, with plenty of pithy one-liners in the form of proverbs, always given with the locale they came from in Canada or the United States (with clear influences in British tradition). (summary by Denny Sayers)...

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Essay/Short nonfiction

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Full of delightful nursery rhymes, charming poems and engaging stories, folk and fairy tales, this is the first volume of the My Bookhouse series for little ones. Originally published in the 1920's as a six volume set, these books, edited by Olive Beaupre Miller, contained the best in children's literature, stories, poems and nursery rhymes. They progressed in difficulty through the different volumes - this first being intended for the youngest audience. (Summary by Maria Therese)...

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Children, Fairy tales, Short stories

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The Uncommercial Traveller is a collection of literary sketches and reminiscences written by Charles Dickens. In 1859 Dickens founded a new journal called All the Year Round and the Uncommercial Traveller articles would be among his main contributions. He seems to have chosen the title and persona of the Uncommercial Traveller as a result of a speech he gave on the 22 December 1859 to the Commercial Travellers' School London in his role as honorary chairman and treasurer. The persona sits well with a writer who liked to travel, not only as a tourist, but also to research and report what he found; visiting Europe, America and giving book readings throughout Britain. He does not seem content to rest late in his career when he had attained wealth and comfort and continued travelling locally, walking the streets of London in the mould of the flâneur, a 'gentleman stroller of city streets'. He often suffered from insomnia and his night-time wanderings gave him an insight into some of the hidden aspects of Victorian London, details of which he also incorporated into his novels....

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Essay/Short nonfiction, Memoirs

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The Portrait of a Lady is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly and Macmillan's Magazine in 1880-1881 and then as a book in 1881. It is the story of a spirited young American woman, Isabel Archer, who affronts her destiny and finds it overwhelming. She inherits a large amount of money and subsequently becomes the victim of Machiavellian scheming by two American expatriates. Like many of James's novels, it is set mostly in Europe, notably England and Italy.Generally regarded as the masterpiece of his early phase of writing, this novel reflects James's absorbing interest in the differences between the New World and the Old. It also treats in a profound way the themes of personal freedom, responsibility, betrayal, and sexuality. (Summary from Wikipedia)...

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Literature