Audio Books
The Story of My Life, Part 2 (Letters 1887 – 1901)
When Helen Keller's autobiography was first published in 1903, Part 1 of this 3 part book, she was just a young woman studying at Radcliffe College. In it, she shares memories of her childhood, describes how Miss Sullivan rescued her from complete darkness, and reflects on her experiences as a college student. Part 2 is a collection of Helen's letters from age 8 through 1901, addressed to various teachers, friends and mentors. This is interspersed with introductory commentary by her editor John Albert Macy. It is fascinating to see how her awareness of the world expanded as she matured, how much she relied on "teacher" (Anne Sullivan) to be her eyes ears, and interpreter of life, and displays her extraordinary graciousness, and ability to paint word pictures from an early age. Part 3 of this book includes in-depth writings by her teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, on her teaching methods, their experiences learning together; and additional insightful commentary by editor John Albert Macy on Helen?s extraordinary education, personality, giftedness, and literary style. The 1962 hit movie "The Miracle Worker" (nominated for 5 academy awards), starring Anne Bancroft (won Best Actress) and Patty Duke (won Best Supporting Actress), was based upon information in this book. (Summary by Michele Fry)
The Ten-foot Chain
True love can survive anything. Or can it? Four popular authors were lunching with an editor and the question came up: "What mental and emotional reaction would a man and a woman undergo, linked together by a ten-foot chain, for three days and nights?" The 4 very popular authors each had strong but divergent opinions of what would happen to such a couple chained together for 3 days and nights. The result was these fascinating stories. Does true love scoff at the small difficulty of constant proximity? Does being 'too close' become an acid that eats away even the bonds of love? What do YOU think would happen if you were to write such a story? Read and find out what these popular and creative authors think. (Summary by Phil Chenevert)
The Wit and Humor of America, Vol 02
The Wit and Humor of America is a 10 volume series. In this, the second volume, 44 short stories and poems have been gathered from 31 authors. This volume is sure to delight listeners. (Summary by Linette Geisel)) The Wit and Humor od America series was edited by American humorist Marshall Pinckney Wilder (1859 - 1915) (from Wikipedia)
The Wit and Humor of America, Vol 03
The Wit and Humor of America is a 10 volume series. In this, the third volume, 45 short stories and poems have been gathered from 33 authors. This volume is sure to delight listeners. (Summary by Linette Geisel) The Wit and Humor of America series was edited by American humorist Marshall Pinckney Wilder (1859 - 1915)(from Wikipedia)
The World’s Best Poetry, Volume 7: Descriptive and Narrative (Part 1)
The seventh of ten volumes of poetry edited by Canadian poet laureate Bliss Carman (1861-1929). This collection, the first of two parts, contains a variety of odes, elegies, addresses, epitaphs and dedications that praise, mourn and remember some of history's greatest and most memorable statesmen (such as Napoleon Bonaparte, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln) and writers (such as William Shakespeare, John Milton, Charles Dickens and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow). The collection also includes an introductory essay by author and poet Richard Le Gallienne (1866-1947). - Summary by Tomas Peter
The World’s Best Poetry, Volume 7: Descriptive and Narrative (Part 2)
The seventh of ten volumes of poetry edited by Canadian poet laureate Bliss Carman (1861-1929). This collection, the second of two parts, contains a series of odes and addresses to the natural and artistic realms, as well as various geographic places in the world, from Egypt and India, all the way to England and America. It concludes with popular narrative poetry originating from the Greek, Roman, Norse, German, East Asian, Spanish, French, English, Scottish and American literary traditions. - Summary by Tomas Peter
Tim Bobbin: A View of the Lancashire Dialect
A comic dialogue written in John Collier's idiosyncratic version of the 18th century South Lancashire dialect together with a collection of 19th century texts on Collier and his work. Egged on by Meary (Mary), Tummus (Thomas) recounts the series of misadventures that ensue when he makes a trip to Rochdale on an errand for his master. First published in 1746, the text grew over subsequent editions as Collier expanded the story, added a preface in which he berates publishers who had pirated his work, and inflated and amended his glossary. The text read here is the final version of the preface, dialogue and glossary, which appeared in an 1862 edition of Collier's works. Collier's texts are followed by several accounts of Collier's life and commentaries on his work, Elijah Riding's 1860 'plain English' translation of the Tummus and Meary text, and three poems set at Collier's graveside in Rochdale. (Summary by Phil Benson)
Two American Slavery Documents
This recording contains two original documents. 1) Life of James Mars, a Slave Born and Sold in Connecticut, by James Mars (1869). James Mars was born in Connecticut in 1790 and spent the better part of his youth a slave working for various owners?once fleeing to the woods with his family to avoid being relocated to the South. At age twenty-five he became a free man and moved to Hartford, Connecticut, where he became a leader in the local African American community. His memoir is one of the more famous accounts of slave life in early New England. 2) Facts for the People of the Free States, by American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, published about 1846. This is Liberty Tract No. 2, published in New York. It contains, as one might expect, facts and arguments against the institution of slavery in the United States Of America of that period. - Summary by David Wales
United Kingdom House of Commons Speeches Collection, volume 3
This is the third LibriVox collection of speeches given in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The collection comprises recordings of 10 historic speeches given to the UK House of Commons between 1601 and 1960. Readings are of speeches originally given by Queens Elizabeth I and Victoria, and by parliamentarians Edmund Burke, Herbert Asquith, Winston Churchill, Barbara Castle, Margaret Thatcher and Michael Foot. (Summary by Ruth Golding)
Vintage Verse Rhapsody: A Poetry Collection
A collection of poetry selected and performed by Bob Gonzalez, rhapsode. Rhapsodes of Ancient Greece were ?song-stitchers,? performing selections from the epics of Homer and Hesiod. The contemporary rhapsode performs the classical poetry of his or her language, culture, and tradition. Any particular collection and arrangement of poems for performance I term a ?rhapsody.? In general terms, a rhapsody is an ecstatic expression of feeling and enthusiasm. In music, a rhapsody is an instrumental composition irregular in form and suggestive of improvisation. The poems in this rhapsody comprise a number of poems that I have performed in public and known for much of my life as well as several recent additions to my repertory. They are arranged in chronological order from the 16th century to the early 20th century. Some of the poets represented here are Edmund Spenser, William Shakespeare, John Donne, John Milton, Alexander Pope, William Blake, William Wordsworth, John Keats, Alfred Tennyson, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Lewis Carroll, and Robert Frost. (Summary by Bob Gonzalez)
Yellowstone National Park: Six Early Pieces
Lost in the wilderness of The Yellowstone for over a month, nearly dying of starvation and wild animal attack, despairing of ever finding his way out. Here are six relatively unknown early pieces about the U.S.A.?s first national park. The first is a U.S. Geological booklet about initial exploration and Congress?s institution of the park. The next two are articles from Scribner?s Monthly, 1871, a very popular magazine of the time, describing the park?s features (vol 2 #1 pp 1-17 and vol 2 #2 pp 113-128) . The fourth piece is a narrative by the leader of the exploratory expedition described in the first piece, H.V. Hayden (Scribner?s Monthly, vol 3#2 pp 388-396, February 1872) The fifth piece is a lecture on the park by a very popular lecturer and writer, 1900 (John L. Stoddard?s Lectures, vol 10). The last piece is a man?s first-person narrative of his being lost in the Yellowstone wilderness for thirty-seven days, 1871, Scribner?s Monthly again (vol 3#1). - Summary by david wales