LibriVox Audiobooks

Twee korte verhalen van Charles Dickens verschenen in Household Words. 'Helena' is een stichtend verhaal over zuinigheid en verkwisting. Het tweede verhaal 'De Dief van de Koh-I-Noor' gaat over de succesvolle roof van de diamant die tegenwoordig in de Engelse kroon zit. Samenvatting geschreven door Marcel Coenders

Denne udgivelse af Gullivers Rejser indeholder 1. bog - Rejse til Lilliput og 2. bog - Rejse til Brobdingnag kæmpernes land. Oprindeligt tæller Gullivers Rejser flere bøger, men det er kun de to første, der er udgivet på dansk.Jonathan Swift beskriver i nøje detaljer sine rejser, dette som en parodi på rejsebeskrivelsen som genre. Skønt Gullivers Rejser i Danmark er udgivet som børnebog, er den ikke kun en fantasifuld fortælling, men også et samfundssatirisk spejlbillede af datidens England. (Summary by Lulularsen)

Jonathan Swift (1667 - 1745)Translated by Franz Kottenkamp (1806 - 1858)Einer der Klassiker der Weltliteratur, der seit Generationen Groß und Klein fesselt: Lemuel Gulliver bereist ferne Länder und erlebt dabei unerhörte Abenteuer, er trifft auf phantastische Einwohner unbekannter, ferner Gegenden, wobei alle diese skurrilen Erlebnisse immer wieder satirisch die damalige (und auch unsere heutige) Gesellschaft reflektieren. Eine ungemein phantasiereiches Buch, das überaus unterhaltsam ist, allerdings auch jede Menge Stoff zum Nachdenken bietet und über ein reines Kinderbuch weit hinausgeht.

The Gettysburg Address is the most famous speech of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and one of the most quoted speeches in United States history. It was delivered at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on November 19, 1863, during the American Civil War, four and a half months after the Battle of Gettysburg.

Minnas neuer Reitknecht Michael kennt weder seine Mutter noch seinen Vater. Sie ist fasziniert von dem Mann, der versucht, das Beste aus seiner Situation zu machen und fühlt sich mehr zu ihm hingezogen, als es ihrem Stand entspricht. Sehr sonderbar ist das Benehmen von Minnas Tante Claudia gegenüber dem Reitknecht. Welches Geheimnis verbirgt sich hinter der Abneigung, die sie Michael gegenüber offensichtlich hegt?

Die schöne Natalie Graybrooke liebt ihre Vetter Launcelot Linzie, doch ihr Vater, Sir Joseph Graybrooke, will sie mit seinem Geschäftsfreund Richard Turlington verheiraten. Weder ahnt er etwas von dessen dunkler Vergangenheit, noch weiß er, dass für Turlington die Hochzeit mit Natalie die einzige Möglichkeit ist, den Ruin seiner Firma abzuwenden. Da Natalie noch keine sechzehn Jahre alt ist, gibt es für die beiden Liebenden nur einen Ausweg, sie heiraten heimlich und müssen die Ehe bis zu Natalies sechzehntem Geburtstag geheim halten. Inzwischen macht Sir Joseph sein Testament und bestimmt den Mann, den er für seinen zukünftigen Schwiegersohn hält, zu seinem alleinigen Testamentsvollstrecker und Vermögensverwalter. Doch dann erfährt Turlington von der heimlichen Heirat. Alle seine Pläne sind gescheitert und er sieht seine letzte Rettung in Sir Josephs Testament.

1862. Le « Delphin » conçu comme le plus rapide navire à vapeur de son temps, quitte Glasgow en vue de relier Charleston afin d'y faire une opération commerciale. Des armes et vivres y sont nécessaires. En effet, c'est la guerre de sécession. La ville sudiste est sous l'emprise d'un blocus mis en place par les états du nord.Le capitaine James Playfair représente les intérêts de la maison Playfair et Cie. Un bien étrange marin se fait enrôler sur le navire en compagnie de son neveu. Ce dernier est en fait une jeune fille travestie. Leur but est de rejoindre la ville assiégée afin d'y retrouver le père de la charmante Jenny Hallyburt. Celui-ci est un journaliste abolitionniste que les confédérés ont emprisonné.James Playfair devra traverser de bien rudes épreuves, parsemées de conflits où se perdent boulets ainsi que des flèches de Cupidon… 

L'intrigue se déroule sous la coupole de l'Académie française. À la suite de la mort de Mgr d'Abbeville, chaque nouveau candidat à l'immortalité qui est désigné pour occuper son fauteuil, meurt lors du discours d'hommage à son prédécesseur. Hippolyte Patard, secrétaire perpétuel commence à désespérer, personne ne voulant être le successeur de Mgr d'Abbeville, craignant une malédiction lancée par un mage, dont on n'aurait pas voulu comme académicien. C'est alors qu'arrive Gaspard Lalouette, simple antiquaire et marchand.

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 - 1894)Translated by Emilio Augusto Soulère (1840 - )Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donateNovela de suspense, misterio...terror. Nos lleva a reflexionar sobre las dos caras de la vida y también del ser humano: El bien y el mal. El doctor Enrique Jekyll crea una fórmula, un bebedizo, que al ser ingerida le metamorfosea en el ser más cruel y perverso imaginable: Eduardo Hyde. - Summary by Montse González.Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donateBarchester Towers, published in 1857, is the 2nd novel in Anthony Trollope's series known as the "Chronicles of Barsetshire". It follows on from The Warden, set some years later, with some of the same characters. Among other things it satirises the then raging antipathy in the Church of England between High Church and Evangelical adherents. Trollope began writing this book in 1855. He wrote constantly, and made himself a writing-desk so he could continue writing while travelling by train. "Pray know that when a man begins writing a book he never gives over," he wrote in a letter during this period. "The evil with which he is beset is as inveterate as drinking – as exciting as gambling." And, years later in his autobiography, he observed "In the writing of Barchester Towers I took great delight. The bishop and Mrs. Proudie were very real to me, as were also the troubles of the archdeacon and the loves of Mr. Slope." But when he submitted his finished work, his publisher, William Longman, initially turned it down, finding much of it to be full of "vulgarity and exaggeration". More recent critics offer a more sanguine opinion. "Barchester Towers is many readers' favourite Trollope", wrote The Guardian, which included it in its list of "1000 novels everyone must read". Barchester Towers concerns the leading clergy of the cathedral city of Barchester. The much loved bishop having died, all expectations are that his son, Archdeacon Grantly, will succeed him. Instead, owing to the passage of the power of patronage to a new Prime Minister, a newcomer, the far more Evangelical Bishop Proudie, gains the see. His wife, Mrs Proudie, exercises an undue influence over the new bishop, making herself as well as the bishop unpopular with most of the clergy of the diocese. Her interference to veto the reappointment of the universally popular Mr Septimus Harding (protagonist of Trollope's earlier novel, The Warden) as warden of Hiram's Hospital is not well received, even though she gives the position to a needy clergyman, Mr Quiverful, with 14 children to support. Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930)Translated by Margarete Jacobi "Das Zeichen der Vier" ist der zweite Sherlock-Holmes-Roman von Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.Sherlock Holmes und Dr. Watson werden von Miss Mary Morstan beauftragt, bei der Suche nach ihrem verschollenen Vater zu helfen. Dieser war Offizier in Indien und verschwand vor zehn Jahren spurlos bei seiner Rückkehr nach England.Ein anonymer Brief bringt die drei auf die Spur von Thaddäus Scholto, dessen Vater mit dem Gesuchten befreundet war und zusammen mit ihm in Indien in derselben Kompanie gedient hat. Scholto berichtet, dass die beiden Männer einen Schatz aus Indien mitgebracht hätten, und dass er und sein Bruder den Schatz einst entdeckt hätten.Kurz darauf wird der Bruder unter mysteriösen Umständen ermordet und der Schatz gestohlen. Thaddäus Scholto wird der Tat verdächtigt und festgenommen. Da Sherlock Holmes an dessen Unschuld glaubt und von den rätselhaften Umständen der Sache fasziniert ist, nimmt er sich des Falles an. (Zusammenfassung von Wikipedia und Karlsson.) Genre(s): Detective Fiction Language: German Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Voltaire (1694 - 1778) Cette oeuvre parait quelques mois après la découverte de la nébuleuse de l'Aigle qui en est manifestement l'inspiration. Zadig est un jeune et riche honnête homme qui découvrira qu'il est difficile, bien que possible de vivre heureux en ce monde. Il tombe amoureux d'Astarté, la reine de Babylone, ce qui l'entraînera dans des péripéties dont il en sortira roi.One of the most famous novel from Voltaire, that surely is one of his variations around the Eagle Nebula, discovered some months before, it tells the story of a young honest man, Zadig, that wishes to live in happiness. He falls in love with Astarté, the queen of Babylonia and will suffer many misfortunes before being made king. Summary by defscan Genre(s): Satire Language: French Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Patanjali (c. 150 BCE - )Translated by Charles Johnston (1867 - 1931) Yoga sutras by Patanjali is a seminal work in yoga, this book is more about control of mind and the true goal of yoga. The sutras are extremely brief, and the translation in neat English makes it very easy for people to understand the ancient Sanskrit text. It starts with the birth and growth of spiritual man through the control of mind. In all, this is a "all in one" book for yoga philosophy written by the master himself. (Summary by sidhu177) Genre(s): Philosophy, Asian Antiquity Language: English Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Charles Dickens (1812 - 1870) "Wigilja Bożego Narodzenia” jest wydanym w roku 1909 polskim przekładem opowiadania Karola Dickensa “A Christmas Carol” napisanym przez niego w roku 1843. Opowiada historiȩ nocy wigilijnej, w której wielkiego skąpca i samotnika, Ebenezera Scrooge, odwiedza pokutujący duch jego zmarłego wspólnika, ostrzegając go, że jeżeli nie zmieni sposobu życia, bȩdzie tak jak i on błąkał siȩ po śmierci okuty łańcuchami swoich win. Zapowiada wizyty trzech innych widm które ukazują Scrooge'owi wizje nocy wigilijnych z przeszłości, teraźniejszości i przyszłości. Jest to noc wielkich objawień, które na zawsze przemienią życie Scrooge'a." (Summary by Nina Brown) Genre(s): General Fiction, Horror & Supernatural Fiction, Short Stories Language: Polish Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Jack London (1876 - 1916) When White Fang is birthed in a cave to a wolf sire and a wolf/dog halfbreed dam, he is heir to two traditions. At first he is content to explore and learn laws of the Wild. But then his mother is caught and held by old memories of a past relationship with Man, and White Fang follows her into service with the Indians. Life among sled dogs is hardly less cruel and dangerous than living in the Wild, but brutality notches upward when his drunken master sells him to a nasty, twisted hanger-on at a riverside town of white men. He is stripped of everything soft and gentle when forced to fight to the death for a crowd of bettors.Taming this savage spirit and reclaiming the nobility within looks impossible. Fortunately, and heart-warmingly, a man arrives in White Fang's life to try."White Fang" is often called the mirror image of Jack London's acclaimed "The Call of the Wild" in which a dog follows the reverse arc from tame to free. (summary by Mark) Genre(s): Action & Adventure Fiction, Nature & Animal Fiction Language: English Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821 - 1881) Belye Nochi ”White Nights” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. In this small story (though author states this is a sentimental novel) author describes in his traditional and particular way the internal world of one young lonely person.The hero's 26 years old man, who is oriented into his internal world, who's rather shy, and thus is in real demand of a soulful conversations and love. The action takes place in the city of a real and deep sentiments and romance — Saint Petersburg, the most romantic and European city in Russia. Not only the location is important, but also a time of a day: all actions in the story take place in evening and night time — the famous time of white nights.Once, hero is going out to have a little daily promenade alone and he occasionally meets an attractive and lovely woman on evening streets of Saint Petersburg. Can he fell in love with her? Can they estimate the value of this relationship? Can they lead a happy life in this city of lonely hearts? You will know the answers on all these questions if you read or listen to a story.(Summary written by Yakovlev Valery) Genre(s): Published 1800 -1900 Language: Russian Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821 - 1881)Translated by Alexander Eliasberg (1878 - 1924) Erzählt wird diese Petersburger Geschichte von einem jungen, einsamen Träumer, der aus seiner selbst geschaffenen Welt durch eine unerwartete Begegnung gleichsam herausgeschleudert wird: Er trifft auf das unglückliche Mädchen Nastenka, und zwischen ihnen entsteht eine besondere Freundschaft.... (Zusammenfassung von Hermann) Genre(s): Romance Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Charles Dickens (1812 - 1870)Translated by Julius Seybt 1843 verfasste Dickens den Roman A Christmas Carol (deutscher Titel: Eine Weihnachtsgeschichte) in der Absicht, die Aufmerksamkeit des Lesers auf die Not der Armen in der Gesellschaft Englands zu lenken. Am 19. Dezember 1843 wurde das Werk mit Illustrationen von John Leech veröffentlicht.Der herzlose Geschäftemacher Ebenezer Scrooge wandelt sich zu einem gütigen, die Not der Menschen lindernden alten Herren. Dickens bedient sich hierfür der Mittel der Groteske: Am Heiligen Abend erscheint dem alten Geizhals der Geist seines verstorbenen Geschäftspartners Marley, der zu Lebzeiten noch geiziger als Scrooge war, und prophezeit Scrooge ein düsteres Ende für den Fall, dass er sein Leben nicht grundlegend ändere. Danach zeigt sich der Geist der vergangenen Weihnacht, welcher Scrooge in seine Kindheit zurückversetzt, gefolgt vom Geist der gegenwärtigen Weihnacht, der ihn ins Haus seines ärmlich lebenden Schreibers Cratchit und dessen Familie sowie in das Haus seines Neffen geleitet. Der Geist der künftigen Weihnacht schließlich führt ihn zu seinem einsamen Sterbebett und zeigt ihm seinen Grabstein. „Die Wege der Menschen deuten ein bestimmtes Ende voraus, auf das sie hinführen, wenn man auf ihnen beharrt. Aber wenn man von den Wegen abweicht, ändert sich auch das Ende“, erkennt Scrooge, läutert sich und wird fortan zu einem anderen Menschen. (Zusammenfassung von Wikipedia) Genre(s): Published 1800 -1900 Language: German Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Charles Dickens (1812 - 1870)Translated by Julius Seybt Am Heiligen Abend erscheint dem alten Geizhals Scrooge der Geist seines verstorbenen Geschäftspartners Marley, der zu Lebzeiten noch schlimmer als Scrooge war, - und prophezeit diesem ein düsteres Ende für den Fall, dass er sein Leben nicht grundlegend ändere. Danach zeigt sich der Geist der vergangenen Weihnacht, welcher Scrooge in seine Kindheit zurückversetzt, gefolgt vom Geist der gegenwärtigen Weihnacht, der ihn ins Haus seines ärmlich lebenden Schreibers Cratchit und dessen Familie sowie in das Haus seines Neffen geleitet. ... Am Ende begegnet er gar seinem eigenen zukünftigen Tod. Wird dies zu einer Läuterung führen? - (Zusammengefasst von crowwings) Genre(s): Children's Fiction, Myths, Legends & Fairy Tales Language: German Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Dante Alighieri (1265 - 1321) In quella parte del libro della mia memoria dinanzi alla quale poco si potrebbe leggere, si trova una rubrica la quale dice Incipit Vita Nova. Sotto la quale rubrica io trovo scritte le parole le quali è mio intendimento d'asemplare in questo libello, e se non tutte, almeno la loro sentenzia. - Summary by Dante Alighieri, Vita Nuova Genre(s): Single author, Lyric Language: Italian Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Franz Kafka (1883 - 1924) Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate "Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheueren Ungeziefer verwandelt..." So beginnt Kafka diesen Klassiker und beschreibt in seinem typischen Stil wie sich die plötzliche Verwandlung auf das weitere Leben Gregor Samsas auswirkt. (Zusammenfassung von Markus Wachenheim) Genre(s): General Fiction Language: German Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Homer (c. 8th cen - c. 8th cen)Translated by Andreas Divus Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate The Versio Latina, or Latin translation of the works of Homer, has existed since the 14th century, but was first printed, under the name of Andreas Divus, in 1537. It is a crib, to give it no finer name, but a crib which had immense influence, being the first introduction to Homer for generations of mediaeval and early modern scholars. (Introduction by hefyd) Genre(s): Classics (Greek & Latin Antiquity), Poetry Language: Latin Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Alexandre Dumas (1802 - 1870) Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Si ce titre évoque pour vous un roman de cape et d'épée, détrompez-vous. Mais ne vous détournez pas ! Ce cher Alexandre Dumas saura vous attacher à l'histoire de la tulipe noire et de tous ceux qui s'y intérressent.Résumé par EzwaIf you're expecting a swashbuckler, stand corrected. But don't turn back!Our dear Alexandre Dumas will make you fond of the black tulip and all those around it.Summary by Ezwa Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Published 1800 -1900 Language: French Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Jerusha Abbott was brought up at the John Grier Home, an old-fashioned orphanage. The children were wholly dependent on charity and had to wear other people's cast-off clothes. Jerusha's unusual first name was selected by the matron off a grave stone, while her surname was selected out of the phone book. At the age of 18, she has finished her education and is at loose ends, still working in the dormitories at the institution where she was brought up.One day, after the asylum's trustees have made their monthly visit, Jerusha is informed by the asylum's dour matron that one of the trustees has offered to pay her way through college. He has spoken to her former teachers and thinks she has potential to become an excellent writer. He will pay her tuition and also give her a generous monthly allowance. Jerusha must write him a monthly letter, because he believes that letter-writing is important to the development of a writer. However, she will never know his identity; she must address the letters to Mr. John Smith, and he will never reply.Jerusha catches a glimpse of the shadow of her benefactor from the back, and knows he is a tall long-legged man. Because of this, she jokingly calls him "Daddy Long-Legs." She attends a women's college, but the name and location are never identified; however, men from Princeton University are frequently mentioned as dates, so it is certainly on the East Coast. The college is almost certainly based on the author's alma mater, Vassar College, judging from college traditions mentioned. She illustrates her letters with childlike line drawings, also created by Jean Webster.  Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Crime and Punishment is the second of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's full-length novels following his return from 5 years of exile in Siberia, and is considered the first great novel of his "mature" period of writing. The novel focuses on the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex-student in St. Petersburg who formulates and executes a plan to kill an unscrupulous pawnbroker for her cash. Raskolnikov, in an attempt to defend his actions, argues that with the pawnbroker's money he can perform good deeds to counterbalance the crime while ridding the world of a vermin, and to test a theory of his that some people are naturally superior and have the right to commit crimes if it is in pursuit of a higher purpose.  Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate The tale of John Peerybingle, the good-hearted carrier, and his young wife Mary ('Dot'), interwoven with the story of poor toymaker Caleb Plummer, his beloved blind daughter Bertha, and the harsh old toy merchant Tackleton, who is due to marry May Fielding, a childhood friend of Dot. Comic relief is provided by Tilly Slowboy, the disaster-prone nursemaid of John and Dot's baby, and Boxer, the family dog.The cricket who chirps on the family hearth assumes fairy form to save the day when disaster looms in the form of a mysterious stranger. Sentimental? Certainly - but this, the third (1845) of Dickens' short Christmas books, is as charming and irresistible as its predecessors A Christmas Carol (1843) and The Chimes (1844).The novella is subdivided into chapters called 'Chirps', similar to the 'Quarters' of The Chimes or the 'Staves' of A Christmas Carol. (Introduction by Ruth Golding) Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Voltaire (1694 - 1778)Translated by Philip Littell Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Ever since 1759, when Voltaire wrote "Candide" in ridicule of the notion that this is the best of all possible worlds, this world has been a gayer place for readers. Voltaire wrote it in three days, and five or six generations have found that its laughter does not grow old. Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate In 1895, Oscar Wilde was sentenced to 2 years of hard labor for acts of ‘gross indecency'. During his time at Reading Gaol, he witnessed a rare hanging, and in the three years between his release and his untimely death in 1900, was inspired to write the following poem, a meditation on the death penalty and the importance of forgiveness, even for (and especially for) something as heinous as murdering one's spouse; for even the murderer, Wilde argues, is human and suffers more so for being the cause of his own pain, for ‘having killed the thing he loved'; for everyone is the cause of someone else's suffering and suffers at the hands of another. It is this that Jesus Christ could see; he could continue to see the beauty of our humanity, despite all that we may do to each other, and encouraged us to love each other just the same“The Ballad of Reading Gaol” was published in 1898 and would gain Wilde greater recognition as a poet (in addition to being a great playwright); although his only other volume of poetry, one of his earliest works that he'd published, was also well-received. Sadly, ‘The Ballad' would be his last.(Summary by Linda Leu). Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Alice's adventures in Wonderland is probably one of the most well known and popular children's novels in the English language. Written in 1865 by Charles Lutwidge Dodgeson, better known by his pen name ‘Lewis Carrol'. Lewis, a mathematician, poet, photographer and inventor, tells a surreal fantasy tale, of Alice, who visits a world of unnatural logic after following a very smart White Rabbit, down a rabbit hole. The world she discovers is inhabited by the strangest and most endearing characters; The ‘Mad Hatter', the sleepy ‘Dormouse', the ‘Queen of Hearts' and many more.Every child should insist that this story is read to them! And they will remember it for ever, just like Alice. This book was originally illustrated by Sir John Tenniel. His images are iconic and help to seed the imagination of any little person, no matter how big they are! Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate The book is noted for its colorful description of people and places along the Mississippi River, and its sober and often scathing look at entrenched attitudes, particularly racism. The drifting journey of Huck and his friend Jim, a runaway slave, down the Mississippi River on their raft may be one of the most enduring images of escape and freedom in all of American literature.The book has been popular with young readers since its publication, and taken as a sequel to the comparatively innocuous The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. It has also been the continued object of study by serious literary critics. Although the Southern society it satirized was already a quarter-century in the past by the time of publication, the book immediately became controversial, and has remained so to this day.

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate One of the most requested motivational lectures of all time. "I say that you ought to get rich, and it is your duty to get rich ... The men who get rich may be the most honest men you find in the community. Let me say here clearly ... ninety-eight out of one hundred of the rich men of America are honest. That is why they are rich. That is why they are trusted with money. That is why they carry on great enterprises and find plenty of people to work with them. It is because they are honest men. ." The central idea of the work is that one need not look elsewhere for opportunity, achievement, or fortune—the resources to achieve all good things are present in one's own community; look in your own backyard for those acres of diamonds. This theme is developed by an introductory anecdote, credited by Conwell to an Arab guide, about a man who wanted to find diamonds so badly that he sold his property and went off in futile search for them. The new owner of his home discovered that a rich diamond mine was located right there on the property. Conwell elaborates on the theme through examples of success, genius, service, or other virtues involving ordinary Americans contemporary to his audience: "dig in your own backyard!". -

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Leo Tolstoy's "A Confession," written in 1882 shortly after a life-altering spiritual crisis, is a brutally sincere reflection on life, morality, and the nature of faith. Tolstoy describes in great detail the process by which he lost his faith in established Christian churches, the meaninglessness of wealth and fame, the agony of acute depression, and how he overcame misery and dread through personal study of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Along the way, he contrasts the artificial faith and arrogance of educated people with the genuine faith and humility of the Russian peasant. This work, and others of its ilk, were aggressively censored by the Tsarist regime and directly led to Tolstoy being excommunicated by the Russian Orthodox Church. Summary by Paul Rizik.

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen's first published novel, focuses on the lives and loves of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. The sensible Elinor and the sensitive Marianne both fall for men whose affections are otherwise engaged. The novel includes a wonderful cast of colorful supporting characters, as well as Austen's trademark dry wit and ironic narration.

Support our Cause https://libri-vox.org/donate/ This is a story of the English moneyed class and its eternal struggle for creating “sense and sensibility” in its world. A potential marriage prospect must make “sense” by bringing with it enough assets and income to permit the couple to continue to live in happy, idle leisure, complete with servants and a prestigious address. Provided one can find such a match among the eligible persons of the opposite sex, one then hopes for “sensibility”, or capacity for emotion, so that if love is not immediately to hand, it might come around later. And while these gentlemen and ladies make their hopeful pirouettes in the social eye, they must of course adhere to all the forms of civility.Jane Austen writes of the family of a gentleman named Dashwood who dies and leaves most of his fortune to his son, with the understanding that he will “look out for” his mother and three sisters. When that son marries a grasping woman who convinces him that his sisters' funds are suitable to their needs and so require no contributions from his inherited fortune, the sisters are left to play the game of “Sense and Sensibility” in earnest.But all's not fair in love. Carefully prepared “attachments” can and do go awry when gentlemen find other young women of greater fortunes than the Dashwood sisters. So, will they marry for love? Or money? Or perhaps, not at all? (Summary by Mark F. Smith)

Jane Austen famously described Emma Woodhouse, the title character of her 1815 novel, as "a heroine whom no-one but myself will much like." Yet generations of readers have loved Emma, as much for her blunders as for her wit and vivacity. Emma, "handsome, clever, and rich," has nothing else to do but try to pair off her friends, and she consistently mis-reads the relationships and situations around her as much as she mis-reads her own heart. The novel features a wonderful cast of characters, including Emma's hypochondriac father, the odiously prideful Mrs. Elton, the mysterious and reserved Jane Fairfax, and Miss Bates, who never stops talking. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett).

mily Brontë's only novel, published in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell, tells the tale of the all-encompassing and passionate, yet thwarted, love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and how this unresolved passion eventually destroys them and many around them.Now considered a classic of English literature, Wuthering Heights met with mixed reviews by critics when it first appeared, with many horrified by the stark depictions of mental and physical cruelty. Though Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre was originally considered the best of the Brontë sisters' works, many subsequent critics of Wuthering Heights argued that its originality and achievement made it superior.

Walden (first published as Walden; or, Life in the Woods) is an American book written by noted transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings. The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and manual for self-reliance. First published in 1854, it details Thoreau's experiences over the course of two years, two months, and two days in a cabin he built near Walden Pond, amidst woodland owned by his friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, near Concord, Massachusetts. The book compresses the time into a single calendar year and uses passages of four seasons to symbolize human development. -

Ulysses is a groundbreaking novel in which Irish author James Joyce explores realism through stream-of-consciousness technique and shifting narrative styles. It was published in serial form between 1918-1920 and first published in book form in 1922. The story follows Leopold Bloom through Dublin during the course of one day: June 16, 1904. The events and characters of Ulysses parallel those of Homer's Odyssey, with Bloom corresponding to Odysseus. Although the book was the subject of early obscenity prosecutions, was banned in several countries, and has been considered unreadable by many, it is nevertheless one of the most important English-language works of the 20th century and is undoubtedly a masterpiece of Modernist literature. To this day, the 16th of June is celebrated as Bloomsday by Joyce enthusiasts. (Summary by Laurie Anne Walden)Production note for Episode 15 (Circe): Circe was written in the style of a play complete with stage directions. It was recorded as it was written, with 73 LibriVox volunteers providing more than 230 character voices.Credits for Circe:Book coordinator: AvailleAudio editor: David LawrenceNarrator: Peter WhyLeopold Bloom: Richard WallisStephen Dedalus: mbLynch: Ben Lindsey-ClarkZoe Higgins: Amanda FridayAdditional voices provided by: alanmapstone, AS - andreastrano, Availle, bala, Elizabeth Barr, Bill Boerst, CaprishaPage, Phil Chenevert, Ted Delorme, Charlotte Duckett, Barry Eads, Nadine Eckert-Boulet, ElleyKat, Margaret Espaillat, Elliot Gage, Filippo Gioachin, Kristin Gjerløw, gmrbill, Libby Gohn, April Gonzales, Amy Gramour, Aiden Herrera, Nathanial W.C. Higgins, hikarudream, Hunter, Grant Hurlock, Drew Johnson, Kevin Johnson, Emily Jones, Kanta, Kevinc, KHand, Josh Kirsh, Elizabeth Klett, Pamela Krantz, David Lawrence, Loveday, Brendan MacKenzie, Marty, MaryAnn, Chris Meabe, Eric Metzler, Andy Minter, Moromis, Cynthia Moyer, Julia Niedermaier, NoelBadrian, David Olson, Naomi Park, Lucy Perry, Algy Pug, Rapunzelina, Jaysen Raye, rookieblue, Savannah, shivagogo, Anna Simon, Anastasiia Solokha, David Stephenson, thechanneler, Beth Thomas, ToddHW, tovarisch, TriciaG, Laurie Anne Walden, Chuck Williamson, WoollyBee, and zaanta.Ulysses was proof-listened by Betty M., Ken Sterry, HeartofTexas, Annise, David Lawrence, and TriciaG.

A mysterious map, pirates, and pieces of eight! When young Jim Hawkins finds a map to pirates' gold he starts on an adventure that takes him from his English village to a desert island with the murderous Black Dog, half-mad Ben Gunn, and (of course) Long John Silver. Arr Jim lad! R.L. Stevenson (1850-1894) was born in Scotland and travelled extensively in California and the south Pacific.

William Walker Atkinson (1862 - 1932) William Walker Atkinson was one of the most prominent contributors to the literature of the New Thought movement, a non-denomination spiritual philosophy which developed in the late Nineteenth Century. Although he achieved eminence in a number of professions, Atkinson never sought personal publicity, and many of his numerous works were published under a variety of pseudonyms.Most of Atkinson's works are manuals of practice rather than pure expositions of philosophy. Many of his books are concerned with the training of the mind, and one of the most typical of these is Your Mind and How to Use It: A Manual of Practical Psychology, first published in 1911.Summary by Algy Pug Genre(s): Modern Language: English

Fannie Hardy Eckstorm (1865 - 1946) The Woodpeckers is a wonderful introduction to the world of bird study for the young naturalist, covering such topics as how he finds food, courting, how he builds his nest, the interesting ways he uses his different body parts as tools, among other topics discussed in the book.If you wish to investigate further, the online text has a few diagrams and an Appendix that contains more technical information such as detailed descriptions of the different species of North American woodpeckers which were not read as part of this audiobook. (summary by Laura Victoria) Genre(s): Science Language: English

Helen Keller (1880 - 1968) The World I Live In by Helen Keller is a collection of essays that poignantly tells of her impressions of the world, through her sense of touch, smell, her imagination and dreams.My hand is to me what your hearing and sight together are to you. In large measure we travel the same highways, read the same books, speak the same language, yet our experiences are different. All my comings and goings turn on the hand as on a pivot. It is the hand that binds me to the world of men and women. The hand is my feeler with which I reach through isolation and darkness and seize every pleasure, every activity that my fingers encounter. With the dropping of a little word from another's hand into mine, a slight flutter of the fingers, began the intelligence, the joy, the fullness of my life. Helen Keller, quoted from her essay, The Seeing Hand (Summary from text and Laura Caldwell) Genre(s): *Non-fiction, Biography & Autobiography Language: English

Henry Hazlitt (1894 - 1993) "The Way to Will-Power" is far from a standard self-help book. With ample wit and an occasionally sardonic tone, American journalist and free-market advocate Henry Hazlitt debunks popular concepts about the will, incorporates classical conceptions about human nature into a coherent whole, and imparts to readers everyday wisdom on how to best live life. - Summary by Loren Eaton Genre(s): Self-Help Language: English --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/librivox1/support

T. S. Eliot (1888 - 1965) The Waste Land is a highly influential 433-line modernist poem by T. S. Eliot. It is perhaps the most famous and most written-about long poem of the 20th century, dealing with the decline of civilization and the impossibility of recovering meaning in life. Despite the alleged obscurity of the poem—its shifts between satire and prophecy, its abrupt and unannounced changes of speaker, location and time, its elegiac but intimidating summoning up of a vast and dissonant range of cultures and literatures—the poem has nonetheless become a familiar touchstone of modern literature. Among its famous phrases are “April is the cruelest month” (its first line); “I will show you fear in a handful of dust”; and “Shantih shantih shantih” (its last line). The title is sometimes mistakenly written as “The Wasteland”. (Summary from wikipedia.org) Genre(s): Poetry Language: English --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/librivox1/support

Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862) This was originally a lecture given by Thoreau in 1851 at the Concord lyceum titled "The Wild" . He revised it before his death and it was included as part of the June 1862 edition of Atlantic Monthly. This essay appears, on the surface, to be simply expounding the qualities of Nature and man's place therein. Through this medium he not only touches those subjects, but with the implications of such a respect for nature, or lack thereof. (Summary by Chris Masterson) Genre(s): Essays & Short Works, Nature Language: English --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/librivox1/support

Jack London (1876 - 1916)Translated by S. J. Barentz-Schönberg "Vóór Adam's tijd" is het verhaal van een jongen die droomt dat hij het leven leidt van een vroege mensachtige, Australopithecus. Het verhaal geeft een vroege visie op de menselijke evolutie weer. Het grootste deel van het verhaal wordt verteld door het prehistorische alter-ego van de jongen, één van de holenmensen. Naast de holenmensen waren er de geavanceerdere vuurmensen, en de primitievere bomenmensen. Ook wilde dieren, zoals een sabeltandtijger, spelen een rol. Samenvatting van Wikipedia Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Nature & Animal Fiction Language: Dutch --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/librivox1/support

William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) Venus y Adonis es un poema de William Shakespeare, escrito en 1592-93. El argumento está basado en pasajes de las metamorfosis de Ovidio. Es un trabajo complejo y caleidoscópico que utiliza un tono y una perspectiva constantemente cambiantes, para presentar puntos de vista contrastantes sobre la naturaleza del amor. Genre(s): Fantastic Fiction, Poetry Language: Spanish --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/librivox1/support

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930) Doyle's final novel featuring the beloved sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, brings the detective and his friend to a country manor where they are preceded by either a murder or a suicide. A secretive organization lies culprit and an infiltration of it is in order. (Summary by Katie Riley) Genre(s): Detective Fiction Language: English --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/librivox1/support

Booker T. Washington (1856 - 1915) Up From Slavery is the 1901 autobiography of Booker T. Washington detailing his slow and steady rise from a slave child during the Civil War, to the difficulties and obstacles he overcame to get an education at the new Hampton University, to his work establishing vocational schools—most notably the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama—to help black people and other disadvantaged minorities learn useful, marketable skills and work to pull themselves, as a race, up by the bootstraps. He reflects on the generosity of both teachers and philanthropists who helped in educating blacks and native Americans. He describes his efforts to instill manners, breeding, health and a feeling of dignity to students. (Summary from Wikipedia) Genre(s): Biography & Autobiography Language: English --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/librivox1/support

Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885)Translated by José García de Villalta (1801 - 1846) Víctor Hugo escribió esta obra a raíz de ver a un verdugo ensayando con la guillotina para la ejecución del día siguiente- Quedó de tal manera impresionado que decidió escribir este alegato en contra de la pena de muerte, de la que era detractor absoluto. Hugo nos deja un relato en el que detalla todo lo que puede pasar por la mente de una persona en momentos tan infinitamente duros. Palabras, sentimiento y desolación de un hombre, sin nombre. Podría ser cualquiera...cualquiera.“Dicen que no es nada, que no se padece apenas, que es un fin muy dulce, y que la muerte está de este modo bastante simplificada. ¿Y qué es, pues, esta agonía de seis semanas y este ahoguío de todo un día? ¿Qué son las angustias de estas irreparables veinte y cuatro horas que pasan tan despacio y tan deprisa? ¿Qué, esta escala de tormentos que va a salir al patíbulo? “ (Summary by Montse González) Genre(s): Fictional Biographies & Memoirs Language: Spanish --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/librivox1/support

W. Stewart Wallace (1884 - 1970) Volume 13 of The Chronicles of Canada Series. This volume sheds light on the often misunderstood Americans who chose to remain loyal to the Crown of England during and after the American Revolution. While the vast majority of American writings which detail the Revolution paint the Loyalists (sometimes called Tories) in the most negative fashion, this volume explains the reasons behind their election to flee to Canada (and other countries) rather than remain on American soil. While no exact numbers exist of Loyalists who fled to Canada in 1783-1784, the estimates of John Adams and others of the time period range in the vicinity of one third of the population, which places that number at about a million. These were not people who fled in fear, rather they were generally people who felt the benefit of support from the British Crown outweighed the support they would receive from the unproven social, financial, and political structures which had yet to be formed. Some were opportunists in search of free land. But all were a brave people who chose to leave the comfort of their homeland to help settle uncharted territories of what we now know as Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia; a people who held their heads high as they settled a largely untamed land. (Introduction by Roger Melin) Genre(s): *Non-fiction, History, Early Modern Language: English Group: Chronicles of Canada Series --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/librivox1/support