Written over a century and a half ago, Madame Bovary is still an extraordinarily fresh, exciting and shockingly frank novel, at once an acute psychological study of a woman drawn into adultery through circumstances we can partly understand, and a sharply-observed comedy that offers a fascinating glimpse of the social and cultural divisions running through French provincial society in the mid nineteenth century. This translation is by Eleanor Marx-Aveling, a prominent social activist and literary...
Nov 30, 2021•12 hr 34 min
This is the 16th edition of the Shakespeare Monologues Collection, in which Librivox volunteers bring you their favorite characters' monologues. All topics and emotions are covered, from love to hate, drawn from Shakespeare's comedies and tragedies, world-famous and lesser known lines. Genre(s): Plays Language: Multilingual
Nov 30, 2021•51 min
This was originally titled "The Wild" and is a lecture given by Thoreau in 1851 at the Concord lyceum. "Walking" is an essay that explores the relationship between man and nature, trying to find a balance between society and our raw animal nature. Genre(s): Essays & Short Works, Nature Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)
Nov 30, 2021•1 hr 27 min
This drama was written in 1848 for the great French tragedienne, Rachel, by Eugene Scribe and his writing partner, Ernest Legouve. Scribe is remembered for devising the compositional technique now known as the “well-made play” that dominated play-writing for most of the 19th century. This plot is loosely based on events in the life of the actress, Adrienne Lecouvreur of the Comédie-Française and the tragic outcome of her love affair with Maurice, Comte de Saxe Genre(s): Tragedy Ernest Legouve (1...
Nov 30, 2021•2 hr 27 min
The Cambridge Modern History is a universal history covering the period from 1450 to 1910. It was published in 14 volumes between 1902 and 1912. The series was planned by Lord Acton, who intended it to be a monument of objective, collaborative scholarship, and edited by A.W. Ward, G. W. Prothero and Stanley Leathes. From the preface: "The present volume, as its title imports, relates a complicated series of conflicts of which the origin or the pretext has for the most part to be sought in the gr...
Nov 29, 2021•43 hr 28 min
The Castle of Otranto is regarded as the first Gothic novel, a genre appealing to a taste for terror and set in a remote past when prodigies and magic can be imagined to have existed, with violent contrasts between purity and ungoverned passions. The author represents the tale as having been translated from a black letter Italian volume of the 15th century but describing much earlier events. This fictional antiquity and the depiction of mysterious wonders, dark subterranean passages, fearsome ap...
Nov 29, 2021•4 hr 4 min
The Martian, by George du Maurier, is a largely autobiographical novel published in 1898 and the author's third. It describes the life of Barty Josselin as told by his close friend Robert Maurice, starting from their school days in Paris in the 1850s. Written in long descriptive passages with very little dialogue and many digressions, the book had considerably less success in its time than its predecessor, the popular Trilby. Genre(s): General Fiction George du Maurier (1834 - 1896)...
Nov 29, 2021•14 hr 46 min
"Has there ever been a time when no stories were told? Has there ever been a people who did not care to listen? I think not." Thus begins a journey through the history of English literature, from the early middle ages to the Victorian era. The young person will experience the most well-loved characters of all time, from Beowulf, the warrior who dares to challenge a terrifying and bloodthirsty monster, to virtuous Una of The Faerie Queene, faithful to the end. H. E. Marshall masterfully weaves se...
Nov 29, 2021•23 hr 10 min
This week's poem is a narrative of a working girl and her situation in society. George A. Baker was a native of New York City. He was a journalist, lawyer and author of novels and poetry, His works include Bad Habits of a Good Society (1876). Genre(s): Multi-version (Weekly and Fortnightly poetry) George A. Baker, Jr. (1849 - 1906)
Nov 29, 2021•45 min
At breakfast, Mr. Graham drops the bombshell that his niece -- Joan, Jane or Janet, he's not sure which, will be arriving from the west to live with his large family. The news is met with mixed emotions - horror from his wife, resentment from the eldest two daughters and amusement from the eldest son. What will this stranger be like? How will she fit in with her cousins? Genre(s): Family Marion Ames Taggart (1866 - 1945)
Nov 28, 2021•5 hr 9 min
"Guide a black galleon to the lost, fear-hauntedCitadel of the Xanthi wizards—into the very jaws of Doom? Corun, condemned pirate of Conahur, laughed. Aye, he'd do it, and gladly.It would mean a reprieve from the headsman's axe—a few more precious moments of life and love ... though his lover be a witch!" Genre(s): Fantasy Fiction Poul William Anderson (1926 - 2001)
Nov 28, 2021•2 hr 31 min
Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903) wrote eighty-eight Encyclicals during his twenty-five year pontificate (1878-1903). Fifty-six of those are included in this collection. Among the topics covered are the Rosary, socialism, Christian marriage, labour, freemasonry, Church and state, human liberty, dueling, the Holy Eucharist, and more. Genre(s): Christianity - Other Pope Leo XIII (1810 - 1903)
Nov 28, 2021•29 hr 1 min
The 12th edition of the Librivox Mystery and Suspense Collection delivers such gems as Father Brown in the Donnington Affair, Edgar Allen Poe and Guy de Maupassant amongst others. Prepare to by mystified and entertained. Each piece has been selected and read by Librivox readers. Genre(s): Anthologies
Nov 27, 2021•6 hr 27 min
This novel is narrated in the first person and revolves around a character named Lil (somewhat autobiographical of the author) and the dynamics of a colorful cast of family members. She loves nature and, especially, birds, and thus the title. The story is set in Tennessee. The writing is very much a product of its place and time. Hammond was quite socially progressive but some of the language she puts into the mouths of characters and the depiction of African Americans may be upsetting to some r...
Nov 26, 2021•6 hr 6 min
The First Epistle to the Corinthians was written by the Apostle Paul, after having established the church in Corinth. In it, he responds to a letter written to him by the church, addressing some errors and controversies that have arisen in the church. Among the topics are divisions within the church; immorality; marriage; Christian liberty; and the doctrine of the resurrection. Genre(s): Young's Literal Translation Language: English
Nov 26, 2021•1 hr 19 min
This is a wonderful selection of six of the greatest works from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, unquestionably one of the world's most celebrated poets. Despite its small size, the book covers a wide spectrum of the poet's thoughts and ideas, from those on patriotism, to the inherent uncertainty of the human condition, to hope for the future - and all with a strong faith in the ability of humanity to see life through successfully. These themes, coupled with an overall tenor of joy and optimism in th...
Nov 25, 2021•11 min
"The Rover: A weekly magazine of tales, poetry and engravings, original and selected" was a magazine started in 1843 by Seba Smith and Lawrence Labree. The editors aimed at a high quality standard in their selection of short stories and poetry. Every half-year, the 26 weekly issues were also published under a bound compilation. This is the 26th, and final issue of the first volume, with a varied choice of poetry, short stories and trivia. Genre(s): Poetry, Short Stories Language: English Seba Sm...
Nov 25, 2021•1 hr 51 min
The Black Cat (1895-1922) was a monthly literary magazine, publishing original short stories, often about uncanny or fantastical topics. Many writers were largely unknown, but some famous authors also wrote original material for this magazine. This seventh issue of volume 2 presents the following five short stories: "The Peacock and the Copper Moon", by Frances Aymar Mathews: a sculptor's plan to save her lover suddenly receives a dramatic twist "Westward Ho !", by J. Wesley Glover: don't launch...
Nov 25, 2021•1 hr 59 min
This book was awarded the John Newbery Medal by the Children’s Librarians’ Section of the American Library Association, for the most distinguished contribution to American Children’s literature during the year 1925. it is a collection of stories from China for children. Genre(s): Myths, Legends & Fairy Tales Language: English Arthur Bowie Chrisman (1889 - 1953)
Nov 25, 2021•4 hr 33 min
A brief summary of the life of the opera king, Rossini. Genre(s): Biography & Autobiography Language: English W. Armine Bevan (1855 - 1909)
Nov 24, 2021•1 hr 33 min
Clarissa Dalloway is having a party. Join her and a web of connections in exploring London, their memories and their innermost thoughts and feelings. This novel explores relationships, mental health, nostalgia, regret, and the multitude of reasons for which people make decisions which change the course of their life. Genre(s): Published 1900 onward Virginia Woolf (1882 - 1941)
Nov 24, 2021•6 hr 26 min
The author of this book, Ralph Henry Barbour, was a prolific writer of scholastic and college sports and adventure fiction for boys. Here is a departure from that niche. This is a story about the good, and not so good, adventures of Fritz the dachshund, as a puppy (Part 1) and an adult dog (Part 2), as told by ... Fritz the dachshund. A very heart-warming story for children. Genre(s): Animals & Nature Ralph Henry Barbour (1870 - 1944)...
Nov 24, 2021•2 hr 43 min
A tale of love, romance and chivalry set amongst the backdrop of the climactic months before the opening of the Kings' Crusade. Two English knights are in love with the same maiden. Their devotion and bravery is tested when their beloved is kidnapped against her will and taken to Palestine and eventually to the court of the famous Muslim leader, Saladin. Genre(s): Action & Adventure Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance H. Rider Haggard (1856 - 1925)...
Nov 24, 2021•15 hr 31 min
Once upon a time there were fifteen Cubs who spent nine wonderful days in camp. They were London Cubs, and the camp was on a beautiful little green island whose rocky shore ran down in green, tree-covered points into the bluest sea you ever saw. These nine days were the most splendid days in those Cubs' lives. And so they often think of them, and dream about them, and live them over again in memory. So that they may more easily go over those days their Old Wolf has written down all about them in...
Nov 24, 2021•4 hr 16 min
This collection is dedicated to recordings of short mythical or legendary works which are in the Public Domain. The stories tell of legends, heroes, myths, and ancient lore from many different cultures. Genre(s): Culture & Heritage Fiction, Myths, Legends & Fairy Tales, Anthologies
Nov 23, 2021•2 hr
Infection and Immunity with Special Reference to the Prevention of Infectious Diseases presents a subject that is as relevant today as it was in 1903. This book was written for readers without a medical background, and includes general information on infectious disease, as well as specific diseases prevalent at the time. To quote the author, who served as the U.S. Army Surgeon General from 1893-1902, "The general statement may be made that all infectious disease are preventable disease, and at t...
Nov 23, 2021•6 hr 35 min
"The Rover: A weekly magazine of tales, poetry and engravings, original and selected" was a magazine started in 1843 by Seba Smith and Lawrence Labree. The editors aimed at a high quality standard in their selection of short stories and poetry. Every half-year, the 26 weekly issues were also published under a bound compilation. The 24th issue of the series presents 7 short stories, an excerpt from Byron's poem "Manfred" and some trivia. Genre(s): Short Stories Language: English Seba Smith (1792 ...
Nov 23, 2021•2 hr 41 min
A tribute to friends both past and present, this poem is taken from Poems by Arthur Macy (1905) Genre(s): Multi-version (Weekly and Fortnightly poetry) Language: English Arthur Macy (1842 - 1904)
Nov 22, 2021•33 min
This title is scarcely correct. It was during a solitary walk on the banks of the Cam that I was first struck with this appearance, and applied it to my own feelings in the manner here expressed, changing the scene to the Thames, near Windsor. This, and the three stanzas of the following poem, Remembrance of Collins, formed one piece; but, upon the recommendation of Coleridge, the three last stanzas were separated from the other.—I. F. (taken from the notes in the introduction to The Poetical Wo...
Nov 22, 2021•24 min
Money and Trade Considered, With a Proposal for Supplying the Nation with Money was so much more than a mere proposal for a note-issuing bank. It was a staggeringly original work of genius which not only included proposals for new systems of banking, and the issuing of paper money as a means to stimulate the economy, but also revealed, for the first time, several of the most significant economic concepts ever devised; concepts which would later be espoused by economists such as Adam Smith and Jo...
Nov 22, 2021•3 hr 20 min
