"With opinions, possession is more than nine points of the law. It is next to impossible to dislodge them." Woodrow Wilson's Study of Administration examines public opinion's role in politics. It is one of 20 nonfiction readings chosen by the readers. Other faceted topics in volume 088 include culinary taste (Stewed Eels) the existence of the supernatural (Mayo v. Satan; Previsionary Dream); slavery (The Constitution and the Slave; A Scrap of Curious History); peace and war (Bumping into the Bol...
Dec 26, 2021•7 hr 13 min
Seventeenth-century Puritan theologian John Bunyan wrote The Life and Death of Mr. Badman as a companion piece to The Pilgrim’s Progress, the literary work for which Bunyan is best remembered. Although both works are Christian allegories that provide the reader with moral and spiritual instruction, The Pilgrim’s Progress accomplishes this goal primarily via the positive example of the protagonist, while The Life and Death of Mr. Badman does the opposite; Pilgrim is ultimately destined for heaven...
Dec 26, 2021•7 hr 13 min
"Within a year Earth would be a vassal world, with the Sirian invaders triumphant. Only Standish, Earth's Defense Engineer, could halt that last victorious onslaught—and he was helpless, the lone survivor of a prison ship wrecked in uncharted space." Genre(s): Science Fiction Language: English Carl Richard Jacobi (1908 - 1997)
Dec 26, 2021•1 hr 38 min
Published by Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc this book of recipes feature cranberries in appetizers, salads, side dishes, main dishes, breads, cakes, cookies. desserts, and beverages. Genre(s): Cooking Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.
Dec 23, 2021•1 hr 21 min
The great civil liberties we enjoy today, like Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press, have their foundation in Freedom of Thought. Without being able to freely explore all kinds of matter with an inquisitive mind, whether it be religious, political, societal, scientific, etc., any expression thereof is limited in and of itself. John Bagnell Bury tells the history of freedom of thought from its roots in Ancient Greece and Rome through the dark and restrictive Middle Ages and its renewed libe...
Dec 23, 2021•5 hr 52 min
The German mathematician David Hilbert was one of the most influential mathematicians of the 19th/early 20th century. Hilbert's 20 axioms were first proposed by him in 1899 in his book Grundlagen der Geometrie as the foundation for a modern treatment of Euclidean geometry. Hilbert's axiom system is constructed with six primitive notions: the three primitive terms point, line , and plane , and the three primitive relations Betweenness (a ternary relation linking points), Lies on (or Containment, ...
Dec 23, 2021•5 hr 27 min
This is satirical look at the English educational system and society in the early twentieth century and the effect of World War I on them by following the lives of Peter Stublands and the orphaned Joan. It is a sad indictment, and Wells includes "An Apology of a Schoolmaster" to explain the constraints of the system. Genre(s): Children's Fiction, Satire H. G. Wells (1866 - 1946)
Dec 21, 2021•20 hr 33 min
The 2021 Christmas collection has some old favourites and some new, some reflections. Shepherds with a difference from New Zealand, and hopefully everyone will find something to enjoy. Genre(s): Short Stories
Dec 21, 2021•7 hr 53 min
The American Charles Warren Stoddard (1843–1909) wrote quite popular travel books, especially those about Polynesia. South-Sea Idyls (1873) was his most popular book. A series of letters to a friend, "They are," wrote William Dean Howells, "the lightest, sweetest, wildest, freshest things that were ever written about the life of that summer ocean." Stoddard also wrote The Lepers Of Molokai (1885), a book that brought Father Damien and his charges to public notice. - Summary by David Wales Genre(...
Dec 21, 2021•9 hr 24 min
Not the tale of Robin Hood’s friend, but a charming Victorian age story of Marian, a little girl being raised by her formal but loving grandparents. When the new school teacher comes to stay, she adds warmth and whimsy to Marian’s life and helps guide her to make her most fervent wishes come true. Genre(s): General Amy Ella Blanchard (1856 - 1926)
Dec 21, 2021•4 hr 8 min
This book is ostensibly about a theoretical catastrophic geologic event. It turns into a meditation on what it means to be an English person, and at the end, includes a ringing defense of America. Genre(s): Earth Sciences Louis Pope Gratacap (1851 - 1917)
Dec 20, 2021•8 hr 38 min
William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) The 1610 edition says it is by Shakespeare, and the play was in a volume of Shakespeare in the library of Charles the Second. But, well, likely not actually a Shakespeare.... Perhaps by Robert Green (1558 - 1592) This play is mentioned as being popular in the 1611 Beaumont and Fletcher play 'The Knight of the Burning Pestle';. In fact, Mucedorus 'was enormously successful. This absurd play, with the merits and defects of a nursery tale, was acted by strolling co...
Dec 20, 2021•1 hr 43 min
A collection of twenty stories featuring ghoulies, ghosties, long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night. Expect shivers up your spine, the sound of a monstrous howl, and the occasional touch of wonder. Genre(s): Horror & Supernatural Fiction
Dec 20, 2021•8 hr 43 min
Harry Dee, a nervous, sensitive boy, given to somnambulism, arrives at St. Maure's following his experiences involving the murder of his rich uncle. Tom Playfair and Percy Wynn help to restore Harry to his former self, which includes solving "The Mystery of Tower Hill Mansion." This is the last book of the three of Fr. Finn's famous trio. Genre(s): Action & Adventure, Religion, School Francis J. Finn (1859 - 1928)
Dec 19, 2021•8 hr 49 min
This is the fourth book in the "Outdoor Girls" series. In this story, the scene is shifted to a winter season. The girls have some jolly times skating and ice boating, and visit a hunters' camp in the big woods. (From an old advertisement) Genre(s): Action & Adventure Laura Lee Hope
Dec 19, 2021•4 hr 36 min
This fun little book was printed with two stories, back to back. Reading from the front cover, it is "The Goody Side," where children are well-behaved and polite. Reading from the back cover forward is "The Naughty Side," where children behave quite differently. Genre(s): Children's Fiction
Dec 19, 2021•52 min
The 32 works in this volume contain many diverse works from the period including sermons, essays, letters, commentaries, poems and reports. Many pieces are by the Anglican writers John Newton and Augustus Toplady. Genre(s): Christianity - Other
Dec 19, 2021•5 hr 12 min
The first of more than thirty books of poetry by Canadian poet Bliss Carman. "The poems in this volume have been collected with reference to their similarity of tone. They are variations on a single theme, more or less aptly suggested by the title, Low Tide on Grand Pré. It seemed better to bring together between the same covers only those pieces of work which happened to be in the same key, rather than to publish a larger book of more uncertain aim. B.C. by Grand Pré, September, 1893." Genre(s)...
Dec 17, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Harper's Young People is an illustrated weekly publication for children that includes short stories, tales from history, natural history, poetry, puzzles, and other fun. This 28th issue of the serial was published on May 11th, 1880. In this issue, General George Washington retires from the military and happily prepares for a life of farming and family at Mount Vernon after years of service to his new country. We also check in on our favorite young sailor as his story continues and we find his sh...
Dec 17, 2021•1 hr 55 min
'Thoughts on South Africa' is a collection of Schreiner's observations of colonial South Africa in the early 19th century, mostly regarding Boer-English relations. The book was published posthumously in 1923. Prospective listeners should be aware that it reflects the place, culture and language of the time in which it was written. Genre(s): *Non-fiction, Social Science (Culture & Anthropology), Modern (20th C) Language: English Olive Schreiner (1855 - 1920)...
Dec 17, 2021•13 hr 22 min
Who is Nostalgo ? Posters with his unsettlingly grinning face are appearing on scaffolds all over London. A murdered body, horribly disfigured and bearing a striking resemblance to the man on the poster, vanishes from a police-station. Jack Masefield wants to protect his fiancée Claire from her shady guardian Anstruther, and before he knows it, he is in the thick of the mystery, unraveling a tale of greed, deception, revenge and dark deeds. Genre(s): Crime & Mystery Fiction Language: English...
Dec 16, 2021•12 hr
Lady Arabella Stuart was an English noblewoman at the beginning of the seventeenth century. At one time considered to be a possible successor to Elizabeth I, the crown eventually went to her cousin, the tyrannical James I. Our story begins in 1603, shortly after his ascension to the throne. Apparently she was happy at the change in fortune, although relations with her kinsman deteriorated after her clandestine marriage, which was incorrectly seen as a power struggle. Even her closest friends cou...
Dec 16, 2021•14 hr 23 min
Children's Short Works Collection 047: a collection of 15 short works for children Genre(s): Short works
Dec 16, 2021•2 hr 6 min
The book is probably better known under the title ‘Mr Perrin and Mr Traill’, later made into a well-known film in 1948. Perrin and Traill are masters at a grim old-fashioned second-rate boarding public school in Cornwall – Perrin has been there many years and the youthful Traill has just arrived. The book concerns the growing antagonism between the two which turns into active dislike following an unfortunate incident and which eventually has devastating consequences. The author vividly captures ...
Dec 15, 2021•6 hr 35 min
Nick Carter is a fictional detective who first appeared in 1886 in dime store novels. Over the years, different authors, all taking the nom de plume Nicholas Carter, have penned stories featuring "America's greatest detective". This tale opens with Nick eavesdropping on two strangers in the next booth as he finishes his lunch. One of the men works at the telegraph office and is discussing an unusual wire he received. Nick's interest is aroused. Genre(s): Detective Fiction Language: English Nicho...
Dec 15, 2021•2 hr 9 min
A complete survey of the Independent Boise School District, Boise, Idaho was conducted over two weeks, with the purpose to study and observe the schools in operation, including the systems of financing and filing educational records. Facts are presented alongside conclusions and recommendations to be understood the general public as to the importance of educational enterprise. Genre(s): Education Jesse Brundage Sears (1876 - 1973) , William Martin Proctor (1875 - 1937) et al....
Dec 15, 2021•7 hr
This pamphlet by LGBT pioneer and philosopher Edward Carpenter was originally intended to form part of his work "Love's Coming of Age", but was removed following public discourse on the Oscar Wilde trials of 1895. It was subsequently published privately and circulated among his inner circle. This is Carpenter's first publication on the subject of homosexuality, and displays his typical forward-thinking and utopian sentiments. It seeks to make clear that homosexuality is innate, is more widesprea...
Dec 15, 2021•1 hr 15 min
This is a collection of 27 poems, some seasonal to New Years and Christmas, but others on themes of religion, nature and home. Genre(s): Single author, Lyric Charles Edward de la Poer Beresford (1850 - 1921)
Dec 15, 2021•58 min
This novel opens in 1805, during the Napoleonic Wars between England and France. A retired sailor, Captain Acton, reminisces about his time at sea now he lives on shore and wonders about a ship seen burning at sea the previous night. But there is one more voyage for the Captain, this time taking his daughter Lucy. As all sailors know, a woman on board brings bad luck. Genre(s): Nautical & Marine Fiction, Published 1900 onward William Clark Russell (1844 - 1911)...
Dec 15, 2021•10 hr 31 min
15 recordings of September by Dorothy Frances McCrea. Dorothy Frances McCrae was an Australian poetess born in 1879 in Melbourne Australia. Genre(s): Multi-version (Weekly and Fortnightly poetry) Dorothy Frances McCrea (1879 - 1937)
Dec 15, 2021•10 min
