This is the story of Buck, dog napped from sunny California to snowy Arctic during the Alaska gold rush. This deservedly famous book has been already recorded by LibriVox and downloaded more than 100,000 times. Why, then, would anyone suggest another recording? Because this will be a Solo recording. One of the joys of LibriVox is also a source of frustration for some listeners. That is, getting used to a narrator just in time for it to change! So, with apologies to Gordon, Kristin, Jean, and Mie...
May 24, 2026•3 hr 24 min
A Calendar of Sonnets Helen Hunt Jackson (1830 - 1885) Helen Hunt Jackson is probably most famous for her work on behalf of Native Americans’ rights. However, this short volume presents a sonnet for each month of the year, devoted simply and beautifully to the shifting wonder of nature through the seasons. (Summary by Laura Fox) Genre(s): Sonnets Language: English Keyword(s): literature (1959), poetry (1824)...
May 23, 2026•16 min
The Adventures of Buster Bear is another set of children’s stories by the conservationist, Thornton W. Burgess. Buster Bear has many adventures and misadventures as he meets the different characters in the Green Forest near the Laughing Brook. Along the way, we learn about the habits of Buster and his friends and we learn little lessons about life such as the importance of sharing, not stealing, making friends and not sticking one's head into tin pails. (Summary by John Lieder) Genre(s): Animals...
May 22, 2026•1 hr 46 min
This was written in the mid 1800’s at time when Australia saw an influx of immigration from Europe and when England was sending some prisoners to Australia rather than to prisons. Haygarth shows us what it is like, and what it takes, to live in the Australian Bush. He shows us about the different life on a cattle/sheep station, living miles from the nearest neighbor, getting to town just a few times a year and that it may be several hundred miles away. From his own experiences relates dealings w...
May 21, 2026•6 hr 26 min
Buddhism and Buddhists in China is an anthropological text describing Buddhism as practiced in China at the beginning of the 20th Century. Interestingly, it also compares and contrasts Buddhism with Christianity with respect to or in response to missionary work. (Summary by Scott) Genre(s): Religion Language: English Keyword(s): history (910), religion (744), Christianity (382), china (64), buddhism (26), hodus (1), missionary work (1)...
May 20, 2026•3 hr 6 min
The Bright Messenger (Pt.2) Algernon Blackwood (1869 - 1951) Julian LeVallon, born and raised alone in the Jura Mountains, is referred to psychiatrist Dr. Edward Fillery for care in London. But is LeVallon merely a schizophrenic with a secondary personality, "N.H." (non-human), or is he really an Elemental Being, a "bright messenger" who brings, perhaps, a new age of human evolution? And if so, is the human race ready for a major step forward? [Summary by Mark Nelson] Genre(s): Horror & Supe...
May 19, 2026•8 hr 18 min•Ep. 2
The Bright Messenger (Pt. 1) Algernon Blackwood (1869 - 1951) Julian LeVallon, born and raised alone in the Jura Mountains, is referred to psychiatrist Dr. Edward Fillery for care in London. But is LeVallon merely a schizophrenic with a secondary personality, "N.H." (non-human), or is he really an Elemental Being, a "bright messenger" who brings, perhaps, a new age of human evolution? And if so, is the human race ready for a major step forward? [Summary by Mark Nelson] Genre(s): Horror & Sup...
May 18, 2026•6 hr 31 min•Ep. 1
Henry Augustin Beers, native of Buffalo, NY and professor of English at Yale, with the help of John Fletcher Hurst (1834-1903), Methodist bishop and first Chancellor of American University, has written a sweeping thousand 900 year history of English literature, up to the end of the 19th century. Although at times biased and sometimes misguided (as when he dismisses Mark Twain as a humorist noteworthy in his time but not for the ages), his research is sound and his criticism is interesting and qu...
May 17, 2026•7 hr 17 min•Ep. 4
A Brief History of English and American Literature (Pt.1) Henry Augustin Beers, native of Buffalo, NY and professor of English at Yale, with the help of John Fletcher Hurst (1834-1903), Methodist bishop and first Chancellor of American University, has written a sweeping thousand 900 year history of English literature, up to the end of the 19th century. Although at times biased and sometimes misguided (as when he dismisses Mark Twain as a humorist noteworthy in his time but not for the ages), his...
May 16, 2026•7 hr 7 min•Ep. 1
“Many believe that we, in this century,” writes Ethel Rosenberg, “ are witnessing the dawn of a new spiritual epoch or era. A renewal of the Spirit is making itself felt in the Churches and in the religious and social life of all lands. This is in harmony with the teachings of the Bahais, and of their Great Leaders, now represented by Abdul Baha the ‘Servant of God,’ known to the outside world as Abbas Effendi. Once again, the Light is shining forth from that land which may indeed be called the ...
May 15, 2026•1 hr 2 min
A tale of the revenge of the earth, in this case, specifically, Mother Gunga, Goddess of the River Ganga, against the men who confine her power, The Bridge Builders is also a tale of the death of the Gods as their place in the earth is taken by the things of science. A close description of the building of a bridge across the River Ganges, the tale also tells of a vision of the Gods in an opium dream like a dream in the mind of Brahma; and when Brahma wakes, the Gods die. Or do they? ( Tony Addis...
May 14, 2026•1 hr 40 min
Written by the former skeptic, poet, and scholar, Thomas Cooper, The Bridge of History Over the Gulf of Time admirably sets forth a winsome defense of Christianity. Written as the substance of fourteen years of lectures, at the request of his hearers, Cooper leads his reader across the bridge of history, through the centuries, tracing Christianity. At last, he addresses "Leben Jesu" by Dr. David Friedrich Strauss, discusses the historicity of the four Gospels, and offers some concluding evidence...
May 13, 2026•3 hr 58 min
Scott's The Bridal of Triermain is a rhymed, romantic, narrative poem which weaves together elements of popular English legend using dramatic themes. This beautiful poem celebrates the exploits of a knight errant - Sir Roland De Vaux - as he seeks to rescue (and hopefully espouse) a beautiful maiden, Gyneth. Gyneth is the illegitimate daughter of King Arthur: doomed by Merlin 500 years previously to an enchanted sleep inside a magic castle. The enchantment can only be broken by a rescuer both br...
May 12, 2026•2 hr 4 min
The story revolves around Montgomery Brewster, a poor man who inherits a large sum of money. However, there is a catch — he has to spend every penny within 30 days, and end up with nothing at that time. Should he make the deadline, he stands to gain an even larger sum; should he fail, he remains penniless. Brewster finds that spending so much money is more difficult than he first thinks, especially when the lawyers are trying to make him fail so that they can claim the money. What makes it worse...
May 11, 2026•8 hr 3 min
"Brazilian Tales" is a collection of six short stories selected by Isaac Goldberg as best representative of the Brazilian Literature of his period - the end of the 19th century. His comprehensive preface aims at familiarizing the reader with a literature that was - and still is - virtually unknown outside the boundaries of its own land, and the pieces chosen by Goldberg to be translated belong to writers that reached popularity and appreciation while still alive. This "pioneer volume", as the tr...
May 10, 2026•2 hr 58 min
"Mark Phillips" is, or are, two writers: Randall Garrett and Laurence M. Janifer. Their joint pen-name, derived from their middle names (Philip and Mark), was coined soon after their original meeting, at a science-fiction convention. Both men were drunk at the time, which explains a good deal, and only one has ever sobered up. A matter for constant contention between the collaborators is which one. Originally published as That Sweet Little Old Lady, Brain Twister follows the adventures of FBI ag...
May 09, 2026•5 hr 18 min
Booker T. Washington was one of the first nationally recognized African American leaders after the Civil War. He was born to a slave woman in Virginia, who then took him as a young boy to West Virginia after the emancipation. Booker became a leader in education heading the Tuskegee Institute for more than 30 years and working with other universities. He advocated a moderate approach to elevating the African Americans through education and business, but worked behind the scenes to change discrimi...
May 08, 2026•3 hr 23 min
The Boys' Life of Abraham Lincoln Helen Nicolay (1866 - 1954) The Boys’ Life of Abraham Lincoln is a biography with many anecdotes that takes one deeper into the thoughts, personality, and beliefs of the man that was Lincoln. While the title indicates the book is about Lincoln’s life as a boy, the book is a full, if somewhat shortened biography. It is very well written and was a joy to record. One might ask, "Who was Helen Nicolay?" Her father, John George Nicolay, was Abraham Lincoln's private ...
May 07, 2026•5 hr 42 min
A Boy's Will is Robert Frost's first full volume of poetry. Issued when Frost was approaching forty, it established his reputation and created a revolution in American poetry. With this publication, Frost became an established poet. He later became the major American poet of the twentieth century. A Boy's Will is characteristic of Frost's ability to conjure photographically clear physical images while ruminating on the complexities of the human condition, its frailties and strengths, and its tem...
May 06, 2026•50 min
These 12 stories give a personal portrait of twelve famous soldiers from the past two centuries. Each story explores the early life of the soldier —to trace his career up from boyhood through the formative years. Such data serves to explain the great soldier of later years. Summary compiled from the preface of the book. (Summary by philchenevert) Genre(s): Biography Language: English Keyword(s): literature (1959), adventure (1061), history (910), biography (356), war stories (46), teen/young adu...
May 05, 2026•6 hr 6 min
Boyhood is the second in Tolstoy's trilogy of three autobiographical novels, including Childhood and Youth, published in a literary journal during the 1850s. (Introduction by Bill Boerst) Genre(s): Fictional Biographies & Memoirs Language: English Keyword(s): autobiography (94), youth (68), childhood (59), Russian Literature (47), Tolstoy (26), trilogy (9), autobiographical novel (3)...
May 04, 2026•2 hr 55 min
RICHARD HARDING DAVIS, as a friend and fellow author has written of him, was “youth incarnate,” and there is probably nothing that he wrote of which a boy would not some day come to feel the appeal. But there are certain of his stories that go with especial directness to a boy’s heart and sympathies and make for him quite unforgettable literature. A few of these were made some years ago into a volume, “Stories for Boys,” and found a large and enthusiastic special public in addition to Davis’s ge...
May 03, 2026•4 hr 57 min
Four children: Henry, Jess Violet and Bennie. They are living alone in a stranded boxcar. They find items they need from the dump and a stray dog whom they name Watch. Henry earns money by working for a man named Dr. McAllister and his mother, Mrs. McAllister. But, while they are living their daily lives, little do they know that the McAllisters are watching their every move. (Summary by francesb) Genre(s): Action & Adventure, Family Language: English Keyword(s): Mystery (800), orphans (30),...
May 02, 2026•2 hr 42 min
Old Man Coyote craftily leads Bowser the hound away from home, and Bowser gets lost. Will Bowser find his way back to Farmer Brown's? Will Reddy Fox finally catch himself a chicken, now that Bowser is no longer guarding the henhouse? This is one of many delightful books by the naturalist Thornton W. Burgess, who wrote children's stories featuring the animals of the Green Forest and the Green Meadows. (Summary by Laurie Anne Walden) Genre(s): Children's Fiction, Animals & Nature Language: Eng...
May 01, 2026•2 hr 13 min
Guy de Maupassant (1850 - 1893) Translated by Albert M. Cohn McMaster (1888 - 1946) Boule de Suif (1880) is a short story by the late-19th century French writer Guy de Maupassant. It is arguably his most famous short story, and is the title story for his collection on the Franco-Prussian War, entitled "Boule de Suif et Autres Contes de la Guerre" ("Boule de Suif and Other Stories of the War"). John Ford said that his film Stagecoach was in many ways a western rewrite of Boule de Suif. (Summary b...
Apr 30, 2026•1 hr 44 min
Elizabeth Custer has penned an engaging portrait of 1870’s life on a U.S. cavalry post in the Dakotas, just before her husband and his troops met their tragic deaths in the Battle of the Little Big Horn. “Our life,” she writes, “was often as separate from the rest of the world as if we had been living on an island in the ocean.” Her portrait of her husband, General George Armstrong Custer is laudatory—his intellect, his love of dogs (he kept a hunting pack of 40 at the post); but, Boots and Sadd...
Apr 29, 2026•8 hr 59 min
The Book of Mormon (Part 4) The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible, used by Latter Day Saints. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas. The book was written by ancient prophets through the spirit of prophecy and revelation. It gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C., and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the...
Apr 28, 2026•4 hr 36 min•Ep. 2
The Book of Mormon (Pt.3) The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible, used by Latter Day Saints. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas. The book was written by ancient prophets through the spirit of prophecy and revelation. It gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C., and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the L...
Apr 27, 2026•7 hr 14 min•Ep. 3
The Book of Mormon (Pt.2) The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible, used by Latter Day Saints. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas. The book was written by ancient prophets through the spirit of prophecy and revelation. It gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C., and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the L...
Apr 26, 2026•7 hr 6 min•Ep. 2
The Book of Mormon (Pt.1) The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible, used by Latter Day Saints. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas. The book was written by ancient prophets through the spirit of prophecy and revelation. It gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C., and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the L...
Apr 25, 2026•7 hr•Ep. 1
