Arts Podcasts

Librivox: Bible (KJV) 00: Introduction by King James Version show

Librivox: Bible (KJV) 00: Introduction by King James VersionJoin Now to Follow

The introduction to the KJV Bible revealed the thanks of the translators to King James I of England. It is fitting to read, as it reminds contemporary readers of the transitory nature of all Bible translations. (Summary by Sam Stinson)

By LibriVox

Librivox: Short History of the United States, A by Channing, Edward show

Librivox: Short History of the United States, A by Channing, EdwardJoin Now to Follow

Channing's best known work, A History of the United States, is regarded as one of the most complete and accurate accounts of American history and received the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for History. (Summary from Wikipedia)

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Librivox: Canyons of the Colorado by Powell, John Wesley show

Librivox: Canyons of the Colorado by Powell, John WesleyJoin Now to Follow

John Wesley Powell was a pioneer American explorer, ethnologist, and geologist in the 19th Century. In 1869 he set out to explore the Colorado and the Grand Canyon. He gathered nine men, four boats and food for ten months and set out from Green River, Wyoming, on May 24. Passing through dangerous rapids, the group passed down the Green River to its confluence with the Colorado River (then also known as the Grand River upriver from the junction), near present-day Moab, Utah. The expedition's route traveled through the Utah canyons of the Colorado River, which Powell described in his published diary as having …wonderful features—carved walls, royal arches, glens, alcove gulches, mounds and monuments. From which of these features shall we select a name? We decide to call it Glen Canyon. (Ironically, now almost completely submerged by Lake Powell, behind the Glen Canyon Dam.) One man (Goodman) quit after the first month and another three (Dunn and the Howland brothers) left at Separation Rapid in the third, only two days before the group reached the mouth of the Virgin River on August 30 after traversing almost 1,500 km. The three who left the group late in the trip were later killed—probably by Indians. Powell retraced the route in 1871-1872 with another expedition, producing photographs, an accurate map, and various papers, including ethnographic reports of the area's Native Americans and a monograph on their languages. --adapted from Wikipedia

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Librivox: Selbstmordverein, Der by Reventlow, Franziska Gräfin zu show

Librivox: Selbstmordverein, Der by Reventlow, Franziska Gräfin zuJoin Now to Follow

Ein gar nicht düsteres Trauerspiel, in dem nicht nur ein verkrachter Baron, eine schöne Witwe, ein junger Gymnasiast und seine Freundin, die partout nicht mehr als Mädchen gesehen werden will, sowie allerlei bodenständige Ärzte und Kommerzienräte ihren Auftritt haben, sondern auch ein leibhaftiges Phantom. Das Ergebnis ist ein Romanfragment, das nur mit einem lachenden und einem weinenden Auge gelesen werden kann... (Zusammenfassung von Stephanie König)

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Librivox: De Profundis by Wilde, Oscar show

Librivox: De Profundis by Wilde, OscarJoin Now to Follow

This short work of Wilde's was written during his two year incarceration for "gross indecency". This work is a letter which sorts out his life, and his love toward Lord Alfred Douglas. Wilde wrote this as a farewell letter to Douglas. (summary by Aaron Elliott)

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Librivox: Ball-of-Fat by Maupassant, Guy de show

Librivox: Ball-of-Fat by Maupassant, Guy deJoin Now to Follow

The first significant published short story of French author Guy de Maupassant, and generally acknowledged as his greatest work, "Ball-of-Fat" (French title: Boule de Suif) is the touching story of an interrupted coach ride from Rouen to Le Havre during which occurs the corruption of a principled prostitute by immoral and hypocritical members of the upper class. The story is set during the occupation of Rouen at the time of the Franco-Prussian War.(Summary by Michael Thomas Robinson)

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Librivox: Madman and The Pirate, The by Ballantyne, R.M. show

Librivox: Madman and The Pirate, The by Ballantyne, R.M.Join Now to Follow

R. M. Ballantyne (April 24, 1825 – February 8, 1894) was a Scottish juvenile fiction writer. Born Robert Michael Ballantyne in Edinburgh, he was part of a famous family of printers and publishers. At the age of 16 he went to Canada and was six years in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company. He returned to Scotland in 1847, and published his first book the following year, Hudson's Bay: or, Life in the Wilds of North America. For some time he was employed by Messrs Constable, the publishers, but in 1856 he gave up business for the profession of literature, and began the series of adventure stories for the young with which his name is popularly associated.

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Librivox: Short Poetry Collection 055 by Various show

Librivox: Short Poetry Collection 055 by VariousJoin Now to Follow

LibriVox's Short Poetry Collection 055: a collection of 20 public-domain poems.

By LibriVox

Librivox: Christmas Short Works Collection 2007 by Various show

Librivox: Christmas Short Works Collection 2007 by VariousJoin Now to Follow

LibriVox’s 2007 Christmas Short Works Colletion containing public domain short stories, essays, poems, and scripture passages recorded by a variety of LibriVox members.

By LibriVox

Librivox: Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates by Dodge, Mary Mapes show

Librivox: Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates by Dodge, Mary MapesJoin Now to Follow

Mary Mapes Dodge created an instant bestseller with "Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates." She wanted the book to be partly a book of travels and partly a domestic story. It is a tale written for children that adults also find interesting and uplifting. Dodge writes as if she is sending a series of letters from Holland to children in America, and her you-are-there perspective is aided by a nice attention to detail and vivid imagery. The Brinkers are a poor but stoic family under a dark cloud - Raff, the man of the house, fell from the dikes while reinforcing them during a bad storm, and for ten years he has been in a vegetative state. With no steady income, the family's lot is grinding poverty. Despite their unfortunate circumstances, Hans and Gretel are cheerful children, yet always attentive to the needs of their mother and their present-but-not-really-there father. Their social standing is very low, but they both attract firm friends, even among the gentry, for their honesty, industry, and good-heartedness. Then a glorious skating race is proposed for the town of Broek, with the prize a pair of silver skates for both the winning boy and girl. In the weeks leading up to the race, we follow the adventures of five of the local boys who are showing a visiting relative from England the sights of the Netherlands. Hans improbably meets the one man who might be able to heal his father, and somehow Hans finds a way to afford some skates so that he and Gretel can enter the race. This all leads up to a dramatic, moving, and entirely satisfactory conclusion. "Hans Brinker" hits a series of high notes and encourages children to cultivate and display their finer qualities.

By LibriVox