Audio Podcast Directory - Podcasts with only audio episodes
Librivox: Love Conquers All by Benchley, RobertJoin Now to Follow
Robert Benchley, 1889-1945, was a writer, humorist and actor of note during the 1920s through the early 1940s. Born in Massachusetts, he spent his early literary career in New York City as an editor, critic and columnist for many of the major magazines of the day. Along with George Kaufman, Dorothy Parker and Harpo Marx, he was an original "member" of the Algonquin Round Table. His popularity led him to a side career in radio and film, which took him to California in his later years. Writers as diverse as James Thurber, Woody Allen and Dave Barry have credited Benchley as an influence. Love Conquers All , originally published in 1922 is the second collection (of fifteen) gathering together Benchley's humorous essays and reviews. Some references are dated, of course, but the surreal and mundane targets of Benchley's wit will be familiar to everyone. This volume collects 63 excellent gems from his early professional work, when Benchley's enthusiasm and style were approaching their peak. (Summary by Ted Delorme)
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Librivox: Innocence of Father Brown, The by Chesterton, G. K.Join Now to Follow
The Innocence of Father Brown (1911) is the first of five collections of mystery stories by G. K. Chesterton starring an unimposing but surprisingly capable Roman Catholic priest. Father Brown's ability to uncover the truth behind the mystery continually surpasses that of the "experts" around him, who are fooled into underestimation by the priest's unimpressive outward appearance and, often, by their own prejudices about Christianity. Combining captivating stories and insightful commentary, The Innocence of Father Brown is a delightful read. (Summary by Brian Roberg)
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Librivox: History of England from the Accession of James II - (Volume 1, Chapter 04) by Macaulay, Thomas BabingtonJoin Now to Follow
This chapter is a bit of a mixture. It begins with the death of Charles II and then goes on to James II. Judge Jeffries then makes an appearance in a riot of slapstick absurdity when viewed from so far away. Although, at the time of the ‘Bloody Assizes’ he will have been much feared and hated by many.There are more to-and fro-ings in the Houses of Parliament. The Scots Covenanters make an appearance and dangerfield and Oates get their come-uppance. Macaulay paints the mid to late 17th century in a mad effervescence of colour. Summary by Jim Mowatt
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Librivox: Card, The by Bennett, ArnoldJoin Now to Follow
The ‘Card’ in question is Edward Henry Machin - His mother called him ‘Denry’. This light-hearted story is of his rise from humble beginnings as the son of a washerwoman and sempstress in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, in the pottery towns (which Arnold Bennett christened ‘The Five Towns’) of the English Midlands; how, by his own wits, enterprise and ‘nerve’ he rose to wealth, married bliss and public recognition as the youngest-ever mayor of his home town. “’And yet,’ demanded Councillor Barlow, ‘what’s he done? What great cause is he identified with?’ ‘He’s identified,’ said the speaker, ‘with the great cause of cheering us all up’.” (summary by Andy Minter)
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Librivox: Short Story Collection Vol. 006 by VariousJoin Now to Follow
Librivox's Short Story Collection 006: a collection of 20 short essays and fiction in the public domain read by a variety of Librivox members.
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Librivox: Short Poetry Collection 013 by VariousJoin Now to Follow
Librivox’s Short Poetry Collection 013: a collection of 20 public-domain poems.
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Librivox: Golden Goose Book, The by Brooke, L. LeslieJoin Now to Follow
A charming little book full of the most gorgeous illustrations which can be viewed along with the Gutenberg text at http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/15661 . We see a number of stories in which kindness is rewarded and selfishness is punished but Brooke squeezes a number of intriguing and quite bizarre twists and turns into the story so it is not nearly so predictable as you might imagine. Victorian moral fairy tales from a delightfully inventive mind. (Summary by Jim)
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Librivox: Swiss Family Robinson, The by Wyss, Johann DavidJoin Now to Follow
The Swiss Family Robinson has delighted generations of readers with its exciting tale of a family which, though shipwrecked, displays “the right stuff” and builds a charming colony that later, they do not want to leave. Cut off from the comforts and companionship of other humans, they use a familiarity with natural history and biology to find the resources and build the tools to construct a canoe, weave cloth, irrigate a garden, and turn an immense hollow tree into a lofty house with a spiral staircase. They domesticate buffaloes, wild asses, and monkeys. They establish farms and plantations. And finally, they have a terrifying encounter with natives from a nearby island. Johann David Wyss, the author, did not live to complete his tale. Storytellers over the years have injected so many episodes into the various versions that probably none closely match the original. (Indeed, the Baroness de Montholieu expanded the book from two volumes into five when she translated it into French.) This effort was re-translated into English in 1849 by W.H.G. Kingston, abridging the edition severely. It follows the British sensibilities of the period in terms of sentence structure and emphasis. (Summary by Mark F. Smith)
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Librivox: Ozymandias of Egypt by Shelley, Percy ByssheJoin Now to Follow
LibriVox volunteers bring you sixteen different recordings of Ozymandias of Egypt, by Percy Bysshe Shelley. This was the weekly poetry project for the week of August 20th, 2006.
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Librivox: One Hundred Verses from Old Japan by Fujiwara no TeikaJoin Now to Follow
In 12th-13th century Japan there lived a man named Fujiwara no Teika (sometimes called Sadaie), a well-regarded poet in a society that prized poetry. At one point in his life he compiled the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu (often known simply as the Hyakunin Isshu), which means “A Hundred Poems by A Hundred Poets” (literally “A hundred people, one poem [each]”). This collection of a hundred poems is known to almost all Japanese, and over the years it has been translated by many different people. One of the early translators of the collection was William Porter. His translation, first published in 1909, was titled “A Hundred Verses from Old Japan”. (Summary by Kevin Steinbach)
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