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LibriVox’s Short Mystery Story Collection 001: a collection of 10 short works of mysterious fiction in the public domain read by a group of LibriVox members.

This collection of articles came from Mark Twain's travels and experiences abroad. While many had been previously published, there also were many that had never before seen the light of day...which one reviewer said had never been Twain's intent for them, having consigned them to obscurity. With introductory essays by Brander Matthews and Albert Bigelow Paine, the book paints a clear picture of the complexity and wide variety of Samuel L. Clemens' thinking, where it originated and how it developed.

One of the earliest histories of the Cossacks to appear in English, with an emphasis on the exploits of famous Cossack leaders and Cossack struggles for political autonomy. Originally published in 1919.From the Foreword: "It is the proudest boast of the Cossacks of today -- as of their forbears of the Ukraine -- that they have never been classed as serfs nor for a moment lost their freeman's instinct for the principles of liberty. While the peasants of North Russia were bowed in shameful submission to the Great Princes of Moscow and later to the 'dark forces' of the Tsar's court and the ...

This 1911 collection is of snippets from many different sources and genres: myths, songs. poems, hymns, book sections, etc. The sources are not indicated in the body of the text, though they do appear in the table of contents. Note that some selections use language that we do not use today (racist, sexist, classist, etc) but was common in former times. - Summary by david wales

Cain: A Mystery is Lord Byron's retelling of the classical Biblical story from the point of view of its antagonist. Undoubtedly influenced by Milton's Paradise Lost, Byron's Cain is defiant and questioning. In trying to come to terms with the mortality humanity has been punished with, he comes face to face with Lucifer, who takes him to the "Abyss of Space," shows him a vision of Earth's violent natural history, and gives him a true understanding of death. Upon his return, a devastated Cain carries out the familiar end of his tragedy. Cain: A Mystery is a closet drama, a popular form for ...

There are certain names which are familiar, as names, to all mankind; and every person who seeks for any degree of mental cultivation, feels desirous of informing himself of the leading outlines of their history, that he may know, in brief, what it was in their characters or their doings which has given them so widely-extended a fame. Consequently, great historical names alone are selected; and it has been the writer's aim to present the prominent and leading traits in their characters, and all the important events in their lives, in a bold and free manner, and yet in the plain and simple ...

In a rundown farmhouse near isolated, rural Dunwich, a bizarre family conjures and nurtures an evil entity from another realm, with the purpose of destroying the world and delivering it to ancient gods to rule, and only an aged university librarian can stop them. The Dunwich Horror was first published in 1929 in Weird Tales. (Summary by Mark Nelson)

A collection of romantic poems for St Valentine's day.

What do you do for a sixth anniversary? We challenged our readers to find any short works which had 'six' in the title - in any language. The result? LibriVox in all its glorious diversity: sixty-six recordings of poetry, song, short stories, folktales, science fiction, historical documents, travel, art, science and mathematics, in Dutch, English, French and German, from Euclid to the Ziegfeld Follies. (Summary by Ruth Golding)

The 14th Librivox Mystery and Suspense Collection brings together Arthur Conan Doyle and Baroness Emma Orczy, Anna Katharine Green and Ambrose Bierce. Clues, mysterious deaths, tragedies, and unexplained incidents, we have them all!

LibriVox volunteers bring you 11 recordings of Ceremonies For Christmas by Robert Herrick.This was the Weekly Poetry project for December 06, 2020. ------Robert Herrick was a 17th-century English lyric poet and cleric. He is best known for Hesperides, a book of poems. This includes the carpe diem poem "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time", with the first line "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may". Our Weekly poem is taken from Hesperides Volume 2. - Summary by Wikipedia

This theatrical version of A Christmas Carol was performed at the Surrey Theatre in February 1844 just weeks after the publication of the novella by Dickens in December of the previous year. (There were 7 other adaptations also being shown on stage then, with only 1 version - not this one - being sanctioned by Dickens.) - Summary by ToddHWCast list:Ebenezer Scrooge, the Miser: Greg GiordanoFrank Freeheart, his Nephew: Agnes Robert BehrMr. Cheerly: James R. HedrickMr. Heartly: Chuck WilliamsonBob Cratchit, Scrooge's Clerk: BeeswaxcandleDark Sam: Wayne CookeCharacters in the Dream: Euston, a ...

This is a very impressive collection of some of the best sonnets from the pen of the incomparable William Wordsworth. The appreciation that Wordsworth had for the beauty of his surroundings is vibrantly exhibited in these selections, as are his feelings on love, friendship, society, conflict, history, the supernatural and indeed the art of poetry itself. And what better vehicle for the elegant articulation of a master poet's thoughts and inspirations than the sonnet, an art form ideally suited to assertion, verbalization and contemplation.In these sonnets, we witness Wordsworth's poetic ...

Tuktu and her brother, Aklak, are Eskimo children who live happily with their beloved reindeer in the Northland. When Tuktu is lost in a fog, she meets Santa Claus or the Good Spirit as she knows him. This generous little girl wants to share her reindeer with the children of the world and so works to help Santa on his annual Christmas journey. - Summary by Jude Somers

Mark Twain's (Burlesque) Autobiography and First Romance, a short volume, published by Sheldon & Co., NY in 1871, is Mark Twain's third book. It consists of two stories - First Romance, which had originally appeared in The Express in 1870, and A Burlesque Autobiography (bearing no relationship to Twain's actual life), which first appeared in Twain's Memoranda contributions to the Galaxy. Rather, the content consists of a few short stories of fictional characters who are supposedly part of Twain's lineage. In the final passage, Twain develops the story to a point of crisis, and then abruptly ...

Many writers have penned studies of Mark Twain's life and work through the years. Twain authorized this biography, having met and hosted the writer, Archibald Henderson, on a few occasions. Henderson considered this work to be an homage to one of his biggest idols, who guided him through his youth and adolescence. He writes, "It is an appreciation originating in the heart of one who loved Mark Twain’s works for a generation before he ever met Samuel L. Clemens. It is an interpretation springing from the conviction that Mark Twain was a great American who comprehensively incorporated and ...

From 1843 to 1848, Charles Dickens wrote a series of five novellas to be published at Christmas. Most people are familiar with the first, "A Christmas Carol." The others are "The Chimes," "The Cricket on the Hearth," "The Battle of Life," and "The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain." - Summary by Brad Filippone

Carol Bird was born on Christmas Day. She has spent all of her 11 years putting others above herself, always finding ways to make their lives a little more special. Even when faced with her own illness, the pure goodness of her heart shines through. She vows to find a way to spread Christmas cheer and decides to give a grand Christmas Party for a poor neighbourhood family. (summary by Laura Caldwell and Sarah Jennings)

This year is the 10th anniversary of our beloved LibriVox and to celebrate, readers have found and recorded 100 items with a connection to the number ten... ... dix... zehn... diez...dez... десять... There are short stories, poems, excerpts from books, bible readings and non-fiction articles.The items are mostly in English, but this year we have eighteen contributions in other languages: French, German, Russian, Spanish and Yiddish.

The sequel to "Chicot the Jester" and final book of the "Valois Romances." This story begins six years after the famed "Duel of the Mignons" between the favorites of the courts of King Henry III and Henry the Duke of Guise (somewhat allied with the King's brother, Francis, Duke of Anjou and Alencon). Dumas concludes his historical fiction on the War of the Three Henries while (1) detailing the formation of the Forty-Five Guardsmen (who were to become the Musketeers), (2) following Chicot the Jester as he stays loyal to the failing regency of King Henry III, and (3) continuing the story of ...