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  The Prince and the Pauper

  Mark Twain

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  Originally published in 1881, Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper is a timeless tale of switched identities. After the young Prince Edward VI of England and a peasant boy switch places, the "little king" tries to escape from a world in which he must beg for food, sleep with rodents, face ridicule, and avoid assassination. Meanwhile, the peasant, who is now the prince, dreads exposure and possible execution-while members of the Court believe he has gone mad. As a result of the swap, both boys learn that social class, like so much of life, is determined by chance and random circumstance. Originally published in 1881, The Prince and the Pauper is one of Mark Twain's earliest social satires. With his caustic wit and biting irony, Twain satirizes the power of the monarchy, unjust laws and barbaric punishments, superstitions, and religious intolerance. Although usually viewed as a child's story, The Prince and the Pauper offers adults critical insight into a people and time period not really all that different from our own.

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  Five Children and It

  E. Nesbit

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  The story of three wishes being granted is an old one and often takes the form of a precautionary tale with the resultant moral being “be careful what you wish for!” Such is the fallibility of human nature that we can’t easily be trusted to use those wishes wisely. 
  The great children’s author Edith Nesbit (1858 – 1924) took this popular concept for her 1903 book “Five Children and It” and extended the wishes from three to eleven, now granted to five young siblings in Edwardian England. 
  They have no Geni of the Lamp or Fairy Godmother, but instead, an irascible Sand Fairy dug accidently out of the sand of an abandon quarry. This strange “Psammead”, with his snail’s eyes on stalks, furry squat body and aversion to water reluctantly grants the four children their, often ill thought out, wishes. 
  Nesbit writes with her usual warmth and humour, placing her protagonists into funny and sometimes frightening adventures which gradually make the children “wise beyond their years.” 
  Head Stories Audio presents "Five Children and It" by E. Nesbit. Narrated by Simon Hester. With original music.

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  War and Peace - First Epilogue:...

  Leo Tolstoy

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  War and Peace is a literary work mixed with chapters on history and philosophy by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. It was first published serially, then published in its entirety in 1869. It is regarded as one of Tolstoy's finest literary achievements and remains an internationally praised classic of world literature.First Epilogue: 1813-20: Seven years had passed. The storm-tossed sea of European history had subsided within its shores and seemed to have become calm. But the mysterious forces that move humanity (mysterious because the laws of their motion are unknown to us) continued to operate.

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  At the Stroke of Midnight - A...

  Jenni Keer

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  It’s an invitation that will change everything… 
  It’s 1923 and in a decade that promises excitement and liberation, Pearl Glenham and her father are invited to a mysterious country house party on the Dorset coast, by a total stranger. 
  Her father claims not to have any prior association with Highcliffe House, but upon arrival, it is apparent that he has a shared history with several of the guests, although he won’t admit it. Belatedly discovering that her father was blackmailed into attending, Pearl’s worries are compounded when their host fails to arrive… 
  Intimidated by everyone at the party, she escapes to the nearby cove and stumbles upon a mysterious mercury clock hidden in a cave. This strange encounter sets in motion a series of events that will culminate in an horrific house fire, claiming the lives of all the guests, including Pearl herself. 
  But then Pearl wakes up back in the cave, seemingly destined never to live past midnight. She can repeat the day. But can she change its outcome? 
  A completely addictive and unforgettable 1920s mystery – with a timeslip twist – perfect for fans of Daphne du Maurier, Agatha Christie, and Lucinda Riley. Readers are loving At the Stroke of Midnight: 
  ‘A fantastic read!… The puzzle, once solved, is staggering… Reminded me of Poirot… I’d recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction with a mystery and a dash of the unexplainable thrown in. Brilliant imagination!!!’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
  ‘And Then There Were None meets Groundhog Day… The author does a great job of making you feel as if you’re in the 1920s; it’s a clever Christie-like whodunnit (and I didn’t guess!) but it’s more than that. It’s a coming-of-age story… a lovely romance; and magical realism with the timeloop… Thoroughly good.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
  ‘So many twists and surprises, it was a thrilling experience trying to work out what was going on and who was responsible for the murders. Definitely a little Agatha Christie like, with a sprinkling of Rebecca for good measure.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
  ‘A sumptuous, suspenseful and very satisfying read… Skilfully weaves drama, glamour, comedy, romance and coming of age in a time-twisty tale of suspense… Atmospheric… rich in period detail… perfectly paced.’ Nancy Peach, bestselling author ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
  ‘To sum this book up in one word... Absobloodymazing!!!… I am in love with the way [the author] writes historical fiction, timeslips, mysteries and romance all in one book. She really is clever, the way she hides her clues throughout the book and gives her readers so many ‘aha’ moments throughout. The sheer amount of twists leaves you feeling seasick in the best possible way.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
  ‘What a creative fascinating story!… A unique intriguing mystery set in 1923 with a fascinating time loop… Reminded me of an Agatha Christie… Kept me intrigued from start to finish… I loved it.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
  ‘Creative, unusual and brilliant! Like nothing else I’ve read and I loved it!… Wonderful!’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
  ‘Kept me reading late into the night… Extraordinary “whodunnit” set in a different era… Reminded me of the film Groundhog Day… I loved this book.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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  On Getting a Home (Unabridged)

  Booker T. Washington

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  Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856 - November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African American community and of the contemporary black elite. Washington was from the last generation of black American leaders born into slavery and became the leading voice of the former slaves and their descendants. They were newly oppressed in the South by disenfranchisement and the Jim Crow discriminatory laws enacted in the post-Reconstruction Southern states in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.ON GETTING A HOME: Every coloured man owes it to himself, and to his children as well, to secure a home just as soon as possible. No matter how small the plot of ground may be, or how humble the dwelling placed on it, something that can be called a home should be secured without delay.

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  Top 10 Short Stories The - The...

  Rudyard Kipling, Thomas Hardy,...

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  Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart.  A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere. 
   
  In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens’ across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author?  
   
  The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme.  Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature. 
   
  Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made.  If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something. 
   
  A decade of exuberance as the world became a plaything of the Western Imperial powers to exploit for their own ends.  Whole cultures were sequestrated and suspended and another overplanted in its place. 
   
  But short story authors created some of literature’s brightest jewels as they explored genres and styles in ambitious claims to be the chronicler of the age. 
   
  01 - The Top 10 - The 1880's - An Introduction 
  02 - A Horseman In The Sky by Ambrose Bierce 
  03 - The Bet by Anton Chekhov 
  04 - The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant 
  05 - The Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy 
  06 - A White Heron by Sarah Orne Jewett 
  07 - The Man Who Would Be King 
  08 - Markheim by Robert Louis Stevenson 
  09 - The Lady, or the Tiger by Frank Stockton 
  10 - How Much Land Does A Man Need by Leo Tolstoy 
  11 - The Nightingale and the Rose by Oscar Wilde

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