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  Running Wolf - Set in the...

  Algernon Blackwood

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  Algernon Blackwood was born on 14th March 1869 in Shooter’s Hill, South East London, to a religious middle-class family. His mother was a widowed Duchess and his father was a Post Office administrator.  
   
  Blackwood was interested in the paranormal and the supernatural at an early age, and had a thirst for anything on Buddhism, other Oriental philosophies, mysticism and occultism.  In his writings the weaving of the supernatural into his various works, from ghost stories and children’s stories to plays and long novels is clearly seen, his writings beautifully enriched by his long and diversified life experience.  
   
  After leaving university and visiting parts of Europe, mainly Switzerland, the young writer went to Canada and the United States where he took on jobs including work as a farmer, a bartender, a secretary, a journalist, a reporter, running a hotel and teaching the violin.  He was voracious in meeting new people and absorbing new ideas.  
   
  In his late thirties, he returned to England where he published two of his supernatural stories in Pall Mall Magazine. As more of his highly entertaining stories were published so did his reputation and his bank balance.  All those years of curiosity and experiences were starting to emerge from his writing. 
   
  In 1906, ‘The Empty House & Other Ghost Stories’ was published with tremendous success.  Further volumes of short stories followed and with it a larger audience and bigger paydays. He also published children’s stories. 
   
  Blackwood also had ideas for novels and to explore on a larger canvas the paranormal world and the relationship between man and metaphysical powers including, in 1911, ‘The Centaur’.  
   
  With the outbreak of the First World War, Blackwood was assigned to British intelligence to write propaganda to support the war effort. 
   
  He was a prolific author with a quite staggering output which was also to include many plays. The exact number of his works is unknown as he would frequently write a story for a newspaper or periodical at very short notice.  
   
  In 1949, Blackwood was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his literary talents and his services during the First World War.  
   
  Algernon Blackwood died on 10th December 1951 after a series of strokes.  
   
  The mysteries of the natural world are enhanced by those of the Native American spirit world in this wonderfully descriptive short story of a man’s fishing expedition to Medicine Lake.

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  Stories

  Anton Chekhov

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  Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short fiction in history. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. Along with Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg, Chekhov is often referred to as one of the three seminal figures in the birth of early modernism in the theatre.Chekhov practiced as a medical doctor throughout most of his literary career: "Medicine is my lawful wife", he once said, "and literature is my mistress."
  The following works were included in the collection of stories Chekhov Anton:  The Lady with the Dog, The Wife, A Slander, The Horse-Stealers, The Petchenyeg, A Dead Body, A Happy Ending, The Looking-Glass, Old Age, Darkness, The Beggar, In Trouble, Frost, Minds in Ferment, Gone Astray, An Avenger, The Jeune Premier, A Defenceless Creature, An Enigmatic Nature, A Happy Man, A Troublesome Visitor, An Actor's End.

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  Henry the Fourth

  William Shakespeare

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  This updated edition offers a strongly theatrical perspective on the origins of Shakespeare's The First Part of King Henry IV and the history of its interpretation. The introduction clarifies the play's surprising, de-centred dramatic structure, questioning the dominant assumption that the drama focuses on the education of Prince Hal. It calls attention to the effects of civil war upon a broad range of relationships. Falstaff's unpredictable vitality is explored, together with important contemporary values of honour, friendship, festivity and reformation. Extensive lexical glosses of obscure, ambiguous or archaic meanings make the rich wordplay accessible. The notes also provide a thorough commentary on Shakespeare's transformation of his sources (particularly Holinshed's Chronicles) and suggest alternative stagings. This updated edition contains a new introductory section by Katharine A. Craik, which describes recent stage, film and critical interpretations, and an updated reading list.

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  The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel

  Baroness Orczy

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  The sequel to The Scarlet Pimpernel; The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel is a collection of short stories that all see Sir Percy Blakeney, AKA The Scarlet Pimpernel, thumb his nose at the bloodthirsty members of the Revolutionary Government of Paris, snatching innocent aristocrats from their clutches and the guillotine. 
  Written by the Baroness Orczy, and narrated by Michael Ward.

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  Hard Times

  Charles Dickens

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  Step into the industrial heart of 19th-century England with Charles Dickens' powerful social critique, Hard Times. In this compelling tale, Dickens explores the stark realities of a society driven by utilitarianism, class division, and the relentless demands of industry. This story unfolds in the fictional mill town of Coketown, where human compassion is overshadowed by cold calculation and where the struggles of the working class clash with the ambitions of the wealthy. 
  Meet Thomas Gradgrind, a strict and fact-driven schoolmaster whose rigid philosophy of life affects his family and community in profound ways. As the lives of his children, Louisa and Tom, intersect with those of mill workers like the resilient Stephen Blackpool and the lively Sissy Jupe, Dickens weaves a rich tapestry of human resilience, love, and the longing for a better world. 
  With vivid characters, biting satire, and an unflinching examination of social inequality, Hard Times remains a timeless classic that resonates with modern audiences. This audiobook brings Dickens' masterful prose to life, offering an engaging and thought-provoking listening experience. Perfect for lovers of literary classics and those seeking a deeper understanding of humanity’s enduring struggles, Hard Times is a must-hear journey into the soul of Victorian England.

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  The Murder on the Links

  Agatha Christie

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  The Murder on the Links is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the US by Dodd, Mead & Co in March 1923, and in the UK by The Bodley Head in May of the same year. It is the second novel featuring Hercule Poirot and Arthur Hastings. The UK edition retailed at seven shillings and sixpence and the US edition at $1.75.The story takes place in northern France, giving Poirot a hostile competitor from the Paris Sûreté. Poirot's long memory for past or similar crimes proves useful in resolving the crimes. The book is notable for a subplot in which Hastings falls in love, a development "greatly desired on Agatha's part... parcelling off Hastings to wedded bliss in the Argentine."Reviews when it was published compared Mrs Christie favourably to Arthur Conan Doyle in his Sherlock Holmes mysteries. Remarking on Poirot, still a new character, one reviewer said he was "a pleasant contrast to most of his lurid competitors; and one even suspects a touch of satire in him."

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