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  Mother Goose in Prose

  L. Frank Baum

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  Mother Goose in Prose is a collection of twenty-two children's stories based on Mother Goose nursery rhymes. It was the first children's book written by L. Frank Baum, and the first book illustrated by Maxfield Parrish. It was originally published in 1897 by Way and Williams of Chicago, and re-released by the George M. Hill Company in 1901

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  George Orwell 1984+

  George Orwell

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  It was George Orwell's early writing that helped shape his worldview and writing style. Here we focus on his works "The Spike" and "A Hanging," and his time as a police officer in Burma. Orwell's first published work was an essay titled "The Spike," which appeared in 1931. The essay is a vivid and harrowing account of his time spent in a homeless shelter in London. Orwell, who was struggling financially at the time, chose to experience a homeless shelter firsthand, and his account is an indictment of the dehumanizing conditions he encountered. In "The Spike," Orwell describes the brutal reality of life in the shelter, where men were treated like animals and forced to endure hunger, cold, and violence. "Shooting An Elephant" is too tragically eye-opening.This would later inform his political views and writing, particularly his belief in the importance of social justice and his struggle against oppression. In his essay "How the Poor Die," Orwell describes his observations of the poor and their struggle with illness and death. He portrays a society where the poor are neglected and left to suffer in silence and without dignity. This essay is another example of Orwell's commitment to social justice and his belief in the importance of empathy and compassion. In 1931, Orwell joined the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, where he served for five years. There he witnessed the brutal realities of colonialism and oppression. In his essay A Hanging," (1931), Orwell recounts the experience of attending the execution of a prisoner. Orwell describes the prisoner's final moments with empathy and his account of the execution is a moving critique of the dehumanizing effects of state-sanctioned violence.Orwell's experiences with poverty oppression and violence informed his later political and social beliefsAs read by Emmy-nominated actor Geoffrey Giuliano. With a full biography of Orwell and selected quotations.

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  Christmas Carol A (Unabridged)

  Charles Dickens

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  A Christmas Carol is a work of power and beauty. It has delighted and enthralled readers since it was first published in 1843. Perhaps Charles Dickens' best-loved work, the story follows the trials and tribulations of Ebenezer Scrooge, man of business and notorious skinflint even by the City's stringent standards, who is taken on a journey of self-discovery by his late business partner, the spirit Jacob Marley, with the help of three supernatural apparitions: the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come. Many adaptations, be they on film, television, or in the theatre, fail to capture it whole, often reducing it to over-sentimentalised syrup. 
  Certainly there is pathos and sentimentality here in good measure, there are tears to be shed in the company of the Cratchit family and Tiny Tim, but there is so much more: politics, religion, morality, social history, London low life, London high life, and a large measure of Christmas cheer. Vivid scenes describing festive foodstuffs on display on snowy London pavements; the shocking, squalid vision of two children, Ignorance and Want; the pivotal scene in which Scrooge is released from his engagement are all essential, all interconnected, all enthralling. A Christmas Carol is a book that deserves to be heard in its unabridged form and in this un-stuffy, vibrant reading for Magpie Audio, narrator Greg Wagland brings the story to life.

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  Second Variety

  Philip K. Dick

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  In Second Variety, UN forces have retreated to a moon base in the aftermath of early Soviet victories in a nuclear conflict. In response, the UN forces developed special robots, called Claws, which feature spinning blades and rudimentary artificial intelligence. Six years later, the Soviet leadership asks for negotiations to end the war. A UN officer travels back to earth to discover that not only have the Claws learned to replicate themselves, they have also created a much deadlier cyborg that threatens humanity itself. The inspiration for the movie Screamers.

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  Great Speeches & Soliloquies of...

  William Shakespeare

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  To be or not to be… Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow… O for a Muse of Fire… The quality of mercy is not strained… This sceptred isle… Once more unto the breach dear friends… Many of Shakespeare’s greatest and best-loved speeches are brought together in this superb collection, performed by outstanding artists who bring to vivid life words which are an integral part of our language, our culture and our everyday lives.

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  A Christmas Carol A Dramatic...

  Charles Dickens

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  A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843. It recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol during a period when the British were exploring and re-evaluating past Christmas traditions, including carols, and newer customs such as Christmas trees. He was influenced by the experiences of his own youth and by the Christmas stories of other authors, including Washington Irving and Douglas Jerrold. Dickens had written three Christmas stories prior to the novella and was inspired following a visit to the Field Lane Ragged School, one of several establishments for London's street children. The treatment of the poor and the ability of a selfish man to redeem himself by transforming into a more sympathetic character are the key themes of the story. There is discussion among academics as to whether this is a fully secular story, or if it is a Christian allegory.Published on December 19, the first edition sold out by Christmas Eve; by the end of 1844 thirteen editions had been released. Most critics reviewed the novella favorably. The story was illicitly copied in January 1844; Dickens took legal action against the publishers, who went bankrupt, further reducing Dickens's small profits from the publication. In 1849 he began public readings of the story, which proved so successful he undertook 127 further performances until 1870, the year of his death. A Christmas Carol has never been out of print and has been translated into several languages; the story has been adapted many times for film, stage, opera and other media.

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