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  Oscar Wilde : Four Stories -...

  Oscar Wilde

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  The four tales gathered here reveal Oscar Wilde’s gift for blending wit, irony, and moral reflection within the form of the short story.
  
   Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime is a darkly comic exploration of fate and free will, where polite society collides with the absurd. 
  
  
  The Canterville Ghost playfully turns the traditional ghost story on its head, offering satire as sharp as it is humorous. 
  
  
  In The Sphinx Without a Secret, Wilde meditates on mystery and illusion, showing how beauty and enigma may dissolve under the scrutiny of truth.
  
  
   Finally, The Model Millionaire provides a tender moral fable, reminding us that generosity and kindness carry more value than wealth or charm.
  
   
  
   
  Head Stories Audio presents "Oscar Wilde - Four Stories", with narration and original music by Simon Hester.

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  Diary of a Lunatic - From their...

  Leo Tolstoy

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  Leo Tolstoy was born in 1828 in the Russian province of Tula to a wealthy noble family. As a child, he had private tutors but he showed little interest in any formal education. When he went to the University of Kazan in 1843 to study oriental languages and law, he left without completing his courses.  Life now was relaxed and idle but with some writing also taking place.  Gambling debts forced an abrupt change of path and he joined the army to fight in the Crimean War.  He was commended for his bravery and promoted but was appalled at the brutality and loss of life.  He recorded these and other earlier experiences in his diaries which formed the basis of several of his works. 
  In 1852 ‘Childhood’ was published to immediate success and was followed by ‘Boyhood’ and ‘Youth’. 
  His experience in the army and the horrors he witnessed resulted in ‘The Cossacks’ in 1862 and the trilogy ‘Sevastopol Tales’. After the war he travelled around Europe, visiting London and Paris and meeting such luminaries as Victor Hugo and Charles Darwin.  
  It was now that Tolstoy began his masterpiece, ‘War and Peace’. Published in 1869 it was an epic work that changed literature. He quickly followed this with ‘Anna Karenina’.  
  These successes made Tolstoy rich and helped him accomplish many of his dreams but also brought problems as he grappled with his faith and the lot of the oppressed poor. These revolutionary views became so popular that the authorities now kept him under surveillance.  
  He led a life of asceticism and vegetarianism and put his socialist ideals into practice by establishing numerous schools for the poor and food programmes. He also believed in giving away his wealth, which caused much discord with his wife.  
  His writing continued to bring forth classics such as ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich’ and many brilliant and incisive short stories such as ‘How Much Land Does A Man Need’.  
  In 1901 Tolstoy was excommunicated from the Church and controversially deselected for the Nobel Prize for Literature. 
  Whilst undertaking a pilgrimage by train in October 1910 with his daughter Aleksandra he caught pneumonia in the nearby town of Astapovo.  Leo Tolstoy died on November 9th, 1910, he was 82.

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  Æpyornis Island - From their...

  H G Wells

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  Herbert George Wells was born on September 21st, 1866 at Atlas House, 46 High Street, Bromley, Kent. He was the youngest of four siblings and his family affectionately knew him as ‘Bertie’.  
  The first few years of his childhood were spent fairly quietly, and Wells didn’t display much literary interest until, in 1874, he accidentally broke his leg and was left to recover in bed, largely entertained by the library books his father regularly brought him. Through these Wells found he could escape the boredom and misery of his bed and convalescence by exploring the new worlds he encountered in these books.  
  From these humble beginnings began a career that was, after several delays, to be seen as one of the most brilliant of modern English writers.    
  Able to write comfortably in a number of genres he was especially applauded for his science fiction works such as The Time Machine and War of the Worlds but his forays into the social conditions of the times, with classics such as Kipps, were almost as commercially successful.  His short stories are miniature masterpieces many of which bring new and incredible ideas of science fiction to the edge of present day science fact.  Wells also received four nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature 
  Despite a strong and lasting second marriage his affairs with other women also brought the complications of fathering other children.  His writings and work against fascism, as well as the promotion of socialism, brought him into increasing doubts with and opposition to religion.  His writings on what the world could be in works, such as A Modern Utopia, are thought provoking as well as being plausible, especially when viewed from the distressing times they were written in. 
  His diabetic condition pushed him to create what is now the largest Diabetes charity in the United Kingdom.  Wells even found the time to run twice for Parliament. 
  It was a long, distinguished and powerfully successful career by the time he died, aged 79, on August 13th, 1946.

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  The Water Babies

  Charles Kingsley

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  Charles Kingsley's "The Water-Babies" stands as a timeless masterpiece that has captured the hearts and imaginations of readers since its first publication in 1863. A remarkable Victorian clergyman, author, and social reformer, Kingsley wove together a captivating narrative that transcends its era, providing readers with a delightful blend of fantasy, morality, and social commentary. 
  Set against the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution, "The Water-Babies" reflects the societal concerns and moral dilemmas of Kingsley's time. In this enchanting tale, we follow the journey of Tom, a chimney sweep's apprentice who undergoes a miraculous transformation into a water-baby after a series of trials and adventures. As Tom explores the aquatic world, encountering an array of whimsical characters and undergoing moral lessons, Kingsley invites readers to reflect on their own lives and the world around them. 
  One of the novel's unique features is its dual nature as both a charming fairy tale and a vehicle for social critique. Kingsley uses the fantastical underwater realm to address issues of child labour, environmental degradation, and the moral conduct of society. Through humour, wit, and imaginative storytelling, he imparts valuable lessons about compassion, responsibility, and personal growth. 
  "The Water-Babies" remains relevant today as it resonates with universal themes and moral insights that extend beyond the Victorian context. The narrative's enduring appeal lies not only in its engaging storyline but also in the profound messages that it conveys about human nature and societal values. 
  Head Stories Audio presents " The Water Babies" by Charles Kingsley - narrated by Simon Hester. With original music.

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  Captain Rogers - From their pens...

  W Jacobs

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  William Wymark Jacobs was born on 8th September 1863 in Wapping, East London.  
  He was educated at a private school and then Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution, now part of the University of London. 
  In 1879, Jacobs began work as a clerk in the civil service, in the Post Office Savings Bank.  In 1885 his first short story was published but it was not until almost the turn of the century that he would abandon his post office career to that as a full-time writer. By then he was a very popular author, his collections selling extremely well and with an excellent income. 
  His best-known work is the macabre ‘The Monkey's Paw’ and he is also highly regarded for his ghost stories although much of his remaining short story output is streaked with humour.  His characters are immediately identifiable and we all know that life will take chunks out of them in no time at all.  
  Jacobs married the noted suffragette Agnes Eleanor Williams in 1900 at West Ham, Essex. They went on to have two daughters and three sons as they settled down to life.  
  By the outbreak of the First World War his literary output had declined and he now mainly spent his time rewriting his earlier stories for the stage.  In all he wrote 18 plays. 
  W W Jacobs died on 1st September 1943 at Hornsey Lane, Islington in London. He was 79.

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  Lord Jim

  Joseph Conrad

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  "Lord Jim" is a novel by Joseph Conrad, originally published as a serial in Blackwood's Magazine from 1899 to 1900 and later as a book in 1900. The novel is a complex exploration of honor, guilt, and redemption through the story of Jim, a young British seaman. Jim dreams of being a hero but is faced with a critical test when he abandons a ship in distress. His idealism is shattered by his actions, and the novel follows his quest for atonement. Conrad's narrative delves into the psychological depth of Jim's character, using a non-linear storytelling technique that was innovative for its time.

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