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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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  The Devil in the Belfry - From...

  Edgar Allan Poe

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  Edgar Poe was born in Boston Massachusetts on 19th January 1809. His father abandoned his family the following year and within a year his mother had died leaving him an orphan.   
  He was taken in by the Allan family but never formally adopted although he now referred to himself as Edgar Allan Poe.  His father alternatively spoiled or chastised him and tension was frequent over gambling debts and monies for his education.  His university years to study ancient and modern languages was cut short by lack of money and he enlisted as a private in the army claiming he was 22, it is more probable he was 18. After 2 years he obtained a discharge in order to take up an appointment at the military academy, West Point, where he failed to become an officer. 
  Poe had released his 1st poetry volume in 1827 and after his 3rd turned to prose and placing short stories in several magazines and journals.  At age 26 he obtained a licence to marry his cousin.  She was a mere 13 but they stayed together until her death from tuberculosis 11 years after. 
  In January 1845 ‘The Raven’ was published and became an instant classic.  Thereafter followed the prose works for which he is now so rightly famed as a master of the mysterious and the macabre. 
  Edgar Allan Poe died at the tragically early age of 40 on 7th October 1849 in Baltimore, Maryland. Newspapers at the time reported Poe's death as ‘congestion of the brain’ or ‘cerebral inflammation’, common euphemisms for death from disreputable causes such as alcoholism but the actual cause of death remains a mystery. 
  Poe is also one of a number of authors credited with inventing the detective genre with his Parisian sleuth C. Auguste Dupin.  He featured in three stories including the legendary ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’ and by sheer deduction, logic and a touch of Gallic arrogance revealed what was hidden to the rest of us.

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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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