Publisher: Seltzer Books
Fantasy novel first published in 1892. According to Wikipedia: "Owen Wister (July 14, 1860 – July 21, 1938) was an American writer and "father" of western fiction."
The story is about a golden-haired youth who wanders into the city of Teloth, telling tales of the great city of Aira, where he was a prince. While Iranon enjoys singing and telling his tales of wonder, few people appreciate it. A city solon even orders Iranon to cease his singing & music, and become apprenticed to a cobbler - or leave the city by sunset. When a disenfranchised boy named Romnod suggests leaving Teloth to go to the famed city of Oonai (which he thinks may be Aira, now under a different name), Iranon takes him up on his offer. Iranon and Romnod spend years on their journey to Oonai. Along the way, Romnod grows up while Iranon remains exactly the same. Eventually they reach Oonai, which Iranon is disappointed (although not surprised) to discover isn't Aira. Iranon is loved by the people in Oonai, however, so he stays there even though he still desires to return to Aira. As the years pass, people appreciate him less and less, and he is eventually upstaged by dancers from the desert. By this point, Romnod has grown old and has become a drunkard. After Romnod's death, Iranon decides to leave Oonai and continue his search for Aira. Eventually Iranon comes across an old shepherd and asks him if he knows of Aira. The shepherd tells him that he has indeed heard of it, for in his youth there was a beggar's boy who had always talked about it. The boy, who presumed himself to be a prince, was laughed at by everyone and ran away. With the truth revealed, that Aira was merely a figment of his imagination, Iranon loses his eternal youth. Now aged significantly, Iranon wanders into the quicksands to his death.Show book
When Frank Casillis, an eccentric independently wealthy vagabond, finds himself near an old friend's pavilion on a remote part of the Scottish coast, he discovers some mysterious nocturnal goings-on. The house is being visited under cover of darkness ... strange figures land on the coast ... and then he is himself the victim of a savage knife attack. Robert Louis Stevenson is the master of the action adventure. The Pavilion on the Links is a classic of the genre - a secret plot, a mysterious and beautiful girl, a villain, mortal danger ... all in a wild and windswept setting. Splendid!Show book
Calm, stoic captain Mac Whirr has just been given command of a new steamship, the Nan-Shan. He and his crew are transporting Asian workers across the China Sea when a sudden drop in atmospheric pressure alerts Mac Whirr of "some uncommonly dirty weather knocking about." Soon the steamship, her crew, and the human cargo are caught in the midst of a vicious typhoon. The impending disaster brings out the best and the worst of Mac Whirr; Jukes, the chief mate; Solomon, the wise engineer; and the rest of the crew. Conrad shows that in the struggle for survival, true character will always be exposed.Show book
William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic fiction read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly abridged and remastered stories are now available to download for the first time. The basis of modern science fiction and fantasy dinosaur adventures, The Lost World is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's journey into the lost prehistoric world. Listen as the formidable Daniel Massey reignites this inceptive story; of the journey of Edward Malone and Professor Challenger into a world where prehistoric creatures still roam free. The Lost World, a top-notch narrative by Arthur Conan Doyle, is a traditional tale that takes you on a thrilling journey into a world where the best of prehistoric creatures still exist. It's a mystery how such a world could be hidden, but Doyle's storytelling prowess makes it all believable. For fans of Jules Verne (Around the World in Eighty Days), Emily Brontë (Wuthering Heights), Cgp Books (GCSE English Shakespeare Text Guide), Jane Austen (Mansfield Park), and Mary Shelley (Frankenstein).Show book
William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time. ‘The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.’ Forced into exile in the Forest of Arden, lovers Rosalind and Orlando become entangled in a beguiling game of love, lust and mistaken identity. Rosalind and her cousin escape into the forest and find Orlando, Rosalind's love. Disguised as a boy shepherd, Rosalind has Orlando woo her under the guise of "curing" him of his love for Rosalind. Rosalind reveals she is a girl and marries Orlando during a group wedding at the end of the play. All of the Shakespeare plays within the ARGO Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts, and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations. Thurston Dart, Professor of Music at London University and a Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge, directed the music for this production. The full cast includes: John Barton; Tony Church; Peter Bingham; Anthony Jacobs; John Arnott; David Buck; Tony White; David Gibson; Denys Robertson; John Wilders; Gary Watson; Julian Pettifer; John Bird; George Rylands; Christine Baker; Wendy Gifford; Irene Worth; Mary Fenton. This top performing rendition of As You Like It by William Shakespeare, is a testament to the enduring power of European theatre. The short, yet impactful scenes are brought to life by the best actors of their generation. For fans of Richard Parsons (GCSE English Shakespeare Text Guide), Arthur Miller (Incident at Vichy), and Mark Haddon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time).Show book
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was born on 24th June 1842 at Horse Cave Creek in Meigs County, Ohio. His parents were poor but they introduced him to literature at an early age, instilling in him a deep appreciation of books, the written word and the elegance of language. Growing up in Koscuisko County, Indiana poverty and religion were defining features of his childhood, and he would later describe his parents as “unwashed savages” and fanatically religious, showing him little affection but always quick to punish. He came to resent religion, and his introduction to literature appears to be their only positive effect. At age 15 Bierce left home to become a printer’s devil, mixing ink and fetching type at The Northern Indian, a small Ohio paper. Falsely accused of theft he returned to his farm and spent time sending out work in the hopes of being published. His Uncle Lucius advised he be sent to the Kentucky Military Institute. A year later he was commissioned as an Officer. As the Civil War started Bierce enlisted in the 9th Indiana Infantry Regiment. In April 1862 Bierce fought at the Battle of Shiloh, an experience which, though terrifying, became the source of several short stories. Two years later he sustained a serious head wound and was off duty for several months. He was discharged in early 1865. A later expedition to inspect military outposts across the Great Plains took him all the way to San Francisco. He remained there to become involved with publishing and editing and to marry, Mary Ellen on Christmas Day 1871. They had a child, Day, the following year. In 1872 the family moved to England for 3 years where he wrote for Fun magazine. His son, Leigh, was born, and first book, ‘The Fiend’s Delight’, was published. They returned to San Francisco and to work for a number of papers where he gained admiration for his crime reporting. In 1887 he began a column at the William Randolph Hearst’s San Francisco Examiner. Bierce’s marriage fell apart when he discovered compromising letters to his wife from a secret admirer. The following year, 1889 his son Day committed suicide, depressed by romantic rejection. In 1891 Bierce wrote and published the collection of 26 short stories which included ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’. Success and further works including poetry followed. Bierce with Hearst’s resources helped uncover a financial plot by a railroad to turn 130 million dollars of loans into a handout. Confronted by the railroad and asked to name his price Bierce answered “my price is $130 million dollars. If, when you are ready to pay, I happen to be out of town, you may hand it over to my friend, the Treasurer of the United States”. He now began his first foray as a fabulist, publishing ‘Fantastic Fables’ in 1899. But tragedy again struck two years later when his second son Leigh died of pneumonia relating to his alcoholism. He continued to write short stories and poetry and also published ‘The Devil’s Dictionary’. At the age of 71, in 1913 Bierce departed from Washington, D.C., for a tour of the battlefields where he had fought during the civil war. At the city of Chihuahua he wrote his last known communication, a letter to a friend. It’s closing words were “as to me, I leave here tomorrow for an unknown destination,” Ambrose Bierce then vanished without trace. 1 - Ambrose Bierce - An Introduction 2 - An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce 3 - The Eyes of the Panther by Ambrose Bierce 4 - Oil of Dog by Ambrose Bierce 5 - A Man With Two Lives by Ambrose Bierce 6 - A Diagnosis of Death by Ambrose Bierce 7 - The Coup de Grace by Ambrose Bierce 8 - A Psychological Shipwreck by Ambrose Bierce&Show book
