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  Commodore Matthew Perry: The...

  Charles River Editors

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  Perry’s 1853 flotilla included two sailing ships and two steamships, and Perry returned in February 1854. The Japanese may not have been very impressed with the gifts from America that Perry presented, but they clearly were impressed by the steamships. Perry’s cruises and other threatening events resulted in a fundamental change in Japan, so much so that after having given up guns in the 1600s, the Japanese quickly moved to reintroduce them in the wake of the Americans’ arrival. It became painfully evident that if Japan was to avoid becoming another victim of European colonial expansion, the country would have to become powerful itself. 
  Perry remains a fairly familiar name in America as a result of his time in Asia, but that legacy actually belies just how influential he was for the U.S. Navy back at home. Known as the “Father of the Steam Navy” in America, Perry not only modernized America’s naval forces, but literally wrote the book on it, helping put together doctrinaire curricula for the country’s future sailors. He was also a seasoned veteran, having fought in the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War, ensuring that by the time he died in 1858, he was considered a national hero.

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  Irish Folk and Fairy Tales

  William Butler Yeats

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  Step into a world of enchantment, mystery, and ancient magic with this mesmerizing collection of Irish folklore, curated by one of Ireland’s greatest literary voices, William Butler Yeats. Drawing from centuries of oral tradition, Irish Folk and Fairy Tales brings together tales of mischievous fairies, heroic warriors, tragic lovers, and eerie spirits that haunt the emerald hills and misty glens of Ireland. 
   
  From the whimsical to the haunting, these stories capture the soul of a people whose myths and legends were deeply woven into the fabric of everyday life. Yeats' lyrical prose, rich in rhythm and reverence, breathes new life into age-old tales—preserving a fading oral tradition with poetic beauty and scholarly care. 
   
  Yeats’ was both a literary and cultural mission when he collected these tales, driven by a deep love for Irish heritage and a desire to preserve the oral traditions of Ireland in the face of modernity and colonial influence. What better way to appreciate them than by hearing them read by the inimitable Gerard Doyle, whose warmth and depth bring Yeats' beloved collection vividly to life. Doyle’s captivating voice and nuanced delivery transport listeners to a bygone world where the veil between the natural and supernatural is thin, and wonder lurks in every shadow. 
   
  Perfect for lovers of folklore, poetry, and Irish heritage, this audiobook is both a cultural treasure and a spellbinding listening experience. 
   
  William Butler Yeats (1865–1939) was an Irish poet, playwright, and literary critic who was a pivotal figure in the Irish Literary Revival. Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923, he was instrumental in founding the Abbey Theatre and served as a Senator in the Irish Free State. His work is known for drawing on Irish mythology, exploring themes of love and loss, and evolving from Romanticism to a more modern style.

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  Why Marry?

  Jesse Lynch Williams

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  Why Marry? is a comedy, which "tells the truth about marriage". We find a family in the throes of proving the morality of marriage to a New Age Woman. Can the family defend marriage to this self-supporting girl? Will she be convinced that marriage is the ultimate sacredness of a relationship or will she hold to her perception that marriage is the basis of separating two lovers."Why Marry?" won the first Pulitzer Prize for Drama. (Summary by Linette Geisel) Cast:Narrator- Elizabeth KlettJesse Lynch Williams - Elizabeth KlettA most estimable lady - EzwaBachelor's niece - Diana MajlingerJEAN, the host's younger sister, who has been brought up to be married and nothing else - Arielle LipshawREX, an unmarried neighbor, who has not been brought up to be anything but rich - John FrickerLUCY, the hostess, who is trying her best to be "just an old-fashioned wife" in a new-fashioned home - KatineUNCLE EVERETT, a Judge, who belongs to the older generation and yet understands the new—and believes in divorce - Algy PugCOUSIN THEODORE, a clergyman and yet a human being, who believes in everything—except divorce - SamanemJOHN, who owns the house and almost every one in it—and does not believe in divorce - Marty KrisHELEN, the host's other sister, whom every one wants to marry, but who doesn't want to marry any one - AvailleERNEST, a scientist, who believes in neither divorce nor marriage but makes a great discovery - Matthew ReeceTHE BUTLER - David LawrenceAudio edited by Linette Geisel

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  The Bagman's Story - From their...

  Charles Dickens

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  Charles Dickens is a name that dominates the landscape of English literature.  From his early years of hardship he rose to become one of the great novelists of any age.  But amongst his other talents were that of short story writer, turning his pen to many subjects and genres as well as travel articles, speaking tours and as an advocate for social justice.  He was also amongst the first to commercialise Christmas and a publisher of various periodical magazines for which he also contributed and encouraged the talents of very many others. 
  Dickens died at only 58 leaving an incredible legacy that is still admired to this day.

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  Counterfeit Worlds - The...

  Brian J. Robb

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  Dive into the worlds of Philip K. Dick who inspired some of the most famous sci-fi movies of all time!
  
  Philip K. Dick struggled to make a living during his lifetime, but his work has since served as a deep seam of ideas to be mined by filmmakers such as Ridley Scott, Paul Verhoeven, Steven Spielberg, John Woo and Richard Linklater, resulting in some of the most successful and influential SF movies of all time.
  
  For the still-unequalled future world of Blade Runner to the mind-bending A Scanner Darkly, via the blockbusting action/adventure of Total Recall, Paycheck and Minority Report – not to mention the debt of gratitude films like The Matrix and The Truman Show owe to his work – the legacy of Philip K. Dick has revolutionised Hollywood.

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  Home Bound - An Uprooted...

  Vanessa A. Bee

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  In this memoir of identity and discovery, Vanessa A. Bee explores the way we define "home" and "belonging"—from her birth in Yaoundé, Cameroon, to her adoption, to experiencing housing insecurity in Europe and her eventual immigration to the US. After her parents' divorce, Vanessa traveled with her mother to Lyon and later to London, eventually settling in Reno, Nevada, as a teenager, right around the financial crisis and the collapse of the housing market. At twenty, still a practicing evangelical Christian and newly married, Vanessa applied to and was accepted by Harvard Law School, where she was one of the youngest members of her class. There, she forged a new belief system, divorced her husband, left the church, and pursued a career in economic justice upon graduation. 
   
   
   
  Vanessa's upbringing has caused her to grapple for years with foundational questions such as: What is home? Is it the country we're born in, the body we possess, or the name we were given and that identifies us? Is it the house we remember most fondly, the social status assigned to us, or the ideology we forge? What defines us and makes us uniquely who we are? 
   
   
   
  Vanessa tackles these timeless questions thematically and unpacks the many layers that contribute to and condition our understanding of ourselves and of our place in the world.

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