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  Fantomina: Love in a Maze

  Eliza Haywood

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  'Her design was once more to engage him, to hear him sigh, to see him languish, to feel the strenuous pressures of his eager arms, to be compelled, to be sweetly forc'd to what she wished with equal ardour.'
  
  Originally published in 1725, and daringly exploring themes such as identity, class and female desire, Fantomina: Love in a Maze is comprehended as one of the finest – yet underappreciated – novellas of the eighteenth-century.
  
  A beautiful young woman becomes intrigued with a charming, but severely shallow, young man at the theatre: Beauplaisir. Witnessing his treatment of some of the ladies there, she disguises herself as 'Fantomina', to determine whether his behaviour would change towards her. After a short fling, Beauplaisir tires of her and leaves, much to her outrage. Fantomina then takes on a series of alternative personas in a bid to re-capture his attention. A scathing commentary on men's treatment of women in society, Fantomina: Love in a Maze is a remarkable work which would have scandalised its readers at the time of publication. This audiobook is brought to life by the brilliant Helen Keeley.
  Eliza Haywood (1693 – 1756) was an English writer, actress and publisher. In her lifetime, she penned over seventy works, including novels, poetry, plays and periodicals. A proto-feminist, she was famed for her romance writing, which mirrored contemporary scandals in eighteenth century society.

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  Moonfleet

  J. Meade Falkner

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  "Beneath the church of Moonfleet, a secret lies buried in the dark—and some secrets are better left untouched."
  
  In the fog-drenched coastal village of Moonfleet, young orphan John Trenchard accidentally stumbles upon the secret vault of the Mohune family while hiding in the church graveyard. There, he discovers the entrance to a smuggling tunnel and the restless spirit of "Blackbeard" Mohune, a man whose lost diamond is said to be cursed. Taken under the wing of the gruff innkeeper Elzevir Block, John is thrust into a dangerous world of midnight runs, revenue men, and the search for a treasure hidden within a coded message from the grave. From the cliffs of Dorset to the terrifying depths of the Carisbrooke well, Moonfleet is a masterpiece of suspense and high-stakes survival.
  
  A Classic Adventure of Honor and Loyalty: At its heart, the story is about the relationship between John and Elzevir. Block, who lost his own son to the law, finds a surrogate in John. Their loyalty to one another is tested by imprisonment, storms at sea, and the corrupting influence of the legendary Mohune diamond.
  
  The Gothic Atmosphere of the Sea: Falkner excels at creating a sense of dread and mystery. The sound of the "snoring" of the surf on the beach and the haunting imagery of the Mohune crypt provide a Gothic backdrop to the fast-paced action. It captures the historical reality of the "free traders" (smugglers) who operated along the English coast when the law was often as cruel as the sea itself.
  
  The Search for Blackbeard's Diamond: The quest for the diamond leads John and Elzevir far from the shores of Moonfleet. The tension peaks as they attempt to decode the mystery of the diamond's location—a journey that proves that the greatest treasures are often found in the people we love, rather than the gems we seek.
  
  Uncover the secret of the Mohunes. Purchase "Moonfleet" today and embark on the ultimate maritime adventure.

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  Struggle with a Devil Fish A...

  Victor Hugo

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  Victor-Marie Hugo 26 February 1802 - 22 May 1885) was a French poet, novelist, essayist, playwright, and dramatist of the Romantic movement. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote abundantly in an exceptional variety of genres: lyrics, satires, epics, philosophical poems, epigrams, novels, history, critical essays, political speeches, funeral orations, diaries, and letters public and private, as well as dramas in verse and prose.
  A STRUGGLE WITH A DEVIL FISH: The sea was growing calmer. But there was still a heavy swell, which made his departure, for the present at least, impossible. The day, too, was far advanced.

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  Black Beauty

  Anna Sewell

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  Black Beauty is a fictional autobiographical memoir told by a horse, who recounts many tales, both of cruelty and kindness. The title page of the first edition states that it was "Translated from the Original Equine by Anna Sewell." It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she was confined to her house as an invalid. After its publication in 1877, Sewell lived just long enough to see her first and only novel become an immediate bestseller, as well as it encouraging the better treatment of many cruelly-treated animals. 
   
  Although initially intended for people who work with horses, it soon became a children's classic. While outwardly teaching animal welfare, it also contains allegorical lessons about how to treat people with kindness, sympathy and respect. The story is narrated in the first person and each short chapter relates an incident in Black Beauty's life, with Sewell's detailed observations and extensive descriptions of horse behaviour lending the novel a good deal of verisimilitude.

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  The Return of Sherlock Holmes

  Arthur Conan Doyle

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  In 1905 Conan Doyle reluctantly decided to bring his most famous creation Sherlock Holmes back to life. It is no easy thing to convincingly resurrect a man whom you have so decisively thrown over a Swiss waterfall. There is however no sense of reluctance in the collection of short stories that make up The Return of Sherlock Holmes. The great detective reenters the stage with convincing aplomb and his usual theatricality, albeit at the expense of the bemused and shocked Watson. 
  The “Return” contains some of the most popular adventures of the Holmes canon, including the melodramatic “Solitary Cyclist”, the ingenious “Six Napoleons” (with Lestrade’s surprisingly warm endorsement of Holmes at the end). We have the clever “Second Stain” and the inventive “Dancing Men” The stories also have some memorable villains, (who could so easily pale in the dark memory of Professor Moriarty), not least the despicable Charles Augustus Milverton. 
  Head Stories Audio presents “The Return of Sherlock Holmes” narrated by Simon Hester. With original music. Performed by Simon Hester and Carmine Lauri.

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  Lysistrata

  Aristophenes

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  The women of Athens are sick of the Peloponnesian war that has dragged on for year after year after year, causing great hardship to everyone. They decide to deny the men sex until they agree to make peace, using the one thing that perhaps men enjoy more than killing each other. Does it work? Listen and find out. This comedy by Aristophanes was first performed in 411 BC

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