Showing results by publisher "Spoken Realms" in Classics

Award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti reads this Joseph Conrad classic tale of two white traders, Carlier and Kayerts, comical and pathetic, who move from polite society to the Congo, where they hope to become wealthy on the "Dark Continent" by spreading commerce and civilization to black Africa. But as was often the case, the longer they are away from civilization, the more the refinements of civilization slip away, along with their sanity.

A year after the adventure of The Thirty-Nine Steps, Major Richard Hannay is plucked from the trenches of the Western Front, and sent on a perilous journey through the very heart of the German empire, to Constantinople. There, he and his small band of missionaries must frustrate a plot to ferment an uprising in the Islamic world aimed at dealing a crushing blow to Britain's interests in the East, and winning the war for Germany.

The notorious pirate Captain Flint is dead, and his great horde of stolen treasure lies lost, stashed and buried on an island far, far away. Jim Hawkins, the humble son of a country innkeeper, comes into possession of the only map to Flint's treasure and is soon swept away on a high seas adventure of treachery and survival.

Tono-Bungay is very possibly H. G. Wells' finest novel, bringing together so many strands of his work: that of the novelist, the scientific romancer, the humorist, the historian, and the prophet-like sociologist. It was published in 1909, and although Wells was disappointed by its poor sales, Arnold Bennett praised it thus: "When with the thrill of emotion that a great work communicates I finished reading Tono-Bungay, I was filled with a holy joy because Wells had stirred up the dregs again and more violently than ever....

A must-listen for every classic erotica fan! Performed as a duet by Zachary Johnson and Verla Bond. The term “Masochist” comes from Austrian author Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch, whose fantasies inspired him to write Venus in Furs in 1870. The story is an account of a man named Severin, who is obsessed with being enslaved by a despotic woman in furs. He finds his ideal in a young widow named Wanda: a reluctant domme who discovers her sadistic tendencies through their twisted love affair. Venus in Furs was translated into English by Fernanda Savage in 1921.

Tarzan returns from WWI and his adventures in Pal-Ul-Don. The war has wreaked havoc on his finances and his estate - and he must once again return to Opar. Adventures abound with familiar foes in Opar - and new ones in a band of international rogues bent on getting to the treasure vaults before Tarzan. And there's a major new addition to Tarzan's family - Jad-Bal-Ja - the golden lion!

Persuasion has certain similarities with Emma, another late novel by Jane Austen. In both stories, the heroine is a young woman who lives with her widowed father, and who has an enduring attachment to her eventual spouse from the opening of the action. Persuasion also incorporates certain elements common to Austen's earlier novels, such as characters from the military, visits to Bath and calculating and cynical suitors. In the end, Anne Elliot successfully combats the destructive vanity of her father and the machinations of her villainous cousin William.

A tale of romance, greed, blackmail, secrets, Spain, and ships. Loss and intrigue, too, as we follow twin brothers along their life paths.

Following Anne of Green Gables (1908), this book was written by Lucy Maud Montgomery in 1909. From the age of 16 to 18, Anne is about to start her first term teaching at the Avonlea school. The book soon introduces Anne's new and problematic neighbor, Mr. Harrison, and his foul-mouthed parrot, as well as the twins, Davy and Dora. Other characters introduced are some of Anne's new pupils and Miss Lavendar Lewis, a sweet but lonely lady.

Book 2 of the Tarzan series. Tarzan arrives in England where he adapts to civilization, and then to America, but evildoers thrust Tarzan back into the jungle when they throw him overboard from an ocean liner, and he swims to shore for further adventures.

A Doll's House, published in 1879, was the earliest of Ibsen's "social dramas", and the first of his works to attract attention outside of Scandinavia. The central theme of the play is a woman's right to individual self-development, and represents, as humourist Stephen Leacock observed of many Ibsen plays, "a profound problem stated but not solved".

Zane Grey's first western story, written in 1909, is based on a real character, Buffalo Jones. Grey's descriptive art was just beginning in this story. But he brings color and life to the area between the Grand Canyon and Utah. The story follows Grey, Jones, and a company of colorful characters on a "hunt" bent on capture rather than shooting.

Meet the kind-hearted Doctor Dolittle, a country physician who learns to speak with animals and sets sail on an extraordinary journey filled with exotic creatures, daring rescues, and heartwarming friendships. This classic tale invites listeners of all ages into a world where compassion and curiosity for all creatures can bridge every divide. Perfect for young listeners and nostalgic adults alike, The Story of Doctor Dolittle remains a magical celebration of understanding the natural world.

Young Texas Ranger Russ Sittell is undercover searching for the head of a gang of rustlers - working with his ranger mentor and idol, Vaughn Steele. Staying undercover is difficult. Both rangers have difficulty staying focused while falling in love - can they uncover the criminals and keep love in its rightful place? Zane Grey tells the story in The Rustlers of Pecos County.

Narrated by award-winning audiobook narrator Mike Vendetti, The House of the Vampire (1907) by George Sylvester Vierick is not only one of the first known gay vampire stories, but it is also one of the first psychic vampire stories - where a vampire feeds off of more than just blood.

Something was dead in each of us,
And what was dead was Hope. In this moving poetic study of his experiences in the Victorian penal system, Wilde relates the relentlessness and tedium of prison life, and of the haunted thoughts which trouble these "souls in agony" within their "numbered tombs". Oscar Wilde wrote "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" after his two-year imprisonment at the establishment. During his incarceration, a former trooper was convicted of the murder of his wife and hanged at the Gaol. This event is central to the poem's narrative.

A breathtaking piece of luck, coupled with an unlikely coincidence, secured by a piercing intellect and curious nature, lead three friends to believe they might possibly uncover pirate gold! With all the insight and reasoning of a Sherlock Holmes, Poe's William Legrand plucks faint clues seemingly from mid-air and carefully arrives at a conclusion of exactly where in the world to dig.Has he reasoned - and guessed - correctly? Or, will the only gold he sees be the color of his eponymous beetle?

Queen of the Black Coast is a thrilling tale by Robert E. Howard, first published in Weird Tales in May 1934. It follows Conan the Cimmerian, a barbarian adventurer, as he joins a pirate crew led by the fierce and captivating Bêlit, the Queen of the Black Coast. Together, they embark on daring raids, confront supernatural horrors, and explore mysterious jungles and ancient ruins. The story is a blend of high adventure, romance, and dark fantasy, showcasing Howard's vivid world-building and dynamic characters.

This book was an instant best-seller and became (and remains to this day) an international sensation, much like Harry Potter today. The story of the infant son of an English Lord and Lady marooned on the coast of Africa made its author famous and wealthy. Adopted by the she-ape, Kala, Tarzan becomes a "mighty hunter, mighty fighter" - the first superhero in American literature.

Mary Shelley wished with her classic Gothic novel Frankenstein to "make the reader dread to look round, to curdle the blood, and quicken the beatings of the heart". Mary Shelley succeeded. Victor Frankenstein finally fulfills his dream of creating his own living creature, stitched together from the macabre remains of corpses. To his horror he finds he has created something even more ghastly than in his worst imaginings. Frankenstein has created a monster with a soul!