Showing results by publisher "Simply Media" in Classics

This story wonderfully combines a murder trial and apparitions - or more plainly, ghosts. It describes a moment in the life of a bored bank official who has an alarming experience. A great story, smoothly presented by the pen of Dickens. (American accent narration.)

The novel focuses on love, society norms, and freedom, centered on Anna’s affair with Count Vronsky.

This letter is the closest that Kafka came to setting down his autobiography. He was driven to write it by his father's opposition to his engagement with Julie Wohryzek. The marriage did not take place; the letter was not delivered. 

An English saga centered around one family at their summer house, the goings on of one and all, written elegantly and insightfully with each word and phrase wonderful for the listener.

> Walking is not as well known as Thoreau's other works Walden, The Maine Woods, and Civil Disobedience. But it is a good place to start exploring his writing because it was his last book, in 1862, published by the Atlantic Monthly shortly after his death. It is less well known because it is general, as opposed to singular, in focus. It is his summing up of his thoughts on life: One should saunter through life and take notice; one need not go far.

The story centers on an impoverished clerk who is dedicated to his job as a routine copyist but not recognized for his hard work. Younger clerks mock him for his dedication. His threadbare overcoat is mocked as well. He saves up to buy a new one and wears it for one glorious evening, only to have it stolen that night. He dies soon after from his great loss. Thereafter, his ghost is reported to haunt that part of St. Petersburg where the coat was stolen.

The great 19th-century novel by the first important Irish novelist. The story of a girl whose father died young so the family was impoverished, she never learned to read, and was thrust into the servant class and occasionally into the workhouse. Becoming pregnant, she lost her position and struggled to bring up her son. A must-listen.

An early 20th century tale of a young European American immigrant who has a series of adventures in America.

Three of Fitzgerald's early short stories: "Dalyrimple Goes Wrong", "Jemina, the Mountain Girl", and "Tarquin of Cheapside". Each story is fascinating in its own way, with roots that lead to his novels. His writing, even at this early stage in his career, is like champagne. "Dalyrimple" has some of the themes Dreiser later used in An American Tragedy; "Jemina" sounds like what would happen if Mark Twain met southwestern humor; "Tarquin" is unique and better listened to than discussed.

Freud's landmark work about the pleasure principle covering ancient times to his own: psychology, arts, literature, science, biology, and social science. 

The story starts with the hotel owner trolling for guests at the train station and finding three: the Swede, the Cowboy, and the Easterner. As with many stories the personalities are known by their titles not their names; the two known by their names are the hotel keeper, Scully, and his son Johnny. The first major event is in a play for fun (no money) card game in which the Swede accuses Johnny of cheating. Johnny skillfully defends himself by saying he won't put up with the accusation, while side stepping the truth of the matter.

An historical romance set in London and the English countryside with remarkable nuance and descriptions about dress, parties, houses, men and women and their dealings with each other, with special insights into marriage. A wonderful ode to our better selves and what we can be if we move beyond the bumps and bruises in life.

Travel back to the 17th century & experience Germany's brutal 30-year war with someone who lived through it all. Dark, dark humor, bloody, gory, evil, with witches & fantasy episodes. 

Nine stories narrated by Pertie and one by Jeeves. In an American voice for easy listening by Americans with occasional American words used for more obscure English ones with a bit of the halting style of comic dialogue. Number two in the Jeeves series. 

"The Nose" is the second best known story of Gogol, after "The Overcoat". A military major discovers his nose is missing and works to recover it. He finds the nose but it pretends to have a life of its own, as a fellow human. It in fact has a higher rank than the Major himself. The Major is perplexed, goes back to his apartment, and has the nose returned to him. With great joy he recovers his nose, only to find it won't reattach to his face. After much going on, he finds the nose reattached to his face.

The legendary tale of romance, fishing, fiestas, and bullfighting. The remarkable Lady Brett Ashley bowls over the men, drinks heavily, and bathes continually. Jake Barnes, the Paris correspondent and impotent with a World War 1 injury, longs for Brett but can’t have her. 

A breathtaking story of a woman marrying, growing up, bravely persevering, and seeing what traditionally was a man's point of view with the insights of a woman growing up in the same way. An insightful novel in so many ways. 

The rollicking humorous ribald story of soldiers in World War I carrying on and living and dying in war, worthy of Catch-22 fame. Translated from German into modern American English with a simplification of place names, as well as people's names, to not distract the American listener from unfamiliar names and places and stay focused on the story itself.

The last great 19th-century Russian novelist brings his symbolism together with realism, to blend real and fictional people together in the Russian revolutionary period of 1905 that laid the seeds for the 1917 dark Soviet period that Bely anticipates, set in the Paris of Russia, St Petersburg. An intriguing fantasy mixed with reality, dark and bright colors, with a dose of romanticism.

The classic transformation story by Kafka. A man is transformed into a bug and how everyone deals with the situation from his mother and father, to his employer and paying boarders, and himself.