Showing results by narrator "Paul Spera" in All Categories

The spoiled son of a Spanish nobleman, Don Juan Belvidero cannot wait for the moment to claim the family wealth and title for himself. His father calls to his death-bed to inform him that he is in possession of a magic, death-defying potion. If the son will only rub the liquid on his dead body, the father will come back to life. Don Juan assures his father that he will resurrect him, but will he keep his promise or betray the old man?

"The Death of Adonis" is a fundamental part of Greek mythology and one of its most touching stories. Accidentally wounded by one of Eros' arrows, the goddess Aphrodite falls desperately in love with the handsome Adonis, son of a king and a beauty among mortals. Yet his only passion is hunting and he refuses to take her warnings seriously when he hears about a great boar he would love to slay. There is something of the idea of coming of age in this tale, when the moment of realisation brings forth the understanding of what could have been and where the real beauty lays.

Phaeton is the son of Apollo and a mortal woman, and his heart's desire is to be seen but once driving his father's chariot, the one used by the god to make the sun travel in the sky. This myth is an ageless story of failure at the hands of pride, similar to that of Icarus. It is a fundamental part of Greek mythology and of modern culture. This short story is a retelling of the myth in great detail and with an elegant style that will edify children and adults alike.

Among his many feats, Lincoln is widely remembered for having paved the way for the abolition of slavery, before his assassination in 1865. These 100 quotes have been selected to introduce you to one of the greatest political minds that lived, in an efficient and convenient format. 

In this audiobook, read by Paul Spera, each historical event is replaced into context and presented in clear and easy-to-read snippets, so that younger and older readers can deepen their understanding of how modern France came to be and broaden their culture. 

"The Horla" is the chilling tale of one man's descent into madness. Maupassant established a reputation in France as an absolute master of the short story, before himself succumbing to the mental illness that ravaged his later life. This story is the terrifying tale of an invisible vampire, told by a narrator himself on the brink of insanity, and written by a master of the macabre clearly at the peak of his powers.

The classical poetry of Japan focuses on direct experience of fleeting moments, in total contrast with its Occidental counterpart. These seminal poems were passed down orally, before great collections assembled works of art spanning several centuries in written form as early as the 8th century, from the Kojiki to the Kokinshu.

Baruch Spinoza was one of the most important and controversial thinkers of the 17th century. He rejected both the mind-body dualism of Descartes and traditional religious views, which got him violently attacked for atheism while he was actually seeking to redefine God as the whole of the laws of Nature. His metaphysics are a brilliant attempt to reconcile human freedom with a belief in scientific explanation, and his Theological-Political Treatise, the first argument for democracy by a major philosopher, contributed as much as the Declaration of Independence or Thomas Paine's Common Sense to modern liberal, secular, and democratic thinking.

The Confessions of Arsène Lupin: ten grippling short stories in which the world's premier thief looks back on a lifetime of adventure and mysteries. He uses his wit and courage to outsmart criminals, pull wool over the eyes of the French police, and solve terrifying mysteries, always keeping just enough time to save a pretty lady and pocket something for himself. Intelligent, witty, funny: there is the real gentleman thief in all his brilliance!

The Confessions of Arsène Lupin: ten grippling short stories in which the world's premier thief looks back on a lifetime of adventure and mysteries. He uses his wit and courage to outsmart criminals, pull wool over the eyes of the French police, and solve terrifying mysteries, always keeping just enough time to save a pretty lady and pocket something for himself. Intelligent, witty, funny: there is the real gentleman thief in all his brilliance!

"A Tragedy in the Forest of Morgues" is a short story from "The Confessions of Arsène Lupin": Ten grippling short stories in which the world's premier thief looks back on a lifetime of adventure and mysteries. He uses his wit and courage to outsmart criminals, pull wool over the eyes of the French police, and solve terrifying mysteries, always keeping just enough time to save a pretty lady and pocket something for himself. Intelligent, witty, funny: there is the real gentleman thief in all his brilliance!

"Shadowed by Death" is a short story from "The Confessions of Arsène Lupin": ten grippling short stories in which the world's premier thief looks back on a lifetime of adventure and mysteries. He uses his wit and courage to outsmart criminals, pull wool over the eyes of the French police, and solve terrifying mysteries, always keeping just enough time to save a pretty lady and pocket something for himself. Intelligent, witty, funny: there is the real gentleman thief in all his brilliance!

"Lupin's Marriage" is a short story from "The Confessions of Arsène Lupin". Ten grippling short stories in which the world's premier thief looks back on a lifetime of adventure and mysteries. He uses his wit and courage to outsmart criminals, pull wool over the eyes of the French police, and solve terrifying mysteries, always keeping just enough time to save a pretty lady and pocket something for himself. Intelligent, witty, funny: there is the real gentleman thief in all his brilliance!

"The Red Silk Scarf" is a short story from "The Confessions of Arsène Lupin". Ten grippling short stories in which the world's premier thief looks back on a lifetime of adventure and mysteries. He uses his wit and courage to outsmart criminals, pull wool over the eyes of the French police, and solve terrifying mysteries, always keeping just enough time to save a pretty lady and pocket something for himself. Intelligent, witty, funny: there is the real gentleman thief in all his brilliance!

"The Infernal Trap" is a short story from "The Confessions of Arsène Lupin". Ten gripping short stories in which the world's premier thief looks back on a lifetime of adventure and mysteries. He uses his wit and courage to outsmart criminals, pull wool over the eyes of the French police, and solve terrifying mysteries, always keeping just enough time to save a pretty lady and pocket something for himself. Intelligent, witty, funny: there is the real gentleman thief in all his brilliance!

"The Sign of the Shadow" is a short story from "The Confessions of Arsène Lupin". Ten gripping short stories in which the world's premier thief looks back on a lifetime of adventure and mysteries. He uses his wit and courage to outsmart criminals, pull wool over the eyes of the French police, and solve terrifying mysteries, always keeping just enough time to save a pretty lady and pocket something for himself. Intelligent, witty, funny: there is the real gentleman thief in all his brilliance!

"The Wedding-Ring" is a short story from "The Confessions of Arsène Lupin". Ten gripping short stories in which the world's premier thief looks back on a lifetime of adventure and mysteries. He uses his wit and courage to outsmart criminals, pull wool over the eyes of the French police, and solve terrifying mysteries, always keeping just enough time to save a pretty lady and pocket something for himself. Intelligent, witty, funny: there is the real gentleman thief in all his brilliance!

"Two Hundred Thousand Francs Reward" is a short story from "The Confessions of Arsène Lupin". Ten grippling short stories in which the world's premier thief looks back on a lifetime of adventure and mysteries. He uses his wit and courage to outsmart criminals, pull wool over the eyes of the French police, and solve terrifying mysteries, always keeping just enough time to save a pretty lady and pocket something for himself. Intelligent, witty, funny, there is the real gentleman thief in all his brilliance!

"The Water Bottle" is a short story in the "The Eight Strokes of the Clock" collection of eight short stories by Maurice Leblanc. Their main character: Arsène Lupin, the beloved gentleman thief, one of the most famous characters of the detective genre. All eight stories are independent but brought together by a leading thread. Posing as Prince Rénine, Lupin uses his legendary wit to free a young woman from a tedious destiny before having her make him a promise: she will become his bride if together, they manage to solve seven other mysteries before the eighth stroke of the clock, three months from then.

"On the Top of the Tower" is a short story in the "The Eight Strokes of the Clock" collection of eight short stories by Maurice Leblanc. Their main character: Arsène Lupin, the beloved gentleman thief, one of the most famous characters of the detective genre. All eight stories are independent but brought together by a leading thread. Posing as Prince Rénine, Lupin uses his legendary wit to free a young woman from a tedious destiny before having her make him a promise: she will become his bride if together, they manage to solve seven other mysteries before the eighth stroke of the clock, three months from then.