From the pen of the Irish poet and essayist, Robert Lynd, comes a collection of humorous and satirical essay on the literary scene of his day with critiques of poets and and poetry, ranging from Pepys to Walter de la Mare. He even examines criticism itself. – Summary by Larry Wilson [chương_files]
Sixteen short nonfiction works in the public domain, independently chosen by the readers. Volume 59 contains an eclectic mix of readings, ranging from a description of a Coney Island elephant colossus to meditations on mental telepathy and baseball. Philosophical essays by Leibniz, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Francis Bacon and William Blake touch on the topics of truth, prejudice, poetic genius, suicide, and preparation for a Christian life. An educator at a women’s college in the early 1920’s bemoans the decline in the way high school girls dress for school and recommends a “serge jumper dress, made with a washable under blouse.” In the same span of years, a female reporter, going undercover to research conditions in the Detroit House of Corrections has herself arrested and is “stripped to the skin and searched for narcotics” and then made to don prison garb: “a faded gingham coverall, prison-made and drab.” A medical doctor, writing in the 1870’s, examines the connection between clean living and longevity, while a historian discusses how slave labor was employed in the salines of Southern Illinois. Native American Indian speech patterns are explored in an essay on the evolution of language, while a a chapter from a children’s science book explains what happens “when the dew falls.” Lastly, a spirited defense of the Bodleian as a research institution rather than a circulating library rounds out this volume of the nonfiction collection. Preparation for a Christian Life III was translated by Lee M. Hollander. [chương_files]
This is the seventeenth Coffee Break Collection, in which Librivox readers select English language public domain works of about 15 minutes or less in duration — perfect to listen to during commutes, workouts or coffee breaks. The topic for this collection is health and fitness… views on these, including physical activity, nutrition and sport, have changed drastically over the years. Readers have chosen selections on subjects ranging from judo and walking to advice for the nutrition and education of children, Summary by Lynne Thompson [chương_files]
Although best known for his works of science fiction, social commentary and history, H.G. Wells here gives us humorous and light-hearted pieces on a wide variety of intriguing topics from chess to death. Each essay is a gem of wit and delight. – Summary by Larry Wilson [chương_files]
Select Conversations with an Uncle, published in 1895, was H.G. Wells’s first literary publication in book form. It consists of reports of twelve conversations between a fictional witty uncle who has returned to London from South Africa with “a certain affluence,” as well as two other conversations (one on aestheticism that takes place in a train, titled “A Misunderstood Artist,” and another on physiognomy, titled “The Man with a Nose”) – Summary by Wikipedia [chương_files]
From the pen of the Irish poet and essayist, Robert Lynd, comes a collection of humorous and satirical essays on topics as wide ranging as stupidity, Christmas, spring fashions, and the beauty of statistics. – Summary by Larry Wilson [chương_files]
This is the sixteenth collection of our “coffee break” series, involving public domain works that are between about 3 and 15 minutes in length. These are great for study breaks, commutes, workouts, or any time you’d like to hear a whole story and only have a few minutes to devote to listening. The theme for this collection is “Crime”, where crime or criminals are significant. Librivox readers have chosen a combination of social commentaries, newspaper reports of true crimes and criminals, letters, fictional accounts of the life of the criminal and short ‘whodunnit’ mysteries. – Summary by Lynne Thompson [chương_files]
Fifteen short nonfiction works in the public domain, independently chosen by the readers. Natural cataclysm is the subject of several readings: the 1899 Alaskan earthquake, which uplifted cliffs at Yakutat Bay 47 feet; a terrifying forest fire in Northern Wisconsin in 1899; the fiery sunsets which followed the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883; a storm at sea which sank the English frigate Anson in 1807; and the explosion of a hydrogen-filled dirigible over Chicago in 1919. Natural beauty, also a topic, includes a guide to the Antrim coast of Ireland, observations on Black Walnut trees and the communal life of Yellow-Jacket wasps, and an essay on how to paint reflections. Two colloquies of Erasmus explore a young woman’s choice to become a nun and the “preposterous judgments” of people who value the names of things more than the Things themselves. Progress–envisioned as the age of electricity; changes in burglary; and Nostradamus’ prognostications for the future round out the volume. -summary by Sue Anderson Elizabeth G. Peckham was the co-author of “Communal Life of Yellow-Jacket Wasps” Fifty Quatrains of Nostradamus was translated by Theophilus de Garencières [chương_files]
Mary Webb was a novelist and poet and two of her novels “Gone to Earth” and “Precious Bane” have been successfully adapted for film and television. She was passionate about nature and particularly the Shropshire countryside where she grew up and spent much of her life. At the age of 20, she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease known as Graves’ disease, a thyroid condition. She was often confined to her bed but came to believe that her love of and connection with nature helped in her healing. “The Spring of Joy: A Little Book of Healing” published in 1917 is a collection of essays which celebrate the natural world with poetic and descriptive brilliance. It was actually written some years earlier while she was recovering from her first bout of illness. Her dedication for the book reads: TO THE WEARY AND WOUNDED IN THE BATTLE OF LIFE THIS LITTLE BOOK IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED – Summary by Noel Badrian [chương_files]
This two-volume work includes heroines from the works of Eliot, Trollope, Hardy, Harte, Austen, Edgeworth, Scott, Dickens, Hawthorne, E. Bronte, Thackeray, and others. These studies of nineteenth-century literature were by a critical light of the time. (Summary by Jim Locke) [chương_files]
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