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Guides to Belle Vue Zoological Gardens 1891-1917

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Sports & Recreation
Chapter: 4 | Listen:

Guides to the Belle Vue Zoological Gardens from the Chetham’s Library Virtual Belle Vue Collection. The Belle Vue gardens opened in 1836 as a place of genteel entertainment for the middle classes of industrial Manchester, but soon became one the most popular attractions in the north of England. The 1891 guide details the animals on view and the features of the amusement park. The 1917 guide notes the addition of new snake and ape houses, attractions such as Laughterland and a Figure of 8 Toboggan, and the Kings Hall, which hosted major concerts and sporting events through to the 1970s. The addition of a car park to the stabling for visitors who arrived with their own horse and carriage marked the passing of the years, yet the price of a cup of tea remained the same. Evening entertainments, featuring tableaux and firework displays against the backdrop of a painting erected on a 60 by 100 foot frame on the Picture Lake, were a popular feature. In the 1890s these entertainments documented military exploits from the heyday of British imperialism. In 1917 war was closer at hand. The evening entertainment of that year, commemorating the tank battle of the Ancre, was evidently a sombre affair that reflected the uncertainties of popular entertainment in the final years of the 1914-18 war. (Phil Benson) [chương_files]

Birth of Professional Rugby League in Australia: A selection from the Sydney Morning Herald (1907-08)

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Sports & Recreation
Chapter: 10 | Listen: 1

In early 1907 the world of Australian rugby was rocked by the news that a professional New Zealand All Blacks team was set to tour the northern counties of Engliand, where professional rugby had been a reality for more than a decade. The professionalization of Australian rugby was unthinkable, but within a few months the unthinkable had come to pass. The professional All Blacks had played a hastily formed New South Wales team, the great Dally Messenger had joined the New Zealand tour of England, and by 1908 a professional league was formed in Sydney, with several of the teams that play in the NRL today. This selection from the Sydney Morning Herald’s coverage of the fierce debate that ensued, shows how concerns for the welfare of the game and players were mingled with class-interest, colonial ideologies and greed for profit. – Summary by Phil Benson [chương_files]

Scientific and Practical Treatise on American Football for Schools and Colleges

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Sports & Recreation
Chapter: 19 | Listen:

Ever wondered how football has changed over the years? Look no further! This selection of rules, positions, and explanations of how football was played in the late 1800s is sure to leave you with a greater knowledge of the evolution of the sport. (Summary by Campbell Schelp) [chương_files]

Man with the Clubfoot

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Suspense, Espionage, Political & Thrillers
Chapter: 21 | Listen:

“The Man with the Clubfoot” is one of the most ingenious and sinister secret agents in Europe. It is to him that the task is assigned of regaining possession of an indiscreet letter written by the Kaiser. Desmond Okewood, a young British officer with a genius for secret service work, sets out to thwart this man and, incidentally, discover the whereabouts of his brother. He penetrates into Germany disguised, and meets with many thrilling adventures before he finally achieves his mission. In “The Man with the Clubfoot,” Valentine Williams has written a thrilling romance of mystery, love and intrigue, that in every sense of the word may be described as “breathless.” – Summary by from original text [chương_files]

15/09/2024

Quintus Oakes: A Detective Story

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Spy Stories
Chapter: 25 | Listen: 2

There have been a series of assaults at the manor house, one sending the mistress of the house insane with fear, another escalating to murder. There are reports of a tread on the stairs and shady figures disappearing from view. The servants blame the supernatural, but Quintus Oakes gets to the bottom of the mystery. [chương_files]

Cycling in the Alps

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Sports & Recreation, Travel & Geography
Chapter: 19 | Listen: 2

A guide to cycling in the European Alps in the days before surfaced roads and automobile tourism. As the author explains, the spectacular views are well worth the effort of pushing your bicycle up the passes and perfectly safe as long as your cycle is equipped with brakes. Summary by Phil Benson [chương_files]

House of Whispers

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Suspense, Espionage, Political & Thrillers
Chapter: 39 | Listen: 2

This is a story about a young lady and her blind father who live in a House of Whispers. “There is a legend that those who hear the whispers die quickly and suddenly.” Story written by William Le Queux in 1910. Le Queux mainly wrote in the genres of thriller, espionage, mystery. (Summary by April6090) [chương_files]

Modern Mephistopheles

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Suspense, Espionage, Political & Thrillers
Chapter: 18 | Listen:

One of our favorite authors give us this book of lies, greed and lust. Originally published under a pen name. However, the author considered this genre as innate. A look into the machinations of human evil and its effects. – Summary by Christine Rottger [chương_files]

Casebook of Sherlock Holmes Part 1

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Suspense, Espionage, Political & Thrillers
Chapter: 11 | Listen:

And so, reader, farewell to Sherlock Holmes! These are positively the last stories. There is some disagreement as to their quality, and some claim that Conan Doyle was writing more experimentally, rather than to the conventional Sherlock Holmes formula. Not all the stories are narrated by the faithful Watson, and the stories are regarded as the darkest of the Holmes canon, with some unusual villains. Part 2 Please note: Section 5, The Adventure of the Three Gables, includes language which, though normal for the time it was written, is now regarded as highly unacceptable racial slurs. Anyone who finds this too offensive may wish to omit this story. Indeed, any listener who would understandably prefer to avoid my poor attempt at American accents, may prefer not to listen to a number of these stories. Conan Doyle seemed to like American villains. … (summary by Ruth Golding) This recording was originally published on Legamus.eu and was later released on Librivox when US copyright permitted. [chương_files]

How to Camp Out

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Sports & Recreation
Chapter: 14 | Listen: 1

Advice on camp gear, clothing, cooking, hiking, and other topics. Much of the book remains good and sensible advice today, but modern readers may be amused by Maj. Gould’s few remarks on ladies, who “must be cared for more tenderly than men.” – Summary by Sarah Jennings [chương_files]