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Charles Rex

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Published 1900 onward, Romance
Chapter: 20 | Listen: 2

Excerpt: “Saltash was thoroughly cosmopolitan in his tastes; he liked amusement but he abhorred boredom. He was never really wicked unless he was bored. And then- que voulez vous? He did not guide the star of destiny.” On his last night in Valrosa, Saltash (Charles Rex) returns to his luxurious yacht to find a stowaway, a young woman disguised as a boy. She pleads to be kept by him in order to escape from her abuser. Although ill used by life she is still very pure and Saltash falls head over heels in love with her. She in turn adores him but he feels unworthy of her. Torn by a sense of duty and fairness he tries to marry her off to someone he believes would be a more suitable match. Romance and mystery, a delightful sprinkle of humour and wit, and wonderful characters make this an emotional read that you will not soon forget. – Summary by Celine Major [chương_files]

Is Shakespeare Dead?

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Essays & Short Works, Literary Criticism
Chapter: 8 | Listen: 6

A short, semi-autobiographical work by American humorist Mark Twain. It explores the controversy over the authorship of the Shakespearean literary canon via satire, anecdote, and extensive quotation of contemporary authors on the subject. In the book, Twain expounds the view that Shakespeare of Stratford was not the author of the canon, and lends tentative support to the Baconian theory. The book opens with a scene from his early adulthood, where he was trained to be a steamboat pilot by an elder who often argued with him over the controversy. Twain’s arguments include the following points: That little was known about Shakespeare’s life, and the bulk of his biographies were based on conjecture. That a number of eminent British barristers and judges found Shakespeare’s plays permeated with precise legal thought, and that the author could only have been a veteran legal professional. That in contrast, Shakespeare of Stratford had never held a legal position or office, and had only been in court over petty lawsuits late in life. That small towns lionize and celebrate their famous authors for generations, but this had not happened in Shakespeare’s case. He described his own fame in Hannibal as a case in point. Twain draws parallels and analogies from the pretensions of modern religious figures and commentators on the nature of Satan. He compares the believers in Shakespeare to adherents of Arthur Orton and Mary Baker Eddy. – Summary from Wikipedia [chương_files]

Storm Of London

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Published 1900 onward
Chapter: 20 | Listen: 4

Our clothes tell our story. They reflect our rank, have to suit a perfect event, and much more. But what happens when they disappear? Sounds frightening, so thought the Earl of Somerville on the first day before sinking into this new reality which was in many respects better for him then the old reality. Through Lord Somerville, a man who only looks for someone to see himself behind his rank and lost in the game of the tun, we learn to see the many layers of the society in which he lives. Partially sad, partially funny, and full of universal truth, this book is sure to move you. (Summary by Stav Nisser) [chương_files]

Lonely Warrior

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Published 1900 onward
Chapter: 29 | Listen: 3

An idealistic American enlists and fights in The Great War. This novel focuses on his life after returning to the US “hard-boiled” and cynical, a disillusioned and embittered young man who has lost all interest in his family, his job, and his fiancé. Outraged by the fact of war, he takes refuge in apathy. It is the story of many others like himself who become lonely and discouraged and of their struggles to readjust to the changing world around them. “It is a great book.” – William Allen White “It has moments of rare vividness and power.” – Philadelphia Record ( Lee Smalley) [chương_files]

Great Gatsby (version 2)

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Published 1900 onward
Chapter: 9 | Listen: 3

The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway’s interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and Gatsby’s obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan (Summary from Wikipedia) [chương_files]

The Mysterious Forces of Civilization

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Politics, Religion
Chapter: 8 | Listen: 2

The Mysterious Forces of Civilization (Persian: Risálih-i-Madaníyyih) is a work written before 1875 by ‘Abbás Effendí, known as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (the Servant of Bahá) (1844-1921). The Persian text was first lithographed in Bombay in 1882 and printed in Cairo in 1911. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the eldest son and appointed successor of Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith. The original text of this work was written and published anonymously, and the first English translation (by Johanna Dawud) was published in London in 1910 and Chicago in 1918, under the title ‘Mysterious Forces of Civilization’ written by “an Eminent Bahai Philosopher.” This audiobook is based on the 1918 edition. Another translation was completed by Marzieh Gail and published in 1957, with an introduction by Horace Holley. The title was re-translated as “The Secret of Divine Civilization”. The book was widely known in its time as an attempt to improve the degraded condition of Persia (Iran). The author frequently references current issues that were being debated, such as whether to modernize and accept Western technology, or to reject Western culture and rely on technology developed in Persia and the Islamic world. [chương_files]

Common Sense (version 2)

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Political Science
Chapter: 5 | Listen: 3

Thomas Paine has a claim to the title The Father of the American Revolution because of Common Sense, the pro-independence monograph pamphlet he anonymously published on January 10, 1776; signed “Written by an Englishman”, the pamphlet became an immediate success. It quickly spread among the literate, and, in three months, 100,000 copies (estimated 500,000 total including pirated editions sold during the course of the Revolution) sold throughout the American British colonies (with only two million free inhabitants), making it the best-selling book ever. Paine’s original title for the pamphlet was Plain Truth; Paine’s friend, pro-independence advocate Benjamin Rush, suggested Common Sense instead. The pamphlet appeared in January 1776, after the Revolution had started. It was passed around, and often read aloud in taverns, contributing significantly to spreading the idea of republicanism, bolstering enthusiasm for separation from Britain, and encouraging recruitment for the Continental Army. Paine provided a new and convincing argument for independence by advocating a complete break with history. Common Sense is oriented to the future in a way that compels the reader to make an immediate choice. It offers a solution for Americans disgusted and alarmed at the threat of tyranny. (Introduction by Wikipedia) [chương_files]

Green Overcoat

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Published 1900 onward
Chapter: 19 | Listen: 4

This rollicking novel captures the minor moral dilemma of thin, shy, nervous, Professor Higginson, psychologist, as he comes under the eye of the enemy of his soul through an encounter with a green overcoat. The quixotic adventure that follows will bring the childlike reader laughter like rainfall. This is Belloc at his Chestertonian best! – Summary by Russ Hobbs [chương_files]

Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind

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Psychology, Social Science (Culture & Anthropology)
Chapter: 15 | Listen: 6

“Civilisations as yet have only been created and directed by a small intellectual aristocracy, never by crowds. Crowds are only powerful for destruction. Their rule is always tantamount to a barbarian phase. A civilisation involves fixed rules, discipline, a passing from the instinctive to the rational state, forethought for the future, an elevated degree of culture — all of them conditions that crowds, left to themselves, have invariably shown themselves incapable of realising. In consequence of the purely destructive nature of their power crowds act like those microbes which hasten the dissolution of enfeebled or dead bodies. When the structure of a civilisation is rotten, it is always the masses that bring about its downfall.” – Gustave Le Bon, from Introduction [chương_files]

Essays in Idleness

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Essays & Short Works, Humor
Chapter: 8 | Listen: 3

Agnes Repplier was a popular and highly regarded essayist of the late 19th and early 20th century, who was also well known on the lecture circuit. Her writings are witty, erudite, and engaging. The eight essays in this collection include an homage to her cat Aggripina and reflections on the beauty of words, as well as essays entitled “The Children’s Poets,” “The Praises of War,” “Leisure,” “Ennui,” “Wit and Humor,” and “Letters.” – Summary by Ciufi Galeazzi [chương_files]