Ancient Classics

The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on February 14, 1895, at the St James' Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious persona to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage and the resulting satire of Victorian ways.

In the first authoritative biography of Alexander the Great written for a general audience in a generation, classicist and historian John C Martin tells the remarkable life of the great conqueror. The celebrated Macedonian king has been one of the most enduring figures in history.

AudioLearn Philosophy Classics is proud to present The Politics by Aristotle. With its convenient format, AudioLearn fits your busy lifestyle, enabling you to study anywhere, anytime. Best of all, you'll significantly increase learning and retention with AudioLearn's proven study format.

Experience one of Poe’s classics with crisp, clear audio. Orange Island Book Shop is proud to present Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tales like you’ve never heard them before.

"The Middle Toe of the Right Foot", a ghost story by the writer and Civil War soldier Ambrose Bierce, was first published in The San Francisco Examiner in 1890. A man named Manton had murdered his children, and his wife who lacked the middle toe of her right foot. A decade later, he returns to the area; and having been recognized, is provoked to a duel in the dark, to be held at the scene of the crime. When the time of the duel comes, no antagonist appears, and Manton stands alone in the haunted darkness. The next day, they found his corpse, throttled by terror, crouching in a corner.

"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love", known for its first line, "Come live with me and be my love," is a poem written by the English poet Christopher Marlowe and published in 1599 (six years after the poet's death). In addition to being one of the best-known love poems in the English language, it is considered one of the earliest examples of the pastoral style of British poetry in the late Renaissance period. The poem was the subject of a well-known "reply" by Walter Raleigh, called "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd".

Award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti recites William Shakespeare's Sonnet 43.

'Major Wilbraham' is the extraordinary tale of a respectable ex-army officer whose mysterious death is shrouded in the greatest mystery of all. What could have led to Major Wilbraham to behave like that? Causing a scene on Piccadilly, staying out all night in Green Park with a street fighter and a prostitute, causing a fight at Covent Garden Market in which he was fatally injured....

The Iliad of Homer is the earliest work of European literature that we have. Created in the eighth century BC it has continued to arouse interest for over 2000 years. The author intended it to be heard, as delivered by a bard or rhapsode who had made the presentation of Greek epic poetry his profession, and who had command of the vocal resources and the dramatic power to move his audience.

Abridged, full-cast drama version of Dickens' classic tale of the French Revolution. Starring Ronald Colman.

This epic poem by Edmund Spenser is the longest poem in the English language. It is an allegorical work, written in praise of Queen Elizabeth I. Michael MacLiammoir reads a selection from Book III.

The year is 1870. The elderly Colonel Jouve has suffered a medical collapse and is confined to his bed. It is uncertain whether or not he will pull through. His granddaughter takes over his care. Then one day, news reaches Paris of military successes in the war against Prussia. Colonel Jouve senses the optimism in the air and his health begins to improve. Almost immediately further news reaches Paris. The previous news was wrong - in fact the French are being beaten back.

Travel back in time to 16th century Denmark, as renowned vocal actor David Ian Davies introduces you to Shakespeare's timeless play, Hamlet. Filled with all of the excitement and zest you would expect from the Bard, this production is an audio treasure from beginning to end.

The Georgics was published in 29 BCE, and is the second major work by the Latin poet Virgil. Its a fascinating insight into rural life and farming of the time.

Tales From Shakespeare was originally written in 1807 by Charles Lamb and his sister, Mary, as more comprehensible (and enjoyable) versions of the original Shakespearian texts, specifically but not exclusively for children.

Abou Ben Adhem awakens to find an angel within his room writing the names of those who love The Lord inside a book of gold. To his shock, he discovers his is name will not be added and learns of the fate awaiting him.

The philosopher - whose teachings have followers even more than 20 centuries after his death – was a genius without a doubt. Many of his ideas are hotly debated ever since. Even beyond heated philosophical debates, there are plenty of useful ideas by Plato. Studying thick books for this is not necessary - just listen to this audiobook published by AB Publishing! Please note: This audiobook is in Russian.

Fra mille dubbi, Amleto prepara la vendetta. Mercuzio fantastica sulla fata dei sogni. Falstaff canta le lodi del buon vino. Jago ordisce il suo velenoso disegno. Prospero evoca gli spiriti dell’isola. 18 folgoranti monologhi, dalla tenebra di un efferato delitto alla levità di un universo fatato. 18 grandi prove di Sandro Lombardi, nella traduzione classica di Carlo Rusconi. Il recital shakespeariano alla massima potenza.

Radiospektakl' "Zavtrak u predvoditelja" po odnoimennoj p'ese russkogo pisatelja Ivana Sergeevicha Turgeneva. Predvoditel' dvorjanstva priglashaet na zavtrak rodstvennikov - brata i sestru - kotorye uzhe mnogo let ne mogu podelit' dostavsheesja im po nasledstvu imenie. Cel' vstrechi - primirit' vrazhdujushhie storon i postarat'sja reshit' vopros poljubovno i mirno.

Caligula’s father was a beloved military leader, so the Romans were initially glad to see his son take the throne, but Suetonius recounts the less flattering aspects of Caligula’s life and rule that followed his ascension. The narcissistic Caligula believed he was a god, and often replaced the busts of deities with his own. A devoted fan of gladiator fights, he also often had people assassinated, covered up the deed, and then claimed the deceased had committed suicide. Suetonius concludes this biography by detailing the omens that foreshadowed Caligula’s eventual assassination.