Classic Fiction Collection

Jonathon Swift changed the way that prose was written forever, now for the first time ever you can listen to three of his best works collected in one bundle! Writing both fiction and satire, Jonathon Swift was noted for his poignant and often times cutting views of the society he lived in. He is still regarded as the most important prose satirist in the English language and is required reading in many schools.

"What is your favorite story?" is the question children across the country often ask professional storyteller Pleasant DeSpain. As he attempts to answer, his list grows longer and longer, until he confesses he likes them all. An untiring researcher of oral traditions, DeSpain is known for his concise versions of world folktales specifically crafted for retelling.

Traditional stories endure generation after generation because, although they are not literal, they resound in truths on a human scale. Folktales remind us of wisdom so elemental it is often lost in the rush of everyday life - sometimes common sense makes no sense at all.

As one of the supremely gifted poets of all time, one might expect great things from this collection of poetry by Horace. And these works do not disappoint. The 17 poems of the Epodes cover a variety of topics, including politics, magic, eroticism and food. A product of the turbulent final years of the Roman Republic, the collection is known for its striking depiction of Rome's sociopolitical ills in a time of great upheaval. In the Epistles, Horace reveals himself as a genuine moralist, a subtle observer of life, and a very good writer.

The Robert Louis Stevenson Collection is a must-have addition for anyone’s library of classic literature. Robert Louis Stevenson has been a pillar of classical literature since the late 1800s and has brought us tales that have exhilarated and scintillated readers for more than a century since their publishing. This collection brings you three classic tales that are suitable for a range of tastes and ages.

The bestselling children’s books series for over 50 years is now available as a series of audiobooks! This laugh-out-loud collection includes Mr Tickle, Little Miss Naughty, Mr Funny, Little Miss Splendid, Mr Noisy, Little Miss Twins, Mr Jelly and Little Miss Helpful. The Mr Men and Little Miss have been delighting children for generations with their charming and funny antics.

"Abandon all hope you who enter here." Dante's Hell is one of the most remarkable visions in Western literature. An allegory for his and future ages, it is, at the same time, an account of terrifying realism.

This simplistic and ingenious allegory from one of the fathers of Western philosophy casts light on society’s naiveté and ignorance.

A 17th-century writer named Charles Perrault was sometimes called Mother Goose, an imaginary author of fairy tales. His early material was inspired and derived from earlier folk tales that he greatly embellished and improved. This collection includes "Cinderella", along with other such known favorites as “Sleeping Beauty", “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Blue Beard”, and “Puss in Boots”, along with such lesser known fairy tales as “The Ridiculous Wishes”, “Little Thumb”, “Ricky of the Tuft", “Griselda,” and “Donkey Skin”.

Journey into Frances Hodgson Burnett’s enchanting and charming tales in this collection of her beloved classics: Little Lord Fauntleroy, A Little Princess, and The Secret Garden.

The power and the beauty of The Iliad resound again across 2,700 years in Stephen Mitchell's exciting new translation, as if the lifeblood of its heroes Achilles and Patroclus, Hector and Priam flowed in every word. And we are there with them amid the horror and ecstasy of war, carried along by a poetry that lifts even the most devastating human events into the realm of the beautiful.

In Oedipus at Colonus, the banished king, after years of wandering, accompanied by his faithful daughter Antigone, finds himself in Athens. Receiving a warm if guarded welcome from Theseus, King of Athens, he prepares to settle himself to spend his last days in peace. However, unwelcome visitors from his tortured past continue to haunt him until the very end.

Five classic novelisations of exciting TV adventures set on the planet Earth! In Fury from the Deep, the Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria discover sentient seaweed threatening a gas refinery on the South Coast of England. In Doctor Who and the Pyramids of Mars, the Fourth Doctor and Sarah arrive in 1920s England, where plans are being laid to free Sutekh the Destroyer from his prison on Mars. In The Stones of Blood, the Fourth Doctor, Romana and K9 confront an ancient villainess on Bodcombe Moor.

William Blake is now considered one of the giants of poetry. During his life, and for many years after, he was thought of as mad. His wide ranging skills not only encompassed poetry but bestrode the visual arts too, with paintings and printmaking. Unfortunately, he could never fit in to what society expected of him, and his attacks on religion did not help. But his work was the true measure of his worth and remains with us today.

Humphries has rendered (Ovid's) love poetry with conspicuous success into English which is neither obtrusively colloquial nor awkwardly antique.

This is a summary of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. Meditations is essentially a scrapbook of thoughts written over a 19-year period; it’s not ordered and it repeats itself frequently as ideas reoccurred to the author at different times. For this reason, it can be hard for a casual reader to extract the myriad messages contained within. This summary helps in that by interpreting Meditations and reducing it from around 50,000 words down to 4,400. While it has been interpreted, the author has done his best not to embellish it.

Young Harvey Cheyne is rich, spoiled, prejudiced, and totally lacking in the real experiences of life. When the fifteen-year-old is accidentally washed overboard a great ocean liner headed for Europe, he is picked up by a fisherman and brought aboard the fishing schooner We're Here. Harvey's stories of privilege and wealth mean nothing aboard this hard-working vessel, and the boy receives many lessons in self-reliance, values, and hard-bitten reality—"things every man must know, blind, drunk, or asleep."

The incredible saga of Hannibal and his invasion of Italy in 218 B.C. is the subject of this third volume of Livy's magnificent history. As only Livy can describe it, we are swept into the era of the Second Punic War and given a ringside view of the leadership of both sides. The stirring account of Hannibal crossing the Alps, the brutal description of Cannae, and the relentless Roman siege of Syracuse are some of the highlights of this remarkable story.

Twenty-five more timeless Christmas stories from Enid Blyton. The excitement of singing carols, exchanging gifts and a bit of her trademark mischief can all be found in this festive collection. Stories include 'The Pantomime Wolf', 'Christmas in the Toyshop' and 'The Extraordinary Christmas Tree'.

The best way to experience this classic of the American South is by joining five-time Academy Award nominee and Best Actress winner Susan Sarandon (Dead Man Walking, Thelma & Louise) as she guides the listener on a journey through the anguish of adolescence and isolation.