Classic Audiobook Collection

Latest Episodes:

The Ordeal of Mark Twain by Van Wyck Brooks ~ Full Audiobook [biography] Sep 30, 2022

Show notes

The Ordeal of Mark Twain by Van Wyck Brooks audiobook.

Genre: biography

In The Ordeal of Mark Twain, literary critic Van Wyck Brooks reexamines the life and work of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, tracing how a riverboat pilot from the Mississippi became the most recognizable American voice of his age - and how that fame carried a private cost. Brooks follows Twain from the shaping forces of boyhood and the frontier to the whirlwind of lectures, publishing triumphs, and celebrity, reading the books alongside the man who wrote them. As Twain grows into a national icon, Brooks highlights the strain between the humor the public demanded and the darker moral intelligence that pressed to be heard: anger at hypocrisy, disillusionment with politics and profit, and a restless search for artistic honesty. Set against the pressures of the Gilded Age, the story brings forward the personal trials, financial risks, and complicated relationships that tested Twain's resilience and sharpened his satire. Both portrait and argument, this is a vivid, provocative account of an American writer wrestling with his country, his conscience, and the shadow behind the laughter.

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Chapters (Approximate)

(00:00:00) Chapter 01

(01:02:03) Chapter 02

(02:05:17) Chapter 03

(02:58:32) Chapter 04

(04:04:12) Chapter 05

(05:14:12) Chapter 06

(06:04:04) Chapter 07

(07:16:43) Chapter 08

(08:05:47) Chapter 09

(09:00:00) Chapter 10

(10:03:57) Chapter 11

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The Burial of the Guns by Thomas Nelson Page ~ Full Audiobook [history] Sep 28, 2022

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The Burial of the Guns by Thomas Nelson Page audiobook.

Genre: history

Set in the stunned quiet after Appomattox, The Burial of the Guns follows an aging Confederate artillery commander, known simply as the old Colonel, and the remnants of his veteran battery as they hold a Virginia mountain pass they have defended for years. The war has finally turned, but the battery is still in position, hungry, ragged, and fiercely disciplined, bound not only to one another but to the six beloved cannon they have hauled through campaign after campaign and christened with nicknames like old comrades. When word arrives that Lee has surrendered, the Colonel faces a wrenching dilemma: how to obey his orders, protect his men, and preserve the dignity of a unit that prides itself on never having lost a gun. Around dwindling campfires, the survivors take stock of their dead, their scars, and the homeward road that suddenly feels unfamiliar. As night falls, the battery prepares a last, solemn act part military procedure, part ritual of grief and defiance, meant to mark what they were and what they can no longer be. Thomas Nelson Page blends battlefield memory with postwar uncertainty in a story about honor, loyalty, and the cost of letting go.

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Chapters (Approximate)

(00:00:00) Chapter 01

(00:31:14) Chapter 02

(00:58:09) Chapter 03

(01:29:51) Chapter 04

(02:00:13) Chapter 05

(02:43:43) Chapter 06

(03:16:23) Chapter 07

(03:53:30) Chapter 08

(04:26:33) Chapter 09

(04:57:26) Chapter 10

(05:27:06) Chapter 11

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Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock ~ Full Audiobook [comedy] Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock audiobook.

Genre: comedy

Deep in the fens of the British coast sits the gloomy mansion that goes by the name Nightmare Abbey. It is inhabited by persons of very low opinion of the human race, and in fact they pride themselves in the depths of their detestation. Others of its denizens believe the ultimate exercise and product of the human mind ought to be chaos.

Now let the young master of the house get snared by the wiles of a beautiful young lady. And for good measure, toss in another beautiful young lady. Now Scythrop (named in honor of an ancestor who became bored with life and hanged himself) is about to find that two such make too much of a good thing!

Peacock wrote Nightmare Abbey as a satire, and he has folded in allusions to or quotations from literally dozens of other works. He makes use of many long, impressive-sounding words (some of which he very possibly made up!). Ignore these and his occasional Latin phrase, treat the rest as a farce, and you're on track for a fun listen!

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Chapters (Approximate)

(00:00:00) Chapter 01

(00:17:39) Chapter 02

(00:25:16) Chapter 03

(00:35:55) Chapter 04

(00:46:43) Chapter 05

(00:59:42) Chapter 06

(01:17:35) Chapter 07

(01:39:27) Chapter 08

(01:51:31) Chapter 09

(02:02:33) Chapter 10

(02:18:45) Chapter 11

(02:38:28) Chapter 12

(02:51:11) Chapter 13

(03:07:37) Chapter 14

(03:15:45) Chapter 15

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The Strenuous Life by Theodore Roosevelt ~ Full Audiobook [speeches] Sep 28, 2022

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The Strenuous Life by Theodore Roosevelt audiobook.

Genre: speeches

In The Strenuous Life, Theodore Roosevelt sets out a bracing vision of character, citizenship, and national purpose through a collection of speeches and essays from the late 1890s. Speaking as a public figure on the rise, Roosevelt argues that a healthy republic depends on citizens who embrace effort over ease, responsibility over comfort, and service over self-indulgence. He ranges from the duties of the individual to the obligations of a growing nation, urging physical vigor, moral courage, and practical competence in both private life and public affairs. Along the way, he wrestles with questions of leadership, education, work, and the meaning of patriotism, pressing listeners and readers to meet hardship with discipline rather than cynicism. The writing is direct, energetic, and unapologetically demanding, revealing the worldview behind Roosevelt's larger-than-life reputation. At its core, this audiobook offers a window into an era of American expansion and reform, and into a voice determined to shape the tone of civic life by challenging people to live with purpose, grit, and a sense of duty.

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Chapters (Approximate)

(00:00:00) Chapter 01

(00:36:39) Chapter 02

(00:59:33) Chapter 03

(01:34:31) Chapter 04

(02:10:57) Chapter 05

(02:39:45) Chapter 06

(02:53:37) Chapter 07

(03:03:18) Chapter 08

(03:11:49) Chapter 09

(03:26:14) Chapter 10

(03:41:29) Chapter 11

(04:10:28) Chapter 12

(04:34:16) Chapter 13

(05:03:05) Chapter 14

(05:23:03) Chapter 15

(05:46:02) Chapter 16

(06:07:41) Chapter 17

(06:37:52) Chapter 18

(07:05:56) Chapter 19

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What Katy Did at School by Susan Coolidge ~ Full Audiobook [family] Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

What Katy Did at School by Susan Coolidge audiobook.

Genre: family

In What Katy Did at School, spirited Katy Carr is back - older, wiser, and still determined to meet life head-on. After the hard lessons that changed her outlook at home, Katy heads away to a girls' boarding school, where new friendships, unfamiliar rules, and the everyday trials of growing up test her patience and her pride. Surrounded by classmates with very different temperaments and backgrounds, Katy tries to balance her earnest desire to be good with her old habit of speaking too quickly and judging too sharply. As lessons and dorm life unfold, she finds herself drawn into small dramas, misunderstandings, and the quiet work of learning when to lead, when to listen, and when to apologize. With humor and warmth, Susan Coolidge follows Katy through the classroom and beyond, capturing the awkwardness and excitement of adolescence and the comfort of finding your people. At its heart, this is a story about character - how it is shaped by responsibility, friendship, and the daily choice to become kinder than you were yesterday.

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Chapters (Approximate)

(00:00:00) Chapter 1

(00:24:11) Chapter 2

(00:43:13) Chapter 3

(00:59:20) Chapter 4

(01:17:06) Chapter 5

(01:35:26) Chapter 6

(01:59:23) Chapter 7

(02:18:04) Chapter 8

(02:35:39) Chapter 9

(03:05:33) Chapter 10

(03:27:47) Chapter 11

(03:49:18) Chapter 12

(04:03:50) Chapter 13

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What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge ~ Full Audiobook [family] Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge audiobook.

Genre: family

In a quiet New England town, high-spirited Katy Carr is certain she was born for something bigger than everyday life. The eldest of six siblings in a lively household, she throws herself into plans to improve herself and her family, even as her impatience and quick temper get her into trouble. Katy's world changes abruptly after a serious accident leaves her confined and facing a future she never imagined. As the days stretch on, the same energy that once fueled her grand ambitions must be turned toward a harder task: learning self-control, resilience, and kindness in the small moments. Guided by the steady wisdom of her cousin Helen and sustained by the love and chaos of her brothers and sisters, Katy begins to discover that growing up is not about becoming famous or exceptional, but about becoming dependable and generous when life is unfair. Warm, funny, and quietly moving, What Katy Did follows one girl's journey from restless dreaming to earned maturity, with family bonds, moral lessons, and everyday joys at the heart of the story.

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Chapters (Approximate)

(00:00:00) Chapter 01

(00:17:38) Chapter 02

(00:32:31) Chapter 03

(00:51:10) Chapter 04

(01:10:53) Chapter 05

(01:30:28) Chapter 06

(01:58:30) Chapter 07

(02:24:49) Chapter 08

(02:45:28) Chapter 09

(03:12:36) Chapter 10

(03:39:25) Chapter 11

(03:56:27) Chapter 12

(04:19:17) Chapter 13

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War Is a Racket by Smedley Butler ~ Full Audiobook [history] Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

War Is a Racket by Smedley Butler audiobook.

Genre: history

War Is a Racket is Smedley D. Butler's blunt, fast-moving indictment of modern warfare as a business enterprise disguised as patriotism. Drawing on his career as a decorated U.S. Marine Corps major general, Butler speaks as an insider who has seen interventions and campaigns up close, and he argues that the true winners of war are rarely the soldiers who fight it. In vivid, plain language, he traces how bankers, arms makers, and major industries can prosper from mobilization, contracts, debt, and wartime price controls, while ordinary citizens pay in taxes, inflation, and grief. Butler challenges listeners to look past slogans and recruiting posters to the machinery that sells war to the public, then lays out practical proposals aimed at stripping profit from conflict and forcing democratic accountability before troops are sent abroad. Part memoir, part political warning, and part call to action, this short classic confronts the uneasy relationship between power, money, and national sacrifice, and asks what it would take to make war truly the last resort.

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Chapters (Approximate)

(00:00:00) Chapter 01

(00:12:39) Chapter 02

(00:30:51) Chapter 03

(00:43:54) Chapter 04

(00:53:35) Chapter 05

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Through the Magic Door by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ~ Full Audiobook [biography] Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

Through the Magic Door by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.

Genre: biography

In Through the Magic Door, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle invites you to step past an ordinary doorway and into the private kingdom that shaped his mind: his library. Framed as a warm, witty tour of his own bookshelves, this reflective memoir follows Doyle as he traces the reading life that carried him from curious boyhood through medical training and into the demanding work of a writer. Each shelf becomes a portal to the voices that challenged him, consoled him, and sharpened his sense of adventure and ethics. As he recalls the authors and stories that left lasting marks, Doyle also wrestles with a quiet tension: life is short, duties are real, yet the world of books is endless and urgently alive. Part celebration, part personal history, and part defense of the imagination, this book explores how reading builds character, expands empathy, and offers companionship across time. Through the Magic Door is a brisk, companionable listen for anyone who has ever felt that opening a book can change the size of a life.

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Chapters (Approximate)

(00:00:00) Chapter 01

(00:21:16) Chapter 02

(00:48:32) Chapter 03

(01:09:08) Chapter 04

(01:34:43) Chapter 05

(01:58:20) Chapter 06

(02:21:14) Chapter 07

(02:53:05) Chapter 08

(03:27:40) Chapter 09

(03:47:01) Chapter 10

(04:04:17) Chapter 11

(04:22:25) Chapter 12

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The Poison Belt by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ~ Full Audiobook [scifi] Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

The Poison Belt by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.

Genre: scifi

Three years after the events that took place in The Lost World , Professor Challenger urgently summons his fellow explorers (Professor Summerlee, Lord John Roxton, and reporter E.D. Malone) to a meeting. Oddly, he requires each to bring an oxygen cylinder with him.

What he soon informs them is that from astronomical data and just-received telegraphs of strange accidents on the other side of the world, he has deduced that the Earth is starting to move through a region of space containing something poisonous to humankind.

Shutting themselves tightly up in Challenger's house, they start to consider what may be done. But as their countrymen start to drop, will their oxygen last long enough to determine and implement a solution?

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Chapters (Approximate)

(00:00:00) Chapter 1

(00:38:53) Chapter 2

(01:17:12) Chapter 3

(01:55:08) Chapter 4

(02:22:47) Chapter 5

(02:57:18) Chapter 6

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The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ~ Full Audiobook [adventure] Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audiobook.

Genre: adventure

In The Lost World, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle launches readers into a high-stakes expedition where science, pride, and raw survival collide. When the loud, brilliant, and stubborn Professor George Edward Challenger claims he has discovered a remote South American plateau where prehistoric creatures still live, London laughs him out of respectable circles. Determined to prove his case and silence his critics, Challenger assembles a small party: the sharp-tongued skeptic Professor Summerlee, the seasoned big-game hunter Lord John Roxton, and Edward Malone, an ambitious young journalist eager for a story that will make his name. What begins as a quest for evidence becomes a fight against an unforgiving wilderness, treacherous terrain, and rival human dangers, as the team pushes deeper into a place that should not exist. Amid startling encounters and close calls, Malone records not only marvels that challenge modern understanding, but also the shifting bonds and fractures within the group. Fast-paced and vividly imagined, the novel explores the thrill of discovery, the cost of obsession, and the thin line between civilization and the wild.

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Chapters (Approximate)

(00:00:00) Chapter 1

(00:15:05) Chapter 2

(00:31:53) Chapter 3

(00:49:14) Chapter 4

(01:27:07) Chapter 5

(01:58:01) Chapter 6

(02:20:50) Chapter 7

(02:44:25) Chapter 8

(03:15:30) Chapter 9

(04:07:49) Chapter 10