Twenty years ago, now, I attempted (but was not especially successful in the task) to establish upon the personal knowledge that my own residence as a pupil in the historical Pensionnat in the Rue d'Isabelle, at Bruxelles gave me of the facts of Charlotte Brontë's relationships to Monsieur and Madame Heger, right impressions about the experiences and emotions she underwent between 1842 and 1846, and that supply the key and clue to the right interpretation of her genius. Every opinion I then ventured to state, not upon the authority of any special power of divination or of psychological insight of my own, but solely upon the authority of this personal knowledge of Monsieur and Madame Heger...

Our young hero and his companion plan to make their fortunes in the California gold rush. Having made their way to Missouri, they join a wagon train headed for the famed Oregon Trail, but being carefree and adventuresome young men, they are not happy relaxing by the fireside of an evening. Encounters with animals, raging rivers and "Injuns" keep them interested in their voyage, but what will the Pacific Coast hold for them?

Fifteen short nonfiction works in the public domain, independently chosen by the readers. Topics include the history of aeroplanes, political speeches, travel, philosophy, Japan, the United Nations, Congressional law, rules of cricket and more.

An 1881 comic story by Nikolai Leskov, presented in the form of a traditional skaz or folk-tale, but entirely of Leskov's invention. It tells the story of a left-handed Russian artisan required to impress Tsar Nikolas I with his craftsmanship by outdoing some famous Englishmen who have created a tiny mechanical flea. The Russian smith barricades himself with two skilled colleagues in his workshop until finally forced to come out and reveal the brilliant result of his labor. Far more famous in Russia than in the West, the story of The Steel Flea reveals much about nineteenth-century Russian attitudes toward the West and toward their own country, but is difficult to categorize. Either a cel...

This serious, yet witty and hilarious, romantic comedy by Samuel Hopkins Adams is a must read/listen! From the very beginning it intrigues you with the troubles and feminine woes of young Miss Darcy Cole. Being a dowdy, unkempt fledgling lady, she finds herself in a mirthful fix after telling a whopper to her room-mates in order to save face from her severely lacking personal life. Resentful and jealous of most all other women, and contemplating suicide, she turns to actress Gloria Greene for guidance on how to become more attractive. Miss Cole had no idea what she was getting herself in to! Was it even possible to make herself over? How on Earth would she get through the lie of being eng...

Psyche is een poëtische vertelling, symboliseerend een opvatting van Mensch en Wereld. Drie factoren beheerschen het menschenbestaan, drie de wereldhistorie. Men kan ze noemen Stof, Geest en Ziel. Men kan ze noemen Empirie, Philosophie en Poëzie. Men kan ze noemen Waan, Critiek en Geloof. Men kan ze noemen Lijf, Hoofd en Hart. Men kan ze noemen Zinnen, Gedachte en Droom. Men kan ze noemen Bezitten, Werken en Hopen. Couperus noemt ze Emeralda, Astra en Psyche. (Uit: Hollandsche Belletrie van den Dag 1901, p.43-51.)

The Return of Sherlock Holmes is set three years after the detective fell to his death in the Reichenbach Falls in his final struggle with Moriarty. Or did he? In the first story of the series Holmes explains to Watson what really happened that day, followed by twelve more adventures of the dynamic duo including two of Doyle's own favourite stories: The Dancing Men and The Second Stain. Other notable characters in this book include Black Peter and Charles Augustus Milverton. Watson: Cori SamuelHolmes: Beth ThomasVarious: Jason MillsLestrade: SavannahLestrade: Alex BoguesVarious: Amanda FridayVarious: Eden Rea-HedrickVarious: Frances BrownVarious: Tom CrawfordVarious: Kimberley KrauseVa...

LibriVox volunteers bring you nine readings of The Train of Life by Edmund Gosse. This was the weekly poetry project for the week of September 28th, 2014.

Odysseus, König von Ithaka, ist sicher einer der bekanntesten Helden der griechischen Mythologie. Nach der Eroberung Trojas begibt er sich mit seinen Gefährten auf die Heimreise über das Meer. Die Reise entwickelt sich jedoch zu einer zehn Jahre dauernden Irrfahrt, auf der er zahlreiche Abenteuer erlebt, die er nur dank seines außergewöhnlichen Verstandes und seiner listigen Ideen überlebt. Dennoch kann er es nicht verhindern, dass er alle seine Gefährten verliert und schließlich allein nach Hause zurückkehrt. Dort allerdings haben während seiner langen Abwesenheit etliche Freier seiner Frau Penelope den Hof gemacht und wollen ihm seine Ansprüche streitig machen, so dass er einen letzten ...

Col. Robert G. Ingersoll, one of the greatest orators of the mid-19th century, was a highly sought after lecturer/toastmaster who sold out every hall he engaged throughout America. He was an ardent abolitionist, agnostic, humanist, humanitarian, supporter of the arts, and woman's rights, and member of the Unitarian Church, who railed against the absurdities of the Bible and cruelties of Christianity, praised technology, inventors, authors and great statemen for their contributions to the uplift of mankind. Mark Twain, a contemporary of Ingersoll, reported that no one could stir up a crowd like Ingersoll, and that by the end of the Colonel's toast at General Grant's Victory Banquet after t...