Category Archives: English

The Great Gatsby

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(first published 1925)

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 – 1940)

Language: English

The Great Gatsby follows a cast of characters living in the fictional town of West Egg on prosperous Long Island in the summer of 1922. The story primarily concerns the young and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his quixotic passion for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. Considered to be Fitzgerald’s magnum opus, The Great Gatsby explores themes of decadence, idealism, resistance to change, social upheaval, and excess, creating a portrait of the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties that has been described as a cautionary tale about the American Dream.

First published by Scribner’s in April 1925, The Great Gatsby received mixed reviews and sold poorly; in its first year, the book sold only 20,000 copies. Fitzgerald died in 1940, believing himself to be a failure and his work forgotten. His work, spearheaded by The Great Gatsby, experienced a revival during World War II, and the novel became a part of American high school curricula in the following decades. The book has remained popular since, leading to numerous stage and film adaptations. The Great Gatsby is widely considered to be a literary classic and a contender for the title “The Great American Novel”. The book is consistently ranked among the greatest works of American literature. (summary by Wikipedia and Martin Reyto)

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St. Francis of Assisi

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(first published 1923)

G. K. Chesterton (1874 – 1936)
Language: English

In this brief but lively biography, G.K. Chesterton brings all his typical wit and insight into discussing Francis of Assisi. Francis is arguably the most significant canonised Christian outside of the New Testament. His passionate life included so many elements of the Christian walk: a deep appreciation for evangelism, social justice, the environment, mysticism, pacifism. Chesterton reveals all of these elements, for all their vibrancy and beauty in Francis. ( Summary by Matthew James Gray)

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D.H. Lawrence – Collected Short Stories

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(first published in their present form in 1934)

D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930)
Language: English

David Herbert Richards Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation. In them, Lawrence confronts issues relating to emotional health and vitality, spontaneity, and instinct. (Summary by Wikipedia)

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The Shadow out of Time

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(first published 1936)

H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937)
Language: English

The protagonist, Prof. Peaslee collapses one day when delivering a lecture and from that moment on starts acting as if something has possessed him. His new behaviour makes his family sever all the ties with him and his colleagues regard him now with fear and suspicion. After a few years, the mysterious transformation is reversed just as suddenly and mysteriously as it once took place. But, paradoxically, it is only now that the real nightmare begins… (Summary by Piotr Nater)

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The Haunter of the Dark

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(first published 1936)

H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937)
Language: English

The original text of this recording is in the Public Domain in countries where copyright expires 70 years or less after the author’s death, but is still protected by copyright in the USA and some other countries. Please check the copyright law of your country before downloading.
The recording is released under the Creative Commons license CC0.

The story takes place in Providence, Rhode Island, and revolves around the Church of Starry Wisdom, a mysterious cult using an artifact called Shining Trapezohedron. Some years after the disappearance of the group, Blake, a dabbler in the occult and author of supernaturally-themed works, becomes fascinated with a certain church in Provindence and its history. (Summary by Piotr Nater and Wikipedia)

Total running time: 0:58:41 – Read in English by Piotr Nater

1 – Section 1 – 16:57
2 – Section 2 – 17:05
3 – Section 3 – 24:39

In addition to the reader, this audio book was produced by:
Dedicated Proof-Listener: rapunzelina, Meta-Coordinator/Cataloging: Viktor

Catalogued 3. September 2012

The Colour Out of Space

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(first published 1927)

H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937)
Language: English

The original text of this recording is in the Public Domain in countries where copyright expires 70 years or less after the author’s death, but is still protected by copyright in the USA and some other countries. Please check the copyright law of your country before downloading.
The recording is released under the Creative Commons license CC0.

In the tale, written in 1927, an unnamed narrator pieces together the story of an area known by the locals as the “blasted heath” in the wild hills west of Arkham, Massachusetts. Listening to the experiences of an old man by the name of Ammi Pierce, the narrator learns the story of an uncanny calamity which befell a local farmer and his family many decades earlier. (Summary by Piotr Nater and Wikipedia).

Total running time: 1:13:10 – Read in English by Piotr Nater

1 – Section 1 – 19:04
2 – Section 2 – 19:33
3 – Section 3 – 16:36
4 – Section 4 – 17:56

In addition to the reader, this audio book was produced by:
Dedicated Proof-Listener: rapunzelina, Meta-Coordinator/Cataloging: Hokuspokus

Catalogued 25. August 2012

The Benson Murder Case

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(first published 1926)

S.S. Van Dine (1888-1939)
Language: English

The original text of this recording is in the Public Domain in countries where copyright expires 70 years or less after the author’s death, but is still protected by copyright in the USA and some other countries. Please check the copyright law of your country before downloading.
The recording is released under the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-SA

New York dilettante Philo Vance decides to assist the police in investigating the death of another man-about-town because he finds the psychological aspects of the crime of interest and feels that they would be beyond the capacities of the police, even those of his friend District Attorney Markham. Vance investigates the circumstances under which the body was found and reconstructs the crime sufficiently to determine that the murderer is five feet, ten and a half inches in height. Together, Vance and Markham investigate Benson’s business associates and romantic interests until Vance manages to pierce the murderer’s alibi for the time of the murder and force a confession. (Summary by Wikipedia)

Total running time: 7:57:16 – Read in English by Cathy Barratt

01 – Philo Vance at Home – 24:09
02 – At the Scene of the Crime – 22:03
03 – A Lady’s Handbag – 18:36
04 – The Housekeeper’s Story – 18:58
05 – Gathering Information – 17:15
06 – Vance Offers an Opinion – 19:27
07 – Reports and an Interview – 24:20
08 – Vance Accepts a Challenge – 21:42
09 – The Height of the Murderer – 18:06
10 – Eliminating a Suspect – 17:20
11 – A Motive and a Threat – 19:25
12 – The Owner of a Colt .45 – 14:18
13 – The Gray Cadillac – 15:47
14 – Links in the Chain – 13:14
15 – Pfyfe–Personal – 19:32
16 – Admissions and Suppressions – 21:18
17 – The Forged Check – 17:57
18 – A Confession – 15:54
19 – Vance Cross-Examines – 20:55
20 – A Lady Explains – 16:29
21 – Sartorial Revelations – 18:12
22 – Vance Outlines a Theory – 23:03
23 – Checking an Alibi – 21:01
24 – The Arrest – 21:48
25 – Vance Explains His Methods – 18:15

In addition to the reader, this audio book was produced by:
Dedicated Proof-Listener: Nadine Eckert-Boulet, Meta-Coordinator/Cataloging: Hokuspokus

Catalogued 16. May 2012

A Room of One’s Own

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(first published 1929)

Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)
Language: English

The original text of this recording is in the Public Domain in countries where copyright expires 70 years or less after the author’s death, but is still protected by copyright in the USA and some other countries. Please check the copyright law of your country before downloading.
The recording is released under the Creative Commons license CC0.

This feminist essay argues for both a literal and figural space for women writers within a literary tradition dominated by patriarchy. First published on 24 October 1929, the extended essay was based on a series of lectures delivered by Virginia Woolf at Cambridge University in October 1928. While it employs a fictional narrator and narrative to explore women both as writers of and characters in fiction, the manuscript for the delivery of the series of lectures, titled “Women and Fiction”, and hence the essay, are non-fiction. [Summary adapted from Wikipedia by Cori Samuel.]

Total running time: 4:02:37 – Read in English by Cori Samuel

Section 1 – 47:39
Section 2 – 35:37
Section 3 – 35:05
Section 4 – 45:17
Section 5 – 35:18
Section 6 – 43:39

In addition to the reader, this audio book was produced by:
Dedicated Proof-Listener: Majlinger Diána, Meta-Coordinator/Cataloging: Hokuspokus

Catalogued 16. June 2012