The Classic Tales Podcast

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Ep. 952, The Battle of the Witchdoctors, by H. Rider HaggardVINTAGE

30 juli 2024 | 24 min

Ep. 951, For They Know Not What They Do, by Wilbur Daniel Steele

26 juli 2024 | 57 min

Mental illness runs keep in the Kain family, as do the family secrets. Why does Christopher’s mother leave when he’s finally home from school? Wilbur Daniel Steele, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Vintage Episode for the week is “The Battle of the Witchdoctors”, by H. Rider Haggard. Be sure to check it out on Tuesday.

If you have found value in the show, please consider becoming a monthly supporter. Help us to help other folks like you.

Please go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter today.

Classic Tales for Children: Volume 1 is now available. It includes the new recording of Pollyanna, bundled together with Winnie-the-Pooh, The Wind in the Willows, and Alice in Wonderland. I thought of titles that would really go well together, so I pulled out all the stops. This anthology is perfect to listen to again and again. You can pick it up at classictalesaudiobooks.com by following the link in the show notes.

https://store.classictalesaudiobooks.com/classic-tales-for-children-volume-1-p366.aspx

The O. Henry Memorial Prize nominees and winners series continues this week with a first-rate story by Wilbur Daniel Steele. Tackling the theme of mental illness in 1919 was a novel concept. Mental illness was and still is vastly misunderstood. The way this story was crafted really stood out to me, and I tried to modulate my pitch and pacing to reflect the sometimes-volatile narration. I hope the effect carries through.

And now, “For They Know Now What They Do”, by Wilbur Daniel Steele.

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Ep. 950, The Country of the Blind, by H.G. Wells VINTAGE

23 juli 2024 | 86 min

Ep. 949, Nice Neighbors, by Mary Stanbery Watts

19 juli 2024 | 50 min

Ep. 948, The Blue Hotel, by Stephen Crane VINTAGE

16 juli 2024 | 76 min

Ep. 947, England to America, by Margaret Prescott Montague

12 juli 2024 | 49 min

Do the English just not like Americans? Seriously, why won’t Chev’s family warm up to Skip? Margaret Prescott Montague, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Vintage Episode for the week is “The Blue Hotel”, by Stephen Crane. Be sure to check it out on Tuesday.

If you have found value in the show, please consider becoming a monthly supporter. Help us to help other folks like you.

Please go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter today.

Also, please follow the link in the show notes to support a Kickstarter campaign to fund the audiobook Immortal, by Joanna White: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joannawhite/immortal-a-valiant-prequel

It’s a prequel to her epic fantasy series, Valiant. In Immortal, the protagonist travels through different times without the ability to die. It’s very well-written, and I’m sure you’ll love it.

Once we raise the funds, Joanna has hired me to produce the audiobook! I’ll send out a newsletter with a link to the project once we’re ready to launch. Thanks for pitching in!

Today’s story won the O. Henry Memorial Award in 1919. World War I had just ended, and there were many military stories written at the time, as most everyone in the world had some connection to the war.

Margaret Prescott Montague was a short story writer and novelist. Four of her stories were made into films in the 1920s. Winning the O. Henry Memorial Award is the most prestigious of her accomplishments. She lived from 1878 – 1955.

From the introduction to the O. Henry Memorial Award volume: “…the young Virginian of "England to America" will bring back, to all who read, their own heroes. It is fitting that Miss Montague's story should have received the first prize: poignant, short in words, great in significance, it will stand a minor climactic peak in that chain of literature produced during the actual progress of the World War.”

It is interesting to look back on this story over a hundred years later, and see how it fared. I think it’s safe to say that most people have never heard of the story, or its author, which is a shame. Let’s give it a go.

And now, “England to America”, by Margaret Prescott Montague.

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Ep. 946, Paul's Case, by Willa Cather VINTAGE

9 juli 2024 | 60 min

Ep. 945, The One Hundred Dollar Bill, by Booth Tarkington

5 juli 2024 | 50 min

Is money the root of all evil? Or does it change happiness to despair simply by existing? Booth Tarkington, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Vintage Episode for the week is “Paul’s Case”, by Willa Cather. Be sure to check it out on Tuesday.

If you have found value in the show, please consider becoming a monthly supporter. Help us to help other folks like you.

Please go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter for as little as $5 a month. As a thank you gesture, we’ll send you a coupon code every month for $8 off any audiobook order. Give more, and you get more! Thanks for helping us out.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a supporter today.

This summer we are showcasing short stories that have been nominated for the O. Henry Memorial Award from 1919-1923.

Booth Tarkington won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction twice. Once in 1919 for his novel The Magnificent Ambersons, and also in 1923 for Alice Adams.

He was well-known and prolific, penning many best-selling novels including Penrod and Seventeen. He was also an illustrator, playwright and politician, serving one term in 1905 in the Indiana House of Representatives.

In the 1910s and 1920s, Tarkington was regarded as “the most important and lasting writer in his generation”. By the end of the 20th Century, however, he had been completely ignored by academia, and in 2019 he was described by Robert Gottlieb as “America’s most distinguished hack”. Apparently, Tarkington’s penchant for glorifying the past, going beyond typical nostalgia, rubbed the modern academicians the wrong way.

I think it might be time we give him another chance.

And now, “The One Hundred Dollar Bill”, by Booth Tarkington.

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Ep. 944, The Minister's Black Veil, by Nathaniel HawthorneVINTAGE

2 juli 2024 | 40 min

Ep. 943, A Friend of Napoleon, by Richard Connell

28 juni 2024 | 52 min

Ep. 942, The Kiss, by Anton Chekhov VINTAGE

25 juni 2024 | 52 min

Ep. 941, Prelude, by Edgar Valentine Smith

21 juni 2024 | 48 min

Ep. 940, A Scandal in Bohemia, by Arthur Conan Doyle VINTAGE

18 juni 2024 | 57 min

Ep. 939, Leave It to Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse

14 juni 2024 | 44 min

Ep. 938, The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg, by Mark Twain VINTAGE

11 juni 2024 | 129 min

Ep. 937, Jeeves and the Unbidden Guest, by P.G. Wodehouse

7 juni 2024 | 45 min

Ep. 936, Ligeia, by Edgar Allan Poe VINTAGE

4 juni 2024 | 49 min

Ep. 935, Jeeves and the Hard-Boiled Egg, by P.G. Wodehouse

31 maj 2024 | 45 min

Ep. 934, A Slip Under the Microscope, by H.G. Wells VINTAGE

28 maj 2024 | 50 min

Ep. 933, Helping Freddie, by P.G. Wodehouse

24 maj 2024 | 35 min

Ep. 932, Bartleby, the Scrivener, by Herman Melville VINTAGE

21 maj 2024 | 102 min

The life of a scrivener is an existence resigned to the handwritten copying of law documents. One day something clicks in Bartleby, and his simple reply to everything is: “I prefer not to.” Herman Melville, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to this Vintage Episode of The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

A Vintage Episode is released every Tuesday. If the show has helped you find comfort, peace, or a quiet place to mentally rest, please help us to help more people like you by going to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com, and becoming a supporter. New stories are coming your way on Friday.

Keep an ear open for our Kickstarter for The Golden Triangle – the seventh novel in the Arsène Lupin series. We’ll let you know when we’re ready to kick off.

Today’s story was published anonymously in 1853. Melville was in a bit of financial straits at the time, since his last two novels, Moby Dick and Pierre, didn’t sell well at all.

Melville's major source of inspiration for the story was an advertisement for a new book, The Lawyer's Story, by James A. Maitland. This advertisement included the complete first chapter, which started: "In the summer of 1843, having an extraordinary quantity of deeds to copy, I engaged, temporarily, an extra copying clerk, who interested me considerably, in consequence of his modest, quiet, gentlemanly demeanor, and his intense application to his duties." Melville biographer Hershel Parker said nothing else in the chapter besides this "remarkably evocative sentence" was notable.

It's never directly addressed why Bartleby acts the way he does, and the author has left it open to interpretation. Many critics posit that his behavior is due to depression.

And now, Bartleby, the Scrivener, by Herman Melville

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Ep. 931, The Aunt and the Sluggard, by P.G. Wodehouse

17 maj 2024 | 58 min

Ep. 930, The Canterville Ghost, by Oscar Wilde VINTAGE

14 maj 2024 | 75 min

Ep. 929, Doing Clarence a Bit of Good, by P.G. Wodehouse

10 maj 2024 | 37 min

Ep. 928, Bernice Bobs Her Hair, by F. Scott Fitzgerald VINTAGE

7 maj 2024 | 64 min

Ep. 927, Rallying Round Old George, by P.G. Wodehouse

3 maj 2024 | 40 min

Ep. 926, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, by Rudyard Kipling VINTAGE

30 april 2024 | 42 min

Ep. 925, Absent Treatment, by P.G. Wodehouse

26 april 2024 | 35 min

Bobbie Cardew can’t remember anything – ever. Can Reggie rescue him from his household woes? P.G. Wodehouse, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Vintage Episode for the week is “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi”, by Rudyard Kipling. Be sure to check it out on Tuesday.

If you enjoy the show, please become a monthly supporter, and help us continue to highlight these amazing stories.

Please go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter for as little as $5 a month. As a thank you gesture, we’ll send you a coupon code every month for $8 off any audiobook order. Give more, and you get more! It’s a great way to help us keep producing sparkling audiobook content.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a supporter today.

Abraham Lincoln famously said, “If you give me six hours to chop down a tree, I’ll spend the first four sharpening the axe”. That’s the philosophy I’m taking with our Kickstarter for The Golden Triangle. I’ve got the artwork done for the four boxed sets, and they’ll be creeping into the store soon. You can pick them up early, or get them all as a package deal when we launch the Kickstarter. Keep an ear open for the latest developments!

Today’s story is the first of a series of P.G. Wodehouse short stories found in the volume My Man Jeeves. It contains three Jeeves stories, and several others that are in the similar vein, but with different characters. A young Wodehouse was still feeling out his characters at this point, working out the kinks, and polishing his style. I hope you like them.

And now, Absent Treatment, by P.G. Wodehouse.

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Ep. 924, The Machine Stops, by E.M. Forster VINTAGE

23 april 2024 | 88 min

Ep. 923, A Voyage to Lilliput, Part 3 of 3, from Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift

19 april 2024 | 58 min

Ep. 922, Leave It to Jeeves, by P.G. WodehouseVINTAGE

16 april 2024 | 43 min

Ep. 921, A Voyage to Lilliput, Part 2 of 3, from Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

12 april 2024 | 48 min

Ep. 920, The Yellow Wallpaper VINTAGE, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

9 april 2024 | 44 min

Ep. 919, A Voyage to Lilliput, Part 1 of 3, from Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

5 april 2024 | 65 min

How can Lemuel Gulliver escape from the Lilliputians? They’re only six inches tall – should be a cinch, right? Jonathan Swift, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Vintage Episode for the week is “The Yellow Wallpaper”, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Be sure to check it out on Tuesday.

If you enjoy the show, please become a monthly supporter, and help us continue to highlight these amazing stories.

Please go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter for as little as $5 a month. As a thank you gesture, we’ll send you a coupon code every month for $8 off any audiobook order. Give more, and you get more! It’s a great way to help us keep producing sparkling audiobook content.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a supporter today.

I’ve been having fun designing the specials for our Kickstarter for the next Arsène Lupin book – The Golden Triangle. Things are moving along nicely. Keep an ear open for when we pull the trigger, hopefully in a couple of weeks!

And it’s time for the Classic Tales Book Club to meet again! Keep an eye on your inboxes on Tuesday for our monthly newsletter which will contain the zoom link. Our zoom meeting will be on Wednesday, April 10th at 4:00 PM Pacific time, 7:00 PM Eastern. We’ll talk about the satirical nature of Gulliver’s Travels, and the power of satire. See you then! Follow the link in the show notes to subscribe to our newsletter, and get the zoom link on Tuesday.

Mark Twain is quoted as saying that, “a classic is a book which people praise and don’t read”. Gulliver’s Travels likely fits into this category for a lot of us. We’ve seen the Max Fleisher cartoon, or the Ray Harryhausen film in the 70s, or the film with Jack Black in 2010. But we’ve probably never read it. Or we tried, and gave it up. So, what is the lasting appeal of this difficult book?

Gulliver’s Travels was originally published in 1727. Swift’s novel is a satire of British monarchy and Imperialism. He succeeds in taking the mundane, or something we largely take for granted, and pushing it to the extreme to show its absurdity. This goes for everything from governments to our own physical bodies. And yeah, nothing is safe, so get ready for some bodily functions we’d rather not talk about to come front and center.

Gulliver records his travels to several different lands of adventure. Instead of going through the entire book now, we’ll tackle them one voyage at a time. Then we’ll take a breather. This first stint will be the first part of the book – A Voyage to Lilliput in three parts. Gulliver travels to the land of Lilliput, as well as a land of giants, and also visits the dystopian world of the Houyhnhnms (hoo-IH-nims), among others. I hope you like it.

And now, A Voyage to Lilliput, part 1 of 3, from Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift.

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Ep. 918, Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, and A Horseman in the Sky, by Ambrose BierceVINTAGE

2 april 2024 | 51 min

Ep. 917, Green Tea, by Sheridan LeFanu

29 mars 2024 | 95 min

Why is Reverend Jennings so distracted when he gives his sermons? Is it just because he’s partial to green tea? Sheridan LeFanu, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Vintage Episode for the week is “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, and A Horseman in the Sky”, two stories from Ambrose Bierce. Be sure to check it out on Tuesday.

If you enjoy the show, please become a monthly supporter, and help us continue to highlight these amazing stories.

Please go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter for as little as $5 a month. As a thank you gesture, we’ll send you a coupon code every month for $8 off any audiobook order. Give more, and you get more! It’s a great way to help us keep producing sparkling audiobook content.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a supporter today.

I’ve been having fun designing the specials for our Kickstarter for the next Arsène Lupin book – The Golden Triangle. I have the artwork done for the pins and the cover, now it’s on to creating the boxed sets and other bonus goodies. I’ve got a lot to do, and I want to get it all ready so we can hit the ground running. Keep an ear open for when we pull the trigger!

Today’s story is from a collection entitled: Through a Glass Darkly, by J. Sheridan Lefanu, originally published in 1872. It’s a collection of five stories that include the vampire classic Carmilla, and the mysterious The Room in the Dragon Volant. LeFanu was one of the foremost writers of the ghost story in his time, and helped to shape what is now considered Victorian fiction.

App users can hear The Room in the Dragon Volant in its entirety. It’s over three hours long! It’s located in the special features for today’s episode.

And now, Green Tea, by Sheridan LeFanu.

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Ep. 916, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, from The Arabian NightsVINTAGE

26 mars 2024 | 101 min

Ep. 915, The Prussian Officer, by D.H. Lawrence

22 mars 2024 | 71 min

Why does the Prussian officer pick on his orderly so much? Seriously, what’s eating the guy? D.H. Lawrence, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Vintage Episode for the week is “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”, from the Arabian Nights. Be sure to check it out on Tuesday.

If you enjoy the show, please become a monthly supporter, and help us continue to highlight these amazing stories.

Please go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter for as little as $5 a month. As a thank you gesture, we’ll send you a coupon code every month for $8 off any audiobook order. Give more, and you get more! It’s a great way to help us keep producing sparkling audiobook content.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a supporter today.

I’ve been having fun designing the specials for our Kickstarter for the next Arsène Lupin book – The Golden Triangle. Boxed sets, special editions, enamel pins – I’ve got a lot to do, and I want to get it all ready so we can hit the ground running. Keep an ear open for when we pull the trigger!

Today’s story is about two soldiers – an officer and his orderly. The officer is a little older, comes from a wealthy family, has squandered his inheritance and must make a living in the military. He’s angry and ornery all the time.

This orderly is the opposite – he’s young and sensitive. His name is Schöner, which means “more beautiful” in German. I hope you like it.

And now, The Prussian Officer, by D.H. Lawrence.

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Ep. 914, The Million-Pound Bank Note, by Mark Twain VINTAGE

19 mars 2024 | 55 min

Ep. 913, The Wrong Shape, by G.K. Chesterton

15 mars 2024 | 50 min

Can Father Brown solve a murder in a curious household? G.K. Chesterton, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Vintage Episode for the week is “The Million Pound Bank Note”, by Mark Twain. Be sure to check it out on Tuesday.

If you enjoy the show, please become a monthly supporter, and help us continue to highlight these amazing stories.

Please go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter for as little as $5 a month. As a thank you gesture, we’ll send you a coupon code every month for $8 off any audiobook order. Give more, and you get more! It’s a great way to help us keep producing sparkling audiobook content.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a supporter today.

The Classic Tales Book Club was so much fun! It was great getting to know you, and talking a little shop. I think next time we’ll have some giveaways, so keep your schedule clear for the second Wednesday in April.

I’ve been having fun designing the specials for our Kickstarter for the next Arsène Lupin book – The Golden Triangle. Boxed sets, special editions, enamel pins – I’ve got a lot to do, and I want to get it all ready so we can hit the ground running. Keep an ear open for when we pull the trigger!

G.K. Chesterton was a pioneer of the detective story. Many consider his creation of Father Brown the equivalent to, if not an improvement on, Sherlock Holmes. The window that a man of the cloth has to the dark secrets of crime is indeed fascinating and very effective in solving crime.

One thing I noticed in today’s story is Chesterton’s use of racism as a plot device. This story will land differently on twenty-first century ears than it did when it was written in 1911. I don’t want to say much about it other than there are some racially charged terms in the story today – just a heads up.

And now, The Wrong Shape, by G.K. Chesterton.

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Ep. 912, The Man Upstairs, by P.G. Wodehouse VINTAGE

12 mars 2024 | 39 min

Ep. 911, Referent, by Ray Bradbury

8 mars 2024 | 27 min

Roby Morrison attends a very privileged boarding school. But when a spherical space ship lands, everything changes. Ray Bradbury, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Vintage Episode for the week is “The Man Upstairs”, by P.G. Wodehouse. Be sure to check it out on Tuesday.

If you enjoy the show, please become a monthly supporter, and help us continue to highlight these amazing stories.

Please go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter for as little as $5 a month. As a thank you gesture, we’ll send you a coupon code every month for $8 off any audiobook order. Give more, and you get more! It’s a great way to help us keep producing sparkling audiobook content.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a supporter today.

Wednesday, March 13th at 4 PM Pacific time, 7 PM Eastern time, we’ll have our meeting of The Classic Tales Book Club! I’ll be sending the link to the zoom meeting through the newsletter, which will go out on the 12th. So be sure you’re subscribed to the newsletter, and you’ll be able to join us! A link to subscribe to the newsletter is in the show notes, as well as on the classic tales website. See you then!

“Jump, and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall.” -Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury was the consummate writer, telling stories he loved, while thrilling us and challenging the things we thought we knew. Farenheit 451, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Dandelion Wine, The Martian Chronicles, he wrote books, short stories, screenplays, and more.

Today’s story was written under the pseudonym of Brett Sterling for the magazine Thrilling Wonder Stories in October 1948. I hope you like it.

And now, Referent, by Ray Bradbury.

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Ep. 910, The Man Who Would Be King, by Rudyard Kipling VINTAGE

4 mars 2024 | 96 min

Ep. 909, Clouds of Witness, Part 9 of 9, by Dorothy Sayers

1 mars 2024 | 60 min

Ep. 908, The Body Snatcher, by Robert Louis Stevenson VINTAGE

27 februari 2024 | 51 min

Ep. 907, Clouds of Witness, Part 8 of 9, by Dorothy Sayers

23 februari 2024 | 79 min

Ep. 906, The Blue Cross, by G.K. Chesterton VINTAGE

20 februari 2024 | 52 min

Ep. 905, Clouds of Witness, Part 7 of 9, by Dorothy Sayers

16 februari 2024 | 38 min

How can Wimsey escape the sucking mud pits of Peter’s Pot? Dorothy Sayers, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Vintage Episode for the week is “The Blue Cross”, by G.K. Chesterton. Be sure to check it out on Tuesday.

If you’ve enjoyed the show, please become a monthly supporter, and help us keep the lights on.

Please go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter for as little as $5 a month. As a thank you gesture, we’ll send you a coupon code every month for $8 off any audiobook order. Give more, and you get more! It’s a great way to help us keep producing amazing audiobook content.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a supporter today.

We have a couple of new developments. The first is The Classic Tales Book Club! We’re going to be having our first meeting in March! This will be a monthly meeting where we discuss the stories on the podcast, and we want you to come and chat with us. I’ll be joined by Classic Tales and classic literature enthusiast Christopher Oulette. Keep an eye on our social media channels for more information.

You may have noticed that I haven’t been able to record the longer audiobooks like I used to. It’s just hard to justify reserving that time in my schedule – taking it away from recording something I could get paid for. But there are still so many books I still want to do. Well, I think I may have found a way around that.

I’ve been wanting to record Bleak House, by Charles Dickens for some time, now. It’s got his outlandish and deep characters, amazing plot twists, and his beautiful prose tying it all together.

So, I’m going to do a Kickstarter project for it! This way I can justify reserving time in my schedule to record and produce this audiobook. I’m planning to have TONS of bonus material and specials to make this happen. So get ready for a lot of fun, and some amazing deals in the near future.

And now, Clouds of Witness, Part 7 of 9, by Dorothy Sayers.

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Ep. 904, To Build a Fire, by Jack London VINTAGE

13 februari 2024 | 51 min

Ep. 903, Clouds of Witness, Part 6 of 9, by Dorothy Sayers

9 februari 2024 | 67 min

Ep. 902, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge VINTAGE

6 februari 2024 | 35 min

Ep. 901, Clouds of Witness, Part 5 of 9, by Dorothy Sayers

2 februari 2024 | 66 min

Ep. 900, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, by F. Scott FitzgeraldVINTAGE

30 januari 2024 | 68 min

Ep. 899, Clouds of Witness, Part 4 of 9, by Dorothy Sayers

26 januari 2024 | 67 min

Ep. 898, The Happy Prince and Other Tales, by Oscar Wilde VINTAGE

23 januari 2024 | 55 min

Ep. 897, Clouds of Witness, Part 3 of 9, by Dorothy Sayers

19 januari 2024 | 68 min

Ep. 896, The Captain of the Pole-Star, by Arthur Conan Doyle VINTAGE

16 januari 2024 | 70 min

Ep. 895, Clouds of Witness, Part 2 of 9, by Dorothy Sayers

12 januari 2024 | 63 min

Ep. 894, The Offshore Pirate, by F. Scott Fitzgerald VINTAGE

9 januari 2024 | 75 min

Ep. 893, Clouds of Witness, Part 1 of 9, by Dorothy Sayers

5 januari 2024 | 57 min

Ep. 892, The Most Dangerous Game, by Richard Connell VINTAGE

2 januari 2024 | 59 min

Ep. 891, The Caballero's Way, by O. Henry

29 december 2023 | 33 min

The Cisco Kid’s days are numbered, now that they’ve located his sweetheart. How can they evade the Federales? O. Henry, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Vintage Episode for the week is “The Most Dangerous Game”, by Richard Connell. Be sure to check it out on Tuesday.

The Vintage Episodes will not stream through YouTube, so if you don’t want to miss anything, please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

If you’ve enjoyed the show, please become a monthly supporter, and help us keep the lights on.

Please go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter for as little as $5 a month. As a thank you gesture, we’ll send you a coupon code every month for at least $8 off any audiobook order. Give more, and you get more! It’s a great way to help us keep producing amazing audiobook content.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a supporter today.

The character of the Cisco Kid was originally created in this short story by O. Henry, but he went through a huge transformation before he became the character widely known today.

The Cisco Kid is not a beloved character in his first appearance in today’s story, first published in 1907. Nope, he’s a vicious killer. However, by the time of his third feature film, The Old Arizona in 1927, Cisco was revamped as a witty Mexican hero, winning the Oscar for Best Actor for Warner Brothers – the second ever given!

Nearly thirty films were produced with the character, along with 156 television episodes produced between 1950 and 1956.

But in today’s story by O. Henry, Cisco is a duplicitous scoundrel. The kind that can’t be killed.

And now, The Caballero’s Way, by O. Henry.

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Ep. 890, The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, by Arthur Conan Doyle VINTAGE

26 december 2023 | 50 min

Ep. 889, Christmas in Red Butte, by Lucy Maud Montgomery

22 december 2023 | 21 min

Ep. 888, A Christmas Carol, Part 3 of 3, by Charles DickensVINTAGE

19 december 2023 | 110 min

Ep. 887, The Intrusion of Jimmy, Part 7 of 7, by P.G. Wodehouse

15 december 2023 | 60 min

Ep. 886, A Christmas Carol, Part 2 of 3, by Charles DickensVINTAGE

12 december 2023 | 45 min

Ep. 885, The Intrusion of Jimmy, Part 6 of 7, by P.G. Wodehouse

8 december 2023 | 69 min

Ep. 884, A Christmas Carol, Part 1of 3, by Charles DickensVINTAGE

5 december 2023 | 50 min

Ep. 883, The Intrusion of Jimmy, Part 5 of 7, by P.G. Wodehouse

1 december 2023 | 57 min

Ep. 882, The Intrusion of Jimmy, Part 4 of 7, by P.G. Wodehouse

24 november 2023 | 69 min

Ep. 881, The Intrusion of Jimmy, Part 3 of 7, by P.G. Wodehouse

17 november 2023 | 53 min

Ep. 880, The Intrusion of Jimmy, Part 2 of 7, by P.G. Wodehouse

10 november 2023 | 61 min

Ep. 879, The Intrusion of Jimmy, Part 1 of 7, by P.G. Wodehouse

3 november 2023 | 88 min

Ep. 878, The Eyes, by Edith Wharton VINTAGE

1 november 2023 | 54 min

Ep. 877, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving VINTAGE

30 oktober 2023 | 86 min

Ep. 876, The Haunters and the Haunted, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton

27 oktober 2023 | 75 min

Why is an unobtrusive, simple flat in the middle of London outrageously haunted? Edward Bulwer-Lytton, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – Halloween! Keep an eye open for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving, and The Eyes, by Edith Wharton. As you’ve noticed, there’s a lot of new material we’re sending your way, and we really want to keep the momentum going. Please go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a supporter for $5 a month. We’ll send you a coupon code every month, so you can get even more! And thanks for your support!

The Right Honourable Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton was a prolific novelist, and very popular in his day. He coined many phrases now commonplace, such as, “the pen is mightier than the sword”, “The pursuit of the almighty dollar”, and “It was a dark and stormy night”. He represented the Whigs in Parliament, and was the Secretary of State for the Colonies from June 1858 to June 1859.

He married Rosina Doyle Wheeler, also a writer, and they had two children. He wasn’t a faithful husband, and they parted acrimoniously in 1833. When he was standing as a parliamentary candidate in June 1858, Rosina continued to publicly denounce him, in print and in person, and his responses escalated until he eventually had her committed to a mental asylum. She was shortly released after a public outcry.

He suffered with gradual hearing loss from the time he was a young man. As it worsened during the course of his life, he pulled out of the public eye. An unsuccessful ear operation eventually killed him, and he died in 1873.

And now, The Haunters and the Haunted, by Edward Bulwer Litton.

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Ep. 875, The Mortal Immortal, by Mary Shelley VINTAGE

25 oktober 2023 | 26 min

Ep. 874, The Tell-Tale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe VINTAGE

23 oktober 2023 | 20 min

Ep. 873, The Closed Cabinet, Part 3 of 3, by Anonymous

20 oktober 2023 | 65 min

The mystery of the cursed room is solved, and all is revealed. Anonymous, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Vintage Episodes of The Classic Tales Podcast are in full swing – every Monday and Wednesday. Monday we’ll have The Tell-Tale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe, and on Wednesday, The Mortal Immortal, by Mary Shelley. It actually takes quite a bit more work to release three episodes a week instead of one, so if you’d like more Vintage Episodes, please go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a supporter. And thanks for your support!

This week concludes our story by Anonymous of The Closed Cabinet, jointly narrated with Nancy Peterson.

Evie’s cousins live on an ancient estate with a cursed history. Featured in this history is a room with a closed cabinet, where tradition has it that if a single woman sleeps in the room, she will die. On her third night in the room, Evie has an extremely realistic dream, where she lived through the terrifying moment of a wronged woman taking revenge against her abusive husband. She awakes with a cut on her hand from a dagger she retrieved from the closed cabinet – which was open in her dream.

I know that the writing of this story isn’t as fast paced as some of our other offerings, but I am so impressed with the level of craft in the book. Evie is initially extremely naïve and innocent, and Alan is aloof to the point of boorishness. But Evie and Alan gently move from opposite sides of the “worldly experience” spectrum, until they meet at just the right place.

And once again, a huge thank you to Nancy Peterson for her stunning narration. Do yourself a favor, and check out her recordings of the Anne of Green Gables series. Links are in the show notes.

And now, The Closed Cabinet, Part 3 of 3, by Anonymous. Narrated with Nancy Peterson.

Follow these links to see Nancy Peterson’s TikTok channel and Anne of Green Gables series:

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https://www.tiktok.com/@nancy_peterson_narrates

Ep. 872, The Ambitious Guest, by Nathaniel HawthorneVINTAGE

18 oktober 2023 | 25 min

Ep. 871, The Baron of Grogzwig, by Charles Dickens VINTAGE

16 oktober 2023 | 28 min

Ep. 870, The Closed Cabinet, Part 2 of 3, by Anonymous

13 oktober 2023 | 54 min

Ep. 869, The Red-Headed League, by Arthur Conan Doyle VINTAGE

11 oktober 2023 | 60 min

Ep. 868, The Magic Shop, by H.G. Wells VINTAGE

9 oktober 2023 | 30 min

Ep. 867, The Closed Cabinet, Part 1 of 3, by Anonymous

6 oktober 2023 | 58 min

A family secret, an ominous curse, and a mysterious cabinet equals a surplusage of horrors. No wonder the writer withheld their name. Anonymous, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Vintage Episodes of The Classic Tales Podcast are in full swing – every Monday and Wednesday. How did you like them? Are you looking for more? Please let us know by going to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com. Pick up an audiobook, become a supporter, leave a review, or send us an email. Let us know if you’d like more.

Monday we’ll have H.G. Wells’ fanciful story The Magic Shop, and on Wednesday, Sherlock Holmes returns in The Red-headed League. It actually takes quite a bit more work to release three episodes a week instead of one, so if you’d like more Vintage Episodes, please go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and chip in. And thanks for your support!

Today begins a three-part series of The Closed Cabinet, by Anonymous. There are so many wonderful elements in today’s story – a bespelled cabinet built by an ancient witch, a family curse, and beautiful prose tying it all together. But the majority of this story is told from the point of view of a 19-year-old woman. And so I reached out to Nancy Peterson, the award-winning narrator and Tik-Tok sensation, and we decided to collaborate again. So the parts of the story that are told from the heroine, Evie’s point of view will be read by Nancy, and I’ll be chiming in when the men speak.

I thought this approach would be best for the way this story is written. Hopefully it works okay. Just trying something new.

And if you’re a fan of Nancy’s, like I am, she is in the process of recording the Anne of Green Gables series of books, by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Links to her recordings can be found in the show notes. I’ve seen her perform some of it live – it’s amazing.

And now, The Closed Cabinet, Part 1 of 3, by Anonymous. Narrated with Nancy Peterson.

Follow these links to see Nancy Peterson’s TikTok channel and Anne of Green Gables series:

https://tinyurl.com/54ncrx9s

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Ep. 866, The Pit and the Pendulum, by Edgar Allan Poe VINTAGE

4 oktober 2023 | 46 min

Ep. 865, The Lost Phoebe, by Theodore Dreiser VINTAGE

2 oktober 2023 | 47 min

Ep. 864, A Wagner Matinee, by Willa Cather

29 september 2023 | 28 min

Ep. 863, The Monkey's Paw, by W. W. Jacobs VINTAGE

27 september 2023 | 30 min

Ep. 862, Rappaccini's Daughter, by Nathaniel HawthorneVINTAGE

25 september 2023 | 79 min

Ep. 861, The Wind in the Rose Bush, by Mary Wilkins Freeman

22 september 2023 | 44 min

Ep. 860, Barbara of the House of Grebe, Part 2 of 2, by Thomas Hardy VINTAGE

20 september 2023 | 37 min

Ep. 859, Barbara of the House of Grebe, Part 1 of 2, by Thomas Hardy VINTAGE

18 september 2023 | 49 min

Ep. 858, The Jolly Corner, Part 2 of 2, by Henry James

15 september 2023 | 38 min

Why is Bryden’s doppelgänger curiously disfigured? Henry James, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

This marks the first week of Vintage Episodes released alongside the new episodes of The Classic Tales Podcast. How did you like them? Are you looking for more? Please let us know by going to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com. Pick up an audiobook, become a supporter, leave a review, or send us an email. Let us know if you’d like more.

The Vintage Episodes include not only a remastered version of the original release, starting in 2007, but also new introductory material, story and author background, notes on why the story was chosen, and any performance choices that may or may not have worked. We’ll continue the Vintage Episodes for a month. At that point, we’ll see if this is something we can continue. This week we’ll be releasing both parts of Thomas Hardy’s Barbara of the House of Grebe. Classic Tales app users can hear the first episode now in the special features for today’s episode.

So keep an eye on your podcast feed, and you’ll see two Vintage Episodes appear – one on Monday, another on Wednesday. If you like it, head on over to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and let us know one way or another. And thanks for your support!

Today we finish Brydon’s story, and he meets his doppelgänger – the darker man he could have been. This desperate need to reconnect with his lost chances, lost friendships, lost opportunities, etc. has its roots in the writings of Emmanuel Swedenborg, who influenced James greatly. One of Swedenborg’s theories was that of “vastation”, in which a supernatural encounter with your darker alter-ego occurred, which must be defeated and overcome to progress in the spiritual plane.

Emmanuel Swedenborg influenced many great thinkers, including Fjodor Dostoyevsky, Robert Louis Stevenson, George Bernard Shaw, Sheridan LeFanu, Abraham Lincoln, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and many others.

And now, The Jolly Corner, Part 2 of 2, by Henry James.

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Follow this link to see Nancy Peterson record a Classic Tales Podcast episode, and other stuff:

Ep. 857, The Speckled Band, by Arthur Conan Doyle VINTAGE

13 september 2023 | 61 min

Ep. 856, The Cask of Amontillado, by Edgar Allan Poe VINTAGE

11 september 2023 | 21 min

The bloody-minded Montresor leads the pompous Fortunato deep into the wine vaults and catacombs, crowning in a climax that is delightfully sinister. Edgar Allan Poe, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

This is our first Vintage Episode of The Classic Tales Podcast. We’ll be releasing two Vintage Episodes each week, so be sure to check your feed regularly. New episodes will be available every Friday.

We’ve got a special treat for you. Head on over to Nancy Peterson’s TikTok channel @nancy_peterson_narrates, and you can see her recording an episode or two of The Classic Tales Podcast LIVE. In October, she and I will be doing a duet narration of The Closed Cabinet. You can watch her record her portion live on her TikTok channel, and even chime in! Nancy is an Audie Award-Winning narrator, a world class individual, and great friend. Check out her TikTok channel, and you’ll have a ball. A link is in the show description.

This episode of The Classic Tales Podcast was originally released on June 22, 2007, along with The Speckled Band, by Arthur Conan Doyle, and Part One of Barbara of the House of Grebe, by Thomas Hardy.

The recording of Basil Rathbone recording The Cask of Amontillado changed my life. It really did. Up until that time, I couldn’t understand the heavier language of the classics. I never really understood Poe until I had an actor help me with it. But when I heard this recording, the world opened up for me. I listened to it over and over again, until I practically memorized it. Then I discovered other audiobooks, and learned how to really read. I could understand these amazing stories that were up until that time, hidden from me. I can’t emphasize how deeply this impacted my life. We named our first-born son Basil.

So, after I listened to a few hundreds of audiobooks over a dozen years or so, I heard about podcasting, and I had an idea for one. The Cask of Amontillado had to be the first episode. I cobbled together an old computer, borrowed some recording equipment, and threw three episodes together.

Now, 17 years later, I record audiobooks as my full-time job.

Let’s start the journey again.

And now, The Cask of Amontillado, by Edgar Allan Poe.

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Ep. 855, The Jolly Corner, Part 1 of 2, by Henry James

8 september 2023 | 74 min

Is the spectral presence in Bryden’s home the ghost of his alter ego, or is he just seeing what he wants to see? Henry James, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

If you’d like to hear more Classic Tales, then buckle up. Starting this week, for every one episode of new content, we will be releasing two Vintage Episodes of The Classic Tales Podcast. You may have noticed that there are only 250+ episodes available through the podcast, but the episode numbers are 850+. That means there are around 600 episodes currently not on the feed. Well, we’re going to change that.

Not only will we continue to create new content every Friday, but on Mondays and Wednesdays we be releasing Vintage Episodes of The Classic Tales Podcast. We’re going to start at the very beginning, with the very first episode, and release two Vintage Episodes every week. If we release two Vintage Episodes for every new episode, we’ll be caught up in around five and a half years.

So if you want more, you got it. But this is a trial program. We’re going to try this for a while, and if you like it, please become a supporter, or tell your friends, or drop us a line and let us know. We’ll see how it goes. As for me, I’m excited to revisit some of my old friends, and I’d like to hear from you.

Keep an eye on your podcast feed, and you’ll see two new episodes in addition to our regular show on Friday. If you like it, head on over to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and let us know one way or another. And thanks for your support!

Today’s story is incredibly autobiographical, and is considered one of Henry James’ best ghost stories. He wrote it six years before his death, and thirty-three years after he settled in Europe after leaving America.

It’s the story of a wealthy young man who leaves America in his youth, follows a life of dissipation for 33 years in Europe, and returns to his ancestral home in New York. He is struck by the changes he sees, of course. But upon realizing he has a certain knack for real estate development, he is haunted by his alter ego – the man he could have been.

And now, The Jolly Corner, Part 1 of 2, by Henry James.

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Ep. 854, The Signal Man, by Charles Dickens

1 september 2023 | 37 min

Ep. 853, Let's Get Together, by Isaac Asimov

25 augusti 2023 | 46 min

Ten undetectable humanoids are loose in the United States, and if they get together, they will transform into a horrific bomb. How can they be stopped? Isaac Asimov, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

If you’re like me, when it comes to choosing audiobooks, I have two problems:

I don’t know if I’ll like the writing, and I don’t know whether I’ll like the narrator.

Being a supporter of The Classic Tales solves this problem perfectly. You can listen to the podcast for free, go to the Classic Tales store, and try downloading some of our free offerings. You can totally try before you buy, and we’ve recently updated our free titles, so check it out!

Whatever title you choose, you know it’s going to be carefully curated, so the writing is on point, and you know the narrator!

Become a monthly supporter, and you can support the show, and get more audiobooks!

It’s a great way to listen to high quality audiobooks you know you’ll love! We got you covered!

After the show, go to classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a supporter. Thanks for helping out.

Isaac Asimov (1920 – 1992) was an American writer and professor. In his time, he was considered one of the “Big Three” most influential science fiction writers of his day, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke. He wrote or edited over 500 works, including the Foundation series, the first three books of which won the Hugo Award for “Best All-Time Series” in 1966. His other major series are the Galactic Empire series, and the Robot series.

Asimov is also known for inventing terms which are now commonplace. He coined the phrase “robotics” in his 1941 story, “Liar”. Also, the word psychohistory, having to do with a fictional branch of science that combines statistics, science, and history, to make predictions about the future. This concept is explored in his Foundation series.

Today’s story was first published in the February 1957 issue of Infinity magazine. Extensive research did not uncover that the U.S. copyright was renewed.

And now, Let’s Get Together, by Isaac Asimov.

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Follow this link to pick up Immortal Red, by Keith Hummel on Audible.com

Ep. 852, The Triumph of Night, by Edith Wharton

18 augusti 2023 | 68 min

Ep. 851, The Nice People, by Henry Cuyler Bunner

11 augusti 2023 | 26 min

Ep. 850, The Revolt of Mother, by Mary E Wilkins Freeman

4 augusti 2023 | 44 min

Ep. 849, Araby, by James Joyce

28 juli 2023 | 20 min

Ep. 848, The Treasure in the Forest, by H.G. Wells

21 juli 2023 | 25 min

Ep. 847, The Fortune-Teller, by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis

14 juli 2023 | 33 min

Ep. 846, Tickets, Please, by D.H. Lawrence

7 juli 2023 | 40 min

Is a young man’s philandering ever really a victimless crime? D.H. Lawrence, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. We couldn’t do this without you. Your monthly donation helps in so many ways, and it also gives you access to more classic titles.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. A $5 dollar monthly donation gets you an $8 monthly coupon code for any audiobook order. Thank you so much.

App users can watch a short video of me talking about another thing I love about the classics, if that’s your idea of a good time.

If you’re in the mood for a good contemporary thriller, check out Immortal Red, by Keith Hummel on Audible. The link is in the show notes. When a biologist discovers a jellyfish that holds the secret to immortality, things start to spin out of control. Tapping into his years of medical experience, Hummel’s convincing thriller spans the globe as governments and mercenaries conspire to acquire the real essence of eternal life. I had a great time recording it. That’s Immortal Red, by Keith Hummel. Don’t miss it!

David Herbert Lawrence was a novelist, poet, short story writer and essayist. His best known novels, including “Sons and Lovers”, “The Rainbow”, and “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”, were subjects of censorship trials for their radical use of strong language and sexuality. Lawrence was largely maligned and estranged during his career. However, E.M. Forster in an obituary notice challenged this view, dubbing Lawrence, “the greatest imaginative novelist of our generation”.

Today’s story isn’t particularly racy at all, please don’t worry about that. But it’s elegantly written, and very powerful in it’s message. It’s from a collection of short stories written from 1913 – 1922, and takes place during World War I. Written a hundred years before the “Me Too” movement, this is one of the issues we’re still struggling with as a species. See if the punishment fits the crime. Then ask yourself why you came to that conclusion.

And now, Tickets, Please, by D.H. Lawrence.

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Ep. 845, The Derelict, by William Hope Hodgson

30 juni 2023 | 71 min

Ep. 844, Riders of the Purple Sage, Part 12 of 12, by Zane Grey

23 juni 2023 | 52 min

Ep. 843, Riders of the Purple Sage, Part 11 of 12, by Zane Grey

16 juni 2023 | 48 min

Why does Bess’s true identity shatter the worlds of Venters, Jane, and even Lassiter? Zane Grey, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. We couldn’t do this without you. Your monthly donation helps in so many ways, and it also gives you access to more classic titles!

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. A $5 dollar monthly donation gets you an $8 monthly coupon code for any audiobook order. Thank you so much.

The first season of the Arsène Lupin Podcast is complete! Binge all episodes of our gentleman burglar’s own show. And tell your friends! Links can be found in the show notes.

Okay, so I’m trying a new thing. I’ve talked before about how much these stories mean to me. I couldn’t read well as a kid, then I discovered audiobooks, and all of these classics which I’ve wanted to read for years but were too difficult were now available to me. I want to share the joy I find in these stories with everyone who’ll hear. This is why I do what I do.

Here’s the thing: I’m sure there are a lot of people listening now with a similar story to tell. I want you to tell them. Here. Here’s the plan:

Send me an email to [email protected]. Briefly tell me why classic literature means so much to you. Doesn’t need to be much, maybe a quick story, an experience you had while reading something. A decision you made because of a book you read, reaffirmation of a tough decision you made, how they make you feel, whatever it is. There’s a reason you’re listening to this podcast. Tell me what it is, and we’ll see if it will work!

We’ll set up a time, and do a quick zoom meeting where you can tell me about your love for classic literature. Doesn’t need to be long. I’ll record our meeting, and share it with all the classic tales fans on the podcast and YouTube.

Then, we’ll start sprinkling our award-winning audiobook content with your stories. Hopefully we can deepen the conversation, and all develop a greater appreciation for these amazing stories!

So send me an email – [email protected]. Tell me your story, and we’ll see if we can get you on the show!

And now, Riders of the Purple Sage, part 11 of 12, by Zane Grey

Tap here to send us an email about why you love classic literature:

[email protected].

Follow this link to subscribe to our YouTube Channel:

Ep. 842, Riders of the Purple Sage, Part 10 of 12, by Zane Grey

9 juni 2023 | 37 min

Ep. 841, Riders of the Purple Sage, Part 9 of 12, by Zane Grey

2 juni 2023 | 75 min

Ep. 840, Riders of the Purple Sage, Part 8 of 12, by Zane Grey

26 maj 2023 | 68 min

Ep. 839, Riders of the Purple Sage, Part 7 of 12, by Zane Grey

19 maj 2023 | 77 min

Can Venters publicly call out Tull’s crimes without a serious backlash? Zane Grey, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. We couldn’t do this without you. Your monthly donation helps in so many ways, and it also gives you access to more classic titles.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. A $5 dollar monthly donation gets you an $8 monthly coupon code for any audiobook order. Thank you so much.

The Arsène Lupin Podcast is happening! Be sure to subscribe to our gentleman burglar’s own show. And tell your friends! Links can be found in the show notes.

It looks like it’s time to talk about the elephant in the room: The Mormonism in this story.

First of all, I’ve got to say that Mormon people are some of the best people I’ve known. My parents, friends, colleagues, neighbors - I have a Mormon background. Most of the people I know locally are Mormon. And they’re wonderful – I love them dearly! Mormons, or members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are great. They’re my folks. The fact that I’m producing this book now isn’t any reflection on them.

The thing that’s so nefarious about this book is its villain. It’s not a person – it’s systemic religious extortion used to build wealthy empires, while neglecting the poor and needy. That’s what it’s all about – when the institutions we trust to take care of us that actually take way more than they give. Now, is this a uniquely Mormon/LDS problem? No! But it happened then, and it’s happening now. Don’t believe me? Check out 60 Minutes on CBS last week. This religious empire building they talk of in the book is still happening today.

And so, like other topics that we’ve discussed over the years - racism, classism, poverty, - things that these classic authors wrote about over 100 years ago that were a problem then and are still a problem now, I’m afraid religious-oriented extortion is among them. I wish it wasn’t but here we are.

Let’s see if we can do better.

And now, Riders of the Purple Sage, part 7 of 12, by Zane Grey

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Follow this link to the 60 minutes program mentioned in the intro

Ep. 838, Riders of the Purple Sage, Part 6 of 12, by Zane Grey

12 maj 2023 | 73 min

Ep. 837, Riders of the Purple Sage, Part 5 of 12, by Zane Grey

5 maj 2023 | 79 min

Ep. 836, Riders of the Purple Sage, Part 4 of 12, by Zane Grey

28 april 2023 | 74 min

Ep. 835, Riders of the Purple Sage, Part 3 of 12, by Zane Grey

21 april 2023 | 66 min

Ep. 834, Riders of the Purple Sage, Part 2 of 12, by Zane Grey

14 april 2023 | 64 min

Ep. 833, Riders of the Purple Sage, Part 1 of 12, by Zane Grey

7 april 2023 | 84 min

Ep. 832, 2 B R 0 2 B, by Kurt Vonnegut

31 mars 2023 | 23 min

Ep. 831, The Square Pegs, by Ray Bradbury

24 mars 2023 | 40 min

Ep. 830, The Stainless Steel Rat, by Harry Harrison

17 mars 2023 | 57 min

Ep. 829, Ukridge Rounds a Nasty Corner, by P.G. Wodehouse

10 mars 2023 | 54 min

Ep. 828, The Exit of Battling Billson, by P.G. Wodehouse

3 mars 2023 | 51 min

Ep. 827, The Long Arm of Looney Coote, by P.G. Wodehouse

24 februari 2023 | 59 min

Ep. 826, No Wedding Bells For Him, by P.G. Wodehouse

17 februari 2023 | 61 min

Ep. 825, Ukridge Sees Her Through, by P.G. Wodehouse

10 februari 2023 | 51 min

Ep. 824, The Return of Battling Billson, by P.G. Wodehouse

3 februari 2023 | 55 min

Ep. 823, First Aid for Dora, by P.G. Wodehouse

27 januari 2023 | 51 min

Ep. 822, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Part 3 of 3, by Thornton Wilder

20 januari 2023 | 101 min

Ep. 821, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Part 2 of 3, by Thornton Wilder

13 januari 2023 | 59 min

Ep. 820, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Part 1 of 3, by Thornton Wilder

6 januari 2023 | 82 min

Five people fall to their deaths when a bridge collapses in Peru. Can Brother Juniper discover the reason that these five individuals had to die? Thornton Wilder, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to Season 17 of The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. Please sign up to be a supporter for as little as $5 a month. We’ll give you a monthly coupon code for $8 off any audiobook order. Your support on a monthly basis is vital to keep us going.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. Thank you so much.

Thornton Wilder won two Pulitzer Prizes: one for the novel we’ll begin today: The Bridge of San Luis Rey, and another for his play: Our Town.

In The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Brother Juniper witnesses the tragedy of five people falling to their deaths when a bridge collapses in Peru. He takes it upon himself to study the lives of those who fell in the accident, in an effort to figure out why these five people had to die.

In 1998, the book was selected by the American Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of the twentieth century.

It has also been hinted that this book is the progenitor of the modern-day disaster epic, where a single disaster intertwines the lives of the victims, whose previous histories are then explored through a series of flashbacks.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair quoted the final words of the book in a memorial service for the victims of the September 11th attacks. Nine days after the attacks, he read:

"A witness to the deaths, wanting to make sense of them and explain the ways of God to his fellow human beings, examined the lives of the people who died, and these words were said by someone who knew the victims, and who had been through the many emotions, and the many stages, of bereavement and loss.

"But soon we will die, and all memories of those five will have left earth, and we ourselves shall be loved for a while and forgotten. But the love will have been enough; all those impulses of love return to the love that made them. Even memory is not necessary for love. There is a land of the living and a land of the dead, and the bridge is love. The only survival, the only meaning."

And now, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Part 1 of 3, by Thornton Wilder

Follow this link to order your copy of Bellarion, by Raphael Sabatini:

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Follow this link to order your copy of Bellarion, by Raphael Sabatini:

Ep. 819, The Case of the Missing Will, by Agatha Christie

30 december 2022 | 27 min

Ep. 819, The Case of the Missing Will, by Agatha Christie

30 december 2022 | 27 min

Ep. 818, The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman, by Agatha Christie

23 december 2022 | 30 min

Ep. 817, The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim, by Agatha Christie

16 december 2022 | 37 min

Ep. 817, The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim, by Agatha Christie

16 december 2022 | 38 min

Ep. 816, The Kidnapped Prime Minister, by Agatha Christie

9 december 2022 | 49 min

Ep. 815, The Million Dollar Bond Robbery, by Agatha Christie

2 december 2022 | 26 min

Ep. 814, The Adventure of the Hunter's Lodge, by Agatha Christie

25 november 2022 | 33 min

Ep. 813, The Adventure of the Cheap Flat, by Agatha Christie

18 november 2022 | 37 min

Ep. 812, The Tragedy at Marsden Manor, by Agatha Christie

11 november 2022 | 36 min

Ep. 811, The Western Star, by Agatha Christie

4 november 2022 | 54 min

Ep. 810, The Dead Smile, by F. Marion Crawford (with Bellarion sample)

28 oktober 2022 | 137 min

Sir Hugh takes his secret to the grave with a vicious grin on his lips – a devious grin that is contagious. F. Marion Crawford, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. Please sign up to be a supporter for as little as $5 a month. We’ll give you a monthly coupon code for $8 off any audiobook order. Your support helps to keep us make amazing audiobooks and other tools to help improve literacy.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. Thank you so much.

Bellarion is now released. Continue listening after today’s story for a healthy sample of this amazing piece of historical fiction. Order now and be entered in a drawing to win a Treasure Island Audiobookmarks™ Gift Set. Just in time for the holidays!

I heard something that didn’t sit right with me last week. There was a book club in my neighborhood that wanted to discuss The Scarlet Letter, and a couple of the people in the group were excited, but waiting for the audiobook to be available at the local library. Well, we’re not doing that! My friend Rachel came up with this idea, and I’ve embellished it. Here it is:

If you’re doing a classic title for your book club, you can buy ONE copy of the audiobook, and share the download link with the people in your book club. Just send me an email, and let me know the plan. Furthermore, if you want, we can set up a zoom call, and I can talk to your book club about the creation of the audiobook you all are discussing. Again, just send me an email, and we can set it up. I’m happy to do it.

And finally, one more thing. I discovered that Audiobookmarks™, the bookmark with QR codes to stream an audiobook, can be read by Chromebooks. So kids who are reading Huckleberry Finn, Great Expectations, etc. in many public schools, can listen to my narration and follow along even if they don’t have a smart phone.

It struck me that the Audiobookmarks™ can be a dynamic way to help kids learn to read, and it can help adults learn to read better. I’m starting a venture to get all of the most commonly studied titles into this format, and get them into the hands of students everywhere.

To support this venture, simply make any purchase on our website at classictalesaudiobooks.com. This is our new direction and focus. Make amazing audiobooks, and use them to create tools to help people of all ages learn to read better. Improving literacy is what we’re all about. Thanks for helping out.

Okay. Now, for a nice, scary story. Happy Halloween, everyone!

And now, The Dead Smile, by F. Marion Crawford.

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Follow this link to preorder your copy of Bellarion, by Raphael Sabatini:

Ep. 809, The Wendigo, Part 2 of 2, by Algernon Blackwood

21 oktober 2022 | 67 min

The search party discovers a certain horror when they find what they’ve been looking for. Algernon Blackwood, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. This show was created with the intent to make the classics less intimidating, and more accessible. Over the years, we’ve been able to help many, many people discover authors and stories they never would have read, and we’ve also helped a lot of people learn to read. We really appreciate your help.

Please sign up to be a supporter for as little as $5 a month. We’ll give you a monthly coupon code for $8 off any audiobook order. It’s a great way to build out your classic audiobook library, and help us to continue to provide this service.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. Thank you so much.

I have a new blog post about how classic audiobooks are made, so check out my blog.

Bellarion is now recorded, and should be released next week. It runs around 16 hours, and is an absolutely incredible story. So much fun – you're going to love it.

I’d also like to announce a new item I’ve developed. It’s called the Audiobookmark. I’m actually trademarking it. My first one is Treasure Island. I’ve split the book into seven parts, and linked a qr code to a streamable file for each part. Then, I created a bookmark with the Treasure Island artwork and each of the qr codes in succession. So now, you can click the QR code on your phone, listen to the book, and follow along with your own copy of Treasure Island. You want to gift someone an audiobook? Here’s an Audiobookmark. Follow along if you have the book, or give it as a gift to your child or grandchild.

I have made a few initial copies of the first Audiobookmark of Treasure Island. Now, here’s the deal: The first 100 people who purchase Bellarion, by Raphael Sabatini, will be entered in a drawing to get one of five Treasure Island packages I’m creating. Each Treasure Island package will contain: An Audiobookmark of Treasure Island, and a hard copy of the book, signed by me.

And, if you preorder during this next week, you’ll also save two dollars. How can you lose? You save two dollars, are entered in winning a great prize package, and get a fantastic audiobook of historical fiction.

Go go classictalesaudiobooks.com and preorder your copy of Bellarion, by Raphael Sabatini today. You’ll be automatically entered to win one of five Treasure Island packages.

We pick up today’s story when young Simpson is still searching in the night for Defago, who has just run off into the freezing forest.

And now, The Wendigo, Part 2 of 2, by Algernon Blackwood.

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Ep. 808, The Wendigo, Part 1 of 2, by Algernon Blackwood

14 oktober 2022 | 79 min

A monster lurks in the Canadian forests. If the legends are to be believed, a small band of hunters is about to meet the Wendigo. Algernon Blackwood, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. This show was created with the intent to make the classics less intimidating, and more accessible. Over the years, we’ve been able to help many, many people discover authors and stories they never would have read, and we’ve also helped a lot of people learn to read. We really appreciate your help.

Please sign up to be a supporter for as little as $5 a month. We’ll give you a monthly coupon code for $8 off any audiobook order. It’s a great way to build out your classic audiobook library, and help us to continue to provide this service.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. Thank you so much.

If you’d like to learn more about how classic audiobooks are made, please check out my blog.

Well, my loss is your gain. My schedule got a little muddled this month, so I’m pleased to announce the release of Bellarion, by Raphael Sabatini will be released in a few weeks. Set in pre-Renaissance Italy, Bellarion is a nameless orphan who is raised by monks, and rises to political prominence. Applying his scholarly training to the intrigues of the court, coupled with his strong sense of duty, Bellarion is a thrilling adventure.

Look for a healthy sampling in the next couple of weeks!

Today’s story is the first part of The Wendigo, by Algernon Blackwood. The legend of the Wendigo originates from folk stories from the Plains and Great Lakes Native Americans. The creature is a malevolent spirit, known to possess and even eat humans.

Yep, he’s a charming fellow. So let’s dive in!

And now, The Wendigo, Part 1 of 2, by Algernon Blackwood.

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Ep. 807, The Pit and the Pendulum & The Tell-Tale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe

7 oktober 2022 | 64 min

The torments of the Inquisition, and a murder that won’t keep quiet. Halloween comes with a vengeance with Edgar Allan Poe, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. This show was created with the intent to make the classics less intimidating, and more accessible. Over the years, we’ve been able to help many, many people discover authors and stories they never would have read, and we really appreciate your help.

Please sign up to be a supporter for as little as $5 a month. We’ll give you a monthly coupon code for $8 off any audiobook order. It’s a great way to build out your classic audiobook library, and help us to continue to provide this service.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. Thank you so much.

I’ve got a new blog post about some training I recently had with Elishia Merricks from Macmillan, and the great PJ Ochlan. If you’d like to learn more about how classic audiobooks are made, please check out my blog.

We also won a w3 Silver award for this season of the podcast! Hazzah!

I’m planning on releasing a new classic title this month, outside of the podcast. So round up your coupon codes, and keep an ear open for the announcement next week.

And now for something completely different.

I first recorded The Tell-Tale Heart and The Pit and the Pendulum back in 2007, during the first year of the show. I wanted to try it again now, and see how my approach has changed and hopefully improved.

It’s actually quite difficult to perform Poe aloud. I mean, he’s talking about such outrageous stuff, it’s really easy to overdo it. In today’s reading, I try to make it as conversational and natural as possible, while still remaining true to the author’s original intent.

Poe actually wrote the stories with the intention for them to be read aloud. 1800s-style. There are a million different ways to approach this text. I hope this one works for you.

And now, The Pit and the Pendulum, and The Tell-Tale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe.

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Follow this link to check out Great Pods – a Rotten Tomatoes-style index for podcasts

Ep. 806, The Scientific Cracksman, by Arthur B. Reeve

30 september 2022 | 53 min

Why would someone break into the safe of a millionaire industrialist, and leave the money? Arthur B. Reeve, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. This is something I’ve done for fifteen years, now. We’ve been able to help many, many people discover authors and stories they never would have read, and be surprised and inspired. It’s free for you to listen to, but it does cost real money to make it happen. But instead of just asking for your financial support, we like to give back more.

If you enjoy the show, please sign up to be a supporter for as little as $5 a month. We’ll give you a monthly coupon code for $8 off any audiobook order. This is why we break down the larger titles on the website, so you can use three codes it you want to get The Count of Monte Cristo. It’s a great way to build out your classic audiobook library, and help so we can continue to provide this service.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. Thank you so much.

If you’re looking for another great podcast, let me direct you to Great Pods. It’s like a Rotten Tomatoes directory for podcasts – they only list shows that have been professionally reviewed, and I’m glad we made their directory. Head on over to greatpods.co and find your next favorite show.

We wind up September Sleuths with an introduction to the work of Arthur B. Reeve. His sleuth is Craig Kennedy, and he’s professional scientist and amateur detective, based at Columbia University. Like Augustus van Dusen from a couple of weeks ago, Kennedy also has an enthusiastic journalist in the Watson role, and can use a wide array of state-of-the-art gadgets in his detective work.

And now, The Scientific Cracksman, by Arthur B. Reeve.

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Follow this link to purchase The Man in the Brown Suit, by Agatha Christie:

Ep. 805, Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan, by Agatha Christie

23 september 2022 | 40 min

An extravagant pearl necklace is missing. Can Poirot discover the elusive thief? Agatha Christie, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. This is something I’ve done for fifteen years, now. We’ve been able to help many, many people discover authors and stories they never would have read, and be surprised and inspired. It’s free for you to listen to, but it does cost real money to make it happen. And it takes a lot of time. Every single week. But instead of just asking for your financial support, we like to give back more

If you enjoy the show, please sign up to be a supporter for as little as $5 a month. We’ll give you a monthly coupon code for $8 off any audiobook order. It’s a great way to build out your classic audiobook library, and help so we can continue to provide this service.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. Thank you so much.

September Sleuths continues with the Queen of Crime herself – Agatha Christie. Born in Torquay in 1890, Agatha Christie became, and remains, the best-selling novelist of all time.

She is best known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, as well as the world’s longest-running play – The Mousetrap. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. She was homeschooled by her father, an American, and taught herself to read by the age of 5.

During the first World War, she worked in a hospital dispensary in Torquay. She completed the examination of the Society of Apothecaries, which is where she got her extensive knowledge of poisons. During this time there were many Belgian refugees along the British countryside. Agatha thought that a Belgian refugee, who used to be a famous Belgian policeman, would make an excellent detective. She was right.

And now, Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan, by Agatha Christie.

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Follow this link to purchase The Crystal Stopper, Arsène Lupin #5, by Maurice Leblanc.

Sample of Grave Intervention, by Shira Shiloah

20 september 2022 | 13 min

Ep. 803, The Superfluous Finger, by Jacques Futrelle

16 september 2022 | 46 min

Ep. 802, The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans, by Arthur Conan Doyle

9 september 2022 | 76 min

Ep. 801, Treasure Island, Part 7 of 7, by Robert Louis Stevenson

2 september 2022 | 58 min

Ep. 800, Treasure Island, Part 6 of 7, by Robert Louis Stevenson

26 augusti 2022 | 64 min

Ep. 799, Treasure Island, Part 5 of 7, by Robert Louis Stevenson

19 augusti 2022 | 81 min

Ep. 798, Treasure Island, Part 4 of 7, by Robert Louis Stevenson

12 augusti 2022 | 58 min

Ep. 797, Treasure Island, Part 3 of 7, by Robert Louis Stevenson

5 augusti 2022 | 67 min

Ep. 796, Treasure Island, Part 2 of 7, by Robert Louis Stevenson

29 juli 2022 | 64 min

Ep. 795, Treasure Island, Part 1 of 7, by Robert Louis Stevenson

22 juli 2022 | 73 min

Ep. 794, The Pirates of Penzance, Part 2 of 2, by W.S. Gilbert

15 juli 2022 | 42 min

Ep. 793, Sample of The Man in the Brown Suit, by Agatha Christie

13 juli 2022 | 55 min

Ep. 792, The Pirates of Penzance, Part 1 of 2, by W.S. Gilbert

8 juli 2022 | 52 min

Ep. 791, With the Buccaneers, by Howard Pyle

1 juli 2022 | 56 min

How will Captain Morgan save his fellow captain who is being held prisoner by the Spanish vice admiral? Howard Pyle, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. Many, many thanks to our financial supporters who pitch in every month to help us keep the lights on. If you enjoy the show, please sign up to be a supporter for as little as $5 a month. We’ll give you a monthly coupon code for $8 off any audiobook order. Give more, and you get more! Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. Thank you so much.

And if you can’t support us financially at this time, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.

And if you prefer listening on YouTube, our channel is now up to date.

Welcome to Pirate Summer! Today we have a story taken from Howard Pyle’s Book of Pirates. Howard Pyle was first and foremost an artist. He taught for several years at what became Drexel University, and many noteworthy artists studied under him, including N.C. Wyeth and Frank Schoonover.

Pyle is credited with establishing what has come to be known as the modern stereotype pirate attire. Since there wasn’t much to draw upon as far as historical documentation as to what pirates actually wore, Pyle borrowed largely from gypsy garments and styles to create the pirate look we know today. It’s been criticized as being wildly impractical for actual sailoring.

He wrote and illustrated several books for young adults, including The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, and a four-volume set on the life of King Arthur. He breathed new life into children’s literature, bringing a solid artistic background to his illustrations, raising the genre to a new level.

While today’s story features Captain Henry Morgan, it is a total work of fiction.

And now, With the Buccaneers, by Howard Pyle.

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Ep. 790, Pirates' Gold, Part 4 of 4, by H. Bedford-Jones

24 juni 2022 | 76 min

Ep. 789, Pirates' Gold, Part 3 of 4, by H. Bedford-Jones

17 juni 2022 | 68 min

Ep. 788, Pirates' Gold, Part 2 of 4, by H. Bedford-Jones

10 juni 2022 | 68 min

Ep. 787, Pirates' Gold, Part 1 of 4, by H. Bedford-Jones

3 juni 2022 | 68 min

George Roberts of Virginia is happy to be shipping with his new friend, Ned Low. But when he discovers that his friend is actually known as Bloody Ned, the merciless pirate, his salty pluck is put to the test. H. Bedford-Jones, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. Many, many thanks to our financial supporters who pitch in every month to help us keep the lights on. If you enjoy the show, please sign up to be a supporter for as little as $5 a month. We’ll give you a monthly coupon code for $8 off any audiobook order. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today.

We have been shortlisted by Time Magazine! In a recent article, TIME chose 8 podcasts that help you wind down at the end of the day. Turns out, our show is up there with Levar Burton, Lore, and Atlas Obscura. A link to the article can be found in the description of today’s episode.

https://time.com/6180539/podcasts-to-help-you-fall-asleep/

Also, in collaboration with the Audie award-winning Nancy Peterson, I’m happy to announce that our dual narration of Agatha Christie’s The Man in the Brown Suit will soon be available to purchase through our website. Look for a healthy sample coming your way in the podcast feed!

Henry James O’Brian Bedford-Jones was a Canadian-American writer of adventure fantasy, science fiction, crime and Westerns in the golden age of pulp magazines. Enormously prolific, he wrote nearly 200 novels, 400 novelettes, and 800 short stories. He used so many pseudonyms that a perfect accounting of all of his works is impossible.

While many writers cranked out reams of adventure stories for the pulps in this period, this story is a standout for several reasons. It’s firstly a story of pirates who have dark pasts, and are trying to go straight. There’s a plucky woman on board, who is anything but a damsel in distress. And the focus on character progression over sensational plot devices is a breath of fresh air. But rest assured, there’s plenty of action. This is a pirate story, after all!

And now, Pirates’ Gold, part 1 of 4, by H. Bedford-Jones.

Follow this link to purchase The Crystal Stopper, Arsène Lupin #5, by Maurice Leblanc.

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Ep. 786, Man-Size in Marble, by Edith Nesbit

27 maj 2022 | 41 min

Ep 785, The Hammer of God, by G.K. Chesterton

20 maj 2022 | 48 min

Ep 784, Malachi's Cove, by Anthony Trollope

13 maj 2022 | 56 min

Ep. 783, The Great God Pan, Part 3 of 3, by Arthur Machen

6 maj 2022 | 39 min

Ep. 782, The Great God Pan, Part 2 of 3, by Arthur Machen

29 april 2022 | 56 min

Ep. 781, The Great God Pan, Part 1 of 3, by Arthur Machen

22 april 2022 | 66 min

Some have seen the veil of existence lifted, and wonders upon wonders opened before their mind’s eye. They call this seeing the Great God Pan. Now Dr. Raymond will attempt to lift the veil again, surgically. Arthur Machen, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. Many, many thanks to our financial supporters who pitch in every month to help us keep the lights on. If you enjoy the show, please sign up to be a supporter for as little as $5 a month. We’ll give you a coupon code every month as a thank you. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today.

The Crystal Stopper, the fifth installment in the Arsène Lupin series, is now available at http://classictalesaudiobooks.com. The fourth installment, 813, was recently reviewed in Audiofile Magazine. You can pick up 813 and The Crystal Stopper by visiting the links in the details for this week’s episode.

And now for something completely different.

Welsh author Arthur Machen pioneered the world of Gothic fiction, spanning the distance between Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. This particular work of classic horror is instrumental in employing the triggering device of occultism, as well as using several different points of view to build a story. This use of various letters to build a cohesive narrative was also used by Victorian authors Wilkie Collins in The Moonstone, Bram Stoker in Dracula, and later by H.P. Lovecraft in The Call of Cthulhu. The concept of a veil that is lifted to reveal a “world elsewhere” is also a common Victorian story device, as used by George Eliot in “The Lifted Veil”. Machen moved them all forward.

First published in 1890, it is interesting to consider that when the story’s editor, Clarke, is compiling his volume of proof of the existence of the Devil, he assiduously refrains from using published works. In the compiling of his theory, the use of unpublished works is far more valuable to make his point absolutely clear.

And now, The Great God Pan, Part 1 of 3, by Arthur Machen.

Follow this link to purchase The Crystal Stopper, Arsène Lupin #5, by Maurice Leblanc.

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Ep. 780, Carry On, Jeeves, Part 10 of 10, by P.G. Wodehouse

15 april 2022 | 41 min

Ep. 779, Carry On, Jeeves, Part 9 of 10, by P.G. Wodehouse

8 april 2022 | 61 min

Ep. 778, Carry On, Jeeves, Part 8 of 10, by P.G. Wodehouse

1 april 2022 | 45 min

Ep. 777, Carry On,Jeeves, Part 7 of 10, by P. G. Wodehouse

25 mars 2022 | 57 min

Ep. 776, Carry On, Jeeves, Part 6 of 10, by P.G. Wodehouse

18 mars 2022 | 59 min

Ep. 775, Carry On, Jeeves, Part 5 of 10, by P.G. Wodehouse

11 mars 2022 | 61 min

Ep. 774, Carry On Jeeves, Part 4 of 10, by P. G. Wodehouse

4 mars 2022 | 46 min

Ep. 773, Carry On, Jeeves Part 3 of 10, by P.G. Wodehouse

25 februari 2022 | 47 min

Ep. 772, Carry On, Jeeves, Part 2 of 10, by P. G. Wodehouse

18 februari 2022 | 42 min

Ep. 771, Carry On Jeeves, Part1 of 10, by P.G. Wodehouse

11 februari 2022 | 54 min

Ep. 770, The Open Boat, by Stephen Crane

4 februari 2022 | 70 min

After battling the tempestuous sea, four men in a boat finally spy land. But will the process of getting to the land be their undoing? Stephen Crane, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. Many, many thanks to our financial supporters who pitch in every month to keep us afloat. If you enjoy the show, please sign up to be a supporter for as little as $5 a month. We’ll give you a coupon code every month as a thank you. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today.

And please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Thank you so much!

We had a great time in our Facebook Live event! Many thanks to all of you who came and visited. We’ll have to do it again soon. If you missed it, I’ll be posting the video up on our YouTube channel in a couple of days

This week’s story is by Stephen Crane, and is often anthologized and taught in high schools. There are a few things that struck me when I researched this book:

When the crew in the boat near land, the approach to safety (land) is the very thing that could kill them, if they are smashed on the rocks. It totally reminded me of our bout with COVID. As we get closer and think that’s okay, but then, no, no, no, that’s too dangerous, get back, get back. Hopefully we can all make it to safety soon.

One of the main themes of this story is the ambivalence of nature, and how we tend to put our human spin on the nature of nature. The story kind of states that nature just doesn’t care about the plight of mankind. In the softer, contemplative moments of the book, it isn’t a gentle providence taking care of the men, and they don’t humbly surrender to it. It’s a harsh, ambivalent nature that could care less if the creatures living on it live or die. But in the end, humanity is humanity. It’s a fascinating look at how we take care of each other in times of crisis.

And now, The Open Boat, by Stephen Crane.

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Ep. 769, Winnie-the-Pooh, Part 4 of 4, by A. A. Milne

28 januari 2022 | 35 min

Ep. 768, Winnie-the-Pooh, Part 3 of 4, by A. A. Milne

21 januari 2022 | 65 min

Ep. 767, Winnie-the-Pooh, Part 2 of 4, by A. A. Milne

14 januari 2022 | 42 min

Ep. 766, Winnie-the-Pooh, Part 1 of 4, by A. A. Milne

7 januari 2022 | 33 min

Ep. 765, Dalyrimple Goes Wrong, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

31 december 2021 | 51 min

Ep. 764, The Tailor of Gloucester, by Beatrix Potter

24 december 2021 | 27 min

Who will help the tailor of Gloucester to finish the Mayor’s elegant coat? For the Mayor is to be married wearing it tomorrow - on Christmas Day in the morning. Beatrix Potter, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you, and we really appreciate your support. We’ve set it up so that for a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook order. Give more, and you get more! This way you can easily build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

And please rate and review us if you can, so more folks can find us.

Go now to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today.

If you’d like more Charles Dickens this holiday season, the version of A Christmas Carol that I recorded in 2018 is now available as a standalone audiobook at classictalesaudiobooks.com. Pick it up and make it a tradition to enjoy every year!

I just wanted to say thank you for spending another Christmas with The Classic Tales. This is our fifteenth Christmas, and it’s been so fun to research and discover new Yuletide stories every year. Thanks for joining me on this adventure.

Beatrix Potter was born to a middle-upper class family. She was privately educated by governesses at home, which was usual for the time. She was an incredibly gifted artist, and specialized in mycology, which is the study of fungi. Her beautiful illustrations of various fungi are still consulted by botanists today.

Though she wasn’t allowed to attend university because of her sex, she submitted a paper challenging the theory of symbiosis to the Linnean Society in 1897.

A few years later she self-published her first book, because no publisher was interested in it. She published a few copies for her family and friends. Two years later, in 1902, Frederick, Warne and Company reconsidered publishing her “bunny book”, as they called it, and The Tale of Peter Rabbit was an immediate success.

Beatrix Potter loved vacationing in the English lake district near Windermere, and purchased several farms to preserve the landscape of the area. Upon her death, she left nearly all of her property to the National Trust, including over

And now, The Tailor of Gloucester, by Beatrix Potter.

Tap here to purchase A Christmas Carol (2018), by Charles Dickens!

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Ep. 763, A Cricket on the Hearth, Part 3 of 3, by Charles Dickens

17 december 2021 | 86 min

Ep. 762, A Cricket on the Hearth, Part 2 of 3, by Charles Dickens

10 december 2021 | 81 min

Ep. 761, A Cricket on the Hearth, Part 1 of 3, by Charles Dickens

3 december 2021 | 69 min

Ep. 760, The Knight of the Necropolis, Part 8 of 8, by Sax Rohmer

26 november 2021 | 62 min

All is revealed, and we finally learn the answer to Robert’s burning question: who exactly is Anthony Ferrara? Sax Rohmer, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you, and we really appreciate your support. We’ve set it up so that for a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook order. Give more, and you get more! This way you can easily build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

And if you can’t support us financially right now, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, so more folks can find us.

Go now to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today.

Well, the day I knew would finally come has finally come. We have come to the end of this book. Now, I told you when we began that it’s been criticized because it has a weak ending. Well, it does. It’s not a good ending. It’s quite likely when you are in a conversation about books that are great, but have really weak endings, this will be the top one that comes to mind. Maybe not, but maybe so.

This book has been so fun. I mean, we’ve had murderous invisible hands, spiders, bats, and the curse with the hair and the orchids. We’ve crawled through an Egyptian pyramid, and discovered Ferrara creating the nefarious incense. I mean, it’s been a fun ride. Let’s just try to remember that as we finish this up.

And now, The Knight of the Necropolis, Part 8 of 8, by Sax Rohmer.

Tap here to purchase 813, Arsène Lupin Vol. 4, by Maurice Leblanc!

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Ep. 759, The Knight of the Necropolis, Part 7 of 8, by Sax Rohmer

19 november 2021 | 55 min

Ep. 758, The Knight of the Necropolis, Part 6 of 8, by Sax Rohmer

12 november 2021 | 63 min

Ep. 757, The Knight of the Necropolis, Part 5 of 8, by Sax Rohmer

5 november 2021 | 84 min

Can Dr. Cairn ascertain how he was bewitched to nearly take the life of his son? Sax Rohmer, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you, and we really appreciate your support. We’ve set it up so that for a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook order. Give more, and you get more! This way you can easily build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classic in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

And if you can’t support us financially right now, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, so more folks can find us.

Go now to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today.

If you’re looking for a unique gift for a book lover, check out our merchandise store. For a limited time, you can save up to 35% off our merchandise. How about an Ivanhoe hoodie? A Pride and Prejudice Gift Bag? An Erudite Troglodyte mug? How about a sticker of The Great Gatsby? Pick up some fun stuff, and be the perfect gift giver this holiday season.

Head on over to our merch store: https://www.teepublic.com/user/classictales

Last week’s story ended with Dr. Cairn nearly killing his son Robert. He was under the influence of a strange dream, and he thought that he was about to rid the world of Antony Ferrara. Now, father and son will begin to unpack the events of the night, and compare notes.

And now, The Knight of the Necropolis, Part 5 of 8, by Sax Rohmer.

Tap here to purchase 813, Arsène Lupin Vol. 4, by Maurice Leblanc!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Tap here to purchase 813, Arsène Lupin Vol. 4, by Maurice Leblanc!

Ep. 756, The Knight of the Necropolis, Part 4 of 8, by Sax Rohmer

29 oktober 2021 | 83 min

Ep. 755, The Knight of the Necropolis, Part 3 of 8, by Sax Rohmer

22 oktober 2021 | 52 min

Why do ghouls and other creatures of the night haunt the remnants of the house of Dhoon? Sax Rohmer, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you, and we really appreciate your support. We’ve set it up so that for a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook order. Give more, and you get more! It actually takes quite a bit to make this show every week, and I really appreciate all the help I can get. The content curation, the direction, editing, marketing, artwork, and of course, the narrating, that’s all me. I also have to hire out some of the work, as well, so every little bit helps. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

And if you can’t support us financially right now, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, so more folks can find us.

Go now to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today.

813, the fourth novel in the Arsène Lupin series is also now available! Head on over to classictalesaudiobooks.com and pick up this fantastic adventure! And if you’d like to save 2 dollars when you get 813, simply enter the coupon code: podcast. No subscription, no additional purchase necessary, just enter the word podcast, and save 2 bucks. This is the last week for this promotion.

The Society of Voice Arts and Sciences has nominated Scaramouche as a finalist for a SOVAS award! We are going up against a few icons in the narration industry whom I’ve actually paid for training! It’s about as prestigious as they come. I’m shocked and honored to be a nominee for this very special award.

And now, The Knight of the Necropolis, Part 3 of 8, by Sax Rohmer.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Tap here to purchase 813, Arsène Lupin Vol. 4, by Maurice Leblanc!

Ep. 754, The Knight of the Necropolis, Part 2 of 8, by Sax Rohmer

15 oktober 2021 | 53 min

Ep. 753, The Knight of the Necropolis, Part 1 of 8, by Sax Rohmer

8 oktober 2021 | 80 min

Antony Ferrara heats his quarters like an inferno, collects brain-eating beetles, and wears an Egyptian ring. So, why does Cairn suspect him of killing a swan? Sax Rohmer, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you, and we really appreciate your support. We’ve set it up so that for a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook order. Give more, and you get more! This way you can easily build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

Go now to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today.

We won a podcast award! The Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts has awarded The Classic Tales Podcast with a Gold Award! Juried by some titans from the top media firms, (Disney, Conde Nast, Microsoft, etc.), I share this honor with Trevor Noah’s Daily Show Podcast, MTV’s Official Challenge Podcast, Broadway Podcast Network and a few others. Only the top 10% of those who entered were awarded the Gold Award. We are super psyched about that.

813, the fourth novel in the Arsène Lupin series is also now available! Head on over to classictalesaudiobooks.com and pick up this fantastic adventure! And if you’d like to save 2 dollars when you get 813, simply enter the coupon code: podcast. No subscription, no additional purchase necessary, just enter the word podcast, and save 2 bucks. Thank you for your support!

Today’s story is from the creator of the Fu-Manchu series, Sax Rohmer. It was originally titled, The Brood of the Witch-Queen. I think that the unfortunate title is the reason that this book is not more well know today. That, and the ending isn’t super great. Just putting that out there right now. But H.P. Lovecraft compared this book with Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and many critics of the time considered it one of Rohmer’s best. I’ve taken the liberty of releasing it as Knight of the Necropolis. Hopefully ol’ Sax isn’t turning too much in his grave at that.

One of the things that really draws me to classic Halloween monsters is that they are steeped in literature. Obviously, Dracula and Frankenstein immediately come to mind with their respective baddies. There are many werewolf short stories, from Kipling’s The Mark of the Beast, to Murryat’s The White Wolf of the Harz Mountains. Alexandre Dumas even wrote a full length, lack luster novel about a werewolf, clumsily translated as The Wolf Leader. I’m told Steinbeck also wrote a werewolf yarn.

Mummy tales also abound in short fiction. Among the best are Conan Doyle’s Lot No. 249, Louisa May Alcott’s The Ring of Thoth, and H.P. Lovecraft’s Imprisoned with the Pharaohs. Among the less successful is Bram Stoker’s novel Jewel of the Seven Stars.

Now, today’s story isn’t perfect by any means. It’s not high literature. But when I read it, I felt that it really delivered the same feeling that I get when I watch the original movie of The Mummy, with Boris Karloff. It’s set up as a series of adventures where we can eventually piece together the identity of that devotee of ancient sorcery: Antony Ferrara. The similarities to Dracula are evident. Nobody believes in Egyptian sorcery, there’s only one scholar who’s studied enough to stop him, etc.. But what can I say, when it comes to magic rings, brain-eating beetles, vampires, ancient curses, Egyptian mummies, and the like, I’m always up for it. I hope you are, too.

And now, The Knight of the Necropolis, Part 1 of 8, by Sax Rohmer.

Tap here to purchase your copy of The Black Tulip, by Alexandre Dumas!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Tap here to preorder 813, Arsène Lupin Vol. 4, by Maurice Leblanc!

Ep. 752, The Solitary Cyclist, by Arthur Conan Doyle

1 oktober 2021 | 54 min

Ep. 751, Battling Billson, by P.G. Wodehouse

24 september 2021 | 58 min

Ep. 750, Sample of 813, by Maurice Leblanc

22 september 2021 | 51 min

Ep. 749, Ukridge's Accident Syndicate, by P.G. Wodehouse

17 september 2021 | 49 min

It’s not exactly fraud - more of a scheme. When a group of like-minded blighters plan to pool their funds and cash in on an unhappy accident, why, what could happen? P.G. Wodehouse, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off your audiobook order. Give more, and you get more! It kind of cracks open the website for you, so you can easily build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

The Black Tulip, by Alexandre Dumas is now available at classictalesaudiobooks.com. Download your copy of this extraordinary adventure.

And we have another new title being released this week! 813, the fourth novel in the Arsene Lupin series will be available on Tuesday. Clocking in at over 12 hours, this is one of the most overlooked and unheralded adventure/mystery/heist novels I’ve ever run across. I think it’s on par with The Hound of the Baskervilles, or The Secret Adversary.

I’ll be releasing a sample chapter in the podcast feed midweek, once it becomes available. And the fun part is – coupon codes will be available for this title. So head on over to classictalesaudiobooks.com. Pick up 813 and The Black Tulip. You’ve got some fun listening ahead. And thank you so much for your support.

This week, we have another story about Ukridge. I’m not sure exactly how many of these Ukridge stories we’ll do, but I’m loving them so much, I can’t turn away from them. We may start our Halloween stories next week. We’ll see how things shake out.

And now, Ukridge’s Accident Syndicate, by P.G. Wodehouse.

Tap here to purchase your copy of The Black Tulip, by Alexandre Dumas!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Tap here to reserve your copy of The Black Tulip, by Alexandre Dumas!

Ep. 748, Ukridge's Dog College, by P.G. Wodehouse

10 september 2021 | 49 min

When it becomes strikingly evident to Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge that the world is short one dog college, how will he get one up and running? P.G. Wodehouse, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off your audiobook order. Give more, and you get more! It kind of cracks open the website for you, so you can easily build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

Go now to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today.

We have some fun new titles appearing along with The Black Tulip! Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll, Sinbad the Sailor, from the Arabian Nights, and Casting the Runes, by M.R. James are available now. While your there, reserve your copy of The Black Tulip, by Alexandre Dumas.

A prize of 100,000 florins is offered to the person who can produce a perfectly black tulip – a feat considered impossible. But at the very moment when Cornelius van Bearle is on the brink of achieving the impossible, he is imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. The story of his black tulip’s journey is absolutely riveting, and an event you don’t want to miss.

Coupon codes will not be available for The Black Tulip. At least for a little while. Once we meet a certain threshold, we will release this title for coupon code use, and send it to our retail partners. But for now, this title is exclusively available at classictalesaudiobooks.com. Be the first to listen to this tender leaf of historical fiction.

Go to classictalesaudiobooks.com, and reserve your copy of The Black Tulip, by Alexandre Dumas.

And now for something completely different.

We first met Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge in the novel Love Among the Chickens. That was actually the second in the Ukridge line of stories. The first book, Ukridge, is a collection of short stories that are loosely woven together, as is Wodehouse’s wont.

And now, Ukridge’s Dog College, by P.G. Wodehouse.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Tap here to reserve your copy of The Black Tulip, by Alexandre Dumas!

Ep. 747, The Yellow Rose, Part 3 of 3, by Maurus Jokai

3 september 2021 | 83 min

When Sándor discovers some disturbing clues, the only answer is a Hungarian duel – on horseback. Maurus Jokai, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook download. Give more, and you get more! It kind of cracks open the website for you, so you can easily build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

Go to classictalesaudiobooks.com and make a donation today.

We’ve got a new title available for presale: The Black Tulip, by Alexandre Dumas. A prize of 100,000 florins is offered to the person who can produce a perfectly black tulip – a feat considered impossible. But at the very moment when Cornelius van Bearle is on the brink of achieving the impossible, he is imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. The story of his black tulip’s journey is absolutely riveting, and an event you don’t want to miss.

Coupon codes will not be available for this title. Once we meet a certain threshold, we will release this title for coupon code use, and send it to our retail partners. But for now, this title is exclusively available at classictalesaudiobooks.com. Be the first to listen to this tender leaf of historical fiction.

Go to classictalesaudiobooks.com, and reserve your copy of The Black Tulip, by Alexandre Dumas.

Last week, Ferko drove the herd of cattle to jump off the ferry as they were crossing the river. Let’s see how that works out for him.

And now, The Yellow Rose, Part 3 of 3, by Maurus Jokai.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 746, The Yellow Rose, Part 2 of 3, by Maurus Jokai

27 augusti 2021 | 74 min

A wayward horse carries a dying man across the lone puszta. He is not injured – he is poisoned. Maurus Jokai, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook download. Give more, and you get more! It kind of cracks open the website for you, so you can easily build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much..

Go to classictalesaudiobooks.com and make a donation today.

I’m hoping that if we get enough supporters, I can record some more classics outside of the podcast. I’m researching out an Alexandre Dumas book that might fit the bill. If you can swing it, please chip in!

In this week’s story, we delve more into the Hungarian horse culture, and learn more about the flatland known as the puszta. I’ve been there, and it’s as flat as it’s described in the story. I’ve grown up all my life in the mountains, and that was the first time in my life I experienced the complete absence of anything varying the skyline. No mountains, no hills. Just a dome of sky. It’s really an amazing place.

Last week, we met Sandor Decsi, a Hungarian horseman, or csikos, who was drafted into the war to serve the Emperor. He gave a comb, signifying his engagement to Klari, the young woman who run the Hortobagy Inn. Sandor wasn’t too happy with her, because it was evident that she had been a little unfaithful, as he had met on the way to see her he met Ferko Lacza, a cowboy, who had received from Klari a yellow rose from the only yellow rose bush on the puszta. Due to this lover’s spat, Klari remembered the teachings of a gypsy woman, who said to add mandragora root to her sweetheart’s wine, if she wanted to get him to love her again.

Meanwhile, Ferko the cowboy was on his way to escort a herd of cattle to Austria, and start a new life as the lead cowherd there. Our story today begins when the group of men are getting ready to start the journey across the puszta to their new home and country.

And now, The Yellow Rose, Part 2 of 3, by Maurus Jokai.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 745, The Yellow Rose, Part 1 of 3, by Maurus Jokai

20 augusti 2021 | 74 min

Will the maid known as The Yellow Rose remain true while her beau is away soldiering for the emperor? A Hungarian Western by Maurus Jokai, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook download. Give more, and you get more! It kind of cracks open the website for you, so you can easily build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

Go to classictalesaudiobooks.com and make a donation today.

I’m hoping that if we get enough supporters, I can record some more classics outside of the podcast. I’m researching out an Alexandre Dumas book that might fit the bill. If you can swing it, please chip in!

And now for something completely different.

A while ago, back in May, I asked via Facebook whether it might be time for a western to be in order. Since I’m from the West myself, I thought it might be fitting. For one reason or other, I wasn’t feeling it. However, I did run across this idea. Today’s book, The Yellow Rose, is from Maurus Jokai, or Jokai Mor, one of Hungary’s most famous writers. Hungary is famous for its horse culture, and this book takes place at a time before railroads, and deals largely with the traditions and way of life for the cowherds and horsemen, or csikos, of Hungary.

Well, I thought, what if I performed this book as if it were an American Western? It parallels our trope of “Western” so well, why not? So, let’s give it a shot.

Let’s go now to an adventure in the old world, in a Western that takes place a stone’s throw from Asia.

And now, The Yellow Rose, Part 1 of 3, by Maurus Jokai.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 744, Crisis of Conscience, 3 short stories by O. Henry

13 augusti 2021 | 82 min

A “shop-girl”, a thief, and a drunkard each encounter a crisis of conscience. How will they measure up? O. Henry, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you.

I’m happy to announce that based on downloads, we are in the top 1% of all podcasts! And the thing is, we always have been.

You may notice that we don’t top the charts. Not any more, anyhow. So, why the disparity? Well, the charts are all run by algorithms, and each platform has their own. Judiciously curated titles, and professional audiobook quality are the things that we focus on. And for those who have found us – congratulations!

I don’t run ads or commercials, and I focus on things that make the listening experience truly wonderful. For 14 years now, I’ve always striven to increase the quality however I can, and thus enhance the end listener’s experience. No ads in the middle of the story, no new printer to buy at the beginning. If you like it, please lend a hand. Around 2% of the listeners donate at all, and I really like where we’ve landed. Please help us out, if you can.

Go to classictalesaudiobooks.com and make a donation today.

O. Henry wrote over 300 short stories, and was coined the American equivalent of Guy de Maupassant. The O. Henry award is given out each year for outstanding short stories. This was his medium, and he used it very, very well.

The stories in today’s episodes I’ve dubbed “Crisis of Conscience: Regular People and Uncomfortable Decisions” because that’s the thread all three of these stories have in common.

The first, An Unfinished Story, I really love for the craft of writing involved. In only half telling two stories, O. Henry delivers a clear and powerful message. I think it’s quite amazing.

The other two stories are more typical narratives, each setting up folks who are trying to get back up on the straight and narrow, and their terrible wrangle with the most evil adversary of all – hope. Let’s see how they do.

And now, Crisis of Conscience: Regular People and Uncomfortable Decisions, 3 short stories by O. Henry.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 743, The Willows, Part 2 of 2, by Algernon Blackwood

6 augusti 2021 | 83 min

Why does a great crack appear in the canoe, after a night beached near the willows? Algernon Blackwood, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook download. Give more, and you get more! It kind of cracks open the website for you, so you can easily build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

Go now to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today.

We are pleased to announce that the audiobook of The Hollow Needle and the complete audiobook, The Confessions of Arsene Lupin are now available at the website. If you’re wanting to hear them all in one go, now you can, at classictalesaudiobooks.com.

The Classic Tales App is a great little tool for listening to the podcast. You can easily follow the links in the show notes, and you can see the episode specific artwork that I create for every title. You can also hear the occasional special feature. This app doesn’t interact with the website, though. Just a fair warning. I’ve looked into it, and to create such an app is cost prohibitive at this point. But if you want a quick place to jump and get your classic tales fix, the Classic Tales App is a great place to go.

Last week, we followed our narrator and The Swede down the Danube. They entered an area between Vienna and Pest containing boundless willows, making their way through the innumerable islets that would appear and disappear as the flood ebbed and flowed. Our hero felt that the Willows were ominous, alive, and somehow influenced by a supernatural force. Let’s see how the story plays out.

And now, The Willows, part 2 of 2, by Algernon Blackwood.

Go now to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today.

Ep. 742, The Willows, Part 1 of 2, by Algernon Blackwood

30 juli 2021 | 73 min

A river adventure down the Danube turns dark, when an eerie presence is felt in the willows… Algernon Blackwood, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook download. Give more, and you get more! It kind of cracks open the website for you, so you can easily build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

We are pleased to announce that the audiobook of The Hollow Needle and the complete audiobook, The Confessions of Arsene Lupin are now available at the website. If you’re wanting to hear them all in one go, now you can.

The Classic Tales App is a great little tool for listening to the podcast. You can easily follow the links in the show notes, and you can see the episode specific artwork that I create for every title. You can also hear the occasional special feature. This app doesn’t interact with the website, though. Just a fair warning. I’ve looked into it, and to create such an app is cost prohibitive at this point. But if you want a quick place to jump and get your classic tales fix, the Classic Tales App is a great place to go.

And now for something completely different.

H.P. Lovecraft, who coined the term “weird fiction”, considered “The Willows” to be the finest supernatural tale in English Literature. You can see how it would appeal to him: the masterful way that Blackwood personifies the Willows to be ominous, alive, and menacing, the human natures attributed to the river, the omniscient power of the wind, all build to create a very Lovecraftian atmosphere that begs the question of whether there is an ancient supernatural force guiding it all.

And now, The Willows, part 1 of 2, by Algernon Blackwood.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 741, The Hollow Needle, Part 7 of 7, by Maurice Leblanc

23 juli 2021 | 86 min

Ep. 740, The Hollow Needle, Part 6 of 7, by Maurice Leblanc

16 juli 2021 | 94 min

Can Beautrelet deduce the royal secret of the Hollow Needle? Maurice Leblanc, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. Think of all the stuff you’ve learned, and the characters you’ve enjoyed. For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook download. Give more, and you get more! It kind of cracks open the website for you, so you can easily build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

Go now to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today.

If it’s more convenient, we are streaming our episodes through YouTube, now. A link can be found in the comments section for today’s episode.

For those of you who enjoy the personal moments, I’ve decided to begin to release those stories as a special feature you can access in the Classic Tales app. Open up today’s episode in the Classic Tales app, and you can hear all about how Agatha Christie’s “Evil Under the Sun” is integrated into our family’s culture.

One thing before we begin today’s story – the reason that I chose to produce this book is because Arsene Lupin is largely unknown in America. As I’ve been at this for some time, I’ve been amazed at the volume of material that is absolutely incredible, but largely unknown. I’m not sure why that is. For whatever reason, I’m glad we can enjoy a good Lupin heist now and again.

And now, The Hollow Needle, Part 6 of 7, by Maurice Leblanc.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 739, The Hollow Needle, Part 5 of 7, by Maurice Leblanc

9 juli 2021 | 93 min

Ep. 738, The Hollow Needle, Part 4 of 7, by Maurice Leblanc

2 juli 2021 | 62 min

What supernatural force is keeping Beautrelet from revealing all? Maurice Leblanc, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. You get so much out of this! For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook download. Give more, and you get more! It kind of cracks open the website for you, so you can easily build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

If it’s more convenient, we are streaming our episodes through YouTube, now. A link can be found in the comments section for today’s episode.

For those of you who enjoy the personal moments, I’ve decided to begin to release those stories as a special feature you can access in the app.

And finally, I am so happy to announce that the Classic Tales version of Scaramouche, by Raphael Sabatini has WON and Independent Audiobook Award! We won for Best General Fiction. There aren’t too many awards available to distinguish yourself in the audiobook world right now, and this is one of the biggest! So a big, huge THANK YOU to all of you who have listened to and financially supported the podcast. You literally made it possible to produce an award-winning audiobook. So give yourself a pat on the back! Now, let’s do it again!

The story so far: Young Beautrelet has uncovered a plot of Arsene Lupin’s to steal certain valuable paintings, and replacing them with copies. During the heist, a man was shot while trying to escape. Beautrelet deduced that the man shot was Arsene Lupin himself, and tracked him to a crypt beneath a great altar stone. However, in chipping away at the altar to gain access to the secret refuge, a great stone fell, and when the dust cleared, the body of Arsene Lupin was discovered - absolutely crushed.

And now, The Hollow Needle, Part 4 of 7, by Maurice Leblanc.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 737, The Hollow Needle, Part 3 of 7, by Maurice Leblanc

25 juni 2021 | 71 min

Ep. 736, The Hollow Needle, Part 2 of 7, by Maurice Leblanc

18 juni 2021 | 41 min

Can young Beautrelet really solve a crime which absolutely baffles the police? Maurice Leblanc, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. You get so much out of this! For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook download. Give more, and you get more! It kind of cracks open the website for you, so you can easily build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

If it’s more convenient, we are streaming our episodes through YouTube, now. A link can be found in the comments section for today’s episode.

For those of you who enjoy the personal moments, I’ve decided to begin to release those stories as a special feature you can access in the app. That way they don’t get in the way here, but for those who enjoy them, they are still available through the app.

Last week, there was a late night struggle in the mansion of M de Gevres, and his secretary, M. Daval, was found dead. M de Gevres was unharmed, but a man was seen on the grounds carrying something. Before he got too far, he was shot by a witness from the house. He apparently remained trapped in the grounds, but was never discovered. Young Isidore Beautrelet, a local student, posed as a local journalist, and seemed to have a peculiarly intimate knowledge of the case. Let’s see what he can tell us.

And now, The Hollow Needle, Part 2 of 7, by Maurice Leblanc.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 735, The Hollow Needle, Part 1 of 7, by Maurice Leblanc

11 juni 2021 | 52 min

Ep. 734, Pillar of Fire, Part 2 of 2, by Ray Bradbury

4 juni 2021 | 58 min

Will Lantry succeed in creating an army of living dead? Ray Bradbury, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. You get so much out of this! For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook download. Give more, and you get more! It kind of cracks open the website for you, so you can easily build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

If it’s more convenient, we are streaming our episodes through YouTube, now. A link can be found in the comments section for today’s episode.

App users can hear a reading of The Cask of Amontillado, by Edgar Allan Poe. The story is reference several times in Bradbury’s story, as well as many works by Ambrose Bierce and H.P. Lovecraft.

Today’s story originally released in the Summer issue of Planet Stories in 1948.

Last week, William Lantry awoke from his coffin in a graveyard. He was dead, yet he could move and speak. The year was 2348 or so, and he’d been dead around 350 years. The new world had no graveyards, and all bodies were burned in a great Incinerator, which made a pillar of fire to the heavens. Along with the graveyards, fear, superstition, and macabre imagination were also sterilized in this new world. So Lantry came up with a plan – to destroy the Incinerators, and create an army of living dead “friends”.

And now, Pillar of Fire, Part 2 of 2, by Ray Bradbury.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 733, Pillar of Fire, Part 1 of 2, by Ray Bradbury

28 maj 2021 | 61 min

Ep. 732, The Monster Maker, by Ray Bradbury

21 maj 2021 | 47 min

Ep. 731, The Phantom Hearse, by Mary Fortune

14 maj 2021 | 80 min

Why does Old Jones insist that anyone who sees The Phantom Hearse stop outside their place of an evening, will die within the week? Mary Fortune, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. You get so much out of this! For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook download. Give more, and you get more! It helps us have something solid to count on every month, you can build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

If it’s more convenient, we are streaming our episodes through YouTube, now. A link can be found in the comments section for today’s episode.

I’ve got a few more titles I’m working from the archives! Check out our NEW PRODUCTS category to see the new stuff we’ve got coming out.

Today’s story is written by one of the pioneers of detective fiction – Mary Helena Fortune. She travelled from Canada to Australia in 1855, where for the next fifty years, she contributed to magazines and newspapers under the pseudonyms “Waif Wanderer”, “W.W.”and her own initials “M.H.F.”. She wrote in a variety of genres: poetry, serialized novels, memoirs, and even gothic romance. But most significantly, she wrote over 500 detective stories. Her collection of stories, The Detective’s Album, by W.W. was published in 1871, and was described as, “The first book of detective stories to appear in Australia”. Only one copy is known to remain in existence.

Mary Fortune helped delineate a few of the techniques significant in detective fiction. For example, the forensic manner in which the crime is treated, and delivering the story from the point of view of the detective. Today’s story also includes a supernatural element, which is also innovative, and synchronous with some Russian crime fiction.

And now, The Phantom Hearse, by Mary Fortune.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 730, Zero Hour, by Ray Bradbury

7 maj 2021 | 29 min

Ep. 729, The Invisible Prisoner, by Maurice Leblanc

30 april 2021 | 37 min

A robbery and assault gain local notoriety when it’s believed that the perpetrator is still somewhere on the property – two weeks later. Is there anyone who find the invisible thief? Maurice Leblanc, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. You get so much out of this! For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook download. Give more, and you get more! It helps us have something solid to count on every month, you can build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

If it’s more convenient, we are streaming our episodes through YouTube, now. A link can be found in the comments section for today’s episode.

We have four new Science Fiction titles available! The cosmic thriller The Colour Out of Space, by H.P. Lovecraft, the psychological thriller The Repairer of Reputations, by Robert W. Chambers, The Rival Mechanicians, another science fiction classic by Lydia Maria Childs, and The Skull, by the great Philip K. Dick. Links to these products can be found in the description for today’s episode.

I am finally in the process of getting my back catalog of titles up on the website. I have 130 titles that I’ve been working on, and soon we’ll have a lot more stuff available. Stay tuned!

Today’s story is from Confessions of Arsene Lupin, the sixth book in the Lupin series.

And now, The Invisible Prisoner, by Maurice Leblanc

Tap here to pick up some of our new sci-fi titles:

Ep. 728, Rocket Summer, by Ray Bradbury

23 april 2021 | 44 min

The world stands poised to enter the rocket age. But is it really the next best step for mankind? Ray Bradbury, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. You get so much out of this! For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook download. Give more, and you get more! It helps us have something solid to count on every month, you can build out your classic audiobook library, and you help to give more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

If it’s more convenient, we are streaming our episodes through YouTube, now. A link can be found in the comments section for today’s episode.

We have four new Science Fiction titles available! The cosmic thriller The Colour Out of Space, by H.P. Lovecraft, the psychological thriller The Repairer of Reputations, by Robert W. Chambers, The Rival Mechanicians, another science fiction classic by Lydia Maria Childs, and The Skull, by the great Philip K. Dick. Links to these products can be found in the description for today’s episode.

Ray Bradbury wrote today’s story in 1947. It first appeared in the Spring edition of Planet Stories magazine. Bradbury was one of the best-known writers of our time. He was a master storyteller, a champion of creative freedom, and a space-age visionary. His most noteworthy works include The Martian Chronicles, Farenheit 451, and Something Wicked This Way Comes.

In 2008, a digitized copy of The Martian Chronicles reached the Red Planet in 2008, aboard NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander. Bradbury’s remarks on the subject were:

“The thing that makes me happy is that I know that on Mars, two hundred years from now, my books are going to be read. They’ll be up on dead Mars with no atmosphere. And late at night, with a flashlight, some little boy is going to peek under the covers and read The Martian Chronicles on Mars.”

And now, Rocket Summer, by Ray Bradbury

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Tap here to pick up some of our new sci-fi titles:

Ep. 727B, The Mixer Moves in Society, by P. G. Wodehouse-LEGACY

17 april 2021 | 33 min

Ep. 726, The Striped Chest, by Arthur Conan Doyle

9 april 2021 | 41 min

Ep. 725, The Great Gatsby, Part 5 of 5, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

2 april 2021 | 77 min

Ep. 724, The Great Gatsby, Part 4 of 5, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

26 mars 2021 | 72 min

Ep. 723, The Great Gatsby, Part 3 of 5, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

19 mars 2021 | 70 min

Will Gatsby get what he wants when he risks everything in one bold and clumsy move? F. Scott Fitzgerald, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook download. Give more, and you get more! It helps us have something to count on every month, and you help to keep the podcast going strong, giving more folks like you the chance to discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve been named as a finalist for three Independent Audiobook Awards. There isn’t a classics category this year, and so Scaramouche is a finalist in the “General Fiction” category as well as the “Best Male Narrator” category. And seriously, getting nominated for the Best Male Narrator is like already winning. All the other narrators in that group are among the best of the best. I’ve taken coaching from some of them. I’m also a finalist in the “Paranormal” category for “Sucker Punch”, the third volume of Kristen Painter’s First Fangs Club series. Its genre is technically Paranormal Women’s Fiction. Winners are announced in June. I’ll let you know how it goes!

App users can hear the poem, “So We’ll Go No More a Roving”, by George Gordon, Lord Byron, in the special features for today’s episode.

And if it’s more convenient, we are streaming our episodes through YouTube, now. A link can be found in the comments section for today’s episode.

Today’s episode is the third of five where we will be presenting F. Scott Fitzgerald’s immortal The Great Gatsby. This piece is a little edgier than the stuff we usually present. The themes deal largely with racism, and socio-economic elitism. There’s also some rougher language, just so you have a heads up.

And now, The Great Gatsby, part 3 of 5, by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 722, The Great Gatsby, Part 2 of 5, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

12 mars 2021 | 79 min

Ep. 721, The Great Gatsby, part 1 of 5, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

5 mars 2021 | 74 min

Ep. 720, Edith Swan-neck, an Arsene Lupin Adventure, by Maurice Leblanc

26 februari 2021 | 59 min

Death is the tragic result of Lupin’s latest burglary. Has the gentleman thief gone too far? Maurice Leblanc, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook download. Give more, and you get more! It helps us have something to count on every month, and you help to keep the podcast going strong, giving more folks like you can discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you so much.

App users can hear the poem, “She Walks in Beauty”, by George Gordon, Lord Byron, in the special features for today’s episode.

And if it’s more convenient, we are streaming our episodes through YouTube, now. A link can be found in the comments section for today’s episode.

I’m hoping to resume producing more audiobooks of classic novels like I did in the past. I need to dedicate a week every month to it. My goal is to produce a standalone audiobook every month, like I used to. I’d love to do all of the Lupin novels, and do all the stories of Sherlock Holmes, John Carter of Mars, and tackle some Henry James and more Jane Austen and Victor Hugo. So, if you can swing it, please become a financial supporter. This is where I’d like to use your monthly contribution. And if you can’t do that, please tell a friend about us. I’d just love to get more classic literature into the ears of more people.

And on that note, it’s looking like The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne will be coming to the store soon. Here’s the thing, though. I only narrated the introduction. The great Nancy Peterson narrates the rest. Nancy is an Audie Award Winner, which is the Oscar of audiobooks. She’s absolutely stellar, and I was very humbled to be able to work with her. I’ll let you know when The Scarlet Letter is available.

And now, Edith Swan-neck, by Maurice Leblanc.

Ep. 719, The Outsider, by H.P. Lovecraft

19 februari 2021 | 27 min

Ep. 718, Hop-Frog, by Edgar Allan Poe

12 februari 2021 | 31 min

What will become of a king who openly mocks a cripple and a dwarf? Edgar Allan Poe, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook download. Give more, and you get more! It helps us have something to count on every month, and you help to keep the podcast going strong, giving more folks like you can discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did.

App users can hear the short story, “The Murder in the Rue Morgue”, by Edgar Allan Poe in the special features for today’s episode.

And if it’s more convenient, we are streaming our episodes through YouTube, now. A link can be found in the comments section for today’s episode.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Now, for today’s story.

Edgar Allan Poe. I don’t think he actually “invented” the mystery or horror genres, but he definitely lifted the existing genres of his time to largely resemble how they largely look today. I’m comfortable in saying he defined them. The consulting detective of today is essentially a refined version of his vision. And he is still held as the master of the horror short story.

Today’s story, Hop-Frog, isn’t largely anthologized, and can be difficult to find. It wasn’t brought to my attention until a listener recommended it to me years ago. It moves very well, and has a smart, original finish. It’s a rare gem that is largely unmentioned in Poe’s short story canon, and I’m thrilled to present it to you.

And now, Hop-Frog, by Edgar Allan Poe.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 717, The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky, by Stephen Crane

5 februari 2021 | 40 min

What will become of the townsfolk when Scratchy Wilson goes on the rampage, and the sheriff is out of town? Stephen Crane, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook download. Give more, and you get more! It really helps us out.

And you help to keep the podcast going strong, so that more folks like you can discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. You’ll be glad you did. And thank you so much.

App users can hear the poem “Kubla Khan”, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in the special features for today’s episode.

And I am beginning to stream all of my podcast episodes through YouTube. If you listen to your audio through YouTube, which is apparently a thing now, you can find a link to our YouTube channel in the comments section for this week’s episode. All of the podcast episodes will be available as a kind of Videogram, with the weekly album art as the visual, while the audio plays behind it.

Now, for today’s story.

Now, as you know recently, I’ve been highlighting Russian literature. One thing that’s been brought to my attention is that it’s not until very recently that they’ve had a mystery genre. Here’s an excerpt from the introduction by Otto Penzler to a book I’m working on that includes these crime oriented Russian short stories:

“It is appropriate to the point of obviousness to recognize that the detective story cannot flourish in a non-democratic society. The chief protagonist in a detective story is a hero: the person who will right the wrongs perpetrated by a criminal. This is possible only in a society in which the rule of law matters, and it must matter to all strata of the society. If a government is corrupt, or dictatorial, its functionaries are, by definition, primarily focused on their own interests or in those of the government that employs them...

The very notion of Russian detective fiction is oxymoronic, as it is a country whose citizens seldom have enjoyed individual freedom. Sinking from the oppression of the czarist regime to the horrors of the Communist police state, Russia was in no position to offer fictional police officers as the heroes of mystery stories, as they were more likely than ordinary citizens to be the criminals and persecutors.” – Otto Penzler, from the introduction to The Greatest Russian Stories of Crime and Suspense. Published by Highbridge Audio.

So, in order to show the contrast between these stories, and to kind of showcase what those of us without such a background are perhaps more accustomed to, we’re presenting a Western from Stephen Crane this week. I figured there’s nothing more illustrative of cut and dried good guy versus bad guy than a Western.

However, while very well written, it still has some problems inherent to the genre.- particularly that of racism. Please note how the author points out the races of the African Americans, Mexicans, and Jewish people. Yet the race of all of the people who have speaking roles isn’t mentioned. This is racism. Even though there aren’t any overt racial slurs, this subtle naming of the race, and connecting the people thus named to their roles as waiter, staff, shepherds, or tailors is a definite form of racism.

So, something to think about as we head out West.

And now, The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky, by Stephen Crane.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 716, God Sees the Truth, but Waits, by Leo Tolstoy

29 januari 2021 | 29 min

Why is Aksionov’s wife so worried that if he goes to the fair, that she’ll never see him again? Leo Tolstoy, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. We really try make your support worth your while. For a five-dollar monthly donation, you get a monthly code for $8 off any audiobook download. Give more, and you get more! It really helps us out, and gives us a revenue stream we can count on in this crazy time. And you help to keep the podcast going strong, so that more folks like you can discover the classics in a curated and easily accessible format. Go to classictalesaudiobooks.com today, and become a financial supporter. Thank you so much.

App users can hear the poem “The World is Too Much With Us”, by William Wordsworth in the special features for today’s episode.

Today’s story, to me, is a great example of the kind of gap that can sometimes occur between the type of Faith that we may read in our holy works, versus what we actually encounter in reality.

In my faith growing up, we had a set of basically steps we would go through when we had wronged someone else (made a mistake, needed to repent), whatever your phrasing called it.

When we had wronged someone, we were supposed to 1) admit or confess the thing that we did to the person. 2) ask for forgiveness. 3) do all that we could to repair the wrong. 4) never do it again. On the other side, as the person wronged, you were always taught to forgive. (How often should we forgive? Jesus said 70 times 7, right?)

Now that sounds like a great system, and it surely makes for a snappy talk or lesson on Sunday, but what happens when it plays out in reality? Some things can’t be repaired like a broken toy, or returned good as new, like item stolen from the convenience store. When we start to deal with other people, we can hurt each other in ways that can’t easily be repaired. Sometimes, even though we may not want to, we may do the same thing again and again.

Tolstoy was a man of faith, and in today’s story, he demonstrates this gap between precept and personal reality, and leads us to a higher conversation of what it means to live as a person of faith.

And now, God Sees the Truth, but Waits, by Leo Tolstoy.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 715, The Queen of Spades, by Alexander Pushkin

22 januari 2021 | 32 min

Ep. 714, The The Tragedy in the Forest of Morgues, an Arséne Lupin adventure, by Maurice Leblanc

15 januari 2021 | 32 min

Ep. 713, The Overcoat, by Nikolai Gogol

8 januari 2021 | 91 min

Ep. 712, The Reluctant Dragon, by Kenneth Grahame

1 januari 2021 | 70 min

Ep 711, Whose Body, part 7 of 7, by Dorothy Sayers

25 december 2020 | 44 min

Ep. 710, Whose Body, Part 6 of 7, by Dorothy Sayers

18 december 2020 | 40 min

Ep. 709, Whose Body, Part 5 of 7, by Dorothy Sayers

11 december 2020 | 77 min

Ep. 708, Whose Body, Part 4 of 7, by Dorothy Sayers

4 december 2020 | 72 min

Ep. 707, Whose Body, Part 3 of 7, by Dorothy Sayers

27 november 2020 | 65 min

Ep. 706, Whose Body, Part 2 of 7, by Dorothy Sayers

20 november 2020 | 64 min

Ep. 705, Whose Body, Part 1 of 7, by Dorothy Sayers

13 november 2020 | 67 min

Mr. Thipps wakes up to discover a dead body in his bathtub, wearing nothing but a pair of pince-nez. So many questions. Dorothy Sayers, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. I know we are all going through some stuff right now, and we really appreciate you doing what you can. It really helps us out. And in case you’ve forgotten: a $5 donation gets you an $8 coupon code for any audiobook at the store. We really want to make sure you get a lot of bang for your buck.

And if you just want to shoot us a few bucks to say thanks, that’s awesome. There is now a Donate button on the website at www.classictalesaudiobooks.com, where you can do just that.

I have begun doing special pricing for financial supporters. What does that mean? Well, once you login to the website, financial supporters with a subscription can access subscriber pricing for The Last of the Mohicans, The Lost World, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Wuthering Heights, and The War of the Worlds, so they can purchase these titles using only their monthly coupon codes. Or buy them for a reduced price. Just another way to make your dollars stretch.

Looking for a unique Christmas gift? We’ve added more designs to our merchandise site. Check out our merch store for unique gift ideas for yourself or a literature lover in you life. Right now, they are having a sale - everything is 35% off.

On the app side of things, we’re starting poetry again. App users can hear “To Lucasta, Going to the Wars”, by Richard Lovelace in the special features portion for this week’s episode.

This week we begin Whose Body, by Dorothy L. Sayers. Lord Peter Wimsey is an aristocrat whose hobby is solving crime. A couple things to note in this story: it was published in 1923. That was after World War I, but before the Jewish holocaust of World War II. Wimsey suffers from PTSD from the war, and it’s interesting to see how it is handled at this time. Just a little hint to have compassion for those who might be acting in ways we don’t understand. You never know what’s going on under the surface.

The other thing I wanted to mention is the handling of Jewish terms and epithets. Again, this book was written over 100 years ago, in a time before the Jewish holocaust of World War II. When I read this it struck me how mainstream anti-Semitic sentiment was at the time.

So, with those two disclaimers out of the way, let’s go on with the show!

And now, Whose Body, Part 1 of 7 by Dorothy Sayers.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 704, Psmith in the City, Part 6 of 6, by P.G. Wodehouse

6 november 2020 | 79 min

Ep. 703, Psmith in the City, Part 5 of 6, by P.G. Wodehouse

30 oktober 2020 | 73 min

Ep. 702, Psmith in the City, Part 4 of 6, by P.G. Wodehouse

23 oktober 2020 | 67 min

Ep. 701, Psmith in the City, Part 3 of 6, by P.G. Wodehouse

16 oktober 2020 | 44 min

Ep. 700, Psmith in the City, Part 2 of 6, by P.G. Wodehouse

9 oktober 2020 | 56 min

Ep. 699, Psmith in the City, Part 1 of 6, by P.G. Wodehouse

2 oktober 2020 | 64 min

Ep. 698, The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, by Arthur Conan Doyle

25 september 2020 | 50 min

Why does Sherlock Holmes declare that the person he is to meet is the worst man in London? Arthur Conan Doyle, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. With the pandemic still hissing in the wind, we need your help more than ever. And in case you’ve forgotten: a $5 donation gets you an $8 coupon code for any audiobook at the store. Thank you so much for stepping up, and helping to keep us going strong.

We’ve got three new titles available at the store at classictalesaudiobooks.com. Scaramouche, Leave It to Psmith, and The Inimitable Jeeves are now available as standalone audiobooks. More titles are underway.

For those who are financial supporters, you can use your monthly coupon codes to 8 or 17 dollars off each of these new titles.

App users can whet their Halloween appetite by listening to “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, by Washington Irving in the special features area of their app.

September Sleuths concludes this week, with a sharp adventure with Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.

Sherlock Holmes was one of my gateways into the classics. Years ago, like mid 1990s, I bought a set of cassette tapes of Sherlock Holmes radio dramas, which featured John Gielgud as Sherlock Holmes, and Ralph Richardson as Dr. Watson. Between that and the VHS boxed set I bought at a truck stop of old movies with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, I was hooked.

When my son was born, we named him Basil after Basil Rathbone (because we couldn’t name him Sherlock – that’s ridiculous, right?) When he was a baby, and I would be up at night walking with him, I would read Sherlock Holmes stories to him.

When I perform any of the Sherlock Holmes stories, I try to bring the essence of Basil Rathbone to Sherlock Holmes, and Ralph Richardson to Dr. Watson. I say Lestrade with a long “a”, because that is how he was first introduced to me when I listened to John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson.

I hope you like it.

And now, The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Ep. 697, Philomel Cottage, by Agatha Christie

18 september 2020 | 62 min

Ep. 696, The Murder at Troyte's Hill, by Catherine Louisa Pirkins

11 september 2020 | 69 min

Ep. 695, The Honour of Israel Gow, by G.K. Chesterton

4 september 2020 | 45 min

Ep. 694, Shadowed by Death, by Maurice Leblanc

28 augusti 2020 | 50 min

Ep. 693, Scaramouche, Part 12 of 12, by Raphael Sabatini

21 augusti 2020 | 83 min

Ep. 692, Scaramouche, part 11 of 12, by Raphael Sabatini

14 augusti 2020 | 87 min

Standing sword to sword with his enemy, will Andre-Louis finally have his revenge? Raphael Sabatini, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. With the pandemic being what it is, with no end in sight, we need your help more than ever. Thank you so much for stepping up, and helping to keep us going strong.

In case you haven’t already, feel free to take advantage of our free titles. We have a few short stories and a few full length novels available free for your enjoyment.

You can find the free audiobooks here:

I actually need your help. I’m working in an initiative to make my library of Classic Tales audiobooks available to public schools for free. To help with this, I’m collecting stories from listeners who have been helped in one way or another by The Classic Tales Podcast. Have you run into new authors? Have you revisited a story that resonated with you deeply? Or, like me, in discovering audiobooks, did you become a better reader?

If you have a story you’d like to share, please go to the website at classictalesaudiobooks.com, and share your story by sending us a missive in the appropriate area.

My hope is that when educators hear how beneficial these stories can be, they will more easily adapt them into their curriculum. They may also help with remote learning in these uncertain times. Thank you for your help.

Thank you to Annie, from the Join us in France Podcast, who helped with the pronunciations of the French names and phrases for this week’s episode. If you’re interested in France at all, you should check out her show. It’s fantastic.

App users can hear a “On My First Son”, by Ben Jonson. A poem he wrote when his seven-year-old son died. You’ll find it in the special features area of the Classic Tales app.

(Some of) the story so far:

Last week it became evident that Andre-Louis and the Marquis de la Tour d’Azyr would definitely have a duel at the Bois de Boulogne. Neither could or would withdraw. Today’s episode begins with M. de Kercadiou’s last ditch attempt to dissuade Andre-Louis from this fateful, and potential deadly encounter.

Ep. 691, Scaramouche, Part 10of12, by Raphael Sabatini

7 augusti 2020 | 80 min

Ep. 690, Scaramouche, Part 9of12, by Raphael Sabatini

31 juli 2020 | 85 min

Ep. 689, Scaramouche, Part 8of12, by Raphael Sabatini

24 juli 2020 | 83 min

Ep. 688, Scaramouche, Part 7of12, by Raphael Sabatini

17 juli 2020 | 64 min

Ep. 687 Scaramouche, Part 6 of 12, by Raphael Sabatini

10 juli 2020 | 67 min

Is Andre-Louis’ future compromised, after he is mistaken for nobleman in disguise? Raphael Sabatini, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. With us giving away so much free material during this time of the pandemic, we need your help more than ever. Thank you so much for stepping up, and helping to keep us going strong.

In case you haven’t already, feel free to take advantage of our free titles. We have a few short stories and a few full length novels available free for your enjoyment.

You can find the free audiobooks here:

Also, WE HAVE A NEW WEBSITE! Check out our new website at classictalesaudiobooks.com. It’s easier than ever to get where you need to go.

Thank you to Annie, from the Join us in France Podcast, who helped with the pronunciations of the French names and phrases for this week’s episode. If you’re interested in France at all, you should check out her show. It’s fantastic.

Since we are doing poems from John Donne, I thought that we should actually share today’s poem here, rather in the app area for special features. It will be there, too, if you want to just hear the poem. This was written around 1623 – 400 years ago. I had heard this, but I’d never really understood it. It’s taken from a prose piece he wrote called Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions. It’s in part XVII: Meditation:

No man is an island,

Entire of itself;

Each is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main;

If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less,

As well as if a promontory were.

As well as if a manor of thy friends

Or if thine own were;

Any man’s death diminishes me,

Because I am involved in mankind.

Therefore, send not to know

For whom the bell tolls;

It tolls for thee.

So, in these times, the church bells would ring to announce to the countryside important occasions, such as a funeral. No man is an island means we are all a part of the whole, whether we like it, or acknowledge it or not. If one clod is washed away from the shore, Europe is less. If one person dies, we are diminished. For whom does the bell toll? Who just died? Well, when anyone dies, we all die a little. So the bell is tolling for you.

I took my two youngest to the mall for the first time in months. We all three wore masks. Cilla made them for us, and they’re super cute. We were harassed by a fellow patron at the food court – ridiculed by an intimidating stranger for wearing masks. We’re at that point.

Again - “Any man’s death diminishes me, Because I am involved in mankind.”

We’re all in this together. Please stay safe, wear a mask, keep your loved ones safe. Keep strangers safe. It’s not about politics. It’s just about taking care of each other. Because when one person dies, we all die a little.

So here’s the story so far:

Andre-Louis, a privileged lawyer from Gavrillac, is on a mission to speak out for the downtrodden. After speaking out in Rennes and later at Nantes, he is on the run from the law, who wish to take him to task for inciting rebellion. He runs across some travelling players, and is a cracking success as an actor and author. Then, as he and his fiancé are returning home after a fantastic performance, a coach stops, the door is opened, and Andre-Louis sees Aline, his closest friend in the whole world, who has been worried sick.

And now, Scaramouche, Part 6 of 12, by Raphael Sabatini

Ep. 686, Scaramouche, Part 5 of 12, by Raphael Sabatini

3 juli 2020 | 82 min

Ep. 685, Scaramouche, Part 4 of 12, by Raphael Sabatini

26 juni 2020 | 70 min

Ep. 684, Scaramouche, Part 3 of 12, by Raphael Sabatini

19 juni 2020 | 83 min

After delivering a fiery call to arms, who will help Andre-Louis evade capture? Raphael Sabatini, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. With us giving away so much free material during this time of the pandemic, we need your help more than ever. 5 bucks a month really goes a long way, right now. Thank you so much for helping us stay afloat.

In case you haven’t already, feel free to take advantage of our free titles. I get so happy when I see someone has downloaded the free audiobook titles, especially new customers. I tried to have something for everyone, from several genres, and geared for all ages. Please click on over to our FREE section, and enjoy. There’s a link to the free material in the description for this week’s episode.

You can find the free audiobooks here:

Tap here to go to http://www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

App users can hear Sonnet 116 from William Shakespeare in their special features this week. This is the final sonnet from the bard we’ll be sharing.

Well, we didn’t’ win an Independent Audiobook Award for The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It was seriously amazing to see all of the top talent that I was nominated with. Some of the top names in the business. Thank you so much for helping us to create such a noteworthy audiobook.

Thank you to Annie, from the Join us in France Podcast, who helped with the pronunciations of the French names and phrases for this week’s episode. If you’re interested in France at all, you should check out her show. It’s fantastic.

A couple of notes on this week’s episode: Omnis Omnibus means “all everyone” in Latin.

Also, the second portion of the book is called “The Buskin”. Now, you costumers might know a buskin to be a laced boot reaching halfway or more to the knee, and you’d be right. However, there is a second meaning which is in reference to tragedy – especially a tragedy in the Greek drama tradition. This latter definition is the one Sabatini references.

So here’s the story so far:

Andre-Louis, a privileged lawyer from Gavrillac, is on a mission to speak out for the downtrodden, especially the poor who have fewer rights than the nobles. Beginning with the deaths of Mabey, then his friend Phillipe, and finally the two protesters that were killed at Rennes during a demonstration, Andre-Louis has become the person chosen to deliver the message of defiance from Rennes to the town of Nantes. This is where we begin today.

And now, Scaramouche, Part 3 of 12, by Raphael Sabatini

Ep. 683, Scaramouche, Part 2 of 12, by Raphael Sabatini

12 juni 2020 | 81 min

How will Andre-Louis find satisfaction for the murder of his friend, when the law fails him? Raphael Sabatini, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you to all of our financial supporters. With us giving away so much free material during this time of the pandemic, we need your help more than ever. We’re actually feeling another wave of the virus here in Utah, and things are still pretty topsy-turvy. Thank you so much for helping us stay afloat.

In case you haven’t already, feel free to take advantage of our free titles. I get so happy when I see someone has downloaded the free audiobook titles, especially new customers. I tried to have something for everyone, from several genres, and geared for all ages. Please click on over to our FREE section, and enjoy. There’s a link to the free material in the description for this week’s episode.

You can find the free audiobooks here:

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

App users can hear Sonnet 94 from William Shakespeare in their special features this week.

Friday, we’ll find out if The Hunchback of Notre Dame wins an Independent Audiobook Award. As of the posting of this episode, I don’t know the result. I’ll be sure to let you know during next week’s episode.

Thank you to Annie, from the Join us in France Podcast, who helped with the pronunciations of the French names and phrases for this week’s episode. If you’re interested in France at all, you should check out her show. It’s fantastic.

Last week, we met our hero, Andre-Louis, a lawyer who was born into the upper-ish classes, and sympathized with them. His friend, Phillipe de Vilmorin, was a seminarist, and was seeking redress of grievances for a poor gameskeeper, Mabey, who had been killed for taking a pheasant from a trap on the Marquis de la Tour d’Azyr’s land. The Marquis had ordered that Mabey be shot, and Phillipe was seeking some settlement for poor Mabey’s widow and children.

It seems the injustice in this week’s episode strikes home rather sharply.

And now, Scaramouche, Part 2 of 12, by Raphael Sabatini

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Ep. 682, Scaramouche, Part 1 of 12, by Raphael Sabatini

5 juni 2020 | 74 min

Will Andre-Louis help to bring justice for the murder of a poor peasant? Raphael Sabatini, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you so very much to all of our supporters who have stepped up and helped us out during this tricky time. And thank you to all of our supporters who have pledged to help us on a monthly basis, so we can keep going strong. We couldn’t do it without you, we really couldn’t.

In case you haven’t already, feel free to take advantage of our free titles. I get so happy when I see someone has downloaded the free audiobook titles, especially new customers. I tried to have something for everyone, from several genres, and geared for all ages. Please click on over to our FREE section, and enjoy.

You can find the free audiobooks here:

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

App users can hear another sonnet from William Shakespeare in their special features this week.

Next Friday, we’ll find out if The Hunchback of Notre Dame wins an Independent Audiobook Award. The awards ceremony is being held remotely. I’m up against some of the best voices in the business, so the likelihood of winning is slim. But it’s been an honor to be a finalist for this prestigious award.

Okay, so we have a fair bit of Scaramouche ahead of us. I hope you’re ready for this!

First, I’d like to thank Annie from the Join Us In France podcast for helping with the pronunciation of the French names and phrases in Scaramouche. If you’re interested in France at all, check out her show. It’s fantastic.

The French Revolution. A time when the people had had enough of the corruption of the powerful people at the top, and tore it all down. We are at a similar point right now. The injustice and corruption around us is maddening, and things need to change.

Andre-Louis, the protagonist in our story, goes through a very dramatic character arc. He begins as we see him today – basking in his lawyerly privilege - not caring about the murder of a lowly gamekeeper, or the corrupt laws that make such a vile deed legal. He becomes a mouthpiece for change.

It’s kind of disheartening that this story is so timely. You’d think that we would have figured this out by now. But for this summer, let’s enjoy the story of a privileged man who gave up his comfort for the greater good.

And now, Scaramouche, Part 1 of 12, by Raphael Sabatini

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Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Ep. 681, The Hostelry of Mr. Smith, by Stephen Leacock

29 maj 2020 | 63 min

Of the plethora of Mr. Smith’s ideas, is there one that will save his business? Stephen Leacock, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you so all of our listeners and supporters who really stepped it up last week. Our crisis is averted, and it looks like we’re going to be okay. I am overwhelmed with the response. We’ve sold our 5 lifetime access passes, but I’ll keep the one-year pass up for another week. Things got pretty real there, for a while. Thank you so very much for helping us to dodge that bullet.

In case you haven’t already, feel free to take advantage of our free titles. I get so happy when I see someone has downloaded the free audiobook titles, especially new customers. I tried to have something for everyone, from several genres, and geared for all ages. Please click on over to our FREE section, and enjoy.

You can find the free audiobooks here:

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

App users can hear a sonnet from William Shakespeare in their special features this week. I failed to mention it in the brouhaha, but last week was a poem from Christopher Marlowe.

Today’s story is from the Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock. It’s tricky with the pandemic still in our faces, it’s made it very tricky to choose what stories to do, and this one is a quirky little odd one. There are a few things that drew me to this story.

First, I love Leacock’s description of the town of Mariposa. With so many of our local festivities cancelled this summer, I felt like hearing about life in a small town would do us good right now.

Secondly, I like how Leacock’s protagonist, Mr. Smith, is not a perfect guy. He does some good things, and some kind of dumb things. And it seems like the environment of the town actually determines which of his scattered ideas make it all the way to fruition. It’s almost like Leacock has created this town as a kind of character with its own set of motivations, and we kind of watch and see how Mr. Smith fares inside.

And now, The Hostelry of Mr. Smith, by Stephen Leacock

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Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Ep. 680, A Death in the Desert, by Willa Cather

22 maj 2020 | 67 min

Why does a brotherly resemblance bring a woman to tears? Willa Cather, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Well our loss is your gain. We’ve come into some rather grim news lately, and it looks like we need to raise some immediate funds. This is something I’ve tried to put off, and now the wolf, as Bertie Wooster would say, is at the door.

So, in order to cope with this sudden need to raise some funding, and to keep The Classic Tales Podcast going to see a brighter day, I’m going to do something I’ve never done before – offer unlimited access to download everything at the store.

As most of you know, if you’ve sampled the free offerings we’ve been giving away for the pandemic, these titles are worth a fair bit of green. In fact, if you load your cart up with all of the free items now available, it’s over a hundred dollars.

Imagine if you could have it all. Literally.

So, for the next two weeks, I’m going to offer two new items for sale – the first is a 1 year pass for unlimited access to the complete inventory available at classictalesaudiobooks.com. The second is a lifetime pass.

For your life, or mine, whichever one of us dies first. Because I’m not stopping until then.

And here’s another thing, I have around 100 titles that are in limbo. They aren’t on the podcast, and they aren’t in the store. They will be trickling in over the next year.

Tap here to purchase a one-year access pass to The Classic Tales Library of titles.

Tap here to purchase lifetime access to The Classic Tales Library of titles.

I’m actually putting a cap on the lifetime pass. There will only be five lifetime passes available.

These two products will be available for only two weeks. We need a certain amount to cover this crisis. Hopefully we’ll reach the goal by then, and we’ll all be able to move forward.

I hate to do this, especially now. I started the podcast because I wanted to provide something that would have been useful to me as a kid. If I had access to an audiobook of The Scarlet Letter when I had to read it as a junior, my confidence and self-esteem wouldn’t have taken the hit that it did. School, reading, life, pandemics, they are all hard enough. If I had had access to a solid recording that might have sparked my imagination, this dark period that still haunts me 30 years later, might not have happened.

I wanted to be someone who could help that kid. That’s why I do what I do. 13 years later, and I’ve recorded 570 books. If you can, please click on over to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com, and support us however you can.

I’m still keeping up the free stuff up. Please don’t worry about that.

You can find the free audiobooks here:

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

I love stories of the American West. When I ran across this one by Willa Cather, it just felt like it was the right time to share it. We needed something more literary, I thought. I hope you like it.

And now, A Death in the Desert, by Willa Cather.

Ep. 679, The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb, by Agatha Christie

15 maj 2020 | 40 min

Why is Hercule Poirot suddenly giving credence to the superstitions of Ancient Egypt? Agatha Christie, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Many, many thanks to all of our listeners and supporting members who help to keep us going. At this time of quarantine and adjustment, their help is particularly helpful.

I hope you’re taking advantage of the titles available for free during the pandemic. Please visit www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and go to the home from school – free category to download a selection of titles for all ages, including adventure, mysteries, classic romance, and fantasy.

Feel free to pick up the free audiobooks even if you are not in school, have no kids, or just need something to help you get through the day. If listening to a solid story can help you out, please be our guest.

Thanks again to our financial contributors. It is the monthly and bulk subscriptions that are largely keeping us afloat right now, as we are giving a lot of stuff away. Thank you for helping us to stay strong, and hopefully help to lighten the load of those who are hit particularly hard right now. Every donation helps.

You can find the free audiobooks here:

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

I’m so excited that The Hunchback of Notre Dame has been named as a finalist for the Independent Audiobook Awards. These awards are about the highest achievement for an Indie audiobook publisher like myself. I’m very thrilled to be a finalist.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

For those of you with the Classic Tales app, you can hear a poem by Sir Thomas Wyatt in the special features section for this week’s episode. He was credited with introducing Italian sonnet forms to English Literature in the 1530s.

And now, The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb, by Agatha Christie.

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Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Ep. 678, Leave it to Psmith, part 10of10, by P.G. Wodehouse

8 maj 2020 | 53 min

Where do the robbers, lovers, frauds, and secretaries all wind up? P.G. Wodehouse, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Many, many thanks to all of our listeners and supporting members who help to keep us going. At this time of quarantine and adjustment, their help is particularly helpful.

I hope everyone is keeping safe and well in this crazy time. I also hope you’re taking advantage of the titles available for free during the pandemic. Please visit classictalesaudiobooks.com and go to the home from school – free category to download a selection of titles for all ages, including adventure, mysteries, classic romance, and fantasy. I’ll likely be adjusting the name of the category soon to Pandemic Titles, since the pandemic is still going strong, but we are winding down the school year.

With that being said, feel free to pick up the free audiobooks even if you are not in school, have no kids, or just need something to help you get through the day. If listening to a solid story can help you out, please be our guest.

Thanks again to our financial contributors. It is the monthly and bulk subscriptions that are largely keeping us afloat right now, as we are giving a lot of stuff away. Thank you for helping us to stay strong, and hopefully help to lighten the load of those who are hit particularly hard right now. Every donation helps.

You can find the free audiobooks here:

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

I’m so excited that The Hunchback of Notre Dame has been named as a finalist for the Independent Audiobook Awards. These awards are about the highest achievement for an Indie audiobook publisher like myself. I’m very thrilled to be a finalist.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

As I mentioned last week, The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius is on hold right now. It was a great adventure, but we’re moving on, and we’ll now be featuring a classic poem in the special features in the Classic Tales App. We’re starting with ballads, which are basically anonymous storytelling songs. So again, I need to correct myself for saying that last week’s poem was written by Sir Patrick Spens. Nope. Wrong. Sir Patrick Spens is the name of this week’s poem, about a ship that wrecks at sea. Both last week’s and this week’s poems are anonymous.

And now, Leave it to Psmith, part 10 of 10, by P.G. Wodehouse.

Tap here to become an Erudite Troglodyte - The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Ep. 677, Leave it to Psmith, part 9of10, by P.G. Wodehouse

1 maj 2020 | 63 min

What does Eve Halliday find when she ransacks Psmith’s secret hideaway? P.G. Wodehouse, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Many, many thanks to all of our listeners and supporting members who help to keep us going.

I’m sorry about the snafu with last week’s episode. I checked the wrong box, and instead of the episode dropping Friday morning, it was available for a few hours on Thursday, then fell off the feed. Brilliant. Sorry about that. We’re only in season 14. You think I’d know better.

I hope everyone is keeping safe and well in this crazy time. I also hope you’re taking advantage of the titles available for free during the pandemic. Please visit www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and go to the home from school – free category to download a selection of titles geared for grades K-12. I’ll be adding more titles soon. You can find a link to the free material in the description for today’s episode.

I have also added three new titles now available for free – Captain Blood, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and A Room With A View . Feel free to snap up these titles for free, and hopefully they can help keep your wits sharp at this trying time.

Thanks again to our financial contributors. It is the monthly subscriptions that are largely keeping us afloat right now, as we are giving a lot of stuff away. Thank you for helping us to stay strong, and hopefully help to lighten the load of those who are hit particularly hard right now. Every donation helps.

You can find the free audiobooks here:

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

I’m so excited that The Hunchback of Notre Dame has been named as a finalist for the Independent Audiobook Awards. These awards are about the highest achievement for an Indie audiobook publisher like myself. I’m very thrilled to be a finalist.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius is taking longer than I expected. I’ve already done over 50 episodes, and I’m only about halfway through. So, we’re shelving that project. The special features of the app will now include a famous poem. I’ll go through my classic poetry books, and read a short poem for the special features. This week is Lord Randal, by Sir Patrick Spens. Bob Dylan fans may find it interesting as the structure is similar to “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”.

And now, Leave it to Psmith, part 9 of 10, by P.G. Wodehouse.

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Ep. 676, Leave it to Psmith, part 8of10, by P.G. Wodehouse

25 april 2020 | 64 min

Has the Efficient Baxter discovered the hiding place of the stolen necklace? P.G. Wodehouse, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Many, many thanks to all of our listeners and supporting members who help to keep us going.

I hope everyone is keeping safe and well in this crazy time. I also hope you’re taking advantage of the titles available for free during the pandemic. Please visit classictalesaudiobooks.com and go to the home from school – free category to download a selection of titles geared for grades K-12. I’ll be adding more titles soon. You can find a link to the free material in the description for today’s episode.

I have also added three new titles now available for free – Captain Blood, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and A Room With A View . Feel free to snap up these titles for free, and hopefully they can help keep your wits sharp at this trying time.

Thanks again to our financial contributors. It is the monthly subscriptions that are largely keeping us afloat right now, as we are giving a lot of stuff away. Thank you for helping us to stay strong, and hopefully help to lighten the load of those who are hit particularly hard right now. Every donation helps.

You can find the free audiobooks here:

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

I’m so excited that The Hunchback of Notre Dame has been named as a finalist for the Independent Audiobook Awards. These awards are about the highest achievement for an Indie audiobook publisher like myself. I’m very thrilled to be a finalist.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

If you have the Classic Tales app, you can listen to more of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius in the special features area.

And now, Leave it to Psmith, part 7 of 10, by P.G. Wodehouse.

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Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Ep. 675, Leave it to Psmith, part 7of10, by P.G. Wodehouse

17 april 2020 | 67 min

Who did Eve Halliday meet in Market Blandings who has absolutely turned her against our bemonacled hero? P.G. Wodehouse, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Many, many thanks to all of our listeners and supporting members who help to keep us going.

I hope everyone is keeping safe and well in this crazy time. I also hope you’re taking advantage of the titles available for free during the pandemic. Please visit classictalesaudiobooks.com and go to the home from school – free category to download a selection of titles geared for grades K-12. You can find a link to the free material in the description for today’s episode.

I have also added three new titles now available for free – Captain Blood, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and A Room With A View. Feel free to snap up these titles for free, and hopefully they can help keep your wits sharp at this trying time.

Thanks again to our financial contributors. It is the monthly subscriptions that are largely keeping us afloat right now, as we are giving a lot of stuff away. Thank you for helping us to stay strong, and hopefully help to lighten the load of those who are hit particularly hard right now. Every donation helps.

You can find the free audiobooks here:

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

I’m so excited that The Hunchback of Notre Dame has been named as a finalist for the Independent Audiobook Awards. The winners will be announced in June; typically they are a part of the Hear Now, Voice Over festival in Kansas City. I know they are working hard to put together a remote, quarantine friendly presentation this year. I’m really excited to see how it turns out.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

If you have the Classic Tales app, you can listen to more of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius in the special features area.

And now, Leave it to Psmith, part 7 of 10, by P.G. Wodehouse.

Tap here to become an Erudite Troglodyte - The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Ep. 674, Leave it to Psmith, part 6of10, by P.G. Wodehouse

10 april 2020 | 76 min

Ep. 673, Leave it to Psmith, part 5of10, by P.G. Wodehouse

3 april 2020 | 64 min

How can Psmith reconcile Ms. Halliday to the fact that he is, at least in name only, the same Ralston McTodd that has broken the heart of her school chum? P.G. Wodehouse, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Many, many thanks to all of our listeners and supporting members who help to keep us going.

I hope you all are safe and well during this unprecedented outbreak. Hopefully you are taking advantage of the special selection of titles I have made available for free. I have received many messages that they have helped many parents and children who have found a lot of time on their hands lately. I’m so glad I can help.

Thanks again to all of our financial contributors. This is a very direct way that your support has been paid forward to help many during this crisis. Thank you so much for helping to keep our heads above water.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame has been named as a finalist for the Independent Audiobook Awards. It is such an honor to be among these incredibly talented narrators.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

You can find the free audiobooks here:

If you have the Classic Tales app, you can listen to more of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius in the special features area.

Once again: as a response to the COVID-19/ Corona virus outbreak, I am giving away for free a selection of my audiobooks geared for grades K-12 through the website. This is to help those who find themselves with kids at home from school during this difficult time.

Please tell your friends, family, or anybody who could benefit from this service. You can find the link to the free material in the description of today’s episode.

And now, Leave it to Psmith, part 4 of 10, by P.G. Wodehouse.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Tap here to become an Erudite Troglodyte - The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Ep. 672, Leave it to Psmith, part 4of10, by P.G. Wodehouse

27 mars 2020 | 48 min

Ep. 671, Leave it to Psmith, part 3of10, by P.G. Wodehouse

20 mars 2020 | 75 min

Lord Emsworth meets a poet, and yet incredibly winds up inviting someone completely different to Blandings Castle. P.G. Wodehouse, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Many, many thanks to all of our listeners and supporting members who help to keep us going.

I have been approached by one of my distributors who distributes my audiobooks to schools, and I have been able to offer all of my audiobooks to schools for free for a limited time, to help during the Corona virus outbreak.

I can do this because of your support. Since I am largely a one-man band, I can move quickly in allowing my audiobooks to be made free to schools during this crisis.

This can happen because our listeners, and especially our financial supporters. Thank you for your financial support for The Classic Tales, so that when things like this happen, we can respond quickly.

And thank you for your continued financial support during this crisis. It helps our little family, as well.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

The Classic Tales Merchandise store: http://tee.pub/lic/yl9wRRWqhnY

If you have the Classic Tales app, you can listen to more of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius in the special features area.

As I mentioned, as a response to the COVID-19/ Corona virus outbreak, schools should have access to my library of titles for free through their libraries.

I am also giving away for free a selection of my audiobooks geared for grades K-12 through the website. This is to help those who find themselves with kids at home from school during this difficult time.

I’m happy to report that over a hundred people have availed themselves of this service, amounting to over a thousand dollars donated. Please help us help those who may benefit from some free audiobooks that may help educate and entertain those stuck at home. Please share our link, located in the show’s full description, to any family or friends you may know who could benefit from these free audiobooks.

You can find the free audiobooks here:

Tap for a selection of FREE audiobooks for kids at home during the COVID-19/Corona virus outbreak

And now, Leave it to Psmith, part 3 of 10, by P.G. Wodehouse.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Tap here to become an Erudite Troglodyte - The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Ep. 670, Leave it to Psmith, part 2of10, by P.G. Wodehouse

13 mars 2020 | 76 min

Ep. 669, Leave it to Psmith, part 1of10, by P.G. Wodehouse

6 mars 2020 | 64 min

Ep. 668, Beyond the Broken Glacier, by Robert W. Chambers

28 februari 2020 | 83 min

Ep. 667, The Lady With The Dog, by Anton Chekhov

21 februari 2020 | 57 min

How much influence can an unremarkable woman have on a womanizing, well-to-do banker? Anton Chekhov, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Many, many thanks to all of our listeners and supporting members who help to keep us going.

If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member.

By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for an $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. It’s a seriously great deal, and helps us to keep doing what we’re doing. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

App users can hear more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius in their special features.

Today’s story is by the master of the short story: Anton Chekhov. Now, I’ve known of this story for years. It’s one of his most famous. But when I read it years ago, it scared me. It seemed like it was a story the legitimized illicit infidelity, and it freaked me out.

Now that I’m a little older, and hopefully a little wiser, I could look at it more objectively. I was amazed at what I found.

The infidelity in the story is simply a vehicle. The theme of the story is essentially: the black and white world we live in is constructed for us by others, and cannot make us happy. Only when we dare to look at and live in the gray area, and choose to live life on our own terms can we be happy.

Dmitri is a wealthy banker. He did it all right – married young, has kids, and is successful in his vocation – banking. And he hates it. He lives a black and white life. He knows his infidelities are wrong, and categorizes them as such. His “white” life above board dissatisfies him, so he delves into the “black” from time to time.

Then he meets Anna, the lady with the dog. Notice how with her, everything is described as gray. Her eyes, her dress, even the town where she lives is enigmatic, only described as “S---“ And she lives behind a gray fence. In her foray with Dmitri into the “black” area, she’s not okay with it. She doesn’t like it. She belongs in the gray area.

I don’t want to go too into detail, but the reason this story hit me with such force now, is that I can now see it’s truth. If I had a vocation like banking, or worked in a cubicle, and had to sign the card for Bill in accounting’s birthday, and talk over the ramen in my cup in a break room that smells like microwaved bad breath, etc. etc., I would go crazy. I’d probably make good money, and have things like health insurance, retirement, and stock options, but I’d be dead inside.

Cilla told me when we first got married that she needed to live in the gray area, and it changed my life. Living in the gray, outside the clear cut boundaries of work, school, business, etc., and scrapping work as a freelance artist for 19 years, then trying to eke out a living by making audiobooks of classic literature is about the most crazy, off the rails way to raise a family and make a career. But I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s infinitely rewarding, but it’s so complicated and difficult. Nobody would choose this unless they had to. But once you allow yourself to live in the gray area, you have to stay. Because you know what it’s like in the black and white world, and it’s just not for you.

The last line of the story is: “…the most complicated and difficult part of it was only the beginning.”

Yes. People don’t just live complicated and difficult lives just because. Their reasons are their own. And they are complicated. But for them, it’s worth it.

And now, The Lady With The Dog, by Anton Chekhov.

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Ep. 666, Schalken the Painter, by J. Sheridan LeFanu

14 februari 2020 | 62 min

Ep. 665, The Red Silk Scarf, by Maurice Leblanc

7 februari 2020 | 61 min

Can Arséne Lupin really solve a murder before the police even have a victim? Maurice LeBlanc, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Many, many thanks to all of our listeners and supporting members who help to keep us going.

If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member.

By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for an $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. It’s a seriously great deal, and helps us to keep doing what we’re doing. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

App users can hear more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius in their special features.

Do you love binging The Classic Tales Podcast? How about 36 hours of fantastic stories, curated and narrated for you? The Classic Tales Podcast, Season Five is now available for only $19.99 at our website at www.classictalesaudiobooks.com.

I’ve optimized the audiobook for listening on mobile devices. Each chapter or story has customized artwork, and you can easily navigate from story to story when you want to listen again. This artwork-enriched edition of the audiobook is only available at www.classictalesaudiobooks.com -you won’t be disappointed.

Today’s story is by Maurice Leblanc, whose magnificent gentleman burglar is visiting us again. We heard from him earlier in September with The Infernal Trap. If you’d like more of Lupin’s adventures, feel free to check out our website. The first two novels of the series are available.

And now, The Red Silk Scarf, by Maurice Leblanc.

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Ep. 664, Transformation, by Mary Shelley

31 januari 2020 | 60 min

What happens when an Italian profligate makes a deal with an unusual magician? Mary Shelley today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Many, many thanks to all of our listeners and supporting members who help to keep us going.

If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member.

By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for an $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. It’s a seriously great deal, and helps us to keep doing what we’re doing. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Today’s story begins with a quote from Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. App users can hear the entire epic poem in their special features.

Do you love binging The Classic Tales Podcast? How about 36 hours of fantastic stories, curated and narrated for you? The Classic Tales Podcast, Season Five is now available for only $19.99 at our website at www.classictalesaudiobooks.com.

I’ve optimized the audiobook for listening on mobile devices. Each chapter or story has customized artwork, and you can easily navigate from story to story when you want to listen again. This artwork-enriched edition of the audiobook is only available at www.classictalesaudiobooks.com -you won’t be disappointed.

Today’s story is by Mary Shelley. Many of you may be familiar with the story of how Frankenstein was created. Lord Byron had rented a house in Geneva, Switzerland, along with John Polidori, and Mary and Percy Shelley. It was dark and stormy the whole time. After a while, they had a contest to see who could write the best ghost story. John Polidori wrote “The Vampyre”, which was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. And Mary Shelley wrote a short story called “Transformation”, which she later developed into the novel Frankenstein.

I always felt I was missing something about the origin of Frankenstein. Knowing that it came from a short story, and was fleshed out makes more sense. That being said, it is anything but a watered down version of our favorite flat-topped monster.

And now, Transformation, by Mary Shelley.

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Ep. 663, The Witch Caprusche, by Elizabeth F. Ellet

24 januari 2020 | 32 min

What must Ruscha do to secure the magic word that kills when it’s uttered? Elizabeth F. Ellett, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Many, many thanks to all of our listeners and supporting members who help to keep us going.

If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. Each week, I strive to bring you a classic selection that is relevant, well written, and entertaining. If you can’t tell, I love what I do. I love discovering so many amazing stories and sharing them with you. But to continue to do this, I need your help.

By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for an $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. It’s a seriously great deal, and helps us to keep doing what we’re doing. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Do you love binging The Classic Tales Podcast? How about 36 hours of fantastic stories, curated and narrated for you? The Classic Tales Podcast, Season Five is now available for only $19.99 at our website at www.classictalesaudiobooks.com.

I’ve optimized the audiobook for listening on mobile devices. Each chapter or story has customized artwork, and you can easily navigate from story to story when you want to listen again. The Classic Tales Podcast, Season Five -you won’t be disappointed.

Today’s story is by Elizabeth Ellett. Her grandfather was a General in the Revolutionary War, and she grew up imbued with patriotic as well as religious feelings, which nourished her mind. She had a thirst for learning, and at the age of 16 was married to Dr. William H. Ellet, a Professor of Chemistry at Columbia College. In the college, she took advantage of the opportunities of education, and soon rose to prominence.

She began to write for the magazines, or periodicals of the time, and the name of Mrs. Ellet became recognized in literary circles.

Like George Eliot, she also gained a reputation for translating. In 1848, she published her most important work: “The Women of the American Revolution”.

Today, Ellet is perhaps known best for the scandal she leaked about Edgar Allan Poe’s rumored affair with Frances Sargent Osgood when both were married to other people. Leaking this story didn’t help her at all.

Poe maligned her in the press, knocked her writings, accused her of plagiarism, and even referred to her as “short and fat”. In print.

Today’s story was taken from a Danish folk tale that Ellet has spiced up with lively characters and wonderful atmosphere. It’s on the short side, but delivers some wonderful chills along the way.

And now, The Witch Caprusche, by Elizabeth F. Ellet.

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Ep. 662, The Mystery of the Blue Jar, by Agatha Christie

17 januari 2020 | 52 min

Shouts of “Murder!” yield a mind-bending mystery. Agatha Christie, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Many, many thanks to all of our listeners and supporting members who help to keep us going.

If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for an $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

Do you love binging The Classic Tales Podcast? How about 36 hours of fantastic stories, curated and narrated for you? The Classic Tales Podcast, Season Five is now available for only $19.99 at our website at www.classictalesaudiobooks.com.

The novels of this anthology include mystery with The Mysterious Case at Styles, featuring Hercule Poirot, adventure with The Mark of Zorro, literary romance with A Room With A View, dystopian Science Fiction with Anthem, by Ayn Rand, and fantasy with The Snow Queen, by Hans Christian Andersen. Over a dozen other short stories and poems round out this outstanding collection of classics.

I’ve optimized the audiobook for listening on mobile devices. Each chapter or story has customized artwork, and you can easily navigate from story to story when you want to listen again. The Classic Tales Podcast, Season Five -you won’t be disappointed.

And now, The Mystery of the Blue Jar, by Agatha Christie.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

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Ep. 661, The Lifted Veil, part 2 of 2, by George Eliot

10 januari 2020 | 65 min

Ep. 660, The Lifted Veil, part 1 of 2, by George Eliot

3 januari 2020 | 71 min

Are the dreamlike musings of a sensitive intellectual truly predictive, or merely the result of an overactive imagination? George Eliot, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Many, many thanks to our 340 members who support us regularly. Each episode of The Classic Tales Podcast is initially downloaded over 10,000 times in the course of a week from the time it’s released, and we are so grateful for all of our supporters who have stepped up and helped to sustain us. 2020 marks the beginning of our 14th season, and we’d love to keep on going.

If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for an $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

I am working on an initiative to make The Classic Tales audiobooks free for public schools. Thank you to everyone who has visited the website, purchased audiobooks, or recommended or reviewed us. It goes a long way!

Anything you can do to help us to grow and sustain ourselves will help us put the classics into the ears of the next generation. Thank you.

This week we are showcasing the amazing work of George Eliot, the pseudonym of Mary Ann Evans. A good friend of mine, Morag Kawasaki, did a recent research project showcasing the role of women in romantic and Victorian literature. George Eliot/Mary Ann Evans came up time and time again as the most important female author at this time. Some key takeaways were: women weren’t judged against the published men of the time, they were only reviewed against each other.

They were also held to a much higher standard than the male writers of the time. Also, Eliot not only spoke but translated four languages: English, German, Greek and Hebrew.

Henry James, when writing about her novel Middlemarch, pointed to the ‘constant presence of thought, of generalizing instinct, of brain’ and he paid passionate tribute to Eliot’s ‘intellectual vigor, her immense facility, her exemption of cerebral lassitude’”.

Today’s story is about an intellectual, who, after suffering an illness, realizes he has gained the ability to read the thoughts of those around him. His name is Latimer, which means ‘one who interprets Latin’. Even this person’s name is indicative of understanding that which is hidden to most others.

The command of the language, and this ability of Eliot’s to see what others don’t are elegantly evident. I hope you like it.

App users can read Morag’s entire research project, The Journey of the Romantic & Victorian Female Author in their special features for this week’s episode.

And now, The Lifted Veil, Part 1 of 2, by George Eliot.

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Ep. 659, The Murder on the Links, part 7 of 7, by Agatha Christie

27 december 2019 | 66 min

Ep. 658, The Murder on the Links, part 6 of 7, by Agatha Christie

20 december 2019 | 67 min

Ep. 657, The Murder on the Links, part 5 of 7, by Agatha Christie

13 december 2019 | 77 min

Why is young Jack Renauld under suspicion for murdering his father? Agatha Christie, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for an $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

Time is about up if you’d like some Classic Tales merchandise for Christmas. If you’d like an Erudite Troglodyte hoodie, or a Pride and Prejudice tote bag, there’s only a couple of days left to have them in time for Christmas.

Tap here to go to The Classic Tales Merchandise store

App users can still find bite size portions of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius in their special features.

Finally, I’d like to talk a bit about a new project.

High school, and I’m not a great reader. For my AP History class, I had to read The Scarlet Letter. It was arguably the worst experience with a book I’d had up to that moment. I was so lost and frustrated. I wanted to read the classics so badly. I could tell there was something amazing there that was hidden from me. But I couldn’t get to it.

Fast-forward ten years or so, and I discover audiobooks. It was literally life changing. Suddenly, the whole world of the classics is open to me, and I can enjoy The Three Musketeers, David Copperfield, Jane Eyre, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. All of these stories I had always wanted to read, I could now enjoy with a little help from a narrator.

I want to other kids who might be struggling to have the same experience.

So that’s why I’m working on an initiative to make my library of Classic Tales free for all public schools. It’s a tricky plan, but I really don’t want other kids to struggle like I did. If they have ready access to these productions, I think I can help to prevent that. But I need your help.

Please become a supporting member, or purchase one of our larger one-time support options. If you can’t do that, please leave us a review, or tell your friends about us. I want to make this free for kids and schools with limited resources. So anything you can do to help us to grow and sustain ourselves will help us put the classics into the ears of the next generation. Thank you.

And now, The Murder on the Links, part 5 of 7, by Agatha Christie

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

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Ep. 656, The Murder on the Links, part 4 of 7, by Agatha Christie

6 december 2019 | 71 min

Ep. 655, The Murder on the Links, part 3 of 7, by Agatha Christie

29 november 2019 | 71 min

Ep. 654, The Murder on the Links, part 2 of 7, by Agatha Christie

22 november 2019 | 76 min

What can the hotshot detective from Paris reveal about the case that eludes the great Hercule Poirot? Agatha Christie, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for an $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame has now been released in its entirety. If you are a current supporter of the podcast, and have not received the email an corresponding link for the entire audiobook, please send an email to: [email protected] and I’ll get you squared away.

Do you know a student, teacher or researcher who studies a lot? If you’re looking for the perfect gift for them, look no further – for they are Erudite Troglodytes. Intellectual Cave Dwellers. Click on the link in the description for this episode to get an Erudite Troglodyte t-shirt, coffee mug, tote bag or even a sticker for the Erudite Troglodyte in your life. It’s a one of a kind gift that is only available at the Classic Tales online store. I have two shirts, and I wear them all the time!

Well, it looks like I didn’t win any of my SOVAS nominations. But that’s okay. We’ll keep plugging along. Thank you for all of your support.

And now, The Murder on the Links, part 2 of 7, by Agatha Christie

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Tap here to become an Erudite Troglodyte - The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 653, The Murder on the Links, part 1 of 7, by Agatha Christie

15 november 2019 | 60 min

Hercule Poirot receives an urgent message that a man is in danger, and that he must come at once. But will he arrive too late? Agatha Christie, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for an $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame has now been released in its entirety. If you are a current supporter of the podcast, and have not received the email an corresponding link for the entire audiobook, please send an email to: [email protected] and I’ll get you squared away.

Cyber Monday approaches, and I’m working on a special gift in the merchandise store. If you know of someone who reads, researches, or studies in rooms, libraries, or labs for extensive periods of time, it sounds like you know an intellectual cave dweller, or and Erudite Troglodyte. Check out my new design at our merchandise store if you have an Erudite Troglodyte in your life. The design makes a great shirt, coffee mug or tote bag.

I’ll find out this weekend if I happen to win an award from the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences. I’m very excited, and I’ll be sure to let you know if any awards come my way. I’ll also let you know if one of the many other amazing nominees took home the prize. It’s been a thrilling journey, and I’m very humbled to be competing with these amazing narrators and podcasters.

This week we will begin a mystery from Agatha Christie that will take us to the end of the year – The Murder on the Links. Hercule Poirot has been portrayed many times on stage, screen and television. My favorite Poirot is Peter Ustinov, and my favorite Poirot film is “Evil Under the Sun”. If you haven’t seen it, you should check it out. It stars James Mason, Maggie Smith, Diana Rigg, Roddy McDowell and many others.

And now, The Murder on the Links, part 1 of 7, by Agatha Christie

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

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Ep. 652, An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving, by Louisa May Alcott

8 november 2019 | 51 min

When the parents are suddenly called away from the farm, the children decide to make a Thanksgiving Dinner surprise. What could possibly go wrong? Louisa May Alcott, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for an $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame will be released this weekend. All current supporters - keep an eye on your inboxes for an email from us with a downloadable link. If you haven’t received an email by Tuesday, please reach out to [email protected]. Sometimes the email list can be wonky. I hope you like it!

The next title to be released as a bonus for supporters will be The Ghost Kings, by H. Rider Haggard. It’s one of his most well written, and underappreciated treasures, where he integrates his trademark lost world adventure with supernatural mysticism.

Supporters who donate at the $5/month level with receive two bonus titles/year. Hunchback will count as two, because of its length. Most titles will be around 8-10 hours in length. Supporters who donate at the $10/month level or more will receive three titles.

Well, I’ll be going to the SOVAS awards next week, so we’re releasing one of our favorite titles from the archives this week. We’re going to start a mystery novel next week that will take us to the end of the year, and I didn’t want to split it up.

The Society of Voice Arts and Sciences has nominated The Classic Tales Podcast as Best Podcast of 2019. Not sure if we’ll win, but the SOVAS awards are a big deal. There aren’t a ton of awards for voice acting, and it will be fun to see some of the heroes who have inspired me over the years. Some of whom I’m actually competing with. The two thrillers I’m nominated for are going up against some A list talent. It’s such an incredible honor to be nominated.

And now, An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving, by Louisa May Alcott

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Ep. 651, The Ebony Frame, by Edith Nesbit

31 oktober 2019 | 36 min

Ep. 650, Bambi, part 4of4, by Felix Salten

25 oktober 2019 | 83 min

Ep. 649, Bambi, part 3of4, by Felix Salten

18 oktober 2019 | 69 min

How does Bambi negotiate the twists and turns of growing up without his mother? Felix Salten, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

I only have a few chapters left to record of The Hunchback of Notre Dame I have one of my proofers going through it now, and I hope to have it available soon. Be sure to keep your subscription current, as I’ll be sending the entire audiobook to all current supporters. This was quite a feat, and I’m excited to see it coming to successful close.

Again! We’ve been nominated for a SOVAS award! Best Podcast of 2019 , along with TWO nominations in the thriller audiobook category– can you believe it? The awards gala is on November 17th. Hopefully the stars will align so I can walk the red carpet. Previous winners in other categories include Lily Tomlin, James Earl Jones, Scott Brick, and Sigourney Weaver. It’s a pretty prestigious award, and I’m very excited.

If you’re dying for some horror stories during Halloween season, App users can discover a scary story in the special features during the month of October. This week, we feature The Squaw, by Bram Stoker. Marcus Aurelius will continue in November.

I discovered a connection between my son Basil, Bambi, and Frankenstein! Okay, so the third Frankenstein film, Son of Frankenstein (1939), starred Basil Rathbone as Wolf von Frankenstein, and Donnie Dunagan as his son, Peter von Frankenstein. This is where it gets crazy – little Donnie Dunagan is the voice of young Bambi in the Disney film, and I named my son after Basil Rathbone. Son of Frankenstein is also the last time Boris Karloff would play the monster. Yeah, I think if you look hard enough, you find connections kind of anywhere.

And now, Bambi, part 3 of 4, by Felix Salten.

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

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Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 648, Bambi, part 2of4, by Felix Salten

11 oktober 2019 | 85 min

What could two leaves possibly have to say to each other? Felix Salten, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

Thank you for your patience over the last little while. I’m scheduling to have some new releases coming soon to the website. Keep an eye open for some new titles!

Now, if you’re dying for some horror stories during Halloween season, App users can discover a scary story in the special features during the month of October. This week, we feature The Burned House, by Vincent O’Sullivan. Marcus Aurelius will continue in November.

In today’s episode of Bambi, things get pretty real, especially in the last chapter. It might be upsetting to younger readers, so keep a sharp eye out for that.

Also, in today’s episode, the deer run into some elk. Now, in the Disney movie, I thought that Bambi was the chosen one, and a prince among deer. But in the original book, the adult deer are related to as princes and the adult elk are kings. Bambi is awed by the elk calling to each other in the night. Salten’s description of the elk call is brilliant. Here’s what a wild elk call sounds like, in case you’ve never heard one:

I think one of the most beautiful pieces I’ve ever recorded is Chapter 8 of Bambi, with the two leaves. I hope you enjoy it.

And now, Bambi, part 2 of 4, by Felix Salten.

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

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Go to the merchandise store by tapping here

Ep. 647, Bambi, part 1of4, by Felix Salten

4 oktober 2019 | 80 min

Why is Bambi forbidden to enter the meadow during the daytime? Felix Salten, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

Surprise! We’re doing the complete book of Bambi for the month of October. And to kick things off, I’ve created some really fun artwork that is available at the merchandise store. I got a Bambi long sleeved tee shirt, and I just love it. If you like the artwork I design for the Classic Tales covers, please check it out!

We’d also like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

Now, if you’re dying for some horror stories during Halloween season, App users can discover a scary story in the special features during the month of October. This week, we feature The Ring of Toth, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Marcus Aurelius will continue in November.

I’m pleased to announce that The Society for Voice Arts and Sciences has nominated The Classic Tales Podcast as one of the Best Podcasts of 2019. I’m also nominated for two thrille audiobooks I’ve done. It’s such an honor to be nominated at all, and to be nominated three times is outrageous. Thank you for listening to the podcast, and telling your friends. Apparently, we still go it!

Now, I had always heard that the original Bambi was much edgier and darker than the Disney film, but I had never read it. It just came into the public domain this year, so I thought I’d give it a go. I was blown away. It’s written so beautifully, so poetically. But there is a deeper, resounding philosophy as the creatures are forced to face their own mortality in so many ways. I

t reads more like Watership Down or Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. But there is no substitute for reading the original, unabridged work. Once Bambi starts to understand the way things work, things start to get really real.

I had to do it in October, because in Utah, our kids actually get out of school for the deer hunt.

And now, Bambi, part 1 of 4, by Felix Salten.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

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Go to the merchandise store by tapping here

Ep. 646, The Bell and the Fog, by Gertrude Atherton

27 september 2019 | 71 min

Ep. 645, The Fall of the House of Usher, by Edgar Allan Poe

20 september 2019 | 57 min

Is there, in fact, a curse on the actual House of Usher, or just the inhabitants? Edgar Allan Poe, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

I don’t know about you, but I love wearing t-shirts that are literary. I guess it’s kind of my thing, if I have one. If you like the artwork I design for the Classic Tales covers, please check out our merchandise store. They are having a sale right now!

We’d also like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

And app users can check out more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius in their special features.

For the rest of September, we will be stocking up on scary stories, because we have a special seasonal title for October this year.

This story, the original Fall of the House of Usher, by Edgar Allan Poe, hasn’t been released through the podcast before. And this recording is one I did for an anthology of classic horror stories recently released on Audible: The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Creepy Classics.

A group of local audiobook narrators get together once a month for lunch to talk shop and shoot the breeze. It’s so great to be able to talk to people who understand all the tricks and pitfalls with this crazy vocation of narrating audiobooks.

Today’s episode is one of the stories in the anthology that we created. Audie Award-winner Nancy Peterson spearheaded the project, and it was very fun to collaborate with these amazing colleagues. You can check out the complete anthology here:

And now, The Fall of the House of Usher, by Edgar Allan Poe

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to get early access to the Airr app, and share your favorite snippets of the episode with your friends! Share on Twitter @bjharrisonaudio, and your clip might be on the show!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 644, The Infernal Trap, by Maurice Leblanc

13 september 2019 | 57 min

Ep. 643, The Four Just Men, part 4of4, by Edgar Wallace

6 september 2019 | 57 min

How can The Four Just Men accomplish their nefarious plan – in spite of the herculean precautions of Scotland Yard? Edgar Wallace, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

You can also purchase our app, or shop for t-shirts and other merchandise. Links can be found in the notes to today’s episode.

If you have the Classic Tales App, check your special features for more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.

We’d also like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is coming along. I’ve been a little under the weather this week, and I only got half an hour recorded. But I’m back at it. I’d like to send out Part One next week, so keep an eye on your inboxes. I still have a few more hours to record until we are finished.

Please make sure your membership status is current, as I will be sending the completed audiobook out to all current financial supporting members.

I’m going to be at the Fan X Comic Con in Salt Lake City! I’ll be on a panel called: The Life Changing Magic of Embracing your Inner Nerd. It will be on Saturday the 7th at noon. Apparently, I’m a bit of an authority on nerding loud and proud. If you’re in town, drop by. I’d love to see you, and I have stickers!

And now, The Four Just Men, part 4 of 4, by Edgar Wallace.

Tap here to get early access to the Airr app, and share your favorite snippets of the episode with your friends! Share on Twitter @bjharrisonaudio, and your clip might be on the show!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

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Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 642, The Four Just Men, part 3of4, by Edgar Wallace

30 augusti 2019 | 85 min

Will the Four Just Men be caught when they deliver their final threat in person? Edgar Wallace, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

You can also purchase our app, or shop for t-shirts and other merchandise. Links can be found in the notes to today’s episode.

If you have the Classic Tales App, check your special features for more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.

We’d also like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is coming along. I’m going to release this in two shots, as a Part One and Part Two, since it runs around 20 hours. So keep an eye open for Part One.

Please make sure your membership status is current, as I will be sending the completed audiobook out to all current financial supporting members.

I’m going to be at the Fan X Comic Con in Salt Lake City! I’ll be on a panel called: The Life Changing Magic of Embracing your Inner Nerd. It will be on Saturday the 7th at noon. Apparently, I’m a bit of an authority on nerding loud and proud. If you’re in town, drop by. I’d love to see you, and I have stickers!

And now, The Four Just Men, part 3 of 4, by Edgar Wallace.

Tap here to get early access to the Airr app, and share your favorite snippets of the episode with your friends! Share on Twitter @bjharrisonaudio, and your clip might be on the show!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 641, The Four Just Men, part 2of4, by Edgar Wallace

23 augusti 2019 | 75 min

Ep. 640, The Four Just Men, part 1of4, by Edgar Wallace

16 augusti 2019 | 77 min

How does a vigilante group styling themselves The Four Just Men raise the stakes against an inflammatory act of Parliament? Edgar Wallace, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

You can also purchase our app, or shop for t-shirts and other merchandise. Links can be found in the notes to today’s episode.

If you have the Classic Tales App, check your special features for more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.

We’d also like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor.

This week we have another sponsor: AudioFile Magazine. They have an amazing podcast that highlights the best of the best in audiobooks. Their episodes are frequent, and run around 5 minutes long. Continue listening after the story to hear an entire episode of their podcast: Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is coming along. I’m running a little behind this week. It’s tricky to try and sneak in a few hours to record over the weekend. I’m going to release this in two shots, as a Part One and Part Two, since it runs around 20 hours. So keep an eye open for Part One.

Please make sure your membership status is current, as I will be sending the completed audiobook out to all current financial supporting members.

Today’s story is Edgar Wallace who co-wrote the groundbreaking story of King Kong with Merriam C. Cooper. Wallace was a prolific author, and at the time of his death, was known as “The King of Thrillers”.

When Wallace finished writing The Four Just Men, he was sure he had a hit. The problem was, nobody else thought so. He couldn’t get it published. So, he self published it, and decided to advertise the novel on an unprecedented scale. He came up with a bold advertising gimmick: a £500 reward was offered to any reader who could guess how the murder in the novel was committed. Wallace was working for The Daily Mail newspaper at the time, and here he published the serialized version of the story along with the competition.

Well, it didn’t work out quite like he’d anticipated. While the book did well, it didn’t do that well. Furthermore, Wallace wasn’t quite as clever as he thought. Some people were guessing the ending. After three months, Wallace still hadn’t recouped his advertising investment, and he had more contest winners than he was planning for. So, the official list of winners kind of went unpublished, which kind of made a lot of people lose trust in The Daily Mail, which is really a bad thing when you’re, you know, a news source.

In the end, Wallace had to borrow £5,000 from his boss, so the newspaper could save face with their readers. Wallace’s working relationship with the paper soured after that, when it became evident that Wallace was in no hurry to pay the money back. But while the publishing of The Four Just Men was a bit of a fiasco, it did establish Wallace’s name as a writer.

The reason I chose this story was because while I was reading it, I was constantly fighting with myself. This was Wallace’s intention. Of The Four Just Men, he said, “The most lawless of us would hesitate to defend them, but the greater humanitarian could scarcely condemn them.” We aren’t supposed to be completely for or against them.

The story takes place before the two World Wars, when anarchists were big news in Europe. Today, we would likely dub them terrorists. They are vigilantes, who seek their own version of justice from the world. I hope you like it.

Warning: there are a couple offensive racial epithets in today’s episode, including the “n” word.

And now, The Four Just Men, part 1 of 4, by Edgar Wallace.

Tap here to get early access to the Airr app, and share your favorite snippets of the episode with your friends! Share on Twitter @bjharrisonaudio, and your clip might be on the show!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

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Ep. 639, The Rival Mechanicians, by Lydia Maria Child

9 augusti 2019 | 45 min

What misfortune occurs when an ancient watchmaker pits his two protégés against each other? Lydia Maria Child, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for $8 off any digital audiobook download. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

There are many other ways you can also support the podcast, through purchasing our app, merchandise, or telling your friends about us. Links can be found in the notes to today’s episode.

If you have the Classic Tales App, check your special features for more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. That’s still a thing.

You and also rate and review us at Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

And the items in our FREE category have been changed, so head on over to the website for some free audiobooks.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is coming along. I’m actually using a combination of several translations to record this audiobook, as I’m using three at the same time. The one from J. Carroll Beckwith is the main one, but I’m also using the traditionally used anonymous translation as well as another audio version for additional reference. I have around four more hours to record.

Please make sure your membership status is current, as I will be sending the completed audiobook out to all current financial supporting members.

Today’s story is by Lydia Maria Child, who lived from 1802 to 1880. She was best known for her stand against slavery and for her promotion of the rights of Native Americans. The musical version of her Thanksgiving poem, “Over the River and Through the Woods”, is still sung by children today.

Her story, “The Rival Mechanicians” has been lauded as one of the finest science fiction tales from the first half of the nineteenth century. The Western Literary Messenger declared it to be “above praise”, when it was first published in 1847.

There are so many diverse and profound elements to the story, however, I think I’ll let it speak for itself.

And now, The Rival Mechanicians, by Lydia Maria Child.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Tap here to get early access to the Airr app, and share your favorite snippets of the episode with your friends! Share on Twitter @bjharrisonaudio, and your clip might be on the show!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 638, The People of the Black Circle, part 4of4, by Robert E. Howard

2 augusti 2019 | 58 min

How can Khemsa’s dying words about following a golden thread possibly help Conan defeat the evil Master of Yimshah? Robert E. Howard, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for $8 off any digital audiobook download. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

There are many other ways you can also support the podcast, through purchasing our app, merchandise, or telling your friends about us. Links can be found in the notes to today’s episode.

You and also rate and review us at Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

And the items in our FREE category have been changed, so head on over to the website for some free audiobooks.

I’m very excited to announce that Annie, from the Join Us In France podcast, has agreed to write a special introduction for the Classic Tales Audiobook edition of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She is a licensed historian and tour guide, and her insights into the history of the Notre Dame cathedral will deepen the experience of the audiobook.

After searching many different translations, the one I landed on by J. Carroll Beckwith was only published in a very limited edition of only 1000 copies. But it is by far the best I’ve come across.

Please make sure your supporter status is up to date, so you don’t miss out on this amazing production. Once it’s done, I’ll be sending the entire 20 hour-long audiobook to all current supporters.

This week we finish our story of Conan. It’s got some pretty gruesome violence, and the misogyny is back, too. The violence is pretty obvious, but parents might also want to stop and talk about the misogyny. If we point it out and talk about it, we can make sure it stops.

And now, The People of the Black Circle, Part 4 of 4, by Robert E. Howard.

Tap here to get early access to the Airr app, and share your favorite snippets of the episode with your friends! Share on Twitter @bjharrisonaudio, and your clip might be on the show!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 637, The People of the Black Circle, part 3of4, by Robert E. Howard

26 juli 2019 | 53 min

How can Conan possibly prevail against the wizards of the Black Circle? Robert E. Howard, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for $8 off any digital audiobook download. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

There are many other ways you can also support the podcast, through purchasing our app, merchandise, or telling your friends about us. Links can be found in the notes to today’s episode.

If you have the Classic Tales App, check your special features for more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. That’s still a thing.

You and also rate and review us at Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

And thank you, Spotify, for featuring us again on your curated Mind Massage playlist.

Hunchback is coming along nicely, and I’ll be recording another episode on Saturday. I’d like to get it done by the end of September. So, please make sure your supporter status is up to date, so you don’t miss out on this amazing production. Once it’s done, I’ll be sending the entire 20 hour-long audiobook to all current supporters.

And now, The People of the Black Circle, Part 3 of 4, by Robert E. Howard.

Tap here to get early access to the Airr app, and share your favorite snippets of the episode with your friends! Share on Twitter @bjharrisonaudio, and your clip might be on the show!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

https://www.amazon.com/author/bjharrison

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 636, The People of the Black Circle, part 2of4, by Robert E. Howard

19 juli 2019 | 58 min

Will Conan and Yasmina escape the magical machinations of the man in the green turban? Robert E. Howard, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for $8 off any digital audiobook download. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

There are many other ways you can also support the podcast, through purchasing our app, merchandise, or telling your friends about us. Links can be found in the notes to today’s episode.

If you have the Classic Tales App, check your special features for more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. That’s still a thing.

You and also rate and review us at Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

And thank you, Spotify, for featuring us again on your curated Mind Massage playlist.

Hunchback is coming along nicely, and I recorded another episode today. Wow, that is an amazing story. I have 6 hours left. I’d like to get it done by the end of September. So, please make sure your supporter status is up to date, so you don’t miss out on this amazing story.

As with other titles we’ve done in the past, today we’re going to run into some things that are problematic. We haven’t run into this much misogyny before, but I simply can’t let this go without calling it out. There is a part in the story where Conan is way out of line, and decides to give himself liberties without Yasmina’s consent. I don’t want to get all preachy, but parents, this is a good chance to pause the story and talk to your kids, maybe.

And now, The People of the Black Circle, Part 2 of 4, by Robert E. Howard.

Tap here to get early access to the Airr app, and share your favorite snippets of the episode with your friends! Share on Twitter @bjharrisonaudio, and your clip might be on the show!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 635, The People of the Black Circle, part 1of4, by Robert E. Howard

12 juli 2019 | 69 min

Will Conan the Cimmerian help Yasmina avenge her kingly brother’s death? Robert E. Howard, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for $8 off any digital audiobook download. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

If you have the Classic Tales App, check your special features for more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.

If you’d like to share a snippet of today’s show with your friends, join us in beta testing the Airr app. Links can be found in the show notes.

We also have a merchandise store where you can get shirts and tote bags with your favorite Classic Tales Covers. Again, links are in the show notes.

And check us out on Spotify – our new podcast partner.

We’re still chipping away at Hunchback. It’s on its way. Be sure you don’t miss is, and become a monthly supporter. Once it’s ready, I’ll send an email out to all of our current supporters. If you’ve let your membership lapse, be sure and resubscribe.

And by the way, the only reason I’m being skittish about announcing a release date for Hunchback is simply because I don’t know how much more of my time I can throw toward it. I’m not trying to be like an enigmatic jerk, but at this point, it’s kind of what I can commit to. I can get it done in the near future, send it out to the supporters and move on.

I hope you don’t mind. If you have any suggestions, feel free to send me an email at [email protected]

Today we are dipping our toe into the world of Conan the Cimmerian. Now, I decided to do this book for a couple reasons.

1) Howard’s Conan series was a very important chapter in the history of fantasy. Many authors continued the series after Howard’s death – over 50 novels and dozens of short stories of Conan were written by authors other than Howard.

2) This method of story telling, using the cycle of the hero and using larger than life archetypal characters, is something that we have largely moved away from. I’ll explain it in Star Wars:

So, in the original trilogy, you had the archetypal characters: The hero, the damsel in distress, the adventurer, the evil villain. This collection of characters are seen in millions of stories, and resonate with something deep within us. This is how storytelling has been done for centuries. This Conan story is a fantastic example of this method.

Today, we tend to demand that our characters are more nuanced, complicated, and multi-faceted. The stories that follow the same traditional pattern, using the archetypal characters, seem to not do too well. And so this Conan story is an interesting look at how it used to be done, and hopefully if parts ring a bit shallow, we can realize that we’ve become more developed in our storytelling nowadays.

And now, The People of the Black Circle, Part 1 of 4, by Robert E. Howard.

Tap here to get early access to the Airr app, and share your favorite snippets of the episode with your friends! Share on Twitter @bjharrisonaudio, and your clip might be on the show!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 634, The Importance of Being Earnest, part 4of4, by Oscar Wilde

5 juli 2019 | 35 min

What shocking truths does Lady Bracknell discover (and reveal)? Oscar Wilde, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. It helps support the podcast, and it’s a great way to build out your library of classics. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for $8 off any digital audiobook download. You win, and we get to keep going strong. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today.

If you have the Classic Tales App, check your special features for more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.

If you’d like to share a snipped of today’s show with your friends, join us in beta testing the Airr app. Links can be found in the show notes. Tap here to try the Airr app

We also have a merchandise store where you can get shirts and tote bags with your favorite Classic Tales Covers. Again, links are in the show notes. Tap here to go to the merch store

And check us out on Spotify – our new podcast partner

Okay, I think I’m back in a place where I can begin production on The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and finish the story. There are still 8 hours to record, so it will take a while, but it is happening.

I’m going to try a new thing, though. I’m going to wait until it’s totally complete, and then send out a link to a free copy in one email to all of the current Classic Tales supporters. I will not announce when this will happen, and it will be a one-time type of situation.

So if you’ve let your membership lapse for whatever reason, It’s time to get back in the game. Thank you so much for your support.

And now, The Importance of Being Earnest, Part 4 of 4, by Oscar Wilde.

Tap here to get early access to the Airr app, and share your favorite snippets of the episode with your friends! Share on Twitter @bjharrisonaudio, and your clip might be on the show!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 633, The Importance of Being Earnest, part 3of4, by Oscar Wilde

28 juni 2019 | 47 min

When all of it comes out, who is, in fact, engaged to Ernest? Oscar Wilde, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you’ve enjoyed The Classic Tales over the years, please consider becoming a supporting member. Making a monthly donation really helps us to create a support flow we can count on. If you can step up with just $5/month, that really helps us keep moving forward. Go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter. You’ll get a monthly code good toward any digital audiobook download, as a ‘thank you’ gift. It’s a great deal, and a great feeling. Thank you so much.

And for those of you with the Classic Tales App, check out your special features for more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - just enough to wet your whistle. In the app, tap on the box with a bow on the left when you play the episode. That’s the special features area.

If you’re a regular listener of The Classic Tales Podcast, perhaps you've heard me read a passage that really stands out to you. One of the limitations of podcasts as a format is that there has not been a great way to save those brief moments for yourself or share them with other people in your life that would enjoy them.

Beta testing for the Airr app is going well, and there’s a new update for it which smoothes things along nicely. It’s a handy tool to share Oscar Wilde’s pithier moments with your friends on social media. Share your AirrQuote with me on my twitter feed, @bjharrisonaudio, and I might give you a shout out and feature you on the podcast! How many have done it yet? Nobody. So the odds are in your favor! You can find a link to the Airr app in the show notes for this episode.

Also, be sure to check us out on Spotify! They are beginning to feature us here and there, and we appreciate it.

Okay, so now we are back to episode 2 of The Importance of Being Earnest. Here’s the story so far:

Jack Worthing is known as Jack in the country, and Ernest in town. He has invented a reprobate brother whom he’s given the name of Ernest. His best friend, Algernon, likewise has an imagined acquaintance named Bunbury, whom he visits when he wants to escape the tedium of town.

Jack is in love with Gwendolyn, Angernon’s cousin. But Gwendolyn’s mother, Lady Bracknell, is not to be overlooked. After giving Jack the third degree, it is discovered that Jack doesn’t know who his parents are, and that he was discovered as an infant in a handbag in a railway station. After recommending that Jack acquire some parents post haste, Lack Bracknell has left Jack standing dumbfounded, while Algernon plays the piano in the adjoining room.

Meanwhile, Algernon goes to Jack’s country house masquerading as Jack’s profligate brother Ernest. Introducing himself as such, he woos and is quickly engaged to young Cecily, Jack’s ward.

When Jack arrives, he demands that Algernon leave, and he feigns to do so. In the mean time, Gwendolyn has traveled to Jack’s house in the country, and meets Jack’s ward, Cecily. Again, Cecily is engaged to Algernon, who introduced himself as Ernest. And Gwendolyn is still persuaded that Jack’s name is Ernest, as she only knows him when he is in London.

And now, The Importance of Being Earnest, Part 3 of 4, by Oscar Wilde.

Tap here to get early access to the Airr app, and share your favorite snippets of the episode with your friends! Share on Twitter @bjharrisonaudio, and your clip might be on the show!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 632, The Importance of Being Earnest, part 2of4, by Oscar Wilde

21 juni 2019 | 54 min

Though Jack announces that his brother Ernest is dead, what happens when his brother himself appears at Jack’s country home? Oscar Wilde, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you’ve enjoyed The Classic Tales over the years, please consider becoming a supporting member. Making a monthly donation really helps us to create a support flow we can count on. If you can step up with just $5/month, that really helps us keep moving forward. Go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter. You’ll get a monthly code good toward any digital audiobook download, as a ‘thank you’ gift. It’s a great deal, and a great feeling. Thank you so much.

And for those of you with the Classic Tales App, check out your special features for more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - just enough to wet your whistle. In the app, tap on the box with a bow on the left when you play the episode. That’s the special features area.

If you’re a regular listener of The Classic Tales Podcast, perhaps you've heard me read a passage that really stands out to you. One of the limitations of podcasts as a format is that there has not been a great way to save those brief moments for yourself or share them with other people in your life that would enjoy them.

Beta testing for the Airr app is going well, and there’s a new update for it which smoothes things along nicely. It’s a handy tool to share Oscar Wilde’s pithier moments with your friends on social media. Share your AirrQuote with me on my twitter feed, @bjharrisonaudio, and I might give you a shout out and feature you on the podcast! How many have done it yet? Nobody. So the odds are in your favor! You can find a link to the Airr app in the show notes for this episode.

Also, be sure to check us out on Spotify! They are beginning to feature us here and there, and we appreciate it!

Okay, so now we are back to episode 2 of The Importance of Being Earnest. Here’s the story so far:

Jack Worthing is known as Jack in the country, and Ernest in town. He has invented a reprobate brother whom he’s given the name of Ernest. His best friend, Algernon, likewise has an imagined acquaintance named Bunbury, whom he visits when he wants to escape the tedium of town.

Jack is in love with Gwendolyn, Angernon’s cousin. But Gwendolyn’s mother, Lady Bracknell, is not to be overlooked. After giving Jack the third degree, it is discovered that Jack doesn’t know who his parents are, and that he was discovered as an infant in a handbag in a railway station. After recommending that Jack acquire some parents post haste, Lack Bracknell has left Jack standing dumbfounded, while Algernon plays the piano in the adjoining room.

And now, The Importance of Being Earnest, Part 2 of 4, by Oscar Wilde.

Tap here to get early access to the Airr app, and share your favorite snippets of the episode with your friends! Share on Twitter @bjharrisonaudio, and your clip might be on the show!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 631, The Man Who Lived Backwards, by Charles F. Hall

14 juni 2019 | 53 min

Where, (and when) does Dr. Nikolai Rostof disappear to while teaching a classroom full of children? Charles F. Hall, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you’ve enjoyed The Classic Tales over the years, please consider becoming a supporting member. We really need your help right now. Making a monthly donation really helps us to create a support flow we can count on. If you can step up with just $5/month, that really helps us out. Go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter. You’ll get a monthly code good for $8 toward any digital audiobook download, as a ‘thank you’ gift. It’s a great deal, and a great feeling. Thank you so much.

And for those of you with the Classic Tales App, check out your special features for more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - just enough to wet your whistle. In the app, tap on the box with a bow on the left when you play the episode. That’s the special features area.

If you’re a regular listener of The Classic Tales Podcast, perhaps you've heard me read a passage that really stands out to you. One of the limitations of podcasts as a format is that there has not been a great way to save those brief moments for yourself or share them with other people in your life that would enjoy them.

Join us in beta testing the Airr app, and sharing your favorite Classic Tales moments with your friends on social media. Share your AirrQuote with me on my twitter feed, @bjharrisonaudio, and I might give you a shout out and feature you on the podcast! You can find a link to the Airr app in the show notes for this episode.

We’re also on Spotify, who has recently featured our show on one of their curated podcast playlists, “Mind Massage”. Check us out on Spotify!

And now for something completely different.

I am heading out of town with my family this week, and so we’re bringing you a rare story from the vaults.

C.S. Lewis wrote, in his preface to The Great Divorce: “I must acknowledge my debt to a writer whose name I have forgotten and whom I read several years ago in a highly coloured American magazine. The unbendable and unbreakable quality of my heavenly matter was suggested to me by him, although he used the fancy for a different and more ingenious purpose. His hero traveled into the past and there very properly found raindrops that would pierce him like bullets and sandwiches that no strength would bite because, of course, nothing in the past can be altered. If the writer of that story ever reads these lines I ask him to accept my grateful acknowledgment.”

Lewis was wrong about the story appearing in an American magazine. In fact, it appeared in a short-lived British Magazine, Tales of Wonder. And it’s small wonder that the author’s name slipped Lewis’ mind. He published two stories for this obscure magazine in 1938, and then disappeared. Today’s story is the first, and the one that Lewis referred to as influencing his writing in such a unique way.

This recording was originally released in 2011, in Season Five of The Classic Tales Podcast.

Rest assured, we will return to The Importance of Being Earnest next week.

And now, The Man Who Lived Backward, by Charles F. Hall.

Tap here to get early access to the Airr app, and share your favorite snippets of the episode with your friends! Share on Twitter @bjharrisonaudio, and your clip might be on the show!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 630, The Importance of Being Earnest, Part 1 of 4, by Oscar Wilde

7 juni 2019 | 49 min

Who is the owner of the mysterious cigarette case? The answer is anything but simple. Oscar Wilde, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you’ve enjoyed The Classic Tales over the years, please consider becoming a supporting member. Making a monthly donation really helps us to create a support flow we can count on. If you can step up with just $5/month, that really helps us out. Go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter. You’ll get a monthly code good for $8 toward any digital audiobook download, as a ‘thank you’ gift. It’s a great deal, and a great feeling. Thank you so much.

And for those of you with the Classic Tales App, check out your special features for more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - just enough to wet your whistle. In the app, tap on the box with a bow on the left when you play the episode. That’s the special features area.

If you’re a regular listener of The Classic Tales Podcast, perhaps you've heard me read a passage that really stands out to you. One of the limitations of podcasts as a format is that there has not been a great way to save those brief moments for yourself or share them with other people in your life that would enjoy them.

That's why I'm excited to announce that I’m experimenting with a great new tool, Airr, that lets you save and share the best moments of Classic Tales episodes. Their app lets you capture the moments that stand out to you while listening, and then send these clips to your friends or share them on social media.

Airr is a free, iPhone app that is currently in private beta. Now, this isn't a paid sponsorship or an ad of any sort. Instead, the founders are working with me to give Classic Tales listeners early access to the app, which launches publicly this August. You can sign up for early access through the link, which I will also link in the show notes.

And, perhaps most importantly, I want all of you to share your favorite moments from Classic Tales with me! If you use Airr and tweet your favorite moment from the latest episodes @bjharrisonaudio, you might just appear on a Classic Tales episode. Each week, before the story begins, I’ll shoutout the fan who submitted my favorite moment, read their accompanying tweet, and play their clip on the show!

This week we are doing a play that I have adapted into the audiobook format. I’ve done this before with Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Coriolanus. I think I’m finally hit my stride. I’m very happy with the way this turned out. I hope you enjoy it.

And now, The Importance of Being Earnest, Part 1 of 4, by Oscar Wilde.

Tap here to get early access to the Airr app, and share your favorite snippets of the episode with your friends! Share on Twitter @bjharrisonaudio, and your clip might be on the show!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 629, The Undertakers, by Rudyard Kipling

31 maj 2019 | 64 min

What is the secret desire that needles the reptilian mind of the Mugger of Mugger-Ghaut? Rudyard Kipling, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. If you’ve enjoyed The Classic Tales over the years, please consider becoming a supporting member. Making a monthly donation really helps us to create a support flow we can count on. If you can step up with just $5/month, that really helps us out. Go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter. You’ll get a monthly ‘thank you’ code toward any digital download, to help to expand your library of classic audiobooks. It’s a great deal, and a great feeling. Thank you so much.

People are picking up Pride and Prejudice tote bags, and t-shirts of The Count of Monte Cristo. Check out our merchandise store! Links can be found in the episode’s details.

And for those of you with the Classic Tales App, check out your special features for more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - just enough to wet your whistle. In the app, tap on the box with a bow on the left when you play the episode. That’s the special features area.

This week, we hear from Rudyard Kipling. Today’s story comes from the second of his Jungle Book stories.

Not sure if it’s super well known or obvious, but Kipling was a bit of a racist and misogynist. He truly believed that the white man was superior. You can see it in his writing in his attitude toward the indigenous people of India, and the way he depicts the women in this story.

When I run into stuff like this, I don’t think it’s right to ignore it. I also don’t want to cut out the objectionable parts, and pretend that these things didn’t happen. They did. And I think if we look at them and talk about them, it helps to keep them from recurring. I also think it helps to keep these attitudes from gaining acceptance through the revisiting of these pieces.

And now, The Undertakers, by Rudyard Kipling.

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 628, The Hand of Fu-Manchu, part 8of8, by Sax Rohmer

24 maj 2019 | 72 min

What sinister secret hides in the underground passages of Graywater Park? Sax Rohmer, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. Have you noticed that some other podcasts who say that still have a break in the middle of the episode and a bunch of messages from sponsors? That’s fine for them, but not for me. Years ago, I wanted to make sure that nothing distracted from the story, and so instead of chasing down sponsors, I’ve tried to take care of my listeners.

In fact, if you’re a $5/month sponsor for most podcasts, they give you nothing. I mean, you help to keep the podcast going, which is what it’s all about, but with your $5/month donation, you get a monthly “Thank You” code that allows you to essentially get an audiobook from our online store. There’s also a bunch of free stuff on our website you’re more than welcome to download.

So, yeah, maybe I don’t need to bust out a code for website credit with a $5/month donation, but I do. Because I appreciate your donation to keep us running. Thank you so much.

And so if you have enjoyed The Classic Tales over the years, if you feel that this is a good service, if they have made you think about things you otherwise maybe wouldn’t have, please go to classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a supporting member.

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius continue in the special features of this week’s episode in the Classic Tales App. In the app, tap on the box with a bow on the left when you play the episode. That’s the special features area. It’s like a present!

Today we conclude our series of The Hand of Fu-Manchu, by Sax Rohmer.

As with last week, and during the run of this series, as you run into objectionable stuff today, feel free to talk about it with your friends. Point out the problems with your kids. Racism and misogyny thrive in the darkness. Let’s clean this out of our culture through honest and informed discussion.

And now, The Hand of Fu-Manchu, part 8 of 8, by Sax Rohmer.

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 627, The Hand of Fu-Manchu, part 7of8, by Sax Rohmer

17 maj 2019 | 76 min

A Medusa, a secret meeting, and a murder – can Petrie and Smith decipher these clues before it’s too late? Sax Rohmer, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

This year, we’ve had the entire novel of “The Inimitable Jeeves”, a collection of scary stories, and now we’re winding up “The Hand of Fu-Manchu”. The choice of stories is actually quite a complex kind of art. There are many people who do similar things now, who simply look for the most downloaded public domain books, or similar lists. But I’ve actually read these books. I love them, if you couldn’t already tell. They mean so much to me, and I love to share them with you.

These titles may not all be at the top of the highbrow book lists. But I believe they all have something to offer. They all mark a point where we once were as a culture. And as history repeats itself, as it invariably does, I find it poignant to revisit the tales written from ages past to instruct those struggling with the same struggles.

If you have enjoyed The Classic Tales over the years, if you feel that this is a good service, if they have made you think about things you otherwise maybe wouldn’t have, please go to classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a supporting member. With the burning of the Notre Dame cathedral, I’d really like to finish up The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Please become a supporting member, and help us to start up the Enchiridion again.

Again, the website is classictalesaudiobooks, all one word, dot com.

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius continue in the special features of this week’s episode in the Classic Tales App. In the app, tap on the box with a bow on the left when you play the episode. That’s the special features area. It’s like a present!

Today we continue our series of The Hand of Fu-Manchu, by Sax Rohmer.

As with last week, and during the run of this series, as you run into objectionable stuff today, feel free to talk about it with your friends. Point out the problems with your kids. Racism thrives in the darkness. Let’s clean this out of our culture through honest and informed discussion.

And now, The Hand of Fu-Manchu, part 7 of 8, by Sax Rohmer.

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 626, The Hand of Fu-Manchu, part 6of8, by Sax Rohmer

10 maj 2019 | 71 min

Ep. 625, The Hand of Fu-Manchu, part 5of7, by Sax Rohmer

3 maj 2019 | 60 min

What does the cryptic cypher ZAGAZIG mean, and how can it be used to set a trap for Fu-Manchu’s minions? Sax Rohmer, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. We’re currently struggling a little bit to keep up on our bills to keep the podcast going strong. If you can step up with $5/month, that will really help us out. We’ll give you a thank you code in return to help your audiobook library of the classics continue to grow. Everybody wins, and you get to throw in your voice of support in keeping the Classic Tales Podcast going strong. Thank you so much for your support.

Please step up and donate to the podcast by going to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com.

I recently ordered a long sleeve t-shirt of The Island of Dr. Moreau and a short sleeve tee of Treasure Island. I’m very happy with them. Now, my boys want one, too. Links to our merchandise store, and my invention of the hybrid audiobook are available in the description for this episode.

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius continue in the special features of this week’s episode in the Classic Tales App. In the app, tap on the box with a bow on the left when you play the episode. That’s the special features area. It’s like a present!

Today we continue our series of The Hand of Fu-Manchu, by Sax Rohmer.

As with last week, and during the run of this series, as you run into objectionable stuff today, feel free to talk about it with your friends. Point out the problems with your kids. Racism thrives in the darkness. Let’s clean this out of our culture through honest and informed discussion.

And now, The Hand of Fu-Manchu, part 5 of 7, by Sax Rohmer.

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 624, The Hand of Fu-Manchu, part 4of7, by Sax Rohmer

26 april 2019 | 69 min

Why has Sir Baldwin Frazer, England’s most celebrated brain surgeon, been kidnapped by the Si Fan? Sax Rohmer, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Thank you so much for your support. Since we first started in 2007, this podcast has been downloaded over 20 million times. We are still in the top 5% of all podcasts, and we’ve helped thousands of people become more familiar with the best books ever put to paper. Many thanks to all of you who have stepped up and donated over the years.

Please chip in by going to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com.

If you can step up with $5/month, that really goes a long way. I just love the ‘thank you’ code system we’ve got going. I’ve always tried to over deliver, and when it comes to saying ‘thank you’, I like to go all out. Thank you so much for helping us out.

Again, the website is classictalesaudiobooks, all one word, dot com.

We also have a merchandise store, and my invention of the hybrid audiobook you can check out. Links for all of these are available in the description for this episode.

I hope you are enjoying the bite size portions of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. The Meditations are being released exclusively through the special features on the Classic Tales App. In the app, tap on the box with a bow on the left when you play the episode. That’s the special features area. It’s like a present!

Today we continue our series of The Hand of Fu-Manchu, by Sax Rohmer.

As with last week, and during the run of this series, as you run into objectionable stuff today, feel free to talk about it with your friends. Point out the problems with your kids. Racism and misogyny thrive in the darkness. Let’s see where we were, and clean this out of our culture through honest and informed discussion.

For those of you who like epic World War III sagas, continue listening after the end of the episode to hear a special sneak peek of a book I have recorded that just recently hit the virtual shelves at Audible. Don’t miss “Battlefield Pacific”, by James Rosone and Miranda Watson. Military adventure that’s profanity free. It’s special to me because it’s also my 500th audiobook.

And now, The Hand of Fu-Manchu, part 4 of 7, by Sax Rohmer.

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to find "The Keeper", by T.F. Allen on Audible

Ep. 623, The Hand of Fu-Manchu, part 3of7, by Sax Rohmer

19 april 2019 | 57 min

What critical and deadly mystery surrounds the golden pomegranates? Sax Rohmer, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. Making a monthly donation really helps us to create a support flow we can count on. If you can step up with $5/month, that really helps us out. Go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter. You’ll get a monthly ‘thank you’ code for any digital download. It’s a great deal, and a great feeling. Thank you so much.

You can also purchase t-shirts and stuff at our merchandise store, and check out the Hybrid Audiobook - the audiobook that’s embedded in a printed book that I’ve invented and patented. Links can be found in the episode’s details.

And for those of you with the Classic Tales App, check out your special features for more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - just enough to wet your whistle. In the app, tap on the box with a bow on the left when you play the episode. That’s the special features area.

Today we continue our series of The Hand of Fu-Manchu, by Sax Rohmer. You can pick up the first two titles at our website for under $8 each.

As with last week, and during the run of this series, as you run into objectionable stuff today, feel free to talk about it with your friends. Point out the problems with your kids. Racism and misogyny thrive in the darkness. Let’s see where we were, and clean this out of our culture through honest and informed discussion.

For those of you who like supernatural mysteries, continue listening after the end of the episode to hear a special sneak peek of a book I have recorded that just recently hit the virtual shelves at Audible. It’s called “The Keeper”, by T.F. Allen. It’s a page turning thriller with a twist of the supernatural. Now available at Audible.com – just search for “The Keeper”.

And now, The Hand of Fu-Manchu, part 4 of 7, by Sax Rohmer.

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 622, The Hand of Fu-Manchu, part 2of7, by Sax Rohmer

12 april 2019 | 53 min

Ep. 621, The Hand of Fu-Manchu, part 1of7, by Sax Rohmer

5 april 2019 | 56 min

Why has Sir Gregory Hale kept to his room for two weeks in such a paroxysm of frantic paranoia? Sax Rohmer, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. Making a monthly donation really helps us to create a support flow we can count on. If you can step up with $5/month, that really helps us out. Go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter. You’ll get a monthly ‘thank you’ code for any digital download. It’s a great deal, and a great feeling. Thank you so much.

You can also purchase t-shirts and stuff at our merchandise store, and check out the Hybrid Audiobook - the audiobook that’s embedded in a printed book that I’ve invented and patented. Links can be found in the episode’s details.

And for those of you with the Classic Tales App, check out your special features for more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - just enough to wet your whistle. In the app, tap on the box with a bow on the left when you play the episode. That’s the special features area.

Today we begin our series of The Hand of Fu-Manchu, by Sax Rohmer. It is the third in the Fu-Manchu series, and you can pick up the first two titles at our website for under $8 each.

Now, before we jump in, I really need to say a word about the material. The Fu-Manchu series is basically built around the racist idea of a Yellow Peril. This term is used to express Western fears about East Asian Immigration, and builds on the fear to concoct an idea that someday the East Asians may get too much political and economic power – too much for the existing people in power, that is.

Sax Rohmer was quite a craftsman, using many devices from Sherlock Holmes and other popular detective stories, and integrating them with the contemporary British fear of the immigrants from the East. Seriously, by the time you’re a few minutes in to any Fu-Manchu story, you’re steeped in some serious Chinaphobia.

That being said, you may wonder why I chose to do this title? The reason is that I really think this needs to be looked at and talked about. When we brush racist history under the rug, or try to ignore it, it doesn’t make it go away. It empowers it. It enables it. And we really shouldn’t pretend that it didn’t happen. In coupling his page-turning popular writing with literally vilifying an entire race of people, The Fu-Manchu series brought Chinaphobia into the mainstream. We shouldn’t be okay with that.

And so, as you run into some objectionable stuff today, talk about it with your friends. Point out the problems with your kids. Let’s see where we were, and clean this out of our culture through honest and informed discussion.

If you’d like to learn more, check out Dr. Fu-Manchu and the Rise of Chinaphobia, by British educationalist and writer, Sir Christopher Frayling.

And now, The Hand of Fu-Manchu, part 1 of 7, by Sax Rohmer.

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!

Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!

Ep. 620, The Bell of St. Sépulcre, by M. P. Shiel

29 mars 2019 | 32 min

What happens when a person hears the tolling of the bell that still hangs in the ruins of St. Sépulcre? M.P. Shiel, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

The Classic Tales Podcast is listener supported. The monthly donation really helps us to create a support flow we can count on. If you can step up with $5/month, that really helps us out. Go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a monthly supporter. You’ll get a monthly ‘thank you’ code for any digital download. It’s a great deal, and a great feeling. Thank you so much.

You can also purchase t-shirts and stuff at our merchandise store, and check out the Hybrid Audiobook - the audiobook that’s embedded in a printed book that I’ve invented and patented. Links can be found in the episode’s details.

And for those of you with the Classic Tales App, check out your special features for more Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - just enough to wet your whistle. In the app, tap on the box with a bow on the left when you play the episode. That’s the special features area.

Today we finish our journey into the purveyors of the ghost story. Next week, we will begin a multipart series of The Hand of Fu-Manchu, book three in the Fu-Manchu series by Sax Roemer. I tell you this now, so you can get caught up if you need to, and listen to the first two books. I’ve priced both The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu, and The Return of Fu-Manchu at 7.99 each. So you can use a coupon code to pick them up, if you haven’t already done so.

In case you can’t tell, I’m a little under the weather today. But fear not, I have another short story I recorded earlier from M.P. Shiel, which fits the bill nicely.

And now, The Bell of St. Sépulcre, by M.P. Shiel.

Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook

Tap here to go the The Classic Tales Merchandise store!