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The Short Story Spotlight
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• Episode 103, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, Part 2 of 2, by edgar Allan Poe
The facts of the horrible murders are sifted, and reality is shaken by the
truths unearthed by C. Auguste Dupin. Edgar Allan Poe, today on the Classic
Tales Podcast.
• Episode 102, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, Part 1 of 2, by edgar Allan Poe
A mysterious double homicide positively baffles the Parisian police. But after a
seemingly fruitless investigation, C. Auguste Dupin discovers the heart of the
impossible mystery. The roots of detective fiction are explored by the great
Edgar Allan Poe, today on the Classic Tales Podcast.
• Episode 101, Paul's Case, by Willa Cather
Paul weaves an imaginary world about him, full of flamboyant lies and
belligerence. And when the mesh of his web reaches the critical point, he lashes
back at the world with shocking audacity. Willa Cather, today, on the Classic
Tales Podcast.
• Episode 101, The Kiss, by Anton Chekhov
A mysterious kiss given in the darkness changes the life of a young Russian
officer. Anton Chekhov makes his debut on the Classic Tales Podcast.
• Episode 100, "Murder With Vine and String", by
Maupassant, Bierce, and Stevenson
Today we hear from A Madman, A Consumptive, and the Devil's Lexicographer. Guy
de Maupassant, who was institutionalized in a mental hospital in his later
years, reveals how suspicion can overwhelm to the point of self-destruction in
"The Piece of String". Ambrose Bierce, known as the Devil's Lexicographer, tells
of a vine-ridden haunted house in "A Vine on a House". And Robert Louis
Stevenson, despite his chronic, debilitating tuberculosis, unwraps the story of
"Markheim": A man who commits a despicable murder, then has the misfortune of
entertaining an unexpected visitor.
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• Episode 99, A Scandal in Bohemia, by Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes receives a client wearing a mask, submitting an insoluble
quandary to the great detective. The history of Europe may be changed forever,
if Holmes cannot prevent a scandal in Bohemia. Arthur Conan Doyle, today, on The
Classic Tales Podcast.
• Episode 98, "The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg" Part 2 of 2, by Mark Twain
Hadleyburg gathers for the biggest, brightest town meeting in history. But by
the time the meeting ends, Hadleyburg's incorruptibility turns out to be about
as pure as yesterday's dishwater. The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg, concluded,
on The Classic Tales Podcast.
• Episode 97, "The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg" Part 1 of 2, by Mark Twain
Hadleyburg enjoys the reputation of being an incorruptible town. Every citizen
has developed a perfect sense of honesty. But they have the misfortune of
offending a certain revengeful man. This man will not be satisfied with a
homicide or two. No. He will not rest until he corrupts the entire town. Mark
Twain today on The Classic Tales.
• Episode 96, Legeia, by Edgar Allan Poe
In a chamber enshrouded with grotesque and arabesque drapings, death discovers
unfathomed powers. Does the mortal coil shuffle off when the body ceases, or
does it only cast its ghastly pall when the will to live ceases to dwell inside
this earthly tabernacle? Explore the depths with Edgar Allan Poe, today, on The
Classic Tales Podcast.
• Episode 95, Jeeves and the Hard Boiled Egg, by P.G. Woodhouse - Will soon be
available for purchase.
Can you really make a fortune with a chicken farm? Bertie's pal sure thinks so.
And though he's not generously endowed with the gray matter, Jeeves certainly
is. And when the need arises for some instant capital, Jeeves know just how to
drum it up, simply by shaking the right person's hand.
• Episode 93 and 94, Bartleby, by Herman Milville - Will soon be
available for purchase.
The life of a Scrivener can be a dull one. After all, your entire occupation has
to do with the handwritten copying of law documents. But when Bartleby arrives,
he turns the office upside down with the enigmatic phrase: I prefer not to.
• Episode 92, The Secret Garden, by G.K. Chesterton - Will soon be
available for purchase.
Father Brown returns to solve a murder at the residence of the finest detective
in all of France: Aristide Valentin.
• Episode 91, Alice in Wonderland, Part Three by Lewis Carrol - Will soon be
available for purchase.
Alice meets the Mock Turtle and the Gryphon and participates in a ludicrous
courtroom scene, as her adventures in Wonderland are concluded.
• Episode 90, Alice in Wonderland, Part Two by Lewis Carrol - Will soon be
available for purchase.
Alice takes advice from a caterpillar, and attends a mad tea party as her
adventures in Wonderland continue.
• Episode 89, Alice in Wonderland, Part One by Lewis Carrol - Will soon be
available for purchase.
Alice begins her fantastic journey into Wonderland, following an unprecedented
White Rabbit with a pocket watch
• Episode 88, A Slip Under the Microscope, by H.G. Wells -
Available at Audible.com
In the throes of a prestigious science academy,the fortunes of many a student
hang by a single precarious thread. And unbeknownst to Mr. Hill, his entire
career hangs by a simple slip under the microscope.
• Episode 87, The Ice Palace, by F.Scott Fitzgerald -
Available at Audible.com
Sally Carrol is engaged to a Yankee. None of her friends from Tarleton, Georgia
can understand it. But, Sally Carrol is convinced that she is truly in love. But
when she goes up North in the middle of January, she discovers the cold
complexities of securing a comfortable situation.
• Episode 86, The Goblins and the Gravedigger, by Charles Dickens -
Available at Audible.com
A surly and morose gravedigger is snatched by a menacing band of goblins on a
cold Christmas Eve. Charles Dickens, today on the Classic Tales Podcast.
• Episode 85, A Classic Tales Christmas, by Various Authors -
Available at Audible.com.
Robert Louis Stevenson tells of "Christmas at Sea, then we have The
Christmas Present by Richmal Crompton. Saki puts in his two cents about
Christmas presents in "Reginald on Christmas Presents. Robert Frost delivers a
"Christmas Chain Letter on Christmas Trees", and Hans Christian Anderson rounds
it off with his immortal tale of A Little Match Girl.
• Episode 84, The Nightmare, by Edgar Rice Burroughs -
Available at Audible.com
Delusions of blood and thunder torment the Lord of the Jungle. Tarzan of the
Apes makes his debut on The Classic Tales, heralding his very own podcast.
• Episode 83, Thanksgiving in New York & The Purple Dress by O. Henry -
Available at Audible.com
Two tales of Thanksgiving in New York by O. Henry. First, in "Two Gentlemen at
Thanksgiving", we hear of a Thanksgiving dinner that shouldn't have been eaten.
In "The Purple Dress", we have a dress that shouldn't have been delayed. With O.
Henry's gift for twisting plots, and his insight into human nature, this is an
episode you'll treasure every year.
• Episode 81 & 82, The Machine Stops, by E.M. Forster -
Available at Audible.com.
The pages of The Jungle Book are opened, and a wild mongoose fights tooth and
nail with deadly cobras.
• Episode 80, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, by Rudyard Kipling -
Available at Audible.com
The pages of The Jungle Book are opened, and a wild mongoose fights tooth and
nail with deadly cobras.
• Episode 79, Dracula’s Guest, by Bram Stoker -
Available at Audible.com
Today Bram Stoker takes us to his world of vampires, wolves and crypts.
Disregarding the warnings of the village folk, a man braves the wild crossroads
on Walpurgis Night, the deadliest night of the year.
• Episode 76, 77 & 78, The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, by
Robert Louis Stevenson -
Available at Audible.com
There is a man that haunts the streets by night. His name is Mr. Hyde. His
visage provokes involuntary torrents of hatred. His voice is huskily whispered,
and his deformity lies within.
• Episode 75, The Man Upstairs, by P.G. Wodehouse - -
Available at Audible.com
P.G. Wodehouse gives us a delightful romantic comedy of two struggling artists
who fantastically misunderstand each other.
• Episode 73 & 74, The Canterville Ghost, by Oscar Wilde -
Available at Audible.com
Can’t you give a medieval ghost a break? The ghost that haunts Canterville Chase
has built a marvelous career of midnight hauntings. But when an American family
moves in, they simply have no respect for permanent bloodstains, nightmarish
chains or ancient legends.
• Episode 72, The Music of Erich Zann, by H.P. Lovecraft -
Available at Audible.com
The music of the night. Dracula hears it in his midnight haunts. It moves the
Parisian Phantom in his ecstasies below the opera house. And tonight it will
mesmerize Eric Zann in his mysterious apartment in the Rue D’auseille.
• Episode 71, Fear and the Graveyard" by Guy de Maupassant -
Available at Audible.com
Skeletons and corpses rise from their fitful sleep to deliver a chilling message
from beyond the grave. Two perspectives on fear by Guy de Maupassant.
• Episode 70, The Dream Woman, Part Two, by Wilkie Collins -
Available at Audible.com
Francis Raven marries the woman of his dreams. But when their marriage
dissipates into violent animosity, Francis realizes that the woman of his dreams
has turned into the Dream Woman.
• Episode 69, The Dream Woman, Part One, by Wilkie Collins -
Available at Audible.com
“Wake up! Wake up there! Murder!” A hostler spits out these vehement words while
he turbulently sleeps. He is haunted by a phantasm. It is a ghostly woman with a
droop in the left eye, long flaxen hair, and a long buckhorn clasp knife.
• Episode 68, The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman -
Available at Audible.com
It’s just a hideously papered room. At least, that’s what everybody else
thought. But when a woman suffering from a nervous condition is housed in the
room, things begin to surface from the wallpaper- things that seem familiar, but
are best left quiet and undisturbed.
• Episode 67, Bernice Bobs Her Hair by F. Scott Fitzgerald -
Available at Audible.com
Bernice has rare beauty and wealth, but is undeniably socially awkward. Her
cousin Marjorie does her best to make her into a social vampire. To be a
socialite in America in the 1920s, some of the more archaic feminine ideals need
to go. Bernice’s luxurious long hair may need to go, too.
• Episode 66, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, and A Horseman in the Sky, by
Ambrose Bierce -
Available at Audible.com
There is a bridge at Owl Creek that is surrounded by dry and cracking driftwood.
Burning the bridge would be the perfect way for a civilian Southerner to strike
a blow against the Union Army. But Peyton Farquar doesn’t make it that far, and
instead finds a rope around his neck. It’s the “devil’s lexicographer”, Ambrose
Bierce, on The Classic Tales Podcast.
• Episode 65, Jeeves and the Unbidden Guest, by P.G. Wodehouse -
Available at Audible.com
Jeeves stays his hand. Yes, that’s right. Even though a particularly
well-upholstered friend of Aunt Agatha chucks her bleary eyed, milk sot of a son
on Bertie for a month, Jeeves refuses to rally to the cause. Of course, if
Bertie would simply throw out the offensive tie and hat, things might be
smoothed over soon enough. But Bertie, just this once, has decided to be firm.
• Episode 64, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part Six, by Arthur Conan Doyle
-
Available at Audible.com
Deep mists shroud the final attack of the Baskerville hound. And while Holmes
and Watson track down the hellish beast, Sir Henry Baskerville receives a shock
that will haunt him all the rest of his days. The Hound of the Baskervilles,
concluded, on the Classic Tales Podcast.
• Episode 63, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part Five, by Arthur Conan Doyle
-
Available at Audible.com
Sherlock Holmes finally reveals himself, and proclaims who he believes the
murderer to be. However, he further states that there exists not a shred of
evidence to convict the villain. Holmes’ net tightens, and the fiendish hound
claims another victim.
• Episode 62, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part Four, by Arthur Conan Doyle
-
Available at Audible.com
The mysterious butler, Barrymore, has his secret exposed. The throaty wail of a
hell hound terrorizes the moor, causing Sir Henry Baskerville’s very bones to
tremble with fear.
• Episode 61, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part Three, by Arthur Conan Doyle
-
Available at Audible.com
A wild horse struggles for freedom from the merciless Grimpen Mire. Watson and
Stapleton stare in horror and wonder as the mire slowly extinguishes the
thrashing animal. The gloom and mystery of the moor pervade Watson’s
investigations, and nobody is as innocent as they would have us believe.
• Episode 60, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part Two, by Arthur Conan Doyle
-
Available at Audible.com
Holmes explores three potential threads of the mystery. The journey is exhausted
in London, and we venture into the dangerous lands of Dartmoor.
• Episode 59, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part One, by Arthur Conan Doyle
-
Available at Audible.com
The spectral hellhound, which dogs the descendants of the Baskerville family,
has claimed another victim. The ancient legend, and the modern murderous facts
are placed before the great Sherlock Holmes. And one of the greatest adventures
put to print begins…
• Episode 58, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Part Two -
Available at Audible.com
The Forty Thieves seek the life of Ali Baba. And Morgiana, the slave girl, shows
that her worth is greater than gold. The magic carpet ride continues with the
conclusion of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.
• Episode 57, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Part One -
Available at Audible.com
In the mystical land of Arabia, there is a secreted magic door that opens with
the command, “Open, Sesame”. Inside lays the plunder of a century of robbers and
mercenaries. And when Ali Baba witnesses 40 thieves open this door with the
enchanted words, endless possibilities begin to unwind before him. Take a magic
carpet ride with the Arabian Nights.
• Episode 56, The Aunt and Amabel, by E. Nesbit -
Available at Audible.com
Visit the roots of Narnia. C.S. Lewis enjoyed the works of E. Nesbit since he
was a child. Amabel's journey through a mahogany wardrobe stuck him so vividly,
he drew heavily from it in his creation of "The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe". Don't miss this episode.
• Episode 55, “The Lurking Fear, Part Two” by H.P. Lovecraft - Will soon
be available for purchase
The mountains are not safe. No one knows why, and no one knows exactly how, but
when the heavens bellow their thunder, human lives are lost. Is it the ghost of
an unavenged man? Is it a wolf beast, obeying the primal call of heaven? Our
diligent reporter finds out, and the knowledge drives him to delirium.
• Episode 54, “The Lurking Fear, Part One” by H.P. Lovecraft - Will soon
be available for purchase
The Lurking Fear. The Silent Death. Thunder calls it forth. It moves without
detection. It kills without mercy. It terrorizes a mountainside. H.P. Lovecraft
weaves a spellbinding tale of terror in the Catskill Mountains.
• Episode 53, The £1,000,000 Bank Note” by Mark Twain -
Available at Audible.com
What if you had the equivalent of five million dollars in your pocket, but had
no way of spending it? Two brothers make a bet, proposing that such a man would
either starve or barely scrape by after a month of such living. 27 year old
Henry, a shipwrecked, penniless American in London, is the man the brothers
choose. For 30 days, he must sink or swim by keeping a £1,000,000 note safe in
his pocket.
• Episode 52, The Red Room, by H.G.Wells -
Available at Audible.com
The Red Room is haunted. Nobody knows how or why, but one man has lost his life
while spending the night in the forbidden chamber. The horrors of the room drove
him to madness. So, what will happen when another ambitious young man attempts
to enter the room?
• Episode 51, The Birthmark, by Nathaniel Hawthorne -
Available at Audible.com
One ounce of darkened blood. This birthmark was the only thing that kept
Georgiana from celestial perfection. Her husband, Aylmer, was certain the
birthmark would grow stale and insignificant over time. But time, it seems, has
a will of its own. And as Aylmer fuels the dark fire within himself, the
birthmark gains a scorching power that promises to engulf them both.
• Episode 50, Leave it to Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse -
Available at Audible.com
When one of Bertie Wooster’s American chums needs help in getting his hard-nosed
uncle to approve of his intended, Jeeves demonstrates his colossal mind power
with the equanimity of a true gentleman’s gentleman.
• Episode 49, Heart of Darkness, Part Three, by Joseph Conrad -
Available at Audible.com
The horror. The horror." These are the final words uttered in this world by the
enigmatic Mr. Kurtz. And while Marlow mulls over the myriad paths these words
cut into his heart, he is lead to a final interview with Kurtz’ Intended. She is
the only mourner Kurtz ever had. So, how is Marlow to tell her that her
embodiment of perfection was actually the Heart of Darkness?
• Episode 48, Heart of Darkness, Part Two, by Joseph Conrad -
Available at Audible.com
The voyage begins, and whispers of the mysterious Mr. Kurtz trickle into
Marlow’s ear. Cannibals join the crew with tattooed faces, patterned heads and
rotten hippo-meat. White mist gathers round us as we journey further into the
Heart of Darkness.
• Episode 47, Heart of Darkness, Part One, by Joseph Conrad -
Available at Audible.com
A weary pilgrimage amongst hints for nightmares.” This is how Marlow describes
his journey into the Belgian Congo. And while Europeans go mad, corporations
turn tyrannous, and the legend of a great ivory hunter is dangled before him,
Marlow observes everything with a keen eye, as we journey with him, into The
Heart of Darkness.
• Episode 46, “The Blue Cross” by G.K. Chesterton -
Available at Audible.com
Valentin, the greatest detective in the world, travels to London on the trail of
the most elusive of villains. But a strange trail of clues leads Valentin
through London and out into the country. It isn’t until the meandering journey’s
end that the short, moon faced Father Brown sets Valentin back on his feet.
• Episode 45, “The Body Snatcher” by Robert Louis Stevenson -
Available at Audible.com
Two student anatomists purchase the remains of humanity in the small hours of
the morning. The shadowy men who bring the bodies seldom speak, and the
suspicions of the students are never spoken aloud. Until one morning, when the
drapery is lifted from the face of a new acquisition and one student recognizes
it as the face of a dear friend, alive and well only yesterday.
• Episode 44, “To Build A Fire” by Jack London -
Available at Audible.com
A man with no name follows a wandering path into the frozen Klondike. And here,
deep in the heart of God’s country, he is forced to pit his will, mind and
spirit against the forces of Mother Nature, herself. Adventure as only Jack
London can write it.
• Episode 43, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge-
Available at Audible.com
A bird of good omen is murdered. A skeletal ship is sighted moving against the
wind and tide. The figure of Death along with a singular, gruesome companion man
the fiendish craft. As they draw closer, it becomes evident that the two play at
dice for the soul of the Ancient Mariner. The result is nothing short of
cataclysmic.
• Episode 41 & 42, “The Offshore Pirate, by F.Scott Fitzgerald -
Available at Audible.com
Ardita Farnam, flapper and demimondaine, has a feisty will and a fiery tongue.
But when 7 hulking musicians seize her yacht while her rich uncle goes ashore,
she soon discovers the limits of her persuasive powers, and a battle of wits
begins.
Ardita is taken by the pirates to an unchartered island, teeming with
enchantment. But as Ardita and Carlisle grow closer to each other, a revenue
boat is hot on their trail.
• Episode 40, “Berenice” by Edgar Allan Poe -
Available at Audible.com
A monomaniac observes the gradual degeneration of his cousin, Berenice. And when
the servant delivers the message of her death, the maniac goes into a
trance-like reverie. When he finally comes to himself, his clothes are steeped
with blood and gore.
• Episode 39, The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes -
Available at Audible.com
A highwayman promises to return for his love, Bess, once he's acquired the gold
he requires. But when the redcoats come, and set a trap for him, Bess warns her
lover in a manner never to be forgotten.
• Episode 37 & 38, The Man Who Would Be King - by Rudyard Kipling -
Available at Audible.com
Through the scorching sands of India, two loafing vagabonds follow a map
scratched onto a scrap of paper. They have but little education between them.
But their rusty brains have concocted a plan: to find a land to conquer, and
there be crowned king.
A country conquered. A King proclaimed. And pride leads our two vagabonds to
rise and fall in a violent cataclysm. The Man Who Would Be King, concluded.
• Episode 36, The Horla by Guy de Maupassant -
Available at Audible.com
An invisible alien parasite latches on to a French Nobleman. The more he fights
against his foe, the stronger its influence over him. Is it insanity? Or is it
the Horla?
• Episode 35, The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell -
Available at Audible.com
A mysterious island, shrouded in fear, evil, and darkness. Here the amoral
General Zaroff hunts. And what, you ask, is the most dangerous game? It is the
manner and substance of his nightly killings.
• Episode 34, The Blue Carbuncle by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle -
Available at Audible.com
A battered felt hat, the crop of a Christmas goose, and the jewel of the
Countess of Morcar. Only Sherlock Holmes can untangle the mystery of a stolen
jewel on one end, and a tallow stained felt hat on the other.
• Episode 33, A Christmas Carol - Part Three by Charles Dickens -
Available at Audible.com
The conclusion of the Dickens' classic.
• Episode 32, A Christmas Carol - Part Two by Charles Dickens -
Available at Audible.com
Scrooge continues his journey of reclamation in Part Two
• Episode 31, A Christmas Carol - Part One by Charles Dickens -
Available at Audible.com
The first installment of three, chronicling Dickens’ classic tale of Christmas.
Ebeneezer Scrooge runs a tight shop with a tight fist and a sharp tongue. On
Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of his old partner, Jacob Marley.
Marley relates that in order for Scrooge’s soul to be reclaimed, he must be
haunted by three spirits. The first of the three appear, and Scrooge’s
reclamation begins.
• Episode 30, The Gift of the Magi and The Last Leaf by O. Henry -
Available at Audible.com
A poor young couple demonstrates the meaning of love and self-sacrifice in the
Christmas Classic, The Gift of the Magi. Also included is the Last Leaf. This
tale follows a young woman artist who is stricken with pneumonia. She watches
the leafy vine opposite her window with hollow eyes, and she determines to stay
alive until the last leaf falls. O. Henry, always a master with the surprise
ending, delivers two fine tales of his beloved New York City.
• Episode 29, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald -
Available at Audible.com
Benjamin Button inexplicably ages backwards. The problems that inevitably arise
are often frustrating, sometimes humorous, and occasionally terrifying. It is a
curious case you won’t want to miss.
• Episode 28, The Courtship of Miles Standish by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow -
Available at Audible.com
Complete and unabridged, and read with meticulous care, Miles Standish and John
Alden both seek the hand of the fair Priscilla. See the Mayflower abandon the
first settlers, as it returns to England. Feel the heated vision of the Indians,
perpetually keeping their watch in the dark forest. Love and adventure collide
in one of Longfellow’s most famous works.
• Episode 27, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Caleveras County by Mark Twain -
Available at Audible.com
Leonidas W. Smiley would bet on anything. Horse races, dog fights, cat fights,
chicken fights all were fair game to the gambling nature of Smiley. But he meets
his match when a stranger comes into town, and puts his champion jumping frog to
the test.
• Episode 26, Young Goodman Brown, by Nathaniel Hawthorne -
Available at Audible.com
How long would you walk, if the Devil sauntered up to you of an evening, and
journeyed alongside of you? Young Goodman Brown is led by the Devil to a
midnight ritual, where fire, blood and water change his opinions of the nature
of humanity.
• Episode 25, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving -
Available at Audible.com
The complete and unabridged tale of Ichabod Crane and his ill fated visit to
Sleepy Hollow. Half of the charm of the tale is Irving’s beautiful prose, as he
describes the glorious New England countryside. But, of course, there are chills
galore when the Headless Horseman appears.
• Episode 24, The Hand by Guy de Maupassant
-
Available at Audible.com
A withered, shriveled, severed human hand is kept chained in a corner. The
“owner” of this morbid trophy always keeps three loaded revolvers in the same
room. Nothing seems too suspicious until the Hand is mysteriously reclaimed.
• Episode 23, The Mark of the Beast
by Rudyard Kipling
-
Available at Audible.com
When a carousing Englishman disgraces the consecrated effigy of Hanuman, a
leprous “Silver Man” marks him with a hideous curse. The ensuing night brings
new terrors to the house of the doomed man.
• Episode 22, The Vampyre, Part Two by John Polidori -
Available at Audible.com
After a bizarre and tragic accident, Aubrey returns to London. But when a
shattering truth comes to light, Aubrey realizes that an oath can bring a man to
his knees more brutally than any physical pain.
• Episode 21, The Vampyre, Part One by John Polidori -
Available at Audible.com
Young, impressionable Aubrey is fascinated by the enigmatic Lord Ruthven, and
accompanies him on a tour to Europe. But Aubrey develops a growing distaste for
Lord Ruthven’s sinister and grotesque conduct.
• Episode 20 The Captain of the Pole Star, by Arthur Conan Doyle -
Available at Audible.com
Word goes among the crew of the Pole Star, that the Captain is haunted by
demons. And after the days turn into weeks in the frigid Arctic Ocean, stories
begin to circulate of ghosts and midnight hauntings.
• Episode 19 Selections from Hamlet, by William Shakespeare -
Available at Audible.com
Two monologues from Hamlet. First, Polonius counsels his son, Laertes, as he
goes away to school. Second, the famous “To be, or not to be” speech in which
Hamlet ponders why his conscience is keeping him from acting on the prickling of
his destiny.
• Episode 18 The Devil and Tom Walker, Hurst of Hurstcote, by Washington Irving
and E. Nesbit -
Available at Audible.com
Washington Irving paints an effulgent portrait of the New England countryside,
while Tom Walker walks with the Devil. Would you dare to bargain with the Devil
for your soul? In “Hurst of Hurstcote”, a young man is so stricken by the
passing of his wife that his sanity begins to stray. And, as madness spreads its
paralyzing influence over him, he unearths a shocking conclusion.
• Episode 17 Three stories from Oscar Wilde (The Model Millionaire, The Happy
Prince, The Sphinx Without A Secret) -
Available at Audible.com
In The Model Millionaire, the destiny of a young, ambitious, brilliant pauper
changes with an act of his misplaced generosity. The Happy Prince is one of
Oscar Wilde’s renowned fairy tales. From his vantage point, high above the city,
the statue of The Happy Prince gives of himself in a way most astonishing. In
The Sphinx Without a Secret, we learn of an enigmatic woman who hold a secret so
close, no suitor can win her.
• Episode 16 The Eyes, by Edith Wharton -
Available at Audible.com
A story of how individual destiny can be shaped and formed by mentors and
friends. Culwin is a modern villain, whose crimes arise from his holding his
tongue at crucial moments, so that events further entangle themselves.
• Episode 15 Tobin’s Palm and The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry -
Available at Audible.com
In the first tale, we follow two workmen on an intriguing journey to Coney
Island, where the heartsick and disgruntled Tobin, has his palm read. Who knew
that palmistry could be so unpredictable? Secondly, a tale of kidnapping gone
awry. A little boy, self proclaimed “Red Chief”, is taken from his home, and has
so much fun he never wants to go back, much to the chagrin of the kidnappers.
• Episode 14 The Mortal Immortal by Mary Shelley -
Available at Audible.com
An ancient alchemist drags out his weary life in search of the elixir of
immortality. But, when his vengeful assistant quaffs the mixture, he discovers
that the effects of the draft if immortality may never wear off. Mary Shelley
explores the concept of immortality, following a character that never ages
through a ponderous and thought provoking life.
• Episode 13 The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe -
Available at Audible.com
It was the eye. The dull, sightless, vulture’s eye that shredded his final
nerve. But the murder was done so carefully, so perfectly, that only one thing
could reveal the whereabouts of the body. B.J. Harrison gives a masterful
reading of the famous murder that wouldn’t keep quiet. This podcast episode also
includes two poems from Edgar Allan Poe: “Eldorado”, and “Annabel Lee”.
• Episode 12 The Ambitious Guest by Nathaniel Hawthorne -
Available at Audible.com
A vicious tempest is raging on a New England mountainside. A young traveler
sojourns through the sea of wind and snow, finding refuge in a cottage, cozily
nestled in the notch of a hill. The traveler burns with a determination to make
his name known to the world. But that will all have to wait until the storm
subsides...
• Episode 11 The Baron of Grogswig, by Charles Dickens -
Available at Audible.com
The Baron of Grogswig abandons his riotous ways of carousal and gaiety, and
settles down only to discover that simple domesticity is not the peaceful life
he had envisioned. But, just when the Baron feels he can’t take it any more, an
unexpected visitor changes everything. This tale is taken as an excerpt from the
novel “Nicholas Nickelby”.
• Episode 10 The Red Headed League by Arthur Conan Doyle -
Available at Audible.com
Why would anyone pay a man handsomely to sit alone in an empty room and
hand-copy the Encyclopedia Britannica? Is it really because of his unusually
fiery red hair? Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are at it again in one of
their most puzzling adventures.
• Episode 09 The Magic Shop, by H.G. Wells -
Available at Audible.com
Simple magic tricks are what a little boy is looking for when he drags his
father into a quaint, old shop. The proprietor seems to be a master of illusion
– a genius at slight of hand. But, as the son becomes mesmerized, the father
feels an icy hand grip his heart.
• Episode 08 The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe -
Available at Audible.com
“I was sick, sick unto death with that long agony,” begins one of the most
famous tales from the master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. Through the
tortures of the Spanish Inquisition, we follow the straying mind of an unnamed
prisoner in his quest for hope in a world of darkness and despair. This episode
skyrocketed The Classic Tales Podcast to #3 on iTunes’ Top 100 Podcasts chart.
• Episode 07 The Lost Phoebe by Theodore Dreiser -
Available at Audible.com
Tormented to distraction by the death of his true love, an old man embarks on a
quixotic quest to find her. A tale that is tragic yet tender, Theodore Dreiser
demonstrates the power of a love that bridges the gap between life and death.
• Episode 06 The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs -
Available at Audible.com
When Sergeant Morris brings a mummified monkey’s paw to the White family, they
are skeptical of his tales of its supernatural powers. But, a careless wish
gives them a bitter taste of the foul relics’ ironic magic in the form of their
worst nightmare.
• Episode 05 Rappaccini’s Daughter by Nathaniel Hawthorne -
Available at Audible.com
Perfume or poison? A young Italian student takes rooms overlooking the most
glorious flower garden the world has ever known. But, when he falls in love with
the mysterious Eve who tends to the garden, he learns that this Paradise is
anything but a Garden of Eden.
• Episode 04 Barbara of the House of Grebe, Part Two by Thomas Hardy -
Available at Audible.com
Lord Uplandtowers, after biding his time for several years, finally has his
terrifying revenge on the shallow but pitiful Barbara.
• Episode 03 Barbara of the House of Grebe, Part One by Thomas Hardy -
Available at Audible.com
Barbara, a young and impetuous heiress, rejects the stern Lord Uplandtowers to
elope with a poor but handsome man, Edmund Willowes. When Barbara’s parents send
Edmund to Europe, they hope to change him into a more suitable match for their
daughter. But after disaster strikes, Edmund returns in a way nobody could have
imagined.
• Episode 02 The Speckled Band by Arthur Conan Doyle -
Available at Audible.com
Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are visited by a beautiful young woman with a
face like a hunted animal. Two years ago, a low whistle in the night preceded
her sister’s premature and inexplicable death. Last night the whistle sounded
again...
• Episode 01 The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe -
Available at Audible.com
The bloody-minded Montresor leads the pompous Fortunato deep into the catacombs,
seeking the famed Amontillado wine. Revenge and suspense commingle to produce a
delightfully sinister conclusion that is one of the most memorable of all time.
TOP
Audiobooks
Treasure Island by Robert Lewis Stevenson
The Edgar Allan Poe Collection
The Invisible Man and The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
TOP
Special Podcasts
The Life of Our Lord by Charles Dickens
T'was The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore
TOP
The Short Story Spotlight
The Perfect Fit by Anthony
Braithwaite
The Cry of The Immortals by Heather Zundel
TOP
Thank you for your continued support!
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