Written in the late Victorian Age, tonight’s story begins like a Victorian morality story, but Somerset Maugham will present his own view of his characters and their destinies.

The language is Victorian, the ambiguity of the story is strikingly modern. This writer is a real discovery.

Stowe, The Sullivan Looking-Glass by For Reading Out Loud

A story tonight by the great Anatole France. I discovered it in 1960. It’s been one of my favorites ever since.

For Halloween, two of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous short stories: The Telltale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado.

My childhood favorite from Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book. “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” is the heroic adventure of a valiant young Indian gray mongoose. He more than returns the kindness of the family that rescues him.

Edgar Allan Poe’s ghastly story first appeared in Graham’s Magazine in 1842. It embraced the traditions of the Gothic tale and has remained popular ever since, appearing in numerous collections and anthologies. Curiously ambiguous, it remains open to many interpretations.

Two authors tonight, one well known, one known to only a few. Both knew at the age of thirteen that they wanted to become famous authors.

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s story “The Ghost in the Mill” is not only a cracking good ghost story; it is also a celebration of the fine old tradition of stories skillfully told around the fire when we were very young.

A yarn from O. Henry’s 1907 collection The Gentle Grafter. A tale of two charming flimflammers, with nicely plotted action, highfalutin dialogue, and, surprisingly, reflections on the ethics of their trade.