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ID: 320381

Title: Richard III

Author: William Shakespeare

Narrator: Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Robert Stephens

Format: Unabridged

Length: 03:19:50

Language: English

Release date: 01-06-11

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers UK

Genres: Audio Theatre, Drama

Summary:

Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591, depicting the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified as such.

The play begins with Richard describing the accession to the throne of his brother, King Edward IV of England, eldest son of the late Richard, Duke of York.

Now is the winter of our discontent

Made glorious summer by this sun of York;

And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house

In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.

('sun of York' is a punning reference to the badge of the 'blazing sun,' which Edward IV adopted, and 'son of York', i.e., the son of the Duke of York.)

The speech reveals Richard's jealousy and ambition, as his brother, King Edward the Fourth rules the country successfully. Richard is an ugly hunchback, describing himself as 'rudely stamp'd' and 'deformed, unfinish'd', who cannot 'strut before a wanton ambling nymph.' He responds to the anguish of his condition with an outcast's credo: 'I am determined to prove a villain / And hate the idle pleasures of these days.' Richard plots to have his brother Clarence, who stands before him in the line of succession, conducted to the Tower of London over a prophecy he fed to the King; that 'G of Edward's heirs the murderer shall be', which the king interprets as referring to George of Clarence (although the audience may later realise from Richard's love of irony that it was perhaps a reference to himself, Richard of Gloucester).

Richard next ingratiates himself with 'the Lady Anne'Anne Neville, widow of the Lancastrian Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales. Richard confides to the audience:

'I'll marry Warwick's youngest daughter.

What, though I kill'd her husband and his father?'

A gripping beginning to such a tumultuous tale

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ID: 320390

Title: Merry Wives of Windsor

Author: William Shakespeare

Narrator: Sir Anthony Quayle

Format: Unabridged

Length: 02:15:31

Language: English

Release date: 01-06-11

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers UK

Genres: Audio Theatre, Drama

Summary:

The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare, first published in 1602, though believed to have been written prior to 1597.

The Merry Wives of Windsor features the fat knight Sir John Falstaff, and is Shakespeare's only play to deal exclusively with contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life. It has been adapted for the opera on occasions.

The play anachronistically places Sir John Falstaff, who had previously appeared in Shakespeare's plays about the medieval King Henry IV and set circa 1400, in the contemporary setting of the Elizabethan era, circa 1600.

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ID: 320396

Title: Two Gentlemen of Verona

Author: William Shakespeare

Narrator: Edward Desouza, Peter Wyngarde

Format: Unabridged

Length: 01:56:07

Language: English

Release date: 01-06-11

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers UK

Genres: Audio Theatre, Drama

Summary:

The Two Gentlemen of Verona is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1590 or 1591. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as his first tentative steps in laying out some of the themes and tropes with which he would later deal in more detail.

The play deals with the themes of friendship and infidelity, the conflict between friendship and love, and the foolish behaviour of people in love. The highlight of the play is considered by some to be Launce, the clownish servant of Proteus, and his dog Crab, to whom 'the most scene-stealing non-speaking role in the canon' has been attributed

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ID: 320387

Title: As You Like It

Author: William Shakespeare

Narrator: Vanessa Redgrave

Format: Unabridged

Length: 02:19:30

Language: English

Release date: 01-06-11

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers UK

Genres: Fiction & Literature, Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Suspense, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure

Summary:

ANOTHER POWERFUL GREAT BRITISH PERFORMANCE PERFORMANCE OF A WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE PLAY. PERFORMED BY THE MAGNIFICENT VANESSA REDGRAVE AND CAST.

As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The work was based upon the early prose romance Rosalynde by Thomas Lodge. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility. As You Like It follows its heroine Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncle's court, accompanied by her cousin Celia and Touchstone the court jester, to find safety and eventually love in the Forest of Arden. Historically, critical response has varied, with some critics finding the work of lesser quality than other Shakespearean works and some finding the play a work of great merit.

The play features one of Shakespeare's most famous and oft-quoted speeches, 'All the world's a stage,' and is the origin of the phrase 'too much of a good thing.' The play remains a favourite among audiences and has been adapted for radio, film, and musical theatre.

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ID: 320389

Title: King Lear

Author: William Shakespeare

Narrator: Paul Scofield

Format: Unabridged

Length: 03:04:37

Language: English

Release date: 01-06-11

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers UK

Genres: Fiction & Literature, Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Suspense, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure

Summary:

King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606. READ BY PAUL SCHOFIELD AND CAST.

King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606. It is considered one of his greatest works. King Lear descends into madness after wrongly distributing his estate on the strength of flattery. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological pre-Roman Celtic king. It has been widely adapted for stage and screen, with the part of Lear played by many of the world's most accomplished actors.

There are two distinct versions of the play: The True Chronicle of the History of the Life and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters, which appeared in quarto in 1608, and The Tragedy of King Lear, a more theatrical version, which appeared in the First Folio in 1623. The two texts are commonly printed in a conflated version, although many modern editors have argued that each version has its individual integrity.

After the Restoration, the play was often modified by theatre practitioners who disliked its dark and depressing tone, but since the 19th century it has been regarded as one of Shakespeare's supreme achievements. The tragedy is particularly noted for its probing observations on the nature of human suffering and kinship

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ID: 320385

Title: Taming of the Shrew

Author: William Shakespeare

Narrator: Margaret Leighton, Trevor Howard

Format: Unabridged

Length: 01:59:44

Language: English

Release date: 01-06-11

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers UK

Genres: Fiction & Literature, Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Suspense, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure

Summary:

The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1594. It was published in 1623

The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a drunken tinker named Sly is tricked into thinking he is a nobleman by a mischievous Lord. The Lord has a play performed for Sly's amusement, set in Padua with a primary and sub-plot.

The main plot depicts the courtship of Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, and Katherina, the headstrong, obdurate shrew. Initially, Katherina is an unwilling participant in the relationship, but Petruchio tempers her with various psychological torments the 'taming' until she is an obedient bride. The sub-plot features a competition between the suitors of Katherina's more tractable sister, Bianca.

The play's apparent misogynistic elements have become the subject of considerable controversy, particularly among modern audiences and readers. It has nevertheless been adapted numerous times for stage, screen, opera, and musical theatre

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ID: 320380

Title: Iggy and Me

Author: Jenny Valentine

Narrator: Charlotte Strevens

Format: Unabridged

Length: 03:20:00

Language: English

Release date: 01-06-11

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers UK

Genres: Kids, Health & Family, Humor

Summary:

The first of a new series of young fiction by Jenny Valentine, winner of the Guardian Childrens Fiction Prize for her debut novel, Finding Violet Park.

IGGY AND ME is a series of family stories featuring the mishaps and shenanigans of the irrepressible 5-year-old Iggy as seen through the eyes of her big sister Flo.

Funny and endearing, each chapter is a complete and satisfying story in its own right, perfect for newly-confident readers to enjoy alone, or for reading aloud at bedtime.

Illutrated throughout in with black & white line drawings by Joe Berger, who was nominated for the Booktrust Early Years Award for his picture book, Bridget Fidget.

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ID: 320393

Title: Coriolanus

Author: William Shakespeare

Narrator: Richard Burton

Format: Unabridged

Length: 02:40:10

Language: English

Release date: 01-06-11

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers UK

Genres: Audio Theatre, Drama

Summary:

Coriolanus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608.

Coriolanus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader, Gaius Marcius Coriolanus. Performed and recorded by the wonderful Richard Burton and cast.

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ID: 320376

Title: Shatter the Bones

Author: Stuart MacBride

Narrator: Steve Worsley

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12:07:00

Language: English

Release date: 01-06-11

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers UK

Genres: Fiction & Literature, Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Police Stories, Action & Adventure

Summary:

A bestseller from the award-winning Stuart MacBride. The seventh DS Logan McRae thriller is a gripping page-turner in which fame and fortune crash head-on with crime and punishment.

No suspects. No clues. No rest for the wicked.

'You will raise money for the safe return of Alison and Jenny McGregor. If you raise enough money within fourteen days they will be released. If not, Jenny will be killed.'

Aberdeen's own mother-daughter singing sensation are through to the semi-finals of TV smash-hit Britain's Next Big Star. But their reality-TV dream has turned into a real-life nightmare.

The ransom demand appears in all the papers, on the TV, and the internet, telling the nation to dig deep if they want to keep Alison and Jenny alive.

Time is running out, but DS Logan McRae and his colleagues have nothing to go on: the kidnappers haven't left a single piece of forensic evidence and there are no witnesses.

It looks as if the price of fame just got a lot higher

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ID: 320399

Title: Iggy and Me on Holiday

Author: Jenny Valentine

Narrator: Charlotte Strevens

Format: Unabridged

Length: 03:20:00

Language: English

Release date: 01-06-11

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers UK

Genres: Kids, Health & Family, Humor

Summary:

More adventures of the irrepressible Iggy as told by her sister Flo, by Jenny Valentine, winner of the Guardian Childrens Fiction Prize for her debut novel, Finding Violet Park.

This is the third outing for Jenny Valentines endearing siblings, and this time theyre full of plans for the school holidays.

Will they go camping, or to the seaside? Or have Mum and Dad got something entirely different up their sleeves? Whatever they do, readers can be sure of plenty of laughter.

Each chapter is a complete and satisfying story in its own right, perfect for newly-confident readers to enjoy alone, or for reading aloud at bedtime.

Illustrated throughout in with black & white line drawings by Joe Berger, who was nominated for the Booktrust Early Years Award for his picture book, Bridget Fidget.

Contact: [email protected]