Librivox Audiobooks

The Adventures of a Grain of Dust

Hallam Hawksworth (1863 - )

This charming book for children is full of interesting facts about all sorts of plants, insects, birds and animals and how they all help to enrich the soil for farmers - each in its own special way. Join our narrator, The Grain of Dust on a fascinating journey around the planet to meet them.
"I don't want you to think that I'm boasting, but I do believe I'm one of the greatest travellers that ever was; and if anybody, living or dead, has ever gone through with more than I have I'd like to hear about it. Not that I've personally been in all the places or taken part in all the things I tell in this book—I don't mean to say that—but I do ask you to remember how long it is possible for a grain of dust to last, and how many other far-travelled and much-adventured dust grains it must meet and mix with in the course of its life. ...Finally, if what we call flesh and blood can think and talk, why not a grain of dust? In fact, what is flesh and blood but dust come back to life? Says the poet—and the poets know:
'The very dust that blows along the street Once whispered to its love that life is sweet.'
You see it's as likely a thing as could happen—this whole story."
Summary by J. M. Smallheer with quotes from the Preface of the book

Genre(s): Children's Non-fiction, Science

Language: English

Keyword(s): nature , animals , birds , insects , farming ), agriculture , geology , worms , natural science , soil

Glinda of Oz is the fourteenth Land of Oz book and is the last one written by the original author L. Frank Baum, although the series was continued after his death by several other authors.
Dorothy and Ozma discover that a war is brewing in a distant and unexplored part of Oz, between two mysterious races, the Flatheads and the Skeezers. The girls set out to try to prevent the fighting, not knowing what dangers await them. (Summary by Lucy Perry.)

Genre(s): Children's Fiction, Action & Adventure

Language: English

Keyword(s): literature , children (1126), adventure , fantasy  baum 

Group: Oz books

The Gift of the Magi is an O. Henry short story in which a young couple are very much in love with each other but can barely afford their one-room apartment. For Christmas, they each make a sacrifice to purchase a gift for the other, with ironic results.
The moral of the story is that physical possessions, however valuable they may be, are of little value in the grand scheme of things. The true unselfish love that the characters, Jim and Della, share is greater than their possessions.
O. Henry ends the story by clarifying the metaphor between the characters in the story, Della and James (or Jim), and the Biblical Magi. The Gift of the Magi features O. Henry's characteristic twist ending and use of flowery diction.
(Summary adapted from Wikipedia.org)

Genre(s): Short Stories

Language: English

Keyword(s): literature  Christmas 

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 science fiction novella by the English schoolmaster Edwin Abbott Abbott. As a satire, Flatland offered pointed observations on the social hierarchy of Victorian culture. However, the novella's more enduring contribution is its examination of dimensions; in a foreword to one of the many publications of the novella, noted science writer Isaac Asimov described Flatland as "The best introduction one can find into the manner of perceiving dimensions." As such, the novella is still popular amongst mathematics, physics and computer science students. (Summary by Wikipedia)

Genre(s): General Fiction, Satire, Science Fiction

Language: English

Keyword(s): literature (1964), science fiction (469), satire (306), women (92), mathematics (32), geometry (8), Victorian society (3), dimensions (2)

The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals is a book by Charles Darwin, published in 1872, concerning genetically determined aspects of behaviour. It was published thirteen years after On the Origin of Species and alongside his 1871 book The Descent of Man, it is Darwin's main consideration of human origins. In this book, Darwin seeks to trace the animal origins of human characteristics, such as the pursing of the lips in concentration and the tightening of the muscles around the eyes in anger and efforts of memory. Darwin sought out the opinions of some eminent British psychiatrists, notably James Crichton-Browne, in the preparation of the book which forms Darwin's main contribution to psychology. - Summary by Availle

Genre(s): Animals, Science

Language: English

Keyword(s): evolution (37), emotions (10), darwinism (3), mimic (1), facial expression (1)

Eutifrón

Plato (Πλάτων) (c. 428 BCE - c. 347 BCE)
Translated by Patricio de Azcárate Corral (1800 - 1886)

La naturaleza de la santidad, o usando el lenguaje de Platón, lo santo, ocupa el fondo del diálogo; y un supuesto encuentro del adivino Eutifrón con Sócrates es lo que da origen a la cuestión. Eutifrón pretende realizar un acto santo, reclamado por la justicia, pidiendo, con ocasión de la muerte de un esclavo, una condena contra su padre. Sócrates representa en este caso la conciencia moral y la razón. (Patricio de Azcárate) Grabación realizada en colaboración: Tux, Epachuko y KevinS. La composición se terminó durante la pandemia del Covid-19, en abril de 2020.

Genre(s): Ancient

Language: Spanish

An Essay on Criticism was the first major poem written by the English writer Alexander Pope (1688-1744). However, despite the title, the poem is not as much an original analysis as it is a compilation of Pope's various literary opinions. A reading of the poem makes it clear that he is addressing not so much the ingenuous reader as the intending writer. It is written in a type of rhyming verse called heroic couplets. (Summary from Wikipedia)

Genre(s): Poetry, Essays & Short Works, Literary Criticism

Language: English

Keyword(s): poetry (1842), poems (208), essay (83), criticism (18), pope (16), alexander (8), recordings (4)

Neben berühmten Erzählungen wie "Max und Moritz - Eine Bubengeschichte in sieben Streichen" von Wilhelm Busch und zwei der weniger bekannten Texten von Heinrich Hoffmann (Autor von Struwwelpeter) enthält diese Sammlung insgesamt 20 kurze Erzählungen, Gedichte und Märchen für Kinder. (Zusammenfassung von Elli)

Genre(s): Short works

Language: German

Keyword(s): children (1126), short stories (751), German (353), Deutsch (319), teen (128), Kurzgeschichten (23), Grimm (17), Kinder (14), Erzählungen (7), Wilhelm Busch (2), Heinrich Hoffmann (1), Max und Moritz (1), Sibylle von Olfers (1), Frank Adams (1), Else Dorn (1), Johannes Trojan (1), Elsa Maartman Beskow (1), adelbert von chamisso (1), leonhard diefenbach (1), else birkenstock (1), will vesper (1), karl storch (1), heinrich schlitt (1), gertrud caspari (1)

Emma, "belle, intelligente et riche" a une fâcheuse tendance a vouloir marier les autres. Ce qu'elle va d'abord faire pour sa sœur, puis sa gouvernante, miss Taylor. Mais la voilà seule, avec son père âgé, veuf et très craintif, voir hypocondriaque. Son ami, M. Knightley essaie de la raisonner en l'empêchant d'avoir cette manie de marier ses proches. Pourtant, ses plans semblent relativement bien fonctionner. Qui sera donc sa prochaine protégée ? Et elle, songera-t-elle à se marier un jour ? - Summary by Laurette

Genre(s): Literary Fiction, Romance

Language: French

Emma (French Version) Pt.1

Jane Austen (1775 - 1817)
Translated by Pierre de Puliga

Emma, "belle, intelligente et riche" a une fâcheuse tendance a vouloir marier les autres. Ce qu'elle va d'abord faire pour sa sœur, puis sa gouvernante, miss Taylor. Mais la voilà seule, avec son père âgé, veuf et très craintif, voir hypocondriaque. Son ami, M. Knightley essaie de la raisonner en l'empêchant d'avoir cette manie de marier ses proches. Pourtant, ses plans semblent relativement bien fonctionner. Qui sera donc sa prochaine protégée ? Et elle, songera-t-elle à se marier un jour ? - Summary by Laurette

Genre(s): Literary Fiction, Romance

Language: French

Keyword(s): Roman (57), 19e siècle (7), roman sentimental (1), mr woodhouse (1), mr knightley (1), weston (1), l'entremetteuse (1), highbury (1), hartfield (1), donwell abbey (1), randalls (1)