Listen to Top 100 Audiobooks in Classics, British Literature

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Title: An Episode of Cathedral History

Subtitle: The Complete Ghost Stories of M R James

Author: Montague Rhodes James

Narrator: David Collings

Format: Unabridged

Length: 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-18-10

Publisher: Andrews UK Limited

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 20 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This is the unabridged audio recording of M R James' excellent ghost story "An Episode of Cathedral History". Read by David Collings, this is sure to scare and delight in equal measure.

Members Reviews:

Classic Ghost Story

A classic M.R. James ghost story about a mysterious tomb in a cathedral. The narration is perfectly suited to the story.

Creepy and atmospheric

A haunting vampire tale from the king of British ghost stories!

No pouty, misunderstood vampires here, this story is old-school.

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Title: The Residence at Whitminster

Subtitle: The Complete Ghost Stories of M R James

Author: Montague Rhodes James

Narrator: David Collings

Format: Unabridged

Length: 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-18-10

Publisher: Andrews UK Limited

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This is the unabridged audio recording of M R James' excellent ghost story "The Residence at Whitminster". Read by David Collings, this is sure to scare and delight in equal measure.

Critic Reviews:

"David Collings reads wonderfully well." (The Observer)

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Title: The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance

Subtitle: The Complete Ghost Stories of M R James

Author: Montague Rhodes James

Narrator: David Collings

Format: Unabridged

Length: 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-18-10

Publisher: Andrews UK Limited

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This is the unabridged audio recording of M R James' excellent ghost story "The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance". Read by David Collings, this is sure to scare and delight in equal measure.

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Title: Mr Humphreys and His Inheritance

Subtitle: The Complete Ghost Stories of M R James

Author: Montague Rhodes James

Narrator: David Collings

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 06-18-10

Publisher: Andrews UK Limited

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 20 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This is the unabridged audio recording of M R James' excellent ghost story "Mr Humphreys and his Inheritance". Read by David Collings, this is sure to scare and delight in equal measure.

Critic Reviews:

"David Collings reads wonderfully well." (The Observer)

Members Reviews:

An Excellent M.R. James Classic!

I hear that people either love or hate this story by M.R. James. As you can tell by the rating I gave it, I love it! David Collings has a great voice, and does accents very well. I especially liked his voicing of Collings. At only an hour, it's an easy listen so give it a go. Hopefully you're one of those ones who loves this story!

Into the labyrinth

Mr. Humphreys has inherited a property from an uncle in eastern England. All goes well as he settles in, aided by an old retainer given to malapropisms, a Mr. Cooper.

As James usually does, he creates a cosy, comfortable environment so that he can disturb it all the more thoroughly with a bit of a mystery. In this case, the mystery centers upon a maze, which has always been kept locked. Adorned with a winged dragon and fragments of a Latin inscription about the entrance, its vegetation has been allowed to run wild.

With another characteristic James touch, that of the innocent but curious gentleman who inquires into the unknown, Mr. Humphreys decides to map the maze and discover its secrets.

Spend a pleasant evening's hour listening to David Collings' wonderful performance of this jewel of a story and find out what happened within.

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Title: Oscar Wilde: Lord Arthur Savile's Crime

Author: Oscar Wilde

Narrator: Garard Green

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-12-10

Publisher: The Copyright Group

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

In this brilliant satire, Oscar Wilde targets the English aristocracy. Lord Arthur's life is thrown into turmoil with the dire prophecy that he will commit murder. His forthcoming marriage postponed, he sets about finding his victim....

This classic story is read for you by Garard Green, who has worked extensively for the BBC and voiced more than 900 films and documentaries.

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Title: A Round of Stories by the Christmas Fire

Author: Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell

Narrator: Philip Bird

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-09-09

Publisher: Matrix Digital Publishing

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A Victorian family gathers round the hearth, and one by one they tell each other their Winter's tales. Charles Dickens begins 'the round of stories they were to relate, as they sat in a goodly circle by the Christmas fire', and then hands over to Elizabeth Gaskell, Samuel Sidney and other respected contributors to the Christmas 1852 number of Household Words.

Read aloud as they were originally intended to be, these stories of The Host, the Mother, and the Child are joined by the Grandfather, the Nurse, the Charwoman and others to while away the evening with fables, fairytales, ghost stories, and adventures.

The stories are:

Members Reviews:

Good edition

Complete edition includes all of the original stories with all authors identified and good footnotes. Makes a great holiday gift.

Victorian Writers having fun!

This is one of Dickens' first compilations of Christmas stories. At this point, he wasn't using a definite framing device (snowbound hotel guests, shipwreck survivors, etc.), just a group of people sitting around a fire. This collection contains the classic ghost tale "The Old Nurse's Story" by Elizabeth Gaskell.

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Title: Bliss and Other Stories

Author: Katherine Mansfield

Narrator: Miriam Margolyes

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-01-09

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

In the realm of the short story, Katherine Mansfield established a highly original style. Undramatic, poetic, and lyrical, her writing is exquisitely subtle in its treatment of human behaviour. When these 14 short stories were published in 1920, she had already effected a transformation in this form of fiction, and her influence has been deeply felt by subsequent writers.

Members Reviews:

narrator

Big fan of Katherine Mansfield but this narrator is hard to listen to, would be better suited to jackanory.

Bliss

I have always loved the stories of Katherine Mansfield and to hear Miriam Margoyles read them was a great treat. She is one of my very favoutite actors and when I noticed she was the reader of 'Bliss', I just had to have it.

Mansfield Makes Good Audio

What made the experience of listening to Bliss and Other Stories the most enjoyable?

Her stories really thrive on audio and seem to gain even more life and grace

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dull question.

What about Miriam Margolyess performance did you like?

Excellent

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Really? Silly question - as if that were the destiny of all books

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Title: Nineteen Eighty-Four

Author: George Orwell

Narrator: Philip Glenister

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-28-09

Publisher: CSA Word

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 22 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The novel has become famous for its portrayal of surveillance and society's increasing encroachment on the rights of the individual. Since its publication, the terms Big Brother and Orwellian have entered the popular vernacular. This is a special celebratory release to celebrate 60 years since Nineteen Eighty-Four was first published.

Members Reviews:

Amazing book & Narrater

Any additional comments?

The narrating of this masterpiece is absolutely amazing. The changes in voice for different characters brought it alive. People say that the little interludes of classical music was disconcerning, but I reckon that it made it seem ever more realistic. The tracks fitted perfectly with the story and flowed brilliantly.

A+. A must read. And a wonderful audiobook.

Beyond brilliant - a true visionary.

The only mistake Orwell makes is in being a bit premature with his predictions. A riveting story that could so easily come to be if we are not careful. A must read as is his Animal Farm as well.

Excellent narration brings 1984 alive in 2009

It's some years since I read 1984 and the surprise about this novel is how it has retained its relevance since it's first publication. It is as applicable to modern society as it was when first written. 1984 is not a light listen. It's a thought provoking tale of manipulative social engineering and the loss of both freedom of speech and thought.

Philip Glennister's narration is first class. In particular, his soft Irish O'Brien brought the character alive for me. I doubt that his reading of this classic novel can be surpassed.

The only negative, in my opinion, is the classical music that plays inbetween chapters. I like classical music and I like audio books but not combined! I found it irksome and didn't appreciate the interruption to the flow of the narration.

Although it was not to my taste, it was not enough to spoil the enjoyment of the superb reading and interpretation of the words of Orwell delivered by Glennister.

First class narration

1984 is a horrifying tale and not easily forgotten. Philip?s perfect narration brings the story to life and keeps you hanging in until the end.

Captivating story and narrator

I love this book. I've listened to it several times after downloading it. Philip Glenister gives it the 'edge', emphasising the sinister aspects of the story. He's a perfect choice for the book. Bravo.

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Title: Dracula

Author: Bram Stoker

Narrator: Jerry Sciarrio, Kris Faulkner, Kevin Foley, Alex Mickshal, Alex Mickshal, Andrea Bates, Cameron Beierle, Gene Engene

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-27-08

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 77 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Dracula begins with the journal of Jonathan Harker, a young solicitor on the way to Transylvania to give information to the mysterious Count Dracula about his new estate in London. Dracula takes the young man prisoner, and Jonathan sees many strange and evil things in the castle before escaping and fleeing into the night. He later decides that he must have been mad.

Meanwhile, back in England, Jonathan's fiancée, Mina, is visiting her friend Lucy. Lucy has just decided to marry the Honorable Arthur Holmwood, having had to choose between him and his two friends, Dr. John Seward and Quincey Morris, the Texan.

Dracula, who is moving to London to feast on more humans, happens to land in the part of England where Mina and Lucy are staying. His first victim is Lucy. Dr. Seward, who, by coincidence, runs the insane asylum next door to Dracula's primary London home, tries to treat Lucy's "illness". He calls in from Amsterdam his friend and mentor Professor Abraham Van Helsing. Van Helsing figures out what is wrong with Lucy, but cannot save her.

By this time, Jonathan has made it home to England and is happily married to Mina. Van Helsing brings together Mina, Jonathan, Arthur, Quincey, Seward and himself and convinces everyone of the reality of vampires and the danger of this particular one, who was in his human life a great warrior and thinker. They have already destroyed the undead Lucy, and they likewise set out to destroy Dracula.

Jerry Sciarrio as Jonathan Harker

Kris Faulkner as Mina Harker

Kevin Foley as John Seward

Rebecca Cook as Lucy Westenra

Reed McColm as Quincy Morris and Renfield

Alex Mickshal as Arthur Holmwood

Andrea Bates as Mrs. Westenra

Cameron Beierle as Count Dracula

Gene Engene as Dr. Van Helsing

Members Reviews:

Ahh! What Music they Make. The Quinary Count No. 2

I recently undertook the personal challenge to listen to five different versions of DRACULA because listening to Bram Stokers classic years ago made me a fan of audiobooks. I enjoyed that experience so much that I decided to try to determine if I had just gotten lucky or if there was an even better version available. Besides, I wanted to listen to it again. With most books I feel fortunate to have just one audio version available, but with DRACULA there are so many versions offered that listening to them all is not practical. I first figured that I could handle maybe three different versions but then discovered two more that I thought deserved attention. The Audible list had these five that I thought might be contenders:

Listed in my order of listening preference:

1) Susan Adams & Alexander Spencer (Recorded Books 1980)

2) Peter Sciarrio & Kris Faulkner & a FULL CAST, (Books in Motion 2008)

3) Greg Wise & Saskia Reeves (BBC Audiobooks 2008)

4) Robert Whitfield (aka Simon Vance), (Blackstone edition 1998)

5) Alan Cumming & Tim Curry & cast (Audible edition 2011)

Review for this version:

2) Peter Sciarrio (m) Kris Faulkner (f) & a FULL cast. Dramatized, Books in Motion 2008 [run time 18:11].

This is the only true Full Cast version. Every character, major or minor, is read by a different actor. This version is also unique in the insertion of sound effects in many key dramatic moments. When wolves are mentioned in the story we get to hear their howling.

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Title: Ghost Stories of an Antiquary

Author: M. R. James

Narrator: Walter Covell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-07-08

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 28 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The success of his antiquarian ghost-stories is rooted in his life as an antiquary. Many of his stories revolve around the discovery of an old book or other antiquarian object that somehow calls down the wrath, or at least the unwelcome attention, of a supernatural menace, usually from beyond the grave.

James' most important and well-known works are those collected in Ghost Stories of an Antiquary and its sequel, More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary.

A word of warning: Despite his suggestion in an essay that writers should employ reticence in their work, many of James' tales depict scenes and images of savage and often disturbing violence. Stories included in this collection are:

Editorial Reviews:

Medieval scholar M. R. James' collection of ghost stories are quite jarring and at times violent. Fittingly, these old-fashioned spooky tales revolve around antiques, often with supernatural powers. At times dark and gruff and at others breathy and frightened, Performer Walter Covell masters a variety of narrators' voices and characters' dialogue. He utilizes skilled variations of pace and accents as well to keep listeners glued to the words he weaves. Ghost story fans, particularly those haunted by the ancient relics, will find themselves jumpy after listening to Ghosts Stories of an Antiquary.

Members Reviews:

Terrible Recording

The narration was great, but the sound quality is horrible! It sounds like it was recorded in the 1800's. Great stories though.