Tale Teller Kids™

The Book of Buried Treasure
by Ralph Delahaye Paine

Publication date 2021-03-16
Usage Public Domain Mark 1.0Creative Commons Licensepublicdomain
Topics librivox, audiobooks, pirates, treasure
LibriVox recording of The Book of Buried Treasure by Ralph Delahaye Paine.
Read in English by Tony Posante

Described by the author as: BEING A TRUE HISTORY OF THE GOLD, JEWELS, AND PLATE OF PIRATES, GALLEONS, ETC., WHICH ARE SOUGHT FOR TO THIS DAY. Ralph Delahaye Paine (August 28, 1871 – April 29, 1925) was an American journalist and author popular in the early 20th century. Paine's book tells of pirates, heroes, scoundrels, and treasure seekers creating, stealing, seeking, and sometimes finding great wealth. It also tells of treasures yet undiscovered (as of 1911, but perhaps to this day). It remains the stuff of dreams for countless kids growing up, and those of us who never grew up. - Summary by Tony Posante

chapter 1 of the book of buried treasure this is a librivox recording all librivox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librivox.org

the book of buried treasure by ralph delahay payne chapter 1 the worldwide hunt for vanished riches

the language has no more boldly romantic words than pirate and galleon and the dullest imagination is have to be kindled by any plausible dream of finding their lost treasures hidden on lonely beach or tropic key or sunk fathoms deep in salt water in the preface of their rare and exceedingly diverting volume the pirate's own book the unnamed author sums up the matter with so much gusto and was so gorgeously appetizing a flavor he is worth quoting to this extent with the name of pirate has also associated ideas of rich plunder caskets of buried jewels chests of gold ingots bags of outlandish coins secreted in lonely out of the way places were buried above the wild shores of rivers and unexplored sea coasts near rocks and trees bearing mysterious marks indicating where the treasure was hid and as it is his invariable practice disagreed and bury his booty and from the perilous life he leads being often killed or captured he can never revisit the spot again therefore immense sums remain buried in those places and are irritably search is often made by persons who labor in anticipation of throwing up with their spade and pickaxe cool bars diamond crosses sparkling amongst the dirt bags of golden doubloons and chest wedged clothes with muy doors ducats and pearls but although great treasures lie hid in this way it seldom happens that any has recovered in this tamed forsake age of ours treasure-seeking might seem to be the peculiar province of fiction but the fact is that expeditions are fitting out every little while and mysterious schooners fleeting from many ports lured by grimy tattered charts zoomed to show where the hordes were hidden or steering their courses by nothing more tangible legend and surmise as the kid tradition survives along the atlantic coast so on divers shores of other seas persist the same kind of wild tales the more convincing of which are strikingly alike and that the lone survivor of the red-handed crew having somehow escaped the hanging shooting or drowning that he handsomely merited preserved a chart showing where the treasure had been hid unable to return to the place he gave the parchment to some friend or shipmate this dramatic transfer usually happening at a deathbed ceremony the recipient after digging in vain and hardly dabbing the departed pirate for his misleading landmarks and bearings handed the chart down to the next generation he will be readily perceived that this is the stock motive of almost all buried treasure fiction the trademark of a certain brand of adventure story but it is really more entertaining to know that such charts and records exist and are made use of by expeditions of the present day opportunity knocks at the door he...

The Book of Buried Treasure
by Ralph Delahaye Paine

Publication date 2021-03-16
Usage Public Domain Mark 1.0Creative Commons Licensepublicdomain
Topics librivox, audiobooks, pirates, treasure
LibriVox recording of The Book of Buried Treasure by Ralph Delahaye Paine.
Read in English by Tony Posante

Described by the author as: BEING A TRUE HISTORY OF THE GOLD, JEWELS, AND PLATE OF PIRATES, GALLEONS, ETC., WHICH ARE SOUGHT FOR TO THIS DAY. Ralph Delahaye Paine (August 28, 1871 – April 29, 1925) was an American journalist and author popular in the early 20th century. Paine's book tells of pirates, heroes, scoundrels, and treasure seekers creating, stealing, seeking, and sometimes finding great wealth. It also tells of treasures yet undiscovered (as of 1911, but perhaps to this day). It remains the stuff of dreams for countless kids growing up, and those of us who never grew up. - Summary by Tony Posante

chapter 1 of the book of buried treasure this is a librivox recording all librivox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librivox.org

the book of buried treasure by ralph delahay payne chapter 1 the worldwide hunt for vanished riches

the language has no more boldly romantic words than pirate and galleon and the dullest imagination is have to be kindled by any plausible dream of finding their lost treasures hidden on lonely beach or tropic key or sunk fathoms deep in salt water in the preface of their rare and exceedingly diverting volume the pirate's own book the unnamed author sums up the matter with so much gusto and was so gorgeously appetizing a flavor he is worth quoting to this extent with the name of pirate has also associated ideas of rich plunder caskets of buried jewels chests of gold ingots bags of outlandish coins secreted in lonely out of the way places were buried above the wild shores of rivers and unexplored sea coasts near rocks and trees bearing mysterious marks indicating where the treasure was hid and as it is his invariable practice disagreed and bury his booty and from the perilous life he leads being often killed or captured he can never revisit the spot again therefore immense sums remain buried in those places and are irritably search is often made by persons who labor in anticipation of throwing up with their spade and pickaxe cool bars diamond crosses sparkling amongst the dirt bags of golden doubloons and chest wedged clothes with muy doors ducats and pearls but although great treasures lie hid in this way it seldom happens that any has recovered in this tamed forsake age of ours treasure-seeking might seem to be the peculiar province of fiction but the fact is that expeditions are fitting out every little while and mysterious schooners fleeting from many ports lured by grimy tattered charts zoomed to show where the hordes were hidden or steering their courses by nothing more tangible legend and surmise as the kid tradition survives along the atlantic coast so on divers shores of other seas persist the same kind of wild tales the more convincing of which are strikingly alike and that the lone survivor of the red-handed crew having somehow escaped the hanging shooting or drowning that he handsomely merited preserved a chart showing where the treasure had been hid unable to return to the place he gave the parchment to some friend or shipmate this dramatic transfer usually happening at a deathbed ceremony the recipient after digging in vain and hardly dabbing the departed pirate for his misleading landmarks and bearings handed the chart down to the next generation he will be readily perceived that this is the stock motive of almost all buried treasure fiction the trademark of a certain brand of adventure story but it is really more entertaining to know that such charts and records exist and are made use of by expeditions of the present day opportunity knocks at the door he...

Treasure Island
by Robert Louis Stevenson

Publication date 2007-12-14
Usage Public DomainCreative Commons Licensepublicdomain
Topics librivox, audiobooks, pirates, Stevenson, treasure, children's literature
Librivox recording of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Read by Adrian Praetzellis.

A mysterious map, pirates, and pieces of eight! When young Jim Hawkins finds a map to pirates’ gold he starts on an adventure that takes him from his English village to a desert island with the murderous Black Dog, half-mad Ben Gunn, and (of course) Long John Silver. Arr Jim lad! R.L. Stevenson (1850-1894) was born in Scotland and travelled extensively in California and the south Pacific. (Summary by Adrian Praetzellis)
treasure island by robert lewis stevenson this is a librivox recording all librivox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librivox.org treasure island by robert lewis stevenson read by adrian pritzellis santa rosa california october 2007 to the hesitating purchaser if sailor tales to sailor tunes storm and adventure heat and cold if schooners islands and maroons and buccaneers and buried gold and all the old romance retold exactly in the ancient way can please as me they pleased of old the wiser youngsters of today so be it and fall on if not if studious youth no longer crave his ancient appetites forgot kingston or valentine the brave or cooper of the wood and wave so be it also and may i and all my pirates share the grave where these and their creations lie

to lloyd osborne an american gentleman in accordance with whose classic taste the following narrative has been designed it is now in return for numerous delightful hours and with the kindest wishes dedicated by his affectionate friend the author part one the old buccaneer chapter one at the admiral benbow squire trolloni dr livzie and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me to write down the whole particulars about treasure island from the beginning to the end keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted i take up my pen in the year of grace 17 hm and go back to the time when my father kept the admiral benbow in and the brown old semen with the sabre cut first took up his lodging under our roof i remember him as if it were yesterday as he came plodding to the inn door his sea chest following behind him in a hand barrow a tall strong heavy nut brown man his tarry pigtail falling over the shoulders of his soiled blue coat his hands ragged and scarred with dirty broken nails and the saber-cut across one cheek a dirty livid white i remember him looking round the cove and whistling to himself as he did so and then breaking out in that old sea song that he sang so often afterwards fifty men on a dead man's chest yo ho ho and a bottle of rum in the high old tottering voice that seemed to have been tuned and broken at the capstone bars then he wrapped on the door with a bit of a stick like a hand spike that he carried and when my father appeared called roughly for a glass of rum this when it was brought to him he drank slowly like a connoisseur lingering on the taste and still looking about him at the cliffs and up at our signboard this is a handy cove says he at length and a pleasant situated grog shop much company mate my father told him no very little company the more was the pity well then says he this is the birth for me hear you matey he cried to the man who trembled the barrow bring up alongside and help up my chest i'll stay here a bit he continued i'm a plain man ramen bacon and eggs is what i want and that head up there to what ships off what you won't call me you monk call me captain oh i see what you're at there and he threw down three or four gold pieces on the threshold you can tell me when i've worked through that said he looking as fierce as a commander and indeed bad as...

Treasure Island
by Robert Louis Stevenson

Publication date 2007-12-14
Usage Public DomainCreative Commons Licensepublicdomain
Topics librivox, audiobooks, pirates, Stevenson, treasure, children's literature
Librivox recording of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Read by Adrian Praetzellis.

A mysterious map, pirates, and pieces of eight! When young Jim Hawkins finds a map to pirates’ gold he starts on an adventure that takes him from his English village to a desert island with the murderous Black Dog, half-mad Ben Gunn, and (of course) Long John Silver. Arr Jim lad! R.L. Stevenson (1850-1894) was born in Scotland and travelled extensively in California and the south Pacific. (Summary by Adrian Praetzellis)
treasure island by robert lewis stevenson this is a librivox recording all librivox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librivox.org treasure island by robert lewis stevenson read by adrian pritzellis santa rosa california october 2007 to the hesitating purchaser if sailor tales to sailor tunes storm and adventure heat and cold if schooners islands and maroons and buccaneers and buried gold and all the old romance retold exactly in the ancient way can please as me they pleased of old the wiser youngsters of today so be it and fall on if not if studious youth no longer crave his ancient appetites forgot kingston or valentine the brave or cooper of the wood and wave so be it also and may i and all my pirates share the grave where these and their creations lie

to lloyd osborne an american gentleman in accordance with whose classic taste the following narrative has been designed it is now in return for numerous delightful hours and with the kindest wishes dedicated by his affectionate friend the author part one the old buccaneer chapter one at the admiral benbow squire trolloni dr livzie and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me to write down the whole particulars about treasure island from the beginning to the end keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted i take up my pen in the year of grace 17 hm and go back to the time when my father kept the admiral benbow in and the brown old semen with the sabre cut first took up his lodging under our roof i remember him as if it were yesterday as he came plodding to the inn door his sea chest following behind him in a hand barrow a tall strong heavy nut brown man his tarry pigtail falling over the shoulders of his soiled blue coat his hands ragged and scarred with dirty broken nails and the saber-cut across one cheek a dirty livid white i remember him looking round the cove and whistling to himself as he did so and then breaking out in that old sea song that he sang so often afterwards fifty men on a dead man's chest yo ho ho and a bottle of rum in the high old tottering voice that seemed to have been tuned and broken at the capstone bars then he wrapped on the door with a bit of a stick like a hand spike that he carried and when my father appeared called roughly for a glass of rum this when it was brought to him he drank slowly like a connoisseur lingering on the taste and still looking about him at the cliffs and up at our signboard this is a handy cove says he at length and a pleasant situated grog shop much company mate my father told him no very little company the more was the pity well then says he this is the birth for me hear you matey he cried to the man who trembled the barrow bring up alongside and help up my chest i'll stay here a bit he continued i'm a plain man ramen bacon and eggs is what i want and that head up there to what ships off what you won't call me you monk call me captain oh i see what you're at there and he threw down three or four gold pieces on the threshold you can tell me when i've worked through that said he looking as fierce as a commander and indeed bad as...

Star Stories for Little Folks
by Gertrude Chandler Warner
section one of star stories for little folks this is a librevox recording i'll leave a rock's recordings or in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librivox.org recording by debkay star stories for little folks by gertrude chandler warner the two dippers look for the dippers early in november dr laurie had solemnly promised helen that when she grew strong enough to go out into the yard at seven o'clock he would come up on purpose to point out some of the most beautiful stars and teach her their names night after night helen had tossed in her white bed by the window it was only when the kind nurse had pushed the shade up slip slip creek creek and let helen look out at the wonderful starry sky that she had been able to rest at all and now here she was down in the hall dressed warmly from the top of her brown fur hat with its scarlet rose to her brown fur leggings waiting for the big burly doctor to keep his promise and he kept it he came chugging up in his long grey car looking like a bear in his fur coat only 15 minutes sister he said to helen we mustn't take cold we will go out to the garden path and face north to get a view of the big dipper no course of lectures is complete without big dipper to start from please let it be a course of lectures beg telling very well agreed dr laurie good naturally now let's just take a look at this he turned a tiny flashlight on a black card with white stars dotted on it in the shape of the dipper the dipper is right side up right above those trees four stars make the bull and three the long handle i see crayhelen now continued the doctor the two stars through which the arrow was drawn are called pointers because they point almost to the north star do you see it a very faint star yes cried helen again and is the very tail of the little dipper's handles exactly like the picture good said dr laurie very much pleased you have sharp enough eyes to see little alcor i think if a person can see alcor he has very good eyes look in the handle of the big dipper directly above the first star from the end alcor is the writer and the bright star below it is his horse i see both said helen my eyes are all right good now we must go in helen went very obediently how different the stars look when i'm outdoors she said but when she was lying in bed again looking out at the starry sky the big dipper already seemed like a dear old friend end of the two dippers recording by debkay

Star Stories for Little Folks
by Gertrude Chandler Warner
section one of star stories for little folks this is a librevox recording i'll leave a rock's recordings or in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librivox.org recording by debkay star stories for little folks by gertrude chandler warner the two dippers look for the dippers early in november dr laurie had solemnly promised helen that when she grew strong enough to go out into the yard at seven o'clock he would come up on purpose to point out some of the most beautiful stars and teach her their names night after night helen had tossed in her white bed by the window it was only when the kind nurse had pushed the shade up slip slip creek creek and let helen look out at the wonderful starry sky that she had been able to rest at all and now here she was down in the hall dressed warmly from the top of her brown fur hat with its scarlet rose to her brown fur leggings waiting for the big burly doctor to keep his promise and he kept it he came chugging up in his long grey car looking like a bear in his fur coat only 15 minutes sister he said to helen we mustn't take cold we will go out to the garden path and face north to get a view of the big dipper no course of lectures is complete without big dipper to start from please let it be a course of lectures beg telling very well agreed dr laurie good naturally now let's just take a look at this he turned a tiny flashlight on a black card with white stars dotted on it in the shape of the dipper the dipper is right side up right above those trees four stars make the bull and three the long handle i see crayhelen now continued the doctor the two stars through which the arrow was drawn are called pointers because they point almost to the north star do you see it a very faint star yes cried helen again and is the very tail of the little dipper's handles exactly like the picture good said dr laurie very much pleased you have sharp enough eyes to see little alcor i think if a person can see alcor he has very good eyes look in the handle of the big dipper directly above the first star from the end alcor is the writer and the bright star below it is his horse i see both said helen my eyes are all right good now we must go in helen went very obediently how different the stars look when i'm outdoors she said but when she was lying in bed again looking out at the starry sky the big dipper already seemed like a dear old friend end of the two dippers recording by debkay

Hallowe'en at Merryvale
by Alice Hale Burnett

Publication date 2018-09-13
Usage Public Domain Mark 1.0Creative Commons Licensepublicdomain
Topics librivox, audiobooks, halloween, children, boys
LibriVox recording of Hallowe'en at Merryvale by Alice Hale Burnett.
Read in English by Nedge
"For many days the boys had been looking forward to the party to be held at Toad Brown's house, but the evening finally arrived and a number of new games were played, although a few things happened which were not on the program." - Summary by Alice Hale Burnett.
chapter 1 of halloween at maryvale this is a librivox recording all librivox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librivox.org recording by nan dodge halloween at maryvale by alice hale burnett chapter one getting ready for the party what's halloween mean father asked thomas brown as the family was seated at breakfast one morning late in october it means the evening before all saints day answered father brown do you remember what fun we had last year chuck remarked toad for thomas was called toad by his friends and charlie was known as chuck i should say i do he answered the browns had always lived in the town of maryvale in a large white house set far back from the street and not far away was the home of toad's best friend reddy and his brother frank nicknamed fat we had great fun when i was a boy resume father brown for my birthday anniversary falls on halloween and your grandmother would always have me invite the boys in the neighborhood to a party on that night oh i wish mine weren't two days later or i might have a party too side toad there's no reason thomas said his mother with a smile why you can't celebrate your birthday on halloween if you'd like to oh mother that's fine cried toad jumping up from the table and running around to his mother's place to give her a hearty hug you always make things right he added we'd better ask all the fellows in school today suggested chuck for saturday is halloween toad lost no time when he reached school that morning and giving his invitations to the party and all the boys were glad to accept for they always had a fine time at toad's house when saturday morning arrived mother brown sent toad off to the barn to get some large red apples be sure they have strong stems she warned him or i shall not be able to use them the apples had been packed in barrels with plenty of straw to keep them from freezing and when toad reached the barn he pulled out one after another until he thought he had plenty just as he was wondering how many trips he would have to make to get all the apples to the house a face peeped around the doorway hello ready laughed toad come on in and help me with these apples i've got to carry them up to the house he explained therefore the party tonight couldn't we eat just one now asked ready picking up from the floor a shining red apple hey not that one cried toad take one without a stem ha protested ready what difference does that make i wasn't going to eat the stem toad laughed mother wants strong stems on them i don't know why he explained what's a halloween party like inquired ready seating himself on the top of a potato barrel fat says he continued that there's always ghosts oh who's afraid of baby things like ghosts cheered toad well i'm not either protested ready i knew he was only trying to scare me after the boys had carried the apples up to the house mother brown looked them over and exclaimed they're just what i want such fine strong stems end of chapter one

Hallowe'en at Merryvale
by Alice Hale Burnett

Publication date 2018-09-13
Usage Public Domain Mark 1.0Creative Commons Licensepublicdomain
Topics librivox, audiobooks, halloween, children, boys
LibriVox recording of Hallowe'en at Merryvale by Alice Hale Burnett.
Read in English by Nedge
"For many days the boys had been looking forward to the party to be held at Toad Brown's house, but the evening finally arrived and a number of new games were played, although a few things happened which were not on the program." - Summary by Alice Hale Burnett.
chapter 1 of halloween at maryvale this is a librivox recording all librivox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librivox.org recording by nan dodge halloween at maryvale by alice hale burnett chapter one getting ready for the party what's halloween mean father asked thomas brown as the family was seated at breakfast one morning late in october it means the evening before all saints day answered father brown do you remember what fun we had last year chuck remarked toad for thomas was called toad by his friends and charlie was known as chuck i should say i do he answered the browns had always lived in the town of maryvale in a large white house set far back from the street and not far away was the home of toad's best friend reddy and his brother frank nicknamed fat we had great fun when i was a boy resume father brown for my birthday anniversary falls on halloween and your grandmother would always have me invite the boys in the neighborhood to a party on that night oh i wish mine weren't two days later or i might have a party too side toad there's no reason thomas said his mother with a smile why you can't celebrate your birthday on halloween if you'd like to oh mother that's fine cried toad jumping up from the table and running around to his mother's place to give her a hearty hug you always make things right he added we'd better ask all the fellows in school today suggested chuck for saturday is halloween toad lost no time when he reached school that morning and giving his invitations to the party and all the boys were glad to accept for they always had a fine time at toad's house when saturday morning arrived mother brown sent toad off to the barn to get some large red apples be sure they have strong stems she warned him or i shall not be able to use them the apples had been packed in barrels with plenty of straw to keep them from freezing and when toad reached the barn he pulled out one after another until he thought he had plenty just as he was wondering how many trips he would have to make to get all the apples to the house a face peeped around the doorway hello ready laughed toad come on in and help me with these apples i've got to carry them up to the house he explained therefore the party tonight couldn't we eat just one now asked ready picking up from the floor a shining red apple hey not that one cried toad take one without a stem ha protested ready what difference does that make i wasn't going to eat the stem toad laughed mother wants strong stems on them i don't know why he explained what's a halloween party like inquired ready seating himself on the top of a potato barrel fat says he continued that there's always ghosts oh who's afraid of baby things like ghosts cheered toad well i'm not either protested ready i knew he was only trying to scare me after the boys had carried the apples up to the house mother brown looked them over and exclaimed they're just what i want such fine strong stems end of chapter one

Floor Games
by H.G. Wells

Publication date 2007-09-07
Usage Public DomainCreative Commons Licensepublicdomain
Topics librivox, audiobook, floor games, games
H.G. Wells had so much fun playing with his children on the floor of their playroom, he decided to write a jovial little book to inspire other parents in their pursuit of quality time with the kids. While the raw materials available from hobby stores of his day were woefully short of the variety and quality of what can be bought easily now, he and his sons created their own worlds to rule. This short work describes two games of imagination played out upon the floor of his home - an archipelago of islands, and a thoroughly integrated city, conveniently organized with two mayoral positions for his sons "G.P.W." and "F.R.W." While the toy people appearing in their worlds were often of martial nature, Wells decided to leave decription of military games to a later book: "Little Wars."

this is the liebervox recording all librivox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librebox.org this recording is by mark smith of simpsonville south carolina floor games by h.g wells section one the toys to have the jolliest indoor games for boys and girls demand a floor and the home that has no floor upon which games may be played falls so far short of happiness it must be a floor covered with linoleum or cork carpet so that toy soldiers and such like will stand up upon it and of a color and surface that will take and show chalk marks the common green colored cork carpet without a pattern is the best of all it must be no highway to other rooms and well lit and airy occasionally alas it must be scrubbed and then a truce to floor games upon such a floor may be made an infinitude of imaginative games not only keeping boys and girls happy for days together but building up a framework of spacious and inspiring ideas in them for after life the men of tomorrow will gain new strength from nursery floors i am going to tell of some of these games and what is most needed to play them i have tried them all and a score of others like them with my sons and all of the games here illustrated have been set out by us i am going to tell of them here because i think what we have done will interest other fathers and mothers and perhaps be of use to them and to uncles and such like tributary sub-species of humanity in buying presents for their own and other people's children now the toys we play with time after time and in a thousand permutations and combinations belong to four main groups we have one soldiers and with these i class sailors railway porters civilians and the lower animals generally such as i will presently describe in greater detail two bricks three boards and planks and four a lot of clockwork railway rolling stock and rails also there are certain minor objects 10 ships easter eggs and the like of which i shall make incidental mention that like the kiwi and the duckbill platypus refuse to be classified these we arrange and rearrange in various ways upon our floor making a world of them in doing so we have found out all sorts of pleasant facts and also many undesirable possibilities and very probably our experience will help a reader here and there to the former and save him from the latter for instance our planks and boards and what one can do with them have been a great discovery lots of boys and girls seem to be quite without planks and boards at all and there is no regular trade in them the toy shops we found did not keep anything of the kind we wanted and our boards which we had to get made by a carpenter are the basis of half the games we play the planks and boards we have are of various sizes we began with three of two yards by one they were made with cross pieces like small doors but these we found unnecessarily large and we would not get them now after our present experience the best thickness we...

Floor Games
by H.G. Wells

Publication date 2007-09-07
Usage Public DomainCreative Commons Licensepublicdomain
Topics librivox, audiobook, floor games, games
H.G. Wells had so much fun playing with his children on the floor of their playroom, he decided to write a jovial little book to inspire other parents in their pursuit of quality time with the kids. While the raw materials available from hobby stores of his day were woefully short of the variety and quality of what can be bought easily now, he and his sons created their own worlds to rule. This short work describes two games of imagination played out upon the floor of his home - an archipelago of islands, and a thoroughly integrated city, conveniently organized with two mayoral positions for his sons "G.P.W." and "F.R.W." While the toy people appearing in their worlds were often of martial nature, Wells decided to leave decription of military games to a later book: "Little Wars."

this is the liebervox recording all librivox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librebox.org this recording is by mark smith of simpsonville south carolina floor games by h.g wells section one the toys to have the jolliest indoor games for boys and girls demand a floor and the home that has no floor upon which games may be played falls so far short of happiness it must be a floor covered with linoleum or cork carpet so that toy soldiers and such like will stand up upon it and of a color and surface that will take and show chalk marks the common green colored cork carpet without a pattern is the best of all it must be no highway to other rooms and well lit and airy occasionally alas it must be scrubbed and then a truce to floor games upon such a floor may be made an infinitude of imaginative games not only keeping boys and girls happy for days together but building up a framework of spacious and inspiring ideas in them for after life the men of tomorrow will gain new strength from nursery floors i am going to tell of some of these games and what is most needed to play them i have tried them all and a score of others like them with my sons and all of the games here illustrated have been set out by us i am going to tell of them here because i think what we have done will interest other fathers and mothers and perhaps be of use to them and to uncles and such like tributary sub-species of humanity in buying presents for their own and other people's children now the toys we play with time after time and in a thousand permutations and combinations belong to four main groups we have one soldiers and with these i class sailors railway porters civilians and the lower animals generally such as i will presently describe in greater detail two bricks three boards and planks and four a lot of clockwork railway rolling stock and rails also there are certain minor objects 10 ships easter eggs and the like of which i shall make incidental mention that like the kiwi and the duckbill platypus refuse to be classified these we arrange and rearrange in various ways upon our floor making a world of them in doing so we have found out all sorts of pleasant facts and also many undesirable possibilities and very probably our experience will help a reader here and there to the former and save him from the latter for instance our planks and boards and what one can do with them have been a great discovery lots of boys and girls seem to be quite without planks and boards at all and there is no regular trade in them the toy shops we found did not keep anything of the kind we wanted and our boards which we had to get made by a carpenter are the basis of half the games we play the planks and boards we have are of various sizes we began with three of two yards by one they were made with cross pieces like small doors but these we found unnecessarily large and we would not get them now after our present experience the best thickness we...