Phineas Taylor Barnum is best remembered for his entertaining acts and for founding the circus that eventually became Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Through his entire life, fraught with many failed ventures, Barnum remained a resourceful entrepreneur with a deep conceptual understanding of the use of advertising. This story is filled with entertaining and insightful exploits of his troupe, the towns he visited and the ventures he attempted on the road to becoming "the Greatest Show on Earth".

The Life of Phineas T. Barnum

In 1860 Baltimore, Benjamin is born with the physical appearance of a 70-year-old man, already capable of speech. His father Roger invites neighborhood boys to play with him and orders him to play with children's toys, but Benjamin obeys only to please his father. At five, Benjamin is sent to kindergarten but is quickly withdrawn after he repeatedly falls asleep during child activities.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Short Story)

This humorous short essay is written with all the wit and biting sarcasm that is one of the trademarks of Mark Twain. The Decay of the Art of Lying does not reveal why one should not lie, but reveals in detail the proper way to lie – told from a true expert.

On the Decay of the Art of Lying

It has often been said that there are two basic stories that define the ethos of men and women. For men it is the myth of Superman, the ultra powerful male figure who saves the world against evil. For women it's the Cinderella, the story of a downtrodden young maiden who eventually overcomes the miseries surrounding her to be saved by the dashing, rich and powerful Prince. It is a story that lives in almost every culture around the world to this day. As the story goes Cinderella is a young and beautiful young maiden who embodies the ideal values of good, piousness and ultimate virtue. The story starts with Cinderella living with her widowed father. The father remarries and when he suddenly dies Cinderella is left to be raised by her wicked and unjust step-mother, who dotes on her own two daughters. Cinderella is forced to do the chores and wait on the rest of the household, all the while maintaining her sweet composure. One day a nearby prince invites all the women of the countryside to a grand ball at the palace to choose his wife, but the step-mother does not allow Cinderella to attend. While home alone and almost giving up all hope, Cinderella is visited by a fairy Godmother who temporarily transforms her into a vision of loveliness and transports her to the ball where she captivates the handsome prince. As the clock approaches midnight, she must rush home and in the process loses one of her glass slippers. After a lengthy search the Prince finds Cinderella, they marry and live happily ever after. It is a theme about Good vs. Evil where Good is always rewarded after many tribulations. Everyone should read and listen to the story of Cinderella, if for no other reason than to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying values and perceptions that shape our modern world.

Cinderella

This is a charming tale from H.G. Wells about a young boy named Gip who visits a magic shop for his birthday with his father. But this is not just any magic shop – the shopkeeper insists that this is a genuine magic shop. The story is an entertaining adventure as Gip, like any young boy of his age, experiences the pure enjoyment of true magic while his skeptical father grapples with having to draw the line between slight of hand and genuine magic.

The Magic Shop

Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr, along with many others, have referred to the influence that this work, written by Leo Tolstoy, has had on their psyche, and subsequent permanent change in their state of mind. The selected excerpt, from this much larger writing, reveal Tolstoy's philosophy regarding the literal interpretation of Christ's teachings and his fundamental ideas on nonviolent resistance.

The Kingdom of God is Within You

Julius Caesar is widely considered to be one of the greatest military geniuses of all time,  a brilliant politician, and one of the ancient world's strongest leaders. Caesar was proclaimed dictator for life, and heavily centralised the already faltering government of the weak Republic. However, Caesar's friend Marcus Brutus conspired with others to assassinate Caesar in hopes of saving the Republic. The dramatic assassination on the Ides of March, ushered in Octavian (later known as Caesar Augustus) as the first emperor and undisputed leader of the Roman world.

The Assassination of Julius Caesar

The Blue Cross is the first Father Brown short story by Chesterton, who went on to write an entire series of Father Brown Mysteries. In this story, Aristide Valentin, head of the Paris Police, is on the trail of the world's most famous criminal, Flambeau, who is a master of disguise, and may appear to be anyone. Valentin deduces that Flambeau is going to try and steal The Blue Cross, a priceless silver cross with precious blue stones. Valentin must stop him, but in this case it is actually Father Brown who is the better detective.

The Blue Cross

Around the world in 80 days is an entertaining and light story about Phileas Fogg, a wealthy bachelor who makes a wager with a friend at his club regarding how long it would take for a person to circumnavigate the globe. Not wanting to lose his bet, he immediately embarks on a trip around the world with his valet Passepartout. Follow along on their extravagant adventure on a number of fascinating transportation modes that must be fully completed within 80 days or the bet is lost.

Around the World in 80 Days

A fascinating and insightful document on the theory of rebirth and the principles of spiritual cause and effect. This study tracks the belief in the theory of reincarnation throughout cultures and enlightens the listener to the principles that make this concept sustain throughout thousands of generations.

Reincarnation and the Law of Karma (Excerpts)

CONTENTS: W.W. Jacobs - The Monkey's Paw EA Poe - The Pit and the pendulum EA Poe - The Raven EA Poe - Annabel Lee EA Poe - The Fall of the House of Usher Washington Irving - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Classic Horror and Supernatural Short Stories (Golden Deer Classics)

CONTENTS: 1. The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs 2. The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe 3. The Judge's house by Bram Stoker 4. Legend of sleepy hollow by Washington Irving 5. The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe 6. The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe 7. Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe

Classic Spooky Stories For Halloween

A Letter to a Hindu was written in 1908by Leo Tolstoy to Tarak Nath Das, an Indian revolutionary and internationalist scholar. The letter was translated and reprinted by Mohandas Gandhi, who used the ideas of love revealed through non-violent resistance in his own ideological teachings. Non-violent resistance was a principle of Tolstoy's christian belief.

Leo Tolstoy Collection

A Letter to a Hindu

The Prince is a political treatise by Machiavelli that is not considered to be representative of the work published during his lifetime, but is the most remembered. The theories in this book describe methods that an aspiring prince can use to acquire the throne, or an existing prince can use to maintain his reign. These theories include defense and military, perceived reputation, generosity, cruelty versus mercy, gaining honors, fortune and a number of other discourses.

The Prince

William Frederick Cody, known as Buffalo Bill, is one of the great icons of the pioneer years in the early American West. His exploits provide much insight into the life on the plains, with its Indians, cowboys, rough riders, and overall rugged existence. You are sure to enjoy this selection of entertaining stories from the Old West, written by the Honorable William F Cody.

Buffalo Bill Cody:  Stories from the Old West

These charming Japanese Fairy Tales were translated by Yei Theodora Ozaki in 1908. Although taken from actual Japanese folk stories, these Westernized versions are not literal translations. These stories combine fictitious creatures and magical animals with the lives of normal humans and provide an insight into a piece of ancient Japan. The stories in this volume include: My Lord Bag of Rice, The Tongue-Cut Sparrow, The Story of Urashima Taro, the Fisher Lad

Children's Classics

Japanese Fairy Tales

This story is told by Theodor Fischer, a boy who lives in a small Austrian village and quietly exists with his friends, relatives and community. One day a stranger appears in the village and befriends Theodor and his chums. He tells them that his name is Satan and he is the nephew of "the Satan". He is capable of all types of magic, predictions and apparitions that he reveals in various ways to the boys. But throughout the story Satan expels his wisdom on the character and futility of mankind. While the book contains the wit and humor typical of Mark Twain, the story line is considered a serious social commentary on Twain's criticism of organized religion.

World Classics

The Mysterious Stranger

This is a short story about a poor, young, married couple who both sell their most prized possession in order to purchase a holiday gift for the other. A lesson in sacrifice and the true meaning of giving is beautifully told in this classic tale with a heart wrenching ending.

The Gift of the Magi

Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian-born artist, was one of the first creators of pure abstraction in modern painting. His forms evolved from fluid and organic, to geometric, and finally to pictographic. Kandinsky was also an accomplished musician and believed in the concept that color and musical harmony are linked. He even claimed that when he saw color he heard music. Listen to this abridged audio of his insightful writing.

Concerning The Spiritual In Art

The Communist Manifesto was first published on February 21, 1848, and is one of the world's most influential political tracts. Commissioned by the Communist League and written by communist theorists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, it laid out the League's purposes and program. The Manifesto suggested a course of action for a proletarian revolution to overthrow capitalism and, eventually, to bring about a classless society.

The Communist Manifesto

Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" was first published in the November 18,1865, edition of The New York Saturday Press, under the title "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog." The story is set in a gold-mining camp in Calaveras County, California, and has its origins in the folklore of the Gold Rush era. It was one of Twain's earliest writings, and helped establish his reputation as a humorist. He eventually included it as the title story in his first collection of tales.

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

This classic tale of intrigue, mystery and adventure takes place on the ivory harvesting and trade route in the Congo, in the depths of Africa. In this book, Marlow, a sea captain on a ship at anchor, retells a story of his assignment upon a steamer ship in the Congo to a group of his ship mates. During his mission he is asked to retrieve and return Kurtz, an ivory hunter with a resounding reputation where ever his name is mentioned, who delivers more ivory than all the other stations combined, and who has a reverenced effect on the natives. Passages and references from the book are sprinkled through other writings and The Heart of Darkness was the base content for the movie Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppola.

Heart of Darkness

This is a story of a bourgeois British family and their attempts to contain and control the actions of their relations. The story opens with the widow Lilia Herriton embarking on a trip with her traveling companion Caroline Abbott. In reality Lilias family connived her into going on a trip to distract her from a relationship with a gentleman who does not meet their social scrutiny. But while in Italy a worse disaster befalls the family as Lilia falls in love and marries a younger Italian man. When Lilia dies during child birth the family must somehow retrieve the child, who is but a mere pawn in their charade of control and manipulation.

Where Angels Fear to Tread

One of the most fascinating psychological struggles of the modern world revolves around the competing tension between existential philosophy and metaphysical spirituality. The Dream of a Ridiculous Man beautifully encapsulates the extremes of both points of view and provides the listener a front row seat to a battle that still rages today.

The Dream of a Ridiculous Man

Contents: 1. Alice in wonderland 2. Heart of darkness 3. Don quixote 4. Curious case of benjamin button 5. The Raven 6. The metamorphosis 7. The call of the wild 8. The art of war 9. The war of the worlds 10. Apology of socrates

10 Masterpieces You Have To Listen To Before You Die: Vol. 1

This is a short story of Georg Bendemann and his relationship with his aging father. While Georg is telling his father of his friend in Russia his father goes into a rage, ridiculing and degrading his son. Then at the end of his rant he issues his final judgment – death by drowning.

The Judgement

This book of Hermetic Philosophy claims to be the essence of the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus. One of the foundations of the book is the dedication to the Seven Principles and there is a complete chapter describing each one in detail. Each one of the Seven Principles brings to light a number of ways to become more familiar with your self and become a better and more enlightened individual.

The Kybalion

This is a fantastical comedy about an old man who has read so many books about knights errant that he is convinced that he is one himself. He sets out on a series of adventures with his trusted and true servant Sancho Panza. But with every adventure it is amazing that he is able to survive the story itself.

Don Quixote

Candide is a delightful story filled with boundless misadventure while tackling the great philosophical issues of the Enlightenment era. The story is about Candide, a young man who is the illegitimate nephew of a German baron with whom he resides. When it is discovered he is kissing the baron's beautiful daughter he is thrown from the castle where he experiences the horrors of war, poverty, the maliciousness of man, and the hypocrisy of the church. Obviously, Voltaire is poking fun at Leibniz, Pope, and others who assail that the world created by God was the best possible of all worlds with perfect order and reason, as spoken through the greatest of all fictional philosophers, Candide's tutor, Pangloss. As you listen to segments of Candide, take the time to research both the book and Voltaire to gain a richer understanding of the themes interlaced throughout the book.

Epic Story

Candide

In the modern era, we take the concept of Enlightenment for granted. The concepts of personal freedom, liberty and the ability to think for one-self have become a personal choice and fundamental to our everyday lives. Yet in 1784, when the essay was written, the concept of Enlightenment was an emerging idea and still a vague notion to most people. What is important for the modern listener in this essay is how Kant outlines those things that discourage enlightenment as well as those things that can enhance it on a personal and social level. The WIKIPEDIA link below provides a more detailed analysis of the essay, although the listener will appreciate how many of the issues defined by Kant are still relevant in today's world.

What is Enlightenment?

A man alone on the Yukon Trail, except for his husky dog, is planning on meeting friends on a day in which he encounters severe cold that reaches 75 degrees below zero. His troubles worsen when he falls through the snow and gets his feet and lower legs wet. His only hope of surviving is to build a fire, but his lack of ample supplies, extreme elements and his own diminishing senses prove to be an impenetrable barrier to his existence.

Jack London Collection

To Build a Fire

Thus Spoke Zarathustra is a 19th century literary masterpiece and key philosophical work by Nietzsche. Zarathustra descends from his cave in the mountains after ten years of solitude, brimming with wisdom and love and wants to teach humanity. The individual lessons and sermons delivered by Zarathustra cover most of the general themes of Nietzsche's mature philosophy, though often in highly symbolic and obscure form.

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

The ancient texts we call Greek Myths are our window into the distant past, a view of a world that existed not only in the mind of the poets, but also in the hearts of the humble natives of ancient Greece. Listen to the wonderful journeys and adventures of these ancient Greek Gods and heroes.

Greek Myths

Kahlil Gibran (author of The Prophet) was a Lebanese-American philosophical essayist, novelist, mystical poet and artist. During the last 20 years of his life, he lived in the United States, where his works gained recognition and influence within the American popular culture. This abridged audio of The Madman communicates in stories and metaphors Gibran's belief that if a sensible way of living and thinking could be found, people would have mastery over their lives.

The Madman

This short story is about a man who is brought in front of the Spanish Inquisition and judgment passed upon him to suffer the horrors of the Pit in Toledo. Toledo, Spain is located just south of Madrid and was the center of the Spanish Inquisition. The Inquisition was originally intended to ensure the belief and practices of those who converted from Judaism and Islam, but the methods used for those who were judged to be heretics was torture. His torture involved being thrown into a pit, being drugged and strapped to a table where a large pendulum blade is slowly lowered directly over his awaiting body. Poe brings a real sense of fear during an intense episode of this single prisoner.

Horror Classics

The Pit and the Pendulum

In this short story, O. Henry introduces The Cisco Kid, who is a ruthless caballero on horseback. Cisco warns, "Don't you monkey with my Lulu girl, or I'll tell you what I'll do…" But you have to listen to the story to find out exactly what he would do. The Cisco Kid would ride on to become a heroic Mexican cowboy star of tv, radio, film and comic books.

The Caballero's Way

This audio book extracts the Words of Christ from the Book of Matthew. Listening only to the words of Jesus Christ brings his idioms to the forefront creating a new sense of his life's story line. Even though the entire story line is not included in the audio, the pure sense of what Christ was saying during his short time on earth still rings true today.

The Words of Christ: From the book of Matthew

Set during the time of the American Civil War, this story is about a man named Peyton Farquhar, a Confederate sympathizer who attempted to demolish the Owl Creek Bridge, but was caught and condemned to die by hanging. But all is not what it seems to be in this tale that has an irregular time sequence and a twist ending.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

What if your house pet could talk? It has probably seen and heard quite a few things that you would not want spread around at a dinner party of your friends and acquaintances. Well that is exactly what happens in this short story. Listen in to see how quick the conversation can take a bad turn and how a houseful of guests handle the stress of a cat named Tobermory that can speak it's mind.

Tobermory

Call of the Wild is the story of Buck, a magnificent dog who is stolen from his idyllic life and sold for use on a Yukon dogsled team. His travels are not only of a physical nature, as he learns hard discipline from men who must discipline their dog teams, but his own journey back to his primordial roots in the frozen tundra – the roots of wolf. This amazing story of transformation is beautifully written and provides a glimpse of the hard life in the Yukon Territory during the 1900s.

The Call of the Wild

On July 4, 1776 the Continental Congress adopted the United State Declaration of Independence. The document declared the independence of the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain. The Declaration justified the independence of the United Sates by listing a number of grievances against King George III, and by asserting certain natural rights. The document was written primarily by Thomas Jefferson and signed by 56 of the most influential and well known politicians, statesman and delegates of the time including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, John Hancock and Thomas Jefferson.

The Declaration of Independence

This is a short story about a lawyer with offices on Wall Street in New York City. He runs an advertisement for a scrivener, or professional copyist, for his office and Bartleby responds to his advertisement and comes to work for the lawyer. At first Bartleby appears to be a competent worker, but later he refuses to work when requested, repeatedly uttering the phrase "I would prefer not to." As Bartleby's behavior escalates, the lawyer is confronted with how he will handle and respond to this bizarre behavior. In 2001, the story was adapted into a movie titled "Bartleby".

Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street

This short story is about the stressful relationship between a son and his father. The family lives in a small house in the Russian countryside. Poverty has played a toll on how the father reacts to his childs need for money to attend college. An emotional conversation ensues.

Difficult People

No book from the Bible is more controversial than the Book of Revelation. For many, the purpose of the book of Revelation is a message of comfort during a time of conflict, which ultimately results in a conquest and a victory over the oppressor. Although directly written to the Christians of the First Century, the message is applicable throughout the ages.

The Book of Revelation

A poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge after awaking from an opium induced dream of Xanadu, the summer palace of the Emperor Kublai Khan. A much more extensive poem came to him upon awaking, but he was interrupted while writing it down and then could not remember the remaining lines.

Kubla Khan, or, A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment

In this classic short story, Chekhov takes a snapshot of the Russian life, illuminating the harsh complexities and yet subtle simplicities that interact seamlessly together. The cold and gloom of the Russian environment cannot compare to the relationship that Pavel Andreitch, a rich aristocratic, has with his wife, who is no longer in love, or even tolerant of her husband, although helplessly reliant on his financial support. Their disintegrating relationship is set to the backdrop of the starving peasants of the lower classes, illuminating the perennial tension of an egotistical, self-centered man and the struggling goodness of a woman who cares about more than just herself.

The Wife

This story is from the book the Happy Prince and other Stories. In these tales, most of them being sad and even very sad, Oscar Wilde looks for a way to save one's soul in front of the misery of the world. In these tales the character will manage to obtain their salvation from their upper class blindness, by opening their eyes to misery and suffering and by doing what they can to repair these pains and evils.

The Happy Prince

This short story begins on a yacht anchored off the Florida coast where a young woman, Ardita, and her Uncle are engaged in a heated discussion about her dating decisions. Ardita, independent and stubborn, is set on marrying a young man who her uncle believes does not have the highest character values. She refuses to leave the yacht they are on to go to town with him and meet someone who he believes is a better match for her. So she stays behind. But while he is gone, the boat is overtaken by a band of pirates. Ardita is unwilling to surrender the vessel so they take her to sea with them and that is where the rest of the story unfolds. This short story is from the book "Flappers & Philosopers"

The Offshore Pirates

Written in the vein of the book of Revelations, this spiritual thriller will excite old and young alike. Taking us through the modern dilemmas of today's world, we experience first hand the birth of a Modern Day Prophet. Mateo Jovan recites his visions of Heaven and his visions of modern circumstances on earth, accompanied by the Angel of God and the Little Child. You will find each section of this adventure to be a fresh and new look at spirituality in the modern world.

Mateo Jovan: The Adventures of a Modern Day Prophet

The main character in this short story is Gabriel Conroy and the entire short story takes place during his attendance at a holiday party, annually thrown by his aunts. Near the end of the party Gabriel sees his wife, Gretta, in a new and expanded way at the same moment when she is reminiscing on a song being sung at the party. Listen as James Joyce weaves harsh realities back into this story, as is characteristic with other stories in this series, Dubliners.

The Dead

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