Showing results by narrator "Charles Featherstone" in All Categories

Step right up for the most uproariously irreverent chapter of Gilbert Abbott A’Beckett’s Comic History of England—where crowns are comedy props and history’s biggest egos trip over their own dogma!

Step into the madcap medieval world of A Comic History of England, Book IV, where Gilbert Abbott à Beckett turns the tumultuous era of Henry IV to Richard III into a sidesplitting spectacle!

A selection of the very best of Chinese poetry over the course of a thousand years, from 100 years before Christ was born up of the middle ages. Arthur Waley's translations of Chinese poetry are still the benchmark by which such translations are held, nearly two hundred years after he introduced the west to the wonder of classical Chinese poetry.

By 1617, Donne had done it all. After being an MP, lawyer, womaniser, soldier, diplomat, father to twelve children by a secret wife, and the greatest poet of his age, he settled into the priesthood. Shortly thereafter, his wife died, prompting him to write a defence of suicide in God's eyes. She was soon followed by his 18 year old daughter died. Then Donne fell gravely ill. Physicians were called, but none could agree on what to do. It seemed certain that he would die.

This is the heartbreaking and passionate tale of true love's blindness and destruction by the bestselling author of the Victorian era, who romances were beloved of figures as diverse as Gladstone, Churchill, and Queen Victoria herself.

’Jane ’came out’ at fifty-seven and everybody knew it.’ So begins this heartwarming tale of a courteous country maid who comes into a vast inheritance, and uses it to travel into high society in London. along the way, she encounters the snobs of the society set, royalty entirely without regality, and a whole host of characters that make clear just how much better off she is away from the glitz and glamour.

A dive into one of China's great poets by the first great populariser of Chinese literature, Arthur Waley.

"I exhort therefore, that intercessions be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." - 1 Timothy 2. This verse is the center of this fascinating, rip-roaring, family friendly deeply Christian tale.

"I hate God!" Said Angel. And having made this un-angel-like statement, she folded her short arms across her breast and surveyed her horrified audience defiantly. So begins a tale of a poor child's expulsion from Sunday school for the cruelties of a God who would allow her parents to die, and her life to be one of unending misery.

Marie Corelli is best known as a novelist, but was always a poet at heart, composing on her strongest passions, whether for love, nature, God, or country. This volume collects poems from across her bestselling books and across her career, curated by Brenda Vyver, her her 'companion' of 40 years, who she left everything to when she died, and who is buried alongside her in a twin grave. It is perhaps worth noting that Brenda drove much of Corelli's work, which ran heavy to erotic descriptions of women.

A thrilling tale of the Devil's final ride between the darkness and dawn, watching as mankind falls victim to the curse of progress and speed, rejecting all peace and silence, all reflection and godliness. As he goes, he gathers phantoms and monsters, hell-bound victims and dark shadows, all the while telling the natural world to rejoice, for it will soon be free of the curse of Man. Written in 1910, this Christian tome is as relevant today as it was a century ago, as people fall victim to the next and fastest thing, falling away from God in the process.

Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to Alarms and Discursions and enjoy GK Chesterton's prolific writing.

The birth of liberation movements in the C19th saw a rise in fighting for the rights of workers. William Morris believed decries the belief “not that Commerce was made for man, but that man was made for Commerce”, with the profit motive that renders all work miserable when “It is right and necessary that all men should have work to do which shall be worth doing, and be of itself pleasant to do; and which should be done under such conditions as would make it neither over-wearisome nor over-anxious.”

In which street is the Diogenes Club? A Study in Pink is a problem deserving how many nicotine patches? Who is found dead in a locked chamber, with a poison dart above his ear? Which company employed a full-time secretary to answer Sherlock-related mail? What kind of creature swallowed the Blue Carbuncle? And in which TV episode can we find a cross-dressing Jude Law?

Scarlett took her degrees in archaeology, a subject that was finding new ground. She became an academic at Cambridge in the recently founded women's college: Newnham. Archaeology was not regarded as a serious subject and so was available to young women, whereas medicine and mathematics continued as the preserve of men, Despite the single subject of her degree she was a polymath and fulminated at the lack of appreciation of her other talents.

Meet Tricky—the most mischievous (and utterly unkillable!) monkey you’ll ever encounter. Rescued from a rough start by a kind missionary, this little troublemaker swings from one chaotic escapade to the next, leaving a trail of baffled humans in his wake. Whether escaping hangings, outsmarting sailors, or surviving gunfire (with nothing but a singed tail to show for it!), Tricky’s luck is as uncanny as his antics are outrageous.

James Allen’s The Shining Gateway is a profound exploration of spiritual awakening, self-mastery, and the transformative power of thought. Published in 1915, this timeless work serves as both a philosophical guide and a practical manual for those seeking inner peace, wisdom, and enlightenment.

A poignant exploration of love, loss, and the passage of time, imbued with a melancholic beauty that mirrors the author’s own reckoning with mortality and the changing tides of literature. This collection of short stories was released just before Corelli’s death, and is unlike any of her other tales. Corelli was the bestselling queen of Victorian romantic fiction, beloved by the public and Queen Victoria herself… but the Great War (WWI) war changed everyone, Corelli included.

Come with the celebrated author of As a Man Thinketh on a profound spiritual journey to discover the inner divinity that resides within each of us. Through poetic prose and meditative insights, Allen guides listeners to cultivate a deeper connection with their higher self, offering practical wisdom for living a life of purpose, harmony, and spiritual fulfillment.

Step into the captivating world of British theatre with The Quizziology of the British Drama, a delightful and witty exploration of the plays, playwrights, and performances that have shaped the stage. Penned by the brilliant satirist and dramatist Gilbert Abbott A'Beckett, this charming book explores the stage passions through extended verse, a motley crew of stage characters that no good play is without, and a series of one-act 'deleted' plays in the style of famous playwrights of the time.