Showing results by narrator "Ben Kingsley" in All Categories

When Autobiography of a Yogi first appeared in 1946, it was acclaimed as a landmark work in its field. The New York Times hailed it as "a rare account". Newsweek pronounced it "fascinating". The San Francisco Chronicle declared, "Yogananda presents a convincing case for yoga, and those who 'came to scoff' may remain 'to pray." Today it is still one of the most widely read and respected books ever published on the wisdom of the East.

Acclaimed radio and TV dramatist Roy Clarke is well known for his hit sitcoms Last of the Summer Wine, Open All Hours and Keeping Up Appearances. But before he came to fame, he penned two hugely entertaining six-part thriller serials—both directed by a struggling radio producer who would become one of the most renowned playwrights in the world: Alan Ayckbourn.

Bill Masen, bandages over his wounded eyes, misses the most spectacular meteorite shower England has ever seen. Removing his bandages the next morning, he finds masses of sightless people wandering the city. He soon meets Josella, another lucky person who has retained her sight, and together they leave the city, aware that the safe, familiar world they knew a mere 24 hours before is gone forever. But to survive in this post-apocalyptic world, one must survive the Triffids, strange plants that years before began appearing all over the world. 

In the century's darkest time, one man became the most unlikely of heroes. German-Catholic industrialist and Nazi Party member Oskar Schindler used his wealth and influence to save the lives of more than 1,300 Jews who would have otherwise died in the concentration camp at Plaszow. Here is the story on which Steven Spielberg based his powerful motion picture.

At a shadowy company (Karoli Robotics Corporation) owned by a Sillicon Valley billionaire, a scientist named Jim creates an AI that can fool the Turing test at the same time as his colleague, Daniel, successfully synthesizes DNA in a test tube. Daniel's attempts to reanimate dead chimps using his discovery have been unsuccessful, but when his friend Laura Bocelli is killed by being trapped inside a lab freezer, Daniel is presented with the perfect specimen. However, Laura is irreparably brain dead. 

The early myths of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Asia Minor, Canaan, Greece, and Rome have greatly and continuously influenced all of Western culture and civilization. Myths rely on imagination and intuition; they express fervently held convictions about the ultimate nature of things, exploring the mysteries of life and death, passion and suffering. Today, theological interest is resurging in goddess worship, and other early nature-based religions are receiving a renewed attention.

Confucius (551-479 BCE) taught a moral wisdom that would become a predominant social force in China from the second century BCE until the mid-20th century. Confucianism does not teach a central doctrine that a God or gods should be worshipped, but it does embrace a system of ritual and emphasizes humanistic virtues and values. Daoism is both a philosophy and a religion, seeking a life and a mind in harmony with nature.

Buddhism began with Gotama the Buddha in the sixth century BCE and has developed two chief forms: Theravada (or Hinayana) is found especially in Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand; Mahayana is found in Japan, China, Korea, and Indochina. Zen, a more recent form of Buddhism, is found throughout the world. Some believe Buddhism is not properly understood as a religion, though this presentation describes its religious qualities.

Hinduism is a very broad term for the religious practices and doctrines of the Indian people. This tradition is believed to have begun in about 1800 BCE with religious poems known as the Vedas. Hinduism is best known in the west through the doctrines of Advaita, the belief that there is only one ultimate reality. Advaitans, however, worshipped a range of icons that represented the separate manifestations of the ultimate Brahman.

Judaism is more than a religion; it is a civilization, including a people, a language, unique laws, a system of ethics, customs, a homeland, and a theology. Jews worship one God and obey a wide-ranging and vigorous moral law centered around the Torah, God's teaching or instruction. Jewish sacred literature preserves the ancient oral tradition through the Hebrew Bible and other writings.

The traditional religion known as Shinto was present in Japan from prehistoric times, long before Buddhism and other traditions arrived from the Asian continent. Shrine Shinto, centered around local shrines and seasonal festivals, has greatly influenced Japanese culture. Sect Shinto is characterized by more highly organized institutions, which attract many members; folk Shinto consists of beliefs and practices apart from these institutions, especially in the home.

Just as the style of a great writer cannot easily be imitated, the performance of a great reader is hard to duplicate. This volume features some of the best readers dramatizing some of the best writings.

They call the ancient hills of Jerusalem the butcher's theater. Here, upon this bloodstained stage, a faceless killer performs his violent specialty: The first to die brutally is a fifteen-year-old girl. She is drained of blood, then carefully bathed and shrouded in white. Precisely one week later, a second victim is found.

The religious practices and understandings of small indigenous societies are recognized by many to be in no way inferior to other religious beliefs. Many such cultures still exist; their prescientific, even prehistoric social and intellectual pattern includes shamans, sacrifices, totems, animism, taboos, and certain rituals and myths that reflect their unique and increasingly rare way of life.

North, Central, and South American Indians have a rich religious heritage, though much has been lost since these peoples were conquered by Europeans. Characteristic features of Native American religion included the master of the animals, a protective spirit of a species or of all animals. Shamans, ecstatic medicine men, used supernatural powers to cure the ill. Totemism was a mysterious religious bond between the human clan and their animal guardians.

Raised in the wild by the mighty ape Kala, Tarzan the ape-man must learn to talk with the animals, swing through the trees, and fight great predators to survive in the jungle. Along with him are his childhood friends, Tanto the elephant, Ska the vulture, and Numa the lion. When white men invade his paradise, Tarzan's life is forever changed, for it is then that he meets Jane Porter, the first white woman he has ever seen. Set amid the vibrant colors and sounds of the savage African jungle, Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic work takes listeners on a glorious, adventurous, and romantic journey.

In More of the 776 Stupidest Things Ever Said, Ross and Kathryn Petras continue their connoisseur's compendium of awkward utterances, slips of the tongue, doubletalk, and just plain stupid statements from politicians, celebrities, sports figures, social leaders and average joes.

There is no detective in fiction as shrewd as Sherlock Holmes. An accomplished violinist, adept at a dozen obscure sciences, and possessed of an acerbic wit, Holmes's adventures with Dr. Watson have delighted readers for more than a century. This collection features some of the most celebrated stories in the Sherlock Holmes canon: "A Scandal in Bohemia", "The Red-Headed League", "The Man with the Twisted Lip", "The Adventure of the Crooked Man”, "The Adventure of the Cardboard Box", "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches", and "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons”.

The longstanding ideas of humanism, agnosticism, and atheism have increasingly challenged traditional religious doctrines or practices. Yet reason alone often fails to secure the commitments and values of a healthy personal and communal life; spiritual and emotional life can diminish to the dangerous level of nihilism and despair. Meanwhile, some theologians have challenged the "truth" of any religion with the radical view that all beliefs are equally true.

The brothers Grimm collected and edited 210 fairy and folk tales, including such beloved classics as ‘Hansel and Gretel’, ‘Rapunzel’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, into an intoxicating and bewitching combination of morality, love, honour and tragedy - and much more besides. Sir Ben Kingsley and Sir Michael Hordern provide captivating, immersive readings.