Metamorphosis or The Golden Ass by Lucius APULEIUS (c. 125 - 180), translated by Thomas TAYLOR (1758 - 1835) Genre(s): Classics (Antiquity), Fantastic Fiction Read by: Leni, Dee Wykoff, Shiromi, hefyd, Ted Garvin, ljsei, ontheroad, Anna Simon, Thomas A. Copeland, Tim Ferreira, Todd Ulbrich in English Chapters: 00:00:00 - 00 - 00 - Introduction 00:21:24 - 01 - 01 - Chapter 1, Part 1 00:45:11 - 02 - 02 - Chapter 1, Part 2 01:07:08 - 03 - 03 - Chapter 2, Part 1 01:34:12 - 04 - 04 - Chapter 2, Part 2 01:59:59 - 05 - 05 - Chapter 3, Part 1 02:20:22 - 06 - 06 - Chapter 3, Part 2 02:43:21 - 07 - 07 - Chapter 4, Part 1 03:11:05 - 08 - 08 - Chapter 4, Part 2 03:37:09 - 09 - 09 - Chapter 5, Part 1 03:59:23 - 10 - 10 - Chapter 5, Part 2 04:24:08 - 11 - 11 - Chapter 6, Part 1 04:47:16 - 12 - 12 - Chapter 6, Part 2 05:15:27 - 13 - 13 - Chapter 7, Part 1 05:34:35 - 14 - 14 - Chapter 7, Part 2 05:57:59 - 15 - 15 - Chapter 8, Part 1 06:28:11 - 16 - 16 - Chapter 8, Part 2 06:51:18 - 17 - 17 - Chapter 9, Part 1 The Metamorphosis, also known as The Golden Ass, is one of the very few novels of the Ancient World that survived to our days; one of the two novels of Roman Literature that we can still read; and the only one preserved in its entirety (the other one being the extremely fragmentary Satyricon).The story of the Metamorphosis, the tale of a man turned into a donkey that goes through many adventures to become a man again, inspired many other similar ones later on. However, more than just the plot, the style of the Golden Ass also made it famous. Considered one of the precursors of the picaresque novel, The Metamorphosis was written in a language that can be humorous and energetic, while telling the misadventures of the credulous and curious main character, but also powerfully poetic, in moments such as in the episode of Cupid and Psyche, one of the most famous parts of this book, and of Latin literature as a whole. (Summary by Leni) More information: http://librivox.org/metamorphosis-or-the-golden-ass-by-lucius-apuleius/

Sybil, or the Two Nations by Benjamin DISRAELI (1804 - 1881) Genre(s): Romance Read by: Nicholas Clifford in English Chapters: 00:00:00 - 00 - Dedication and Advertisement 00:01:55 - 01 - Book I, Chapter i 00:12:31 - 02 - Book I, Chapter ii 00:20:58 - 03 - Book I, Chapter iii 01:04:34 - 04 - Book I, Chapter iv 01:11:03 - 05 - Book I, Chapter v 01:30:56 - 06 - Book I, Chapter vi 01:46:17 - 07 - Book II, Chapter i 02:02:02 - 08 - Book II, chapter ii 02:09:24 - 09 - Book II, chapter iii 02:20:27 - 10 - Book II, chapter iv 02:33:17 - 11 - Book II, chapter v 02:49:02 - 12 - Book II, chapter vi 03:09:05 - 13 - Book II, chapter vii 03:23:21 - 14 - Book II, chapter viii 03:33:26 - 15 - Book II, chapter ix 03:45:26 - 16 - Book II, chapter x 04:10:10 - 17 - Book II, chapter xi 04:28:40 - 18 - Book II, chapter xii 04:40:51 - 19 - Book II, chapter xiii 04:54:44 - 20 - Book II, chapter xiv 05:07:39 - 21 - Book II, chapter xv 05:22:38 - 22 - Book II, chapter xvi 05:40:18 - 23 - Book III, chapter i 05:57:05 - 24 - Book III, chapter ii 06:18:10 - 25 - Book III, chapter iii 06:33:10 - 26 - Book III, chapter iv 06:48:42 - 27 - Book III, chapter v Sybil is one of the most prominent political novels of the mid-nineteenth century, taking as its subject the 'condition of England' question. That phrase was first used by Thomas Carlyle in an essay of 1839 on Chartism, a working-class protest movement that plays a prominent role in this novel. The two nations are the rich and the poor, and the increasing gulf between them, and their condition also inspired such writers as Charles Dickens and Mrs. Gaskell, among others (one of whom, Friederich Engels, was the disciple of Karl Marx, and in his The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844 described the appalling effects of the industrial revolution a year before Sybil appeared).Disraeli, of course, was far from being a Marxist though, like Engels, his sympathies are with the poor, exemplified in this book particularly by the Chartists, who were active between roughly 1839 and 1848. In his view, the villains are the aristocratic Whigs and Whig-Liberals, who, ever since the despoliation of the monasteries by Henry VIII in the sixteenth century, had made sure that the moneys which had been used for the alleviation of social distress and poverty, now flowed into their own pockets, leaving the poor with little recourse to help. His solution, which he sought to put into effect when he later became Prime Minister, was to push for measures of what he called 'Tory democracy,' or a kind of 'compassionate conservatism,' though quite different from the sort recently seen in the United States.Whatever one thinks of his politics, Disraeli tells a good story, in this case about the love of the aristocratic Charles Egremont for the lovely Chartist Sybil Gerard. In 2003, the Guardian ranked Sybil as No. 15 on its list of Hundred Greatest novels, and some consider it the best political novel of the nineteenth century. There is also general agreement that Disraeli (Lord Beaconsfield, as he became) and Winston Churchill are probably the only two prime ministers who can be seen as successes in the world of literature as well as that of politics. (Summary by Nicholas Clifford) More information: http://librivox.org/sybil-or-the-two-nations-by-benjamin-disraeli/ LibriVox - free public domain audiobooks (https://librivox.org/)

Oliver Twist (version 6) by Charles DICKENS (1812 - 1870) Genre(s): Literary Fiction Read by: Mil Nicholson in English Chapters: 00:00:00 - 45 - Chapter 45 00:08:30 - 46 - Chapter 46 00:31:15 - 47 - Chapter 47 00:49:16 - 48 - Chapter 48 01:10:12 - 49 - Chapter 49 01:35:40 - 50 - Chapter 50 02:01:24 - 51 - Chapter 51 02:33:27 - 52 - Chapter 52 02:54:55 - 53 - Chapter 53 'Please sir, I want some more,' the famous line spoken by Oliver Twist at age nine, becomes the tipping point of a huge change in Oliver's life. He is soon captured into the service of Fagin and his gang of pick-pocketing boys. But, Mr. Brownlow saves him from arrest, and for the first time in his young life Oliver finds comfort and caring. Unfortunately, he is recaptured into the seedy and disgusting world he had escaped, and meets with Bill Sykes, a dangerous criminal. There are numerous delightful or wicked characters that carry the story along, such as the Artful Dodger-- a boy of the streets under Fagin, Mr. Bumble the Beadle, looking for ways to get rid of Oliver, Nancy who makes a fateful betrayal, and the Maylies, whose affection Oliver craves. The author's descriptions of the back street life in London, bring us full force into the crushing poverty and the terrible way in which poor people were treated during that time. Charles Dickens wrote Oliver Twist as a serial in 1837, and it is considered one of the most popular in English literature. - Summary by Mil Nicholson More information: http://librivox.org/oliver-twist-version-6-by-charles-dickens/ LibriVox - free public domain audiobooks (https://librivox.org/)

Brother Jacob by George ELIOT (1819 - 1880) Genre(s): Family Life, Short Stories Read by: Lynne T in English Chapters: 00:00:00 - 01 - Chapter I 00:34:01 - 02 - Chapter II 01:13:06 - 03 - Chapter III Brother Jacob is a short story by George Eliot, in which she explores the relationship between the selfish, self-centered and ambitious David Faux and his idiot brother, Jacob. - Summary by Lynne Thompson More information: http://librivox.org/brother-jacob-by-george-eliot/ LibriVox - free public domain audiobooks (https://librivox.org/)