Great Authors

The young John Updike’s portrayal of a haughty seminary student working as a lifeguard is witty and poetic, as the naïve hero surveys the beachgoers in his care, and contemplates a future of saving souls as well as bodies.

In Petrograd, a fire is lit. The Tsar is packed off to Siberia. A rancorous Russian exile returns to proclaim a workers' revolution. In America, black soldiers who have served their country in Europe demand their rights at home. An Austrian war veteran trained by the German army to give rousing speeches against the Bolshevik peril begins to rail against the Jews. A solar eclipse turns a former patent clerk into a celebrity. An American reporter living the high life in Paris searches out a new literary style.

This audiobook narrated by Kristin Atherton provides a fascinating portrait of a radical age through the writers associated with a London publisher and bookseller—from William Wordsworth and Mary Wollstonecraft to Benjamin Franklin.

Do you feel inadequate when it comes to communicating with others? Whether you want to (1) communicate clearly (2) master the art of persuasion, or (3) just be more liked and respected, this is the audiobook for you. You don’t have to be an extrovert to have charisma. There are specific steps you can take to boost your personal attractiveness. Learn how you can light up those around you, and do it in the best possible way, by being yourself!

Don't Let the Devil Boil Your Frog will be your guide as you navigate the extraordinary times we are living in. Regardless of your faith or background, this short but powerful book will inspire you to question your reality and demand truth in your life over everything else.

William Shakespeare, long hailed as history's greatest dramatic writer, has been lauded for his mastery of poetic expression, his insight into the human condition, and his deep exploration into the psyche and motivations of his characters.

With the infected and undead bearing down on your door, how would you face them? If you could choose the ending to your story, what kind of hero will you be? Monty doesn't want the world to end; he likes his life, and the majority of the people within it. He is not, however, going to get a choice in the matter. Mr Classical gives you the story of Montgomery, a proud and independent man that realises perhaps he is neither as proud nor as independent as he first thought, when the citizens of the UK steadily succumb to the zombie virus. Will Monty survive? When he catches a glimpse of what the...

The Victorians invented mass entertainment. As the 19th century's growing industrialized class acquired the funds and the free time to pursue leisure activities, their every whim was satisfied by entrepreneurs building new venues for popular amusement. Contrary to their reputation as dour, buttoned-up prudes, the Victorians reveled in these newly created "palaces of pleasure".

A compilation of popular short stories from American literature narrated by professional voice actor Jake Phillips.

Samuel Pepys kept a diary in which he wrote with astonishing candour about the life he saw around him in London in the 1660s, and about his private desires and ambitions. The diary was kept for fewer than 10 years of his long life: Claire Tomalin tells the whole story of the Fleet Street tailor's son who made himself rich and powerful, an MP and adviser to royalty.

This book is considered by many to be the finest literary biography ever published. Samuel Johnson was the leading literary scholar and critic of his age, helping to define the Augustan Age of English Literature. He is as celebrated for his brilliant conversation as he is for his writing.

Walter Besant was a novelist and historian, and his topographical and historical writings were probably best known through the detailed 10-volume Survey of London published after his death. This earlier single volume covers, in less depth, the whole period from prehistory until the 19th century. The book appears originally to have been written for boys, and, indeed, the chapters are called "Lessons". However, it is a very listenable history and provides a fascinating insight into both London's past and the government of the city at the time the book was written in 1894.

In Simply Eliot, Joseph Maddrey plumbs the emotional and intellectual life of the man whom critic Edmund Wilson called "one of our only authentic poets". He chronicles Eliot's attempts to create a coherent worldview, and explores how his religious conversion in 1927 led to a spiritual rebirth that allowed him to produce his ultimate poetic statement.

This is a newly discovered novel by a newly recognized great author. It is an allegory of the American experience.

Emily Dickinson may be the most widely read and beloved of all American poets, but the story behind her work's initial, posthumous publication in 1890 and the mother-and-daughter team most responsible for her enduring legacy are barely known. After Emily recounts the extraordinary lives of Mabel Loomis Todd and her daughter, Millicent Todd Bingham, and the powerful literary legacy they shared.

Max and Jenna are forced to test their relationship. Will they be able to embrace the challenges life throws their way? Secrets can ruin the foundation of a relationship. Will Matthew choose to withhold vital information from Becky that could consume her with doubt about their future?

Every great city has a soul. A human avatar that embodies their city's heart and wields its magic. New York? She's got six. But all is not well in the city that never sleeps. Though Brooklyn, Manny, Bronca, Venezia, Padmini and Neek have temporarily managed to stop the Woman in White from invading—and destroying the entire universe in the process—the mysterious capital 'E' Enemy has more subtle powers at her disposal.

In 2015, you were introduced to Michael Webber, a corporate powerhouse who almost lost everything when his pursuit of the almighty dollar took his health, his relationships, and his spirit. Now, join Michael on the next leg of his journey, as he and Petra make a new life for themselves in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, bringing with them the lessons of the past and excitement for the future! Michael expands his skills, becoming a leadership trainer as the Webber family grows with the arrival twins, one of whom is diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

The Diary of Samuel Pepys is perhaps the most well known collection of reminiscences. He maintained it, in secrecy, from 1660, the year of the Restoration, until 1669 when fear of blindness prevented his daily labours. Though it covers less than a decade, it offers a lively and detailed insight into a period and a personality, for he noted events in both public and private life. Famous passages include descriptions of The Plague and the Great Fire of London.

It's 1831, and Lady Gwendolyn Crichton has been appointed royal sorceress following the tragic events known as the Swing. Now alone at the head of the Royal College of Sorcerers, Gwen must overcome prejudice against her gender and age if she is to exercise her authority and fulfill her responsibilities. Soon, an unexpected responsibility is made manifest when Sir Travis Mortimer, a senior magician recently returned from India, is found murdered in a locked room.