Showing results by author "ciesse" in All Categories

Trafalgar, es el primero de los 46 Episodios Nacionales, escritos por Benito Pérez Galdós, que es considerado el mayor novelista español después de Cervantes. Galdós narra la intervención de Gabriel Araceli, al servicio de D. Alonso Gutiérrez de Cisniega, capitán de navío, en la batalla de Trafalgar a los catorce años de edad, el 21 de Octubre de 1805. Ante el promontorio de Trafalgar las naves inglesas, a las órdenes de Nelson, se enfrentaron a la flota franco-española en la legendaria batalla que supuso el comienzo del dominio inglés en los mares y la primera derrota de ...

Poems of the Past and the Present is the second collection of poems by Thomas Hardy published in 1901. It is divided into 5 sections, War Poems, Poems of Pilgrimage, Miscellaneous Poems, Imitations and Retrospect.The first poem is a tribute to Queen Victoria written in the week of her death. (Summary by Alan Mapstone)

The Lusiads (Os Lusíadas) is a Portuguese epic poem, written in the 16th century by Luis Vaz de Camões. The poem tells the tale of the Portuguese discoveries in the 15th and 16th centuries, specially the voyage to India by Vasco da Gama. Modelled after the classic epic tradition, Camões' Lusiads are considered not only the first literary text in Modern Portuguese, but also a national epic of the same level as Vergil's Aeneid. In the 19th century, Sir Richard Francis Burton translated Camões' Lusiads, in what he considered "the most pleasing literary labour of his life". (Summary by Leni)

Asgard Stories - Tales from Norse Mythology. To all our Children who have loved the hearing of these Asgard Stories. This little volume is the outcome of several years experience in telling to classes of children the classic myths, both southern and northern. "A broad simplicity, so very different from the light gracefulness of the old Greek paganism, distinguishes this Norse system. It is thought, the genuine thought of deep, rude, earnest minds, fairly opened to the things about them, - a face-to-face and heart-to-heart inspection of things, - the first characteristic of all good thought in ...

Louisa May Alcott's overwhelming success dated from the appearance of the first part of Little Women: or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, (1868) a semi-autobiographical account of her childhood years with her sisters in Concord, Massachusetts. Part two, or Part Second, also known as Good Wives, (1869) followed the March sisters into adulthood and their respective marriages. (Summary from Wikipedia)

Dickens portrayal of selfishness, in this case in the Chuzzlewit family. Old Martin has a great fortune, and everyone wants in on it, especially distant cousin Seth Pecksniff. Meanwhile, his grandson, young Martin, has fallen in love with his grandfather's ward Mary and is disinherited, sending young Martin on an adventure in America from which he will return a changed man. Will he win Mary? Also featuring the dastardly villain Jonas Chuzzlewit, young Martin's cousin, and the hilarious nurse/midwife Sarah Gamp, who is usually found in a state of intoxication. - Summary by Brad J Filippone

"International disputes that end in war are not generally questions of absolute right and wrong. They may quite as well be questions of opposing rights. But, when there are rights on both sides; it is usually found that the side which takes the initiative is moved by its national desires as well as by its claims of right.This could hardly be better exemplified than by the vexed questions which brought about the War of 1812."This volume of the Chronicles of Canada series explains both the causes of the War of 1812 and the campaigns of the war from a primarily Canadian viewpoint, a perspective ...

John Lothrop Motley (1814 – 1877) was an American author and popular diplomat, who helped to prevent European intervention on the side of the Confederates in the American Civil War. In 1861, just after the outbreak of the American Civil War, Motley wrote two letters to The Times defending the Federal position, and these letters, afterwards reprinted as [this] pamphlet entitled Causes of the Civil War in America, made a favourable impression on President Lincoln. Partly owing to this essay, Motley was appointed United States minister to the Austrian Empire in 1861, a position which he filled ...

A collection of ten short nonfiction works in the public domain. The essays, speeches and reports included in this collection were independently selected by the readers, and the topics encompass history, politics science and religion. Included in this collection are Martin Luther’s “Ninety-five Theses,” Jefferson Davis’ speech before the United States Senate in 1861 “On Withdrawing from the Union,” William E. Gladstone’s address delivered in the House of Commons in 1893 on “Irish Home Rule” and Wendell Phillips speech in 1837 in Fanuiel Hall in Boston regarding “The Murder ...

LibriVox’s Short Mystery Story Collection 002: a collection of 10 short works of mysterious fiction in the public domain read by a group of LibriVox members.

This is the twenty-first Coffee Break Collection, in which Librivox readers select English language public domain works of about 15 minutes or less in duration -- perfect to listen to during commutes, workouts or coffee breaks. The topic for this collection is fairy tales... traditional children's tales, tall stories and notorious scams and the authors of thm may be uncovered! Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, prose, essays... all are welcome here.

The American Claimant is an 1892 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. The story focuses on the class differences and expectations of monarchic, hierarchical Britain and the upstart, "all men are created equal" America. Twain wrote the novel with the help of phonographic dictation, the first author (according to Twain himself) to do so. This was also (according to Twain) an attempt to write a book without mention of the weather, the first of its kind in fictitious literature. Indeed, all the weather is contained in an appendix, at the back of the book, which the reader is ...

Writing under the pseudonym, Geoffrey Crayon, Washington Irving chronicled his travels through Europe in the early 1820’s. He wrote of people he met, places he saw and stories he was told. In fact, much of the work is recounting tales told to him by those with exotic adventures that were waiting to be shared. “Tales of a Traveler” is broken up into four separate parts or “Books,” as Irving called them. The final book is almost a post-script to “Knickerbocker’s History of New York” as he tells stories and describes Manhattan Island and nearby lands as they were almost two ...

Published in 1910, the young sisters, Barbara and Mollie Thurston, are being invited by their skilled friend, Ruth Stuart, to go on a real-life adventure in a motor car, for Ruth is a girl who actually can drive a motor car, to Newport with a chaperone, Aunt Sallie, and friend Grace Carter. Horse shenanigans come into play as well as protecting themselves from a burglary. Many hopes arise in their revels as well as wondering if or when women shall get “the vote”. Much culminates in the upcoming tennis tournament taking place at their destination and the danger of a jewel thief amidst them,...

Born in the Marshalsea Prison for Debtors, Amy—Little Dorrit—the daughter of the ruined, but self-respectful William Dorrit, has put her entire heart in caring for her dear father, until one day her humble path is crossed by Arthur Clennam. Their meeting proves providential not only for Amy's life, but for the whole Dorrit family, whose new rise will, in many ways, be also their fall. As in all his novels, in Little Dorrit Dickens ushers us into a fascinating and startlingly rich world of human characters and destinies, where virtue and nobility cross swords with vice and villainy, where ...

The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk is another in the long list children's books by the conservationist, Thornton W. Burgess. In this book, Jimmy Skunk has encounters with Reddy Fox, Peter Rabbit, Unc’ Billy Possum and other acquaintances of his in the Green Meadows and Green Forest. Along the way, we learn some of the habits of Jimmy and his friends and we learn little lessons about life such as the importance of always keeping one's temper, keeping promises and not playing practical jokes. We are also treated to a philosophical discussion by Jimmy Skunk on the advantages of defensive weaponry. (...

An 1859 essay by the prominent philosopher and literary critic, G. H. Lewes, who was an enthusiastic promoter of the novels of Jane Austen at a time when they were yet to achieve great critical acclaim. Lewes was the life partner of the novelist George Eliot. - Summary by barbara2

Washington Irving's name is synonymous with such classics as "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." He established himself as one of early America's most treasured writers. His wit and satirical voice are the hallmark of his writing. Irving had the extraordinary ability to paint a picture in words on the canvas of the printed page. Although an American, he spent a good deal of time traveling in England and memorializing his experiences in some of the essays chosen for this collection. With an emphasis on his time spent in London, the works include his observations on such diverse ...

This recording includes a selection of Jane Austen's letters, edited by Susan Coolidge and chosen from the collection of Austen's great-nephew, Edward, Lord Brabourne. The letters are mostly addressed to Austen's sister Cassandra, with whom she was very close. There are also some letters written to two of her nieces, Anna Austen Lefroy and Fanny Knight. They include some references to her published work, including Sense and Sensibility (abbreviated "S and S"), Pride and Prejudice (also called First Impressions, or P and P), Mansfield Park ("MP") and Emma. They are also replete with details ...

This is another story written by Walter Stewart under the pseudonym of J.J. Connington. His character of Sir Clinton Driffield, the chief constable, is challenged with solving crimes committed in the maze of the Shandon family estate. The Shandons are a successful if flawed set of brothers but all is not well beneath the surface of the privileged lives of their extended family. Jealousies and ambitions cause trouble as they often do. Sir Clinton and his faithful associate Wendover endeavour to unravel a mystery as complex as the maze itself. - Summary by Howard Skyman