Picks of the Week
Two Years in the Forbidden City by Princess Der Ling. A fascinating glimpse into old China, beautifully read by Jc Guan.
The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, read by Peter Yearsley. We all think we know it, but how many of us do? With its regular, beating rhythm, Hiawatha has often been parodied, but in truth, it is a powerful, emotional epic.
King Coal by Upton Sinclair, read by Michelle Harris, exposes the dirty working conditions in the coal mining industry in the western United States during the 1910s.
Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum, a classic of travel literature, written by the first man to sail around the world alone in a small boat. Read by Alan Chant.
Lectures of Col. R. G. Ingersoll, Vol. 1.. Read by Ted Delorme. Colonel Robert Green Ingersoll (1833–1899) was a Civil War veteran, American political leader and orator during the Golden Age of Freethought, noted for his defense of atheism. Volume 2 is also available.
Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, read by Elizabeth Klett. One of the best examples of 19th century sensational fiction, the book’s plot includes madness, bigamy, attempted murder, and seduction.
The Dhammapada, translated by F. Max Muller. The Dhammapada is is a Buddhist scripture, considered one of the most important pieces of Theravada literature. Despite this, the Dhammapada is read by many Mahayana Buddhists and remains a very popular text across all schools of Buddhism.
The Green Odyssey by Philip Jose Farmer. Read by Mark Nelson. Alan Green is a space traveler stranded on a barbaric planet who has been taken slave and made a consort to an insipid and smelly queen. How can you resist, especially as it is a recording by one of our most popular readers?
À se tordre par Alphonse Allais. Alphonse Allais est un journaliste, écrivain et humoriste français célèbre à la Belle Époque, connu pour sa plume acerbe et son humour absurde.
The Daffodil Mystery by Edgar Wallace.
If you’re in the mood for a good old-fashioned murder mystery, this could be for you.
LibriVox Feeds
September 29th, 2009 at 1:01 am
Having gone through bouts of eye problems over the last two years. I dearly miss the ability to read a book without extreem magnification. A slow tidious process. Librivox has become a blessing as I can no longer drive to the local library myself. I thank all the staff and readers for your kindness in making these books available to the public. Pastor Keith Martin Widefield, Colorado
September 29th, 2009 at 6:13 am
Thank you for posting, Pastor Keith Martin. Listening is not the same as reading, I know, but we are very glad that you are finding our recordings so useful. I’d like you to know that we find recording just as enjoyable as listening. :)
Ruth
October 7th, 2009 at 5:53 am
Thank you, thank you, thank you! My job is mindless boring work and through this lovely site I can listen to books all day long! It “almost” makes me look forward to working…so many books, so little time!
October 13th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
I love Librivox. I have listened to two of these picks so far this week. Of all that the internet provides to me, Librivox is one of the top!
October 14th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I enjoy librivox free audio books. I think they should put some other stories from other vendors as well like from Amazon and Newfiction.com
October 14th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
We’re glad you all are enjoying our audiobooks! We can record only books whose copyright has expired, so our catalog is quite different than what is available on commercial sites.
Laurie Anne
October 16th, 2009 at 7:19 am
I have just enjoyed The Dafffodil Mystery (worderful is not enough to name it) and I would like listen to similar books as the novels written by Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hamett and other american authors already in the public domain (The Maltese Falcon, Red Harvest, The Thin Man ….). Thanks from Spain.
Antonio
October 16th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
I’m glad you enjoyed The Daffodil Mystery, Antonio. Unfortunately, Chandler and Hammett’s works are still almost certainly under copyright in the USA, as they were all published after 1922. However, I will try and find some more good mystery fiction to recommend in the next Picks of the Week. :)
Ruth
October 17th, 2009 at 2:54 am
Is the Egyptian by Mika Waltari still under copyright? It was originally published in 1945 as the first of a trilogy series of books, the other two: The Etruscan, The Roman. The Egyptian, for whatever reason, was not published in English unabridged. Edmund Purdom, who died earlier this year, played Sinuhe in the 1954 movie production of The Egyptian. It would be wonderful to have an unabridged audio recording of The Egyptian, if some Finnish multi-lingual literati would translate it, and LibriVox could record it, IF it’s in the public domain. This is probably a complete pipe dream *sigh.*
October 18th, 2009 at 7:23 am
I love Libribox, I have dry eyes and need to rest a lot and listening to an audiobook makes resting suddenly interesting :-).
October 20th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
I’m afraid that The Egyptian in its original Finnish will not be in the public domain in the USA until after 2040, by my calculation. The abridged English translation by Naomi Walford (1949) will come out of copyright in the USA even later than that.
October 20th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
And Fred, I am really glad that our audiobooks help!
October 29th, 2009 at 11:53 am
The Green Odyssey was my first librivox try–and I’ve been hooked ever since! I tell all my friends to listen to this one first as I know they will enjoy it. As for me, I can’t wait to listen to ANYTHING read by Mark Nelson!!
November 13th, 2009 at 8:57 am
E-BOOKS ARE LIKE REAL BOOKS; MAY I SUGGEST THAT YOU SHOW THE AUTHOR, THE PUBLISHER, DATE OF PUBLICATION, IN ADDITION TO THE WRITER ANBD THE READER. AND MENTION ALL THESE IN THE READING FOR THOSE OF US WHO CANNOT SEE, PLEASE. THANK YOU.
I WAS SEARCHING ON THE INTERNET WHEN I CAME ACROSS ELECTRONIC BOOKS – AUDIO
November 14th, 2009 at 11:13 am
I wish to thank you for this site. My husband is unable to read books now and I love to listen as I am doing things. I just found your site, we sat down and listen in the evening to Litte Lord Fountleroy for days. My husband was so happy and how we laughed. Thank you again for this site.