Classic Audiobook Collection

Over the Top by Arthur Empey audiobook. Genre: biographyIn Over the Top, Arthur Guy Empey, an American who volunteered to serve with the British Army in World War I, gives a direct, ground-level account of life and fighting on the Western Front. Writing with a mix of blunt realism and soldier humor, Empey brings listeners into the trenches: the mud and cold, the constant danger from shells and snipers, the tense night watches, and the sudden, terrifying rush of going 'over the top' into No Man's Land. Along the way he introduces the routines and improvisations that kept men alive, from digging and wiring parties to coping with gas attacks and navigating the maze of dugouts and communication trenches. The book also functions as a practical guide to the slang, equipment, and unwritten rules of trench warfare, translating the daily experience of infantrymen for readers far from the front. More than a battlefield chronicle, it is a portrait of comradeship under pressure and a window into how ordinary soldiers endured extraordinary conditions, one shift, one raid, and one attack at a time.For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate)(00:00:00) Chapter 01(00:47:19) Chapter 02(01:28:59) Chapter 03(01:58:23) Chapter 04(02:08:55) Chapter 05(02:23:51) Chapter 06(02:40:30) Chapter 07(02:51:10) Chapter 08(03:13:14) Chapter 09(03:31:56) Chapter 10(04:06:43) Chapter 11(04:38:31) Chapter 12(05:00:05) Chapter 13(05:31:38) Chapter 14(06:07:29) Chapter 15(06:40:54) Chapter 16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Live on Twenty-Four Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett audiobook. Genre: self help'Which of us lives on twenty-four hours a day? And when I say 'lives,' I do not mean exists, nor 'muddles through.'' -- Arnold Bennett knew a 'rat race' when he saw one. Every day, his fellow white-collar Londoners followed the same old routine. And they routinely decried the sameness in their lives.-- So Bennett set out to explain how to inject new enthusiasm into living. In this delightful little work, he taught his fellow sufferers how to set time apart for improving their lives. Yes, he assured them, it could be done. Yes, if you want to feel connected with the world, instead of endlessly pacing the treadmill (or, 'exceeding your programme', as he called it), you must do so.-- For time, as he gleefully notes, is the ultimate democracy. Each of us starts our day with 24 hours to spend. Even a saint gets not a minute more; even the most inveterate time-waster is docked not a second for his wastrel ways. And he can choose today to turn over a new leaf! -- Bennett believed that learning to discern cause and effect in the world would give his readers an endless source of enjoyment and satisfaction. Instead of only being able to discuss what they had heard, they could graduate to what they thought... and lift themselves completely from the deadening influence of a day at the office.For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate)(00:00:00) Chapter 1(00:11:16) Chapter 2(00:18:42) Chapter 3(00:25:47) Chapter 4(00:32:50) Chapter 5(00:40:03) Chapter 6(00:47:48) Chapter 7(00:54:32) Chapter 8(01:01:30) Chapter 9(01:08:48) Chapter 10(01:15:32) Chapter 11(01:22:10) Chapter 12(01:29:33) Chapter 13 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Twain by Archibald Henderson audiobook. Genre: biographyMany writers have penned studies of Mark Twain's life and work through the years. Twain authorized this biography, having met and hosted the writer, Archibald Henderson, on a few occasions. Henderson considered this work to be an homage to one of his biggest idols, who guided him through his youth and adolescence. He writes, 'It is an appreciation originating in the heart of one who loved Mark Twain’s works for a generation before he ever met Samuel L. Clemens. It is an interpretation springing from the conviction that Mark Twain was a great American who comprehensively incorporated and realized his own country and his own age as no American has so completely done before him.'For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate)(00:00:00) Chapter 00(00:06:14) Chapter 01(00:22:23) Chapter 02(01:23:24) Chapter 03(01:44:10) Chapter 04(02:42:45) Chapter 05(03:22:18) Chapter 06(04:11:08) Chapter 07(04:40:17) Chapter 08 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas audiobook. Genre: adventureIn The Man in the Iron Mask, Alexandre Dumas returns to the glittering and dangerous court of France under Louis XIV, where power is absolute, secrets are deadly, and loyalty can cost a life. The aging musketeers - d'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis - find themselves pulled back into intrigue when whispers spread of a mysterious prisoner hidden away in the Bastille, forced to wear a mask that conceals more than a face. As rival factions maneuver for influence and the king tightens his grip on the realm, old friendships strain under competing vows to crown, church, and conscience. D'Artagnan struggles to serve honorably in a world where truth is treated as treason, while Aramis moves in shadows with a plan that could reshape France itself. From clandestine meetings and coded messages to daring escapes and tense confrontations, the story weaves swashbuckling action with political suspense, asking what a man owes to his king, his comrades, and his own sense of justice.For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate)(00:00:00) Chapter 00(00:17:51) Chapter 1(00:51:50) Chapter 2(01:25:52) Chapter 02(01:45:28) Chapter 03(02:01:21) Chapter 04(02:25:46) Chapter 05(02:40:57) Chapter 06(03:03:27) Chapter 07(03:21:21) Chapter 08(03:42:36) Chapter 09(04:04:51) Chapter 10(04:24:39) Chapter 11(04:37:59) Chapter 12(04:51:31) Chapter 13(05:02:50) Chapter 14(05:33:36) Chapter 15(05:49:15) Chapter 16(06:05:32) Chapter 17(06:28:53) Chapter 18(06:46:22) Chapter 19(07:27:41) Chapter 20(07:48:49) Chapter 21(08:30:17) Chapter 22(08:49:15) Chapter 23(09:10:00) Chapter 24(09:35:02) Chapter 25(09:48:09) Chapter 26(10:01:19) Chapter 27(10:22:07) Chapter 28(10:43:15) Chapter 29(10:56:37) Chapter 30(11:11:57) Chapter 31(11:30:27) Chapter 32(11:53:52) Chapter 33(12:22:55) Chapter 34(12:43:57) Chapter 35(13:01:20) Chapter 36(13:20:22) Chapter 37(13:38:17) Chapter 38(13:52:34) Chapter 39(14:12:50) Chapter 40(14:31:50) Chapter 41(14:56:34) Chapter 42(15:20:37) Chapter 43(15:47:35) Chapter 44(15:54:15) Chapter 45(16:04:35) Chapter 46(16:19:05) Chapter 47(16:34:35) Chapter 48(16:54:51) Chapter 49(17:07:39) Chapter 50(17:23:50) Chapter 51(17:40:58) Chapter 52(17:55:03) Chapter 53(18:15:27) Chapter 54(18:32:18) Chapter 55(18:47:07) Chapter 56(19:01:08) Chapter 57(19:17:10) Chapter 58(19:30:29) Chapter 59(19:46:13) Chapter 60(20:01:47) Chapter 3(20:33:22) Chapter 4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Boys Life of Mark Twain by Albert Bigelow Paine audiobook. Genre: biographyIn The Boys Life of Mark Twain, Albert Bigelow Paine tells the true story of how Samuel Langhorne Clemens became the writer the world would later know as Mark Twain. Written with young listeners in mind, this brisk biography follows Clemens from his boyhood on the Mississippi River frontier through the hard knocks and odd jobs that shaped his voice: apprentice printer, riverboat dreamer, wandering traveler, and sharp-eyed reporter learning how to turn everyday adventures into unforgettable tales. Along the way, Paine introduces the people and places that left their mark on him - family, friends, bustling river towns, and the larger-than-life characters he met while chasing work and opportunity. As Clemens struggles to find direction, earn a living, and prove he can do more than merely get by, his humor and stubborn curiosity become tools for survival. The book traces the early turning points of his career and the experiences that fed his imagination, showing how a restless young man with a quick wit gradually discovered the path that would make him famous.For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate)(00:00:00) Chapter 00(00:01:08) Chapter 01(00:09:27) Chapter 02(00:17:45) Chapter 03(00:23:45) Chapter 04(00:36:56) Chapter 05(00:55:43) Chapter 06(01:04:28) Chapter 07(01:11:24) Chapter 08(01:18:09) Chapter 09(01:31:00) Chapter 10(01:39:48) Chapter 11(01:46:16) Chapter 12(01:53:59) Chapter 13(02:05:55) Chapter 14(02:19:22) Chapter 15(02:23:24) Chapter 16(02:33:02) Chapter 17(02:37:13) Chapter 18(02:45:13) Chapter 19(02:51:44) Chapter 20(03:10:01) Chapter 21(03:17:06) Chapter 22(03:24:12) Chapter 23(03:34:43) Chapter 24(03:45:33) Chapter 25(03:52:43) Chapter 26(04:07:48) Chapter 27(04:16:37) Chapter 28(04:23:04) Chapter 29(04:29:47) Chapter 30(04:36:13) Chapter 31(04:42:11) Chapter 32(04:47:03) Chapter 33(04:51:29) Chapter 34(04:58:23) Chapter 35(05:02:49) Chapter 36(05:06:59) Chapter 37(05:13:14) Chapter 38(05:18:13) Chapter 39(05:29:14) Chapter 40(05:34:13) Chapter 41(05:39:22) Chapter 42(05:44:58) Chapter 43(05:49:29) Chapter 44(05:55:36) Chapter 45(05:59:06) Chapter 46(06:04:03) Chapter 47(06:08:31) Chapter 48(06:23:51) Chapter 49(06:33:17) Chapter 50(06:48:11) Chapter 51(07:01:31) Chapter 52(07:07:41) Chapter 53(07:13:31) Chapter 54(07:17:29) Chapter 55(07:23:15) Chapter 56(07:29:45) Chapter 57(07:36:41) Chapter 58(07:46:50) Chapter 59(07:56:33) Chapter 60(08:03:36) Chapter 61(08:08:05) Chapter 62(08:14:05) Chapter 63(08:19:09) Chapter 64(08:22:49) Chapter 65(08:29:15) Chapter 66(08:35:08) Chapter 67(08:38:31) Chapter 68(08:43:59) Chapter 69(08:47:21) Chapter 70 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln audiobook. Genre: speechesAfter having written and released an initial draft of this proclamation in September of 1862, minor changes were made and Lincoln signed it on January 1st, 1863. It declared free the slaves in 10 states not then under Union control, with exemptions specified for areas already under Union control in two states. Lincoln spent the next 100 days preparing the army and the nation for emancipation, while Democrats rallied their voters in the 1862 off-year elections by warning of the threat freed slaves posed to northern whites.Once the abolition of slavery in the rebel states became a military objective, as Union armies advanced south, more slaves were liberated until all three million of them in Confederate territory were freed. Lincoln's comment on the signing of the Proclamation was: 'I never, in my life, felt more certain that I was doing right, than I do in signing this paper.'For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate)(00:00:00) Chapter 01 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln audiobook. Genre: speechesIt was a cloudy November day in 1863 when thousands gathered to hear renowned orator Edward Everett dedicate a national cemetery at the site of a pivotal battle early in July of that year. Also present to deliver 'a few appropriate remarks' was the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln spoke but 278 words; Everett later wrote to the President, 'I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes.' Though there are surviving transcripts of Everett's lengthy speech, it is Lincoln's words which have come to be known as 'The Gettysburg Address' For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate)(00:00:00) Chapter 1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chancellorsville and Gettysburg by Abner Doubleday audiobook. Genre: historyAbner Doubleday began the Civil War as a Union officer and aimed the first cannon shot in response to the bombardment opened on Ft. Sumter in 1861. Two years later, after a series of battles (including Antietam, where he was wounded), Doubleday took over a division in the Army of the Potomac's 1st Corps.These are his memoirs of service in two of the War's great campaigns. At Chancellorsville, a very promising start made by General Hooker against Lee's Confederate forces fell to a defeat when, in Doubleday's estimation, normal and prudent precautions against surprise in the heavily-wooded battlefield were not carried out; he also seemingly apologizes for Hooker's lack of leadership during the battle as a result of his having been stunned by a cannon ball hitting the post against which he was leaning.After Chancellorsville, Hooker was replaced as Army Commander by General George Meade. Doubleday describes the curious circumstances that led the two opposing armies to meet at Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. When Doubleday's superior, General John Reynolds, was killed by a sharpshooter on the first day's battle, he took over the 1st Corps and fought it well against converging Confederate divisions that badly outnumbered him. The Corps was forced by battle losses to retire, but its desperate fight bought the time needed for Union reinforcements to pour into Gettysburg and thus prevent a defeat in detail.General Howard of the XIth Corps replaced Doubleday as the senior commander on the field, and mistakenly wrote to Meade that 1st Corps had routed after practically no fighting. Thus, when Meade arrived, he removed Doubleday from command of 1st Corps, replacing him with a more junior general from another Corps. The snub would embitter Doubleday against Meade. This book is in part Doubleday's revenge, as he picks apart Meade's indecision after the battle was essentially won, with the repulse of the famous Pickett's Charge. In his view, Meade could have won the war at that moment.For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate)(00:00:00) Chapter 00(00:04:40) Chapter 01(00:23:31) Chapter 02(00:38:34) Chapter 03(00:48:30) Chapter 04(01:08:57) Chapter 05(01:20:41) Chapter 06(01:28:41) Chapter 07(02:04:18) Chapter 08(02:29:35) Chapter 09(02:40:55) Chapter 10(02:47:53) Chapter 11(03:08:51) Chapter 12(03:44:41) Chapter 13(03:57:43) Chapter 14(04:27:57) Chapter 15(05:00:22) Chapter 16(05:27:08) Chapter 17(05:57:32) Chapter 18(06:32:06) Chapter 19 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare audiobook. Genre: comedyThe Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare's earliest comedies, and was inspired by classical Roman comedy and the Italian commedia dell'arte. Baptista Minola, a rich gentleman of Padua, has two daughters: Katherina, renowned for her sharp tongue, and Bianca, who is sought after by multiple suitors. Baptista decides that Bianca cannot marry until her elder sister finds a husband. Enter Petruchio, who has come to 'wive it wealthily in Padua,' and who is convinced by Bianca's suitors to woo Katherina. The play ultimately poses the question of who is the bigger shrew: Kate or Petruchio. The subplot involves the subterfuge employed by Lucentio to woo the lovely Bianca. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate)(00:00:00) Chapter 0(00:18:10) Chapter 1(00:47:17) Chapter 2(01:09:10) Chapter 3(01:28:14) Chapter 4(02:07:41) Chapter 5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Othello by William Shakespeare audiobook. Genre: tragedyIn the glittering, volatile world of Venetian power and military prestige, Othello, a celebrated Moorish general, has risen through skill and courage to command respect. But his private life becomes the talk of the city when he secretly marries Desdemona, the daughter of a prominent senator. Summoned to defend Venice against a looming threat, Othello sails to the outpost of Cyprus with his new bride, his loyal lieutenant Cassio, and his ensign Iago. Beneath Iago's outward obedience, however, lies a simmering grievance and a sharp intelligence devoted to manipulation. As the soldiers settle into island life, small misunderstandings are turned into weapons, reputations are threatened, and private doubts begin to eclipse public triumphs. Othello, accustomed to the clarity of the battlefield, finds himself facing a more intimate enemy: uncertainty about the people closest to him and the stories whispered behind his back. Driven by themes of jealousy, trust, race, honor, and the terrifying power of suggestion, this tragedy charts how love can be corroded when perception replaces truth.For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate)(00:00:00) Chapter 0(00:02:18) Chapter 1(00:40:58) Chapter 2(01:19:55) Chapter 3(02:00:44) Chapter 4(02:35:24) Chapter 5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices