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Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe - Book 1, Part 3 Title: Uncle Tom's Cabin Overview: Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly. is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U.S., and is said to have "helped lay the groundwork for the [American] Civil War." Stowe, a Connecticut-born woman of English descent, was part of the religious Beecher family. A teacher at the Hartford Female Seminary and an active abolitionist, she featured the character of Uncle Tom in the novel, a long-suffering black slave around whom the stories of other characters revolve. The sentimental novel depicts the reality of slavery while also asserting that Christian love can overcome slavery. The title page illustrates a modest log cabin inhabited by a black family. Uncle Tom's Cabin was the best-selling novel and the second best-selling book of the 19th century, following the Bible. It is credited with helping fuel the abolitionist cause in the 1850s. In the first year after it was published, 300,000 copies of the book were sold in the United States; one million copies were sold in Great Britain. Eight power presses, running incessantly, could barely keep up with the demand. In 1855, three years after it was published, it was called "the most popular novel of our day". The impact attributed to the book is great, reinforced by a story that when Abraham Lincoln met Stowe at the start of the Civil War, he declared, "So this is the little lady who started this great war." The quote is apocryphal; it did not appear in print until 1896, and it has been argued that "the long-term durability of Lincoln's greeting as an anecdote in literary studies and Stowe scholarship can perhaps be explained in part by the desire among many contemporary intellectuals ... to affirm the role of literature as an agent of social change." The book and the plays it inspired helped popularize a number of stereotypes about black people. These include the affectionate, dark-skinned mammy; the pickaninny stereotype of black children; and the namesake character type of "Uncle Tom", describing a dutiful, long-suffering servant faithful to his white master or mistress. In recent years, the negative associations with Uncle Tom's Cabin have, to an extent, overshadowed the historical impact of the book as a "vital antislavery tool". Published: 1851 List: 100 Classic Book Collection Author: Harriet Beecher Stowe Genre: Novel, Historical Fiction Episode: Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe - Book 1, Part 3 Part: 3 of 3 Length Part: 4:32:53 Book: 1 Length Book: 18:06:33 Episodes: 31 - 45 of 45 Narrator: John Greenman Language: English Rated: Guidance Suggested Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: slavery, misery, emancipation, freedom, evil, intolerance, hatred, hypocritical, suffering, morality, struggle, selfishness, inequality, injustice, unfair, prejudice, bias, death Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream.

Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe - Book 1, Part 2 Title: Uncle Tom's Cabin Overview: Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly. is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U.S., and is said to have "helped lay the groundwork for the [American] Civil War." Stowe, a Connecticut-born woman of English descent, was part of the religious Beecher family. A teacher at the Hartford Female Seminary and an active abolitionist, she featured the character of Uncle Tom in the novel, a long-suffering black slave around whom the stories of other characters revolve. The sentimental novel depicts the reality of slavery while also asserting that Christian love can overcome slavery. The title page illustrates a modest log cabin inhabited by a black family. Uncle Tom's Cabin was the best-selling novel and the second best-selling book of the 19th century, following the Bible. It is credited with helping fuel the abolitionist cause in the 1850s. In the first year after it was published, 300,000 copies of the book were sold in the United States; one million copies were sold in Great Britain. Eight power presses, running incessantly, could barely keep up with the demand. In 1855, three years after it was published, it was called "the most popular novel of our day". The impact attributed to the book is great, reinforced by a story that when Abraham Lincoln met Stowe at the start of the Civil War, he declared, "So this is the little lady who started this great war." The quote is apocryphal; it did not appear in print until 1896, and it has been argued that "the long-term durability of Lincoln's greeting as an anecdote in literary studies and Stowe scholarship can perhaps be explained in part by the desire among many contemporary intellectuals ... to affirm the role of literature as an agent of social change." The book and the plays it inspired helped popularize a number of stereotypes about black people. These include the affectionate, dark-skinned mammy; the pickaninny stereotype of black children; and the namesake character type of "Uncle Tom", describing a dutiful, long-suffering servant faithful to his white master or mistress. In recent years, the negative associations with Uncle Tom's Cabin have, to an extent, overshadowed the historical impact of the book as a "vital antislavery tool". Published: 1851 List: 100 Classic Book Collection Author: Harriet Beecher Stowe Genre: Novel, Historical Fiction Episode: Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe - Book 1, Part 2 Part: 2 of 3 Length Part: 6:49:05 Book: 1 Length Book: 18:06:33 Episodes: 16 - 30 of 45 Narrator: John Greenman Language: English Rated: Guidance Suggested Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: slavery, misery, emancipation, freedom, evil, intolerance, hatred, hypocritical, suffering, morality, struggle, selfishness, inequality, injustice, unfair, prejudice, bias, death Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream.

Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe - Book 1, Part 1 Title: Uncle Tom's Cabin Overview: Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly. is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U.S., and is said to have "helped lay the groundwork for the [American] Civil War." Stowe, a Connecticut-born woman of English descent, was part of the religious Beecher family. A teacher at the Hartford Female Seminary and an active abolitionist, she featured the character of Uncle Tom in the novel, a long-suffering black slave around whom the stories of other characters revolve. The sentimental novel depicts the reality of slavery while also asserting that Christian love can overcome slavery. The title page illustrates a modest log cabin inhabited by a black family. Uncle Tom's Cabin was the best-selling novel and the second best-selling book of the 19th century, following the Bible. It is credited with helping fuel the abolitionist cause in the 1850s. In the first year after it was published, 300,000 copies of the book were sold in the United States; one million copies were sold in Great Britain. Eight power presses, running incessantly, could barely keep up with the demand. In 1855, three years after it was published, it was called "the most popular novel of our day". The impact attributed to the book is great, reinforced by a story that when Abraham Lincoln met Stowe at the start of the Civil War, he declared, "So this is the little lady who started this great war." The quote is apocryphal; it did not appear in print until 1896, and it has been argued that "the long-term durability of Lincoln's greeting as an anecdote in literary studies and Stowe scholarship can perhaps be explained in part by the desire among many contemporary intellectuals ... to affirm the role of literature as an agent of social change." The book and the plays it inspired helped popularize a number of stereotypes about black people. These include the affectionate, dark-skinned mammy; the pickaninny stereotype of black children; and the namesake character type of "Uncle Tom", describing a dutiful, long-suffering servant faithful to his white master or mistress. In recent years, the negative associations with Uncle Tom's Cabin have, to an extent, overshadowed the historical impact of the book as a "vital antislavery tool". Published: 1851 List: 100 Classic Book Collection Author: Harriet Beecher Stowe Genre: Novel, Historical Fiction Episode: Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe - Book 1, Part 1 Part: 1 of 3 Length Part: 6:44:57 Book: 1 Length Book: 18:06:33 Episodes: 1 - 15 of 45 Narrator: John Greenman Language: English Rated: Guidance Suggested Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: slavery, misery, emancipation, freedom, evil, intolerance, hatred, hypocritical, suffering, morality, struggle, selfishness, inequality, injustice, unfair, prejudice, bias, death Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream.

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott - Book 1, Part 3 Title: Little Women Overview: Little Women is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888). Originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, Alcott wrote the book over several months at the request of her publisher. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details their passage from childhood to womanhood. Loosely based on the lives of the author and her three sisters,  it is classified as an autobiographical or semi-autobiographical novel. Little Women was an immediate commercial and critical success, with readers eager for more about the characters. Alcott quickly completed a second volume (titled Good Wives in the United Kingdom, though the name originated with the publisher and not Alcott). It also met with success. The two volumes were issued in 1880 as a single novel titled Little Women. Alcott subsequently wrote two sequels to her popular work, both also featuring the March sisters: Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886). The novel has been said to address three major themes: "domesticity, work, and true love, all of them interdependent and each necessary to the achievement of its heroine's individual identity." According to Sarah Elbert, Alcott created a new form of literature, one that took elements from romantic children's fiction and combined it with others from sentimental novels, resulting in a totally new genre. Elbert argues that within Little Women can be found the first vision of the "All-American girl" and that her various aspects are embodied in the differing March sisters. The book has been translated into numerous languages, and frequently adapted for stage and screen. Published: Volume 1 1868, Volume 2 1869 List: 100 Classic Book Collection Author: Louisa May Alcott Genre: Coming of Age, Bildungsroman Episode: Little Women - Louisa May Alcott - Book 1, Part 3 Part: 3 of 3 Length Part: 6:03:32 Book: 1 Length Book: 18:27:26 Episodes: 33 - 47 of 47 Narrator: Collaborative Language: English Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: familial duty, personal growth, struggle, coming of age, childhood, adulthood, transformation, women status, gender equality, gender inequality, social expectations, duty, personal life, professional life, conformity, constraints, individuality, womanhood Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream.

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott - Book 1, Part 2 Title: Little Women Overview: Little Women is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888). Originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, Alcott wrote the book over several months at the request of her publisher. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details their passage from childhood to womanhood. Loosely based on the lives of the author and her three sisters,  it is classified as an autobiographical or semi-autobiographical novel. Little Women was an immediate commercial and critical success, with readers eager for more about the characters. Alcott quickly completed a second volume (titled Good Wives in the United Kingdom, though the name originated with the publisher and not Alcott). It also met with success. The two volumes were issued in 1880 as a single novel titled Little Women. Alcott subsequently wrote two sequels to her popular work, both also featuring the March sisters: Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886). The novel has been said to address three major themes: "domesticity, work, and true love, all of them interdependent and each necessary to the achievement of its heroine's individual identity." According to Sarah Elbert, Alcott created a new form of literature, one that took elements from romantic children's fiction and combined it with others from sentimental novels, resulting in a totally new genre. Elbert argues that within Little Women can be found the first vision of the "All-American girl" and that her various aspects are embodied in the differing March sisters. The book has been translated into numerous languages, and frequently adapted for stage and screen. Published: Volume 1 1868, Volume 2 1869 List: 100 Classic Book Collection Author: Louisa May Alcott Genre: Coming of Age, Bildungsroman Episode: Little Women - Louisa May Alcott - Book 1, Part 2 Part: 2 of 3 Length Part: 6:00:31 Book: 1 Length Book: 18:27:26 Episodes: 17 of 32 of 47 Narrator: Collaborative Language: English Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: familial duty, personal growth, struggle, coming of age, childhood, adulthood, transformation, women status, gender equality, gender inequality, social expectations, duty, personal life, professional life, conformity, constraints, individuality, womanhood Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream.

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott - Book 1, Part 1 Title: Little Women Overview: Little Women is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888). Originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, Alcott wrote the book over several months at the request of her publisher. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details their passage from childhood to womanhood. Loosely based on the lives of the author and her three sisters,  it is classified as an autobiographical or semi-autobiographical novel. Little Women was an immediate commercial and critical success, with readers eager for more about the characters. Alcott quickly completed a second volume (titled Good Wives in the United Kingdom, though the name originated with the publisher and not Alcott). It also met with success. The two volumes were issued in 1880 as a single novel titled Little Women. Alcott subsequently wrote two sequels to her popular work, both also featuring the March sisters: Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886). The novel has been said to address three major themes: "domesticity, work, and true love, all of them interdependent and each necessary to the achievement of its heroine's individual identity." According to Sarah Elbert, Alcott created a new form of literature, one that took elements from romantic children's fiction and combined it with others from sentimental novels, resulting in a totally new genre. Elbert argues that within Little Women can be found the first vision of the "All-American girl" and that her various aspects are embodied in the differing March sisters. The book has been translated into numerous languages, and frequently adapted for stage and screen. Published: Volume 1 1868, Volume 2 1869 List: 100 Classic Book Collection Author: Louisa May Alcott Genre: Coming of Age, Bildungsroman Episode: Little Women - Louisa May Alcott - Book 1, Part 1 Part: 1 of 3 Length Part: 6:23:23 Book: 1 Length Book: 18:27:26 Episodes: 1 - 16 of 47 Narrator: Collaborative Language: English Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: familial duty, personal growth, struggle, coming of age, childhood, adulthood, transformation, women status, gender equality, gender inequality, social expectations, duty, personal life, professional life, conformity, constraints, individuality, womanhood Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream.

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley - Book 1, Part 2 Title: Frankenstein Overview: Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18, and the first edition was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818, when she was 20. Her name first appeared in the second edition, which was published in Paris in 1821. Shelley traveled through Europe in 1815, moving along the river Rhine in Germany, and stopping in Gernsheim, 17 kilometers (11 mi) away from Frankenstein Castle, where, two centuries before, an alchemist had engaged in experiments. She then journeyed to the region of Geneva, Switzerland, where much of the story takes place. Galvanism and occult ideas were topics of conversation for her companions, particularly for her lover and future husband Percy B. Shelley. In 1816 Mary, Percy, and Lord Byron had a competition to see who could write the best horror story. After thinking for days, Shelley was inspired to write Frankenstein after imagining a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he had made. Though Frankenstein is infused with elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement, Brian Aldiss has argued for it as the first true science-fiction story. In contrast to previous stories with fantastical elements resembling those of later science fiction, Aldiss states, the central character "makes a deliberate decision" and "turns to modern experiments in the laboratory" to achieve fantastic results. The novel has had a considerable influence on literature and on popular culture; it has spawned a complete genre of horror stories, films, and plays. Since the publication of the novel, the name "Frankenstein" has often been used, erroneously, to refer to the monster, rather than to his creator/father. Published: 1818, Revised Edition 1831 List: 100 Classic Book Collection Author: Mary Shelley Genre: Gothic Novel, Horror Fiction, Science Fiction Episode: Frankenstein - Mary Shelley - Book 1, Part 2 Part: 2 of 2 Length Part: 4:56:41 Book: 1 Length Book: 8:44:47 Episodes: 15 - 28 of 29 Narrator: Thomas A. Copeland Language: English Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: pursuit of knowledge, science, human exploration, human limits, secret of life, monster Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream.

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley - Book 1, Part 1 Title: Frankenstein Overview: Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18, and the first edition was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818, when she was 20. Her name first appeared in the second edition, which was published in Paris in 1821. Shelley traveled through Europe in 1815, moving along the river Rhine in Germany, and stopping in Gernsheim, 17 kilometers (11 mi) away from Frankenstein Castle, where, two centuries before, an alchemist had engaged in experiments. She then journeyed to the region of Geneva, Switzerland, where much of the story takes place. Galvanism and occult ideas were topics of conversation for her companions, particularly for her lover and future husband Percy B. Shelley. In 1816 Mary, Percy, and Lord Byron had a competition to see who could write the best horror story. After thinking for days, Shelley was inspired to write Frankenstein after imagining a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he had made. Though Frankenstein is infused with elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement, Brian Aldiss has argued for it as the first true science-fiction story. In contrast to previous stories with fantastical elements resembling those of later science fiction, Aldiss states, the central character "makes a deliberate decision" and "turns to modern experiments in the laboratory" to achieve fantastic results. The novel has had a considerable influence on literature and on popular culture; it has spawned a complete genre of horror stories, films, and plays. Since the publication of the novel, the name "Frankenstein" has often been used, erroneously, to refer to the monster, rather than to his creator/father. Published: 1818, Revised Edition 1831 List: 100 Classic Book Collection Author: Mary Shelley Genre: Gothic Novel, Horror Fiction, Science Fiction Episode: Frankenstein - Mary Shelley - Book 1, Part 1 Part: 1 of 2 Length Part: 3:48:18 Book: 1 Length Book: 8:44:47 Episodes: 0 - 14 of 29 Narrator: Thomas A. Copeland Language: English Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: pursuit of knowledge, science, human exploration, human limits, secret of life, monster Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream.

Dracula - Bram Stoker - Book 1, Part 3 Title: Dracula Overview: Dracula is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking a business trip to stay at the castle of a Transylvanian noble, Count Dracula. Harker escapes the castle after discovering that Dracula is a vampire, and the Count moves to England and plagues the seaside town of Whitby. A small group, led by Abraham Van Helsing, hunt Dracula and, in the end, kill him. Dracula was mostly written in the 1890s. Stoker produced over a hundred pages of notes for the novel, drawing extensively from Transylvanian folklore and history. Some scholars have suggested that the character of Dracula was inspired by historical figures like the Wallachian prince Vlad the Impaler or the countess Elizabeth Báthory, but there is widespread disagreement. Stoker's notes mention neither figure. He found the name Dracula in Whitby's public library while holidaying there, picking it because he thought it meant devil in Romanian. Following its publication, Dracula was positively received by reviewers who pointed to its effective use of horror. In contrast, reviewers who wrote negatively of the novel regarded it as excessively frightening. Comparisons to other works of Gothic fiction were common, including its structural similarity to Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White (1859). In the past century, Dracula has been situated as a piece of Gothic fiction. Modern scholars explore the novel within its historical context—the Victorian era—and discuss its depiction of gender roles, sexuality, and race. Dracula is one of the most famous pieces of English literature. Many of the book's characters have entered popular culture as archetypal versions of their characters; for example, Count Dracula as the quintessential vampire, and Abraham Van Helsing as an iconic vampire hunter. The novel, which is in the public domain, has been adapted for film over 30 times, and its characters have made numerous appearances in virtually all media. Published: 1897 List: 100 Classic Book Collection Author: Bram Stoker Genre: Action & Adventure Fiction, Horror & Supernatural Fiction, Gothic Fiction Episode: Dracula - Bram Stoker - Book 1, Part 3 Part: 3 of 3 Length Part: 5:34:47 Book: 1 Length Book: 15:58:53 Episodes: 19 - 27 of 27 Narrator: Kara Shallenberg Language: English Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: evolution, modernity, industrial revolution, economic change, social change, gothic, london, victorian, ancient legends, medicine Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream.

Dracula - Bram Stoker - Book 1, Part 2 Title: Dracula Overview: Dracula is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking a business trip to stay at the castle of a Transylvanian noble, Count Dracula. Harker escapes the castle after discovering that Dracula is a vampire, and the Count moves to England and plagues the seaside town of Whitby. A small group, led by Abraham Van Helsing, hunt Dracula and, in the end, kill him. Dracula was mostly written in the 1890s. Stoker produced over a hundred pages of notes for the novel, drawing extensively from Transylvanian folklore and history. Some scholars have suggested that the character of Dracula was inspired by historical figures like the Wallachian prince Vlad the Impaler or the countess Elizabeth Báthory, but there is widespread disagreement. Stoker's notes mention neither figure. He found the name Dracula in Whitby's public library while holidaying there, picking it because he thought it meant devil in Romanian. Following its publication, Dracula was positively received by reviewers who pointed to its effective use of horror. In contrast, reviewers who wrote negatively of the novel regarded it as excessively frightening. Comparisons to other works of Gothic fiction were common, including its structural similarity to Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White (1859). In the past century, Dracula has been situated as a piece of Gothic fiction. Modern scholars explore the novel within its historical context—the Victorian era—and discuss its depiction of gender roles, sexuality, and race. Dracula is one of the most famous pieces of English literature. Many of the book's characters have entered popular culture as archetypal versions of their characters; for example, Count Dracula as the quintessential vampire, and Abraham Van Helsing as an iconic vampire hunter. The novel, which is in the public domain, has been adapted for film over 30 times, and its characters have made numerous appearances in virtually all media. Published: 1897 List: 100 Classic Book Collection Author: Bram Stoker Genre: Action & Adventure Fiction, Horror & Supernatural Fiction, Gothic Fiction Episode: Dracula - Bram Stoker - Book 1, Part 2 Part: 2 of 3 Length Part: 5:28:21 Book: 1 Length Book: 15:58:53 Episodes: 10 - 18 of 27 Narrator: Kara Shallenberg Language: English Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: evolution, modernity, industrial revolution, economic change, social change, gothic, london, victorian, ancient legends, medicine Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream.