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This collection of John Milton's finest poetry marks the quatercentenary of the poets birth in 1608. His uncompromising views set him firmly on the side of Cromwell, putting his life in danger when the Stuart monarchy was restored. But he is now remembered for Paradise Lost and a strong collection of other poetry which influenced successive generations. This CD offers an ideal overview, including excerpts from the major works such as Comus and Samson Agonistes, as well as his famous poems. ... Read more

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The Dawn Treader will take you places you never dreamed existed.

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This bold undertaking covers Western theatre from ancient Greece to the present day. It traces the development of dramatic art through the miracle plays, the great Shakespearean period, Moliere and Racine in France, Goethe in Germany, through the 19th century and the main movements in the 20th century. It is illustrated by numerous examples of differing styles, with some historical recordings as well and excerpts from nearly 50 plays. A fascinating journey. It is written by David Timson, the British actor and director who features extensively on Naxos Audiobooks in both roles. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

good for beginners and highly stressed undergraduates
I found this set to be highly entertaining to listen to. The 5 hour course on the whole span of 2500 years of history certainly leaves out a lot of good things, but it also covers almost all the important points that will actually appear in your exam if you are currently enrolled in such classes in college. Amazing, isn't it? But the set narrated by Jacobi is so engaging that very soon you will stop doing other things you normally do while listening to an audio book. It does require your full attention if you really want to get something out of it.
The material is succintly written, but you can always replay the part you do not fully understand. To students I would recommend this set to help them prepare for the exams. Too many times I've read answers that just keep avoiding the main points. This set, in my view, is very much like private tutoring. It will help you through your notes point by point, simple and straightforward! However you do need to check on your own spelling of names.:)
The approach is traditional. The basic framework revolves around literary materials as it brings you through mini-biorgraphies of major playwrights throughout history. Supporting these literary giants, the conditions of performance and audience are also briefly explained. It recounts all the cliches you will probably encounter in basic level history of theatre classes. Thus Greek theatres evolve from a full circle to a semi-circle and Medieval theatre naturally grows from simple to complicated forms... Excerpts from key plays or documents are read by radio drama actors/actresses, so they sometimes sound quite funny (or mildly absurd). But they are well chosen and representative.

A high-speed tour through European and US theatre
As a highly infrequent theatre-goer, I picked this up in the hope of plugging the many gaps in my understanding of what plays are all about.Visits to the theatre have left me frustrated and bored more often than captivated.Halfway through a performance, I'll be looking at my watch and thinking I'd be better off watching a video at home!Perhaps I'm simply re-living all those terrible plays I was forced to watch at school.

This audio CD has boosted my understanding and awareness of the theatre.Not only does it cover the history of playwrights, nicely giving name-checks to every author I've heard of, but it also lists the key achievements of many of the key directors, impressarios and actors.And it also covers the development of the physical stage from Greek tragedy to the modern era.And there's the odd bit of reasonably appropriate classical music (from the Naxos catalogue) to link some items.

In the course of five hours, this can only dip its toes in the water of each era, and it does have a bias towards the English theatre, but the main benefit to me is that it's got me wanting to go and see some plays again.A major achievement indeed!

Terrific for theatre majors and general public
Not since I played the Naxos book-on-tape "A History of Opera"have I so much enjoyed a recorded non-fiction treat like David Timson's (NA 419914), narrated by the venerable DerekJacobi on four audio tapes. \

The title is really misleading, sincethe text covers only Western theatre and even that not comprehensively,given the little over 5 hours of playing time. The author himself admitsthis in the notes provided with thetapes and can be forgiven. What thereis here would make an excellent review for a theatre major studying forexams and an even better introduction to one not all that familiar with thestory of our theatre as it progressed from the rites dedicated to Dionysusto what it is today. Of course, the important playwrights are touched upon(Shakespeare gets an all too brief treatment) and the English ones get whatis perhaps a somewhat disproportionate amount of attention. But as Englishspeakers, we will not carp at that.

An especially good feature of thisset is the use of professional actors--Carole Boyd, John McAndrew, TeresaGallagher and Caroline Faber--to give some short excerpts from major works.The booklet gives a brief"Glossary of technical terms not explainedin the text," a need created perhaps by the author's being anactor.

Once again, you will enjoy hearing this set even if you have noexams coming up; and it will give you a very nice idea of where our presenttheatre has come from, if not where it is going. ... Read more

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English literature is a treasure trove of wonderful poetry. From Shakespeare to Milton, Keats to Shelley and Tennyson to Yeats, this accessible history (especially written for Naxos AudioBooks) introduces the listener to countless small masterpieces, including all the old favorites and some lesser-known gems. Whitfield explores this most expressive of art forms and traces the historical development of a rich and diverse canon of poetical works. The lyrical powers of the most remarkable poets of the English language are illustrated with over 70 extracts. This is the latest release from Naxos AudioBooks successful History series, which includes accounts of English literature, theatre and opera. ... Read more

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Perry Keenlyside tells the story of the world's richest literary resource. The story-telling, the poetry, the growth of the novel and the great histories and essays which have informed the language and the imagination wherever English is spoken. This is the fourth in the Naxos Histories series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Just wonderful!!!
The History English of Literature is delightful. The narrator is great, the historical background provides the necessary foundation for the understanding of the issues which influenced authors. The excerpts are carefully chosen, thus portraying in a solid manner the contribution such authors made to the English literature. I absolutely recommend it! Maria Beuttenmüller.

Wonderful Listening Experience
This audiobook is really a performance rather than a book read aloud.It's wonderful - fun, educational, relaxing.Get it!

Everything your High School Teacher Should have Taught you about Literature...and didn't.
I love this book.I think about my time in high school listening to dreadful lectures on English literature, theater, and the great books. How things would have been different if I had listened to this glorious audiobook. Not only is it sharply written, but Sir Derek Jacobi narrates the story of literature with a sardonic edge, so that you can't wait to hear what he has to say next.He draws you into the story of the literature...what makes these great books or poems distinguished...what makes them interesting...what makes them new and exciting.Of course, we hear samples from the 1300's - Canterbury Tales (and) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight...to the present, over 100 samples to be exact.I want to go back and read these wonderful books he talks about. After experiencing this wonderful book,I want to sing about English literature. Truly, if you have a high school student who thinks that literature is dead or boring, look no further than this audio CD. I cannot give it enough praise.

Fascinating
The History of English Literature is an audio documentary presenting the finest authors England has to offer.From Chaucer to the present the narrator guides the listener on an audio journey telling him all about the different authors and styles of writing.In addition historical foot notes are given as well to give the listener an idea of what influnced a particular author during the time he or she was writing.In brief politics, the church and royalty not to mention social change all played major parts throughout the centuries to give each period a unique prospective.Dozens of authors and poets are covered here although in breif.Eliot, Austen, Dickens, Wolf, Wells, Blake, Woodsworth and so on.The list is quite extensive and it will give the casual listner a great overview of the written word.As stated each author or poet is presented briefly some merely only getting a mention while others are talked about more thoroughly and even have excerpts from their works read out.It is a great listening experience for one who wants to approach the topic casualy and learn as much about it in the least amount of time.I managed to get through the whole book in a matter of three days but I simply loved how it all was executed.So if you found your high school or college lit courses tiresome but still are interested to see how the novel of today was formulated or what the poets of years past had to say and how they shaped the literary landscape I highly recommend this audio book by Naxos.It is something you will want to refer to time and time again.A great audio documentary to add to your library.This audiobook contains four CD's.It is read by a single narrator but the excerpts are read by various other readers.It also has musical breaks between each section of the text. ... Read more

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Saki succeeds brilliantly in such stories as the eerie yet humorous "Gabriel Ernest" and the chilling "The Interlopers." 2 cassettes. ... Read more

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Superb Stories, Daring Deeds, Fantastic Adventures

Customer Reviews (37)

Dahl's life was more amazing than his fiction
Dahl is the author of some of the most imaginative works of fiction ever created and this tends to overshadow his personal accomplishments, which are considerable. This book is an autobiography of his early adulthood, starting from the time he traveled to east Africa to work for the Shell Company through the first years of World War II.
Dahl was one of the people that left the British Isles to work in and administer a colony in the British Empire. His descriptions of that group of people are amusing and accurate, for they were simultaneously a tough group of people although a bit daffy. Dahl's descriptions of the Major and his wife making several rounds on the deck in the nude every morning followed by the strict rule of everyone formally dressing for dinner were very amusing.
Dahl volunteered for the Royal Air Force (R. A. F.), received his initial training in Kenya and flew fighter planes. He crash-landed in North Africa and after his recovery; Dahl was transferred to Greece as the Germans were moving in. It was a hopeless battle, at one time six fighter planes was all the R. A. F. could put in the air against hundreds of German planes. This installment of Dahl's amazing life ends with his flying a plane in the British campaign to take Syria from the forces of Vichy France.
Dahl cheated death many times in this book; he was a true war hero of the first magnitude. Some of that was skill, but as he repeatedly admits, luck also had a great deal to do with it. In many ways, his life story is more amazing than his fiction, this is a great book for readers of all ages.

Utterly compelling
I'm trying to imagine the kind of person who would not enjoy this book, and quite frankly I'm failing. If you can read this review, you will enjoy the book.

It tells the story of Roald Dahl from his journey out to Dar-es-Salaam at the age of 18, to start working for Shell, to his being invalided home as a fighter pilot from the Middle East in 1941. Throughout he makes it sound as if it's all a bit of fun, but in reality the odds against his surviving the events in the book must have been 50 to 1.

It's all told in a lovely deadpan voice that clearly shows up the utter absurdity what he was going through, from his servant killing a local German with a 17th century antique sword to being one of 15 fighter pilots in all of Greece to take on 1000 Luftwaffe planes. It's to his everlasting credit that he manages to do this in such a straightforward way. Of course, events speak for themselves, but it requires a skillful author to let them do so, and Dahl is more than skillful. This is a work of genius.

"You're too tall," the flight instructor said. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I must learn to fly a Hurricane and then I must take it to Greece and rejoin the squadron.
When I got this news I was in Ismailia, a large RAF aerodrome on the Suez Canal. A Flight-Lieutenant said, 'You can have a couple of days to learn how to fly it, then you take it to Greece.'
'Fly that to Greece?' I said.
'Of course.'
'Where do I stop to refuel?'
'You don't.' he said. 'You go non-stop.'
'How long will that take?'
'About four and a half hours,' he said.
Even I knew that a Hurricane had fuel for only one and a half hours' flying, and I pointed that out to the Flight-Lieutenant. 'Don't worry about that,' he said. 'We're fitting extra fuel tanks under the wings.'
'Do they work?'
'Sometimes they work,' he said smirking. 'You press a little button and if you're lucky a pump pumps petrol from the wing-tanks into the main tank.'
'What happens if the pump doesn't work?'
'You bale out into the Med and swim,' he said.
'No,' I said. 'Be serious. Who picks me up?'
Nobody.' he said. 'It's a chance you have to take.'"
- Roald Dahl (GOING SOLO p. 119)

In this marvelous autobiographical sequel to BOY: TALES OF CHILDHOOD, Roald Dahl entertains and delights by recalling his experiences just prior to and during WW2 writing of the many adventures he had: traveling by ship from England to Dar-es-Salaam, Tanganyika (aboard the SS Mantola) and observing the bizarre habits of his fellow-British-passengers while on his way to work for the Shell Oil Company there, avoiding certain death from the venom of the Green Mamba, joining the Royal Air Force at the start of the war, learning to fly at an RAF airbase in Nairobi, Kenya, and crashing a Gladiator bi-plane in the Western Desert of Egypt, finally winning his wings and becoming a fighter pilot with the RAF in Africa and Greece, and then surviving dog-fights in the skies above Greece against German ME 109s. While many of Dahl's adventures were harrowing, others were very humorous.

I won't spoil the fun for anyone in this brief review by writing too much. Pick up a copy of this wonderful little book and enjoy! You'll just have to take my word for it that you won't be bored or disappointed. Several maps and quite a few photos are included.

As another reviewer wrote, it's a shame Mr. Dahl didn't write another autobiographical sketch about his life as a writer of children's books before he died in 1990. That, I'm sure, would have been an absolute pleasure to read.

Terriffic story-telling from a charming guy
Another writer once told me that one of the most important elements to be found in a memoir is a "likeable" narrator. Roald Dahl is perhaps one of the MOST likeable of narrators. Modest to a fault and blessed with a very sly and subtle sense of humor, the story Dahl tells in GOING SOLO, his sequel to BOY, is perhaps one of the most readable memoirs of modern times. His story of the quick and almost informal training he received at a flying school in Africa shortly after Great Britain entered WWII, is hair-raising and nearly impossible to believe, except you do believe, because you trust this man. At six foot six inches tall, Dahl was physically quite unsuited to be a fighter pilot, noting that when seated in the various planes he flew, his knees were nearly under his chin and he had to hunch over to fit beneath the plane's canopy. But fly he did, even after surviving one horrific crash in the desert early on in his career as an RAF pilot. He sustained a very bad concussion (which was to come back to haunt him and finally "invalid" him out of service nearly two years later) and had his face bashed in. As he explained to his mother in a letter: "My nose was bashed in ... and the ear nose and throat man pulled my nose out of the back of my head and shaped it and now it looks just as before except that it's a little bent about ..." Dahl went on to fly many combat missions in North Africa and Greece, usually against vastly superior odds, but somehow he managed to survive until the middle of 1941, when the migraine headaches caused by the aforementioned crash made him unfit for further flying. Dahl's nearly laconic and completely unself-conscious manner of writing about the things he did - absolutely heroic things - made me think of Sam Hynes's WWII memoir of his missions in the Pacific theater. Both writers downplay the importance of their roles. They never speak of heroics or derring-do, only about the importance of their comrades, doing the jobs they were trained to do and trying their best to simply stay alive. This was an enormously satisfying, moving and often hilarious tale. After reading these two slim volumes of memoirs by Dahl, I do wish he had written another. I have ordered his slim collection of stories about WWII already. What a wonderful writer - and gentleman - Roald Dahl was. - Tim Bazzett, author of SOLDIER BOY and LOVE, WAR & POLIO

Going Solo
Excellent life story, adventure.Bought because of its aviation aspect and personal Greek attraction with the Battle of Athens during the last war. Having served on 84 Sqn RAF in Cyprus it was really interesting to review first hand flying activities during these times of conflict.A really nice short story. ... Read more

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Southern Anatolia, 260 AD. The town of Edessa, a Roman outpost, is on its last legs, besieged by the Persian troops of Shapur I. Roman Emperor Licinius Valerianus agrees to meet his adversary to draw up a peace treaty, but it is only a trap and the Emperor and his twelve guards are chained and dragged away to work as prisoners in a solitary Persian turquoise mine. After months of forced labour the Emperor dies, but his guards make a daring escape lead by the heroic and enigmatic chief, Marcus Metellus Aquila. They meet a mysterious, exiled Chinese Prince, Dan Qing, and agree to safeguard his journey home to reconquest his throne from his mortal enemy, a eunuch named Wei. Thus begins the adventures of the Romans and the Prince as they journey to China. There they will discover that they aren't the first of their kind to arrive in China: they were preceded centuries before by the survivors of the 'lost legion'. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

entertaining
Not the best the book I have read of Manfredi, but entertaining. Under the veil of fiction it reviews a hypothetical incursion of a few Romans in the Chinese Empire. For better books of Manfredi read Alexander.

Author had nice idea for the novel
Nice historical novel. Small comparison of Imperian Roman Empire and China under Han dynasty can be easily found in this book. When the action of this novel takes place in China it is clearly seen that Manfredi likes fantasy-like motifs, which he gently introduced to his book. The idea for this novel was really ambitious, but not all of its elements work properly. This book shows that you cannot be a master in every subject. Nice read.

I spent a whole sunday reading it and it was worthwhile !
I think that if you take it as a novel it's great.

As far as entertainment is concerned I liked it.

I did have a good time reading it.

Half-half
Undoubtedly the author is familiar with Roman and Persian history, but not Chinese. My reading pace was always interrupted when I found the differences between the history mentioned in the book and Chinese history in my mind.

"Da Qin" is how ancient Chinese called Rome. It mean "great Qin", implied that Rome was strong and civilized like the Qin Dynasty of China(221BC-207BC). The story said Prince Dan Qin explained "Da Qin" means "The West", this is not correct. There is another name for Rome "Hai Xi", which means "the west of the sea".

The story mentioned that China was in the three-kingdom period. If so, Han dynasty was already destroyed, there is no more prince of Han. One of the three kingdoms was "Shu", the emperor of Shu was a distant relative of Han's emperors, but not the heir of Han's royal family.

The Romans of the story were brought to Luo Yang - Capital of Han Dynasty, and the capital of the Kingdom of Wei, one of the kingdoms in the three-kingdom period. The emperior of Wei is not the same blood of Han, and the life or death of Wei's emperor has no relation with Dan Qin (The story mentioned Dan Qin's father died and the man named "Wei" kept the secret, implied that his father died in the city of Luo Yang).

[...]

I think this story somehow represents how an Italian views China - full of secrete societies and Ninja-like people playing Kungfu (although Ninjas are from Japan), and women are like Zhan Zi-Yi in Croching Tigers and Hidden Dragon.

Manfredi at his near-worst
When Manfredi writes fiction about the ancient Greeks and Romans, the result can be entertaining and even quite powerful, as in THE LAST LEGION, TYRANT, and THE TALISMAN OF TROY. When he attempts to write modern-dress thrillers, the result is so awful as to be unreadable (THE ORACLE, THE TOWER). This novel starts well, with the dramatic capture of the Roman emperor Valerius by the Persians, and as long as Manfredi stays grounded in Roman history the story hums along. But when he takes our hero to China, the story completely bogs down. Manfredi's images and ideas about ancient China seem to come straight out of martial arts movies, and his tendency to melodrama runs wild. Here's a sentence to stop you cold: "Baj Renji could very easily imagine the monsters that were crouching in the apparently immobile swamp of the eunuch's soul." Crouching tiger, hidden gonads? I admire Manfredi's ambition to tell such a far-flung story, but with this yarn he bit off more than he could chew. ... Read more

Product Description
This remarkable edition features a newly edited text of Richard III based on one of the earliest printed texts of the play, along with detailed notes and performance annotations. An integrated audio CD showcases the deeper understanding and enjoyment from the power of performance.

Hear…Read…See:
-- Hear recordings of great contemporary and historical performances of key scenes from the play.
-- Read and see how a modern cast approaches the play, from interviews with the actors.
--See inside the stage experience through production notes and photos from stage productions and movie adaptations

Narrated by Sir Derek Jacobi

Edited by William Proctor Williams
... Read more

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A selection of fictional murders committed by reason of love and hate - crimes passionnel. Stories: Mad / de Maupassant First Hate / Algernon Blackwood A Double Tragedy / Louisa M. Alcott Inside Information / Stephen Phillips Who Killed Zebedee? / Wilkie Collins ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Oh dear........
Great story, but did not like the narration at all. Derek Jacobi is fine doing In The Night Garden, but on this audio, his voice sounds annoying with a most irritating way of speaking words with a 'ka' sound, like 'quality' or 'queue'. Whenever he articulated a word beginning with a hard c or a k or a q, I cringed at the sound. It sounded like he was overproducing saliva and was spitting when he talked or that he was hacking up phlegm whenever he pronounced certain words. I've noticed how some older people sound like this when they talk and it isn't pleasant to listen to. The Mind Robber really needed someone younger or who sounds young, to read it, and Derek Jacobi just sounds too old. It was particularly noticeable on disc two and three. The first one was ok, the fourth bearable and the fifth disc was all right and I was able to just concentrate on the story and try and ignore the irritations his voice caused to my listening experience.

I've heard some excellently narrated audiobooks in the range of Doctor Who Target books novelisations, namely from the likes of Peter Davison (Castrovalva), David Troughton (Abominable Snowmen) Katy Manning (The Three Doctors) Rula Lenska (The Happiness Patrol), Tom Baker (Pyramids of Mars), Nerys Hughes (Awakening) but this was a major letdown. I loved the tv episodes of The Mind Robber and was looking forwards to this audiobook version, but was very disappointed with it and usually I find these audios most satisfying. I wish they could have got Frazer Hines or Wendy Padbury to read this, or even David Troughton as he is excellent at doing the 2nd Doctor's voice, but please, not Derek Jacobi for any more or it would put me off buying.

Best experienced as a TV serial
One of the most unusual of the stories of the second Doctor (played by Patrick Troughton), this is Peter Ling's adaptation of his own TV serial.

This book varies slightly from the original version: on TV, it followed on directly from 'The Dominators' with a volcanic eruption on the planet Dulkis.In the novel, the TARDIS crew are present at the eruption of Mount Vesuvius (an era far better explored in the audio play 'Fires of Vulcan').Using an emergency unit that pushes the TARDIS out of reality, the travellers find themselves in a white void where something tries to lure them out...

They find themselves in a strange land, populated by characters from myth and literature.And the ruler of this land has plans for the Doctor.

While the story is OK in this novelised form, the original story is so striking that this effort pales in comparison.Watch the video, and perhaps read this book as a second choice. ... Read more

Product Description
A treasure-chest of the written and spoken word, this collection is read by brilliant actors who make this audio anthology a genuine treat for the listener. Includes tales by Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling, Edgar Allen Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Arthur Conan Doyle, and more: Reginald on House Parties by Saki; The Sphinx Without a Secret by Oscar Wilde; Tobermory by Saki; On Being Idle by Jerome K. Jerome; For Better or Worse by W. W. Jacobs; The Model Millionaire by Oscar Wilde; The Garden of Truth by E. Nesbit; The Cat That Walked by Himself by Rudyard Kipling; The Girl from Arles by Alphonse Daudet; Mr. & Mrs. Dove by Katherine Mansfield; Georgie Porgie by Rudyard Kipling; Caterpillars by E. F. Benson; Lost Hearts by M. R. James; Ship to Tarshish by John Buchan; The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe; The Man of the Night by Edgar Wallace; Dr. Heidegger's Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne; B 24 by Arthur Conan Doyle; Pat Hobby & Orson Welles by F. Scott Fitzgerald; Mad by Guy de Maupassant; The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe; and The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacobs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Not for animal lovers.
The product per se is good. Many stories from many authors. Some readers are excellent, great voices and skill in reading, some stories are awsome, like Idol. But there are some stories that describe such animal brutality that I had to skip. Edgar Alan Poe (which I loved as a teen) had to be mad, too grusom, too cruel. Some stories are interesting. Your choice.

deception at its BEST
These are only parts of stories.....I was lead to believe that they were complete works.Very disappointing.

Good Stories for a Long Drive

My wife and I listened to these stories on and off during our 12 hour drive from upstate New York to central Florida.They were highly entertaining and made the time pass quickly on what could have been a boring drive.We still have two discs to listen to on our way back to New York state.These may not be your cup of tea as most are read with a British accent, but the accent adds to the mood of the story.

We really liked this audio book and consider it well worth the money.

philip noble
The Amazon advertisement was misleading in that it indicated that two different CD's were available to form the 22 classic stories. When the CD's arrived there were two copies of the same CD.Whilst Amazon have 'offered' part recompense for thier 'misleading' advertisement it is an unviable proposition when considering the cost of returning the 2nd copy of the CD. I will not be purchasing from Amazon or the internet in the future. Phil Noble

Definitely GREAT Classics
The 22 Stories are:
Reginald on House Parties - Saki
The Sphinx without a Secret - Oscar Wilde
Tobermory - Saki
On Being Idle - Jerome K Jerome
The Model Millionaire -Oscar Wilde
The Garden of Truth - E. Nesbit
The Cat that Walked by Himself - Rudyard Kipling
The Girl from Arles - Alphonse Daudet
Mr. & Mrs. Dove - Katherine Mansfield
Georgie Porgie - Rudyard Kipling
Caterpillars - E.F. Benton
Lost Hearts - MR James
Ship to Tarshish - John Buchan
The Tell-Tale Heart - Edgar Allan Poe
The Man of the Night - Edgar Wallace
Dr. Heidegger's Experiment - Nathaniel Hawthorne
B 24 - Arthur Conan Doyle
Pat Hobby & Orson Welles - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Mad - Guy de Maupassant
The Black Cat - Edgar Allan Poe
The Monkey's Paw - WW Jacobs

Each short story lasts from a range of about 10 to about 45 minutes for a total of 7.5 hours.6 discs with 3-5 narrations per disc.All narrators are British actors who read each story in character voices (like anything, some better than others - but all still enjoyable).The BBC did do an excellent job of selecting interesting short stories from its selection of Classics.I enjoyed all of them, even when there were occasional British or period phrases or places that were referenced in the tales with which I was unfamiliar.These vivid tales of human psychology were filled with interesting characters really made my lengthy daily drive to work less painful.
... Read more

Product Description
Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Ian Mckellen, Derek Jacobi, Michael Gambon, Mark Rylance, Jerusalem. Excerpt:Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi , CBE (pronounced / d æk bi/ ; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor and film director . A "forceful, commanding stage presence", Jacobi has enjoyed a highly successful stage career, appearing in such stage productions as Hamlet , Uncle Vanya , Oedipus the King , and received a Tony Award for his performance in Much Ado About Nothing . His stage work also includes playing notable historical figures such as Edward II , Octavius Caesar , Richard III of England , and Cyrano de Bergerac . As well as holding the distinction of being a founder member of the Royal National Theatre and winning several prestigious theatre awards, Jacobi has also enjoyed a successful television career, appearing in the critically praised adaptation I, Claudius for which he won a BAFTA , the titular role in the acclaimed medieval drama series Brother Cadfael , Stanley Baldwin in The Gathering Storm . Despite principally being a stage actor, Jacobi has appeared in a diverse number of films such as Henry V , Gladiator , Gosford Park , The Golden Compass and Hippie Hippie Shake . Like Laurence Olivier , he bears the distinction of holding two knighthoods, Danish and British. Early life Jacobi, an only child, was born in Leytonstone , London, England, the son of Daisy Gertrude (née Masters), a secretary who worked in a drapery store in Leyton High Road, and Alfred George Jacobi, who ran a sweet shop and was a tobacconist in Chingford . His great-grandfather emigrated to England from Germany during the 19th century. His family was working class . Although a war baby, he claims a happy childhood. In his teens he went to the Leyton County High School and became an integral part of the drama club... ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Richard D'oyly Carte, David Garrick, Derek Jacobi, Squire Bancroft, Rupert D'oyly Carte, Bill Kenwright, Bridget D'oyly Carte, George Grossmith, Jr., George Edwardes, Paul Gregg, Helen Carte, Marc Sinden, Seymour Hicks, Pete Shaw, Edward Gordon Craig, Thomas S. Hamblin, Cameron Mackintosh, Emily Soldene, George Devine, John Palmer, Lilian Baylis, Sadie Frost, Richard Eyre, Effie Bancroft, Frank Curzon, Kate Santley, Eddie Kulukundis, Michael Maddox, Annie Horniman, Michael G. Wilson, Robert Evett, Selina Dolaro, Thomas German Reed, Charles Mathews, H. G. Pelissier, Nicholas Hytner, William Greet, John Gore, George Alexander, William Donaldson, Charles Hawtrey, Susan Baskervile, Robert Courtneidge, David Ian, Richard Barry, 7th Earl of Barrymore, Brian Brolly, Anthony Smee, Peter Saunders, Robert Fox, Andre Ptaszynski, Frank Benson, Barbara Broccoli, Mrs. John Wood, David Aukin, Lucia Elizabeth Vestris, John Clements, Vivian Van Damm, Larry Parnes, Giles Ramsay, Imogen Lloyd Webber, Charles Dillon, Nigel Playfair, Mary Anne Keeley, Alec Clunes, Frederic Lloyd, Peter Cotes, David James, Frederic Reynolds, John Christie, Neil Mcpherson, Peter Bayley, Edgar Lansbury, Olga Nethersole, Benjamin Nottingham Webster, Tate Wilkinson, Bonnie Lythgoe, Jeremy Meadow, Dominic Madden, Donald Albery, Frederick Henry Yates, Laura Henderson, Alfred Bunn, Robert Copeland, Jonathan James-Moore, Harold Fielding, Charles Fleetwood, William Robert Copeland, Eamonn Andrews Studios, Bronson Albery, William Penkethman. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 406. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Richard D'Oyly Carte (3 May 1844 3 April 1901) was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era. Rising from humble beginni...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=45416 ... Read more

Product Description
Farmer Giles did not look like a hero: he was fat, and red-bearded, and enjoyed a slow, comfortable life. However, when a rather deaf and short sighted giant blundered on to his land, Farmer Giles did manage, more by luck than skill, to scare him away. The people of the village cheered: Farmer Giles was a hero, and his reputation spread far and wide, so it was only natural that when the dragon Chrysophylax visited the area it was Farmer Giles who was expected to do battle ... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Tolkien
Loved it, loved it, loved it!

Highly recommended for Tolkien fans. His style of writing remains true and the story is a ton of fun.

Worth every penny!

A Delightful Collection of Stories For Kids of Every Age
The first of the three stories in this collection is adelightful fairy tale set in the days when giants anddragons were the enemies and twonspeople like Farmer Giles were the heroes. Derek Jacobi does a superb job performing not only as the farmer himself and his wife, but also the couple's dog and the rest of the characters. One would not also not expect to find a dragon with as colorful a name as Chrysopholax, since the last time I met a dragon in one of Tolkein's stories, it was Smaug, and he casually remarkedto hobbit Bilbo Baggins,''I don't remember smelling youbefore!'' The other two tales in this collection are Smith of Wooton Major,and Leaf by Niggle. Knowing what a magnificent job Derek Jacobi has done bringing Shakespeare to life and proving to most of us that Shakespeare was meant to be enjoyed by everyone, you can rest assured inthe thought that he has done a similar, exemplary feat with Tolkein! I own, by the way, two other stories written by Tolkein and narrated by Jacobi himself--Letters From Father Christmas andRoverandom. Do yourself a favor and indulge your innerchild with these stories!

A worthy reader of a worthy book
"Farmer Giles of Ham" is vintage Tolkien encapsulated. Ham is a farmer who owns a cowardly dog named Gorm. The two of them set out to dispose of a dragon named Chrysophylax who is terrorizing the shire. They do defeat Chrysophylax, but how? Well, you have to listen to Sir DerekJacobi (best known in the USA as the stammering Emperor Claudius in theMasterpiece Theatre series of the '70s; also as Brother Cadfael in TheCadfael Mysteries) read you the story, as he does with the same elegance hebrings to all his performances. Sir Derek is a true master of the spokenword. The combination of a writer like Professor Tolkien and a reader likeSir Derek is truly rare and wonderful. And the delight does not stop with"Farmer Giles"; the stories in this little book abound withimagination and excellence. ... Read more

Product Description
Eighteenth-century London, and architect Nicholas Dyer is commissioned to build several new churches.Two hundred and fifty years later the legacy of the past lives on, as CID Detective Nicholas Hawksmoor investigates a series of macabre murders on the sites of certain eighteenth-century churches. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Interesting but Somewhat Pointless
I am a mystery fan who recently read Hawksmoor so that this review is from the perspective of a mystery fan. As has been pointed out, the book revolves around two parallel stories, one in the eighteenth century and one in the "present" (about 20 years ago). The eighteenth century part of the book is written in first person and the writing for this part of the book is well done. The use of eighteenth century English really helps one feel the mood of post-plague London. It is a bit difficult to follow in some places, but the effort is worth the time. One the other hand, the writing for the "present" part of the book is not nearly as well done. Much of the dialogue is awkward, and the plot is rather thin. Ackroyd also has an annoying habit of making the parallelism between the two stories very very obvious. It seems that on every other page he seems to be screaming at you: "Remember these two stories are parallel!". O.K., I get it already! I was also amazed at how Ackroyd becomes so wrapped up in attempting to use pretentious writing, that he seems to lose his common sense. At one point, Ackroyd makes a comment that time passes like points on a balloon the is being blown up, his point being that all of the points on the balloon move away from each other at the same rate. The problem is that this is not true! The points on the neck of the balloon stay relatively close whereas points on the other end of the balloon move away from each other at a much faster rate.
However, my main disappointment with the book is the plot for the "present" part of the story. Not only is the plot thin, but the ending leaves one wondering if the last chapter of the book was truncated. I would have been much happier just reading the eighteenth century part of the book by itself.

Evocative foundation on historical London, but little else
I have been trying to read this book, on and off, for nearly ten years.The time could have been put to better use.

Ackroyd does an admirable job of evoking post-plague London in both sense-detail and in diction, style, and vagarities of spelling.But his modern London, and the detective who gives his name to the title, are flat, expressionless, and - worse yet - ring false.The detective portion of the novel is especially ineffective, and the police procedures depicted seem shallow and poorly researched.Above all else, the quest for evil, if there was one, was transparent to this reader.

The chapters set in London-past are what drives the two stars in this review.Alas, better depictions of the historical city and its people can be found in any of Neil Gaiman's 'Sandman' graphic novels.

A Masterpiece!!!
This is the book that turned me on to Peter Ackroyd.A brilliant work!

Very confusing, surreal tale..
"Hawksmoor" by Peter Ackroyd was the first one I read by him, and I almost didn't want to read another.I can see from previous reviews that opinion was mixed.I did like what Ackroyd attempted: a story with an eighteenth century feel( The language in that part got on my nerves after a while) with an interesting antihero at the center.The premise that Nicolas Dyer, who designed churches, was a Satanist is both ironic and very original.That is one of the few strong points in the novel.The police detective who is investigating a series of murder is also interesting.Basically, he discovers that the killings are supernatural and echo Dyer's murders years before.The ending was what ruined the whole novel.What was the point of it?So Dyer and Hawksmoor are staring at each other through time, is in a mirror?

London is Life
This was the first Ackroyd novel I read and I was hooked.The ability to bring together past and present, to suggest how a city lives us, is superb.But even more so is his ability to fascinate us with things like architectural details.True, the plot didn't make a lot of sense.It was not until I read his biography of More that I realized that the true protagonist of all Ackroyd's works is the City of London and Westminster and the true theme of all his novels is how place defines and shapes us.By the time he published London: A Biography, I was half expecting the work given all his previous books.But I wonder what he makes of Thatcher's and Blair's destruction of London through a combination of market fundametalism and Disneyland.I suppose, given the last chapter of London, he thinks London will simply absorb and transform them.
If nothing else, readers of this novel will never look upon the places in which they live in the same way again. ... Read more

Product Description
8 CDs, 9 hours

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Customer Reviews (13)

Great Poem, Good Audiobook, Bad Track Listing
The Fagles translation of The Iliad is my favorite by far, and Sir Derek Jacobi's reading of the poem - though abridged - is quite powerful.It is clearly listed as "Abridged," so I wasn't surprised to find more tedious things missing, such as the repetitive details and the cataloguing of ships... but I was disappointed that Books V and X were done away with so completely - Diomedes doesn't fight the gods, nor do he and Odysseus go marauding into the night.The cuts made are cleanly done, as I think another reviewer mentioned, so if you'd never read The Iliad, you might not know what you were missing at all.It was entertaining, and my only wish as far as the product itself would be that they'd make an unabridged version of it.

The only real complaint I have is in regards to the track listing.I'm not sure what happened here, but the track listing is waaaaaay off and makes no sense at all.For instance, one of the discs has only 7 tracks, but in the booklet it says there should be 9 tracks; another disc is supposed to begin with an Introduction (which is really just a summary of the previous chapter in the book itself, which was cut) but instead begins in the middle of a book, right where the previous disc left off; still another disc has tracks listed completely out of synch from what is actually on the CD itself - the booklet says one of the tracks contains a reading of only 14 lines, while the next track supposedly contained over 200 lines... when I listened to them, the two tracks were actually divided fairly evenly.

Hard to follow along with a book
My daughter is listening to this while she is reading from the Homer, Iliad translated by Robert Fangles and she is totally upset that so much is skipped and it isn't labled will, so it is very difficult to follow along with a book. She is reading this book for school. (homeschool) I really wish that the CD's would lable what is on each one and what chapter they are reading.

The ground is dark with blood
With many books, translations are negligible, with two obvious exceptions, one is the Bible, and surprisingly the other is The Iliad. Each translation can give a different insight and feel to the story. Everyone will have a favorite. I have several.

For example:

"Rage--Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles,
Murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses,
hurling down to the House of Death so many souls,
great fighters' souls. But made their bodies carrion,
feasts for dogs and birds,
and the will of Zeus was moving towards its end.
Begin, Muse, when the two first broke and clashed,
Agamemnon lord of men and brilliant Achilles."
-Translated by Robert Fagles

"Sing, O Goddess, the anger of Achilles, son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a heroes did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures for so were the counsels of Zeus fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles first fell out with one another."
-Translated by Samuel Butler

"Rage:
Sing, Goddess, Achilles' rage,
Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks
Incalculable pain pitched countless souls
Of heroes into Hades' dark,
And let their bodies rot as feasts
For dogs and birds, as Zeus' will was done.
Begin with the clash between Agamemnon--
The Greek Warlord--and godlike Achilles."
-Translated by Stanley Lombardo

"Anger be now your song, immortal one,
Akhilleus' anger, doomed and ruinous,
that caused the Akhaians loss on bitter loss
and crowded brave souls into the undergloom,
leaving so many dead men--carrion
for dogs and birds; and the will of Zeus was done.
Begin it when the two men first contending
broke with one another--
the Lord Marshal Agamémnon, Atreus' son, and Prince Akhilleus."
-Translated by Translated by Robert Fitzgerald

"Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus' son of Achilleus and its devastation, which puts pains thousandfold upon the Achains,
hurled in the multitudes to the house of Hades strong souls of heroes, but gave their bodies to be the delicate feasting of dogs, of all birds, and the will of Zeus was accomplished since that time when first there stood the division of conflict Atrecus' son the lord of men and brilliant Achilleus."
-Translated by Richmond Lattimore

You will find that some translations are easier to read but others are easier to listen to on recordings, lectures, Kindle, and the like.

Our story takes place in the ninth year of the ongoing war. We get some introduction to the first nine years but they are just a background to this tale of pride, sorrow and revenge. The story will also end abruptly before the end of the war.

We have the wide conflict between the Trojans and Achaeans over a matter of pride; the gods get to take sides and many times direct spears and shields.

Although the more focused conflict is the power struggle between two different types of power. That of Achilles, son of Peleus and the greatest individual warrior and that of Agamemnon, lord of men, whose power comes form position.

We are treated to a blow by blow inside story as to what each is thinking and an unvarnished description of the perils of war and the search for Arête (to be more like Aries, God of War.)

Troy - The Director's Cut [Blu-ray]

Okay, if you don't mind not getting what you paid for.
It skips, it's mislabled, it misses parts that it claims to include...otherwise the reading is excellent.Perhaps it was my copy...I don't know.

Hearing the Classic
This recording is an awesome presentation of THE ILIAD. Derek Jacobi does
and excellent job. The Iliad is suppose to be heard, not necessarily read. This CD is well worth the price. I listened to half of it on a trip and it was enthralling! jdm ... Read more