Vivisection is a pejorative term used by opponents of the practice of performing operations on live animals for the purpose of physiological or pathological research. While opposition to the use of living animals for experimentation is most often associated with PETA [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, founded in 1980], opposition to use of live animals in physiology research dates back several centuries. Animal experimentation was particularly decried before the (altro…)

William Caruthers was a retired newspaperman who spent 25 years listening to stories told by the inhabitants of Death Valley. This 1951 book collects those stories; the printed version has many interesting pictures. ”Of the actors who made the history of the period, few remain. It was the writer’s good fortune that many of these men were his friends. It is the romance, the comedy, the often stark tragedy these men (altro…)

An inferior devil, Pug, asks Satan to send him to Earth to tempt men to Evil. But when Pug arrives in 1616 London and sets himself at the Squire Fabian Fitzdottrel, he finds Fabian currently beset by con men, cheats, connivers, thieves, villains, and seductresses – a delightful mix of cunning criminality in a world that already has far more vice in it than anything Pug is prepared to offer. – (altro…)

L.M. Montgomery’s autobiography highlighting her childhood and early literary career. Published in 1917 after she had written several novels. – Summary by Carolyn Agee
This title is avalable for free download at: www.librivox.org.

“Birds and Nature” was a monthly publication of the Nature Study Publishing Company of Chicago. It includes short poems, anecdotes and factual descriptions of birds, animals and other natural subjects with accompanying color plates. The magazine was published from 1897-1907 under the various titles, “Birds,” “Birds and all Nature,” “Nature and Art” and “Birds and Nature.” – Summary by J. M. Smallheer
This title is avalable for free download at: www.librivox.org.

Of all the legends of bygone ages which we in the foremost ranks of time may call our own perhaps none have come to us so fraught with the spirit of lofty idealism as those which cluster about the figure of King Arthur of Britain and the mystic Quest of the Holy Grail.
In their devious wanderings down the centuries they have gradually been purified of all original coarseness while still (altro…)

Walter “Walt” Whitman was an American poet, essayist, and journalist, in addition to publishing his poetry—was a volunteer nurse during the American Civil War. Whitman’s major work, Leaves of Grass, was first published in 1855 with his own money. The work was an attempt at reaching out to the common person with an American epic. He continued expanding and revising it until his death in 1892. – Summary by Wikipedia
This (altro…)

Twelve-year-old Winter Kelland is an orphan indentured to a cold, harsh farming couple. His one bright spot is eight-year-old Vine, a neighbor girl who believes he can do great things if he can get an education. Win finally has enough of the hard life at the farm and runs away. But he discovers that even his poor life at the farm was desirable to being a half-starved tramp. At his lowest, (altro…)

The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses (1895) is the first collection of poems by Australian poet Banjo Paterson. It was released in hardback by Angus and Robertson in 1895, and features the poet’s widely anthologised poems “The Man from Snowy River”, “Clancy of the Overflow”, “Saltbush Bill” and “The Man from Ironbark”. It also contains the poet’s first two poems that featured in The Bulletin Debate, a famous dispute (altro…)

A bride-to-be vanishes and mystery is born. Before it is solved, its pursuers uncover madness, treachery, and a grave in a cellar. Summary by Jacquerie
This title is avalable for free download at: www.librivox.org.

The Precipice is a story of the romantic rivalry among three men, condemning nihilism as subverting the religious and moral values of Russia. It was originally published in 1869 in Vestnik Evropy. Later critics came to see it as the final part of a trilogy, each part introducing a character typical of Russian high society of a certain period: first Aduev (“A Common Story”), then Oblomov (“Oblomov”), and finally Raisky, a (altro…)

Water: essential for life and in much of the world, we take it for granted. In this work, Jean Thompson explains various aspects of the water cycle in simple terms, for the benefit of young readers with enquiring minds. Listeners are referred to the text for the microphotographs described.
This title is avalable for free download at: www.librivox.org.

Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless (altro…)

In this third installment from the “Ragged Dick” series by Horatio Algers, Jr., the reader is reacquainted with some old friends and meets young Mark Manton. Mark is a match boy plagued by bad luck and an even worse guardian. But, with new friends, hard work, and smart choices, Mark may just find his luck taking a turn for the better. summary by tfaulder
This title is avalable for free download at: (altro…)

Mappo lived in a tree in the jungle with his family. He is the oldest of his siblings, and very smart, which would explain why he has so many adventures! But Mappo finds himself on a very long adventure, bringing to a new land, new friends and even more adventures!
This title is avalable for free download at: www.librivox.org.

This is a little volume of old-fashioned fairy tales, collected and rewritten by Catulle Mendès and translated from the French and adapted for an American audience by TJ Vivian. This collection contains some of the most well-known fairy tales, such as the Sleeping Beauty, but also contains some tales which the listener may not be familiar with yet. There is much to discover in these pages. – Summary by Carolin
This (altro…)

Arthur Scott Bailey, a native of the state of Vermont, wrote over forty children’s books using a variety of animals, birds and even insects to entertain. The Tale of Rusty Wren is one of 16 stories of his Tuck-Me-In Tales series. – Summary by Larry Wilson
This title is avalable for free download at: www.librivox.org.

A travel journal of a year the author spent in Germany. With a preface and two additional chapters by her partner, the novelist Ford Madox Ford (here using the surname Hueffer). – Summary by barbara2
This title is avalable for free download at: www.librivox.org.

Nesse Romance Naturalista, Aluísio Azevedo, autor de origem maranhense, expõe as nuances comportamentais da classe menos privilegiada da sociedade carioca no final do século XIX. A miséria, a falta de escrúpulos e a exploração humana são alguns dos pontos trabalhados pelo escritor nessa obra até hoje influente, lida por estudantes e cobrada em exames para ingresso nas principais Universidades brasileiras. (Summary by Adriana Sacciotto)
This title is avalable for free download at: (altro…)