Great Classic Stories: 22 Unabridged Classics [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Derek Jacobi (Author), Rosalind Ayres (Author), Joanna David (Author), Nigel Hawthorne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 2006

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.

Editorial Reviews

From AudioFile

Here we have 22 comic and dramatic short stories. Two are French, a few more American, and the majority are by British Victorian and Edwardian writers. The overall atmosphere of the volume is gothic. (Only F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Pat Hobby and Orson Welles" seems out of place.) The stories vary in familiarity, from W.W. Jacobs's relatively obscure "For Better or Worse" to the same author's overexposed "Monkey's Paw." In between are short works by Kipling, Mansfield, Poe, Hawthorne, Maupassant, and other masters. The collection boasts performances by veteran British actors-- including such audio luminaries as Derek Jacobi, Martin Jarvis, Rosalind Ayres, Stephen Fry, and the late Sir Nigel Hawthorne. The readings range from fine to superb. Not a dud in the lot. Y.R. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America; Unabridged edition (September 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572705612
• ISBN-13: 978-1572705616
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,942 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Books on CD > Literature & Fiction > Classics
  • #57 in Books > Books on CD > Literature & Fiction > Unabridged
  • #57 in Books > Books on CD > Literature & Fiction > General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely GREAT Classics, October 2, 2009

By 

DaVincis Muse (Suburb of Atlanta, Ga.) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Great Classic Stories: 22 Unabridged Classics (Audio CD)

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.

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real listening pleasure, January 27, 2007

By 

Faithful Reader, USA (Central NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Great Classic Stories: 22 Unabridged Classics (Audio CD)

I enjoy the varied readers of these English and American Gothic masterpieces.The readers have achieved a fine balance between dramatization and plain reading.

Although some of the British authors are new to me, especially the wickedly witty, Saki, I have not read several of the old Gothic American stories since high school English class, so they return as a surprise to me when heard in a more mature way now. For instance, I was driving along listening to "The Black Cat" and was so shocked at what was happening in the story that I turned it off. Then I drove for a while and realized I simply had to know what happened next, and turned it back on. To me that is a sign of great literature.

Of course, many of these short stories are not for children and the parent who complained about their content might want to pre-screen the stories her child listens to.

Hearing these stories again has been a real listening pleasure for me.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully done!!, May 7, 2008

By 

Tobermorey (Cape Cod MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Classic Stories: 22 Unabridged Classics (Audio CD)

I have read many of these stories and enjoyed them tremendously over the years. They have been brought to life in this audio series. Many of the stories kept me awake at night( Lost Hearts, The Monkey's Paw,The Tell Tale Heart)when I read them in print. The Audio version is even better. The actors chosen to narrate this collection are outstanding and give a new interpretation to these classic tales.