O Captain! My Captain!
One’s Self I Sing
Robert Burns poetry
Robert Bruce’s March to Bannockburn (text and audio reading)
Green Grow the Rushes (modernized version, Celtic Woman)
Flow Gently Sweet Afton by Robert Burns (You Tube video, including lyrics)
To a Louse by Robert Burns (eText and You Tube video)
To a Mouse by Robert Burns (You Tube video with embedded text)
Auld Lang Syne (You tube video with embedded text)
My Love is like a Red, Red Rose (song and e-Text)
Editing Burns for the 21st century has updated audio renditions of several Burns poems
The Story of the Greeks by H. A. Guerber
Summary: This book is a collection of stories and histories about the Ancient Greeks, including many of their famous myths! – (Summary by Ann Boulais for Librivox)
Running time: 7:35
The Found of Many Important Cities
Blindness and Death of Oedipus
The Death of Hector and Achilles
Destruction of the Persian Host
The Advance of the Second Host
The Battles of Salamis and Plataea
Beginning of the Peloponnesian War
The Overthrow of the Thirty Tyrants
The Retreat of the Ten Thousand
Under Drake’s Flag by G. A. Henty
Summary:?An exciting tale set on the high seas, in a period ruled by exploration, with the ever-present dangers of nature and the weather, together with pirates of the famed Spanish Main. – (Summary by Lynne Thompson for Librivox)
Running Time:10:41
Wulf the Saxon by G. A. Henty
Summary: Wulf the Saxon is a classic George Henty tale of nobility, loyalty and courage set in 11th century Britain. It relates the adventures of Wulf, a young, but extremely capable Saxon Thane. Wulf with his friends and servitors devote their lives to the service of Harold Godwinson, both before and after he becomes king of England. They are directly involved in capturing castles, rescuing shipwreck survivors, foiling assassination attempts and entering the terrible battles at Stamford Bridge and Senlac field by Hastings. The background of the novel is set in the stormy period prior to the Norman conquest of Britain and the story centers around real people and events, even offering a historically correct and lucid insight to the intrigues surrounding the religious and political alliances which led to the events of 1066; an absolute turning point in England’s history. (courtesy of Librivox)
Running time: 12:12
With Clive in India by G. A. Henty
Summary:?With Clive in India gives a vivid picture of the wonderful events of the ten years, which at their commencement saw Madras in the hands of the French–Calcutta at the mercy of the Nabob of Bengal–and English influence apparently at the point of extinction in India–and which ended in the final triumph of the English, both in Bengal and Madras. There were yet great battles to be fought, great efforts to be made, before the vast Empire of India fell altogether into British hands; but these were but the sequel of the events described. (Summary by G. A. Henty).
Running time: 13:33
The The “Black Hole” of Calcutta
The Young Carthaginian by G. A. Henty
Summary:?Typically, Henty’s heroes are boys of pluck in troubled times, and this is no different. Detailed research is embellished with a vivid imagination, especially in this novel set in the Punic wars, about which knowledge is limited: “…certainly we had but a hazy idea as to the merits of the struggle and knew but little of its events, for the Latin and Greek authors, which serve as the ordinary textbooks in schools, do not treat of the Punic wars. That it was a struggle for empire at first, and latterly one for existence on the part of Carthage, that Hannibal was a great and skilful general, that he defeated the Romans at Trebia, Lake Trasimenus, and Cannae, and all but took Rome, and that the Romans behaved with bad faith and great cruelty at the capture of Carthage, represents, I think, pretty nearly the sum total of our knowledge. ” (from the preface)
The Curse of Carne’s Hold by G. A. Henty
Summary: When Ronald Mervyn from Devonshire is falsely accused of murder he emigrates to South Africa. He takes part in the Kaffir war and during this time he rescues a family from death. The family then return to England and try to establish Ronald’s innocence. (Summary by Michele Eaton for Librivox)
Download whole book as a zipped file
Running time: 11:26
True Stories of Wonderful Deeds by anonymous
Summary:?These one page Stories of (mostly) Wonderful Deeds were written for Little Folk to teach them about famous incidents in their history. Bonnie Prince Charlie, Nelson and Hardy, Bruce and the Spider, David Livingston, Canute, Sir Philip Sydney, and Elizabeth and Raleigh are just some of the well known people and incidents covered in short stories. (Summary by Phil Chenevert for Librivox)
05 – Queen Victoria and her Soldiers
10 – The Charge of the Light Brigade
11 – The Coronation of King Edward VII
16 – King Alfred and the Cakes
27 – Queen Margaret and the Robbers
33 – Cromwell and his Ironsides
The Young Trailers: A Story of Early Kentucky by Joseph A. Altsheler
Summary:?This is the story of Henry Ware, a young boy living in the wilds of the Kentucky frontier of the 1700’s. The story follows Henry as he helps to establish a frontier outpost, is captured by an Indian tribe, and ultimately ensures the safety and security of a band of settlers against the warring Shawnee Indians. The Young Trailers is action packed and brings to life the adventures that awaited the early settlers as they traversed into the endless forests of the American frontier. (Summary by Adam E. Maroney for Librivox)
True Stories from History and Biography by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Summary:?In writing this ponderous tome, the author’s desire has been to describe the eminent characters and remarkable events of our annals, in such a form and style, that the YOUNG might make acquaintance with them of their own accord. For this purpose, while ostensibly relating the adventures of a Chair, he has endeavored to keep a distinct and unbroken thread of authentic history. The Chair is made to pass from one to another of those personages, of whom he thought it most desirable for the young reader to have vivid and familiar ideas, and whose lives and actions would best enable him to give picturesque sketches of the times. On its sturdy oaken legs, it trudges diligently from one scene to another, and seems always to thrust itself in the way, with most benign complacency, whenever a historical personage happens to be looking round for a seat. – Summary from Preface by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Download whole book as a zipped file
Running time: 11:39
Part 1, Chapter 2 The Lady Arbella
Part 1, Chapter 3 The Red Cross
Part 1, Chapter 6 The Pine-tree Shillings
Part 1, Chapter 8 The Indian Bible
Part 1, Chapter 10 The Sunken Treasure
Part 2, Chapter 3 The Old-fashioned School
Part 2, Chapter 5 The Rejected Blessing
Part 2, Chapter 7 The Provincial Muster
Part 2, Chapter 8 The Acadian Exiles
Part 3, Chapter 3 The Hutchinson Mob
Part 3, Chapter 5 The Boston Massacre
Part 3, Chapter 9 The Tory’s Farewell
Part 3, Chapter 11 Grandfather’s Dream
Biographical Stories, Chapter 1
Biographical Stories, Chapter 2 Benjamin West
Biographical Stories, Chapter 3 Sir Isaac Newton
Biographical Stories, Chapter 4 Samuel Johnson
Biographical Stories, Chapter 5 Samuel Johnson, continued
Biographical Stories, Chapter 6 Oliver Cromwell
Biographical Stories, Chapter 7 Benjamin Franklin
Biographical Stories, Chapter 8 Benjamin Franklin, continued
The Child’s Book of American Biography by Mary Stoyell Stimpson
In every country there have been certain men and women whose busy lives have made the world better or wiser. The names of such are heard so often that every child should know a few facts about them. It is hoped the very short stories told here may make boys and girls eager to learn more about these famous people. (from the Forward of the text)
Whole book (zip file)Download
Subscribe by iTunes
Run time: 4:43
01 – Forward and George Washington
19 – Samuel Finley Breese Morse
20 – William Hickling Prescott
24 – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Historic Adventures: Tales from American History by Rupert S. Holland
Whole book (zip file)Download
Subscribe by iTunes
Run time: 7:04
02 – The Great Journey of Lewis and Clark, part 1
03 – The Great Journey of Lewis and Clark, part 2
04 – The Conspiracy of Aaron Burr
05 – How the Young Republic Fought the Barbary Pirates, part 1
06 – How the Young Republic Fought the Barbary Pirates, part 2
07 – The Fate of Lovejoy’s Printing-Press
08 – How Marcus Whitman Saved Oregon
09 – How the Mormons Came to Settle Utah
10 – The Golden Days of ‘Forty-Nine
11 – How the United States Made Friends with Japan
12 – The Pig that Almost Caused a War
Historic Boyhoods by Rupert S. Holland
Most boys grow up to be honest, maybe even good, men, but do not stand out from the crowd. Occasionally, along comes a boy who is destined, either by character or circumstance, to make his mark on the world. In this work are included 21 biographical sketches of boys who became famous in the arts, affairs of state or exploration and discovery. Historical fact is blended with surmise and imagination to bring these boyhoods alive. – Summary by Lynne Thompson for Librivox
Whole book (zip file)Download
Subscribe by iTunes
Run time: 6:57
Christopher Columbus The Boy of Genoa: 1446(?)-1506
Michael Angelo The Boy of the Medici Gardens: 1475-1564
Walter Raleigh The Boy of Devon: 1552-1618
Peter the Great The Boy of the Kremlin: 1672-1725
Frederick the Great The Boy of Potsdam: 1712-1788
George Washington The Boy of the Old Dominion: 1732-1799
Daniel Boone The Boy of the Frontier: 1735-1820
John Paul Jones The Boy of the Atlantic: 1747-1792
Mozart The Boy of Salzburg: 1756-1791
Lafayette The Boy of Versailles: 1757-1834
Horatio Nelson The Boy of the Channel Fleet: 1758-1805
Robert Fulton The Boy of the Conestoga: 1765-1815
Andrew Jackson The Boy of the Carolinas: 1767-1845
Napoleon Bonaparte The Boy of Brienne: 1769-1821
Walter Scott The Boy of the Canongate: 1771-1832
James Fenimore Cooper The Boy of Otsego Hall: 1789-1851
John Ericsson The Boy of the G?ta Canal: 1803-1889
Garibaldi The Boy of the Mediterranean: 1807-1882
Abraham Lincoln The Boy of the American Wilderness: 1809-1865
Historic Girlhoods Volume I by Rupert S. Holland
Biographical sketches of ten girls who became famous before becoming women – some not even making it to womanhood. From Joan of Arc to Catherine d’Medici; from Catherine the Great to Pocahontas. These inspirational stories will be of interest to young people and show what determination and luck can achieve. – Summary by Lynne Thompson for Librivox
Whole book (zip file)Download
Subscribe by iTunes
Run time: 3:45
St. Catherine The Girl of Siena: 1347-1380
Joan of Arc The Girl of Domremy: 1412-1431
Vittoria Colonna The Girl of Ischia: 1490-1547
Catherine de’ Medici The Girl of Medi?val Italy: 1519-1589
Lady Jane Grey The Girl of Tudor England: 1537-1554
Mary Queen of Scots The Girl of the French Court: 1542-1587
Pocahontas The Girl of the Virginia Woods: 1595-1617
Priscilla Alden The Girl of Plymouth: About 1604?after 1680
Florence Nightingale The Angel of the Crimea by Laura E. Richards
One evening, some time after the great Crimean War of 1854-55, a company of military and naval officers met at dinner in London. They were talking over the war, as soldiers and sailors love to do, and somebody said: “Who, of all the workers in the Crimea, will be longest remembered?” Each guest was asked to give his opinion on this point, and each one wrote a name on a slip of paper. There were many slips, but when they came to be examined there was only one name, for every single man had written “Florence Nightingale.” Every English boy and girl knows the beautiful story of Miss Nightingale’s life. Indeed, hers is perhaps the best-loved name in England since good Queen Victoria died. It will be a great pleasure to me to tell this story to our own boys and girls in this country; and it shall begin, as all proper stories do, at the beginning. – Summary by the author
Whole book (zip file)Download
Subscribe by iTunes
Run time: 3:24
George Washington by Calista McCabe Courtenay
In this biography for young people, Calista McCabe Courtenay takes the reader from George Washington the surveyor to his early military career, first as a colonel in the Virgina militia and then as a member of General Braddock’a staff during the French and Indian War. He later commanded the Virginia forces before joining the First Continental Congress. Much of the book is devoted to his campaigns during the American Revolution. At the end, we see him as President for two terms. (Summary by Bill Boerst for Librivox)
Whole book (zip file)Download
Subscribe by iTunes
Run time: 2:03
History Plays for the Grammar Grades by Mary Ella Lyng
Whole book (zip file)Download
Subscribe by iTunes
Run time: 1:32
The Story of Abraham Lincoln by Mary Agnes Hamilton
Summary:?In this biography for young adults, Mary A. Hamilton gives a British person?s perspective on the 16th President of the United States. A glowing tribute to ?Honest Abe?, the author traces Lincoln?s ancestral roots and recounts his birth in Kentucky, his youth in Indiana, his adult life in Illinois and his years in the White House. She also provides a good background on the causes and course of the American Civil War.?
Hamilton is not always historically precise. For example, she erroneously names Jefferson Davis as the Southern Democratic candidate for president running against Lincoln and Douglas in 1860 rather than John C. Breckinridge. However, overall ?The Story of Abraham Lincoln? is a good summarization and interesting account of the life, values and politics of Lincoln.?
Cautions: Chapter 7 contains a single use of an epithet for African-Americans in a quotation from a British magazine. Chapter 8 ends with an example of a stereotypical Southern black dialect which many may find offensive. (Summary by John Lieder for Librivox.)
Whole book (zip file)Download
Subscribe by iTunes
Run time: 2:37
The Story of Young Abraham Lincoln by Wayne Whipple
Summary:?This is a careful and fascinating collection of interviews with people who knew Lincoln as a boy and young man. A glimpse into the type of person he was from the very beginning. “All the world loves a lover”?and Abraham Lincoln loved everybody. With all his brain and brawn, his real greatness was in his heart. He has been called “the Great-Heart of the White House,” and there is little doubt that more people have heard about him than there are who have read of the original “Great-Heart” in “The Pilgrim’s Progress.” Indeed, it is safe to say that more millions in the modern world are acquainted with the story of the rise of Abraham Lincoln from a poorly built log cabin to the highest place among “the seats of the mighty,” than are familiar with the Bible story of Joseph who arose and stood next to the throne of the Pharaohs.A new story is told by a dear old lady, who did not wish her name given, about herself when she was a little girl, when a “drove of lawyers riding the old Eighth Judicial District of Illinois,” came to drink from a famous cold spring on her father’s premises. She described the uncouth dress of a tall young man, asking her father who he was, and he replied with a laugh, “Oh, that’s Abe Lincoln.” One day in their rounds, as the lawyers came through the front gate, a certain judge, whose name the narrator refused to divulge, knocked down with his cane her pet doll, which was leaning against the fence. The little girl cried over this contemptuous treatment of her “child.” Young Lawyer Lincoln, seeing it all, sprang in and quickly picked up the fallen doll. Brushing off the dust with his great awkward hand he said, soothingly, to the wounded little mother-heart: “There now, little Black Eyes, don’t cry. Your baby’s alive. See, she isn’t hurt a bit!” That tall young man never looked uncouth to her after that. It was this same old lady who told the writer that Lawyer Lincoln wore a new suit of clothes for the first time on the very day that he performed the oft-described feat of rescuing a helpless hog from a great deep hole in the road, and plastered his new clothes with mud to the great merriment of his legal friends. This well-known incident occurred not far from her father’s place near Paris, Illinois.These and many other real remembrances have been collected here in this book for your edification. ( The introduction and Phil Chenevert for Librivox)
Whole book (zip file)Download
Subscribe by iTunes
Run time: 5 hours
Abraham Lincoln’s Father and Mother
The Boy Lincoln’s Best Teacher
Politics, War, Storekeeping, and Studying Law
What Made the Difference Between Abraham Lincoln and His Stepbrother