Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 066

Twenty short nonfiction works chosen by the readers. "Why Women Should Vote" (Jane Addams, 1910) is one of several selections devoted to women's interests, as are Martha Foote Crow's "The Young Woman on the Farm" (1910), Alice Freeman Palmer's "Three Rules for Happiness," and Myrtle Reed's recipes for "Coffee Cakes, Doughnuts, and Waffles." Tradition and belief are treated in two selections from Kierkegaard, a letter from Japan ("When the Dead Return"), a creation myth ("Sky Weds Earth"), and an essay by Mark Twain on "Mental Telegraphy." Topics in history and political theory include "The Original Draft of the Declaration of Independence," "An Audience with Abraham Lincoln," "Government" (Bastiat), "Constitutional Law" (Bentham), "War Scenes Across the Canadian Border " (1915), "Americans Lose Men in Fight in Siberia" (1919) and "Quentin Roosevelt's Last Letter Home" (1918). Sport receives its due with a history of the bicycle, while "In the Land of the Wild Yak" portrays the hardships endured by 19th century explorer Sven Hedin. Finally, "Mr. NAMIKAWA Yasuyuki's Cloisonné" celebrates the life of a Japanese artist and his exquisite enamel work. - Summary by Sue Anderson

20 episodes

The Chicago Race Riots, July 1919

Carl Sandburg's succinct reporting on and reflections upon the race riots that broke out In Chicago in July 1919. - Summary by KevinS

17 episodes

The Flowers of Shakespeare

A lovely collection of information about those flowers that appear in William Shakespeare's work. The brief chapters are categorized by the four seasons in which the flowers first appear. - Summary by KevinS

23 episodes

The Golden Book of the Dutch Navigators

This is a story of magnificent failures. The men who equipped the expeditions of which I shall tell you the story died in the poorhouse. The men who took part in these voyages sacrificed their lives as cheerfully as they lighted a new pipe or opened a fresh bottle. Some of them were drowned, and some of them died of thirst. A few were frozen to death, and many were killed by the heat of the scorching sun. But what of it? It was all in the day's work. These excellent fellows took whatever came, be it good or bad, or indifferent, with perfect grace, and kept on smiling. They kept their powder dry, did whatever their hands found to do, and left the rest to the care of that mysterious Providence who probably knew more about the ultimate good of things than they did. - Summary from the preface

16 episodes

Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 067

Twenty short nonfiction works chosen by the readers. Two U.S. Presidents are remembered in "A Colored Man's Reminiscences of James Madison" and Washington's "Address to Congress on Resigning His Commission (1783)." Other topics in history and political theory include two of George W. Ball's memos about the Vietnam War from 1965, "Irish Marriage Rites," "Celts and Celtophiles," Kropotkin on "Anarchism in Socialistic Evolution," a tragedy at sea ("The Titanic"), and a look back at "The Passing of the Sailing Ship." Religion and philosophy are represented with two selections from Kierkegaard's "Preparation for a Christian Life" and a sermon by Spurgeon ("Glorious Predestination"). Biographies pay homage to the mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan. How-to and guidance readings include farming advice from George Washington Carver ("Help for Hard Times"), "Teaching Mathematics with Paper Folding," "Sexual Neuroses," and "Elementary Lessons in Cookery." "The Common Milkweed" celebrates one of summer's roadside flowers. Finally Richard de Bury pens a tribute to books in a selection from the Philobiblon, written in 1345. Summary by Sue AndersonSelections from Kierkegaard were translated by Lee M. Hollander That the Treasure of Wisdom is Chiefly Contained in Books was translated by E.C. Thomas

20 episodes

The A to Zed Collection

A collection of pieces, both fiction and non-fiction, that have as its subject a word beginning with a specific letter of the English alphabet. Subjects can range from coffee to tea, animals to vampires, law to emotions.

26 episodes

Capital and Interest

Frédéric Bastiat was an early 19th century French economist/statesman whose common sense essays tried to battle the rise of socialist ideology after the French revolution, where provisional governments were rivaling each other for power. Of central concern was who should control the money. How is wealth created? How should it be divided amongst the people? What services should government provide? Same questions we are asking now. This essay addresses the popular fallacy of the day that Capital should be available to all gratuitiously, without necessity of paying back loans, and looking upon any form of interest as Usury. Bastiat argued that capital is created by savings, and savings are what makes borrowing possible so the common man can get ahead and prosper, and lending is only worth the risk if the lender profits by it, via interest. He demonstrated the law of supply and demand, that, in essence, interest decreases as availability of capital increases. His basic premises is that without a leisure class (people who have money to spare over earning daily bread), there would be nothing to borrow, so that neither the common man nor society can prosper. Translated from the French by Horace White of Chicago. I have divided this essay up into segments for ease of comprehension. - Summary by Michele Fry

7 episodes

Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 068

Twenty short nonfiction works in the public domain. "The Regulation of Time" and "Uniform Standard Time" are two of several readings which touch on social regulation, societal norms, and individual expression. Others examine dancing mania ("Choreomania"); gender conformity ("A Mormon Strategy"); race laws ("Black Code of Illinois"); etiquette and social class ("Housekeeping at the White House (1903)"; "Opportunity" (a view by Ambrose Bierce); organized religion ("The Church in Liverpool in the Early 1800s"); oratory and persuasion ("Pliny to Cerealis" and "The Martians"); legal protection for original ideas ("Copyright for a banana costume"); and an exhortation to judge men by their deeds, not their names ("First Apology of Justin Martyr"). Music and books are celebrated in "Fidelio;" "The Function of a National Library;" "Books in the Wilderness;" and Oscar Wilde's "To Read or Not to Read." Natural science is represented by "Coral and Coral Reefs" and "Making a Rock Garden." Finally, a fateful communique is examined in the "Zimmermann Telegram." Summary by Sue Anderson Pliny to Cerealis: Letter XXIV was translated by William Melmoth

20 episodes

Harper's Young People, Vol. 01, Issue 18, Mar. 2, 1880

Harper's Young People, an illustrated weekly publication for children, includes serialized and one-off short stories, tales from history, poetry, puzzles, and other fun. This 18th issue of the serial, published on March 2, 1880, tells the tales of a dangerous African hunt, an evil bishop who meets his match, delightfully thwarted suburban hijinks, the weird, wild, and wonderful animals of Tasmania, and more. This periodical was published by Harper & Brothers, known today for their other publications Harper's Bazaar and Harper's Magazine. - Summary by Jill Engle

9 episodes

Great Epochs in American History, Volume I

This is the first volume in ten volume series of great epochs in the history of the United States, from the landing of Columbus to the building of the Panama Canal. In large part, events composing each epoch are described by men who participated in them, or were personal eye-witnesses of them. Volume I describes the early period from 1000 AD to 1682. - Summary by Kikisaulite

32 episodes

Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 070

Twenty short nonfiction works selected by the readers. “Shall we ever be able to visit the moon?” queries journalist Charles Nevers Holmes in 1920. Holmes was hopeful. Technology had come a long way since 1862, when balloonist James Glaisher made a daring ascent to 37,000 feet above the earth and passed out for lack of oxygen [Travels in the Air]. Glaisher had to best-guess the altitude to which his balloon had climbed while he was unconscious. Technology requires a rational system of accurate measurement [A Metric America]. Societies, however, are not rational. Some past eras were filled with horror [The Blues and Greens of Justinian; An Accursed Race]; others with heroism [Not to be Forgotten]. Some men view the public weal through stoic's eyes [Of Seneca's Writings] and some in a more hopeful frame of mind [Theodore Roosevelt on Applying the 9th Commandment]. Days of public observance tell a nation's concerns [Veteran's Day; 5th of November Act 1605]. Myths and legends speak to the importance of loyalty [King Arthur's Table] and to our trust that truth will win out [Merlin the Magician]. Sometimes a humorist like Mark Twain can make us laugh at ourselves [Poets as Policemen]. At other times grief overwhelms us [The Burning of Peshtigo, Wisconsin]. The single woman or man, wondering their place in this complexity, can make a difference: a woman stops to think about the food she buys for her family [How Much Shall We Spend for Food]; another woman sparks a bit of self-assertive feminism in a friend [The New Stove]. And, ever and again, in our search for meaning, we turn to artists [A Talk with Mr. Oscar Wilde; Oscar Wilde and the Aesthetic Movement; Post Impressionism in the Prose of Gertrude Stein]. - Summary by Sue Anderson

20 episodes

Form and Ornament in Ceramic Art

A study of ceramics in the Americas: its form, function and ornamentation as well as its history. Produced by the Smithsonian's Department of Ethnology. Listeners are referred to the text for the illustrations and figures. ( Lynne Thompson)

5 episodes

Christmas Short Works Collection 2019

2019 collection of items with a Christmas theme containing traditional stories, Christmas traditions, Christmas cakes. We hope you will enjoy it.

23 episodes

Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 071

Twenty short nonfiction works chosen by the readers. "Suffrage for women will not usher in a millennium of peace and leisure" was the editorial opinion of the Boston Cooking School Magazine in May, 1914. [Woman's Problems]. Disillusionment with easy answers is the theme of several Vol. 071 readings [On Thinking for Oneself; Limitations of Truth-Telling; On Demagogues]. Rebellion and war, heroics and aftermath, are treated in Alexander at Gordium; Before Grant Won His Stars; Draft Riots in Wisconsin; The Truth About Greece; and Sophie Treadwell Interviews Pancho Villa. Humor provides relief in a lighthearted look at home heating [The Furnace]; bicycling [A Despicable Trick; Healthy But Not Social], grammar [The Woman's Press Club] and The Beauty of Unpunctuality. Exploration then and now is contrasted in Tasman Explores Australia and A California Motor Tour. The arts--literature, drawing, and the cinema--are celebrated in Mary Pickford's Beginnings, Rendering Reflections in Window Glass, and On the Tomb of Keats. Lastly, a biography of British fossil finder Mary Anning (1795-1847) throws light not only on ichthyosaurs, but on the remarkable life of a self-taught woman scientist. - Summary by Sue Anderson

20 episodes

Силуэты русских писателей, Выпуск 1

Бесконечно преданный русской литературе, Юлий Айхенвальд видел писателя как уникальную личность и не признавал литературных школ и течений. Oн погиб в Париже возвращаясь ночью от Набоковых погруженный в мысли о литературе, и попал под трамвай. Очерки «Силуэты русских писателей» рассматривают только творчество, они не касаются биографических событий. Первый выпуск посвящен русским писателям XIX века. Некоторые очерки будут озвучены в одном из следующих выпусков Силуэтов в более поздней редакции. A connoisseur of the Russian literature, Yuly Eichenwald wrote about writers as unique persons, and not as members of schools and movements. His Silhouettes of Russian Writers are about their oeuvre, not biographies. (Summary by Mark Chulsky)

23 episodes

Royal Romances of Today

"In the year 1907, the Woman’s Home Companion commissioned me to go to Russia to write the story of the early days, courtship and marriage of her whom the world knows to-day as the 'Tsaritsa,' The following year, the same periodical sent me to Italy to write a similar account of the life of Queen Elena; and in 1910 I was once more sent abroad, this time to Spain, to learn all about Queen Victoria Eugenie....'Your task is difficult,'remarked a friend to whom I had just explained that I was writing the lives of the Empress of Russia, the Queen of Spain, and the Queen of Italy. 'Your task is difficult, because these are three good Queens, and good Queens, like all good women, have no history.' Now that I have told the stories of these three good Queens, I wonder if my friend will not grant that they have been worth the telling?" (from the Foreword)

31 episodes

The Rise and Fall of Prohibition

Subtitle: "The Human Side of What the Eighteenth Amendment and the Volstead Act Have Done to the United States" From Chapter 1: "The strange phenomenon of Prohibition, after an appearance amongst us of over three years, is still non-understandable to the majority of a great, and so-called free, people. It is one of the most astonishing manifestations the world has ever witnessed. It came upon us like a phantom, swiftly; like a thief in the night, taking us by surprise. Yet the Prohibitionists will tell you that no one should be amazed, since for years—for almost a century—quiet forces have been at work to bring about this very thing." - Summary by Charles Hanson Towne

23 episodes

Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 072

Twenty short nonfiction works, individually chosen by the readers. "The ground rose and fell in successive furrows, like the ruffled waters of a lake, and I became bewildered in my ideas..." John James Audubon's vivid recollection of the 1812 New Madrid earthquake is one of several Vol. 072 selections with a scientific focus. Others include Luminous Plants; The Sunbeam and the Spectrascope; and biographies of two shipbuilders: Robert Fulton and Thomas Andrews. The emotive and rational sides of human nature are evinced in essays (The Game of Scandal; Bashful; Child Psychology and Nonsense); treatises (Theory and Practice in Government Reform; Plagiarizing Aristotle); and the records of two very different murder trials: John Kimber (1792); and James Sullivan (1851). Travel to foreign lands; their history and arts are well represented: Rambles About Rome (1907); The Mosaics of Ravenna, Italy; Travellers Before the Christian Era; Northern Europe to the Beginning of the Fourteenth Century. Literary and artistic concerns round out Vol. 072, with newspaper accounts of Oscar Wilde's visits to the U.S.; William Faulkner reminiscing about his youthful discovery of literature; and artist and teacher Arthur Guptill explaining how to render pencil sketches from photographs. Summary by Sue Anderson

20 episodes

On The Trail: An Outdoor Book for Girls

Lina and Adelia Beard, co-founders of the first American girls' scouting group, originally called the Girl Scout Society, then the Girl Pioneers, and finally as the Camp Fire Girls, provide practical advice and encouragement to girls and young women who wish to explore a "free, wholesome, and adventurous outdoor life." - Summary by Christine Lehman, aka stoogeswoman

16 episodes

Beacon Lights of History, Volume 13: Great Writers

The 13th in the series, this book focuses on the great writers of the time. As Dr. Lord passed away prior to the completion of his lecture series, the topics contained in this book also include works by other authors in an attempt to round out the subject matter. - Summary by KHand

26 episodes

The Story of Sitka

The Author recounts life in the great northwest in Sitka, Alaska "Sitka of the Russians" a century ago with insights into Sitka's settlement, natives, churches, social life, trade etc., when it was at the center of trade a century ago. ( Summary by Rita Boutros )

10 episodes

Great Epochs in American History, Volume II

This is the second volume in ten volume series of great epochs in the history of the United States, from the landing of Columbus to the building of the Panama Canal. In large part, events composing each epoch are described by men who participated in them, or were personal eye-witnesses of them. Volume II describes first colonies in America and covers time period from 1562 to 1733. - Summary by Kikisaulite

31 episodes

American Notes

Charles Dickens records his impressions of America during his 1842 journey. - Summary by Brad "Hamlet" Filippone

20 episodes

Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 073

Twenty short nonfiction works chosen by the readers. "Salve! ye dumb hearts. Let us be still and wait by the roadside." With these words, Kate Chopin decries the "crushing feet, the clashing discords, the ruthless hands and stifling breath” that power the “mad pace" of everyday life. Broadway: the Backbone of New York presents a more up-beat view of city life. Reflections on difficult times are the substance of several volume 073 readings (The Influenza Epidemic of 1918; Plague in Ireland in the Tudor Period; Soren Kierkegaard in his Life and Literature; and Remarks to Madame Curie); while the clash of people and cultures is examined in Everyday Japan (1903), the Passing of Princess Kaiulani, Inca Land, Northern Europe and the Swiss Confederation, the Struggle between the Teutonic Order and Poland, and Pan-Turanism. Individual response to life's stresses and demands is the theme of Women Friendships, The Unadmiring, Spittler's Prometheus and Epimetheus, and Martha Maxwell, Taxidermist. Imagining the pleasures of home, Robert Louis Stevenson, in his The Ideal House, writes that "Bold rocks near hand are more inspiriting than distant Alps," and concludes "even greatness can be found on the small scale; for the mind and the eye measure differently." The mind-eye divide is what allows the illusionist to create amusing hand shadows (Dog and Rabbit); the novelist to create worlds from words (John Galsworthy, A Notable Englishman); and the mathematician Sir William Rowan Hamilton, to inscribe, with his pocket knife, in the stone of Brougham Bridge, the fundamental formula for quaternion multiplication, which had come to him in a flash of inspiration as he was out walking with his wife. Summary by Sue Anderson Northern Europe and the Swiss Confederation and The Struggle Between the Teutonic Order and Poland were translated by John Henry Wright -

20 episodes

Beacon Lights of History, Volume 14: The New Era

Volume 14 is a compilation of essays regarding accomplishments over the 50 years preceding the author's death in 1894. The editorial staff chose the people that they felt best exemplified Lord's criteria of being a historical force to represent the worlds of music, art, science and invention. Though not personally written by Lord, the book is attributed to him. - Summary by KHand

29 episodes

Turns About Town

Robert Cortes Holliday was an early 20th century essayist, editor, and librarian. Writer Christopher Morley said that he "has the genuine gift of the personal essay, mellow, fluent, and pleasantly eccentric." Most of these pleasant pieces appeared originally in various American newspapers and magazines. - Summary by Tom Penn

29 episodes

Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 074

Twenty-one short nonfiction works chosen by the readers. "We must learn to dignify common labor." Booker T. Washington spoke plain truth at an 1898 Lincoln Day commemoration. Recorded during months of pandemic virus lockdown, unemployment, and mass dependence on the "common labor" of grocery clerks and delivery persons, Volume 074 of the Short Nonfiction Collection reflects its readers' reactions to uncertain times. Religion and Philosophy figure in several selections (The Second Epistle of Clement; Nietzsche on Nihilism and the Idea of Recurrence; The Counter-reformation in Scandinavia and Poland; Spinoza and the Bible; and Women and Holy Orders).

21 episodes

Builders of United Italy

Holland 's provides us with an engaging history of the Unification ("Risorgimento") of Italy by exploring the lives of some of its most important figures: Alfieri, Manzoni, Gioberti, Manin, Mazzini, Cavour, Garibaldi, and Victor Emmanuel. - Summary by Ciufi Galeazzi

17 episodes

Twenty Years of the Republic 1885-1905

Excerpt: At the time when Mr. Cleveland was inaugurated there had been no Democratic President for a full quarter of a century. A whole generation had been born and had grown to manhood and to womanhood without ever having lived under any but Republican rule. This long continuance in power of a single party had led many citizens to identify the interest of that party with the interests of the nation. The democrats had been so invariably beaten at the polls as to make Republicans believe that the defeated party had no decent reason for existence, and that is was composed only of wilful obstructionists or of persons destitute of patriotism.  Note: Footnotes will not be read but will be indicated along with page numbers which can be found at https://archive.org/details/20yrstherepublic00peckrich/page/n8/mode/2up - Summary by Celine Major

41 episodes

Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 075

Twenty short nonfiction works chosen by the readers. Is the sound of a dripping faucet music? According to Aldous Huxley, "The music of the drops is the symbol and type of the whole universe... asymptotic to sense, infinitely close to significance, but never touching it." (Water Music). Sensory and psychological exploration define several recordings in Vol. 075 (On the Pleasures of Friendship; Prohibition; The Danger of Lying in Bed; The Effects of Opium in Lowness of Spirits; How to Listen to Music; The Story of the Alphabet; Letter from William Blake; and Poets). Narrative history and biography apply a more traditional approach to questions of motivation (Jesse James; Europe in the Mid-17th Century; The History of British India; On the Federal Constitution; John Quincy Adams and the Right of Petition; Saving Mr. Lincoln; Moses Maimonides). Lastly, the importance of critical and scientific observation are highlighted in Velocities Expressed in Meters per Second; The Original Hudson Tunnel; and The Peruvian Earthquake of 1868. Summary by Sue Anderson The Subways and Tunnels of New York was co-authored by Lucius I Wightman and William Lawrence Saunders.

20 episodes

Down In Water Street

Written by the Superintendent of the Jerry McAuley Water Street Mission, "Down in Water Street" is intended to share some of the experiences the writer had during his sixteen years of service to the Mission. Hadley's intent was to show "how some success has been achieved, and also mention some of our defeats; for we found long years ago that we often learn more in defeat than in victory." - Summary by Kristin Hand with a quote from the Preface

21 episodes

Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 076

Twenty short nonfiction works chosen by the readers. "Our constitution is color-blind... the law regards man as man and takes no account of his surroundings or of his color when his civil rights...are involved." Justice Harlan's eloquent defense of equal rights for Black citizens in his 1866 dissent to Plessy v. Ferguson is one of several Vol. 076 selections which explore social issues and politics: John Adams; Gettysburg Address; Civil Rights Bill (1866); First Philippic of Demosthenes; Manifesto of the Humanitarian League; and Acadian Reminiscences. The multitudinal dimensions of human diversity are displayed in other selections: On Leveling from Amiel's Journal; Sufism; The Discovery of Witches; The Cruise of the Wasp; Nanook of the North; Fossil Hunting in the Permian of Texas; The Nation's Capital: What to See; Underground London; Poisons Used by Ancient Races; Genetically Engineered Crops; and Recipes for Ice Creams and Ices. Summary by Sue Anderson.

20 episodes

O Abolicionismo

“O Abolicionismo” é uma das obras mais importantes para a abolição da escravatura, no Brasil. Ela propõe, como tarefa imediata para a época, a emancipação dos escravos e seus filhos, bem como a tarefa da anulação dos efeitos de um regime que por três séculos criou e alimentou situações que destroçaram o espírito de Justiça e Humanidade. Ou seja, esta obra de Joaquim Nabuco, abolicionista, monarquista, jurista, historiador, diplomata, poeta e jornalista brasileiro, foi escrita e publicada em 1883 e pregava o fim da situação do negro no Brasil de então. Pregava também que eram necessárias ações, para evitar a perpetuação do desrespeito ao ser humano vindo da África como escravo, que tinha fossilizado nos três séculos anteriores. A situação do negro brasileiro, nesta segunda década do século XXI, indica ser realidade o que Nabuco temia no século XIX – uma situação perpetuada. Esta frase de “O Abolicionismo” dá a medida do livro: “A história da escravidão africana na América é um abismo de degradação e miséria que não se pode sondar, e infelizmente essa é a história do crescimento do Brasil”. “O Abolicionismo”, em sua essência, foi escrito também para o Brasil de hoje. (Sumário por Rachel Moraes)

18 episodes