Showing results by publisher "Essential Audiobooks LLC" in Literature & Fiction

As the Napoleonic Wars come to an end in 1814, admirals and captains of the Royal Navy are put ashore, their work done. Anne Elliot meets Captain Frederick Wentworth after seven years, by the chance of his sister and brother-in-law renting her father's estate, while she stays for a few months with her married sister, living nearby. They fell in love the first time, but she broke off the engagement.

Jane Austen's first novel, Northanger Abbey, published posthumously in 1818, tells the story of Catherine Morland and her dangerously sweet nature, innocence, and sometime self-delusion. Though Austen's fallible heroine is repeatedly drawn into scrapes while vacationing at Bath and during her subsequent visit to Northanger Abbey, Catherine eventually triumphs, blossoming into a discerning woman who learns truths about love, life, and the heady power of literature. The satirical Northanger Abbey pokes fun at the Gothic novel while earnestly emphasizing caution to the female sex.

Billy Budd, Sailor is the final novel by American writer Herman Melville, first published posthumously in London in 1924 as edited by Raymond M. Weaver, a professor at Columbia University. Other versions were later published. Melville had begun writing the original work in November 1888, but left it unfinished at his death in 1891. Acclaimed by British critics as a masterpiece when published in London, it quickly took its place as a classic literary work in the United States.

Dracula is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to move from Transylvania to England so he may find new blood and spread the undead curse. It then relates the epic battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing.

Herodotus wrote the first history book in the world. That is why he is sometimes called the "Father of History". He lived about 2500 years ago in the fifth century BC. He was born at a place called Halicarnassus in Asia Minor. The modern names for these places are Bodrum in Turkey. Herodotus was a keen traveler who went all over the ancient world and was interested in everything he saw and heard.

One of the most universally loved and admired English novels, Pride and Prejudice was penned as a popular entertainment. But the consummate artistry of Jane Austen (1775 -1817) transformed this effervescent tale of rural romance into a witty, shrewdly observed satire of English country life that is now regarded as one of the principal treasures of the English language.

Brushstrokes in Time, written by Sylvia Vetta, is a memoir of fictional Chinese artist, Little Winter, written for her American daughter. It takes the story of Communist China beyond the death of Mao and for the first time in fiction shows the birth of the radical art movement, The Stars, in 1979. Her haunting love story connects us to this time of hope for freedom of expression in China, and to a man frustrated by "being kept in small shoes".

Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby, she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip and innuendo.

This is Dorothy's original adventure in Oz, when she's carried away from her Kansas farm by the fateful tornado. Together with her friends the Tin Woodsman, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow, Dorothy overcomes the Wicked Witch of the West and befriends the amazing and wonderful Wizard of Oz. Those familiar only with the movie will find many more adventures in this book - adding to the delight and wonder. First published in 1900, L. Frank Baum's classic children's tale is one of the world's most beloved, enduring fantasy classics - and perhaps not as recognized as it ought to be for establishing a new, wholly American sort of mythology.

Half Life is a triplet of supernatural stories which journey to worlds that linger between life and death. Fear, disappointment, and loneliness permeate these worlds, forcing each character to face up to the dark side of human existence. An original blend of horror, pathos, and humour, these curious stories will cause disquiet, heartache, and a thrilling sting of pleasure.

Few creatures of horror have seized imaginations and held them for so long as the anguished monster of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The story of Victor Frankenstein's terrible creation and the havoc it caused has enthralled generations of readers and listeners and inspired countless writers of horror and suspense.

Supernatural short story written especially for the young Anne (Nannie) Wynne. It was originally published as "The Ghost's Touch" in The Irish Fireside, 30 September-14 October 1885; Harper's Weekly, 23 October 1885; and in The Ghost's Touch and Other Stories (with "My Lady's Money" and "Percy and the Prophet", Harper's Handy Series, no. 30, 1885).

The Invisible Man is a favorite science-fiction novel by H. G. Wells. The Invisible Man of the title is Griffin, a scientist who has devoted himself to research into optics and invents a way to change a body's refractive index to that of air so that it neither absorbs nor reflects light and thus becomes invisible. He successfully carries out this procedure on himself, but fails in his attempt to reverse it.

The Cracked Amulet is an epic though grim story as intricate and as powerful as any fantasy, full of adventure, mystery, danger, magic, and magical and strange creatures. A dark and compelling world of full of nuanced, quirky characters that seems too real to be described as fantasy.

A counter-terrorism operative shows up tortured to death. An elderly prof goes missing. An eco-cult is recruiting at a weekend concert for young people at Battersea Power Station. A teenage felon's got to make a simple swap: some photos for his freedom. Only he's trapped inside Battersea Power Station. No swap. No way he can tell anyone about it. And the dawning horror that this time the missing and the dead will bring England to its knees.

Surface Tension is a unique collection of dark tales which delve deep into the undercurrents of human psychology. Ghosts, heavenly creatures, and magic beings haunt the characters, bringing messages of warning or redemption. They're delightful stories that charm and scare in equal measure.