Audiobooks

The Call of Cthulhu (1928) introduced the malevolent Great Old One trapped beneath the ocean who will one day resurface. The story is accompanied by The Hound, The Dunwich Horror and Dagon. Read by William Roberts. Unabridged.

Leo Tolstoy’s panorama of Russian domestic and military life during the Napoleonic Wars and the changes imposed by history on the novel’s protagonists is abridged here to follow the basic narrative of the book, omitting any lengthy expositions. Read by Neville Jason.

Clever, self-satisfied and interfering, Emma Woodhouse is determined to arrange marriages for her friends, while avoiding one for herself; but the matchmaking finds both Emma and her protégé, poor Harriet, caught in a web of misunderstandings. Abridged.

The Lady Elizabeth is the daughter of Henry VIII, but disinherited and declared a bastard after the execution of her mother. How the young Elizabeth survives the savage world of Tudor politics, inherits the throne and becomes queen is the subject of Alison Weir's novel. It is read here by Emma Fielding. Abridged.

Down the rabbit-hole, through the pool of tears to meet with the Caterpillar, the Duchess, the pig and the pepper... Alice’s fantastical adventure is read here by Fiona Shaw, with music including Bruckner’s Lancier Quadrille. Abridged. Naxos Junior Classics. Age 8+

Jasper Britton reads this abridged version of one of the best adventure stories ever written: Stevenson's tale of Jim Hawkins, the sinister Pew, Long John Silver's treacherous crew and Captain Flint's treasure. Abridged.

Told she must marry one of her cousins, the impetuous Kitty courts wholesome cousin Freddy to make dashing cousin Jack jealous and propose; but in the whirl of London society, things don’t go to plan for Kitty. Read by Claire Wille. Abridged.

James Joyce’s famous (and once infamous) novel catalogues the events of one day – 16 June 1904 – as Leopold Bloom wanders around Dublin, musing on his wife Molly and meeting another wanderer, Stephen Daedalus. Read by Jim Norton and Marcella Riordan. Abridged.

Set in Yukon during the 1890s Gold Rush, Jack London’s short novel tells of Buck, a pet dog who is stolen and taken to Alaska to work as a sled dog. Read by William Roberts. Unabridged.

F Scott Fitzgerald’s story of the enigmatic Jay Gatsby, living in luxury in his Long Island mansion, captures the flamboyance, carelessness and cruelty of the wealthy during America's Jazz Age. Read by William Hope. Unabridged.

Zorro, the masked alter ego of Don Diego de la Vega, first rode out on his black stallion to avenge the oppressed of Spanish California in The Curse of Capistrano (1919). Zorro was so popular, his creator, Johnston McCulley (1883–1958), wrote three more books of adventures. The novellas are read here by Bill Homewood. Unabridged. The items included in this set are:Sign of Zorro (Read more...) Further Adventures of Zorro (Read more...) Zorro Rides Again (Read more...)

This fifth book in the Clifton Chronicles series opens with an IRA bomb exploding during MV Buckingham’s maiden voyage – with repercussions for Emma Clifton, chairman of Barrington Shipping. Meanwhile, Harry Clifton is campaigning to free a Russian dissident author. Jeffrey Archer’s cliffhanger is read here by Alex Jennings. Unabridged.

In Mary Shelley’s powerful Promethean fable, Dr Frankenstein’s experiment and its terrible outcome is told through the letters of an English explorer who met the doomed scientist as he pursued his monster into the Arctic wilderness. This abridged version is read by Daniel Philpott, Jonathan Oliver and Chris Larkin. Naxos Young Adult Classics. 2 CDs 2hrs 37mins, plus a bonus CD-ROM with a full text and study guide.

Virginia Woolf’s first novel is a haunting account of a naive young woman’s sea voyage to South America – and her internal journey into adulthood. The lyrical intensity of Woolf’s mature prose is already in evidence, read here by one of Britain’s finest actresses. Unabridged.

One of the most popular Russian novels of the 20th century, The Master and Margarita blends surrealism and political satire with a dazzling cast that includes Satan, Pontius Pilate and a talking cat. This careful abridgement of a new translation is read by the charismatic Julian Rhind-Tutt.

In Mary Shelley’s powerful Promethean fable, Dr Frankenstein’s experiment and its terrible outcome is told through the letters of an English explorer who met the doomed scientist as he pursued his monster into the Arctic wilderness. Read by Daniel Philpott, Roger May and Jonathan Oliver.

This famous tale by Washington Irving (1783–1859) is set before and after the American Revolutionary War and tells of a Dutch villager who went wandering in the Catskill Mountains, fell asleep and awoke 20 years later – after the Revolution – to find the world much changed. Rip van Winkle and two more short stories are read here by Adam Sims. Unabridged.

Although stories such as The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart and The Murders in the Rue Morgue have remained popular to this day, Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) felt that his vocation was poetry. This collection includes both stories and poems, plus a biography of Poe. The works are unabridged and read by Kerry Shale, William Roberts and John Chancer.

Douglas Adams on Desert Island Discs, Ursula K LeGuin interviewed on Woman's Hour, Kurt Vonnegut talking on Third Ear in 1990.... Originally broadcast on BBC radio, these interviews feature ten of the really great science fiction writers talking about their art. The other seven writers are Isaac Asimov, Brian Aldiss, Doris Lessing, Michael Moorcock, JG Ballard, Arthur C Clarke (another Desert Islander) and Ray Bradbury. One CD: duration 73 minutes.

As well as the famous tale of Little Kay’s capture by the Snow Queen and Gerda’s heroic journey to save him, Clare Corbett reads four more tales, including The Snowman. Unabridged.

Robert Baden-Powell intended his 1908 scoutcraft manual to be a book of practical advice and instruction for boys' self-improvement, but its success gave impetus to the foundation of the Scout movement. Mixing practical advice on topics such as woodcraft, camping and first aid with personal anecdotes and moral observations. Read by Hugh Dennis.

The epic tale of a Swiss family’s shipwreck and their survival on an uncharted tropical island has been a bestseller since it was published in 1812. What started as a bedtime story for Pastor Wyss’ own four sons, aiming to teach them about nature, survival, self-reliance and cooperation, is now a classic of children’s literature. This abridged version is read by Jonathan Keeble. Naxos Junior Classics.