Sir Henry Maximilian "Max" Beerbohm was born on 24th August 1872 in Kensington, London.Beerbohm was educated at Charterhouse School and Merton College, Oxford and by now was already writing and drawing to a professional standard.By 1894, having developed his personality as a dandy and humorist, and a rising star in English letters, he left Oxford without a degree but began to publish, initially in the Yellow Book.Having been interviewed by George Bernard Shaw in 189...

Science Fiction is usually thought of as a modern genre, something that could only be ‘invented’ in these more modern times where technology and imagination combine to bring us thrilling stories. That, of course, is true, but these authors in the 19th Century were far ahead of their own times, and perhaps, still of ours.1 - Sci-Fi Stories Written in the 19th Century - An Introduction2 - A Thousand Deaths by Jack London3 - The Tachypomp by Edward Page Mitchell

In this series we listen to short stories that are NOT by perhaps the most well-known author of this type. But the many other rich talents in the volume may have treated the subject matter a little differently, or were perhaps just over-looked in the stampede to applaud the winner, but these authors are of equal merit.Each of their works is laden with talent, has purpose, and is rich and textured in this gloried niche of literature.1 - Dystopian Stories That AREN'T Fahrenhe...

A fascinating journey through the history of railways, packed with first-hand accounts of innovation, triumph, and tragedy.From the earliest steam engine to the high-speed bullet trains of today, A Short History of the Railway reveals the hidden stories of railway history across the world - the inspired engineering; the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the construction of the tracks; the ground-breaking innovations behind the trains that travelled along them;...

Throughout the long centuries of human history is the want, and the need, to share information, to exchange ideas and for that knowledge and experience, for curiosity and learning, to be the basis of a civil society.In literature the ambition is much narrower. In order to be known, to be popular, you had to be published. And for that people had to know you existed and your ideas worth reading. Obviously for most of humanity’s time people couldn’t read and texts couldn’t be publishe...

In this series we turn the pages of classic short stories to put together the literary building blocks of how a particular genre or theme began, how it built its foundations to become the well-loved and well-worn genre that it is today.Do authors have the same ideas at more or less the same time? Or can they sniff out an opportunity as to which way the tastes of an audience are moving.Success undoubtedly builds success and in literary terms we can more politely say that imi...

In this series we turn the pages of classic short stories to put together the literary building blocks of how a particular genre or theme began, how it built its foundations to become the well-loved and well-worn genre that it is today.Do authors have the same ideas at more or less the same time? Or can they sniff out an opportunity as to which way the tastes of an audience are moving.Success undoubtedly builds success and in literary terms we can more politely say that imi...

We all know ‘time’ as that singular thing that journeys us from the present to the future. In this volume its really not like that at all. These stories jump backwards and slip forwards and sometimes set themselves on repeat just because that is the intention of our talented authors. They love to play with their imaginations and take us along for the ride.

Gibran Khalil Gibran was born on 6th January 1883 in the village of Bsharri, Beirut Vilayet, then part of the Ottoman EmpireHis mother took him and his siblings to the United States in 1895 where he was enrolled into a Boston school and his creative talents soon noted. He was sent home to be schooled at the Collège de la Sagesse in Beirut but returned to Boston following the death of his youngest sister in 1902. Within a year his mother had also died.In 1904, Gibran's drawi...

We’ve all imagined not just being some place else but being at a different time too. Either fast forwarding to what might be or returning to a previous time to re-run our lives with a different and better outcome. When our authors amplify that amazing things happen as their narratives glide around the portals of time creating clever literature in their wake.

Throughout the long centuries of human history is the want, and the need, to share information, to exchange ideas and for that knowledge and experience, for curiosity and learning, to be the basis of a civil society.In literature the ambition is much narrower. In order to be known, to be popular, you had to be published. And for that people had to know you existed and your ideas worth reading. Obviously for most of humanity’s time people couldn’t read and texts couldn’t be publishe...

In this series we listen to short stories that are NOT by perhaps the most well-known author of this type. But the many other rich talents in the volume may have treated the subject matter a little differently, or were perhaps just overlooked in the stampede to applaud the winner, but these authors are of equal merit.Each of their works is laden with talent, has purpose, and is rich and textured in this gloried niche of literature.01 - Classic Sci-Fi Stories Not by Isaac As...