CONFESSIONS OF AN ENGLISH OPIUM-EATER was first published anonymously in 1821 in the London Magazine and was published in book form a year later. A revised edition was published in 1856. It is an account by the author of his addiction to laudanum and the effects it had on his life. This recording presents an abridged version of the 1856 edition.

“Why should I not publish my diary?” asks Mr. Pooter.George and Weedon Grossmith were born in London into a theatrical family and it was natural that they should both take up careers on the stage. Weedon initially studied art but later joined his brother George in the theatre. “The Diary of a Nobody” was a joint effort with Weedon also providing illustrations. It first appeared as a serial in “Punch”between 1888 and 1889 and was published in book form in 1892. The diary chronicles 15 month...

“The Gateway of the Monster” is a story featuring Thomas Carnacki, a detective who investigates cases of an occult or supernatural nature. It is one of five tales of Carnacki's ghost hunting exploits which first appeared serially in “The Idler” magazine in 1910 and were published together with one more as a collection “Carnacki the Ghost-Finder” in 1913.After a good dinner Mr. Carnacki relates his experiences of ghost-finding to his limited circle of four friends whom he has summoned to hi...

E. Nesbit is rightly best known for her children's books but she also wrote works for adults including short stories in the genres of the uncanny, macabre and supernatural. There are five of these in this collection. They are: “The House of Silence”“The Power of Darkness”“The Ebony Frame”“The Pavilion”“The Detective”

“The Thing Invisible” is a story featuring Thomas Carnacki, a detective who investigates cases of an occult or supernatural nature. It is one of five tales of Carnacki's ghost hunting exploits which first appeared serially in “The Idler” magazine in 1910 and were published together with one more as a collection “Carnacki the Ghost-Finder” in 1913.After a good dinner Mr. Carnacki relates his experiences of ghost-finding to his limited circle of four friends whom he has summoned to his home ...

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) is celebrated for his tales of the macabre and the supernatural. “The Tell-Tale Heart” is one of his most famous. In it the narrator tells how, without any motive, but merely because he is obsessed with his eye (“The eye of a vulture”), he murders an old man, and of the consequences when the murdered man's heart seeks revenge.

E.F. Benson (1867-1940) is probably best known today for his sparkling, comic “Lucia”novels. In his own day it was his ghost stories which were his most popular works. “At the Farmhouse” exemplifies Benson's fine literary style and his ability to create the most frightening of supernatural and macabre tales.

Andrew Lang (1844-1912) is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. His “Fairy Books”, each named a colour, were twelve volumes of tales collected from many sources and were published between 1889 and 1910. The eight stories in this collection are taken from the Blue, Red and Green Fairy Books and are:“Rapunzel”“Toads and Diamonds”“Cinderella”"Little Red Riding Hood”“Rumpelstilzkin”“Three Bears”“Jack, Giant-Killer”“Bronze Ring”

The story follows the eponymous hero and his tutor Doctor Pangloss through a series of adventures and misfortunes all the time doggedly attempting, against the odds, to adhere to the Doctor's philosophy that “all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.”

A selection of sonnets by William Shakespeare. There are 24 in number in this first selection. They are in order:Numbers: 18, 33, 11, 3, 5, 6, 29, 10, 22, 2, 4, 7, 1, 9, 27, 8, 30, 116, 34, 54, 12, 66, 77, 60.

Robert Browning (1812-1889) playright and poet is known and admired for his dramatic monologues in blank verse of which he is a recognized master. He also wrote many lighter poems with a humorous touch. Here is one of his best known: “The Pied Piper of Hamelin.”

A collection of favourite classic poems by some of our best loved poets including Robert Browning, Rudyard Kipling, Thomas Hardy, John Keats, William Butler Yeats, Thomas Love Peacock, Alfred Lord Tennyson, William Shakespeare, Algernon Charles Swinburne and others.