Showing results by publisher "Dreamscape Media, LLC" in Classics

In "Mrs. Podger's Teapot", an old woman and her boarder take in an orphan on a cold winter's night. The child's natural spirit of generosity moves Mrs. Podger, and helps her find true happiness at Christmas.

In "Becky's Christmas Dream", a poor working girl is left alone at Christmas time. Wishing for companionship and love, she is spoken to by an old gray cat, who reveals to her a simple truth about being loved.

In What Love Can Do, two poor sisters share their modest Christmas wishes with each other, namely: a little money with which to buy gifts for their family members. Overhearing this, the kindly residents of a boarding house come together to make a lovely Christmas surprise for the two girls.

Originally published in the 1852 Christmas edition of Dickens's journal Household Words, The Child's Story is the account of a man's life from childhood to the present as told to his grandson in the form of a fairytale about a traveler and the people he meets. This version of The Child's Story was recorded as part of Dreamscape's The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens.

Originally published in the 1850 Christmas edition of Dickens' journal Household Words, "A Christmas Tree" is considered to be one of Dickens' more autobiographical pieces. In it, decorations on the Christmas tree trigger the narrator's memories of Christmases past. This version of "A Christmas Tree" was recorded as part of Dreamscape's The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens.

Originally published in the 1853 Christmas edition of Dickens' journal Household Words, "Nobody's Story" uses the differences between the Big Wig family and the Nobody family to call attention to class-based inequity. This version of "Nobody's Story" was recorded as part of Dreamscape's The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens.

Originally published in the 1852 Christmas edition of Dickens' journal Household Words, "The Poor Relation's Story" takes place during a Christmas feast where a poor relation of the host tells the story of his life. This version of "The Poor Relation's Story" was recorded as part of Dreamscape's The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens.

Originally published in the 1851 Christmas edition of Dickens's journal Household Words, "What Christmas Is as We Grow Older" is an essay suggesting that Christmas should be a time of gratitude and forgiveness. This version of "What Christmas Is as We Grow Older" was recorded as part of Dreamscape's The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens.

Originally published in the 1853 Christmas edition of Dickens's journal Household Words, The Schoolboy's Story recounts the tale of Old Cheeseman, a schoolboy who becomes the second Latin Master, and his former peers who consider him a traitor for doing it. This version of The Schoolboy's Story was recorded as part of Dreamscape's The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens.

This classic novel takes place in Lantern Yard, a slum street in an unnamed city in Northern England, during the early 19th century. There, Silas Marner, a weaver and a member of a small Calvinist congregation, is falsely accused of stealing the congregation's funds while watching over their very ill deacon. Two pieces of evidence are against Silas: his possession of a pocket knife and the bag that formerly contained the money.

First published in 1849, this essay argues that individuals have rights and duties in relation to their government. Motivated by his disgust over both slavery and the Mexican-American War, Thoreau argued that individuals must not permit nor enable their government to act against their own consciences. This version of "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" was recorded as part of Dreamscape's Walden and On the Duty of Civil Disobedience.

Originally published in the 1876 Christmas edition of The Graphic, Christmas at Thompson Hall is a Victorian tale concerning the proper Mr. and Mrs. Brown and their journey from southern France to Thompson Hall to celebrate Christmas with their relatives - a trip that becomes a comedy of errors once Mr. Brown's throat condition, a malady that almost prevented the trip entirely, worsens.

Burdened by poverty and spiritually dulled by a loveless marriage to Zeena, his older and ailing wife, Ethan Frome is emotionally stirred by the arrival of their youthful cousin, Mattie Silver, who becomes employed as household help. Mattie's presence not only brightens a gloomy house but also stirs long-dormant feelings in Ethan. However, their growing love for each other is discovered by the embittered Zeena, and it presages an ending to the tale that is both shocking and savagely ironic.

This Christmas tale set in colonial New England was originally published in the 1895 collection A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles Dickens and Others. The short story takes place in a fictionalized version of Litchfield, Connecticut, the town where Stowe grew up, which is also the setting of her novel Poganuc People: Their Loves and Lives. This version of "Christmas in Poganuc" was recorded as part of Dreamscape's Classic Christmas Stories: A Collection of Timeless Holiday Tales.

Originally published in a 1892 edition of Strand Magazine, "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" was one of 12 short stories to be included in the first Sherlock Holmes collection, the 1892 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. In this tale, Holmes and Watson investigate two cases - one involving a Christmas goose and a hat and the other, the theft of the Blue Carbuncle, a priceless jewel. The cases are quickly revealed to be intertwined, and the spirit of the holidays influences the tale's end.

When Mark Twain's daughter Susie wrote a letter to Santa Claus, her father wrote back, signing Santa's name. Charming and heartwarming, this version of the short letter was recorded as part of Dreamscape's Classic Christmas Stories: A Collection of Timeless Holiday Tales.

Originally published in Harte's 1875 short-story collection The Tales of the Argonauts, "How Santa Claus Came to Simpson's Bar" is set in California in the early 1860s and, like the rest of the tales in that collection, features the gold-seeking Argonauts. In this tale, like many of Harte's others, the folly and grit of human existence balance any good intentions, good cheer, or hope, resulting in a more complicated and somewhat bleak ending than is commonly found in most Christmas tales.

Originally published in a 1905 edition of The New York Sunday World, "The Gift of the Magi" tells the story of a young couple at Christmas when money is tight, offering important insight into the nature of gift giving. A well-known example of comic irony, it has been widely adapted as everything from an off-Broadway show to television episodes. This recording of "The Gift of the Magi" was recorded as part of Dreamscape's Classic Christmas Stories: A Collection of Timeless Holiday Tales.

Originally published in an 1896 edition of The Home Monthly, "The Burglar's Christmas" tells the story Crawford, a homeless man in Chicago who has not eaten recently and considers stealing food on Christmas Eve. Reminiscent of the parable of the prodigal son, this tale reflects on the nature of forgiveness. This recording of "The Burglar's Christmas" was recorded as part of Dreamscape's Classic Christmas Stories: A Collection of Timeless Holiday Tales.

Transported 1300 years into the past, Connecticut engineer Hank Morgan finds himself in Camelot, the legendary home of King Arthur and his fabled Knights of the Round Table. Becoming a friend and adviser to the king, Hank encounters Merlin, Lancelot, Guinevere, and all the other characters from Arthurian legend. As he attempts to take on the task of analyzing the problems of their time, he tries to share his knowledge from the future in order to modernize, Americanize, and improve the lives of the people he meets.