Showing results by publisher "Blackstone Audio, Inc." in Classics

Up the Down Staircase is the funny and touching story of a committed, idealistic teacher whose clash with school bureaucracy is a timeless lesson for students, teachers, parents – anyone concerned about public education. Bel Kaufman lets her characters speak for themselves through memos, letters, directives from the principal, comments by students, notes between teachers, and papers from desk drawers and wastebaskets, evoking a vivid picture of teachers fighting the good fight against all that stands in the way of good teaching.

One of F. Scott Fitzgerald's earliest short stories, "The Ice Palace" is about Sally Carrol Happer, a young Southern woman who is bored with her conventional life. She's engaged to Harry Bellamy, a young man from the North. Despite concern from her family and friends, Sally travels to Harry's hometown to meet his family. Hoping for an exciting adventure, she instead finds herself in a cold, unfamiliar place. There, in the dead of winter, she begins to question everything.

Jack London was one of the first fiction writers to achieve worldwide fame. Though he is best remembered for his novels The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set during the Klondike Gold Rush, his short stories are considered masterful. Here in "Brown Wolf," a couple living on a homestead in Northern California take in a stray sled dog from Alaska. A story about the relationship between man and animal "Brown Wolf" is among London's finest shorter works.

O. Henry was a prolific American short-story writer - a master of surprise endings - who wrote about the life of ordinary people in New York City. Here is "A Blackjack Bargainer," the story of the drunken Yancey Goree, a washed-up lawyer who has lost his money, possessions, property, and self-respect as a result of playing poker. After settling a feud, however, he manages to redeem himself by trading places with an old rival.

Kate Chopin is a widely considered a forerunner to the feminist authors of the twentieth century. Focusing on themes of race andgender, her short stories largely center on life in rural Louisiana. In "A Pair of Silk Stockings," a young woman unexpected finds herself with fifteen dollars.Inspired by her newfound wealth, she ignores her natural impulses and indulgesin a day of luxurious abandon. A wistful rumination on loss and the illusion ofcontrol, "A Pair of Silk Stockings" is Chopin at her absolute best.

Richard Jefferies remains one of the most thoughtful and most lyrical writers on the English countryside. Best known for his articles and stories published in the Live Stock Journal, he draws from a wealth of knowledge of the rural community into which he had been born. Here he examines the habitats of the Downs and the birds and animals that live there. Written in Jefferies' highly descriptive style, the essay conveys a sense of wonder evoked by the natural world.

Considered one of the greatest short story writers of all time, Anton Chekhov heavily influenced the evolution of the modern short story. Most notably, he used a technique that would later be called "stream-of-consciousness," in which he eschewed the traditional story structure and simply wrote as though he was thinking aloud. Written in that same vein, "The Death of a Government Clerk" is one of his best-known short stories about the fragile Ivan Dmitritch Tchervyakov who blows a small breach of etiquette far out of proportion.

Henry Culyer Bunner is considered a comedic genius of the short story form. Known for choosing distinctly American themes and characters, his stories are often seen as trivial, merely expanded anecdotes, yet they are so vitally treated that they grip and remain, and, often, lift and chasten. Here is "The Nice People," one of his best known sketches - a story of people, assumptions, and societal expectations.

A lesson on the power of vanity, "The Necklace" tells the story of Madame Mathilde Loisel and her husband. Mathilde always imagined herself as a socialite with beautiful gowns and wonderful jewels. Her husband, however, is a lowly clerk and the two have little money. Desperate to attend an important party, she borrows a friend's diamond necklace to match the dress her husband bought for her. But when Mathilde loses the expensive jewels, she nearly destroys her life in an effort to pay back the debt.

Considered one of the greatest short story writers of all time, Anton Chekhov heavily influenced the evolution of the modern short story. Most notably, he used a technique that would later be called "stream of consciousness", in which he eschewed the traditional story structure and simply wrote as though he was thinking aloud. Written in that same vein, "The Lottery Ticket" is a story about money, luck, and relationships. Proceeds from sale of this title go to Reach Out and Read, an innovative literacy advocacy organization.

Before Louisa May Alcott achieved national fame with Little Women, she received success and recognition for Hospital Sketches, which was published in 1863. The book is based on her experience as a Civil War nurse at a Union hospital in Georgetown. In "The Death of a Soldier," an excerpt from the fourth chapter, she recounts the final days of a young Virginian blacksmith named John. Told through his nurse, Periwinkle, who stands by his side until his death, John never wavers in his desire to return to his post as a soldier and fulfill his duty.

"Eveline" is a short story from James Joyce's classic Dubliners. Nineteen-year-old Eveline has decided to leave home, but her future journey may not be all that she hopes. Like other stories in Dubliners,"Eveline" offers a penetrating analysis of Dublin society, especially its stagnation and paralysis. Each story incorporates epiphanies, by which Joyce meant to convey a sudden consciousness of the "soul" of a thing. Proceeds from sale of this title go to Reach Out and Read, an innovative literacy advocacy organization.

Sherwood Anderson's most enduring work, Winesburg, Ohio, is considered one of earliest works of modernistliterature. The sequence of short stories centers on the life of George Willardand those who live in the rural, pre-industrial town. "Adventure," a shortstory within the novel, tells the tale of Alice Hindman, a twenty-somethinggirl, and her continued devotion to her former lover Ned Currie, who left her toseek his fortune in Chicago.

Charles Dickens created some of the world's most memorable fictional characters. Widely regarded as the greatest writer of the Victorian period, his novels and short stories continue to be widely popular today. One of his lesser known works, Prince Bull is the story of a powerful prince named Bull; his lovely wife called Fair Freedom; and Tape, his wicked fairy godmother. Though written in fairy tale form, the story is a satirical commentary on Crimean War.

Though known for his classic novels of adventure and coming of age, Mark Twain is equally esteemed for his short stories, which abound with the colorful characters and often comic antics listeners have come to expect from his longer works. Included here are two of his most beloved short stories: "The Story of the Bad Little Boy Who Didn't Come to Grief" and "The Story of theGood Little Boy Who Did Not Prosper."

Eve's Diary," is the comic tale of Eve, the first woman in the Judeo-Christian creation story. Written in diary form, Eve offers a first-person account of her relationship with Adam, life in Eden, and their experiences after the Fall. "Eve's Diary" is one of many in a series of stories that Twain wrote, all revolving around Adam and Eve. Proceeds from sale of this title go to Reach Out and Read, an innovative literacy advocacy organization.

Set during the American Civil War, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is the classic short story of Peyton Farquhar, a Confederate sympathizer condemned to death by hanging from Owl Creek Bridge. Flashing between the present and the past - from Peyton's thoughts as he stands on the bridge to his memories as a major Confederate supporter in the South - he creates parallel realities in which truth and fantasy become indistinguishable.

Gertrude Atherton was a gothic novelist and short story writer. A protégée of Ambrose Bierce, his influence can be seen in many of her stories, which often have overt references to the supernatural. In "Death and the Woman," a woman sits all alone in grief at her dying husband's side, waiting for Death to claim him. In the creepy, desolate surroundings, her imagination begins to get the best of her - but is it only her imagination?

Robert W. Chanbers' The King in Yellow, a collection of short stories, is considered one of the most important works of American supernatural fiction. Within the collection is "The Prophets' Paradise," a dream-like narrative of prose and poetry. Featuring personifications of Love and Truth, the story's structure has a palindrome-like quality with internal repetition. Romantic in tone and ambiguous in theme, "The Prophets' Paradise" is one of Chambers' more experimental pieces.

Paul Fleischman's Poems for Two Voices make for irresistable listening. Whether funny, sad, boisterous or serene, each poem is a virtuoso performance - skillfully illuminating a unique personality from the natural world.