Showing results by publisher "A.R.N. Publications" in All Categories

Nowadays, it would not seem an insurmountable task to make it around the world in 80 days. Yet, when Jules Verne published this novel in 1873, this was a phenomenon that many doubted was remotely possible. We are at first introduced to Phileas Fogg, who lives in London and has just fired his valet for silly reasons. Fogg then hires Jean Passepartout who, at the time of hire, has no idea of the adventure that his new boss will take him on. Fogg learns that it is now possible to travel around the world - starting and ending up in London - in only 80 days.

Author Edith Wharton has a phenomenal ability to write about love that is lost and found. A young man by the name of Newland Archer seems to have everything he wants out of life, most notably a beautiful young fiancé named May Welland. Their innocent romance seems unbreakable until the introduction of May's cousin, Ellen Olenska, who is planning on divorcing her husband. As he gets to know her and her more rebellious take on life, Archer finds himself falling in love with her.

Silas Marner, the namesake of the work, is a humble weaver. He comes to the town of Raveloe, where he continues his trade, yet his story intertwines with that of two brothers, Godfrey and Dunsey, the latter of whom is a conniving trickster. Silas, having little money to begin with, becomes obsessed with counting his small fortune that he keeps hidden in his cottage, and through a series of events involving the two brothers, that money is stolen, devastating Silas.

One of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's finest tales, The Hound of the Baskervilles, takes Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on an adventure to investigate a supernatural hound that maybe looking to inflict harm upon a young heir.

Most of the great Greek stories and epic tales are initiated over women, which is exactly what happens in the very beginning of The Iliad by Homer. The Trojan War has been waging for nearly a decade, and really erupted when Helen, the wife to Menelaos, was kidnapped and thus launched the "thousand ships" in pursuit of her. This is the reason that the Achaians and the Trojans have been fighting each other for so long. Achilles, who has become hero to the Greeks, is given the present of a slave girl for his excellence in battle.

The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales by Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, first published in 1812, is a collection of 62 classic folk stories including "Rumplestiltskin", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Hansel and Gretel", "Snow White and Rose Red", "Iron Hans", "The Golden Goose", "Clever Hans", "The Frog Prince", and many more. These classic tales will keep you entertained for hours to come!

Exposing the tense relations between white colonists and African natives, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad explores the history of European colonialism in Africa, which has been known for many reasons as the Dark Continent. The book is framed as a story that is being recounted, focusing on a sailor named Marlow who is employed by an ivory trading company, known simply as the Company.

The Odyssey by Homer is an ancient Greek poem which tells the story of the hero Ulysses and his arduous journey home to Ithaca after the long and bloody Trojan war. After the ten-year battle and the fall of Troy, Ulysses intends to make his way back to his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. The Gods are against him and he faces many obstacles in his path which delay his return for many years. With her husband gone for so long Penelope assumes that he is dead and never to return.

Romantic scandal, English aristocracy, and familial controversy come together in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice to make for quite the enjoyable listen. As the novel opens, we are introduced to the Bennet Family, whose five daughters have reached the age of marital eligibility. When the dapper (and single) Mr. Bingley and his friend, Mr. Darcy, move into the Bennets' neighborhood, talk in the Bennet house is occupied by musings of engagements, specifically between the eldest daughter, Jane, and Mr. Bingley.

Sense and Sensibility, the first novel written by Jane Austen, is the story of two upper-class sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, who trade fortunes when they leave Sussex with their mother for a more modest life in Devon. While Elinor is torn from the love of her life in Sussex, her younger sister, Marianne, finds romance in Devon. This book, even though it is Austen's first, demonstrates her trademark style of wit and comedy.

King Solomon's Mines tells the story of renowned hunter Allan Quatermain as he leads an expedition into the heart of Southern Africa in search of a missing treasure hunter. He's persuaded to go on the trek by the brother of the missing man, the aristocrat Sir Henry Curtis, who is desperate to find out if his brother has survived after leaving in search of the fabled treasure mines of King Solomon.

Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up, is a tale of a mischievous boy that can fly and spends his time on the small island of Neverland. Some of the other characters from J. M. Barrie's classic novel include Peter's friends, Tinker Bell, Wendy, John, and Michael, and Peter's nemesis, Captain Hook.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe tells the story of a young Englishman who, against the best advice of his father, decides to leave his comfortable surroundings and take to the high seas in search of adventure. However, upon securing his first voyage, he begins to realize that a sailor's life is not as easy as he had imagined - and the experience he goes through is just the start of a series of events that will eventually lead him to be stranded on a desert island for the best part of three decades.

The Man Who Was Thursday was written by G. K. Chesterton and follows newly recruited Scotland Yard detective Gabriel Syme as he infiltrates the dangerous underworld of the European anarchist council. Syme is a member of a special antianarchist division of the police and finds his way into the secret group through a poet he befriends, named Lucian Gregory.

The Picture of Dorian Gray, written by Oscar Wilde, tells the story of a handsome young man who is befriended by a painter, Basil Hallward, and becomes the inspiration for his work. The young man is also introduced to one of Basil's friends, the hedonistic aristocrat Lord Henry Wotton, who enthralls Dorian by sharing with him his philosophies and ideals about life, including his belief that youth is the most precious and important thing in the world.

The Awakening, written by American novelist Kate Chopin, revolves around a young wife and mother, Edna Pontellier, who grapples with her burgeoning awareness of self in late 19th century Louisiana. Through a series of encounters with fellow women and a select assortment of men, she finds herself questioning the entirety of her existence at a time when thinking outside the box was something of an anomaly.

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome tells the story of three friends and their dog after they decide to take a boating trip along the Thames River. Taking a boat along the river was a popular way to spend a few days at the time, but most people who indulged in the activity probably didn't have as adventurous a time as J, George, Harris, and Montmorency the fox terrier when they came upon the perfect way (at least, it seems like this at the time) to spend their summer holidays.

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne follows the adventures of the mysterious captain Nemo and his incredible submarine, the Nautilus. Joining the captain on his epic journey around the world is Professor Pierre Aronnax, his servant Conseil, and the Canadian whaler Ned Land. These three become guests of the reclusive submariner when they are washed overboard on a ship that is tracking the Nautilus, believing that it is some kind of giant sea creature.

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is a powerful story about a man who was born into slavery but secretly learned how to read and write, which at that time was punishable by death. Because of this fact, we're able to read about the journey Douglass went through in his life, enduring the cruelty and heartless actions of his slave masters before escaping to the North.

Through the Looking Glass follows Alice as she enters another world of fantasy by climbing through a mirror which shows her more than just her reflection. Some of the more popular characters from this audiobook include Humpty Dumpty, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Bandersnatch, and the Red King.