Showing results by narrator "Geoffrey Giuliano" in All Categories

1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley are two of the most famous and influential dystopian novels ever written. Both books depict a future world in which individual freedom and privacy are subordinated to the demands of a totalitarian state, and citizens are manipulated and controlled through technology, propaganda, and social conditioning. The two novels have often been compared and contrasted, and both are considered to be among the most important works of literature of the 20th century.

"The Spike" and "A Hanging" are two essays written by George Orwell that deal with themes of institutional cruelty, powerlessness, and injustice. "The Spike" describes Orwell's experience of living in a spike, or homeless shelter, and the brutal conditions and dehumanizing treatment he witnessed there. The essay explores the plight of the poor and marginalized in society, as well as the indifference and cruelty of those in power. "A Hanging" describes Orwell's experience of witnessing a hanging during his time serving as a police officer in Burma.

The story centers on Charles Marlow, who narrates most of the book. He is an Englishman who takes a foreign assignment from a Belgian trading company as a river-boat captain in Africa. Heart of Darkness exposes the dark side of European colonization while exploring the three levels of darkness that the protagonist, Marlow, encounters: the darkness of the Congo wilderness, the darkness of the Europeans' cruel treatment of the African natives, and the unfathomable darkness within every human being for committing heinous acts of evil.

As the original American culture pop hero, Frank Sinatra remains an important and singular artist. He took the art of balladry and made it his own, carving out deep meaning in the soulful, mellow lyrics of many of the 20th century's greatest composers. Here, Frank candidly discusses his meager youth in New Jersey and his early uneven stabs at stardom. Not only a great singer, but also a wildly entertaining and amusing man, Sinatra hits you with both barrels in this intimate, all-star tribute to the voice of our time.

Love and Freindship [sic] is a juvenile story by Jane Austen, dated 1790, when Austen was 14 years old. Love and Freindship (the misspelling is one of many in the story) is clearly a parody of romantic novels Austen read as a child. This is clear even from the subtitle, "Deceived in Freindship and Betrayed in Love," which neatly undercuts the title. Written in epistolary form, it resembles a fairy tale as much as anything else, featuring wild coincidences and turns of fortune, but Austen is determined to lampoon the conventions of romantic stories.

Lady Susan is an early epistolary novel by Jane Austen, which was written in 1794 but was not published until 1871, after Austen's death. The novel follows the story of the manipulative and charming Lady Susan Vernon, who is recently widowed and seeks to secure a wealthy husband for herself and a suitable match for her daughter. Lady Susan is known for her wit and intelligence but also for her moral ambiguity, as she employs deception and manipulation to achieve her goals. The novel explores themes of social norms, gender roles, and the consequences of selfish behavior.

In this dynamic, hard-hitting audiobook, music biographer Geoffrey Giuliano examines the turbulent life and times of Elvis Presley. With an in-depth, insightful narration by the author as well as rare archival, unheard interviews, here is the perfect collection celebrating the king of rock for every dedicated fan, music historian, the media as well as all school, library, institutional, and university collections.

Middlemarch is a novel by the English author Mary Anne Evans, who wrote as George Eliot. It first appeared in eight installments in 1871 and 1872. Set in Middlemarch, a fictional English Midland town, from 1829 to 1832, it follows distinct, intersecting stories with many characters. Issues include the status of women, the nature of marriage, idealism, self-interest, religion, hypocrisy, political reform, and education. Despite comic elements, Middlemarch uses realism to encompass historical events.

In this unique audiobook by actor, author, narrator Geoffrey Giuliano you’ll find the very best of the Stones in their own words and of those who know them best. For every committed fan, popular music historian, casual listener, student of 20th century art and culture, curious commuter, as well as all library and school systems, here is the perfect audio addition to your collection. Listen to it, learn from it, and enjoy the incredible spectacle, high art and unthinkable longevity of the fabulous and imaginative rock band founded so many years ago by the late great Brian Jones.

1984 centers on the consequences of totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and repressive regimentation of persons and behaviors within society. Orwell modeled the totalitarian government in the novel after Stalinist Russia. More broadly, the novel examines the role of truth and facts within politics and the ways in which they are manipulated. The story takes place in an imagined future, the year 1984 when much of the world has fallen victim to perpetual war, omnipresent government surveillance, historical negationism, and propaganda.

In the 1970s, David Bowie, Cat Stevens, and Genesis were titans of the music industry, selling tens of millions of records and packing stadiums wherever they played. This is their story.

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater is a graphic, honest, autobiographical account written by Thomas De Quincey, about his laudanum addiction and its profound effect on his life. Confessions was the first major work De Quincey published and the one which won him lasting fame. This intensely riveting audiobook edition is therefore a must for all those interested in the pharmacological arts, altered states, the pitfalls of addiction, and the age-old quest for expanded consciousness.

This is a uniquely personal portrait of perhaps the greatest singer/songwriter of our times. From his early days with the Quarry Men to his triumphs with the Beatles and their subsequent bitter split, here is a fascinating portrayal of an extraordinary man.

Laws is Plato's last and longest dialogue. It is generally agreed that Plato wrote this dialogue as an older man, having failed in his effort in Syracuse on the island of Sicily to guide a tyrant's rule, instead having been thrown in prison.

Aleister Crowley was born on October 12, 1875. He was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the prophet entrusted with guiding humanity into the Æon of Horus in the early 20th century. A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life. Born to a wealthy family in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, Crowley rejected his parents' fundamentalist Christian faith to pursue an interest in Western esotericism.

The State and Revolution (1917) is a well-known book by Vladimir Lenin. In the book, Lenin describes the role of the state in society, the necessity of proletarian revolution, and the theoretic inadequacies of social democracy in achieving revolution to establish the dictatorship of the proletariat.

In this unique program, Dr. Best treats us to an easily accessible, yet detailed lecture from the grand tradition from which she comes. A must for all school, university, and institutional libraries, as well as for admirers, students, and practitioners of this ancient and practical yoga system.

Led Zeppelin spoke volumes with their groundbreaking music but were, frankly, seldom interviewed. Author, actor, historian Geoffrey Giuliano has dug up the rarest-of-the-rare of the band, speaking about their lives from their early roots as Demand Studio musicians to the very pinnacle of eternal rock superstardom. This unique one-of-a-kind audiobook is a must for all true Zep fans, pop music historians, casual listeners, curious commuters, and all school and university systems. Ladies and gentlemen! Meet Led Zeppelin!

Homer is one of the most important figures in ancient Greek literature, believed to have lived in the 8th century BC. He is most famous for his epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, which are considered to be the founding works of Western literature. The Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War, focusing on the hero Achilles, while the Odyssey recounts the adventures of the Greek hero Odysseus as he attempts to return home after the war. Both works are celebrated for their vivid storytelling, complex characters, and profound exploration of human nature.

These letters were arranged in two volumes by Albert Bigelow Paine, Samuel L. Clemens's literary executor, as a supplement to Mark Twain, A Biography, which Paine wrote. They are, for the most part, every letter written by Clemens known to exist at the time of their publication in 1917. They begin with a fragment of a letter from teenaged Sam Clemens to his sister, Pamela, and conclude with a letter to his attorney two weeks before his death. These letters give us some degree of insight into the evolution of Twain's style of speech and prose over the period of his lifetime.