Showing results by narrator "Tom Weiss" in All Categories

The Burgess Bird Book for Children introduces children to the fascinating subject of bird life in storybook fashion. Thornton Burgess uses Peter Rabbit as a means for younger children to learn about birds in the Green Forest and Green Meadows. On the journey through the book, Peter learns a great deal from sassy Jenny Wren and other neighbors. Listeners learn about common birds' physical appearance, eating, nesting habits, and songs and calls.

Peter Rabbit would like to know more about the four-footed friends who share the Green Meadows and Green Forest with him. Old Mother Nature is only too happy to help and holds a "school" for Peter. Along the way, many others of the Green Meadow and Green Forest creatures join Peter at school as he learns about his neighbors. As with all Thornton W. Burgess stories, young listeners gain positive values while learning a great deal about the animals that share their world.

Thornton Burgess wrote the Burgess Flower Book for children to instill a love of flowers in young children. Burgess uses one of his favorite characters, Peter Rabbit, to search for flowers. The story begins in early spring as Peter discovers the first blooms. Peter's search for flowers continues all summer and into the fall. Along the way, Burgess characters, including the Merry Little Breezes, Grandfather Frog, and others, help Peter find new flowers as they bloom. The description of the flowers is very detailed.

Written in 1860 in the language of the day by William and Ellen Craft, Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom tells the story of a husband and wife's plight to escape slavery in 1848 Georgia. Unlike many slaves who escaped in the dead of night chased by slave hunters and bloodhounds, the Crafts traveled in first-class trains, dined with a steamboat captain, and stayed in the best hotels during their escape to Philadelphia and freedom. Ellen, who was nearly white, disguised herself as a young male cotton planter traveling with his slave, William.

"The History of the Standard Oil Company" is a book written by journalist Ida Tarbell in 1904. It was an exposé of the Standard Oil Company, run at that time by oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller the richest figure in America's history. Originally serialized in 19 parts in McClure's magazine, the book was a seminal example of muckraking, and inspired many other journalists to write about trusts, large businesses that (in the absence of strong antitrust law in the 19th century) attempted to gain monopolies in various industries.

Humans from the inner planets and robots from the outer planets have engaged in a planetary war in which no side won. Both sides have retreated to their respective zones, searching for a superweapon that will allow them to annihilate the other. Robots believe they have a plan and only one man can stop them.

Tal Howard is trying to adjust to life after being held prisoner by the Chinese during the Korean War. During his time in camp, he befriended a dying soldier who confessed a secret about a small fortune he had stolen from his brother and hidden somewhere in his hometown. After repatriation, Tal finds it hard to settle down in his old life. He decides to visit the dying prisoner's hometown and retrieve the money, which he hopes will change his life for the better.

The short story "Doctor" chronicles a fear of a virus that has already decimated one planet and is so deadly that there is no cure for it. Planets that are known to have chlorphage are quarantined from the rest of the galaxy. Unknown to others, a small girl who is infected manages to board an interplanetary ship and the ship's doctor tries to combat the virus.

In Tales of the Unknown, Wells' series of 15 stories investigate "the other side"; that is, a fourth dimension where human beings enter into a world outside or parallel to our own. In the otherworld that Wells describes, it seems we can see others, observe their actions, yet be unable to speak, hear, or touch them.

Cole Harper came to Atlantic City for a break—a few days to clear his head, sip a drink, and forget the mess he left behind in Philly. But when a redhead with a Southern drawl and a face he almost recognizes wins big in a backroom casino, then ends up bound to his hotel bed, vacation is over.

Abe believed his life was set—rooted in his Amish community, grounded in faith, and following the path laid out before him. But when a profound loss tore through that foundation, everything he believed in started to unravel. Left searching for answers that never seemed to come, no matter how hard he prayed, Abe questioned his faith and his entire way of life.

Biff Brewster receives a 16th birthday present to go to Brazil to be with his father. Biff believes he will be going on a safari. Before leaving, Biff receives a secret letter from Mr. Stannart of the Ajax Company to give to his father. Stannart informs Biff that his father is not looking for rubber plantations, as many at the Company believe, but instead is looking for a secret gold mine. As Biff quickly discovers, others are also looking for the secret gold mine and will stop at nothing to find it. In addition to thieves, Native headhunters and wild rivers await Biff and his father.

Commander Walter Topham, assigned as an attaché in Japan, is requested by the Secretary of State to deliver a sealed secret document via the Berlin embassy en route to Japan. Topham agrees to travel to Japan via Berlin. He meets and falls in love with the Countess de Ouro Preto on the steamer voyage, not knowing she is part of a conspiracy. He is drugged on the sea journey and attacked while traveling by train to Berlin by plotters who want to prevent the document from reaching Berlin.

Biff Brewster receives a mysterious, urgent telegram from his uncle, Charles Keene, from Martinique, asking him to come quickly. Biff's parents reluctantly allow Biff to make the trip. During the airline trip, Biff meets another boy, Derek, who looks like Biff. After making friends on the flight, they decide to play a trick on Biff's uncle by exchanging identities. The exchanged identity backfires as Biff is kidnapped by thieves hoping to find and steal a pearl fishery that Dere's father has discovered.

Canna III is a water planet with a single large island. The island is bordered by a high cliff. Civilians irrigating the land has caused issues where soil and bedrock meet. The land has been turned into a saltwater swamp, turned upside down. The swamp is sliding into the ocean, taking inhabitable land with it. Compounding the problem is a fuel leak from underground tanks threatening to detonate. Two Colonial Survey troubleshooters have been called to the planet to try and rectify the situation.

Critical Difference is the story of a Colonial Survey Officer named Massey assigned to a barren, frozen planet to check and approve colony installations. He discovers that this world's temperature is gradually getting colder. Eventually, the declining temperature will make the colony uninhabitable. The colony receives a coded message that the same thing is happening to their home world. The colonists rely on Massey to find a solution.

James Arthur Fradin, an eminent professor and scientist, has a new theory about radio waves. He believes he has found that radio waves and power are transmitted through the fourth dimension. He is met with disbelief and disdain when presenting his unique and controversial view to a distinguished group of scientists at a conference. However, one individual, a spy at the meeting, listens with extreme interest. If Fradin is correct, power becomes unlimited and is used for evil purposes. The spy, Marvak, needs to be stopped, but how?

After a century-long cold war between Us and Them, an agent arrives and informs authorities that robots identical to humans have been developed by Them. Ten are already in America and when they get together, their combined components will trigger a nuclear-level explosion capable of destroying a major American city. The head of U.S. robotics is tasked with finding and destroying them before they can succeed.

The Seven Conundrums is seven different short stories. A mysterious man employs three desperate entertainers who have financial problems. The three accept his work proposal, not knowing if they are on the side of good or evil. As they work for the mystery man, they don't know if he is a thief, police, or both, making them spies, guardians, protagonists, and victims of curious adventures. After all, conundrums do not necessarily have a right or reasonable solution by their nature. In the end, however, all becomes known to the trio.

Joe Galloway has it all. A thriving, growing business. A beautiful wife named Norma. Life is good. His world comes crashing down when Norma tells him she is in love with another man one day. Joe tries to reason with Norma with no success. Finally, he gives up and heads out on the open road attempting to forget his sadness. Joe meets and goes to work for an old acquaintance at a logging camp. A chance rescue rekindles memories and a serendipitous encounter.