Showing results by narrator "Chris Coxon" in All Categories

This collection of short stories by Anton Chekhov are all set at Christmastime. Rather than depicting a sentimental image of Christmas, Chekhov paints a picture of the harsh reality faced by many of the poorer members of society during a bitter Russian winter, while still injecting elements of pathos and humour. This collection includes At Christmas Time (Parts 1 & 2), Vanka and The Shoemaker and the Devil.

White’s Tale is about most of us: We come and go from the world without really, at any stage, trying to affect or change it, despite dreaming of what we would do if we had the chance. White has that chance. White’s Novel is about what happens as a result of him taking that chance. And, in the end, is he really so very different than the rest of us? He thinks he is!

A charming short story by Oscar Wilde. Hugh Erskine is a fine young man with a big heart, but without means. In order to marry his sweetheart, he must first placate his lover's father, the Colonel, and amass a great fortune. First published in 1887 and later included in the "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories" collection of 1891.

This short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky was first published in 1848. A man walking past a wedding is reminded of a children’s New Year’s Eve party he attended 5 years previously – a party that was clearly an excuse for the parents to make advantageous connections in a casual setting. As an outsider at the party, he was able to observe the guests in greater detail than most, and took particular note of the children playing by the Christmas tree, and the social hierarchy they unwittingly participated in. This recording is based on the 1918 translation by Constance Garnett.

One of the best-known and well-loved Christmas stories of all time, Charles Dickens’ novella "A Christmas Carol” was first published in 1843 as "A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas.” Notorious skinflint Ebenezer Scrooge receives a visit from a tormented spirit in the form of his deceased business partner Jacob Marley. Following Marley’s warning that a similar fate awaits him if he does not change his ways, Scrooge is visited by the Spirits of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come.

Charles John Huffam Dickens is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the 20th century critics and scholars had recognized him as a literary genius. The short story "Boots at the Holly-Tree Inn" was first published by in 1855. The tale is told with much affection by a servant, about the eight-year-old Harry and the seven-year-old Norah who tried to elope to Gretna Green, but were stopped and waited at the Holly-Tree Inn for their parents to arrive.

Phantasmagoria, Lewis Carroll's longest poem, was first published by Macmillan and Co., London, in 1869. Written in seven cantos, it tells the tale, in quintains, of a gentleman called Tibbets and his experience conversing with a phantom. This amusing “epic” takes us through their initial fear of each other, a fierce debate over the goings-on of the supernatural world, and finally, to a touching mutual admiration.

This charming collection of Grimms’ Fairy Tales includes “Hansel & Gretel”, “The Mouse, the Bird & the Sausage”, “The Golden Bird”, “Old Sultan” and “The Straw, the Coal & the Bean”. Grimms’ Fairy Tales was first published in Germany in 1812 as “Kinder und Hausmärchen“. This series of recordings is based on the original 1823 English translation by Edgar Taylor, with subsequent editing by Marian Edwardes.

First published in 1886, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is perhaps the most famous example of the gothic horror novella. Gabriel John Utterson, a sombre London lawyer, becomes concerned for the safety and sanity of his friend and client Dr. Henry Jekyll, after the doctor begins associating with an unseemly young man named Edward Hyde. Following a spate of crimes, including blackmail and murder, and with all fingers pointing at Hyde, the lawyer sets out to free his friend from the dreadful influence of his new acquaintance. Not everything, however, is as it seems.

This collection of three ghost stories, by master of the genre M. R. James, first appeared in “A Warning to the Curious” published in 1925. James wrote “The Haunted Dolls’ House” in 1923 on a commission from Queen Mary who wanted miniature books from the most popular writers of the day to include in the library of her doll’s house at Windsor Castle. Antique dealer Mr. Chittenden has an exquisite example of a doll’s house in his shop. After a little haggling he manages to offload it onto one of his regular customers, a collector called Mr. Dillet.

"The Mass for the Dead" was first published in 1893 in E. Nesbit’s "Grim Tales", a collection of romantic horror stories. Jasper’s true love is to marry another man for the sake of familial wealth. On the eve of the wedding, the two lovers are each haunted by supernatural music, reminiscent of a funeral mass.

At a royal wedding celebration, a group of fireworks discuss life, philosophy and politics. One supercilious rocket considers himself to be particularly “remarkable”. A witty fable on the subject of vanity, The Remarkable Rocket was first published in The Happy Prince and Other Tales in 1888.