Why Men Fight
By Bertrand Russell
Mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell was prompted to write and publish Why Men Fight (in 1917) as he and the world were experiencing the Great War. Russell shares his thoughts on how to end war—not just between states, but also between classes and indi...
When Robin Anstey KC comes upon the beautiful Miss Blake, who has been wounded while courageously attempting to detain a fleeing murderer, he calls upon his long-time legal collaborator Dr. John Thorndyke to investigate the killing. But what at first looks like a mere robbery gone wrong, leaving a s...
Bigger, newer, faster. Demolish and rebuild, then demolish and rebuild again. Smoke, soot, and noise are the badges of prosperity, and growth is for growth's sake.
The first book in what would become known as Booth Tarkington's "growth trilogy" is about a small midwestern town rapidly transforming...
Much of Tennyson's poetry is elegiac in nature, featuring characters who have been disempowered by isolation, age, or lack of opportunity. One of the most famous examples of this is the dramatic soliloquy, "Ulysses", in which the aging hero visualizes setting forth on another nautical adventure in a...
The environment and its decline in health is the most important issue facing mankind today and is a subject everyone should have an understanding of, from business CEOs to the average person in society. By exploring topics such as biodiversity, ecosystem services, sustainability, and ecology, the li...
A body by a lake. A freshly buried coffin. But which is the murder victim?
When an elderly man is found dead on a bench overlooking Eagle Lake in Maine, the authorities eventually identify 74-year-old Nathanial Johns. But what they discover leaves more questions than answers. Having been laid to r...
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, presented by The Online Stage.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a well-known classic that never seems to lose its magic. Dorothy Gale and her trusty little dog Toto are swept away when a cyclone hits the family farm. Along with her new friends The Scarecro...
The lyrical ballad The Lady of Shalott is one of Tennyson's best-known and best-loved poems. It is based on the story of Elaine of Astolat, a figure from Arthurian legend, who dies from her unrequited love for Sir Lancelot. The subject matter provided inspiration for many of the Pre-Raphaelite paint...
The Yellow Wallpaper is a short story by American writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman. This semi-autobiographical story was first published in January 1892 in The New England Magazine. In this story, which was written after a severe bout of postpartum depression, Charlotte gives us a disturbing and surr...
The Island of Sheep
By John Buchan
Narrated by Graham Scott
Twelve years on from the events of The Three Hostages, Sir Richard Hannay begins to fear that his idyllic existence with his family in their Cotswolds home is a little too comfortable, merely the placid acceptance of encroaching old...
A cat walking across a room swerves suddenly and walks carefully around something we can't see. We shrug, smile, and remark that cats are always doing that. Our hitherto amiable dog suddenly develops the irritating habit of barking and growling violently at certain innocent passersby. We still shrug...
