Showing results by narrator "Eric Meyers" in All Categories

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born on 24th September 1896 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, into an upper-middle class family. Whilst his mother was pregnant with him, his two young sisters tragically died. Fitzgerald once said this was when his destiny as a writer was ordained. Amongst F. Scott Fitzgerald's many short story gems is ‘The Four Fists’. It follows a life, from boyhood to maturity, and how an occasional brush with physical force influences and changes that life.

Herman Melville was born in New York City on 1st August 1819. His father died when he was 12, leaving the family in very straitened times. Two years later Melville took a job in a bank and followed up with a failed stint as a surveyor. He went to sea and travelled across to Liverpool and then to the Pacific on adventures. Presented here is perhaps his best known short story, ‘Bartleby, the Scrivener’, an enduring story of a Wall Street lawyer and his very particular assistant.

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was born on 24th June 1842 at Horse Cave Creek in Meigs County, Ohio. His parents were poor but they introduced him to literature at an early age, instilling in him a deep appreciation of books, the written word and the elegance of language. In 1891 Bierce wrote and published the collection of 26 short stories which included ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’. Success and further works including poetry followed.

Alan Seeger was born on 22nd June 1888 in New York. After attending several elite preparatory schools, he enrolled at Harvard in 1906, where he also edited and wrote for the Harvard Monthly. War’s looming dark shadow was to have a transformative effect on the young poet and on 24th August 24th, 1914, he joined the French Foreign Legion so he could fight for the Allies. On American Independence day, 4th July 1917, whilst urging on his fellow soldiers in a successful charge at Belloy-en-Santerrem he was hit several times by machine gun fire and died.

Terminal lucidity is a relatively common but poorly understood phenomenon. Near the end of life, many people—including those who have suffered brain injuries or strokes, or have been silenced by mental illness or deep dementia—experience what seems a miraculous return. They regain their...

Bloomsbury presents Tough Guy by Richard Bradford, read by Eric Meyers. The first biography to examine Mailer's life as a twisted lens, offering a unique insight into the history of America from the end of World War II to the election of Barack Obama. Twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize, firstly...

Stephen Crane was born 1st November, 1871 in Newark, New Jersey and was the eighth surviving child out of fourteen. Incredibly he began writing at the age of four and was published several times by the age of sixteen.

Willa Sibert Cather was born on 7th December, 1873 on her grandmother's farm in the Back Creek Valley near Winchester, Virginia. After several years and moves the family eventually settled in Red Cloud, Nebraska and for the first time Cather could now attend school. In Red Cloud, Cather had her earliest writings published in the local Red Cloud Chief newspaper. Her time in the mid-West created a vivid tranche of experiences for the young woman.

The second battle of El Alamein in November 1942 was followed in April 1943 by the complete withdrawal of German troops from North Africa. Meanwhile, on the Eastern Front, the Red Army had entered the hell of Stalingrad and emerged victorious. In the Pacific, American troops had captured and held the strategically vital island of Guadalcanal, in the teeth of frantic Japanese counterattacks. The tide of the war had begun inexorably to turn in favor of the Allies. Victory in World War II covers all fronts in detail as it charts the progress of the final years of World War II.

The stunningly original new YA novel from renowned spoken-word poet Steven Camden. With a dash of Inception and a bit of Jennifer Niven, this is the story of a teen girl and her imaginary friend, and we guarantee you have never read anything like it… Marcie is real. With real problems. For...

In 1938, two rival expeditions descend on an ancient temple recently discovered in the jungles of Honduras, one intending to shoot a huge Hollywood production on location there, the other to disassemble the temple and ship it back to New York. A seemingly endless stalemate ensues. Twenty years...

Sheriff Patrick Drake tried to lead an upstanding life. He did okay for a while, singlehandedly raising his family, but then he was hit with money troubles and ended up convicted of one of the biggest crimes in local history. Twelve years later Patrick is on parole under the watchful eye of his son, Bobby. But trouble isn't done with the Drakes, and a terrifying threat boils up from Patrick's old life. And this time, no one will be spared....

The murder of a police officer reveals a world of corruption in this contemporary noir thriller set in New York. When Detective Boots Littlewood’s regular bookie, Drago, reveals that the shooting of police officer Captain Christopher Palmer was no random killing but an organized hit in exchange for a lighter sentence, Boots is assigned to a task force to investigate with a new partner, Jill Kelly, and soon uncovers a trail of corruption that someone will do anything to protect...

This collection of stories about oddballs living in and hanging around Christopher Park in Manhattan is a zany and charming comedy of characters. Everyone here, from the unpublished novelist to the earthquake expert-cum-street shrink, is able to indulge their madness without fear in the way that only Edward Swift can present.

An exciting collection all about the Olympic games and the inspiring athletes who compete in them. Hours of audio fun to keep children entertained while on the move! Introduce your children to ten fascinating non-fiction books about the Olympics. From autobiographies from some of the top...

A brilliant collection taking an in-depth look at our world from the incredible coral reefs to the dangerous volcanoes, plus a bonus nature-themed poetry collection for the whole family to enjoy. Hours of audio fun to keep children entertained while on the move! Introduce your children to four...

A fact filled collection taking a close-up look at some of the fantastic creatures we live among. Hours of audio fun to keep children entertained while on the move! Introduce your children to four information books about animals around the world, touching on topics such as migration and animal...

A collection of four great listens that explore the life and legends of Ancient Greece. Hours of audio fun to keep children entertained while on the move! Immerse your children in the fascinating world of Ancient Greece with three classic Greek Myths, written especially for children, and one...

Four thrilling classics with adventure at their hearts, abridged especially for young listeners: The Three Musketeer’s, The Jungle Book, Black Beauty, Nicholas Nickleby. Hours of audio fun to keep children entertained while on the move! Introduce your children to four much-loved adventure...

Four haunting classics, filled with mystery and suspense, abridged especially for young listeners: Frankenstein, The 39 Steps, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre. Hours of audio fun to keep children entertained while on the move! Introduce your children to four much-loved spooky stories. These...