In this episode of Narrated Archives, we explore the sophisticated yet surprisingly tender world of the Gilded Age through three of Richard Harding Davis's most evocative stories: "A Walk Up the Avenue," "Van Bibber and the Swan-Boats," and "Van Bibber as Best Man." These narratives offer more than just a glimpse into high-society New York; they capture the universal tension between public persona and private longing, proving that even the most polished "man-about-town" is humanized by moments of quiet empathy and romantic missed connections.

It is a must-listen for anyone who enjoys sharp social observation paired with the bittersweet nostalgia of a vanished era.

• A Walk Up the Avenue - follows a young man walking through New York City as he reflects on his break-up with his fiance.
• Van Bibber and the Swan-Boats - Van Bibber finds himself on a bench in Boston’s Public Garden when he encounters 3 little girls from a different side of the city. The tale highlights his capacity for kindness and the experience of bridging class divides.
• Van Bibber as Best Man - centers on Van Bibber assisting a distraught couple with a secret marriage. He utilizes his social influence and resources to ensure the success of the plan.

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Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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...

In this episode we’re celebrating the pure, nonsensical joy of Carl Sanburg’s Rootabaga Stories and Rootabaga Pigeons. Know for his monumental 6 volume biography of Abraham Lincoln, Sandburg also wrote poetry and children's fairy tales. These stories are set in a world where the railroad tracks run off into the sky and the Village of Cream Puffs floats away in the wind! Join me to step into this whimsical past together letting our imaginations soar with the echoes of these delightful tales!

• How Gimme the Ax Found Out About the Zigzag Railroad and Who Made It Zigzag
• How to Tell Corn Fairies If You See ’Em
• Many, Many Weddings in One Corner House”
• How Six Pigeons Came Back to Hatrack the Horse After Many Accidents and Six Telegrams
• Never Kick a Slipper at the Moon

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Send requests for authors or short stories to: sbnarration@sallybarronvoiceovers.com

Here's my website: www.narratedarchives.com

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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• Libro.fm
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...

In this episode we’re unearthing a chillingly prescient piece of Victorian science fiction by Robert Barr that feels all too modern.

In 1892, Robert Barr—a writer who influenced the likes of Agatha Christie—penned a pioneering harrowing account of urban catastrophe titled “The Doom of London”. Set in a then-future mid-20th century, our narrator looks back on the final days of the 19th century, when a freak meteorological coincidence turned London's iconic fog into a lethal atmospheric trap.

Step back in time together and listen to the voice of the past with “The Doom of London”.

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Send requests for authors or short stories to: sbnarration@sallybarronvoiceovers.com

Here's my website: www.narratedarchives.com

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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• storytel
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...

In this episode of Narrated Archives we step into the brief, blazing life of Stephen Crane, author of The Red Badge of Courage. In the four stories presented, Stephen Crane captures the intersection of quiet human longing and the harsh often indifferent realities of society.

• “An Eloquence of Grief” - written around 1896, captures a routine New York City police court.
• “The Auction” - a public auction features the possessions of a former sailor named Ferguson and his wife. Crane explores the collision of financial tragedy and social humiliation.
• "A Great Mistake" - a brief, atmospheric scene that centers on the silent, intense longing and hunger of a small child gazing at an elaborate fruit stand.
• “A Fishing Village" - a descriptive piece, originally published in the August 1899 issue of The Philistine, that captures the rugged isolation, quiet endurance and daily rhythms of a coastal community with his characteristic impressionistic detail.

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Send requests for authors or short stories to: sbnarration@sallybarronvoiceovers.com

Here's my website: www.narratedarchives.com

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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• Nook
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...

In this episode are 2 stories froma collection all written by H. D Umbstaetter, entitled “The Red Hot Dollar and Other Stories from The Black Cat”. Also included is the Introduction to the collection written by Jack London

• “One Chance in a Million” tells of an entrepreneur so secretive that he almost loses his live
• “In Hell’s Cañon” a prospector is determined to locate a "lost lead".

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Send requests for authors or short stories to: sbnarration@sallybarronvoiceovers.com

Here's my website: www.narratedarchives.com

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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...

This week we’re listening to a sample from Harris Newmark’s memoir, “Sixty Years in Southern California".

We’ll be listening to the first 2 chapters in which Newmark recounts his upbringing and how he ended up traveling to California from Prussia covering the years 1834-1853

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Send requests for authors or short stories to: sbnarration@sallybarronvoiceovers.com

Here's my website: www.narratedarchives.com

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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...

In this episode we’re meeting the 19th century humorist, journalist and author known for his witty satirical columns and depictions of western life.

1. Mush and Melody has Mr. Nye attempting to provide a grand solution for a non-problem, providing that if you squint hard enough anything can turn into a crisis.
2. ‘Flying Machines’ showcases a range of aerial contraptions that hover somewhere between ‘mildly impressive’ and ‘why on Earth would anyone try that?’
3. In ‘The Amateur Carpenter’ Nye really leans into the amateur part; the results of these carpentry projects may resemble disasters.
4. Up next is ‘One Kind of Fool’ with Nye’s portrait of a young drifter who’s about as skilled at lying as a toddler trying to play poker.
5. And to wrap up, Bill Nye draws a curious parallel between his prose and the illustrious Noah Webster, proving that even in writing, comparisons can stretch the limits of credulity.

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Send requests for authors or short stories to: sbnarration@sallybarronvoiceovers.com

Here's my website: www.narratedarchives.com

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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• Nook
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• Libro.fm
• storytel
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...

In this episode we’re sampling Kate Chopin.

1. ‘The Kiss’ is a short story about a calculating young woman managing a love triangle and highlights themes of irony, pragmatism over romantic love, and the manipulation of social roles.
2. Kate Chopin’s ‘A Pair of Silk Stockings’ explores the conflict between a woman's duty to family and her personal desires for independence and self-identity, common in Chopin's work.
3. "A Reflection" is a brief, philosophical meditation contrasting the relentless "moving procession of human energy" with the stillness of those left behind.

Send us Fan Mail

When you subscribe to Narrated Archives you get at least 2 bonus episodes each month.

Support the show

Thanks for listening!

Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts Spotify or your favorite podcast provider.

Send requests for authors or short stories to: sbnarration@sallybarronvoiceovers.com

Here's my website: www.narratedarchives.com

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

• audible
• Spotify
• Google Play
• Nook
• Kobo
• Libro.fm
• storytel
• Hoopla (free from with your public library card)

...