Showing results by narrator "Cathy Dobson" in All Categories

Following an apocalyptic storm at sea, a sailor finds himself one of only two survivors on board his badly damaged ship. As the vessel floats helplessly southward, he begins to write down a narrative of the strange events which ensue. Their ship collides with a ghostly ship from mythology...and our sailor tries to learn the secrets of its eerie crew. Realizing that he cannot be saved, he resolves to cast his narrative into the sea in a bottle at the point when his death is imminent.

A poignant and profound collection of stories which explore the theme of childhood and a child's perspective on the world. "The Dabblers" by W. F. Harvey. "The Doll’s House" by Katherine Mansfield. "The Roman Road" by Kenneth Grahame. "The Sailor Uncle" by Mary Lamb. "The Egg" by Sherwood Anderson. "Gabriel-Ernest" by Saki. "A Child’s Revenge" by Paul Bourget. "The Apple Tree" by Katherine Mansfield. "A Falling Out" by Kenneth Grahame. "The Christmas Tree and the Wedding" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Poe's classic supernatural tale of a black cat which is maltreated by its drunken owner and reaps a macabre form of revenge from beyond the grave.

Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole (1884-1941) was a New Zealand-born English novelist, famous for his skill at scene setting and vivid plots. He was a best-selling author in the 1920s and 1930s and remains popular to this day. 'The Perfect Close' is the story of a 79-year-old man who realises one day that he is about to die. Seeing that he has only an hour or so left to live, he must decide how to spend his final moments. We accompany him on the last minutes of his life as he achieves his last couple of surprising but highly satisfying victories.

Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863-1935) was a British journalist and author. He wrote more than 230 books on a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and nonfiction. He was one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the Victorian golden age of the short story. This collection brings together some of the finest and most diverse examples of Fletcher's genius. 'The Ivory God' is the tale of a failing writer who acquires a strange ivory carving of an Indian god. He becomes convinced that the statue is communicating with him, taking possession of him, even writing through him.

Herbert Armstrong was a Welsh solicitor who murdered his wife by administering arsenic. His life was marked by love affairs and dubious business dealings. It is also probable that his hatred of his dull, respectable existence in a tiny rural village was one of the motives for his terrible crime. This story of the crime and trial of Armstrong is told by Edgar Wallace, who reported from the courtroom. On behalf of a newspaper syndicate, Wallace offered the convicted man £5,000 for his confession. The offer was refused.

E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776-1822) was a German Romantic author of fantasy and horror as well as a jurist, composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist. His stories were highly influential during the 19th century, and he is one of the major authors of the Romantic movement. This audiobook includes three short stories: 'The Mines of Falun', 'Gambler's Luck' and 'The Cremona Violin'.

'Major Wilbraham' is the extraordinary tale of a respectable ex-army officer whose mysterious death is shrouded in the greatest mystery of all. What could have led to Major Wilbraham to behave like that? Causing a scene on Piccadilly, staying out all night in Green Park with a street fighter and a prostitute, causing a fight at Covent Garden Market in which he was fatally injured....

John Davys Beresford (1873-1947) was an English writer, now remembered for his early science fiction and short stories in the horror story and ghost story genres. 'Powers of the Air' is a strange and evocative tale of superstition, supernatural forces and suspense. When the 'black time' comes, it is not safe to go out on the cliffs...but a young outsider from the town is determined to prove that the Powers do not exist.

Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863-1935) was a British journalist and author. He wrote more than 230 books on a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and nonfiction. He was one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the Victorian golden age of the short story. This collection brings together some of the finest and most diverse examples of Fletcher's genius.

The Secret of the Barbican is the story of a small-town solicitor who on a chance visit to a local museum in a distant town discovers a set of rare siege coins. He instantly recognizes them as the set of coins which had been stolen from his own town corporation many years previously. He immediately sets out to investigate...and the thief's trail takes him to some quite extraordinary places....

'Green Ink' is a classic Victorian detective story. Carsdale the solicitor receives a mysterious visit from Mr. Flapp, an old Wrychester resident who has just returned from years of travel overseas. The purpose of the visit remains mysterious, although Grice, the clerk, believes that Mr. Flapp left something with Carsdale. When next day Mr. Flapp is found drowned in the canal, Carsdale is surprisingly silent on the subject of his business with Flapp.

Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863 - 1935) was a British journalist and author. He wrote more than 230 books on a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and nonfiction. He was one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the Victorian "Golden Age" of the short story. 'The Vengeance of La Maraye' is the terrible tale of a cruel feudal lord, the Sieur de Brieux, who behaves like a tyrant towards his serfs on the island of La Maraye. This is the story of how the islanders finally get their awful revenge.

Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863-1935) was a British journalist and author. He wrote more than 230 books on a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and nonfiction. He was one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the Victorian 'golden age' of the short story. 'Against Time' is the adventure of a young clerk, Ledbitter, who realises, to his horror, that he has forgotten to post an important letter from his employer to a prospective client containing a valuable tender.

Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) was a prolific English writer, now best remembered for his science fiction novels and often credited as being the father of science fiction. 'The Pearl of Love' is a pecular allegorical tale taken from ancient persian literature, telling the story of a bereaved Indian prince whose beloved wife dies young. The prince devotes the rest of his life to creating the perfect memorial for his love - but there is a cruel twist at the end.

John Kendrick Bangs (1862-1922) was an American author, editor and satirist. 'The Ghost Club' is a lighthearted ghost story told by a prisoner who has been found guilty of burglary and the theft of a set of ornate silver teaspoons. His improbable story of how he came to be in possession of the spoons is extraordinary and charmingly engaging.

Morgan Andrew Robertson (1861-1915) was a popular American author of short stories and novels who claimed to have been the inventor of the periscope. 'The Trade Wind' is the strange and unsettling story of a ship where all the crew are mysteriously struck blind after a night of drinking rum in the tropics...a condition called moon blindness, for which there is no available cure.

Lady Bessie Kyffin-Taylor was an English writer famous for her outstanding supernatural stories which were published in a single volume in 1920, just two years before her death. Room Number Ten tells the story of Peter Maxton, a literary gentleman invited to join a house party at a remote house in Scotland. The driver taking him to the house from the station comments that the house is full, and they may have to use room number 10, and he pities whoever has to sleep there.

Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole (1884 - 1941) was a New Zealand-born English novelist, famous for his skill at scene setting and vivid plots. He was a best-selling author in the 1920s and 1930s and remains popular to this day. Lilac is a multilayered tale of a marriage proposal. Frederick Anstey, an art dealer, asks his beloved Lily Brocket to marry him. But she is in a hurry to get away, as her Aunt Clara has appeared from out of town, and she promises to write him a letter by ten that evening to give her reply.

Cleveland Moffett (1863-1926) was an American journalist and author who contributed articles and stories to magazines and weeklies. He first became famous with his short mystery story "The Mysterious Card", which was published in the Boston-based The Black Cat in 1895. This tale caused a sensation, partly because it did not reveal the answer to the puzzle posed, thereby gaining widespread attention and engaging his readers in speculation for months.