One of the great adventure stories of literature, The Count of Monte Cristo is a classic tale of malice, conspiracy and retribution - with a moral at its centre. Edmond Dantes makes his audacious bid for freedom from the living death of the Chateau d'If, hell-bent on compensating his friends but destroying those who had falsely incriminated him. he...

A story of innate animal instinct and 'survival of the fittest' of sorts, this tale listens to a man relating a story of instinctive hate and its shocking consequences. The detached and matter-of-fact revelations of the narrator lend this story a chilling and unsettling air, and the story poses a listener questions about wrong and right when faced...

Born into an ordinary family, though not at all ordinary himself, our hero's parents discover that their son has been born with a gift - a brain made of pure gold. As a child, he was very protected by his parents and was unaware of his condition. However, when he discovers his secret, it begins to consume his life, leading to obsession and the feel...

Originally written in French, The Girl from Arles is a doomed love story concerning a young and handsome man named Jan, who falls in love with a woman who can never be his. A heart-rending and tragic-romantic short story that will move even the most hardened souls.

A doting Grandmother comes a cropper of temptation when attempting to prove to her daughter that she can care for her children. Set on showing the kids a good time, Gran plays dressing up, the children's favourite game, although getting carried away with the charade may prove misguided.

A short overture to the value of trusty animal friends, that also incorporates some historical interest and is a warming closer and thinking-point taken from CSA Word's 'Cats' collection'.

A husband and wife attend a function at which they hope the husband will be made president of a large charity organization. As the night wears on and the wife sees the husband do something rather shocking in public, she begins to question what really is important, as well as asking herself what is important in her marriage and their lives together,...

Dracula's Guest follows a mysterious and unnamed young Englishman's wanderings around Munich and through a dense, dark forest on Walpurgis Night, a mysterious pagan festival of witches. This beautifully simplistic and eerie horror tale from the writer of Dracula is guaranteed to send shivers up your spine.

The Great Winglebury Duel is a story based in Winglebury; a town inhabited by liberal people. A town renowned for great architecture and art, none better than found at the Winglebury Arms, Dickens' inimitable character studies make this short story essential and captivating listening. A funny and highly-enjoyable listen.

Shakespeare's classic tragedy that charts the revenge-fuelled madness of the Prince of Denmark is re-told skilfully by brother and sister team Mary and Charles Lamb, who famously transformed Shakespeare's best-known plays into prose stories to make them more accessible to readers and listeners alike. Hamlet swears to avenge his father after seeing...

From the acclaimed author of The Railway Children comes a tale of love and intrigue. Within the exquisite gardens of a hotel two lovers come together. Finding themselves inexplicitly drawn to each other, night after night they meet, but only within the confines of their dreams. As their dreams merge into one the lovers must unite in waking life to...

Arthur J. Raffles is a character created in the 1890s by E. W. Hornung, a brother-in-law to Arthur Conan Doyle (the creator of Sherlock Holmes). He is in many ways the antithesis of Holmes; a gentleman thief, who plays Cricket for England and supports himself by ingenious burglaries. This story is one of the fascinating series, chronicled by Raffle...

A scheming solicitor hatches an elaborate plan to steal a client's inheritance in this story of deception and fraud. Jack Shepherd, television's Wycliffe in the eponymous Cornwall-based series, is an apt reader for Wallace's accomplished prose.

Our narrator begins this story by explaining how, in his opinion, spirituality has ruined many more promising careers than drink, gambling or the alluring smiles of women. He then goes on to tell the tale of Mo Lisky, who held an assured position for a long time but became handicapped through a private feud. One afternoon, Elle Raboots, an acquaint...

A major figure in the early development of the science fiction genre, Page has been closely compared to H.G. Wells, even said to have presaged many of Wells' major works with his own. The Clock That Went Backward sees our heroes on a journey through time and space - a concept that has since inspired movie adaptations as diverse as 'Bill and Ted's E...

Fun In An Artists Studio is one of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Pat Hobby series, written during his later years as a writer. Pat Hobby, a down-and-out Hollywood screenwriter, is bemused when a Romanian Princess takes an interest in him and asks him to pose for a painting. This funny, slightly tragic tale is both heartwarming and funny at the same time.

While tending to his broken-down car, Hobby, a failing writer, is mistaken by a wealthy tourist couple for a guide to the homes of movie stars. Hobby takes their money and attempts to visit the homes of some minor celebrities he is acquainted with, but the couple demand to be taken to the home of Shirley Temple. Hilarity and damn lies inevitably en...

In this story of romance, marriage and travel, Adam, a 41-year-old journalist, is making a trip to Israel with his new wife Elsee. His marriage to his first wife, Elaine, ended in a divorce which meant he sadly sees very little of his three children. When he was alone and looking for love, Adam was encouraged by friends to give up the dream of find...

An angry mother plots retribution against the driver who injured her daughter. A compelling look at the frustration endured in response to the various foibles and failings of any legal system, our protagonist vows to take matters into her own hands, though soon realizes that events are spiraling out of her control, and that she is powerless to stop...

As part of the popular Vintage Beeb range, this is a reissue of the classic 1970s vinyl LP. First published by BBC Records & Cassettes in 1972, it features 14 stories written and read by Johnny Morris, who became enduringly popular in the TV series Animal Magic. Based on the residents of a zoo, the stories include: Charlie and Gladys the Warthog...

Two unexpected tales written and read by the bestselling author of 'The Uncommon Reader', 'Untold Stories' and 'The History Boys'. In 'The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson', Mrs. Donaldson is a conventional middle-class woman beached on the shores of widowhood after a marriage that had been much like many others: happy to begin with, then satisfactory a...