A nautical yarn that encompasses adventure, thrills and spills on the high seas. Not to foget a certain massive whale! Captain Nemo is hell-bent on catching the famous gargantuan whale, who cost him one of his legs on a previous voyage. With disregard for his safety or that of his crew, he persues the beast with an obsession tantamount to madness.

Catherine Moorland is a tomboy who yearns for dark and dangerous adventure. Her first outing in society does not quite fit this specification, although she does fall decidedly in love, which is an adventure in itself. Young and susceptible, Catherine Morland expects dark secrets and many dangers to be lurking in the hidden recesses of Northanger A...

Anne Elliot is thrown back into the company of Captain Wentworth, a past love. Things didn't work out the last time they met, so it looks like it might be another bumpy ride in store for the pair... Partly autobiographical, Persuasion possesses a gentle sense of humour, and has rather a more serious tone than most of Austen's other works. Anne Eli...

Elizabeth Bennett is an intelligent unmarried woman in a patriarchal and aspirational society. She has numerous proud and prejudiced run-ins with the seemingly surly and aloof Mr. Darcy, who she initially feels is a man whom she would not desire to spend more time than she might have to. However, can they start to understand each other a little bet...

Elinor and Marianne are the main protagonists in this tale of stayed passion and the mission of courtship. The story of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne, whose lives are turned upside-down following the death of their father. Left almost penniless, they are forced to move out of their home, suffering loss of position and many shattered dreams. Res...

CSA WORD's award winning production, which follows an ill-equipped bunch of fellows on a jaunt down the Thames. This award-winning story follows the symbolic progress of 3 friends and an unruly dog as they make their way on a supposedly relaxing trip down the river, surrounded by the beautiful Thames Valley. Laugh as they try to open cans of beans...

Set against the epic backdrop of the Napoleonic wars and inspired by Tolstoy's own family history, War and Peace is expertly interpreted by Edward Petherbridge who brilliantly defines the varied and different characters that people this celebrated classic.

Black Beauty is a touching tale which takes a listener inside the head of a horse. A title featured in the BBC's 'Big Read Top 100', Black Beauty is a touching and enduring classic that appeals to adults and children alike. A young foal is told by his mother to always do his best, and so he does, despite the difficult situations he often finds hims...

Haunting and poignant, the great Oscar Wilde's famous supernatural story of youth and age is narrated brilliantly by Rupert Graves. Wilde's only novel combines sparkling wit, social satire and luxurious description. Full of many of his most famous witticisms, it is essentially a novel about the lust for eternal youth versus the inevitable reality o...

Kim is a magnificent novel, populated by a rich cast of characters - from jewelers and spies, to horse dealers, mystics and military leaders. The novel was once described by Kingsley Amis as "not only the finest story about India . . . but one of the greatest novels in the language". The action takes place in British India in the 1880s and 1890s ag...

Rudyard Kipling classic written in 1890 - the obnoxious Fleete, newly arrived in India, desecrates the temple of Hanuman, the monkey god. A priest avenges Hanuman with a savage bite to Fleete's chest, with grave and mysterious consquences.

Rivalry and love and hate are explored in this intense study of two men's struggle for power. An interesting novel due to its depiction of a violent love/hate relationship between two men, this story highlights the strains of competition in pre-industrial rural society. Michael henchard attains the position of town mayor, but the lies that lead him...

Tess goes through her life at the mercy of unscrupulous men, who take advantage of their positions in society and of her. But how far can a woman be pushed before she is forced to take revenge? Tess of the D'Urbervilles is an early exercise in girl power, Tess spends her life being bullied by men and is pushed to the brink. A dramatic and tragic st...

A wonderful selection of stories to make you laugh, cry and shiver! Featuring stories from Charles Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Saki amongst a great many famous others, this collection is a must for anyone who enjoys listening to a wide variety of stories from a diverse range of voices.

Hugo's vibrant portrait of the characters in late eighteenth century Paris is a world-famous story, which has also been made into an award-winning musical. Jean Valjean, an ex-convict, tries to turn his life around for the sake of his adopted daughter, Cosette. Set in turbulent times, this reading by Michael Jayston of this classic tale is a bustli...

In "The Legacy," Gilbert Clandon is a widower whose wife has left him the collection of diaries she has kept since their marriage began. The diaries reveal that the wife he thought was completely devoted to him has been in love with another man. With this discovery also comes the realization that her death may not have been accidental, as he previo...

Classic story from the author of The Woman In White, a young woman finds herself caught between true love and her family's honor

Becky Sharpe will stop at nothing to increase her social standing, could anything get in her way? Becky Sharp is one of literature's most important and controversial characters; born into the lower classes, she must rely on her wit and guile and sexuality to master regent society. Neither friendship nor trust can even abate Becky's desire to climb...

The timeless and enchanting festive story of Scrooge, who declares Christmas 'Humbug' and is taught otherwise. Ebenezer Scrooge is a money-grabbing skinflint who makes his own life and the lives of those around him nigh-unbearable with his mean and economical ways. One night just before Christmas, tucked up in his cold bed, he is shocked to meet ap...

Our hero, a carpenter, loves Hetty Sorel, but she loves Arthur Donnington, a local squire. The story soon progresses onto powerful themes, such as: who has the right to determine who lives and who dies? A non-judgemental examination of human relationships and nature, Adam Bede has been highly praised for achieving something 'beyond' realism.

A biting satire on American life which turned convention on its head. This story explores the obsessive affections of the radical Olive Chancellor for Verena Tarrant, a gifted young speaker in the feminist movement. When Olive's cousin Basil becomes equally besotted, the scene is set for a bitter tug of war.