Canterbury Tales (Short Story) - Volume I, The

Canterbury Tales - Volume I, The

The Prologue
The Knight's Tale
The Miller's Tale
The Pardoner's Tale
The Merchant's Tale
The Franklin's Tale

Chaucer's greatest work, written towards the end of the fourteenth century, paints a brilliant picture of medieval life, society and values. The stories range from the romantic, courtly idealism of The Knight's Tale to the joyous bawdy of The Miller's; all are told with a freshness and vigour in this modern verse translation that make them a delight to hear.

The Canterbury Tales, written near the end of Chaucer's life and hence towards the close of the fourteenth century, Is perhaps the greatest English literary work of the Middle Ages: yet it speaks to us today with almost undimmed clarity and relevance.

Chaucer imagines a group of twenty-nine pilgrims who meet in the Tabard Inn in Southwark, intent on making the traditional journey to the martyr's shrine of St Thomas a Becket in Canterbury. Harry Bailly landlord of the Tabard, proposes that the company should entertain themselves on the road with a storytelling competition. The teller of the best tale will be rewarded with a supper at the others' expense when the travellers return to London. Chaucer never completed this elaborate scheme - each pilgrim was supposed to tell four tales, but in fact we only have twenty-four altogether - yet, with the pieces of linking narrative and the prologues to each tale, the work as a whole constitutes a marvellously varied evocation of the medieval world which also goes beyond its period to penetrate (humorously, gravely tolerantly) human nature itself.

Chaucer, as a member of this company of pilgrims, presents himself with mock innocence as the admiring observer of his fellows, depicted in the General Prologue. Many of these are clearly rogues - the coarse, cheating Miller, the repulsive yet compelling Pardoner - yet in each of them Chaucer finds something human, often a sheer vitality or love of life which is irresistible: the Monk may prefer hunting to prayer, but he is after all a manly man, to be an abbot able. Perhaps only the unassuming, devoted Parson and his humbly labouring brother the Ploughman rise entirely above Chaucer's teasing irony; certainly the Parson's fellow clergy and religious officers belong to a Church riddled with gross corruption. Everyone, it seems, is on the make, in a world still recovering from the ravages of the Black Death.

Publisher: NAXOS
Author: Geoffrey Chaucer
Narrator: Full Cast Production
ISBN: 9 62634 044 4

1000 Years of Laughter

Laughter is unique to man. This delightful anthology presents some of the funniest extracts in English literature. It opens with Anglo-Saxon riddles - 'they couldn't keep themselves warm on a diet of Beowulf - and continues with medieval memories, Tudor comic turns and Restoration buffoonery. The rise of the novel in the 18th century brought classic humour from Swift, Sterne and Smollett, the mantle then passing to Charles Dickens in the 19th. Included here are rarities from the antiquarian's cupboard. Children's literature produced unforgettable images from Wind in the Willows and Alice in Wonderland, while in the first half of the 20th century emerged unforgettable comic writers as diverse as Dorothy Parker and P.G. Wodehouse. Entertaining from start to finish.

Publisher: NAXOS
Author: David Timson
Narrator: Full Cast Production
ISBN: 9 62634 269 2

World's Shortest Stories, The

The perfect gift gift for those who claim to be too busy to read. For the rest of us, these stories are like literary canapés ... Irresistible." - Sue Grafton

Consider for a moment 55 words. It's an absurdly tiny number. No, it's an impossibly tiny number. It's what O.Henry might have conjured up if he'd only had the back of a business card to write upon. You'll find murder and suspense, horror and intrigue, love and betrayal, plus distant worlds and inner demons. All in a measly 55 words.

Frank Muller has garnered praise as one of the most talented narrators of audiobooks today. Author Stephen King said "[when frank reads] the blind will see, the lame will walk, and the deaf will hear." His work has been recognized with numerous awards. He has also appeared in top regional theatres around the country and on television including "Law and Order," "Life Goes on," "Harry and the Hendersons," and "All My Children."

Suzanne Toren has appeared on and off Broadway and in regional theatres throughout the country. She occationally appears on television, most recently in "Law and Order." and has recorded hundreds of audiobooks. She was the recepient of the Narrator of the Year Award for her recordings of Talking Books for the Library of Congress and of the TORGI Awards from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.

Kathy Garver is best known for her role as "Cissy" in the CBS prime time hit, "Family Affair." one of the most enduring television shows of the 1960s. She has also performed in countless films, including "The Ten Commandments," "Apollo 13," "Parenthood," and "Backdraft," and has narrated several audiobooks.

Publisher: Listen & Live
Author: Various
Narrator: Full Cast Production
ISBN: