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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts Prince Hamlet and his revenge against his uncle, Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father in order to seize his throne and marry Hamlet's mother. Hamlet is considered among the "most powerful and influential tragedies in the English language", with a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others".

Dracula is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking a business trip to stay at the castle of a Transylvanian nobleman, Count Dracula. Harker escapes the castle after discovering that Dracula is a vampire, and the Count moves to England and plagues the seaside town of Whitby. A small group, led by Abraham Van Helsing, hunt Dracula and, in the end, kill him.

Love and Freindship [sic] is a juvenile story by Jane Austen, dated 1790, when Austen was 14 years old. Love and Freindship (the misspelling is one of many in the story) is clearly a parody of romantic novels Austen read as a child. This is clear even from the subtitle, "Deceived in Freindship and Betrayed in Love," which neatly undercuts the title. Written in epistolary form, it resembles a fairy tale as much as anything else, featuring wild coincidences and turns of fortune, but Austen is determined to lampoon the conventions of romantic stories.

Middlemarch is a novel by the English author Mary Anne Evans, who wrote as George Eliot. It first appeared in eight installments in 1871 and 1872. Set in Middlemarch, a fictional English Midland town, from 1829 to 1832, it follows distinct, intersecting stories with many characters. Issues include the status of women, the nature of marriage, idealism, self-interest, religion, hypocrisy, political reform, and education. Despite comic elements, Middlemarch uses realism to encompass historical events.

Sherlock Holmes was created by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science, and logical reasoning that borders on the fantastic, which he employs when investigating cases for a wide variety of clients, including Scotland Yard. Holmes first appeared in print in 1887's A Study in Scarlet, the character's popularity became widespread with the first series of short stories in The Strand Magazine, beginning with "A Scandal in Bohemia" in 1891.

A brief biographical sketch of Franklin's life, followed by a collection (published in 1899) of 670 aphorisms, apothegms, or proverbs—short, pithy, instructive sayings—that were scattered throughout the pages of his Poor Richard's Almanack over its 25 years of once-a-year publication (1732-1758). Many of these sayings are familiar to all . . . "a penny saved is a penny earned" . . . "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" . . . but there are many more for you to laugh at, ponder over and learn from!

The Dream of the Red Chamber (also known as The Story of the Stone) is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of China, and considered the greatest of them all. Almost 40 main characters and some 500 minor characters tell the fortunes of the Chia family; the book details mainly the life of Chia Pao-yü, the heir apparent, who is described as very intelligent, but also as carefree and self-indulging. The already wealthy Chia family rises to new heights when Pao-yü's elder sister becomes an imperial consort.

On a cold Christmas Eve in Victorian London, the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge greets the season with a scowl and his famous “Bah! Humbug!” But when a ghostly visitor from his past warns him of a terrible fate, Scrooge is thrust into a haunting night of revelation and redemption.

The Brothers Karamazov Redux presents Dostoevsky’s towering masterpiece in a newly ignited form, amplifying the emotional, philosophical, and spiritual power of the original while sharpening its raw immediacy for a modern listener.

Anna Karenina remains one of the most profound and human stories ever written, a sweeping portrait of desire, duty, sacrifice, and the quiet storms of the heart. In this definitive presentation of Leo Tolstoy’s original masterpiece, listeners are drawn into a world where the glitter of Imperial Russia hides wounds that only love—and its consequences—can reveal.

One of Charles Dickens’s more tender and lesser-known Christmas novellas, The Battle of Life unfolds in a tranquil English village, where the rhythm of daily life is soon disturbed by the quiet dramas of the human heart.

A man named Redlaw, burdened by sorrow and past regrets, is visited by a mysterious ghost who offers him a strange bargain: to forget all pain and suffering. At first, this gift seems like a blessing, but Redlaw soon discovers that erasing sorrow can also erase compassion, empathy, and human connection.

One of Charles Dickens’ most enduring works, Oliver Twist tells the compelling story of an orphaned boy navigating the harsh realities of 19th-century London. Born in a workhouse and left motherless, Oliver faces the cruelty and deprivation of a society indifferent to the poor. From his early days in the workhouse to the perilous streets of the city, his journey is marked by danger, injustice, and remarkable resilience.

On a cold and fog-shrouded Christmas Eve in London, the miserly and hard-hearted Ebenezer Scrooge sits alone in his counting-house, dismissing the warmth of human kindness with his scornful cry of “Bah! Humbug!” To him, charity is folly and friendship a waste of time; money and solitude are his only companions. But when the ghost of his long-dead partner, Jacob Marley, appears with clanking chains and a dire warning, Scrooge is drawn into a night of revelation that will change him forever.

Swiss Family Robinson: The Lost Manuscript presents Johann David Wyss’s beloved tale of adventure, survival, ingenuity, and family courage in a newly expanded narrative that deepens the emotional and imaginative world of the original classic.

On a still December evening, Charles Dickens received a young London journalist at his home, Gad’s Hill Place in Kent. The meeting had been arranged quietly, and Dickens, though clearly tired from his recent travels and public readings, welcomed his guest with courtesy and reserve.

Austen’s genius lies in her ability to expose hypocrisy while championing sincerity, independence, and emotional honesty. Pride and Prejudice endures not only because it is a romance, but because it is a vibrant portrait of flawed, vivid people learning to see one another clearly.

A sweeping tale of hardship and redemption, Little Dorrit stands as one of Dickens’s most profound works—an exploration of human dignity in the face of injustice, and a timeless affirmation of resilience, compassion, and the enduring hope for freedom.

Charles Dickens met privately with London journalist Jasper Reed Wharton at his home, Gad’s Hill Place in Kent. Though his health was failing, he remained alert and ready to talk. The meeting lasted a little over an hour and covered both his personal reflections and his professional work. Dickens spoke in a straightforward way about the long years of writing that had defined his life. He discussed how certain characters had stayed with him more than others and how, over time, his view of his own books had changed.

A House to Let is a rare literary collaboration between four of the greatest voices of the Victorian era—Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Adelaide Anne Procter. First published as a Christmas story, this richly woven tale combines Dickens’ humor and humanity, Collins’ flair for suspense, Gaskell’s warmth and insight, and Procter’s poetic sensibility.