Audiobooks by John Davidson

I Swear: My Life with Tourette’s Audiobook

"Brought to you by Penguin. From the remarkable man whose life inspired the heartstopping film, ‘I Swear’, a book that offers extraordinary insight into what it’s like to live with a severe form of Tourette’s Syndrome: a fascinating, complex condition that’s more common than most of us think ( 1 in 100 schoolchildren have the condition) , and yet is chronically misunderstood. Born in the 1970s on the Scottish Borders, John’s was twelve when his tics first arrived, as if from nowhere. Previously a happy, popular, football-mad boy he was labelled disruptive, rude, and even mad. As his condition progressed, from blinks and jerks to involuntary rude and obscene shouting, John was bullied, rejected - alienated from his family and a society that had no idea what to make of him. Hospitalized and drugged for months, it was only an extraordinary and transformative friendship, and John’s dogged optimism, that turned his life around, making I Swear an inspirational story of triumph over adversity. Through John’s eyes, we see Tourette’s not just as a medical condition, but as a lens through which we can all better understand the importance of human connection. And how essential, as well as ultimately rewarding, it can be to keep going and never give up. © John Davidson 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025"

John Davidson (Author), David Monteath (Narrator)

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The Ballad of a Nun

"John Davidson was born at Barrhead, East Renfrewshire on 11th April 1857. In 1862 his family moved to Greenock and there he began his education at Highlanders' Academy. Davidson would now spend many years at school and the beginnings of a career in various industries before gaining employment in various schools.By now literature was a large part of his activities and his first published work was ‘Bruce, A Chronicle Play’ in 1886. Four other plays quickly followed including the somewhat brilliant pantomimic ‘Scaramouch in Naxos’ (1889).With his reputation gradually providing an income he was also able to explore his true medium; Verse. ‘In a Music Hall and Other Poems’ (1891) together with ‘Fleet Street Eclogues’ (1893) were ample proof that he possessed a quite rare, genuine and distinctive poetic gift. Davidson now turned further and further towards verse. In 1894 he published his most popular volume, ‘Ballads and Songs’ (1894), and this was followed by a further ‘Fleet Street Eclogues’ (Second Series) (1896) and by ‘New Ballads’ (1897) and ‘The Last Ballad’ (1899).As the new century dawned Davidson was hard at work on a series of ‘Testaments’, in which he gave definite expression to his philosophy and were published over a seven year period; ‘The Testament of a Vivisector’ (1901), ‘The Testament of a Man Forbid’ (1901), ‘The Testament of an Empire Builder’ (1902), and ‘The Testament of John Davidson’ (1908). However, on 23rd March 1909, with his finances in ruins, the onset of cancer and profound hopelessness and clinical depression he left his house for the last time. His body was only found on September 18th by some local fishermen."

John Davidson (Author), Ghizela Rowe (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Rhyme A Dozen - 12 Poets, 12 Poems, 1 Topic ? Ballads

"'A dime a dozen' as known in America, is perhaps equal to the English 'cheap as chips' but whatever the lingua franca of your choice in this series we hereby submit 'A Rhyme a Dozen' as 12 poems on many given subjects that are a well-rounded gathering, maybe even an essential guide, from the knowing pens of classic poets and their beautifully spoken verse to the comfort of your ears. 1 - A Rhyme A Dozen - 12 Poems, 12 Poets, 1 Topic - Ballads - An Introduction 2 - The Ballad of Agincourt by Michael Drayton 3 - Ballad of the Three Spectres by Ivor Gurney 4 - The Ballad of Persse O'Reilly by James Joyce 5 - The Ballad Which Anne Askew Made and Sang When She Was in Newgate by Anne Askew 6 - The Water Ballad by Samuel Taylor Coleridge 7 - The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear 8 - Ballade of An Omnibus by Amy Levy 9 - La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats 10 - John Barleycorn, A Ballad by Robert Burns 11 - Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe 12 - A Ballad of Hell by John Davidson 13 - A Ballad of Death by Algernon Charles Swinburne"

Algernon Charles Swinburne, Amy Levy, Anne Askew, Edgar Allan Poe, Edward Lear, Ivor Gurney, James Joyce, John Davidson, John Keats, Michael Drayton, Robert Burns, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Author), Marco D'amico, Nigel Planer, Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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The Rhymer's Club

"In 1890 W B Yeats and Ernest Rhys founded a poetry club. Based mainly at Fleet Street's immortal 'Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese' pub with occasional appearances at the Domino room in the Café Royal poets gathered together to dine and drink.Whilst it was based on a core of poets many others attended on an ad hoc basis including Oscar Wilde, Francis Thompson & Lord Alfred Douglas. The camaraderie, banter and poetry that played out in their dreams, ambitions and for many, their difficult lives led Yeats to call them 'the tragic generation'.As well as their enthusiastic social forays they printed two anthologies of verse. The first in 1892 and the second in 1894. For all the talent it could call upon the print runs were only in their hundreds.Part of a poet's obligation is to move the boundaries of society, to write what others shun. And whilst that is certainly the case with our group in terms of writing in one glaring respect they were very Victorian. The members of the club were only men. Arthur Ransome sums up their existence as "... the Rhymer's Club used to meet, to drink from tankards, smoke clay pipes, and recite their own poetry".Whilst their initial aims were food, drink, camaraderie and bragging, the reality is that their poetry gives us so much more."

John Davidson, Richard Le Gallienne, W B Yeats (Author), Ghizela Rowe, Mark Rice-Oxley, Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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