Audiobooks by Thomas Bailey Aldrich

"In a quiet corner of rural New England, a newly built cottage appears along an old country road—and with it, a pair of neighbors who seem determined to live apart from the village that surrounds them. Told through the amused, watchful eye of a local narrator, Our New Neighbors at Ponkapog is a gently ironic portrait of curiosity, manners, and the subtle dramas that unfold when privacy meets polite scrutiny. As the young couple settles into their secluded life, questions arise—not dramatic ones, but the kind born of daily observation: Who are they? How do they live? And why do they remain so carefully out of reach? Thomas Bailey Aldrich’s short story blends pastoral calm with quiet wit, capturing the rhythms of late-19th-century New England and the universal human impulse to wonder about the lives just beyond our own gates. Observant, restrained, and quietly humorous, this classic work reveals how even the most peaceful landscapes can stir speculation—and how little we truly know of those we think we see. Narrated by Robert Jackson, this recording brings Aldrich’s refined prose and understated charm vividly to life."

Thomas Bailey Aldrich (Author), Robert Jackson (Narrator)

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Porch Swings, Parlors & Pryin’ Eyes: Gossip, Gumption, and the Glories of Small-Town Life

"In the towns where the porch lights glow late, the screen doors creak often, and no secret stays secret for long, life unfolds with charm, chatter, and more than a touch of mischief. Porch Swings, Parlors & Pryin’ Eyes invites you into parlors both prim and peculiar, where romances are whispered behind teacups, rivalries simmer at choir practice, and widows form committees with suspicious speed. Within these sixteen short stories, you’ll find aging sopranos and checker champions, tangled telegrams and moonlit deacons, poker parties gone sideways and gossip spun tighter than a handmade scarf. Each tale captures the distinct rhythms of small-town American life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries—with all its humor, heartbreak, and sly subversion of social norms. These are stories not just of people, but of places—of communities that cradle, confine, and sometimes surprise those who call them home. Pull up a chair, pour something sweet, and don’t be surprised if someone starts talkin’ about you next. Featuring the work of renowned authors and some hidden gems of classic American fiction, including: The Gay Old Dog, by Edna Ferber Melinda's Humorous Story, by May McHenry Friends in San Rosario, by O. Henry The Associated Widows, by Katharine M. Roof The Tale of the Tangled Telegram, by Wilbur D. Nesbit A Village Singer, by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman A New England Nun, by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman The Scarf, by Madeline Yale Wynne The Champion Checker-Player of Ameriky, by James Whitcomb Riley How The Widow Won The Deacon, by William James Lampton Evan Anderson's Poker Party, by Benjamin Stevenson A Rivermouth Romance, by Thomas Bailey Aldrich Not According to Schedule, by Mary Stewart Cutting A Reward of Merit, by Booth Tarkington Sand Flat Shadows, by Carl Sandburg Mrs. Lathrop's Love Affair, by Anne Warner"

Anne Warner, Benjamin Stevenson, Booth Tarkington, Carl Sandburg, Edna Ferber, James Riley, Katharine M. Roof, Madeline Yale Wynne, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Mary Stewart Cutting, May McHenry, O. Henry, Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Wilbur D. Nesbit, William James Lampton (Author), A.J. Schuck, Alex Picard, Emma Faye, John Hopkinson, Meghan Kelly, Rebecca Stern, Shannon Nicole Locke (Narrator)

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A Midnight Fantansy

"In A Midnight Fantasy, Thomas Bailey Aldrich weaves a whimsical, imaginative tale that blurs the lines between dream and reality, tragedy and romance. As the story opens, a solitary narrator roams the quiet, gaslit streets of 19th-century Boston after attending a performance of Romeo and Juliet. Haunted by Shakespeare’s tragedies, he envisions an alternate world where Hamlet meets Juliet—not to mourn, but to love. What unfolds is a charming reimagining of destiny: Hamlet travels to Verona and finds Juliet at a masquerade ball, sparking a romance that sidesteps the tragic paths fate once set. Through this dreamlike narrative, Aldrich reflects on longing, second chances, and the human desire to rewrite sorrow into joy. This short story is a literary love letter to classic drama, brought to life with sensitivity and elegance by narrator Neil Williams. Both wistful and uplifting, A Midnight Fantasy invites listeners into a poetic reverie that lingers long after the final line."

Thomas Bailey Aldrich (Author), Neil Williams (Narrator)

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The Story of a Bad Boy

"Thomas Bailey Aldrich was a child when his father moved to New Orleans from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. After 10 years, Aldrich was sent back to Portsmouth to prepare for college. This period of his life is partly described in his semi-autobiographical novel The Story of a Bad Boy (1870), in which "Tom Bailey" is the juvenile hero. Critics have said that this novel contains the first realistic depiction of childhood in American fiction and prepared the ground for Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Aldrich went on to associate with many of the literati of his time in New York City, and was editor of the Atlantic Monthly in the 1880's. His son died of Tuberculosis in Saranac lake, NY, and the family house is now a Bed and Breakfast there. The Aldrich house in Portsmouth is part of the Strawberry Banke Museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. (Summary by Samanem)"

Thomas Bailey Aldrich (Author), LibriVox Volunteers (Narrator)

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In the Old Church Tower

Thomas Bailey Aldrich (Author), LibriVox Volunteers (Narrator)

Audiobook

Nocturne

"LibriVox volunteers bring you 9 recordings of Nocturne by Thomas Bailey Aldrich. This was the Weekly Poetry project for July 3, 2011. Aldrich attended school in Portsmouth to prepare for college. This period of his life is partly described in his semi-autobiographical novel The Story of a Bad Boy (1870), in which "Tom Bailey" is the juvenile hero. Critics have said that this novel contains the first realistic depiction of childhood in American fiction and prepared the ground for Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Nocturne was taken from the Yale Book of American Verse, edited by Thomas R. Lounsbury (1838 - 1915)(Summary from Wikipedia)"

Thomas Bailey Aldrich (Author), LibriVox Volunteers (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks by Thomas Bailey Aldrich

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