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Audiobooks Narrated by Larry G. Jones
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'William Wilson' is an 1839 short story by Edgar Allan Poe, set in London. The author explores the theme of the evil twin, as a precursor to later tales like 'Markheim' by Robert Louis Stevenson and Oscar Wilde's 'The Picture of Dorian Gray.' The protagonist, whose real name isn't exactly William Wilson, denounces his past while denying full responsibility for his actions. It all started at school when a boy with that name and the same birthday appeared in his life. The more the narrator sees of the other William Wilson, the more he dislikes him, particularly due to the other's derogatory manner. Always pursued and haunted by the other William, the narrator finally kills him, and then too late, realizes something ...
Counsels and Maxims is a classic work by noted German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. His work has influenced some of the modern world's greatest thinkers, including Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, and Erwin Schrödinger. This piece was originally translated by Thomas Bailey Saunders.
A heated conflict arose among the states, threatening to divide the nation in two. No, it wasn't the Civil War; it was the Constitutional Constitution of 1787. Delegates bitterly disagreed about whether or not large states deserved more representation in the government than did smaller states. In this speech, Benjamin Franklin masterfully puts to rest the anger and anxiety of a newly-formed nation as it wrestles with one of the essential questions of government.
Today, the US Constitution is held as sacred and infallible. But the process of creating it was lengthy, painstaking, and fraught with disagreement. The evidence of this historic struggle is in Benjamin Franklin's landmark speech, Disapproving and Accepting the Constitution. In this brilliant statement of diplomacy, Franklin communicates his reservations about the Constitution, while at the same time wholeheartedly endorsing its acceptance.
Inspired by the real-life click beetle, Poe's story, The Gold Bug, impresses on the reader the stress that wealth can often have upon humans. William Legrand and his servant, Jupiter, travel to Sullivan's Island after Legrand loses his family's fortune. There, Legrand becomes obsessed with a golden beetle, and Jupiter goes to fetch the narrator as he is increasingly convinced of Legrand's insanity. An attempt to catch the beetle leads the three on a chase for hidden gold treasure with a dark and brooding history.
A plague known as the Red Death has swept through the country, killing half the kingdom. Prince Prospero hides away in his castle with his favorite courtiers, unconcerned. One night he throws a lavish masquerade ball, but the party goes south when a mysterious guest appears dressed as a plague victim. Dive into this chilling Gothic tale for yourself to see what has entranced readers since its publication in 1842.
George Washington gained a reputation for military excellence for his service in the French and Indian War. This experience, combined with his unique situation as a relative outsider, made him an obvious choice to lead the Continental Army. Washington managed to get a ragtag army into fighting form, leading them to victory against all odds. Yet he remained humble; in this acceptance speech, he said, "I am truly sensible of the high Honor done me in this Appointment... I do not think myself equal to the Command I am honored with."
The act of dedicating a time to be thankful preceded the Thanksgiving holiday. It even preceded what most think of as the "First Thanksgiving" in Plymouth. This act became an official holiday only after a committee introduced a resolution on the matter to the House and Senate in 1789. President Washington instituted the holiday, stating that it would be "devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be."
In 1790, Moses Seixas of the Touro Synagogue wrote a letter to President Washington. Representing a people who had been escaping persecution for generations, he wanted confirmation that Jews would be given full freedom in the United States. Washington assured Seixas, and those of all religions, that "the Government of the United States gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support." Thisletter provides insight into two founding principles of America: freedom of religion and separation of church and state.
As the Revolutionary War came to an end, Congress had failed to pay many of its soldiers. In response, a group of officers from the Continental Army planned a mutiny. When they met to discuss their plans, George Washington arrived on the scene to have his say. In this emotional speech, he acknowledged their concerns but condemned their methods.
Before George Washington was president, he was a great general. He understood not only how to lead men into battle, but also how to keep them fighting when things became bleak. After the brutal Battle of Long Island, Washington wrote to the president of the Continental Congress. In his letter, he described the distressing nature of the situation and how best to maintain an army when morale was low.
After the Treaty of Paris officially ended the Revolutionary War, Washington resigned from his position as leader of the Continental Army. By the end of the war, Washington held enough power and influence to establish himself as king or even dictator over the new nation. Instead, he left the same way he entered: with humility, leaving way for independence to flourish. He stated, "Happy in the confirmation of our Independence and Sovereignty, and pleased with the opportunity afforded the United States of becoming a respectable Nation, I resign with satisfaction the Appointment I accepted with diffidence."
