Audiobooks Narrated by Richard Mitchley

The Lagoon

"Joseph Conrad was born on 3rd December 1857 in Berdychiv in the Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire. His birthplace had been part of Poland which its neighbours dismembered into their own Empires.Conrad’s early years were spent in constant movement, his father was politically active and frequently in trouble trying to help re-ignite a Polish state which meant arrests and exile and the young Conrad himself suffered from ill-health, spending a year at a retreat in Kyiv recovering. By 11 he was orphaned. His education was mainly private and although he was a voracious reader, he was a poor academic student. Now, being raised by an uncle who wanted Conrad to have a worthwhile job, it was hoped that a merchant-marine career might bring out the best of him.At 16 he was sent to Marseille to embark on that adventure. Conrad himself was determined to be both a sailor and a great writer.Life on board a ship was full of adventures and experiences which included gun-running and close quarter encounters with political conspiracies.By his mid 30’s Conrad had returned to shore permanently to add his prodigious literary talents to full time writing. Although he wrote with a comprehensive command in English his spoken English was often cited as ‘horrible’. He was now also a British Citizen. Conrad brought to English Literature both narrative mastery, compelling prose and fully formed characters as well as a deeper examination of the human psyche in a wealth of work. He wrote many novels, short stories, nonfiction, and memoirs which are rightly regarded today as some of the finest in English literature. Jospeh Conrad died on the 3rd August 1924 at Bishopsbourne, Kent in England. He was 66."

Joseph Conrad (Author), Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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Joseph Conrad - A Short Story Collection

"Joseph Conrad was born on 3rd December 1857 in Berdychiv in the Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire. His birthplace had been part of Poland which its neighbours dismembered into their own Empires.Conrad’s early years were spent in constant movement, his father was politically active and frequently in trouble trying to help re-ignite a Polish state which meant arrests and exile and the young Conrad himself suffered from ill-health, spending a year at a retreat in Kyiv recovering. By 11 he was orphaned. His education was mainly private and although he was a voracious reader, he was a poor academic student. Now, being raised by an uncle who wanted Conrad to have a worthwhile job, it was hoped that a merchant-marine career might bring out the best of him.At 16 he was sent to Marseille to embark on that adventure. Conrad himself was determined to be both a sailor and a great writer.Life on board a ship was full of adventures and experiences which included gun-running and close quarter encounters with political conspiracies.By his mid 30’s Conrad had returned to shore permanently to add his prodigious literary talents to full time writing. Although he wrote with a comprehensive command in English his spoken English was often cited as ‘horrible’. He was now also a British Citizen. Conrad brought to English Literature both narrative mastery, compelling prose and fully formed characters as well as a deeper examination of the human psyche in a wealth of work. He wrote many novels, short stories, nonfiction, and memoirs which are rightly regarded today as some of the finest in English literature. Jospeh Conrad died on the 3rd August 1924 at Bishopsbourne, Kent in England. He was 66."

Joseph Conrad (Author), Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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Louisa Baldwin - A Short Story Collection

"Louisa MacDonald was born in 1845, one of eleven children of part Scottish descent. Together with three of her sisters they were known as the ‘MacDonald sisters’ primarily because of their marriages to well-known men. In 1866 she married the wealthy industrialist Alfred Baldwin in a double wedding with her sister Anne. After giving birth to Stanley on the 3rd August 1867, who would go on to become Prime Minister, she drifted into an unhappy life in her then residence in Worcestershire. She had at least one miscarriage and days alone depressed and in darkness.During the 1870’s the couple travelled to find a lasting cure and tried a variety of treatments which led to her recovery in 1883. She now became a leading figure in her local village of Wilden, near Stourbridge.Her writing career of novels, short stories and poetry is often overlooked, as was the case with so many women, yet her works reveal many talents and a gift for melding odd and weird circumstances into seemingly everyday life. Louisa Baldwin died in 1925.1 - Louisa Baldwin - A Short Story Collection - An Introduction2 - The Empty Picture Frame by Louisa Baldwin3 - The Shadow on the Blind by Louisa Baldwin4 - The Weird of the Walfords by Louisa Baldwin5 - Many Waters Cannot Quench Love by Louisa Baldwin6 - My Next Door Neighbour by Louisa Baldwin"

Louisa Baldwin (Author), Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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Supernatural - An Anthology of Fear

"Fear affects us all in some way, shape or form. Whilst we would rather shy away from it in real life, when it comes to stories, we tend to move towards it.It’s a strange attraction given that for most of us undoubtedly the word ‘Supernatural’ is one riven with dark intent and malicious promise. In this volume of short stories our malevolent authors, including the talents of H P Lovecraft, Edgar Alan Poe, Charles Dickens, M R James, Victor Hugo, E T A Hoffman and many, many others, seem to take great delight in assaulting our senses with heart stopping narratives designed to put the fear of God, the Devil and just about every other form of disturbed terror into our eager hearts and minds.1 - The Supernatural - An Anthology of Fear - An Introduction2 - The Horla by Guy de Maupassant3 - The Facts In The Case of Monsieur Valdemar by Edgar Allan Poe4 - The Trial for Murder by Charles Dickens5 - A Ghost Story by Mark Twain6 - An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street by Sheridan Le Fanu7 - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving8 - The Mark of the Beast by Rudyard Kipling9 - The Moon Bog by H P Lovecraft10 - The Ebony Frame by Edith Nesbit11 - The Furnished Room by O Henry12 - The Open Window by Saki13 - Couching at the Door by D K Broster14 - The Upper Berth by F Marion Crawford15 - The Bus Conductor by E F Benson16 - The Phantom Coach by Amelia Edwards17 - What Was It by Fitz James O'Brien18 - N by Arthur Machen19 - The Sumach by Ulric Daubeny20 - Hodge by Elinor Mordaunt21 - John Silence, Physican Extraordinary by Algernon Blackwood22 - The Monkey's Paw by W W Jacobs23 - My Adventure in Norfolk by A J Alan24 - The Ankardyne Pew by W F Harvey25 - A Fight with a Cannon by Victor Hugo26 - The Lost Reflection by E T A Hoffman27 - Lost Hearts by M R James28 - The Body Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson"

Victor Hugo (Author), Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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The Power of Poetry - Dealing with Death

"It will come to us all.One of life’s most difficult, most overwhelming feelings, is how to deal with death, whether it’s our own coming appointment or the passing of someone special and how life will be less than it was.Time stops. Time stutters. Time crawls. We grieve, we rage, we submerge ourselves under waves of pity, even guilt. We are raw with emotion. We attempt to celebrate the person, the legacy, when what we really want is to have them back, knowing that it is simply impossible. The memories remain, the years journey by, but now in a different way.Healing will come but it will scar, may leave us poorer for the loss. One helping hand may lie in the past. In this volume we turn through the centuries to find comfort, solace, explanation and above all some way to deal with the inevitable. Classic poets down the eons have wisely observed that there are many things, both great and small, that bring a sense of stillness, an aura of calm, a chance to re-engage with our feelings and emotions purely by taking time for moments to reflect, to breathe, to understand. With verse and poems from the likes of W B Yeats, William Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Edna St Vincent Millay, Rainer Maria Rilke and the calming balms of many others to help soothe the soul and bring the comfort we need."

Alfred Lord Tennyson (Author), Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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The Poetry of Food and Drink

"In life’s kitbag of essentials food and drink are right at the top. Their variety and ways to consume are a wonder, both of nature’s offerings and human creativity. Ingredients of many kinds are grown, harvested and prepared for dishes and drinks to offer sustenance, comfort and pleasure. These simple necessities of life can also at times seem like luxuries.For our classic poets ranging from Ancient Romans to Elinor Wylie and Rainer Maria Rilke, their recipes for verse using the simple ingredients of words and imagination are a wonderful and enduring example of their craft and art applied to the one thing mankind looks forward to each and every day."

William Shakespeare (Author), Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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Arnold Bennett - A Short Story Collection

"Arnold Bennett was born in 1867 in Hanley one of the six towns that formed the Potteries that later joined together to become Stoke on Trent; the area in which most of his works are located. For a short time he worked for his solicitor father before realising that to advance his life he would need to become his own man. Moving to London at twenty-one he obtained work as a solicitor’s clerk and gradually moved into a career of journalism. At the turn of the century he turned full time to writing and shortly thereafter in 1903 he moved to Paris and in 1908 published to great acclaim The Old Wives Tale. With this his reputation was set. Clayhanger and The Old Wives Tale are perhaps his greatest and most lauded novels. 1 - Arnold Bennett - An Introduction2 - Mimi by Arnold Bennett3 - The Supreme Illusion by Arnold Bennett4 - A Letter Home by Arnold Bennett5 - The Letter and the Lie by Arnold Bennett6 - The Ghost of Lord Clarenceux by Arnold Bennett7 - Phantom by Arnold Bennett"

Arnold Bennett (Author), Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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The Supreme Illusion

"Arnold Bennett was born in 1867 in Hanley one of the six towns that formed the Potteries that later joined together to become Stoke on Trent; the area in which most of his works are located. For a short time he worked for his solicitor father before realising that to advance his life he would need to become his own man. Moving to London at twenty-one he obtained work as a solicitor’s clerk and gradually moved into a career of journalism. At the turn of the century he turned full time to writing and shortly thereafter in 1903 he moved to Paris and in 1908 published to great acclaim The Old Wives Tale. With this his reputation was set. Clayhanger and The Old Wives Tale are perhaps his greatest and most lauded novels. "

Arnold Bennett (Author), Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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Phantom

"Arnold Bennett was born in 1867 in Hanley one of the six towns that formed the Potteries that later joined together to become Stoke on Trent; the area in which most of his works are located. For a short time he worked for his solicitor father before realising that to advance his life he would need to become his own man. Moving to London at twenty-one he obtained work as a solicitor’s clerk and gradually moved into a career of journalism. At the turn of the century he turned full time to writing and shortly thereafter in 1903 he moved to Paris and in 1908 published to great acclaim The Old Wives Tale. With this his reputation was set. Clayhanger and The Old Wives Tale are perhaps his greatest and most lauded novels. "

Arnold Bennett (Author), Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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The Letter and the Lie

"Arnold Bennett was born in 1867 in Hanley one of the six towns that formed the Potteries that later joined together to become Stoke on Trent; the area in which most of his works are located. For a short time he worked for his solicitor father before realising that to advance his life he would need to become his own man. Moving to London at twenty-one he obtained work as a solicitor’s clerk and gradually moved into a career of journalism. At the turn of the century he turned full time to writing and shortly thereafter in 1903 he moved to Paris and in 1908 published to great acclaim The Old Wives Tale. With this his reputation was set. Clayhanger and The Old Wives Tale are perhaps his greatest and most lauded novels. "

Arnold Bennett (Author), Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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A Letter Home

"Arnold Bennett was born in 1867 in Hanley one of the six towns that formed the Potteries that later joined together to become Stoke on Trent; the area in which most of his works are located. For a short time he worked for his solicitor father before realising that to advance his life he would need to become his own man. Moving to London at twenty-one he obtained work as a solicitor’s clerk and gradually moved into a career of journalism. At the turn of the century he turned full time to writing and shortly thereafter in 1903 he moved to Paris and in 1908 published to great acclaim The Old Wives Tale. With this his reputation was set. Clayhanger and The Old Wives Tale are perhaps his greatest and most lauded novels. "

Arnold Bennett (Author), Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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Mimi

"Arnold Bennett was born in 1867 in Hanley one of the six towns that formed the Potteries that later joined together to become Stoke on Trent; the area in which most of his works are located. For a short time he worked for his solicitor father before realising that to advance his life he would need to become his own man. Moving to London at twenty-one he obtained work as a solicitor’s clerk and gradually moved into a career of journalism. At the turn of the century he turned full time to writing and shortly thereafter in 1903 he moved to Paris and in 1908 published to great acclaim The Old Wives Tale. With this his reputation was set. Clayhanger and The Old Wives Tale are perhaps his greatest and most lauded novels. "

Arnold Bennett (Author), Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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