Audio Books

True Stories from History and Biography

Nathaniel Hawthorne
In writing this ponderous tome, the author's desire has been to describe the eminent characters and remarkable events of our annals, in such a form and style, that the YOUNG might make acquaintance with them of their own accord. For this purpose, while ostensibly relating the adventures of a Chair, he has endeavored to keep a distinct and unbroken thread of authentic history. The Chair is made to pass from one to another of those personages, of whom he thought it most desirable for the young reader to have vivid and familiar ideas, and whose lives and actions would best enable him to give picturesque sketches of the times. On its sturdy oaken legs, it trudges diligently from one scene to another, and seems always to thrust itself in the way, with most benign complacency, whenever a historical personage happens to be looking round for a seat.

Story of Young Abraham Lincoln

Wayne Whipple
This is a careful and fascinating collection of interviews with people who knew Lincoln as a boy and young man. A glimpse into the type of person he was from the very beginning.

"All the world loves a lover"—and Abraham Lincoln loved everybody. With all his brain and brawn, his real greatness was in his heart. He has been called "the Great-Heart of the White House," and there is little doubt that more people have heard about him than there are who have read of the original "Great-Heart" in "The Pilgrim's Progress."

Indeed, it is safe to say that more millions in the modern world are acquainted with the story of the rise of Abraham Lincoln from a poorly built log cabin to the highest place among "the seats of the mighty," than are familiar with the Bible story of Joseph who arose and stood next to the throne of the Pharaohs.A new story is told by a dear old lady, who did not wish her name given, about herself when she was a little girl, when a "drove of lawyers riding the old Eighth Judicial District of Illinois," came to drink from a famous cold spring on her father's premises. She described the uncouth dress of a tall young man, asking her father who he was, and he replied with a laugh, "Oh, that's Abe Lincoln."

One day in their rounds, as the lawyers came through the front gate, a certain judge, whose name the narrator refused to divulge, knocked down with his cane her pet doll, which was leaning against the fence. The little girl cried over this contemptuous treatment of her "child."

Young Lawyer Lincoln, seeing it all, sprang in and quickly picked up the fallen doll. Brushing off the dust with his great awkward hand he said, soothingly, to the wounded little mother-heart:

"There now, little Black Eyes, don't cry. Your baby's alive. See, she isn't hurt a bit!"

That tall young man never looked uncouth to her after that. It was this same old lady who told the writer that Lawyer Lincoln wore a new suit of clothes for the first time on the very day that he performed the oft-described feat of rescuing a helpless hog from a great deep hole in the road, and plastered his new clothes with mud to the great merriment of his legal friends. This well-known incident occurred not far from her father's place near Paris, Illinois.These and many other real remembrances have been collected here in this book for your edification. ( The introduction and Phil Chenevert)

Cleopatra

Jacob Abbott
A biography of the famous Cleopatra of Egypt, written in a manner, equally interesting to children and to adults.

Captains of Industry

Parton, James
In this volume are presented examples of men who shed lustre upon ordinary pursuits, either by the superior manner in which they exercised them or by the noble use they made of the leisure which success in them usually gives. Such men are the nobility of republics.
Most of these chapters were published originally in "The Ledger" of New York, and a few of them in "The Youths' Companion" of Boston, the largest two circulations in the country. I have occasionally had reason to think that they were of some service to young readers, and I may add that they represent more labor and research than would be naturally supposed from their brevity. Perhaps in this new form they may reach and influence the minds of future leaders in the great and growing realm of business. I should pity any young man who could read the briefest account of what has been done in manufacturing towns by such men as John Smedley and Robert Owen without forming a secret resolve to do something similar if ever he should win the opportunity.

Life of George Washington in Words of One Syllable

Josephine Pollard
The Life story of a public man cannot help being to some extent the same thing as a history of the times in which he lived, and to the case of none does this remark apply with more force than to that of the "Father of his Country;" which very title shows the degree to which the personality of its bearer became identified with the public life of the nation. While a great deal of the space in this book, consequently, has had to be devoted to American Revolutionary History, it is hoped that excess in this direction has been avoided, and that the main purpose of the work will be attained, i.e. to give its young readers a distinct and vivid idea of the exalted character and priceless services of Washington, so far as these can be brought within the understanding of a child.

George Washington

Courtenay, Calista McCabe
In this biography for young people, Calista McCabe Courtenay takes the reader from George Washington the surveyor to his early military career, first as a colonel in the Virgina militia and then as a member of General Braddock'a staff during the French and Indian War. He later commanded the Virginia forces before joining the First Continental Congress. Much of the book is devoted to his campaigns during the American Revolution. At the end, we see him as President for two terms.

Discoverers and Explorers

Shaw, Edward R.
Tales of the brave and daring explorers that ventured into the unknown "Sea of Darkness" where it was thought monsters and angry gods lived. They dared to sail near the equator which was thought to have such intense heat that it would boil the ocean water. It was also commonly thought at the time that the world was flat, and the ships would fall off the face of the earth. These men overcame these fears to explore and discover new lands.

Florence Nightingale the Angel of the Crimea

Laura E. Howe Richards
One evening, some time after the great Crimean War of 1854-55, a company of military and naval officers met at dinner in London. They were talking over the war, as soldiers and sailors love to do, and somebody said: "Who, of all the workers in the Crimea, will be longest remembered?"

Each guest was asked to give his opinion on this point, and each one wrote a name on a slip of paper. There were many slips, but when they came to be examined there was only one name, for every single man had written "Florence Nightingale." Every English boy and girl knows the beautiful story of Miss Nightingale's life. Indeed, hers is perhaps the best-loved name in England since good Queen Victoria died. It will be a great pleasure to me to tell this story to our own boys and girls in this country; and it shall begin, as all proper stories do, at the beginning.

Historic Girlhoods Volume 1

Rupert S. Holland
Biographical sketches of ten girls who became famous before becoming women - some not even making it to womanhood. From Joan of Arc to Catherine d'Medici; from Catherine the Great to Pocohontas. These inspirational stories will be of interest to young people and show what determination and luck can achieve.

Boys' Life of Abraham Lincoln

Helen Nicolay
The Boys’ Life of Abraham Lincoln is a biography with many anecdotes that takes one deeper into the thoughts, personality, and beliefs of the man that was Lincoln. While the title indicates the book is about Lincoln’s life as a boy, the book is a full, if somewhat shortened biography. It is very well written and was a joy to record. One might ask, "Who was Helen Nicolay?" Her father, John George Nicolay, was Abraham Lincoln's private secretary and doubtless much of the material comes from his complete biography of Abraham Lincoln.

Benjamin Franklin

Robin McKown
This biography of Franklin was written for young people, but can be enjoyed by anyone. The author Robin McKown, is known for her young adult historical fiction and historical biographies.

Historic Boyhoods

Rupert S. Holland
Most boys grow up to be honest, maybe even good, men, but do not stand out from the crowd. Occasionally, along comes a boy who is destined, either by character or circumstance, to make his mark on the world. In this work are included 21 biographical sketches of boys who became famous in the arts, affairs of state or exploration and discovery. Historical fact is blended with surmise and imagination to bring these boyhoods alive.

Indian Boyhood

Charles Alexander Eastman
Indian Boyhood is a lively and appealing first-person recounting of the life of a Sioux child in the last days of the tribe's "wild" life in the 19th century, before they succumbed to fences, boundaries, and other constrictions of civilization. Charles Eastman, born in 1858 in Minnesota, spent his childhood first in the forests of the land of lakes and later in the wide-open prairies of the Dakota territory. He describes his comprehensive training in woodcraft, horsemanship, and hunting, and retells many stories from his elders that were so important in conveying his tribe's oral traditions. Eastman does not minimize the ever-present danger that children experienced in such an upbringing, but he also does not lose his sense of the fun and excitement of it all. Listeners will probably wish they could similarly jump on their pony and gallop across the wild and free prairie like the young Ohiyesa.

Young Girl's Diary

Anonymous
The diary of an upper middle class Austrian girl, this book describes her life between the ages of eleven and fourteen. It's a coming of age story full of angst, boys, and questions.

Four Great Americans

James Baldwin
Written for children, James Baldwin's history of Washington, Franklin, Webster, and Lincoln brings these men to life in a way that will be interesting for adults as well. The stories touch on the little humanities of the great men, rather than dwelling on the great works and great events of their lifetimes, without ignoring the latter. (Summary written by Sibella Denton)

Heroines Every Child Should Know

Hamilton Wright Mabie
The companion volume to Heroes Every Child Should Know, this volume looks at 13 famous and heroic women from history.

Beneath the Banner: Being Narratives of Noble Lives and Brave Deeds

Frederick J. Cross
In this book are over 30 stories by various people about men and women who have done extraordinary things during and often before the time when similar products were invented. It is suitable for bedtime reading. Summary by Lynda Marie Neilson

When They Were Girls

Rebecca Deming Moore
Jane Addams, Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, Frances Burnett, Julia Howe, Hellen Keller, and Harriet Beecher Stowe are some of the influencial women in our history whose lives and accomplishments are covered in this little book. "When They Were Girls contains the stories of a group of American women, each one of whom occupies a very important place in her particular field. The stories of these women have been written many times before. We feel, however, that in this book you possibly may find that their stories have been written in a little different way. Our desire has been to bring very closely to the attention of our many readers some of the outstanding characteristics in the girlhoods of these women, and to show the relationship between these qualities in girlhood and the achievements of adult life."

Historic Girls

Brooks, Elbridge Streeter
Twelve short stories of real girls who have influenced the history of their times.

Daniel Boone, Backwoodsman

C. H. Forbes-Lindsay
Daniel Boone is celebrated in history and legend as one of the foremost pioneers who opened up the wilderness of Kentucky. Famed for his skills as a hunter, he was once captured and adopted by the Shawnee tribe from which he ultimately escaped. He was active in the militia and fought in several battles of the American Revolution. In later life he became a politician, being elected to Virginia state assembly, and land speculator, eventually settling in Missouri.

This biography is written for youth in a lively and engaging style dramatizing many of the events of Boone’s adventures, from his youth to his final days.

Stories of the Saints by Candle-Light

Vera Charlesworth Barclay
Once upon a time there were fifteen Cubs who spent nine wonderful days in camp. They were London Cubs, and the camp was on a beautiful little green island whose rocky shore ran down in green, tree-covered points into the bluest sea you ever saw. These nine days were the most splendid days in those Cubs' lives. And so they often think of them, and dream about them, and live them over again in memory.

So that they may more easily go over those days their Old Wolf has written down all about them in this book. Perhaps other Cubs will like to come away, in imagination, to that fair, green island, and so have a share in the nine days.

Now, one of the very "special things" about those days in camp were the candle-light stories which the Cubs listened to every night, seated in a big, happy pile, pyjama-clad, on their palliasses. All day they used to look forward to those stories, and sometimes, in the middle of a shrimping expedition, or a paddling party, one or another would remark, "Story to-night, boys!" and turn his thumbs up to show he was pleased at the thought. And so you will find the candle-light stories, too, in this book; and remember that all the stories in this book are true—both those about the Cubs and those about the Saints.

Treasury of Heroes and Heroines, A

Edwards, Clayton
It would be pleasant indeed to gather the characters of this book together and listen to the conversation of wholly different but interested couples—for this is a book of contrasts and has been written as such. Lives of the most dramatic and adventurous quality have been gathered from all corners of the earth, and from every age in history, in such a way that they may cover the widest possible variety of human experience.
The publishers believe that such a book would not be complete without some characters that are no less real because they have lived only in the minds of men. No explanation is needed for semi-historical characters like King Arthur, Robin Hood and William Tell, while Don Quixote, the Prince of Madness, and Rip Van Winkle, the Prince of Laziness, have been included, not because they were essentially heroic in themselves (although Don Quixote might well have claimed the laurel) but because they became heroes in the opinion of others through the very qualities that brought about their downfall. As involuntary heroes, they furnish a pleasant contrast to the more serious, actual and transcendental figures of saints, martyrs, warriors, discoverers and statesmen with which these pages are filled; they enrich the "Treasury," widen its range of colors and perform the necessary function of court jesters in the Hall of Fame.

Boys' Book of Famous Soldiers

J. Walker McSpadden
These 12 stories give a personal portrait of twelve famous soldiers from the past two centuries. Each story explores the early life of the soldier —to trace his career up from boyhood through the formative years. Such data serves to explain the great soldier of later years. Summary compiled from the preface of the book.

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