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Great Classic Stories

Written by: Alphonse Daudet,Saki,Oscar Wilde
Narrated by: Hugh Laurie,Stephen Fry,Barbara Leigh-Hunt
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Publisher's Summary

A treasure-chest of the written and spoken word, this collection is read by brilliant actors who make this audio anthology a genuine treat for the listener. Includes:

  • "Reginald on House Parties" by Saki
  • "The Sphinx Without a Secret" by Oscar Wilde
  • Tobermory" by Saki
  • "On Being Idle" by Jerome K. Jerome
  • "For Better or Worse" by W.W. Jacobs
  • "The Model Millionaire" by Oscar Wilde
  • "The Garden of Truth" by E. Nesbit
  • "The Cat That Walked by Himself" and "The Girl from Arles" by Alphonse Daudet
  • "Mr. & Mrs. Dove" by Katherine Mansfield
  • "Georgie Porgie" by Rudyard Kipling
  • "Caterpillars" by E.F. Benson
  • "Lost Hearts" by M.R. James
  • "Ship to Tarshish" by John Buchan
  • "The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
  • "The Man of the Night" by Edgar Wallace
  • "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • "B 24" by Arthur Conan Doyle
  • "Pat Hobby & Orson Welles" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • "Mad" by Guy de Maupassant
  • "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe
  • "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs

    This collection was previously published as Short Stories: The Ultimate Classic Collection.

  • (P)2005 CSA Telltapes, licensed from CSA Word

    What the critics say

    "Emilia Fox reads beautifully. She also supplies an appealing, believable voice for Victoria, the Cockney heroine." (AudioFile)

    What listeners say about Great Classic Stories

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    • Overall
      3 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars

    Improve with 3-5 second pause between stories

    Wonderful to hear classics read by accomplished and familiar actors. I would have given 5 stars overall except that there are no pauses between the stories to allow the listener to stay in the moment or ponder a story's conclusion.

    I recommend a 3-5 second pause between stories to increase the impact of each author's work.

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    3 people found this helpful

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    • Overall
      2 out of 5 stars
    Profile Image for Kendrick
    • Kendrick
    • 2008-12-15

    Great Stories (Abridged by Audible)

    I was rather shocked when I downloaded this Audiobook to discover how much it had been cut down. While it say in my library, it claimed to have 7 hours of stories, while the Audible version only had the first hour and a half.

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    23 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      4 out of 5 stars
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    • Wendy
    • 2009-10-22

    Enjoyable listen

    The previous reviewer must have done something wrong, because I got nearly 8 hours of audio. Great narrators & great stories.

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    22 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      3 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      3 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars
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    • Jane Jacobs
    • 2017-10-24

    Uneven, disappointing collection of performances

    I was attracted by the star-studded cast including Sir Derek Jacobi, Stephen Fry, Martin Jarvis and Nigel Hawthorne... and was disappointed these talented narrators performed some of the shortest pieces.These (and a few other narrators) delivered inspired performances, compared to a handful of others that were laughably amateurish. After a few minutes of listening, I had to skip over those.The production value was often substandard (including clicks, mouth noises, audible gasping breaths, and even one bizarre mispronunciation). Very disappointed.

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    15 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      3 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      4 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      2 out of 5 stars
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    • Ruth
    • 2011-12-07

    Too much horror, not enough "literature"

    I'm currently a student in an MFA in Creative Writing program, with a focus on short story.

    I am therefore trying to read a wide range of short stories, and bought this and 2 other collections from Audible.com

    I was sorry that so many of these stories were in the "horror" genre.

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    13 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      5 out of 5 stars
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      5 out of 5 stars
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    • Kaite McGrew
    • 2017-05-23

    awesome

    I love this collection of awesome short stories read by incredible readers I think you'll really enjoy these if you like classic literature great stories and really good sound actors

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    9 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      4 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      4 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      4 out of 5 stars
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    • Arlan Purdy
    • 2016-02-19

    Mostly entertaining

    As you might expect with a variety pack, the quality of story and the quality of narration varies. Probably does not have the best work from any of the authors. But enjoyable overall. Helped me through a long drive.

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    9 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      2 out of 5 stars
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      3 out of 5 stars
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    • Margaret
    • 2016-08-21

    a strange collection ...

    ... or maybe just not for me. I truly enjoyed only one or two of the stories in this collection. Some off the rest were downright unpleasant, including the flattest and at the same time the most horrifying ghost story I have ever read. There's also an story by Conan Doyle (not a Sherlock Holmes story) that I found unentertaining. And if you're looking for laughs at the expense of the Downton Abbey set, skip this collection and go back to Wodehouse.

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    7 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      2 out of 5 stars
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      2 out of 5 stars
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    • S
    • 2012-04-23

    Dissapointing

    I could only bear the first two stories. The voice is not appealing and the stories are dull.

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    4 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      3 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      4 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      2 out of 5 stars
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    • Ruth Lambert
    • 2011-12-07

    Too much horror, not enough "literature"

    I'm currently a student in an MFA in Creative Writing program, with a focus on short story.

    I am therefore trying to read a wide range of short stories, and bought this and 2 other collections from Audible.com

    I was sorry that so many of these stories were in the "horror" genre.

    Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

    You voted on this review!

    You reported this review!

    3 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars
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    • John
    • 2018-02-07

    Deliciously good

    Would you consider the audio edition of Great Classic Stories to be better than the print version?

    Great stories that make you want to listen to them from your easy chair by the fire with a hot beverage and a big bowl of buttered popcorn at hand. Cozy stories from Victorian England thereabouts and narrated by British actors you know. Nigel Hawthorne, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie for three. Each one is delightful and paints a word picture of life in Olde England.

    Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

    They are all second to none.

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    2 people found this helpful