Great American Stories

Twain, Mark; Crane, Stephen; Bierce, Ambrose; London, Jack

ISBN 10: 1572703032 ISBN 13: 9781572703032

Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America, 2003

Synopsis

These ten treasured stories from the most influential authors of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are selected for their literary importance as well as their dramatic, oral qualities. The following stories are included in this collection: The One Million Pound Bank Note, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, A Visit to Niagara, and Mysterious Visit by Mark Twain, narrated by Patrick FraleyThe Blue Hotel and The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky by Stephen Crane, narrated by Patrick HoganThe Eyes of the Panther and An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce, narrated by Russ HolcombThe Love of Life and To Build a Fire by Jack London, narrated by Bruce Robertson

About this title

About the Author:

Mark Twain (1835-1910) was born Samuel L. Clemens in the town of Florida, Missouri. One of the most popular and influential authors our nation has ever produced, his keen wit and incisive satire earned him praise from both critics and peers. He has been called not only the greatest humorist of his age but also the father of American literature.

Stephen Crane (1871-1900) was an American novelist, poet, and journalist. He worked as a reporter of slum life in New York and a highly paid war correspondent for newspaper tycoons William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. He wrote many works of fiction, poems, and accounts of war, all well received but none as acclaimed as his 1895 Civil War novel, The Red Badge of Courage. Today he is considered one of the most innovative American writers of the 1890s and one of the founders of literary realism.

Ambrose Bierce (1842-ca. 1914) was an American journalist, short-story writer, and poet. Born in Ohio, he served in the Civil War and then settled in San Francisco. He wrote for Hearst's Examiner, his wit and satire making him the literary dictator of the Pacific coast and strongly influencing many writers. He disappeared into war-torn Mexico in 1913.

Jack London (1876-1916) was an American author, journalist, and social activist. Before making a living at his writing, he spent time as an oyster pirate, a sailor, a cannery worker, a gold miner, and a journalist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction writing. He is best known for his novels The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set during the Klondike gold rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire," "An Odyssey of the North," and "Love of Life." He also wrote of the South Pacific in such stories as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen." He was a passionate advocate of unionization, socialism, and the rights of workers and wrote several powerful works dealing with these topics, including The Iron Heel, The People of the Abyss, and The War of the Classes.

Patrick Fraley has created voices for over four thousand characters, placing him among the top ten performers of all time to be cast in animated programs. He holds an MFA in acting from Cornell University and is the author of the only character-voice curriculum ever to be accredited at the university level.

From AudioFile:

Ten unabridged stories by four authors make up this collection. Each author's work is read by a different actor. The strongest, both in terms of stories and narration, are the stories by Mark Twain, read by Patrick Fraley. His rendition of voices and accents is remarkable. Ross Holcomb conveys the eerie atmosphere needed for Ambrose Bierce's "The Eyes of the Panther" and "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." Bruce Robertson provides straightforward narration of the Jack London stories, letting the stark harshness and danger of life in the far North speak to the listener. The classic "To Build a Fire" is so powerful that it almost overwhelms the listener. The Crane stories, "The Blue Hotel" and "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky," are the weakest material. Patrick Hogan does a good job with vocal characterizations nevertheless. Overall, this is a solid production, reminding listeners of the power and beauty in the classic works of these authors. M.A.M. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1572703032
• ISBN 13: 9781572703032
• Binding: Audio CD
• Number of pages: 5