Random Loyalbooks.com Podcasts

The Discourse on Method is best known as the source of the famous quotation “cogito ergo sum”, “I think, therefore I am.” …. It is a method which gives a solid platform from which all modern natural sciences could evolve. With this work, the idea of skepticism was revived from the ancients such as Sextus Empiricus and modified to account for a truth that Descartes found to be incontrovertible. Descartes started his line of reasoning by doubting everything, so as to assess the world from a fresh perspective, clear of any preconceived notions.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One's Reason and of Seeking Truth in the Sciences, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy, René Descartes, science

Set in nineteenth century New England, Little Women follows the lives of the four March sisters-Jo, Beth, Amy and Meg. The novel is a classic rites of passage story, that has often split literature critics but has been adored by many over the years. Intended as a book for young girls, the book is too sentimental for some but plenty of adults and young men have Little Women firmly featured in their best books of all time. The pace of the novel can be slow at times and the language almost too perfect but the overall sympathetic tone of Alcott wins over the reader. The book is semi-autobiographical, with Jo Marsh mirroring the life of an ambitious Alcott. Just like Alcott, Jo is a strong, independent woman who is fighting through her domestic duties to do what she truly loves. Writing is Jo’s passion and in a world where women are expected to put personal growth aside in order to withhold traditional family values, she is met with many challenges. “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” The book speaks to every woman that has had to fight against convention. With their father away at war, the four sisters pull together to support each other but still have time to search for their own identity. These ‘little women’ are not children but young adults finding their way via love, religion and confidence. Whilst it may seem sad that the sisters do have to conform to some extent, if you read between the lines there is so much inspiration for young female readers.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Little Women, Louisa May Alcott, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, romance

Boyhood is the second in Tolstoy’s trilogy of three autobiographical novels, including Childhood and Youth, published in a literary journal during the 1850s. (Introduction by Bill Boerst)

Categories: Arts, Education, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Biography, Boyhood, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Languages, Leo Tolstoy, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Memoirs, Non-fiction

Eight enchanting tales about a variety of whimsical dragons, by a master of the craft, E Nesbit, are contained in this absolutely delightful volume, The Book of Dragons. While it’s essentially meant for children, there are plenty of adults who will find it irresistible enough to peek into and a most charming way to spend a magical hour. Beautifully illustrated by the enormously talented Harold Robert Millar, the Scottish designer and illustrator famed for his unique and imaginative illustrations, The Book of Dragons is sure to delight both first time readers of the unique writer Edith Nesbit and those who have found pleasure in her other works. Published at the turn of the twentieth century, the book received great acclaim from both parents and children. Some of the tales are set in contemporary urban England, while others belong in more traditional Dragon Country, swathed in mists and moody climes. For present-day children, steeped as they are in popular novels by JK Rowling and the Artemis Fowl series, The Book of Dragons would be familiar territory. Not all the dragons are fire breathing monsters. Some of them have delightfully human traits. They have wonderfully different personalities, appearances and behavior. There are eight separate stories in all. Uncle James or The Purple Stranger portrays a kingdom where traditionally small creatures like rabbits grow to enormous size while elephants stay miniature! The Book of Beasts is about a magical book that transports its illustrated creatures into the real world when the book is opened. The Dragon Tamers is a fantasy about a poor blacksmith, his son and a mysterious dungeon. Kind Little Edmund is a cautionary tale for curious and inquisitive people whose habits lead them into misadventures. Disobedient children are similarly warned by The Ice Dragon or Do As You Are Told a stringent tale of two naughty children who find themselves in the North Pole in the company of an awesome and gorgeous ice dragon. The book is sure to appeal to young readers who will enjoy as an audiobook, children who love to explore the contents of the book for themselves and parents too. The writer’s focus on humanity, compassion, humor and the magical and imaginative world of children makes The Book of Dragons a wonderful gift that will be cherished by children for years to come. Her vivid descriptions, engaging and easy style, the warmth and humor all make it a definite must read for all ages.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Edith Nesbit, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Short stories, Teen/Young adult, The Book of Dragons

A wealthy philanthropist adopts an abandoned baby he finds in a railway station waiting room. The child grows into a fine, upstanding young man. When his benefactor dies, he is made the guardian of the old man’s lovely young daughter. But unknown to everyone, he leads a double life that even his best friend knows nothing about… If you thought that this has all the makings of a most sinister and diabolical plot, you couldn’t be more mistaken. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is a light as a feather confection, full of mischief, fun and laughter! Written in 1894, this was Wilde’s last play. It went on stage on Valentine’s Day 1895 and received the most whole hearted and fulsome applause that had ever greeted a contemporary play. Reviewers complained that there was hardly a moment where the audience could stop laughing! It was seen as a wonderful triumph, the work of a master craftsman working at the height of his powers. However, in fifteen weeks Oscar Wilde was in jail. The sensational trial and the humiliating personal exposure of his private life, the loss of his reputation and his final bankruptcy are all part of literary history. The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People to give it its full name is an utterly delightful, frothy creation, with elements of farce, non-stop humor and a veritable tsunami of brilliantly comic one-liners. The three-act play takes place in Algernon Moncrieff’s rooms on Half-Moon Street in London and the country house at Woolton. Algernon Moncrieff’s best friend is Ernest, a fine young gentleman. Ernest is also in love with Algernon’s cousin, Gwendolen. But Ernest is not what he seems. He is actually Jack Worthing, who lives a quiet life. He is wealthy and a Justice of the Peace in Hertfordshire, guardian of his dead benefactor’s young daughter, Cecily. Both Cecily and Gwendolen are for some reason, obsessed with the name “Ernest” and what follows is a madcap ride through Victorian tea parties, country house snobbery and mistaken identities. Many critics have carped that The Importance of Being Earnest does not tackle any serious social or political issues. It was considered pure entertainment and mere clever nonsense. However, its sheer entertainment value cannot be denied and it has remained one of Oscar Wilde’s most staged plays. Serious actors like John Gielgud have played Jack, Peggy Ashcroft has played Cecily and one reviewer even remarked that it was the second most performed English play after Shakespeare’s Hamlet! As a light hearted, wacky laugh a minutecreation The Importance of Being Earnest has few rivals.

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

Confessions (Latin: Confessiones) is the name of an autobiographical work, consisting of 13 books, by St. Augustine of Hippo, written between AD 397 and AD 398. Modern English translations of it are sometimes published under the title The Confessions of St. Augustine in order to distinguish the book from other books with similar titles, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Confessions.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Biography, Confessions, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy, Saint Augustine of Hippo

A book of simple receipts for little folk with important cooking rules in rhyme together with handy lists of the materials and utensils needed for the preparation of each dish.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: advice, audio books, audiobook, Constance Johnson, Cookery, ebooks, free audio books, instruction, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, When Mother Lets Us Cook

Before the beginning of World War II, during the time of the Modernist movement in philosophy, George Santayana wrote these five descriptive essays. He examined John Locke’s sensationalism, British Idealism, the “Theory of Relativity”, Freud’s psychology, and Julien Benda’s preachment on the relations between God and the world. [Summary written by Gary Gilberd]

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, George Santayana, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy, Some Turns of Thought in Modern Philosophy

The Social Contract outlines Rousseau’s views on political justice, explaining how a just and legitimate state is to be founded, organized and administered. Rousseau sets forth, in his characteristically brazen and iconoclastic manner, the case for direct democracy, while simultaneously casting every other form of government as illegitimate and tantamount to slavery. Often hailed as a revolutionary document which sparked the French Revolution, The Social Contract serves both to inculcate dissatisfaction with actually-existing governments and to allow its readers to envision and desire a radically different form of political and social organization. (Summary by Eric Jonas)

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy, Politics, The Social Contract

A secret shared by four convicts and two prison guards, a daughter in search of her missing father, a strange gift of a single pearl received every year, a fabulous treasure buried in the ancient Agra Fort in India, an eccentric detective being consulted to solve a deadly puzzle. All these events are set against the turbulent backdrop of the Great Indian Mutiny of 1857 in the second Sherlock Holmes novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of the Four. Mary Morstan, a lovely young woman, comes to the Baker Street lodgings shared by Holmes and Dr Watson. Her mother died when she was very little and her father, an army Captain stationed in India, sent the child back to England to live in a boarding house. She had never seen her father, but ten years earlier, when she was seventeen she received a letter from him saying he had retired, was on his way home and asking her to meet him at the Langham Hotel in London. However, at the Langham, she discovers that her father stepped out the previous evening and never returned. Since then, every year, on her birthday she has been receiving a present from an anonymous giver. It is a very expensive, lustrous, single pearl. And now, she has received a mysterious letter asking her to come to the Lyceum Theater at seven in the evening, bringing two friends with her. For Sherlock Holmes, this is an enigma that’s simply crying out to be solved! Added to this are masterly touches that provide more insights into Holmes’ unconventional persona. His uncanny ways of tracking through sight, sound and smell, his knowledge of diverse subjects and his fondness for obscure quotations in foreign languages are all aspects that went into the creation of the immortal detective. Following the publication of The Sign of the Four, Doyle began concentrating on the short story format featuring Holmes and Watson. This met with immediate success and led to a revived interest in the novels and the rest, as they say, became literary history. The Sign of the Four has been adapted extensively on stage, screen, TV and radio. In fact, more than eighteen different film versions have been made since 1913-2013, marking a century of perennial interest in the maverick sleuth and his faithful assistant!

Categories: Arts

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, MYSTERY, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of the Four

The following work offers in book form the series of studies on the question of the historicity of Jesus, presented from time to time before the Independent Religious Society in Orchestra Hall, Chicago, 1909. No effort has been made to change the manner of the spoken, into the more regular form of the written, word.

Categories: Arts, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, M. M. Mangasarian, Non-fiction, Philosophy, religion, The Truth About Jesus. Is He a Myth?

A precursor to gothic literature and science fiction genres, Frankenstein is a novel fuming with imagination as it depicts a well known horror story. Shelly’s gothic fiction is written in epistolary form as a means of correspondence between the failed writer Robert Walton and his sister, while he is away on a dangerous expedition in search of fame. Some major themes explored in the gothic classic are the fallibility of ambition and knowledge, revenge, prejudice, isolation, and the imperfections of society. The novel begins with the introduction of Captain Robert Walton, who is on a ship bound for the North Pole in search of scientific progress and knowledge. During his voyage, he and his crew come across a man nearly frozen and in frail condition. Taking the man onboard and nurturing him back to health, Walton is finally acquainted with Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein sees the same ambition within Walton that he too possessed and which is the reason for his current troubled state. Hence he decides to recount his life and share the miserable events leading him to his present isolated circumstance. Walton listens and records Frankenstein’s account which begins with his childhood in his family home in Geneva. Even as a young child, Frankenstein was encouraged by his parents to seek out the truth about the world, and use science as his instrument. It is this passion for knowledge that prompts him to conduct experiments in order to recreate life from lifeless matter. However, the result is not the ideal being the scientist had initially expected, and instead produces an eight foot tall creature with yellow eyes and visible muscle tissue. Repulsed by his creation, Frankenstein tries to steer clear of the monster, but only ignites the monster’s anger as it goes into a revenge spree taunting his creator. A chilling tale of murderous mayhem follows which is guaranteed to give goose bumps. Though many are familiar with Frankenstein through countless adaptations, most are unaware of the original depiction which can only be witnessed in the classic novel. Far from a simple horror story meant to scare and entertain, Frankenstein is a timeless classic which evokes vital questions about human nature and centers on important issues targeting human curiosity and the dangers of science. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fantasy, fiction, Frankenstein, free audio books, Horror/Ghost stories, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, science, science-fiction, Teen/Young adult, tragedy

This book, a reprint of a successful English publication, has been so enlarged as to be to all intents and purposes new. It has been carefully revised by a Reverend gentleman, who for some time filled the chair of Physics and Chemistry in one of our colleges. Recent inventions and improvements are described in a simple, popular style, so as to be easily understood by all, and short notices are given of prominent inventors and scientists. The paragraphs relating to doctrinal matters conform in every respect to the teachings of the Church. A feature which will commend the book to every teacher is the definitions of difficult words and terms, following the paragraphs in which such words occur. (from the Preface) More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts

Tags: A Catechism of Familiar Things; Their History, and the Events Which Led to Their Discovery, anonymous, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, science

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery on a Maryland plantation. He faced hardship as a child, but later encountered owners who were relatively liberal and allowed him to learn to read, write and be in contact with freed slaves. At the age of 20, he escaped from the plantation and made his way to New York. Though he remained a fugitive, he married and changed his name to avoid being caught. He continued his education and became involved in the Abolitionist Movement. He began touring the country, speaking passionately about the unjust, cruel and inhuman practice of slavery. However, he began to face opposition from quarters that he least expected. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass traces the turbulent, tragic and shameful period in the history of the United States. Douglass was also a gifted and committed public speaker, outspoken in his criticism of this inhuman practice. The book, published in 1845, originally entitled Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written By Himself, was met with disbelief when it initially came out. Few could believe that an African American slave could write so eloquently and have such perfect use of the English language. However, Douglass had used real names, events and places in his story, which could be easily verified and this silenced his critics. Yet, his troubles were not over. His former masters were still entitled to track him down, and fearing capture, he departed for the UK where he was received with great warmth and respect. He stayed for two years till two of his British friends contributed to purchase his freedom. He then returned to America where he arrived at the dawn of the American Civil War. He started a newspaper and campaigned tirelessly for Lincoln and the abolition of slavery. He was also the first African American to be nominated for the post of Vice President of the USA. Narrative… was the first of several autobiographies, in which Douglass documented his eventful life. The book is divided into 11 chapters, tracing Douglass’ childhood on the Maryland plantation, the daily cruelties practiced by slave owners, his move to Baltimore and the consequent experiences there. It is in Baltimore that he encounters more humane white people. However, even after being acclaimed as a speaker, he faced the condescending and patronizing attitude of white people. It was to counter this that he began to write his autobiography. As a slice of history, Narrative… is indeed an interesting and gripping read, and a great addition to your collection.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Biography, ebooks, Frederick Douglass, free audio books, History, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Memoirs, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Non-fiction, Teen/Young adult

Rilla of Ingleside is the eighth book in the Anne of Green Gables series and focuses on the inspiring journey of Rilla Blythe, the youngest daughter of Anne and Gilbert, as she transforms from a carefree young girl into an enduring young woman swept into the chaos of war. Written from a female perspective, Montgomery accurately depicts a time in history, as she provides a contemporaneous account of the war and serves up the most emotional book in the series. Set during the First World War, the novel explores themes of coming of age, love, separation, and most importantly women’s roles during the war. The novel begins with the introduction of 15-year-old girl Rilla, who appears as a spoilt, self-centered and immature young girl, preoccupied with adolescent strife as she excitedly prepares for her first grown-up party. However, the bliss of the party is interrupted when word reaches of the outbreak of war and throws the town into frenzy as the men talk about joining. Subsequently, Rilla’s brother Jem and his friend Jerry enlist and go to a training camp before leaving to join the front in France. Following a series of events, Rilla is left alone with her parents worrying about the fate of those fighting, which later include her brother Walter and her love interest Kenneth. As the war continues, the young girl slowly matures and turns her back on her past self-serving ways and instead embraces helping others and putting their needs above her own. Assisting the Junior Red Cross, helping a couple wed, and raising a war orphan are just some of the responsibilities Rilla takes up without protest. As the novel progresses, so does the young protagonist who courageously rises to each occasion with the hope of the safe return of loved ones. A heart wrenching and inspirational sequel, Rilla of Ingleside offers a rare insight in the roles and hardships experienced by women during war as they were left to the mercy of uncertainty as each day passed. A story caught up in the shadow of war, the novel is an emotional journey of growth, loss, and sacrifice, but nevertheless a timeless piece of literature.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Memoirs, play, Rilla of Ingleside, Teen/Young adult, War stories

Further Chronicles of Avonlea is a collection of short stories by L.M. Montgomery and is a sequel to Chronicles of Avonlea. Published in 1920, it includes a number of stories relating to the inhabitants of the fictional Canadian village of Avonlea and its region, located on Prince Edward Island. The book was published without the permission of L.M. Montgomery, and was formed from stories she had decided not to publish in the earlier Chronicles of Avonlea. Montgomery sued her publishers, L.C. Page & Co, and won $18,000 in damages after a legal battle lasting nearly nine years. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Further Chronicles of Avonlea, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Short stories

Adventures of a Brownie follows the life of a brownie who lives in a family’s coal cellar and the adventures he gets into with the members of the household. (Written by Ancilla)

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: Adventures of a Brownie as Told to My Child, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Miss Mulock

This is Mill’s first work on economics. It foreshadows his Political Economy which was the standard Anglo-American Economics textbook of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Mill’s economic theory moved from free market capitalism, to government intervention within the precepts of Utilitarianism, and finally to Socialism.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Economics/Political Economy, Essays on Some Unsettled Questions of Political Economy, free audio books, John Stuart Mill, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy