Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 053


Read by LibriVox Volunteers

(5 stars; 2 reviews)

Twenty short nonfiction works in the public domain, independently chosen by the readers. Topics include History--Jocelyn de Brakelond's 13th century chronicle of the Bury St. Edmund monastery, Lorenzo de Medici's Florence, the voyage of the Mayflower, and Mark Twain's essay Stirring Times in Austria; Philosophy--Kierkegaard and Leibniz; Speeches, Sermons, and Diary Entries from Abraham Lincoln, Robert Ingersoll, and Queen Victoria; Literature--a tribute to George Meredith and a critique of Mencken's The American Language; and Nature and the Natural World--George Mallory outlining the route to the summit of Mt. Everest, Newton's proof of the elliptical orbits of planets, native bees, pear tree blight, fruit soups, and a description of a grain of wheat.

Panegyric on Abraham was translated by Lee M. Hollander. (Summary by Sue Anderson) (6 hr 4 min)

Chapters

Address in Independence Hall, Philadelphia. February 22, 1861 3:40 Read by Melvin Lee
A Critique of Mencken's The American Language 12:00 Read by VfkaBT
Demonstration that Planets Move In Ellipses 23:40 Read by Availle
Descartes' Proof of God (1700-1701) 8:13 Read by Craig Campbell
Fruit Soups 3:01 Read by Melanie T
A Letter on Pear Tree Blight 5:50 Read by Melanie T
Lorenzo de'Medici Rules in Florence Zenith of Florentine Glory (A.D. 1469) 34:05 Read by VfkaBT
Mount Everest, The Route to the Summit 15:20 Read by Phil Schempf
Native Bees 25:36 Read by Sue Anderson
Neither Dorking Nor the Abbey: A Tribute to George Meredith 7:09 Read by Lynne T
On the Theme of Substance: Description of a Grain of Wheat 4:09 Read by Melanie T
Panegyric on Abraham 24:17 Read by Craig Campbell
Proclamation for a Day of Thanksgiving. October 3, 1863 4:15 Read by Melvin Lee
The Shrine of St. Edmund 21:30 Read by Melanie T
Stirring Times in Austria, Part 1 47:02 Read by William Allan Jones
Stirring Times in Austria, Part 2 38:34 Read by William Allan Jones
A Thanksgiving Sermon, Part 1 37:42 Read by Michele Fry
A Thanksgiving Sermon, Part 2 33:05 Read by Michele Fry
The Training of a Sovereign, Extract on the Theme of "Love" 7:41 Read by Melanie T
The Voyage of the Mayflower 7:46 Read by Melvin Lee