March 9, 2007

Top 25 Free Resources

We’ve been sending out our Free Resource of the Day Emails for one year now. If you’ve not subscribed yet, we highly encourage you to do so. Who knows what magnificent free audio & video learning resources we’ll dig up in the next year!

Here’s a top 25 list we threw together of the best of the best that we’ve featured in the last year:

25. Consider the Lobster

In this essay, offered for free on download from Audible.com, author David Foster Wallace shares his observations on the Maine Lobster Festival. Although written for Gourmet Magazine, Wallace’s essay is far from your typical culinary writing.

It contains amusing observations on the not-so-well-known history of lobster-eating, the obnoxiousness of American tourist attractions, and the ethics of boiling lobsters alive. Wallace reads the essay himself and he even worked out a way to fit in audio footnotes by changing the quality of the recording. It’s a fun listen.

24. Decadence: Ancient and Modern

In this online audio lecture, Russell Kirk, author of The Conservative Mind, compares the decadence of our time to the decadence of the Greek and Roman civilizations that preceded us. Kirk tosses in a plethora of references to ancient cultures and it’s an amusing and interesting lecture.

23. Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka’s novella is a bonafide 20th century classic about a traveling salesman that wakes up one morning to find his body has been transformed into that of a giant dung beatle. This highly symbolic tale about the plight of the modern working man, human alienation, and the eternal need to fit in has gone on to be Kafka’s signature work.

The audio version is brought to you through Thought Audio, and is narrated in a crisp performance by Michael Scott. If you’ve ever been interested in Kafka or have heard of the story’s premise but never checked it out, now is the time. This book really is as good as everyone says!

22. Eleanor Roosevelt: Address to the United Nations General Assembly on the Adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948 and ratified by 48 nations. In this speech delivered by the former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, she lays out the aspirations of the declaration with the hope that it will become the “international Magna Carta”.

She emphasizes that the declaration is not a binding treaty or law, but rather a moral standard of achievement for all nations concerning basic principles of human rights and freedoms. This speech is available on MP3 download, streaming audio, and streaming video from AmericanRhetoric.com.

21. Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times

In this lecture from the Miller Center of Public Affairs, H.W. Brands lectures on his latest book Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times. Professor Brands focuses on the way that American public opinion regarding Andrew Jackson has changed since Jackson was thought of as “the hero” of his day to his demonization in contemporary America for his policies such as Indian removal.

Brands probes deeper into the character of Jackson, pointing out his admirable qualities and crediting Jackson for twice saving the Union. This lecture is available on MP3 download.

20. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Here’s a great short story you can listen to. It is written by Washington Irving, one of the first acclaimed American authors. It tells the tale of a Dutch settlement called Sleepy Hollow which is haunted by the legend of a Headless Horseman. This story is read by Chip at LibriVox and his narration if magnificent. It’s available on MP3 Download.

19. Cornel West with Amy Goodman: Lannan Readings & Conversations

In this inspiring oration from the Lannan Foundation, African American intellectual Cornel West calls for revival in America’s democratic tradition which draws on our religious, philosophical, and literary history. This speech demonstrates West’s charismatic speaking talent in the tradition of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. This talk is available on streaming audio.

18. Yes You Can

In this free downloadable audio program author and motivational speaker Jim Donovan demonstrates in dozens of ways how our thoughts become the outcomes of our life. Through positively shifting what our focus is we inevitably move toward our goals and become happier, healthier, and wealthier. This motivational program is available on MP3 digital download through LearnOutLoud.com.

17. The Age of Innocence Podcast

Listen to Edith Wharton’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Age of Innocence. Brenda Dayne has narrated a very fine unabridged recording of the book and put it out in its entirety as a podcast. Immerse yourself into the upper class of New York City, in an age when “being things” was better than “doing things”. Enjoy!

16. The Nature of Islam

In this streaming audio discussion offered by Boston University’s World of Ideas forum, spokesman for Islam, Christianity and Judaism convene to examine the modern misconceptions of Islam in the wake of 9/11. Each pundit is given equal footing on hot topic issues such as Islam’s concept of Jihad, Martyrdom, Women’s rights, Religious Tolerance and other explosive issues that have become part of everyday news.

Join these three men of faith as they work to find common ground on what binds their separate religions, and work to illuminate misunderstandings that could potentially tear the world apart.

15. In Depth: Tom Wolfe

In this streaming video from C-SPAN’s BookTV, Tom Wolfe talks about his career as writer from The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby which he wrote back in the 1960s all the way up to his latest novel I Am Charlotte Simmons which explores the college campus life in the present day. He fields call-in questions from people across the United States and tells us the secrets of his craft. Indeed, no writer today is as fun to listen to as Tom Wolfe.

14. Alan Watts Podcast

We’re highlighting the Alan Watts Podcast which features recordings of one of the great western interpreters of Eastern religion: Alan Watts. If you’ve never heard Alan Watts lectures before, please do yourself a favor and listen to this podcast.

13. The Law

Frederic Bastiat’s “The Law” produced by FreeAudio.org is one of the best free audio books available. Bastiat’s brief treatise on law is a passionate cry for his belief that law should only be put in place to maintain life, liberty, and property. He denounces legislators and philosophers who seek legalized plunder, moral coercion, and numerous other methods of force through law which encroach on liberties.

The production quality is professional and Marvin Payne’s narration is superb. You can download this title through LearnOutLoud.com on MP3 or MPEG-4 (if you want to bookmark it in your iPod).

12. 50 Things I’m Going To Do Today

One of our all-time favorite audio downloads is 50 Things I’m Going to Do Today. Written and narrated by Brian Johnson, CEO of Zaadz, Inc., “50 Things” is a great collection of tips to live your life by. Ranging from “Hit The Rock” and “Pay Your Bills with a Smile” to “Act ‘As If'” and “Embrace Opposites,” you’re in for a real treat if you haven’t listened to this already. And if you have it’s probably time for another listen. Enjoy!

11. Existentialism in Literature and Film Podcast

We’re featuring a full course from the University of California-Berkeley entitled “Existentialism in Literature and Film”. The “Existentialism in Literature and Film” course, taught by professor Hubert L. Dreyfus, cuts right to the roots of existentialist thought, looking at the works of Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, and examining Dostoyevsky’s Brothers Karamazov in depth. It’s an excellent philosophy course and it’s free!

10. Extraordinary Leadership

LearnOutLoud.com is exclusively offering a free audio book to you by Robin Sharma, author of the bestselling book The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari.

The title we’re offering is called Extraordinary Leadership, and this inspirational program is aimed at bringing out the leader in all of us. Sharma fills this audio book with anecdotes and words of wisdom regarding what it takes to be a great leader in all aspects of life. Extraordinary Leadership is available from LearnOutLoud.com on MP3 Download.

9. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s Harvard University Commencement Address

This is a free speech that is not to be missed. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Russian author of the The Gulag Archipelago) delivered the Harvard University Commencement Address in 1978. While in exile from the Soviet Union, he spent a number of years in the United States and this address is his analysis of the Western predicament.

In this comprehensive one hour speech he discusses Western politics, the media, our role in Vietnam, the lack of courage in leadership, Soviet communism, commercialism and materialism, and the spiritual state of Western man. Most of Solzhenitsyn’s criticisms still hold true today. He delivers the speech in Russian and it is simultaneously translated into English. This speech is offered by American Rhetoric and you can download the speech on MP3 or listen to it streaming.

8. The Origin of the Human Mind

In this streaming UCTV video Lecture, cognitive scientist Martin Sereno gives us a survey of the brain’s evolution. With thorough visual aids, Sereno examines the difference between the human brain and that of other species, showcasing experiments he has conducted that have helped broaden our understanding of the physical mechanics behind human thought.

The biggest question he poses is why our minds are so special, when organically the human brain is 99% similar to that of the primates. Learn why size doesn’t matter when it comes to brain power!

7. The King James Version Bible

The Bible is the #1 selling book of all time. If you’ve been wanting to listen to an audio version the good folks at Audio Treasure would like to treat you to a free one. You can listen on their website or download to put on your mp3 player. It’s great for moments when you need a little inspiration!

6. History According to Bob Podcast

For two years, Bob Packett has serviced the world with his podcast, History According to Bob. This retired history professor operating out of Kansas explores a large canvas – from the smallest historical artifacts to decade- spanning cultural upheaval- with the sort of down- home, approachable style that is the earmark of a great teacher.

5. Introduction to Your Mind: Two Guided Meditations

Before you plunge into action, start things off with these two free guided meditations. They were published by Mi Ka El Mindchanger through our TeachOutLoud self-publishing tool. Through these two 10-minute meditations Mi Ka El leads you through the practice of mindfulness meditation with insights on how to transcend your thoughts & feelings and come into awareness of your true Self.

These excellent meditations can be downloaded on MP3 through LearnOutLoud.com and listened to again and again. Thanks Mi Ka El for this great free resource!

4. Tolstoy On Death: The Death of Ivan Ilyich & Master Man

Death is certainly a bit of a morbid subject but often the lessons of death teach us how to live life more fully. These two short novels offer a lot of food for thought. They are a bit of “heavy listening” but offer spiritual encouragement for all of us. Thanks to the gang over at ChristianAudio for making these free audiobooks available through LearnOutLoud.com.

3. TEDTalks Podcast

We’re highlighting the TEDTalks Podcast which features key talks from the TED Conference covering the latest ideas in Technology, Entertainment, Design, Business, Science, and other areas. Now on their podcast feed they feature Al Gore delivering jokes and ways to help save the planet, Tony Robbins telling what drives him and discussing the 4 basic human needs, and many other interesting speakers. They’re featuring new talks every week so you may want to subscribe to this one.

2. The Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson Podcast

This year LearnOutLoud.com launched “The Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson Podcast” and we were featured in iTunes many times in the past year for it.

It’s an excellent podcast which features a classic essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson every week. We’re always recording more Emerson essays including many that’ve never been on audio before so please subscribe!

1. I Have a Dream Audio and Video

From our very first edition of the Resource of the Day e-mail, we wanted to start out with a special one. One of our favorite free titles in the directory is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s classic “I Have a Dream” speech. Delivered on August 28th, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., King’s passionate call for justice and equality was the battle cry for the civil rights movement in America. Choose from an audio version of the speech from American Rhetoric or watch the streaming video.

September 10, 2006

Free Resource Highlights: Week 4

We’ve been sending out our “Free Resource of the Day Email” for a number of months now, and we want to share some of the free audio & video titles from past weeks that we have offered. Here are the free resources from Week 4:

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s Harvard University Commencement Address

This is a free speech that is not to be missed. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Russian author of the The Gulag Archipelago) delivered the Harvard University Commencement Address in 1978. While in exile from the Soviet Union, he spent a number of years in the United States and this address is his analysis of the Western predicament.

In this comprehensive one hour speech he discusses Western politics, the media, our role in Vietnam, the lack of courage in leadership, Soviet communism, commercialism and materialism, and the spiritual state of Western man. Most of Solzhenitsyn’s criticisms still hold true today. He delivers the speech in Russian and it is simultaneously translated into English. This speech is offered by American Rhetoric and you can download the speech on MP3 or listen to it streaming.

SWSX 2006 Interactive Panel Podcasts

Every spring thousands of people descend on Austin, Texas for the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival and conference. It’s a really cool mix of movies, music and technology and brings a lot of movers and shakers to the area to talk about what’s on the horizon. This year’s keynotes featured luminaries such as Bruce Sterling, Craig Newmark (of Craig’s List fame), Heather Armstrong and Jason Kottke. If you didn’t have a chance to attend this year’s SXSW festival and want to see what all the buzz is about click on the link below for free audio from the keynotes.

Was America Responsible for the Attacks of September 11th?

A bit of a provocative title perhaps but this debate offered from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute really doesn’t cover the September 11th attacks. Instead it is more of an overall debate about whether American power and wealth in the world is generally good or bad.

Dinesh D’Souza, author of What’s So Great About America, argues that the American way of life is superior than other cultures and that we all too often ignore the freedoms and priviledges that make us the envy of the world. Rabbi Michael Lerner argues that the American empire is excessively selfish and greedy, and that our financial and military power has been used to oppress cultures throughout the world. It makes for a very heated and interesting debate. It is available on streaming audio and video as well as on MP3 download.

August 26, 2006

Free Resource Highlights: Week 2

We’ve been sending out our “Free Resource of the Day Email” for a number of months now, and we want to share some of the free audio & video titles from past weeks that we have offered. Here are the free resources from Week 2:

Remarks on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy lived his life in the shadow of his brother John. Yet his story is a remarkable one and one of the moments that most stands out is the speech that RFK delivered on the evening of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination. Delivered on April 4th, 1968 in Indianapolis, Kennedy’s speech is a message of reconciliation that came at a time when America needed it most.

The World is Flat: MIT Lecture

MIT has tons of great educational content online for free. One of our favorites is a lecture given by New York Times writer Thomas Friedman on the subject of his book The World is Flat. Like Friedman’s book, this lecture is an extremely interesting look at globalization and both the challenges and opportunities of doing business in the 21st century. This title is available on streaming audio and video.

St. Patrick’s Day – A Complimentary Lecture

Have you listened to a Teaching Company course? If not, you’re in for a real treat. We have a link to free full-length Teaching Company lecture on the subject of St. Patrick. It’s presented by Professor William R. Cook, the Distinguished Teaching Professor of History at the State University of New York at Geneseo. You’ll enjoy this lecture which provides the background on this 4th-Century saint.

Anthem

Ayn Rand’s books are made for audio. In these busy times very few people have the time to sit down and read The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged. But get these audio books and pop them on in your car while you’re commuting and you can finish them up in a month or two. It’s a great testament to the opportunity represented by audio learning.

If you would like to check start off with a more bite-sized portion of Rand’s wisdom check out ThoughtAudio’s production of Anthem, one of Rand’s earlier novels. Anthem sets the stage for what’s to come in Rand’s later works.

August 16, 2006

Free Resource Highlights: Week 1

We’ve been sending out our “Free Resource of the Day Email” for a number of months now, and we want to share some of the free audio & video titles from past weeks that we have offered. Here are the free resources from Week 1:

I Have a Dream Audio and Video

One of our favorite free titles in the directory is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s classic “I Have a Dream” speech. Delivered on August 28th, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., King’s passionate call for justice and equality was the battle cry for the civil rights movement in America. Choose from an audio version of the speech from American Rhetoric or a video version from iFilm.

50 Things I’m Going To Do Today

Are you doing the 50 Things? 50 Things I’m Going to Do Today is an exclusive audio title that we love. Brian Johnson (CEO over at Zaadz, Inc. recorded this a while back and it’s well worth listening to a couple of times a month. There’s a ton of great advice about optimal living contained within and the format makes it easy to listen to a little bit at a time.

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

How about diving into some Nietzsche? We came across an edition of Nietzsche’s classic Thus Spoke Zarathustra a couple of weeks ago. Not only was it the only Nietzsche audio we’ve encountered…it was also free! Really good quality too. Download it to your iPod and your weekend listening is all taken care of.

July 19, 2006

Guide to LibriVox Audio Books

In case you’re not aware, LibriVox is a site which brings together volunteers to narrated books in the public domain, and then offers these audio books as free downloads on MP3 and Ogg Vorbis formats. They have 1000s of completed free titles, most of which are classic literature, short stories, and poetry.

There is quite a bit of variance in the quality of the recordings and the narrators so at LearnOutLoud.com we’ve put together a guide of quick reviews on the quality of narrators and recordings for each LibriVox solo project. They have a number of projects which are collaborations of multiple narrators and we haven’t had time to listen to all of those yet. This has helped us feature the best LibriVox audio books which you can browse here:

https://www.learnoutloud.com/librivox

So without further ado here is our guide to LibriVox audio books:

Completed Books

Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger, Jr.
-Alice gives a fun reading here. She does a lot of different voices sort of like she’s reading a kids story. The audio quality is good. She may be a little too dramatic for some tastes but she puts a lot of energy into it.

Poetics by Aristotle
-Robert Foster does a decent job here with handling Aristotle. He doesn’t seem to have a great command over the text and he maybe should’ve read it before narrating it. He stumbles over words and his audio overmodulates a little.

Tristan and Iseult by Joseph Bédier
-Joy Chan has an awesome British accent that is perfect for reading this audio book. The audio quality is average, but her narration is top notch.

The Parenticide Club by Ambrose Bierce
-Good reading by British accented Peter Yearsley. Not terribly exciting, but fitting for the text. Decent audio.

Ten Days in a Madhouse by Nellie Bly
-Stellar narration by Alice and this sounds like a really interesting audio book. I was captivated.

The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
-Bravo Joy Chan! She narrates this 12 Hrs. 30 Min. audio book wonderfully. Her accent continues to be the coolest on the LibriVox scene. Recording quality is good, not great.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
-Good amateur narration by Kara Shallenberg. Maybe not dynamic enough to keep the constant attention of children, but still high quality narration.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
-It’s good technically but it lacks passion. Denny Sayers narration is a little dry for this adventure novel. The audio recording is well done.

North of Boston by Robert Frost
-High quality audio and good narration by Brad Bush for these Robert Frost poems. Bush has a southern accent which I’m not sure fits Frost, but it’s not too overbearing.

China and the Chinese by Herbert Allen Giles
-David Barnes delivers these lectures on China in fine fashion. They were originally delivered in 1902, and depending on your interest level in China, may or may not hold you full attention.

The Four Million by O. Henry
-Marian Brown’s narration is fine for these O. Henry short stories. The audio quality is very good, but the narration could use a little more dramatic flare.

Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley
-The audio quality on this one is okay. There’s a constant fuzz in the background and the edits in the audio are audible. The narration by Brit Martin Clifton is fine but it doesn’t overcome the weak audio.

A Calendar of Sonnets by Helen Hunt Jackson
-These are really short sonnets. Laura Fox does well to read them, but they might be too short to bother with.

The Tao Teh King by Lao-Tze
-Eric S. Piotrowski delivers this audio book in a tolerable way but it lacks the depth and insight of Phil Chirco’s LearnOutLoud.com narration of the Tao Te Ching.

American Indian Fairy Tales
-Chip sounds like a professional narrator. I was very impressed with this recording. There’s nothing amateur about this audio book.

Spirits in Bondage by C.S. Lewis
-C.S. Lewis’s first book is read well by Robert Garrison. His voice is gravelly, yet clear and suitable for Lewis in his early days.

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
-Brit Jon Ingram reads The Communist Manifesto and his narration is solid. The digitizing has some artifact that is a bit piercing at times, but it’s still listenable.

Typee by Herman Melville
-Very professional recording by Michael Scherer of this 11 1/2 hour audio book. He doesn’t overdramatize yet he still does a good sailor’s voice.

Absolute Surrender and Other Addresses by Andrew Murray
-Joy Chan gives an inspired reading of Andrew Murray’s sermons. The audio quality still has a little hiss but her cool accent and enthusiastic reading overcome it.

From October to Brest-Litovsk by Leon D. Trotsky
-Good recording and good narration by Rebecca. Don’t be fooled by the name. This is a British man reading.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
-John Greenman gives an entertaining narration which seems directed at kids. He has fun with it even though the voices might be a little annoying for adults. The recording quality is good.

Chapters from my Autobiography by Mark Twain
-John Greenman reads Twain’s autobiography with wit and understanding and the recording quality is high quality.

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
-Well done narration from John Greenman who has become the voice of Mark Twain on the LibriVox scene.

War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
-Rebecca (a British man) has an excellent voice for this H.G. Wells novel. The sound is good and his voice keeps the listener intrigued.

The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde
-LibriVox’s most prolific narrator Joy Chan gives a good reading of these stories with her British accent. There is a little fuzz to the recording.

The Romance of Rubber by United States Rubber Company, edited by John Martin
-Good, if you’re interested in rubber.

Completed Short Works

Sarrasine by Honoré de Balzac (transl. Clara Bell and others)
-Chip is basically a professional narrator. He’s the best. He even pronounces his French phrases correctly.

Present at a Hanging and Other Ghost Stories by Ambrose Bierce
-Peter Yearsley gives a soft-spoken, haunted reading of these stories. You can understand him, but he could pick up the pace a bit and project a little more.

The Book of Job (ASV)
-Robert Garrison has a strong voice which works well for the Old Testament and his recording quality sounds great.

Ecclesiastes (ASV)
-Robert Garrison has a strong voice which works well for the Old Testament and his recording quality sounds great.

Three Short Works by Gustav Flaubert
-Dark British reading by David Barnes. He does a good job with it.

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
-Betsie Bush is an average narrator and the sound quality is a little below average. It’s only 13 minutes though so it’s probably tolerable.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
-Chip is a professional. He narrates with gusto.

Magna Carta
-A very proper British reading of the Magna Carta read by Jim Mowatt.

The Song of Songs (ASV)
-Another good recording of a book of the Bible read by Robert Garrison.

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
-John Gonzales trying a little too hard to sound British and humorous in the reading of this short pamphlet. The recording is good.

The Stolen White Elephant by Mark Twain
-Kristen McQuillin gives an adequate narration of this Twain short story with average sound recording.

The Constitution of the United States of America, 1787 by The Founding Fathers of the United States
-Kristen McQuillin gives a good narration of the Constitution

Amendments to the United States Constitution (version 2) by Founding Fathers
-A much better reading of the U.S. Amendments from Jim Cadwell.

The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America
-Jim Cadwell narration is fine but the audio quality is a little tinny and there’s some digital artifact.

U.S. Historical Documents
-Very professional recording and narration from Michael Scherer including Articles of Confederation, US Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Gettysburg Address. He runs the site Americana Phonic.

Completed Poetry

The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll
-Robert Garrison narrates this Lewis Carroll poem well. It could have a little more enthusiam.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
-Kristin Luoma gives a splendid, dramatic reading of Coleridge’s classic poem.

War Is Kind by Stephen Crane
-ChipDoc might just be the best narrator LibriVox has. An excellent reading.

So that’s our LibriVox guide for now. Since we wrote this guide we’ve added over 1000 new audio books from Librivox based on their quality.

All LibriVox Titles on LearnOutLoud with 1000 New Titles

Among the 1000 new audio books there are 150 free audio books specifically for kids. All these new free audio books for kids can be found in our Kids Section:

150 New Free Kids Audio Books from LibriVox

And here are some of the great new audio books we’ve added by category:

Biographies:

Mozart: The Man and the Artist as Revealed in His Own Words by Friedrich Kerst

The World I Live In by Helen Keller

Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington

Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography

Edison, His Life and Inventions by Frank Lewis Dyer

The Life of St. Teresa by St. Teresa of Avila

History:

A Short History of the United States by Edward Channing

A Short History of England by G.K. Chesterton

Herodotus’ Histories, Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3

The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki

The Book of the National Parks by Robert Sterling Yard

Literature:

The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis

John Barleycorn or Alcoholic Memoirs by Jack London

Walking by Henry David Thoreau

The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson by Mark Twain

The Aeneid by Virgil

2 B R 0 2 B by Kurt Vonnegut

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence

The Last Man by Mary Shelley

Candide by Voltaire

Poems of William Blake

Dubliners by James Joyce

Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol

Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev

Philosophy:

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

The Golden Sayings of Epictetus

The Sayings of Confucius

Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill

Introduction to The Philosophy of History by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Discourse on the Method by Rene Descartes

The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant

The Joyful Wisdom, or The Gay Science by Friedrich Nietzsche

The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell

Discourse on Inequality by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith

Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Ludwig Wittgenstein

Essays, First Series and Essays, Second Series by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Religion & Spirituality:

The Tree of Wisdom by Nagarjuna

In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do? by Charles M. Sheldon

The People’s Idea of God by Mary Baker Eddy

The Large Catechism by Martin Luther

Conceptions of Divine Love by St. Teresa of Avila

The Golden Bough by James Frazer

Bhagavad Gita Translated by Sir Edwin Arnold

The Meaning of the Glorious Koran

Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg

The Bahai Revelation by Thornton Chase

The Story of Mormonism by James E. Talmage

Mysticism: A Study in Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness by Evelyn Underhill

Twentieth Century New Testament

Science:

On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin

The Story of Alchemy and the Beginnings of Chemistry by M. M. Pattison Muir

The Outline of Science by J. Arthur Thomson

Philosophy and Fun of Algebra by Mary Everest Boole

Relativity: The Special and General Theory by Albert Einstein

Curiosities of the Sky by Garrett Serviss

Self Development:

Supreme Personality by Delmer Eugene Croft

A Practical Guide to Self-Hypnosis by Melvin Powers

Mental Efficiency by Arnold Bennett

The Power of Concentration by Theron Q. Dumont

The Secret of Dreams by Yacki Raizizun

A Guide to Men: Being Encore Reflections of a Bachelor Girl by Helen Rowland

How to Live on Twenty-Four Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett

And this is just scratching the surface of what they’ve got!

And here are even MORE great Librivox titles we’ve added as of November of 2014!

Arts & Entertainment:

Hollywood: Its Morals and Manners by Theodore Dreiser

The Letters of a Post-Impressionist by Vincent Van Gogh

The Rise and Fall of Free Speech in America by D.W. Griffith

Concerning the Spiritual in Art by Wassily Kandinsky

The Art of the Moving Picture by Vachel Lindsay

The Seven Lamps of Architecture by John Ruskin

How to Appreciate Music by Gustav Kobbe

A Popular History of the Art of Music by W.S.B. Mathews

Biography:

The Education of Henry Adams

The Adventures of Buffalo Bill by William Frederick Cody

Representative Men by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant

Auguste Rodin by Rainer Maria Rilke

Geronimo’s Story of His Life

My Life and Work by Henry Ford

Saint Francis of Assisi: A Biography by Johannes Jorgensen

Business:

The Art of Money Getting by P.T. Barnum

Principles of Economics by Alfred Marshall

Capital: Critique of Political Economy, Vol. 1 by Karl Marx

The Economic Consequences of the Peace by John Maynard Keynes

Living on Half a Dime a Day by Sarah Elizabeth Harper Monmouth

Education & Professional:

Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education by John Dewey

Dr. Montessori’s Own Handbook by Maria Montessori

Notes on Nursing by Florence Nightingale

The Elements of Style by William Strunk

History:

On War (Volume One) and On War (Volumes Two and Three) by Carl von Clausewitz

The Journal of Lewis and Clarke

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. I through VI by Edward Gibbon

History of the United States, Volume 1 – 7 by Charles Austin Beard & Mary Ritter Beard

Popular History of France from the Earliest Times, Volume 1 – 5 by Francois Guizot

A Popular History of Ireland by Thomas D’Arcy McGee

The French Revolution by Hilaire Belloc

Ten Days that Shook the World by John Reed

Languages:

French Self-Taught by Franz J.L. Thimm

My Very First Little German Book

An Introduction to the Greek of the New Testament by George Lovell Cary

Literature:

The Magic Skin by Honore de Balzac

Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie

Futuria Fantasia, Spring 1940 by Ray Bradbury

The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Faust Part I by Johann Wolfgang Goethe

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

A Rubaiyat Miscellany by Omar Khayyam

Anna Christie by Eugene O’Neill

Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott

Othello by William Shakespeare

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde

Therese Raquin by Emile Zola

The Trojan Women by Euripides

Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King) by Sophocles

The Iliad of Homer, Rendered into English Blank Verse by Homer

Metamorphoses by Ovid

Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust

Charles Dickens by G.K. Chesterton

Poems: Series One and Poems: Series Two by Emily Dickinson

John Keats: Selected Poems

The Lady With the Dog and Other Stories by Anton Chekhov

Five Beloved Stories by O. Henry

Six Creepy Stories by Edgar Allan Poe

Philosophy:

A Cynic Looks At Life by Ambrose Bierce

An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals by David Hume

The Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals by Immanuel Kant

An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding by John Locke

Essays: Book 1, Essays: Book 2, and Essays: Book 3 by Michel de Montaigne

Ecce Homo by Friedrich Nietzsche

The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Proposed Roads to Freedom by Bertrand Russell

The Art of Controversy (or: The Art of Being Right) by Arthur Schopenhauer

What is Man? and Other Essays by Mark Twain

The Analects of Confucius

The Republic by Plato

The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle

Of Peace of Mind by Seneca

Pragmatism by William James

The Ethics by Benedict de Spinoza

Politics:

Reflections on the Revolution in France by Edmund Burke

Socialism: Utopian and Scientific by Friedrich Engels

Public Opinion by Walter Lippmann

Considerations on Representative Government by John Stuart Mill

The Strenuous Life: Essays and Addresses of Theodore Roosevelt

Essays on Political Economy by Frederic Bastiat

The Soul of Man by Oscar Wilde

Religion & Spirituality:

The Path of Light: The Bodhi-Charyavatara of Santi-Deva by Shantideva

The Universal Religion: Bahaism – Its Rise and Social Import by Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney

The Greatest Thing in the World and Other Addresses by Henry Drummond

The Mahabharata by Vyasa: The Epic of Ancient India Condensed into English Verse

The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther

Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray

The Quest of the Historical Jesus by Albert Schweitzer

The Profits of Religion by Upton Sinclair

The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

The Way of Perfection by St. Teresa of Avila

Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-madinah and Meccah by Richard Burton

The Book of Mormon by Joseph Smith

Torah (JPSA): Genesis

Science:

Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin

Opticks by Isaac Newton

Great Astronomers by Robert Ball

Anatomy of the Human Body, Part 1 – 5

Meteorology; or Weather Explained by J.G. M’Pherson

The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 – 3

Easy Lessons in Einstein by Edwin E. Slosson

Self Development:

Byways to Blessedness by James Allen

Self and Self-Management: Essays about Existing by Arnold Bennett

Your Psychic Powers and How to Develop Them by Hereward Carrington

Laugh and Live by Douglas Fairbanks

Creative Mind by Ernest Holmes

The Victorious Attitude by Orison Swett Marden

Creative Unity by Rabindranath Tagore

In Tune with the Infinite by Ralph Waldo Trine

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Thought Vibration, or The Law of Attraction in the Thought World by William Atkinson

The Speaking Voice by Katherine Everts

The Kama Sutra by Vatsyayana

Social Sciences:

Two Years and Four Months in a Lunatic Asylum by Hiram Chase

The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud

Winds of Doctrine: Studies in Contemporary Opinion by George Santayana

Woman and the New Race by Margaret Sanger

The Psychology of Alcoholism by George Barton

The Anatomy of Melancholy, Volume 1 – 3 by Robert Burton

Psychotherapy by Hugo Munsterberg

The Spirit of Youth and the City Streets by Jane Addams

Sports & Hobbies:

The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzo

American Cookery by Amelia Simmons

Football Days: Memories of the Game and of the Men behind the Ball by William Hanford Edwards

The Flower Garden: A Handbook of Practical Garden Lore by Ida Dandridge Bennett

The Decoration of Houses by Edith Wharton

The Social History of Smoking by George L. Apperson

The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton

Dogs and All About Them by Robert Leighton

Cats: Their Points and Characteristics by W. Gordon Stables

Travel:

My Trip Abroad by Charlie Chaplin

A Traveller in War-Time by Winston Churchill

A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf by John Muir

The Maine Woods by Henry David Thoreau

American Notes for General Circulation by Charles Dickens

The Worst Journey in the World, Vol. 1 and The Worst Journey in the World, Vol. 2 by Apsley Cherry-Garrard

Letters of Travel by Rudyard Kipling

On a Chinese Screen by W. Somerset Maugham

Domestic Manners of the Americans by Frances Trollope

New Free Audio Books from Great Authors

Along with the great audio books listed above that we’ve added, we’ve also added many free titles from some of the greatest authors of all time. Librivox has dived deep into the public domain treasures of great authors to provide you some never before heard audio books. Check out this list of authors below which we have added many free audio books to.

Note: These are the full author results for these authors, so if you’re looking for just the free titles you can see (Free) next to the Audio Download format in the results now for free titles.

James Allen Audio – Numerous free self help classics from the author of As a Man Thinketh.

G.K. Chesterton Audio – Plenty from this English writer, lay theologian, poet, philosopher, dramatist, journalist, orator, literary and art critic, biographer, and Christian apologist.

Wilkie Collins Audio – Many works from this English novelist, playwright, and author of short stories.

Joseph Conrad Audio – Many novels from the author of Heart of Darkness.

Philip K. Dick Audio – Some free short stories from this master of science fiction.

Charles Dickens Audio – Plenty of new free offerings!

Fyodor Dostoevsky Audio – More novels and short stories from this great Russian author.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Audio – 30 new free titles from the world’s greatest crime fiction writer.

F. Scott Fitzgerald Audio – New short stories from the The Great Gatsby author.

Thomas Hardy Audio – New free Thomas Hardy novels and short stories.

Henrik Ibsen Audio – Numerous dramatized plays from the major 19th-century Norwegian playwright.

Henry James Audio – Over 20 new free works from this great American writer.

Jack London Audio – Variety of works from the famous American author, journalist, and social activist.

Martin Luther Audio – Audio from the seminal figure of the 16th-century movement in Christianity known later as the Protestant Reformation.

George MacDonald Audio – Many free works from the Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister.

William Shakespeare Audio – Basically all the plays of the Bard now free from Librivox.

George Bernard Shaw Audio – A dozen free plays from the Irish playwright.

Leo Tolstoy Audio – Over a dozen free works from this Russian giant.

Anthony Trollope Audio – Over 30 free novels!

Mark Twain Audio – Almost 30 new works to listen to!

H.G. Wells Audio – 20 new free titles from this prolific English writer best remembered for his science fiction novels.

Edith Wharton Audio – New free works from the first woman to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for literature.

Aristotle Audio – Over a dozen philosophical works from the great Greek philosopher.

Plato Audio – A great many dialogues and other works by the great Greek philosopher.

500 New Free Kids Audio Books

Of the 2500 free audio books we’ve added from Librivox about 500 of them are geared towards kids. We’ve sectioned these titles off in our Librivox kids publisher page which you can browse here:

Over 500 Free Librivox Audio Books for Kids on Kids.LearnOutLoud.com

Here are some great new free kids books you can grab:

Alice’s Adventures Underground by Lewis Carroll

The Blue Lagoon by H. De Vere Stacpoole

The Box-Car Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Children’s Bible by Henry Sherman

The Children’s Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit

Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz by L. Frank Baum

Grammar-Land by M.L. Nesbitt

Historic Adventures: Tales from American History by Rupert S. Holland

Howard Pyle’s Book of Pirates

The Life of George Washington in Words of One Syllable by Josephine Pollard

The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen

Myths That Every Child Should Know by Hamilton Wright Mabie

Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs

A School History of the Great War by Albert E. McKinley

The Story Book of Science by Jean-Henri Fabre

The Story of Young Abraham Lincoln by Wayne Whipple

Viking Tales by Jennie Hall

Zip, the Adventures of a Frisky Fox Terrier by Frances Trego Montgomery

July 5, 2006

Over 1000 Free Audio & Video Titles!

Not sure if you’ve been to our free audio & video directory lately, but we’ve been adding a lot:

www.learnoutloud.com/free

Recent stuff we’ve added:

Audio Anarchy – Free MP3 downloads from anarchist thinkers like Emma Goldman

Boston University’s World of Ideas – Free streaming audio lectures and debates from smart people like Elie Wiesel, Gene Wilder, et al.

Americana Phonic – Downloads and streaming audio of America’s founding documents

Lannan Foundation – Poets and political activists speak at Lannan’s Readings & Conversations with folks like Salman Rushdie, Joyce Carol Oates, and Howard Zinn on streaming audio

Cato Institute – This libertarian think tank puts out tons of free MP3 downloads of their speakers covering social issues, U.S. politics, economics, foreign policy, and more

Miller Center of Public Affairs – Along with the most comprehensive collection of presidential speeches on MP3 download, their forum features politicians and major historians discussing history and contemporary issues

LibriVox – The web’s coolest community of volunteer narrators reading classic public domain books just keeps getting cooler. And we’ve added a bunch more of their best titles to our site (we’ve listened to most of them to ensure they’re the high quality ones).

History and Politics Out Loud – Check out this “Out Loud” site of free historical speeches streaming on audio

BookTV’s In Depth Programs – And this one might be my favorite. 3-hour-long, in-depth interviews on streaming video with some of the greatest authors of our time: Tom Wolfe, John Updike, Simon Winchester, Harold Bloom, Noam Chomsky, Thomas Friedman, Susan Sontag, and many more.

We just keep finding more and more great stuff! If you find any educational free audio & video titles to add don’t hesitate to email us!

April 19, 2006

LiteralSystems Produces Free “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” Audiobook

LoudLit.org and LiteralSystems have created the first free audio book version of Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”. At 9 Hrs. 30 Min. it’s one of the longest free audio books recorded to date. And the sound quality and narration sound superb. Check it out:

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

March 30, 2006

Free Audio Documentaries

If you’re looking for some high-quality, stimulating audio documentaries, American Public Media has has produced over 140 hour-long documentaries with their documentary unit American RadioWorks. They now refer to themselves as APM Reports and offer numerous podcasts on iTunes. The APM Reports Documentaries Podcast features over 140 of their audio documentaries spanning back two decades. These documentaries cover a wide range of topics including politics, history, social issues, and other current events. We’ve added many of these audio documentaries as titles on our American Public Media Publisher Page, but they’re now all conveniently available for download on one podcast feed:

140 Free Audio Documentaries on the APM Reports Documentaries Podcast

To give you a sampling of some of these audio documentaries, here are some that we’ve featured in the past:

Say It Plain: A Century of Great African-American Speeches

This hour-long audio documentary from American RadioWorks celebrates the great African American speakers of the last century. In chronological order it covers speeches all the way back to Booker T. Washington’s address at the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition up to Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention. The hour-long documentary features excerpts of the speeches with interviews and commentary on their significance.

Unmasking Stalin: A Speech That Changed the World

How did Russia, after 30 years of Stalin’s propoganda and cult of personality, come to see Joseph Stalin as the repressive and brutal leader that he was? This hour-long documentary from American RadioWorks shows how it began with a speech delivered by Nikita Khrushchev in 1956 which denounced the crimes of Stalin. The documentary also displays how, despite after Stalin’s “unmasking”, many Russians still believe Stalin to be a hero.

Korea: The Unfinished War

In this audio documentary from American Radio Works, listeners can hear a chronological history of the Korean War. Soldiers, historians and military leaders explain how this “forgotten war” was an essential event that defined global politics for the next 40 years. With Korea still very present in current headlines, this documentary is an essential way for anyone to learn more about why this area of the world is so important.

My Name is Iran

1979 marks the year that Iran became the world’s premiere theocracy. Decades later, this government, steeped in Islamic law, has shown no sign of loosening its grip on Iranian civil rights. In My Name is Iran, released by American Audio RadioWorks on streaming audio, we hear from modern Iranian voices as they speak on their current experience under this controversial government, how it has developed from what was once a paragon of Middle East democracy, and what a few courageous people are doing to counter the status quo. This is a great primer in Iranian history and a wonderful way to learn more about what has recently become one of the world’s top geo-political hotspots.

Fast Food and Animal Rights: McDonald’s New Farm

In this insightful audio documentary, American Radioworks examines how McDonald’s, the world’s leading food provider has presided over a sea change in how animals are treated in the fast food industry. Here we listen to how the Animal Rights Group PETA forced McDonalds and similar companies to recognize the inhumane practices that were being utilized to provide the average Big Mac. Though farmers admit the changes imposed have been expensive, this is a telling example of how one major international company has used it’s worldwide clout to bring about positive change.

Walking Out of History

This audio documentary put out by American Public Media recounts the incredible true-life tale of how 28 Men survived a ship-wreck in Antarctica for 2 years. Sir Ernest Shackelton and the crew of the Endurance set out exploring on a Trans-Antarctic expedition in 1914. They encountered ice and soon became trapped in it, and their ship the Endurance came apart due to the incredible force of multi-ton ice plates. Left to survive on bare ice with nothing but seals and penguins for food, this audio document trails how Shackelton’s unerring determination led an entire crew through obstacle after obstacle until finally securing rescue on the outer coast of South America.

Is Wal-Mart Good for America?

This brief audio documentary from American Public Media explores the effect of Wal-Mart on U.S. manufacturing, and how a retailer has surpassed in profit every other major manufacturer in the country. Reporter Hedrick Smith looks at manufacturing in China which produces imports of over $15 billion per year for Wal-Mart. This audio documentary is available on streaming audio from American Public Media.

Intelligent Designs on Evolution

In this streaming audio documentary produced by American Public Media, the controversy over intelligent design is examined from all sides of the debate. The argument over human origins has now found a new venue in America’s public schools, where parents and teachers war against each other over what students are taught. This thought provoking work doesn’t promise answers to the question, but does give listeners a nuanced overview of why this debate is raging and to what lengths each side is going in order to make their argument.

Bankrupt: Maxed Out in America

This audio documentary from American Public Media examines the record number of bankruptcy filings in recent years in the United States. Documentarians Chris Farrell and Sasha Aslanian travel to Memphis, a city with one of the highest rates of bankruptcy in the country. They interview many people who are declaring bankruptcy and the people who are assisting them in filing for bankruptcy. They also examine the history of bankruptcy and how it has changed over the years from a social stigma to a calculated risk that some feel is worth taking.

January 23, 2006

600+ Free Audio and Video Titles!

We crossed another century mark over the weekend as we now have 600+ titles up in our Free Audio and Video Directory. It’s quickly becoming a really cool collection of content. One of the things that I like best about it is that it’s hand-picked by the staff here at LearnOutLoud. We don’t guarantee that there won’t be any sub-standard content (after all it is a free directory) but we think we’ve done a pretty good job of filtering out the garbage.

Here are a few titles that we’ve added recently:

-A professionally narrated production of Siddhartha which is the first release in our new Free Audiobook of the Month club. More on that later…

–Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Visits Grace Cathedral and The New Negro, a couple of rare online videos of Martin Luther King, Jr. that we put up as part of our MLK Out Loud page.

-An audio version of The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, one of many titles from Librivox that we recently added to the site. A note of caution: While some of the Librivox titles are good others are harder to listen to. Since this often varies on a per-chapter basis (different chapters often have different narrators) we’ve decided to include them for now.

We hope you enjoy and look forward to reaching the 700/800/900/1,000 mark soon!

December 13, 2005

Some Very Cool Free Stuff

Been doing some “treasure hunting” online this morning for new free stuff to add to our increasingly popular Free Audio and Video Directory. I came across a few links I just had to pass along:

Learner.org – I can’t believe that I hadn’t stumbled across this one before. This is one is definitely worth checking out for a ton of free video tutorials. Registration is required but it’s well worth taking a minute or two to sign up. For example, here are a few of the tutorial series that are available:

Algebra in Simplest Terms – 26 half-hour video programs to help you learn algebra (or help you teach it to your children).

French in Action – Interested in learning French? Here are 52 half-hour video programs. Bonus: There’s a very attractive blond girl involved. 🙂

Art of the Western World – 9 one-hour videos ranging from The Classical Ideal to Post-Impressionism.

MediaSite.com – Another “I can’t believe I haven’t come across this before” site… Over 7,500 free expert presentations and lectures that have been created with Sonic Foundry’s Mediasite system. Incredibly cool. (Thank to The Stingy Scholar blog for pointing this one out.)

Voices in the Dark – Free MP3 audio books including Walden and Plato’s Apology.

OK, that should keep you busy for a while. I’m off to find more!