Curiosities of Street Literature: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

Curiosities of Street Literature, credited to Various, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of Curiosities of Street Literature by Various. Read in English by Ed Humpal; Beth Thomas; Scott Bennett; Greg Giordano; GregShinn; Michael; Lynne Thompson; Toeknee; Kathleen Moore; Ryan Cowell; Roohi; jmoon110; ashleighjane; Ulrike Denis; Melvin Lee; Martin Campbell; Joseph Tabler; Oxenhandler; Kalynda; Diana Schmidt; Vera Sticker; TriciaG; Jason in Panama; mariemdover; Guest; msloganjr; Lilith Branda; Sandra Knight This is a collection of broadsides from London. Broadsides are short, popular publications, a precursor to today's tabloid journalism. The collection contains sensationalist and sometimes comical stories about criminal conduct, love, the Royal Family, politics, as well as gallows' literature.Gallow's literature (confessions, verses etc. relating to individuals condemned to public execution) were often sold at the execution. As a collection these broadsides are a reminder of how important the printer was at this time -- it is surely no coincidence that the printers are printed at the end of every broadside, while the authors remain anonymous. - Summary by kathrinee

Recording facts

• Recording title: Curiosities of Street Literature
• Author credits: Various
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 100
• Listed recording duration: 21:22:24

Catalogue topics

• satire
• politics
• royal family
• gallows literature
• broadsides

Opening tracks: first 24 of 100

1. 000 - Introduction — 19:53
2. 001 - 1.1 Introductory remarks about cocks, catchpennies, street drolleries etc. — 13:06
3. 002 - 1.2 Two Murders — 6:26
4. 003 - 1.3 Trial, Rape, and Murder — 11:18
5. 004 - 1.4 A Murder, a Murder of his Wife — 11:27
6. 005 - 1.5 Punishment for Murder and a Man, Hanged, Now Alive — 8:56
7. 006 - 1.6 Liverpool Tragedy, Massacre — 8:45
8. 007 - 1.7 London Fire, Fatal Thunderstorm — 12:27
9. 008 - 1.8 Scarborough Tragedy, a Wager — 19:45
10. 009 - 1.9 Gossip, Secrets: Loveletters and The Unfaithful Husband Found Out, and a Hopeful Loveletter — 11:58
11. 010 - 1.10 The Story of the Yorkshire Knight in Three Parts — 15:32
12. 011 - 1.11 Faithful lovers, a Quarrel, and an Apparition — 11:37
13. 012 - 1.12 A Catastrophe, and the Secrets of A Lord and Lady — 10:52
14. 013 - 1.13 Two Elopements and a Funny Love Affair — 13:15
15. 014 - 1.14 The Blasphemer, Warning to a Publican — 14:08
16. 015 - 1.15 An Apparition and Particulars of Fortune Telling — 12:44
17. 016 - 1.16 A Four-Day Trance and a Sleep-Walker — 14:10
18. 017 - 1.17 Dialogue between Death and a Sinner, Railroad to Heaven and to Hell — 15:45
19. 018 - 1.18 A Loveletter to a Sailor, A Maid and the Amorous Squire, The — 15:06
20. 019 - 1.19 Battle of Pea Soup, and the Great Old Goat — 10:06
21. 020 - 1.20 Adventures Looking for Mother Clifton, Selling a Wife — 8:18
22. 021 - 1.21 The Perpetual Almanack, a Tounge-Twister Tale — 10:38
23. 022 - 1.22 Female Teasing, Trademan's Hymn, The Register — 11:00
24. 023 - 1.23 Rent Day, Cooking a Wife, and Various Other Things at an Auction — 12:08

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Source and rights

This is a record from LibriVox's official Internet Archive collection, with a public-domain licence recorded in its metadata. LibriVox's policy includes its catalogue summaries as well as its recordings. Its public-domain assessment follows United States law; copyright status can differ elsewhere. The summary and track facts are reproduced and reformatted from that record. Dates attached to the archive upload are not treated as original book publication dates.