Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 058: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 058, 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 Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 058 by Various. Read by LibriVox Volunteers Sixteen short nonfiction works in the public domain, independently chosen by the readers. The human condition is variously explored in Chesterton's essay "The Contented Man," Shōtoku Taishi's "Laws" outlining the proper relationships between rulers and governed in 7th century Japan, the Egyptian "Story of Sinuhe" composed circa 1800 B.C. with its theme of divine providence and mercy, "The Four Minute Men of Chicago" invoking patriotism during World War I, and in Arthur Moss' secularist essay "Natural Man." Contributing to this exploration are selections from Locke's "Essay Concerning Humane Understanding," an exchange between Johann Fichte and Immanuel Kant on the subject of censorship, and an excerpt from medieval theologian Peter Lombard's "Books of Sentences." The Natural World is the subject of several readings: Anna Brassey's thrilling account of her ascent of the Hawaiian volcano Kilauea, Leopold Claremont's essay on mining jewel stones in Ceylon, an entomologist's praise of toads, and a history of the cochineal trade in Mexico and the Canary islands. "Harriet Hosmer" profiles the career of an eminent 19th century woman sculptor. Foibles and fables round out the collection. In "A Tight Squeeze for Uncle George," a small boy is smitten with the theater after an outing with his uncle but gets in trouble at home when he tries to duplicate the bright lights and magic of the stage in his basement. Lastly, a charlatan in Alaska hawks doctored photographs of Muir's glacier with a "Silent City" rising out of the ice. (summary by Sue Anderson) The Story of Sinuhe was translated by Sir Alan H. Gardiner "Johann Fichte and Immanuel Kant on Censorship" is a set of two letters, the first written by Fichte, and the reply by Kant. The letters were translated by William Smith (1816-1896).

Recording facts

• Recording title: Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 058
• Author credits: Various
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 16
• Listed recording duration: 5:03:58

Catalogue topics

• World War I
• Ceylon
• Alaska
• egypt
• censorship
• sculpture
• locke
• toad

Track guide

1. 01 - An Ascent of Kilauea — 6:50
2. 02 - Censorship - Johann Fichte and Immanuel Kant — 7:45
3. 03 - Ceylon: The Island of Jewels — 12:08
4. 04 - Cochineal — 15:24
5. 05 - The Contented Man — 9:37
6. 06 - The Ecological Toad — 16:28
7. 07 - An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume 2: Excerpt — 20:30
8. 08 - The Four Minute Men of Chicago — 31:42
9. 09 - Harriet Hosmer — 17:06
10. 10 - The Laws of Shōtoku Taishi — 10:17
11. 11 - Natural Man — 38:38
12. 12 - Peter Lombard and the Sacramental System — 21:04
13. 13 - Sentences, Book 4 Sacraments (excerpts) — 40:31
14. 14 - The Silent City of the Muir Glacier — 9:31
15. 15 - The Story of Sinuhe — 28:10
16. 16 - A Tight Squeeze for Uncle George — 18:17

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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.