Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 086: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 086, 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. 086 by Various. Read by LibriVox Volunteers "The democracy of the future will sicken of a chronic and mortal boredom," was Aldous Huxley's prophecy for the United States in 1923. You won't be bored listening to these 20 recordings, selected by their readers, with topics ranging from Leacock's humorous Manual of Education to Unamuno's Tragic Sense of Life. There's an artist's diary (Thomas Cole); an after-dinner speech (Mark Twain); reflections on Beauty by John Burroughs; Willa Cather and Christopher Morley on writing; and Leibniz on the Origin of Things. Political topics include the Power of Third Parties; the House of Commons; the 1904 South Dakota Land Lottery; and an NAACP anti-lynching poster. The 1918 Influenza Epidemic mirrors today's Covid quarantine and mask requirements; while virtual adventure beckons in Königstein Fortress; an Equatorial Chinese Wedding; Nellie Bly; and An Humane Skeleton of Extraordinary Size. Finally, acts of heroism are celebrated in A Pioneer Girl and in Poland's Tadeusz Kościuszko. (Summary by Sue Anderson)

Recording facts

• Recording title: Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 086
• Author credits: Various
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 20
• Listed recording duration: 2:57:05

Catalogue topics

• Sioux
• house of commons
• lynching
• influenza
• south dakota
• simon girty
• catskill
• third party

Track guide

1. 01 - 1100 Words — 8:53
2. 02 - An Account of an Humane Skeleton of an Extraordinary Size — 4:39
3. 03 - Before Beauty — 22:25
4. 04 - Elizabeth Cochrane (Nellie Bly) — 7:54
5. 05 - An Equatorial Chinese Wedding, 1897 — 7:57
6. 06 - The Heroism Of A Pioneer Girl — 5:38
7. 07 - Influenza Masks and Prevention Measures, 1918 — 5:23
8. 08 - Königstein Fortress — 2:57
9. 09 - The Ladies — 7:17
10. 10 - A Manual of Education — 5:07
11. 11 - Nature and Functions of the House of Commons — 5:03
12. 12 - On the Art of Fiction — 4:40
13. 13 - On the Ultimate Origin of Things, 1697 (excerpt) — 9:42
14. 14 - Pleasures — 8:53
15. 15 - Poster for the NAACP Anti-Lynching Campaign (1922) — 3:23
16. 16 - Power Of “Third” Parties — 2:35
17. 17 - Tadeusz Kościuszko — 13:59
18. 18 - Thomas Cole's Journal 1834-1835 (excerpt) — 17:56
19. 19 - The Tragic Sense of Life (excerpt) — 11:07
20. 20 - Uncle Sam's Last Big Lottery: South Dakota Indian Lands, 1904 — 21:37

Listen to this recording

Open the complete recording and player on Internet Archive. The player includes the full track list and available download formats.

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.