Downloads & Free Reading Options - Results

1Robinson Crusoe in Words of One Syllable

By Lucy Aikin and Daniel Defoe

Mary Godolphin was the pseudonym of Lucy Aikin who undertook translating great literature into single-syllable words so that young readers could enjoy plots that were considerably more interesting than, say, the McGuffey readers of the 1880's or the "Dick and Jane" primers of the 1950s (still around today as "decodable readers" in elementary schools).<br /><br />She produced this volume based on Daniel Defoe's most famous work, considered by many to be the first English novel (1719). She also rendered Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and Wyss' Swiss Family Robinson, which she translated as well.<br /><br />I’ve recorded this as a complement to my voicing for LibriVox of Robinson Crusoe by Defoe and the companion recording of James Baldwin’s version, Robinson Crusoe Written Anew for Children (actually more for adolescents). So many different versions for a variety of young audiences speaks to the timelessness of Defoe’s original! (Summary by Denny Sayers)

2Memoirs of the Court of Queen Elizabeth, Volumes I & II

By Lucy Aikin

Memoirs of Queen Elizabeth from a variety of sources within the monarch's court, compiled and interpreted by Lucy Aikin. (Summary by Cathy Barratt)

3Swiss Family Robinson in Words of One Syllable

By Lucy Aikin, Johann David Wyss and Johann Rudolf Wyss

All the excitement, danger, heartbreaks and triumphs of this well known story, but without the big words. Lucy Aikin, an accomplished writer and writing as Mary Godolphin, accomplishes this with apparent ease in this little book. The story of a plucky family ship wrecked on a desolate island, saving what they can from the ship, is well known. The entire family, under the leadership of an intrepid father and mother works together to not only survive in this island, but actually prosper. This work would seem an excellent one for non-English native readers to try their skill at. (Summary by Phil Chenevert )

4Robinson Crusoe in Words of One Syllable (Version 2)

By Lucy Aikin and Daniel Defoe

This book is a fictional autobiography of the title character — a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and mutineers before being rescued. You know the story; but do you know the story told in words of one syllable? Here Lucy Aikin under the pen name of Mary Godolphin retells Daniel Defoe's famous tale of danger and solitude and resourcefulness. Because of the simpler words, this might be a good book for listeners where English is not their first language. By Lucy Aikin and Daniel Defoe. (Summary by Phil Chenevert)

5Pilgrim's Progress in Words of One Syllable

By Lucy Aikin and John Bunyan

The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come is a Christian allegory written by John Bunyan and published in February, 1678. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature, has been translated into more than 200 languages, and has never been out of print. The author says in the preface " I have endeavored as far as possible to avoid hard and technical expressions, and I cannot but think that the mere fact of the brevity of the words must be a great attraction to beginners of all ages. (Summary by Wikipedia and the preface)

6Eyes and No Eyes and Other Stories

By John Aikin, Anna Laetitia Barbauld, Jane Marcet and Jane Taylor

Whatever will stimulate the observing tendencies of the young cannot but be of value to them. "Eyes and No Eyes" does this in a delightful way. The story is so natural that the child is wrapped up in it, and so it makes a deep impress upon him. Much less could be accomplished by simply telling him to observe, or lecturing upon the value of keeping one's eyes open. But when the reader sees how much more William gets out of his walk than Robert, and what marvellous things exist everywhere if one is on the lookout for them, he is himself incited to examine with greater care the many more or less ordinary things he has neglected heretofore. William and Robert become very real individuals to the child, and there is no doubt which of them he will choose to emulate. The author relies upon the force of concrete example to determine the conduct of children, and this is certainly sound in theory and endorsed by experience. Two of the stories are written by a brother-sister team of John Aikin and Jane Barbauld and are from their multi-volume work on "The Art of Seeing". Jane Marcet has also written many scientific books. Best well known, however, is the author Jane Taylor who wrote the lyrics to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"