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1Give Me Liberty

By Patrick Henry

This speech was given March 23, 1775, at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia, and is credited with having singlehandedly convinced the Virginia House of Burgesses to pass a resolution delivering the Virginia troops to the Revolutionary War. In attendance were Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. Reportedly, the crowd, upon hearing the speech, jumped up and shouted, "To Arms! To Arms!"<br /> (Summary from Wikipedia)

2Four Million

By O. Henry

Born in 1862 and died in 1910, O. Henry’s birth name is William Sydney Porter; however, he adopted the pen name O. Henry while in prison. He published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his lifetime.<br /><br />The Four Million is the second book written by O. Henry while he served time for embezzlement in a penitentiary in Ohio. The book is a series of short stories which take place in New York City in the early years of the 20th century and are representative of the surprise endings that popularized O. Henry’s work. They also capture his use of coincidence or chance to create humor in the story. O Henry wrote about ordinary people in everyday circumstances. He is quoted as once saying, “There are stories in everything. I’ve got some of my best yarns from park benches, lampposts and newspaper stands.”<br /><br />I hope you enjoy the following readings as much as I enjoyed recording them.<br />(Summary by Marian Brown)

3Gift of the Magi

By O. Henry

<em>The Gift of the Magi</em> is an O. Henry short story in which a young couple are very much in love with each other but can barely afford their one-room apartment. For Christmas, they each make a sacrifice to purchase a gift for the other, with ironic results.<br /><br /> The moral of the story is that physical possessions, however valuable they may be, are of little value in the grand scheme of things. The true unselfish love that the characters, Jim and Della, share is greater than their possessions.<br /><br /> O. Henry ends the story by clarifying the metaphor between the characters in the story, Della and James (or Jim), and the Biblical Magi. <em>The Gift of the Magi</em> features O. Henry's characteristic twist ending and use of flowery diction.<br /> (Summary adapted from Wikipedia.org)

4Trimmed Lamp: and other Stories of the Four Million

By O. Henry

Born in 1862 and died in 1910, O. Henry’s birth name is William Sydney Porter; however, he adopted the pen name O. Henry while in prison. He published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his lifetime.<br /><br /> <i>The Trimmed Lamp</i> follows <a href="http://librivox.org/the-four-million-by-o-henry/">The Four Million</a> and provides another series of short stories that take place in New York City in the early years of the 20th century and are representative of the surprise endings that popularized O. Henry’s work. They also capture his use of coincidence or chance to create humor in the story. O Henry wrote about ordinary people in everyday circumstances. He is quoted as once saying, “There are stories in everything. I’ve got some of my best yarns from park benches, lampposts and newspaper stands.”<br /><br />I hope you enjoy the following readings as much as I enjoyed recording them.<br />(Summary by Marian Brown)

During the period of debate over the ratification of the Constitution, numerous independent local speeches and articles were published all across the country. Initially, many of the articles in opposition were written under pseudonyms, such as "Brutus", "Centinel", and "Federal Farmer". Eventually, famous revolutionary figures such as Patrick Henry came out publicly against the Constitution. They argued that the strong national government proposed by the Federalists was a threat to the rights of individuals and that the President would become a king. They objected to the federal court system created by the proposed constitution. This produced a phenomenal body of political writing; the best and most influential of these articles and speeches were gathered by historians into a collection known as the Anti-Federalist Papers in allusion to the Federalist Papers. (Summary by Ticktockman)

Spiritual and practical lessons are extracted from every verse of the Book of Matthew, as well as detailed explanation of the text. The Book of Matthew is part of the New Testament in the Holy Bible and is one of the four gospels. The other 3 gospels are Mark, Luke, and John. Matthew was a tax collector before becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. The style of his gospel suggests that he was directing his message to Jewish readers. His work aims to systematically prove that Jesus Christ is the messiah who has been prophesied about in the Old Testament. He did this by revealing each prophecy in that book fulfilled by Jesus Christ. (Summary by Nadege Bernard)<br /><br />The Book Coordinators for this project included: Rob Paire, Samantha J Gubitz, Fiddlesticks, and Barry Eads.<br /><br />The Proof Listeners for this project included: Annise, Fiddlesticks, Barry Eads, and Elijah.<br /><br />The Meta Coordinators for this project included: Annise and Barry Eads.

7Four Million (Version 2)

By O. Henry

The man with the surprise endings: that was O. Henry's trademark. This is the second published collection of short stories by O. Henry originally released in 1906. There are twenty five stories of various lengths including several of his best known works such as "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Cop and the Anthem". The book's title refers to the then population of New York City where many of the stories are set. Some society snobs has the opinion that there were only 'Four Hundred' people in New York City who were really worth noticing. But O. Henry felt that every person in New York was worth noticing and had their own story which is explains the title of this collection little stories of the 'Four Million.'" To O. Henry, everyone in New York counted. And everyone had a story.

8Waifs and Strays

By O. Henry

These 12 O. Henry stories all deal with waifs and strays in one way or another; people who have somehow become adrift in the current of life. Will they find their way on their own or be helped by kind hearted folk or perhaps, stay a waif and stray, somehow outside the normal life of society? All naturally have the wonderful O. Henry beautiful way with words and people. So if you are in the mood to enjoy some sensuous sounds and convoluted flowing phrases unique to William Sydney Porter, give these a listen. And of course the endings cannot ever be predicted. Ever! (Summary by Phil Chenevert)</p>

9Five Beloved Stories by O. Henry

By O. Henry

O. Henry wrote over 600 short stories. Naturally I have my personal top 20 stories that just seem to stand out because of their form, writing style and ability to convey real personalities in a very few words. From these 20 I've chosen five that seem outstanding examples of the short story art form. Stories like The Gift of the Magi; The Cop and the Anthem; Man about Town; A Cosmopolite in a Cafe and Mammon and the Archer. So this is a collection of just five O.Henry stories that many people, including me, have loved and remembered over the years. And this time, thanks to LibriVox, I have the enormous pleasure of not just reading them to myself, but also the joy of reading them aloud! What fun, eh? (Summary by Phil Chenevert)

10Gentle Grafter

By O. Henry

If Jefferson "Parleyvoo" Pickens had appeared in print just a few years later, he might have been the "Gentle Grifter" instead of the "Gentle Grafter", the name O. Henry picked for him. His situation as an ethical graft artist gives Jeff an extra impediment in pursuing his craft, but he never wanted it to be too easy. The result is fourteen delightful tales for us and a number of new partners for him. With those partners (he always has at least one) he works his way through a number of confidence games. Some they win, some they lose, some go into extra innings. They seem never to end just the way you figure they will. In the end he conquers almost all, except for the English language, which often seems to defeat him. (Intro by Leslie Walden)

11Heart of the West

By O. Henry

A collection of short stories by the legendary O. Henry. (Summary by sidhu177)

12Cabbages and Kings

By O. Henry

This work is O. Henry's first published volume and is considered to be his only novel. The plot is composed of several short stories, which were inspired by the author's six-month stay in Honduras in the late 1890s. <br><br> "The incidents embracing as they do, a variety of subjects, hang loosely together, so loosely in fact, that at times one finds no apparent connection between them at all, and yet in the end one sees how each is intimately related to the other. ...Written by a less able hand than O. Henry's the book might have been a sad jumble, perhaps comprehensible to none but the Walrus--but as it is, one finds a joy in its every obscurity." -- The New York Times Book Review, Dec. 17, 1904) <br><br> Great mysteries are ofen meta-mysteries. For over a century this novel has masqueraded as a collection of loosely connected short stories. Looking backwards through a prism (now a commonplace critical contortion) Cabbages and Kings foreshadows many shadings: "At Swim-Two-Birds", "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote", "Tyrants Destroyed", "The Continuity of Parks". -- Elliot Gage <br><br> O. Henry spent his first years as a writer in Austin, Texas, and the University of Texas maintains a 219-item collection of his works at the <a href="http://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/collections/OHENRY/">Portal to Texas History</a> (reference to publicly-available items which may not be in public domain offered to enthusiasts). — Eric W. Metzler

This is another commentary by Matthew Henry, well known for his commentaries on the Bible, this one is on Genesis, the first book of the Bible. - Summary by fiddlesticks

14Whirligigs

By O. Henry

A collection of short stories. - Summary by Richard Kilmer

15Options

By O. Henry

O. Henry needs no introduction of course; the man who made the short story with the surprise ending famous. These 16 stories are all wonderful examples of his word sculpting art. They include: "The Rose of Dixie"; The Third Ingredient; The Hiding of Black Bill; Schools and Schools; Thimble, Thimble; Supply and Demand; Buried Treasure; To Him Who Waits; He Also Serves; The Moment of Victory; The Head-Hunter; No Story; The Higher Pragmatism; Best-Seller; Rus in Urbe; A Poor Rule - Summary by Phil chenevert

16Roads of Destiny

By O. Henry

This is another collection of O. Henry short stories. - Summary by Sid

17Gaudenzia, Pride of the Palio

By Marguerite Henry

Each summer, in the ancient hill town of Siena, Italy, there erupts one of the most extraordinary, exciting, and dangerous horse races in the world— the Palio. So furious is the rivalry that it is often said the Palio is more battle than race, and that "Fate is the Queen of the Palio."<br><br> This magnificent book is a true story of the Palio —a thrilling, heart-stirring tale of a boy and a beautiful half-Arabian mare who won undying fame. Marguerite Henry tells—as only she can—how the life of Giorgio Terni, a boy of the Maremma marshes, became linked in strange and dramatic fashion with that of the cart horse Gaudenzia, whose Arabian blood brought her into the contest of the Palio. When Gaudenzia is lamed in one of the wild races, it is Giorgio whose devoted care brings her back to health. And it is Giorgio who has the joy of riding her to victory in one Palio, and then the heartbreak of fighting her in the next. How he wins the title “Vittorino” and how Gaudenzia becomes the "Pride of the Palio” make a story to enthrall the heart of every reader. (Summary from the original jacket)

18Strictly Business: More Stories of the Four Million

By O. Henry

O. Henry is the pen name of American writer William Sydney Porter (1862-1910). His short stories are known for their wit, wordplay, characterization and the clever use of twist endings. Indeed, O. Henry is often credited with defining the short story as a literary art form. Strictly Business: More Stories of the Four Million, is a collection of twenty-three short stories that was first published in 1908. The setting is New York City in the first decade of the 1900’s (the Four Million in the subtitle is a reference to the population of the city at that time as well as to the title of an earlier collection of his short stories). You will meet a wide variety of characters from all walks of life who are trying to make a living via honest (and sometimes dishonest) means. Personal interactions and business transactions abound, but sometimes there is a twist. But don’t take it personally if you get fooled, after all it is Strictly Business. - Summary by Warren Kati

19Stormy, Misty's Foal

By Marguerite Henry

Misty is a Chincoteague pony mare who is close to foaling, and the Beebe family is anxious about it. Unfortunately, a terrible storm system arrives first, setting up over Chincoteague with floods, hurricane winds, ice, and snow.<BR><BR> The story is fictional, but is based on historical characters, human and equine. Stormy describes events on Chincoteague Island during the Ash Wednesday Storm that hit the Eastern Seaboard March 6, 1962.<BR><BR> This is the sequel to <i>Misty of Chincoteague</i> by Marguerite Henry (Summary adapted from Wikipedia)

20O. Henry Encore

By O. Henry

These 45 early stories, sketches and poems by the famed O. Henry, nearly all published under the pseudonym of the "Post Man", were discovered in the files of the Houston Post, 1895-1896, by Mary Sunlocks Harrell while she was conducting research in 1934-35 for her M.A. degree at the University of Texas. These writings were published just before O. Henry, or Will Porter as he was known at that time, fled to Honduras in July of 1896 after being charged with embezzlement. (Summary by Fritz)

21O. Henryana

By O. Henry

A book of poems and short stories. - Summary by Fritz

An exhaustive verse-by-verse study of Acts, integrating it with both the Gospels and the Old Testament, by one of the more unconventional theologians of his day. - Summary by Joanne Turner

23Strangest Things in the World: A Book About Extraordinary Manifestations of Nature

By Thomas R. Henry

"THE STRANGEST THINGS IN THE WORLD - A Book About Extraordinary Manifestations of Nature" This title sums up the wonderful line up in this book. Short pieces about the strange and often bewildering things that occur in our world, from the insect that is born pregnant, to the fearsome poison arrow frog and about 170 others. If you like odd facts and weird plants and animals, this collection will delight you. So pick something interesting and enjoy reading it. The author is one of the world’s best-known and most respected science writers. This book is a personal and unique distillation of the wisdom he has developed in a lifetime of dealing with man’s effort to resolve the paradoxes of nature.- from the Introduction (Summary by phil c and the introduction)

The grandson of Patrick Henry, William Wirt Henry served as president of the Virginia Historical Association as well as president of the American Historical Association. In this three volume work, W.W. Henry goes into deep detail about the beliefs and actions of his grandfather, Patrick, leading readers through the life of one of America's greatest patriots. (Summary by progressingamerica)

25Four Million (Version 3)

By O. Henry

Considered one of his finest works, The Four Million (1906) is a collection of short stories by American writer O. Henry (1862-1910). Despite exploring serious themes of poverty, hope and persecution, O. Henry’s dry, quick wit with a twist at the end make these stories a delight to read. (Summary by valroth)