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1War Is Kind (Collection)

By Stephen Crane

Published in 1899, just a year before his death, War Is Kind by Stephen Crane evokes again the dark imagery of war which made his fortune in The Red Badge Of Courage. Unlike that book, this collection leaves the battlefield itself behind to explore the damage war does to people's hearts and minds. Reeking of dashed hopes, simultaneously sympathetic with the victims of war and cynical about the purposes of war, Crane implicitly criticizes the image of the romantic hero and asks if Love can survive. <br /><br />The poetic voice is one of an old and wearied soul, stark and disillusioned, which is all the more intriguing since Crane was dead before he reached his 30th birthday. His work calls to mind the Beat Poets of the mid 20th century in its powerful use of language and bleak idiomatic landscape. It is poetry on the cusp of the fin de siècle; echoing the passing age and presaging the newborn century. (Summary by Chip)

This weekly poem commemorated the anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with “War is Kind” by Stephen Crane. The title takes on a gentle yet harrowing irony as this poem powerfully evokes the human costs of war, both the victims of the battlefield and those left behind. (Summary by LauraFox)

"Baby's Own Aesop" presents the fables as one-stanza limericks, each "pictorially pointed" by Walter Crane, the noted painter and illustrator. He apprenticed to master wood-engraver, William James Linton, who furnished the draft of the book's poems for Crane to edit. "Baby's Own Aesop" is available in a beautiful <a href="http://www.childrenslibrary.org/icdl/SaveBook?bookid=crababy_00150086&lang=English">facsimile edition</a> of colored engravings from the International Children's Digital Library, with which your child can read along while listening to the recording. (Summary by Denny Sayers)

4Red Badge of Courage

By Stephen Crane

This is a short novel published in 1895 and based vaguely on the battle of Chancellorsville of the American Civil War. Unlike other works on the subject, Crane's novel does not concentrate on the big picture or the glory of war but on the psychology of one of its soldiers.

5Frog Prince and Other Stories

By Walter Crane

Here are three charming fairy tales with happy endings. They feature an enchanted frog; a princess, her brothers, and a dastardly plot against them; and a magical lamp with a Genius inside. (by Laurie Anne Walden)

Stephen Crane's first novel, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets has been called "the first dark flower of American Naturalism" for its distinctive elements of naturalistic fiction. The chief character, Maggie, descends into prostitution after being led astray by her lover. Rather than focusing on those that make up the very rich or middle class, the novel highlights the deplorable living conditions of the working class during the so-called Gilded Age in New York's Bowery. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia by Illiterati)

LibriVox volunteers bring you 11 recordings of <em>In the Desert</em> by Stephen Crane. This was the weekly poetry project for December 7th, 2008.

8Red Badge of Courage; An Episode of the American Civil War

By Stephen Crane

There comes a time in the course of battle when a participant casts his fate to the gods of war, and carries on without question, the task at hand. Living, dying, right or wrong, can be contemplated later. The spirit of the bayonet takes over and carries the youth through the crucible of battle to emerge a short time later several ages older. <BR><BR>Stephen Crane's classic novel gives us a glimpse into the mind of a young soldier as he passes through the experience he will never be able to forget, and possibly awaken him from his slumber in a sweat and panic for years to come. <BR><BR>Narrated by Mike Vendetti, Purple Heart, November 1965 (Summary by Mike Vendetti).

9Baby's Songbook

By Walter Crane

This is a collection of 14 songs chosen from Walter Crane's "The Baby's Opera" and "The Baby's Bouquet" containing classic nursery rhymes from England, France, and Germany. The songs are sung by LibriVox's very own Carol Stripling.

At the time of his death at the age of 28, Stephen Crane had become an important figure in American literature. He was nearly forgotten, however, until two decades later when critics revived interest in his life and work. Stylistically, Crane's writing is characterized by vivid intensity, distinctive dialects, and irony. Common themes involve fear, spiritual crises and social isolation. Although recognized primarily for The Red Badge of Courage, which has become an American classic, Crane is also known for short stories such as "The Open Boat", "The Blue Hotel", "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky", and The Monster. His writing made a deep impression on 20th century writers, most prominent among them Ernest Hemingway, and is thought to have inspired the Modernists and the Imagists. (Introduction Wikipedia.)

11Frog Prince and Other Stories (version 2)

By Walter Crane

These three stories,The Frog Prince, Princess Belle-Etoile and Alladin, beloved by generations of children, are here retold in a format and style close to their earliest beginnings. Many of the embellishments that have been added to them over the centuries and which we now automatically associate with them have been omitted and the stores are presented in a simplicity and clarity that is refreshing to hear. They are full of beautiful princesses, noble, brave and handsome princes, dangerous quests, evil plotters and magic birds. In all, the righteous win out in the end and the wicked are properly punished. (Summary by the reader, Phil Chenevert)

12Wounds In The Rain; War Stories

By Stephen Crane

Eleven stories of war by the author of The Red Badge of Courage. Stephen Crane was an American author. He is recognized by modern critics as one of the most innovative writers of his generation. Crane's writing is characterized by vivid intensity, distinctive dialects, and irony. Common themes involve fear, spiritual crises and social isolation. His writing made a deep impression on 20th-century writers, most prominent among them Ernest Hemingway, and is thought to have inspired the Modernists and the Imagists. - Summary by Wikipedia and david wales

A collection of enigmatic poems

14Whilomville Stories

By Stephen Crane

This collection consists of thirteen stories. The stories are set in the mythical town of Whilomville used by Stephen Crane for many of his best stories. They appeared in Harper's New Monthly Magazine between 1899 and 1900. The writing is crisp, the stories are poignant and funny (usually) and always tell us something about our quirky human nature. - Summary by Phil chenevert

Walter Crane (1845 - 1915) was a renowned artist and the illustrator of numerous books, among them "The Happy Prince and Other Stories" by Oscar Wilde and Edmund Spenser's "Faerie Queene" as well as many collections of Fairy Stories. He is considered as one of the most influential and indeed prolific illustrators and creators of children's books. <br><br>This is a recording of two short books containing one poem each written and beautifully illustrated by Crane, "The Sirens Three" from 1886 (black and white illustrations in the second section of the book) and "Queen Summer" from 1891 (with coloured illustrations). (Summary by Noel Badrian)

16Renascence: A Book of Verse

By Walter Crane

Walter Crane is better known as an artist and illustrator of children’s books. His illustrations defined a whole genre which influenced the field for many years. He was also involved in various socialist causes and leant his artistic talent to many left-leaning publications. Some of the sentiments can be found reflected in this volume of his own poetry. The first section contains poems published for the first time, while the second section contains many verses that appeared in other publications and books. The verses are illustrated with black and white engravings of his art, of course. The publication page contains this note, “ This Edition on Large Paper is limited to Sixty-five copies for England and Thirty-five for America. This copy is No. 45 of the English Edition.” - Summary by Larry Wilson

A collection of Hart Crane poems published before 1923. These poems originally appeared in a variety of magazines (The Pagan, The Double Dealer, Bruno’s Weekly, Bruno’s Bohemia, Gargoyle, The Little Review, The Modernist, The Double Dealer, Dial, The Measure, and The Modern School). - Summary by Winston Tharp

18Janitor's Boy and Other Poems

By Nathalia Crane

Known for her whimsical verse and rhythmic, lilting poems Nathalia Crane was a child prodigy who published her first volume of poetry at the age of 10. There was nothing in her poems that indicated her age. Her delightful verse, and her maturity and insightfulness in poems such as The History of Honey, The Army Laundress, The Reading Boy, The Three Cornered Lot, and The Commonplace, won her recognition among poets. - Summary by AnnaLisa Bodtker

19Baby's Opera

By Walter Crane

The Baby's Opera is a charming book of 36 nursery rhymes set to music. It contains several favorites from "Three Blind Mice" to "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and other delightful tunes that will be sure to please children and adults alike! - Summary by Jenn Broda

20Baby's Own Aesop (Version 2)

By Walter Crane

This is a short book containing a number of Aesop’s fables condensed into short rhymes. (Summary by SweetHome)

Published in 1910, the young sisters, Barbara and Mollie Thurston, are being invited by their skilled friend, Ruth Stuart, to go on a real-life adventure in a motor car, for Ruth is a girl who actually can drive a motor car, to Newport with a chaperone, Aunt Sallie, and friend Grace Carter. Horse shenanigans come into play as well as protecting themselves from a burglary. Many hopes arise in their revels as well as wondering if or when women shall get “the vote”. Much culminates in the upcoming tennis tournament taking place at their destination and the danger of a jewel thief amidst them, which carries the girls into further excitement. (Summary by Daryl Wor)

22Black Riders and Other Lines (Version 2)

By Stephen Crane

Written in a purgative frenzy of pure imagination (“They came, and I wrote them, that’s all”), Stephen Crane’s The Black Riders and Other Lines is a strange, enigmatic, and sparsely-written collection of free verse that bristles with Old Testament fury, seethes with cosmic cynicism, and touches on themes of lost faith and existential terror. - Summary by ChuckW

23Red Badge of Courage (Version 3)

By Stephen Crane

A youth, caught up in patriotic fervor and dreams of glory, enlists in the Union Army. In his first battle, though, he runs away. <br>Deeply ashamed of his cowardice, and imagining the snickers and gibes of comrades behind his back, he rejoins his unit and in later fights puts himself in the vanguard, where his battle frenzy awes his companions. He is seeking a battle wound – his own red badge of courage. (Summary by Mark Smith)

24Third Violet

By Stephen Crane

The Third Violet is, in almost every respect, a stark departure from Stephen Crane's previous novels: a light, frothy, summertime tale of love, class, and art. Told extensively through incidental dialogue and minor incident, Crane's novel gives us a fly-on-the-wall perspective of the burgeoning romance between temperamental artist Billie Hawker and Grace Fanhall, an upper-class woman who is continually flummoxed by her would-be suitor's "ridiculousness." Through their courtship, Crane probes into the cavernous gulf that exists between men and women, rural and urban communities, and the bourgeois and bohemian classes. (Summary by ChuckW) <BR><BR>Cast list<BR><BR> Billy Hawker: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8011">Greg Giordano</a> Grace Fanhall: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/16209">Christine Rottger</a> George Hollanden: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17576">Beeswaxcandle</a> Florinda: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/13140">Jenn Broda</a> Pennoyer: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8425">Larry Wilson</a> Wrinkles: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/13577s">Adrian Stephens</a> Great Grief: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/18447">karmaemmings</a> John Hawker: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/6754">ToddHW</a> Mother Hawker: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/13661">Lynette Caulkins</a> Younger Hawker Sister (Mary) / Roger / Gossiper 2: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/18293">Norah Nelson</a> Older Hawker Sister / Gossiper 5: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/18801">Stunning</a> Younger Worcester Girl (Milicent): <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/18543">Agnes Robert Behr</a> Older Worchester Girl: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17246">Winnifred Assmann</a> Mrs. Truscot / Nursemaid / Extra Voices: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17099">Claudia Caldi</a> Lucian Pontiac / Stagecoach Driver: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/12948">MajorToast</a> Mr. Oglethorpe / Cashier: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/10542">David Purdy</a> Roger's Mother: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17499">Daniela Gura</a> Gossiper 1: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/9872">Newgatenovelist</a> Gossiper 3: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17752">redrun</a> Gossiper 4: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/16615">Marie Christian</a> Purple Sanderson: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17713">Brian Fullen</a> Narration: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/7079">Chuck Williamson</a>

From the celebrated author of the Red Badge of Courage comes this final collection of stories released in Crane's lifetime. These stories often dwell upon how a single moment can cause life to comes crashing down around someone, how one decision can shape an entire community's perception, how one statement can affect the lives of everyone around them. From commentaries on human nature such as the title story's touching and tragic tale of a doctor who risks his family being ostracized in town for harboring a man who was hideously disfigured while saving his son from a raging inferno to the raucous gallows humor of "Twelve O' Clock" and "Moonlight on the Snow", these stories show a master storyteller whose skill was growing ever greater before his life was tragically cut short by tuberculosis at the age of 28. (Summary by Ben Tucker)