The Reader Reads

For Halloween, we have for you a story of a horrible giant who devours fat little children. The story was “retold” in the 1970s by Ellin Green, and wonderfully illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. Here, we tell the original tale first published in a collection of children’s stories called “The Pot of Gold.” “The Pumpkin Giant” (1893) by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman The Reader TRT: 29:31 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com.

The power of the written word is the subject of out show this week. Literature has the ability to take a reader any where, any when, and to see the world through the eyes of men long dead. This selection comes from a preamble to a textbook for junior high school students. “The Three Joys of Reading” (1919) by William H. Elson and Christine M. Keck The Reader TRT: 12:23 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com.

This week we share a short excerpt from Henry van Dyke about the freedom and peace found in the art of camping, and the beauty of the white birch tree. “Under White Birches” from “Little Rivers” (1895) by Henry van Dyke The Reader TRT: 12:23 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com.

Sorry I’ve been absent for so long. Truth is, I’ve been sick as a dog since the middle of June, and was unable to record anything for you. I’m on the mend, though, and finally managed to croak out this lovely poem for you. Hopefully there will be a full episode for you next week! “The Wind of Summer” by Madison J. Cawein The Reader TRT: 04:36 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com.

I’m off and away this weekend, so in lieu of our usual episode, I’ve put together this little rainy extra for you. “Rain” and “Between Two Rains” by Nora May French The Reader TRT: 03:46 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com.

Trees are among the longest-lived organism on our planet. In this episode, we share a story about a yellow pine that was over a thousand years old. “The Story of a Thousand-Year Pine” (1909) by Enos A. Mills The Reader TRT: 29:40 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com.

The purpose of Memorial Day seems to have been lost over the past several decades. Instead of a day of remembrance to honor our fallen soldiers, the day has become little more than an excuse for a three day weekend and big sales events. Ironically, we hear people saying, “Happy Memorial Day,” and they do so without the slightest trace of irony. In this episode, we have three readings about the Unknown Soldier, the fallen soldier who stands for all the forgotten common men who died in battle, including the poem read by Angela Morgan at the original dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in 1921. “The Unknown Soldier” (1922) by Angelo Patri “Unknown” (1921) by Bruce Barton “The Unknown Soldier” (1921) by Angela Morgan The Reader TRT: 18:31 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com and Archive.org.

A study in solitude and the quiet nature of loneliness is the subject of this week’s show. “Studies in Solitude” (1917) by Fannie Stearns Gifford “Tall Lilac-tree Beside My Door” (1913) by Fannie Stearns Gifford The Reader TRT: 27:00 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com.

We all have our ideal, formed in our youth, of the perfect mate. In this story from the September 1962 issue of “Worlds of If” magazine, we learn what happens when such idol worship is wedded to unnatural power. “1,492,633 Marlon Brandos” (1962) by Vance Aandahl The Reader TRT: 16:38 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com and Archive.org.

As we enter the month of May, we begin to enjoy the wealth of the Springtime. In this episode, we have a lyrical description of the English garden, and a poem by Amy Lowell. “The Spirit of Gardens” (1911) by Dion Clayton Calthrop “Lilacs” (1922) by Amy Lowell The Reader TRT: 27:01 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com.

Pulp fiction was popular during the entire first half of the 20th Century, bringing tales of adventure, romance, horror, science fiction, and crime to the masses. This week, we hear a tale taken from the September 1946 issue of Dime Mystery Magazine. “Death’s Old Sweet Song” (1946) by George William Rae The Reader TRT: 16:41 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com and Archive.org.

At the height of the Industrial Revolution, the fascination with science and industry, and the new advancements they could bring, were at fever pitch, and new discoveries and inventions seemed to appear almost every day. Many of the periodicals of the day carried articles explaining scientific concepts to their readers. In this episode, we share one such article from the November, 1851 issue of Harper’s New Monthly Magazine. “Light and Air” (1851) Harper’s New Monthly Magazine The Reader TRT: 27:45 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com.

Mars has always captivated the mind and imagination of Man. Here we have an essay written by Garrett P. Serviss, who, like Percival Lowell, was a legitimate astronomer, but that did not keep them from wild flights of fancy regarding what we may one day find on The Red Planet. “If We Could Move to Mars” (1896) by Garrett P. Serviss The Reader TRT: 20:20 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com.

This week marks the 105th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. In this episode, we take a look at a novel written fourteen years earlier which eerily predicted the disaster. “Futility, or The Wreck of the Titan” (1898) by Morgan Robertson “The Titanic Disaster Poem” (1912) by J.H. MacKenzie The Reader TRT: 24:39 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com.

This week, we share a story of the comradeship betwixt man and cat. “The Cat” (1901) by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman The Reader TRT: 24:16 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com.

Here’s another Extra for you. A poem fitting the time of year, as the maple sap is running and the sugar houses are preparing to go into full swing with their amber harvest. “Maple Sugar” (1849) by Alfred B. Street The Reader TRT: 5:27 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com.

Success, found, lost and searched for, is the theme of our story this week. “Under a Wine Glass” (1919) by Ellen La Motte The Reader TRT: 24:49 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com.

This week, we share a short story by the incomparable science fiction pioneer, the author H.G. Wells. “The Star” tells a tale of catastrophe visited upon the Earth by a stray planet passing too near. “The Star” (1897) by H.G. Wells The Reader TRT: 38:16 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com and Archive.org.

The lost art of letter writing is the subject of this week’s show, as we share a letter about the first leg of a tour of Europe. In the letter, the author describes a transatlantic crossing aboard the RMS Etruria, a real vessel. “A Bundle of Letters From Over the Sea” (1890) by Louise B. Robinson The Reader TRT: 20:01 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com.

Here we are, with the last and final installment of our story, “Eva’s Adventures in Shadow-land” by Mary D. Nauman. Eva has regained Aster, but he is trapped in the form of a small green bird, and the evil Green Frog is hot on her trail! Can she escape and save Aster, the Moon Prince..? I hope you’ve enjoyed our story. It was a lot of fun to read this one and put it all together for you. Do be sure and let me know. “Eva’s Adventures in Shadow-land” (1874) by Mary D. Nauman. The Reader TRT: 37:14 The musical accompaniment for the show is provided through the kind generosity of Incompetech.com.