Every Tuesday is a new review at Things Worth Reading. This week’s is of a classic book with a modern reading, both in the public domain.
Solid And Professional
One of the treasures of the Librivox catalog are its collections of short stories. Librivox’s Short Story Collection 002 is one gem in the chest, a collection of quirky and ironic and dark stories. The works of Librivox are amazingly good, especially given that the project is manned entirely by volunteers, and this collection of ten classic short stories does not disappoint.
Highlights of the collection include A Baby Tramp, written by the inimitable Ambrose Bierce and read with great theatricality by Peter Yearsley; The Last Leaf, written by O. Henry and excellently read by Ted McElroy; and The Little Match Girl, a sad and beautiful story written by Hans Christian Anderson and read with compassion by Ted Hanley. My favorite of the collection, however, would have to be Marjorie Daw, an epistolary story that really drew me in, read by the always professional William Coon.
On a technical note, I found the varying volume of the stories a little troublesome. I like to listen to the Librivox short story collections while I’m out running, and the volume of some of the recordings was so quiet I could barely hear it.
All in all, Librivox’s Short Story Collection 002 is an excellent collection, with small bites perfect while commuting, or running, or whenever. Don’t miss it.
