Narrated Archives
Discover classic literature, vintage fiction, and public domain short stories on Narrated Archives. This audio project focuses on professional narration of short fiction from legendary authors and hidden literary talents of the past. Perfect for fans of audiobooks, vintage fiction, and anthologies. With each episode a brief biography of the author(s) introduces the episode.
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Episodes
47 episodes
The Necklace
This episode holds a story that has become a universal cautionary tale about vanity, class, and the crushing weight of a single mistake. Published in 1884, 'The Necklace' is perhaps the most famous work by the master of the short story...
Impossible Choices
Today, we are cracking open a specific piece of literary history. We’re looking at two tales that were hand-picked over a century ago for the classroom in the 1921 collection, Modern Short Stories: A Book for High Schools...
C. A. Mercer's Garden of Memories
Today, in this bonus episode we’re exploring the work of C.A. Mercer. In this story, we follow a man returning to his childhood home after twenty years away. He expects to find the sprawling, majestic domain of his youth; ...
A Deal in Exchange
Today, we unseal a file from Perceval Gibbon, a man who saw the world from the deck of a merchant ship and the frontlines of war. Gibbon was a master of the 'ironic twist,' and today’s story is a masterclass in the high cost of human d...
A Mystery of the Missing
Today, we’re exploring True Crime of the early 20th Century.In 1927, a man named Edward Henry Smith sat in a New York apartment, surrounded by the files of the world’s most baffling disappearances. He wasn't just a reporter; he...
How Does It Feel To Be Free
In today’s Bonus Episode “How Does It Feel To Be Free” by Manuel Komroff is in contrast to his story “The Little Master of the Sky”. Both explore the concept of liberty, however they approach it from opposite directions—one through the eyes ...
The Little Master of the Sky
In this episode you’ll hear a short story by Manuel Komroff: “The Little Master of the Sky”. This is one of Komroff's most celebrated early works, first appearing in the prestigious literary magazine The D...
The Spider's Eye
In this episode we hear "The Spider's Eye" (1884), a short story by Lucretia P. Hale that explores themes of perception and social consciousness. Originally published in the anthology Stories by American Authors, Volume 3, the narrativ...
Grace Darling
Welcome to a bonus episode of Narrated Archives. Today, we look back to a stormy September night in 1838 to uncover the story of a young woman whose name would soon be carried on the wind across all of Victorian Britain: Grace Darling.
Heroines Told by Clayton Edwards
In this episode we’ll explore Clayton Edwards’ recounting of two remarkably courageous women, Molly Pitcher and Edith Cavell, from his 1920 book A Treasury of Heroes and Heroines.Both of these stories sit...
3 Life Scenes from Durivage
In this episode, we present three distinct tales that showcase Bostonian author, Francis A Durivage's range as a storyteller:"The Obliging Young Man" - A witty look at the pitfalls of being too helpf...
Miggy from Friendship Village
Today, we’re heading into Friendship Village to meet Miggy. You’ll hear a chapter taken from the 1909 collection Friendship Vill...
3 Stories with a Dash of Humor
Today, we explore three stories that, with a sense of humor, delve into the complexities of reputation, political and journalistic and the mathematical quirks of time. These tales from the early 20th century showcase authors who found the ex...
The Old Lady
We’re stepping into the experimental world of the 1920s with a haunting piece of short fiction titled “The Old Lady”, by Evelyn Scott. Originally published in the May 1925 issue of The Dial—the premi...
Taking Some Chances with Clarence Cullen
Today, we’re stepping out of the high-brow literary salons and into the world of Clarence Louis Cullen, a man who wrote about the hustle, the gamble, and the gritty humor of the American underdog.In this episode, we have a ...
If I Were A Man
Welcome to a special bonus episode of Narrated Archives. I’m your host, Sally Barron.In this bonus episode featuring the story “If I Were A Man”, published in 1914, the influential feminist author and sociologist Charlotte Perkins Gilman giv...
The Yellow Wallpaper
In this episode we’re unearthing the legacy of a woman whose mind was once called the 'most original and challenging' of the entire women’s movement. Charlotte Perkins Gilman was a philosopher, a sociologist, and a writer who dared to imagin...
Van Bibber to the Rescue
In this episode we’re stepping back into the Gilded Age with a writer who didn't just report on history—he lived it.Richard Harding Davis was the ultimate 'journalist-adventurer,' a man who charged up San Juan Hill with Teddy R...
Van Bibber of the Gilded Age
In this episode of Narrated Archives, we explore the sophisticated yet surprisingly tender world of the Gilded Age through three of Richard Harding Davis's most evocative stories: "A Walk Up the Avenue," "Van Bibber an...
More from Rootabaga Country
In the bonus episode of Narrated Archives we’re stepping further into a world that feels like a fantasy in Rootabaga Country.In 1922, the legendary American poet Carl Sandburg decided that American children didn’t need any more...
Tales from Rootabaga Country
In this episode we’re celebrating the pure, nonsensical joy of Carl Sanburg’s Rootabaga Stories and Rootabaga Pigeons. Know for his monumental 6 volume biography of Abraham Lincoln, Sandburg also wrote poetry and children's fairy tales...
Which Was the Murderer
In this bonus episode we’re looking at a moral and legal puzzle by the Scottish-Canadian master of irony, Robert Barr. We’ve heard from Mr. Barr in the episode “The Doom of London”. First published in his 1896 colle...
The Doom of London
In this episode we’re unearthing a chillingly prescient piece of Victorian science fiction by Robert Barr that feels all too modern.In 1892, Robert Barr—a writer who influenced the likes of Agatha Christie—penned a pioneering h...