General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was one of the senior commanders of Southern forces during the Civil War. It was he who initiated the hostilities by opening fire on Ft. Sumter in Charleston harbor, in April, 1861.

In July of that year, having taken command of the Confederate Army of the Potomac, he triumphed in the first serious clash of the war, at Manassas, Virginia. His army, aided by reinforcements from Johnston’s army in the Shenandoah Valley, routed a Federal army under General McDowell. Had it been his army instead that routed, it is possible the Civil War might have ended that same year, as the path to Richmond would have been wide open.

This is his account of the battle, including the strategic situation leading up to it. As an afterward, he added a very revealing appraisal of the relations between him and Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and the reasons why, in his opinion, the South failed to win its war of secession.

My Review

I have an interest in the American Civil War going back many years and so when I noticed this non fiction book on Librivox I rushed home to download it. To my delight I found that it was read by one of my favourite Librivox readers, Mark Smith.

The book was well paced, with the General leading us though the run up to the battle and into the events of the battle itself. I found it very interesting and satisfying to hear the details and concerns of a General who was actually there in the middle of the action.

My only disapointment with the book was that it was so short. These military memoirs often are.

If you have any interest in the American Civil War, then this book is a must read(listen) and due to it being a short one, you no excuse not to!

Reading 3/3
Production 2/3
Story 3/3

Total Score 8/9

This book is available from Librivox

Source: Well Told Tales
Length: 23 min
Reader: Rick Stringer

The story: This gangster story provides enough violence and double-crosses to satisfy a Sopranos fan. Mafia initiate Danny has just pulled off his first mob hit, icing Fat Larry for skimming profits. As the story begins, he and veteran mobster Sal DeLuca are headed to the Florida Everglades to dump the body. When they get to the swamp, Danny finds more dangers than just the alligators.

The story is told in coarse forthright language which lends it a sneering tough-guy attitude. Goldman provides the gory details to make this story a compelling window into mob life. Although the story moves slowly at first, Goldman doles out twists that make the earlier descriptive passages more than just atmosphere building in hindsight. This is not a story for the ages, but it accomplishes what it intends: entertainment.

Rating: 6/10

The reader: Rick Stringer gives a fantastic narrative performance. Varying his pacing with the action, Stringer builds the tension up to the story’s climax. He does not overdo the Italian accent but instead voices the mobsters as individual characters: Danny with newbie excitation and Sal with ruthless callousness. The recording is well-produced by an entertaining podcast.

Bailey’s writing has been described thusly by the Newark Evening News: ‘Mr. Bailey centered all his plots in the animal, bird and insect worlds, weaving natural history into the stories in a way that won educator’s approval without arousing the suspicions of his young readers. He made it a habit to never ‘write down’ to children and frequently used words beyond the average juvenile vocabulary, believing that youngsters respond to the stimulus of the unfamiliar. (Wikipedia)

• Gutenberg e-text
• Wikipedia - Arthur Scott Bailey
• LibriVox’s The Tale Of Tommy Fox Internet Archive page
• Zip file of the entire book (54.8M)

This book includes the classic alphabet, Sing-A-Song Of Sixpence, The Frog Who Would A Wooing Go, The Three Little Pigs, Puss In Boots, and The Ugly Duckling. Fun for all ages! (Summary by Sam Stinson)

• Gutenberg e-text
• LibriVox’s Aunt Friendly’s Picture Book Internet Archive page
• Zip file of the entire book - 10.2MB

This short novel of Twain’s, from 1903, is told from the point of view of a loyal and beloved family pet. Themes of heroics, valor and heart-wrenching tenderness fill this work. The story is also filled with happy events as well as sad ones and is ultimately about what dogs are to us : best friends. A Dog’s Tale is quintessentially Twain. (Summary by Aaron Elliott)

• Gutenberg e-text
• Wikipedia - Mark Twain
• Wikipedia - A Dog’s Tale
• LibriVox’s A Dog’s Tale Internet Archive page
• Zip file of the entire book (14 MB)

Ein klassicher Text des deutschen Liberalismus (Summary by redaer)

• Online text
• Wikipedia - Wilhem von Humboldt
• LibriVox’s Ideen zu einem Versuch, die Grenzen der Wirksamkeit des Staats zu bestimmen Internet Archive page
• Zip file of the entire book - 275.4MB

Mommsen (1817-1903) erhielt für die Römische Geschichte 1902 den Nobelpreis für Literatur.

Zweites Buch: Von der Abschaffung des römischen Königtums bis zur Einigung Italiens

(Summary by redaer)

• Gutenberg e-text
• Wikipedia - Theodor_Mommsen
• Wikipedia - Theodor_Mommsen (engl.)
• Wikipedia - History of Rome (engl.)
• LibriVox’s Römische Geschichte Buch 2 Internet Archive page
• Zip file of the entire book (476.5MB)

A collection of children’s alphabet rhymes including Footsteps On the Road to Learning - a short text from 1850 which teaches children the English alphabet in rime-so that a child may not become a dunce! The Anti Slavery Alphabet - a book prepared to encourage young children to speak against the institution of slavery in 19th century United States. The method used is an alphabetical listing of the evils of slavery. The Peter Pan Alphabet and The Alphabet of Celebrities - Oliver Herford’s teaching guides to the English alphabet-using Peter Pan and famous names! (Summary by Sam Stinson and Wikipedia)

• LibriVox’s A Soup of Alphabets from A-Z Internet Archive page
• Zip file of the entire collection - 25.2MB

LibriVox volunteers bring you 12 different recordings of A Thrush Before Dawn by Alice Meynell. This was the weekly poetry project for the week of June 8th, 2008.

• Bartleby e-text
• Wikipedia - Alice Meynell
• LibriVox’s A Thrush Before Dawn Internet Archive page
• Zip file of the entire book (10.4MB)