Emily Dickinson was one of the most reclusive of all poets. She spent much of her life in seclusion in her father’s house in Amherst, and only a handful of her 1800 poems were published in her lifetime. Credit for the posthumous publication of her work must be given to her editor and friend Thomas W. Higginson, who reported that, in spite of the voluminous correspondence which passed between himself and Dickinson, he only met her twice in person. Dickinson’s poems are all short; few of them exceed twenty lines. Within her writing, the most mundane events of domestic life appear as events of momentous significance. The original editors of this collection write that, “The main quality of these poems is that of extraordinary grasp and insight, uttered with an uneven vigor, sometimes exasperating, seemingly wayward, but really unsought and inevitable.”

Poems of Emily Dickinson – Series 1

This collection arguably contains some of the most charming lyrics ever written in English. The childlike simplicity and trust of these artless verses are unique. Blake’s poems can be enjoyed, not only for their historical importance in an age which was fiercely proud of its genius and its traditions, but also for their simple and beautiful expression of “two contrary states of the human soul.” Songs of Innocence was originally a complete collection of twenty-three poems, first printed in 1789. In 1794, a composite collection entitled Songs of Innocence and of Experience, containing forty-seven poems, was published.

Songs of Innocence and of Experience

Of this book, H. G. Wells wrote: “The World Set Free was written in 1913 and published early in 1914. It is the latest of a series of three fantasias of possibility, stories which all turn on the possible developments in the future of some contemporary force or group of forces. The World Set Free was written under the immediate shadow of the Great War. Every intelligent person in the world felt that disaster was impending and knew no way of averting it, but few of us realised in the earlier half of 1914 how near the crash was to us…” The thesis of this story is that “because of the development of scientific knowledge, separate sovereign states and separate sovereign empires are no longer possible in the world. To attempt to keep on with the old system is to heap disaster upon disaster for [hu]mankind and perhaps to destroy our race altogether. The remaining interest of this book now is the sustained validity of this thesis and the discussion of the possible ending of war on the earth.” This title is part of the Voices of Today’s H. G. Wells novel collection, produced by Susan Iannucci.

The World Set Free

This collection contains eight of Shakespeare’s best loved comedies. Each exhibits the vigour, humour, and optimism of the young master before he turned to the gloom and bitterness of the great tragedies. Contents A Midsummer Night’s Dream All’s Well That Ends Well Twelfth Night Much Ado About Nothing The Comedy of Errors As You Like It Measure for Measure The Merchant of Venice Featuring the voices of:Aisling Gray, Alan Weyman, Alexandra Lee Smith, Blaise Doran, Cate Barratt, Catherine Bilson, Claudia Anglade, Dara Brown, David Shears, Denis Daly, Emma Faye, Gary D. MacFadden, Graham Scott, John Burlinson, Josh Innerst, Kendra Murray, Laura Richcreek, Lillian Rachel, Linda Barrans, Mark Crowle-Groves, Marty Krz, PJ Morgan, Roberta Jackson, Ron Altman, Simon Paxton, Susan Iannucci, Tom Saer, and Trisha Rose. Texts kindly provided by playshakespeare.com Songs created and arranged by Alan Weyman and Marty Krz Audio edited by Denis Daly

Eight Shakespeare Comedies

Measure for Measure is one of darkest of Shakespeare’s comedies. Written in about 1603 and first performed in 1604, it immediately preceded the composition of the major tragedies Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. Duke Vincentino, the ruler of Vienna, fears that under his mild sovereignty, the people may have become lazy and lax. He decides to “go over cover” in the disguise of a monk and appoint his deputy, Angelo, who is a reputed paragon of virtue, as temporary ruler. On assuming power, Angelo inaugurates draconian provisions regarding sexual propriety. One of the first victims of this new regime is young Claudio, who has impregnated his lover Juliet, and is accordingly sentenced to death. Claudio’s sister, Isabella, who is preparing to enter religious life, is encouraged to approach Angelo and plead for her brother’s life. Angelo is immediately smitten with the beautiful Isabella and makes her an offer: her brother will be spared if she yields to Angelo’s sexual advances. Isabella indignantly rejects this proposal, but finds herself unable to reveal Angelo’s hypocrisy publicly, as she fears her accusations will lack credence. Fortunately, the Duke, who has not left Vienna, befriends Isabella in his assumed role of friar, and hatches a plan to both save Claudio and to unmask Angelo. Featuring the voices of Denis Daly, Gary D. MacFadden, David Shears, Graham Scott, Josh Innerst, Kendra Murray, Blaise Doran, Simon Paxton, Roberta Jackson, Alexandra Lee Smith, and Alan Weyman. Audio edited by Denis Daly Tunes for songs provided by Alan Weyman. The text used for this performance was kindly provided by playshakespeare.com.

Measure for Measure

Antonio, a wealthy and popular merchant, is in financial difficulty. He approaches a Jewish money lender, Shylock, who agrees to provide 3000 ducats, with a very curious bond – a pound of the merchant’s flesh, to be levied if Antonio fails to make a timely repayment. Feeling confident that his argosies will arrive in time to cover the debt, Antonio agrees to this bizarre transaction. Meanwhile, a wealthy gentlewoman, Portia, must choose a suitor using a curious ritual mandated by her father’s will. Applicants must choose from three locked caskets, one of which contains a picture of Portia. He who chooses the casket with the picture will wed Portia immediately; the unsuccessful applicants will cease courting not only Portia, but all prospective partners. Portia’s preferred suitor is a young Venetian, Bassanio, who is a close friend of Antonio. Antonio’s ships fail to arrive in time to satisfy his debt to Shylock and Antonio is hauled into court. In a male disguise, Portia appears in court to represent Antonio. Will her skillful representation free Antonio from Shylock’s demands? Written between 1596 and 1598 and published in 1600, The Merchant of Venice most notably touches on the troubling subject of antisemitism. While critical debate rages about Shakespeare’s actual attitudes toward Jewish culture, it is difficult to deny that the eventual fate of Shylock is not in accord with today’s view of social justice. Featuring the voices of Denis Daly, Catherina Bilson, Alexandra Lee Smith, Gary D. Macfadden, Blaise Doran, Graham Scott, Roberta Jackson, Josh Innerst, Simon Paxton, Alan Weyman, Emma Faye and Marty Krz.

The Merchant of Venice

This collection of 35 short poems was first published in 1927, and is a sequel to When We Were Very Young, which was the first anthology of verse dealing with the domestic adventures of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh. As the author explains in the introduction: “We have been nearly three years writing this book. We began it when we were very young … and now we are six. So, of course, bits of it seem rather baby-ish to us, almost as if they had slipped out of some other book by mistake. So we want you to know that the name of the book doesn’t mean that this is us being six all the time, but that it is about as far as we’ve got at present, and we half think of stopping there.”

Now We Are Six

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