Romance - RNIB Library



Short stories 1

Talking Books

The titles in this booklist are just a selection of the titles available for loan from the RNIB National Library Talking Book Service.

Don’t forget you are allowed to have up to 6 books on loan. When you return a title, you will then receive another one.

If you would like to read any of these titles then please contact the Customer Services Team on 0303 123 9999 or email library@.uk

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A feast of stories; edited by Clare Francis and Ondine Upton. 1996. Read by various narrators, 15 hours 40 minutes. TB 11030.

28 short stories by leading novelists, offering everything from adventure to romance, from relationships to humour and crime. Contains strong language. TB 11030.

Alfred Hitchcock's tales to take your breath away; edited by Alfred Hitchcock and Eleanor Sullivan. 1982. Read by various narrators, 16 hours 11 minutes. TB 7659.

This anthology from Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine contains stories by such well-known authors as Lawrence Block, Nedra Tyre, Jack Ritchie, Brian Gardfield, John Lutz, Robert Bankier, Edward Wellen and Bill Prozini. You will find the most dastardly of plots, the most suspicious of circumstances and the strangest of fiction, exactly what you associate with the name of Alfred Hitchcock. TB 7659.

An anthology of American short stories. From "The Oxford book of American short stories"; edited by Joyce Carol Oates. 1994. Read by various narrators, 32 hours 42 minutes. TB 10788.

A sweeping survey of American short fiction, in a collection of tales combining classic works with "different, unexpected gems". There are little known stories, such as Mark Twain's "Cannibalism in the cars" and harrowing and dreamlike, allegorical fiction by Malville. The introductions to each writer blend biographical information with the author's own observations on their work. An introductory essay offers the fruit of years of reflection on a genre in which she herself is a master. TB 10788.

Breaking ice: an anthology of contemporary African-American fiction; edited by Terry McMillan. 1992. Read by various narrators, 19 hours 56 minutes. TB 10492.

A striking collection of works from authors both established and emerging, this is the first original anthology of African-American writing in over a decade. Authors include: Tina McElroy Ansa, Doris Jean Austin, Wesley Brown, Octavia Butler, Steven Corbin, Melvin Dixon, Bill Williams Forde, Charles Johnson, John McCluskey, Richard Perry, Barbara Summers, Cliff Thompson, Alice Walker, John Edgar Wideman. TB 10492.

Great law & order stories; edited and introduced by John Mortimer. 1990. Read by various narrators, 14 hours 29 minutes. TB 9385.

This superb collection of short stories contains classics of suspense and mystery and, with stories ranging from Charles Dickens and Conan Doyle to Ruth Rendell, P.D. James and John Mortimer himself, explores new dimensions in crime writing. TB 9385.

Great soldiers' tales; edited and introduced by Lord Carver. 1991. Read by Garard Green, 9 hours 26 minutes. TB 9739.

All the heroism, sacrifice and humour of the soldier at war, captured in a superb collection of short stories with a wartime theme. Contributors include C. S. Forester, Leo Tolstoy, Kipling and Monsarrat. TB 9739.

London after midnight: a conducted tour; edited by Peter Haining. 1996. Read by various narrators, 11 hours 52 minutes. TB 12032.

Contents: The knife by Robert Arthur; Fu Manchu and the frightened redhead by Sax Rohmer; The funspot-street affair by Thomas Burke; The girl who loved graveyards by P. D. James; The most hated man in London by Patricia Moyes; Flight from Fleet street by Carter Dickson; Dangerous Game by Michael Gilbert; Karmesin the murderer by Gerald Kersh; The day lucky's luck ran out by Allan Prior; A little place off the Edgware road by Grahame Greene; People don't do such things by Ruth Rendell; The elusive bullet by John Rhode; The adventure of the worst man in London by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; The bottle party by H. C. Bailey; Aces high by Peter Cheyney; Yellow Iris by Agatha Christie; Trent and the fool-proof lift by E. C. Bentley; The cave of Ali Baba by Margery Allingham; The Santa Claus Club by Julian Symons; The incautious burglar by John Dickson Carr; The bones of the case by R. Austin Freeman.

A fictional tour around the criminal heartland of the capital, bringing together in one anthology twenty-two stories by some of the undisputed masters of the crime and mystery genres. TB 12032.

Major American short stories; edited by A Walton Litz. 1980. Read by various narrators, 40 hours 37 minutes. TB 10266.

This collection of 46 stories by 28 writers encompasses the full range of American short fiction. It includes a wide variety of subjects and forms, but strongly emphasises the work of the major writers, with four stories each by Hawthorne and Poe, two by James and two each by Irving, Crane and Faulkner. Stories range in time from 1819 to 1977, from traditional works to recent experimental fiction by Barth, Coover and Joyce Carol Oates. TB 10266.

My favourite stories of Lakeland; edited by Melvyn Bragg. 1981. Read by George Hagan, 4 hours 55 minutes. TB 4122.

Stories written over the years by authors familiar with the people and the countryside of the Lakelands. TB 4122.

Raconteur 6: a collection of prize-winning short stories; edited by Graham Lord. 1995. Read by various narrators, 9 hours 3 minutes. TB 10438.

A collection of 22 short stories including contributions from Fay Weldon, Brian Freemantle and Cecil Lewis. Contains strong language. TB 10438.

Sagebrush and spurs: classic western short stories; edited by Eric Tripp. 1992. Read by Jonathan Oliver, 10 hours 22 minutes. TB 9913.

The stories in this collection come from the high noon of western writing, where the American civil war, and subsequent frontier wars provided a mixture of legend and fact as monuments to national courage. There are contributions from the earliest protagonists of the "formula" western, with stories from Jack Schaefer, Stephen Crane, Owen Wister, O. Henry and others, the emphasis is on finely drawn characters and believable plots. TB 9913.

Sightlines; edited by P.D. James and Harriet Harvey Wood. 2001. Read by various narrators, 14 hours 17 minutes. TB 12555.

The text includes pieces from many of the UK's foremost writers. With a number of extracts concerning blindness from literature of the past and present. Contains violence. TB 12555.

Such devoted sisters: an anthology of stories; edited by Shena Mackay. 1993. Read by various narrators, 13 hours 26 minutes. TB 10348.

Sisters may be inseparable, or the relationship may arouse intense, tangled emotions. Here some prestigious writers unravel this intricate bond in a compelling anthology. Stories revealing unbreakable allegiances and private codes are countered by those of sisters pitched against each other in battles for parental affection or sibling supremacy. Rivalry, companionship, love and dislike feature in a collection exposing the innermost secrets of family life. TB 10348.

Telling stories: the best of BBC radio's recent short fiction; edited by Duncan Minshull. 1992. Read by various narrators, 6 hours. TB 10284.

A collection of twenty stories by some of the most exciting and popular authors writing today. Specially commissioned for Radio 3 and 4, works by established writers such as Maeve Binchy, Angela Carter, John McGahern and Christopher Hope, are offset by new talent, amongst whom are Jonathan Treitel and Romesh Gunesekera. The stories are chosen for their quality, originality and strong storytelling. TB 10284.

The big book of western action stories; edited with an introduction and headnotes by Jon Tuska. 1996. Read by Garrick Hagon, 23 hours 49 minutes. TB 10983.

With selections by the premier short story writers of the genre, the reader will travel down the "Trail of the lonely gun", with Les Savage Jr., will witness "The strange ride of Perry Woodstock", by Max Brand, and will be introduced to Frank Bonham's "Border man". Also included are stories by Luke Short, Ernest Haycox, Ryerson Johnson, and many others. TB 10983.

The Good Housekeeping short story collection; Good Housekeeping. 1997. Read by Diana Bishop, 12 hours 30 minutes. TB 11293.

Contents: A dream of fair women by Penelope Lively; Lottery of the birds by Maeve Binchy; The Italian sweater by Doris Lessing; The immaculate bridegroom by Helen Simpson; Horrible Luck by Clare Boylan; The playmate by Philippa Gregory; Christmas wings by Joanna Trollope; Ruby wedding by Lesley Glaister; Long live the queen by Ruth Rendell; Journey of a lifetime by Gillian Tindall; Fat people by Alison Lurie; Another time by Edna O'Brien; Mother of the bride by Angela Huth; The third party by William Trevor; Listen to reason by Elizabeth Tallent; The bellows of the fire by Rose Tremain; Irish coffee by Angela Huth; Lady in the bath by Eva Ibbotson; Uncle Ahmad by Anne Tyler; Clara's day by Penelope Lively; Fen hall by Ruth Rendell; Your place is empty by Anne Tyler; The property of Colette Nervi by William Trevor; Theatre street by Eva Ibbotson.

Twenty-four Good Housekeeping stories, ranging from the domestic to the supernatural, and from comedy to romance. TB 11293.

The Mammoth book of the western: an anthology of classic stories of the American frontier; edited by Jon E Lewis. 1991. Read by Garrick Hagon, 21 hours 37 minutes. TB 11945.

This volume brings together more than 20 short novels and stories, ranging from the excitement of Max Brand's `Wine on the Desert' to the realism of Stephen Crane's `The Blue Hotel', from Loren D. Estleman's elegiac `The Bandit' to Jack London's atmospheric `All Gold Canyon'. Many of the stories, which feature ranchers, American Indians, outlaws and pioneers, became celebrated films including Dorothy M. Johnson's `A Man Called Horse'. TB 11945.

The Mammoth book of Victorian and Edwardian ghost stories; edited by Richard Dalby. 1995. Read by various narrators, 26 hours 14 minutes. TB 10953.

This anthology contains the cream from the golden age of the ghost story, spanning the Victorian era from 1839 right up to the end of the Edwardian decade in 1910. Many of literature's greatest names are in this collection, and these masters promise delicious - and chilling - entertainment. TB 10953.

The Minerva anthology of 20th century women's fiction; edited by Judy Cooke. 1992. Read by various narrators, 36 hours 35 minutes. TB 9861.

An encapsulation of the best of 20th century women's writing. In the thirty plus novel extracts and short stories included, there is a nicely judged mixture of classic texts and new writing, mainstream and avant garde. From Margaret Atwood, through Colette, Daphne Du Maurier, Ruth Prawer Jhabwala, Iris Murdoch, Alice Walker to Virginia Woolf, the whole genre is surveyed, and there are many more. TB 9861.

The Oxford book of Irish short stories; edited by William Trevor. 1989. Read by various narrators, 25 hours 51 minutes. TB 10407.

This anthology is a celebration of the development of the Irish literary tradition, starting with the early folk tales, through Oliver Goldsmith and Maria Edgeworth to James Joyce and Joyce Cary and leading up to the present generation. The stories are all influenced by the same culture and the editor has searched for the right balance by including novels and short stories. TB 10407.

The Penguin book of Latin American short stories; edited by Thomas Colchie. 1992. Read by various narrators, 21 hours 12 minutes. TB 10277.

A collection of 26 tales, representing a concentration of some of the most celebrated and exciting authors in contemporary literature. Linked by the indefinable essence that characterises them as Latin American, there are contributions from, amongst others, Jorge Luis Borges, Isabel Allende, Rubem Fonseca, Carlos Fuentes and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. TB 10277.

The Penguin book of modern women's short stories; edited by Susan Hill. 1991. Read by Frances Jeater, 12 hours 48 minutes. TB 8874.

Susan Hill's collection of short stories by British women reveals the consolidations made during the post-war period as women became more confident about articulating their desires and intimate thoughts. Taken together, the stories drive a tap root into different aspects of the feminine psyche. TB 8874.

Three kinds of kissing and other stories by Scottish writers; edited by Tom Adair. 1993. Read by various narrators, 8 hours. TB 10078.

The stories encompass many landscapes: a group of shiftworkers in the Glasgow hinterland discover Botticelli; an elderly man in troubled South Africa rescues a child from her bigoted employer; in the Scottish islands, a barmaid experiences the joys of fishing; in the former Soviet Union, a woman who has known only the old regime is faced with the uncertainties of the new. Although many themes are shared, the stories demonstrate the vitality of the Scottish short story. Contains strong language. TB 10078.

Thrillers: a classic collection; introduction by Robert Sheckley. 1996. Read by various narrators, 24 hours 34 minutes. TB 11116.

For sheer suspense, there is nothing to better the well-crafted short horror story. This selection of more than thirty such tales offers an opportunity to sample exciting and spine-chilling work in over a hundred years of British, French and American writing. TB 11116.

Wayward girls & wicked women: an anthology of stories; edited by Angela Carter. 1986. Read by Gretel Davis, 15 hours 4 minutes. TB 6844.

Subversive tales with a common theme by many well-known writers: a celebration of the positive role of women who endure the status quo no longer. They are the "Bad" girls, wicked women and unsatisfactory wives, the sexually disruptive, the tough and the resilient, and their methods vary from the wily mother who cons a lifetime out of a generous buyer to save her son, to outright murder. Unsuitable for family reading. TB 6844.

Woman's Hour 50th anniversary short story collection; edited by Di Speirs. 1996. Read by various narrators, 7 hours 51 minutes. TB 11391.

Contents: Flesh by Elizabeth Taylor; Healthy landscape with dormouse by Sylvia Townsend Warner; Ind aff or out of love in Sarajevo by Fay Weldon; Love is not a pie by Amy Bloom; Heavy weather by Helen Simpson; Some hours in the life of a witch by Eilis Ni Dhuibhne; Hurricane Hazel by Margaret Atwood; Ruby's big night by Moy McCrory; High teas by Georgina Hammick; Not a recommended hobby for a housewife by Clare Boylan; O'Brien's first Christmas by Jeanette Winterson; Heart songs by E. Annie Proulx; Madame by Cora Sandel; How I learnt to be a real countrywoman by Deborah Moggach; Teeth by Jan Mark; Holland Park by Maeve Binchy; 'Possunt quia posse videntur' by Lynne Truss.

Seventeen stories by some of the twentieth century's best women writers. While differing widely in subject, mood and style, the central theme is celebratory: these stories aim to gladden the heart. Each one illuminates an aspect of our lives - be it as children, friends, lovers or mothers - and gives new insights into familiar worlds. Contains strong language. TB 11391.

Aird, Catherine

Injury time. 1994. Read by Jon Cartwright, 5 hours. TB 10578.

From the idiosyncratic investigations of the phlegmatic D.I.Sloan and his enthusiastic constable, Crosby in the police station down in the not so sleepy county of Calleshire, to the long lunches of civil servant Henry Tyler, in the tranquil environs of London Mordaunt Club, Catherine Aird's collection of 16 short stories takes the reader through an ingenious selection of crimes and puzzles, full of fascinating legal and medical information. TB 10578.

Aldiss, Brian W

Best SF stories of Brian W Aldiss. 1988. Read by Arthur Blake, 14 hours 53 minutes. TB 7425.

A selection of the best stories from one of Britain's most versatile science fiction writers over the past 30 years. The collection covers a wide range, from the day after tomorrow to the distant future, and from our own front doorstep to the farthest corners of the galaxy. Behind the idea of each story is the human factor that gives the story its meaning. TB 7425.

Allbeury, Ted

Other kinds of treason. 1990. Read by Robert Gladwell, 9 hours 36 minutes. TB 9052.

A collection of sixteen short stories - four of them original - including spy, adventure and war stories and tales of love and betrayal. TB 9052.

Allende, Isabel

The stories of Eva Luna. 1991. Read by Helen Bourne, 10 hours 48 minutes. TB 8953.

This collection of stories includes the story of revenge against a man who mistreated his wife and lover, of Maria who, throughout her life of prostitution, retained her innocence and El Captain who waited 40 years before telling his dancing partner that he wanted to marry her. Contains passages of a sexual nature. TB 8953.

Allingham, Margery

The Allingham case book. 1995. Read by Sion Probert, 8 hours 24 minutes. TB 11103.

This book records eighteen crimes - from the seedy and sinister to the fashionable and frivolous. Within its pages are more of the exploits of the famous detective Albert Campion, and his friends the policemen Charlie Luke and Stanislaus Oates. TB 11103.

Ambler, Eric

The story so far: memories and other fictions. 1993. Read by Robert Gladwell, 9 hours 13 minutes. TB 10206.

Of his short stories, Eric Ambler says "Collected together they seemed to me to have a beginning, middle, end pattern of their own. Each belonged to one of three periods of my working life". The sections are each introduced by an account of his life at that time. "Beginning" is about the nineteen thirties, as he tried to switch from advertising to writing; "middle" concerns his work in 1960s Hollywood and "to be continued" tells of his time in Switzerland before his return to England. An insight into the life and work of a master thriller writer. TB 10206.

Amis, Kingsley

Collected short stories. 1980. Read by Derek Chandler, 13 hours 55 minutes. TB 4114.

My enemy's enemy; Court of inquiry; I spy strangers; Moral fibre; All the blood within me; Dear illusion; Something strange; The 2003 claret; The friends of Plonk; Too much trouble; Hemingway in space; Who or what was it?; The Darkwater Hall mystery; The house on the headland; To see the sun; Mason's life.

This collection contains almost all short stories written by the author. He describes them as "chips from a novelist's work bench'. TB 4114.

Archer, Jeffrey

A twist in the tale. 1988. Read by Derek Chandler, 9 hours. TB 7277.

A dozen mysterious adventures ranging from a game of chess with a sexy stranger to a wine expert challenged to a tasting with a bizarre difference. The first story involves a man visiting his mistress; on arrival he sees her in the arms of another man, waits until he has gone and then begins an argument that ends in death. No one has seen him come or go. Has he just committed the perfect murder? TB 7277.

Asimov, Isaac

The complete stories. 1994. Read by various narrators, 26 hours 34 minutes. TB 10846.

Many of the forty science fiction stories contained in this volume carried personal meaning for the author. His own favourite story was "The Bicentennial Man", the poignant tale of a robot accidentally endowed with artistic ability. Other stories included are an account of human survival at the frontier of the biosphere and a biography of Asimov's world controlling computer. TB 10846.

Atwood, Margaret

Moral disorder. 2007. Read by Lorelei King, 6 hours 42 minutes. TB 1538.

This book can be seen either as a collection of eleven stories that is almost a novel or as a novel broken up into eleven stories. It resembles a photograph album - a series of clearly observed moments that trace the course of a life, and also the lives intertwined with it - those of parents, of siblings, of children, of friends, of enemies, of teachers, and even of animals. And as in an album, times change: the 30s, the 40s, the 50s, the 60s, the 70s and 80s, the present time - all are here. The settings are equally varied: large cities, suburbs, farms, and northern forests. Contains strong language and passages of a sexual nature. TB 1538.

Bainbridge, Beryl

Mum and Mr Armitage: selected stories of Beryl Bainbridge. 1985. Read by David Sinclair, 4 hours 3 minutes. TB 5991.

A collection of short stories ranging from cricket talk and infidelity to a sad case of suicide in Liverpool's Adelphi Hotel. TB 5991.

Ballard, J G

The terminal beach. 1984. Read by William Abney, 9 hours 8 minutes. TB 7078.

A collection of short stories ranging from the title-story's disturbing picture of an abandoned atomic testing site on an island in the Pacific to the shocking Oedipal fantasy of "The Giaconda of the Twilight Noon". At the heart of these stories lies the bitter paradox that the extraordinary creative power of man's imagination is matched only by his reckless instinct for destruction. TB 7078.

Barnes, Julian

Cross channel. 1996. Read by various narrators, 7 hours 28 minutes. TB 11040.

A collection of ten short stories with a linking theme: the British in France through several centuries. It begins with a group of mercenaries raiding a Protestant village in southern France in the late 17th century, and closes with a journey on the antiquated Eurostar express in 2015. Contains passages of a sexual nature. TB 11040.

Barstow, Stan

The desperadoes and other stories. 1986. Read by Christopher Scott, 6 hours 49 minutes. TB 7243.

Fifteen stories set in and around the West Riding of Yorkshire, although the themes are far from provincial. The author is keenly aware of the small tragedies of everyday life but fully responsive to the humorous element in the human predicament. It is the final story that gives the book its title and the author tells with a rare compassion the story of the violent young "Teds" of Cressley. TB 7243.

Bates, H E

Country tales. 1938. Read by Alexander John, 11 hours 8 minutes. TB 9592.

In these 26 lyrical stories, the author not only captures the essence of a vanished rural past, but also the hearts and minds of country people. Most of the stories, like "Waiting Room", "The Gleaner" and "Cloudburst" celebrate human resilience and courage, while "Little Fish" ridicules pomposity. "Never" embodies a timeless dilemma: the yearning for freedom, and the fear of achieving it. "Story Without An End" and "The House With The Apricot" are about the joy and poignancy of love, evoking a bittersweet nostalgia that suffuses all of these stories. TB 9592.

Binchy, Maeve

The lilac bus. 1986. Read by Stanley McGeagh, 6 hours. TB 6476.

Eight short stories linked by the common theme of a lilac bus, the meeting place for the same cast of seven who use it to travel home from Dublin every weekend. Each one has an inner life unknown to others - from Nancy Morris, known for her meanness, to the driver Tom Fitzgerald, who has his own reasons for returning home so regularly. TB 6476.

Blackwood, Algernon

Tales of the uncanny and supernatural. 1963. Read by George Couloris, 43 minutes. TB 13526.

The instant the room was dark he realised that it was more than he could stand for, with the blackness, there came a sudden rush of cold that he found hard to explain. TB 13526.

Blish, James

Star trek: the classic episodes. 1991. Read by Hayward Morse, 21 hours 49 minutes. TB 10175.

24 tales of exciting adventure from the final season of episodes featuring the original cast. Stories include "The last gunfight", "The paradise syndrome", "The empath" and "All our yesterdays". TB 10175.

Brown, George Mackay

Andrina: and other stories. 1983. Read by Crawford Logan, 5 hours 10 minutes. TB 5166.

Short stories by a poet, born in 1921 in the Orkneys and still living and working there. Fact and fantasy come together in these atmospheric evocations of the past. Andrina, a girl of twenty, is the magical ingredient in a gentle ghost story. TB 5166.

Buchan, John

The complete short stories. 1996. Read by Robbie MacNab, 11 hours 24 minutes. TB 11083.

The first of three volumes bringing together all of Buchan's short stories. Included in this volume are stories which appeared in "Scholar Gypsies" and "Grey Weather" as well as stories never published between hard covers. The stories in this collection were written when Buchan was a student, but most of them feature the farmers and shepherds of the Scottish Borders. They reveal a glimpse of John Buchan the man, and are a fascinating complement to his novels. TB 11083.

Chesterton, G K

Seven suspects. 1990. Read by Stephen Thorne, 6 hours 46 minutes. TB 8181.

Seven rare and brilliant mysteries from the creator of Father Brown. Most have been unavailable for years, and "The Man Who Shot The Fox" has never been published in book form before. TB 8181.

Christie, Agatha

The hound of death: and other stories. 1964. Read by Derek Chandler, 8 hours 29 minutes. TB 7085.

In "The Hound of Death" a convent blows up and on the sole remaining wall is left a black powder mark-in the shape of a great dog...the first of 12 spine-chilling mysteries. TB 7085.

Clarke, Arthur C

Tales from planet Earth. 1989. Read by Nigel Carrington, 10 hours 23 minutes. TB 9079.

From the furthest arid stars to the secret ways under the oceans, from intelligent termites to super-intelligent aliens, and from ruined empires to the rings of Saturn, this volume is a superb compendium of entertainment, thought-provoking thrills and astral surprises. TB 9079.

Conrad, Joseph

Typhoon and other stories; edited by Paul Kirschner. 1990. Read by Alexander John, 9 hours 51 minutes. TB 8870.

In these four stories, written between 1900 and 1902, Joseph Conrad bids a gradual farewell to his adventurous life at sea and begins to confront the more daunting complexities of life on land in the twentieth century. TB 8870.

Cordell, Alexander

Tales from Tiger Bay: a collection of short stories. 1986. Read by John McCormack, 3 hours. TB 8693.

The setting for these thirteen short stories is Tiger Bay, the dockyard area of Cardiff. These tales are linked to the adventures of "Peerless Jim" the boxer who is the title character in an earlier novel by Cordell. The tales which are crammed with the life of Cardiff are narrated by the different people themselves and provide a colourful insight into their ways of life. TB 8693.

Dahl, Roald

The collected short stories of Roald Dahl. 1991. Read by Stephen Thorne, 29 hours 21 minutes. TB 9571.

This complete collection of Roald Dahl's adult short stories includes all those from his world famous books "Over To You", "Someone Like You", "Kiss, Kiss" and "Switch Bitch", many of them seen in the superb television series "Tales of the Unexpected". In addition, there are eight further stories taken from other sources, including two which have not been published before in book form "The Bookseller" and "The Surgeon". TB 9571.

Dexter, Colin

Morse's greatest mystery and other stories. 1994. Read by Michael Lumsden, 5 hours 28 minutes. TB 10482.

How can the discovery of a short story written by a beautiful Oxford graduate lead Chief Inspector Morse to her murderer? What awaits Morse and Lewis in Room 231 of the Randolph Hotel? Why does a theft at Christmas lead the detective to look upon the festive season with uncharacteristic goodwill and what happens when Morse himself falls victim to a brilliantly executed crime? This collection includes five ingenious cases for Morse, plus five other original tales. TB 10482.

Dickens, Charles

The signalman and other ghost stories. 1990. Read by Jon Cartwright, 10 hours 12 minutes. TB 10841.

Contents: The signalman - A madman's manuscript - The bagman's story - The story of the goblins who stole a sexton - The story of the bagman's uncle - The baron of Grogzwig - A confession found in the prison in the time of Charles II - To be read at dusk - The trial for murder - A child's dream of a star - Christmas ghosts - The hanged man's bride - Mr. Testator's visitation - The haunted man - The haunted house.

Charles Dickens would entertain and alarm guests at his soirees with his imaginary creations. This collection of stories, to be read at dusk in flickering firelight, brings together fifteen of his spine-chilling masterpieces. TB 10841.

Doyle, Arthur Conan

Round the fire stories. 1991. Read by Alexander John, 10 hours 10 minutes. TB 9234.

Originally published in 1908, these seventeen stories of suspense and adventure, the mysterious and fantastic, are meant to be read "round the fire" on a winter's night. Murder, madness, ghosts, unsolved crimes, diabolical traps and inexplicable disappearances abound in these exciting accounts, narrated by doctors, lawyers, gentlemen, teachers, burglars, dilettantes and convicted criminals. The stories are riveting. TB 9234.

Du Maurier, Daphne

The birds, and other stories. 1992. Read by various narrators, 11 hours 15 minutes. TB 10151.

The birds revolt against mankind; the climber on Mount Verita discovers the awesome cost of giving your all to the mountains; a malformed apple tree bears an uncanny resemblance to a neglected wife; amusing herself with the little photographer has far reaching consequences for the Marquise; love promised by a glowing stranger becomes a darker intimacy; family jealousies take an unexpectedly violent form; in these six stories, the weak, the dispossessed and the exploited wreak their revenge on a complacent world. TB 10151.

Fitzgerald, F Scott

The diamond as big as the Ritz, and other stories. 1974. Read by Laura Brook, 3 hours 7 minutes. TB 8515.

John T Unger goes to St Midas' School (for the rich in Boston). Quiet Percy Washington invites John to spend the holidays. Imagine John's surprise when Percy quietly tells him that not only is his Father the Richest man in the world by that he owns a diamond bigger than the Ritz-Carlton Hotel! This is an exciting collection of the author's work. TB 8515.

Forster, E M

The new collected short stories. Read by Charles Kay, 9 hours 36 minutes. TB 9541.

By the author of "A passage to India" and "A room with a view", these short stories are amusing, profound, light-hearted, mysterious, wise and witty. Forster was a master of the art. This recording of his stories represents the most comprehensive collection available. TB 9541.

Francis, Dick

Field of thirteen. 1998. Read by Tony Britton, 10 hours 19 minutes. TB 11732.

Now, for the first time, Dick Francis has compiled a volume of short stories, with settings ranging from the National Hunt Festival at Cheltenham, where a middle-aged owner falls hopelessly in love with her jockey, to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, where the demon drink and wilting willpower take their toll... TB 11732.

Friel, Brian

The diviner. 1983. Read by Denys Hawthorne, 5 hours 2 minutes. TB 4989.

Ten short stories set in rural Ireland with its strong code of moral conduct and its whimsical characters and events. TB 4989.

Gordimer, Nadine

Selected stories. 1972. Read by Gabriel Woolf, 16 hours 40 minutes. TB 2866.

A selection of short stories written over the years - moments of vision, often ironic, sometimes shocking, mostly dealing with the hair's breadth balance of racial tension in many different parts of the world. TB 2866.

Greene, Graham

The last word and other stories. 1990. Read by Richard Earthy, 4 hours 39 minutes. TB 8629.

This new collection of stories by Graham Greene is powerful, deeply humane and as magnificently entertaining as ever. One of the stories, "A branch of the service", is published for the first time. TB 8629.

Hardy, Thomas

Outside the gates of the world: selected short stories. 1996. Read by Michael Tudor Barnes, 17 hours 49 minutes. TB 11050.

Tales of love lost and revenge won; of passions stifled and creed observed; of 'things external and universal'. Such are the everyday themes of Hardy's extraordinary stories woven in fine folkloric fashion around the enigmatic personages of the milkmaid and the burgher, the widow and the preacher, the hangman and his victim. TB 11050.

Harris, Joanne

Jigs & reels. 2004. Read by Rula Lenska, 7 hours 48 minutes. TB 13763.

Faith & Hope go shopping; The ugly sister; Gastronomicon; Fule's gold; Class of '81; Hello, goodbye; Free spirit; Auto-da-fé; The spectator; Al & Christine's world of leather; Last train to Dogtown; The G-sus gene; A place in the sun; Tea with the birds; Breakfast at Tesco's; Come in, Mr Lowry, your number is up; Waiting for Gandalf; Any girl can be a Cadykiss girl; The little mermaid; Fish; Never give a sucker...; Eau de toilette.

A collection of short stories best summed up in two words: malevolent and mischievous. Contains strong language. TB 13763.

Hemingway, Ernest

The snows of Kilimanjaro and other stories. 1994. Read by Adam Henderson, 4 hours 43 minutes. TB 10418.

These early Hemingway stories are in part autobiographical and realistic. Men and women of passion and action live, fight, love and die in scenes of dramatic intensity. From haunting tragedy on the snow-capped peak of Kilimanjaro to brutal sensationalism in the bullring; from rural America with its deceptive calm to the heart of war-ravaged Europe, each of the stories in this collection is a feat of imagination. Contains strong language. TB 10418.

Herriot, James

James Herriot's cat stories. 1994. Read by Daniel Philpott, 3 hours 26 minutes. TB 11759.

A selection of James Herriot's stories about cats. It includes the story of Albert, the sweet-shop cat, whose owner loses his joie de vivre when his pet becomes ill, as well as the story of Tristan's attempts to administer to Mrs Bond's cat establishment. TB 11759.

Herriot, James

James Herriot's favourite dog stories. 1995. Read by Daniel Philpott, 3 hours 15 minutes. TB 11584.

This book contains ten of James Herriot's stories about dogs. The story of Jock who has a battle on his paws to keep his position of top dog, and Brandy who cannot resist inspecting the dustbins. There are tender stories of neglected dogs given new homes, new hope, like Roy the golden retriever, and stories about the important part a pet plays in the life of an elderly person. TB 11584.

Heyer, Georgette

Pistols for two: and other stories. 1993. Read by Jon Cartwright, 7 hours. TB 10281.

Affairs of honour between bucks and blades, rakes and rascals; affairs of the heart between heirs and orphans, beauties and bachelors; romance, intrigue, escapades and duels at dawn; all the gallantry, villainy and elegance of the age that Georgette Heyer has so triumphantly made her own are exquisitely revived in these eleven stories of the Regency. TB 10281.

Highsmith, Patricia

Tales of natural and unnatural catastrophes. 1987. Read by Tom Crowe, 8 hours 13 minutes. TB 6785.

Ten short stories in which catastrophes are unexpected and almost always generate those who will go to any length to cover up the human folly that has created the disaster. A cemetery produces strange, uncrushable fungal growths and stories of magic follow in the wake of a whale maddened by the killing of its mate. Government cover-ups progress from a strange smell from a lift of trapped workers to the disposal of nuclear waste, unwanted lunatics and pressing the button. TB 6785.

James, M R

The ghost stories of M R James. 1931. Read by Malcolm Ruthven, 18 hours. TB 2888.

Short stories of the supernatural. TB 2888.

Joseph, Marie

When love was like that: and other stories. 1992. Read by Anne White, 7 hours 50 minutes. TB 9479.

A collection of heart-warming, life-enhancing stories that explore the many aspects of love as it was in the sixties and seventies; its nostalgia, tenderness, pitfalls and moments of never-to-be-forgotten happiness. TB 9479.

Joseph, Marie

The way we were: a collection of short stories. 1994. Read by Carole Boyd, 8 hours 30 minutes. TB 11014.

A collection of Marie Joseph's short stories, previously published in magazines in the 1960s and 1970s. The stories include the husband who has spent his life surrounded by women and longs for a son and companion; a couple who are brought together with unexpected help from a feline source; and a younger sister's wedding which brings faint misgivings and memories from the past. All are told in the sepia of nostalgia and tinged with the irony that are Marie Joseph's hallmarks. TB 11014.

King, Stephen

Everything's eventual: 14 dark tales. 2002. Read by Garrick Hagon, 20 hours 7 minutes. TB 13612.

Autopsy room four; The man in the black suit; All that you love will be carried away; The death of Jack Hamilton; In the deathroom; The little sisters of Eluria; Everything's eventual; L.T.'s theory of pets; The road virus heads north; Lunch at the Gotham Café; That feeling, you can only say what it is in French; 1408; Riding the bullet; Luckey quarter.

The text provides fourteen dark tales. Contains violence and passages of a sexual nature. TB 13612.

Kipling, Rudyard

Humorous tales from Rudyard Kipling. 1931. Read by Peter Barker, 14 hours 38 minutes. TB 10092.

A collection of comic stories, first published in 1931. From the comic clash cultures, to pompous and overbearing officialdom, to exquisite social comedy, they are told with supreme mastery of English prose. Stories include "Judson and the empire" and "My Sunday at home". TB 10092.

Lawrence, D H

The collected short stories. 1974. Read by Christopher Saul, 36 hours 19 minutes. TB 4595.

In this complete collection, famous stories like "Odour of Chrysanthemums", dealing with a wife's feelings on the death of her drunkard miner husband stand next to lesser-known ones like "The Blind Man", where war-blinded Maurice, in harmony with nature, towers both mentally and physically above the characterless, sighted, social success Bertie. TB 4595.

London, Jack

The collected Jack London: thirty six stories, four complete novels and a memoir. 1993. Read by John Chancer, 76 hours 40 minutes. TB 10918.

Divided into three sections, "The north" includes the best of the early stories: 21 tales of men and women struggling against a brutal environment, and two novels, "Call of the wild" and "White fang". "The man" contains two unabridged books: "Martin Eden" and "John Barleycorn" revealing the man himself as self-educated socialist, political analyst, adventurer, family man and artist. "The sea" concludes this collection, with15 tales of energy and passion, including the novel "The sea wolf". TB 10918.

MacLaverty, Bernard

Secrets, and other stories. 1984. Read by Margaret D'Arcy, 4 hours 46 minutes. TB 5642.

Fifteen short stories which are full of the contradictions of everyday life in Ireland. In subject they range from farce to tragedy, from the embarrassment of a child to the preoccupations of an adult with love and sex. Unsuitable for family reading. TB 5642.

Maugham, W Somerset

The complete short stories. 1951. Read by Andrew Timothy, 23 hours. TB 2165.

The author's own arrangement of the collection. TB 2165.

Narayan, R K

Under the banyan tree and other stories. 1985. Read by Garard Green, 7 hours 45 minutes. TB 6424.

28 new stories in the rich and colourful heritage of the author's fictional city in South India, Malgudi; the characters, as ever, are drawn with a wry and compassionate eye and come from every area of Indian society - merchants, beggars, herdsmen, hermits, teachers and rogues and represent in miniature a wealth of human experience. TB 6424.

O'Faolain, Sean

The collected short stories of Sean O'Faolain. 1980. Read by Kate Binchy, 16 hours 12 minutes. TB 4107.

Thirty four stories comprising all the author's earliest works, concerning the Irish troubles, the Irish character and Irish Catholicism. TB 4107.

Pilcher, Rosamunde

Flowers in the rain and other stories. 1991. Read by Fleur Chandler, 9 hours 8 minutes. TB 9482.

Lavinia returns to Scotland where Mrs Farquhar is dying, and remembers her childhood holidays. Most of all she remembers Mrs Farquhar's grandson, Rory, and meets him once again at the old lady's bedside. "Flowers in the Rain" is one of sixteen stories giving a magical glimpse of a world in which most people would prefer to live all the time. TB 9482.

Poe, Edgar Allan

Tales of mystery and imagination. 1842. Read by David Bauer, 9 hours. TB 1529.

Ten of Poe's best mysteries, including 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' and 'The Pit Pendulum'. TB 1529.

Read, Miss

Tales from a village school. 1994. Read by Gretel Davis, 4 hours 18 minutes. TB 10449.

Forty delightful stories about life as a village school teacher. The author captures the scenes of village school life with humorous understanding and a love of nature. TB 10449.

Rendell, Ruth

The fallen curtain, and other stories. 1976. Read by Peter Gray, 7 hours 15 minutes. TB 3156.

A collection of mystery stories with a strong atmosphere of unease and suspense. TB 3156.

Richards, Alun

The former Miss Merthyr Tydfil: stories. 1976. Read by Andrew Timothy, 6 hours 13 minutes. TB 3019.

A parade of characters from Wales, including the former Miss Merthyr Tydfill, the beauty queen who might have been. Unsuitable for family reading. TB 3019.

Saki

The best of Saki (H H Munro). 1976. Read by Alistair Maydon, 9 hours 51 minutes. TB 10244.

No writer has combined laughter with savagery more devastatingly than Saki. Though he died over 60 years ago, the blackness of his comedy is contemporary and his wit has lost none of its freshness and sparkle. At Edwardian tea tables, his elegant characters defend themselves against a malignant Nature waiting to kill and maim. As Tom Sharpe says "Step out through the French windows and you are in the realms of Pan". TB 10244.

Scott, Walter

The Highland widow and other stories. Read by various narrators, 4 hours 1 minute. TB 8981.

Poet, novelist, biographer, editor, translator, critic and antiquary, Scott was one of the great formative forces of modern literature and "practically created" the historical novel. Although often overshadowed by the novels the three short works in this collection are among his finest achievements. Dealing with some of his favourite themes - historical change, language, the supernatural and the contrast between Highlander and Lowlander - they also provide a valuable introduction to his longer works. TB 8981.

Somerville, E O

The Irish R M complete. 1928. Read by Robin Holmes, 23 hours 9 minutes. TB 1719.

Thirty-four tales of Irish life, some humorous, some tragic, recounted by an Irish resident Magistrate at the turn of the century. TB 1719.

Steinbeck, Thomas

Down to a soundless sea. 2003. Read by Jeff Harding, 9 hours 27 minutes. TB 13437.

Thomas Steinbeck now follows in his father's footsteps with a story collection. Down to a Soundless Sea resonates with the history and culture of California, recalling vivid details of life in Monterey County from the turn of the century through the 1930s. TB 13437.

Stevenson, Robert Louis

The selected short stories of Robert Louis Stevenson. 1980. Read by Christopher Saul, 13 hours 48 minutes. TB 4164.

This selection gives an insight into life in Scotland and South Seas of times past and present. TB 4164.

Theroux, Paul

World's end and other stories. 1980. Read by David Strong, 7 hours 41 minutes. TB 3906.

Short stories, set in many countries, mostly about people struggling against odds in new circumstances. TB 3906.

Thomas, Dylan

The collected stories. 1983. Read by Christopher Scott, 15 hours 39 minutes, TB 4810.

The stories range from dark, surrealistic tales of Thomas' youth, originally rejected for their 'obscenity', to rumbustious celebrations of life as in 'A Child's Christmas in Wales.' Also included are stories first written for radio and television. TB 4810.

Trollope, Anthony

The collected shorter fiction. 1992. Read by Robert Gladwell, 64 hours 40 minutes. TB 9865.

Trollope's shorter fiction is a collection of minor masterpieces, literary entertainments and curiosities, many of which have been unavailable since the initial magazine publication until now. Themes include travel, with stories based in America, India, France and Egypt, courtship and love, and Gothic tales of the psychologically disturbed. Nathaniel Hawthorne likened this work to "life in a glass case, with all its inhabitants going about their daily business and not suspecting they were being made a show of". TB 9865.

Tully, Mark

The heart of India. 1995. Read by David Banks, 9 hours 3 minutes. TB 11088.

A collection of stories and moral fables set in Uttar Pradesh, India. Contains strong language. TB 11088.

Tuohy, Frank

Fingers in the door, and other stories. 1970. Read by Anthony Parker, 4 hours 52 minutes. TB 1404.

Short stories, all concerned with England and forming a short history of our times from the 1930s to the present day. Unsuitable for family reading. TB 1404.

Ustinov, Peter

Add a dash of pity: short stories. 1993. Read by Michael Tudor Barnes, 6 hours 56 minutes. TB 9996.

Eight of the master storyteller's finest pieces. TB 9996.

Walker, Alice

The complete stories. 1994. Read by Claire Perkins, 9 hours 32 minutes. TB 11931.

A collection of stories written over three decades and gleaned from the author's experiences as a child and young adult in America's Deep South, her life as an activist, lover, mother, teacher, wife and friend. This book is divided into two collections: the first 'In love and trouble' is concerned with the lives of women who barely realise they have a place in the world; and the second 'You can't keep a good woman down' is filled with women who are finding or have found where they belong. Contains strong language. TB 11931.

Weldon, Fay

Watching me, watching you: a collection of short stories. 1982. Read by Pauline Munro, 6 hours 51 minutes. TB 7541.

Fay Weldon's perception plunges straight to the heart of the modern female condition, and these eleven stories powerfully describe the hidden, innermost feelings and emotions of today's woman. A sharply observed distillation of our life and times. TB 7541.

Williamson, Henry

Collected nature stories. 1970. Read by Anthony Parker, 22 hours 19 minutes. TB 1400.

Short stories from three previous collections, showing the author's remarkable attunement to the English countryside and wildlife. The peregrine's saga and other wild tales. TB 1400.

Wodehouse, Pelham Grenville

Jeeves takes charge: and other stories. 1990. Read by Alistair Maydon, 6 hours 14 minutes. TB 8226.

A collection of 13 short stories which have Wooster entangled in some jolly awkward situations. From almost being forced to tie the knot, dog-sitting for Aunt Agatha's disappearing hound, and almost surrendering his shirt on the Egg and Spoon at Twing village races. And in all of them it is Jeeves who contrives to put the finishing touches to the schemes that test the Wooster soul. TB 8226.

Woolf, Virginia

A haunted house and other short stories. 1944. Read by Helen Bourne, 5 hours 53 minutes. TB 8855.

Virginia Woolf published only one volume of short stories during her lifetime - "Monday or Tuesday". Shortly before her death, she decided to prepare a collected volume, to include most of the stories published in magazines and unpublished work. In "A Haunted House", Leonard Woolf attempted to carry out her intention. TB 8855.

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