Always a candidate for the title of “The Great American Novel,” F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby will be our next podcast mini-series for March. This novel has made it into the canon of required reading for many American high schools for its richness...
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The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Burglar
Arsène Lupin is a Master of Disguise, Art Aficionado, Antique Expert, Gentleman and Burglar. He also mops the floor with Sherlock Holmes from time to time. Created by Maurice Leblanc, Lupin was inspired by several other similar fictional characters of his day who...
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Sherlock Holmes!
During the month of November, we have all been enjoying stories from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These are the first three stories in the series, Silver Blaze, The Yellow Face, and The Stockbroker's Clerk. B.J. knew we hadn't had...
The Cask of Amontillado, by Edgar Allan Poe
What better way to cap a Halloween Scare Fest than with a strange murder confession from Edgar Allan Poe, as B.J. Harrison brings us "The Cask of Amontillado," a tale of murder by wine. Or rather, the promise of wine. As you may remember, this was the first story B.J....
The Squaw, by Bram Stoker
B.J. Harrison and The Classic Tales continue the Halloween Fright Extravaganza this week with a Bram Stoker's short story called "The Squaw." B.J. found this story when he picked up a book of short stories on a recent trip to the Shakespearean Festival with his...
The House Among the Laurels, by William Hope Hodgson
Friday's latest installment of Fear in The Classic Tales was William Hope Hodgson's "The House Among the Laurels." This story is part a chapter from a larger book called Carnacki. Carnacki is also the name of the lead character, a ghost hunter. In this story, our...
Casting the Runes, by M.R. James
English writer M.R. James broke the mold of the Gothic ghost story by making the settings and devices much more realistic. The stories took place in small villages, and there was often an item of ancient power (often a book) that set the story rolling. This use of...
The Furnished Room, by O. Henry
This week, B.J. and The Classic Tales Podcast continue its run of scary to terrifying stories in honor of Halloween with O. Henry's "The Furnished Room." It is a dark story of search and suicide. His stories are known mostly for the plot twists, which work great in...
The Call of the Wild, by Jack London
This week, we embark on a five week journey with Buck, a St. Bernard Scotch-Collie who begins life as a happy pet and through bad luck and careless men, ends up as an Alaskan sled dog. This is one of Jack London's most beloved books, The Call of the Wild. London...
The Masque of the Red Death, by Edgar Allan Poe
This week, B.J. Harrison and The Classic Tales bring back Edgar Allan Poe with the incredibly disturbing Gothic Tale of "The Masque of the Red Death." May I suggest you listen to this during a sunny walk outside, just to balance even a modicum of darkness in the...
David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens
David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens. This book was released as a full novel in 1850, after being published serially the two previous years. The actual title of the book is, The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the...
The Stolen White Elephant, by Mark Twain
Cover from the first edition High time we lampoon detectives the world over with "The Stolen White Elephant," by Mark Twain! This story was written in 1882, a time when detective stories were all the rage (think Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue"). ...