Books in BBC Radio Presents series

Read by Alan Bennett2 hours 30 minutes, 2 cassettesIn another amazing adventure, Doctor Dolittle sets sail on the high seas accompanied by nine-and-a-half-year-old Tommy Stubbins.They head towards the mysterious Spider Monkey Island which promises magic and adventure for Tommy, and the chance for Dolittle to study the very rare jabizri beetle. But the island holds a deeper secret. It is the place where the great Indian naturalist, Long Arrow has mysteriously disappeared and the Doctor is desperate to track him down to speak about the natural world they both love.

Alice in Wonderland is a classic of children's literature, and is beloved by listeners of all ages. So, too, is Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll's companion volume to Alice. Join Alice in her adventures from her fall down the rabbit hole to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, The Queen's croquet match and the trial of the Knave of Hearts. Listen as Tweedledee and Tweedledum resolve to have a battle and Humpty Dumpty explains the Jabberwocky. All of Carroll's famous characters come magically to life in this stellar double production from the BBC.

With a cast of characters that covers the whole spectrum of London life, from the grotesque nouveax riches Veneerings to the poverty-stricken Betty Higden, Dickens weaves a tapestry of tales that are by turns funny, moving the and tragic. It is both a powerful satire on the corrupting power of wealth and a richly comic vision of the great city of Dickens' time.Originally produced for BBC broadcast by the world's most talented creators of radio entertainment, this audio presentation of Dicken's last completed novel is brought magically to life. Wtih a full cast and stirring music, Our Mutual Friend is an extraordinary dramatization listeners won't soon forget.

In his most haunting and powerful novel, Charles Dickens captured the hearts of a nation with Little Nell and the poignant story of her "tragedy of sorrows." Hounded by poverty from their home, Nell is uprooted from a secure and pleasant childhood and cast into a world where evil takes many shapes. Pursued by the lecherous and malignant Quilp, the young innocent and her elderly grandfather embark on a journey from the dark heart of the city to the countryside in search of the peace and tranquility that is destined to elude them.The Old Curiosity Shop is a story of contrasts: youth and old age, beauty and deformity, freedom and restraint. Expansively comic, sentimentally tragic, it is sometimes fairytale and sometimes myth. Now, in this exclusive BBC presentation, Charles Dickens' haunted characters are brought brilliantly to life in a production that is dream-like and sentimental.Produced by the world's foremost creators of radio entertainment, The Old Curiosity Shop illustrates the Victorian world at its most bleak, yet manages to do so with a heart-warming vitality that listeners won't soon forget.

A children's classic comes to life in an enchanting dramatization narrated by Alan Bennett. Enter the world of the great river and meet the marvelousriverbank animals: the poetic Rat, his friend Mole, and the boastful Toad, as they voyage down the river and into the Wild Wood to great adventures! Thisexclusive BBC production features a full cast, authentic sound effects and sweeping music to warm hearts young and old.

For over a century, the unforgettable tale of the adventures of Mowgli, the fearless man-cub, has delighted both children and adults, Filled with excitement, this superbly adapted radio dramatization from the BBC -- world renowned for their excellence in radio programming -- will captivate listeners of all ages, sweeping them deep into the jungles of India with a full cast featuring the richly feline voice of Eartha Kitt, as well as a stirring musical score, and authentic jungle sound effects.The Jungle BookRaised by wolves, young Mowgli is taught the law of the jungle by his animal friends: old Baloo the wise brown bear, and Bagheera, the sleek, black Panther.Slowly, Mowgli learns the language and ways of the jungle animals and his childhood seems quite idyllic. But looming in the darkness of the jungle is the cunning and sinister tiger, Shere Khan, who silently watches Mowgli, awaiting his moment to pounce. Marvelous and magical, this lush production of Kipling's enduring classic will enthrall every listener whether they're listening for the first or the fiftieth time.

What secrets lie behind the doors at Misselthwaite manor? Recently arrived at her uncle's estate, orphaned mary Lennox is spoiled, sickly, and certain she won't enjoy living there. Then she discovers the arched doorway into an overgrown garden, shut up since the death of her aunt ten years earlier. Mary soon begins transforming it into a thing of beauty--unaware that she is changing too.But Missalthwaite hides another secret, as Mary discovers one night. High in a dark room, away from the rest of the house, lies her young cousin Colin, who believes he is an incurable invalid, destined to die young. His tantrums are so frightful, no one can reason with him. If only, Mary hopes, she can get Colin to love the secret garden as much as she does, its magic wil work wonders on him.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Agatha Christie's genius for detective fiction is unparalleled. Her worldwide popularity is phenomenal, her characters engaging, her plots spellbinding. No one knows the human heart--or the dark passions that can stop it--better than Agatha Christie. She is truly the one and only Queen of Crime.Amy Leatheram has never felt the lure of the mysterious East, but when she travels to an ancient site deep in the Iraqi desert to nurse the wife of a celebrated archaeologist, events prove stranger than she could ever have imagined. Her patient's bizarre visions and nervous terror seem unfounded, but as the oppressive tension in the air thickens, events come to a terrible climax--in murder.With one spot of blood as his only clue, Hercule Poirot must embark on a journey not just across the desert, but into the darkest crevices of the human soul to unravel a mystery which taxes even his remarkable powers. This gripping dramatization from the BBC features John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot heading a distinguished cast.

Britain's brilliant detective is back, in this final installment in the continuation of the classic collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. Using his extraordinary powers of deduction, Holmes gets to the bottom of four more baffling cases, and brings Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's timeless mysteries to life in a vivid dramatization from BBC Radio, complete with a full cast, a marvelous musical score and sound effects.The Return of Sherlock Holmes Volume 3In the tale of The Three Students, which Watson himself refers to as a "small but instructive adventure," Holmes's task is to determine which of three possible suspects has cheated in order to win the coveted Fortescue Scholarship. In The Golden Pince-Nez, a professor's secretary is found murdered, and the key piece of evidence -- a pair of eyeglasses -- is discovered clutched in the victim's hand. The Missing Three-Quarter takes Holmes and Watson to Cambridge, where the university's star rugby player had disappeared just prior to a crucial match. And The Abbey Grange is full of emotional intrigue when Watson finds himself captivated by a beautiful woman whose husband is found dead.