Books published by publisher NAXOS AUDIOBOOKS

H. E. Marshall’s classic children’s chronicle of Britain, Our Island Story, includes all the best-loved (and most infamous!) stories from history: King Alfred and the cakes, King John and the Magna Carta, Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar, Queen Elizabeth and the Spanish Armada, and many others. This recording contains the complete and unabridged text, released previously in separate volumes. It is read with aplomb by Anna Bentinck and Daniel Philpott.

The lives and music of the great composers of classical music unfold in this entertaining account, introduced by the conductor and musical personality Marin Alsop. In 1200 years, classical music grew from the chanting of medieval monks through the symphonies of Beethoven and the grand operas of Wagner to the huge orchestral sound-world of the 21st century, with its electronics and its film music. In her easy-going style, Marin Alsop paints vivid portraits of over 90 composers, each one illustrated with some of his, or her, most famous music.

Arabian Sands is Wilfred Thesiger's stunning account of five years spent crossing the Arabian Peninsula by foot and on camels, with nomadic Bedouin tribesmen as guides. Travelling between 1945 and 1950, the British explorer treks through Yemen, the Empty Quarter, Oman, and parts of the then Trucial States, crossing and re-crossing around 250,000 miles of this most inhospitable terrain. He was the first European ever to set eyes on the dunes and wadis of these deserts. Faced with constant challenges and trials beneath the punishing sun, his journey is also spiritual and enriching, as it requires the utmost courage, patience, generosity, and humor. In clear and evocative prose, Thesiger documents a journey of unimaginable hardship and startling beauty, as well as a time, place, and people on the cusp of change.

The 200th anniversary of the birth of Alfred, Lord Tennyson (18091892), one of the most popular of poets, is celebrated in 2009. Works such as The Charge of the Light Brigade, Crossing the Bar and Tears, idle tears have made him an internationally famous figure, and the second most quoted writer of all time (after Shakespeare). Tennysons poetic works encompass a great range of styles, settings and personae, and are known for their emotional resonance and powerful imagery. Naxos AudioBookss popular The Great Poets series marks the anniversary with a CD bringing together all the key works, read by veteran reader Michael Pennington.

Exceptionally popular since its publication in 1719, Robinson Crusoe is widely regarded as the first English novel. Our eponymous hero finds himself shipwrecked on an African desert island after a tumultuous storm, and following the realization that he is the only survivor, is faced with the prospect of years of isolation. However, he throws his energy into familiarizing himself with his new habitat: he hunts, learns how to make pottery and even adopts a parrot. And after encountering a group of cannibals, Robinson Crusoe finally finds a companion. A thrilling adventure for younger listeners, made thoroughly accessible through Roy McMillan's retelling of Defoe's text, simplifying and clarifying it at certain points.

The story of the life of Jesus of Nazareth is told in the first four books of the New Testament of the Bible: the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The word "gospel" comes from old English, and means the "good story". The Gospels portray Jesus as both a healer and a teacher. They describe him performing miracles and they tell his words. The men who wrote these books believed that Jesus was the Messiah: the great leader promised in the ancient Jewish prophesies of the Old Testament. They said that he was the Son of God, that he died on the cross to redeem the sins of mankind, and that he rose from the dead after his crucifixion. Today Jesus' message of love and forgiveness, and the drama of his life, continues to inspire people to find new ways in which to tell the "good story".

A psychological thriller before its time, James Hogg’s Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, published in 1824, takes us back to the world of 18th-century Scotland, into a mind haunted by religious obsession, and driven to commit murder. The events are told from several different viewpoints, so that truth and reality appear to dissolve in this disturbing story of the dark legacy of Calvinist doctrine, and how it led one man to madness. Misunderstood and neglected for more than a century, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner is now regarded as a classic of the supernatural, comparable with Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, or Dracula.

Illness, disease and injury prompted the development of medicine from the earliest days of mankind: useful herbs, methods for treating wounds and even setting bones were passed down the generations by word of mouth. With the growth of civilization came more scientific methods, generally discovered by significant individuals. This informative and entertaining audiobook presents the major figures in the history of medicine, from Hippocrates in Ancient Greece to the Roman doctor Galen and the medieval abbess Hildegard of Bingen. It also explores the Arabs Ibn Sina and Al-Razi and the start of major anatomical investigations during the Renaissance by Andreas Vesalius. The furtherance of medical knowledge grew quickly from that point with William Harvey (the circulation of the blood) and Edward Jenner (inoculation); there was growing awareness of the importance of cleanliness to prevent infection, and the discovery of penicillin and DNA was soon made. This is one of the most fascinating stories in human history and, as this audiobook shows, one of the most varied - and exciting.

The Wouldbegoods, a sequel to The Treasure Seekers, reacquaints us with the six Bastable children: Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noël, and H.O. Again, the story is told by you-may-not-know-who, and the children find all sorts of ways in which to amuse themselves in the country during the summer holidays."Children are like jam," says the Indian uncle, "all very well in the proper place, but you can't stand them all over the shop - eh, what?" Well, the children do their best, but they do get themselves into trouble, right from the beginning, when their latest brainwave is to create a jungle in the garden.

Nearly 150 years since his poetry was first published, Lear's nonsense rhymes are still popular today. In this lively and colorful audiobook recording, Derek Jacobi reads Lear's most famous poems and most fantastic creations, including "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat", "The Daddy Long-Legs and the Fly", "The Jumblies", "The Dong with the Luminous Nose", and a collection of assorted limericks. Lear's poems gave the clear message that it's interesting, funny, and okay to be different, and that message is just as relevant now as it was in Lear's own day.