Books published by publisher CAEDMON

"It came with a rush; not as a rush of water nor of wind; but of a sudden evil-smelling emptiness. . ." A flamboyant, hard-drinking, ruthless, and womanizing world adventurer comes face-to-face with the one antagonist he cannot conquer: his own ignoble and imminent death. . . .Written in 1938, The Snows of Kilimanjaro is a classic distillation of the themes Ernest Hemingway obsessively explored throughout his writing career. When Harry, the central character, goes on safari to "work the fat off his mind," his ambitions are cut short when a terrible accident leaves him facing his ultimate death and weighing the meaning of his life. Hemingway's brilliant prose is given a penetrating and moving reading by Charlton Heston in an audio that only deepens in meaning with each listening.

Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes 'unstuck in time' after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden. Slaughterhouse-Five is not only Vonnegut's most powerful book, it is also as important as any written since 1945. Like Catch-22, it fashions the author's experiences in the Second World War into an eloquent and deeply funny plea against butchery in the service of authority. Slaughterhouse-Five boasts the same imagination, humanity, and gleeful appreciation of the absurd found in Vonnegut's other works, but the book's basis in rock-hard, tragic fact gives it unique poignancy -- and humor.

Ernest Hemingway took great pride in using an economy of carefully measured words and tightly wrought phrases in his writing. Nominated for Grammy, this recording of The Old Man and Sea is perfect example of Hemingway's precision and is read here in its entirety by Oscar-winning actor Charlton Heston. A novella, The Old Man and Sea tells the story of an old fisherman, Santiago, and his long lusty struggle isn't so much over one fish, but the act of living--living fully, actively, robustly. Charlton Heston is marvelous in this recording with his voice adding a quality and texture to Hemingway's words that will engage listeners completely.

A pair of star-cross'd lovers -PrologueRomeo and Juliet was Shakespeare's first great tragedy, a richly lyrical love story that has long been one of the author's most popular plays for performer and audience alike. Romeo and Juliet is a simple but dramatic cautionary tale about the blindness that both love and hate can engender. As performed by Claire Bloom and Albert Finney, this lively production captures the youthful exuberance and poetic passion that characterize all of Shakespeare's early work and makes Romeo and Juliet in particular the greatest romantic creation in English Literature.This unabridged, full-cast recording is a wonderful way to experience and listen to Shakespeare out-loud.