Showing results by narrator "Katie Haigh" in All Categories

"The Odyssey" is the story of the Greek hero Odysseus, or Ulysses, who began a journey home after the fall of Troy. It will take him ten years of marvelous and terrible encounters before he finally reaches his native city, where everyone assumed he was dead. There will he find his wife Penelope, famously weaving and unweaving a never-ending tapestry while obnoxious suitors are competing for her hand. Once again, Odysseus will have to outsmart his opponents in order to be reunited with his family.

The beautiful Sheherazade, threatened with death, manages to postpone the fatal day by telling one marvellous story every night. The stories themselves are folk tales, fairy tales and poems collected over many centuries, from ancient and medieval Arabic, Persian, Mesopotamian, Indian, and Egyptian folklore and literature. This makes The Arabian Nights a priceless treasure, as it takes us to the very roots of our culture in a delightful and passionate way...

Alexander II was Emperor of Russia from 2 March 1855 until his assassination on 13 March 1881. He is remembered as Alexander the Liberator, as he led the emancipation of Russia's serfs; during his reign, he kept seeking peace, although the context of the surrounding countries was proving more and more difficult. Although he went down in history as a reformer, his actions were too little too late for the revolutionaries of late imperial Russia, who managed to assassinate him in 1881.

Beatrix Potter is the world-renowned author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", a cautionary tale told in such a charming and lively way that it soon became a nursery classic and is now one of the most widely read books of all time. Beatrix Potter's efficient and simple writing is a delight for children and grown-ups alike. This album is a compilation of her best tales, recorded by Katie Haigh.

Shakespeare is regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's best dramatist. His plays have been translated into every major language, and are the most performed ever. His work contains stunningly modern insight, witty jokes and soaring passion; it is an endless source of amazement and inspiration.

Classic tales and stories are an fundamental part of children's development, as they awaken imagination and bring essential teachings. These stories inspire children through important archetypes and symbolic imagery; they will bring them into a journey in fantastic worlds, full of possibilities and wonders. This specially designed compilation includes classic folk tales, famous stories by Hans Christian Andersen and fairy tales.

Understand a crucial part of the history of French monarchy, with this collection of portraits of some of the most spectacular rulers of France. This catalog lists the kings named Louis, from Louis XIII the Just who stood up against political intrigues, to Louis XVIII who reigned during the Restauration of the French Monarchy after the fall of Emperor Napoleon. For each one of these Kings, you will find a detailed description of the style of his reign and his political achievements.

"Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale, the best known of the "Jack Tales", a series of stories featuring an archetypal English hero. According to scholarly research, this particular tale takes its roots in ancient stories told more than 5000 years ago, in which a boy steals an ogre's treasure. In this tale, Jack is a poor boy sent by his mother to the market to sell their dairy cow. He encounters a bean dealer who sells him magic beans.

"Goldilocks and the three bears" is a family-friendly variation of an old tale in which a woman enter the house of three bears, eats their food, sits on their chair, and sleeps in their bed. This very old nursery tale is one of the most popular stories in the English language. It suggests the importance of respecting property and the consequences of just 'trying out' things that do not belong to you. As such, it will spark important interrogations from children: was Goldilocks right to come into the house? Were the bears really scary, or just helpless victims? What would have been the best thing to do?

Young children live in an information-packed environment, and have yet to master their emotions and resist stress. Relaxation and simple meditation techniques have been proven to help them manage pressure, increase focus and concentrate. These simple relaxation exercises will introduce them to breathing techniques and mindfulness; these are the same self-calming techniques adults can learn, but presented in a soothing format appealing to children. Regular practice will improve their concentration skills, help them build self-esteem and fall asleep quickly and peacefully: a great help for everyday living at home and in the classroom.

Nietzsche is a major figure in Western philosophy. His work is radical, sometimes violent, often ironic; it fascinates anyone bold enough to delve into it, exerted a profound influence on modern intellectual history, and covers a wide range of subjects. Nietzsche's writings borders on the poetic; his aphorisms are particularly well-known for conveying all the radicalism of his thinking in an intense but light, sometimes amusing manner.

Composed by an unknown author in early thirteenth-century France, The Quest of the Holy Grail is a fusion of Arthurian legend and Christian symbolism, reinterpreting ancient Celtic myth as a profound spiritual fable. It recounts the quest of the knights of Camelot - the simple Perceval, the thoughtful Bors, the rash Gawain, the weak Lancelot and the saintly Galahad - as they journey through danger and temptation to reach the elusive Holy Grail.

"Herodias" is a short story by Gustave Flaubert, one of the great masters of French literature. It is a reworking of the tale of Salomé and John the Baptist, in which faith and cruelty are blended in a deadly dance culminating in tragedy. A stylistic masterpiece, with orientalist sensuality and an inspired dive into religious fervor, this short story brings the ancient era to the most colorful possible life.

"The Merchant of Venice" is a 16th-century play by William Shakespeare in which a merchant in Venice must default on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender. It has been listed among Shakespeare's greatest comedies, although its tone is often dramatic. This is a detailed summary of the play, written in today's language, for all willing to acquire a greater understanding of Shakespeare's work and widen their culture.

The Renaissance was a time of tremendous intellectual activity, with breakthroughs in science, arts and philosophy. Discover its immense creativity through three of its greatest thinkers, the French philosopher Michel de Montaigne, the English scientist Sir Francis Bacon, and the Italian political thinker Niccolò Machiavelli. Montaigne is known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre; his style merges casual anecdotes and autobiography with deep intellectual insights.

Socrates is an enigmatic figure, known chiefly through the accounts of others like Plato and Aristophanes. He was one of the most brilliant intellects ever, and devised what would later be called the Socratic method, which is a way of leading one's interlocutor to see his errors and contradictions through clever questioning before leading him to the truth. In ancient Athens, Socrates was widely known as a "gadfly", that is, an annoying insect buzzing at people's ears, because he kept questioning prejudices and contradictions; he was eventually tried and executed for "corrupting the minds of the youth".

Beauty and the Beast (French: La Belle et la Bête) is a very famous traditional fairy tale written by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. A wealthy widowed merchant lives in a mansion with his three daughters. All are equal in beauty, but the youngest, Beauty, is kind and pure of heart; while the two elders, in contrast, are wicked, selfish, vain and secretly taunt and treat Beauty more like a servant than a sister. The merchant eventually loses all of his wealth in a tempest at sea. One day, the merchant becomes lost in a forest. Seeking shelter, he enters a dazzling palace.

Stress, tension and anxiety take their toll through premature aging and various health problems while making us miss out on all the positive life is offering every day. To relax and get free of tension in a fast-paced society, you will need simple and efficient techniques, easy to learn and quick to apply. These ten simple exercises are designed to provide you with a range of proven techniques to help you achieve relaxation in a simple way.

Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness known to enhance capacities. It is used for a wide range of therapeutic purposes, including the reduction of pain, healing, treatment of addictions, or weight loss; it is also a way to facilitate relaxation. This audiobook describes five different methods to induce hypnosis, be it for entertainment or therapeutic purposes: a description of Dr. Cocke's method, another of Dr. Flint's method; the French method at Paris and Nancy, and the Hindoo Silent method; lastly, a much-needed method to wake a subject from hypnotic sleep.

Voltaire was a French writer famous for his wit and irony. They were his tools for launching vitriolic attacks on the established Catholic church, the adversaries of freedom of religion and expression, and on separation of church and state. His prolific writing took almost every possible literary form: plays, novels, essays, but also poems, historical and scientific works.