Cecilia de Noel [by Mary Elizabeth Hawker]

Cecilia de Noel is an original and cleverly told ghost story, published in 1891. The story is told, Rashomon-like, from six different viewpoints.

Read by David Wales


link to the free audiobook
Cecilia de Noel [by Mary Elizabeth Hawker]

Varney the Vampyre Volume 1 [by Thomas Preskett Prest]

Originally published as a penny dreadful from 1845 until 1847, when it first appeared in book form, Varney the Vampyre is a forerunner to vampire stories such as Dracula, which it heavily influenced.


Flora Bannersworth is attacked in her own room in the middle of the night, and although her attacker is seemingly shot dead, the body is nowhere to be found. The discovery of two small bite marks on Flora’s neck leads Mr Marchdale, an old friend of the family, to the conclusion that she was bitten by a vampire. While Flora recovers, her brother Henry and Mr Marchdale begin their hunt for the vampire. Their suspicions soon fall on the mysterious Sir Francis Varney, who has just bought an old abbey near Bannersworth Hall, and who bears an uncanny resemblance to Marmaduke Bannersworth, a long-dead ancestor of the family.

link to the free audiobook

Varney the Vampyre Volume 1 [by Thomas Preskett Prest]

The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Raven Edition, Volume 2 [by Edgar Allan Poe]

Monday, January 19, 2009 marked Edgar Allan Poe's 200th birthday. Though these tales need no introduction, the rationale for starting with volume two is threefold: many of the best-loved (and best) tales are included, the vast majority run from 15 to 30 minutes, and the other volumes can then be recorded without repetition, if there is interest in doing so.

link to the free audiobook

The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Raven Edition, Volume 2 [by Edgar Allan Poe]