NLS: Talking Book Topics

by Jonathan D. Spence

read by Bill Wallace

2 cassettes

Based on a series of lectures presented at Yale, a survey of China's influence on the West from 1253 to the 1980s. Citing diplomatic reports, letters, plays, films, poetry, and novels, Spence argues that the Western view of China has been shaped by the observations of outsiders rather than the words of the Chinese people themselves. 1998.

edited by Jay Parini

read by MaryBeth Wise

6 cassettes

Presents more than sixty American autobiographies and memoirs from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries. Includes Mary Rowlandson's account of being captured by Indians, Frederick Douglass's narrative of his life as a slave, and Mark Twain's recollection of his childhood on the Mississippi. For senior high and older readers. 1999.

by Daniel Stashower

read by Corrie James

4 cassettes

Biography of the doctor, athlete, traveler, writer, and spiritualist best known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in 1886. Describes Doyle's frustration with the popularity of his character, Holmes, and Doyle's lifelong study of the occult, which damaged his reputation. 1999.

by Jeaneane Fowler and others

read by Margaret Strom

5 cassettes

Five British professors outline the tenets, rites, and traditions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism, emphasizing the view that these religions are relevant to life in the late twentieth century. Summarizes basic information to enable believers and nonbelievers to engage in conversation about the spiritual realm. For senior high and older readers. 1997.

by Max Rodenbeck

read by Ted Stoddard

3 cassettes

A correspondent for the Economist and longtime resident of Cairo presents the city's history, inhabitants, and social life, mingled with personal observations. Discusses Cairo's geographic importance, the prevailing influence of Islam, and the pull of Western materialism. Portrays past elegance in contrast to twentieth-century problems. 1998.

by Michael Hawkins

read by Terence Aselford

2 cassettes

British astronomer expounds his theory that "quasars, black holes, and big-bang cosmology unite to identify and describe the nature of the universe's missing mass." Discusses the great cosmological debates of the twentieth century and examines the conflict between rationalist and empirical approaches to science. 1997.

by Joann Woy

read by Margaret Strom

2 cassettes

Advises gardeners with special needs on ideas, tools, and methods. Topics include garden design and layout, raised beds, container and tabletop gardening, easy composting, watering, lawn care, and accessories to facilitate physical tasks. An appendix lists sources of tools, supplies, and information. 1997.

by Michael Karpin and Ina Friedman

read by Bill Wallace

3 cassettes

Examines the events that culminated in the assassination of Israel's prime minister in 1995. Includes an interview with Yigal Amir, the Jewish zealot who shot Rabin. Studies the factions in Israeli society that foment political dissension and the foreign support for these movements. 1998.

by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn

read by Ken Kliban

5 cassettes (Reissue)

These final sections document the rebellion in the camps, especially after Stalin's death; the subsequent brutal quelling of disorders; and the inability of the Russian government to admit past mistakes. Conveys Solzhenitsyn's conclusions about the Russian penal system. Sequel to The Gulag...Volume 2, Parts 3-4 (RC 49270). 1978.

by Thomas Merton

read by Gordon Gould

4 cassettes

During 1966 and 1967, Merton moves from a period of monastic routine to an intense love affair with a student nurse, then back to the quiet life of contemplation. He discusses his emergence from the experience with a deeper understanding of love and a renewed commitment to his religious vocation. 1997.

by John Gribbin

read by Gillian Green

2 cassettes

An overview of modern science that explains our understanding of the universe. Encompasses atoms, chemistry, evolution, and the solar system, among other topics. Discusses how all of the sciences fit together and can be comprehensible to the average person. 1999.

by David Lindsay

read by Gary Roan

2 cassettes

An introduction to the world of inventors and their intriguing and often quirky creations. This collection of fifty articles covers pheromone deodorant, space elevators, a greenhouse helmet, Doppler radar, a toilet-seat lock, and many other products of human ingenuity. 1999.

by Carl Hiaasen

read by Len Mailloux

4 cassettes

Essays taken from the author's Miami Herald column written from 1985 through the 1990s. Hiaasen, whose latest crime fiction book was Lucky You (RC 45006), lambasts corruption and crime in his native south Florida. He criticizes overpopulation and development, pollution, and crooked politicians--all of which he has seen firsthand as an investigative reporter. 1999.

by Tim Page

read by Samarra Mbenga

3 cassettes

Presents personal facts and traces the career of the mid-twentieth-century American writer who is achieving posthumous success. Discusses her move at age twenty-one in 1918 to New York City where she became part of the literary scene. Describes her dedication to writing throughout the hardships of her adult years. 1998.

by Jan DeBlieu

read by Kristin Allison

2 cassettes

The author incorporates science, history, myth, religion, and her own personal experiences in describing the effects the wind has had on the earth and on humankind. Describes global wind systems, the results of windblown insects and seeds, catastrophic storms, pollution, and the destruction of forests. 1998.

by Thomas Keneally

read by Ralph Lowenstein

6 cassettes

A narrative history of the nineteenth-century Irish migrations to Australia and America. Depicts the plight of Ireland's emigrants through biographical accounts of the author's ancestors. Among them is Thomas Francis Meagher, who in 1849 was exiled to Australia but escaped to the United States to lead the Union's Irish Brigade at Antietam. 1998.

by Robert Zimmerman

read by Gary Telles

2 cassettes

Recounts the flight of Apollo 8, the first manned vehicle to venture beyond Earth's orbit. Provides personal biographies of the three astronauts and assesses their accomplishment in the context of the Cold War and the turbulent political events of 1968. 1998.

by Julia Cameron

read by Martha Harmon Pardee

3 cassettes

A step-by-step guide to a journey of spiritual healing and discovery of the creative potential, or "spiritual DNA," that resides in every person. Describes practical tools such as writing, singing, mask-making, and walking meditation to uncover deep-seated strengths and abilities. Companion to The Artist's Way (RC 41149). 1996.

edited by John Keegan

read by Bill Wallace

4 cassettes

Military historian compiles twenty-five centuries of writings about conflicts dating from the ancient Greeks to the 1990 Iraqi incursion into Kuwait. Includes an account of Caesar's invasion of Britain, the fall of Constantinople, the siege of Malta, the French withdrawal from Russia, and the Normandy Invasion, along with poetry and reminiscences. Violence. 1999.

by Ernst Cassirer

read by Bill Wallace

4 cassettes

Twentieth-century philosopher Cassirer portrays the life of Immanuel Kant and discusses his influence on Western thought over two centuries. Provides an interpretation of Kant's writings on the nature of knowledge. Explores his ideas about the role of experience, a priori understandings, and linguistic categories in human comprehension of the universe. 1981.

read by Robert Blumenfeld

16 cassettes

Practical guide to travel and tourism in eastern and western Europe. Contains information on planning a trip, including transportation to and within the continent. Provides specific recommendations concerning lodging, meals, and tourist attractions in each destination. 1999.

by Eleanor Roosevelt

read by Barbara Rappaport

4 cassettes

This is the third and final volume of select newspaper columns written by Eleanor Roosevelt during the last nine years of her life. She champions world peace through the United Nations, advocates civil rights by promoting desegregation, and supports Adlai Stevenson for president, among other topics. Sequel to Eleanor Roosevelt's My Day...1945-1952 (RC 32151). 1991.

by Michael Schmidt

read by George Holmes

9 cassettes in 2 containers

A history of English-language poetry from the 1300s to 1998, with emphasis on the twentieth century. Encompasses writers from the British Isles, the Caribbean, Australia, India, and North America, discussing their lives and works and the poets' influences on one another over time. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language. 1998.

by Luc Sante

read by Gary Telles

3 cassettes

Memoir of a Belgian-born American who describes various versions of his early years to dramatize the accidental nature of life. He also recounts his later return to Belgium to rediscover "things seen and smelled and tasted and endured in those few years before our clay hardens." 1998.

by Dean Smith

read by Jim Johnston

4 cassettes

Memoir of the award-winning college basketball coach. The son of a Kansas high school coach, Dean Smith played basketball for the University of Kansas before beginning his coaching career, which included a record-breaking thirty-six-year stint as head coach at the University of North Carolina. 1999.

by Sir Winston Churchill

read by Corrie James

4 cassettes

In this work, edited by his grandson, Churchill expounds on the history of his mother's country from its conception to the beginning of the twentieth century. Includes his later speeches and articles about the United States on such topics as California, the death of President Roosevelt, and NATO. 1999.

by Sigmund Freud

read by Clifford Carpenter

4 cassettes

Joyce Crick's new translation of Freud's first edition of his classic work written in 1899. Introductory material describes how Freud incorporated autobiography into his theoretical writing. Provides glimpses of daily life in late-nineteenth-century Vienna. Companion to James Strachey's earlier translation, On Dreams (RC 9451). 1999.

by Darlene Clark Hine and Kathleen Thompson

read by Robin Miles

3 cassettes

A chronology of diverse African American women's lives across the United States from colonial times to the late twentieth century. Uses first-person narratives, where available, to recall efforts to resist oppression, improve education, impart religious values, and assume leadership roles in the community and the nation. 1998.

by Theodore Roosevelt and Richard Bak

read by David Hartley-Margolin

2 cassettes

1899 memoir by future president Theodore Roosevelt of his experiences in Cuba during the Spanish-American War, first published in Scribner's magazine. Describes how he organized his unique regiment, which consisted of wealthy Ivy Leaguers, cowboys and Native Americans, and western scoundrels. Includes supplementary historical information. 1997.

by James B. Jacobs

read by Jake Williams

3 cassettes

An in-depth account of the impact of the Cosa Nostra on business, labor, and politics in New York City in the twentieth century. Describes mob infiltration of the garment, construction, and other major industries. Chronicles law enforcement initiatives since 1980 to drive the mob out of the metropolis. 1999.

by Edward W. Said

read by Ken Kliban

3 cassettes

Reminiscences of a Palestinian American's formative years--from his birth in 1935 until 1962, when he was completing his doctorate. Describes his youth as an exile and refugee, speaking Arabic at home and English at school. Said calls his memoir "an unofficial personal record of those tumultuous years in the Middle East." 1999.

by Boy Scouts of America

read by Ralph Lowenstein

1 cassette

Provides a variety of programs and activities for the scout leader in an effort to include young adults with disabilities in the Exploring program, which includes both men and women from ages fourteen through twenty. Companion to Scouting for the Physically Handicapped (RC 9429). 1994.

by Peter Irons

read by Robert Sams

6 cassettes

A thematic overview of landmark Supreme Court decisions that have shaped the meaning of the constitutional aim to secure "the blessings of liberty." Traces two hundred years of cases and controversies that involve such seminal issues as slavery, segregation, patriotic conformity, abortion, and gay rights. 1999.

by Dennis McDougal

read by Robert Sams

6 cassettes

Biography of one of Hollywood's most powerful moguls who joined the industry at the beginning of talking films and could singlehandedly make or break a career. Wasserman was also a confidant to other powerful people--politicians and businessmen as well as Mafia bosses--as the head of Universal Studios. Some strong language. 1998.

by Stephen Klaidman

read by Gregory Gorton

3 cassettes

This history of the treatment of coronary disease examines the intersections of medical practice, clinical science, technology, and entrepreneurship. Details the development of life-enhancing and sometimes life-extending treatments for the number-one killer. Introduces such men as Mason Sones, inventor of the coronary angiography, and Andreas Gruentzig, angioplasty pioneer. 2000.

by John N. Maclean

read by Jim Johnston

2 cassettes

An account of the 1994 forest fire on Colorado's Storm King Mountain, which claimed the lives of fourteen elite firefighters, including four women. Reconstructs the human errors that compounded the natural disaster, mistakes made during the investigations that followed, and lessons to be learned. Some strong language. 1999.

by Daniel Liebowitz

read by Peter Johnson

3 cassettes

Account of the life of Sir John Kirk, who accompanied explorer David Livingstone on his second expedition to Africa in 1858. Kirk, a physician and naturalist, sought to bring Christianity to the continent. Appalled by the slave trade, he later returned to Zanzibar to work towards its elimination. Some violence. 1999.

by James Bradley

read by Ted Stoddard

3 cassettes

Recounts the story of the six young marines who raised the flag at Iwo Jima during fierce combat on the obscure Japanese-held island in 1945. Author Bradley, the son of one of the soldiers, recreates his father's experiences as well as those of the five men who fought beside him. Bestseller 2000.

by Matt Ridley

read by Gregory Gorton

3 cassettes

As the mapping of the sixty to eighty thousand genes in the human genome comes to a close, the author examines an interesting gene on each of the twenty-three chromosomes. Discusses genes' roles in such things as intelligence, memory, and personality, and explains mutations that cause Huntington's chorea and other diseases. 1999.

by Jonetta Rose Barras

read by Dolores King-Williams

3 cassettes

Traces Marion Barry's youth in Mississippi, years at LeMoyne College, involvement in the civil rights movement, and career as mayor of Washington, D.C., for four nonconsecutive terms. Explores his popularity and charisma; recalls his arrest, imprisonment, and reelection; discusses his efforts to broaden social participation and interest in city government. 1998.

by Henry Wiencek

read by John Hammock

4 cassettes

Traces the lineage, legacy, and lives of both black and white members of the Hairston family from the American Revolution through the twentieth century. Recalls the importance of land ownership and inheritance in shaping attitudes toward marriage and kinship. Notes the acceptance between the two groups in the 1990s. 1999.

by Steve Rushin

read by Jim Johnston

2 cassettes

A writer from Sports Illustrated takes a year-long road trip across America, visiting halls of fame and stadiums while conversing with fans and athletes. Rushin's 23,000 miles of travel take him to Cooperstown, New York; Canton, Ohio; Iowa's Field of Dreams; and the hometowns of some famous heroes. Some strong language. 1998.

by Adrienne Fried Block

read by Margaret Strom

4 cassettes

Biography of the first American woman to succeed as a composer of both art song and large-scale vocal and instrumental works. Discusses the early recognition of her talent and the personal freedom she finally enjoyed on tours as a concert pianist after her husband's death in 1910. 1998.

by Richard Adams Carey

read by Michael Scherer

3 cassettes

In this portrait of New England's imperiled fishing industry, the author chronicles his year spent with four independent fishermen, observing and assisting them. Describes their arduous and risky work at sea as they vie for stocks that have been depleted from years of plunder. Discusses causes of the industry's decline. 1999.

by Janet McDonald

read by Samarra Mbenga

2 cassettes

Autobiography of an African American lawyer who now resides in France. McDonald was raised in a Brooklyn housing project but was accepted at Vassar. She recalls her problems fitting into a new culture and her early struggles with drugs, despair, poverty, and alienation. Strong language and some violence. 1999.

by Robert Christgau

read by Mark Ashby

3 cassettes

Tours the realm of popular music--its different styles and well-known artists from the 1950s to 1997. These critical essays trace the evolution of pop, rock-and-roll, hip-hop, and other musical expressions, offering insights and discussing performers from the sophisticated Nat King Cole to the iconoclastic Beastie Boys. Some strong language. 1998.

by Robert D. Kaplan

read by Bill Wallace

3 cassettes

Author who wrote Balkan Ghosts (RC 37464) describes his travels across western North America and envisions a scenario for the future based on his experience. He foresees a fragmented society in which the "haves" and "have-nots" are separated by access to technology and class differences override national boundaries. Some strong language. 1998.

by Tony Hiss

read by Bill Wallace

2 cassettes

A son pays loving tribute to his father, Alger Hiss, who was accused of being a communist spy and convicted of perjury in 1950. To defend his father's innocence, Tony Hiss disputes courtroom testimony by Whittaker Chambers, quotes letters from prison, and presents the recollections of friends and family, including the author's half brother. 1999.

by Sarah, the Duchess of York

read by Lisette Lecat

2 cassettes

Sarah Ferguson describes how she became the spokesperson for Weight Watchers and her techniques for losing and maintaining weight. Includes advice on nutrition, exercise, stress-reduction, and self-esteem as well as recipes. 1998.

by Jack Anderson

read by Richard Davidson

4 cassettes

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter continues his life story, begun in Confessions of a Muckraker (RC 14540), with further revelations of the corruption that pervades American politics. Includes recollections of his early career in Utah and China, the savings-and-loan scandal, the Iran-Contra affair, and his dealings with presidents and politicians for five decades. 1999.

by Eugene Cernan and Don Davis

read by Steven Carpenter

3 cassettes

This memoir of a space pioneer describes his personal experiences during his years with NASA, especially the flights of Gemini 9, Apollo 10, and Apollo 17. Cernan recalls the technical problems, his relations with fellow astronauts, and some family repercussions--but mostly the thrill of being in space and walking on the moon. 1999.

by Grace Paley

read by Laura Giannarelli

2 cassettes

Paley states that "this is not an autobiographical collection, but it is about my life." In these articles, poems, reports, and talks covering her life from the 1950s to the mid 1990s, Paley offers a glimpse into her life as daughter, mother, grandmother, teacher, and antiwar activist. 1998.

by Richard Rhodes

read by Terence Aselford

3 cassettes

Discusses the theories and life of criminologist Dr. Lonnie Athens, who experienced abuse as a child and later explored the subject of violence. Athens uses case studies of criminals in prison to suggest causes and varieties of destructive behavior and to propose ways to prevent such outbreaks. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 1999.

by David Lehman

read by Kimberly Schraf

3 cassettes

Combines cultural history, biography, and literary analysis. Profiles four major poets: John Ashbery, Kenneth Koch, Frank O'Hara, and James Schuyler. Depicts their friendships and interaction in New York City in the 1950s and early 1960s. Examines their reinvention of poetry and collaboration with other artists. 1998.

by Jeffrey Tayler

read by Mark Ashby

2 cassettes

An American recounts his adventures and pays tribute to the people he met in 1993 as he traveled 8,325 miles across the Russian Far East through Siberia, the Urals, and Ukraine to Warsaw, Poland. Offers glimpses of the often bleak existence of residents of remote and rarely visited areas. Describes popular disillusionment in the post-Soviet era. 1999.

by Felicity Allen

read by Mary Kane

6 cassettes

Biography of the president of the Confederacy, tracing his ancestry, marriages, children, and career until his death in 1889. Uses first-person accounts as well as autobiographies of Davis and his wife, Varina, to portray his character, personal beliefs, and politics. Discusses Davis's activities following his postwar imprisonment. 1999.

by Jonathan Fenby

read by Steven Carpenter

4 cassettes

Explores the uniqueness of France as well as the problems confronting the nation during the second half of the twentieth century, including political scandals, economic decline, shifting demographics, and social stagnation. Discusses the necessity for national reformation in a global order that requires French stability. 1999.

by Michael S. Sanders

read by Robert Sams

2 cassettes

portrait of Maine's Bath Iron Works, a venerable shipbuilding firm that has produced hundreds of vessels since it was founded in 1884. Chronicles the four-year process of constructing the destroyer USS Donald Cook. Describes the planning and craftsmanship needed to assemble a warship in the late 1990s. 1999.

by Pramoedya Ananta Toer

read by Mark Ashby

3 cassettes

A harrowing account of life in a penal colony by an Indonesian political dissident. The notes, essays, and unsent letters collected here were written in the last two years of a fourteen-year prison sentence, begun in 1965, during most of which novelist Toer was deprived of books and writing materials. Some violence. 1999.

by Nicholas Shrady

read by Jim Leary

2 cassettes

A "pilgrim's progress is both an interior journey, a spiritual exercise, and a physical journey toward an actual site imbued with a divine character." Shrady describes the six routes he traveled in such countries as Bosnia, India, and the Holy Land that took him to sites encompassing Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, and Islamic traditions. 1999.

by Gioia Diliberto

read by Renee Dutton-O'Hara

2 cassettes

Biography of the first thirty-nine years of the social reformer's life--from her birth in 1860 through the 1889 founding of Hull-House to 1899, when she gained national recognition. Discusses influences during her formative years, her private life, and her meaningful career in an age when women had few choices. 1999.

by David Haward Bain

read by Robert Sams

8 cassettes in 2 containers

The epic story of connecting America's east and west coasts by railroad during the nineteenth century's Gilded Age. Chronicles the engineering feats, the scandals and political dealings, and the lives of the movers and shakers that accomplished the feat of uniting the country by rail. 1999.

by Osha Gray Davidson

read by Rick Rohan

2 cassettes

Presents a natural history of coral reefs and explains their importance to the ecosystem. Surveys the conditions of major reefs and describes the complexity and diversity of marine life found there. Enumerates the threats posed by humanity to these fragile areas and advocates their preservation. 1998.

by John Phillip Santos

read by Michael Russotto

2 cassettes

A Mexican American writer from Texas examines his family heritage on both sides of the border. While exploring themes of home and identity, he recounts stories about various relatives--his grandparents and his madrina (godmother) among others. 1999.

by Charles Osgood

read by Peter Gil

1 cassette

Presents selections from the best of the CBS radio commentator's programs. Includes features on everyday events and on the "human perversity factor," along with samples of the author's verse. 1999.

by Flor Fernandez Barrios

read by Laura Giannarelli

2 cassettes

A woman's account of her childhood years during Castro's revolution. Describes harvesting crops at a work camp and witnessing her family's disillusionment with the changes under the new government. Also depicts the love and wisdom of the author's grandmothers and Afro-Cuban nanny, which sustained her after she left Cuba. 1999.

by Douglas C. Waller

read by Gregory Gorton

3 cassettes

Chronicles the inside story of how air warriors are made by tracking a group through school and interviewing two hundred aviators. The author, a reporter for Time magazine who previously investigated the U.S. services' special forces in The Commandos (RC 39046), spent two years following the grueling training of navy pilots. 1998.

by Ann Savours

read by Anne Flosnik

3 cassettes

Chronicles four centuries of expeditions seeking a sea route west from the Atlantic through the Canadian Arctic archipelago to reach China. Excerpts from diaries and letters recount the hardships and courage of these intrepid explorers, including John Barrow, Edward Parry, John Ross, John Franklin, and others. 1999.

by Amy Knight

read by Anne Flosnik

3 cassettes

An account of the December 1934 murder of Leningrad Communist party chief and Stalin's close associate Sergei Kirov. Examines Kirov's career in the Soviet political system, events surrounding the murder, and its tragic aftermath. Based on evidence from the Russian archives. 1999.

edited by David Colbert

read by Dan Bloom

4 cassettes

The editor of Eyewitness to America (RC 44136) presents firsthand accounts of events in America from 1519 to the 1990s. Several of these short essays explain reasons for the nation's westward expansion--e.g., to seek religious freedom, escape from creditors, or pursue profits from endeavors such as mining. 1998.

edited by George Yancy

read by Peter Jay Fernandez

3 cassettes

Explores in conversational format the beliefs, identities, and ideologies of seventeen African American philosophers representing various legal, social, political, and moral schools of thought. Topics include existentialism, feminism, race, culture, religion, science, and ideas about the nature of existence. Reflects on these thinkers' formative influences and significant contributions. 1998.

by Mike Leonetti

read by Jake Williams

2 cassettes

Brief biographies of seventy top National Hockey League players, including goalies Patrick Roy and Grant Fuhr, forwards Eric Lindros and Mark Messier, and wingers Brett Hull and Jaromir Jagr among others. For junior and senior high readers. 1999.

by Rick Ridgeway

read by David Hartley-Margolin

3 cassettes

Recalls encounters with wild animals and the reflections engendered while on a hiking trek from the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, crossing Tsavo national park, and ending at the Indian Ocean. Ponders man's relationship with African animals as hunter and conservationist, and considers future possibilities. 1998.

by Steve Watkins

read by Jake Williams

2 cassettes

An account of the lawsuit against Shoney's restaurant chain for discriminatory hiring practices against African Americans, which led to a $132.5 million settlement in 1992. Describes how managers were coerced into blackening the "o" in "Shoney" on the application forms of blacks in order to flag minority applicants. 1997.

by Linda Spalding

read by Suzanne Toren

2 cassettes

A writer recounts her arduous expedition into the sweltering forests of Borneo in search of a reclusive primatologist who has devoted her life to protecting orphaned orangutans. Describes the forbidding beauty of the island, the colorful local society, and the despoilment of natural resources through poaching, deforestation, and misguided ecotourism. 1998.

by P.D. James

read by Patricia Kilgarriff

3 cassettes

British mystery writer P.D. James, the creator of Inspector Dalgliesh, begins a diary in 1997 that leads her to reminisce about her personal life, civil service career, and development as a writer, while disdainfully commenting on pop culture. Describes her struggles as her late husband slowly succumbed to mental illness. 1999.

by Joan W. Goodwin

read by Jill Ferris

4 cassettes

Biography of a Victorian woman who influenced many of New England's literary elite, including Thoreau and Emerson (who wrote her obituary). A descendant of Pilgrims, Ripley was a classical scholar who helped her Unitarian-minister husband operate a boys' boarding school while raising seven children of her own. 1998.

by Thomas Cahill

read by Gordon Gould

2 cassettes

Examines "the phenomenon of Jesus" and assesses his impact through history and at the end of the second millennium. Analyzes accounts of his life, teachings, and followers. Confronts the question of whether Christianity has benefited the world. Sequel to The Gifts of the Jews (RC 46335). 1999.

by Bella Bathurst

read by Frank Coffee

2 cassettes

portrayal of the family of writer Robert Louis Stevenson. Recalls the ingenuity and perseverance of four generations of engineers who designed and built most of Scotland's lighthouses. Fighting harsh weather, politicians, and scavengers known as "wreckers," the Stevensons redefined the treacherous, jagged coastline. 1999.

by Bruce Berger

read by Peter Johnson

2 cassettes

A writer depicts the beautiful and unique world of the Mexican peninsula known as Baja California, characterizing its terrain as an "eight-hundred-mile dead end." Describes its natural and cultural history, its contemporary society, and the environmental threats posed by land development and technological advancement. Chronicles his thirty-year love affair with the region. 1998.

by Robert Klitzman

read by Butch Hoover

2 cassettes

Recounts the author's experiences in Papua New Guinea in 1981 studying kuru, an illness caused by essentially the same infectious agent as mad-cow disease. Documents his encounters with the Stone Age Fore group that practices cannibalism. Discusses the difficulties and triumphs of conducting field work in epidemiology and medical anthropology. 1998.

by Alex Heard

read by Barry Bernson

2 cassettes

A ten-year survey of millennialists and utopians who anticipate a coming apocalypse, "a period of dramatic upheaval and change that will lead to a new and improved tomorrow." Using published sources and personal interviews, the author describes UFO cultists, Earth Change zealots, life-extensionists, New Agers, and other radical believers. 1999.

by Elizabeth M. Norman

read by Kerry Cundiff

3 cassettes

Traces the experiences of the army and navy nurses who were trapped on the Philippine Islands during World War II. Nicknamed the "Angels of Bataan and Corregidor," the women worked in makeshift jungle hospitals before being captured and sent to prison camps for three years. All seventy-seven survived. Some violence. 1999.

by Robert B. Stinnett

read by Randy Atcher

4 cassettes

The author contends that the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor was effectively orchestrated by the U.S. government in order to justify entering World War II. Cites archival material to support the conspiracy theory that President Franklin D. Roosevelt deliberately provoked the Japanese into military action. 2000.

edited by Jay Luvaas

read by Fred Major

2 cassettes

An exposition of Napoleon's views on the proper conduct of warfare, based on extensive correspondence and other writings of the French military genius. Covers preparation for war, combat arms, organization, command, and operational art. Discusses the "great captains," including Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Frederick the Great. 1999.

by Christopher Ogden

read by Lou Harpenau

5 cassettes

A double biography of the father and son who built up a publishing empire and a vast family fortune. Covers Moses' arrival at Ellis Island in 1885; his rags-to-riches tale; the family's marriages, divorces, scandals, success, and failures; and Walter's expansion of the business, political interventions, and philanthropic undertakings. 1999.

by Franca Rame and Dario Fo

read by Mitzi Friedlander

2 cassettes

A collection of twenty monologs from the 1997 Nobel Prize-winning playwright and his actress wife. The plays deal with political and sexual themes that are often repressed in traditional Italian society, including rape, the double standard, and trophy wives. Strong language, some explicit descriptions of sex, and some violence. 1991.

by Alexis Gregory

read by Kerry Cundiff

2 cassettes

Examines the era of glamorous travel. Depicts the wealthy and privileged elite who sailed on luxury ocean liners, traversed continents in private railroad cars, and cruised on personal yachts while vacationing in exotic spots, staying in palatial hotels, and dining from extensive menus. 1998.

by Jeffrey Kluger

read by Richard Hauenstein

2 cassettes

Chronicles the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's unmanned exploration of Earth's solar system with robot spacecraft. Describes the pre-1969 testing of the Moon's surface in advance of the manned landing. Recounts the subsequent deep-space probes of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune and their moons. 1999.

by Tom Shroder

read by John Polk

2 cassettes

A skeptical journalist's account of a scientist's extensive study of children born with unique knowledge, birthmarks, and other indicators that suggest reincarnation. Describes field trips to Lebanon and India where cases of supposed reincarnation were documented. Explores various theories for explaining these uncanny phenomena. 1999.

by Derek Lundy

read by Richard Hauenstein

2 cassettes

Depicts the grueling and perilous 27,000-mile Vendée Globe solo sailing race, which circumnavigates Antarctica in the Southern Ocean. Narrates the 1996 contest through the eyes of the sixteen competitors as they endure fifty-foot waves and hurricane-force winds in the world's most hostile seas. 1998.

by Joseph Glenmullen

read by Butch Hoover

3 cassettes

A psychiatrist warns against the current practice of indiscriminately prescribing serotonin boosters for patients. After describing the medication's potentially severe side effects, he uses case histories to illustrate alternatives such as herbal remedies and psychotherapy. 2000.

by Susan Sontag

read by Mitzi Friedlander

1 cassette

Two previously published works about perceptions of disease. In the first, from 1978, an American intellectual discusses punitive or sentimental fantasies "concocted" about being seriously ill--especially suffering from cancer. The second, a sequel produced in 1989, deals specifically with social attitudes toward AIDS. 1989.

by Roger Shattuck

read by Butch Hoover

3 cassettes

A literary scholar critiques the assumptions, content, and methods of American education. Argues that a chief aim of learning is to develop a basic understanding of culture, morality, and literature in order to coexist in a diverse society. Discusses a broad range of literary works. 1999.

by Rodney Castleden

read by Gordon Gould

3 cassettes

Deals exclusively with the prehistoric Stonehenge site in southern England. The author compiles scientific evidence to "take account of modern archaeologists' interpretations and attempt a synthesis that contains Stonehenge's meaning." The analysis provides an explanation of what the site's creators were trying to achieve. 1993.

by Adrian Shubert

read by David Elias

2 cassettes

Discusses bullfighting as a social institution within the framework of a broader society. Traces modern bullfighting from the eighteenth to the twentieth century, revealing changes in Spanish attitudes toward entrepreneurship and the bullfighters. Views the sport from the perspectives of business, politics, and gender. 1999.

by Miriam E. Nelson

read by Patricia McDermott

2 cassettes

In this companion to Strong Women Stay Young (RC 46865) the author continues with advice on exercising with weights in order to develop strength, build bone, improve balance and flexibility, and increase energy. Presents pertinent scientific evidence, sample exercises, and healthful recipes. 1998.

by Charles K. Wolfe

read by Randy Atcher

3 cassettes

History of the country music radio station that founded the Grand Ole Opry following a well-received broadcast of old-time fiddle tunes in 1925. Recalls the show's early performers. Discusses social and cultural conditions that fueled its immense popularity and created a nationwide audience by the 1940s. 1999.

by Richard Bütz

read by Butch Hoover

2 cassettes

Discusses selecting and sharpening tools; selecting and finishing woods; whittling and different carving techniques; design aspects of woodwork; and doing lettering and wildlife and architectural carving. 1984.

by Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones

read by Randy Davidson

2 cassettes

An account of the first nonstop balloon flight to circle the globe. The authors describe their liftoff in Switzerland in March 1999, their record-setting journey, and their landing in the Egyptian desert. Discussion includes equipment used and crises encountered, with revelations of the personal quirks of the two adventurers. 1999.

by Alice H. Cook

read by Mitzi Friedlander

4 cassettes

Feminist and labor organizer discusses her life and multifaceted career in an autobiography she completed before her death in 1998 at the age of ninety-five. Her activism, teaching, and research took her around the world and helped working women everywhere strive for gender equality. 1997.

by Amartya Sen

read by John Richardson

3 cassettes

The 1998 Nobel Prize laureate in Economic Science proposes that a nation's well-being is determined by civil rights, political liberties, freedom of speech, and social responsibility, as well as gross national product, industrialization, technology, and modernization. Argues that human development depends on citizens' participation in the decisions that affect their lives. 1999.

by Stephen A. Black

read by Fred Major

5 cassettes

A biography of the Nobel Prize-winning American playwright O'Neill (1888-1953) and a study of his works from a psychoanalytic standpoint. Examines O'Neill's personal tragedies and how he transformed them into drama. Discusses the composition of Long Day's Journey into Night (RC 19192) and The Iceman Cometh (RC 12758). 1999.

by Christine Perdan Curran

read by Catherine Byers

1 cassette

Examines the history, symptoms, treatment, and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases--both bacterial and viral--as well as other contagious problems such as lice, scabies, and fungi. Includes information on syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, AIDS, and hepatitis. For junior and senior high and older readers. 1998.

selected by Naomi Shihab Nye

read by Suzanne Toren

1 cassette

Selections from 140 contemporary poets expressing their thoughts and observations in free verse on the theme of loss--of objects, people, places, or concepts. Many of the poems are first-time publications. Biographical notes on the contributors are included. For junior and senior high readers. 1999.

by David Elliot Cohen

read by Peter Johnson

2 cassettes

Travelog of a forty-year-old suburbanite who sold his house and possessions, closed his thriving business, and set out in 1996 with his wife, three children, and a baby sitter on a thirteen-month, sixteen-country trip. This is a compilation of the lengthy descriptive e-mails he sent to friends while on the road. 1999.

by Marjorie Garber

read by Peter Johnson

2 cassettes

Essays identify and analyze cultural symbols that highlight anxieties of modern life in the United States. A Harvard University English professor argues that such practices as praying for God's favor at sports contests and quoting Shakespeare as arbiter of social truth serve to indicate basic beliefs about reality. Some discussion of sexuality. 1998.

by Joseph Jett

read by Jake Williams

4 cassettes

A graduate of MIT and the Harvard Business School and former senior bond trader at Kidder Peabody Company asserts that greed, combativeness, corporate misdeeds, financial manipulation, racism, and sexism prevail on Wall Street. Alleges that Kidder and its parent company, General Electric, falsely accused him of causing their economic losses. 1999.

by Marian Wright Edelman

read by Gail Nelson

2 cassettes

In this autobiographical sketch Edelman discusses the influences of the "natural daily" mentors who have enriched, informed, and shaped her life. Her models include not only adults from her youth, but also persons such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. An afterword includes twenty-five lessons for life. 1999.

by Claire L. Warga

read by Jill Ferris

3 cassettes

Psychologist describes the self-named Warga's Hormonal Misconnection Syndrome (WHMS). Asserts that troubling memory and speech problems occur in women as their estrogen levels drop. Includes detailed descriptions of symptoms, self-screening techniques, and both hormonal and nonhormonal therapies. 1999.

by Leigh Perkins

read by Gordon Gould

2 cassettes

An entrepreneur recounts how he turned a foundering company into a thriving $100-million mail-order sporting outfitter. As an avid outdoorsman who delights in traveling the globe to field-test the hunting and fishing equipment he sells, the author wryly observes that "nobody has any reason to feel sorry for me." 1999.

by Joel Achenbach

read by Bill Wallace

3 cassettes

A reporter and National Public Radio commentator delves into the question of belief in extraterrestrial life. Drawing on interviews with NASA scientists, a Heaven's Gate survivor, UFO conventioneers, Roswell enthusiasts, X-Files stars, and the late Carl Sagan, Achenbach tests claims of encounters with aliens against the scientific evidence. 1999.

by Stephen E. Ambrose

read by Randy Atcher

4 cassettes

A look at the investors, politicians, engineers, surveyors, and laborers involved in the construction of America's first transcontinental railroad. Records the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific Railroads' fierce competition, which ended in a team effort in 1869, to connect America's two coasts by rail. Bestseller 2000.

by Stephen King

read by Bruce Huntey

2 cassettes

Prolific, bestselling horror novelist describes his writing technique and gives tips for aspiring authors. King also discusses pertinent events from his childhood and tells of the near-fatal accident in 1999, when he was hit by a truck while taking his daily walk. Some strong language. Bestseller 2000.

by H.W. Brands

read by Mark Ashby

5 cassettes

Biography of one of America's founding fathers, incorporating correspondence and anecdotes of his contemporaries. Franklin was heralded as a leading inventor and scientist, author, and diplomat as well as a bon vivant. In exploring Franklin's conversion from British loyalist to revolutionary, Brands seeks out the genius behind the man. Bestseller 2000.

by Richard Ben Cramer

read by Roy Avers

4 cassettes

Muckraking biography of sports legend Joe DiMaggio, who rose from his Sicilian working-class background in San Francisco to become an American icon. Explores his pivotal games and business decisions, his obsession--and fights--with Marilyn Monroe, his dubious mob acquaintances, his life after baseball, and his lonely death in Florida. Some strong language. Bestseller 2000.

by Henry Kamen

read by Annie Wauters

4 cassettes

The author reexamines his original research on the medieval Spanish Inquisition. Includes information on how the Inquisition operated, its trials and punishments, its impact on literature and science, the dispersion of the Jews, and anti-Catholic propaganda. Argues that the Inquisition was not as powerful or cruel as it has often been judged. 1997.

by Mary C. Turck

read by Ted Stoddard

1 cassette

Examines the history of Haiti's ethnic conflicts and their continuing effects on its people. Chronicles important milestones and describes Haitian leaders. Discusses geography, religion, language, economics, and class divisions in terms of the nation's social problems. For junior and senior high readers. 1999.

by Barry Sears

read by Rick Rohan

3 cassettes

Describing how to live a longer and more functional life, the author discusses the hormonal group eicosanoids in greater detail than he had in The Zone (RC 42493) and his other books. He asserts that through dietary control, hormonal communication can be improved and the aging process reversed. 1999.

by Christopher Andersen

read by Gordon Gould

2 cassettes

Calling this the final book in his Kennedy family trilogy, the author of Jackie after Jack (RC 45845) discusses the life and untimely death of John Kennedy Jr. in 1999. Thirty-eight-year-old John, his wife, Carolyn, and her sister died in a plane John was piloting. Some strong language. Bestseller 2000.

by Art Linkletter

read by Bob Askey

1 cassette

A selection of humorous "quips, slips, and shockers" uttered by children on the television show "Art Linkletter's House Party." Companion to The New Kids Say the Darndest Things! (RC 16266). 1961.

by Michael Grant

read by Robert Blumenfeld

2 cassettes

Biography of the first Christian Roman emperor and founder of Constantinople. Constantine (c. 272-337) fought numerous civil and foreign wars and murdered his eldest son and wife. Grant describes Constantine's government and character, the founding of his capital, and the establishment of Christianity as the state religion. 1994.

by Joe Eszterhas

read by John Polk

4 cassettes

The screenwriter of Basic Instinct and Showgirls provides his own satiric take on the Clinton sex scandals, using a combination of researched facts and fictionalized embellishments. Focuses on the Lewinsky affair and Hollywood. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. Bestseller 2000.

by Bobbi Brown and Annemarie Iverson

read by Kerry Cundiff

1 cassette

Noted makeup artist provides instructions on choosing and applying cosmetics. Addresses common teen issues including blemishes and braces. Includes sections on hair care, body type, self image, and beauty tips for various ethnic types. For junior and senior high and older readers. Bestseller 2000.

by Miriam E. Nelson

read by Patricia McDermott

2 cassettes

The author of Strong Women Stay Young (RC 46865) prescribes a strength training program and nutritional guidelines to fight osteoporosis and osteopenia. She also discusses diagnostic tests; medications, including hormone replacement therapy; and myths regarding bone density. Provides an altered program for men at risk. 2000.

by Paul Ormerod

read by Butch Hoover

2 cassettes

The head of the Economic Assessment Unit at the Economist and a visiting professor at the Universities of London and Manchester presents an unconventional economic model. Asserts that the discipline is unpredictable and uncontrollable largely because of uncertainties in human behavior and communities. Appendixes and footnotes explain specialized and technical terms. 1998.

by Susan R. Friedland

read by Kerry Cundiff

2 cassettes

Following a brief discussion of the Sabbath, Friedland offers more than 175 traditional and contemporary recipes for celebrating the three Sabbath meals. Includes challah, appetizers, soups, meats, kugels, vegetables, salads, and desserts. Also features sample menus. 1999.

by Bill O'Reilly

read by Terence Aselford

2 cassettes

A running commentary on society by the Fox News Channel's broadcast journalist. Discusses a wide-range of topics, including class, race, money, politics, and sex, as well as interpersonal relationships and the ridiculousness of life. Some strong language. Bestseller 2000.

by Linda Cobb

read by Margaret Strom

1 cassette

Cobb offers down-to-earth housekeeping tips that get cleaning jobs done quickly throughout the house. She advocates the use of inexpensive, environmentally friendly cleaning concoctions such as tea, lemon juice, baking soda, and vinegar. Her advice includes methods for washing household and personal items both inside and outside your home. Bestseller 1998.

by Barry Sears

read by Rick Rohan

3 cassettes

In this companion to The Zone (RC 42493), the author recommends using primarily soy products as protein sources and explains why he considers this to be his healthiest hormone-balancing diet yet. Includes over one hundred recipes. 2000.

by William Howard Adams

read by Peter Gil

3 cassettes

Traces Thomas Jefferson's years in Paris as the preeminent American diplomat from 1784 to 1789 (after Benjamin Franklin). Examines the city's intellectual, political, and cultural influence on his ideas and ideals. Notes its effects on his performance as third president of the United States, especially his economic and fiscal initiatives. 1997.

by Patrick Dillon

read by Steven Carpenter

2 cassettes

Recounts how in 1983, two boats from a fishing fleet out of Anacortes, Washington, simultaneously capsized off the coast of Alaska, without giving distress signals. Describes the extensive investigation into the mysterious incident and explains why crabbing had become "the nation's deadliest occupation." Some strong language. 1998.

by Nancy Reagan

read by Judith Ann Gantly

1 cassette

While preparing Ronald's letters to her for inclusion in the Ronald Reagan Library, Nancy Reagan realized how much they said about him as president and as a man. His writings, which began in the 1950s, and Nancy's reflections on them provide a glimpse into their lives, both private and public. Bestseller 2000.

by Joy Adamson

read by Jill Ferris

1 cassette (Reissue)

The wife of a Kenya game warden recounts the couple's unique relationship with the lioness Elsa. Recalls raising the orphaned cub for three years and ingeniously training her to fend for herself. Describes how Elsa recognized her human friends even after she returned to the wild. Reprinted with a new foreword in 2000. 1960.

by Richard Carlson

read by Jack Fox

2 cassettes

This companion to Don't Sweat the Small Stuff (RC 45257) and others in the series for adults, advises teens on controlling stress in their lives. Includes one hundred tips on coping with such things as breakups, bad hair days, and peer pressure. For junior and senior high readers. Bestseller 2000.

by Edward D. O'Connor

read by Lou Harpenau

5 cassettes

A Roman Catholic priest and Notre Dame theology professor discusses the mysteries of God, Jesus Christ, and the Church. Outlines defining features, teachings, and practices of his religion. Asserts that Catholic doctrine is coherent, intelligible, reasonable, and socially relevant. Disputes the notion of a conflict between faith and reason. 1992.

by Charles L. Granata

read by Barry Bernson

3 cassettes

portrays Frank Sinatra as producer and perfectionist in the recording studio. Traces technological advances, including the shift from monaural to stereo sound, that affected his method. Features recollections of associated musicians and arrangers. Foreword by Phil Ramone and afterword by Nancy Sinatra. 1999.

by Curt Suplee

read by Kerry Cundiff

1 cassette

Describes advances in physics over the last century. Includes chapters on the electromagnetic spectrum, quantum mechanics, atomic structures, chaos and order, and the evolution of the universe. Chronicles the research that resulted in the creation of new technology. For senior high and older readers. 1999.

by Kyle D. Pruett

read by Rick Rohan

2 cassettes

A psychiatrist who has done extensive research on fathering examines the importance of the father-child bond and how paternal care differs from a mother's. Using quotes from children and parents to illustrate his points, Pruett discusses the roles of males as primary caregivers and how fathering changes men for good. 2000.

by James L. Dickerson

read by Margaret Strom

2 cassettes

Traces the singing careers of sisters Martie and Emily Erwin and cohort Natalie Maines from their early days in Dallas to the award-winning achievements of their country-western band. Discusses the group's original members and the later merchandising success of the Dixie Chicks. For senior high and older readers. 2000.

by Anna Quindlen

read by Jill Fox

1 cassette

Inspirational advice to find fulfillment in enjoying each moment of life. Words of wisdom spoken from the heart by the bestselling author of such works as Object Lessons (RC 33059), One True Thing (RC 40750), and Black and Blue (RC 45715). Bestseller 2000.

by Erik Weihenmayer

read by Dan Bloom

3 cassettes

In this adventure-packed memoir, the author recalls rebelling against becoming blind by age fifteen. Relates acquiring a passion for mountaineering and developing the character traits that enabled him to succeed. Covers his climbing exploits and his wedding on top of Mount Kilimanjaro. Some strong language. 2001.

by Elisabeth Gitter

read by Martha Harmon Pardee

2 cassettes

The life of Laura Bridgman, deaf and blind from age two, who became one of the most famous women of the mid-nineteenth century. Explores her education with Samuel Howe at Boston's Perkins Institution for the Blind. Views her achievements in the context of American social, cultural, and intellectual history. 2001.

by Colleen McCullough

read by Chuck Benson

6 cassettes

This sequel to Caesar's Women (RC 41781) continues the account of Julius Caesar, beginning as he conquers Britannia in 54 B.C. After receiving word that his mother and daughter are dead, Caesar returns to Gaul, where he defeats a former ally, Pompey. Caesar then stands poised to seize control of the entire Roman empire. Some violence and some strong language. 1997.

by Alexander Pushkin

read by Rick Rohan

2 cassettes

Four stories by the nineteenth-century Russian writer. The Queen of Spades, written in 1833, tells of a young officer's obsession with winning at cards. His subterfuge, intended to learn an elderly countess's secret for success, has dire consequences for both of them. 1962.

by George P. Pelecanos

read by Conrad Feininger

2 cassettes

When Pete Karras returns to Washington, D.C., after World War II, he takes up with childhood buddy Joey Recevo, who collects protection money for a loan shark. Karras's refusal to rough up a fellow Greek gets his knee smashed, but years later Karras gets revenge. Strong language, violence, and explicit descriptions of sex. 1996.

by Max Brand

read by Phil Regensdorf

2 cassettes

Jack Richards, nicknamed The Whisperer, creates a loose and anonymous gang of thieves to commit robberies throughout the West. Only when he is betrayed by one of the gang are his true motives--and identity--revealed. Some violence. 1923.

by R.A. Salvatore

read by Michael Scherer

4 cassettes

Believing the demon dactyl has finally been destroyed, Elbryan and Pony travel around Corona hoping to restore peace to the land. But they soon discover the demon has survived and now manifests himself in the person of Father Abbot Markwart and other Albellican monks. Sequel to The Demon Spirit (RC 49338). 1999.

by Thomas B. Costain

read by Ray Childs

4 cassettes (Reissue)

1273. Walter of Gurnie, bastard son of a noble crusader, meets commoner Tristram Griffen and Friar Roger Bacon at Oxford. Following his father's death, Walter journeys to Cathay seeking knowledge and riches. Tristram joins his adventures, which include the rescue of a captive Greek girl, whom Walter marries. Some violence. 1945.

by Rachel Gibson

read by Lindsay Ellison

2 cassettes

Henry Shaw commits suicide, leaving an unusual will that affects his son, Nick, and stepdaughter, Delaney. It restricts Delaney from leaving town for a year and Nick from having a sexual relationship with her. But that's not easy for two enamored people. Some explicit descriptions of sex and some strong language. 1999.

by Elise Dallemagne-Cookson

read by Gabriella Cavallero

2 cassettes

In 1962, Michael and Diana Haines and their two-year-old son, Philip, immigrate to Argentina. They build a model dairy farm and enjoy country living. Along the way, they encounter unanticipated obstacles: political revolutions, forces of nature, former Nazis, and ghosts on their property. 1998.

by Jim Harrison

read by Bob Askey

4 cassettes

In this sequel to Dalva (RC 28211), patriarch John Northridge reminisces about his life as a failed artist and successful rancher, and about the women he loved. His granddaughter Dalva's nomadic son, Nelse, adopted from birth, searches for his birth mother and becomes acquainted with his Native American heritage. Some strong language. 1998.

by Alice Mead

read by Phil Regensdorf

1 cassette

Kosovo, 1993. Fourteen-year-old Adem tries to understand the violent feud that has developed between his Muslim countrymen and their Serb neighbors. But after his sister is killed, his father is imprisoned, and Adem is tortured, he looks for an escape from the country. Some violence. For senior high readers. 1996.

by Alfred Coppel

read by Fred Major

2 cassettes

Fleeing the Terror they met in Glory's War (RC 49760) and hoping to find allies, those aboard the Goldenwing starship Glory travel to the planet Yamato, a world steeped in feudal tradition, though equipped with modern technology. But the Terror has already infiltrated the planet, forcing everyone to focus on survival. 1996.

by Alexander Kent

read by Jim Zeiger

2 cassettes (Reissue)

As a third lieutenant in the Royal Navy in 1774, eighteen-year-old Richard Bolitho is dispatched on a secret mission to the Caribbean. He faces the loss of a star-crossed love--his first--as military life begins to mold him into a model officer. Sequel to Midshipman Bolitho (RC 49764). Some violence. 1980.

by Alexander Kent

read by Jim Zeiger

2 cassettes (Reissue)

In 1777 Lieutenant Richard Bolitho of the British navy joins in the blockade of the American colonies. His ship patrols the coast to prevent the French and other privateers from supplying Washington's rebels. Sequel to Stand into Danger (RC 49765). Some violence. 1977.

by Alexander Kent

read by Jim Zeiger

3 cassettes (Reissue)

In 1778 Richard Bolitho takes command of the HMS Sparrow. He sails into the Atlantic, where he fights colonial rebels and deals with privateers, French warships, and a dangerously incompetent senior officer. Sequel to In Gallant Company (RC 49766). Some violence. 1972.

by Anne McCaffrey

read by J.P. Linton

7 cassettes in 2 containers (Reissue)

It has been years since the dreaded "threads" descended on Pern, and the inhabitants, busy with daily pursuits, no longer worry about the danger. Now, with only a few dragons left who can take to the skies and destroy the threads, they suddenly begin falling again. For senior high and older readers. 1988.

by Gilbert Morris

read by Mitzi Friedlander

3 cassettes

Lieutenant Lance Winslow, in France on a training mission, falls in love with and marries Noelle Laurent. A few years later, after Noelle is killed in a bombing raid, Lance meets Josephine Hellinger, who tries to help him overcome his bitterness about the past. Sequel to The White Hunter (RC 49919). 1999.

by Charles Brockden Brown

read by Michael Scherer

6 cassettes

Three gothic novels written in 1798 and 1799. Wieland is based on an actual murder by an insane farmer; Arthur Mervyn occurs during a yellow-fever epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793; and Edgar Huntly involves sleepwalkers. 1998.

by Philippa Gregory

read by Barbara Caruso

4 cassettes

John Tradescant the Younger has inherited his father's talent for nurturing plants. When he sails to Virginia in 1638 to gather specimens for the king's gardens, he meets Suckahanna, a Powhatan maiden. He promises to marry her when he returns to America, but many obstacles await him. Sequel to Earthly Joys (RC 50010). 1999.

by Catherine Ryan Hyde

read by Bruce Nelson

2 cassettes

Twelve-year-old Trevor tackles his new teacher's extra-credit assignment to improve the world. He performs three large favors, and instead of paying him back, each recipient agrees to pay favors forward to three more people, and so on. Initially a disaster, his project soon snowballs into a great success. Some strong language. 1999.

by Mary Roberts Rinehart

read by Gregory Gorton

2 cassettes

Margery Fleming's father, Allan--the "state treasurer, a delightful companion, polished gentleman, and successful politician of the criminal type"--has been missing for ten days. Margery seeks the help of lawyer John Knox and moves in with her aunts, but trouble seems to follow her wherever she goes. 1910.

by Michael A. Stackpole

read by Chuck Benson

2 cassettes

As Luke Skywalker contends with rogue elements rebelling against his rule, the New Republic is attacked by aliens known as Yuuzhan Vong. The Jedi are tested as never before in their struggle to prevail against the aggressors. A Star Wars novel. Bestseller 2000.

edited by Ed McBain

read by Christopher Walker

4 cassettes

Collection of nineteen mysteries by well-known authors Lawrence Block, Ed Gorman, Phillip M. Margolin, John Updike, and others. In "Redneck," private eye Amos Walker tracks a cheating wife--with murderous results. In "Wrong Time, Wrong Place," two punks kidnap the wrong couple. Some violence and some strong language. 1999.

edited by Martin H. Greenberg

read by Michael Russotto

3 cassettes

A selection of eighteen short stories. Includes "The Idyl of Red Gulch" by Bret Harte, "The Lonesome Road" by O. Henry, and tales by Jack London, Mark Twain, John Jakes, Louis L'Amour, Evan Hunter, Bill Pronzini, Marcia Muller, Erle Stanley Gardner, and Ed Gorman. 1996.

by Will Hobbs

read by Gregory Gorton

1 cassette

When fifteen-year-old wanderer Jason Hawthorn decides to join the Klondike gold rush, he learns that his older brothers beat him to it. Jason spends a difficult year trying to find them, befriending writer Jack London and others along the way. Some violence. For junior and senior high readers. 1999.

by Daphne du Maurier

read by David Cutler

3 cassettes (Reissue)

John, an English professor on holiday in France, encounters his exact double, Frenchman Jean de Gué. Monsieur de Gué, who is beset by family and business problems, deceitfully shifts identities with John, leaving the hapless Englishman in a sea of troubles. 1956.

by Frederick Busch

read by David Elias

2 cassettes

Disfigured Civil War veteran William Bartholomew prowls the slums of Manhattan, where he befriends customs inspector Herman Melville. Encouraged by a Creole prostitute, Bartholomew joins a scheme to free African American children who are being traded as slaves in Florida. Some descriptions of sex, some violence, and some strong language. 1999.

by Stephen White

read by Gregory Gorton

3 cassettes

Colorado psychologist Alan Gregory and his wife, assistant prosecutor Lauren Crowder, agree to help an elite group of Washington, D.C., investigators solve a decade-old murder of two teenagers. Suspicions fall on a congressman whose wife's mysterious death left unanswered questions. Violence and some strong language. 2000.

by Elmer Kelton

read by Ted Stoddard

2 cassettes

On the Texas frontier in 1840, the Comanche warrior Buffalo Caller claims a red-haired boy during a raid that kills many settlers. The orphaned boy, Rusty Shannon, is eventually rescued, grows up to become a Ranger, and--years later--has another encounter with Buffalo Caller. 1999.

by Dorothy Canfield

read by Michele Schaeffer

3 cassettes

Nurse Anna Craft returns to her Vermont village of Clifford after spending two years working in Paris. Her half-brother, Anson, now a doctor, is determined to pay Anna back for supporting him. Young Lixlie, shunned by most of the villagers, and disfigured Father Kirby play prominent roles in their lives. 1933.

by Ray Bradbury

read by Gary Telles

2 cassettes (Reissue)

Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, both thirteen, are fascinated by the carnival that comes to their small town. But after a series of frightening events, the boys realize there is something sinister about the show and its owner. 1962.

by Andre Norton and Lyn McConchie

read by Mary Kane

2 cassettes

Eleeri--part Native American, part Celtic--is fifteen when her grandfather dies, and she must flee to save her life. She travels the path of the gone-before-ones and eventually finds herself in a new land. There she rescues two Keplians--a mare and her foal--and finds love. 1995.

by Edward Rutherfurd

read by Gillian Green

6 cassettes

Saga of family life and political intrigue over nine centuries in southern England's New Forest. Clerics, smugglers, woodsmen, aristocrats, and merchants--along with forest creatures--play their parts in the panorama, from the killing of William the Conqueror's son Rufus in 1099 to the filming of a story about the land in April 2000. 2000.

by Tracy Chevalier

read by Lisette Lecat

2 cassettes

A fictional account of how the seventeenth-century artist Vermeer came to paint a portrait of a young woman wearing a pearl earring. When sixteen-year-old Griet, a Protestant, becomes a maid in Vermeer's Catholic household, the drudgery of her duties is offset by working in the artist's studio. Some descriptions of sex. Bestseller 1999.

by Ridley Pearson

read by Ray Foushee

3 cassettes

Seattle police lieutenant Lou Boldt and psychologist Daphne Matthews are investigating assaults on fellow officers and a string of robberies just as the department is stricken with the "blue flu"--an unofficial strike. They soon realize that these events are related and their lives are in danger. Violence and strong language. 2000.

by Jeffrey Lent

read by David Hartley-Margolin

5 cassettes

After serving in the Civil War, Norman Pelham returns home to Vermont with his African American bride, Leah. Some time later, following a visit to her North Carolina home, Leah hangs herself. Eventually, Leah's grandson sets out to uncover the story of her tragic end. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. 2000.

by Thomas Wolfe

read by L.J. Ganser

6 cassettes (Reissue)

Wolfe continues the autobiographical cycle of novels begun in Look Homeward, Angel (RC 37655) and Of Time and the River (RC 48934). Published posthumously, this story follows George Webber, from his childhood in North Carolina through his college years, his travels in Europe, and his love affair in New York City. Some strong language. 1937.

by Jervey Tervalon

read by Dolores King-Williams

2 cassettes

New Orleans, 1946. Mixed-blood teenager Lita Du Champ learns all of the family secrets when her married sister falls for a gangster and pimp with a long-standing grudge against her mother, Helen. Suddenly Lita and Helen are fighting for the family's very survival. Some violence and some strong language. Bestseller 2000.

by Wayne D. Overholser

read by Robert Sams

2 cassettes

Two western novellas. In High Valley, Grant Talbot tries to save the Wagon Wheel Ranch for the murdered owner's widow. In Chumley's Gold, Dan Larsen discovers that his late father was a bank robber and that a fortune might still be buried on his old homestead. Some violence. 1999.

by Laurie R. King

read by Corrie James

3 cassettes

Palestine, 1919. Britain has recently driven the Turks out of the country and is trying to stem the ethnic and religious unrest in the area. Meanwhile, Sherlock Holmes and his apprentice, Mary Russell, are sent to Jerusalem by Sherlock's older brother Mycroft to investigate murder and treason. Some violence. 1999.

by Brooks Hansen

read by Vanessa Maroney

3 cassettes

London, 1906. Dr. August Perlman, a music lover originally from Vienna, usually treats patients by hypnosis, but he encounters difficulties in the case of Sylvie Blum, a hysterical thirteen-year-old. Overwhelmed by a compelling spiritualist, too much hashish, and Sylvie's tales of Atlantis, Perlman finds himself in over his head. 1999.

by Richard S. Wheeler

read by Robert Sams

2 cassettes

Just before Prohibition in 1920, "Bat" Masterson's wife, Emma, persuades him to take her to Dodge City to fathom his legend. On the pilgrimage to his past, Masterson seeks to establish his actual deeds, as distinct from the myths propagated by newspapers. Some strong language. 1999.

by William F. Buckley

read by Peter Gil

3 cassettes

Recreation of a troubled era in twentieth-century American politics. McCarthy's life and anticommunist crusade are sympathetically recalled by author Buckley's fictitious narrator, a professor who worked with McCarthy in the early 50s. He regrets the senator's painful decline and fall but maintains respect for his goals. Some strong language. 1999.

by Francine Rivers

read by Colleen Delany

4 cassettes

At eighty-four, Leota can no longer tend her once-beautiful backyard. And her born-again granddaughter, who is rebelling against her domineering mother, needs guidance. Then a college boy volunteers to help restore Leota's garden. Together the three come to find peace and solace amid the blossoms. 1999.

by Patricia Veryan

read by Gabriella Cavallero

2 cassettes

When Colonel Hastings Chatteris Adair is wrongly stripped of his rank, he sets out to prove his innocence. He is accused of kidnapping Miss Alice Prior and destroying her reputation. But with the aid of several faithful friends, Adair struggles to set the record straight. Sequel to The Riddle of the Lost Lover (RC 48738). 1999.

by Robert W. Chambers

read by Graeme Malcolm

3 cassettes

Northern France, 1914. Halkett, a British officer in civilian clothes and concealing a thin envelope destined for London, is in danger from murderous pursuers. He approaches a stranger, an American artist, and takes the chance of entrusting him with the envelope. Together at the Café Biribi, they meet the cashier Philippa. 1916.

by Robert W. Chambers

read by Robert Blumenfeld

3 cassettes

The love story of colonist John Drogue and a young Scottish woman, Penelope Grant, set in northern New York during the American Revolution. The war's bloody battles involve not only the colonists and the British, but the native Iroquois and Oneida as well. 1921.

by Ferdinand Mount

read by George Holmes

3 cassettes

Fictitious memoirs of Jeremiah (Jem) Mount, the drinking companion and rival of the seventeenth-century British diarist Samuel (Sam) Pepys. His tale leads through the taverns and palaces of Restoration England and shows the growing credence given to science over religion. Some descriptions of sex. 1998.

by Mark Twain

read by L.J. Ganser

2 cassettes

Viscount Berkeley leaves England to investigate claims on the family title and to satisfy his fascination with democracy and all things American. In the United States, he takes advantage of an opportunity to hide his identity and meets the claimant, Colonel Mulberry Sellers. Based on the author's unsuccessful 1887 play. 1892.

by Arturo Pérez-Reverte

read by Jonathan Davis

2 cassettes

Madrid, 1866. Don Jaime Astarloa is an honorable man of tradition who makes his living teaching fencing to wealthy students. But his life changes forever when a beautiful young lady enters his studio requesting advanced lessons. Don Jaime unwittingly becomes embroiled in political intrigue--and murder. 1988.

by Katherine Hall Page

read by Barbara Caruso

2 cassettes

In this prequel to the Faith Fairchild series, young Faith has just launched her catering business in New York when former classmate Emma Stanstead asks for her help. A blackmailer is threatening to use secrets from Emma's past to ruin her husband's political career. Some violence and some strong language. 1999.

by Kathryn Lynn Davis

read by Patricia Kilgarriff

5 cassettes

Scotland, 1993. Eva Crawford inexplicably refuses a marriage proposal. Her ancestral journals seem to be pulling her into the past and in a series of flashbacks Eva relates with family matriarch Mairi Rose and her half-sisters Ailsa, Genevra, and Lian. Sequel to All We Hold Dear (RC 44911). 1999.

by Jan Burke

read by Catherine Byers

3 cassettes

Four years ago, reporter Irene Kelly was approached by teenager Gillian Sayre, whose mother was missing. Now Kelly is part of a group traveling with suspected serial killer Nick Parrish to find Mrs. Sayre's grave--and Parrish has a plan to escape. Violence and strong language. 1999.

by Barbara Hambly

read by Kristin Allison

2 cassettes

Although Jenny Waynest returned to human form and married Lord John Aversin at the end of Dragonsbane (RC 26667), she retained some magical powers. Those abilities prove useful when dragons begin stalking the homeland--first an illusionary dragon, then a real one. Some strong language. For junior and senior high readers. 1999.

by Ian Rankin

read by Graeme Malcolm

3 cassettes

Scottish inspector John Rebus is pulled in several directions: tracking a murderer deported from the United States to Edinburgh, keeping an eye on a pedophile who lives near a neighborhood playground, accepting the apparent suicide of a colleague, and searching for the son of a high school girl friend. Violence and strong language. 1999.

by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik

read by Chuck Benson

2 cassettes

April 2011. A train is derailed in Pakistan, a Union Jack appears on computer screens universally, and computer experts--including a Net Force agent--are suffering strokes. A British scientist and a Russian operative may be the culprits. Sequel to Tom Clancy's Net Force: Hidden Agendas (RC 49476). Strong language and some violence. Bestseller 2000.

by Don Trembath

read by Rick Rohan

1 cassette

Fifteen-year-old Lefty suffers a seizure and learns he has epilepsy. If he remembers to take his medication, Lefty can probably stop the convulsions, but he remains anxious, feels odd from the drug, and doesn't like people knowing about his condition. For junior and senior high readers. 1999.

by Jane Aiken Hodge

read by Corrie James

2 cassettes

In this sequel to Whispering (RC 41728), it is now 1832, and Dom Pedro has returned from Brazil to help his daughter, Maria da Gloria, claim her position as queen of Portugal. He is aided by Caterina Fonsa, who is creating political cartoons to advance his cause. 1999.

by Ivette González

read by various narrators

2 cassettes

Mario Santana se escapó de Cuba para realizar sus sueños. Definitivamente, ser el chófer de Marta Alvarez, una actriz bella, rica y temperamental, no es uno de esos sueños. Pero Mario pronto descubre que hay mucho más con Marta de lo que nadie sospecha. Novela romántica bilingüe en inglés y español. (Mario Santana fled Cuba to seek out a better life. However, working as chauffeur to rich, temperamental actress Marta Alvarez is not exactly his idea of the American dream. But he finds there is more to Marta than he first realized. Bilingual romance. English/Spanish language. 1999.)

by Jan Lars Jensen

read by Christopher Walker

2 cassettes

In a future India, Rakesh, a young Hindu, is following his dharma--to kill the Baboon Warrior who, revered as a hero, must be destroyed for ravishing Rakesh's intended bride, a princess. Rakesh is accompanied on his journey by Vasant, who has a different mission. Some descriptions of sex and some violence. 1999.

by Dianne Day

read by Colleen Delany

2 cassettes

Partners and lovers Fremont Jones and Michael Kossoff are investigating railroad vandalism, when the train they are riding is dynamited, injuring both. Fremont is abducted by a Mormon, who decides to make her his next wife. Michael struggles to rescue her while eluding the bomber. Some violence. 1999.

by Agnes Sligh Turnbull

read by Colleen Delany

3 cassettes (Reissue)

In 1881, newly wedded minister David Lyall and his wife, Mary, arrive in the small town of Ladykirk, Pennsylvania, expecting to stay for just a while. But twenty-five years later they are still there with three grown children, and David continues to serve as leader of the Calvinist congregation. 1951.

by Carol O'Connell

read by Madelyn Buzzard

3 cassettes

Tough New York policewoman Kathleen Mallory, last seen in Stone Angel (RC 47622), is convinced that an old magician's death during a televised performance was murder rather than a horrible accident. Mallory questions the victim's fellow illusionists and focuses on one who seems to be accompanied by his long-dead wife. Violence. 1999.

by Brian Stableford

read by Roy Avers

2 cassettes

In the twenty-second century people are living hundreds of years with periodic rejuvenations. Authentically young Damon Hart learns that one of his foster fathers has been kidnapped by someone who claims Damon's famous long-dead father is still alive and that his reputation for saintliness is false. Some violence and some strong language. 1998.

by Brian Stableford

read by Roy Avers

2 cassettes

In this sequel to Inherit the Earth (RC 50508), a twenty-fifth-century murderer is targeting victims who are almost two hundred years old and killing them with a genetically altered flowering plant. On the case are detective sergeant Charlotte Holmes and genetic artist Oscar Wilde. Some strong language. 1999.

by Tony Earley

read by John Lescault

1 cassette

North Carolina, 1934. Anecdotes trace a year in the life of ten-year-old Jim Glass, who lives with his widowed mother near her three bachelor brothers. Follows Jim as he views the ocean for the first time, celebrates the town's electrification, and sees his best friend contract polio. 2000.

by Margaret Lawrence

read by Annie Wauters

3 cassettes

Maine, 1786. In this sequel to Blood Red Roses (RC 46974) midwife Hannah Trevor is reluctantly marrying Daniel Josselyn, father of her deaf daughter and their unborn child. Amidst a rebellion by bankrupt, overtaxed farmers, Daniel is accused of murder. Some descriptions of sex and some violence. 1998.

by D.J. Meador

read by Jeremy Gage

3 cassettes

When sixty-three-year-old attorney and decorated Korean War veteran John Winston is nominated for a federal judgeship, he does not expect an incident from his combat days to surface. But Winston harbors a dark secret that someone exposes to jeopardize his reputation as well as his career. Some violence. 1999.

by Mickey Spillane

read by Don Feldheim

2 cassettes

The murder of one of Mike Hammer's army buddies sends him, the mob, and the FBI looking for a stash of eighty-nine billion dollars reportedly hidden by him before his demise. Mike's own recent return from death's door also leads him to propose to Velda, his longtime secretary. Some violence. 1996.

by Sherman Alexie

read by David Hartley-Margolin

2 cassettes

Nine short stories exploring the concept of Native American identity. In the title piece--originally appearing in the New Yorker--a Spokane Indian journalist adopts his father's practice of picking up Indian hitchhikers but carries the tradition farther than intended. 2000.

by Joanna Trollope

read by Gabriella Cavallero

2 cassettes

1938. When naive twenty-year-old Lila Cunningham and her impoverished father lose their home in England, she accepts the offer of an abandoned house on Malta. Lila begins a difficult readjustment, but it is the brutal German bombing campaign and its aftermath that finally bring her to a point of real self-discovery. 1997.

by Nancy Wood

read by Gabriella Cavallero

2 cassettes

In this allegory blending history and mythology, generations of Pueblo Indians portray life from their creation and prehistory through the mid-twentieth century. Bloody massacres follow the arrival of Spanish conquistadores and others. Cultural crises escalate, culminating in the 1947 atomic bomb tests in the desert. For senior high and older readers. 1999.

by Lindsey Davis

read by George Holmes

2 cassettes

Rome, A.D. 73. Private investigator Marcus Didius Falco and his wife and newborn are recently home from Spain when Falco discovers a woman's severed hand in a fountain. When two more hands are found after large festivals, a serial killer is suspected of polluting the city's water supply. Sequel to A Dying Light in Corduba (RC 47471). Some violence. 1996.

by James C. Work

read by Bob Askey

2 cassettes

Pasque Pendragon works on his uncle's ranch while planning to avenge his brothers' murders at the hands of rustlers. But after agreeing to duel a stranger, Pasque spends a year on another quest. Along the way he has a change of heart and finds love. Some violence. 1999.

by Nevada Barr

read by Suzanne Toren

2 cassettes

Park Ranger Anna Pigeon accepts a promotion to supervise the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi, but on her arrival immediately regrets the decision. Soon a teenage girl is murdered and Anna faces danger from the suspects, including a group of Civil War reenactors. Some violence and some strong language. 2000.

by Chris Stewart

read by Jim Zeiger

3 cassettes

On a return flight from the Middle East, Air Force One crashes, killing all aboard including the vice president. When investigators find lethal biological agents in the wreckage, Captain Charlie McKay leads a retaliatory air strike force to Iraq in an attempt to avert another terrorist disaster. Violence. 1998.

by Marnie Mueller

read by David Hartley-Margolin

3 cassettes

1940s. Denton Jordan, a conscientious objector, and his Jewish wife, Esther, live at the Tule Lake Relocation Camp for Japanese in northern California. Trouble brews both within the camp and in their marriage, escalating until life-alterating choices are made. Some explicit descriptions of sex and some violence. 1999.

by Diane Duane

read by Jill Fox

3 cassettes

In this sequel to The Book of Night with Moon (RC 47393), feline wizards Rhiow, Arhu, and Urruah are sent into the London underground to foil a plot by the evil Lone Power, who plans to assassinate Queen Victoria and start a nuclear war. For senior high and older readers. 1999.

by Laura Resnick

read by Richard Hauenstein

5 cassettes

The Silerians have been oppressed by the Valdani for centuries, but now a peasant begins fighting back with the help of a recently returned Silerian soldier. However, the warrior has another powerful enemy: the magical waterlord society, which has long sought his head. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 1998.

by William J. Caunitz

read by Fred Major

3 cassettes

Deputy police commissioner Suzanne Albrecht, hoping for a promotion, enlists the help of her former lover, Lieutenant Matt Stuart, to investigate crooked cops who might stall her career. Matt's probe uncovers police links to the Dominican and Colombian drug gangs as well as Mafia connections. Violence and strong language. 1999.

by Vince Flynn

read by Jack Fox

3 cassettes

The CIA learns that foreign terrorists intend to assault the White House imminently. The Secret Service has only seconds to usher the president into his bunker, leaving others to be taken hostage. As officials dither, a CIA counterterrorism operative mounts a rescue. Some violence and some strong language. 1999.

by Greg Bear

read by Roy Avers

4 cassettes

Disgraced archaeologist Mitch Rafelson, geneticist Kaye Lang, and government epidemiologist Christopher Dicken are embroiled in researching a miscarriage-producing virus named SHEVA, which spontaneously generates replacement pregnancies of new evo