For Reading Out Loud

Eric Kelly, In Clean Hay 12-25

28 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A Christmas story set in Poland: Eric Kelly's "In Clean Hay"

Gift of the Magi*

21 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

So familiar, but somehow always new and wonderful: O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi"

Lucy Maud Montgomery, A Redeeming Sacrifice

14 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A fine young woman falls for a rotter. What directions might it take? Lucy Maud Montgomery's "A Redeeming Sacrifice"

London, To Build a Fire, 12-7-25

07 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

About as cold as it gets: Jack London's "To Build a Fire"

P. G. Wodehouse, The Nodder

30 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A Hollywood yarn from P. G. Wodehouse: "The Nodder"

Wilde:Coward 11-25

23 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Two stories by two great wits and storytellers: Oscar Wilde and Noël Coward

Ambrose Bierce, Horseman in the Sky

02 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ambrose Bierce's famous and startling Civil War story, "A Horseman in the Sky"

P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves and the Love That Purifies

19 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It has been said that P. G. Wodehouse’s inimitable comic style was as hard to analyze as his emotions; one critic described the task as “taking a ...

Will James, The Seeing Eye, 10-12-25

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A Western tale by the gifted storyteller and illustrator Will James, "The Seeing Eye"

Jesse Lynch Williams, The City Editor's Conscience

05 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Off to the world of newspapers in Jesse Lynch Williams's "The City Editor's Conscience"

Rudyard Kipling, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

28 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rudyard Kipling's classic tale of a fearless mongoose and the family that took him in: Rikki-Tikki Tavi

Elinor Mordaunt, Genius

21 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elinor Mordaunt's "Genius," a story of a brilliant, unworldly talent and its pursuit of a concert career

Somerset Maugham, The Portrait of a Gentleman, The Ant and the Grasshopper

14 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How to live in an uncertain or chaotic world? Two stories by W. Somerset Maugham.

W. H. Hudson, Story of a Piebald Horse

07 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Internationally famous as a naturalist and ornithologist, he also wrote novels and short stories set in his native Argentina. Tonight's story is W. H....

Agatha Christie, Motive Versus Opportunity

31 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Miss Marple in full flower in this early mystery from The Tuesday Night Club: "Motive Versus Opportunity"

PG Wodehouse, Mulliner's Buck-U-Uppo

24 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Their fancy may take them odd directions, but fishermen are certainly entertaining company. P. G. Wodehouse's Mr. Mulliner spins a yarn in "Mulliner's...

Great Beginnings 25

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Good beginnings, in film, in poetry, in fiction, are solid and memorable gold. Do you have favorites? Here are some of mine.

Stefan Zweig, The Invisible Collection 8:10:25

10 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stefan Zweig's intriguing classic story "The Invisible Colleciton"

Maupassant, Graveyard Sisterhood, Decoration, 8-3-25

03 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On the occasion of his 175th birthday, two stories by the French Master Guy de Maupassant

Thomas Beer, Tact

27 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A story about an amiable and resourceful small-town family by Thomas Beer, entitled simply "Tact."

Grazia Deledda, The Open Door

20 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nobel Prize-winning Italian author Grazia Deledda's "The Open Door"

Ernest Thompson Seton, The Biography of a Grizzly, Part 2

13 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The second and concluding part of Ernest Thompson Seton's The Biography of a Grizzlhy

Ernest Thompson Seton, The Biography of a Grizzly*, 1:2

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The first of two episodes: Ernest Thompson Seton, The Biography of a Grizzly

Kathleen Norris, Shandon Waters

29 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kathleen Norris's plainly told and moving story of a young widow and mother on the fringes of a tight-knit community.

Jacques Futrelle, The Problem of Cell 13, Part 2

22 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

He made a preposterous bet, but don't sell Professor Van Dusen short: the conclusion of "The Problem of Cell 13" by Jacques Futrelle.

Jacques Futrelle, The Problem of Cell !3, Part 1

15 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A ruthless practitioner of logic, Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen accepts the challenge of escaping from a high security prison. Can his logic w...

Jerome K. Jerome, Elizabeth von Arnim

08 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Two short spring pieces tonight, by Jerome K. Jerome (Three Men in a Boat) and Elizabeth von Armin (The Enchanted April)

Perrault, The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood

01 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Once upon a time, before there were the Brothers Grimm, there was Charles Perrault, and he gave us (among others) the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. H...

P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves and the Kid Clementina

25 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

P. G. Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster tells of "Jeeves and the Kid Clementina"

Stacy Aumonier, Miss Bracegirdle Does Her Duty

18 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stacy Aumonier's anticipation of Alfred Hitchcock: "Miss Bracegirdle Does Her Duty"

O. Henry, Shearing the Wolf

11 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In an age of scams, you might enjoy learning about the old “green goods” caper: O. Henry, “Shearing the Wolf.”

Agatha Christie, The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan

04 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

All the evidence points to one person, but Hercule Poirot keeps asking questions and solves “The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan.”

Werner Bergengruen- The Sand Doctor

27 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Werner Bergengruen takes an amused and skeptical look at misleading national identities in his story “The Sand Doctor.”

Kate Chopin, Love on the Bon-Dieu

20 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A tender story by Kate Chopin: "Love on the Bon-Dieu"

Stacy Aumonier, A Source of Irritation

13 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sudden and high adventure in the most stolid and regular of lives: "A Source of Irritation" by Stacy Aumonier

Leonard Merrick, The Doll in the Silk Dress

06 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A romance set in the theater in Belle Époque Paris: Leonard Merrick’s “The Doll in the Pink Silks Dress”A romance set in the theater in Belle É...

(Anon.), The Betting Scotchman

30 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A trickster's tale: The Betting Scotchman

Anatole France, "Putois"

23 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Anatole France's charming tale of the elusive gardener, "Putois"

Thomas Mann, Mario and the Magician - 2

16 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The second and concluding part of Thomas Mann's "Mario and the Magician"

Thomas Mann, Mario and the Magician - 1

09 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Thomas Mann's thrilling political parable, "Mario and the Magician"

G. K. Chesterton, The Hammer of God

02 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

G. K. Chesterton' priestly sleuth Father Brown in "The Hammer of God"

Eden Phillpotts, Hey Diddle Diddle, the Cat . . ."

23 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Eden Phillpotts's charming and clever story about a man and a cat and much more

Somerset Maugham, A Friend in Need, The Wash Tub

16 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Two classic stories by the English writer William Somerset Maugham: A Friend in Need, The Wash Tub

P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves and the Song of songs

09 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Comedy with music tonight from P. G. Wodehouse: Jeeves and the Song of Songs

Thomas Mann, Tonio Kröger, 4/4

02 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The conclusion of Thomas Mann's early masterpiece Tonio Kröger

Thomas Mann, Tonio Kröger, 3/4

26 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tonio travels toward Denmark, stopping for a curious visit in his hometown.

Thomas Mann, Tonio Kröger, 2/4

19 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tonio Kröger, part two of four. After a loving encounter in Munich, Tonio sets forth on a return journey.

Thomas Mann, Tonio Kröger, 1/4

12 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Thomas Mann's great early story Tonio Kröger, the first of four parts.

Damon Runyon, The Three Wise Guys

05 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Damon Runyon's retelling of an Epiphany story: Three Wise Guys

Anatole France, Mlle. de Doucine's New Year's Present

29 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For auld lang syne, with best New Year's wishes, a charming tale by Anatole France.

Anatole France, Our Lady's Juggler, Robert Benchley A Good Old-Fashioned Christmas

22 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two Christmas stories, one by Anatole France, one by Robert Benchley

P. G. Wodehouse, The Great Sermon Handicap

15 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Classic Jeeves and Bertie Wooster: P. G. Wodehouse's 1922 story "The Great Sermon Handicap"

Lucy Maud Montgomery. White Magic

08 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A story of romance and cynicism, of kindness and a kind of magic. Lucy Maud Montgomery’s “White Magic.”

Jack London, The Night-born

01 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jack London's Klondike romance, "The Night-born"

Thanksgiving 2023

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two Thanksgiving classics I hope you'll enjoy.

Ludovic Halévy, My Nephew Joseph

24 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ludovic Halévy's amused look at the world of journalism

Harriet Beecher Stowe, "The Sullivan Lookking-Glass"

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A Harriet Beecher Stowe sequel: The Sullivan Looking Glass

Paul Bourget, The Age for Love

10 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Bourget, The Age for Love

Harriet Beecher Stowe, The Ghost in the Mill

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When she wasn't working on Uncle Tom's Cabin, she also wrote some pretty good fireside tales: Harriet Beecher Stowe, The Ghost in the Chimney

Lord Dunsany, Two Bottles of Relish

27 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A spooky story for Halloween: Lord Dunsany's "Two Bottles of Relish"

Victor Hugo's A Fight With a Cannon

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Victor Hugo's A Fight With a Cannon by For Reading Out Loud

Victor Hugo's A Fight With A Cannon

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Clear the decks for Victor Hugo's "A Fight with a Cannon."

Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Empty House

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ten years later, Sherlock Holmes returns in The Adventure of the Empty House

Arthur Conan Doyle, The Final Problem

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sherlock Holmes's final problem. Or was it?

O. Henry, The Romance of a busy Broker, A Service of Love

22 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two quite different stories by O. Henry, both of them love stories.

Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, The Outside of the House

15 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A down East story from the pen of Mary Wilkins Freeman: The Outside of the House

Lucy Maud Montgomery, Jedediah's Romance

08 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lucy Maud Montgomery, The Romance of Jedediah

Henry Lawson, Andy Page's Rival

01 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Henry Lawson's story from Australia's Outback country: Andy Page's Rival

Susan Glaspell, For Love of the Hills

25 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Susan Glaspell's classic story For Love of the Hills

Edna Ferber, A Bush League Hero

18 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Edna Ferber share a baseball story. But it's not about baseball.

Henry van Dyke, The Wedding-Ring

11 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A story of love and trust: Henry van Dyke's "The Wedding Ring"

Mary Freeman, The Revolt of "Mother"

04 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A rare opportunity is seized in Mary Freeman’s “The Revolt of ‘Mother.’”

O. Henry, The Hand That Riles the World, Jeff Peters as a Personal Magnet

28 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tales of two scammers. O. Henry shares with us a couple of stories about his charming rogues, Jeff Peters and Andy Tucker.

Ernest Thompson Seton, Silverspot

21 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From Wild Animals I Have Known, Ernest Thompson Seton's "Silverspot"

Maurice Leblanc, The Black Pearl

14 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“The Black Pearl,” in which Maurice Leblanc’s gentleman thief Arsène Lupin proves himself a better detective than the forces of the law.

P. G. Wodehouse, Indian Summer of an Uncle

07 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Classic P. G. Wodehouse: Indian Summer of an Uncle.

Arthur Conan Doyle, The Greek Interpreter

30 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“The game’s afoot Watson!” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes story, “The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter”

Guy de Maupassant, Boule de suif, Part 2

23 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The second and concluding part of Guy de Maupassant's "Boule de Suif"

Maupassant, Boule de Suif, Part 1

16 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of the best: Guy de Maupassant's "Boule de Suife"

F.Scott fitzgerald, Winter Dreams

05 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An early story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, looking forward to his masterpiece novel, The Great Gatsby

Saki, The Lost Sanjak, R. W. Emerson, Success

28 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Can a man be put on trial for his own murder? Saki's "The Lost Sanjak."

Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, A New England Nun

20 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mary E. Wilkins Freeman's classic story, "A New England Nun"

E. W. Hornung, The Ides of March

14 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Enter Raffles. The beginning adventure of E. W. Hornung's famous gentleman thief.

Ellis Parker Butler, The Great American Pie Company

07 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The daydreams of Ephraim Deacon and his friend Phineas Doolittle, who plan to corner the pie market, are examined by the ever-good-humored Ellis Parke...

Rafael Sabatini, Casanova's Alibi

31 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rafael Sabatini offers a tale of the 18th century adventurer Casanova in "Casanova's Alibi."

Thomas Mann, The Child Prodigy

24 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An early piece by Thomas Mann, who would go on to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature: “The Child Prodigy”

Ernest Seton Thompson, Lobo, The King of Currumpaw

17 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“Lobo, the King of Currumpaw,” the first story of Ernest Thompson Seton’s book, Wild Animals I have Known.

Saki, The Open Window, Esmé

10 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two by Saki: The Open Door, Esmé

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Speckled Band

03 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes tale, The Speckled Band

Ellis Parker Butler, Pigs Is Pigs

25 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Born in 1905, still kickin' and stayin" in print: Ellis Parker Butler's "Pigs Is Pigs."

Maurice Leblanc, The Queen's Necklace

18 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Maurice Leblanc's greatest creation is the gentleman thief and detective Arsène Lupin. Here he is in The Queen's Necklace.

Somerset Maugham, The Portrait of a Gentleman, The Ant and the Grasshopper

11 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two pieces by the English author and playwright, W. Somerset Maugham: The Portrait of a Gentleman and The Ant and the Grasshopper

Rudyard Kipling, Just So Stories

04 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sheer delight from Rudyard Kipling, author of the best bedtime stories ever: The Just So Stories.

Dorothy Sayers, The Fountain Plays

28 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wit and economy in a tale of murder by Dorothy Sayers.

Aesop's Fables

21 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A selection of Aesop’s Fables from among my favorites.

Sarah Orne Jewett, A White Heron

14 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A beautifully rendered story of a turning point in a young girl’s life: Sarah Orne Jewett’s “A White Heron.”

Maugham, The Facts of Life

07 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Away from the snow, off to Monte Carlo: Somerset Maugham's "The Facts of Life."

Saki, The Story Teller, Mrs.Packletide's Tiger, The Schartz-Metterklume Method

04 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Three stories by Saki. Who could ask for anything more?

Eric Kelly, In Clean Hay

24 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

"In Clean Hay," a Christmas story by Eric Kelly.

P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves and the Yuletide Spirit

17 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In time for the holiday's: "Jeeves and the Yuletide Spirit" by P. G. Wodehouse.