Libsyn Directory

Ep. 862, Rappaccini's Daughter, by Nathaniel HawthorneVINTAGE

Release Date: 09/25/2023

Ep. 1103, Michael Strogoff, Part 2 of 9, by Jules Verne

The Classic Tales Podcast

With everyone suspicious of spies on the train, can Michael escape their scrutiny? Jules Verne, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. The thing that I love about The Classic Tales is the way folks who normally don’t listen to the classics get hooked. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard stories of people who normally wouldn’t read Jane Austen, but now love Pride and Prejudice. Or after a few episodes of Poirot, want to read more of Agatha Christie’s books. Or Charles Dickens, or Sherlock Holmes,...

Ep. 1102, The Repairer of Reputations, by Robert W. Chambers VINTAGE

The Classic Tales Podcast

A new era of prosperity is in the air. The crowning achievement? - The first Government Lethal Chamber is now open and ready for its first occupant. Robert W. Chambers, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to this VINTAGE episode of The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. We have so many fun titles planned for 2026, and we want you on our team to help us out. I’ll be sending a survey out at the beginning of the year with a list of potential titles for us to produce on the podcast and otherwise. We want you to help us decide! If you’re a...

Ep. 1101, Michael Strogoff, Part 1 of 9, by Jules Verne

The Classic Tales Podcast

The Grand Duke’s life is in danger, and the telegraph wire has been cut. Who can carry a dispatch from the Czar across revolutionary Siberia in time to warn him? Jules Verne, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. Let’s talk about ads. Now, most podcasts offer a subscription where you can pay $10 or so a month, and you get to listen to their show with no ads, and get a few bonus episodes. Here’s the thing – this largely goes to benefit the podcast platforms. The actual creators don’t get much....

Ep. 1100, Head and Shoulders, by F. Scott Fitzgerald VINTAGE

The Classic Tales Podcast

Things turn topsy-turvy when a prodigy from Princeton falls for a spirited dancer in spite of himself. F. Scott Fitzgerald, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to this VINTAGE episode of The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. We have so many fun titles planned for 2026, and we want you on our team to help us out. I’ll be sending a survey out at the beginning of the year with a list of potential titles for us to produce on the podcast and otherwise. We want you to help us decide! If you’re a subscribing member of the Audiobook Library Card,...

Ep. 1099, Honorable Tommy, by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

The Classic Tales Podcast

When is a harmless prank not so harmless? I guess it depends on who you ask. Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. Do you plan on tackling some of those books you’ve always meant to get to next year? Is it time to take a whack at Ivanhoe, David Copperfield, or Plutarch’s Lives? With the Audiobook Library Card, you can sample all you want until you find the special title for that sweet spot. Unlimited downloading and streaming of the Classic Tales Library! And with your help,...

Ep. 1098, A Christmas Carol, Part 4 of 4, by Charles Dickens VINTAGE

The Classic Tales Podcast

Can Ebenezer Scrooge become convinced to change his ways? Charles Dickens, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to this VINTAGE episode of The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. Did you know Charles Dickens wrote several Christmas Stories similar in length to A Christmas Carol? With the Audiobook Library Card, you can download The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens and get not only the entire reading of A Christmas Carol, but also The Chimes, A Cricket on the Hearth, The Goblins and the Gravedigger, and The Life of Our Lord. Go to or...

Ep. 1097, A Christmas Confession, by Agnes McClelland Daulton

The Classic Tales Podcast

How can a good deed at Christmas backfire? Agnes McClelland Daulton, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. Do you plan on tackling some of those books you’ve always meant to get to next year? Is it time to take a whack at Ivanhoe, David Copperfield, or Plutarch’s Lives? With the Audiobook Library Card, you can sample all you want until you find the special title for that sweet spot. Unlimited downloading and streaming of the Classic Tales Library can be yours for even less! Go to or follow the link in...

Ep. 1096, A Christmas Carol, Part 3 of 4, by Charles Dickens VINTAGE

The Classic Tales Podcast

What message does The Ghost of Christmas Present bring Ebenezer Scrooge from beyond the grave? Charles Dickens, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to this VINTAGE episode of The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. Did you know Charles Dickens wrote several Christmas Stories similar in length to A Christmas Carol? With the Audiobook Library Card, you can download The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens and get not only the entire reading of A Christmas Carol, but also The Chimes, A Cricket on the Hearth, The Goblins and the Gravedigger, and The...

Ep. 1095, The Christmas Surprise on Enderly Road, by Lucy Maud Montgomery

The Classic Tales Podcast

Who can lighten the friction between the folks on Blackburn Hill and those on Enderly Road? Lucy Maud Montgomery, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. This is the final week where you can get a subscription for the Audiobook Library Card for only $6.99, instead of the typical ridiculously low price of $9.99. This is your chance to lock in a monthly subscription at the lower price, saving $3 a month. Unlimited downloading and streaming of the Classic Tales Library can be yours for even less! Go to or...

Ep. 1094, A Christmas Carol, Part 2 of 4, by Charles Dickens VINTAGE

The Classic Tales Podcast

What message does The Ghost of Christmas Past bring Ebenezer Scrooge from beyond the grave? Charles Dickens, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to this VINTAGE episode of The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. Did you know Charles Dickens wrote several Christmas Stories similar in length to A Christmas Carol? With the Audiobook Library Card, you can download The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens and get not only the entire reading of A Christmas Carol, but also The Chimes, A Cricket on the Hearth, The Goblins and the Gravedigger, and The Life...

More Episodes

It’s the most glorious flower garden the world has ever known. But when a young student falls in love with the mysterious Eve who tends the garden, he learns that this Paradise is anything but a Garden of Eden. Nathaniel Hawthorne, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to this Vintage Episode of The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

Two Vintage Episodes are released each week, so be sure to check your feed regularly. New episodes will be available every Friday. If you like the Vintage Episodes, please let us know by going to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com. Become a supporter, tell your friends, order an audiobook, or send us an email. You can also give us a review on Apple Podcasts. We’d love to hear if you like the older episodes.

Today we continue the Gothic vein with a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Most of us are familiar with The Scarlet Letter. But Hawthorne really shines in the medium of the short story, and this story is an excellent example.

Gothic elements abound – Beatrice is socially and physically isolated from the rest of the world. There is a supernatural and scientific element to the garden, the romance of the two lovers, and the Faustian/diabolical figure of Dr. Rappaccini.

All in all, it’s a solid piece of literature, if you can overlook the green narrator.

TOPICS