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Ep. 876, The Haunters and the Haunted, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Release Date: 10/27/2023

Ep. 1106, The Marine Excursion of the Knights of Pythias, by Stephen LeacockVINTAGE

The Classic Tales Podcast

In tiny community of Mariposa, an excursion on the Mariposa Belle steamboat is the hottest ticket in town. What could go wrong? Stephen Leacock, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to this VINTAGE episode of 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. 1105, Michael Strogoff, Part 3 of 9, by Jules Verne

The Classic Tales Podcast

Can Michael and his traveling companion cross the Ural Mountains with a storm on the horizon? Jules Verne, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. One of the things 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...

Ep. 1104, The Stolen White Elephant, by Mark Twain VINTAGE

The Classic Tales Podcast

A Siamese white elephant has gone missing in New Jersey. So, you know, it’s Tuesday. Mark Twain, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to this VINTAGE episode of 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. So, I created a better plan. For $9.99 per month, you...

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...

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Why is an unobtrusive, simple flat in the middle of London outrageously haunted? Edward Bulwer-Lytton, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – Halloween! Keep an eye open for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving, and The Eyes, by Edith Wharton. As you’ve noticed, there’s a lot of new material we’re sending your way, and we really want to keep the momentum going. Please go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a supporter for $5 a month. We’ll send you a coupon code every month, so you can get even more! And thanks for your support!

The Right Honourable Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton was a prolific novelist, and very popular in his day. He coined many phrases now commonplace, such as, “the pen is mightier than the sword”, “The pursuit of the almighty dollar”, and “It was a dark and stormy night”. He represented the Whigs in Parliament, and was the Secretary of State for the Colonies from June 1858 to June 1859.

He married Rosina Doyle Wheeler, also a writer, and they had two children. He wasn’t a faithful husband, and they parted acrimoniously in 1833. When he was standing as a parliamentary candidate in June 1858, Rosina continued to publicly denounce him, in print and in person, and his responses escalated until he eventually had her committed to a mental asylum. She was shortly released after a public outcry.

He suffered with gradual hearing loss from the time he was a young man. As it worsened during the course of his life, he pulled out of the public eye. An unsuccessful ear operation eventually killed him, and he died in 1873.

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