The Essential Classics (SNR Audio)

The Essential Classics Collection is a continent-hopping, century-spanning collection of five of the greatest novels ever written, and the perfect way to listen to those classics you've always been meaning to try. Read by a cast of incredible narrators including Joanne Froggatt, Stephen Fry, David Rintoul, Nathan Osgood, and Malk Williams.

The Essential Classics: Volume 1 brings together some of the most astute, gripping and tragic works written in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, beautifully read by Miranda Raison, Pearl Mackie, Jonathan Keeble, Peter Noble, and Olivia Dowd. Spanning English, Russian and German literature, in this collection you will find the terrifying trials of iconic detective Sherlock Holmes, Dickens’s cutting social commentary in Bleak House, as well as classic coming-of-age narratives with The Magic Mountain and Tolstoy’s realist masterpiece in Anna Karenina.

The Essential Classics: Volume 2 brings together 5 of the greatest classics ever written, perfectly read by an esteemed cast including Adjoa Andoh, David Rintoul, Kobna Holdbrook Smith, and Jonathan Keeble. Spanning the Atlantic, this collection includes stories of vampiric horror in Dracula, Poirot's first outing in The Mysterious Affair at Styles, as well as Emily Brontë's timeless tale of love on the moors, and more.

The Essential Classics: Volume 2 brings together 5 of the greatest classics ever written, perfectly read by an esteemed cast including Adjoa Andoh, Rupert Degas, Kobna Holdbrook Smith, Leighton Pugh, and Jonathan Keeble. Spanning the Atlantic, this collection includes stories of vampiric horror in Dracula, Orwell's modern masterpiece, Animal Farm, as well as Emily Brontë's timeless tale of love on the moors, Wutheirng Heights, and more.

The Essential Classics: Volume 3 brings together 5 of the greatest classics ever written, perfectly read by an esteemed cast including Robert G. Slade, Olivia Dowd, Karen Cass, Nathan Osgood, and Peter Noble. Spanning British, German, and American literature, this collection includes stories of the high seas in Moby Dick, Twain's beloved tale of childhood adventure in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as well love, honour, and betrayal in Far From the Madding Crowd, and more.

The Essential Classics: Volume 3 brings together 5 of the greatest classics ever written, perfectly read by an esteemed cast including Lucy Scott, Kristin Atherton, Peter Noble, Robert G. Slade, and Olivia Dowd. Spanning British, German, and American literature, this collection includes stories of the high seas in Moby Dick, small town comedy in Queen Lucia, as well love, honour, and betrayal in Far From the Madding Crowd, and more.

The Essential Classics: Volume 4 brings together 5 of the greatest classics ever written, perfectly read by an esteemed cast including Nathan Osgood, David Rintoul, and Jonathan Keeble. Spanning British, Russian, and Irish literature, this collection includes stories of war and brutality in A Farewell to Arms, love and loss on an epic scale in War & Peace, as well as Hammett's devilishly clever detective thriller, Red Harvest, and many more.

The Essential Classics: Volume 4 brings together 5 of the greatest classics ever written, perfectly read by an esteemed cast including Fenella Woolgar, Jonathan Keeble, Lucy Scott, David Rintoul, and Aidan Kelly. Spanning British, Russian, and Irish literature, this collection includes stories of modern Irish life in Dubliners, love and loss on an epic scale in War & Peace, as well as Dickens' tale of heroism in Nichols Nickleby, and many more.

The Essential Classics: Volume 2 brings together 5 of the greatest classics ever written, perfectly read by an esteemed cast including Juliet Stevenson, David Rintoul, Rachel Atkins, Stephen Hogan, Aoife McMahon, and Lucy Scott. Spanning a broad range of British and Irish literature, this collection includes hilarious stories of the 'gentleman's gentleman' in My Man, Jeeves, the revolutionary and intense tale of Jane and Rochester in Jane Eyre, as well as Joyce's grand modern masterpiece, Ulysses, and many more.

From Tolstoy's introspective reflections on the passage of time in Boyhood, Childhood, Youth to Dostoevsky’s exploration of ideological turmoil in Demons, these stories present the raw complexities of personal and societal transformation. Dombey and Son captures Dickens' powerful critique of Victorian society, while Shirley examines the life of a strong, independent woman challenging the conventions of her era.

The Essential Classics: Volume 7 brings together 5 of the greatest classics ever written, perfectly read by an esteemed cast including Jonathan Keeble, Kristin Atherton, Emma Gregory, and Matt Bates. From the charming and compassionate world of Cranford to the ambitious and tragic tale of Jude the Obscure, this volume is a rich tapestry of human experience. Daniel Deronda challenges notions of identity, morality, and destiny, while Evelina offers a sharp yet humorous commentary on social class and manners.

The Essential Classics: Volume 8 brings together 5 of the greatest classics ever written, perfectly read by an esteemed cast including Emma Gregory, Lucy Scott, Mark Meadows, and Rachel Atkins. From the quiet introspection of Persuasion, where Anne Elliot faces the complexities of love and second chances, to the thrilling escapades of The Scarlet Pimpernel, this volume offers a diverse array of experiences. The Mysteries of Udolpho will immerse you in gothic suspense, while The Provincial Lady offers a humorous and sharp look at the life of a woman in the early 20th century.

The Essential Classics: Volume 9 brings together 5 of the greatest classics ever written, perfectly read by an esteemed cast including Emma Gregory, Ben Allen, George Blagden, and Peter Noble. From the gripping tale of social confinement in Little Dorrit to the dark exploration of ambition and desire in Nana, this volume covers a range of emotions and struggles. The Immortalist delves into fate and the choices that shape our lives, while Dead Souls brings wit and satirical brilliance to the human condition.