Read by Benjamin Soames, UNABRIDGED, 4 CDs

The Tale of Troy by Benedict Flynn

There was once a time, nearly four thousand years ago, when the tall towers of a city called Troy reached gleaming into the sky; when its proud king fought against an invading army in a desperate siege. The Tale of Troy was so important to the ancient Greeks that its author, Homer, became a kind of hero. Long after his death artists, thinkers and ordinary people still look to his tale for inspiration. This exciting version of the famous story is retold especially for eight- to thirteen-year-olds.

Music: Stravinsky, Koechlin, Grieg, Gilson, Salter & Skinner, Wagner, Mendelssohn, Schreer, Ravel, Walton, Prokofiev

The Adventures of Odysseus by Benedict Flynn

The Adventures of Odysseus is the story of what happened after the Trojan War when Odysseus, the most cunning of all the Greek heroes, left Troy and made his way back to his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. It was first told by a poet named Homer nearly three thousand years ago and is retold in this new version especially for younger listeners.

Music: Mahler, Schumann, Glazunov, Khachaturian, d’Indy, Bliss, Debussy

Read by Garrick Hagon, Abridged, 4 CDs

Two of Twain’s great classics are combined here, adding to Naxos Audiobooks’ now well-established collection of box sets.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is the story of a boy’s adventures growing up in a small town on the banks of the Mississippi river over a hundred years ago. The cheerful, adventurous hero plays truant to form a pirate band and, together with his best friend, Huckleberry Finn, finds fun, excitement, and buried treasure, along the shores of the great river.

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, floating down the Mississippi on their raft, Huckleberry Finn and Jim, a runaway slave, find life filled with excitement and the spirit of adventure. Join Huck and Jim and their old friend Tom Sawyer as they come up against low-down thieves and murderers whilst being chased by Huck’s evil, drunken father who is after Huck’s treasure. It is a trip you’ll never tire of.

Read by Anna Bentinck and Daniel Philpott, Abridged, 4 CDs

Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall is an Edwardian history book for younger listeners which tells the story of England, concluding with the reign of Queen Victoria.

During 2006, Our Island Story was released unabridged in three volumes. Naxos AudioBooks now offers an attractive collection of the main stories and personalities. This skilful abridgement nevertheless maintains the narrative of British history, from the arrival of Julius Caesar to the height of the British Empire and the long reign of Queen Victoria.

Read by Marin Alsop, Unabridged, 2CDs

Marin Alsop, music director of the Baltimore Symphony and the world’s leading female conductor, presents the lives and works of six more composers in her award-winning series of classical music audiobooks published by Naxos AudioBooks. Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Rachmaninov and John Williams are the figures she presents here with their music in the forefront.
How does Williams sit in the company of Haydn and Chopin?

Marin Alsop says ‘I have conducted John Williams in concert and I feel that in the contemporary context, and especially in the music he has written for films, he deserves to be upfront with the great classic composers.’

Excerpts from the big films including E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars are included in this unique concept album.

See also: Famous Composers and The Story of Classical Music, read by Marin Alsop and both winners of Audio Publishers Association’s The Audies award for Original Work.