Recommended Website:
Literal Systems
The owner of this website recently brought my attention to it with this message:
“My name is Warren Smith and I would like to introduce a website that may prove a useful and enjoyable resource for our community of teachers, their students and the visually impaired community at large. LiteralSystems.com is a literary audio book service. We record unabridged spoken word treatments of classic literature and poetry and produce MP3 files of the performances. Finally we freely provide these audio books to the worldwide community at no charge. Among our affiliations so far are: The World Library (worldlibrary.net) and the Internet Public-Library who provide access to our recordings for their visitors.”
I was intrigued by the idea of being able to download free audio renditions of quality literature to use at home or in the car.
When you get to the website you will see some introductory information and links to featured audio selections that you can download. There is a menu bar at the top of the page that provides information about the actors who read the stories and poems and information about sponsors of the site. Click on “Download Catalog” for a complete listing of their selection of short stories and poems that include the works of authors such as:
- Beatrix Potter
- Hans Christian Anderson
- The Brothers Grimm
- Rudyard Kipling
- William Shakespeare
- Charles Darwin
- Arthur Conan Doyle
- Edgar Allan Poe
Click on any title and a new page opens with a disclaimer, comments by the actor who read the piece, and credits. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find information on how to download the file for use on a PC or Mac, along with a link to the file. In some cases, you will find a short sample of the piece so you can hear a quick clip to decide whether or not to download the entire selection. Download time will depend on what type of connection you have — with highspeed connections, like DSL, taking much less time.
Don’t forget to join the mailing list that will keep you apprised of new MP3 files as they are added to the site. (Sign up on the Home Page.)
