Six very short (ranging in length from 8 to 18 minutes) classic tales from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, by authors Bernard Capes, W. F. Harvey, Edith Nesbit and Barry Pain. Timestamps below. Some of the stories are already available on the channel as individual uploads, but perhaps because of their brevity they seem to be less listened to, so I thought I’d put them together to make a longer compilation. (Note: as these were recorded episodically between 2020 and 2024 you may notice a slight variation in acoustic/audio quality between stories.)
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:32 The Case of Vincent Pyrwhit, by Barry Pain
00:09:17 John Charrington’s Wedding, by Edith Nesbit
00:29:09 The Marble Hands, by Bernard Capes
00:37:00 The Mystery of the Semi-Detached, by Edith Nesbit
00:45:53 The Clock, by W. F. Harvey
00:59:40 Rose Rose, by Barry Pain
01:17:43 Credits and thanks
(Story teasers and more details below)
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The Case of Vincent Pyrwhit | Barry Pain
A very bite-sized tale in which we are given the strange details surrounding the death of the title character… It was first published in 1901 as part of a volume of Barry Pain’s short stories entitled ‘Stories in the Dark’. The image on the title card depicts a lady using a “house telephone” circa 1900.
John Charrington’s Wedding | Edith Nesbit
When John Charrington decides that he is going to marry May Forster, the prettiest girl in a twenty mile radius, he declares that nothing shall prevent him getting to the church on time… First published in the September 1891 edition of the periodical ‘Temple Bar’; it was subsequently reprinted in ‘Grim Tales’ in 1893.
The Marble Hands | Bernard Capes
Taking a break from a cycling tour, our narrator and his friend Heriot stop in a country churchyard, where a curious and grotesque grave marker prompts Heriot to tell the story of the marble hands… First printed in a collection of Bernard Capes’ short stories, entitled ‘The Fabulists’, published by Mills & Boon in 1915.
The Mystery of the Semi-Detached | Edith Nesbit
Another selection from ‘Grim Tales’, in which our narrator outlines a curious experience… or dream… or vision? Or perhaps a premonition?
The Clock | W. F. Harvey
A simple errand to pick up a clock from an empty house leads to an unexpectedly unnerving experience. The house has a strange atmosphere, and although nobody has been there for almost a fortnight, the clock appears to have been recently wound up… First published in 1928.
Rose Rose, by Barry Pain
Sefton’s painting of ‘Aphrodite’ is destined to be his masterpiece, and he has found the perfect model for it in Miss Rose Rose. If only she wasn’t so notoriously unreliable… First published in ‘The London Magazine’, edition number 141, in May 1910.
Recordings © Bitesized Audio 2021–24, compilation © Bitesized Audio 2024
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Six very short (ranging in length from 8 to 18 minutes) classic tales from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, by authors Bernard Capes, W. F. Harvey, Edith Nesbit and Barry Pain. Timestamps below. Some of the stories are already available on the channel as individual uploads, but perhaps because of their brevity they seem to be less listened to, so I thought I'd put them together to make a longer compilation. (Note: as these were recorded episodically between 2020 and 2024 you may notice a slight variation in acoustic/audio quality between stories.)
00:01:32 The Case of Vincent Pyrwhit, by Barry Pain
00:09:17 John Charrington's Wedding, by Edith Nesbit
00:29:09 The Marble Hands, by Bernard Capes
00:37:00 The Mystery of the Semi-Detached, by Edith Nesbit
00:45:53 The Clock, by W. F. Harvey
00:59:40 Rose Rose, by Barry Pain
(Story teasers and more details can be found in the video description)
Oh happy day
I’ve been saving this up for wrapping presents. Wonderful, as always! Merry Christmas! 🎁🎄
I'm hoping Victorian and Edwardian literature and scribbling provide a more or less bottomless diamond mine for Mr Stanhope to mine and curate for ever.
Thank you Simon for a relaxing voice in your stories
Thank you
Whem life semestre joyless you bring joy❤ suriname. South. America😊
Thanks, Simon, for keeping the tradition of Christmas ghost stories alive
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤from England
i love going to bed with Simon… that's a sentence i never thought I'd write
John Charrington's Wedding, by Edith Nesbit and Rose Rose, by Barry Pain have SAME theme !!has the narrator not noticed ??
VERY NICE STORIES !!
Would you consider reading ‘The Indian in the Cupboard?……… and poetry? Hiawatha/ excerpts from Jungle book? I enjoy your audio books very much. Thanks very much.
Ty Simon! May you and yours be blessed this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior,Jesus! Your sister in Him, Middle TN
Tuning in to these as an inducement to sleep and finding they produce the opposite effect. Approaching a cold midnight in America.
You look great w a beard❤and love the stories, thank you so much🎉
Mr.Stanhope!!! You have a great talent and are a national treasure!
This was a nice idea for the very short ones. Another selection to relax to before sleep time,
I first read this story as a youngster, and to this day, it scares me. It invokes a real feeling of dread. And the narration was on point; the matter-of-fact delivery only added to the eeriness. I hope my path never crosses Mrs. Caleb’s!
I first read this story as a youngster, and to this day, it scares me. It invokes a real feeling of dread. And the narration was on point; the matter-of-fact delivery only added to the eeriness. I hope my path never crosses Mrs. Caleb’s!
Thank you, just what the doctor ordered
Thank you for this compilation 💜
Hello, I listened by mistake, could not turn off so listened. Well, I am so glad I listened, I enjoyed every story and you made a tedious afternoon most pleasurable. Thank you.
Thank you Simon. Have a happy Christmas 🎄and happy Hanukkah 😍🕎