A
New Audiobook Series
About the Storytime Collection
Friends of Freedom audiobook Series
Over
the years our customers have repeatedly told us how much they like
our products. We are certain that they will find this new audio
series to be no exception.
The
Story-time Collection is comprised of several themed series. The
first installment, Beowulf, along our new release William Tell,
is part of our Friends of Freedom Series. In this series, we have
selected stories dealing with the struggle for freedom, liberty
and self-rule.
We
carefully choose our stories. We look for stories that will not
only teach historical facts but, like everything PrestonSpeed produces,
the stories must also contain positive examples of behavior. Our
editions are family friendly and can inform, entertain, and be enjoyed
by everyone in the family, no matter what the listener's age. We
have also designed these productions to serve an additional educative
function: By purchasing the read-along guide, your child can improve
their reading and comprehension skills. The guides not only contain
the text from the audiobook but they also have a variety of study
activities.
Family
friendly versions of classic stories. Wonderfully told, affordably
priced, and packaged in a sturdy case. As a bonus, each recording
has a printed read along booklet available at a special price.
Great
stories, durable packaging, and affordable pricing. What a fun way
for you and your family to start the New Year.
New Release
William Tell
Did
you know that while the Scots were fighting for independence the
Swiss were also fighting for their independence ?
Few
today know that while Wallace and Bruce were fighting for freedom
in Scotland, another fight for freedom was waging in Switzerland.
The battle of Morgarten was the great battle of Swiss independence.
In this battle, the Swiss rose up against a repressive Austrian
rule. Many today are surprised to learn about this battle and that
Morgarten occurred one year after the battle of Bannockburn took
place in Scotland.
Many
are unfamiliar with the story of William Tell. PrestonSpeed Publications
is pleased to present this exciting, well told, and informative
historic tale. For our fans of G.A. Henty, this story is the perfect
companion for In Freedom’s Cause.
Date:
1307
Location: Switzerland
Subject: Swiss War of Independence
Beowulf
Beowulf
is a fine story finely told. Besides being a fine story, Beowulf
is of great interest because it is the oldest poem in the Anglo-Saxon
language which tells of noble deeds in noble words. J.R.R. Tolkien
in his 1936 lecture, Beowulf: the Monsters and the Critics, rightly
pointed out that Beowulf is not only important for its historical
content, but for its literary credit as a story. There is something
strange and wonderful in the thought that the story which pleased
so many a thousand years ago should please us today. What is more
wonderful is that it should be told in such words that they thrill
us with delight and make us feel as if those old days were fresh
and living.
Praise for Beowulf
"Wow,
you guys just always do it right! My family and I just listened
to Beowulf and I had to contact you and let you know how much we
enjoyed this recording. We have been grateful fans of PrestonSpeed
for years now. Our family appreciates so much what you do. High
quality products, excellent selection, and at reasonable prices
too. Keep up the good work!"
Karen, IL
"Our
family just returned from a long car trip where we had the pleasure
of listening to Beowulf. Great job PrestonSpeed! Any more coming
soon?"
Robert, KS
"Beverly,
I thought you might enjoy our story. My children and I were heading
to the grocery store. Our initial intentions were to run a few errands
and get back to the house quickly. On the way, we checked our post
office box and in it was the package from PrestonSpeed containing
Beowulf. Well, since I had a CD player in the car, and we were all
curious to hear how it sounded, I thought I would just listen for
a few moments while we completed making our rounds. This quick trip
lasted much longer than planned. We ended up sitting in our driveway
and completing the whole story. Thank you for an entertaining story
that my whole family enjoyed"
Beth, TX
"Excellent!
One question: Why haven’t you read audio books before?"
Joyce, OR
For
people to take time out of their busy schedules to write us and
to write us so quickly after the initial release certainly says
alot about this product.
Thank you.
The
Cornet of Horse: A Tale of Marlborough's Wars
by
G. A. Henty
READ
ABOUT WINSTON CHURCHILL'S FAMOUS ANCESTOR, JOHN CHURCHILL, THE 1ST
DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH
Rupert
Holliday, under the reign of Queen Anne, is the son of a widowed
mother in Derbyshire and protege of his paternal grandfather, an
old Cavalier. Rupert is carefully taught the skills necessary to
become one of the finest swordsmen in Europe by his grandfather
and a French aristocrat that was forced to flee his native land.
The Duke of Marlborough, one of the greatest military geniuses of
this time, recognizes the skill in this young man. Winston Churchill
was justly proud of his ancestor saying, "he never rode off
any field except as a victor."
Go
through the famous battles of Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, and
Malplaquet. The War of Spanish Succession was known as Queen Anne's
War in the American colonies and continued for about 12 years being
fought in Spain, northern Italy, southern Germany, and the Spanish
Netherlands.
Date:
1701
Location: Europe
Event: War of Spanish Succession
TO
ORDER
Captain
Bayley's Heir by G. A. Henty Now Shipping
 Did
it take an Englishman to write the first American western?
Long
before American writers of western tales began their story telling,
English authors including G.A. Henty were composing stories about
the American westward expansion. A frank, manly lad, Frank Norris,
and his cousin, Fred Barkley, are rivals in the heirship of a considerable
property. Frank Norris falls into a trap laid by Fred Barkley, and
while under a false accusation of theft foolishly leaves England
for America. Norris works his passage before the mast, joins a small
band of hunters, crosses a tract of country infested with Indians
to the California gold diggings, and is successful both as digger
and trader. Features that are popular in television and western
movies can be found in the writing of G.A. Henty long before it
became standard cowboy fare. Wagon trains moving across the prairie,
stagecoach robberies, buffalo hunts, ambushes, and more await the
reader.
Date:
1849
Location: England, United States
Subject: California Gold Rush
TO
ORDER
Swords
of Heaven (formerly known as The Countess)
 In
a time when tyranny is claiming a kingdom, a giant of a knight and
his gracious wife rise from England's green meadows to strike a blow
for liberty. Sir William Marshall is the favoured knight of the realm
and married to the lovely Countess Isabel de Clare. Believing himself
bound by his sacred oath to wicked King John, Sir William reluctantly
takes arms against two of his own sons who are fighting for the rights
of Englishmen. Desperate as both a wife and a mother, Isabel struggles
to resolve the family’s dilemma. In so doing, she unwittingly
becomes the courageous champion for an even greater cause that will
change the world forever.
"Swords of Heaven" is a carefully researched epic tale based
on the true life story of the unsung heroes of Magna Carta--Sir
William Marshal and Isabel de Clare. Complete with a colourful collection
of memorable characters, the story invites the reader to experience
a fast-paced adventure in medieval England. Filled with action, suspense,
romance, and intrigue, "Swords of Heaven" brings to life
the breath-taking events that rescued liberty from the grasp of tyrants.
Date:1215
Main Event Magna Carta
Quality Trade PaperbackPrice 15.99 Special limited time price only
$11.99
Check out the free unit study on the Magna Carta from Beverly
Schmitt
 Humpty
Dumpty: Learn the history behind this rhyme using food, crafts, puzzles
(maze, word search, criss cross), and stories. Specific book and movie
recommendations to more fully enhance this learning experience abound.
Benefit from the costume suggestions (includes a pattern for a peasant
male shirt and a peasant female dress). Older scholars will learn
about the Crusades, Richard the Lionhearted, King John, how the Great
Charter made Englishmen free, and King John's end. Older scholars
will also benefit by studying the 1213 Concession of England to the
Pope Worksheet. This sourcework document includes geography, vocabulary,
people, discussion questions, and activities. Many learning opportunities
exist in this 45 page e-book.
NOW
SHIPPING
Friends
Though Divided (Special
limited time offer only $15.00)
 Mr.
Henty has again created a thrilling adventure of a very interesting
time in history. In this story of the English Civil War, Henty manages
to cover the struggle between the Cavaliers
and the Roundheads. This two-heroed tale is about Harry Furness, a
Cavalier, and Herbert Rippinghall, a Roundhead. How will these two
young lads remain true to their conscience and still remain friends
in a turbulent, troubled time? The reader will follow the adventures
in Scotland, experience the execution of Charles I, learn
of the fighting in Ireland, participate in Charles II’s attempt
to reclaim the throne, join in on this monarch’s flight from
the country and his life overseas before he finally is restored to
the throne.Date:1650
Location: Britain
Main Event: English Civil War
Heirloom Hardcover
Price:$21.99
Pre-Pub Price:$15.00
With
Kitchener in the Soudan
(Special
limited time offer only $15.00)
America had "Uncle Sam Wants You"; England had "General
Kitchener Wants You".
 Gregory
Hilliard, whose real name is Hartley, comes of an aristocratic family
but falls out with his father over his marriage. Finding it hard
to make a living as a writer, Hartley relocates to Egypt for the
sake of his wife's health. He passes through the bombardment of
Alexandria and then disappears into the Soudan. Gregory becomes
an officer in Hicks' raggle-taggle army which is sent out to destroy
the Mahdi's incipient rebellion. Hicks is wiped out at El Obeid.
Hartley’s young wife remains in Cairo with their baby son,
also named Gregory, convinced that her husband has somehow survived
and escaped slaughter. Through a long illness, Annie, Hartley’s
wife, dies when the lad is sixteen. In due course young Gregory
accompanies Kitchener on his mission. The battle descriptions of
Atbara and Omdurman are educational and informative. The death of
the Khalifa a year later also opens new avenues to the formerly
tyrannized land.
Date:
1898
Location: Africa/Egypt
Main Event: Omdurman
Heirloom Hardcover
Price:$21.99
Pre-Pub Price:$15.00
 By
Sheer Pluck
Frank
Hargate is an unassuming but intrepid young student of natural history
whose cool head saves several schoolmates from drowning. The grateful
father of one secures Frank's appointment as assistant to Mr. Goodenough,
a famous naturalist who is planning a two-year expedition into the
heart of Africa. Frank and Mr. Goodenough have many wonderful and
perilous adventures, culminating in their capture by the fierce Ashantis.
Frank, forced to serve as military advisor to the Ashanti general
in his war against the British, saves the general's life and is released,
whereupon he joins the British Army as a guide and interpreter, and
accompanies the forces of General Wolseley on their march to Coomassie,
the Ashanti capital. On his return to England, Frank enrolls in medical
school and becomes a successful physician.
Date: 1873
Location: Gold Coast of Africa
Main Event: Ashanti War
 Out
on the Pampas
Read the story that launched
Henty's career .
This
early boy's adventure story deals with the Hardy family as they relocate
to Argentina. The family joins other British settlers who are trying
to establish a better living for themselves in this new land. Facing
many obstacles and perils in this rugged new life-style, the Hardy
children are regaled by an adventure of one of the hired hands and
his experiences during the Mexican American War. This exciting story
is Mr. Henty's first boys' adventure story. The children in the story
- Charles, Hubert, Maud, and Ethel - are named after Mr. Henty's own
children. This was the story which was overheard by a friend and fellow
writer who encouraged Mr. Henty to have it published.
Date: Mid 1800s
Location: South America-Argentina
Main Subject: British Colonization
 With
Frederick The Great
Fergus
Drummond is a Scotsman who seeks his future in Europe where he joins
his cousin, Marshal Keith, who is in the service of the King of
Prussia, Frederick the Great.Among the great wars of history there
are few, if any, instances of so long and successfully sustained
a struggle against enormous odds as that of the Seven Years' War,
maintained by Prussia. While every schoolboy knows of the battles
of ancient Greece, not one in a hundred has any knowledge whatever
of the momentous struggle in Germany, or has ever as much as heard
the names of the memorable battles of Rossbach, Leuthen, Prague,
Zorndorf, Hochkirch, and Torgau.
Date: 1760
Location: Europe
Main Event: Seven Years' War
 Henty
Short Stories Collection Vol.1
Four
great stories in one hardcover volume.All of the tales in Volume
One
of The Short Stories of G. A. Henty are set in America, from the
early colonial period to the latter part of the 19th century. The
heroes (and heroine) depicted therein exhibit resourcefulness, loyalty,
and fortitude-qualities readers have come to expect in the lads
and lasses brought to life in Henty's stories.
"Sole Survivors" (Jamestown, 1622), the story of Opechancanough's
uprising and massacre of nearly 350 settlers in the Jamestown area
in March of 1622, recounts the daring escape of young Guy Neville
and his manservant from the burning homestead and their perilous
journey to the sea.
Mary Mitford, the heroine in "Frontier Girl" (American
West, late 1700s), risks her life in a valiant attempt to out-paddle
enemy warriors and warn her parents of an impending Indian ambush.
"The Ranch in the Valley" (New Mexico, 1860s) is a vignette
of the Old Southwest. As Polly's father sets out on a risky mission
with Ben Farrell, a noted hunter, and Wild Ned, an over-confident
cowboy, Ben promises Polly he will bring her dad back safely. When
Jim Brown is wounded and Ned is captured by the Comanches, Ben faces
a difficult decision.
In "On the Track" (Ohio, 1880s), William Partridge is
accused of embezzlement and flees town, but his son, Roland, convinced
of his father's innocence, determines to clear his name, giving
up his own dream of college and braving public scorn to do so.
Dates: 1620s-1870s
Location: North American continent.
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