Welcome one and all to episode 12 of Back of the Bookshelf, the final episode of our opening season. That's right, everyone, this little podcast of ours has made it to the end of its first year of content and is still going strong. We've uncovered some true literary gems on the journey and we'd like to thank you all for joining us. This time we are proud to present Yei Theodora Ozaki's How An Old Man Lost His Wen for your listening pleasure. It's a punchy little tale of demons and dancing taken from Ozaki's 1903 collection of Japanese fairy tales, The Japanese Fairy Book, which was loosely translated from a work by Sadanami Sanjin. As the child of a Japanese father and English mother, Ozaki had experience of both cultures and was skilled at adapting Japanese texts for a Western audience. Her stories remain highly accessible and in our humble opinion, this is one of the best. Now hold onto your seat as we wave our magic wand and teleport you back to ancient Japan. C.J. Carter-Stephenson is our narrator as usual and the music is by Kevin MacLeod. Sayounara for now.

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Episode 12 - How An Old Man Lost His Wen

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be immortal? Well in our eleventh episode we provide an answer, courtesy of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's The Mortal Immortal: A Tale. Commissioned in 1833 for literary annual, The Keepsake, the story tells of a man who ceases to age when he drinks a strange concoction created by his master, Cornelius Agrippa. At first, he views his longevity as a gift, but as the years go on, his opinion begins to change. The title for the story came from Keats' poem, Endymion, and the inspiration from an engraving of a painting by Henry Perronet Briggs. Although Shelley wrote a number of tales for The Keepsake, this one is probably the best known, having become an anthology favourite over the years. It is an enthralling piece, which deals with many of the same themes as her more famous, Frankenstein. It also uses a similar first-person narrative style. Shelley will forever be  remembered as the writer of Frankenstein, but as this story proves, her other work is definitely worth a look. Hopefully we've done it justice. C.J. Carter-Stephenson is on narration duty as always and the music is by Kevin MacLeod. Now it's time to wind back the years once again... the past beckons.

Episode 11 - The Mortal Immortal: A Tale

After a short hiatus, we're back with our tenth episode. It's a mystery this time in the tradition of the Sherlock Holmes and Hercules Poirot stories and was written by Baroness Emma Orczy of Scarlet Pimpernel fame. It's called The Liverpool Mystery, and as the title suggests, is set in the coastal city of Liverpool. Originally published in The Royal Magazine in June 1902, it was part of a series of stories featuring a character known only as the old man in the corner, who reveals the truth behind unsolved crimes to a female journalist from the comfort of a London tea-room. Orczy was inspired to write the stories by the success of Sherlock Holmes, but made a conscious decision to make her detective as different as possible from his more famous forerunner. The stories focus entirely on the reasoning powers of the old man, and unlike Sherlock Holmes, he does nothing to bring the criminals to justice. It's an interesting take, which we think you'll enjoy. C.J. Carter-Stephenson is on narration duty as usual and music is by Kevin MacLeod. Now hold onto your hats as we fire up the Back of the Bookshelf time machine and take you back to our beloved age of steam trains and hansom cabs...

Episode 10 - The Liverpool Mystery

Some people say Christmas is over-commercialised, but for us, it never loses its sheen, so for our ninth episode, released at midnight on 25th December 2018, we have embraced the tradition of the Christmas ghost story. The story we've chosen is A Strange Christmas Game by Charlotte Riddell, which was first published in The Broadway Annual at the close of 1867. It's set at Christmas, was published around Christmas and is steeped in Victorian atmosphere, so fits the bill perfectly. As for Riddell, she was a prolific Irish author, who had written her first full-length novel by the age of 15. Now sadly, she has faded into relative obscurity, but as A Strange Christmas Game shows, she was a prodigious talent, and we hope you will consider seeking out more of her work. Narration of the episode is by C.J. Carter-Stephenson and music by Kevin MacLeod as per usual. Now without further ado, it's time to turn down the lights and journey back to an iPhoneless age...

Episode 9 - A Strange Christmas Game

Don your armour and saddle your horse, because in episode eight we're journeying back to the age of chivalry courtesy of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch's classic Arthurian fantasy, The Legend of Sir Dinar.  The story was originally published in The Speaker in 1891 under Quiller-Couch's pseudonym of Q. It is about the quest for the Holy Grail, but focuses on a lesser known knight called Sir Dinar, who is left at Camelot because of his inexperience. Sir Dinar is not happy about being excluded, and hoping to make a name for himself, sets out to join the search with a few close friends. Needless to say, things do not go smoothly. With it's fairy-tale sensibility and succinct prose, the story is a testament to Quiller-Couch's writing prowess. He is nowhere near as well known as he should be, though his work does appear in anthologies from time to time, so was an ideal candidate for the Back the Bookshelf treatment. C.J. Carter-Stephenson narrates the episode with music by Kevin MacLeod and the usual immersive soundscape. We hope you enjoy it.

Episode 8 - The Legend of Sir Dinar

In honour of Halloween, our seventh episode is a ghost story by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. Braddon is remembered chiefly for her sensation novel, Lady Audley's Secret, a true classic of the genre, but left behind a considerable body of other work which is equally worthy of attention, as this story demonstrates. It's called The Higher Life and was originally published in 1907 in an anthology called Tales for the Homes. In it, we look back on the life of an old man as he approaches death and join his spirit as it crosses over to the other side. The writing is atmospheric and thought-provoking, and the characterisation is excellent. This is one of Braddon's least known stories, but it is highly enjoyable, so it seemed ideal for our podcast.  Narration is by C.J. Carter-Stephenson and music is by Kevin MacLeod as per usual. Now without further ado, turn down the lights and prepare to be scared as we journey back to London of yesteryear... and remember if you enjoy what you hear, please do subscribe.

Episode 7 - The Higher Life

Few people have had a bigger impact on science fiction than the great H.G. Wells, who is our episode 6 author. His contributions to the genre are regularly adapted for stage and screen, and his debut novella The Time Machine is widely regarded as one of the best ever written. His other work is less well known, though equally accomplished, and it is from this that our story comes. It's called The Cone and was first published in Unicorn magazine in 1895. Originally intended to be the opening of a novel, it falls under the category of sensation fiction à la Wilkie Collins and Mary Elizabeth Braddon. The plot revolves around the manager of an iron works, who suspects his wife is having an affair and takes her supposed lover on a tour of his workplace. The locations are vividly described and the mounting tension is almost unbearable. We wanted something special to mark our first half year of production and this definitely fits the bill. The episode is narrated by C.J. Carter-Stephenson with music by Kevin MacLeod and the usual immersive soundscape. We hope you enjoy it.

Episode 6 - The Cone

In this episode we return to 19th century Paris for Alexandre Dumas' A Masked Ball, which was originally published in 1833 in Scènes du Beau Monde. Dumas is loved the world over for his novels, which include classics like The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo and The Man in the Iron Mask, but as he demonstrates here, he was equally adept at short stories. Intrigue, betrayal and heartache are skillfully woven together as the hero ventures into a high society den of debauchery and has a memorable encounter with a woman who clearly doesn't belong there. The locations include Père Lachaise Cemetery and the Théâtre des Variétés, and unusually, Dumas himself appears as a character. If you like the author's other work, then this is sure to appeal. A word of warning, though - it is a little risqué in places. C.J. Carter-Stephenson narrates as normal, but this time there are musical contributions from Victor Carbajo and Sandro Bisotti as well as Kevin MacLeod. We hope you enjoy it.

Episode 5 - A Masked Ball

Here at Back of the Bookshelf, we love a good ghost story, so for this week's episode we are giving you exactly that, courtesy of J. Sheridan Le Fanu, a true master of the genre. Le Fanu is most famous for his classic vampire novel, 'Carmilla', but in line with our mission statement, the story we have chosen is rather more obscure. It is called 'The White Cat of Drumgunniol' and was originally published in a weekly journal called 'All Year Round' on 2nd April 1870. It's about a family in 19th century rural Ireland who are afflicted by a strange curse and is everything a ghost story should be - scary, atmospheric and a lot of fun. We hope you enjoy what we've done with it. We hope you enjoy what we've done with it. As always, the music was composed and performed by Kevin MacLeod and the narration was by C.J. Carter-Stephenson. Tune in next month for another classic story.

Episode 4 - The White Cat Of Drumgunniol

In episode three of the Back of the Bookshelf podcast, we whisk you away to 19th century San Francisco in Robert Duncan Milne's apocalyptic science fiction story, Into the Sun. Milne is a true Back of the Bookshelf author, whose work appeared primarily in local newspapers and magazines, so would very likely have been forgotten if Sam Moskowitz hadn’t introduced it to a new audience with his 1980 collection, Into the Sun and Other Stories. Fans of classic fiction will find much to endear them in this gripping tale, which features a dramatic balloon ride and a Poe type ending. As usual, the episode is narrated by C.J. Carter-Stephenson with music by Kevin MacLeod. Don't forget to check out our other episodes if you haven't already, and if you like what you hear, please show your support.

Episode 3 - Into the Sun

Episode two of the Back of the Bookshelf podcast, featuring a Guy de Maupassant story called The Jewels. As you might expect from the title, it's thematically similar to Maupassant's more famous The Necklace, but is arguably superior with its multifaceted approach. The characters and situations are easy to relate to and with our carefully selected sound effects you'll almost believe you've stepped back into 19th century Paris. The episode is narrated by C.J. Carter-Stephenson with music by Kevin MacLeod. Enjoy and please consider subscribing... 

Episode 2 - The Jewels

Inaugural episode of the Back of the Bookshelf podcast, featuring a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle is best known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, but here he writes about another memorable character, Professor Challenger, in a thrilling science fiction adventure. The story is narrated by author and actor, C.J. Carter-Stephenson, with music by Kevin MacLeod and an immersive soundscape. Join us now on a journey back to London of yesteryear, and if you like what you hear, please consider subscribing...

Episode 1 - The Disintegration Machine

**A monthly podcast of classic short stories narrated by author, C.J. Carter-Stephenson, with music by Kevin MacLeod and immersive sound effects.** Journey back to a time of horse-drawn carriages and fantastical inventions... the fiction of yesterday brought vividly to life by the technology of today.

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