Celebrated in their time, forgotten in ours

Read by David Shaw-Parker, Janet Fullerlove, Richard Mitchley(Unabridged: 13:18mins)

Featuring stories by Violet Hunt, Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, Vera Jelihovsky, Herbert von Kleist, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Perceval Landon & many more

Throughout the long centuries of human history is the want, and the need, to share information, to exchange ideas and for that knowledge and experience, for curiosity and learning, to be the basis of a civil society.

In literature the ambition is much narrower. In order to be known, to be popular, you had to be published. And for that people had to know you existed and your ideas worth reading. Obviously for most of humanity’s time people couldn’t read and texts couldn’t be published in any great number.

In the 15th Century Gutenberg’s printing press began the revolution to address the second and by the 19th century had gathered pace with startling speed and mass distribution. Education for the many was brought in to help people understand more of their world and, with new skills, how to have a better place within it. Now, if the powers that owned the presses and means of distribution agreed an audience would now be able to avail themselves of your ideas, your printed words.

Whilst male authors were the overwhelming majority of beneficiaries in having their work printed time was their constant enemy. Your work could be immensely talented but if it was not to lure money into the coffers by gaining an audience of readers then your career would be one of pleasing yourself and was soon forgotten.

But the printed word is rarely without someone, somewhere busying themselves through piles of papers and books rediscovering what a good story is, whatever its age.

In this volume we offer up a small selection of talents whose time has now come again.

01 - The Neglected Authors - Volume 4 - An Introduction

02 - The Operation by Violet Hunt

03 - Rabies by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez

04 - The General's Will by Vera Jelihovsky

05 - The Earthquake in Chile by Herbert von Kleist

06 - The Indian Orphan. A Tale by Letitia Elizabeth Landon

07 - Thurnley Abbey by Perceval Landon

08 - The Golden Honeymoon by Ring Lardner

09 - Diary of a Plain Girl by Amy Levy

10 - Speed by Sinclair Lewis

11 - Stephen Archer by George MacDonald

12 - Ben Pitcher's Elly by Mary E Mann

13 - Spud Trevor of the Red Hussars by Sapper

14 - Mateo Falcone by Prosper Merimee

15 - Passed by Charlotte Mew

16 - The Man in the Bottle by Gustav Meyrink

17 - The Eidoloscope by Robert Duncan Milne

18 - The Tachypomp by Edward Page Mitchell

19 - Two or Three Witnesses by C E Montague

20 - A Redeeming Sacrifice by Lucy Maud Montgomery

21 - Luz by Elinor Mordaunt