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PODCAST

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales

A huge collection of beautifully narrated and carefully chosen short stories from golden age authors (1850-1930) who knew how to deliver stories that reach the heart and soul of the reader and listener. Here you"ll find short masterpieces from the likes of Charles Dickens, Edith Wharton, Edgar Allan Poe, Ernest Hemingway, Kathleen Norris, Jack London, Henry Lawson, Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, O. Henry, and many others. Great reviews and high ratings here and a host who chooses stories that

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All Episodes

29:23

THE CURSE OF THE GOLDEN CROSS (PART 1) A FATHER...

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/10/07

⭐ 1001 CLASSIC SHORT STORIES & TALES SHOW NOTES THE CURSE OF THE GOLDEN CROSS PART ONE A Father Brown Mystery by G.K. Chesterton G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown stories often begin quietly, but The Curse of the Golden Cross opens on the vast Atlantic Ocean aboard a great liner bound for England. Around one small dinner table sits a curious mix of travelers: a celebrated American archaeologist, a bold lady adventurer, a moody young dandy, two English lecturers, and a small, unassuming priest who

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33:09

THE PLYMOUTH EXPRESS AFFAIR by AGATHA CHRISTIE

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/09/30

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales "The Plymouth Express Affair" by Agatha Christie" Episode Summary Agatha Christie's The Plymouth Express Affair (first published in 1923) is one of Hercule Poirot's early and tightly‑plotted murder mysteries. The story begins when a young naval officer discovers the body of a woman hidden beneath a seat aboard the Plymouth Express train. The victim is Florence Halliday (also known as Mrs. Rupert Carrington), daughter of wealthy American steel magnate Ebenezer

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15:37

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY by JAMES THURBER

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/09/27

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber Episode Summary James Thurber's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (first published in The New Yorker on March 18, 1939) remains one of the most iconic American short stories of the 20th century. It follows the mild‑mannered Walter Mitty as he escorts his wife on routine errands—yet escapes constantly into vivid, heroic daydreams. These fantasies include Mitty as a Navy commander braving a hurricane, a world‑renowned

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01:08:12

MESSAGE FOUND IN A BOTTLE by EDGAR ALLAN POE

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/09/13

SHOW NOTES — MS. FOUND IN A BOTTLE by Edgar Allan Poe 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales Episode Summary In this early sea‑tale from Edgar Allan Poe—first published in 1833 and winner of a Baltimore literary contest—we follow an unnamed narrator whose voyage from Java becomes a descent into terror, isolation, and the unknown. After a catastrophic storm destroys his ship, he and an old Swede survive adrift for days, only to encounter a massive, ghostly vessel crewed by ancient mariners who seem

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43:45

THE RESURRECTION OF FATHER BROWN by G.K. CHESTERTON

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/09/13

⭐ SHOW NOTES 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales THE RESURRECTION OF FATHER BROWN A Father Brown Mystery by G. K. Chesterton From Chesterton's final Father Brown collection: The Incredulity of Father Brown (1926) In this remarkable late‑career Father Brown story, Chesterton takes his humble priest far from the English countryside and places him in a volatile corner of South America — a land of political unrest, secret societies, and clashing cultures. Here, Father Brown becomes an unlikely

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23:33

THE THEORY AND THE HOUND by O. HENRY

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/09/06

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales The Theory and the Hound by O. Henry There's something irresistible about an O. Henry tale — that blend of sharp observation, sly humor, and a twist that snaps shut like a well‑made pocketknife. The Theory and the Hound is one of his most quietly clever stories, built around a simple premise: how much can you really tell about a man by the way he treats the creatures around him? We begin with J.P. Bridger, a U.S. consul from the tropics, who shares with the

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19:42

THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH by EDGAR ALLAN POE

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/09/02

⭐ 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales SHOW NOTES — "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe ⭐ EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, we present one of Edgar Allan Poe's most iconic and visually striking tales — "The Masque of the Red Death." First published in 1842, this story remains a masterpiece of Gothic symbolism, a chilling meditation on privilege, denial, and the inescapability of death. The tale follows Prince Prospero, a ruler who believes he can outwit a devastating plague ravaging his

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30:40

THE WORLD AND THE DOOR by O. HENRY

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/08/30

⭐ 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales SHOW NOTES — "The World and the Door" by O. Henry From the collection Whirligigs (1910) ⭐ EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, we bring you one of O. Henry's most emotionally intricate and ironic tales — "The World and the Door." It's a story about guilt, reinvention, love, and the strange ways fate can swing open a door just when you think it's closed forever. The story follows Ralph Merriam, a New York broker who flees the country believing he has killed a man

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53:46

THE MIRACLE OF MOON CRESCENT A FATHER BROWN MYSTERY

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/08/23

⭐ SHOW NOTES THE MIRACLE OF MOON CRESCENT A Father Brown Mystery by G. K. Chesterton From the collection: The Incredulity of Father Brown (1926) In this atmospheric Father Brown tale, Chesterton blends mystery, psychology, and a touch of the uncanny in a story that begins with a strange death high above the city — a death that seems, at first glance, impossible. Moon Crescent is a glittering, crescent‑shaped tower rising above the modern world, a symbol of wealth, ambition, and the restless energy

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36:43

THE PROBLEM OF CELL 13 (PT 2) BY JACQUE FUTRELL

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/08/19

JACQUE FUTRELL'S FINAL IRONY — THE PROBLEM HE COULDN'T ESCAPE: THE TITANIC Jacques Futrelle (1875–1912) was one of America's great early mystery craftsmen. Before his untimely death, he created more than fifty stories featuring The Thinking Machine, a character designed to rival Sherlock Holmes in pure deductive brilliance. Van Dusen's creed—"Two and two always make four, not sometimes, but all the time"—became the backbone of Futrelle's tightly engineered puzzles. His stories were clever, modern,

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44:44

MYSTERY/ THE PROBLEM OF CELL 13 by JACQUES FUTRELL...

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/08/16

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales Show Notes – The Problem of Cell 13, Part 1 (Jacques Futrelle) In this episode: We begin one of the most celebrated locked‑room mysteries ever written—Jacques Futrelle's The Problem of Cell 13, featuring the brilliant "Thinking Machine" himself, Professor Augustus S.F.X. Van Dusen. Futrelle's creation was designed to rival Holmes in pure deductive power, and in this story he puts that reputation on the line in a challenge that borders on the impossible. Part 1

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09:45

JUPITER AND HIS MIGHTY COMPANY

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/08/12

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales Show Notes – James Baldwin's "Jupiter and His Mighty Company" and be sure to catch 'FIVE AMAZING GREEK LEGENDS' at 1001 Heroes, Legends,Histories & Mysteries this week Episode Summary In this episode, we bring you James Baldwin's lively retelling of a timeless myth, "Jupiter and His Mighty Company." Baldwin—known for his clear, engaging prose in Fifty Famous Stories Retold—presents the Roman gods not as distant figures carved in marble, but as vivid personalities

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24:23

WHICH MAKE MEN REMEMBER by JACK LONDON

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/08/09

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales Show Notes: Which Make Men Remember by Jack London Episode Summary Two men meet in the Klondike after one, Fortune La Pearl, shoots a man in a gambling house. Luck will decide their lives in the days to come. Key Themes & Story Elements The Test of Character: London's fascination with the moment when a man's true nature is revealed. Courage Under Fire: How danger clarifies priorities and exposes both cowardice and bravery. Brotherhood in Hard Places: The bond

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41:04

THE LAST OF THE BELLES by F. SCOTT FITZGERALD

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/08/06

⭐ 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales THE LAST OF THE BELLES Show Notes – F. Scott Fitzgerald Story Background: Published in 1929, The Last of the Belles is one of F. Scott Fitzgerald's most evocative pieces of short fiction — a bittersweet reflection on youth, love, and the fleeting glamour of the American South during the First World War. Written after Fitzgerald's own tumultuous early years with Zelda, the story blends nostalgia with regret, capturing the emotional turbulence that defined his life

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49:31

THE ORACLE OF THE DOG A FATHER BROWN MYSTERY

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/08/02

FATHER BROWN: "THE ORACLE OF THE DOG" Podcast Show Notes – 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ⭐ Episode Summary In this Father Brown mystery, G.K. Chesterton blends sharp wit, psychological insight, and a sly critique of superstition. "The Oracle of the Dog" centers on a murder at a country estate where the key witness—according to several excitable onlookers—is not a person at all, but a dog. When the dog howls at the moment of the crime, the household leaps to the conclusion that the animal

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22:22

JOE WILSON'S COURTSHIP (PT 2) by HENRY LAWSON

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/07/29

⭐ 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales JOE WILSON'S COURTSHIP (Part 2) — Show Notes Episode Summary In this second half of Henry Lawson's beloved tale, Joe Wilson's awkward, earnest pursuit of Mary Brand reaches its turning point. The story follows Joe as he navigates the small but treacherous emotional terrain of young love—misunderstandings, hesitations, and the quiet courage required to speak one's heart. Lawson brings Joe's world into sharp focus: the dusty roads, the lonely paddocks, the simple

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44:22

HUMOR/AUSTRALIA JOE WILSON'S COURTSHIP (PT 1) by...

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/07/26

🎙️ 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales "Joe Wilson's Courtship" by Henry Lawson (1901) Part 1 Every now and then a writer comes along who does something that sounds simple and is anything but — he tells the truth about ordinary people, in ordinary moments, with such precision and such tenderness that you feel, reading him, that someone has finally said the thing you always knew but could never quite find the words for. Henry Lawson was that writer. An Australian. A bushman's son. A man who grew up

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50:32

THE BUSHWACKER NURSE by FRANK STOCKTON

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/07/19

⭐ 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales SHOW NOTES — Episode: The Bushwhacker Nurse By Frank R. Stockton From John Gayther's Garden and Other Stories (1903) Episode Summary In this episode, we bring you Frank R. Stockton's whimsical and imaginative tale "The Bushwhacker Nurse," one of the standout stories from his 1903 collection John Gayther's Garden and Other Stories. Stockton, best known for The Lady, or the Tiger?, was a master of gentle satire and playful storytelling, and this tale is a perfect

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57:13

FATHER BROWN STORIES: THE ARROW OF HEAVEN by G.K....

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/07/15

Podcast Show Notes — "The Arrow of Heaven" by G.K. Chesterton at 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales Podcast A Father Brown Mystery Story Title: The Arrow of Heaven Author: G.K. Chesterton Series: Father Brown Genre: Detective mystery / satire / impossible crime Themes: Obsession, vengeance, superstition, American wealth, justice, hidden motives Episode Summary (Spoiler‑Safe) In this uniquely American Father Brown adventure, G.K. Chesterton drops the little priest into a world of skyscrapers,

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27:09

AT TWENTY TWO by RUDYARD KIPLING (NEW)

1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales ·

2026/07/12

Podcast Show Notes — "At Twenty‑Two" by Rudyard Kipling at 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales Story Title: At Twenty‑Two Author: Rudyard Kipling Original Publication: 1890s Indian period Genre: Industrial drama / human survival / colonial‑era realism Themes: Experience vs. youth, instinct, danger, betrayal, the unseen wisdom of laborers Episode Summary (Spoiler‑Safe) Deep in the Jimahari Collieries of colonial India, the Twenty‑Two shaft is a world of darkness, danger, and superstition. Among the

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