Showing results by narrator "Robert Hardy" in All Categories

As Captain Jack Aubrey cools his heels in a Maltese harbour, awaiting repairs to his ship, war rages on. Fearing that hostilities will end before he has any further opportunities for fame and fortune, Aubrey accepts several secret missions, but all is not as it seems.

It has been three years since Inspector Holmes was seen falling to his death, but Watson is still reluctant to believe it. He has been closely following crimes reported in the newspapers and begins to investigate the murder of Ronald Adair, a case that would have interested his friend greatly. Robert Hardy, known to many for playing Cornelius Fudge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is the expert reader to bring perhaps the most anticipated Sherlock Holmes story of all time to life.

Dark secrets, blackmail and murder: it’s another classic case for the world’s most famous detective. When a young woman must be rescued from a ruthless blackmailer, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson find themselves pulled dangerously close to being on the wrong side of the law.... Based on real events, this lively short is brought vividly to life by Robert Hardy, known to many for playing Cornelius Fudge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Whilst the retired Art Supplier Josiah Amberley was at the theatre, his wife ran away with a young man and a good deal of their money. Amberley wants Holmes to track her down, but the latter is too busy and sends Watson in his stead. But it soon turns out that Holmes is not the only one who has been asked to solve this case. Arthur Conan Doyle’s atmospheric short story is brought vividly to life by Robert Hardy.

Three previously unpublished short stories by the great Patrick O'Brian - Noughts and Crosses, Two's Company and No Pirates Nowadays. Noughts and Crosses: When Sullivan and Ross decide to go shark fishing among the atolls of the Great Barrier Reef little do they know what awaits them. With their schooner beached for cleaning they take a small whaler out to sea, but when the very devil of a storm turns the whole of the sea white, it drives them to the nearest atoll for shelter.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are once more called upon for help, this time by Professor Soames, a university lecturer in Greek. A paper for an important exam due to take place the next day goes missing from Soames’ study and suspicion falls on three students living nearby. Holmes and Watson must unmask the cheat in time for the exam.

Sherlock Holmes visits his friend Victor out in the Norfolk countryside. There, he meets his friend’s wealthy father, Mr Trevor - and soon finds out that the old man has plenty to hide.... Murder, embezzlement and violence at sea come together into a classic tale of double-crossing and subterfuge.

Beasts Royal is the second book written by Patrick O'Brian - made available, at last, for the first time since the 1930s. Published when Patrick O'Brian was just 19, this is the enchanting, often bloodthirsty collection of 12 tales of animal adventure that would be published in 1934 as the author's second book. His first, Caesar, had been published in 1930 and was an instant success, seeing O'Brian hailed as the ‘boy-Thoreau'.

This story is perhaps best known as the first time we meet Mycroft, Inspector Holmes’ older brother. Mycroft’s neighbour, Mr Meles, has sought his help, after being asked to act as interpreter for a sinister series of events. It is up to Sherlock to solve the case for Mycroft and the mysterious Mr Meles. Robert Hardy, known to many for playing Cornelius Fudge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is the expert reader bringing this thrilling story to vivid life.

An army colonel is found dead in a pool of blood, his wife out cold beside him. The room is locked; the key missing. It’s another classic case for Sherlock Holmes to crack, with secrets to untangle and dark pasts to unearth. Robert Hardy, known to many for playing Cornelius Fudge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is the expert reader bringing this thrilling story to vivid life.

This incisive satire has never lost its sting, whether the work of an embittered mind or a profound comment on the Age of Reason and Nature, there is all the fascination of distorting mirrors in Swift's accounts of Lilliput and Brogdingnag, and far more than mere spleen in the way he lashes human passions and institutions.

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present Argo Classics, a historic catalogue of classic fiction read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly abridged and remastered stories are now available to download for the first time. The basis of modern science fiction and fantasy dinosaur adventures, The Lost World is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's journey into the lost prehistoric world.

Is the world’s most famous detective on his deathbed? When Dr Watson finds Sherlock Holmes wasting away from a rare tropical disease, he must act fast if he is to save the life of his best friend. Sherlock Holmes, of course, may well have one more trick up his sleeve.... Full of twists and turns, Arthur Conan Doyle’s atmospheric and gripping short story is brought vividly to life by Robert Hardy, known to many for playing Cornelius Fudge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Is the world’s most famous detective on his deathbed? When Dr Watson finds Sherlock Holmes wasting away from a rare tropical disease, he must act fast if he is to save the life of his best friend. Sherlock Holmes, of course, may well have one more trick up his sleeve....

Is the world’s most famous detective on his deathbed? When Dr Watson finds Sherlock Holmes wasting away from a rare tropical disease, he must act fast if he is to save the life of his best friend. Sherlock Holmes, of course, may well have one more trick up his sleeve. Full of twists and turns, Arthur Conan Doyle’s atmospheric and gripping short story is brought vividly to life by Robert Hardy.

A clerk named Hall Pycroft approaches Holmes and Watson to voice his suspicions over a company that has offered him a strangely well-paid job. The pair must leave their normal London surroundings and travel North to investigate the strange hardware company in Birmingham. Robert Hardy, known to many for playing Cornelius Fudge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, brings to life one of Sherlock Holmes’ most popular adventures.

Frédéric François Chopin, in Polish Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin was a Polish composer, virtuoso pianist, and music teacher, of French-Polish parentage. Here is the story of Chopin, one of the world's greatest composers, in words and music.