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A Bit of Brontës, a Dollop of Dickinson, an Offering of Austen: A Dab of Dickens, Vol. 2; Selections from A Dab of Dickens & a Touch of Twain, Literary Lives from Shakespeare’s Old England to Frost’s New England Audiobook
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Publisher Description
They are icons of the literary world whose soaring works have been discussed and analyzed in countless classrooms, homes, and pubs. Yet for most readers, the living, breathing human beings behind the classics have remained unknown—until now. In this utterly captivating book, Dr. Elliot Engel, a leading authority on the lives of great authors, illuminates the fascinating and flawed members of literature’s elite. In lieu of stuffy biographical sketches, Engel provides fascinating anecdotes.
You’ll never look at these literary giants the same way again.
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“Professor Elliot Engel is quite possibly the most insightful, personable, and entertaining academic lecturer to come out of academia in the last fifty years.”
— Wisconsin Bookwatch
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“Brilliantly funny and full of fascinating information.”
— Cedric Charles Dickens, Charles Dickens’ great-grandson
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About Elliot Engel
Elliot Engel has taught at the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, and Duke University. He earned his MA and PhD as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at UCLA, where he won the Outstanding Teacher Award. He has written numerous books, and his mini-lecture series on Charles Dickens ran on PBS stations around the country. His articles have appeared in many newspapers and national magazines, including Newsweek. He has lectured throughout the United States and on every continent.
About the Narrators
Blair Underwood is an author and award-winning actor, director, and producer. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
Joan Allen has worked in theater, television, and film during her early career and achieved recognition for her Broadway debut in Burn This, winning a Tony Award. She has received three Academy Award nominations, including two for Best Supporting Actress for Nixon and The Crucible and one for Best Actress for The Contender. Her other films include The Ice Storm, Face/Off, Pleasantville, The Notebook, and The Bourne Ultimatum.
Stephanie Beacham has performed on the London stage in the plays The Basement and On Approval. She also has starred on television in The Colbys, Dynasty, and in numerous made-for-TV movies, including Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story.
Frederick Davidson (1932–2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile’s Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.
Gabrielle de Cuir, award-winning narrator, has narrated over three hundred titles and specializes in fantasy, humor, and titles requiring extensive foreign language and accent skills. She was a cowinner of the Audie Award for best narration in 2011 and a three-time finalist for the Audie and has garnered six AudioFile Earphones Awards. Her “velvet touch” as an actor’s director has earned her a special place in the audiobook world as the foremost producer for bestselling authors and celebrities.
Amy Irving is known for her numerous film roles as well as acclaimed roles on Broadway and off-Broadway. She received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film Yentl, Golden Globe nominations for her performances in the films Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna and Crossing Delancey, and an Obie Award for her stage performance in The Road to Mecca. More recently she appeared in the films Traffic, Tuck Everlasting, and Thirteen Conversations about One Thing.
Glenda Jackson (1936-2023) won two Academy Awards for her roles in Women in Love and A Touch of Class. She also received an Emmy for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in the acclaimed BBC production Elizabeth R. She won a seat in the British Parliament in 1992 and devoted her time to politics.
Stefan Rudnicki first became involved with audiobooks in 1994. Now a Grammy-winning audiobook producer, he has worked on more than three thousand audiobooks as a narrator, writer, producer, or director. He has narrated more than three hundred audiobooks. A recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he was presented the coveted Audie Award for solo narration in 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices in 2012.
Wanda McCaddon (d. 2023) narrated well over six hundred titles for major audiobook publishers, sometimes with the pseudonym Nadia May or Donada Peters. She earned the prestigious Audio Award for best narration and numerous Earphones Awards. She was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine.
Juliet Mills is a highly acclaimed actress. She won an Emmy Award for QB VII and a Tony nomination for her role in Five Finger Exercise, and was one of the stars of the daytime drama show Passions.
Carolyn Seymour is a voice artist and audiobook narrator. She was born in England and grew up on a farm on the Isle of Wight. Her rather eccentric Russian Irish parents instilled in her a love of reading and a passion for the countryside.
Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is currently an analyst and cohost of Fox’s NFL Sunday. He played fourteen seasons with Pittsburgh, won four Super Bowl titles in a six-year period—becoming the first quarterback to win three and then four Super Bowls—and led the Steelers to eight AFC Central championships. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989, his first year of eligibility.
Meryl Streep, considered by many movie reviewers to be the greatest living film actress, has been nominated for an Academy Award an astonishing sixteen times and has won it three times. She has also garnered two Emmy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and six Drama Desk Awards. In 2004, she was awarded the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She is also an Audie Award and Grammy Award–winning narrator.
Charlayne Woodard is a film, stage, and television actress, as well as a playwright. She is best known for her recurring roles as Janice on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Vonda on Roseanne, and Sister Peg on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She was one of the original cast members in the Tony Award–winning Broadway musical Ain’t Misbehavin’, and in 2009, starred in a one-person performance called The Night Watcher at Primary Stages in New York City.