Public domain audiobook
World's Story Volume I: China, Japan and the Islands of the Pacific
This is the first volume of the 15-volume series of The World’s Story: a history of the World in story, song and art, edited by Eva March Tappan. Each book is a compilation of selections from prose literature, poetry and pictures and offers a comprehensive presentation of the world's history, art and culture, from the early times till the beginning of the 20th century.
Topics in Part I include China, Korea, Japan and the Islands of the Pacific. - Summary by Sonia
Cast list for The Sorrows of Han:
Emperor: Nemo
Lady/Princess: Eva Davis
Attendant: ToddHW
Envoy: SaraHale
President of the Council: Tomas Peter
Narrator: Sonia
Cast list for Ribs and Skin:
Rector: Nemo
Curate: Eva Davis
First Parishioner: Tomas Peter
Second Parishioner: ToddHW
Third Parishioner: SaraHale
Narrator: Sonia
Topics in Part I include China, Korea, Japan and the Islands of the Pacific. - Summary by Sonia
Cast list for The Sorrows of Han:
Emperor: Nemo
Lady/Princess: Eva Davis
Attendant: ToddHW
Envoy: SaraHale
President of the Council: Tomas Peter
Narrator: Sonia
Cast list for Ribs and Skin:
Rector: Nemo
Curate: Eva Davis
First Parishioner: Tomas Peter
Second Parishioner: ToddHW
Third Parishioner: SaraHale
Narrator: Sonia
LibriVox recordings are public domain in the United States; copyright status may differ elsewhere.
Chapters
- Chapter 1
Palace of the Dalai Lama at Lhasa, Thibet, Photograph, Frontispice
03:14 - Chapter 2
Publisher's note
03:40 - Chapter 3
Introduction, by Eva March Tappan
19:40 - Chapter 4
China Part I: In the earliest days: historical note
02:30 - Chapter 5
Shun of Yu who controlled the floods, by Confucius
13:15 - Chapter 6
China Part II: Confucius and his age: historical note
01:18 - Chapter 7
The story of Confucius, by Rev. A. W. Loomis
12:36 - Chapter 8
A visit to a temple of Confucius, by Rev. A. W. Loomis
08:49 - Chapter 9
Some of the proverbs of Confucius
02:44 - Chapter 10
Manners and customs of Confucius's day, by Rev. William Speer
17:21 - Chapter 11
Mencius, by S. Wells Williams
04:24 - Chapter 12
A story of Mencius, by Unknown
01:44 - Chapter 13
Proverbs of Mencius
01:12 - Chapter 14
China Part III: Times of change and confusion: historical note
01:40 - Chapter 15
The strenuous reign of Hoang-Ti, by Rev. Charles Gützlaff
16:42 - Chapter 16
The rule of the Hans, by Rev. William Speer
09:30 - Chapter 17
Rakan feeding the hungry spirit, Chinese painting, p. 52
03:09 - Chapter 18
The three religions, by W. A. P. Martin
06:14 - Chapter 19
Dream and reality, a Buddhist story, by Chuang Tzu
01:19 - Chapter 20
Mulan, the maiden chief, by Unknown
05:52 - Chapter 21
The prodigal emperor Wang-Ti, by Rounsevelle Wildman
05:57 - Chapter 22
China Part IV: The Augustan age: historical note
01:26 - Chapter 23
Tai-Tsung the Good, by Rev. William Speer
06:24 - Chapter 24
The rule of the empress Wu, by S. Wells Williams
03:25 - Chapter 25
The founding of Han-Lin College, by Rev. William Speer
05:25 - Chapter 26
The binding of feet, by Rev. William Speer
02:31 - Chapter 27
Printing, by Rev. William Speer
01:54 - Chapter 28
China Part V: The coming of the Tartars: historical note
02:49 - Chapter 29
The Tartars and their customs, by Marco Polo
11:25 - Chapter 30
The Chinese theater, by Archibald Little
06:55 - Chapter 31
The sorrows of Han, by Unknown
08:37 - Chapter 32
Jenghiz Khan, the 'perfect warrior', by D. Petis de la Croix
05:52 - Chapter 33
Jenghiz Khan captures Peking, by D. Petis de la Croix
02:55 - Chapter 34
The dirge of Jenghiz Khan, by Unknown
01:37 - Chapter 35
China Part VI: Stories of the great Khan: historical note
02:02 - Chapter 36
The palace of the great Khan in Cambaluc (Peking), by Marco Polo
08:14 - Chapter 37
How the great Khan ate his dinner, by Marco Polo
06:49 - Chapter 38
How Kublai Khan went a-hunting, by Marco Polo
09:44 - Chapter 39
How the Khan sent his messages, by Marco Polo
09:07 - Chapter 40
The King's Messenger, by Chuang Tzu
01:17 - Chapter 41
The Polos teach the Khan how to capture a city, by Marco Polo
04:47 - Chapter 42
A Chinese city at the end of the thirteenth century, by Marco Polo
12:58 - Chapter 43
The Peking Observatory, photograph, p. 128
02:24 - Chapter 44
China Part VII: Chinese fables and tales: historical note
01:51 - Chapter 45
The boy philosopher, by Unknown
02:09 - Chapter 46
The elixir of life, by Unknown
01:24 - Chapter 47
The tiger and the monkey, by Unknown
01:27 - Chapter 48
Was he the only cheat?, by Unknown
02:33 - Chapter 49
The appeal of Lady Chang
03:04 - Chapter 50
The soul of the great bell, by Lafcadio Hearn
14:53 - Chapter 51
China Part VIII: The coming of the missionaries: historical note
02:04 - Chapter 52
An enterprising missionary, by John of Corvino
03:31 - Chapter 53
The woman with the cross, by Mendez Pinto
08:54 - Chapter 54
The worship of ancestors, by W. A. P. Martin
03:14 - Chapter 55
Teaching science to the emperor, by Père du Halde
15:21 - Chapter 56
The emperor and the musician, by Père du Halde
04:14 - Chapter 57
The man who was afraid of becoming a horse, by Père du Halde
03:43 - Chapter 58
How the bonzes got the ducks, by Père Le Comte
02:15 - Chapter 59
A visit to a Lama, by Père Gerbillon
09:07 - Chapter 60
China Part IX: The first two centuries of Manchu rule: historical note
02:13 - Chapter 61
The coming of the Kalmucks, by Thomas de Quincey
08:05 - Chapter 62
Chinese punishments, by Père du Halde
12:49 - Chapter 63
The temple of Heaven, Peking, photograph, p. 186
02:25 - Chapter 64
Why the Chinaman wears a queue, by William Elliot Griffis
03:49 - Chapter 65
How the Chinese received the first English ambassador, by Charles Gützlaff
08:16 - Chapter 66
Opium-eaters, by William Speer
02:34 - Chapter 67
A 'Boston tea-party' in China, by William Speer
05:49 - Chapter 68
What the Chinese thought about the English, by Unknown
02:48 - Chapter 69
How the 'Arrow War' began, by W. A. P. Martin
05:02 - Chapter 70
Receiving the yellow jacket, by A. Egmont Hake
04:16 - Chapter 71
China Part X: Language, schools, and examinations: historical note
01:42 - Chapter 72
The Mandarin language, by Père du Halde
04:10 - Chapter 73
How Chinese children learn to read, by Père du Halde
06:54 - Chapter 74
When I went to school in China, by Yan Phou Lee
14:40 - Chapter 75
A child's first lesson, by Unknown
02:46 - Chapter 76
Civil-service examinations in China, by W. A. P. Martin
15:22 - Chapter 77
Questions from a civil-service examination
02:01 - Chapter 78
China Part XI: In recent years: historical note
02:16 - Chapter 79
War between China and Japan, by W. A. P. Martin
09:08 - Chapter 80
The adventures of Yao Chen-Yuan
17:51 - Chapter 81
When the allies entered Pekin, by Pierre Loti
16:59 - Chapter 82
A diplomatic correspondence between the United States and China
06:19 - Chapter 83
The republic of China
01:44 - Chapter 84
Korea: historical note
02:00 - Chapter 85
A grain shop in Korea, photograph, p. 264
02:23 - Chapter 86
When Hideyoshi invaded Korea, by Homer B. Hulbert
20:56 - Chapter 87
Japan Part I: In ancient times: historical note
01:46 - Chapter 88
Jimmu Tenno, the first mikado of Japan, by William Elliot Griffis
07:52 - Chapter 89
The Japanese story-teller, by Sir Edwin Arnold
12:49 - Chapter 90
The fisher-boy Urashima, by Unknown
04:36 - Chapter 91
Social life in Kioto, by William Elliot Griffis
14:27 - Chapter 92
The story of Yoshitsune, by Yei Theodora Ozaki
30:29 - Chapter 93
Three Japanese poems, translated by Frederick Victor Dickins
01:40 - Chapter 94
The great Buddha of Kamakura, photograph, p. 318
03:58 - Chapter 95
Japan Part II: The rule of the Shoguns: historical note
01:58 - Chapter 96
The great Khan Kublai invades Japan, by Marco Polo
09:30 - Chapter 97
The coming of Will Adams to Japan, by Will Adams
12:59 - Chapter 98
Long spears or short spears, by Walter Dening
18:31 - Chapter 99
How a man became a god, by Lafcadio Hearn
24:14 - Chapter 100
Ribs and skin, by Unknown
16:56 - Chapter 101
How it would feel to be a Shinto god, by Lafcadio Hearn
12:59 - Chapter 102
Interior of a Japanese temple, photograph p. 368
03:32 - Chapter 103
Tadasuke, the Japanese Solomon, by Walter Dening
20:05 - Chapter 104
The sword of Japan, by Sir Edwin Arnold
24:18 - Chapter 105
Japan Part III: Some curious customs: historical note
01:30 - Chapter 106
A Japanese dinner party, by Sir Edwin Arnold
18:01 - Chapter 107
How Japanese ladies go shopping, by Alice M. Bacon
13:27 - Chapter 108
An incense party, by Sir Edwin Arnold
11:32 - Chapter 109
A Japanese house, by Basil Hall Chamberlain
05:19 - Chapter 110
Thinking out a garden, by Mortimer Menpes
03:09 - Chapter 111
A stone gateway, photograph p. 418
01:17 - Chapter 112
An artist in flowers, by Mortimer Menpes
05:59 - Chapter 113
How a Japanese paints, by Mortimer Menpes
03:54 - Chapter 114
How to talk politely in Japan, by Percival Lowell
02:15 - Chapter 115
Japan Part IV: The awakening of Japan: historical note
02:57 - Chapter 116
When Commodore Perry landed in Japan, by Francis L. Hawks
22:50 - Chapter 117
The president's letter, by Townsend Harris
10:58 - Chapter 118
The schools of old Japan, by Francis Ottiwell Adams
07:21 - Chapter 119
How to learn Japanese, by Rev. M. L. Gordon
09:08 - Chapter 120
The attack upon Port Arthur, by Lieutenant Tadayoshi Sakurai
13:22 - Chapter 121
Japan Part V: Little stories of Japan: historical note
01:37 - Chapter 122
Japanese politeness, by Mortimer Menpes
01:53 - Chapter 123
How the shopkeeper lost his queue, by Lafcadio Hearn
02:14 - Chapter 124
Fuji-Yama, photograph, p. 462
02:06 - Chapter 125
The cherry tree of the sixteenth day, by Lafcadio Hearn
03:53 - Chapter 126
Japanese children and their games, by Sir Edwin Arnold
23:51 - Chapter 127
Islands of the Pacific: historical note
01:41 - Chapter 128
The first Australian colonists, by W. H. Lang
13:44 - Chapter 129
Gold, gold, gold!, by W. H. Lang
18:38 - Chapter 130
The missionary and the cannibals, by Reginald Horsley
18:46 - Chapter 131
Hot-water basins, New Zealand, photograph, p. 502
02:37 - Chapter 132
The story of Pitcairn Island, by Anonymous
11:58 - Chapter 133
The last voyage of Captain Cook, by Charles C. B. Seymour
21:10 - Chapter 134
The vengeance of the goddess Pele, by Kalakaua
11:51 - Chapter 135
Father Damien, the missionary to the lepers, by John C. Lambert
21:50 - Chapter 136
A visit to Aguinaldo, by Edwin Wildman
10:11 - Chapter 137
Preparing our Moros for government, by R. L. Bullard
42:11 - Chapter 138
Baro Buddor, an ancient temple of Java, photograph, p. 562
02:48 - Chapter 139
Detail of temple at Bramabanan, photograph p. 562
00:56 - Chapter 140
A visit to a head-hunter of Borneo, by William Henry Furness, third
16:43