A young traveller sets out to make his fortune and discovers the idyllic distant land of Erewhon. Its people welcome him with open arms, but this apparent utopia soon reveals its darker side. In Erewhon, money has no value and disease is a crime, yet poverty is punishable and criminals are cared for as though sick. How can he survive in a land where morality makes no sense? `Erewhon' is Samuel Butler's classic utopian satire about the hypocrisy of religion and Victorian society. Influenced by Darwin's recently published `On the Origin of Species', it is most famous for its ground-breaking idea of `mechanical consciousness'. In 1901, Butler published a sequel entitled `Erewhon Revisited'. Both books are perfect for fans of `Gulliver's Travels.' Samuel Butler (1835-1902) was a revolutionary English novelist and critic. He is best known for the utopian novel `Erewhon' (1872) and the posthumous, semi-autobiographical novel `The Way of All Flesh' (1903). Both of which have remained in print ever since. `Erewhon' is renowned as one of the first books to explore the idea of machine evolution and the writer Aldous Huxley acknowledged its influence on his novel `Brave New World.' George Bernard Shaw deemed Butler `the greatest English writer of the latter half of the nineteenth century.

Canterbury Pieces is a classic collection of essays, newspaper articles and letters by the English novelist and critic, Samuel Butler. It includes correspondence between the author and the renowned English naturalist Charles Darwin. The book also features the essay `Darwin among the Machines' (1863). In it, Samuel's urges the destruction of all machines as he raises the pioneering idea that they will one day replace humans as the dominant species. This and the later article `Lucubratio Ebria' (1865), became part of his widely acclaimed first novel `Erewhon'. Butler wrote several other novels, including a sequel, `Erewhon Revisited' and the highly acclaimed `The Way of all Flesh', widely regarded as one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) was a revolutionary English novelist and critic. He is best known for the utopian novel `Erewhon' (1872) and the posthumous, semi-autobiographical novel `The Way of All Flesh' (1903). Both of which have remained in print ever since. `Erewhon' is renowned as one of the first books to explore the idea of machine evolution. The English writer Aldous Huxley acknowledged the book's influence on his novel `Brave New World', while George Bernard Shaw deemed Butler `the greatest English writer of the latter half of the nineteenth century.

`Erewhon Revisited' the sequel to `Erewhon', Samuel Butler's acclaimed first novel, finds adventurer Higgs returning to the mysterious, distant land of Erewhon. There he discovers its people ruled by a religious cult inspired by his hot-air balloon escape thirty years earlier. Devious professors Hanky and Panky have invented a new religion called `Sunchildism' and Higgs, the unwitting `Sun Child,' is not welcome. The professors are determined to preserve their grip on Erewhonians leaving Higgs in mortal danger. With the help of his newfound son, Higgs must once again escape Erewhon if he is to survive. Butler's humorous, perceptive book is a penetrating satire of Christianity in Victorian England and is still as relevant and fresh today. `Erewhon Revisited' is Samuel Butler's last novel. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) was a revolutionary English novelist and critic. He is best known for the utopian novel `Erewhon' (1872) and the posthumous, semi-autobiographical novel `The Way of All Flesh' (1903). Both of which have remained in print ever since. `Erewhon' is renowned as one of the first books to explore the idea of machine evolution. The English writer Aldous Huxley acknowledged the book's influence on his novel `Brave New World', while George Bernard Shaw deemed Butler `the greatest English writer of the latter half of the nineteenth century.

Please note: This audiobook has been created using AI voice. The knighterrant Hudibras and his trusty (and somewhat more grounded) squire Ralph roam the land in search of adventure and love. Never the most congenial of partners, their constant arguments are Samuel Butler's satire of the major issues of the day in late 17th century Britain, including the recent civil war, religious sectarianism, philosophy, astrology, and even the differing rights of women and men. Butler had originally studied to be a lawyer (which explains some of the detail in the third part of Hudibras), but made a living variously as a clerk, parttime painter, and secretary before dedicating himself to writing in 1662. Hudibras was immediately popular on the release of its first part, and, like Don Quixote, even had an unauthorized second part available before Butler had finished the genuine one. Voltaire praised the humor, and although Samuel Pepys wasn't immediately taken with the poem, it was such the rage that he noted in his diary that he'd repurchased it to see again what the fuss was about. Hudibras's popularity did not fade for many years, and although some of the finer detail of 17th century talking points might be lost on the modern reader, the wit of the caricatures (and a large collection of endnotes) help bring this story to life.

"The Way of All Flesh (1903) is a semi-autobiographical novel by Samuel Butler which attacks Victorian-era hypocrisy. Written between 1873 and 1884, it traces four generations of the Pontifex family. It represents the diminishment of religious outlook from a Calvinistic approach, which is presented as harsh. Butler dared not publish it during his lifetime, but when it was published it was accepted as part of the general revulsion against Victorianism. This novel ranks number 12 of the 100 Great Novels of the 20th Century as chosen by the Modern Library Board of Editors (Summary from Wikipedia)"