The only thing better than classic audiobooks are classic audiobooks that you can get for free. That?s why we?ve put together this list of 25 of our favorite free audiobooks! From Aesop, to Jane Austen, to Charles Dickens, these timeless stories are home to generations of wisdom.
If you want to get these and other audiobooks for free, just go to audible.com/themission or text ?themission? to 500?500. Then, follow these directions.
Happy Listening!
Aesop?s Fables by Aesop
Free on iTunes
This free audiobook is a collection of Aesop?s timeless stories. Enjoyed by both children and adults for generations, these short fables coined phrases such as, ?Actions speak louder than words? and ?Honesty is the best policy.?
Aesop was a gifted Greek storyteller who described our world through the eyes and actions of unlikely protagonists. Dogs, foxes, and even mice were used to bring to life Aesop?s vision of a harsh but beautiful existence.
?A doubtful friend is worse than a certain enemy. Let a man be one thing or the other, and we then know how to meet him.? ? Aesop
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Free on iTunes
Pride and Prejudice is one of the world?s most beloved English classics. With her signature wit and profound observations into society, Jane Austen introduces you to Mrs. Bennet and her five daughters. For the sake of her nerves, Mrs. Bennet?s children must marry, and they really ought to marry rich.
Follow along with Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia as they make their way around 18th-century England and attempt to find true love.
?It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.? ? Jane Austen
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Free on iTunes
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of over 20 stories, written at the end of the 14th century. As the Hundred Years? War was waged, Geoffrey Chaucer presented this fictional storytelling contest by a group of pilgrims. His characters travel from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket in an attempt to win a free meal at the Tabard Inn when they return to Southwark. Though Chaucer wrote a variety of works earlier in his career, this book is said to be his ultimate masterpiece.
?Youth may outrun the old, but not outwit.? ? Geoffrey Chaucer
The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton
Free on iTunes
Author G. K. Chesterton was beloved for his wit and intelligence and had a knack for weaving paradox into his work, all qualities which can be found in this free audiobook. The Man Who Was Thursday is the riveting and hilarious story of a club of anarchists in turn-of-the-century London. Packed full of unexpected twists, this audiobook is difficult to turn off.
?Shall I tell you the secret of the whole world? It is that we have only known the back of the world. We see everything from behind, and it looks brutal. That is not a tree, but the back of a tree. That is not a cloud, but the back of a cloud. Cannot you see that everything is stooping and hiding a face? If we could only get round in front?? ? G. K. Chesterton
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Free on iTunes
Joseph Conrad is known to be one of the greatest English writers in history. Published in 1902, Heart of Darkness is widely considered to be his finest work.
Protagonist Marlow travels up the Congo River and eventually runs into Kurtz, an ivory trader. The strange man possesses a mesmerizing power over the people of the region, a fictional depiction of the corruption that Conrad believed was at the core of human existence.
This fascinating story combines symbolism and deep psychological study to bring you a must-listen audiobook.
?The mind of man is capable of anything.? ? Joseph Conrad
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Free on iTunes
Oliver Twist remains one of Charles Dickens?s most popular books. It?s a timeless story of good versus evil, vibrantly told with drama, suspense, and humor.
Orphan Oliver is being raised in the harsh environment of a workhouse when he is sold into an apprenticeship with an undertaker. Forced to escape from his new master, Oliver travels to London, where he joins a gang of sleazy pickpockets. Is he stuck with this crowd of criminals, or will he someday find a loving family to guide him?
?It is because I think so much of warm and sensitive hearts, that I would spare them from being wounded.? ? Charles Dickens
Middlemarch by George Eliot
Free on iTunes
This is the classic tale of the citizens of a little town called Middlemarch. It covers everything from the nature of marriage, to the status of women, to education, to politics, to religion in the 19th century.
Middlemarch was incredibly popular when it was originally published in 1871 and is still considered to be one of the great works of English literature.
?It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view.? ? George Eliot
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Free on iTunes
Benjamin Button is a curious child. But that?s a bit of an understatement.
He was born with the appearance of a 70-year-old man and the capability of fluent speech. He frequently falls asleep during normal childhood activities and, as a result, is withdrawn from kindergarten.
The Button family starts to wonder?. Is Benjamin aging? backwards?
??You?re just the romantic age,? she continued, ?fifty. Twenty-five is too worldly wise; thirty is apt to be pale from overwork; forty is the age of long stories that take a whole cigar to tell; sixty is ? oh, sixty is too near seventy; but fifty is the mellow age. I love fifty.?? ? F. Scott Fitzgerald
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
Free on iTunes
Emma is unhappily married to a loyal but clumsy provincial doctor ? and that?s the most extraordinary thing about her.
Warring against her mundane existence, she pursues her lifelong dream of finding true love, but her sentimentality quickly becomes her downfall. A fascinating story of the human mind in pursuit of transcendence, Madame Bovary is Gustave Flaubert?s enduring masterpiece.
?Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude rhythms for bears to dance to, while we long to make music that will melt the stars.? ? Gustave Flaubert
Howards End by E. M. Forster
Free on iTunes
Howard?s End, originally published in 1910, is the classic tale of three English families, living at the end of the 19th century. By bringing these families together, E. M. Forster expertly portrays the struggle between the upper and lower classes that controlled England at the time.
?Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its highest. Live in fragments no longer.? ? E. M. Forster
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Free on iTunes
Nathaniel Hawthorne?s classic The Scarlet Letter was originally published in 1850. A deep dive into the themes of sin, revenge, and repentance, Ian Lynch performs this audiobook version.
?No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.? ? Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
Free on iTunes
Washington Irving was a master of observing human nature, enabling us to laugh at our own ridiculous and superstitious ideas. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow depicts this talent, making it one of history?s earliest pieces of American fiction with lasting popularity. Are you prepared to meet the Headless Horseman?
?I profess not to know how women?s hearts are wooed and won. To me they have always been matters of riddle and admiration.? ? Washington Irving
Daisy Miller by Henry James
Free on iTunes
Originally published in 1878, this novella made Henry James an international sensation. It?s the story of an adventurous American girl in the unfamiliar territory of European society. Full of contrasts between American and European customs, manners and morals, Daisy Miller is a captivating audiobook. If you?re looking for a great American novel, this is the place to start.
?I have never allowed a gentleman to dictate to me, or to interfere with anything I do.? ? Henry James
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Free on iTunes
The Call of the Wild is Jack London?s classic tribute to American hopes, dreams and struggles. The embodiment of London?s anxious spirit, it?s the riveting tale of a dog in the midst of the Alaska Gold Rush. He has the opportunity to live in man?s world? but what if he would rather return to nature?
Widely considered to be London?s greatest novel, The Call of the Wild is a must-listen for adventure and dog enthusiasts alike.
?He was mastered by the sheer surging of life, the tidal wave of being, the perfect joy of each separate muscle, joint, and sinew in that it was everything that was not death, that it was aglow and rampant, expressing itself in movement, flying exultantly under the stars.? ? Jack London
A Midsummer Night?s Dream by William Shakespeare
Free on iTunes
This is one of Shakespeare?s most beloved comedies and is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. A Midsummer Night?s Dream is a hilarious portrayal of the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus and Hippolyta, complete with manipulative fairies and enough Shakespearean insults to go around.
?Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.? ? William Shakespeare
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Free on iTunes
Mary Shelley?s Frankenstein is one of the most important gateways into science fiction.
?I do know that for the sympathy of one living being, I would make peace with all. I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.? ? Mary Shelley
Invisible Man by H. G. Wells
Free on iTunes
In this science fiction novella, H. G. Wells presents Griffin, a scientist whose life is dedicated to his research. Griffin is about to invent a method that will change a body?s refractive index to that of air. In doing so, the body will stop reflecting light? and become invisible.
All Griffin has to do now is find a way to reverse the effects. It can?t be too hard? right?
?All men, however highly educated, retain some superstitious inklings.? ? H. G. Wells
Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
Free on iTunes
This is the story of an idealistic Englishman, Lord Jim, shamed for a solitary act of cowardice that has effectively ruined his life. When the young lord is befriended by a man named Marlow, however, Jim is catapulted back into a world where his courage will undoubtedly be tested. This audiobook is a classic tale of self-discovery and personal growth.
?You shall judge of a man by his foes as well as by his friends.? ? Joseph Conrad
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Free on iTunes
In this audiobook, Edna Pontellier struggles to make sense of her progressively unorthodox views on femininity and motherhood in the turn-of-the-century American South. The Awakening is one of the first American novels to focus on such issues without condescension.
?The voice of the sea speaks to the soul.? ? Kate Chopin
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
Free on iTunes
The Turn of the Screw is well known as one of literature?s most gripping ghost stories. It is the haunting tale of a couple of innocent children and their transformation into masterful liars and hypocrites.
Henry James avoids melodramatic cliches in this unmatched horror story that has terrified and thrilled readers for nearly a century.
?No, no ? there are depths, depths! The more I go over it, the more I see in it, and the more I see in it, the more I fear. I don?t know what I don?t see ? what I don?t fear!? ? Henry James
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
Free MP3
This Great American Novel opens with one of world literature?s most famous sentences: ?Call me Ishmael.?
Dedicated to author Nathaniel Hawthorne, Moby-Dick provides a glimpse into Herman Melville?s experience at sea. The detail presented in this audiobook makes the story feel incredibly realistic, covering everything from whale hunting to the existence of God. Narrative prose, songs, poetry, soliloquies and asides are all used to bring the tale to life.
?I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I?ll go to it laughing.? ? Herman Melville
Uncle Tom?s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Free on iTunes
Rumor has it that ten years after Uncle Tom?s Cabin was published, Abraham Lincoln greeted Harriet Beecher Stowe with a statement that made reference to the Civil War: ?So you?re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war.? Some would argue that the President was exaggerating, but in truth, there are few novels in American history that have garnered as much attention. Emphasizing the brutal reality of slavery in early 19th-century America, Stowe?s classic anti-slavery novel was published in 1852 and remains an influential piece of abolitionist literature today.
?The longest way must have its close ? the gloomiest night will wear on to a morning.? ? Harriet Beecher Stowe
Gulliver?s Travels by Jonathan Swift
Free on iTunes
Jonathan Swift, regarded by some as a distinguished prose satirist, intended this masterpiece to ?vex the world rather than divert it.? While poking plenty of fun at human nature, it describes four remarkable journeys of a ship?s surgeon, Lemuel Gulliver. For children, it is a charming fantasy, and for adults, it is an amusing mockery of political life in 18th-century England. It is Swift?s most famous full-length work and a classic example of English literature.
?Every man desires to live long, but no man wishes to be old.? ? Jonathan Swift
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
Free MP3
One of Verne?s most celebrated works, this classic adventure novel was published in 1873. It is the story of Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet, Passepartout. The duo attempts to circumnavigate the world in 80 days on a 20,000 wager (which would be nearly 2.3 million US dollars today). Fogg, who is already wealthy, lives a modest life by choice. And to say he is ?particular? would be an understatement. His routines are carried out with mathematical precision. A former valet once brought Mr. Fogg shaving water that was 84F instead of 86F and was immediately terminated from his position.
While at the Reform Club one day, Fogg engages in an argument regarding an article in The Daily Telegraph stating that the opening of a new railway section in India made it possible to travel around the world in 80 days. The 20,000 wager is made with fellow club members. Fogg and Passepartout leave London by train at 8:45 pm on Wednesday, October 2, 1872, and are due back at the Reform Club at the same time 80 days later. But can they really make it in time?
?Anything one man can imagine, other men can make real.? ? Jules Verne
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Free on iTunes
If you?re into vampires and you?ve never sunk your teeth into Count Dracula, here?s your opportunity. The popular 1897 epistolary novel is told through a series of journal entries, letters, newspaper articles, and telegrams. The adventure begins when an unsuspecting lawyer, Jonathan Harker, visits Castle Dracula in Transylvania. His purpose is to help a nobleman named Count Dracula buy a house in London. Things go south rather quickly for Harker as he realizes what he?s gotten himself into. The story chronicles Dracula?s invasion of England, where he preys on unsuspecting new blood. Professor Abraham Van Helsing, a Dutch vampire hunter, fearlessly leads a small group of men and women as they try to defeat their powerful, blood-sucking adversary. Dracula has inspired many theatrical, film, and television interpretations.
?There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights.? ? Bram Stoker
We hope you enjoy these free audiobooks! Do you know of any more? Share them in the comments below!
If you want to learn more about these books (and other super cool stuff) tune into The Mission Daily, a podcast presented by Audible, on April 16th! Subscribe here.
