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Wolf Hall written by Hilary Mantel performed by Dan Stevens on CD (Abridged)

Wolf Hall written by Hilary Mantel performed by Dan Stevens on CD (Abridged)£14.99

Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2009 and read by Dan Stevens, star of TV’s Downton Abbey. Lock Cromwell in a deep dungeon in the morning,' says Thomas More, 'and when you come back that night he'll be sitting on a plush cushion eating larks' tongues, and all the gaolers will owe him money.'


A Certain Justice written by P.D. James performed by Michael Jayston on CD (Unabridged)

A Certain Justice written by P.D. James performed by Michael Jayston on CD (Unabridged)£29.99

Venetia Aldridge QC is a distinguished barrister. When she agrees to defend Garry Ashe, accused of the brutal murder of his aunt, it is one more opportunity to triumph in her career as a criminal lawyer. 


A Delicate Truth written by John le Carre performed by John le Carre on CD (Unabridged)

A Delicate Truth written by John le Carre performed by John le Carre on CD (Unabridged)£14.99  -  £29.99

A counter-terror operation, codenamed Wildlife, is being mounted in Britain's most precious colony, Gibraltar. Its purpose: to capture and abduct a high-value jihadist arms-buyer.


Rare
A Room With a View written by E.M Forster performed by Juliet Stevenson on Audio CD (Lightly Abridged)

A Room With a View written by E.M Forster performed by Juliet Stevenson on Audio CD (Lightly Abridged)£29.99  -  £49.99

Lucy Honeychurch, accompanied by her vigilant cousin Charlotte Bartlett, makes her first foray into the world, touring Italy. Thrown into new and exhilarating situations, Lucy experiences a very different life to her usual existence in the countryside of southern England. As her horizons widen and many of her...


Rare
Bring Up The Bodies written by Hilary Mantel performed by Ben Miles on CD (Unabridged)

Bring Up The Bodies written by Hilary Mantel performed by Ben Miles on CD (Unabridged)£69.99

WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2012 The acclaimed sequel to the Man Booker-winning Wolf Hall. By 1535 Thomas Cromwell, the blacksmith's son, is far from his humble origins. Chief Minister to Henry VIII, his fortunes have risen with those of Anne Boleyn, Henry's second wife, for whose sake Henry has...


Dead Ringers Series 8 written by BBC Comedy Team performed by Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Mark Perry and Kevin Connelly on Audio CD (Unabridged)

Dead Ringers Series 8 written by BBC Comedy Team performed by Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Mark Perry and Kevin Connelly on Audio CD (Unabridged)£4.99

All four episodes from the eighth series of the popular BBC Radio 4 comedy series, starring Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Kevin Connelly and Mark Perry. Amongst the people regularly impersonated on the show are George Bush, Tony Blair, Tom Baker, Ann Widdecombe and the cast of The Archers.

 

How to Overcome Series Completion Anxiety

or What Next?

 

For anyone who has been dedicated to the fabulous works of one of our Genius Authors or Genius Performers there is always the looming issue, not so easily deferred, of what to listen to after the final available book has been consumed.

On the first occasion, for myself, this was made slightly more difficult by the underlying fact of the author's demise. 

I first came to audiobooks via the radio, which included Shakespeare plays, poetry readings and the fantastically imaginative works of Douglas Adams. Though my first contact with Douglas Adam's work was via the radio performances of The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, it was the author's own readings of his brilliant comedic prose that started to reveal the potential of this media.

In fact it is the recordings of Douglas Adams' works that bring into sharp relief a central issue when selecting audiobooks. The performance is as defining a factor as the words that constitute the book. In addition it is a rare moment when an author, having trained for many years as a wordsmith, turns her or his hand to performance. No doubt there are great audio performances from some authors, Douglas Adams being an excellent example, but, not surprisingly, the skill of the trained performer shines through and can bring to life a text that might otherwise lay flat on the page. There are many examples of this including Stephen Fry's Harry Potter readings, very much NOT just for children, and one of our favourite performers Tony Britton reading the Dick Francis novels. 

One audiobook that stands out both for the quality of it's text and the audio performance is Perfume. This book that won widespread praise when published in 1985, initially in German and then translated into English in 1986, has since been made into a successful feature film. In 1996 it was published by Penguin in audio book form. The extraordinary good fortune of selecting Sean Barrett for this text is to be gleaned by all who take the opportunity to listen to the novel. With a combination of horror and fascination you can find yourself drawn into the nefarious world of scent. There are two desperately sad things about this book. Firstly, it has to end and secondly Patrick Suskind's further novels do not appear to have scaled the same heights as his first. The great positive feeling you may encounter as you finish listening to this work is .... the deep set desire to listen to more Sean Barrett performances. If you choose this path you will not be disappointed!

(UPDATE - We at Brainfood Audiobooks - have just been made aware of a review of Perfume that appeared on the web a few years ago - http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/perfume-the-story-of-a-murderer-2007 This well respected film reviewer's phrase - "the best audio performance I have ever heard" supports our belief that this book is among the very best of the genre.)

While you take a closer look at Sean Barrett's performances you may wish to benefit from our many years of listening experience and peruse our selection of the best of the best. What we like to call......

 

The Stamp of Genius

 

We at Brainfood Audiobooks have been listening to audiobooks for well over 30 years. In our experience the greatest audiobooks are those that we come back to again and again. So, if you're looking for something different or just a view of what we at Brainfood Audiobooks consider to be the very best audiobooks we have ever encountered these are they.

These are audiobooks that break through the barriers of the genre and, through the audio format, show the stamp of genius.

We at Brainfood Audiobooks are constantly listening to a wide variety of titles, on all media types, and it has become clear, over the many years we have been listening, that a few titles stand out as possessing that extraordinary quality - a great story/text, a great performance and wide appeal!

Below we have a selection of these titles - which will, occasionally, grow as we listen to more titles but will definitely reduce as the books are purchased.

If anyone has a suggestion for this list please send us a message via the form on the left of this page.

Stamp of
Genius
Perfume - The Story of a Murderer written by Patrick Suskind performed by Sean Barrett on Cassette (Unabridged)

Perfume - The Story of a Murderer written by Patrick Suskind performed by Sean Barrett on Cassette (Unabridged)£19.99  -  £59.99

If you are interested in an atmospheric thriller of an extraordinary order - this is probably the Best Audiobook you will ever hear. A great book is transformed, by Sean Barrett, into a production of Genius! If you haven't heard it yet then you have an amazing journey before you......

Rare
Bleak House written by Charles Dickens performed by Sean Barrett and Teresa Gallagher on CD (Unabridged)

Bleak House written by Charles Dickens performed by Sean Barrett and Teresa Gallagher on CD (Unabridged)£89.99  -  £129.99

This wonderful book is read by 2 of the very best audiobook readers bar none! Sean Barrett's Chapter 1 is pure genius! Writing of this quality combined with the reading of Mr Barrett and Teresa Gallagher is an absolute must! This one is a life-long keeper!! Naxos

Stamp of
Genius
Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings written by J.R.R. Tolkien performed by BBC Full Cast Dramatisation, Ian Holm, Michael Hordern and Robert Stephens on CD (Abridged)

Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings written by J.R.R. Tolkien performed by BBC Full Cast Dramatisation, Ian Holm, Michael Hordern and Robert Stephens on CD (Abridged)£54.99

A Genius Performance by Ian Holm, Robert Stephens, John Le Mesurier and Peter Woodthorpe! A true breakthrough for Tolkien and the BBC! Brian Sibley's dramatisation of the fantasy epic in 1981 is an essential listen for any audiobook listener.

Stamp of
Genius
Richard III written by William Shakespeare performed by Robert Stephens, Dame Peggy Ashcroft , Jeremy Brett and Ian Holm on Cassette (Unabridged)

Richard III written by William Shakespeare performed by Robert Stephens, Dame Peggy Ashcroft , Jeremy Brett and Ian Holm on Cassette (Unabridged)£99.99  -  £129.99

A Genius Performance by Ian Holm, Robert Stephens, Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Jeremy Brett, Michael York, Cyril Cusak and Nigel Davenport! This production of Shakespeare's classic tragedy is the best we have heard! In very short supply and only just in front of the Naxos - Kenneth Branagh production 

Stamp of
Genius
Alice Through the Looking Glass written by Lewis Carroll performed by William Rushton on Cassette (Abridged)

Alice Through the Looking Glass written by Lewis Carroll performed by William Rushton on Cassette (Abridged)£39.99

This is a perfect example of why Brainfood Audiobooks exists! William (Willie) Rushton brings all of his comedic talent to bear on this wonderful tale. This audio set comes with a complimentary Audio CD version of this book.

Unique
The Secret History written by Donna Tartt performed by Adam Sims on Cassette (Unabridged)

The Secret History written by Donna Tartt performed by Adam Sims on Cassette (Unabridged)£48.99

A misfit at an exclusive New England college, Richard finds kindred spirits in the five eccentric students of his ancient Greek class. But his new friends have a horrific secret. When blackmail and violence threaten to blow their privileged lives apart, they drag Richard into the nightmare that engulfs them. 

Stamp of
Genius
A Christmas Carol written by Charles Dickens performed by Leonard Rossiter on Cassette (Abridged)

A Christmas Carol written by Charles Dickens performed by Leonard Rossiter on Cassette (Abridged)£59.99

Whether you listen to this on a dark winter's night of a sunny summer morning Leonard Rossiter's performance will take you on a journey. This is a perfect combination of text and performer. Leonard Rossiter makes this text his own and with such a quality of delivery that, if you close your eyes, you are there!

Very Rare!
The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - The Complete Trilogy in 5 Vols written by Douglas Adams performed by Douglas Adams on Cassette (Unabridged)

The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - The Complete Trilogy in 5 Vols written by Douglas Adams performed by Douglas Adams on Cassette (Unabridged)£79.99  -  £99.99

Includes The Hitch-hiker's Guide, The Resaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, The Universe and Everything, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish and Mostly Harmless! All read by the Master Himself!

Stamp of
Genius
Alice in Wonderland written by Lewis Carroll performed by William Rushton on Cassette (Abridged)

Alice in Wonderland written by Lewis Carroll performed by William Rushton on Cassette (Abridged)£29.99

This is a perfect example of why Brainfood Audiobooks exists! William (Willie) Rushton brings all of his comedic talent to bear on this wonderful tale. This audio set comes with a complimentary Audio CD version of this book.

Stamp of
Genius
The Prince's Choice written by William Shakespeare performed by Prince Charles, Robert Stephens, Juliet Stevenson and Various Famous Actors on CD (Abridged)

The Prince's Choice written by William Shakespeare performed by Prince Charles, Robert Stephens, Juliet Stevenson and Various Famous Actors on CD (Abridged)£9.99  -  £24.99

This is a selection of readings from Shakespeare. Selected by HRH Prince of Wales, the cast includes Robert Stephens, Richard Briers, John Gielgud, Juliet Stevenson, Glenda Jackson, William Hurt and John Sessions. Brilliant performances by these wonderful actors!

Stamp of
Genius
Asterix in Britain written by Goscinny performed by William Rushton on Cassette (Abridged)

Asterix in Britain written by Goscinny performed by William Rushton on Cassette (Abridged)£29.99  -  £49.99

** We currently have 2 of these in stock. They BOTH come with a FREE copy of this wonderful recording on Audio CD. The Acceptable copy has been graded due to a 30 sec dropout after 15 mins of side 1. Rest assured that in the Audio CD copy, that comes FREE with this title, the audio plays perfectly **

Stamp of
Genius
The Waste Land and Four Quartets written by T.S. Eliot performed by Paul Scofield on Cassette (Unabridged)

The Waste Land and Four Quartets written by T.S. Eliot performed by Paul Scofield on Cassette (Unabridged)£49.99

These are masterly readings, by renowned thespian Paul Scofield, of two substantial works of poetry by T.S. Eliot. They form the core of Eliot's later work and, with Scofield's wonderful interpretation have been a regular visitor to the Brainfood Audiobooks cassette player over the last 20 years! 

Rare
William Stories written by Richmal Crompton performed by Kenneth Williams on Cassette (Abridged)

William Stories written by Richmal Crompton performed by Kenneth Williams on Cassette (Abridged)£29.99

Richmal Compton's Williams Stories read by Kenneth Williams on two cassettes. Side 1 The Show, Side 2 William the Invisible, Side 3 A Witch in Time, Side 4 William's Day Off. Sometimes people are made to perform certain works - this combination is exceptional!

Stamp of
Genius
More Bloody Horowitz written by Anthony Horowitz performed by Ben Allen, Thomas Judd, Gareth Armstrong and Jane Collingwood on Audio CD (Unabridged)

More Bloody Horowitz written by Anthony Horowitz performed by Ben Allen, Thomas Judd, Gareth Armstrong and Jane Collingwood on Audio CD (Unabridged)£19.99  -  £24.99

A New addition to the Stamp of Genius series. Perfect for listening with a family group though some of the bloody descriptions might shock the younger/ more sensative in the group. Rather reminiscent of the Black Mirror TV series. Stories of ultimate revenge, from freshly sold human meat and uncontrollable robots, to life-sucking MP3 players and reality TV where death is the penalty all told with dark humour...

Stamp of
Genius
An Audience with Charles Dickens written by Charles Dickens performed by Simon Callow on Cassette (Abridged)

An Audience with Charles Dickens written by Charles Dickens performed by Simon Callow on Cassette (Abridged)£19.99

A live recording from the Vaudeville Theatre in London where Simon Callow recreates the reading performances of Charles Dickens. Over the last 12 years of his life, Dickens gave nearly 500 performances to huge audiences all over Britain and America.

Stamp of
Genius
An Evening with Brian Blessed - The Impossible Dream written by Brian Blessed performed by Brian Blessed on Cassette (Abridged)

An Evening with Brian Blessed - The Impossible Dream written by Brian Blessed performed by Brian Blessed on Cassette (Abridged)£19.99

One of Our Stamp of Genius audibooks! For years actor and author Brian Blessed had an impossible dream - to follow in the footsteps of his childhood hero, George Leigh Mallory, who disappeared near the summit of Mount Everest in 1924. Finally in 1990, aged 53, Brian Blessed...

Stamp of
Genius
Fairy Tales written by Terry Jones performed by Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Michael Hordern and Joan Greenwood on CD (Unabridged)

Fairy Tales written by Terry Jones performed by Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Michael Hordern and Joan Greenwood on CD (Unabridged)£9.99  -  £19.99

Terry Jones, Joan Greenwood, Michael Hordern, Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren and Tim Rice read of a collection of original fairy tales for 8 to 11-year-olds, written by master storyteller Terry Jones, introducing such bizarre creatures as the fly-by-night, the rainbow cat, and the wonderful cake-horse.

Stamp of
Genius
Gates of Eden written by Ethan Coen performed by Steve Buscemi, Matt Dillon, John Goodman and Ben Stiller on Cassette (Abridged)

Gates of Eden written by Ethan Coen performed by Steve Buscemi, Matt Dillon, John Goodman and Ben Stiller on Cassette (Abridged)£69.99

Ethan Coen makes his long-awaited fiction debut with a series of stories that mix the same offbeat humour, brutal irony, and razor-sharp wit of his films. Gates of Eden features characters struggling to comprehend their place in the world, and trying to understand the situations fate has placed in front of them.

Stamp of
Genius
Love is Where it Falls written by Simon Callow performed by Simon Callow on Cassette (Abridged)

Love is Where it Falls written by Simon Callow performed by Simon Callow on Cassette (Abridged)£19.99  -  £29.99

An account of the relationship between Simon Callow and the play agent, Peggy Ramsay. Despite an age difference of over 40 years, Peggy and Callow enjoyed an 11-year relationship conducted in meetings and passionately unbridled letters until Peggy's

Stamp of
Genius
Mind Over Medicine - Scientific Proof You Can Heal Yourself written by Dr Lissa Rankin performed by Dr Lissa Rankin on CD (Unabridged)

Mind Over Medicine - Scientific Proof You Can Heal Yourself written by Dr Lissa Rankin performed by Dr Lissa Rankin on CD (Unabridged)£24.99

In clinical trials, it's called the placebo effect. But patients treated with placebos don't just feel better. It's not just 'in their heads'. They can heal their bodies by healing their thoughts. For years, pioneers in the medical community have been extolling the virtues of the mind's power to heal the body.

Stamp of
Genius
My Father Laurence Olivier written by Tarquin Olivier performed by Tarquin Olivier on Cassette (Unabridged)

My Father Laurence Olivier written by Tarquin Olivier performed by Tarquin Olivier on Cassette (Unabridged)£69.99  -  £99.99

‘What we have lost with Laurence Olivier is glory.’ My Father Laurence Olivier is a touching account of a son’s idolisation of his father -- one of the greatest actors ever to have graced both the British stage and Hollywood’s screens.

Stamp of
Genius
Secrets of the Eating Lab - The Science of Weight Loss.... written by Traci Mann Phd performed by Donna Postel on MP3 CD (Unabridged)

Secrets of the Eating Lab - The Science of Weight Loss.... written by Traci Mann Phd performed by Donna Postel on MP3 CD (Unabridged)£39.99

From her office in the University of Minnesota's Health and Eating Lab, professor Traci Mann researches self-control and dieting. And what she has discovered is groundbreaking. Not only do diets not work; they often result in weight gain. Americans are losing the battle of the bulge because our bodies and brains...

Stamp of
Genius
Single Spies written by Alan Bennett performed by Simon Callow, Brigit Forsyth, Edward Petherbridge and Prunella Scales on CD (Unabridged)

Single Spies written by Alan Bennett performed by Simon Callow, Brigit Forsyth, Edward Petherbridge and Prunella Scales on CD (Unabridged)£14.99  -  £19.99

A Genius Performance by Simon Callow, Edward Petherbridge and Prunella Scales! These wonderful BBC Radio 4 productions are of exceptional quality. Includes 2 plays - An Englishman Abroad and A Question of Attribution. Brilliant work by all of the actors!

Stamp of
Genius
Slim Chances with Additions and Afterthoughts written by Edward Petherbridge performed by Edward Petherbridge on CD (Abridged)

Slim Chances with Additions and Afterthoughts written by Edward Petherbridge performed by Edward Petherbridge on CD (Abridged)£29.99

A Genius Performance by Edward Petherbridge! In this autobiographical work Edward Petherbridge recounts his time at the National Theatre and his life as a jobbing actor. Wonderfully whitty and full of real life insights, this book will take you back to the great days of The Master (Olivier) ....

Stamp of
Genius
The Duchess of Malfi written by John Webster performed by Barbara Jefford, Robert Stephens, Jeremy Brett and Alec McCowen on Cassette (Abridged)

The Duchess of Malfi written by John Webster performed by Barbara Jefford, Robert Stephens, Jeremy Brett and Alec McCowen on Cassette (Abridged)£39.99  -  £69.99

Barbara Jefford, Robert Stephens and Alec McCowen lead a distinguished company in this haunting performance of Webster’s powerful tragedy of murder, revenge and thwarted love.

Stamp of
Genius
The Noonday Demon - An Atlas of Depression written by Andrew Solomon performed by Andrew Solomon on CD (Abridged)

The Noonday Demon - An Atlas of Depression written by Andrew Solomon performed by Andrew Solomon on CD (Abridged)£34.99

The award-winning author of A Stone Boat offers a deeply personal look at depression in which he draws on his own battle with the illness and interviews with fellow sufferers, researchers, doctors, and others to assess the vast complexities of the disease, its causes and symptoms, available therapies ..

Stamp of
Genius
The Telomere Effect - Living Younger, Healthier and Longer written by  Nobel Prize Winner Elizabeth Blackburn PhD and Elissa Epel PhD performed by Suzanne Toren on CD (Unabridged)

The Telomere Effect - Living Younger, Healthier and Longer written by Nobel Prize Winner Elizabeth Blackburn PhD and Elissa Epel PhD performed by Suzanne Toren on CD (Unabridged)£34.99

Nobel Prize winner Dr Elizabeth Blackburn and leading health psychologist Dr Elissa Epel have discovered biological markers called telomeres, which can help us to understand how healthy our cells are and what we can do to improve them. The Telomere Effect looks at ideas including how biological age is not...

Stamp of
Genius
Why Does He Do That? - Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men written by Lundy Bancroft performed by Peter Berkrot on MP3 CD (Unabridged)

Why Does He Do That? - Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men written by Lundy Bancroft performed by Peter Berkrot on MP3 CD (Unabridged)£29.99

He says he loves you. So...why does he do that? You've asked yourself this question again and again. Now you have the chance to see inside the minds of angry and controlling men-and to change your life. In this groundbreaking book, a counselor who specializes in working with abusive men shows you...

Very Rare!
Why The Whales Came written by Michael Morpurgo performed by Virginia McKenna on Cassette (Unabridged)

Why The Whales Came written by Michael Morpurgo performed by Virginia McKenna on Cassette (Unabridged)£39.99

An exciting historical adventure from War Horse author and former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo. Gracie and her friend Daniel have always been warned to stay away from the Birdman and his side of the island. But then they find a message in the sand and discover the Birdman is not who they...