"Moby Dick" by Herman Melville - Chapters 1- 10

Okay, I have been basically begged not to write the following, but I can't help myself...

This will prove to be a whale of an undertaking, but the Adam Smith Academy is proud to announce an Audio-Text version of "Moby Dick" or "The Whale" by Herman Melville.

You can see why I was begged not to write that... Puns kill.

Justified or not, the first 10 chapters are up, and can be viewed by clicking here.

Only 125 more chapters to go.

Karma Catches Up with O.J.

O.J. Simpson has been sentenced to 15+ years in prison for armed robbery and kidnapping. Others will of course comment on the demise of O.J. How did this happen? etc. etc. It could be, however, that Karma just took its time catching up with him.

"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling

"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling is one of those stories that just must be read to children. Unfortunately, not all great parents are great actors. And, this is definitely one of those stories that needs a wonderful story-teller to not only convey the action, but also all the different colorful characters.

So, the Adam Smith Academy has included the complete reading of "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" for parents and students on our site for FREE. Teachers, with a computer in their classroom, can also hit the play button with the speakers turned up, so the whole class can listen and read along.

To listen and read our telling of "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," click here.... and enjoy!

"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe

"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe was recently suggested by a teacher for one of our Audio-Text pages, where students can read and listen to the text. So, we dutifully added it to our collection.

You can read and listen to "The Raven" here.

We have also collected an amazing collection of original Dore illustrations that we will be adding to the page today. But, feel free to visit "The Raven" page, and listen while we work.

"Credit Availability" vs. "Creditworthy"

In light of the economic times and the endless stream of politicians and talking heads discussing the world "Credit Crisis," I thought I would bring up something that has heretofore not been mentioned, but should be discussed when delving on the problem in your classrooms.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Is the current "Credit Crisis" a lack of credit availability? Or, is it a lack of creditworthiness on the part of the borrowers?

CONTEXT: We have been told the current economic crisis is a result of a "housing bubble," where banks extended loans to people with poor or no credit histories. Now, homes across the country are going into foreclosure, as those people can no longer pay their mortgages as the rates have reset. Which, in turn, has made the mortgage backed paper and securities worthless, creating huge losses for financial firms and investors.

To increase liquidity, the Fed and the Treasury has created a "financial backstop" through a number of instruments to get money back out to the public and businesses. But, today, banks appear unwilling to loan the money.

Why? Revert to previous discussion questions, and add a number more like, "If you were a bank president would you be lending money? If so, what would be your credit standards?"

You might be surprised to find out the student's answers. I know I was.

"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" Audio-Text

"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is an 18th century classic by Samuel Taylor Coleridge that was once thought perfect for high school students, but now considered too difficult a read.

With the Adam Smith Academy's "No Excuses" Audio-text format, where students can read the text while listening to the audio and looking at the illustrations, we believe it can once again be enjoyed by high school students.

To view "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" audio-text, click here.

This was a teacher suggested addition to our text pages. If you have a suggestion for a classic piece of literature updated with audio narration and illustrations, please do not hesitate to contact us at the

"Young Goodman Brown" AudioText & Illustrated

Traditionally, "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne was reserved for advanced High School students (or Senior Honors English Courses), or for Freshman English 101 courses at college. Now, however, with our new AudioText pages, where students can read and listen to the text narration, almost any level high school student can enjoy "Young Goodman Brown."

To view and listen to "Young Goodman Brown" click here.

In addition to the Audio-Text, we have also included a series of illustrations for students to follow along. And, if a student doesn't understand a word within the text, he can click it and a definition will pop-up -- for every word.

So teachers and parents, don't be afraid of assigning this classic piece of literature to your students. The story will stay with them for a lifetime.

(Side Note: Teachers and parents if you have any short stories, or even full classic novels, that you would like the Adam Smith Academy to create an Audio-Text page for, please do not hesitate to contact us, or write a comment below, and we'll be sure to add it to our list.)