Enjoy these classics of horror from Ladybird books and Pickwick Tell-a-tale,these are wonderful dramatized adaptations with music and sound effects.Click on the links below.Enjoy.
FRANKENSTEIN - Side 1 Side 2
DRACULA - Side 1 Side 2
Dr.JEKYLL & MR.HYDE - Side 1 Side 2
THE MUMMY - Side 1 Side 2
44 comments:
I've got the Dracula and Mummy books, but never knew there was tapes available as well - thanks!
Marvellous books I adore them. Although I was not familiar with the tapes I remember discovering the 'Frankenstein' edition at a campsite shop. I curled up in the corner of our caravan to read it word for word... Ladybird also published the 'Invisible Man'
Lovely stuff! And a VERY nifty blog.
I have had these Ladybird horror classics with tapes since the early 1980's,got them from W.H.Smiths.I would love to know what other classic stories were released with book and tape too.
Glad you like them,thanks.
cool! ;o)
Pickwick Tell-a-Tale's were a great series! Not just the Horror collection either!
Sorry to go slightly off topic...Paul..is there the option to send you a PM...site related but not related to Ladybird/Pickwick so don't want to post here!
Ps...back on topic...there was a 5th Book and Cassette in the Pickwick/Ladybird Horror series! Hound of the Baskerviuabidles!
Hi John
I agree they were a great series,wouldn't mind coming across others from their range.I think I may have a copy of the Hound of the Baskervilles one.
John you could send another comment on any of the posts,I don't need to publish it.Is that ok for now?
Thanks Paul,
I have two random questions that you might be able to help me with, one is TV related, the other a book. Both are from the 1980's and Ghostly themed. When I say I have put up messages everywhere for the TV query...I'm not exaggerating! I've even tried really extensive sites like Most Haunted TV Webring. The problem is that it could be any number of TV shows/TV movies/Serials etc.
Here goes :
This was an English TV series during the 1980's (at least I'm almost certain it was a TV series...possibly a TV Movie)
This one particular episode had a spooky theme where someone was trying convince a woman (named Jenny/Jenny) that the house was haunted.
Each night Jenny would be awakened to hearing a ghostly voice call her name and she would see her bedroom door ajar and a light. This happened a few times during the episode.
This was something like an episode of Midsomer Murders...except it well preceded that series. Perhaps it was Ruth Rendall. I think this would have been around 1987 or 1988 at the latest.
It was set in the English countryside. I seem to remember horses and stables. I also remember that the woman who was trying to frighten Jennie was an older middle-aged woman.
The 'ghostly' scene happened to Jennie each evening. She would wake up and hear a ghostly voice call her name from outside her bedroom door and a there was also a light under the door and the eerie noise effect (much like the sound of a harp)
Other suggestions that have come forward are that it could have been one of the films shown under the ITV banner of ' Murder Mystery and Suspense...this was not an actual anthology series. Difficult to search as the individual titles of those films shown are nowhere to be found. It could also have been Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense' (a different series) 'Unexplained Laughter' with Diana Rigg, The Edgar Wallace Mysteries, Journey to the Unknown, C.A.T.S eyes, Tales from the Darkside, Tales of the Unexpected but having checked all the above nothing has surfaced! Of course...the problem is that this show may not have been a supernatural/mystery show at all...the ghostly voice did turn out to be a hoax in the end.
Obscure........but It's driving me crazy!(This and a Children's cartoon from The Children's Channel which dosen't want to be found either!!!!!)
The second query was a kids anthology of ghost stories I read. I only really remember the first story. .it was unusual in that the ghost in the story haunted a tree. The ghost explains to a child that it once lived in the upstairs room of a house which it later haunted after it died. The house was knocked and a tree grew in its place and the ghost found itself haunting the top of the tree.
I know....Far too much time on my hands! Any ideas?
Hi John
I don't seem to have all of your last comment regarding the TV episode and book.I'm I alright to post what you have written here,maybe it will all come up when it is published?
Seems to have published in it's entirety :-)
Yeah I'm glad it did.
Well after reading about the TV episode you wrote about,I have been trying to think what it could be,the plot kind of sounds familiar.I'm not too sure what it is just yet but I will try and find out for you somehow.
I have started going through some of children's ghost story books to see if the story of the ghost haunting the tree is in them,did see some that had something about a tree but nothing like you mentioned.I have several more ghost books to go through when I can get to them as many are still in boxes.Was Tree part of the title? also can you remember anything else about the book you read,what the cover was like etc.
Hopefully I'll find out what the episode and story were unless any one else reading this can shed any light on them.
It was so long ago.........I think this story was the first in the book...and I seem to remember the ghost had a violin or fiddle of some sort......stranger and stranger :-)
The Friend that I sold my "monster" stuff,... sadly committed suicide a while back...
I still have some of my things... the really sad part was having to catalog all of it for his Ex...
I have a lead that the TV episode may be an episode of QED called 'To Catch a Ghost'...........now I just have to track it down to confirm. Can't seem to find it anywhere though.............
Sorry to hear about that Dr.Theda,I can imagine how difficult it must of been.
Hi John
Great to hear you have a possible lead on the TV episode,I really hope you find it and its the one you saw.I am still looking for the story but still haven't come across it although there were several stories which had a tree in the title but the story were nothing like you described.Can you remember if the book was one from the 80's or was it an older one?
Hi Paul, it could have been 1970's........definitely Kid's or young adults...what were the ones you found? (brief synopsis) Perhaps I am misremembering some of the facts....I seem to remember it being the first story in the book....
Any ideas on what the story/book may be? I have to admit this one is really bugging me :-(
Hi John
I have had another look through some of books I looked through the other day but will have another proper look through some others and hopefully will come across the story.
It's nice to see these recordings are appreciated. I had the Dracula and Frankenstein cassettes which I came to know almost by heart. I used to listen to them on a "personal stereo". Those were the days! I didn't discover the others until I came here, although I did have the books.
I'd be really interested to find out more about exactly when these were produced and who the actors were. The narrator's voice sounds familiar but I just can't place it.
Thanks for posting!
Incidentally, one of the others in this series was "Famous Myths and Legends", one side being "The Labours of Hercules" with "Jason and the Golden Fleece" on the other.
Great blog, by the way,
Stievaulx.
Hi Paul, anything shown up about that story? :-)
Sorry John,I haven't come across it yet,but will still keep looking.Maybe its just not in the books I have.Do you remember if it was a paperback/hardback or annual?
Have you tried this site before?
http://vaultofevil.proboards.com/
Hi Paul, have put up a message on the site in the past but nobody seems to remember it. It was a paperback......perhaps it was cheaply produced and not very popular and that's the reason nobody recognises it.
These cassettes are perfect!
I'll hopefully curl up and have a listen at the weekend.
Thank you for sharing : )
I just wondered if John has tried This site in his book search.
And Here’s a list of 1980's British Tv Series' that may help too.
Found this site when searching for the Ghost Train Board Game
'John Dunne' I remember the ghost in the Tree House story I'm sure the book was called something like Story's of the macabre and Mysterious' the cover had a Birthday cake decorated in skulls with skeletal hands holding the candle's..
The only story I can really remember was the kid who draws this Monster called Old Fritzgibbert and it goes to his Teachers House and kills her.. One of the other storys with the Magician was also used in Pamela Oldfields Ghost Storys so I may be wrong on the book but could be worth a look
Thanks for the heads up.....I'll check those leads out and let you know :-)
@Shinobi......
Can you remember any of the other details about the actual Ghost in the Tree story.......searching for the book but not having much luck
Hey John
Tried editing the comment to correct bad grammar and accidentally deleted it
I got the Pamela Oldfield Ghost Story's from the attic and that Tree house Ghost story isn't in there.. Anothor story about the Magician who turns a Girl into a Ghost at here Birthday party is.. Which leaves me to believe that the Storys could have been reused in multiple Children's Horror Anthology's
All I remember about the Tree House Ghost is that the house was demolished as somebody was murdered in there and they planted a tree on the grounds.. Boy starts playing in the tree house that Ghost is haunting, and makes friends with the Ghost.. Girl doesn't believe him about ghost until she see's the Ghost herself.. They invite the Ghost into there house/ or try to get him to move into the house.. I think the Ghost was evil, and he turns on them.. I'm sure it ends with the Boy & Girl going to the Ghosts grave.. And the Dog (called Dog) is digging the Ghosts grave up and it said something like "Dog's coat smelt strange in the cold night air" And the final paragraph they could hear the Ghost coming towards them
I've been googling this today and even the Pamela Oldfield book I own has no mention on the net, only that somebody's selling a single copy on Amazon £30
Bear in mind it was about 1984 I read the book and most of the story's had evil endings.. It may have been the only story with a Happy ending..
For some reason I remember another book with a Cat Woman on the cover.. One of the Story was a guy who adopts a Cat who turns into a Cat Woman at night and she kills and eats people who try's to rob the place where he's working
Paul - thanks so much for these! These were a childhood favourite of mine (though I never had the Dracula one). I was listening to classic FM one time and I heard the whole piece that is used at the start of The Mummy. I've tried very hard to find the correct name for this piece of music but cannot. Does it mention it anywhere in the book?
Hi Paul,
Love your site!!!
Would you be cool with me re-blogging some of your stuff on Horrorpedia.com? With suitable credit/links, of course.
cheers
Adrian
Hi Adrian
Glad you like the site. Really must get round to some more posts.
Yeah! That's fine if you want to re-blog some of my posts on Horrorpedia. Its a great site too.
All the best.
Hi all,
Just an update on the above book search! I have finally found it. The book is called 'Who's Afraid and other strange stories' by Philippa Pearce.
The story is 'Samantha and the Ghost' :-)
These are really great, thanks so much for putting them up for download. Like many others, I had these books in the 80s, but never knew about the cassettes. Listened to Dr. Jekyll this morning and it was super, really atmospheric and gripping, a great adaption.
Would love if you could also put up 'The Hound If The Baskervilles' if you get a chance.
Thanks again
I am looking for a copy of this tape I lost mine in a house forw.
Oh my god! 'Fangs' for the memories! I had the Frankenstein and Dracula ones when I was little and listened to them all the time. I was crushed when my Dracula tape was chewed by the tape deck. I still have my copy of Greek Myths and Legends as well. Love 'em.
These were wonderful. They'd make you want to read just so that you could find out what was going on in the pictures, and even before you could read the pictures were still great. I had them all, including The Hound of the Baskervilles. I know the pictures aren't 100% accurate. (Dracula doesn't have a moustache, the monster in Frankenstein is green.) But they're still pretty good, and I still mostly think of these stories the way they were painted in these books. Eventually I think my mother threw all our old Ladybirds away, which seems a bit of a shame now that they're going for hundreds of pounds on Amazon and there doesn't seem to be anything like them on the modern kids' market anymore.
Hi Paul, i had Frankenstein and Baskervilles in the early mid 80's and have grabbed frankenstein from the page links and would love baskervilles too if you can get a copy to me and wouldn't mind thanks mate :)
Never knew there were audio cassette tapes, thank you.
Back in the mid-late 1980s, when I came first in class, my mother rewarded me by giving me some money to buy story books. I walked over to my neighbourhood bookstore and picked Dracula and The Mummy as I was attracted to the very beautiful art on their covers.
I still have the books on my private bookshelf. The bookstore closed down in 2010-2011, and the entire block where it used to be has since been vacated and then demolished in 2014.
Personally, I found The Mummy much scarier than Dracula. The former gave me quite a number of sleepless nights when I was a child.
I absolutely loved these books when I was growing up - I don't think publishers would touch them now, sadly, but they were amazing. Thank you so much for sharing them; it's given me a lovely trip down nostalgia avenue.
The tapes for the Ladybird horror series use portions of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique as their background music. The exception is Hound of the Baskervilles, which uses Mussorgsky's Night on the Bare Mountain.
Have loved this page for years. Any chance the Baskervilles audio will be added sometime?
Hi Peter
Thank you, glad you like it and sorry for the lack of posts recently. I don't have the Ladybird Hound of the Baskervilles audio tape to post on the blog but I am sure there is a site that does mention it with a link to another site where it can be downloaded, I think it's the Do you Remember forum.
All the best
I listened to these cassette tapes in the early 1980s. They were quite thrilling.
The cover image on your blog page is intriguing. I remember watching a film called Asylum (1972)? There's an imposter managing the lunatics, each of which has a fascinating tale to tell.
The Paul I know loved horror too. They called him Woody at school.
Is it you?
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/63/cb/ef/63cbef137d7061a2d36f5eef3ba6b349.jpg
The Souls on the Banks of Acheron (1898) by Adolf Hirémy-Hirschl (31 Jan 1860 - April 1933), from the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere.
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