COMPLETE: The Chimney Corner by Harriet Beecher Stowe -jo

[msfry]

The Chimney Corner by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811 - 1896).

This project is now complete. All audio files can be found on our catalog page here:

https://librivox.org/the-chimney-corner-by-harriet-beecher-stowe/

Stowe wrote over 30 books. This one is a fascinating collection of her post Civil War musings on a variety of cultural topics, staged mostly as conversations between Christopher Crowfield (Stowe's masculine nome de plume), and his wife, their son Ben, daughter Jenny, their friends, and various neighbors who drop in to chat around the fireside. Lively topics include women's suffrage & their education, entertainment, fashion, the economy during reconstruction, youth entertainment, and how society and its institutions should prepare young women for useful, meaningful lives besides getting married or simply depending on other family members to support them while they do little or nothing, or worse, fall into a street life. She reflects on the economic after-effects of the Civil War, and the struggle to create a more civilized nation. ( ~ Michele Fry)

1. How to claim a part, and "how it all works" here To find a section to record, simply look at point 5. below at the sections. All the ones without names beside them are "up for grabs." Click "Post reply" at the top left of the screen and tell us which section you would like to read (include the section number from the left-most column in the reader list, please). Read points 6. to 8. below for what to do before, during and after your recording.
2. New to recording? Please read our Newbie Guide to Recording!
3. Is there a deadline? We ask that you submit your recorded sections within 1-2 months of placing your claim. Please note that to be fair to the readers who have completed their sections in a timely way, if you haven't submitted your recording(s) after two months, your sections will automatically be re-opened for other readers to claim, unless you post in this thread to request an extension. Extensions will be granted at the discretion of the Book Coordinator. If you cannot do your section, for whatever reason, just let me know and it'll go back to the pool. There's no shame in this; we're all volunteers and things happen.Please do not sign up for more sections than you can complete within the two month deadline.
4. Where do I find the text? Source text (please only read from this text!): https://archive.org/details/chimneycorner00stowiala/page/n9
5. Please claim sections (the numbers in the first column below)! If this is your first recording, please let me know under which name or pseudonym you'd like to appear in the LibriVox catalogue. We can also link to a personal website/blog.
6. Level of proof-listening required special, I will read along with the text and notate any significant discrepancies. I will need a volunteer to PL my sections, and am happy to coach someone who doesn't know how. (Note: if you are new to Proof Listening, please read the PL FAQ):
   
   Please don't download or listen to files belonging to projects in process (unless you are the BC or PL). Our servers are not set up to handle the greater volume of traffic. Please wait until the project has been completed. Thanks!
   

   Magic Window:

   
   
   BC Admin
   Genres for the project: Historical Fiction
   
   Keywords that describe the book: housekeeping, women's suffrage, reconstruction, household management, domestic life, employment, education
   
   ============================================
7. BEFORE recording: Please check the Recording Notes: viewtopic.php?p=6430#p6430
   
   Set your recording software to:
   Channels: 1 (Mono)
   Bit Rate: 128 kbps
   Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz
8. DURING recording:
   No more than 0.5 to 1 second of silence at the beginning of the recording!
   Make sure you add this to the beginning of your recording:
   START of recording (Intro)
   • "Chapter #, Part # if applicable, of The Chimney Corner, by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit: librivox DOT org"
   • If you wish, say: "Recording by [your name], [city, your blog, podcast, web address]"
   • Say:
     [Chapter#, part # if applicable, Chapter Title]"
   
   END of recording
   • At the end of the section, say:
     "End of [Chapter #, Part # if applicable, and Chapter Title]"
   • If you wish, say:
     "Recording by [your name], [city, your blog, podcast, web address]"
   • At the end of the book, say (in addition):
     "End of The Chimney Corner, by Harriet Beecher Stowe. "
   
   There should be ~5 seconds silence at the end of the recording.
   
   Please remember to check this thread frequently for updates!
9. AFTER recording
   Need noise-cleaning?
   Listen to your file through headphones. If you can hear some constant background noise (hiss/buzz), you may want to clean it up a bit. The latest version of Audacity is recommended for noise-cleaning. See this LibriVox wiki page for a complete guide.
   Save files as
   128 kbps MP3
   chimneycorner_##_hbstowe_128kb.mp3 (all lower-case) where ## is the section number (e.g. chimneycorner_01_hbstowe_128kb.mp3)
10. Example ID3 V2 tags ID3 tags are now optional. They are added automatically during cataloging.
    Artist: Harriet Beecher Stowe
    Title: ## - [Section title]
    Album: The Chimney Corner
    
    Transfer of files (completed recordings)
    Please always post in this forum thread when you've sent a file. Also, post the length of the recording (file duration: mm:ss) together with the link.
    • Upload your file with the LibriVox Uploader: https://librivox.org/login/uploader
      (If you have trouble reading the image above, please message an admin)
    • You'll need to select the MC, which for this project is: knotyouraveragejo
    • When your upload is complete, you will receive a link - please post it in this thread.
    • If this doesn't work, or you have questions, please check our How To Send Your Recording wiki page.
    Any questions? Post below.
    Team lineup:
    MC - knotyouraveragejo
    BC - Michele Fry
    DPL - Michele Fry
    Cover - Michele Fry

[knotyouraveragejo]

All set, Michele. Will give it another day or two to see if a DPL volunteers.

I put your claim in for the cover for you.

[msfry]

Thanks, Jo. I've pretty much decided to turn this into a group project. It's just too good to hog all to myself!
That being the case, I'll DPL it myself.
I have recorded the first 3 sections so I'll claim them.
I've made the changes to the First Post and filled in the MW. Thanks again.

[knotyouraveragejo]

OK. I've made the changes in the database from solo to group project and added you as DPL. The first post still needs a bit of editing to change from the solo to the group project format before it's ready for Readers Wanted.

Edited to add: I've replaced the solo template bits with the corresponding group template sections. Please review the info specific to the book in case I missed anything, after which I will move the thread to Readers Wanted.

[williamjones]

Very interesting topic!
I'd be happy to PL your sections.

[msfry]

Thanks, Bill, I will take you up on that. Sections 1, 2 and 3 are recorded. 1 is almost ready to upload, 2 and 3 need editing.
I love this book for laying out the feminist issues of girl's education, laying the groundwork for women's ability to work outside the home, meanwhile creating stable homes for families to thrive in. I hope you agree that it is interesting. I look forward to learning more as I DPL the remaining chapters.

A little background: When I was in high school (1960's), Home Ec was an elective (which I never took). Most of us girls left home without being able to cook, clean, sew, balance a bank book or mow grass. What were they thinking? I made A's in Geometry, History, Biology and Literature, though. So I was exactly prepared for what in life? To live in a pig stye, be unable to fix anything, eat PBJ sandwiches and Campbell's soup. My salvation was that in college, the girl's dorms had maids and the university provided a cafeteria card good for 3 meals a day. Later, the apartment complexes I lived in had weekly maid service built in. That went on until I married and my dear mother-in-law, realizing how ignorant I was, taught me how to cook and helped me clean my house ----- so her son wouldn't starve! I was 24, and a new Mom, so I was very grateful to her for my daily domestic education. Somehow, in later life, I did learn how to run and business and manage people but that, too was never taught. I still abhor housework, and do it reluctantly.

[KevinS]

Section 15, please.

[msfry]

Thanks, Kevin. You're in for 15.

[KevinS]

Section 15.

https://librivox.org/uploads/knotyouraveragejo/chimneycorner_15_stowe_128kb.mp3 (21:16)

[msfry]

PL Notes Section 15
What a stirring eulogy to Abraham Lincoln and the dead Union soldiers, all so heartfeltly read by you, I cried. And today people decry how horrible things are, with no concept of the trauma, hatred and destitution caused by the Civil War. I availed myself of a little research on Libby Prison:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libby_Prison
Love the tunnel digging and escape stories, and how the soldiers finally got their pensions!

A few little notes:
4:45 soliloquy, you say soloquy

Intro and Outro, I apologize for not having worked out my Intro and Outro script before you read for the project. Could you please re-record both according to the new script:
Intro, say: Chapter 13 of The Chimney Corner, by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Long disclaimer. Your name if desired, then Chapter 13, The Noble Army of Martyrs
Outro at 21:00, delete all and say. End of Chapter 13, The Noble Army of Martyrs, and End of The Chimney Corner, by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

[msfry]

Here is Chapter 1. It is long, but very thought provoking, I think.

https://librivox.org/uploads/knotyouraveragejo/chimneycorner_01_hbstowe.mp3 37:40

[msfry]

Section 2 is uploaded.

https://librivox.org/uploads/knotyouraveragejo/chimneycorner_02_hbstowe.mp3 24:59

Mercifully, shorter than the previous section!

[KevinS]

I think this is now all correct.

https://librivox.org/uploads/knotyouraveragejo/chimneycorner_15_stowe_128kb.mp3 (21:13)

[msfry]

15 is PL Perfect!

[amethyst855]

Section 4 please.

This is my first recording for Librivox.

Name:
Kiran Fatima

Website:
www.kiranfatima.com