King Lear - Abridged

William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, on England’s Avon River. When he was eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway. The couple had three children—an older daughter Susanna and twins, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, died in childhood. The bulk of Shakespeare’s working life was spent in the theater world of London, where he established himself professionally by the early 1590s. He enjoyed success not only as a playwright and poet, but also as an actor and shareholder in an acting company. Although some think that sometime between 1610 and 1613 Shakespeare retired from the theater and returned home to Stratford, where he died in 1616, others believe that he may have continued to work in London until close to his death.

E. A. Copen lives deep in the deep dark woods outside one of the most haunted cities in Ohio. While working a boring retail job, she entertained herself with stories of the fantastic, some of which became books like Guilty by Association, Death Rites, and Broken Empire. She speaks three languages fluently: English, Latin, and sarcasm. E. A. is currently studying to become proficient in memes.

Best known as the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad—the #1 personal finance book of all time—Robert Kiyosaki has challenged and changed the way tens of millions of people around the world think about money. He is an entrepreneur, educator, and investor who believes the world needs more entrepreneurs. With perspectives on money and investing that often contradict conventional wisdom, Robert has earned an international reputation for straight talk, irreverence, and courage and has become a passionate and outspoken advocate for financial education.

Clive Merrison is a film, stage, and television actor who has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, and the Old Vic. He and Michael Williams are the only acting duo to have completed the entire canon of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories.

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Samantha Bond is best known for her role as Miss Moneypenny in several James Bond films, including Die Another Day, The World is Not Enough, Tomorrow Never Dies, and GoldenEye. Her many television credits include Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders, Rampole of the Bailey, and Downton Abbey. She is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and has appeared in multiple performances on Broadway and London's West End.

A native of England, Bond’s audiobook credits include reading classic works by Agatha Christie and John Milton. Of her narration ability, AudioFile magazine has stated, “Samantha Bond...does a top-notch job with these stories. Her pacing is perfect, and her ability to switch from American to British to Russian-inflected accents astonishing.” She starred opposite Dame Judi Dench in David Hare's Amy's View at the Royal National Theatre, and, along with the cast, recorded the audiobook of the award-winning play. She also went on to narrate Dench’s memoir, And Furthermore.

David Tennant, Earphones Award-winning narrator, is a Scottish actor who, over twenty years, has starred on stage, screen, television, and radio. In 2008 he played a widely praised Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company but is probably best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 television serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch Jr. in the 2005 film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Gerard Murphy is an actor who had a long and distinguished career, appearing in such productions as RSC’s The Balcony and in films such as Batman Begins.