
In this vivid retelling of life at the dawn of humanity, listeners follow Ab, a fierce and curious figure of the Stone Age, as he navigates the raw wilderness that cradles his tribe. From the soft beech‑leaf bed where a newborn babbles to the shadowed mouth of a stone‑blocked cave, the opening scenes paint a world of stark beauty and constant danger. As hunters and gatherers, Ab and his companions wrestle with towering beasts, shifting climates, and the elemental drives that bind them—love, rivalry, fear, and the fierce will to protect their young.
The narrative blends careful research with evocative storytelling, inviting you to hear the crack of flint against stone and the distant roar of ancient predators. It captures the primal rhythms of daily survival while hinting at the subtle innovations that will carry humanity forward. All the while, the tale reminds us that even in the farthest past, the heartbeat of human experience beats much like our own.
Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (386K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Suzanne Shell, Mary Meehan, Andy Schmitt, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
Release date
2005-08-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1846–1913
Known for vivid adventure stories and frontier-themed historical fiction, this American novelist and journalist brought a strong sense of place and action to his work. He is especially remembered for novels such as The Story of Ab and for writing that drew on the American Midwest and the past.
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