recito
English

The cover page is adapted from “You Design Murder?” Richard Asked, a painting completed circa 1909 by Howard Pyle. The cover and title pages feature the League Spartan and Sorts Mill Goudy typefaces created in 2014 and 2009 by The League of Moveable Type. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Pylewww.theleagueofmoveabletype.com/

The Well at the World’s End

by William Morris

Chapters (119)
  1. Book I: The Road Unto Love: I: The Sundering of the Ways 0:00
  2. II: Ralph Goeth Back Home to the High House 13:44
  3. III: Ralph Cometh to the Cheaping-Town 16:27
  4. IV: Ralph Rideth the Downs 39:05
  5. V: Ralph Cometh to Higham-on-the-Way 52:42
  6. VI: Ralph Goeth His Ways from the Abbey of St. Mary at Higham 1:14:39
  7. VII: The Maiden of Bourton Abbas 1:24:31
  8. VIII: Ralph Cometh to the Wood Perilous. An Adventure Therein 1:37:26
  9. IX: Another Adventure in the Wood Perilous 1:47:12
  10. X: A Meeting and a Parting in the Wood Perilous 2:01:28
  11. XI: Now Must Ralph Ride for It 2:08:52
  12. XII: Ralph Entereth Into the Burg of the Four Friths 2:24:55
  13. XIII: The Streets of the Burg of the Four Friths 2:43:58
  14. XIV: What Ralph Heard of the Matters of the Burg of the Four Friths 2:56:27
  15. XV: How Ralph Departed from the Burg of the Four Friths 3:13:06
  16. XVI: Ralph Rideth the Wood Perilous Again 3:27:12
  17. XVII: Ralph Cometh to the House of Abundance 3:35:45
  18. XVIII: Of Ralph in the Castle of Abundance 3:45:35
  19. XIX: Ralph Readeth in a Book Concerning the Well at the World’s End 4:13:01
  20. XX: Ralph Meeteth a Man in the Wood 4:16:38
  21. XXI: Ralph Weareth Away Three Days Uneasily 4:32:07
  22. XXII: An Adventure in the Wood 4:41:46
  23. XXIII: The Leechcraft of the Lady 5:03:08
  24. XXIV: Supper and Slumber in the Woodland Hall 5:13:59
  25. Book II: The Road Unto Trouble: I: Ralph Meets with Love in the Wilderness 5:28:31
  26. II: They Break Their Fast in the Wildwood 5:43:15
  27. III: The Lady Telleth Ralph of the Past Days of Her Life 5:51:59
  28. IV: The Lady Tells of Her Deliverance 6:08:39
  29. V: Yet More of the Lady’s Story 6:32:27
  30. VI: The Lady Tells Somewhat of Her Doings After She Left the Wilderness 6:38:22
  31. VII: The Lady Tells of the Strife and Trouble That Befell After Her Coming to the Country of the King’s Son 6:55:09
  32. VIII: The Lady Maketh an End of Her Tale 7:24:43
  33. IX: They Go on Their Way Once More 7:39:43
  34. X: Of the Desert-House and the Chamber of Love in the Wilderness 7:49:56
  35. XI: Ralph Cometh Out of the Wilderness 8:10:34
  36. XII: Ralph Falleth in with Friends and Rideth to Whitwall 8:16:32
  37. XIII: Richard Talketh with Ralph Concerning the Well at the World’s End. Concerning Swevenham 8:23:07
  38. XIV: Ralph Falleth in with Another Old Friend 8:37:22
  39. XV: Ralph Dreams a Dream or Sees a Vision 8:45:22
  40. XVI: Of the Tales of Swevenham 8:50:35
  41. XVII: Richard Bringeth Tidings of Departing 9:02:53
  42. XVIII: Ralph Departeth from Whitwall with the Fellowship of Clement Chapman 9:11:30
  43. XIX: Master Clement Tells Ralph Concerning the Lands Whereunto They Were Riding 9:16:14
  44. XX: They Come to the Mid-Mountain Guesthouse 9:23:37
  45. XXI: A Battle in the Mountains 9:35:07
  46. XXII: Ralph Talks with Bull Shockhead 9:49:15
  47. XXIII: Of the Town of Cheaping Knowe 9:55:08
  48. XXIV: Ralph Heareth More Tidings of the Damsel 10:01:26
  49. XXV: The Fellowship Comes to Whiteness 10:08:11
  50. XXVI: They Ride the Mountains Toward Goldburg 10:13:49
  51. XXVII: Clement Tells of Goldburg 10:24:31
  52. XXVIII: Now They Come to Goldburg 10:28:48
  53. XXIX: Of Goldburg and the Queen Thereof 10:34:50
  54. XXX: Ralph Hath Hope of Tidings Concerning the Well at the World’s End 10:51:16
  55. XXXI: The Beginning of the Road to Utterbol 11:00:02
  56. XXXII: Ralph Happens on Evil Days 11:17:27
  57. XXXIII: Ralph Is Brought on the Road Towards Utterbol 11:37:02
  58. XXXIV: The Lord of Utterbol Will Wot of Ralph’s Might and Minstrelsy 11:47:03
  59. XXXV: Ralph Cometh to the Vale of the Tower 12:05:09
  60. XXXVI: The Talk of Two Women Concerning Ralph 12:18:53
  61. XXXVII: How Ralph Justed with the Aliens 12:34:57
  62. XXXVIII: A Friend Gives Ralph Warning 12:49:04
  63. XXXIX: The Lord of Utterbol Makes Ralph a Free Man 13:01:41
  64. XL: They Ride Toward Utterness from Out of Vale Turris 13:13:44
  65. XLI: Redhead Keeps Tryst 13:16:49
  66. Book III: The Road to the Well at the World’s End: I: An Adventure in the Wood Under the Mountains 13:24:51
  67. II: Ralph Rides the Wood Under the Mountains 13:43:34
  68. III: Ralph Meeteth with Another Adventure in the Wood Under the Mountain 13:47:24
  69. IV: They Ride the Wood Under the Mountains 14:05:23
  70. V: They Come on the Sage of Swevenham 14:20:20
  71. VI: Those Two Are Learned Lore by the Sage of Swevenham 14:33:44
  72. VII: An Adventure by the Way 14:36:55
  73. VIII: They Come to the Sea of Molten Rocks 14:48:48
  74. IX: They Come Forth from the Rock-Sea 14:57:31
  75. X: They Come to the Gate of the Mountains 15:08:15
  76. XI: They Come to the Vale of Sweet Chestnuts 15:14:20
  77. XII: Winter Amidst of the Mountains 15:22:17
  78. XIII: Of Ursula and the Bear 15:29:16
  79. XIV: Now Come the Messengers of the Innocent Folk 15:41:09
  80. XV: They Come to the Land of the Innocent Folk 15:48:28
  81. XVI: They Come to the House of the Sorceress 15:53:21
  82. XVII: They Come Through the Woodland to the Thirsty Desert 16:07:23
  83. XVIII: They Come to the Dry Tree 16:19:18
  84. XIX: They Come Out of the Thirsty Desert 16:28:06
  85. XX: They Come to the Ocean Sea 16:32:17
  86. XXI: Now They Drink of the Well at the World’s End 16:37:21
  87. XXII: Now They Have Drunk and Are Glad 16:45:46
  88. Book IV: The Road Home: I: Ralph and Ursula Come Back Again Through the Great Mountains 16:54:00
  89. II: They Hear New Tidings of Utterbol 16:57:15
  90. III: They Winter with the Sage; and Thereafter Come Again to Vale Turris 17:05:03
  91. IV: A Feast in the Red Pavilion 17:16:36
  92. V: Bull Telleth of His Winning of the Lordship of Utterbol 17:22:51
  93. VI: They Ride from Vale Turris. Redhead Tells of Agatha 17:39:36
  94. VII: Of Their Riding the Waste, and of a Battle Thereon 17:50:54
  95. VIII: Of Goldburg Again, and the Queen Thereof 17:59:26
  96. IX: They Come to Cheaping Knowe Once More. Of the King Thereof 18:06:41
  97. X: An Adventure on the Way to the Mountains 18:19:12
  98. XI: They Come Through the Mountains Into the Plain 18:30:58
  99. XII: The Roads Sunder Again 18:35:10
  100. XIII: They Come to Whitwall Again 18:41:15
  101. XIV: They Ride Away from Whitwall 19:01:40
  102. XV: A Strange Meeting in the Wilderness 19:05:07
  103. XVI: They Come to the Castle of Abundance Once More 19:19:23
  104. XVII: They Fall in with That Hermit 19:36:45
  105. XVIII: A Change of Days in the Burg of the Four Friths 20:03:01
  106. XIX: Ralph Sees Hampton and the Scaur 20:12:39
  107. XX: They Come to the Gate of Higham by the Way 20:48:00
  108. XXI: Talk Between Those Two Brethren 20:54:09
  109. XXII: An Old Acquaintance Comes from the Down Country to See Ralph 21:09:47
  110. XXIII: They Ride to Bear Castle 21:23:01
  111. XXIV: The Folkmote of the Shepherds 21:32:54
  112. XXV: They Come to Wulstead 21:39:45
  113. XXVI: Ralph Sees His Father and Mother Again 21:47:47
  114. XXVII: Ralph Holds Converse with Katherine His Gossip 22:03:14
  115. XXVIII: Dame Katherine Tells of the Pair of Beads, and Whence She Had Them 22:12:09
  116. XXIX: They Go Down to Battle in Upmeads 22:24:46
  117. XXX: Ralph Brings His Father and Mother to Upmeads 22:47:30
  118. XXXI: Ralph Brings Ursula Home to the High House 22:54:49
  119. XXXII: Yet a Few Words Concerning Ralph of Upmeads 23:03:59
Download .m4b · 1.4 GB

How to listen → Problem with this narration? Let us know →

The King of Upmeads has four sons who are tired of living in the peaceable kingdom, and yearn to adventure abroad. Three are sent out, but the fourth, Ralph, is chosen to stay home. He can’t stand being left behind, and so he runs away, wandering to the many lands beyond Upmeads.

On his travels he encounters much evil, meeting both thieves and tyrants. At the start, Ralph is somewhat naive and is merely carried along by events. But when he hears of a legendary Well at the World’s End that grants health and long life, he devotes himself to finding it—though many before him have tried. Ralph must make allies, escape evil plots, and take charge of his journey to fulfill his quest. Along the way he’ll grow into a confident warrior, and the kind of ruler that can set things right in the world.

The Well at the World’s End is an early example of the high fantasy genre, as it takes place in a fictional world filled with romance and features a heroic protagonist. The magic is subtle, and the story is largely an adventure of knights, damsels, villains, and heroes. The prose is written in an archaic style of English, which inspired many later fantasy writers including J. R. R. Tolkien (who may have been influenced by the book’s King Gandolf and horse Silverfax) and C. S. Lewis.

Narrator
Qwen3-TTS Aiden
Length
23 h 09 min
Language
English
Released
September 17, 2026
Source ebook
Standard Ebooks
Cover of The Well at the World’s End by William Morris