Classical Stuff You Should Know

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

310: The Tower of Babel

Ever heard of a Chiasm? I hear it was the basis for naming the band "Kris Kross."

Oct 6
49 min

309: How to Rite Goodest

In this episode A.J. dives into the nuts and bolts of what makes writing good or bad. In Graeme's words, this episode was "shorter than it felt." So . . . buckle up for f

Sep 29
1 h 01 min

308: Wise Blood

Thomas guides us through a book that would only improve with Daniel Day Lewis in the cast.

Sep 15
1 h 13 min

307: Planet Narnia: Saturn, Mercury, and Venus

In this episode we finish Graeme's series on Lewis and his planets.

Sep 8
1 h 05 min

306: Planet Narnia: Moon and Sun

Did C.S. Lewis organize his Narnia books around the medieval planets? Graeme sure thinks so. Thomas doesn't. This episode covers the two books connected to the sun and mo

Aug 4
1 h 04 min

305: Nolan's "The Odyssey"

OOOOOooooh buddy it's a journey.

Jul 28
1 h 20 min

304: Kierkegaard's "The Sickness Unto Death," Part One

In this episode, we discuss part one of the book, in which we find out that we're all despairing, even it you are pretty sure you're not. Rosy book, this one.

Jul 21
1 h 02 min

303: Planet Narnia: Jupiter and Mars

In this book, Graeme teaches us Michael Ward's theory about Narnia---how each book corresponds to one of the planets. Sounds like something Lewis would do. He's a nerd.

Jul 14
1 h 04 min

302: Of Mice and Men

In this episode, A.J. talks about George and Lennie and their unfortunate run-in with wannabe boxer.

May 18
54 min

301: Crime and Punishment Part 2: Electric Boogaloo

In this episode, Graeme finishes what he began in episode 299: a full retelling of Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment." Honestly, I would listen to more audiobooks if th

May 12
59 min

300: 300

COME BACK WITH YOUR SHIELD OR ON IT

Apr 7
59 min

299: Crime and Punishment: Raskolnikov the Edgelord

In this episode, we dive into Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment." We've never really done the whole book in an episode before, so this is (part 1) of a great little int

Mar 31
1 h 04 min

298: Federalist Papers #10

In this episode, Graeme walks us through the complicated world of factions. How do we make sure that everybody . . . and nobody . . . gets what they want?

Mar 3
54 min

297: Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" and "The Fall of the House of Usher"

In this episode we cover a little of Poe's life, then two of his famous stories.

Feb 24
1 h 03 min

296: Coleridge's "Kubla Khan"

In this episode, we discuss how Coleridge's poem "Kubla Khan" relates to the victory of Romanticism. That, and we giggle sometimes.

Feb 10
59 min

295: Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe

In this episode, we discuss ol' Robinson Crusoe, how he lived on the island, and escaped twenty-eight years later. It's . . . kinda good?

Feb 3
1 h 00 min

294: The Servile State, by Hilaire Belloc

In this episode, Graeme introduces us to "The Servile State," by Hilaire Belloc. All I know is that living in the woods has always been attractive to me, and now Graeme i

Jan 20
1 h 02 min

293: Cinderella

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo!

Jan 13
47 min

292: Nominalism and William of Ockham

In this episode, we learn about William of Ockham's ridiculous notion that our words don't mean anything. Then why am I even writing this, WILLIAM. WHY DO WE EVEN TALK. Y

Dec 30 2025
58 min

291: J.R.R. Tolkien's "Letters from Father Christmas"

Apparently Tolkien is a fabulous illustrator. Who knew? I've seriously looked up prints, and they are weirdly hard to find . . . but enchanting. Oh, this episode is about

Dec 23 2025
49 min

Chart trend

Position in the Books chart (US), last 90 days.

#1#46#91AugSepOct

all-time peak

day in the top 3 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where Classical Stuff You Should Know ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 30, 2026).

#169 ▲ 1 Arts US

#66 ▼ 3 Books US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

As a homeschool mom this is one of my favorite resources. The hosts make the topics very approachable and interesting. My teens also love listening. Thanks for the gift of making classical learning accessible.

AntiquesAddict · Sep 2026

I love, love, LOVE listening to these podcasts! Whether it’s American history, classic fairytales, or epic poetry, these guys absolutely crush explaining the background and content of their subject in a fun and entertaining way. I laugh every time I listen to an episode. I particularly love the fairy tales they talk about (e.g. Beauty and the Beast, Prince Darling, Cinderella, etc.) and would be infinitely grateful if they reviewed more Grimm’s Tales ☺️. Thank you guys for your amazing and inviting energy! Keep praising the Lord through your podcasts! Edit: I still can’t explain how much fun these guys are. The rabbit trails absolutely crack me up. One second they’re talking about the morality of Dr. Jekyll then suddenly they’re suggesting different types of home-made mayonnaise to each other 😂❤️

the ✨best✨ ever · Jul 2026

This is one of my favorite books. As an allegory, the story delivers many layers of a Christian’s walk through life. I have read this book at least 18 times and each time, I find another layer of thought. True, it’s not an easy read, but if you read the King James, you can handle it.

Nongolfer · Dec 2025

A great pod! Really enjoy their book reviews and conversations. The hosts are entertaining and I always walk away learning something new. My only wish is that they might add more current applications to themes that are discussed in the book they review ie how is The Art of War used in business etc.

Gkirki · Oct 2025

I just attempted listening to episode 298: The Federalist Papers #10 and I was baffled at the seemingly complete lack of effort or research. Graeme Donaldson starts off the episode by insulting the musical ‘Hamilton’ despite the fact that he hasn’t seen nor heard any of it (this becomes mildly important later) he then begins his presentation by: 2.States that there were were “like 50 of them.” FALSE. There were 87. 3. Confidentiality says ““Madison wrote like the vast majority of them. And so it kind of feels like a group project. One person gets all the credit, does all the work and they all get the credit for it.” FALSE. If he had bothered to google it or God forbid, watch Hamilton, he would know what all Hamilton fans know: “The plan was to write a total of 25 essays The work divided evenly among the three men In the end, they wrote 85 essays in the span of six months John Jay got sick after writing five James Madison wrote 29 Hamilton wrote the other 51” (Non-Stop, Hamilton) This all happens in the first 2 minutes of the episode!! I listened for a while more before giving up, if he got 3 things wrong in the first 2 minutes who knows how accurate any of the rest is? Is this level of sloppiness common in this show? It’s wild.

Chauffeurtoe · Mar 2026

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