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1001 Afternoons in Chicago
Ben Hecht
29 days •
ⓘ 1921 • A collection of sketches of Chicago from Ben Hecht's Chicago Daily News column. "Journalism extraordinary; journalism that invaded the realm of literature."
Across Mongolian Plains
Roy Chapman Andrews
24 days •
ⓘ 1921 • An account by the original Indiana Jones - Roy Chapman Andrews - as he travels through Mongolia and China gathering specimens and research.
Aeneid
Virgil
45 days •
ⓘ 19 BC • An epic poem containing the legend of the Trojan Aeneas who travels to Italy and becomes the ancestor of the Romans.
The Age of Reason
Thomas Paine
23 days •
ⓘ 1794 • A fierce attack on organized religion and corruption in the Christian Church in favor of Deism. Paine's writings sparked fears of revolution and unrest among elites in Britain and the U.S.
The Agricola and The Germania
Tacitus
9 days •
ⓘ 98 • Roman historian Tacitus recounts the life of Gnaeus Julius Agricola, as well as an overview of Germania.
The Analects
Confucius
12 days •
ⓘ 400 BC • A collection of Confucius' sayings put together by his pupils, making up his philosophy of the pursuit of moral perfection.
Anarchism and Other Essays
Emma Goldman
22 days •
ⓘ 1910 • Influential essays on feminism and sexuality, anarchism and political violence from Russian-American philosopher Emma Goldman.
Apology of Socrates
Plato
4 days •
ⓘ 399 BC • The defense Socrates presented at his trial, standing accused of "corrupting the young" and impiety.
Authenticated History of the Bell Witch
Martin V. Ingram
23 days •
ⓘ 1894 • An account of the haunting of a family in early 19th century Tennessee. One of the most famous creepy American folk stories.
Bhagavad Gita
Anonymous
11 days •
ⓘ 400 BC • One of the most well known Hindu texts touching on a wide range of spiritual topics, perhaps most prominently the importance of selflessness.
The Book of Tea
Okakura Kakuzo
6 days •
ⓘ 1906 • An essay aimed at explaining the connection between teaism, Taoism, and the aesthetics of Japanese culture to a western audience.
The Book of Were-wolves
Sabine Baring-Gould
17 days •
ⓘ 1865 • A study on lycanthropy blending folklore, history, and myth.
The Book of the Damned
Charles Fort
32 days •
ⓘ 1919 • A nonfiction investigation into UFOs, disappearances, supposedly mythological beings, and other phenomena.
Civil Disobedience
Henry David Thoreau
4 days •
ⓘ 1849 • Disgusted by the Mexican-American War and slavery, Thoreau urges citizens to right their government's wrongs and be agents of positive change - even if it means breaking unjust laws.
Common Sense
Thomas Paine
10 days •
ⓘ 1776 • Written as the American British colonies wavered over the question of independence, Paine's concise and approachable arguments convinced the colonies to become a country.
The Communist Manifesto
Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels
5 days •
ⓘ 1848 • "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles" argue Marx and Engels in this, their world-shaking political pamphlet advocating for socialism over capitalism.
Confessions of St. Augustine
Augustine of Hippo
39 days •
ⓘ 400 • In this theological landmark, Augustine describes his sinful youth and conversion to Christianity, alongside spiritual meditations and insights. One of the first Western autobiographies.
Confessions of an English Opium-Eater
Thomas De Quincey
12 days •
ⓘ 1821 • A captivating account of addiction - describing both the pleasures and pains of opium - in which dreams, visions, memory, and pain are all interwoven.
The Conquest of Bread
Peter Kropotkin
23 days •
ⓘ 1892 • A classic of political anarchist literature, outlining Kropotkin's perceived defects of capitalism.
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Edward Gibbon
300 days •
ⓘ 1776 • The monumental six volume history of Rome, from its peak through the fall first of Western Rome and then of Byzantium.
Democracy in America
Alexis de Tocqueville
103 days •
ⓘ 1835 • Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville journeys through a new land, where the experiment of democracy has been put to the test for several centuries: America.
Ecclesiastical History of the English People
Venerable Bede
41 days •
ⓘ 731 • A history of Anglo-Saxon England, hundreds of years before William the Conquer, with a particular focus on the Christian Church.
The Education of Henry Adams
Henry Adams
66 days •
ⓘ 1918 • Born into a family including two past Presidents, Henry Adams recounts his history - and that of the country - through success, failure, and war.
Egil's Saga
Snorri Sturluson
25 days •
ⓘ 1240 • An Icelandic saga spanning multiple generations of Egil Skallagrimsson‘s family, including Egil’s struggle against the king of England.
The Federalist Papers
Publius
74 days •
ⓘ 1788 • A collection of 85 essays written under the pseudonym Publius by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay promoting the ratification of the new United States Constitution.
First Lensman
Edward E. Smith
36 days •
ⓘ 1950 • Given the powerful Lens by the mysterious Arisian aliens, Virgil Samms sets up an order of galactic defenders in this iconic space opera adventure.
The Frontier in American History
Frederick Jackson Turner
31 days •
ⓘ 1893 • An influential work on the monumental impact the frontier played in the development of America.
The Histories
Herodotus
95 days •
ⓘ 440 BC • One of the founding works of western history, it contains an often biased record of ancient cultures and events in Western Asia, Northern Africa and Greece.
How I Found Livingstone
Henry Morton Stanley
48 days •
ⓘ 1871 • The firsthand account of the famous adventure through Africa to find one of the great explorers.
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Harriet Jacobs
29 days •
ⓘ 1861 • Jacobs shares her experiences as a slave, describing the particular horrors of being an enslaved woman, in an appeal to abolish slavery.
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano
Olaudah Equiano
25 days •
ⓘ 1789 • The unforgettable autobiography of Olaudah Equiano, recounting his enslavement in West Africa, forced voyage to America, and struggle for freedom.
The Jefferson Bible
Thomas Jefferson
10 days •
ⓘ 1819 • Also known as The Life and Morals of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Jefferson reconstructed the life of Jesus from the Gospels into a single narrative, focusing on his teachings.
Journal of the Plague Year
Daniel Defoe
27 days •
ⓘ 1722 • A vivid chronicle of the Great Plague sweeping through London in 1665 as fear and death grip the city.
The Land of Little Rain
Mary Hunter Austin
14 days •
ⓘ 1903 • A collection of unforgettable essays and short stories on the American Southwest, from its sweeping landscapes to the people who call it home.
The Legends and Myths of Hawai'i
David Kalakaua
58 days •
ⓘ 1888 • A collection of Hawaiian history and folklore assembled by King Kalakaua, the penultimate monarch of the Kingdom of Hawai'i.
Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark
Mary Wollstonecraft
17 days •
ⓘ 1796 • A travel memoir and record of Wollstonecraft’s strained relationship with Gilbert Imlay, as well as the last publication of her life.
The Life of Jesus
Ernest Renan
27 days •
ⓘ 1863 • Renan's controversial historical account of Jesus.
The Life of a Fossil Hunter
Charles Hazelius Sternberg
22 days •
ⓘ 1909 • A firsthand account of the Bone Wars, a fierce competition for dinosaur fossils between Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh in the 19th century American west.
Magic Shadows: The Story of the Origin of Motion Pictures
Martin Quigley, Jr.
18 days •
ⓘ 1960 • A walkthrough of historical developments, marching towards the advent of film and motion pictures, from ancient history to Edison.
Mary Barton
Elizabeth Gaskell
53 days •
ⓘ 1848 • A powerful drama intertwining romance, intrigue, and class struggles in the midst of the industrial revolution.
Meditations
Marcus Aurelius
19 days •
ⓘ 170 AD • The personal writings and reflections of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, ranging from human rationality to divine providence.
My Disillusionment in Russia
Emma Goldman
26 days •
ⓘ 1923 • Originally titled "My Two Years in Russia," anarchist political activist Goldman describes the tumultuous time in Russia following the Revolution of 1917. This is a complete version containing both volumes.
My Prisons
Silvio Pellico
20 days •
ⓘ 1832 • Italian writer and poet Silvio Pellico recounts his harrowing years of imprisonment after being arrested - and nearly sentenced to death - for his revolutionary actions against Austrian despotism.
A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson
Mary Rowlandson
7 days •
ⓘ 1682 • In the midst of King Philip's War in colonial Massachusetts, Native Americans capture Mary Rowlandson. She experiences eleven weeks with them until being released to her family.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
16 days •
ⓘ 1845 • One of the most influential pieces of literature in the abolitionist movement, former slave and famous orator Frederick Douglass retells his life as a slave.
On War
Carl von Clausewitz
91 days •
ⓘ 1832 • One of the most important works on political-military analysis and strategy, written after the Napoleonic Wars but left unfinished.
The Oregon Trail
Francis Parkman
41 days •
ⓘ 1847 • A first-person travelogue of the first segment of the Oregon Trail - through Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, and Kansas - including buffalo hunting with a group of Oglala Sioux.
The Prince
Niccolò Machiavelli
11 days •
ⓘ 1532 • An examination of the art of the state: how to attain, retain, and wield political power.
The Republic
Plato
42 days •
ⓘ 380 BC • One of the most influential works of philosophy and political theory, Plato discusses - through a dialogue between Socrates and three interlocutors - the nature of justice and what it means to a community, and to an individual.
Rights of Man
Thomas Paine
36 days •
ⓘ 1791 • Writing in support of the in-progress French Revolution, Paine argues in favor of popular revolution against a government that no longer defends or respects its citizens' natural rights.
Roughing It
Mark Twain
57 days •
ⓘ 1872 • A semi-autobiographical account of Twain's travels and adventures through the American west during the 1860s.
The Social Contract
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
14 days •
ⓘ 1762 • Rousseau explores the possibility that a "contract" between people be the source of sovereign power, not systems such as monarchies. His ideas would help inspire political revolt through Europe.
The Souls of Black Folk
W.E.B. Du Bois.
27 days •
ⓘ 1903 • A collection of essays and landmark in both the history of African-American literature and in the history of sociology. W.E.B. Du Bois argues it is beneath the dignity of a human to beg for rights inherently granted to all men and women.
South!
Ernest Shackleton
46 days •
ⓘ 1919 • The story of Shackleton's harrowing 1915 expedition to Antarctica in which 28 men fight to survive after being marooned on an ice flow.
Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases
Ida B. Wells
4 days •
ⓘ 1892 • The famous pamphlet from Ida B. Wells detailing her research on lynching in the United States.
The Subjection of Women
John Stuart Mill
16 days •
ⓘ 1869 • Mill argues men and women are equal and deserve equal rights - including the right to vote. Such equality benefits all of society.
Ten Days in a Mad-House
Nellie Bly
10 days •
ⓘ 1887 • The result of an undercover investigation into the brutality and neglect at the Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island.
Ten Days that Shook the World
John Reed
28 days •
ⓘ 1919 • A first-hand account of the 1917 October Revolution in Russia by American journalist and socialist John Reed.
Travels in West Africa
Mary Kingsley
60 days •
ⓘ 1897 • Defying Victorian norms for women, Mary Kingsley sets out alone to journey through Africa. There she befriends the local people and collects valuable plant and animal specimens for research.
Twelve Years a Slave
Solomon Northup
30 days •
ⓘ 1853 • The narrative of Solomon Northup, a black man born free in New York before the Civil War who was tricked, kidnapped, and sold into slavery in the south.
Twenty Years at Hull House
Jane Addams
35 days •
ⓘ 1910 • The memoir of social worker, sociologist, philosopher and reformer Jane Addams focusing on the settlement house she created in Chicago.
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Mary Wollstonecraft
37 days •
ⓘ 1792 • One of the earliest works of feminist philosophy. Wollstonecraft argues women deserve the same fundamental rights as men, should not be treated as property to be traded in marriage, and should have access to education.
A Voice from Harper's Ferry
Osborne Perry Anderson
7 days •
ⓘ 1859 • A firsthand account of John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry - a turning point in the fight against slavery - by the only surviving black combatant.
Volsunga Saga
Anonymous
24 days •
ⓘ 1250 • Follow the heroic exploits of Sigurd the dragon slayer in this collection of epic tales based on Viking Age poems. One of the great books of world literature.
The Wealth of Nations
Adam Smith
116 days •
ⓘ 1776 • A fundamental work in classical economics. Scottish economist Smith, writing at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, describes an open economy able to regulate itself.
Women and Economics
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
23 days •
ⓘ 1898 • Gilman advocates for women changing their cultural identity, becoming economically independent for the betterment of themselves and society.
Wonders of the Invisible World
Cotton Mather
27 days •
ⓘ 1693 • A defense of Mather's role in the Salem witch hunt, which resulted in the execution of 19 people, and explanation of his belief in witchcraft.
The Worst Journey in the World
Apsley Cherry-Garrard
67 days •
ⓘ 1922 • A record of the ill-fated Scott expedition to the South Pole from 1910-1913.
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