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Genres › Non-Fiction

Walden
Henry David Thoreau
48 days •
ⓘ 1854 • Not just a reference for pithy thinkpieces on smartphones, Thoreau's sojourn by Walden Pond is an early social experiment seeking self-reliance, self-fulfillment, and happiness.
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.
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.
Beyond Good and Evil
Friedrich Nietzsche
27 days •
ⓘ 1886 • Nietzsche here challenges notions of Western thought and accepted religious ideas, accusing Christianity of "slave morality" and instead looking for individuals to impose their own will on the world.
Leviathan
Thomas Hobbes
89 days •
ⓘ 1651 • One of the earliest works exploring the relationship between individuals and the state. With an eye on the English Civil War, Hobbes argues in favor of an absolute sovereign to hold society together.
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.
Poetics
Aristotle
6 days •
ⓘ 335 BC • One of the earliest and most influential works of criticism, Aristotle discusses elements of drama and tragedy. "The plot is the source and the soul of tragedy."
All Things Considered
G.K. Chesterton
23 days •
ⓘ 1908 • Essays and musings on wine, fairy tales, and windswept hats from one of England's most celebrated writers.
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.
The Narrative of Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth
14 days •
ⓘ 1850 • The remarkable story of Sojourner Truth, from her slavery in rural New York to her work as a traveling preacher, social reformer, and counselor of former slaves.
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.
The Art of War
Sun Tzu
5 days •
ⓘ 500 BC • An ancient Chinese military treatise looked upon as a definitive work on strategy and tactics. It has influenced military thinking worldwide.
The Prince
Niccolò Machiavelli
11 days •
ⓘ 1532 • An examination of the art of the state: how to attain, retain, and wield political power.
On the Origin of Species
Charles Darwin
58 days •
ⓘ 1859 • A foundation of evolutionary biology. Darwin shows that populations evolve over the course of many generations through natural selection.
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.
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
24 days •
ⓘ 1791 • Politician, philosopher, printer, scientist, international celebrity, and one of the most colorful of the founding fathers. Franklin tells of his life in his own words.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
On the Bondage of the Will
Martin Luther
42 days •
ⓘ 1525 • Martin Luther writes about whether human beings are free to choose good or evil in this response to Desiderius Erasmus' attack on Luther's beliefs.
The Dhammapada
Anonymous
6 days •
ⓘ 300 BC • A collection of sayings of the Buddha. One of the best known Buddhist scriptures.
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.
The Road
Jack London
18 days •
ⓘ 1907 • London's autobiography of his time trying to survive as a hobo in one of the worst economic slumps in U.S. history: from hopping freight trains to joining Kelly's Army.
Meditations
Marcus Aurelius
19 days •
ⓘ 170 AD • The personal writings and reflections of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, ranging from human rationality to divine providence.
The Pivot of Civilization
Margaret Sanger
19 days •
ⓘ 1922 • Women's rights activist Margaret Sanger writes in favor of birth control, explaining its benefits for society as a whole. Intertwined is the problematic then fashionable "science" of eugenics and dealing with "defectives."
The Kingdom of God Is Within You
Leo Tolstoy
42 days •
ⓘ 1894 • Deemed so powerful as to be a threat to church and state - and thus banned in Russia - Tolstoy here argues against violence of any sort as a commitment to the teachings of Jesus.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Apology of Socrates
Plato
4 days •
ⓘ 399 BC • The defense Socrates presented at his trial, standing accused of "corrupting the young" and impiety.
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 Pursuit of God
A.W. Tozer
10 days •
ⓘ 1948 • A Christian reflection on faith and developing a spiritual life.
The Ethics
Benedict de Spinoza
30 days •
ⓘ 1677 • A masterpiece of Enlightenment-era philosophy.
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.
Essays
Ralph Waldo Emerson
25 days •
ⓘ 1841 • A collection of Emerson's essays, including Self-Reliance, Compensation, The Over-Soul, and The Poet.
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.
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 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 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.
Nature
Ralph Waldo Emerson
6 days •
ⓘ 1836 • Emerson's classic transcendentalist essay, finding that reality and the divine can be understood through nature.
Philosophical Dictionary
Voltaire
34 days •
ⓘ 1764 • A collection of alphabetically-organized articles in which Voltaire explores Christianity, God, morality and other subjects.
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.
Sea and Sardinia
D.H. Lawrence
25 days •
ⓘ 1921 • Lawrence recounts his trip through Sicily to the interior of Sardinia alongside his wife.
The Life of Jesus
Ernest Renan
27 days •
ⓘ 1863 • Renan's controversial historical account of Jesus.
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.
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 Great American Fraud
Samuel Hopkins Adams
12 days •
ⓘ 1905 • Investigative journalist Adams exposes the deceit and danger in patent medicines. Led to the the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906.
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.
The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
28 days •
ⓘ 1418 • A Christian devotional, containing guidance on how to live a spiritual and pious life by seeking humility, obedience, and simplicity of life.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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 Guide for the Perplexed
Maimonides
70 days •
ⓘ 1190 • Jewish scholar Maimonides delves into difficult questions of theology and reality, seeking to reconcile Aristotelian philosophy with the Hebrew Bible through rational explanation.
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 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 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.
A Treatise of Human Nature
David Hume
72 days •
ⓘ 1738 • A foundational work in philosophy, Hume seeks to introduce a scientific mindset to the study of human psychology.
Nicomachean Ethics
Aristotle
29 days •
ⓘ 340 BC • Aristotle investigates how men should live and the nature of happiness, seeking for practical guidance rather than theoretical discussion.
Tao Te Ching
Laozi
7 days •
ⓘ 600 BC • A fundamental Chinese text for philosophical and religious Taoism comprised of 81 short poetic sections.
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.
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Friedrich Nietzsche
29 days •
ⓘ 1883 • A philosophical novel in which the ancient prophet Zarathustra reveals God is dead, to be succeeded by a human embodiment of divinity: the Superman.
Enchiridion of Epictetus
Arrian
3 days •
ⓘ 125 • A short manual of Stoic ethical advice, mostly derived from the Discourses of Epictetus.
Discourse on the Method
Rene Descartes
8 days •
ⓘ 1637 • A philosophical treatise discussing skepticism -- to Descartes, the process of approaching everything with doubt and clear of preconceived notions.
The Innocents Abroad
Mark Twain
66 days •
ⓘ 1869 • A famous travel book following a group of Americans through Europe and the Holy Land.
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.
Surrealist Manifesto
André Breton
5 days •
ⓘ 1924 • A discussion on defining surrealism and how to apply it to poetry, literature, and everyday life.
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.
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 Conquest of Bread
Peter Kropotkin
23 days •
ⓘ 1892 • A classic of political anarchist literature, outlining Kropotkin's perceived defects of capitalism.
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.
Commentaries on the Gallic War
Julius Caesar
23 days •
ⓘ 58 BC • An account of the conflicts between the Roman Empire and the peoples living in Gaul, Britain, and the lands east of the Rhine.
The Book of the Damned
Charles Fort
32 days •
ⓘ 1919 • A nonfiction investigation into UFOs, disappearances, supposedly mythological beings, and other phenomena.
Critique of Pure Reason
Immanuel Kant
63 days •
ⓘ 1781 • A landmark philosophical work in which Kant examines metaphysics, building on earlier works by Locke, Hume, Leibniz, and Wolff.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Flying Saucers Are Real
Donald Keyhoe
18 days •
ⓘ 1950 • An investigation of several encounters between the U.S. Air Force and unidentified flying objects in the late 1940s.
The Book of Were-wolves
Sabine Baring-Gould
17 days •
ⓘ 1865 • A study on lycanthropy blending folklore, history, and myth.
The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects
Edward J. Ruppelt
36 days •
ⓘ 1956 • A memoir of Ruppelt's role in the U.S. Air Force and Project Blue Book, a study into unidentified flying objects.
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.
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.
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.
Demonology and Devil-lore
Moncure Daniel Conway
83 days •
ⓘ 1879 • Pulling together a multitude of medieval and biblical sources, Conway explores the manifestations and actions of demons.
Fear and Trembling
Sören Kierkegaard
15 days •
ⓘ 1843 • Through the story of Abraham, who willingly attempted to kill his son Issac at God's command, Kierkegaard explores the nature of belief and faith.
Why Is the Negro Lynched?
Frederick Douglass
6 days •
ⓘ 1895 • Douglass attacks the concept of "the negro problem" in post-Civil War America, showing how it is instead "a great national problem" with racism entrenched in the systems of society.
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.
Hawaii's Story
Queen Liliʻuokalani
34 days •
ⓘ 1898 • Five years after Hawaii's sovereignty was violated by the United States, the last monarch describes her ascent to the throne and the destruction of her country.
A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers
Henry David Thoreau
38 days •
ⓘ 1849 • Thoreau describes a river trip he took with his brother John.
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 Man-Eaters of Tsavo
John Henry Patterson
23 days •
ⓘ 1907 • An account of the two lions who killed and consumed dozens of workers during the construction of a railway in Kenya.
The Writing of Fiction
Edith Wharton
9 days •
ⓘ 1925 • Wharton shares brilliant advice on writing, her thoughts on the roots of modern fiction, as well as the construction of short stories, novels, and memorable characters.
The New Negro
Alain Locke
44 days •
ⓘ 1925 • An anthology of fiction, poetry, and essays on African and African-American art and literature, edited by Locke. Considered to be the definitive text of the Harlem Renaissance.
The Everlasting Man
G.K. Chesterton
33 days •
ⓘ 1925 • A Christian apologetics outline of human history, in which Chesterton argues for the uniqueness of human beings and the truth of Christian faith.
Josephine E. Butler
Josephine E. Butler
30 days •
ⓘ 1909 • Autobiography of Victorian feminist and social reformer Josephine Butler, who fought for women's suffrage, against human trafficking and child prostitution.
Eureka: A Prose Poem
Edgar Allan Poe
12 days •
ⓘ 1848 • An adaptation of Poe's lecture, describing his conception of the universe and of man's relationship with God. Many ideas presage 20th-century discoveries and theories on the beginnings of the universe.
A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains
Isabella L. Bird
23 days •
ⓘ 1879 • A travelogue of British explorer Isabella Bird's journey through Wyoming and Colorado in the late 19th century.
The Hawaiian Archipelago
Isabella L. Bird
41 days •
ⓘ 1875 • A travelogue of British explorer Isabella Bird's journey through Hawaii in the late 19th century.
The Varieties of Religious Experience
William James
48 days •
ⓘ 1902 • Investigating private experiences of religion and mysticism to identify commonalities across all traditions.
A Negro Explorer at the North Pole
Matthew Henson
11 days •
ⓘ 1912 • The thrilling memoir of Matthew Henson who traveled with Robert Peary on seven Arctic expeditions.
Geronimo's Story of His Life
Geronimo
12 days •
ⓘ 1906 • Prominent leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Apache tribe, Geronimo describes his life and the story of his people.
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.
The Humbugs of the World
P.T. Barnum
40 days •
ⓘ 1865 • The "Prince of Humbugs" himself describes a wide range of hoaxes, cons, swindles, and scams.
The Story of My Life
Helen Keller
12 days •
ⓘ 1903 • Helen Keller, who lost her sight and hearing at a young age, recounts her life and in particular her experiences being taught by Anne Sullivan.
Twenty-Two Years a Slave
Austin Steward
26 days •
ⓘ 1857 • An autobiography of Steward's enslavement, escape, and life as a free man before the Civil War.
My Inventions
Nikola Tesla
8 days •
ⓘ 1919 • An autobiography of the famous inventor, engineer, and futurist Nikola Tesla, assembled from a series of articles Tesla wrote for "Electrical Experimenter."
Seven Pillars of Wisdom
T.E. Lawrence
85 days •
ⓘ 1926 • A dramatic memoir from "Lawrence of Arabia" including the Arab Revolt during the First World War.
Religion and the Rise of Capitalism
R.H. Tawney
30 days •
ⓘ 1926 • An investigation into religion's impact on social and economic development since the Middle Ages and whether Christian morality has been made subordinate "to the pursuit of material wealth."
Discourses
Epictetus
41 days •
ⓘ 108 • Lectures from Stoic philosopher Epictetus filled with practical guidance for learning and achieving happiness.
Tombstone
Walter Noble Burns
36 days •
ⓘ 1927 • With a dash of fact and fiction, ride through the history of Western boomtown Tombstone, its infamous characters, and the famous showdown at the O.K. Corral.
Coming of Age in Samoa
Margaret Mead
20 days •
ⓘ 1928 • A landmark anthropological work detailing the youth of Ta'u in the Samoan Islands.
On the Art of Reading
Arthur Quiller-Couch
21 days •
ⓘ 1920 • A collection of lectures exploring the best ways to experience literature and build that appreciation in others.
Culture and Anarchy
Matthew Arnold
21 days •
ⓘ 1869 • A series of Victorian-era essays examining the nature of culture, the value of classes, and the future of society.
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