This is the first edition of Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Nature." Published anonymously in 1836, it is his first essay and is considered to be the foundation text for the American Transcendentalist movement. Emerson puts forth the concept that the divine spirit is universally present within all things and all aspects of nature. He believes that through nature, humans acquire all of their physical and spiritual needs. He divides his essay into several different...

A Modern Utopia is a novel by H. G. Wells. Because of the complexity and sophistication of its narrative structure A Modern Utopia has been called "not so much a modern as a postmodern utopia." The novel is best known for its notion that a voluntary order of nobility known as the Samurai could effectively rule a "kinetic and not static" world state so as to solve "the problem of combining progress with political stability." To this planet "out beyond...

The Piazza Tales (1856) is a collection of short stories by American writer Herman Melville. Before publication, five of its six stories appeared in Putnam's Monthly during a period of productivity with which Melville sought to achieve popular success as a writer of literary fiction. After the failure of his novels Moby-Dick (1851) and Pierre: or, The Ambiguities (1852), Melville struggled to find a publisher who would accept his work, and contemporary...

First published serially in magazines beginning in 1915 and then as a complete novel in 1919, "Lad: A Dog" is the beloved tale of the perfect dog by Albert Payson Terhune, the American journalist, dog breeder, and novelist. Lad, the central character of the tale, is a Rough Collie dog who lives with his Master, Mistress, and mate, Lady, at their home called the Place. Lad, who was based on Terhune's real life pet Rough Collie, is a loyal and brave...

"Work: A Story of Experience" by Louisa May Alcott immerses readers in the compelling narrative of Christie Devon, a young woman navigating the post-Civil War landscape in pursuit of independence and purpose. Set against the backdrop of the societal constraints of the era, this semi-autobiographical novel chronicles Christie's multifaceted journey through various jobs, each offering a glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of a woman seeking self-reliance. Alcott's...

A team of nineteenth-century American engineers builds a rocket to the moon in this visionary novel from the author of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in Eighty Days During the Civil War, the members of the Baltimore Gun Club delighted themselves by designing artillery the likes of which the world had never seen. But when the South eventually surrenders, the gun club languishes, until its president, Impey Barbicane, conceives...

Born in Prague when it was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire and recognized today as a master of verse, poet Rainer Maria Rilke was considerably less well known in 1902 when he received a heartfelt letter from an aspiring poet. A 19-year-old student sent Rilke some of his verses, seeking an opinion of their worth. Rilke declined to offer a critique, instead encouraging the student to rely upon his own inner judgment: "Nobody can advise and help...

James Fenimore Cooper returns to the sea in this rollicking, mysterious adventure, introducing close friends Vice Admiral Sir Gervaise Oakes and Rear Admiral Richard Bluewater as their fleet alights on the southern coast of England. Cooper's sea-faring talents are at their peak in this fascinating story of strained loyalties, intrigue, and heroism.

A masterpiece of farcical comedy by the author of Treasure Island sees two brothers about to inherit a fortune, if only one pesky relative would adhere to the rulesMorris and John Finsbury stand to gain a lot of money if their Uncle Masterman dies, but none if Uncle Joseph dies first. So when Joseph seems to have come to an untimely end in a railway accident, a farcical sequence is set in motion. Determined to conceal the death, Morris hides the body...

If you want to learn a little more about William Thackeray, both as a person and of his works generally, this monograph will certainly satisfy you. Yet, what may astonish you is the overwhelming capacity of Trollope's mind, as well as the vastness of its repository, for he dissects many of his friend's works in such a meticulous way that would imply that he, Trollope, did nothing else in his whole existence other than study Thackeray's diverse writings...