The Varieties of Religious Experience, by Harvard University psychologist and philosopher William James, comprises his edited Gifford Lectures on natural theology, which were delivered at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, between 1901 and 1902…
In Cosmic Consciousness, R. M. Bucke identifies and explores three forms, or degrees, of consciousness: * Simple consciousness, possessed by both animals and mankind. * Self-consciousness, possessed by humankind, encompassing thought, reason, and i…
This fascinating autobiography details the life of powerhouse advertising genius Claude C. Hopkins, who notes, "This book is not written as a personal history, but as a business story. The chief object behind every episode is to offer helpful sugges…
The author writes, "At the heart of this simple book lies the key to many of the struggles we face these days, from being productive and achieving our goals, to getting healthy and fit in the face of fast food and inactivity, to finding simplicity a…
(In the original French.) "Gaspard de la Nuit," Louis Bertrand's classic work of poetic and fantastic literature, combines the haunting gothic imagery of Hoffman with the colorful romantic verve of Victor Hugo. In it, you will meet Scarbo the vampir…
Gils Blas recounts the education and swashbuckling adventures of an adaptable young valet as he progresses from one master to the next, making his way from naive youth to cunning servant to landed proprietor and nobleman--with a stint in jail, berea…
The beautiful, spacious estate of Mansfield Park is the residence of Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram, with their two daughters and two sons. They soon share their good fortune with Fanny Price, the timid, delicate niece of Lady Bertram who comes to live…
On Duties was written in October-November of 44 B.C. during Cicero's last year at age sixty-two in an attempt to define the ideals of public behavior. Active in politics, the practical philosopher tried to prevent revolutionary forces from taking co…
"Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee." To the final moment of his death beneath the waves, Captain Ahab pur…
In 1897 Bram Stoker wrote a classic horror story that has spawned hundreds of imitators but has never been surpassed. From Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire to such writers such as Stephenie Meyer, the story of the vampire--and the godfather of t…
This classic novel of political and social satire features Lemuel Gulliver, "first a surgeon, then a captain of several ships," who is washed ashore after a shipwreck and finds himself a prisoner of a race of people less than six inches tall. After…
The Zen Habits Handbook for Life is a compilation of Leo Babauta's best articles on living from a Zen Habits perspective. What will this book teach you to do? Basically the same things that Zen Habits aims for overall: how to simplify your life, how…
"Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her." That, of…
In the shade of a banyan tree, a grizzled ferryman sits listening to the river. Once he was a wandering monk, and briefly, like thousands of others, he followed Gotama the Buddha, enraptured by his sermons. But this man, Siddhartha, was not a follow…
An outstanding achievement of nineteenth-century American literature, Little Women is the first children's novel published in the United States that would become an enduring classic. The book recounts the adventures of the four March sisters--Meg, B…
