Showing titles in Literary History & Criticism

Few subjects could be mentioned more remote from the common interests and pursuits of life than what has been usually called the “plurality of worlds,” an expression now so long restricted to one well-ascertained meaning as to have lost any ambiguity that might have been charged upon it. The question is one of mere curiosity, and leads to no direct result; but it has always carried with it an attraction irrespective of its unpractical nature, and has exercised the ingenuity of so many minds that its literature is of no inconsiderable extent. To this the book now in our hands is the most ...

One of the earliest of the popular science book genre, it is a philosophical summary of the new physics of the era by a leading British physicist. Keeping technical references to a bare minimum, Jeans argues that physics has entered a new age in which mathematical representation has supplanted mechanical models. This recording was originally published on Legamus.eu and was later released on LibriVox when US copyright permitted. - Summary by Peter Tucker

The first book of the Pentateuch - Genesis. Presented according to weekly parshah.Praised are You, Adonai, Our G-d, ruler of the Universe, who has made us holy with commandments and commanded us to engage in the study of Torah.(Summary by Linette Geisel and traditional prayer) Parshat descriptions provided by Wikipedia.

Marmion is an epic poem in six cantos, written in emulation of the ancient Scottish minstrel style which was of such great interest to Scott. Unlike its predecessor, The Lay of the Last Minstrel, this one contains "introductions" to each canto, in the guise of poetic letters which serve the purpose of linking the ancient historical setting with Scott's contemporaneous society - a device which attracted some criticism.The story of Lord Marmion and his arch-enemy Harold de Wilton is told with Scott's familiar swirling dark flair, combining a complex tale of intrigue, inconstancy and deception ...

Up From Slavery is the 1901 autobiography of Booker T. Washington detailing his slow and steady rise from a slave child during the Civil War, to the difficulties and obstacles he overcame to get an education at the new Hampton University, to his work establishing vocational schools—most notably the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama—to help black people and other disadvantaged minorities learn useful, marketable skills and work to pull themselves, as a race, up by the bootstraps. He reflects on the generosity of both teachers and philanthropists who helped in educating blacks and native ...

The Psalms, traditionally ascribed to David the King, are regarded in the Christian tradition as the voice of Christ speaking through His ancestor David. They are 150 laments, hymns, and prayers whose origins span 8 centuries before Christ and continue to be prayed by Jews and Christians in virtually all languages, including the original Hebrew, and the once dominant Latin of St. Jerome. This LibriVox recording presents 3 classic English translations: that of Myles Coverdale (16th Century) included in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer; the King James Version (early 17th Century); and the ...

The record of the numbering of the nation of Israel, as well as the beginning of their "maturity" as they near the "promised land" of Canaan. (Introduction by Mark Penfold)

The Bible for Young People tells the sweet and simple stories of the Bible in the Bible language, omitting only genealogies and doctrines, and whatever is generally regarded as unprofitable to young readers. Moreover, it is so divided into subjects, forming complete stories, that the child will be interested in every part of it. The life of Jesus is put together in a continuous account taken from the four Evangelists; and while there are omissions and changes, the wording and spelling of the King James version remain the same. With great discrimination and sympathy, the compiler, Mrs. Joseph B...

The First Book of Samuel ushers in the era of kings, notably Saul and David, who represent the battle between the kingdoms of law and grace, between flesh and spirit, between disingenuous apology for sins and Godly repentence. The imperfect, but Godly, King David is seen in stark contrast to the bragging, self-exalting, and carnal rule of King Saul. This book is a drama fit for the theater, a story of love and devotion, of courage and cowardice, war and peace. But, most of all, this book and its companion second book are metaphors for the Kingdom of God and the coming of Him who is to sit on ...

The Bible in Basic English, translated by an American committee led by S.H. Hooke, uses Basic English, a simplified English vernacular developed by linguist Charles Kay Ogden for use in teaching English to non-native speakers and as an international auxiliary language. Basic English utilizes a limited vocabulary of around 850 English words. - Summary by Mark Penfold

Col. Robert G. Ingersoll, one of the greatest orators of the mid-19th century, was a highly sought after lecturer/toastmaster who sold out every hall he engaged throughout America. He was an ardent abolitionist, agnostic, humanist, humanitarian, supporter of the arts, and woman's rights, and member of the Unitarian Church, who railed against the absurdities of the Bible and cruelties of Christianity, praised technology, inventors, authors and great statemen for their contributions to the uplift of mankind. Mark Twain, a contemporary of Ingersoll, reported that no one could stir up a crowd like...

Published posthumously in 1919, this collection of diary entries presents a scathing picture of army life and is said to be one of the most vivid accounts of daily life in the trenches. It chronicles West's increasing disillusion with war and his move toward pacifist and atheist beliefs. The final part consists of his powerful war poems, including God, How I Hate You, You Young Cheerful Men, and Night Patrol. West was killed by a sniper in 1917. In view of some of his poems, one wonders if death was not unwelcome. (Introduction adapted from Wikipedia by Ruth Golding)

The book of Proverbs is referred to as wisdom literature along with several others: the book of Job, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Solomon, and certain Psalms, known as wisdom psalms. Throughout Proverbs, wisdom (or the wise person) is compared and contrasted with foolishness (or the fool). 'Fool' in Proverbs indicates one who is lacking in morality and uninterested in correction, not one who is merely silly or playful. Wisdom is held up as something worth effort to attain and the reader is told that it starts with the person of God: "The fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom." In addition, ...

Work on the translation began in 1853 by a London businessman called Ferrar Fenton (1832–1920). The complete Bible was first published in 1903, though parts were published as separate volumes during the preceding 11 years. The translation is noted for a rearranging of the books of the Bible into what the author believed was the correct chronological order. In the Old Testament, this order follows that of the Hebrew Bible. The name of God was translated throughout the Old Testament as "The Ever-Living". The Bible is described as "translated into English direct from the original Hebrew, ...

The Book of Jeremiah is the second of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the book of Isaiah and preceding Ezekiel and the Book of the Twelve. (The order is somewhat different in the Christian Old Testament). It derives its name from, and records the visions of, Jeremiah, who lived in Jerusalem in the late 7th and early 6th centuries BCE during the time of king Josiah and the fall of the Kingdom of Judah to the Babylonians. The book can be divided into roughly 6 sections and uses poetic, narrative, and biographical genres that are interspersed throughout the book. The breakdown ...

In the annals of history, women have played an important part; and among the famous sovereigns of the world, queens, as well as kings, have made their names illustrious by heroic deeds and great enterprises. The names which we have chosen for this book do not include all the renowned female sovereigns; but their lives present some of the most important epochs in the world’s history. - Summary taken from the book by Lydia Hoyt Farmer

In his "Dear Genesis" Luther proved that the free Evangelical religion he taught was not new, but as old as the first book of the Bible, and that it does not consist in outward forms, organizations and pomp, but in true faith in Christ in our hearts and lives. Genesis contains the only historic records accessible of the first 2364 years of the 4004 years before Christ. It is worthy of study in our day as it was in the days of the Reformation. This, the second volume of Luther's great commentary on Genesis, ... covers chapters four to nine inclusive of Genesis. - Summary by J. N. Lenker

The Hunting of the Snark - "An Agony in 8 Fits" is typically categorized as a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll, the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. Written from 1874 to 1876, the poem borrows the setting, some creatures, and eight portmanteau words from Carroll's earlier poem "Jabberwocky" in his children's novel Through the Looking Glass. Carroll often denied knowing the meaning behind the poem; however, in an 1896 reply to one letter, he agreed with one interpretation of the poem as an allegory for the search for happiness. Scholars have found various meanings in the poem, among ...

The Darby Bible consists of a translation of the New Testament by John Nelson Darby, originally published in 1867, and a translation of the Old Testament, included in later editions of the text, completed by Darby's students after his death. - Summary by Aaron Hultstrand

Published in 1904, The Twentieth Century New Testament is considered the first translation of the Bible into modern English. It was produced in Britain over a period of 15 years by approximately 20 people -- ministers, housewives, school teachers and businessmen -- who were united by their desire for a New Testament in the language of the people. They were advised by such scholars as J. Rendel Harris and Richard Weymouth so their rendering is quite accurate. In addition they made some effort at rearranging the New Testament books in the order scholars believe they were written -- Mark comes ...