Showing titles in Literary History & Criticism

This short book has the objective of showing how important it is to stamp out malaria as soon as possible. Unlike a plague that suddenly takes it victims and leaves its survivors, malaria is a debilitating infection. It seizes all, fit and unfit alike, gradually lessening the general vitality until, in some cases, it has exterminated the people among whom it has become endemic. Extensive evidence has been compiled and summarised from consultation with medical authorities, antique literature, and historical sources to show how this insidious disease has undermined the integrity of a pair of ...

This collection is for any short story in the English Language in the public domain, selected and read by Librivox volunteers. This collection includes works by O. Henry, Franz Kafka and Lord Dunsany..

Your destination for curated book summaries, Kindle editions, and audio versions. Explore our collection of mystery, romance, and non-fiction titles designed for the modern reader seeking quality storytelling.

This short overview of the Roman Empire from AD 96-180 opens as the murderers of Domitian raise to power the wise old senator, Nerva. Ignoring assassination rumors, his successor, the brave soldier Trajan, "went about the streets almost unguarded" and was easy of access to all classes. He was followed by the brilliant, gay emperor, Hadrian, who "revised the imperial budget with the skill of a trained accountant." We meet the immortal Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-emperor who spent his life fighting barbarians along the Danube. The book closes with chapters on the religions of the empire, on...

The Lives of the Most Excellent Italian Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, from Cimabue to Our Times (in the original Italian, Le Vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori, e architettori da Cimabue insino a' tempi nostri) is a collection of biographies of Italian artists written by the 16th-century Italian painter and architect Giorgio Vasari. The Vite or "Lives" is a valuable witness of the thought about art at the times now known as Renaissance by one of its actors: Vasari is mostly known for being the mind behind the revitalization of the Uffizi, in Florence. The Lives are a fundamental...

Explore an extensive archive of literature through our digital-first approach. We feature detailed reviews, author backgrounds, and professional previews for book enthusiasts seeking a premium Kindle or Audio experience.

This was founded in 1876 as a quarterly magazine containing articles about politics, culture, religion, the arts and literature. The founders were Herman J Heuser and James A Corcoran. The magazine ran until 1924. (Summary by Michele Eaton )

This 1883 book contains chapters on ancient costumes, Byzantine and Romanesque art, David and his school, modern schools of Europe, drawing, color, decorative painting, finish, choice of subject, composition of decorative and historical pictures, and composition of incident pictures. Edward Armitage RA (1817 – 1896) was an English painter of the Victorian era whose work focused on historical, classical and biblical subjects. He was Professor and Lecturer on painting in the Royal Academy 1875-1886. (David Wales)

These poems were published from 1918 to 1928 and were translated by Muna Lee, Alice Stone Blackwell, Mary Elizabeth Blake, Thomas Walsh, Peter H. Goldsmith, John Pierrepont Rice, Garret Strange and William Cullen Bryant. - Summary by Newgatenovelist

A diverse collection of short stories selected and read in English by Librivox readers. This time, we delve into the works of Ernest Hemingway, O. Henry, Sewell Ford and Stephen Leacock and others to bring you tales of mystery, poignant romance, the quirky and the amusing. So sit back and enjoy the 99th Librivox Short Story Collection!

The Punic Wars (264-146 B.C.) were a series of conflicts between the rapidly expanding Roman Republic and the Phoenician Sea empire, Carthage. Both sides expended enormous resources assembling armies and building and rebuilding fleets. Hannibal crossed the Alps and the Romans, for the first time, confronted war elephants. The struggle featured heroic personalities, brilliant battles, terrible sieges, cruelty, craft, and for Carthage, devastation and ruin. (Summary by Pamela Nagami, M.D.)

Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England never fails to amaze and fascinate; and has been the subject of speculation, research and investigation for centuries. This is an early look at this enigmatic location. As the author says in the preface: "A few years ago I spent some time every summer in viewing, measuring, and considering the works of the ancient Druids in our Island; I mean those remarkable circles of Stones which we find all over the kingdom, many of which I have seen, but of many more I have had accounts. Their greatness and number astonish’d me, nor need I be afraid to say, their beauty ...

A detailed and exhaustive history of the Norwegian People, written in two volumes. The author, Knut Gjerset, was born in Western Norway in 1865 and immigrated to Chippewa County, Minnesota, in the US with his parents in 1871 and his brother Oluf later got elected to public office there. He received a B.A. in Literature from the University of Minnesota, and also studied at John's Hopkins University from 1895-1896, and the University of Heidelberg, where he was awarded a PhD, from 1896-1898. This first volume deals with the Norwegian History from the earliest times, to the early 14th century and...

This is a collection of poems read by LibriVox volunteers for December 2012.

A collection of romantic poems for St Valentine's day.

Science Fiction is speculative literature that generally explores the consequences of ideas which are roughly consistent with nature and scientific method, but are not facts of the author’s contemporary world. The stories often represent philosophical thought experiments presented in entertaining ways. Protagonists typically “think” rather than “shoot” their way out of problems, but the definition is flexible because there are no limits on an author’s imagination. The reader-selected stories presented here were written prior to 1962 and became US public domain texts when their ...

The Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, is a work of enormous proportions. Setting out with the simple goal of offering "American households a mass of good reading", the editors drew from literature of all times and all kinds what they considered the best pieces of human writing, and compiled an ambitious collection of 45 volumes (with a 46th being an index-guide). Besides the selection and translation of a huge number of poems, letters, short stories and sections of books, the collection offers, before each chapter, a short essay about the author or subject in question...

The fourth of ten volumes of poetry edited by Canadian poet laureate Bliss Carman (1861-1929). This collection, the first of two parts, includes many notable religious and devotional poems and hymns from across the centuries, covering subjects such as God; Christ; the Holy Spirit; prayer and aspiration; faith; hope; love; service; the Sabbath; worship; and creed. It also includes an introductory essay to the volume by Congregational pastor and progressive writer Washington Gladden (1836-1918). - Summary by Tomas Peter

Here we present the 112th edition of the Librivox Short Story Collections. In this group of stories, we visit an obscure Welsh publication for two stories and a lesser known piece by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Dorothy Parker, Edith Wharton and Erle Stanley Gardner are also featured.

Ruins and Old Trees, Associated with Memorable Events in English History is a book that delves into the history of the United Kingdom by looking at the remnants of its man-made structures and the trees and forests that stood witness to it all. - Summary by Amy Gramour