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Все книги издательства IngramHesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica - The Original Classic Edition
The translations are easy to read and not too difficult to comprehend, while still at the same time accurately rendered. <p> But what makes this book of keen interest is not the attention paid to Hesiods Theogony and Works & Days, nor the anonymous Homeric Hymns, but rather to its meticulous compedium of the lesser-known works it presents. Especially, for those works for which no complete version has survived, only fragments and occassional (later) commentaries. <p> In this volume you discover a wonderful epic poem called The Catalogue of Women and Eoie, of which only about half survives scattered among a hundred or so fragments. You also discover The Shield of Hercules, which some attribute to Hesiod. But most fascinating of all are the fragments of the Epic Cycle, poems written as a sort of history of the Greek people, of which the two great works by Homer (The Iliad and The Odyssey) were the most well-known and the only ones to survive intact. As far as I know, this is the only volume in english which gathers all of these fragments together and attempts to sort them out in some kind of order; for those interested in the ancient epics, this alone makes the edition worth the price. <p> This book is a sobering reminder of just how much has been lost over the centuries, of just how little actually has survived. Sadly, this is now probably the closest anyone will ever get to being able to read The Cypriad or The Melampodia again, and thats a shame.
The Romance of Industry and Invention - The Original Classic Edition
Our national industries lie at the root of national progress. The first Napoleon taunted us with being a nation of shopkeepers; that, however, is now less true than that we are a nation of manufacturers?coal, iron, and steel, and our textile industries, taken along with our enormous carrying-trade, forming the backbone of the wealth of the country. <p> A romantic interest belongs to the rise and progress of most of our industries. Very often this lies in the career of the inventor, who struggled towards the perfection and recognition of his invention against heavy difficulties and discouragements; or it may lie in the interesting processes of manufacture. Every fresh labourer in the field adds some link to the chain of progress, and brings it nearer perfection. Some of the small beginnings have increased in a marvellous way. Such are chronicled under Bessemer and Siemens, who have vastly increased the possibilities of the steel industry; in the sections devoted to Krupp, of Essen; Sir W.G. Armstrong, of the Elswick Works, where 18,000 men are now employed alone in the arsenal; Maxim, of Maxim Gun fame; the rise and progress of the cycle industry; that of the gold and diamond mining industry; and the carrying-trade of the world. <p> Many of the chapters in this book have been selected from a wealth of such material contributed from time to time to the pages of Chamberss Journal, but additions and fresh material have been added where necessary. <p> This is a high quality book of the original classic edition. <p> This is a freshly published edition of this culturally important work, which is now, at last, again available to you. <p> Enjoy this classic work. These few paragraphs distill the contents and give you a quick look inside: <p> Some careful experiments succeeded so well that he wrote to his father,[Pg 13] requesting him to take out a patent for the process; and this patent, registered in Lord Dudleys name, and dated the 22d February 1620, properly inaugurated the great metallurgic revolution which had made the English iron trade what it now is. <p> …As we have seen, to Benjamin Huntsman, a Doncaster artisan, belongs the credit of first producing cast-steel upon a working scale, as he was the first to accomplish the entire fusion of converted bar-iron (that is, blister-steel) of the required degree of hardness, in crucibles or clay pots, placed among the coke of an air-furnace. <p> …Pig-iron contains from 3 to 5 per cent. of carbon, and, if it has been smelted with charcoal from a pure ore, as is the case with Swedish iron, the blast is continued till only from .25 to 1 per cent. of the carbon is left in the metal, that is to say, steel is produced. <p> …I do not, however, lay any claim[Pg 27] to this invention of Mr Bessemer; but I may fairly be entitled to say that I have advanced along the roads on which he has travelled so many miles, and has effected such unexpected results, that I do not hesitate to say that I may go home from this meeting and tear up my patent, for my process of puddling is assuredly superseded. <p> …I was confined to my bed, and it was then that my mind, dwelling for hours together on the experiment about to be made, suggested that instead of trying to decarburise the granulated metal by forcing the air down the vertical pipe among the pieces of iron, the air would act much more energetically and more rapidly if I first melted the iron in the crucible, and forced the air down the pipe below the surface of the fluid metal, and thus burnt out the carbon and silicum which it contained.
Autobiography of a Yogi - The Original Classic Edition
Like Gandhi, Yogananda writes humbly and includes his foibles and the pratfalls he takes as he journeys through lifes lessons. In fact, unless you read elsewhere about his life you wont realize how much he understates his own accomplishments while he honors other spiritual seekers and teachers he encounters. <p> His stories of encounters with amazing saints of all regions and religions are spell-binding, and you may find yourself (like me) devouring the whole book on your first read – just reveling in the wonders of these true spiritual seekers. On successive readings I delved deeper into the equally fascinating footnotes, learning about the exotic realms of Indian spirituality and its unexpected parallels with the original Christian teachings of Christ, St. John, and St. Paul. <p> In fact, the countless strata of insights and implications that surface with repeated readings of Autobiography of a Yogi argue for spending a few more dollars on the trade paperback rather than the mass market paperback edition, since youll want to return numerous times over the years. The Self-Realization Fellowship editions are to be preferred over others. Yogananda himself started that organization (SRF), and the award-winning quality of SRF editing and printing shines through them – in contrast to bootlegged editions printed up by renegade outfits. <p> In all my reading in spirituality, yoga, and comparative religion, I have discovered no work that so completely fulfills Carl Jungs prophecy that yoga science (the whole science, not just the athletic postures) will offer you undreamed-of possibilities as Yoganandas autobiography. As the author explains, yoga comes from the root meaning union – and he reveals, ever more deeply, the underlying oneness of Christianity and yoga, of spiritual truth and scientific truth, of the worldly and the spirituality. It will deepen anyones own faith and sensibility – of whatever religion (or none), of the science of matter… or mind… or Spirit.
Swiss Family Robinson - The Original Classic Edition
But lets be clear right up front. My 5-star rating of this book applies only to this original unabridged version in Johann Wyss own words. The modernized versions are watered down, time-wasters for word wusses. <p> When I was nine years old I spent months struggling through this book for the first time. The old style language made for rough going, but I persevered. In the end I was rewarded with more than a classic tale marvelously told; I discovered a love of books and earned self-respect for tackling a tough read. <p> If I was a teacher whose task it was to introduce students to classic literature, I would skip Dickens and use this book. Kids love adventure, animals, and action. Swiss Family Robinson has it all. Its really a thriller disguised as a literary classic. All book lovers should read this one at least once. <p> It is well-written, well-paced, full of adventure, and is a wonderful book on mans interactions with nature and the environment. <p> A shipwreck strands a family headed for the new world with nothing but the ships supplies and each other on a desert isle. Through hard work and knowledge of the natural world, they are able to not just survive, but thrive on the island. There is no better adventure in the natural world survival story. <p> This book is so good and so well-regarded that there have been multiple schmaltzy movie versions over the years. DONT SEE THEM UNTIL YOU READ THE BOOK! The writing moves well and the plot line includes plenty of excitement. Although this book is 200 years old, the author wrote it as an action book and it does not drag like other works of the time like Last of the Mohicans or Robinson Crusoe. Robinson Crusoe is another famous survival story written prior to this book, but it suffers from being a morality play with little action and long descriptive sections that are frankly boring. The Swiss Family Robinson is a much better book. <p> This is a particularly clean book also and is perfect for younger readers as well. Highly recommended.
The Travels of Marco Polo - The Original Classic Edition
Shocking truths of Asian culture…that inspired 700 years of debate! <p> Few texts have aroused more controversy than the book of Marco Polo, with good reason: the Asian tales that Marco Polo brought back to Renaissance Europe were absolutely unbelievable…except for the fact that most of them turn out to be provably true, especially in the context of this carefully crafted new edition. <p> Like many Great Works this is a famous title that most people (myself included) have heard of throughout their lives…but have never read. One lazy Sunday I drifted into watching a Marco Polo mini-series, which I thought was a rather silly, romanticized, sensationalized Hollywood treatment. It annoyed me, but I watched it to the end…and then ran to Amazon to find a book to get the facts. <p> Amazing news…the sensationalized mini-series barely scratched the surface of the astounding things Marco Polo reports in his actual book! <p> Polo was a merchant with the heart of an anthropologist. Accounts of terrain, natural resources, buildings and trade goods abound (and can be quite dry) but these are punctuated by his unusual observations of ethnicities, religions, social customs and royal intrigues. <p> Indeed, Marco Polos home was less civilized than the society he witnessed in China, to the point that he often had no point of comparison. Yet, he conscientiously describes city planning, landscaping, shopping malls, hospitals, public welfare systems with job retraining, organized law enforcement, paper money, military technology and systems of management, homes with central coal heat, multi-lingual government agencies, fire departments, long distance messenger networks, paved roads, public and private parks, and much more. <p> And, perhaps explaining the books centuries of commercial success, there are plenty of tales of cannibalism, polygamy, polyandry, cults of assassins, sexual behavior, dowry customs, human sacrifice, executions, funerary customs, prostitution, gambling, sport, magic ritual, strange beasts (rhinoceroses, elephants, leopards, crocodiles, serpents, the mythical Roc bird), etc. <p> One comes away from this book in awe of the high civilization that existed in China, and with great respect for this brave man who did an admirable job of capturing the infinite diversity of 13th century Asian life. <p> Read this account and share the adventures of his amazing journey!
Christmas: Its Origin and Associations - The Original Classic Edition
Its origin and associations, together with its historical events and festive celebrations during nineteen centuries: <p> Depicting memorable celebrations, stately meetings of early kings, remarkable events, romantic episodes, brave deeds, picturesque customs, time-honoured sports, royal christmases, coronations and royal marriages, chivalric feats, court banquetings and revellings, christmas at the colleges and the inns of court, popular festivities, and christmas-keeping in different parts of the world, derived from the most authentic sources, and arranged chronologically. <p> This book by William Francis Dawson was first published in 1902. He wrote in the Preface, My aim is neither critical nor apologetic, but historical and pictoral… to give an account of the origin and hallowed associations of Christmas, and to depict … the important historical events and interesting festivities of Christmastide during nineteen centuries… I have endeavored to give in the present work a chronological account of the celebrations and observances of Christmas from the birth of Christ to the end of the nineteenth century. <p> This is a high quality book of the original classic edition. <p> This is a freshly published edition of this culturally important work, which is now, at last, again available to you. <p> Enjoy this classic work. These few paragraphs distill the contents and give you a quick look inside: <p> Some say Noel is a corruption of Yule, Jule, or Ule, meaning, The festival of the sun. The name Yule is still applied to the festival in Scotland, and some other places. (Pg. 9) <p> Clement, one of the Apostolic Fathers and third Bishop of Rome, who flourished in the first century, says: Brethren, keep diligently feast-days, and truly in the first place the day of Christs birth. And according to another of the early bishops of Rome, it was ordained early in the second century, that in the holy night of the nativity of our Lord and Saviour, they do celebrate public church services and in them solemnly sing the Angels Hymn… (Pg. 11-12) <p> The opening up of these Catacombs has brought to light many most interesting relics of primitive Christianity. In these Christian cemeteries and places of worship there are signs … (of) the festive joy with which they commemorated the Nativity of Christ. (Pg. 18) <p> The great Reformer, Martin Luther, took much interest in the festivities of Christmastide, including, of course, the Christmas-tree. (Pg. 105-106) <p> Notwithstanding the adverse acts of the Puritans, however, and the suppression of Christmas observances in high places, the old customs and festivities were still observed in different parts of the country, though with less ostentation than formerly, and various publications appeared which plainly showed that the popular sentiments were in favour of the festivities. (Pg. 212) <p> Christmas itself has never been a national Scottish festival since the Reformation. (Pg. 284)
A Witch of the Hills, v. 1-2 - The Original Classic Edition
This is a high quality book of the original classic edition. <p> This is a freshly published edition of this culturally important work, which is now, at last, again available to you. <p> Enjoy this classic work. These few paragraphs distill the contents and give you a quick look inside: <p> It dawned upon me for the first time, as I sat opposite to Helen and her mother in the barouche on our way to the ball, what a horrible likeness there was, seen in this halflight of the carriage lamps, between Helen with her sweet blue eyes and features so delicately lovely that they made one think of Queen Titania, with an uncomfortable thought of ones self as the ass, and the placid Marchioness, whose features at other times one never noticed, so utterly insignificant a nonentity was she by reason of the vacuous stolidity which was carried by her to the point of absolute distinction. <p> …All this I had taken for granted at first, while the struggle to win her occupied all my energies; but when from the mad aspirant I became the proud betrothed, I had leisure to find out that the beautiful, dreamy, far-away eyes of my fiancée in no way denoted a poetic temperament, that her romance consisted merely in the preference for a handsome face to an ugly one, and in the inability to understand that she, an Earls daughter and a spoilt child, could by any possibility fail to obtain anything to which she had taken a fancy. … I could even, looking into the future, foretell the kind of life we should lead together as man and wife, when she, fallen from the ideal position of inspiring goddess to that of a tame pet rabbit, bored to death by my solemnity when I was serious, and frightened by my impetuosity when I was gay, would discover, with quick womans instinct, that the best of myself was no longer given to her, and cavilling at the neglect of a husband whose society oppressed her, would find compensation for her wrongs among more frivolous companions. <p> …I would go back to my old life of languid chatter and irresponsible dissipation, I would content myself again with my fame as the handsomest man in town, would accept my future wife for what she was, and not for what she ought to be, give her the inane, half-hearted attentions which were so much more to her taste than earnestness and devotion, and see thought and Lord Edgar at the devil. <p> …I passed the night in some pain, and must have been for part of it light-headed, as I discovered two or three days later, when Edgar, much moved, told me that I had implored everybody who came near me to witness that I left all I possessed to Lady Helen Normanton, and had begged for the pen and paper I could not have used, to execute my proposed will.
Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John - The Original Classic Edition
In his posthumously-published Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John, Newton expressed his belief that Bible prophecy would not be understood until the time of the end, and that even then none of the wicked shall understand. Referring to that as a future time (the last age, the age of opening these things, be now approaching), Newton also anticipated the general preaching of the Gospel be approaching and the Gospel must first be preached in all nations before the great tribulation, and end of the world. <p> Over the years, a large amount of media attention and public interest has circulated regarding largely unknown and unpublished documents, evidently written by Isaac Newton, that indicate he believed the world could end in 2060 AD. (Newton also had many other possible dates e.g. 2034). The juxtaposition of Newton, popularly seen by some as the embodiment of scientific rationality, with a seemingly irrational prediction of the end of the world would invariably lend itself to cultural sensationalism. <p> To understand the reasoning behind the 2060 prediction, an understanding of Newtons theological beliefs should be taken into account, particularly his nontrinitarian beliefs and those negative views he held about the Papacy. Both of these lay essential to his calculations, which are themselves based upon specific chronological dates which he believed had already transpired and had been prophesied within Revelation and Daniel, books within the Christian Bible. <p> Despite the dramatic nature of a prediction of the end of the world, Newton may not have been referring to the 2060 date as a destructive act resulting in the annihilation of the earth and its inhabitants, but rather one in which he believed the world was to be replaced with a new one based upon a transition to an era of divinely inspired peace. In Christian theology, this concept is often referred to as The Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of Paradise by The Kingdom of God on Earth. In Judaism it is often referred to as the Messianic era or the Yamei Moshiach (Days of the Messiah). <p> This is a freshly published edition of this culturally important work, which is now, at last, again available to you. <p> Enjoy this classic work. These few paragraphs distill the contents and give you a quick look inside: <p> In the heavens, the Sun and Moon are, by interpreters of dreams, put for the persons of Kings and Queens; but in sacred Prophecy, which regards not single persons, the Sun is put for the whole species and race of Kings, in the kingdom or kingdoms of the world politic, shining with regal power and glory; the Moon for the body of the common people, considered as the Kings wife; the Stars for subordinate Princes and great men, or for Bishops and Rulers of the people of God, when the Sun is Christ; light for the glory, truth, and knowledge, wherewith great and good men shine and illuminate others; darkness for obscurity of condition, and for error, blindness and ignorance; darkning, smiting, or setting of the Sun, Moon, and Stars, for the ceasing of a kingdom, or for the desolation thereof, proportional to the darkness; darkning the Sun, turning the Moon into blood, and falling of the Stars, for the same; new Moons, for the return of a dispersed people into a body politic or ecclesiastic.
Tarzan the Terrible - The Original Classic Edition
Tarzan the Terrible is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the eighth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. <p> In the previous novel, during the early days of World War I, Tarzan discovered that his wife Jane was not killed in a fire set by German troops, but was in fact alive. <p> In this novel two months have gone by and Tarzan is continuing to search for Jane. He has tracked her to a hidden valley called Pal-ul-don, which means Land of Men. In Pal-ul-don Tarzan finds a real Jurassic Park filled with dinosaurs, notably the savage Triceratops-like Gryfs, which unlike their prehistoric counterparts are carnivorous. The lost valley is also home to two different races of tailed human-looking creatures, the Ho-don (hairless and white skinned) and the Waz-don (hairy and black-skinned). Tarzan befriends Ta-den, a Ho-don warrior, and Om-at, the Waz-don chief of the tribe of Kor-ul-ja. In this new world he becomes a captive but so impresses his captors with his accomplishments and skills that they name him Tarzan-Jad-Guru (Tarzan the Terrible), which is the name of the novel. <p> Jane is also being held captive in Pal-ul-don, having been brought there by her German captor, who has since become dependent on her due to his own lack of jungle survival skills. She becomes a pawn in a religious power struggle that consumes much of the novel. <p> With the aid of his native allies, Tarzan continues to pursue his beloved to rescue her and set things to right, going through an extended series of fights and escapes to do so. In the end success seems beyond even his ability to achieve, until in the final chapter he and Jane are saved by their son Korak, who has been searching for Tarzan just as Tarzan has been searching for Jane. <p> Tarzan the Terrible is an important work in the Tarzan series, continuing a sequence beginning with Tarzan the Untamed and concluding in Tarzan and the Golden Lion and Tarzan and the Ant Men, in which Burroughs vivid imagination and storytelling abilities hit their peak, and which is generally considered a highlight of the series.
The King of Schnorrers - The Original Classic Edition
This book is beautiful. <p> Not beautiful like lovely writing in particular, though certainly israel zangwill wrote well, but beautiful in intricacy and fun and a level of cleverness so profound it boggles the mind. I suspect that the king of the schnorrers impact on later jewish humorists has been vastly understated. I am thinking particularly of groucho marx (who had a brilliant career more or less playing a sort of comic version of our main character here), but also through him a passage to people like woody allen (um, are there people like woody allen?) and jerry seinfeld, lenny bruce, sarah silverman… <p> Indeed while this book is deeply concerned in its way with the particularities of the jewish communities of 19th century london and with jewish law it is a highly secular and universal work of humor and a brilliant satire of the malleability of religious law (and, in its way then, law, custom and social compacts in general). <p> In this way it bridges a gap from, say, a sholem aleichem to, well, the urban american jewish humor that has had such a profound influence on our culture. But beyond the satirical brilliance and nuance of this book i would like to commend it as simply enormously fun and readable. Its social vision is sophisticated and strangely contemporary and it is funny. Our main character is enormous, ridiculous, ferocious and fascinating, someone you sort of root for in a state of horror, but i love how he is not invincible, and the person to whom he is vulnerable (if you can call it that, probably it is all part of da costas (our heros) plans) expresses for me the touch of sweetness that just keeps the humanity of the book afloat. <p> The story is told in tight, marvelously put together chapters that nearly stand on their own. The plot work has that wonderful tight and suprising gearlike quality that is so satisfying to read, like in mysteries where the great detective works along a plan we only catch confusing glimpses of but all falls spectacularly into place by the end. I first found this book with a passage in a big paperback collection of jewish humour about 20 years ago and i was immediatly smitten. If you enjoy sharp and intricate humor, a touch of nuttiness, and perverse insight so twisted it becomes simple and profound i could not recommend a book more than this one.