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Все книги издательства IngramMy Secret Life, Volumes I. to III. - The Original Classic Edition
This book is a fascinating and in-depth look at Victorian lower class prostitutes and their upper class client base. <p> The anonymous author, a decidedly upper class gentleman apparently went through at least three fortunes which underwrote his obsessive need for paid sex, which lasted from his teenage until his death which seems to have occurred sometime in his 60s or perhaps a bit later. Internal clues are few, and some of what is thought to be known about him is based on the assumption that he was Henry Spencer Ashbee, a director of the Ashmolean museum and a writer on the fine arts. But the truth is we do not know who Anonymous really was. He takes the name Walter when he mentions himself, but often disguises the prosutitutes names as well, and also the names of the bordellos he favors. some of which are upscale and expensive. However his disguises are transparent and anybody with a little creativity can penetrate them. <p> What Walter did was something like what Casanova did before him, write an account of his amours. But unlike Casanova, Walter wrote only about his sexual life, ignoring absolutely everything else. And also unlike Casanova, who reconstructed his life from memory in his old age, Walter kept a daily journal, making his disclosures infinitely more immediate, circumstantial, and realistic. He quotes at great length his lewd dialogues with his whores of choice, often enough not whores at all–yet–but servant girls tempted by his offers of large sums of money to let him have a little poke.He particularly loved to get hold of virgins, but liked his women of all ages, nationalities, (he spoke several European languages) body types, dispositions, hair colors, length of pubic hair and even smells. He could be aroused sometimes by an odor that at other times would repulse him, plunge into sexually promising situations in the very roughest parts of town without thinking twice, pay what to us would seem outrageous prices when he was absolutely determined to have his way, and record it all in clear, simple prose, from a somewhat detached point of view, which made clear that he had little or no feeling for these women as human beings, but took the Victorian upper class view, that they were simply unfortunates, that his paying them was a great benefit to them for which they should be grateful, and that their welfare or happiness beyond that had nothing to do with him. <p> A modern writer, believed Walter suffered from satyriasis, the obsessive, compulsive need to have sexual intercourse.Indeed he had prodigious desires and sexual bouts, in which he would have repeated connections with one or more whores over as long as a three day period. And he could and did go spoony on a particular woman, and want only her for a week, a month or more, before getting his fill of her and moving on. He seemed to both love and hate the fact that whores lied as a matter of course, and fancied himself able to unmask their schemes and see through to what he imagined was the truth. <p> This is not a book of uncomplcated pornography, but rather a fascinating study of a very unusual man and a well fleshed out picture of the particular underclass, from 1850s to 1890s London, with whom he preferred to spend his entire life. <p> There are no other sexual autobiographies that are as long, as unselfconscious, as descriptive and thorough as this one. A completely unique and rewarding piece of sexual Victoriana.
Pygmalion - The Original Classic Edition
It is not very likely that George Bernard Shaw knew he was writing the play that would become one of the seminal romantic comedies of the 20th when he penned `Pygmalion. The play is delightful, with borrowed elements from many genres. There is comedy and romance, above all, but there is also a very clear social critic – and even a Marxist idea of class struggle. What only enhances the reading of this masterpiece. <p> Professor Henry Higgins is a linguistic expert who is much more interested in how people say the words rather than what they say. He ends up taking a bet that he is able to transform a simple cockney flower seller, Eliza, into a sophisticated and refined young lady, who would be able to fool the Queen herself. To succeed in such a move he claims he will change only the way she speaks. <p> To work on Eliza he puts her up in his house and starts polishing her speech. This is not an easy job, because what the girl speaks is not English, but a language she has developed herself. After some time, the Professor decides to introduce her to a group of friends, without mentioning her backgrounds. At first the meeting is blast. Although Eliza can use a fine language it is clear she has not backgrounds to develop and keep up a conversation. And her behavior ends up being the laughing stock. But one of the guests notices how beautiful the girl is. Higgins feels sort of jealous and this could lead their relationship to another level. <p> Shaws prose is funny and touching at the same time. He uses devices, like everybody speaking at the same time, which only enhances the fun of the play and brings more truth to the action. His characters are lively and well developed. His social critic is evident. Eliza doesnt want to be rich or sound as such, she only wants to get a better job in a flower store, in other words, she only wants to be what she is. But the Professor insists on making her another person, very different from what she really is. Elizas presence is the sweetest thing in the play. She is a nice and good-hearted girl, who suffers the consequence of her surroundings. <p> The play is based on the Greek tragedy `Pygmalion and Galatea, and was the base for one of the most famous musicals of the cinema, `My Fair Lady.
Lysistrata - The Original Classic Edition
Lysistrata is a favorite of the Greek plays-its never pompous or overbearing, and it never overwhelms itself with flowery prose. In addition, its one of the few Greek plays youll read that portrays women as genuine human beings rather than murderers, decorations, or idiots. Theyre smart, sexy, and socially aware, especially in a time when they were very seriously repressed. <p> Lysistrata is an intelligent Athenian woman who is sick and tired of the Greek city-states warring against each other. She calls all the women she can round up and comes up with a strategy to end the wars: Keep away from their husbands beds, and the men will make peace with other cities to make peace with their wives. After a great deal of whining, the women agree to deprive their husbands of sex until peace is achieved. But thats only the beginning of what Lysistrata has planned… <p> Too many feminist tales end up being heavy-handed-though women are on the side of peace and right in this, it doesnt bang you over the head. The men are human as well. The comedy is sly and witty (though full of mild sex talk–nothing too raunchy) and the scene where one young woman unmercifully teases her love-hungry husband will have you rolling. <p> Its a story about the power that women can wield and the lengths that they can go to. <p> Read, laugh, guffaw! You wont regret it!
Dream Psychology - The Original Classic Edition
Whether we love or hate Sigmund Freud, we all have to admit that he revolutionized the way we think about ourselves. Much of this revolution can be traced to The Interpretation of Dreams, the turn-of-the-century tour de force that outlined his theory of unconscious forces in the context of dream analysis. Introducing the id, the superego, and their problem child, the ego, Freud advanced scientific understanding of the mind immeasurably by exposing motivations normally invisible to our consciousness. While theres no question that his own biases and neuroses influenced his observations, the details are less important than the paradigm shift as a whole. After Freud, our interior lives became richer and vastly more mysterious. <p> These mysteries clearly bothered him–he went to great (often absurd) lengths to explain dream imagery in terms of childhood sexual trauma, a component of his theory jettisoned mid-century, though now popular among recovered-memory therapists. His dispassionate analyses of his own dreams are excellent studies for cognitive scientists wishing to learn how to sacrifice their vanities for the cause of learning. Freud said of the work contained in The Interpretation of Dreams, Insight such as this falls to ones lot but once in a lifetime. One would have to feel quite fortunate to shake the world even once <p> Make up your own mind about Freud, but in the meantime, this is one of his great works that anyone can read without having technical knowledge about psychology. Freud included much about his own dreams, and the reader will suspect that he didnt tell all about his own introspection–nor would most of us! But this work, along with The Psychopathology of Everyday Life and Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious are for all readers. It is worth your while to peruse one of the most influential books in human history. As for the violence of the controversy that Freud inspires–well, that vehemence must mean something: a hundred years later, we are still at it. Decide for yourself.
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - The Original Classic Edition
This book is well-written and engaging, even 300+ years later. It stops in 1760, well before his involvement with the Revolution, but it covers in detail his youth, apprenticeships, the formation of his philosophy and ideals, and his path from poor roots to business and social success – the first telling of the American Dream, the idea that a poor young man could Find His Fortune in the New World through enterprise, wisdom, and work. <p> There is a high degree of self-hagiography here, and it would be amusing to tally up (for example) how many times Franklin praises himself vs. how many times he advises on the virtue of humility. He smooths over issues like his illegitimate son, he doesnt mention his membership in the Freemasons, etc. The construction is also a bit rambling (Then I did this thing. Next, I did another thing. Then I did a third thing), but Franklin simply did so many interesting things – even in this short slice of his life – that the book is interesting despite that. Theres a great deal of discussion on his scientific and inventive accomplishments, and he talks at length about his development of his own personal moral code and how he achieved business success (along with Franklins Personal Method You Can Use for Self-Improvement – in some ways, this is the first self-help book!) <p> All in all, this is very much worth reading, and gives a compelling picture of Franklins life and times. Youll particularly like the picture Franklin draws of contemporary American society – free, open, and small, with most people in most towns all knowing each other, and business opportunities are wide open for anyone with industry and pluck. Im not sure how similar modern-day America still is to Franklins Philadelphia, but its certain that Franklin – and this book – helped set the image that we still *want* to believe America conforms to. And for that alone, its worth reading.
Northanger Abbey - The Original Classic Edition
Austens means of poking fun at Gothic horror literature are far from mean-spirited and, as a matter of fact, can be delightfully humorous indeed. Her heroine, Catherine Morland, is by no means the type of heroine to be found in the giant tomes of Radcliffe and her indulgent imitators, as Austen tells her reading audience directly from the very start. Almost attractive on a good day, this unintellectual tomboy has reached her fifteenth year without inspiring a young mans fancy, nor would she be able to delight him with musical skill or even draw his profile in her secret notebooks if she had. Having encountered no strangers who would prove to be a lord or prince in disguise, her heroic ambitions seem stymied at best until fate steps in and grants her a stay of several weeks in the delightful town of Bath. Making her transition from naïve girl to equally naïve young lady, Catherine almost immediately falls quite in love with young Henry Tilney, while at the same time she becomes intimate friends with an older young lady named Isabella, whose inconstancy as both friend and intended beloved of Catherines own brother eventually brings her much pain. To her intense delight, however, Catherine is invited by General Tilney, Henrys father, to spend some few weeks in his home, Northanger Abbey. Her joy at spending such private time in the company of her beloved and new best friend Eleanor Tilney is immense, but equally exciting to her is the chance to spend time in a mysterious former abbey of the sort she has read so much about. Such Gothic romances as Udolpho have been the source of her recent heroic training, and she is wildly desirous and fully expectant of discovering hidden passages, dark secrets, frightening circumstances, and possibly even incalcitrant perfidy in the halls of her beloveds family home. Her overactive imagination runs wild in Northanger Abbey, bringing her a fair share of embarrassment, but the very sweet and tender sensibilities that fuel her fire for Gothic mystery make her all the more endearing to me. Catherine is remarkably innocent, and as such she is absolutely delightful in my eyes. <p> Much of the story does fit in with your typical Gothic novel, but the frightening and dismaying things Catherine eventually discovers are of a far from supernatural sort. Ever so gradually, a true monster slowly coalesces from the pages of this remarkable novel. Greed, selfishness, pride-these are the horrors of Northanger Abbey, and it does deeply hurt a reader of romantic sensitivity to stand idly by, unable to aid and assist a sweet young lady such as Catherine in her time of despair and emotional suffering. <p> Lovers of Gothic horror or literature in general will surely find nothing but delight in the pages of Northanger Abbey. Austens critique of Gothic literature is quite subdued, and you will find immense pleasure in the overindulgence the author sometimes employs in her attempts to satirize it. Written by Austen at a tender age (though not published until the year following her death), Northanger Abbey features incredibly human, complex characters full of wit and charm. The hidden motives of seemingly delightful friends is brought to light, teaching young Catherine as well as the reader a painful lesson in real life, yet romance stands at the ready to right the wrongs of self-interest, deception, and greed. <p> You will absolutely adore this novel and everything about it.
The Critique of Pure Reason - The Original Classic Edition
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is considered one of the giants of philosophy, of his age or any other. It is largely this book that provides the foundation of this assessment. Whether one loves Kant or hates him (philosophically, that is), one cannot really ignore him; even when one isnt directly dealing with Kantian ideas, chances are great that Kant is made an impact. <p> Kant as a professor of philosophy was familiar with the Rationalists, such as Descartes, who founded the Enlightenment and in many ways started the phenomenon of modern philosophy. He was also familiar with the Empiricist school (John Locke and David Hume are perhaps the best known names in this), which challenged the rationalist framework. Between Leibniz monads and Humes development of Empiricism to its logical (and self-destructive) conclusion, coupled with the Romantic ideals typified by Rousseau, the philosophical edifice of the Enlightenment seemed about to topple. <p> Kant rode to the rescue, so to speak. He developed an idea that was a synthesis of Empirical and Rationalist ideas. He developed the idea of a priori knowledge (that coming from pure reasoning) and a posterior knowledge (that coming from experience) and put them together into synthetic a priori statements as being possible. Knowledge, for Kant, comes from a synthesis of pure reason concepts and experience. Pure thought and sense experience were intertwined. However, there were definite limits to knowledge. Appearance/phenomenon was different from Reality/noumena – Kant held that the unknowable was the ding-an-sich, roughly translated as the thing-in-itself, for we can only know the appearance and categorial aspects of things. <p> Kant was involved heavily in scientific method, including logic and mathematical methods, to try to describe the various aspects of his development. This is part of what makes Kant difficult reading for even the most dedicated of philosophy students and readers. He spends a lot of pages on logical reasoning, including what makes for fallacious and faulty reasoning. He also does a good deal of development on the ideas of God, the soul, and the universe as a whole as being essentially beyond the realm of this new science of metaphysics – these are not things that can be known in terms of the spatiotemporal realm, and thus proofs and constructs about them in reason are bound to fail. <p> Kant does go on to attempt to prove the existence of God and the soul (and other things) from moral grounds, but that these cannot be proved in the scientific methodology of his metaphysics and logic. This book presents Kants epistemology and a new concept of metaphysics that involves transcendental knowledge, a new category of concepts that aims to prove one proposition as the necessary presupposition of another. This becomes the difficulty for later philosophers, but it does become a matter that needs to be addressed by them. <p> As Kant writes at the end of the text, The critical path alone is still open. If the reader has had the courtesy and patience to accompany me along this path, he may now judge for himself whether, if he cares to lend his aid in making this path into a high-road, it may not be possible to achieve before the end of the present century what many centuries have not been able to accomplish; namely, to secure for human reason complete satisfacton in regard to that with which it has all along so eagerly occupied itself, though hitherto in vain. This is heavy reading, but worthwhile for those who will make the journey with Kant.
The Sign of the Four - The Original Classic Edition
In this, the second Sherlock Holmes story written by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes is called upon by a young lady who needs the great detectives help with a mystery. However, when this mystery leads to murder, Holmes must seek to uncover secrets that have lain hidden for many years, and have their roots in treacheries upon treacheries in far-off India. Theres a one-legged man who is at the center of this mystery, and he has a murderous friend who may just be the end of Sherlock Holmes! <p> This is the second ever Sherlock Holmes story, written in 1890. As with the very best of the Holmes story, this one is absolutely gripping, carrying a fascinating story with mysteries wrapped up in mysteries that only Mr. Holmes can possibly conquer. As an added bonus, in this story, we get to learn about Dr. Watsons meeting of his true love, and his eventual marriage – which should end some rumors that people spread. <p> This is a great story, one that is sure to please any fan of mysteries, and is certain to delight any Sherlock Holmes fan!
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - The Original Classic Edition
Joyce is about as challenging as they come in the literary world. However, since it seemed like Ulysses or Finnegans Wake would be a bit much to start with, you will find yourself reading A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man as an introduction to his work. <p> And although you will find this book about as easy to get into as Princeton, it was about as rewarding as well. Portrait is certainly anything but a light read. Joyces meandering narrative and serpentine prose can be confusing to say the least, and on more than one occasion you will have to read a sentence about five times in order to figure out what you have just read. <p> For all its verbosity, though, Portrait is an essential read because the story of Stephen Dedalus carries so much resonance. Growing up in Ireland around the turn of the twentieth century, Stephen faces existential questions that should ring true for a young person coming from any culture at any time. He tries to find satisfaction by giving in to his lust, and when that doesnt work he goes all the way to the other end of the spectrum in seeking fulfillment through religious devotion. In the end, however, neither of these extremes provides Stephen with the answers hes looking for. <p> Stephens story demonstrates one unfortunate fact of life: when youre seeking meaning, there are no easy answers. Ultimately, as Stephen tells his friend Cranly, he decides that his solution is to express myself in some mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can, even if it means making mistakes or being spurned by society. <p> In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce outlines some important ideas that have since become prominent in literature, notably noncomformity, self-expression, coming of age, and the nature of religious belief. This book may not have been perfectly written, but since Joyce was aiming so high its easy to overlook any imperfections in his style. Portrait was written with plenty of intelligence and soul, so its easy to see why its still read after all these years.
The Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, 6th Edition - The Original Classic Edition
There is only one other book that is so widely known, discussed, and debated, yet so rarely read: that other book is the Bible. To make my point, here is a little quiz: <p> 1) Which name is most closely associated with the theory of evolution? <p> 2) Which book did this person write on evolution? <p> 3) What claims are made in that book? <p> 4) What else is contained in that book? <p> With astonishing regularity, the average literate adult will respond as follows: 1) Darwin, 2) Origin of Species, 3) Humans descended from apes, and 4) I have no idea. The first two are correct, the third is absolutely false, and the fourth is an admission of complete ignorance. Considering that Origin of Species is long, and took nearly two decades to write, one would expect it to contain something more than the four simple words Humans descended from apes, which, in fact, it neither contains nor implies. So, what DOES it contain? There is one word that best summarizes the bulk of Darwins magnum opus: observation. <p> It is a lengthy book; at times it is tedious, at times politically incorrect, and at times scientifically off-base. But, despite its numerous flaws, it is one of the greatest achievements in the history of mankind. Even if you are among the few who refuse to accept Darwins ideas, you cannot deny their impact. The theory is the cornerstone–if not the very foundation–of modern biology. Whatever your preconceptions, you will likely be surprised by this work. Darwin was the consummate naturalist and scientist, as well as a refined and articulate gentleman. Origin is a delight and an epiphany to read. Its amazing how much Darwin got right, despite the fact that he had essentially no idea of how inheritance worked. Its amazing how much data Darwin carefully assembled, analyzed, and described. Its amazing how meticulously Darwin weighed the evidence, noting when competing theories made different predictions, when the available evidence was not what he would have expected, and what future evidence could completely discredit (falsify) his theory. Its amazing in its honesty. <p> The misconceptions about Origin of Species are not merely rampant, they are effectively universal, fueled (largely in the US) by the rise of creationism, which seeks first and foremost to vilify the theory of evolution as well as Darwin (often failing to distinguish between the two). Its worth the time to read this enormous but meticulously crafted volume, if only to allow you to form your own opinions about such an influential book. Once you have, take the little quiz again. You may need all the pages to answer the last question.