Twenty short nonfiction works in the public domain. “The Regulation of Time” and “Uniform Standard Time” are two of several readings which touch on social regulation, societal norms, and individual expression. Others examine dancing mania (“Choreomania”); gender conformity (“A Mormon Strategy”); race laws (“Black Code of Illinois”); etiquette and social class (“Housekeeping at the White House (1903)”; “Opportunity” (a view by Ambrose Bierce); organized religion (“The Church in Liverpool in the Early 1800s”); oratory and persuasion (“Pliny to Cerealis” and “The Martians”); legal protection for original ideas (“Copyright for a banana costume”); and an exhortation to judge men by their deeds, not their names (“First Apology of Justin Martyr”). Music and books are celebrated in “Fidelio;” “The Function of a National Library;” “Books in the Wilderness;” and Oscar Wilde’s “To Read or Not to Read.” Natural science is represented by “Coral and Coral Reefs” and “Making a Rock Garden.” Finally, a fateful communique is examined in the “Zimmermann Telegram.” Summary by Sue Anderson Pliny to Cerealis: Letter XXIV was translated by William Melmoth     [chương_files]  

Twenty short nonfiction works chosen by the readers. Two U.S. Presidents are remembered in “A Colored Man’s Reminiscences of James Madison” and Washington’s “Address to Congress on Resigning His Commission (1783).” Other topics in history and political theory include two of George W. Ball’s memos about the Vietnam War from 1965, “Irish Marriage Rites,” “Celts and Celtophiles,” Kropotkin on “Anarchism in Socialistic Evolution,” a tragedy at sea (“The Titanic”), and a look back at “The Passing of the Sailing Ship.” Religion and philosophy are represented with two selections from Kierkegaard’s “Preparation for a Christian Life” and a sermon by Spurgeon (“Glorious Predestination”). Biographies pay homage to the mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan. How-to and guidance readings include farming advice from George Washington Carver (“Help for Hard Times”), “Teaching Mathematics with Paper Folding,” “Sexual Neuroses,” and “Elementary Lessons in Cookery.” “The Common Milkweed” celebrates one of summer’s roadside flowers. Finally Richard de Bury pens a tribute to books in a selection from the Philobiblon, written in 1345. Summary by Sue Anderson Selections from Kierkegaard were translated by Lee M. Hollander That the Treasure of Wisdom is Chiefly Contained in Books was translated by E.C. Thomas     [chương_files]  

Twenty short nonfiction works chosen by the readers. “Why Women Should Vote” (Jane Addams, 1910) is one of several selections devoted to women’s interests, as are Martha Foote Crow’s “The Young Woman on the Farm” (1910), Alice Freeman Palmer’s “Three Rules for Happiness,” and Myrtle Reed’s recipes for “Coffee Cakes, Doughnuts, and Waffles.” Tradition and belief are treated in two selections from Kierkegaard, a letter from Japan (“When the Dead Return”), a creation myth (“Sky Weds Earth”), and an essay by Mark Twain on “Mental Telegraphy.” Topics in history and political theory include “The Original Draft of the Declaration of Independence,” “An Audience with Abraham Lincoln,” “Government” (Bastiat), “Constitutional Law” (Bentham), “War Scenes Across the Canadian Border ” (1915), “Americans Lose Men in Fight in Siberia” (1919) and “Quentin Roosevelt’s Last Letter Home” (1918). Sport receives its due with a history of the bicycle, while “In the Land of the Wild Yak” portrays the hardships endured by 19th century explorer Sven Hedin. Finally, “Mr. NAMIKAWA Yasuyuki’s Cloisonné” celebrates the life of a Japanese artist and his exquisite enamel work. – Summary by Sue Anderson     [chương_files]