Classic Books

The Upanishads are a collection of texts that contain some of the central philosophical concepts of Hinduism, some of which are shared with Buddhism and Jainism. The Upanishads are considered by Hindus to contain utterances concerning the nature of ultimate reality and describing the character of and path to human salvation.

Paramananda was a swami and one of the early Indian teachers who went to the United States to spread the Vedanta philosophy and religion there. He was a mystic, a poet and an innovator in spiritual community living.

The Valley of Fear’ is the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is loosely based on the characters Molly Maguires and Pinkerton agent James McParland.

The present novel ‘The Valley of Silent Men’ by the famous American action-adventure writer and conservationist James Oliver Curwood was first published in the year 1920.

Philip K. Dick’s ‘The Variable Man’ is a short science fiction story. This story was first published in the year 1952 in a magazine named the Planet Stories.

My thanks for help in writing these lectures are due to Edwin D. Starbuck, of Stanford University, who made over to me his large collection of manuscript material; to Henry W. Rankin, of East Northfield, a friend unseen but proved, to whom I owe precious information; to Theodore Flournoy, of Geneva, to Canning Schiller, of Oxford, and to my colleague Benjamin Rand, for documents; to my colleague Dickinson S. Miller, and to my friends, Thomas Wren Ward, of New York, and Wincenty Lutoslawski, late of Cracow, for important suggestions and advice. Finally, to conversations with the lamented Thomas Davidson and to the use of his books, at Glenmore, above Keene Valley, I owe more obligations than I can well express.

First published in the year 1922, famous English writer Margery Williams Bianco’s book ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ is a fully illustrated children’s book which chronicles the story of a stuffed rabbit and his desire to become real, through the love of his owner.

First published in the year 1850, the present book titled ‘The Vicomte De Bragelonne’ was written by the renowned French historical fiction writer Alexandre Dumas. The principal heroes of the novel are the musketeers. The novel’s length finds it frequently broken into smaller parts. The narrative is set between 1660 and 1673 against the background of the transformation of Louis XIV from child monarch to Sun King.

Gilbert Keith Chesterton was an English writer, philosopher, lay theologian, and literary and art critic.

In The Victorious Attitude Marden explains that we need a good attitude to be successful in any endeavor. Controlling our mind and our thoughts is the key to success. We must remember that we all have to undergo challenges and obstacles on our path.

First published in the year 1902, famous American writer Owen Wister’s present fictional novel ‘The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains’ describes the life of a cowboy on a cattle ranch in Wyoming. It is known as the first true western fiction ever written.

First published in the year 1859, the present historical novel ‘The Virginians’ by William Thackeray tells the story of Henry Esmond’s twin grandsons, George and Henry Warrington. Henry’s romantic entanglements with an older woman lead up to his taking a commission in the British army and fighting under the command of General Wolfe at the capture of Quebec. On the outbreak of the American War of Independence he takes the revolutionary side. George, who is also a British officer, thereupon resigns his commission rather than take up arms against his brother. (courtesy: wikipedia)

The Visioning, Susan Glaspell’s second novel, tells about Katie Jones, a young woman who lives in the comfortable world she knows with a charming circle of friends.

Twenty-five years ago the school children used to chant their lessons. The manner of their delivery was a singsong recitative between the utterance of an Episcopal minister and the drone of a tired sawmill. I mean no disrespect. We must have lumber and sawdust.

I remember one beautiful and instructive little lyric that emanated from the physiology class. The most striking line of it was this:

“The shin-bone is the long-est bone in the hu-man bod-y.”

In this volume, we have tried to select Gandhiji’s choicest writings and speeches on a variety of topics. The first part of the Volume contains some of the important speeches delivered by Mahatma Gandhi on historic occasions. The second part includes selections of his thoughts on philosophy, religion, culture, art, literature, science, economics, politics, sociology and education. An attempt has been made to present Gandhiji’s views on different subjects under suitable chapters for the convenience of the reader. To maintain uniformity, indirect narration has been changed to direct speech at a few places. But for slight editing, the original texts have been faithfully adhered to.

The Voyage of the Beagle is the title most commonly given to the book written by Charles Darwin and published in 1839 as his Journal and Remarks, bringing him considerable fame and respect.

The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle was the second of Hugh Lofting’s Doctor Dolittle books to be published, coming out in 1922. It is nearly five times as long as its predecessor and the writing style is pitched at a more mature audience.

The Wanderings of a Spiritualist’ is an intensely personal account of spiritualism by the famous British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He wrote it soon after announcing his belief in communication with the dead. It was first published in the year 1921.

For some reason, which may be either arrogance or apathy, the British are very slow to state their case to the world. At present the reasons for our actions and the methods which we have used are set forth in many Blue-books, tracts, and leaflets, but have never, so far as I know, been collected into one small volume. In view of the persistent slanders to which our politicians and our soldiers have been equally exposed, it becomes a duty which we owe to our national honour to lay the facts before the world. I wish someone more competent, and with some official authority, had undertaken the task, which I have tried to do as best I might from an independent standpoint.

H.G. Wells was one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. Wells was a prolific author in many genres including history, politics, and social commentary.

“Early in life Mr Harding found himself located at Barchester. A fine voice and a taste for sacred music had decided the position in which he was to exercise his calling, and for many years he performed the easy but not highly paid duties of a minor canon. At the age of forty a small living in the close vicinity of the town increased both his work and his income, and at the age of fifty he became precentor of the cathedral.” -an excerpt

The Waste Land’ is a long poem by T. S. Eliot. It is widely regarded as one of the most important poems of the 20th century and a central work of modernist poetry. Eliot’s poem loosely follows the legend of the Holy Grail and the Fisher King combined with vignettes of contemporary British society. Eliot employs many literary and cultural allusions from the Western canon, Buddhism and the Hindu Upanishads. Because of this, critics and scholars regard the poem as obscure. The poem shifts between voices of satire and prophecy featuring abrupt and unannounced changes of speaker, location, and time and conjuring of a vast and dissonant range of cultures and literatures.

The Way of the World’ is a play written by the English playwright William Congreve. It is widely regarded as one of the best Restoration comedies and is still occasionally performed. At that time, however, the play struck many audience members as continuing the immorality of the previous decades, and it was not well received.

If you were a servant, would you not be ashamed that a good master should catch you idle? Are you then your own master? be ashamed to catch yourself idle, when there is so much to be done for yourself, your famiy, your coutry, and your king. Handle your tools without mittens, remember, that the cat in gloves catches no mice as poor Richard says.

When the Melmottes arrive in London everyone agrees their manners are wanting, their taste is excerable and their lineage and background decidedly shadowy. But their money is far from revolting, and city society quickly makes allowances for the mysterious financier and his family. Soon hearts, minds and family savings are swept into the whirl of Augustus Melmotte’s lavish parties and exciting investment plans – but is it all an elaborate swindle?

The Wedding is an 1889 Russian one-act play by Anton Chekhov.

Emily Sarah Holt was an English novelist who wrote about 50 books, mainly for children. This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process.We have made best efforts that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print.

One of the best known Victorian English novelist Thomas Hardy’s novel ‘The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament’ was written and first serialized in the year 1892, but was published in a complete book form after his last novel was published.

It is the object of the author, by this volume, to place before the people a brief history of the western states and territories through which he traveled in a late long overland tour, together with a sketch of the customs and occupations of the people in all the parts described. A journey by wagon through so much territory, by so many unknown, has furnished the author with knowledge that will be of so much value to persons who think of going West, and more especially to those who intend trying their fortunes in the regions of the setting sun, that he feels himself somewhat in duty bound to reduce it to print. Many fabulous and speculative histories have been written of the same country; and, with prejudiced pens, they have been deceitful records.

I have first described the features of the country; then its vegetation; and next the wild men and the brute creatures which inhabit it. However, I have not been bound by any strict rule in that respect, as my object has been to produce a work calculated to interest the family circle rather than one of scientific pretensions. I have endeavoured to impart, in an attractive manner, information about its physical geography, mineral riches, vegetable productions, and the appearance and customs of the human beings inhabiting it.

Many critics and some friends of Mahatma Gandhi have found fault with his desire to introduce simpler methods of spinning and weaving and to do away with much of the complicated machinery of Modern Civilisation. The reason why they object is that they fear such methods mean not progress towards a higher state but relapse into a primitive condition of civilisation or even of barbarism. His denunciation of the age of machinery and of the Industrial System has been criticised by many as the ravings of a visionary and of one who is merely an impracticable idealist. This is a strange criticism to come from those who give their allegiance to a form of civilisation or ‘Culture’ which has led to the unprecedented horrors of the late European War and the century-old disgraces [pg x] of the Industrial System. Is this present modern civilisation so very desirable that we should wish it to continue in perpetuity?