Classic collection of essays. According to Wikipedia: "Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874 - 1936) was an influential English writer of the early 20th century. His prolific and diverse output included journalism, philosophy, poetry, biography, Christian apologetics, fantasy and detective fiction. Chesterton has been called the "prince of paradox." He wrote in an off-hand, whimsical prose studded with startling formulations. For example: "Thieves respect property. They merely wish the property to become their property that they may more perfectly respect it."[2] He is one of the few Christian thinkers who are equally admired and quoted by both liberal and conservative Christians, and indeed by many non-Christians. Chesterton's own theological and political views were far too nuanced to fit comfortably under the "liberal" or "conservative" banner."

Classic collection of satirical essays, including The Feminine Mind, The War Between the Sexes, Marriage, Woman Sufrage, and The New Age. The Introduction begins: "As a professional critic of life and letters, my principal business in the world is that of manufacturing platitudes for tomorrow, which is to say, ideas so novel that they will be instantly rejected as insane and outrageous by all right thinking men, and so apposite and sound that they will eventually conquer that instinctive opposition, and force themselves into the traditional wisdom of the race."

Collection of essays (many of the essays from the collection "Twelve Types", plus more). According to Wikipedia: "Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874 - 1936) was an influential English writer of the early 20th century. His prolific and diverse output included journalism, philosophy, poetry, biography, Christian apologetics, fantasy and detective fiction. Chesterton has been called the "prince of paradox."[1] He wrote in an off-hand, whimsical prose studded with startling formulations. For example: "Thieves respect property. They merely wish the property to become their property that they may more perfectly respect it."[2] He is one of the few Christian thinkers who are equally admired and quoted by both liberal and conservative Christians, and indeed by many non-Christians. Chesterton's own theological and political views were far too nuanced to fit comfortably under the "liberal" or "conservative" banner."

According to Wikipedia: "Robert Louis (Balfour) Stevenson ( 1850 - 1894), was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of Neo-romanticism in English literature. He was the man who "seemed to pick the right word up on the point of his pen, like a man playing spillikins", as G. K. Chesterton put it. He was also greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling, Vladimir Nabokov, and J. M. Barrie. Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their definition of modernism. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the canon."

The author's journals. Both volumes in a single file. According to Wikipedia: "Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804 –1864) was an American novelist and short story writer... Much of Hawthorne's writing centers around New England and many feature moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His fiction works are considered part of the Romantic movement and, more specifically, dark romanticism. His themes often center on the inherent evil and sin of humanity and his works often have moral messages and deep psychological complexity. His published works include novels, short stories, and a biography of his friend Franklin Pierce."

Volume 12 of the Chronicles of America Series. According to Wikipedia: "Washington is seen as a symbol of the United States and republicanism in practice. His devotion to civic virtue made him an exemplary figure among early American politicians. Washington died in 1799, and in his funeral oration, Henry Lee said that of all Americans, he was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." Washington has been consistently ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents."

Collection of essays, including The Class Struggle, The Tramp, The Scab, The Question of the Maximum, A Review, Wanted: A New Land of Development, and How I Became a Socialist. According to Wikipedia: "Jack London (1876 – 1916) was an American author who wrote The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and The Sea Wolf along with many other popular books. A pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction, he was one of the first Americans to make a lucrative career exclusively from writing."

Collection of stories and essays. According to Wikipedia: "Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874 ? 1936) was an influential English writer of the early 20th century. His prolific and diverse output included journalism, philosophy, poetry, biography, Christian apologetics, fantasy and detective fiction. Chesterton has been called the "prince of paradox."[1] He wrote in an off-hand, whimsical prose studded with startling formulations. For example: "Thieves respect property. They merely wish the property to become their property that they may more perfectly respect it."[2] He is one of the few Christian thinkers who are equally admired and quoted by both liberal and conservative Christians, and indeed by many non-Christians. Chesterton's own theological and political views were far too nuanced to fit comfortably under the "liberal" or "conservative" banner. "

Popular collection of essays, first published in 1919. According to Wikipedia: "Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish writer, poet, and prominent aesthete who, after writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. Today he is remembered for his epigrams, plays and the tragedy of his imprisonment, followed by his early death."

Conrad's summaries, prefaces, and ruminations about his books. According to Wikipedia: "Joseph Conrad (1857 – 1924) was a Polish-born English novelist. Many critics regard him as one of the greatest novelists in the English language—a fact that is remarkable, as he did not learn to speak English fluently until he was in his twenties (and always with a strong Polish accent). He became a naturalized British subject in 1886. Conrad is recognized as a master prose stylist. Some of his works have a strain of romanticism, but more importantly he is recognized as an important forerunner of modernist literature. His narrative style and anti-heroic characters have influenced many writers, including Ernest Hemingway, D. H. Lawrence, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Graham Greene, William S. Burroughs, Joseph Heller, V.S. Naipaul, Italo Calvino and J. M. Coetzee."

Proiectul acestei cri m frmnta de mai muli ani. n ultimul timp am tot cutat motivaii pentru care o asemenea carte merit s fie scris. Iat ce am gsit.n primul rnd, chiar dac printr-o fereastr foarte ngust, ea este o mrturie a ultimilor 20 de ani. Conine o frm din istoria acestor dou decenii, mici instantanee ale devenirii Romniei dup 1989.n al doilea rnd, exist n mintea fiecrui romn – i aici m includ i pe mine – preconcepia c toate afacerile postrevoluionare sunt mnjite, nscute din privatizri dubioase sau dezvoltate la umbra unor reele de influen care-i ntind rdcinile n era comunist. Povestea din aceast carte arta contrariul. S-au putut constitui i iniiative independente i curate, cum sunt convins c mai exist cu miile. Povestea de fa poate fi o contribuie la schimbarea de mentalitate, att de necesar pentru intrarea n normalitate.“ (Mihail Penescu)

Cum ?i-au crescut regii britanici copiii din 1066 p?n? ?n prezent Lumea ?ntreag? a fost uimit? c?nd Prin?esa Diana s-a dovedit a fi o mam? bun? ?i afectuoas?. Ea a constituit o excep?ie: Familia Regal? a Marii Britanii este cunoscut? mai cur?nd pentru rela?iile reci ?i chiar tensionate dintre genera?iile de p?rin?i ?i copii. ?nc? din vremea Reginei Victoria ?i a Regelui George al VI-lea, p?rin?ii ?i-au exprimat ?n mod f??i? dezam?girea fa?? de mo?tenitori. David Cohen folose?te materiale noi ?i documente descoperite recent, ce dateaz? ?nc? din vremea dinastiei Tudor, ?i realizeaz? ?n Educa?ia regal? o combina?ie captivant? ?ntre istorie ?i telenovel?. ?O bog??ie de anecdote – de la lec?iile de scrim? p?n? la faptul c? Prin?ul Charles a avut valet de la v?rsta de trei ani.“

O carte-eveniment, alc?tuit? din dialoguri cu Ana Blandiana, Nicolae Breban, Augustin Buzura, Ion Iano?i, Gabriela Melinescu, Irina Petra?, Dumitru Radu Popa, Alex ?tef?nescu ?i Ion Vianu. Un manual indirect de istorie, realizat de cunoscuta scriitoare (romanciera, poeta ?i eseista) ?n baza m?rturiilor unor oameni de cultur? de prima m?n?, posibile modele europene, care – ?n falsa tranzi?ie interminabil? – aleg, iar ?i iar, voca?ia, atipica meserie de scriitor, r?m?n?nd – martori impar?iali ?i aten?i – mereu ?n prim plan. O carte extrem de dens?, actual?, un fragment dintr-o posibil? istorie a mentalit??ilor. ?Aceast? carte a ap?rut din nevoia de prietenie; a fost adunat?, treptat-treptat, ?n ritmurile felului meu de a fi, uneori-adeseori, catastrofic de ?ncet. Interlocutorii mi i-am ales, i-am c?utat, am ?ncercat s?-i "tachinez" cu ?ntreb?ri, temele discu?iilor converg?nd, firesc, de fiecare dat?, spre o arie de preocup?ri, care ne unesc mai mult dec?t ne despart. Fie ca dialog?m cu Ion Iano?i, fie cu Nicolae Breban, fie cu Ana Blandiana, fie cu Augustin Buzura, fie cu un alt interlocutor, de fiecare dat?, voiam s? aflu – folosind ca instrument, iar uneori ca arm? (din apanajul retoricii, de buna seam?) ?ntreb?rile; unele dintre acestea, da, naive, st?ngace, ?n schimb vii, mereu vii! – cum a rezistat fiecare dintre ei, cum a reu?it s?-?i construiasc? un destin, cum a izbutit s? fie, sa r?m?n? el ?nsu?i/ea ?ns??i ?i s? nu se pr?bu?easc?, cum a izbutit fiecare s? nu renun?e la lupta pentru sine ?nsu?i, pentru cultura rom?n?? Cu unele dintre personajele acestei c?r?i – dac? acceptam ca fiecare scriitor e un personaj, iar literatura este o singur? carte unic? – vreau s? cred c? m-am ?mprietenit, descoperindu-le, redescoperindu-le de fiecare dat?; ?mi place s? cred c? fiecare, aproape fiecare dintre invita?ii mei – ?ntr-un fel sau altul – m-a marcat, m-a f?cut s? m? reapropii altminteri de literatur?, de lectur?, de carte, s? v?d altminteri c?teva lucruri nelipsite pentru mine de greutate, sau – ?i mai important ! – m-a ajutat (uneori, f?r? s? ?tie!) sa r?m?n aceea?i, adic? s? nu m? schimb. Adesea, c?ut?nd prezen?a scriitorilor, de fapt c?utam o calitate la care ?ntunecat?, ?ntortocheat? de mine ajunge greu, c?teodat?, foarte greu: senin?tatea. Apoi… c?utam oameni de litere vii, scriitori ?n carne ?i oase – cum spuneam ?n adolescen??, ?i, iat?, mai spun ?i la cei circa patruzeci de ani – c?rora nu le este str?in cultul prieteniei, cultul voca?iei, cultul lucrului bine f?cut, al lucrului "rotund", cum afirm? un personaj din unul din romanele mele. Apoi… da, nu ascund, c?utam ceea ce se nume?te "complicitate" ?ntr-o lume cultural? postdecembrist? pestri?-amar?, desp?r?it? ?n grupuri, biserici, pui de catedrale. Marea majoritate a protagoni?tilor acestei c?rti de altminteri sunt mari lupi singuratici; ?i mi-a f?cut pl?cere s?-i ?ndemn s? vorbeasc? despre felul ?n care trateaz? solitudinea, via?a, literatura, contemporaneitatea. (Aura Christi)

n lucrarea sa, care a ctigat premiul Pulitzer n 1981, Robert K. Massie prezint detaliat viaa acestui captivant personaj istoric i evideniaz evenimentele cruciale care au transformat un biat ntr-o legend, inclusiv cltoriile sale incognito prin Europa, curiozitatea sa de nepotolit fa de obiceiurile occidentale, obsesia pentru mare i constituirea mreei flote ruseti, modul n care a creat o armat de nenvins i relaiile sale cu cei pe care i-a iubit cel mai mult: Ecaterina, iubita sa tandr, i Menikov, prinul fermector i lipsit de scrupule care a ajuns la putere prin intermediul prieteniei cu Petru. Un loc special n carte l ocup relaia dificil a lui Petru cu fiul su Aleksei, care a fost judecat i condamnat la moarte n 1718. Autorul nu neglijeaz nici viaa politic, social, cultural i religioas din Rusia pe parcursul jumtii secunde a secolului al XVII-lea i primei pri a secolului al XVIII-lea. Astfel, Massie i conduce cititorii n lumea ruseasc medieval i premodern schimbat iremediabil, uneori n mod violent, de reformele iniiate de monarhul autocrat Petru cel Mare. Fie c sunt schimbri care au afectat n primul rnd individul, precum obligativitatea tierii brbilor, sau iniiative care au vizat consolidarea forei statului, de exemplu, nfiinarea marinei ruseti i a Sankt-Petersburgului, reorganizarea administrativ inspirat de modelul occidental, toate acestea au transformat Rusia medieval ntr-un stat modern. n acelai timp, multe dintre reformele din timpul lui Petru au avut o influen ndelungat asupra societii ruseti. Cartea lui Massie nu ofer doar o perspectiv intern a societii ruseti, ci urmrete i aciunile lui Petru n planul politicii externe, la nivel european sau chiar global. Astfel, dou dintre cele cinci seciuni ale lucrrii se ocup de relaiile Rusiei cu celelalte state europene. Poate cel mai important conflict din timpul domniei lui Petru a fost cel mpotriva Suediei. n urma Marelui Rzboi Nordic (1700-1721), Rusia a obinut o serie de teritorii (Estonia, Livonia i Ingria). Totodat, deznodmntul acestui lung rzboi a nsemnat i ascensiunea Rusiei la rangul de putere continental. Pe plan militar, ns, domnia lui Petru nu a fost scutit de eecuri. Campania arului din Moldova, pornit mpotriva Imperiului Otoman, s-a terminat prin nfrngerea de la Stnileti (1711). Nu de puine ori, autorul american i aduce n prim-plan pe actorii politici importani din Europa sfritului secolului al XVIII-lea i nceputului secolului al XVIII-lea. Regi, comandani militari, nobili, toi sunt prezentai cititorilor, care pot astfel nelege mai bine aciunile sau atitudinile lor. arul Aleksei, tatl lui Petru, Ludovic al XIV-lea, Wilhelm de Orania, Carol al XII-lea, Augustus de Saxonia, ducele de Marlborough, prinul Eugeniu de Savoia sau feldmarealul Rehnskild se numr printre figurile ilustre descrise de Massie. De regul, atunci cnd analizeaz anumite perioade, istoricii pun accentul pe rolul proceselor i al fenomenelor de lung durat, lsnd cumva n umbr personalitile excepionale. Tocmai pentru a sugera impactul lui Petru cel Mare asupra istoriei Rusiei, n special, putem face apel la istoria contrafactual i s ne ntrebm: Cum ar fi artat Rusia contemporan dac n-ar fi existat Petru cel Mare

According to Wikipedia: "Walter Horatio Pater (4 August 1839 - 30 July 1894) was an English essayist and critic of art and literary critic....his study of "Aesthetic Poetry" appeared in the Fortnightly Review, to be succeeded by essays on Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, Pico della Mirandola and Michelangelo. These, with other similar studies, were collected in his Studies in the History of the Renaissance in 1873. Pater, now at the centre of a small but interesting circle in Oxford, gained respect in London and elsewhere, numbering the Pre-Raphaelites among his friends.... by the time his philosophical novel Marius the Epicurean appeared, he had gathered quite a following. This, his chief contribution to literature, was published early in 1885. In it Pater displays, with fullness and elaboration, his ideal of the aesthetic life, his cult of beauty as opposed to bare asceticism, and his theory of the stimulating effect of the pursuit of beauty as an ideal of its own. The principles of what would be known as the Aesthetic movement were partly traceable to Pater and his effect was particularly felt on one of the movement's leading proponents, Oscar Wilde, a former student of Pater at Oxford. In 1887 he published Imaginary Portraits, a series of essays in philosophic fiction; Appreciations, with an Essay on Style was published in 1889 with a revised second edition in 1890; in 1893, Plato and Platonism; and in 1894, The Child in the House. His Greek Studies and his Miscellaneous Studies were collected posthumously in 1895; his romance Gaston de Latour appeared posthumously in 1896; and his essays from The Guardian were privately printed in 1897."

According to Wikipedia: "Washington is seen as a symbol of the United States and republicanism in practice. His devotion to civic virtue made him an exemplary figure among early American politicians. Washington died in 1799, and in his funeral oration, Henry Lee said that of all Americans, he was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." Washington has been consistently ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents."

According to Wikipedia: "William Godwin (3 March 1756 – 7 April 1836) was an English journalist, political philosopher and novelist. He is considered one of the first exponents of utilitarianism, and one of the first modern proponents of anarchism. Godwin is most famous for two books that he published within the space of a year: An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, an attack on political institutions, and Things as They Are or The Adventures of Caleb Williams, which attacks aristocratic privilege, but also is virtually the first mystery novel. Based on the success of both, Godwin featured prominently in the radical circles of London in the 1790s. In the ensuing conservative reaction to British radicalism, Godwin was attacked, in part because of his marriage to the pioneering feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft in 1797 and his candid biography of her after her death; their child, Mary Godwin (later Mary Shelley) would go on to author Frankenstein and marry the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Godwin wrote prolifically in the genres of novels, history and demography throughout his lifetime."

Classic biography of Lincoln, first published in 1899. According to Wikipedia: "According to Wikipedia: "Abraham Lincoln is a 2-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln written by John Torrey Morse (1840-1937). Originally published in 1893, the New York times found it to be "for its scope, admirable. It will even stand up and appear respectable in the most distinguished company of Lincoln biographies that might be assembled." The author is "a sane biographer, who brings to the task of writing about Lincoln a mind that aspires to see clear and think straight, instead of one held slavishly subject to a heart's desire to make Lincoln out a hero without fault or blemish." The Atlantic Monthly noted that Morse had "attempted a bit of scientific painting and not a portraiture to the life. The book is a criticism, consequently, rather than an appreciation." They also noted that Morse concentrates mostly on the five years that Lincoln was in office... In 1987, Gabor Boritt noted that Morse was the first biographer to have "fully exemplified as well as diagnosed the above ailment [the schism between the self-serving, not very admirable politician that Lincoln was up until 1860 versus the later "unparalleled greatness"]." Morse has written of "the insoluble problem of two men - two lives - one following the other with no visible link... we have physically one creature, morally and mentally two beings."

This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘The Deserted Woman by Honoré de Balzac - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Collected Works of Honoré de Balzac’. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Balzac includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily. eBook features: * The complete unabridged text of ‘The Deserted Woman by Honoré de Balzac - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ * Beautifully illustrated with images related to Balzac’s works * Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook * Excellent formatting of the text Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles

First published in 1901. According to Wikipedia: "Jessie Laidlay Weston (1850–1928) was an independent scholar and folklorist, working mainly on mediaeval Arthurian texts. Her best-known work is From Ritual to Romance (1920). In it she brought to bear an analysis harking back to James George Frazer on the Grail legend, arguing for origins earlier than the Christian or Celtic sources conventionally discussed at the time. It was cited by T. S. Eliot in his notes to The Waste Land. (He later claimed that the notes as a whole were ironic in intention, and the extent of Weston's actual influence on the poem is unclear. Eliot also indicated that the notes were requested by the publisher to bulk out the length of the poem in book form, calling them "bogus scholarship".) It also caused her to be dismissed as a theosophist by F. L. Lucas, in a hostile review of Eliot's poem. The interpretation of the Grail quest as mystical and connected to self-realisation, which she added to the anthropological layer of reading, was to become increasingly popular during the 1920s. According to Richard Barber in The Holy Grail: Imagination and Belief, the Wasteland as theme in the Grail romances is of minor importance until the last works of the cycle, and the emphasis on fertility is "an interpretation which has haunted twentieth-century literature to a degree quite disproportionate to its basis in fact"... While Weston's work on the Grail theme has been derided as fanciful speculation in the years since the publication of From Ritual to Romance (even one-time supporter Roger Sherman Loomis eventually abandoned her hypothesis), her editions of numerous medieval romances have been commended as valuable translations"

This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘Midwinter by John Buchan - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Complete Works of John Buchan’. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Buchan includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily. eBook features: * The complete unabridged text of ‘Midwinter by John Buchan - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ * Beautifully illustrated with images related to Buchan’s works * Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook * Excellent formatting of the text Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles