literaryaccess.com publishes a diverse and intelligent nonfiction corpus, including many works of political and social history.
Nonfiction
Anthologies
Eliot, Charles W ., ed. 1909-17. The Harvard Classics and Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction .
The most popular anthology of the twentieth century comprises 70 volumes.
Bryan, William Jennings , ed. 1906. The World's Famous Orations .
Two millennia of Western Civilization come into focus through these 281 masterpieces by 213 rhetoricians.
American Historical Documents : 1000-1904. 1909-17.
47 works trace the United States from the settling of the continent to early twentieth-century international relations.
English Essays from Sir Philip Sidney to Macaulay . 1909-17.
Four centuries of the development of English prose are illustrated by 24 works from 17 authors.
Essays: English and American . 1909-17.
Twelve nineteenth-century authors on topics biographical, literary and philosophical.
Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States . 1989.
Illustrated and annotated edition of all Inaugural addresses from George Washington to George W. Bush.
Literary and Philosophical Essays . 1909-17.
Thirteen works of seven continental authors spanning three centuries.
Matthews, Brander , ed. 1914. The Oxford Book of American Essays .
Thirty-two essays on topics literary, political and humorous, spanning over a century of this form's development in America.
Morley, Christopher , ed. 1921. Modern Essays .
Thirty-three personal essays by such twentieth-century greats as Milne, Kilmer, Conrad, Beerbohm and Santayana.
Scientific Papers . 1909-17.
Illustrated lectures by the fathers of the core sciences.
Voyages and Travels . 1909-17.
Seven accounts from the ancient fathers of historical prose to the great Elizabethan explorers.
Volumes
Adams, Henry . 1918. The Education of Henry Adams .
An honest and probing reflection of one man's life in relation to the world around him.
Augustine, Saint . 1909-14. The Confessions of St. Augustine .
The autobiography of the great defender of the Church.
Bacon, Francis
1909-14. Essays, Civil and Moral .
Whether turning a phrase or observing the politics of the day, the Essays epitomize Bacon as the master of English prose.
1909-14. The New Atlantis .
This account of an ideal state reveals both practical methods and unique fantasy.
The Bible . 1999. King James Version .
The culmination of English translations of the Bible by the American Bible Society.
1909-14. Job , Psalms , Ecclesiastes , Luke & Acts .
From the American Standard Edition of the Revised Bible.
Bok, Edward . 1921. The Americanization of Edward Bok .
Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiography of an influential publisher and editor.
Browne, Thomas, Sir . 1909-14. Religio Medici .
A personal essay reconciling the religious and scientific life.
Burke, Edmund
1909-14. A Letter to a Noble Lord .
A personal defense from the master of prosaic irony.
1909-14. On Taste .
The introductory discourse to On the Sublime and Beautiful.
1909-14. On the Sublime and Beautiful .
This aesthetic treatise was an advance in the uniting of philosophy with psychology.
1909-14. Reflections on the French Revolution .
The prophetic warning against the pulling down of all that is good in society with the bad.
Carlyle, Thomas
1909-14. Characteristics .
A seminal work of Romantic interpretation.
1909-14. Inaugural Address at Edinburgh .
A clear statement of Carlyle's moral passions.
1909-14. Sir Walter Scott .
One of Carlyle's many essays extolling great men.
Cellini, Benvenuto . 1909-14. Autobiography .
The honest if self-aggrandized life of the epitomal Renaissance man.
Cicero
1909-14. On Friendship & On Old Age .
The master of prose exemplifies the pragmatism of the philosopher's mind applied to the human condition.
1909-14. Letters .
The epistles of the great orator and politician offer both personal insight and policy initiative.
Confucius. 1909-14. The Sayings of Confucius .
500 verses attributed to the ancient Chinese teacher.
Darwin, Charles
1909-14. The Origin of Species .
The revolutionary theory of evolution.
1909-14. The Voyage of the Beagle .
Popular account of a five-year journey of geological, botanical, biological and paleontological observation.
Descartes, René . 1909-14. Discourse on Method .
The work that would sweep away accepted truths to create the foundation of modern thought.
Du Bois, W.E.B . 1903. The Souls of Black Folk .
W.E.B. Du Bois sets out to show to the reader "the strange meaning of being black here in the dawning of the Twentieth Century."
Einstein, Albert . 1920. Relativity : The Special and General Theory.
Professor Einstein follows a "train" of thought with a Socratic style that provides the reader "a few happy hours of suggestive thought."
Eliot, T.S . 1920. The Sacred Wood .
Eliot's collection of essays on poetry and criticism.
Emerson, Ralph Waldo . 1909-14. Essays and English Traits .
Epitomal works demonstrate the genius of the father of the American Renaissance.
Epictetus . 1909-14. The Golden Sayings of Epictetus .
Like those of Socrates and Christ, these aphorisms were transcribed by the disciples of the great Stoic.
Franklin, Benjamin . 1909-14. His Autobiography : 1706-1757.
The cornerstone of the Harvard Classics and Franklin's account of his journey of self-education.
Froissart, Jean . 1909-14. The Chronicles of Froissart .
Historical account of battles of the Hundred Year's War
Grant, Ulysses S . 1885-86. Personal Memoirs .
Among the greatest of military memoirs, Grant wrote to the last month of life to restore his family fortunes.
Harrison, William. 1909-14. A Description of Elizabethan England .
Observations and comments on life in pre-Elizabethan England.
Hobbes, Thomas . 1909-14. Of Man, Being the First Part of Leviathan .
The analogy of the physical body to the body politic.
Jusserand, Jean Jules . 1916. With Americans of Past and Present Days .
Seven Pulitzer Prize-winning biographical vignettes trace U.S.-French relations.
Lincoln, Abraham . 1897. Political Debates Between Lincoln and Douglas .
The seven masterpieces of debate on the evil of slavery.
Marcus Aurelius . 1909-14. The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius .
This Roman Stoic hands down the day-to-day principles on which an all-powerful Emperor ruled for the welfare of the people.
Mill, John Stuart
1909-14. Autobiography .
The honest and heart-felt account of the tortured philosopher's education.
1869. On Liberty ; 1909-14. On Liberty .
This timeless essay addresses points on civil liberties that resonate into our twenty-first century world.
Milton, John
1909-14. Areopagitica .
Responds to attempts of the day to "license," or ban, religious and political writings.
1909-14. Tractate on Education .
A personal epistle aimed at the training of youth in the classic and poetic traditions as well as the future of scientific studies.
Paine, Thomas . 1776. Common Sense .
An instant bestseller, this popular pamphlet set the foundation for the "Declaration of Independence."
Penn, William . 1909-14. Fruits of Solitude .
The aphorisms of the founder of Pennsylvania published anonymously so as not to be reimprisoned for disloyalty.
Plato . 1909-14. The Apology, Phædo and Crito .
Three dialogues that epitomize the Socratic question-and-answer style turned philosophy.
Pliny the Younger . 1909-14. Letters .
A glimpse into the daily life of a Roman patrician.
Plutarch . 1909-14. Lives .
Biographies of Greeks and Romans aimed more at the kernel of a man than the facts of his life.
Reed, John . 1922. Ten Days That Shook the World .
The first-person chronicle of a legendary journalist at the flashpoint of the Russian Revolution.
Rhodes, James Ford . 1917. History of the Civil War , 1861-1865.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning chronicle for the general reader of four bloody years that stemmed from the practice of slavery.
Riis, Jacob
1890. How the Other Half Lives .
Through sensationalist prose and photography, Riis reveals the appalling living conditions in the Lower East Side of turn-of-the-century New York City.
1902. The Battle with the Slum .
Sequel to How the Other Half Lives.
1904. Theodore Roosevelt, the Citizen .
Biography by Roosevelt's lifelong friend and co-worker.
Roosevelt, Theodore
1899. The Rough Riders .
Roosevelt's memoir of his adventures, triumphs and defeats in the Spanish-American War.
1885. Hunting Trips of a Ranchman .
Roosevelt's ode to the beauty, vigor and challenges of the Dakota Badlands and the frontier life.
1919. Letters to His Children .
This endearing collection contains more than twenty years of Roosevelt's loving correspondence with his children.
1896. Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail .
Roosevelt records the joyous experiences on his ranch in the Dakota Territories, with over ninety unique illustrations by Frederic Remington.
1913. An Autobiography .
The life that formed one of the greatest and outspoken Presidents in American history.
1913. History as Literature .
Covers such topics as modern art, the pursuit of scholarship, science and history, and the poetry of Dante.
1916. A Book-Lover's Holidays in the Open .
Essays encouraging the average person to cross the line of comfortable and traditional travel to discover the vitality of outdoor life.
1900. The Strenuous Life .
Commentaries and public addresses on what is necessary for a vital and healthy political, social and individual life.
1906. New York .
"A sketch of the city's social, political, and commercial progress from the first Dutch settlement to recent times."
1914. Through the Brazilian Wilderness .
Biographical account of hunting, camping and "zoogeographical reconnoissance" with his son Kermit.
1919. Theodore Roosevelt .
An "intimate biography" by Charles Roscoe Thayer.
1920. A Bibliography of Theodore Roosevelt .
John Wheelock's comprehensive bibliography of Theodore Roosevelt's writings to 1920.
Rousseau, Jean Jacques
1909-14. On the Inequality among Mankind .
The movers of the French Revolution would embrace the ideas elaborated herein.
1909-14. Profession of Faith of a Savoyard Vicar .
One statement of Rousseau's principles of religious faith.
Sanger, Margaret . 1920. Woman and the New Race .
Manifesto and chronicle of the crusader for women's reproductive rights.
Smith, Adam . 1909-14. Wealth of Nations .
The first complete system of political economy by the articulator of laissez-faire capitalism.
Strachey, Lytton . 1918. Eminent Victorians .
Four artful "Victorian visions" that revolutionized the biography.
Thomas à Kempis . 1909-14. The Imitation of Christ .
This pastiche of biblical and Catholic passages remains the most influential of Christian devotional writings.
Van Doren, Carl . 1921. The American Novel .
Historical treatment of the development of the "Great American Novel."
Voltaire . 1909-14. Letters on the English .
An examination of the English free thinkers, scientists, religion and government.
Walton, Izaak . 1909-14. The Lives of John Donne and George Herbert .
Two of a handful of short biographies by the subjects' fellow divine and fishing companion.
Washington, Booker T . 1901. Up from Slavery .
This autobiographical work reveals a forceful and potent voice in the fight for African-American equality from a century ago.
Wells, H.G . 1922. A Short History of the World .
Wells's tribute to "the needs of the busy general reader who wishes to refresh and repair his faded or fragmentary conceptions of the great adventure of mankind."
Whitman, Walt . 1892. Prose Works .
The Good Gray Poet also contributed to the greatest prose of American letters with his war diaries, Prefaces and Democratic Vistas.
Wollstonecraft, Mary . 1792. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman .
The first great feminist treatise.
Woolman, John . 1909-14. The Journal of John Woolman .
Exemplifies the inner life of the Society of Friends and the first crusade against slavery in the Americas.