The author writes:<P>This book began as an expansion of my essay, «H. P. Lovecraft: The Decline of the West,» in The Weird Tale, but very quickly became something quite different, to the degree that the two works have little save the title in common. I have always been interested in Lovecraft the philosopher, and in my Starmont Reader’s Guide to Lovecraft (1982) I attempted a very compressed account of his philosophical views. To treat so complex a thinker as Lovecraft in a few pages was...
What do Superman, Gertrude Stein, the Beatles, Lord Shiva, the Wizard of Oz, and Hermione Granger have in common? They share essential characteristics with iconic detective Sherlock Holmes, explored in Sherlock Holmes is Like: Sixty Comparisons for an Incomparable Character.<P> In his introduction, editor Christopher Redmond says “The essays in this collection are not an analysis of what Sherlock Holmes is like (brilliant, unsociable, hawk-nosed) but rather case studies of whom he can be...
This early work by Otto Jespersen was originally published in the early 20th century and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'Efficiency in Linguistic Change' is an informative work on linguistics and includes chapters on 'Sound-Laws', 'Semantics', 'Glottic', and much more. Otto Jespersen was born in Randers, Denmark on 16th July 1869. He worked as an academic at Copenhagen University and rose to the position of professor of...
Very little is known about the Roman poet and philosopher Titus Lucretius Carus. His birth and death dates are based off of cross-referencing works that mention him, and pieces of evidence derived from his writing, and are believed to be ca. 99 BCE – ca. 54 BCE. «On The Nature of the Universe» is Lucretius' only known work. The goal of the text is to explain Epicurean philosophy to the Roman people. It is addressed to Gaius Memmius, a praetor and patron of Lucretius. Presented in this work...
German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche was one the most controversial figures of the 19th century. His evocative writings on religion, morality, culture, philosophy, and science were often polemic attacks against the established views of his time. First published in 1872, “The Birth of Tragedy” is the author’s classic work on dramatic theory. It was the author’s first published work in which he exhibited his enthusiasm for the dramatic works of Aeschylus and Sophocles. In the dramatic works of...
American writer, philosopher, publisher, and artist, Elbert Hubbard, founded the Roycroft Arts and Crafts community in East Aurora, New York. Hubbard set up a small printing shop next to his family home, where he began printing “The Philistine” magazine. The publication, quite popular in its time, was filled with Hubbard’s sardonic wit, satire and often controversial commentary. An 1899 edition of the magazine included “A Message to Garcia”, an inspirational essay celebrating the initiative of...
American essayist, lecturer, poet, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson was a champion of individualism and major critic of the prevailing society of his time. Emerson forwarded his ideology by publishing dozens of essays and giving over 1500 lectures in the United States during his lifetime. Emerson's philosophy did not espouse any specific tenets but rather promoted generally the principles of individuality, freedom, the ability for humankind to realize almost...
A labor of love taking much of Burton's life to write and revise, «The Anatomy of Melancholy» is an expansive, informative, and eccentric work of genius first published in 1621. Burton was an English churchman and a scholar, and his depth and breadth of knowledge is readily apparent in this inexhaustible book. Through the frame of a medical treatise, Burton begins with melancholy and slowly deals with various mental states, frequently digressing with commentary from a myriad of other...
Alexander Pope (1688-1744) was a gifted poet, literary critic and translator of the Augustan Age, whose powerful poetic satire and perfection of the English heroic couplet makes him one of the most famous and respected poets of all time. Pope embodied eighteenth-century neoclassical ideals like order, beauty, sophisticated wit, and refined moral sentiment. Included in this collection is «The Rape of The Lock», a satirical poem that mocks ancient epics, one of Pope's most famous works. Also...
A labor of love taking much of Burton's life to write and revise, «The Anatomy of Melancholy» is an expansive, informative, and eccentric work of genius first published in 1621. Burton was an English churchman and a scholar, and his depth and breadth of knowledge is readily apparent in this inexhaustible book. Through the frame of a medical treatise, Burton begins with melancholy and slowly deals with various mental states, frequently digressing with commentary from a myriad of other...
Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist who lived during the first century BC. Considered as one of the great minds of ancient Rome, Cicero was also a gifted orator and gave many famous speeches during his political career. In this book you will find Cicero’s treatises on oration including, «The Orator», «A Dialogue Concerning Oratorical Partitions», and «Treatise on the Best Style of Orators». These classic and enduring...