Essays & Short Works
- Philosophical Travelogues
- Essays on Society and Culture
- Essays for Personal Growth
- Explorations in Science and Thought
- Explorations in Psychology
- Political Essays and Reflections
- Political Essays and Manifestos
- Philosophical Essays on Existence
Orthodoxy
"Orthodoxy," a series of essays by Gilbert Keith Chesterton. First published in 1908.
"The only possible excuse for this boo…
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
The Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding is a shortened and simplified version of Hume's masterpiece A Treatise of Human Nature. It sough…
The Enchiridion of Epictetus
Epictetus (Greek: Επίκτητος; c.55–c.135) was a Greek Stoic philosopher. The name given by his parents, if one was given, is not known - the …
The Art of Divine Contentment
"The Art of Divine Contentment" is an exposition by the Puritan minister Thomas Watson of the text found in Philippians 4:11: &quo…
The Profits of Religion
"The Profits of Religion: An Essay in Economic Interpretation" is a non-fiction book, first published in 1917, by the American nov…
The Way to Will-Power
"The Way to Will-Power" is far from a standard self-help book. With ample wit and an occasionally sardonic tone, American journali…
The Wealth of Nations
The Wealth of Nations is a foundational text in economics, penned by Scottish philosopher Adam Smith during the transformative period of the…
What I Saw in America
In What I Saw in America, G. K. Chesterton offers a unique perspective on the American landscape, culture, and spirit through a series of in…
Ways of Wood Folk
Late nineteenth-century naturalist William J. Long invites us in to the secret worlds of the woodland animals. Containing Long's own animal …
The Federalist Papers
The Federalist Papers (correctly known as The Federalist) are a series of 85 articles advocating the ratification of the United States Const…
What's Wrong With the World
Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936) has been called the “prince of paradox.” Time magazine observed of his writing style: “Whenever possibl…
Nature
First published anonymously in 1836, Nature marks the beginning both of Emerson’s literary career and the Transcendentalist movement. Asking…
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) is best known for A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, in which she argued that women are not naturally inferior…
Secret Chambers and Hiding Places
“Secret Chambers and Hiding Places” is a collection of concealments and their uses, almost all within England, although a very few passages …
Letters of Pliny
The largest surviving body of Pliny's work is his Epistulae (Letters), a series of personal missives directed to his friends, associates and…
Pragmatism
'Pragmatism' contains a series of public lectures held by William James in Boston 1906–7. James provides a popularizing outline of his view …
Common Sense
Thomas Paine has a claim to the title The Father of the American Revolution because of Common Sense, the pro-independence monograph pamphlet…
Old Times on the Mississippi
Old Times on the Mississippi offers a vivid glimpse into the life and culture along the Mississippi River as seen through the eyes of Mark T…
On the Duty of Civil Disobedience
Civil Disobedience (Resistance to Civil Government) is an essay by American transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau that was first published i…
The Art of Controversy
The Art of Controversy (or The Art of Being Right) (Die Kunst, Recht zu Behalten) is a short treatise written in 1831 by the German philosop…