Showing results by narrator "Adriel Brandt" in All Categories

Distinguished author of Mortal Questions and The View from Nowhere sets forth the central problems of philosophical inquiry for the beginning student. Arguing that the best way to learn about philosophy is to think about its questions directly, Thomas Nagel considers possible solutions to nine problems - knowledge of the world beyond our minds, knowledge of other minds, the mind-body problem, free will, the basis of morality, right and wrong, the nature of death, the meaning of life, and the meaning of words.  

Hailed upon publication as a cogent and hard-hitting critique, The Sociological Imagination took issue with the ascendant schools of sociology in the United States, calling for a humanist sociology connecting the social, personal, and historical dimensions of our lives. The sociological imagination Mills calls for is a sociological vision, a way of looking at the world that can see links between the apparently private problems of the individual and important social issues. 

Faust is a tragic play in two parts that reworks the late medieval myth of a brilliant but disillusioned scholar who makes a deal with the devil. Faust is considered by many to be Goethe's masterpiece and the greatest work of German literature. Part I sets out Faust’s despair, his pact with Mephistopheles, and his love for Gretchen. Part II deals with Faust’s life at court, the wooing and winning of Helen of Troy, and his purification and redemption. 

The Lesser Key of Solomon is a “grimoire” or guide to magic, consisting of materials and texts from ancient sources. Parts of the content can be traced back to the 16th century when manuscripts like The Office of Spirits appeared and when occult researchers such as Cornelius Agrippa and Johannes Trithemius wrote about their discoveries. The Lesser Key of Solomon has seen several editions by various authors.

The Greater Key of Solomon is a compilation of Solomonic magic drawn from various manuscripts of the 15th to 17th centuries. Book I provides conjurations, invocations, and curses to summon and constrain spirits and demons in order to compel them to do the conjuror's will. It also describes how to find lost items, become invisible, or gain favor with someone. Book II describes purification rituals which the occultist should undergo, how to dress for magical practices, and how to construct the necessary implements used in these rituals. 

Wallace Delois Wattles (1860-1911) was a New Thought author who researched the writings of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Ralph Waldo Emerson, and recommended the study of their books to those who wished to understand the monistic theory of the cosmos. Wattles’ "The Science of" Trilogy comprises books on attaining and maintaining good health, creating wealth and being the best that you can be. 

Wealthy aristocrat Edward and his wife, Charlotte, invite The Captain, Edward’s childhood friend, and Charlotte’s niece, Ottilie, to their estate near Weimar. The Captain and Charlotte fall in love, as do Edward and Ottilie, who do not hesitate to consummate their infatuation; the results include infanticide, suicide by starvation, and death from a mysterious illness.

Theodore Roosevelt began this 1899 speech with his thesis: “I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life.” He discusses how the many hardships of his life shaped him for the better. Roosevelt believed that if Americans wished to succeed in the world, they would need to embrace the virtue of hard work. He applied this same belief to foreign affairs, stating that America must establish itself as a powerful military force and exert this power when necessary.   

Hardin was an average man - except for his above average gunlighting. A Texan sympathizer to slavery writes about his deeds during life. Some of these deeds are commendable, while some are downright deplorable - just like any other man. 

 A New Christ, the first book by the inspirational author Wallace D. Wattles, is an attempt to ascertain by scientific study what Jesus was, how he lived, and what he taught. Wattles explains that in the common concept of Christ that arose in the Middle Ages, he was held up as a weak and meek figure who was despised. The author quotes from scripture to show that he was educated, that he had a commanding presence, and that he was not humble in the way the church portrays him.  

 Faust is a tragic play in two parts that reworks the late medieval myth of a brilliant but disillusioned scholar who makes a deal with the devil. it is widely considered to be Goethe's masterpiece and the greatest work of German literature. The novel Elective Affinities is the story of Eduard and Charlotte, an aristocratic couple enjoying an idyllic but rather dull life on their rural estate. They invite the Captain, Eduard's childhood friend, and Ottilie, the orphaned niece of Charlotte, to live with them, with tragic results. 

Fans of cosmic horror will have much to sup on in these eight tales. The supernatural intrudes upon a wedding; a pier becomes the site of tragedy; a collapsed building is only the start of the nightmare for those trapped in the ruins; a scientist makes the discovery of a lifetime, only to find out that what he’s unearthed has dire consequences not only for himself, but for all of mankind.

Parzival is a medieval epic poem written by the knight-poet Wolfram von Eschenbach. It is divided into 16 books, each composed of several 30-line stanzas of rhyming couplets. Regarded as one of the literary masterpieces of the Middle Ages, the romantic poem commonly dated to the early part of the 13th century. The verse narrative focuses on the Arthurian hero Parzival and his long quest for the Holy Grail after his initial failure to achieve it.

A selection of Robert Browning's dramatic monologues.

Samuel Smiles (1812-1904) was a Scottish author and reformer who advocated for radical causes ranging from women's suffrage to free trade to parliamentary reform. The Huguenots in France, chronicles the persecution of the Protestants in France after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. While many of the Huguenots fled the country, others suffered persecution at the hands of the crown, the army, and the church. This work documents many specific incidents of persecution.

King Arthur of England is the figure of the Good Ruler at the heart of the Arthurian legends, and the myths surrounding his life have been recounted in endless stories. This collection includes 13 of the best-loved legends of the King and his Knights of the Round Table. It includes the tales of how the young Arthur pulled a sword from a stone.

Captain Dave Murray and the crew of the Algonquin disappear from Earth’s solar system during a vital Space Colonization Agency mission, and find themselves reemerging light years away in a crowded planetary system with no weapons, no supplies, and no way to return home. Through first contact scenarios, the captain and crew discover the Graviscape, the only energy field that traverses all space-time dimensions. When properly modulated, data and even matter can be transported at faster-than-light speeds giving them a potential option to get home.

The work comprises Villehardouin's "Conquest of Constantinople", which recounts the controversial Fourth Crusade, which descended into an attack on the Eastern Christians of Byzantium. In "Life of Saint Louis", Joinville draws on his friendship with King Louis IX of France to describe the campaigns in the Holy Land. 

A Tramp Abroad (1880) by Mark Twain is a travel journal which includes autobiography and fictional events. The book chronicles a journey by the author and his friend Harris through central and southern Europe. The two men make their way through Germany, Switzerland, eastern France, and Italy, encountering situations that become more humorous by their reactions to them. The narrator plays the part of the American tourist, believing that he understands all that he sees but in reality understanding none of it.

 Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men by the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau was originally written for an essay competition run by the Dijon Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1754. The question was, "What is the origin of inequality among men, and is it authorized by the natural law?" Rousseau's text is divided into four main parts: a dedication, preface, an extended inquiry into the nature of the individual, and another inquiry into the evolution of the human species within society.