Domain - Nonfiction

Extraordinarily influential treatise on fine art contains seminal ideas on nature of drama, tragedy, poetry, music and more. Catharsis, tragic fl...

The great 19th-century philosopher refines his previously expressed ideal of the superman in one of his most important works, a fascinating exami...

First published in 1855, Bulfinch's Mythology has introduced generations of readers to the great myths of Greece and Rome, as well as time-honore...

The first of these two highly influential documents refutes the concept of monarchy's divine right. The second argues for a broad acceptance of a...

In this seminal work of Western philosophy, Aristotle focuses on the use of language in persuasive argument. He identifies practical and aestheti...

A great speech can stir the soul — and move a nation. This compact and affordable anthology gathers complete speeches and selected excerpts from ...

Blessed with enormous talents and the energy and ambition to go with them, Franklin was a statesman, author, inventor, printer, and scientist. He...

In an era of revolutions demanding greater liberties for mankind, Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797) was an ardent feminist who spoke eloquently for...

When she was 19 months old, Helen Keller (1880–1968) suffered a severe illness that left her blind and deaf. Not long after, she also became mute...

Remarkable for their eloquence, depth of feeling, and oratorical mastery, these 82 compelling speeches encompass five centuries of Indian encount...

The great Spanish mystic St. John of the Cross became a Carmelite monk in 1563 and helped St. Teresa of Avila to reform the Carmelite order — end...

A sermon preached by Jonathan Edwards to his Enfield, Connecticut, congregation in July 1741, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is particula...

While I was beseeching Our Lord today...I began to think of the soul as if it were a castle made of a single diamond or of very clear crystal, in...

As chief advisor to the emperor Nero, Lucius Annaeus Seneca was most influential in ancient Rome as a power behind the throne. His lasting fame d...

As close to an autobiography as London ever wrote, this brutally frank memoir of a lifelong struggle with alcohol also offers insights into the a...

Despite its modern-day connotations of hedonism, "Epicureanism" has more to do with living a mindful, uncomplicated life. Epicurus — who was born...

Although dour in appearance and formidable in reputation, Friedrich Nietzsche was an ardent practitioner of the art of poetry—known in twelfth-ce...

The distinguished American civil rights leader, W. E. B. Du Bois first published these fiery essays, sketches, and poems individually nearly 80 yea...

Slave narratives are powerful indictments of the horrors of slavery and oppression, invaluable not only for the stories they tell but also for the ...

Former slave, impassioned abolitionist, brilliant writer, newspaper editor and eloquent orator whose speeches fired the abolitionist cause, Frederi...

"Whether your interest in Sioux folklore is great or small, you will find this a fascinating book to devour. Pick up a copy today and be thrilled...

The Weary Blues is Langston Hughes's first published collection of poems, immediately celebrated as a tour de force upon its release. Over ninety...

In an effort to provide unemployed writers with work during the Great Depression of the 1930s, the United States Government, through the Works Pr...

A towering figure in African-American history, W. E. B. Du Bois (1868-1963) created a substantial literary legacy beyond such seminal works as The ...