The Philosophy of Beards (1854)
Eccentric Victorian book arguing a strong case for the universal wearing of a beard – that essential symbol of manly distinction since ancient times….more
19th Century
Autographs for Freedom (1853)
Anthology of anti-slavery literature featuring abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass’s only published work of fiction….more
“Dialogue Between Frederick Ruysch and His Mummies” by Giacomo Leopardi (1827)
The great Italian writer uses the macabre creations of the seventeenth-century Dutch anatomist Frederik Ruysch to reflect upon the mysteries of death….more
Wit and Wisdom of Don Quixote (1867)
From whole multi-paragraph excerpts to single lines, this wonderful little book dedicates itself, as the title declares, to presenting the wit and wisdom to be foun…more
Texts in Mathias Enard’s Compass
Collection of the major public domain texts featuring in the novel Compass by French writer Mathias Enard — including Balzac, Victor Hugo, and Joseph-Charles Mard…more
A Traveler from Altruria (1894)
Utopian fiction delivering a vision of a one-class socialist utopia while at once offering a biting critique of unfettered capitalism….more
Comparative Physiognomy: or, Resemblances Between Men and Animals (1852)
A book concerned with comparing animals with human faces, in particular those belonging to various nations and ethnic groups….more
The Dream-God, or A Singular Evolvement of Thought in Sleep (1873)
A short and curious work recounting an extremely vivid and elaborate vision while under the influence of morphine….more
The Wisdom of Robert Louis Stevenson (1904)
A book of posthumously collected extracts from the writings of Robert Louis Stevenson, the Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer, most famous for his…more
A Christmas Sermon by Robert Louis Stevenson (1900)
A Christmas Sermon by Robert Louis Stevenson written while he convalesced from a lung ailment at Lake Sarnac in the winter of 1887….more
Paradise Found: the Cradle of the Human Race at the North Pole (1885)
A book by William Fairfield, the first president of Boston University, placing Atlantis at the North Pole, as well as the Garden of Eden, Mount Meru, Avalon and Hyp…more
Geometrical psychology, or, The science of representation (1887)
The theories and diagrams of Benjamin Betts detailing his remarkable attempts to mathematically model human consciousness through geometric forms….more