An Infidel Body-Snatcher and the Fruits of His Philosophy is the story of a freethinker. Charles Knowlton called himself a "free enquirer"-his enemies called him an "Infidel." Knowlton was also a "Body-Snatcher." As a medical student, Charles Knowlton stole corpses to dissect. Charles was caught and convicted, and served time in jail. After a troubled youth, Knowlton became a doctor and wrote America's first birth control book, Fruits of Philosophy, in 1831. He was convicted and imprisoned for that as well-this time with hard labor. Charles was an outsider for most of his life, fighting religious and social conformity. This is a true story about why outsiders are important, and what they can achieve. Growing up surrounded by superstition and hypocrisy, Charles developed an unswerving dedication to finding and telling the truth. If the truth he'd found was opposed by authorities in the church and government, Charles went ahead and told it anyway. This is a true story about the power of integrity. It's also an adventure story, full of conflict, drama, humor, and a little horror. Charles Knowlton led an unusual life; it gave him a radical outlook and led him to develop a unique personal philosophy. But it was what Charles did with this outlook-the fruits of his philosophy-that really mattered. This is a true story about how experiences become ideas, and how ideas become actions. WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING? "The prose is so smooth and conversational that the text sails on by. And what you're writing ABOUT is so valuable and timely that to make it as accessible as you do is a real service to our culture. If 'culture WAR' is an accurate description of what's going on, then this is powerful weapon for the good guys." ---Terry Davis, Author of Vision Quest "Charles Knowlton, doctor, freethinker, and early advocate of contraception, is best remembered for his manual on birth control, 'The Fruits of Philosophy', which appeared in 1832 and which led to his prosecution and imprisonment. This superb biography of Knowlton by Dan Allosso, the first ever to be published, is based on the most thorough research and written with admirable clarity and understanding. This is a biography to be enjoyed by every lover of freethought." ---Bryan Niblett, Author of Dare to Stand Alone: The Story of Charles Bradlaugh "This is really great. I love reading about my home town -- no one ever writes about Greenfield, Massachusetts. And I love the rich guy excommunicating the church. How hip is that?" ---Penn Jillette, Author of God, No! "History isn't always made by Great Persons engineering Great Compromises. Sometimes society moves forward because a common man or woman takes up a radical cause and pursues it without regard to consequences. Charles Knowlton was such a man, undeservedly ignored by mainstream historians. Dan Allosso's capable new biography of Knowlton illuminates the promise - and the pitfalls - of radical social change pursued from society's rank and file." ---Tom Flynn, Editor, FREE INQUIRY Magazine "An interesting, engaging, and at times fascinating account of a little-known American hero. Dan Allosso has soundly crafted an excellent biography." ---Phil Zuckerman, PhD, Author of Faith No More: Why People Reject Religion

An unexplored, fascinating history of nineteenth-century agrarian life, told through the engaging lens of three families central to the peppermint oil industry This unconventional history relates the engaging and unusual stories of three families in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries whose involvement in the peppermint oil industry provides insights into the perspectives and concerns of rural people of their time. Challenging the standard paradigms, historian Dan Allosso focuses on the rural characters who lived by their own rules and did not acquiesce to contemporary religious doctrines, business mores, and political expediencies. The Ranneys, a secular family in a very religious time and place; the Hotchkisses, who ran banks and printed their own money while the Lincoln administration was eliminating state banking; and the Todd family, who incorporated successful business practices with populist socialism, all highlight the untold story of rural America’s engagement with the capitalist marketplace. The families’ atypical attitudes and activities offer unexpected perspectives on rural business and life.

“Dictionary, n: A malevolent literary device for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic. This dictionary, however, is a most useful work.” Bierce’s groundbreaking Devil’s Dictionary had a complex publication history. Started in the mid-1800s as an irregular column in Californian newspapers under various titles, he gradually refined the new-at-the-time idea of an irreverent set of glossary-like definitions. The final name, as we see it titled in this work, did not appear until an 1881 column published in the periodical The San Francisco Illustrated Wasp. There were no publications of the complete glossary in the 1800s. Not until 1906 did a portion of Bierce’s collection get published by Doubleday, under the name The Cynic’s Word Book—the publisher not wanting to use the word “Devil” in the title, to the great disappointment of the author. The 1906 word book only went from A to L, however, and the remainder was never released under the compromised title. In 1911 the Devil’s Dictionary as we know it was published in complete form as part of Bierce’s collected works (volume 7 of 12), including the remainder of the definitions from M to Z. It has been republished a number of times, including more recent efforts where older definitions from his columns that never made it into the original book were included. Due to the complex nature of copyright, some of those found definitions have unclear public domain status and were not included. This edition of the book includes, however, a set of definitions attributed to his one-and-only “Demon’s Dictionary” column, including Bierce’s classic definition of A: “the first letter in every properly constructed alphabet.” Bierce enjoyed “quoting” his pseudonyms in his work. Most of the poetry, dramatic scenes and stories in this book attributed to others were self-authored and do not exist outside of this work. This includes the prolific Father Gassalasca Jape, whom he thanks in the preface—“jape” of course having the definition: “a practical joke.” This book is a product of its time and must be approached as such. Many of the definitions hold up well today, but some might be considered less palatable by modern readers. Regardless, the book’s humorous style is a valuable snapshot of American culture from past centuries. This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.

An unexplored, fascinating history of nineteenth-century agrarian life, told through the engaging lens of three families central to the peppermint oil industry This unconventional history relates the engaging and unusual stories of three families in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries whose involvement in the peppermint oil industry provides insights into the perspectives and concerns of rural people of their time. Challenging the standard paradigms, historian Dan Allosso focuses on the rural characters who lived by their own rules and did not acquiesce to contemporary religious doctrines, business mores, and political expediencies. The Ranneys, a secular family in a very religious time and place; the Hotchkisses, who ran banks and printed their own money while the Lincoln administration was eliminating state banking; and the Todd family, who incorporated successful business practices with populist socialism, all highlight the untold story of rural America's engagement with the capitalist marketplace. The families' atypical attitudes and activities offer unexpected perspectives on rural business and life.