One of the greatest thinkers of the nineteenth century, Søren Kierkegaard (1814-55) often expressed himself through pseudonyms and disguises. Taken from his personal writings, these private reflections reveal the development of his own thought and personality, from his time as a young student to the deep later internal conflict that formed the basis for his masterpiece of duality Either/Or and beyond. Expressing his beliefs with a freedom not seen in works he published during his lifetime, Kierkegaard here rejects for the first time his father's conventional Christianity and forges the revolutionary idea of the 'leap of faith' required for true religious belief. A combination of theoretical argument, vivid natural description and sharply honed wit, the Papers and Journals reveal to the full the passionate integrity of his lifelong efforts 'to find a truth which is truth for me'.

Masterly meditations on man, society, nature and many other subjects — expressed with verve and vigor in beautiful, poetic prose. Perfect entrée to Thoreau's thought. Introduction.

The journal of Frances E. Willard nineteenth-century America's most renowned and influential Woman had been hidden away in a cupboard at the National WCTU headquarters, and its importance eluded Willard's biographers. Writing Out My Heart publishes for the first time substantial portions of the forty-nine volumes rediscovered in 1982. They open a window on the remarkable inner life of this great public figure and cast her in a new light. No other female political leader of the period left a private record like this. Best known for her powerful leadership of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), at that time the nation's largest organized body of women, Willard was a world-class reform leader and feminist. How she achieved this stature has been documented. This compelling journal reveals why. Written during her teens, twenties, and fifties, the journal documents the creation of Frances Willard's self. At the same time, it often reads like a good novel. It stands as one of the most explicit and painful records in the nineteenth century of one woman's coming to terms with her love for women in a heterosexual world. Other sections reveal what impelled Willard to reform the nature and depth of the religious dimension of her life a dimension not yet adequately explored by any biographer. Here we see her growing commitment to the "cause of woman." The volumes written in her late middle age give insight into the years when, world famous, she was part of the transatlantic network of reform, battling ill health, dealing with controversy in the WCTU, and grieving for her mother, a lifelong figure of emotional support. This finale concludes one of the most fascinating of the journal's themes: the nineteenth-century confrontation with sickness and death. Drawn from one of the richest sources in documentary history, knowledgeably introduced and annotated, Writing Out My Heart is a biographical goldmine, rich in the themes and institutions central to women's lives in nineteenth-century America.

The Journal of Irreproducible Results is the funniest thing to happen to science since Archimedes ran naked through the streets of Syracuse." --Discover Science humor magazine The Journal of Irreproducible Results has targeted "hypocrisy, arrogance, and ostentatious sesquipedalian circumlocution" since 1955. JIR editor Norman Sperling presents humorous and quirky tidbits relating to science, math, academia, bureaucracy, and witty word play. More than 250 entries ponder and pun the practical and peculiar. Consider OSHA's definition of the word "exit" as compared to Merriam Webster's: OSHA states, "Exit is the portion of a means of egress which is separated from all other spaces of the building or structure by construction or equipment as required in this subpart to provide a protected way to travel to exit discharge." Webster's defines "exit" as, "A way out of an enclosed place or space." If you've ever questioned the warning label on your hand drill that reads, "This product is not intended for use as a dental drill," or wonder what the "punishable by law" penalty is for snipping off that warning label on your pillow or mattress, then this book is for you.

This beautifully produced gift edition of Thoreaus journal has been carefullyselected and annotated by Jeffrey S. Cramer.

Selections from Cook's journals of the first voyage (1768-1771) to Tahiti, New Zealand and Eastern Australia; second voyage (1772-1775) to the Antarctic and the Pacific; third voyage (1776-1780) to Hawaii, the north American coast; eye-witness accounts of Cook's death in Hawaii.