Barnes Noble: 2826 books

This 1860 sequel to the author's popular 1858 collection of essays, The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table, continues the genial, conversational quality of its predecessor. In order to continue interest in a second volume, this book is much more aggressive in tone and thought. It questions aspects of religion,...

Though best known as a novelist, Dos Passos was also a talented poet, as this 1922 volume of travel poems demonstrates.  The contents are: "Winter in Castile," "Nights at Bassano," "Vagones de Tercera," "Quai de la Tournelle," "On Foreign Travel," and "Phases of the Moon."

In this 1885 courtroom drama Zulu magic comes to the British Fenlands, as the severed head of a sorcerer casts a spell from beyond the grave. The story sweeps from England to the South African setting Haggard knew well from his years with Britain’s colonial service.   

Published in 1918, Moon of Israel is the dramatic retelling—in a very down-to-earth narrative style—of the Biblical story of the Exodus from the viewpoint of a lowly scribe. It was one of the earliest Haggard books to be released as a film (1924).

During the Dutch “Great Trek” to South Africa, an African-raised Dutch girl named Swallow encounters a shipwreck and falls in love with its stranded English passenger, Ralph. But Swart Piet—who is allied with the sorceress Sihamba—tries to keep Ralph away. Haggard’s 1898 novel is classic of romance and adventure.

Allan Quatermain, hero of King Solomon’s Mines, returns in this 1913 adventure set in Zululand, a region Haggard knew from colonial service. Mameena is a local beauty whose hand is sought by a friend of Allan’s. But she now prefers Allan himself. Mameena’s subsequent treachery proves her beauty to be only skin deep, and gets her into much trouble.

This rattling 1887 action-adventure set in Africa’s Transvaal region appeared the same year as Haggard’s She. During the first Boer War, Captain John Niel plans to settle down on Silas Croft’s farm, but falls into a love triangle with his nieces. And, to further complicate Niel’s situation, he also must protect one of the nieces from a lecherous megalomaniac.

Published in 1899, this collection of lectures given by James to teachers and students over the course of almost a decade was one of his most successful and popular works.  It remains relevant today—indeed, in its espousal of freedom of thought and tolerance for different points of view, it may be more relevant than ever.

George Santayana is an unequaled champion of emotional life and the value of pure contemplation and imaginative play. In his first philosophical book, The Sense of Beauty, Santayana elucidates how the contemplation of beautiful ideals invests our lives with meaning. His great achievement is to offer...

This collection of short stories and poetry is based on Kipling’s experiences in the colonies of the British Empire. Written during a period of great change in Kipling’s life, these stories provide a contrast between his fiction and the travel journalism he wrote at the same time (1888 and 1889).

These stories for children range from moral fables to fantasy stories and fairy tales. Louisa May Alcott created them for her young niece, Louisa, who was named after the author but nicknamed Lulu. Brimming with whimsy and wisdom, the first collection was an enormous success, inspiring two more volumes.

This posthumous (1911) collection of some of James’s most popular speeches and essays demonstrates his wide interests and restless intellect. Included are “The Moral Equivalent of War,” “On Some Mental Effects of the Earthquake,” “Final Impressions of a Psychical Researcher,” “The Ph.D....

Zoologist Thomas H. Huxley was highly influential in developing science education in Great Britain. This collection of essays reflects his thoughts and influence, with essays titled “Educational Value of the Natural History Sciences,” “On Science and Art in Relation to Education,” and “A Liberal Education; and Where to Find It.”

Published in 1908, this collection of five lectures features “The Wonder of the World,” “The History of Things,” “Organisms and their Origin,” “The Evolution of Organisms,” and “Man's Place in Nature.” Thomson imagines nature to be a vital book that humans must read—and the scientific history of earth is somewhat of a “story of genesis.”