Literature

Virgil’s epic poem, The Aeneid, has been of continuing importance to Western literature. Although it was commissioned by the emperor Augustus, the poem is more than early imperial propaganda. It proclaims the divine mission of Aeneas… more

This is Milton’s famous defense of freedom of speech and the press, in an edition based upon Sir Richard Jebb’s lectures at Cambridge in 1872, with extensive notes and commentaries. Mlton’s work was a protest against Parliament’s… more

Shortly after Gibbon finished his magnum opus on the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire he wrote the first draft of his autobiography in 1788. It is an important chronicle of intellectual life in the late 18th century.

This book attempts to reconstruct two ancient Sumerian stories from photographs of the stone tablets on which they were originally written: one story concerns an ancient account of a deluge (or flood) which destroyed much of… more

The first of 3 plays Beaumarchais wrote about a master-servant relationship, Count Almaviva and Figaro, during the social upheavals on the eve of the French revolution.

An edition of the tale in the original Old English with an extensive glossary. Beowulf is one of the first literary masterpieces of the English language, written in Old English in the eleventh century. The story itself is thought to… more

The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the greatest and most beautiful of the Hindu scriptures. It is mainly in the form of a dialogue between the warrior Prince Arjuna and his friend Krishna (the earthly incarnation of the god Vishnu). The… more

Voltaire’s “philosophic tale” is a clever satire of France in the mid-18th century. He makes fun of religious intolerance, the destructiveness of war, and the foibles of mankind. He concludes with a plea that we should all “cultivate… more

The first printed edition of Addison’s play which also contains 4 short pamphlets on Cato the historical figure and analyses of Addison’s play by anonymous authors.

First produced in 1713, Cato, A Tragedy inspired generations toward a pursuit of liberty. Liberty Fund’s new edition of Cato: A Tragedy, and Selected Essays brings together Addison’s dramatic masterpiece along with a selection of his… more

The Liberty Fund edition of Characteristicks presents the complete 1732 text of this classic work of philosophy and political theory. Also included are faithful reproductions of the stirring engravings that Shaftesbury created to… more

The Liberty Fund edition of Characteristicks presents the complete 1732 text of this classic work of philosophy and political theory. Also included are faithful reproductions of the stirring engravings that Shaftesbury created to… more

The Liberty Fund edition of Characteristicks presents the complete 1732 text of this classic work of philosophy and political theory. Also included are faithful reproductions of the stirring engravings that Shaftesbury created to… more

The Liberty Fund edition of Characteristicks presents the complete 1732 text of this classic work of philosophy and political theory. Also included are faithful reproductions of the stirring engravings that Shaftesbury created to… more

Legge provides lengthy introductions to leading Chinese philosophical works and is own translations.

Vol. 1 of the 33 vol. Collected Works contains Mill’s autobiography and some literary essays mostly from the 1830s.

In the guise of a school textbook on sound Latin prose Erasmus is able to mix sound language teaching, homilies on Christian ethics, and social criticism of some of the injustices and follies of his day.

A two volume collection of the Comedies of Aristophanes. Vol. 1 contains The Archanians, Knights, Clouds, Wasps, Peace, and Birds. Vol. 2 contains Lysistrata, The Thesmophoriazusae, Frogs, Ecclesiazusae, and Plutus.

Vol. 1 of a two volume collection. It contains the plays The Archanians, Knights, Clouds, Wasps, Peace, and Birds.

Vol. 2 of a two volume collection. It contains the plays Lysistrata, The Thesmophoriazusae, Frogs, Ecclesiazusae, and Plutus.

This collection includes Pope’s poems, translations of Ovid and Homer, An Essay on Criticism, The Rape of the Lock, An Essay on Man, and his Moral Essays.

The 1916 Oxford University Press edition of all of Shakespeare’s plays and poems. It was published on the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 1616. Because of the large size of this file the book has been split into 2 parts.… more

The 1916 Oxford University Press edition of all of Shakespeare’s plays and poems.

Thought to be one of Shakespeare’s latest plays, The Tempest is haunted by magic and by images of humans at their best and their worst. Many critics read Prospero’s farewell to his books at the play’s end as conveying, in some way,… more

Possibly Shakespeare’s earliest, and definitely one of his least popular plays, Two Gentlemen of Verona winds its way through young love, betrayal, violence, treachery, and even pirates before settling on a happy ending. This edition… more

Theatrical tradition (probably spurious) has it that Shakespeare wrote Merry Wives of Windsor in response to Queen Elizabeth’s demand to see a play with Falstaff in love. This edition comes from the 1916 Oxford University Press… more

Measure for Measure considers questions of law, justice, and the nature of promises and vows. Like The Merchant of Venice it is one of Shakespeare’s legal plays, with a trial scene at the peak of the action. This edition comes from… more

Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors is a comic farce about two identical sets of twins and their misadventures. This edition comes from the 1916 Oxford University Press edition of all of Shakespeare’s plays and poems.

Charles I famously crossed the title Much Ado About Nothing off his copy of the play and replaced it with “Beatrice and Benedick.” But entertaining and moving as these two bantering lovers are, it is the dangerous, near-tragic… more

Written for an educated, courtly audience, performed for Elizabeth I, Love’s Labour’s Lost is one of Shakespeare’s most linguistically spectacular comedies. This edition comes from the 1916 Oxford University Press edition of all of… more

The Merchant of Venice famously depicts the bargain between Antonio and Shylock to secure a monetary loan with the promise of “a pound of flesh” if the loan is not repaid. In doing so, it explores the complex issues of religion,… more

The physical action of As You LIke It, where Rosalind and Celia are exiled from their home into the forest mirrors the psychological action, as characters find their way through confusion and pain to love and happiness. This edition… more

The Taming of the Shrew and its story of an overbearing husband taming a shrewish wife may not have aged particularly well, but critics have long debated how seriously it is meant to be taken, and whether or not Kate may be in on the… more

All’s Well that Ends Well has defied categorization for centuries. The winning of a reluctant husband by an over-eager bride, and the subsequent bed-trick that secures their continued marriage are morally complicated in ways that… more

Complicated, merry, and slightly mad, the convoluted disguises and secret identities of Twelfth Night capture the pains and comic madness of love. This edition comes from the 1916 Oxford University Press edition of all of Shakespeare… more

Like Much Ado About Nothing and Othello, the plot of The Winter’s Tale turns on false accusations against a faithful woman. This edition comes from the 1916 Oxford University Press edition of all of Shakespeare’s plays and poems.

The contest for the crown at the center of King John is a bloody and violent one, with a surprising hero in the figure of the illegitimate Richard Plantagenet. This edition comes from the 1916 Oxford University Press edition of all… more

Shakespeare’s Richard II is a puzzling play about a puzzling historical figure. Is Richard II a weak king who is shamefully deposed? Is he a noble king who chooses to abdicate to spare his people the horrors of war? This edition… more

Shakespeare’s King Henry IV, Part One focuses not only on powerful political drama, but on the way that political drama is echoed in the relationship of a father and son. Henry IV has risked everything, including his soul, to take… more

Henry IV, Part Two continues the complicated political and family dynamics that marked Henry IV, Part One. This play, though, provides a lesson in the power of diplomacy in the place of battle. This edition comes from the 1916 Oxford… more

One of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, Henry V has spoken to generation after generation because its complex view of military action has allowed for each generation of readers to interpret the play’s stance on war according to… more

Shakespeare’s three plays about Henry VI trace the tumultuous years of the Wars of the Roses, as the houses of York (whose symbol was a white rose) and Lancaster (symbolized by a red rose) battled for the crown of England. This… more

One of the plays in the 1916 Oxford University Press edition of all of Shakespeare’s plays and poems.

Shakespeare’s three plays about Henry VI trace the tumultuous years of the Wars of the Roses, as the houses of York (whose symbol was a white rose) and Lancaster (symbolized by a red rose) battled for the crown of England. This… more

Shakespeare’s Richard III is a compelling portrait of the lengths to which ambition can drive a man. But is the play–despite its popularity–merely Tudor propaganda? This edition comes from the 1916 Oxford University Press edition of… more

Shakespeare’s Henry VIII may be best known not for its plot or poetry, but because during one of its earliest performances a cannon, shot for special effects, caught the theater’s thatched roof on fire, and the Globe burned to the… more

Troilus and Cressida sits uneasily somewhere between comedy and tragedy. The tale of young lovers, set against the backdrop of the Trojan War is often driven by satire and humor, but the play’s end is unsettlingly dark. This edition… more

Shakespeare’s Coriolanus is a dramatic tragedy about a hero who is famously resistant to theatricality and performance as a part of political life. It takes on the question of whether one’s deeds should be enough to secure one’s… more

Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus is famously the bloodiest and most violent of Shakespeare’s often bloody and violent tragedies.Its horrors reflect the collapse and decay of the Roman empire and the fear that failure inspired in… more

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet may be his most familiar play. Its tragic story of young love gone awry in a world of family conflict is a perennial favorite, and has inspired endless imitators. This edition comes from the 1916 Oxford… more

Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens is a study in misanthropy. The generous Timon believes that his gifts to his nation and his friends will secure him their faithfulness and support, but he is deserted at every turn. At last, he deserts… more

Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is the best known and most widely read of his Roman plays. Its portraits of ambition, loyalty, and treachery remain evergreen. The funeral orations by Brutus and Mark Antony remain some of Shakespeare’s… more

Shakespeare’s Macbeth explores questions of fate, free will, and tyranny. This edition comes from the 1916 Oxford University Press edition of all of Shakespeare’s plays and poems.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of the great English language tragedies. It wrangles with themes of revenge, despair, indecision, and mortality and questions about the place of the individual human being in the sweep of larger events.… more

Shakespeare’s King Lear may be his greatest tragedy. It presents a dark picture of aging, of an uncaring universe, and the dangers of an unstable king struggling to understand his own power. This edition comes from the 1916 Oxford… more

Shakespeare’s Othello has always been an interesting play, but its considerations of race, rank, and romance may have become more interesting as our cultural contexts have changed around it. This edition comes from the 1916 Oxford… more

Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra is a famously difficult play to stage. It’s complicated plot and constant shifting of scenes make the action hard to follow. It may be as well known for the flop starring Elizabeth Taylor, and for… more

Shakespeare’s Cymbeline is one of his least-performed plays. Its retelling of a famous tale from Boccaccio explores themes of marriage, seduction, trust, and women’s honor that are frequent focuses of other plays, like Othello and … more

Pericles, Prince of Tyre is unique among Shakespeare’s plays, as it imports a famous medieval poet, John Gower, to serve as the narrator and interpreter of the play’s events. Neither a tragedy nor a comedy, but combining elements of… more

A monumental scholarly work by the leading Chaucer scholar of the late 19th century. Filled with copious notes.

The late 19th century Skeat edition with copious scholarly notes and a good introduction to the texts.

The late 19th century Skeat edition with copious scholarly notes and a good introduction to the texts.

The late 19th century Skeat edition with copious scholarly notes and a good introduction to the texts.

The late 19th century Skeat edition with copious scholarly notes and a good introduction to the text. The Tales are in their original Middle English.

Skeat’s copious scholarly notes to his edition of The Canterbury Tales make up all of vol. 5 of The Works of Chaucer.

The late 19th century Skeat edition with copious scholarly notes and a good introduction to the texts.

The late 19th century Skeat edition with copious scholarly notes and a good introduction to the texts.

A 4 volume collection of the Works of Montesquieu.

Collected in these three volumes are essays and book reviews Macaulay wrote between 1825 and 1841 for the Edinburgh Review.

Essays which appeared in the Edinburgh Review between 1825-1831. They are on such topics as Milton, Machiavelli, Southey, Johnson, and other topics.

The great Italian poet turns his hand to political thought and defends the reign of a single monarch ruling over a universal empire. He believed that peace was only achievable when a single monarch replaced divisive and squabbling… more

Dante’s masterwork is a 3 volume work written in Italian rather than Latin. Vol. 1 (Inferno (Hell) describes what happens to the souls of the wicked who are condemned to suffer the torments of Hell. Vol. 2 Purgatorio (Purgatory)… more

Dante’s masterwork is a 3 volume work written in Italian rather than Latin. It embraces human individuality and happiness in a way which suggests the beginning of the Renaissance. This edition contains a side-by-side English and… more

Dante’s masterwork is a 3 volume work written in Italian rather than Latin. It embraces human individuality and happiness in a way which suggests the beginning of the Renaissance. This edition contains the English translation only.… more

Dante’s masterwork is a 3 volume work written in Italian rather than Latin. It embraces human individuality and happiness in a way which suggests the beginning of the Renaissance. This edition contains the Italian original and the… more

Dante’s masterwork is a 3 volume work written in Italian rather than Latin. It embraces human individuality and happiness in a way which suggests the beginning of the Renaissance. This is a bilingual Italian and English edition. Vol.… more

Dante’s masterwork is a 3 volume work written in Italian rather than Latin. It embraces human individuality and happiness in a way which suggests the beginning of the Renaissance. This is a bilingual Italian and English edition. Vol.… more

Dante’s masterwork is a 3 volume work written in Italian rather than Latin. It embraces human individuality and happiness in a way which suggests the beginning of the Renaissance. This is a bilngual Italian and English edition. Vol.… more

Dante’s masterwork is a 3 volume work written in Italian rather than Latin. It embraces human individuality and happiness in a way which suggests the beginning of the Renaissance. This voume contains the English translation only.… more

A two volume work on the “science of criticism” by one of the leading figures of the Scottish Enlightenment. Kames argues that criticism of art and literature is a rational science as well as a matter of taste. In volume 1 he… more

Volume 1 of a two volume work on the “science of criticism” by one of the leading figures of the Scottish Enlightenment. Kames argues that criticism of art and literature is a rational science as well as a matter of taste. In volume… more

Volume 2 of a two volume work on the “science of criticism” by one of the leading figures of the Scottish Enlightenment. Kames argues that criticism of art and literature is a rational science as well as a matter of taste. In volume… more

An 11 volume collection of the English works of Thomas Hobbes which includes his best known work of philosophy and history as well as his notable translations of Thucydides and Homer.

Hobbes’s translation of Homer’s epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Iliad is about the warriors and heroes who are involved in the Trojan war, what happens to men in combat, and the consequences of pride, ambition, and failure.… more

This is a 10 volume collection of Montaigne’s famous essays in the 17th century English translation by Charles Cotton.

Volume 1 of a 10 volume collection of Montaigne’s famous essays in the 17th century English translation by Charles Cotton.

Volume 2 of a 10 volume collection of Montaigne’s famous essays in the 17th century English translation by Charles Cotton.

Volume 3 of a 10 volume collection of Montaigne’s famous essays in the 17th century English translation by Charles Cotton.

Volume 4 of a 10 volume collection of Montaigne’s famous essays in the 17th century English translation by Charles Cotton.

Volume 5 of a 10 volume collection of Montaigne’s famous essays in the 17th century English translation by Charles Cotton.

Volume 6 of a 10 volume collection of Montaigne’s famous essays in the 17th century English translation by Charles Cotton.

Volume 7 of a 10 volume collection of Montaigne’s famous essays in the 17th century English translation by Charles Cotton.

Volume 8 of a 10 volume collection of Montaigne’s famous essays in the 17th century English translation by Charles Cotton.

Volume 9 of a 10 volume collection of Montaigne’s famous essays in the 17th century English translation by Charles Cotton.

A collection of Petrarch’s sonnets translated by Thomas Wentworth Higginson.

A bi-lingual edition with facing Latin and English pages.

A five volume collection of Goethe’s works. This edition is sumptuously illustrated. and includes a life of Goethe in vol. 1.

Volume 1 of a five volume collection of Goethe’s works. This edition is sumptuously illustrated. Vol. 1 contains Goethe’s poems and a life of Goethe by Dr. Boyesen.

Volume 2 of a five volume collection of Goethe’s works. This edition is sumptuously illustrated. Vol. 2 contains Goethe’s plays.

Volume 3 of a five volume collection of Goethe’s works. This edition is sumptuously illustrated. Vol. 2 contains Goethe’s plays.

Volume 4 of a five volume collection of Goethe’s works. This edition is sumptuously illustrated. Vol. 4 contains Goethe’s Recreations of the German Emigrants, Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship).

Volume 5 of a five volume collection of Goethe’s works. This edition is sumptuously illustrated. Vol. 5 contains Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister’s Travels and Elective Affinities.

Thinking she was close to death Martineau wrote her autobiography in 1855 but lived for another 20 years. She recounts her activities in various mid-19th century reform movements, her struggle to become a professional writer, and her… more

The Heimskringla presents the German mythical god, Odin, as an actual historical figure and the first Norse king. Sturluson traced the history of sixteen famous Nordic kings from this ancient figure through Halvdan the Black (ca.… more

Vol. 1 of 3. The Heimskringla presents the German mythical god, Odin, as an actual historical figure and the first Norse king. Sturluson traced the history of sixteen famous Nordic kings from this ancient figure through Halvdan the… more

Vol. 2 of 3. The Heimskringla presents the German mythical god, Odin, as an actual historical figure and the first Norse king. Sturluson traced the history of sixteen famous Nordic kings from this ancient figure through Halvdan the… more

Vol. 3 of 3. The Heimskringla presents the German mythical god, Odin, as an actual historical figure and the first Norse king. Sturluson traced the history of sixteen famous Nordic kings from this ancient figure through Halvdan the… more

One of the earliest Indian plays written in Sanskrit. It is a comedy set in a royal court in which love and mistaken identity play a part.

Suetonius’ most famous work of the lives of the 12 Caesars along with his shorter biographies of famous grammarians, rheoticians and poets.

A collection of the major plays of the great Athenian playwright Aeschylus.

The second of 3 plays Beaumarchais wrote about a master-servant relationship, Count Almaviva and Figaro, during the social upheavals on the eve of the French revolution. In this play they become rivals for the affections of Suzanne.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most performed comedies.Fairy magic, feuding pairs of lovers, and a bumbling amateur theater troupe combine to produce comedy, romance, and a little mayhem. This edition comes from… more

A two volume collection of Macaulay’s essays. The first volume contains his essays from Knight’s Quarterly Magazine written during the mid-1820s. The second volume contains essays published in the Edinburgh Review in the 1830s and… more

The first volume of a two volume collection of Macaulay’s essays. The first volume contains his essays from Knight’s Quarterly Magazine written during the mid-1820s. The second volume contains essays published in the Edinburgh Review… more

The second volume of a two volume collection of Macaulay’s essays. The first volume contains his essays from Knight’s Quarterly Magazine written during the mid-1820s. The second volume contains essays published in the Edinburgh… more

A late 19th century colletcion of Boetie’s Works with a long introductory essay. It contains Boétie’s best known work, the “Discourse of Voluntary Servitude” where he explores why the majority too often willingly capitulates to the… more

The book contains two fragments of a Babylonian version of the Gilgamesh epic, the Pennsylvanian tablet” and the “Yale table”, with translation, commentary and images of the tablets.

Job is the central character in an ancient story written down as the Book of Job in either the fifth or sixth century B.C. This work is acclaimed as one of the great masterpieces of early literature and a fundamental commentary on… more

A collection of 150 songs, prayers, and other compositions which make up the 19th book of the Old Testament. Traditionally ascribed to King David, the Psalms have played an important role for millennia in religious ceremonies in… more

An 1828 edition of the Essays, Moral, Political and Literary.

This section contains Shakespeare’s major poems such as Venus and Adonis, The Rape of Lucrece, A Lover’s Complaint, The Passionate Pilgrim, and the Phoenix and the Turtle, as well as the Sonnets.

A collection of Hesiod’s poems and fragments, including Theogony which are stories of the gods, and the Works and Days which deals with peasant life.

A modern edition of the major poems of Milton. It contains the shorter poems, Paradise Lost and Regained, and Samson Agonistes.

A volume of poems published after Shelley’s death in 1822 with a preface by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

A 2 volume collection of prose writings. Vol. 1 includes 2 youthful prose romances, the Refutation of Deism, his Declaration of Rights, an essay on electoral reform, and other short pieces. Vol. 2 includes A Defence of Poetry, On a… more

Vol. 1 of a 2 volume collection of prose writings, including 2 youthful prose romances, the Refutation of Deism, his Declaration of Rights, an essay on electoral reform, and other short pieces.

Vol. 2 of a 2 volume collection of prose writings. Vol. 2 includes A Defence of Poetry, On a Future State, Speculations on Metaphysics, and Letters from Italy.

A condensed version (in verse) of two Indian classics of religious poetry.

In The Representation of Business in English Literature, five scholars of different periods of English literature produce original essays on how business and businesspeople have been portrayed by novelists, starting in the eighteenth… more

Part of a collection of volumes dealing with the works of the Confucian School. This volume contains collections of historical documents, the poetry known as the Shih King, and the classic of filial piety.

A lavishly illustrated English edition of Schiller’s poems and plays.

A facsimile edition of the complete plays of Shakespeare, taken from the First Folio edition of 1623 and with a modern introduction by the Shakespeare Scholar Sidney Lee.

A facsimile edition of the complete plays of Shakespeare, taken from the First Folio edition of 1623 and with a modern introduction by the Shakespeare Scholar Sidney Lee.

Thought to be one of Shakespeare’s latest plays, The Tempest is haunted by magic and by images of humans at their best and their worst. Many critics read Prospero’s farewell to his books at the play’s end as conveying, in some way,… more

Possibly Shakespeare’s earliest, and definitely one of his least popular plays, Two Gentlemen of Verona winds its way through young love, betrayal, violence, treachery, and even pirates before settling on a happy ending. This is a… more

Theatrical tradition (probably spurious) has it that Shakespeare wrote Merry Wives of Windsor in response to Queen Elizabeth’s demand to see a play with Falstaff in love. This is a facsimile edition of the play from the First Folio… more

Measure for Measure considers questions of law, justice, and the nature of promises and vows. Like The Merchant of Venice it is one of Shakespeare’s legal plays, with a trial scene at the peak of the action. This is a facsimile… more

Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors is a comic farce about two identical sets of twins and their misadventures. This is a facsimile edition of the play from the First Folio edition of 1623.

Charles I famously crossed the title Much Ado About Nothing off his copy of the play and replaced it with “Beatrice and Benedick.” But entertaining and moving as these two bantering lovers are, it is the dangerous, near-tragic… more

Written for an educated, courtly audience, performed for Elizabeth I, Love’s Labour’s Lost is one of Shakespeare’s most linguistically spectacular comedies. This is a facsimile edition of the play from the First Folio edition of… more

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most performed comedies.Fairy magic, feuding pairs of lovers, and a bumbling amateur theater troupe combine to produce comedy, romance, and a little mayhem. This is a facsimile… more

The Merchant of Venice famously depicts the bargain between Antonio and Shylock to secure a monetary loan with the promise of “a pound of flesh” if the loan is not repaid. In doing so, it explores the complex issues of religion,… more

The physical action of As You LIke It, where Rosalind and Celia are exiled from their home into the forest mirrors the psychological action, as characters find their way through confusion and pain to love and happiness. This is a… more

The Taming of the Shrew and its story of an overbearing husband taming a shrewish wife may not have aged particularly well, but critics have long debated how seriously it is meant to be taken, and whether or not Kate may be in on the… more

All’s Well that Ends Well has defied categorization for centuries. The winning of a reluctant husband by an over-eager bride, and the subsequent bed-trick that secures their continued marriage are morally complicated in ways that… more

One of Shakespeare’s comedies. A facsimile edition of the play from the First Folio edition of 1623.

Like Much Ado About Nothing and Othello, the plot of The Winter’s Tale turns on false accusations against a faithful woman. This is a facsimile edition of the play from the First Folio edition of 1623.

The contest for the crown at the center of King John is a bloody and violent one, with a surprising hero in the figure of the illegitimate Richard Plantagenet. This is a facsimile edition of the play from the First Folio edition of… more

Shakespeare’s Richard II is a puzzling play about a puzzling historical figure. Is Richard II a weak king who is shamefully deposed? Is he a noble king who chooses to abdicate to spare his people the horrors of war? This is a… more

Shakespeare’s King Henry IV, Part One focuses not only on powerful political drama, but on the way that political drama is echoed in the relationship of a father and son. Henry IV has risked everything, including his soul, to take… more

Henry IV, Part Two continues the complicated political and family dynamics that marked Henry IV, Part One. This play, though, provides a lesson in the power of diplomacy in the place of battle. This is a facsimile edition of the play… more

One of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, Henry V has spoken to generation after generation because its complex view of military action has allowed for each generation of readers to interpret the play’s stance on war according to… more

Shakespeare’s three plays about Henry VI trace the tumultuous years of the Wars of the Roses, as the houses of York (whose symbol was a white rose) and Lancaster (symbolized by a red rose) battled for the crown of England. This is a… more

One of Shakespeare’s history plays. A facsimile edition of the play from the First Folio edition of 1623.

Shakespeare’s three plays about Henry VI trace the tumultuous years of the Wars of the Roses, as the houses of York (whose symbol was a white rose) and Lancaster (symbolized by a red rose) battled for the crown of England. This is a… more

Shakespeare’s Richard III is a compelling portrait of the lengths to which ambition can drive a man. But is the play–despite its popularity–merely Tudor propaganda? This is a facsimile edition of the play from the First Folio edition… more

Shakespeare’s Henry VIII may be best known not for its plot or poetry, but because during one of its earliest performances a cannon, shot for special effects, caught the theater’s thatched roof on fire, and the Globe burned to the… more

Troilus and Cressida sits uneasily somewhere between comedy and tragedy. The tale of young lovers, set against the backdrop of the Trojan War is often driven by satire and humor, but the play’s end is unsettlingly dark. This is a… more

Shakespeare’s Coriolanus is a dramatic tragedy about a hero who is famously resistant to theatricality and performance as a part of political life. It takes on the question of whether one’s deeds should be enough to secure one’s… more

Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus is famously the bloodiest and most violent of Shakespeare’s often bloody and violent tragedies. ts horrors reflect the collapse and decay of the Roman empire and the fear that failure inspired in… more

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet may be his most familiar play. Its tragic story of young love gone awry in a world of family conflict is a perennial favorite, and has inspired endless imitators. This is a facsimile edition of the play… more

One of Shakespeare’s tragedies. A facsimile edition of the play from the First Folio edition of 1623.

Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is the best known and most widely read of his Roman plays. Its portraits of ambition, loyalty, and treachery remain evergreen. The funeral orations by Brutus and Mark Antony remain some of Shakespeare’s… more

Shakespeare’s Macbeth explores questions of fate, free will, and tyranny. This is a facsimile edition of the play from the First Folio edition of 1623.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of the great English language tragedies. It wrangles with themes of revenge, despair, indecision, and mortality and questions about the place of the individual human being in the sweep of larger events.… more

Shakespeare’s King Lear may be his greatest tragedy. It presents a dark picture of aging, of an uncaring universe, and the dangers of an unstable king struggling to understand his own power. This is a facsimile edition of the play… more

Shakespeare’s Othello has always been an interesting play, but its considerations of race, rank, and romance may have become more interesting as our cultural contexts have changed around it. This is a facsimile edition of the play… more

Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra is a famously difficult play to stage. It’s complicated plot and constant shifting of scenes make the action hard to follow. It may now be as well known for the flop starring Elizabeth Taylor, and… more

Shakespeare’s Cymbeline is one of his least-performed plays. Its retelling of a famous tale from Boccaccio explores themes of marriage, seduction, trust, and women’s honor that are frequent focuses of other plays, like Othello and… more

A facsimile of the original 1609 edition of all of Shakespeare’s sonnets and A Lover’s Complaint accompanied by a lengthy scholarly introduction.

A 2 volume selection of the works of Plutarch which Shakespeare used in the writing of Julius Caesar, Anthony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus.

Vol. 1 of a 2 volume selection of the works of Plutarch which Shakespeare used in the writing of Julius Caesar, Anthony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus. Vol. I contains the main sources of Julius Caesar.

Vol. 2 of a 2 volume selection of the works of Plutarch which Shakespeare used in the writing of Julius Caesar, Anthony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus. Vol. 2 contains the main sources of Anthony and Cleopatra and of Coriolanus.

A good modern edition of all of Shakespeare’s sonnets and A Lover’s Complaint accompanied by a scholarly introduction and notes on the poems.

The Shih Ching (The book of poetry) predates Confucius by some three centuries, although he is often credited with arranging it into its current form sometime around 520 B.C. This work is a compilation of some three hundred verses of… more

A collection of 49 poems, mostly love poems to his friend Laura.

A translation of the Icelandic saga, the main character of which is Burnt Njal, which was first written down in the 13th century.

An English translation of the tale. Beowulf is one of the first literary masterpieces of the English language, written in Old English in the eleventh century. The story itself is thought to have been originally composed sometime… more

A collection of Sophocles’ 7 surviving plays including Oedipus Rex and Antigone.

A collection of Sanskrit plays by Kalidasa who influenced late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century European literature. His work is noted for its portrayal of the unity of duty to one’s family, religion, and society and the… more

A selection of 25 of Shakespeare’s Sonnets in a bibliophile edition of 1922 from Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford.

To see the original Sanskrit version of the hymns please see the facsimile PDF version of the text.

This 10 volume collection consists of 9 volumes of Bagehot’s collected writings and a volume of biography.

This volume contains two memoirs of his life and work and a number of early essays on the French coup d’état of 1851, Coleridge, Shakespeare, and Butler.

This volume contains essays on Macaulay, Gibbon, Peel, Shelley, and two essays on banking and the currency crisis.

This volume contains essays on Scott, Dickens, Milton and two on parliamentary reform and the American Constitution.

This volume contains essays on Pitt, Bolingbroke, Thackeray, and Cobden.

Vol. 8 of the 12 volume Fireside edition of the works of Emerson.

Vol. 9 of the 12 volume Fireside edition of the works of Emerson.

Vol. 10 of the 12 volume Fireside edition of the works of Emerson.

Vol. 11 of the 12 volume Fireside edition of the works of Emerson.

Vol. 12 of the 12 volume Fireside edition of the works of Emerson.

A three volume collection of of Marlowe’s plays and poetry.

Three of Marlowe’s plays - Tamburlaine parts 1 and 2, and Dr. Faustus.

Vol.2 contains the following plays - the Jew of Malta, Edward the Second, the Massacre at Paris, the Tradegy of Dido.

Vol. 3 contains Hero and Leander and other poetry.

A 21 volume collected works of the writings of Voltaire with a biographical volume by the English Liberal MP John Morley and notes by the 18th century Scottish novelist Tobias Smollett.

Taken from the 21 volume 1901 edition of the Complete Works, this is Voltaire’s most famous “philosophic tale” in which he makes fun of the idea that “this is the best of all possible worlds” by showing how much injustice and folly… more

Volume 8 of the 21 volume 1901 edition of the Complete Works. It contains 9 plays: Mérope, Olympia, The Orphan of China, Brutus, Mahomet, Amelia, Oedipus, Mariamne, Socrates.

Volume 9 of the 21 volume 1901 edition of the Complete Works. It contains 9 plays: Alzire, Orestes, Sémiramis, Catiline, Pandora, The Scotch Woman, Nanine, The Prude, The Tatler.

Volume 10 of the 21 volume 1901 edition of the Complete Works. It contains 3 plays: Zaire, Caesar, The Prodigal, Prefaces to his plays, and a collection of his poetry.

Vol. 22 of Voltaire’s collected works contains an index to the entire set and an appreciation of the life and work of Voltaire by Oliver Leigh.