Excerpt from The Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction The history of the German novel would have, however, also to record that those writers have secured the most permanent distinction who have most significantly modified in their own way the suggestions which foreign examples gave them, and that the greatest distinction of all belongs to writers whom we can, if we will, associate with one or another Of the main currents, but wh'o are by no means carried away by it. In the work of these men the national character Of the German novel, if it has a national character, ought to be discoverable. For two reasons it is a fair question whether the Ger man novel has a national character. In the first place, modern Germany has been a nation only Since 1871; and in the second place, only in times of some great crisis does there appear to be in Germany a national life, as we under stand the term. At other times life in Germany is urban, provincial, or private, in those aspects of existence which the Germans most prize. The imperial capital affects to represent Germany as London represents England and Paris represents France; but such ascendancy is stoutly denied Berlin in the capitals of the other states, and Saxons or Bavarians refuse to submit to Prussian hegemony in any other than political and military affairs. In literature Prussia is not the nation; the empire itself is a federation of states, and Berlin is less specifically a German city than any other in the realm. Germany is emphatically e plum'bus. Still, there may be some bond of union stronger than political alliance, some fundamental quality common to Prussian, Saxon, and Bavarian. In this we should seek the national character. We should find the national character depicted in the historical novel, which has had a great vogue in Germany; but we may discern it also in the fiction devoted to the problems Of contemporary life. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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The original Harvard Classics Collection contains 51 volumes of the essential works of world literature, showing the progress of man from antics to modern age. In this edition, the original collection is supplemented with the 20 volume Harvard Shelf of Fiction, a selection of the greatest works of fiction. Content: The Harvard Classics: V. 1: Franklin, Woolman & Penn V. 2: Plato, Epictetus & Marcus Aurelius V. 3: Bacon, Milton, Browne V. 4: John Milton V. 5: R. W. Emerson V. 6: Robert Burns V. 7: St Augustine & Thomas á Kempis V. 8: Nine Greek Dramas V. 9: Cicero and Pliny V. 10: The Wealth of Nations V. 11: The Origin of Species V. 12: Plutarchs V. 13: Æneid V. 14: Don Quixote V. 15: Bunyan & Walton V. 16: 1001 Nights V. 17: Folklore & Fable V. 18: Modern English Drama V. 19: Goethe & Marlowe V. 20: The Divine Comedy V. 21: I Promessi Sposi V. 22: The Odyssey V. 23: Two Years Before the Mast V. 24: Edmund Burke V. 25: J. S. Mill & T. Carlyle V. 26: Continental Drama V. 27 & 28: English & American Essays V. 29: The Voyage of the Beagle V. 30: Scientific Papers V. 31: The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini V. 32: Literary and Philosophical Essays V. 33: Voyages & Travels V. 34: French & English Philosophers V. 35: Chronicle and Romance V. 36: Machiavelli, Roper, More, Luther V. 37: Locke, Berkeley, Hume V. 38: Harvey, Jenner, Lister, Pasteur V. 39: Prologues V. 40–42: English Poetry V. 43: American Historical Documents V. 44 & 45: Sacred Writings V. 46 & 47: Elizabethan Drama V. 48: Blaise Pascal V. 49: Saga V. 50: Reader's Guide V. 51: Lectures The Shelf of Fiction: V. 1 & 2: The History of Tom Jones V. 3: A Sentimental Journey & Pride and Prejudice V. 4: Guy Mannering V. 5 & 6: Vanity Fair V. 7 & 8: David Copperfield V. 9: The Mill on the Floss V. 10: Irving, Poe, Harte, Twain, Hale V.11: The Portrait of a Lady V. 12: Notre Dame de Paris V. 13: Balzac, Sand, de Musset, Daudet, de Maupassant V. 14 & 15: Goethe, Keller, Storm, Fontane V. 16–19: Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Turgenev V. 20: Valera, Bjørnson, Kielland

The Harvard Classics in 365 Days aims to provide a whirlwind tour of classic literature. By reading for just 15 minutes a day throughout the year, you can discover text from “twelve main divisions of knowledge” including History, Poetry, Natural Science, Philosophy, Biography, Prose Fiction, Criticism and the Essay, Education, Political Science, Drama, Voyages and Travel and Religion. Based on Dr. Eliot's “reading guide” for The Harvard Classics, a complete chapter of reading material is included for each day of the year (even February 29th, in case you are reading during a Leap Year): "These selections assigned for each day in the year as you will see, are introduced by comments on the author, the subjects or the chief characters. They will serve to introduce you in the most pleasant manner possible to the Harvard Classics. They will enable you to browse enjoyably among the world’s immortal writings with entertainment and stimulation in endless variety.." Each reading is framed by an introduction, a context in which the text can be read and understood, often with insightful information about the author, it's wider history, or why that particular selection is appropriate reading for that day.

DigiCat presents to you this meticulously edited collection of essential works to read, prepared by Dr. Eliot, the longest running president of the Harvard University: V. 1: Franklin, Woolman & Penn V. 2: Plato, Epictetus & Marcus Aurelius V. 3: Bacon, Milton's Prose, Browne V. 4 Complete Poems by John Milton V. 5: Essays & English Traits by Emerson V. 6: Poems and Songs by Robert Burns V. 7: The Confessions of Saint Augustine & The Imitation of Christ V. 8: Nine Greek Dramas V. 9: Cicero and Pliny V. 10: The Wealth of Nations V. 11: The Origin of Species V. 12: Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans V. 13: Aeneid V. 14: Don Quixote V. 15: Bunyan & Walton V. 16: The Thousand and One Nights V. 17: Folklore & Fable: Aesop, Grimm & Andersen V. 18: Modern English Drama V. 19: Goethe & Marlowe V. 20: The Divine Comedy V. 21: I Promessi Sposi V. 22: The Odyssey V. 23: Two Years Before the Mast V. 24: Edmund Burke: French Revolution... V. 25: J. S. Mill & T. Carlyle V. 26: Continental Drama V. 27: English Essays: Sidney to Macaulay V. 28: Essays: English and American V. 29: The Voyage of the Beagle V. 30: Scientific Papers V. 31: Benvenuto Cellini V. 32: Literary and Philosophical Essays V. 33: Voyages & Travels V. 34: French & English Philosophers V. 35: Chronicle and Romance V. 36: Machiavelli, Roper, More, Luther V. 37: Locke, Berkeley, Hume V. 38: Harvey, Jenner, Lister, Pasteur V. 39: Prefaces and Prologues to Famous Books V. 40: English Poetry 1: from Chaucer to Gray V. 41: English Poetry 2: from Collins to Fitzgerald V. 42: English Poetry 3: from Tennyson to Whitman V. 43: American Historical Documents V. 44: Sacred Writings 1: Confucian, Hebrew & Christian V. 45: Sacred Writings 2: Christian, Buddhist, Hindu & Mohammedan V. 46: Elizabethan Drama 1: Marlowe & Shakespeare V. 47: Elizabethan Drama 2: Dekker, Jonson, Webster, Massinger, Beaumont and Fletcher V. 48: Thoughts, Letters & Minor Works of Pascal V. 49: Epic and Saga V. 50: The Editor's Introduction & Reader's Guide V. 51: Lectures

DigiCat presents to you this meticulously edited and formatted collection of Dr. Eliot: V. 1: Franklin, Woolman & Penn V. 2: Plato, Epictetus & Marcus Aurelius V. 3: Bacon, Milton's Prose, Browne V. 4 Complete Poems by John Milton V. 5: Essays & English Traits by Emerson V. 6: Poems and Songs by Robert Burns V. 7: The Confessions of Saint Augustine & The Imitation of Christ V. 8: Nine Greek Dramas V. 9: Letters & Treatises of Cicero and Pliny V. 10: The Wealth of Nations V. 11: The Origin of Species V. 12: Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans V. 13: Aeneid V. 14: Don Quixote V. 15: Bunyan & Walton V. 16: Stories from the Thousand and One Nights V. 17: Folklore & Fable: Aesop, Grimm & Andersen V. 18: Modern English Drama V. 19: Goethe & Marlowe: Faust... V. 20: The Divine Comedy V. 21: I Promessi Sposi V. 22: The Odyssey V. 23: Two Years Before the Mast V. 24: Edmund Burke: French Revolution... V. 25: J. S. Mill & T. Carlyle: Autobiography, Essays.. V. 26: Continental Drama V. 27: English Essays: Sidney to Macaulay V. 28: Essays: English and American V. 29: The Voyage of the Beagle V. 30: Scientific Papers V. 31: The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini V. 32: Literary and Philosophical Essays V. 33: Voyages & Travels V. 34: French & English Philosophers V. 35: Chronicle and Romance V. 36: Machiavelli, Roper, More, Luther V. 37: Locke, Berkeley, Hume V. 38: Harvey, Jenner, Lister, Pasteur V. 39: Prefaces and Prologues to Famous Books V. 40: English Poetry 1: from Chaucer to Gray V. 41: English Poetry 2: from Collins to Fitzgerald V. 42: English Poetry 3: from Tennyson to Whitman V. 43: American Historical Documents V. 44: Sacred Writings 1: Confucian, Hebrew & Christian V. 45: Sacred Writings 2: Christian, Buddhist, Hindu & Mohammedan V. 46: Elizabethan Drama 1: Marlowe & Shakespeare V. 47: Elizabethan Drama 2: Dekker, Jonson, Webster, Massinger, Beaumont and Fletcher V. 48: Thoughts, Letters & Minor Works of Pascal V. 49: Epic and Saga V. 50: The Editor's Introduction & Reader's Guide V. 51: Lectures

This unique memoir of reading the classics to find strength and wisdom “makes an elegant case for literature as an everyday companion” (The New York Times Book Review). While undergoing a series of personal and family crises, Christopher R. Beha discovered that his grandmother had used the Harvard Classics—the renowned “five foot shelf” of great world literature compiled in the early twentieth century by Charles William Eliot—to educate herself during the Great Depression. He decided to follow her example and turn to this series of great books for answers—and recounts the experience here in a smart, big-hearted, and inspirational mix of memoir and intellectual excursion that “deftly illustrates how books can save one’s life” (Helen Schulman). “As he grapples with the death of his beloved grandmother, a debilitating bout with Lyme disease and other major and minor calamities, Beha finds that writers as diverse as Wordsworth, Pascal, Kant and Mill had been there before, and that the results of their struggles to find meaning in life could inform his own.” —The Seattle Times “An important book [and] a sheer blast to read.” —Heidi Julavits

"On the Conservation of Force" by Hermann von Helmholtz (translated by Edmund Atkinson). Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

Assembled by Harvard University president Charles William Eliot in the early 20th century, the Five-Foot Shelf of Books is a collection of classic works of literature, philosophy, and history that represents the best of Western thought and culture. This volume, featuring the poems and songs of Scotland's national bard Robert Burns, is a wonderful introduction to the rich literary heritage of the Scottish people. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.