Essays & Short Works
The Essays of Francis Bacon
Read by Carl Vonnoh, III
Francis Bacon and Sir Francis Bacon
Voltaire was an atheist. Diderot was Enlightened. But trite titles seldom encompass completely the beliefs of any individual. And this one f…
Revolution and Counter-Revolution, or: Germany in 1848
Read by Cate Barratt
Friedrich Engels
Revolution and Counter-Revolution is an account of what happened in Prussia, Austria and other German states during 1848, describing the imp…
The Seven Lamps of Architecture
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
John Ruskin
The Seven Lamps of Architecture, published in May 1849, is an extended essay written by the English art critic and theorist John Ruskin. The…
Heretics
Read by G.K. Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton
"Heretics," a series of essays by Gilbert Keith Chesterton. First published in 1905.
Chesterton had a sense of humor, had a sense …
The Moral Equivalent of War
Read by D.E. Wittkower
William James
The Moral Equivalent of War, the last public utterance of William James, is significant as expressing the opinions of a practical psychologi…
Mark Twain's Speeches, Part 1
Read by John Greenman
Mark Twain
Spanning the time between 1872 and the year before he died, this collection of after-dinner speeches, random thoughts to "the press&quo…
Short Story Collection Vol. 006
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Various
LibriVox's Short Story Collection 006: a collection of 20 short essays and fiction in the public domain read by a variety of LibriVox member…
The Gettysburg Address (version 3)
Read by Mark F. Smith
Abraham Lincoln
The Dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, in November, 1863, followed a few short months after the roiling, acrid clouds of gun…
Idle Thoughts Of An Idle Fellow
Read by Czechchris
Jerome K. Jerome
Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, published in 1886, is a collection of humorous essays by Jerome K. Jerome. It was the author’s second publi…
Moral letters to Lucilius (Epistulae morales ad Lucilium)
Read by John Van Stan
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Seneca the Younger’s letters to his friend, Lucilius Junior, appear to have been written with a broad audience in mind. These letters introd…
Mark Twain's Journal Writings, Volume 1
Read by John Greenman
Mark Twain
Volume 1 contains these 12 essays: 1.) "Americans on a Visit to the Emperor of Russia." 2.) "The Austrian Edison keeping scho…
Eugenics and Other Evils
Read by Gilbert Keith Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton
I think G.K. Chesterton explains his book rather well in his introduction, but it might help to start with a sense of the time in question. …
Tremendous Trifles
Read by Ray Clare
G. K. Chesterton
“None of us think enough of these things on which the eye rests. But don't let us let the eye rest. Why should the eye be so lazy? Let us ex…
Little Wars
Read by Mark F. Smith
H. G. Wells
A Game for Boys from twelve years of age to one hundred and fifty and for that more intelligent sort of girl who likes boys' games and books…
The Negro Problem
Read by James K. White
Various
This is a collection of essays, edited by Booker T. Washington, representative of what historians have characterized as "racial uplift …
The Philippics
Read by ontheroad
Marcus Tullius Cicero
A philippic is a fiery, damning speech delivered to condemn a particular political actor. The term originates with Demosthenes, who delivere…
Nature (version 2)
Read by Jesse Zuba
Ralph Waldo Emerson
First published anonymously in 1836, Nature marks the beginning both of Emerson’s literary career and the Transcendentalist movement. Asking…
On Liberty
Read by John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill
"On Liberty," a seminal work by philosopher John Stuart Mill. Mill felt there were no definite standards for defining what societ…
Emily Dickinson on Death
Read by Libby Gohn
Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson is one of the most intriguing of American poets. Since she grew increasingly reclusive, very few of her poems were published…
The Crimes of England
Read by Ray Clare
G. K. Chesterton
"Second, when telling such lies as may seem necessary to your international standing, do not tell the lies to the people who know the t…