Books published by Cosimo Classics

A fascinating but often overlooked topic is the establishment of currency in a new nation. The process involves not only a host of unknown and complicated political factors, but also economics and the culture of the new nation. In A History of American Currency, Yale Professor William G. Sumner examines the development of the monetary system in the United States, from the colonial era through the Civil War. He noted that the earliest British settlers brought with them virtually no money; the English government wouldn't allow it, and the Puritans had little or no use for it. Gradually, the settlers traded wampumpeag with their Native American neighbors, and eventually currency was developed to pay soldiers, finance expeditions, and trade with other nations. Sumner also covers the English Bank Restriction of 1797, the Bullion Report of 1810, and the development of Austrian paper money.WILLIAM GRAHAM SUMNER was a professor of political and social science at Yale University and became known as a Social Darwinist and advocate of the laissez faire principle in economics. Besides writing a number of books on sociology, history, and economics, he was also influential in the movement to modernize the American university system.

Readers will find much to admire in the early life stories of leaders in business, government, and technology. From humble beginnings to the heights of fame, these men created opportunities for themselves and others, exerting their influence farther than they could have imagined. Writer Edwin Wildman delves into the biographies of men such as Philip Danforth Armour, the Chicago packing king; P.T. Barnum, the great showman; John M. Browning, the inventor of the machine gun; William L. Douglas, "the boy who pegged shoes and became governor"; Frank L. Woolworth, "the magician of the 5 and 10 cent store"; John Davison Rockefeller; and Adolf Zukor, the motion picture magnate. Wildman also profiles inventors such as Thomas Edison, George Eastman, Alexander Graham Bell, Charles Goodyear, Cyrus Hall McCormick, Isaac Merritt Singer, George Westinghouse, and the Wright brothers. Wildman wrote of these remarkable leaders and their fascinating lives, "They did not live joyless lives; they found pleasure in their work, because they loved their work and hoped to get on in the world."EDWIN WILDMAN was a journalist who covered the Philippines. He also wrote the books Reconstructing America -- Our Next Big Job and Aguinaldo, A Narrative of Filipino Aspirations.

RICHARD HARDING DAVIS, a Philadelphia-born journalist, led a mythic life, one full of adventure, high drama, and at least one close call with Germans who thought he was a spy during World War I.Davis was a respected reporter and editor who described foreign events to the U.S. during the late 1800s and early 1900s. He covered the globe while working as war correspondent for Harper's and other publications, and reported on the Spanish War, the Spanish-American War in Cuba, and the Boer War. During World War I, he was captured by the Germans, who accused him of being a British spy.His reporting also helped to create the Rough Riders legend associated with Teddy Roosevelt. He collected many of his articles in the books Rulers of the Mediterranean, About Paris, and Three Gringos in Venezuela and Central America. This book, written by the journalist's brother, provides an intimate look at a writer who led a very public life.

The economy shifts and cycles, and occasionally falls into depressions. Making sense of these "recurring disturbances" is the aim of Financial Crises and Periods of Industrial and Commercial Depression, written by Theodore Burton. "No subject of economic discussion has provoked a greater variety of conflicting opinions than that of financial crises and periods of depression," he wrote. In this book, Burton tries to clarify the confusion surrounding economic phenomena such as panics, crises, and depressions. He attempts to identify their causes and effects and looks at whether depressions are unavoidable features of a transition period in business and industry. He also examines the periodicity of crises and depressions and if they regularly recur or are the result of chance.THEODORE ELIJAH BURTON (1851-1929) represented Ohio in the U.S. Congress for forty-one years. He served on the Inland Waterways Commission, the National Waterways Commission, and the National Monetary Commission. He was also a strong advocate for peace and the abolition of poisonous gas in warfare. In addition to Financial Crises, he wrote the books The Life of John Sherman and Corporations and the State.

GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE the man may be overshadowed by his inventions, company, or legend. But in this biography by Henry G. Prout, Westinghouse's personal life and history are recounted along with his many inventions and enterprises -- and his inventions and enterprises were enormous. "He dealt in the same week, and often in the same day, with organization, financial and executive affairs, commercial affairs, and the engineering details of half a dozen companies in two hemispheres," Prout noted. "They were as far apart in kind as the air brake and natural gas, and as far apart in geography as San Francisco and St. Petersburg."This biography covers topics as diverse as power signaling and switching, Westinghouse's use of the alternating current, his activities at Niagara Falls, his European enterprises, his financial methods, and his overall impact on rail transportation and the power industry.

"You are a traveller in little things--in something very small--which takes you into the villages and hamlets, where you meet and converse with small farmers, innkeepers, labourers and their wives, with other persons who live on the land. In this way you get to hear a good deal about rent and cost of living, and what the people are able and not able to do." Thus was described William Henry Hudson, who was delighted with this portrayal. Hudson was a writer, naturalist, and trained ornithologist from Argentina, a son of Anglo-American parents who wrote exclusively in English. While many of his books dealt with South American life--including Green Mansions, The Purple Land, and the autobiographical Far Away and Long Ago--he also focused on Britain, to which he emigrated in 1874. A Traveller in Little Things is one such title, a collection of essays and sketches, many of which were originally printed in The New Statesman, The Saturday Review, The Nation, and The Cornhill Magazine. Throughout, Hudson's keen observations, lively writing, and charming anecdotes make this a delightful collection of "little things" from one of the most unique writers of his generation.

With suggestions form influential thinkers and authors, IN PRAISE OF BOOKS can help those who are developing a personal library or reading list.Ralph Waldo Emerson contributed an Atlantic Monthly essay to this volume, in which he recommended his favorite writers and texts. He named Homer, Shakespeare, Herodotus, Dante, Spenser, Bacon, Dickens, and Thackeray as among his most cherished authors. He also listed his three criteria for selecting a book: never read a book that is less than a year old, always read well-known books, and always read topics that one enjoys.Sir John Lubbock also shared his love of books -- "How thankful we ought to be for these inestimable blessings, for this numberless host of friends who never weary, betray, or forsake us!" he wrote -- before recommending the works of Confucius, Aristotle, St. Augustine, Darwin, Goethe, Eliot, and many more. Also included are quotes about reading and books from Socrates ("Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings; so you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for"), Niccolo Machiavelli ("I forget every vexation" when reading), Alexander Pope ("At this day, as much company as I have kept, and as much as I love it, I love reading better"), Henry Fielding ("We are as liable to be corrupted by books as by companions"), David Hume ("[I] was seized very early with a passion for literature, which as been the ruling passion of my life"), and other avid readers.

Margaret Oliphant viewed Jerusalem as the center of Western culture. "The story of Jerusalem is one of the most wonderful in the world, besides being of unparalleled importance to the human race.. And when we descend the course of the ages and come to a still more glorious and wonderful history, it is Jerusalem still which is the scene both of tragedy and triumph, of the greatest and most wonderful life which was ever lived among men," she wrote.In her examination of the city, she focuses on its people and rich history. She recounts the stories of David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Jesus. This book "is addressed only to those for whom the soil of Palestine, so fondly and so long known as the Holy Land, is peopled with the known and loved, the poets and sages and kings with whom we are familiar as with the records of our own lives."MARGARET OLIPHANT (1828-1897) was a prolific, versatile Scottish author who supported her family at a time when women rarely made their living through writing. She wrote almost a hundred novels, dozens of works of non-fiction, almost four hundred articles, and numerous short stories.

In the year 1500, Queen Margaret of Navarre wrote her "recipe for a happy life," which includes ingredients such as patience, pastimes, repose and peace, pleasant memory and hope, and love's magic drops. Picking up these themes, Marie West King has selected passages from literature that expand on Queen Margaret's suggestions. Represented are Ralph Waldo Emerson ("A day for toil, an hour for sport"), George Washington ("Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called Conscience"), Plato ("Self conquest is the greatest of victories"), and William Shakespeare ("Love comforteth, like sunshine after rain"). Readers will find that this simple recipe still stands the test of time.

A "great storehouse of legends and traditions" according to translator E.A. Wallis Budge, 'The Kebra Nagast' most likely dates back to the sixth century AD, and provides an alternative view of many biblical stories. According to this ancient text, the kings of Ethiopia were descended from Solomon, King of Israel, and the Queen of Sheba; the Ark of the Covenant had been brought from Jerusalem to Aksum by Meyelek, the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba; and the God of Israel had transferred his place of abode on earth from Jerusalem to Aksum, the ecclesiastical and political capital of Ethiopia.". . .[O]nly in the Kebra Nagast, and not in the Bible. . . the bold assertion is made. . . that the Ark had gone from Jerusalem to Ethiopia."". . . [H]ow could the most important Biblical object in the world end up in the heart of Africa. . . ? The Kebra Nagast with a great deal of weight and historical authenticity. . . offers a clear answer to this question. . . as Ethiopia's claim to be the last resting place of the lost Ark remains unchallenged. . ." ". . . [T]he Kebra Nagast's audacious claim of a massive cover-up. . . [and] all information about the tragic loss of the Ark during Solomon's reign had been suppressed, which is why no mention is made of it in the Scriptures." ". . . a great epic. . . a remarkable document. . . erected above a solid foundation of historical truth."--Graham Hancock"The Sign and the Seal"E.A. WALLIS BUDGE was the curator of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities at the British Museum and he collected a large number of manuscripts. He is perhaps best known for translating "The Egyptian Book of The Dead," but he also created books of translated hieroglyphs, Egyptian religion, mythology, and magic. He was knighted in 1920.

A "great storehouse of legends and traditions" according to translator E.A. Wallis Budge, 'The Kebra Nagast' most likely dates back to the sixth century AD, and provides an alternative view of many biblical stories. According to this ancient text, the kings of Ethiopia were descended from Solomon, King of Israel, and the Queen of Sheba; the Ark of the Covenant had been brought from Jerusalem to Aksum by Meyelek, the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba; and the God of Israel had transferred his place of abode on earth from Jerusalem to Aksum, the ecclesiastical and political capital of Ethiopia.". . .[O]nly in the Kebra Nagast, and not in the Bible. . . the bold assertion is made. . . that the Ark had gone from Jerusalem to Ethiopia."". . . [H]ow could the most important Biblical object in the world end up in the heart of Africa. . . ? The Kebra Nagast with a great deal of weight and historical authenticity. . . offers a clear answer to this question. . . as Ethiopia's claim to be the last resting place of the lost Ark remains unchallenged. . ." ". . . [T]he Kebra Nagast's audacious claim of a massive cover-up. . . [and] all information about the tragic loss of the Ark during Solomon's reign had been suppressed, which is why no mention is made of it in the Scriptures." ". . . a great epic. . . a remarkable document. . . erected above a solid foundation of historical truth."--Graham Hancock"The Sign and the Seal"E.A. WALLIS BUDGE was the curator of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities at the British Museum and he collected a large number of manuscripts. He is perhaps best known for translating "The Egyptian Book of The Dead," but he also created books of translated hieroglyphs, Egyptian religion, mythology, and magic. He was knighted in 1920.

"Kwaidan" means "weird tales." Lafcadio Hearn has taken kwaidan and written some amazing, hair-raising tales of long ago--delicate, transparent, ghostly sketches of a world unreal, but with a haunting sense of spiritual reality. It is a unique collection of haunting Japanese supernatural stories written by a Westerner who adopted Japan as his homeland.

Ever want to know the secrets of how the successful became the successful? Gathered together in "Success and How to Attain It" are the thoughts of some of America's preeminent 19th century thinkers, who, at the instigation of General Daniel Butterfield, came together for a series of lectures at Union College from 1892 to 1895.

Does individuality survive death? Does death mean the end of our existence? The answers are yes and no. The message of this classic book is that individuality does indeed survive death, and that death is merely the beginning of a further chapter in human evolution. Told here are many eyewitness experiences had by the author with many great mediums in undertaking her quest to study Spiritualism. To tell her story, the author recounts words she heard at séances in a vivid, haunting manner to convey the stories of something beyond death. These experiences show that death is not the end and not something to be feared. Florence Marryat was a 19th-century novelist. She edited the journal London Society, wrote stage plays, and acted in her own company. She also traveled throughout England and America on lecture tours, and wrote more than 100 short stories and nearly 80 novels. In addition to 'There Is No Death", she wrote two other books on Spiritualism.

In this brief treatise, Carus traces the roots of his belief in the philosophical basis for mathematics and analyzes that basis after a historical overview of Euclid and his successors. He then examines his base argument and proceeds to a study of different geometrical systems, all pulled together in his epilogue, which examines matter, mathematics, and, ultimately, the nature of God.

Compiled herein are the thoughts and quotes of Napoleon on everything from women ("A beautiful woman pleases the eye, a good woman pleases the heart; the first is a jewel, the second a treasure") to the reason to wage war ("We must either strike or be stricken") to humanity itself ("Humanity is grateful to those who astonish her").

"The Twelve Lessons" offers a unique, early 20th century study of automatic writing, or involuntary, writing -- writing allegedly directed by a spirit or by the unconscious mind, is sure to challenge while it inspires. In 1918, Margaret Cameron wrote "The Seven Purposes", a report of the author's research on automatic, or involuntary, writing -- writing allegedly directed by a spirit or by the unconscious mind. As the author stated, these lessons were "personal communications coming through my pencil to various of my friends, the twelve impersonal communications." She adds, "They contain.an explanation of life, in modern terms fitted for our present understanding and intended to strengthen our constructive determination." She then concludes, "These repeated warnings of impending spiritual conflict.are given here word for word as they were given to me."

"The Seven Purposes" written by Margaret Cameron in 1918 is a report of personal experience in psychic phenomena. This is based on the author's research on automatic, or involuntary, writing--writing allegedly directed by a spirit or by the unconscious mind. This report has been arranged in three parts: first, the genesis and rapid development of the individual message; second, the Lessons; third, additional individual messages."The Seven Purposes" offers a unique, early-20th century study of automatic writing sure to challenge while it inspires. Margaret Cameron was a novelist and short story writer. She also wrote one-act plays and contributed to magazines.

A sweeping investigation of how knowledge is obtained by means of absolute truth, including how the spirit reveals itself as absolute reality, The Phenomenology of Mind is an intellectual tour-de-force and represents a great philosophical works for the ages.Originally published in English in 1910, Hegel proffers his unique viewpoint that knowledge is not separated from, nor outside of, absolute reality - but that knowledge is itself reality, and posits that reality is mental and spiritual. Volume II includes: . [The Nature of] Free Concrete Mind: Spirit . Religion in General. Absolute KnowledgeAlso Available from Cosimo Classics: Hegel's The Phenomenology of Mind: Volume IGerman philosopher GEORG WILHELM FRIEDRICH HEGEL (1770-1831) was born in Stuttgart and studied at Tübingen, where his contemporaries included Schelling and the poet Hölderlin. As a philosophical disciple of Kant, Hegel was of the Idealist School of philosophers and remained an unparalleled influence on German philosophy throughout the 19th-century. Additional works by Hegel's include: The Objective Logic (1812-13), The Subjective Logic (1816), Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciencies in Outline (1817), and Philosophy of Right (1821).

A sweeping investigation of how knowledge is obtained by means of absolute truth, including how the spirit reveals itself as absolute reality, The Phenomenology of Mind is an intellectual tour-de-force and represents a great philosophical works for the ages.Originally published in English in 1910, Hegel proffers his unique viewpoint that knowledge is not separated from, nor outside of, absolute reality - but that knowledge is itself reality, and posits that reality is mental and spiritual. Volume I includes: . On Scientific Knowledge in General. Intention and Method of the Argument of the Phenomenology. Consciousness and Self- Consciousness. [The Nature of] Free Concrete Mind: ReasonAlso Available from Cosimo Classics: Hegel's The Phenomenology of Mind: Volume IIGerman philosopher GEORG WILHELM FRIEDRICH HEGEL (1770-1831) was born in Stuttgart and studied at Tübingen, where his contemporaries included Schelling and the poet Hölderlin. As a philosophical disciple of Kant, Hegel was of the Idealist School of philosophers and remained an unparalleled influence on German philosophy throughout the 19th-century. Additional works by Hegel's include: The Objective Logic (1812-13), The Subjective Logic (1816), Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciencies in Outline (1817), and Philosophy of Right (1821).

Conversation with family and intimate friends is somewhat in danger of becoming a little too informal, too laconic. Sometimes we take our own folks too much for granted. At its best, however, this is the acme of conversation, carrying the fullest meaning with least effort.-from "Social Conversation"This classic of developing confidence and poise when talking to absolutely anyone is full of sound, solid advice that is just as useful today as it was when it was first published in 1928. Two experts in public speaking-and private conversation-cover the full range of interpersonal communication:. at work: how to talk to your boss and your subordinates. in civic situations: how to communicate effectively at club and committee meetings. at home: how to enjoy personal conversations more. in public: giving a lively speech.The authors promise no "magic formula," just graceful guidance for becoming a more thoughtful and resolute speaker.JOHN MANTLE CLAPP (b. 1870) also wrote Doing Business by Letter and Language for Men of Affairs.EDWIN A. KANE was an instructor in public speaking at the College of the City of New York.