Books with author William Henry Drew

Wager of Battle - A Tale of Saxon Slavery in Sherwood Forest by Henry William HerbertIt is, perhaps, unfortunate that the period and, in some degree, the scene of my present work, coincide nearly with those of the most magnificent and gorgeous of historical romances, Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe.It is hoped, however, that—notwithstanding this similarity, and the fact that in both works the interest turns in some degree on the contrast between the manners of the Saxon and Norman inhabitants of the isle, and the state of things preceding the fusion of the two races into one—notwithstanding, also, that in each a portion of the effect depends on the introduction of a judicial combat, or "Wager of Battle"—the resemblance will be found to be external and incidental only, and that, neither in matter, manner, nor subject, is there any real similarity between the books, much less any imitation or absurd attempt, on my part, at rivalry with that which is admitted to be incomparable. It will be seen, at once, by those who have the patience to peruse the following pages, that I have aimed at something more than a mere delineation of outward habits, customs, and details of martial or pacific life; that I have entered largely into the condition of classes, the peculiar institution of Serfdom, or White Slavery, as it existed among our own ancestors—that portion of whom, from which our blood is in the largest degree descended, being the servile population of the island—in the twelfth century, and the steps which led to its gradual abolition.In doing this, I have been unavoidably led into the necessity of dealing with the ancient jurisprudence of our race, the common law of the land, the institution of Trial by Jury, and that singular feature in our old judicial system, the reference of cases to the direct decision of the Almighty by Wager of Battle, or, as it was also called, "the Judgment of God."I will here merely observe that, while the gist of my tale lies in the adventures and escape of a fugitive Saxon Slave from the tyranny of his Norman Lord, my work contains no reference to the peculiar institution of any portion of this country, nor conceals any oblique insinuation against, or covert attack upon, any part of the inhabitants of the Continent, or any interest guaranteed to them by the Constitution. Nevertheless, I would recommend no person to open a page of this volume, who is prepared to deny that slavery per se is an evil and a wrong, and its effects deteriorating to all who are influenced by its contact, governors alike and governed, since they will find nothing agreeable, but much adverse to their way of thinking.That it is an evil and a wrong, in itself, and a source of serious detriment to all parties concerned, I can not but believe; and that, like all other wrongs and evils, it will in the end, by God's wisdom, be provided for and pass away, without violence or greater indirect wrong and evil, I both believe and hope.But I neither arrogate to myself the wisdom of imagining how this is to be peacefully brought about in the lapse of ages, nor hesitate to dissent from the intemperance of those who would cut the Gordian knot, like Alexander, with the sword, reckless if the same blow should sever the sacred bonds that consolidate the fabric of the Union.

First published in 1921, "A Traveller in Little Things" is a charming travel narrative of the author's various rambles around the beautiful countryside of England. Highly recommended for all lovers of nature writing. William Henry Hudson (1841 - 1922) was an Argentinian naturalist, author, and ornithologist. He was one of the founding members of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and is best known for his novel "Green Mansions" (1904). Other notable works include "A Little Boy Lost" (1905) and "Far Away and Long Ago" (1918), which has since been adapted into a film. Hudson is considered a national treasure in Argentina, and his legacy lives on in the form of an Italian town and numerous other public places named after him. Contents include: "How I Found My Title", "The Old Man's Delusion", "As A Tree Falls", "A Story Of Long Descent", "A Second Story Of Two Brothers", "A Third Story Of Two Brothers", "The Two White Houses: A Memory", "Dandy A Story Of A Dog", "The Samphire Gatherer", "A Surrey Village", etc. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.

William Henry Hudson was a well-respected author and naturalist. Hudson was born in Argentina to two English settlers and he would eventually settle in England where he produced many ornithological studies. Hudson is now best remembered for books such as Green Mansions, The Purple Land That England Lost, and A Crystal Age. The Purple Land That England Lost, published in 1885, is a novel set in Uruguay that centers around a young Englishman who marries a teenage Argentinian girl without asking her father's permission. The young couple is then forced to flee to Uruguay.

Excerpt:On one of the hottest days in August of this exceptionally hot year of 1899, I spent a good many hours on the top of Kingston Hill, near Lewes. There are clear mornings, especially in the autumn months, when magnificent views of the surrounding country can be had from the flat top of that very long hill. Usually on hot summer days the prospect, with the sea of downland and the grey glinting ocean beyond on one side, the immense expanse of the wooded Sussex weald on the other, is covered with a blue obscuring haze, and this hot, windy August day was no exception. The wind, moreover, was so violent that all winged life, whether of bird or insect, had been driven into hiding and such scanty shade as existed; it was a labour even to walk against the wind. In spite of these drawbacks, and of the everywhere brown parched aspect of nature, I had here some hours of rare pleasure, felt all the more because it had not been looked for.

Originally published in 1906 as a section of the author’s larger “School History of the United States,” this Kindle edition, equivalent in length to a physical book of approximately 64 pages, tells the story of America’s Civil War.CONTENTSI. Before the WarII. Lincoln-Douglas DebatesIII. Election of 1860IV. SecessionV. Opening of HostilitiesVI. Early Naval AffairsVII. Operations in the Mississippi ValleyVIII. The Army of the PotomacIX. EmancipationX. The Confederate GovernmentXI. Politics in the NorthXII. Further Operations in the WestXIII. Vicksburg and GettysburgXIV. The Chattanooga CampaignXV. Grant in the WildernessXVI. The Atlanta Campaign; MobileXVII. The Presidential Election of 1864XVIII. Final Work of the ArmiesXIX. Foreign Relations; the FinancesXX. Observations on the WarXXI. Early Plans of ReconstructionXXII. Congressional ReconstructionSample passage:The effect of the firing on Fort Sumter was magical throughout the North. Millions who had hesitated were now ready to decide for the Union. Two days after the fall of Sumter President Lincoln issued a call for seventy-five thousand men and the response was hearty from every part of the free states. Men forgot their party differences and rushed to arms to save the Union. In the South the effect of the fall of Sumter was similar to that in the North. The Southern people saw by Lincoln’s call to arms that he meant to coerce the seceding states. This awakened them to resistance, and it was in the following weeks that the last four of the Confederate states seceded from the Union—Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Tennessee. The people of Virginia now seized the United States arsenal at Harper’s Ferry and the Navy Yard near Norfolk, the value of which was $10,000,000. The seizures of the Confederacy now reached the grand total of $40,000,000.After the fall of Fort Sumter it was plain to the world that there would be war between the two great sections of our country. For many years there had been ceaseless quarreling between them; now there was to be an appeal to the sword, with all its baleful results.About the Author:Henry William Elson (1857-1935) was a professor of history at Ohio State University. Other works include “Side Lights on American History” and “Four Great American Presidents.”

This early work by William Henry Hudson was originally published in 1898 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory essay. 'Birds in London' gives a compelling account of bird life in London, beautifully illustrated by Bryan Hook and A. D. McCormick. William Henry Hudson was born in 1841 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was an author, naturalist, and ornithologist. He spent his youth studying native plants and animals, resulting in the publication of 'Proceedings of the Royal Zoological Society'. In the early 1870s, Hudson settled in England and achieved fame with his books on the English countryside, including 'Hampshire Day' (1903), 'Afoot in England' (1909) and 'A Shepherd's Life' (1910), which were considered to have influenced the back-to-nature movement of the 1920s and 1930s.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.