Books published by publisher Cosmic Classics

[S]urely that need not and ought not to be the whole of Christmas-only a single day or generosity, ransomed from the dull servitude of a selfish year,-only a single night of merry-making, celebrated in the slave-quarters of a selfish race! If every gift is the token of a personal thought, a friendly feeling, an unselfish interest in the joy of others, then the thought, the feeling, the interest, may remain after the gift is made. -from "Christmas-Giving and Christmas-Living" A popular pastor and poet at the turn of the 20th century, Henry Van Dyke sings the praises of acts of kindness and generosity, of good will and good cheer, and of the spirit of Christmas. First published in 1905 this charming volume includes: Ø a dream-story: The Christmas Angel Ø a little essay: Christmas-Giving and Christmas-Living Ø a short Christmas sermon: Keeping Christmas Ø two Christmas prayers: For the Home and For Lonely Folks Also available from Cosimo Classics: Van Dyke's The Spirit of America OF INTEREST TO: lovers of Christmas American author and clergyman HENRY VAN DYKE (1852-1933) was pastor of Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City from 1883 to 1899 and professor of English literature at Princeton University from 1899 to 1923. He wrote numerous books of poetry and devotion, including Little Rivers (1895), The Other Wise Man (1896), and Fisherman's Luck (1899).

The Souls of Black Folk, originally published in 1903, contains a number of groundbreaking essays on race and race relations by scholar and activist W.E.B. DuBois. As an early work in the field of sociology, this book analyzes the interactions between the races and offers a solution for the strife and inequality that had come to characterize those interactions. DuBois believed that education was the route to a better life for all blacks, and his recommendation became the basis for the civil rights movement. Anyone interested in history, race relations, sociology, or the intellectual heritage of the United States will find this an essential read. American writer, civil rights activist, and scholar W.E.B. DUBOIS (1868-1963) was a free-born African American in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He was the first black man to receive a PhD from Harvard University and was convinced that education was the means for African Americans to achieve equality. He wrote a number of important books, including The Philadelphia Negro (1899), Black Folk, Then and Now (1899), and The Negro (1915).

Shakespeare’s rousing tale of war and peace between England and France during the reign of Henry V springs to life in this unabridged, full-color graphic adaptation. Every scene, every speech, and every battle is here, from “Once more unto the breach” to the decisive Battle of Agincourt, all in Shakespeare’s original language. The lively illustrations accurately depict the era’s costumes and settings.

He was an American Founding Father and the new nation’s first president, but before that, GEORGE WASHINGTON (1732–1799) was an excruciatingly correct child with a passion for propriety. At the age of 14, he copied out 110 rules for elegant deportment from a work created by Jesuits in the 16th century as a guide for young gentleman of quality, and through these rules, which he took greatly to heart, we can see the beginnings of the man Washington would become taking shape. Though many of the rules deal with matters of etiquette—such as whom should rise for whom in mixed company—many others concern far deeper matters that touch on personal philosophies about judgment, honor, success, and conscience. As a peek into the manners of a bygone age, this is an intriguing work. As a peek into a great man in his formative years, this is an extraordinary one.

"'The Book of the Damned' has inspired scientists, science fiction writers, movie makers, and devotees for almost a hundred years. The damned data Charles Fort gathered covered so many marvels, mysteries, and monsters--including unidentified aerial objects, frog falls, ship disappearances, red rains, earthquake lights, lake monsters, animal mutilations, psychic explosions, and much, much more. "I discovered the works of Charles Fort in 1959 and jumped into the pursuit of the unknown in the decades that followed. All the while, Fort's humor and skepticism have served me well. "Charles Fort, who died in 1932, would have nothing to do with the subculture of followers that grew up around his work. He even refused to join the original Fortean Society of the 1920s, which included some of the most distinguished intellectuals of the time, including Ben Hecht, Buckminster Fuller, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, with a guiding role taken by founder Tiffany Thayer. Being a Fortean is not a religious affiliation, just an appreciation of the oneness of it all. "All journeys are personal, and the one you are about to take with the charm, wit, and insights of Charlie Fort is, I'm sure you will discover, like riding the tail of a comet, as one reviewer said when this tome first appeared. Buckle up for your excursion into the universe of the inexplicable."

"He Who Sells What Isn't His'n Must Buy it Back or Go to Pris'n." --"Uncle Dan'l" Drew Long out of print and virtually unavailable for years, THE BOOK OF DANIEL DREW is the irresistible story of a country boy who grew up to become Wall Street's first great speculator. Told for the most part in his own salty language - of his early life as a cattle drover, as a profiteer of "watered" cattle (a scheme he later used in the stock deal in the famed Erie Railroad operation), of his building of a fortune on Wall Street and of his epic struggles with Commodore Vanderbilt including his unholy alliances with Gould, Fisk and Boss Tweed. Originally published in 1910, THE BOOK OF DANIEL DREW is a true classic of the stock market. It's a fascinating look at an era in American financial history whose ethos was "anything goes" and anything did!

Like his more famous contemporary Upton Sinclair, American author BENJAMIN FRANKLIN NORRIS, JR. (1870-1902) also highlighted the corruption and greed of corporate monopolies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries... themes that continue to make his work riveting reading more than a century later. The Octopus, first published in 1901, is the tale of a war between wheat growers in California and the Railroad Trust. Rancher Magnus Derrick and railroad representative S. Behrman square off-to disastrous results-as poet Presley, a stand-in for Norris, observes and chronicles the tragedy. The first part of Norris's projected "Trilogy of the Epic of the Wheat," The Octopus is followed by 1903's The Pit, also available from Cosimo. (Norris died before he could write the third volume, The Wolf.)

One of the best-selling books of all time and an inspirational classic, this 1896 phenomenon popularized the question "What would Jesus do?" American minister CHARLES MONROE SHELDON (1857-1946) was renowned as a preacher more concerned with practical perspectives on living a moral life than on other rarefied theological matters removed from the experiences of ordinary Christians. It was in this novel that many of his own sermons came together in fictional form, through one Reverend Henry Maxwell, of the imaginary Eastern town of Raymond, who inspires his congregation to let the question "What would Jesus do?" guide their actions. Those seeking a virtuous path through everyday life continue to turn to this beloved book even today, more than a century after it was written. It remains a comfort to the soul for readers the world over.

Darling Ethel: Of course you remember the story of the little prairie girl. I always associate it with you. Well, again and again on this trip we would pass through prairie villages-bleak and lonely-with all the people in from miles about to see me. Among them were dozens of young girls, often pretty, and as far as I could see much more happy than the heroine of the story. One of them shook hands with me, and then, after much whispering, said: "We want to shake hands with the guard!" The "guard" proved to be Roly, who was very swell in his uniform, and whom they evidently thought much more attractive than the President... -from "Prairie Girls" Remembered today for his expansive personality and grand sense of adventure, Theodore Roosevelt-politician and soldier, naturalist and historian-was also a devoted, doting father and husband. This beautiful selection of the letters he wrote to his children over the courses of their lives, as well as a few written to other correspondents about the children, reveal a man deeply in love with his family and with the joys of fatherhood. The tales of Christmases at the White House and whistle-stop tours through the American countryside offer a cozy glimpse into one of the greatest American presidencies... and Roosevelt's tenderness with his sons and daughters-as he treats them as friends, confidantes, and equals-creates a warm and intimate portrait of one of the great American characters. Also available from Cosimo Classics: Roosevelt's A Book-Lover's Holidays in the Open, America and the World War, Through the Brazilian Wilderness and Papers on Natural History, Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail, The Strenuous Life: Essays and Addresses, and Historic Towns: New York OF INTEREST TO: Roosevelt fans, readers of autobiography, students of the American presidency American icon THEODORE ROOSEVELT (1858-1919) was 26th President of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909, and the first American to win a Nobel Prize, in 1906, when he was awarded the Peace Prize for mediating the Russo-Japanese War. He is the author of 35 books.

This is the entire unabridged play brought to life in full colour! Although The Tempest was the first play to appear in the first official Folio printing of Shakespeare's plays, it was almost certainly the last play he wrote. It held pride of place in that first collection, presumably because the editors thought it to be his masterpiece; a crowning glory to the career of the most brightest of playwrights. Needless to say, we had to select the very best artists to do it justice, and to bring you the stunning artwork that you've come to expect from our titles. Poignant to the last, this book is a classic amongst classics.

*The Story of My Life* may be the most extraordinary autobiography ever written. Its author was only 22 when it was published, in 1903, but her life to that point had already been most uncommon: she had been rendered deaf, blind, and later mute by an illness at the age of 19 months, and only years later learned to read, speak, and understand others through the dedication of a teacher extraordinary in her own right. American author and activist HELEN ADAMS KELLER (1880-1968) became famous thanks to *The Story of My Life,* which was later adapted for stage and screen in various incarnations under the title *The Miracle Worker,* a reference to that special teacher, Annie Sullivan. Here, in her own words, is Keller's firsthand experience of the dawning of enlightenment on the severely isolated child she was, and her evolution into the educated and erudite young woman she became.