Showing results by narrator "Adriel Brandt" in All Categories

Hardin was an average man - except for his above average gunlighting. A Texan sympathizer to slavery writes about his deeds during life. Some of these deeds are commendable, while some are downright deplorable - just like any other man.

Rene Descartes, mathematician, scientist, and first "modern philosopher", wrote Meditations on First Philosophy, a six-part treatise first published in Latin in 1641, to deconstruct "belief" and, using reason and science, discuss the only things we can truly know for sure. Each of the six parts of this book represents six of Descartes’ meditations that occurred on six subsequent days, making it also, in no small part, an autobiographical piece of work.

Wealthy aristocrat Edward and his wife, Charlotte, invite The Captain, Edward’s childhood friend, and Charlotte’s niece, Ottilie, to their estate near Weimar. The Captain and Charlotte fall in love, as do Edward and Ottilie, who do not hesitate to consummate their infatuation; the results include infanticide, suicide by starvation, and death from a mysterious illness.

Samuel Smiles (1812-1904) was a Scottish author and reformer who advocated for radical causes ranging from women's suffrage to free trade to parliamentary reform. The Huguenots in France, chronicles the persecution of the Protestants in France after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. While many of the Huguenots fled the country, others suffered persecution at the hands of the crown, the army, and the church. This work documents many specific incidents of persecution.

A dystopian fantasy world where magic, and technology co-mingle and otherworldly species are known of by a small few. Those with magic try to keep a low profile at threat of losing opportunities, relationships, or disappearing entirely. Nathan Clouse is a resilient young man with unique magic and a troubled past. After escaping an abusive home he has been living amongst a group of outcasts and working odd jobs to support himself. He hopes that one day his skills as an inventor will pave the way to a better life.

The work comprises Villehardouin's "Conquest of Constantinople", which recounts the controversial Fourth Crusade, which descended into an attack on the Eastern Christians of Byzantium. In "Life of Saint Louis", Joinville draws on his friendship with King Louis IX of France to describe the campaigns in the Holy Land.

King Arthur of England is the figure of the Good Ruler at the heart of the Arthurian legends, and the myths surrounding his life have been recounted in endless stories. This collection includes 13 of the best-loved legends of the King and his Knights of the Round Table. It includes the tales of how the young Arthur pulled a sword from a stone.

George Orwell was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic, best known for the allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel 1984 (1949). Animal Farm is Orwell's classic satire of the Russian Revolution. The farm animals rise up against Farmer Jones and transform the Manor Farm into Animal Farm, an egalitarian society built on the credo that All Animals Are Created Equal. In 1984, the protagonist, Winston Smith ,wrestles with oppression in Oceania, a state where the Party scrutinizes every human action with Big Brother.

Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell, first published in the UK in 1945. It is the tale of farm animals that rebel against the farmer, intending to establish a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. With stirring slogans, they set out to create utopia. However, the rebellion is betrayed and the farm ends up in a state worse than it was before, under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon. This is the setting for one of the most revealing satiric fables of all time.

Parzival is a romantic poem written by Wolfram von Eschenbach in Middle High German. Regarded as one of the masterpieces of the Middle Ages, the romance was the most popular vernacular verse narrative in medieval Germany. Dated to the first quarter of the 13th century, the poem tells the story of the Arthurian hero Parzival and his quest for the Holy Grail. The most notable elements of the work are an emphasis on the importance of humility, compassion, and sympathy. Richard Wagner based his famous opera Parsifal on Parzival.

First published in 1895, Thomas Commerford Martin introduces us to several of Tesla’s inventions to that date. This publication precedes Tesla’s own account by 26 years. Martin lays a strong focus on the oscillator as well as one of Tesla’s most notable invention, the AC motor and further development of AC generation and transmission technology.

The Nameless City, now defunct in part of the Arabian Peninsula, tells the tale of a civilization run by reptilian creatures long before the dawn of humanity. It describes how they lived, worked, and ran until the ocean receded. Desertlike conditions bring about the downfall of the civilization, and this is documented by the author of the Necronomicon. Despite this downfall, their hieroglyphs remain, and it is rumored that deep beneath the surface, some reptilian creatures remain, too.

Faust is a tragic play in two parts that reworks the late medieval myth of a brilliant but disillusioned scholar who makes a deal with the devil. it is widely considered to be Goethe's masterpiece and the greatest work of German literature. The novel Elective Affinities is the story of Eduard and Charlotte, an aristocratic couple enjoying an idyllic but rather dull life on their rural estate. They invite the Captain, Eduard's childhood friend, and Ottilie, the orphaned niece of Charlotte, to live with them, with tragic results.

Jesus: The Man and His Work, a lecture by the New Thought writer Wallace D. Wattles, offers a refreshingly different perspective on Jesus Christ. According to the author, Jesus of Nazareth was misunderstood by the people of his own time and grossly misrepresented by succeeding generations, especially by those who professed to be his friends and followers.

"How to Get What You Want" is an essay by the motivational author Wallace D Wattles. Wattles explains that getting what you want is success, and success is an effect that results from the application of a cause. Success is essentially the same in all spheres; the only difference is in the things that successful people want, but not in the nature or cause of success. Success is attainment, whether it results in the attainment of health, wealth, or position.

Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men by the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau was originally written for an essay competition run by the Dijon Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1754. The question was, "What is the origin of inequality among men, and is it authorized by the natural law?" Rousseau's text is divided into four main parts: a dedication, preface, an extended inquiry into the nature of the individual, and another inquiry into the evolution of the human species within society.

Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (1818-1883) was a Russian author, translator, and popularizer of Russian literature in the West. "Mumu" is about Gerasim, a deaf-mute serf whose life of poverty is brought into sharp relief by his love for a dog he rescues from drowning. His wealthy old mistress sees the dog Mumu and wants it but Mumu bares her teeth at her, and tragedy follows.

The Greater Key of Solomon is a compilation of Solomonic magic drawn from various manuscripts of the 15th to 17th centuries. Book I provides conjurations, invocations, and curses to summon and constrain spirits and demons in order to compel them to do the conjuror's will. It also describes how to find lost items, become invisible, or gain favor with someone. Book II describes purification rituals which the occultist should undergo, how to dress for magical practices, and how to construct the necessary implements used in these rituals.

Theodore Roosevelt began this 1899 speech with his thesis: “I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life.” He discusses how the many hardships of his life shaped him for the better. Roosevelt believed that if Americans wished to succeed in the world, they would need to embrace the virtue of hard work. He applied this same belief to foreign affairs, stating that America must establish itself as a powerful military force and exert this power when necessary.

A New Christ, the first book by the inspirational author Wallace D. Wattles, is an attempt to ascertain by scientific study what Jesus was, how he lived, and what he taught. Wattles explains that in the common concept of Christ that arose in the Middle Ages, he was held up as a weak and meek figure who was despised. The author quotes from scripture to show that he was educated, that he had a commanding presence, and that he was not humble in the way the church portrays him.