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Harvard Classics

Rich E Bookhc.richebook.net
Former President of Harvard University Charles W. Eliot wrote in his introduction to the Harvard Classics, "In my opinion, a five-foot shelf would hold books enough to give a liberal education to any one who would read them with devotion, even if he could spare but fifteen minutes a day for reading." Here you are, you can easily listen to his entire 15-minutes-a-day study guide while commuting to and from work (most of us spend far more than 15 minutes a day commuting each day), doing mundane work in the office, washing dishes at home, or doing most of the things day in and day out. It is so easy, so entertaining, and so educational that they can be listened to again and again, until they permeate into our own thinking and into our characters. Perhaps, in one year's time, you will become someone you barely recognize, all for the better. Who knows? -- Rich E Book
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Episodes

Egmont (Act I, Scene I), by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Spain sent the Duke of Alva to subdue the Netherlands. In quelling disorder he killed the people's hero, Count Egmont. From this story Goethe made a famous play. (Volume 19, Harvard Classics) Egmont sentenced to death June 4, 1658.

Jun 04, 202216 minSeason 1Ep. 1285

On the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals, by William Harvey

Galileo, by holding his pulse while watching a swinging cathedral lamp, evolved a theory that made clocks possible. Harvey, by feeling his pulse, educed that arteries carry blood. (Volume 38, Harvard Classics) Dr. William Harvey died June 3, 1657.

Jun 03, 202224 minSeason 1Ep. 1283

Profession of Faith of a Savoyard Vicar, by Jean Jacques Rousseau

A "Back to Nature" movement in the seventeenth century was headed by Rousseau, who believed that civilization was degrading. To save money for his work, he entrusted each of his children to the tender mercies of a foundling house. (Volume 34, Harvard Classics) Jean Jacques Rousseau born June 2, 1712.

Jun 02, 202228 minSeason 1Ep. 1281

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe

For the best blank verse in English, read "Dr. Faustus," the masterpiece of Marlowe, who gave Shakespeare lessons in playwriting. This genius knew the secret of gripping drama. (Volume 19, Harvard Classics) Marlowe died June 1, 1593.

Jun 02, 202221 minSeason 1Ep. 1279

Preface to Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman is the most original and startling of modern poets. An irony of his life is that while he wrote for the contemporary masses, only a limited number of followers appreciated his genius, now universally recognized. (Volume 39, Harvard Classics) Walt Whitman born May 31, 1819.

May 31, 202236 minSeason 1Ep. 1277

The Building of the Ship, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

At the close of the war, a torn and bleeding nation set about to rebuild its shattered frame. The result was a stronger nation rising from an almost disrupted union. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics) Memorial Day.

May 30, 202218 minSeason 1Ep. 1275

The Thousand and One Nights (The Barber’s Fifth Brother)

A Bagdad merchant dreamed of the money he would make from the sale of a tray of glassware, and of marrying the king's daughter. But, daydreaming, he kicked over the tray. (Volume 16, Harvard Classics)

May 29, 202219 minSeason 1Ep. 1273

Poems, by Thomas Moore

Any one of these poems, "The Harp That Once Through Tara's Halls," "The Last Rose of Summer," "The Light of Other Days," would alone have made Moore immortal. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics) Thomas Moore born May 28, 1779.

May 28, 20225 minSeason 1Ep. 1271

The Education of The Human Race, by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

To advance freedom of thought, Lessing published an essay of one hundred paragraphs outlining the history of religion. The wrath of orthodox churchmen was hurled at his head, and Lessing was left alone to defend his daring theories. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)

May 27, 202218 minSeason 1Ep. 1269

The Tragedy of King Lear (Act I, Scene I), by William Shakespeare

Goneril and Regan falsely swore they loved their father, King Lear, more than life itself. Cordelia could find no words to express her sincere devotion. Then King Lear made the decision that started a series of exciting events. (Volume 46, Harvard Classics) Shakespeare's first daughter, Susanna, baptized May 26, 1583.

May 26, 202220 minSeason 1Ep. 1267

Heroism, by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson startled the world by fearlessly declaring his beliefs. Such apparent paradoxes as we find in his inspirational essay, "Heroism," makes him the most stimulating yet profound thinker America has produced. (Volume 5, Harvard Classics) Emerson born May 25, 1803.

May 25, 202230 minSeason 1Ep. 1265

The Wealth of Nations (Book I, Ch. IV), by Adam Smith

Debts were not always paid in money. Not so long ago the butcher paid for his keg of beer with a slab of beef, and oxen were exchanged for land and wives. Adam Smith tells the interesting story of the origin and use of money. (Volume 10, Harvard Classics)

May 24, 202215 minSeason 1Ep. 1263

Poems, by Thomas Hood

From the river her body was tenderly lifted --- the girl who could find no place in the vast city. Thomas Hood pleads for her --- eloquently and justly. Read this gem of pathos. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics) Thomas Hood born May 23, 1799.

May 23, 20227 minSeason 1Ep. 1261

I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed, Ch. I), by Alessandro Manzoni

Because of a fancy for a peasant girl, the tyrannical lord of an Italian village sent desperadoes to threaten the priest if he married the girl to her village lover. (Volume 21, Harvard Classics) Manzoni died May 22, 1873.

May 22, 202246 minSeason 1Ep. 1259

An Essay on Man (Epistle IV), by Alexander Pope

The sharp tongue of Alexander Pope made him celebrated, yet widely feared. In a representative product of his versatile pen, he gracefully combines his flashing wit with sage advice. (Volume 40, Harvard Classics) Alexander Pope born May 21, 1688.

May 21, 202231 minSeason 1Ep. 1257
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