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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

The Voyage of the Beagle (Ch. XIV), by Charles Robert Darwin

Darwin visited a South American city ruined by an earthquake. There he heard the superstitious account of the phenomenon. The ignorant people accused Indian women of bewitching the volcano. But Darwin has another explanation. (Volume 29, Harvard Classics)

Jul 25, 202127 minSeason 1Ep. 655

Essays (28: Of Friendship), by Francis Bacon

There are styles in friendship as well as in clothes. The mode of friendship of Bacon's time went out with plumed hats and long hose. But Bacon knew the true test of a friend. (Volume 3, Harvard Classics) Francis Bacon knighted, July 23, 1603.

Jul 24, 202117 minSeason 1Ep. 653

The Odyssey (Book IX), by Homer

Odysseus was wrecked with his men on an island inhabited by one-eyed giants. Trapped in the cave of a giant who gobbled up some of the crew for supper, the cunning Odysseus blinded the giant and rescued the survivors of his crew. (Volume 22, Harvard Classics)

Jul 23, 202121 minSeason 1Ep. 651

Poems, by Robert Burns

The songs of Burns are the links, the watchwords, the symbols of the Scots. He is the last of the ballad singers. In his works are preserved the best songs of his people. (Volume 6, Harvard Classics) Robert Burns died July 21, 1796.

Jul 22, 202111 minSeason 1Ep. 649

The Pilgrim’s Progress (Ch. 3-4), by John Bunyan

John Bunyan, imprisoned for preaching without a license, gave to the world "Pilgrim's Progress," the greatest allegory in any language, second only to the Bible. (Volume 15, Harvard Classics)

Jul 21, 202123 minSeason 1Ep. 647

The Discovery of Guiana, by Sir Walter Raleigh

The famous gallant who spread his gorgeous cloak so the dainty slipper of his queen would be unspotted, soon lost the high favor this action won for him. In spite of his glorious voyages, Raleigh condemned himself when he fell in love with another woman. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics) Sir WaIter Raleigh imprisoned July 19, 1603.

Jul 20, 202120 minSeason 1Ep. 645

A Blot in the ’Scutcheon (Act I), by Robert Browning

"Browning's play has thrown me into a perfect passion of sorrow," wrote Charles Dickens of "The Blot in the 'Scutcheon." Like Shakespeare's Juliet, Browning's Mildred plays the role of a youthful lover in a tragic drama. (Volume 18, Harvard Classics)

Jul 19, 202117 minSeason 1Ep. 643

Phædra (Act I), by Jean Racine

Phædre first persecuted Hippolytus, her handsome stepson, then loved him. Suddenly he and her own son became rivals for the throne. Should she push her son's claims or let Hippolytus take the crown? (Volume 26, Harvard Classics) Racine elected to French Academy, July 17, 1673.

Jul 18, 202121 minSeason 1Ep. 641

The Koran (The Chapter of Mary)

The sacred book of the Moslems, the Koran, gives an account of the birth of Christ. The Koran gives Jesus a high position among the prophets but holds the first place for Mohammed. (Volume 45, Harvard Classics) Beginning of Moslem era of time, July 16, 622 A. D.

Jul 17, 202113 minSeason 1Ep. 639

Holinshed’s Chronicles (Chapter VI: Of the Food and Diet of the English)

Meals in the houses of the gentry and noblemen in Elizabethan England were taken most seriously. No one spoke. Holinshed records the strange table etiquette of our ancestors. (Volume 35, Harvard Classics) Queen Elizabeth entertained at Kenilworth, July 15, 1575.

Jul 16, 202135 minSeason 1Ep. 637

Reflections on the French Revolution (Section 13), by Edmund Burke

What the Fourth of July is to Americans, the Fourteenth of July is to Frenchmen. It commemorates an oppressive tyranny overthrown by a freedom-loving people. (Volume 24, Harvard Classics) The Bastille surrendered, July 14, 1789.

Jul 15, 202114 minSeason 1Ep. 635

Walking, by Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau's individuality was unique and original. He had no profession; he never married; he never went to church; he never voted or paid taxes; he never smoked; he never drank wine. His amusement was walking, to observe and meditate. (Volume 28, Harvard Classics) Henry David Thoreau born July 12, 1817.

Jul 13, 202130 minSeason 1Ep. 631

The Extent of the Universe, by Simon Newcomb

The greatest spectacle offered man is a view of the magnificent vault of heaven. Under the stupendous arch of the Milky Way the cares of the world roll off. (Volume 30, Harvard Classics) Newcomb died July 11, 1909.

Jul 12, 202127 minSeason 1Ep. 629

The Voyages to Vinland, by Leif Ericsson

The shadow of a phantom cast upon the cradle of Snorri, the first white child born in America, was a warning of an Indian attack on the settlement of courageous Norsemen who had risked the terrors of unknown seas to visit "Wineland." (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)

Jul 11, 202116 minSeason 1Ep. 627
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