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"Whatever else life may have been for Older it has never been dull. The excitement and the glow are reflected in every chapter."-John D. Barry, Introduction, My Own StoryIn My Own Story (1919), Fremont Older details his experiences during the 50 years he worked as a newspaperman and editor in San Francisco. A highly skilled writer, Older became managing editor of the San Francisco Bulletin two years after moving to the city and later became editor of the San Francisco Call. Considered one of the most important investigative journalists of the muckraking era, his campaigns against corruption and capital punishment are legendary.

"As they fastened her to the fatal plank, her eyes fell on a colossal statue of liberty erected to celebrate the first anniversary of the 10th of August. 'O liberté,' she cried, 'comme on t'a jouée.' Then the axe dropped, the beautiful head fell; Madame Roland was dead."-Ida Tarbell, Madame Roland Madame Roland (1896) is the second of several biographies that gained Ida Tarbell widespread acclaim. Born Marie-Jeanne Phlipon, but best known under the name Madame Roland, the book's subject was a French revolutionary, salonnière, and writer, greatly admired for her strong intellect, political savvy, and skills at lobbying and negotiating.

"... hardly any other living Englishman can point to so great an amount of truly scientific work applied to some of the fundamental problems of human welfare." -G.E. Gehlke, Political Science Quarterly (1910)In Memories of My Life (1908), Sir Francis Galton provided a detailed autobiography that starts with a description of his family of origin (he was a cousin of Charles Darwin), tells about his childhood, his education, and then describes each of his travels. Chapters are also devoted to his major scientific interests, including eugenics, which he regarded as a problem that might require state control. This autobiography offers a compelling insight into the life of one of the 19th century's leading scientists.

"Those who are quick in talking are not always quick in listening." -G. K. Chesterton, "The Oracle of the Dog"The Incredulity of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton (1926) is the third in a collection of eight mysteries featuring Father Brown, a detective the author created to reflect on his own experiences with fame, with traveling to America, and with religious conversion.The other seven mysteries in the collection are:¿ "The Resurrection of Father Brown"¿ "The Arrow of Heaven"¿ "The Oracle of the Dog"¿ "The Miracle of Moon Crescent"¿ "The Curse of the Golden Cross"¿ "The Dagger with Wings"¿ "The Doom of the Darnaways"In addition to The Incredulity of Father Brown, Cosimo has released several other titles in the Father Brown series.

"The only reason I am glad I am a woman is because I will not have to marry one."-Ida TarbellIn The Business of Being a Woman (1913), Ida Tarbell rode the wave of an upsurge in interest in the changing role of women in Western culture. Since she was among the earliest writers to explore this social phenomenon, the book is truly a pioneering work. In it, the author acknowledges the rising discontent among women of her generation to limit their role to that of housewife, and encourages those who are restless to explore male roles. However, she also argued that the responsibilities of homemaking and motherhood remained the noblest and most rewarding for a woman.

"If we do not die for liberty, we shall soon have nothing left to do but weep for her."-Memoirs of Madame de Staël and of Madame Roland (1847)The Private Memoirs of Madame Roland (1795) is a justification of the author's and others' roles in the French Revolution. Written while the author was imprisoned during the months before her execution, it was smuggled to a close friend, who published it in 1795 just as the Reign of Terror was ending. This English version appeared the same year.

"Far over the sea is a famous little country generally known as Holland; but that name, even if it should mean Hollow land How land? does not describe it half so well as this-The Little Land of Pluck."-Mary Mapes Dodge, The Land of Pluck (1894)While the author of The Land of Pluck (1894), Mary Mapes Dodge, began her career as the editor of a children's magazine, she started writing stories to support her children after her husband's death. The first half of this collection, "The Land of Pluck," is organized as a book in its own right, consisting of previously published stories about Holland. The stories and sketches composing the second part were published in this book for the first time. The frontispiece "Two Boys of Holland" has been engraved from a fine Dutch painting, attributed to Albert Cuyp, one of the leading Dutch Golden Age painters. The rest of the stories are also illustrated with beautiful line drawings.

"I should say that one of the inducements to making these inquiries into personal identification has been to discover independent features suitable for hereditary investigation."-Sir Francis Galton, "Personal Identification and Description" (1889)In Finger Prints (1907), Sir Francis Galton described the research he did related to the use of fingerprints for identification. Through this work, he validated a theory first proposed by Sir Willliam Herschel and gave the use of fingerprinting a scientific validity that laid the groundwork for its use in criminal investigations. This edition of his book contains minor revisions the author made to the original 1883 publication.

"And in this book I have tried to show the leaders of the revolution as they really are, as I know them in their homes, where the red glare does not penetrate and they live as other men."-Louise Bryant, Mirrors of MoscowMirrors of Moscow (1923) by Louise Bryant is a collection of articles about Russia, Turkey, Hungary, Greece, Italy, and other countries in Europe and the Middle East. Her articles were based on information the author collected during travels to these countries and that were originally published by Hearst publishing. It contains biographical sketches of 18 Socialist leaders from the countries Bryant visited and provides an interesting perspective on the effects of the Soviet revolution on twentieth-century Europe.

"When one attempts to set down [...] his impressions of a great gathering like the Conference on the Limitations of Armament, he will find himself swayed from amusement to irritation, from hope to despair, from an interest in the great end to an interest in the game as it is being played." -Ida Tarbell, The Peacemakers Peacemakers-Blessed and Otherwise (1922) by Ida Tarbell is a report on the Washington Naval conference held between 1921 and 1922 to discuss naval disarmament and ways to relieve growing tensions in East Asia. Reflecting concerns that followed World War I, it was intended to prevent the possibility of another war by bringing the leaders of the international community together. Tarbell, a well-known journalist and author, provided readers with a detailed description of the events at the conference as well as an insightful analysis of its value.

"Old Mother Life to her children doth say:-'Go on with your duties, my dears: On the right hand is work, on the left hand is play;See that you tarry with neither all day,But faithfully build up the years.'"-Mary Mapes Dodge, The Irvington Stories (1864)The Irvington Stories (1864) is a compilation of 16 children's stories. While the book's author, Mary Maples Dodge, began her career as the editor of a children's magazine, she started writing stories to support her children after her husband's death. This is the first collection of those stories that was published, and focuses mainly on stories about little boys. Illustrated with F.O.C. Darley's popular drawings, the book was so successful that the author wrote several more collections.

"Eugenics itself, in large quantities or small, coming quickly or coming slowly, urged from good motives or bad, applied to a thousand people or applied to three, Eugenics itself is a thing no more to be bargained about than poisoning." -G. K. Chesterton, Eugenics and Other EvilsEugenics and Other Evils: An Argument Against the Scientifically Organized State (1922) was written by G. K. Chesterton as an attack on a bill being debated by the British parliament that would have legalized eugenics. This bill was the culmination of a campaign instigated by Sir Francis Galton and H. G. Wells, among others. They represented a number of contemporary intellectuals who believed the government should sterilize people deemed "mentally defective." In his book, Chesterton, who was strongly motivated by Christian theology, argued that spiritual principles were more important than scientific ones in the governance of human affairs. Ultimately, the bill failed to pass by a vote of 167 to 89.

[William Gorgas's work is] "the greatest sanitary achievement the world has seen...I doubt if we shall ever see as great again... It is perfect work and its organization is the only kind that would have succeeded under the circumstances.'' -Dr. Malcolm Watson, Report to Royal Colonial Institute, (1914)William Crawford Gorgas (1924) is a collaboration between the highly regarded historian Burton Hendrick and Marie Gorgas, the widow of William Gorgas. It extols the life story of Gorgas, who, as head of the Panama Canal Zone Sanitation Commission, blocked the spread of yellow fever and malaria by requiring practices which controlled the mosquitoes that carry these diseases. Because of his pioneering policies, Gorgas was credited with saving thousands of lives and enabling the construction of the Panama Canal.

"I will assume that [...] we accept as a state of society [...] in which all citizens will serve the community with whole-heartedness, the community remunerating them, in return, according to the personal expenditure needful to the full and free use of their physical and mental faculties."-Beatrice Potter Webb, The Co-operative Movement in Great BritainAn important study of social history and industry, The Cooperative Movement in Great Britain (1891) is one of Beatrice Potter Webb's earliest works. After first moving to London, Potter Webb helped a cousin research labor conditions there. This led her to become a "co-operative federalist." Her book is an apology for this political movement that supported the formation of consumer co-operative societies which, in turn, would acquire farms and factories its members could use to obtain food and supplies.

"Work is the best of narcotics, providing the patient be strong enough to take it. I dread idleness as if it were Hell."-Beatrice Webb, My Apprenticeship The History of Trade Unionism (1919), by Sidney and Beatrice Webb, is a detailed account of the roots and development of the British trade union movement. Originally published in 1894, this 1919 expanded edition was based on research the authors had collected when Sidney Webb was on the faculty of the London School of Economics. It was especially influential in several global socialist movements and was translated into Russian by Vladimir Lenin.

"a publisher is a business man . . . a professional man also. He can do his best service only for those authors who inspire his loyalty, who enable him to make his publishing house permanent, and who leave him enough margin of profit to permit him to make books of which he can be proud." -Walter Hines Page, A Publisher's ConfessionA Publisher's Confession (1905) by Walter Hines Page, vice president of Doubleday, Page & Co. when the book appeared, was released anonymously. This allowed the author to discuss the flaws and mistakes of his colleagues and clients. In the author's view, publishers at the time were more concerned with the cost of manufacturing than the content of the titles they published, and Page was praised for revealing corruption within the industry.

"It would be curious to discover who it is to whom one writes in a diary. Possibly to some mysterious personification of one's own identity." -Beatrice Potter Webb, My ApprenticeshipIn My Apprenticeship (1926), Beatrice Potter Webb provided the first of several memoirs based on diaries she kept. It begins the story of her life starting at the age of 4 and describes her development as a social activist and writer, concluding with the events immediately preceding her marriage to Sidney Webb in 1892 at age 36. Having made a commitment to social improvement while still in school, Beatrice Potter described the stress she had to endure as a woman and a professional who abandoned a life of abundance to work in the squalor of London's East End.

"...the object of the Editor of this work is to interest American readers, and especially American Christians, in what the French priests call "the land of martyrs."-William Griffis, Corea Without and WithinCorea Without and Within (1884) was written at a time of intense American interest in expansion, both cultural and religious. As part of this movement, the author traveled extensively in Asia. To share what he had learned about Korea in particular, Griffis combined a reprint of a journal Hendrick Hamel wrote in the 17th century with two chapters that recounted Griffis's own experience with Korean history and culture.

"The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear, and get a record of successful experiences behind you."-William Jennings Bryan The Memoirs of William Jennings Bryan (1925) consists of quotations from Bryan's speeches and correspondence interspersed with commentary written by his wife after his death. It is a document that explains Bryan's complex belief system, a system that balanced a strong belief in God with a belief in the goodness of the American people and made him one of the most important contributors to progressive politics in the history of the United States.

"Yet there was not the slightest sign of whimpering or discouragement. Ignorant of salt water as these men at that time were, they really represented about the finest raw material in the nation for this service."-William S. Sims, The Victory at SeaIn Victory at Sea (1921), Adm. William Sims, leader of the US Navy in Europe in World War I, and renowned historian Burton J. Hendrick teamed up to reveal the remarkable accomplishments of naval forces during the war. Eventually converted to a highly successful film, the book provides an exceptional piece of "living history" derived from Sims's personal experience.

"A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury."-John Stuart MillThe Negro Question (1850) is an essay by John Stuart Mill that the author originally sent as an anonymous letter to Fraser's Magazine for Town and Country. It was written as a rebuttal to an article in support of slavery and argued for the abolition of slavery in the United States. Mill based his opposition not only on morality but also on the legal principle that certain property rights should neither be recognized nor protected.