Indoor Air Pollution: Radon, Bioaerosols, and VOCs covers the most current aspects of indoor pollution research, including vitally important topics such as radon, bioaerosols, and volatile organic compounds. The book presents information on microbial contamination abatement, chemical characterization of air samples, sick building syndrome, biological pollutants, liability of indoor air pollution, and measurement and control of radon. Industrial hygienists, toxicologists, safety officers, a...

With this 1914 address, President Woodrow Wilson declared his intentions for the US to remain neutral in World War I. “Every man who really loves America will act and speak in the true spirit of neutrality,” he said, “which is the spirit of impartiality and fairness and friendliness to all concerned.” This platform secured Wilson’s re-election in 1916, but it only lasted until 1917. When Germany restarted unrestricted submarine warfare against US vessels, Wilson would retract his sentiment...

President Woodrow Wilson entered World War I reluctantly, and he aimed to be strategic and fair when arranging peace terms to leave it.He delivered his 14-point treaty to Congress in January 1918. In it, he emphasized the importance of establishing free trade, restoring sovereign territories, and reducing arms. This speech outlined the terms on which he sought to establish enduring peace in Europe, which he recognized as vital to maintaining peace in the Americas as well as the rest...

“Jabberwocky” is one of the most well-known nonsense poems in the English language. Though full of playful made-up words like “brillig,” “mimsy,” and frumious,” the poem still tells a story. A young warrior faces up against the fearsome Jabberwock, armed with a “vorpal blade,” and comes out triumphant: “O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” This poem first appeared in the middle of Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, Carroll’s follow-up to the well-beloved children’...

Woodrow Wilson became the 28th president of the United States when he beat out President Taft and Theodore Roosevelt in the 1912 election. His election completed a shift to Democratic power across the executive and legislative branches. In his inaugural address, he explains his hopes for using this Democratic majority to enact the positive change for which Americans so clearly hungered. He ends with a call to unity, though, saying, “Here muster, not the forces of party, but the forces of h...

On November 20, 1820, a sperm whale struck and sunk the whaling ship Essex, stranding the 21 crew members who escaped on three whale-boats in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 2000 miles from land. Up against rough storms, vicious sharks, and desperation leading to cannibalism, only eight men survived. One was First Mate Owen Chase, who published this account of the disaster. His story served as real-life inspiration for Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.

When an American sea captain sees a Spanish slave ship in distress, he reaches out with an offer to help. Once on board, however, the odd behavior of the captain, crew, and slaves leave him with an uneasy feeling that something is not as it seems. Melville based the plot of this novella on real events that occurred off the coast of Chile in 1799. Though it is not Melville’s best-known work, it is favored among scholars as one of his most complex.

Congregationalist minister Harvey Newcomb wrote countless volumes of spiritual advice for adults and children alike. He compiled this guide for young people seeking to develop a deeper understanding of the Bible. His advice spans general guidelines for when, where, and how, as well as a detailed guide to systematic study. “To a true child of God,” he writes, “nothing is so precious as the volume of inspiration.

In this sermon, Reverend Hiram Mattison discusses the argument for Christian opposition to theater. He states, “the theater has been one unmitigated moral pest through the whole twenty-five centuries of its existence.” Mattison presents supporting testimonies from the like of Aristotle, Augustine, and John Wesley. Regardless of the reader’s opinion on theater, this sermon provides fascinating insight into the institution’s reputation throughout history.

In the middle of a church service, a man is struck by a sense of dread. As impassioned organ music fills the building, the man senses that the source of his anxiety is coming from a hostile organist. What is the root of the musician’s animosity? Is it real, or is the narrator just imagining it? This quick, suspenseful story from The King in Yellow gives readers a taste of Chambers’ mastery of the horror genre.

Mr. Winkleman thinks he ought not to have to watch his tongue in his own home. Yet one morning, his angry words bring his wife to tears, and he face the conviction that perhaps a kind tone is not such a strenuous demand after all. Arthur begins and ends this story with verses from Proverbs describing the power of the tongue. Moral stories like this one from helped define middle-class values in the nineteenth century.

Wandering the streets of Paris, the impoverished artist Severn happens upon a stray cat. He befriends the creature, who in turn reciprocates his affection. When Severn decides to return the cat to her owner, however, the story takes a macabre turn. This tale was originally published in Robert Chambers’ collection The King in Yellow.