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...

While he celebrated higher education as the engine of progress in every aspect of American life, George Keller also challenged academia’s sacred cows and entrenched practices with provocative ideas designed to induce “creative discomfort.” Completed shortly before his death in 2007, Higher Education and the New Society caps the career of one of higher education’s exceptional minds.Refining and expanding ideas Keller developed over his fifty-year career, this book is a clar...

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...

President Woodrow Wilson delivered this address to the 1914 graduates of the US Naval Academy. While he congratulated them, he also said: “Do not suppose that your education is over because you have received your diplomas from the academy. Your education has just begun.” He asked them to consider themselves “sample Americans” to all they would meet as they traveled the world’s seas. He also reminded them how their unique position allowed them to view their nation from an international pers...

While sitting on his private piazza, the narrator imagines life at an idyllic home in the mountains. In his daydream, he meets a lonely young woman who often gazes at his house from afar and wonders about him. Using prose rife with literary allusions, Melville explores the limitations of idealism. This story is found in his collection of short fiction, The Piazza Tales.

President Woodrow Wilson delivered this address on January 22, 1917, a few months before he asked Congress to vote to enter World War I. This speech reveals that he planned for the US to participate in the peace-making agreements long before he planned to take part in the fighting itself. The peace strategy he lays forth in this address mirrors the sentiments of his “14 points” message, delivered a year later at the end of the war. He states that these ideas are not just American ideals, “...

With this famous speech, Daniel Webster joined the nineteenth-century debate over slavery in the US. While personally opposed to the practice, Webster argued that allowing the South to continue using slave labor was essential to maintaining unity of the states. This middle-ground opinion won him support of some Southerner moderates but also lost him the respect of some Northerners. Though it became the subject of much controversy, “The Constitution and the Union” showcases Webster’s unmatc...

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.

On June 16, 1918, union leader Eugene Debs delivered this speech at the Ohio State Socialist Party Convention. In it, he famously criticized the USA’s involvement in World War I. Four days later, the federal grand jury condemned his speech by way of the Sedition Act of 1918, and he was sentenced to ten years in prison. Debs serves as an inspiration for all those who persistently advocate for the working class despite opposition.

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.