To conceive the idea, and execute the purpose of making a book, is, to a modest man, not a little monstrous; and yet, modest or immodest, monstrous or not, the author makes his best bow to the reader, and holds himself subject to criticism for not making it better. But many are running to and fro in the earth, and knowledge is being increased; for the runners, are they not making books for the million? And having run somewhat with the runners ourself, we might as well tell our story of tra...

In "Five Years in Texas: A Narrative of His Travels, Experiences, and Observations," Thomas North embarks on an evocative journey through the American frontier, capturing the essence of 19th-century Texas with both precision and flair. Written in a vivid, descriptive literary style, North's narrative merges personal anecdotes with broader social commentary, immersing readers in the complexities of life during this transformative period in American history. His observations encompass the st...

100+ Civil War Soldier Memoirs assembles a capacious, often conflicting archive of lived experience from the American Civil War. Ranging from battlefield recollection, campaign narrative, naval observation, prison testimony, and partisan chronicle to retrospective meditation, these memoirs reveal how war was recorded in both immediate sensory detail and later acts of remembrance. Accounts of celebrated operations stand beside less familiar episodes of marching, illness, comradeship, comman...

110 Voices of the Civil War: Personal Accounts from the Frontlines assembles an expansive polyphony of witness, joining battlefield reminiscence, campaign narrative, naval observation, prison testimony, military reportage, and reflective memoir. Its accounts range from terse descriptions of combat to elaborate retrospective meditations on command, fear, endurance, emancipation, and loss. The collection's signal achievement is its juxtaposition of Union and Confederate perspectives, officer...

In 1855, Walt Whitman self-published the first edition of Leaves of Grass, a visionary collection of twelve poems. Leaves of Grass is a celebration of life, nature, humanity, and the uniquely American form of mysticism known as Transcendentalism.Leaves of Grass employs a vibrantly innovative style of free verse and explores previously unmentionable subject matter. Glorifying nature, lauding the senses and sexuality, and eulogizing the human body, this maj...

VOICES OUT OF SLAVERY is a collection of twenty-three slave narratives dating from the early 1700s to the 1860s.  All of these first-hand accounts of slavery provide valuable insight into the everyday lives of slaves, as well as incredible and disturbing descriptions of kidnappings, torture, and inhumane treatment.  While often disturbing, many of the narratives also include themes of overcoming slavery, gaining freedom, and inspiring others to combat the evils of slavery.

Ellen Craft and William Craft were slaves from Georgia who escaped to the North in 1848. They became famous due to the daring way they made their escape. Ellen, being light skinned, passed herself off as a white male, with William as her servant, allowing them to basically travel openly by train and steamboat. They eventually emigrated to England where they lived for almost 20 years. Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom is their biographical account.

A detailed account of the man who assassinated Abraham Lincoln. This, in its day, was a "media sensation." The assassination of Abraham Lincoln launched John Wilkes Booth into infamy--not the kind of "fame" he was hoping for. Townsend was a writer for the New York Herald and used the pen name "Gath".It was a time when Lincoln was being martyred, a Christlike figure, while his assassin was being demonized, a Judas figure. With the country still in mourning in 1866, Gath had no troub...

Table of Contents:John Smith (Born in 1579, died in 1631.) William Bradford (Born in 1590, died in 1657.) Samuel Sewall (Born in 1652, died in 1730.) Cotton Mather (Born in 1663, died in 1728.) William Byrd (Born in 1674, died in 1744.) Jonathan Edwards (Born in 1703, died in 1758.) Benjamin Franklin (Born in 1706, died in 1790.) George Washington (Born in 1732, died in 1799.) John Adams (Born in 1735, died in 1826.) Thomas Paine (Born in 1737, died in 1809.) Thomas Jefferson (Born in 1743...

Austin Steward's autobiographical work 'Twenty-Two Years a Slave and Forty Years a Freeman' is a poignant account of his life as an African American man living in the early 19th century. The book details his experiences as a slave for over two decades, highlighting the harsh realities of slavery and the resilience of the human spirit. Steward's narrative is imbued with raw emotion and vivid descriptions, providing readers with a window into the past and a deeper understanding of the strugg...