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1Essays of Francis Bacon

By Sir Francis Bacon

Voltaire was an atheist. Diderot was Enlightened. But trite titles seldom encompass completely the beliefs of any individual. And this one fact is certainly true when dealing with Sir Francis Bacon.The youngest son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, Francis was born in Strand, London, on Jan. 22, 1561. He went to Trinity College at Cambridge. He was elected to Parliament; he was Queen’s Counsel; he even became Attorney General before finally gaining the position of Lord Chancellor.But as do the careers of so many politicians, in 1621 his political career ended in disgrace.And yet, for all of this, both Diderot and Voltaire considered him “the father of modern science.” Others consider him only the father of the “scientific method.” (That process of collecting and organizing data.) Bacon’s “The Essays,” to which we now turn our attention, are–if they are nothing else–a delightful collection in decided disarray. That is, they seem to take no true progression. But an essay is not meant to be a treatise. And for all that, these essays are still a pleasure to read.Encompassing a broad field of interest, their largesse denotes the broad learning of this brilliant philosopher. It is therefore our sincere hope that the reader will, themselves, encompass these Essays. More importantly, we hope you enjoy them. (Summary by Carl Vonnoh, III)

The Novum Organum is a philosophical work by Francis Bacon published in 1620. The title translates as "new instrument". This is a reference to Aristotle's work Organon, which was his treatise on logic and syllogism. In Novum Organum, Bacon details a new system of logic he believes to be superior to the old ways of syllogism. For Bacon, finding the essence of a thing was a simple process of reduction, and the use of inductive reasoning . . . This work was critical in the historical development of the scientific method. (Summary by Wikipedia)

3New Atlantis

By Sir Francis Bacon

In 1623, Francis Bacon expressed his aspirations and ideas in New Atlantis. Released in 1627, this was his creation of an ideal land where people were kind, knowledgeable, and civic-minded. Part of this new land was his perfect college, a vision for our modern research universities. Islands he had visited may have served as models for his ideas. ( Summary by Wikipedia )

4Japanese Girls and Women

By Alice Bacon

A clear and delightful peek into the world of Japanese girls and women of the late 1800s: their childhood, education, marriage and intimate family life. And it is done by someone who admires the immense resources, abilities and strength shown by all of these girls and women. The intricate customs that bind the society together and must be learned by every girl, such as the annual Doll ceremony are explained as well as the difficult life of a Japanese wife of this period. Life among the nobles and upper class in the courts and castles, something long hidden away, is explored. Did you know there were Samauri Women? The entire spectrum of Japanese life in the late 1800s is explored from the feminine point of view. The writer is a Christian but respects the cultural and religious differences of Japan society and presents what she has observed from many years in the country and what was shared with her by her Japanese women friends. (Summary by Phil Chenevert)

5History of American Christianity

By Leonard Woolsey Bacon

Published in 1897, this book describes the advent of Christianity in the United States from the landing of the first explorers with their mission to convert the natives to the time immediately following the Civil War. Bacon discusses the church's response to the social, political and religious issues of the day, and provides an introduction to the beginnings of such para-church organizations as the YMCA and American Bible Society. (Summary by KHand)

6Songs Ysame

By Albion Fellows Bacon and Annie Fellows Johnston

This is a volume of poetry written by the sisters Albion Fellows Bacon and Annie Fellows Johnston. Both of the sisters reached quite a level of fame in their own right, Ms Bacon primarily as a social reformer and Ms Johnston as an author of children's books. In this volume of poetry, they bring their two sets of skills together to write beautiful verses. - Summary by Carolin

7Wisdom of the Ancients, A Series of Mythological Fables

By Sir Francis Bacon

"Now I suppose most people will think I am but entertaining myself with a toy, and using much the same kind of licence in expounding the poets’ fables which the poets themselves did in inventing them; and it is true that if I had a mind to vary and relieve my severer studies with some such exercise of pleasure for my own or my reader’s recreation, I might very fairly indulge in it. But that is not my meaning. Not but that I know very well what pliant stuff fable is made of, how freely it will follow any way you please to draw it, and how easily with a little dexterity and discourse of wit meanings which it was never meant to bear may be plausibly put upon it. Neither have I forgotten that there has been old abuse of the thing in practice; that many, wishing only to gain the sanction and reverence of antiquity for doctrines and inventions of their own, have tried to twist the fables of the poets into that sense; and that this is neither a modern vanity nor a rare one, but old of standing and frequent in use; that Chrysippus long ago, interpreting the oldest poets after the manner of an interpreter of dreams, made them out to be Stoics; and that the Alchemists more absurdly still have discovered in the pleasant and sportive fictions of the transformation of bodies, allusion to experiments of the furnace." - Summary from Bacon's Preface

8Best Nonsense Verses

By Josephine Daskam Bacon

From Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky to limericks written by Anonymous, some of the crankiest, most logical and lyrical people turn common sense upside-down. May they inspire the child inside of you to find your way through the most challenging situations with a new set of eyes! Josephine Dodge Daskam, aka Josephine Daskam Bacon, selected these nonsense verses with the permission of their authors Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, W.S. Gilbert, Guy Wetmore Carryl, Charles E. Carryl, Oliver Herford, Gelett Burgess, George du Maurier, and Rudyard Kipling. (Grace Buchanan)

A Western from 1918, that ran over a 1000 shows on Broadway and was made into movies twice. Lightnin' and his wife run a seedy hotel that straddles the Nevada-California state line, making for an interesting legal situation. When some out-of-town businessmen come to town to try and take advantage of the locals, they discover that there is more savvy in them thar hills than they first thought. - Summary by ToddHW <BR><BR>Cast list:<BR> Lightnin' Bill Jones: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/6754">ToddHW</a><br> John Marvin: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/14540">Andrew Gaunce</a><br> Raymond Thomas: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/14426">Andrew James</a><br> Lemuel Townsend: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/7170">Alan Mapstone</a><br> Rodney Harper: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/13563">Steven Fellows</a><br> Everett Hammond: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/12980">Wayne Cooke</a><br> Nevin Blodgett, Sheriff: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8879">Son of the Exiles</a><br> Oscar Nelson: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8011">Greg Giordano</a><br> Fred Peters: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/15288">Paul Harvey</a><br> Walter Lennon: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/10801">Jim Locke</a><br> Zeb Crothers: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8425">Larry Wilson</a><br> Liveryman: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/10801">Jim Locke</a><br> Clerk: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8425">Larry Wilson</a><br> Mildred Buckley: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/15380">Annie Mars</a><br> Mrs. Jones: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/10179">Sonia</a><br> Mrs. Margaret Davis: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/11084">Devorah Allen</a><br> Mrs. Harper: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/14467">Diane Castillo</a><br> Freeda: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/11059">Lauren-Emma Blake</a><br> Emily Jarvis: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/10087">Sandra Schmit</a><br> Mrs. Moore: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/13140">Jenn Broda</a><br> Mrs. Jordan: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/11790">TJ Burns</a><br> Mrs. Starr: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/15373">WendyKatzHiller</a><br> Mrs. Cogshall: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/4174">Availle</a><br> Mrs. Preston: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/7026">Michele Eaton</a><br> Teddy: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/12980">Wayne Cooke</a><br> Stage Directions: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/14337">ambsweet13</a><br> and: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/11331">Scotty Smith</a><br> Editing: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/6754">ToddHW</a><br>