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"Från barnaår till silfverhår" (From childyears to silverhairs) by Anders Ramsay (1832-1910) is one of the most widely read autobiographies of Fenno-swedish literature. Anders Ramsay's eight volumes offer a great wealth of information about aristocratic life in 19th century Finland, as well as of life in Paris, on the grand tour in Italy and so on. Ramsay's style of writing is free and full of delightful humour -- often at the author's own expense. His life is also a good illustration of the process of industrialisation in Finland, as well as of the triumph of the capitalist spirit over older, aristocratic values. Born a nobleman and landowner, Ramsay felt forced to become an industrialist, but failed miserably. He then went into business, where he failed as completely. However, his autobiography, written at the very end of his life, became a huge critical and popular success, to his immense joy and pride. (Summary by Måns Broo)

2Told in the Coffee House

By Cyrus Adler and Allan Ramsay

In the course of a number of visits to Constantinople, I became much interested in the tales that are told in the coffee houses. These are usually little more than rooms, with walls made of small panes of glass. The furniture consists of a tripod with a contrivance for holding the kettle, and a fire to keep the coffee boiling. A carpeted bench traverses the entire length of the room. This is occupied by turbaned Turks, their legs folded under them, smoking nargilehs or chibooks or cigarettes, and sipping coffee. A few will be engaged in a game of backgammon, but the majority enter into conversation, at first only in syllables, which gradually gives rise to a general discussion. Finally, some sage of the neighborhood comes in, and the company appeals to him to settle the point at issue. This he usually does by telling a story to illustrate his opinion. Some of the stories told on these occasions are adaptations of those already known in Arabic and Persian literature, but the Turkish mind gives them a new setting and a peculiar philosophy. They are characteristic of the habits, customs, and methods of thought of the people, and for this reason seem worthy of preservation. - Summary by Preface

3Monitor and the Merrimac: Both sides of the story

By Samuel Greene, H. Ashton Ramsay, Eugene Winslow Watson and John Worden

The American Civil War lasted four years, from 1861 to 1865. It included some iconic battles that have maintained enough interest to merit recounting the events in countless books. One such seminal battle was that of the USS Monitor versus the USS Merrimack, two ironclad ships, repurposed and redesigned to have a defensive advantage against conventional wooden war ships of the 19th century. The Monitor and the Merrimack faced off in a duel in the harbor at Hampton Roads, Virginia. The event represented the beginning of a new era of naval warfare. “The Monitor and the Merrimac” is a unique historical account of the first-hand experiences and perspectives of soldiers on each of the two ships. - Summary by Jeffery Smith

This book consists of fifty-two Sections, fifty of which were written for ‘The Sunday School Times’ in comment upon the International Lessons of 1909. Each is complete in itself; but the subjects were chosen so as to work together into a series of typical pictures of the life, the teaching, and the development of the early Church. <br><br> The growth of the Church was determined by progressive revelation to the earliest Christians through the indwelling Spirit, and by clearer comprehension on their part of the Divine purpose. Perception of this principle guided Luke in selecting and grouping the facts which he records. He knew much that he did not incorporate in his history. He gave space in his pages to events and persons according as they influenced the growth of the Church; and the present writer tries simply to follow the scale set by Luke. - Summary by Preface