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This paper describes applications of logic programming technology to the teaching of the inductive method in computer science and mathematics. It discusses the nature of inductive thought and its place in those fields of inquiry, arguing that a complete logic programming system for supporting inductive inference is not only feasible but necessary. A sample dialog from the Prologb system is included, along with an overview of the Prologb language and some details about classroom experiences using the system. (Author/BEW)

This paper describes applications of logic programming technology to the teaching of the inductive method in computer science and mathematics. It discusses the nature of inductive thought and its place in those fields of inquiry, arguing that a complete logic programming system for supporting inductive inference is not only feasible but necessary. A sample dialog from the Prologb system is included, along with an overview of the Prologb language and some details about classroom experiences using the system. (Author/BEW)

This paper describes applications of logic programming technology to the teaching of the inductive method in computer science and mathematics. It discusses the nature of inductive thought and its place in those fields of inquiry, arguing that a complete logic programming system for supporting inductive inference is not only feasible but necessary. A sample dialog from the Prologb system is included, along with an overview of the Prologb language and some details about classroom experiences using the system. (Author/BEW)

This paper describes applications of logic programming technology to the teaching of the inductive method in computer science and mathematics. It discusses the nature of inductive thought and its place in those fields of inquiry, arguing that a complete logic programming system for supporting inductive inference is not only feasible but necessary. A sample dialog from the Prologb system is included, along with an overview of the Prologb language and some details about classroom experiences using the system. (Author/BEW)

This paper describes applications of logic programming technology to the teaching of the inductive method in computer science and mathematics. It discusses the nature of inductive thought and its place in those fields of inquiry, arguing that a complete logic programming system for supporting inductive inference is not only feasible but necessary. A sample dialog from the Prologb system is included, along with an overview of the Prologb language and some details about classroom experiences using the system. (Author/BEW)

We propose a new formal language for the expressive representation of probabilistic knowledge based on Answer Set Programming (ASP). It allows for the annotation of first-order formulas as well as ASP rules and facts with probabilities and for learning of such weights from data (parameter estimation). Weighted formulas are given a semantics in terms of soft and hard constraints which determine a probability distribution over answer sets. In contrast to related approaches, we approach inference by optionally utilizing so-called streamlining XOR constraints, in order to reduce the number of computed answer sets. Our approach is prototypically implemented. Examples illustrate the introduced concepts and point at issues and topics for future research.

Rules complement and extend ontologies on the Semantic Web. We refer to these rules as onto-relational since they combine DL-based ontology languages and Knowledge Representation formalisms supporting the relational data model within the tradition of Logic Programming and Deductive Databases. Rule authoring is a very demanding Knowledge Engineering task which can be automated though partially by applying Machine Learning algorithms. In this chapter we show how Inductive Logic Programming (ILP), born at the intersection of Machine Learning and Logic Programming and considered as a major approach to Relational Learning, can be adapted to Onto-Relational Learning. For the sake of illustration, we provide details of a specific Onto-Relational Learning solution to the problem of learning rule-based definitions of DL concepts and roles with ILP.

Rules complement and extend ontologies on the Semantic Web. We refer to these rules as onto-relational since they combine DL-based ontology languages and Knowledge Representation formalisms supporting the relational data model within the tradition of Logic Programming and Deductive Databases. Rule authoring is a very demanding Knowledge Engineering task which can be automated though partially by applying Machine Learning algorithms. In this chapter we show how Inductive Logic Programming (ILP), born at the intersection of Machine Learning and Logic Programming and considered as a major approach to Relational Learning, can be adapted to Onto-Relational Learning. For the sake of illustration, we provide details of a specific Onto-Relational Learning solution to the problem of learning rule-based definitions of DL concepts and roles with ILP.

Rules complement and extend ontologies on the Semantic Web. We refer to these rules as onto-relational since they combine DL-based ontology languages and Knowledge Representation formalisms supporting the relational data model within the tradition of Logic Programming and Deductive Databases. Rule authoring is a very demanding Knowledge Engineering task which can be automated though partially by applying Machine Learning algorithms. In this chapter we show how Inductive Logic Programming (ILP), born at the intersection of Machine Learning and Logic Programming and considered as a major approach to Relational Learning, can be adapted to Onto-Relational Learning. For the sake of illustration, we provide details of a specific Onto-Relational Learning solution to the problem of learning rule-based definitions of DL concepts and roles with ILP.

Rules complement and extend ontologies on the Semantic Web. We refer to these rules as onto-relational since they combine DL-based ontology languages and Knowledge Representation formalisms supporting the relational data model within the tradition of Logic Programming and Deductive Databases. Rule authoring is a very demanding Knowledge Engineering task which can be automated though partially by applying Machine Learning algorithms. In this chapter we show how Inductive Logic Programming (ILP), born at the intersection of Machine Learning and Logic Programming and considered as a major approach to Relational Learning, can be adapted to Onto-Relational Learning. For the sake of illustration, we provide details of a specific Onto-Relational Learning solution to the problem of learning rule-based definitions of DL concepts and roles with ILP.

Event recognition systems rely on properly engineered knowledge bases of event definitions to infer occurrences of events in time. The manual development of such knowledge is a tedious and error-prone task, thus event-based applications may benefit from automated knowledge construction techniques, such as Inductive Logic Programming (ILP), which combines machine learning with the declarative and formal semantics of First-Order Logic. However, learning temporal logical formalisms, which are typically utilized by logic-based Event Recognition systems is a challenging task, which most ILP systems cannot fully undertake. In addition, event-based data is usually massive and collected at different times and under various circumstances. Ideally, systems that learn from temporal data should be able to operate in an incremental mode, that is, revise prior constructed knowledge in the face of new evidence. Most ILP systems are batch learners, in the sense that in order to account for new evidence they have no alternative but to forget past knowledge and learn from scratch. Given the increased inherent complexity of ILP and the volumes of real-life temporal data, this results to algorithms that scale poorly. In this work we present an incremental method for learning and revising event-based knowledge, in the form of Event Calculus programs. The proposed algorithm relies on abductive-inductive learning and comprises a scalable clause refinement methodology, based on a compressive summarization of clause coverage in a stream of examples. We present an empirical evaluation of our approach on real and synthetic data from activity recognition and city transport applications.

When comparing inductive logic programming (ILP) and attribute-value learning techniques, there is a trade-off between expressive power and efficiency. Inductive logic programming techniques are typically more expressive but also less efficient. Therefore, the data sets handled by current inductive logic programming systems are small according to general standards within the data mining community. The main source of inefficiency lies in the assumption that several examples may be related to each other, so they cannot be handled independently. Within the learning from interpretations framework for inductive logic programming this assumption is unnecessary, which allows to scale up existing ILP algorithms. In this paper we explain this learning setting in the context of relational databases. We relate the setting to propositional data mining and to the classical ILP setting, and show that learning from interpretations corresponds to learning from multiple relations and thus extends the expressiveness of propositional learning, while maintaining its efficiency to a large extent (which is not the case in the classical ILP setting). As a case study, we present two alternative implementations of the ILP system Tilde (Top-down Induction of Logical DEcision trees): Tilde-classic, which loads all data in main memory, and Tilde-LDS, which loads the examples one by one. We experimentally compare the implementations, showing Tilde-LDS can handle large data sets (in the order of 100,000 examples or 100 MB) and indeed scales up linearly in the number of examples.

When comparing inductive logic programming (ILP) and attribute-value learning techniques, there is a trade-off between expressive power and efficiency. Inductive logic programming techniques are typically more expressive but also less efficient. Therefore, the data sets handled by current inductive logic programming systems are small according to general standards within the data mining community. The main source of inefficiency lies in the assumption that several examples may be related to each other, so they cannot be handled independently. Within the learning from interpretations framework for inductive logic programming this assumption is unnecessary, which allows to scale up existing ILP algorithms. In this paper we explain this learning setting in the context of relational databases. We relate the setting to propositional data mining and to the classical ILP setting, and show that learning from interpretations corresponds to learning from multiple relations and thus extends the expressiveness of propositional learning, while maintaining its efficiency to a large extent (which is not the case in the classical ILP setting). As a case study, we present two alternative implementations of the ILP system Tilde (Top-down Induction of Logical DEcision trees): Tilde-classic, which loads all data in main memory, and Tilde-LDS, which loads the examples one by one. We experimentally compare the implementations, showing Tilde-LDS can handle large data sets (in the order of 100,000 examples or 100 MB) and indeed scales up linearly in the number of examples.

When comparing inductive logic programming (ILP) and attribute-value learning techniques, there is a trade-off between expressive power and efficiency. Inductive logic programming techniques are typically more expressive but also less efficient. Therefore, the data sets handled by current inductive logic programming systems are small according to general standards within the data mining community. The main source of inefficiency lies in the assumption that several examples may be related to each other, so they cannot be handled independently. Within the learning from interpretations framework for inductive logic programming this assumption is unnecessary, which allows to scale up existing ILP algorithms. In this paper we explain this learning setting in the context of relational databases. We relate the setting to propositional data mining and to the classical ILP setting, and show that learning from interpretations corresponds to learning from multiple relations and thus extends the expressiveness of propositional learning, while maintaining its efficiency to a large extent (which is not the case in the classical ILP setting). As a case study, we present two alternative implementations of the ILP system Tilde (Top-down Induction of Logical DEcision trees): Tilde-classic, which loads all data in main memory, and Tilde-LDS, which loads the examples one by one. We experimentally compare the implementations, showing Tilde-LDS can handle large data sets (in the order of 100,000 examples or 100 MB) and indeed scales up linearly in the number of examples.

When comparing inductive logic programming (ILP) and attribute-value learning techniques, there is a trade-off between expressive power and efficiency. Inductive logic programming techniques are typically more expressive but also less efficient. Therefore, the data sets handled by current inductive logic programming systems are small according to general standards within the data mining community. The main source of inefficiency lies in the assumption that several examples may be related to each other, so they cannot be handled independently. Within the learning from interpretations framework for inductive logic programming this assumption is unnecessary, which allows to scale up existing ILP algorithms. In this paper we explain this learning setting in the context of relational databases. We relate the setting to propositional data mining and to the classical ILP setting, and show that learning from interpretations corresponds to learning from multiple relations and thus extends the expressiveness of propositional learning, while maintaining its efficiency to a large extent (which is not the case in the classical ILP setting). As a case study, we present two alternative implementations of the ILP system Tilde (Top-down Induction of Logical DEcision trees): Tilde-classic, which loads all data in main memory, and Tilde-LDS, which loads the examples one by one. We experimentally compare the implementations, showing Tilde-LDS can handle large data sets (in the order of 100,000 examples or 100 MB) and indeed scales up linearly in the number of examples.

Building rules on top of ontologies is the ultimate goal of the logical layer of the Semantic Web. To this aim an ad-hoc mark-up language for this layer is currently under discussion. It is intended to follow the tradition of hybrid knowledge representation and reasoning systems such as $\mathcal{AL}$-log that integrates the description logic $\mathcal{ALC}$ and the function-free Horn clausal language \textsc{Datalog}. In this paper we consider the problem of automating the acquisition of these rules for the Semantic Web. We propose a general framework for rule induction that adopts the methodological apparatus of Inductive Logic Programming and relies on the expressive and deductive power of $\mathcal{AL}$-log. The framework is valid whatever the scope of induction (description vs. prediction) is. Yet, for illustrative purposes, we also discuss an instantiation of the framework which aims at description and turns out to be useful in Ontology Refinement. Keywords: Inductive Logic Programming, Hybrid Knowledge Representation and Reasoning Systems, Ontologies, Semantic Web. Note: To appear in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP)

Building rules on top of ontologies is the ultimate goal of the logical layer of the Semantic Web. To this aim an ad-hoc mark-up language for this layer is currently under discussion. It is intended to follow the tradition of hybrid knowledge representation and reasoning systems such as $\mathcal{AL}$-log that integrates the description logic $\mathcal{ALC}$ and the function-free Horn clausal language \textsc{Datalog}. In this paper we consider the problem of automating the acquisition of these rules for the Semantic Web. We propose a general framework for rule induction that adopts the methodological apparatus of Inductive Logic Programming and relies on the expressive and deductive power of $\mathcal{AL}$-log. The framework is valid whatever the scope of induction (description vs. prediction) is. Yet, for illustrative purposes, we also discuss an instantiation of the framework which aims at description and turns out to be useful in Ontology Refinement. Keywords: Inductive Logic Programming, Hybrid Knowledge Representation and Reasoning Systems, Ontologies, Semantic Web. Note: To appear in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP)

Building rules on top of ontologies is the ultimate goal of the logical layer of the Semantic Web. To this aim an ad-hoc mark-up language for this layer is currently under discussion. It is intended to follow the tradition of hybrid knowledge representation and reasoning systems such as $\mathcal{AL}$-log that integrates the description logic $\mathcal{ALC}$ and the function-free Horn clausal language \textsc{Datalog}. In this paper we consider the problem of automating the acquisition of these rules for the Semantic Web. We propose a general framework for rule induction that adopts the methodological apparatus of Inductive Logic Programming and relies on the expressive and deductive power of $\mathcal{AL}$-log. The framework is valid whatever the scope of induction (description vs. prediction) is. Yet, for illustrative purposes, we also discuss an instantiation of the framework which aims at description and turns out to be useful in Ontology Refinement. Keywords: Inductive Logic Programming, Hybrid Knowledge Representation and Reasoning Systems, Ontologies, Semantic Web. Note: To appear in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP)

Building rules on top of ontologies is the ultimate goal of the logical layer of the Semantic Web. To this aim an ad-hoc mark-up language for this layer is currently under discussion. It is intended to follow the tradition of hybrid knowledge representation and reasoning systems such as $\mathcal{AL}$-log that integrates the description logic $\mathcal{ALC}$ and the function-free Horn clausal language \textsc{Datalog}. In this paper we consider the problem of automating the acquisition of these rules for the Semantic Web. We propose a general framework for rule induction that adopts the methodological apparatus of Inductive Logic Programming and relies on the expressive and deductive power of $\mathcal{AL}$-log. The framework is valid whatever the scope of induction (description vs. prediction) is. Yet, for illustrative purposes, we also discuss an instantiation of the framework which aims at description and turns out to be useful in Ontology Refinement. Keywords: Inductive Logic Programming, Hybrid Knowledge Representation and Reasoning Systems, Ontologies, Semantic Web. Note: To appear in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP)

Inductive logic programming, or relational learning, is a powerful paradigm for machine learning or data mining. However, in order for ILP to become practically useful, the efficiency of ILP systems must improve substantially. To this end, the notion of a query pack is introduced: it structures sets of similar queries. Furthermore, a mechanism is described for executing such query packs. A complexity analysis shows that considerable efficiency improvements can be achieved through the use of this query pack execution mechanism. This claim is supported by empirical results obtained by incorporating support for query pack execution in two existing learning systems.

Link discovery (LD) is an important task in data mining for counter-terrorism and is the focus of DARPA's Evidence Extraction and Link Discovery (EELD) research program. Link discovery concerns the identification of complex relational patterns that indicate potentially threatening activities in large amounts of relational data. Most data-mining methods assume data is in the form of a feature-vector (a single relational table) and cannot handle multi-relational data. Inductive logic programming is a form of relational data mining that discovers rules in first-order logic from multi-relational data. This paper discusses the application of ILP to learning patterns for link discovery.

In this paper we address an issue that has been brought to the attention of the database community with the advent of the Semantic Web, i.e. the issue of how ontologies (and semantics conveyed by them) can help solving typical database problems, through a better understanding of KR aspects related to databases. In particular, we investigate this issue from the ILP perspective by considering two database problems, (i) the definition of views and (ii) the definition of constraints, for a database whose schema is represented also by means of an ontology. Both can be reformulated as ILP problems and can benefit from the expressive and deductive power of the KR framework DL+log. We illustrate the application scenarios by means of examples. Keywords: Inductive Logic Programming, Relational Databases, Ontologies, Description Logics, Hybrid Knowledge Representation and Reasoning Systems. Note: To appear in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP).

1Miss Civilization

By Richard Harding Davis

<em>Miss Civilization</em>, a one act comedy, tells the story of a young woman who matches wits with three burglars attempting to rob her house. This recording was made in Chicago at the LibriVox World Gathering in May 2007.<br /><br /> <strong>Cast:</strong><br /> <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/28">Kristin Hughes</a><br /> <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/32">Betsie Bush</a><br /> <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/606">Julian Jamison</a>

2Narrative of the Life of Rev. Noah Davis, A Colored Man

By Noah Davis

The object of the writer, in preparing this account of himself, is to<br /><br />RAISE SUFFICIENT MEANS TO FREE HIS LAST TWO CHILDREN FROM SLAVERY.<br /><br />Having already, within twelve years past, purchased himself, his wife, and five of his children, at a cost, altogether, of over _four thousand dollars_, he now earnestly desires a humane and christian public to<br /><br />AID HIM IN THE SALE OF THIS BOOK,<br /><br />for the purpose of finishing the task in which he has so long and anxiously labored.<br /><br />God has blessed him in an extraordinary manner, not only by granting freedom to him and so large a portion of his family, but by giving him the hope of the gospel, and permitting him to preach that gospel among his own people--in which calling he has been engaged for about twenty-five years. (Excerpted from the book)

3Notes of a War Correspondent

By Richard Harding Davis

Experiences and observations of the journalist in the Cuban-Spanish War, the Greek-Turkish War, the Spanish-American War, the South African War, and the Japanese-Russian War, accompanied by "A War Correspondent’s Kit." (Summary by Neeru Iyer)<br /><br /> This project was proof listened by mim@can, Diana Majlinger, and Betty M.

4Life in the Iron Mills

By Rebecca Harding Davis

This 1861 novella was the first published work by Rebecca Harding Davis: writer, social reformer, and pioneer of literary realism. It tells the story of Hugh Wolfe, a Welsh laborer in an iron mill who is also a talented sculptor, and of Deborah, the hunchbacked woman who unrequitedly loves him. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)

5In the Fog

By Richard Harding Davis

The story is set in London, at an elite gentleman’s club called "The Grill," where an American gentleman arrests the attention of four other men by relating how one night he got lost in a thick London fog. He stumbled upon a house where a double murder was just committed. The victims of the murder were a young nobleman and a Russian princess. He escaped from the house and reported the killings to Scotland Yard. But they were unable to find the location of the dwelling. All very strange, as three of the other gentlemen all offer more information and perspectives on various details of the incident as they endeavor to solve the mystery. (Introduction by Bob Gonzalez)

6Boy Scout And Other Stories For Boys

By Richard Harding Davis

RICHARD HARDING DAVIS, as a friend and fellow author has written of him, was “youth incarnate,” and there is probably nothing that he wrote of which a boy would not some day come to feel the appeal. But there are certain of his stories that go with especial directness to a boy’s heart and sympathies and make for him quite unforgettable literature. A few of these were made some years ago into a volume, “Stories for Boys,” and found a large and enthusiastic special public in addition to Davis’s general readers; and the present collection from stories more recently published is issued with the same motive. This book takes its title from “The Boy Scout,” the first of its tales; and it includes “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” “Blood Will Tell,” the immortal “Gallegher,” and “The Bar Sinister,” Davis’s famous dog story. It is a fresh volume added to what Augustus Thomas calls “safe stuff to give to a young fellow who likes to take off his hat and dilate his nostrils and feel the wind in his face.” (Summary by Publisher's Note in book)

7Make-Believe Man

By Richard Harding Davis

Adventure was what our protagonist was looking for, when he boarded the steamer "Patience" for his holiday, and when one has a man with such a vivid imagination like Joseph Forbes Kinney as a travel companion, who seems to find adventures at every turn of the road (and if not, he manufactures them), the two travellers are sure to stumble into trouble... (Summary by Carolin)

8Amateur

By Richard Harding Davis

On the steamer on his way to London, Austin Ford meets a young woman, who is going to London to find her missing husband. Being a specialist in finding people, Mr. Ford agrees to help her in her quest. However, something appears to be not quite right about the lady and her story... (Summary by Carolin)

9Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government, Volume 1a

By Jefferson Davis

<i>The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government</i> (1881) is written by Jefferson Davis, former President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Davis wrote the book as a straightforward history of the Confederate States of America and as an apologia for the causes that he believed led to and justified the American Civil War.<br/><br/> Davis spared little detail in describing every aspect of the Confederate constitution and government, in addition to which he retold in detail numerous military campaigns. Far more compelling in the views of Davis' contemporaries and to modern scholars were Davis' thoughtfully constructed arguments as to the constitutional and moral justification of the formation of the Confederacy and of the Civil War. Davis cited numerous constitutional passages, constitutional scholars, and American political leaders to prove his thesis that secession was justified.<br/><br/> This project contains the first half of Volume 1 (of 2). (Intro modified from Wikipedia)

10Lost House

By Richard Harding Davis

Austin Ford, the London correspondent of the New York Republic, is spending some idle time in the American Embassy chatting with the Second Secretary, when suddenly a note is brought in. This note is an appeal for help, found in the gutter in a dark alley. The writer claims to be a young girl, who is kept against her will locked up in a lunatic asylum by her uncle. Although the Second Secretary tries to convince him that there is nothing to it, the journalist is determined to follow the lead... (Summary by Carolin)

11Princess Aline

By Richard Harding Davis

Morton Carlton, an easy-going, rich young artist, has never taken the concepts of love and marriage all that seriously -- until by accident a copy of an English illustrated paper falls into his hands, which contains a photograph of the young Princess Aline of Hohenwald. Instantly, Carlton is captivated by the princess, and decides that he must meet her. But how to get close to a princess, who lives in a small German duchy well protected by guards and etiquette? Carlton decides to travel to Europe and try his luck... (Summary by Carolin)

12My Buried Treasure

By Richard Harding Davis

"This is a true story of a search for buried treasure. The only part that is not true is the name of the man with whom I searched for the treasure. Unless I keep his name out of it he will not let me write the story, and, as it was his expedition and as my share of the treasure is only what I can make by writing the story, I must write as he dictates. I think the story should be told, because our experience was unique, and might be of benefit to others. And, besides, I need the money." (From the text)

13Lion and the Unicorn

By Richard Harding Davis

What if figures of animals had lives of their own? If the figures of a lion and a unicorn at the shop across the street could talk, what would they say about the little things in life that they see every day on the streets of London? This short story describes the love story of Philip Caroll and Helen Cabot, as witnessed by these two figures.. (Summary by Carolin)

14Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government, Volume 1b

By Jefferson Davis

<i>The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government</i> (1881) is written by Jefferson Davis, former President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Davis wrote the book as a straightforward history of the Confederate States of America and as an apologia for the causes that he believed led to and justified the American Civil War.<br><br> Davis spared little detail in describing every aspect of the Confederate constitution and government, in addition to which he retold in detail numerous military campaigns. Far more compelling in the views of Davis' contemporaries and to modern scholars were Davis' thoughtfully constructed arguments as to the constitutional and moral justification of the formation of the Confederacy and of the Civil War. Davis cited numerous constitutional passages, constitutional scholars, and American political leaders to prove his thesis that secession was justified.<br><br> This project contains the second half of Volume 1 (of 2). (Intro modified from Wikipedia)<br><br> Proof-listening done by Nadya Gaganova and Lucretia B.

15Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government, Volume 2

By Jefferson Davis

<i>The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government</i> (1881) is written by Jefferson Davis, former President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Davis wrote the book as a straightforward history of the Confederate States of America and as an apologia for the causes that he believed led to and justified the American Civil War. (Intro modified from Wikipedia)<br/><br/> "The most painful pages of this work are those which . . . present the subjugation of the State governments by the Government of the United States. The patriot, the lover of his country and of the liberties of mankind, can not contemplate these facts without a feeling of grief which will not be comforted. That the work of the fathers of the republic, that the most magnificent system of constitutional government which the wisdom of man has devised, should be turned from its object, changed from its order, rendered powerless to protect the unalienable rights and sovereignty of the people, and made the instrument by which to establish and maintain imperialism, is a revolution unlike any other that may be found in the history of mankind. The result established the truthfulness of the assertion . . . that the Northern people, by their unconstitutional warfare to gain the freedom of certain negro slaves, would lose their own liberties." (from chapter 42)<br/><br/> This project contains Volume 2 (of 2).<br/><br/> Proof-Listened by TriciaG & denisedee

16Cynical Miss Catherwaight

By Richard Harding Davis

This is the story of Miss Catherwaight, collector of "dishonored honors" - medals of honor pawned by the persons they were awarded to. Part of Miss Catherwaight's collection are also the stories behind each award, and she tends to look down on their former owners for giving them away - until she finds a particular token in the shape of a heart... - Summary by Carolin

17Wasted Day

By Richard Harding Davis

This is a delightful little story about the most successful banker on Wall Street, who finds his philanthropic side when one of his former employees is arrested and needs someone to vouch for his character.. - Summary by Carolin

18Outside the Prison

By Richard Harding Davis

On Christmas Eve, journalist Bronson is sent to wait outside of Moyamensing Prison to report on the release of a certain infamous prisoner. His case had gotten a lot of attention, so the paper wants a man on the spot. However, what Bronson hears and sees outside the prison that night is not quite what he was expecting. - Summary by Carolin

19Men of Zanzibar

By Richard Harding Davis

This is the story of Hemingway, who, after a hunting trip in Uganda, settles in Zanzibar for a while to live among the English-speaking expatriate community on that island. While keeping his true identity well to himself, he falls in love with Ms. Polly Adair, the American Belle of the little society. But when he asks her to marry him, it seems that Ms. Adair has a secret... - Summary by Carolin

20Somewhere in France

By Richard Harding Davis

When Captain Henri Ravignac married Marie Gessler, he was mistakenly thinking she was French. But Marie is in fact German, and her command of the French language and culture makes her a perfect spy. At the first opportunity, she double-crossed Captain Ravignac and stole valuable documents from him, which makes her a great candidate for espionage when World War I breaks out. Travelling with the documents of Countess d'Aurillac, she moves behind enemy lines, but the life of a spy is typically turbulent and short... - Summary by Carolin

21Spy

By Richard Harding Davis

Mr. Crosby is a high-ranking official known to be often entrusted with secret government missions. But when he finds himself in Valencia, that's entirely an accident and has nothing to do with any such mission at all. But his reputation does not allow him to simply leave a region riddled with conflicts, and so, a spy attaches himself to Crosby. On a small boat with only one another for company, things can quickly get complicated. - Summary by Carolin

22Unfinished Story

By Richard Harding Davis

A very congenial dinner party is ongoing. Among the distinguished guests are also one author and one painter, who have just been told that their work does not reflect reality. Their work is good, of course, but reality is different than in the paintings and in the novels. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the young explorer Gordon says that sometimes, life contains stories so outrageous that they would never be printed in novels. He has one to tell as an example. - Summary by Carolin

This is Volume VIII of the National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoirs series. It is read as 33 sections using the memoir headings. John Wesley Powell (1834-1902) was a leading figure in the geological explorations of the West and helped establish the federal U.S. Geological Survey in 1879. He also led the Bureau of Ethnology and advocated for better treatment and study of Native American tribes and culture. He wrote a definitive study of the arid western U.S., advocating for thoughtful irrigation and land management practices. Powell predicted that water rights purchased by corporations, rather than tied to the land, would be a major political and environmental issue. John Wesley Powell was a scientific frontiersman. His life reveals the energetic working of a vigorous and independent personality, full of inspiration, power, and enterprise. He was a founder of major scientific organizations, including the National Geographic Society, Geological Society of America, and the Cosmos Club. Powell lived most of his life in Washington, DC. The memoir was written by William Morris Davis (1850-1934) was a prominent professor of geology, geography, and meteorology at Harvard and knew Powell personally. Summary by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont

The frost fair of 1814 began on 1 February, and lasted four days. A printer named George Davis published a 124-page book, "Frostiana; or a History of the River Thames in a Frozen State". The entire book was type-set and printed in Davis's printing stall, which had been set up on the frozen Thames. The book is a written history of London's frost fairs, interspersed with humorous, cold-related sections including "How to Make Ice Cream" and "The Art of Ice Skating". - Summary by Wikipedia, Lewis Fletcher

25Book of American Negro Poetry

By Otto Leland Bohanan, William Stanley Braithwaite, Benjamin Griffith Brawley, James Edwin Campbell, Waverly Turner Carmichael, James David Corrothers, Joseph S. Cotter, Jr., Ray G. Dandridge, Daniel Webster Davis, R. Nathaniel Dett, W. E. B. Du Bois, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Alice Dunbar Nelson, Jessie R. Fauset, Leslie Pinckney Hill, John Wesley Holloway, Roscoe C. Jamison, Charles Bertram Johnson, Georgia Douglas Johnson, James Weldon Johnson, Fenton Johnson, Edward Smyth Jones, Joshua Henry Jones, Jr., George Reginald Margetson, George Marion McClellan, Claude McKay, William H. A. Moore, Alex Rogers, Theodore Henry Shackelford, Anne Spencer and Lucian B. Watkins

The Book of American Negro Poetry is one of the earliest and most essential anthologies of African-American verse ever brought to print. Edited by writer and diplomat James Weldon Johnson, this collection was published with the hope of bringing to the public a greater awareness of the art and literature created by Black writers. This is the first edition of this long-republished anthology and collects seminal works by Paul Dunbar, W.E.B. Du Bois, Claude McKay, Leslie Hill, James Corrothers, and many more. - Summary by ChuckW

26Gallegher and other Stories

By Richard Harding Davis

Set in 1890's USA, teen detective Gallegher is a copy boy for a local newspaper, but due to his superior sleuthing and feisty Huck Finn attitude, he ends up solving a serious crime. Walt Disney thought enough of the spunky Gallegher story to make a TV series of it back in 1965. Of course, Gallegher is only one of the 9 other interesting stories included, all period pieces, with interesting characters, all interestingly told. ( Summary by Michele Fry)

A beautifully written and witty history of The New York Times, and of newspaper publishing in general, from the 1850s to 1921 by three-time Peabody Award winner Elmer Davis. Davis provides a detailed history of the founding of The Times; its role in the exposure and demise of the notorious Boss Tweed; its resurrection from near-failure by legendary publisher Adolph Ochs; its role in local and national politics; and how The Times became the dominant newspaper of his generation. Along the way, Davis shares insight into how technology (or lack thereof) influences newsgathering, and reveals The Times' surprising role in some of the major technological advances of the era. Overall, the book is both an uncompromising evaluation of and a love letter to the newspaper at which Davis began his storied career. - Summary by Joanne Turner

This little book opens on the eve of the French Revolution. The government is crippled by financial mismanagement, ruled by a King who, in the author's words, is "devoid of both ability and energy," and resented by a tax-oppressed peasantry and a rising middle class. The Revolution escapes the control of its instigators and France is plunged into the Terror and international war. Enter Napoleon, a man with "an enormous capacity for work," who can "get to the root of a matter and master technicalities with great swiftness," but whose "vulgar desire for recognition...and his inability to feel the sufferings of others" ultimately leads to his country's downfall. Davis then presents the careers of Napoleon's successors, including his nephew, Louis Napoleon who, scarcely better than an inept imposter, plunges France in 1870 into the disastrous Franco-Prussian War. In the wake of French defeat, the anti-semitic mass hysteria of the Dreyfus case polarizes French society for over a decade. The book, which was published in 1916, ends in 1910 with France, menaced by Germany, "on the eve of the greatest war the world has ever seen." - Summary by Pamela Nagami, M.D.

29Three Gringos in Venezuela and Central America

By Richard Harding Davis

In the 1890's, three American adventurers in search of warmer weather explore Central and South American cities by steamship and on horseback. They visit the remnants of the infamous Louisiana Lottery (exiled to Belise); then on to Hondoras, Trinidad, Santa Barbara, Tegucigalpa, Corinto, Nicaragua, Panama, and Caracus in Venezuela. Along the way they traverse dangerous mountain pathways, encounter charming girls, warring natives, wild animals, gory village bull fights, peculiar foods and customs, and much more. Davis was a well known travel writer and war correspondent, whose travel books were widely published. His style is direct and easy to follow, educational and frequently chuckle-inducing. (Summary by Steven Seitel & Michele Fry)

30Sketches of Gotham

By Owen Davis

If you're the sort that gets a thrill from rubbing elbows with shady characters you best leave the introductions to the streetwise Ike Swift. Just so's you don't get hurt! <br><br> Ike Swift is but one of many pseudonyms employed by the prolific Owen Davis in writing stories for various publications, such as the once "edgy" [National] Police Gazette. As Owen Davis he was known as a Pulitzer Prize winning dramatist as well as a script writer for radio and screen writer for film. - Summary by Brian Fullen

31Under Six Flags: The Story of Texas

By M. E. M. Davis

A history of the of Texas from La Salle's Texas Settlement in 1685 to the dedication of the State Capitol building at Austin in 1888. - Summary by Brian Fullen

From the darkest corners of the Amazon to the idyllic island paradise of Borneo, the early years of Weird Tales were chocked full of dread tales of jungle terrors. Fierce beasts, deadly cannibals and all other manner of unknown horrors await beneath the lush canopies of trees. Even if you aren't foolish enough to brave the dangers of the jungle, the jungle may come to you instead! Join us for another fright-filled collection of stories from the celebrated halls of Weird Tales magazine! - Summary by Ben Tucker

A brief history of the early years of the historic Virginia Peninsula lying between the James and the York Rivers and extending from Richmond to Old Point Comfort. For the purposes of this book, which is to treat of the earliest English settlers in America, it includes a narrow strip south of the James, the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth, and also the harbor of Hampton Roads. - Summary by J. E. Davis