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Essays, Letters & Speeches — page 30

1,469 public-domain essays, letters & speeches books, summarised. Page 30 of 31.

Cover of The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 12, No. 332, September 20, 1828

The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 12, No. 332, September 20, 1828

Various

A rustic home in Shottery stands untouched by modern hands, holding the simple furnishings that once framed the quiet romantic life of a world-renowned playwright.

Essays, Letters & Speeches5 min read
Cover of Between the twilights

Between the twilights

Cornelia Sorabji

In the quiet, sacred pause between day and night, an observant advocate opens the door to the hidden world of veiled Indian women, revealing their silent wisdom, complex rituals, and enduring humanity.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 420: Volume 17, New Series, January 17, 1852

Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 420: Volume 17, New Series, January 17, 1852

Various

Brief, human stories of sacrifice and self-reliance thread through a single 1852 issue of an Edinburgh periodical, binding together the struggles of doctors, artists, and monks across the globe.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of Notes and Queries, Number 48, September 28, 1850

Notes and Queries, Number 48, September 28, 1850

Various

Curious minds assemble across distance to dissect historical oddities, linguistic roots, and textual errors in an early Victorian miscellany.

Essays, Letters & Speeches5 min read
Cover of Quotations from the PG Collected Works of Gilbert Parker

Quotations from the PG Collected Works of Gilbert Parker

Gilbert Parker

A tapestry of human frailty, frontier harshness, and quiet moral reckoning unfolds across a vast canvas of northern wilderness, colonial outposts, and restless hearts.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of State of the Union Addresses of John Quincy Adams

State of the Union Addresses of John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams

A meticulous chief executive outlines a vision for an expanding, self-reliant United States through fiscal discipline, ambitious infrastructure, and balanced foreign policy.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of How to Write a Play: Letters from Augier, Banville, Dennery, Dumas, Gondinet, Labiche, Legouvé, Pailleron, Sardou and Zola

How to Write a Play: Letters from Augier, Banville, Dennery, Dumas, Gondinet, Labiche, Legouvé, Pailleron, Sardou and Zola

Dudley H. (Dudley Howe) Miles

Are there universal rules for creating a successful stage play, or is dramatic construction an unteachable, highly personal secret? This collection of letters from nineteenth-century dramatists leaves the answer delightfully unresolved.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of International Weekly Miscellany of Literature, Art and Science - Volume 1, No. 6, August 5, 1850

International Weekly Miscellany of Literature, Art and Science - Volume 1, No. 6, August 5, 1850

Various

A rich array of nineteenth-century thought unfolds across these pages, where literary criticism, biographical sketches, gothic romance, and reflective poetry converge to capture a world in rapid transition.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Notes and Queries, Number 68, February 15, 1851: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Notes and Queries, Number 68, February 15, 1851: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Various

A fascinating mosaic of nineteenth-century erudition unfolds through concise notes, queries, and replies, preserving the intellectual debates, folk traditions, and literary discoveries of the era.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Life of Duty, v. 2: A year's plain sermons on the Gospels or Epistles

The Life of Duty, v. 2: A year's plain sermons on the Gospels or Epistles

H. J. (Harry John) Wilmot-Buxton

A steady call to everyday holiness, this Victorian sermon collection frames ordinary human choices against the dramatic horizon of eternity.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 13, No. 368, May 2, 1829

The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 13, No. 368, May 2, 1829

Various

A window into early nineteenth-century British popular culture, this periodical issue captures the curiosities, architectural histories, news summaries, and poetic sentimentality that captivated reader imaginations in May 1829.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Abraham Lincoln's Lost Speech, May 29, 1856: A Souvenir of the Eleventh Annual Lincoln Dinner of the Republican Club of the City of New York, at the Waldorf, February 12, 1897

Abraham Lincoln's Lost Speech, May 29, 1856: A Souvenir of the Eleventh Annual Lincoln Dinner of the Republican Club of the City of New York, at the Waldorf, February 12, 1897

Abraham Lincoln

A powerful, long-suppressed argument for freedom, delivered at a pivotal moment in American history, this text captures the electrifying fervor of a nation teetering on the edge of civil war.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 459: Volume 18, New Series, October 16, 1852

Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 459: Volume 18, New Series, October 16, 1852

Various

This periodical captures the Victorian pulse through a diverse collection of societal observations, travel narratives, and moral reflections. It serves as a time capsule of mid-nineteenth-century interests, ranging from industrial progress to ancient history.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Sketch-Book of the North

Sketch-Book of the North

George Eyre-Todd

The spirit of Scotland is captured through a series of evocative vignettes, traversing ancient battlefields, quiet Highland glens, and bustling city streets to reveal a landscape rich in history and enduring natural beauty.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Duty of Disobedience to the Fugitive Slave Act: An Appeal To The Legislators Of Massachusetts, Anti-Slavery Tracts No. 9

The Duty of Disobedience to the Fugitive Slave Act: An Appeal To The Legislators Of Massachusetts, Anti-Slavery Tracts No. 9

Lydia Maria Child

The truth of heaven is often committed to voices deemed feeble, and such a voice here demands an end to the moral compromise of a state acting as a handmaid to human bondage.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Morality of Woman, and Other Essays

The Morality of Woman, and Other Essays

Ellen Key

A collection of essays on the evolution of woman’s role, this work argues that true morality in relationships must stem from love rather than legal or social dogma. It challenges the conventional structures of the early twentieth century, insisting that an individual’s integrity is the only foundation for a…

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Essays from the Chap-Book: Being a Miscellany of Curious and interesting Tales, Histories, &c

Essays from the Chap-Book: Being a Miscellany of Curious and interesting Tales, Histories, &c

Various

This collection gathers critical essays and literary sketches from a pivotal era of American letters, offering a candid look at the aesthetic tensions of the late nineteenth century. These pieces capture a moment when traditional sensibilities collided with emerging modernism.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Music and bad manners

Music and bad manners

Carl Van Vechten

The concert hall is rarely a place of civility, yet we often mistake its stifling silence for reverence. This collection of essays pulls back the velvet curtain on the erratic, often explosive world of early 20th-century music.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Speech of John Hossack, Convicted of a Violation of the Fugitive Slave Law: Before Judge Drummond, Of The United States District Court, Chicago, Ill

Speech of John Hossack, Convicted of a Violation of the Fugitive Slave Law: Before Judge Drummond, Of The United States District Court, Chicago, Ill

John Hossack

This impassioned courtroom address captures the defiant stance of an immigrant farmer who risked his life and livelihood to uphold the dictates of his conscience against the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 19, No. 535, February 25, 1832

The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 19, No. 535, February 25, 1832

Various

This collection offers a vibrant window into the intellectual life of 1832, blending natural history, historical reflection, and personal narrative into an engaging survey of the era's curiosities.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Inaugural Presidential Address

Inaugural Presidential Address

Bill Clinton

This address marks a turning point in American history, calling a new generation to rise above political division and economic uncertainty. It invites the nation to reinvent itself through collective service and bold, persistent experimentation.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Library Essays

Library Essays

Arthur E. (Arthur Elmore) Bostwick

A veteran librarian reflects on the evolving purpose of the public institution, offering a timeless perspective on the duty to balance community needs with professional standards.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Reflections on the Operation of the Present System of Education, 1853

Reflections on the Operation of the Present System of Education, 1853

C. C. (Christopher Columbus) Andrews

Education fails its highest purpose if it prioritizes the intellect over the character of the youth. A dedicated call for reform, the text argues that moral instruction is the essential, yet neglected, foundation of a free society.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Casual Ward: Academic and Other Oddments

The Casual Ward: Academic and Other Oddments

A. D. (Alfred Denis) Godley

A sharp, satiric lens captures the absurdities of academic life, political posturing, and the fading traditions of a classic British university.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Physiology of Marriage, Part 3

The Physiology of Marriage, Part 3

Honoré de Balzac

This analytical work dissects the volatile landscape of marriage, presenting the husband as a beleaguered strategist navigating the unpredictable, often deceptive maneuvers of his wife. It offers a cynical, humorous, and deeply calculated study of domestic power dynamics.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 93, No. 570, April, 1863

Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 93, No. 570, April, 1863

Various

This Victorian periodical serves as a time capsule, capturing the geopolitical anxieties, imperial ambitions, and domestic sentiments of mid-nineteenth-century Britain through a diverse collection of essays and narratives.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Government and Rebellion: A Sermon Delivered in the North Broad Street Presbyterian Church, Sunday Morning, April 28, 1861

Government and Rebellion: A Sermon Delivered in the North Broad Street Presbyterian Church, Sunday Morning, April 28, 1861

E. E. (Ezra Eastman) Adams

This urgent 1861 sermon frames the looming American Civil War not merely as a political fracture, but as a moral crusade demanding the defense of righteous government against the sin of rebellion.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of The awful Australian

The awful Australian

Montague Grover

A scathing, satirical dissection of Australian society from the perspective of an uncompromising visitor, this work serves as an abrasive "case for the prosecution" against a nation the author deems arrogant, uncultured, and terminally self-satisfied.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of A Traveller in Little Things

A Traveller in Little Things

W. H. (William Henry) Hudson

A wandering naturalist drifts through the English countryside, collecting small, ephemeral truths about village life, childhood, and the ghosts of memory. This gentle work offers an intimate, episodic look at the quiet corners of the world.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Australian Essays

Australian Essays

Francis Adams

This collection of essays and dialogues captures the intellectual ferment of 1880s Australia, offering a sharp, unsentimental portrait of a young society grappling with its identity, colonial legacy, and future.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 457: Volume 18, New Series, October 2, 1852

Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 457: Volume 18, New Series, October 2, 1852

Various

This issue of a Victorian periodical functions as a nineteenth-century digest, blending intellectual inquiry, historical narrative, and moral reflection to satisfy the curiosity of an educated, inquisitive middle-class readership.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of Christian Sects in the Nineteenth Century

Christian Sects in the Nineteenth Century

Caroline Frances Cornwallis

This exploration of nineteenth-century faith examines the fractured landscape of Christian belief, arguing that the spirit of the Gospel is often lost in the rigid, divisive structures of sectarian partisanship.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of Notes and Queries, Number 139, June 26, 1852: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Notes and Queries, Number 139, June 26, 1852: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Various

This journal serves as a nineteenth-century clearinghouse for scholars and enthusiasts, gathering obscure historical, linguistic, and genealogical inquiries into a single, collaborative forum. It remains a fascinating artifact of Victorian intellectual curiosity and communal research.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Women Workers in Seven Professions: A Survey of Their Economic Conditions and Prospects

Women Workers in Seven Professions: A Survey of Their Economic Conditions and Prospects

Unknown

A survey of the economic landscape for women in Edwardian Britain, this detailed study examines the obstacles, rewards, and systemic inequalities defining professional life for the educated woman at the dawn of the twentieth century.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of A Broader Mission for Liberal Education: Baccalaureate Address, Delivered in Agricultural College Chapel, Sunday June 9, 1901

A Broader Mission for Liberal Education: Baccalaureate Address, Delivered in Agricultural College Chapel, Sunday June 9, 1901

John H. (John Henry) Worst

The pursuit of knowledge should not distance a person from the realities of work; rather, a truly liberal education must bridge the divide between the hand and the mind to prepare citizens for a life of purposeful action.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Address to the Non-Slaveholders of the South: on the Social and Political Evils of Slavery

Address to the Non-Slaveholders of the South: on the Social and Political Evils of Slavery

Lewis Tappan

Non-slaveholding Southerners are the intended audience for this urgent appeal, which argues that the institution of slavery actively impoverishes the white working class while concentrating power in the hands of a wealthy, aristocratic minority.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of Birds and Nature, Vol. 12 No. 5 [December 1902]: Illustrated by Color Photography

Birds and Nature, Vol. 12 No. 5 [December 1902]: Illustrated by Color Photography

Various

This collection captures a fleeting moment of turn-of-the-century natural history, blending scientific observation, poetry, and a genuine, Victorian-era wonder for the American landscape. It serves as both a field journal and an early pedagogical tool, curated to foster an intimate, observational relationship…

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Evergreens

Evergreens

Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome

Evergreen spirits are the quiet, sturdy souls who endure life’s tempests without complaint or pretense. They are the friends who remain constant, providing a foundation of reliability long after the flashier charms of youth have faded.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 20. December, 1877

Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 20. December, 1877

Various

A kaleidoscopic window into 1877, this collection captures the era’s restless spirit through travelogues, political dispatches, and the vibrant, often turbulent friction between old-world tradition and modern ambition.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Professor Royce's Libel: A Public Appeal for Redress to the Corporation and Overseers of Harvard University

Professor Royce's Libel: A Public Appeal for Redress to the Corporation and Overseers of Harvard University

Francis Ellingwood Abbot

A scholar’s fierce, formal, and deeply personal demand for justice, this work serves as an indignant public indictment of a professional rival and the institutional standards of a major American university.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 14, No. 394, October 17, 1829

The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 14, No. 394, October 17, 1829

Various

This collection serves as a vibrant microcosm of early nineteenth-century British intellectual curiosity, curating a diverse array of cultural, historical, and narrative threads for the inquisitive reader. It offers an evocative snapshot of a world rapidly expanding its horizons through print.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The World's Great Sermons, Volume 03: Massillon to Mason

The World's Great Sermons, Volume 03: Massillon to Mason

Unknown

These eleven historic sermons explore the nature of human imperfection, the necessity of divine grace, and the persistent, often agonizing, search for spiritual light in an unpredictable world.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Count the Cost: An Address to the People of Connecticut, On Sundry Political Subjects, and Particularly on the Proposition for a New Constitution

Count the Cost: An Address to the People of Connecticut, On Sundry Political Subjects, and Particularly on the Proposition for a New Constitution

David Daggett

Before pulling up a flourishing hill of corn to search for worms, a prudent farmer must pause to consider if the act might destroy the crop entirely. This central warning serves as the cornerstone for a rigorous defense of Connecticut’s established political order during a period of intense revolutionary fervor.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of On the Vice of Novel Reading.: Being a brief in appeal, pointing out errors of the lower tribunal

On the Vice of Novel Reading.: Being a brief in appeal, pointing out errors of the lower tribunal

Young Ewing Allison

The cultural habit of labeling imaginative literature a "vice" is exposed here as a defensive reflex of a society that prioritizes mechanical efficiency over the messy, essential labor of empathy and human understanding.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of The works of the Reverend George Whitefield, M.A., Vol. 6 (of 6)

The works of the Reverend George Whitefield, M.A., Vol. 6 (of 6)

George Whitefield

An impassioned voice from the eighteenth-century pulpit, this collection captures the fervor of a preacher who saw the world as a threshold to eternity and every sermon as a final, desperate plea for salvation.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 306: New Series, Saturday, November 10, 1849

Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 306: New Series, Saturday, November 10, 1849

Various

This mid-nineteenth-century periodical offers a fascinating, kaleidoscopic view of Victorian intellectual life, blending serious moral philosophy with practical advice, travelogues, and cautionary tales. It captures a world in the midst of rapid transformation.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Constructive Imperialism

Constructive Imperialism

Milner, Alfred Milner, Viscount

The survival of a nation, in the eyes of an imperial statesman, depends not on the abstraction of free trade, but on the concrete reality of a unified, productive, and protected Empire.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Godliness

Godliness

Catherine Mumford Booth

The path to spiritual transformation is not paved with good intentions or intellectual debate, but with the painful, deliberate surrender of the self to an uncompromising divine standard.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
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