Essays & Short Works

Poor Richard's Almanack

by Benjamin Franklin Read by Michele Fry 4.7
A brief biographical sketch of Franklin's life, followed by a collection (published in 1899) of 670 aphorisms, apothegms, or proverbs - shor…

Essays, First Series

by Ralph Waldo Emerson Read by Bob Neufeld 4.7
Essays, First Series by Ralph Waldo Emerson presents a profound exploration of transcendentalist philosophy through twelve insightful essays…

Ten Days in a Madhouse

by Nellie Bly Read by Alys AtteWater 4.5
In 1887 Nellie Bly, one of the first female newspaper writers, and a young reporter who would soon go on to make a career for herself as an …

The Art of Controversy

by Arthur Schopenhauer Read by Carl Manchester 4.7
The Art of Controversy (or The Art of Being Right) (Die Kunst, Recht zu Behalten) is a short treatise written in 1831 by the German philosop…

The Federalist Papers

by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison Read by Mark F. Smith 4.7
“The Federalist Papers” are a collection of 85 linked essays that explain the construction of the U.S. government and why it was built that …

All Things Considered

by G. K. Chesterton Read by Ray Clare 4.6
Another delightful and sharply pointed excursion into the topics of the day, and of this day as well, with Gilbert Keith Chesterton. These r…

On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church

by Martin Luther Read by Jonathan Lange 4.8
Early in the course of the Reformation (1520) Martin Luther penned a trilogy of foundational documents addressing the German Nobility, the C…

The Anti-Federalist Papers

by Patrick Henry Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.8
During the period of debate over the ratification of the Constitution, numerous independent local speeches and articles were published all a…

On the Duty of Civil Disobedience

by Henry David Thoreau Read by Bob Neufeld 4.7
Civil Disobedience (Resistance to Civil Government) is an essay by American transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau that was first published i…

The Flying Saucers are Real

by Donald Keyhoe Read by Roger Melin 4.6
The Flying Saucers are Real is a book that investigates numerous encounters between USAF fighters, personnel, and other aircraft, and UFOs b…

The Strenuous Life

by Theodore Roosevelt Read by Bob Neufeld 4.6
This book is a collection of Theodore Roosevelt’s published commentaries and public addresses on the general theme of the requirements for i…

Miscellaneous Essays

by G. K. Chesterton Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.6
These eleven files are miscellaneous short essays or stories from G.K. Chesterton. They were chosen for not only their brevity but also for …

Apology of Socrates

by Plato Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.8
The Apology of Socrates is Plato's version of the speech given by Socrates as he unsuccessfully defended himself in 399 BC against the charg…

Utilitarianism

by John Stuart Mill Read by D.E. Wittkower 4.7
In Utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill presents a thorough examination of the ethical theory that advocates for actions that promote the greate…

The Prince

by Niccolò Machiavelli Read by Paul Adams 4.6
The Prince (Italian: Il Principe) is a political treatise by the Italian diplomat, historian and political theorist Niccolò Machiavel…

Selected Classics of Washington Irving

by Washington Irving Read by Greg Giordano 4.6
Washington Irving is one of early America's most treasured writers. He is best known for his wit and satirical voice. Irving had the extraor…

The Slavery of Our Times

by Leo Tolstoy Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.7
This little book shows, in a short, clear, and systematic manner, how the principle of Non-Resistance, about which Tolstoy has written so mu…

The Golden Bough

by James Frazer Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.5
The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion is a wide-ranging comparative study of mythology and religion, written by Scottish anthropol…

China and the Chinese

by Herbert Allen Giles Read by David Barnes 4.6
Herbert Allen Giles (1845-1935) spent several years as a diplomat in China and in 1897 was appointed Cambridge University’s second professor…

The Superstition of Divorce

by G. K. Chesterton Read by Ray Clare 4.6
This short book was written in 1920, and in it Chesterton, with his usual wit and incisive logic, presents a series of articles defending ma…

< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >