Literature and Stories
Walt Whitman experienced the agonies of the Civil War firsthand, working, in his forties, as a dedicated volunteer throughout the conflict in Washington's overcrowded, understaffed military hospitals. This superb selection of his poems, letters, and prose from the war years, filled with the sights and sounds of war and its ugly aftermath, express a vast and powerful range of emotions. Among the poems include here, first published in Drum-Taps (1865) and Sequel to Drum-Taps (1866), are a number of Whitman's most famous works: "O Captain! My Captain!" "The Wound-Dresser," "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd," and "Come Up from the Fields, Father." The letters and prose selections, including Whitman's musings on the publication of his works, on the wounded men he tended, and his impressions of Lincoln traveling about the city of Washington, offer keen insights into an extraordinary era in American history. Publisher: Dover Publications. Paperback, 90 Pages. Measures 8"x5"x0.125" . Weighs 2.8 oz.
This anthology commemorates the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War with reflections from both sides of the conflict. Compiled by an expert in the literature of the era, the poems and short stories appear in chronological order. They trace the war's progress and portray a gamut of moods, from the early days of eagerness to confront the foe to long years of horror at the ongoing carnage and sad relief at the struggle's end.Selections include the poetry of Walt Whitman, John Greenleaf Whittier, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; observations by Herman Melville and Louisa May Alcott; and noteworthy fiction by Ambrose Bierce (An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge) and Mark Twain (A True Story, Repeated Word for Word, As I Heard It). Lesser-known writers, many of them anonymous, offer heartfelt testimonials and eyewitness accounts from battlefields and the homefront. Publisher: Dover Publications. Paperback, 210 Pages. Measures 8"x5.125"x0.5" . Weighs 6 oz.
Newspaperman, short-story writer, poet and satirist, Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) is one of the most striking and unusual literary figures America has produced. Dubbed "Bitter Bierce" for his vitriolic wit and biting satire, his fame rests largely on a celebrated compilation of barbed epigrams, "The Devil's Dictionary," and a book of short stories ( "Tales of Soldiers and Civilians," 1891). Most of the 16 selections in this volume have been taken from the latter collection. Publisher: Dover Publications. Paperback, 124 Pages. Measures 8"x5"x0.25" . Weighs 3.5 oz.
This original collection gathers a remarkably diverse body of literature about John Brown, the strident anti-slavery leader. Besides a selection of letters by the abolitionist himself, the book includes a significant excerpt from W. E. B. Du Bois's biography, John Brown, addresses by Frederick Douglass, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau, poetry by Louisa May Alcott and Herman Melville, and much more. Publisher: Dover Publications. Paperback, 248 Pages. Measures 8"x5"x0.5" . Weighs 6.7 oz.
In this wide-ranging, brilliantly researched work, David S. Reynolds traces the factors that made Uncle Tom's Cabin the most influential novel ever written by an American. Upon its 1852 publication, the novel's vivid depiction of slavery polarized its American readership, ultimately widening the rift that led to the Civil War. Reynolds also charts the novel's afterlife--including its adaptation into plays, films, and consumer goods--revealing its lasting impact on American entertainment, advertising, and race relations. Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company. Paperback, 354 Pages. Measures 8.25"x5.4"x0.75" . Weighs 11.8 oz.