The World's Best Books : A Key to the Treasures of Literature Part 7

[75] Calderon de la Barca is one of the greatest dramatists of the world. His purity, power, and pa.s.sion, his magnificent imagination and wonderful fertility, will place him in company with Shakspeare in the eternal society of the great. Read Sh.e.l.ley's fragments from Calderon, and Fitzgerald's translation, especially "Zalamea" and "The Wonder-Working Magician," two of his greatest plays. (Spain, 17th cent.)

[76] Petrarch's lyrics have been models to all the great poets of Southern Europe. The subject of nearly all his poems is his hopeless affection for the high-minded and beautiful Laura de Sade. His purity is above reproach. He is pre-eminent for sweetness, pathos, elegance, and melody. (Italy, 14th cent.)

[77] Ariosto is Italy's great epic poet. Read his "Orlando Furioso," a hundred-fold tale of knights and ladies, giants and magicians. (Italy, 1474-1533).

[78] Ta.s.so is the second name in Italian epic poetry; and by some he is placed above Ariosto and named in the same breath with Homer and Virgil.

Read his "Jerusalem Delivered," and "Aminta," and glance at his minor poems composed while in confinement. (Italy, 16th cent.)

[79] Camoens is the glory of Portugal, her only poet whose fame has flown far beyond her narrow borders. Read his grand and beautiful poem, the "Lusiad," a national epic grouping together all the great and interesting events in the history of his country. (16th cent.)

[80] Omar Khayyam, the great astronomer poet of Persia, has no equal in the world in the concise magnificence with which he can paint a grand poetic conception in a single complete, well-rounded, melodious stanza.

Read Fitzgerald's translation. (12th cent.)

[81] Firdusi, the author of the "Shah Nameh," or Poetic History of the great deeds of the sultans. Hafiz, the poet of love, and Saadi are other great Persian poets deserving at least a glance of investigation.

(11th-14th cents.)

[82] Arnold's "Light of Asia" claims our attention for the additions it can make to our breadth of thought, giving us as it does briefly and beautifully the current of thinking of a great people very unlike ourselves. (Eng., 19th cent.)

[83] Pushkin is called the Byron of Russia. Russian songs have a peculiar, mournful tenderness. "They are the sorrows of a century blended in one everlasting sigh." (19th cent.)

[84] Lermontoff is the Russian Schiller. (19th cent.)

SCIENCE.

The most important sciences for the ordinary reader are Physiology, Hygiene, Psychology, Logic, Political Economy, Sociology and the Science of Government, Astronomy, Geology, and Natural History; but an elementary knowledge of all the sciences is very desirable on account of the breadth of mind and grasp of method which result therefrom. The International Scientific Series is very helpful in giving the brief comprehensive treatment of such subjects that is needed for those who are not specialists. The best books in this department are continually changing, because science is growing fast, and the latest books are apt to be fuller and better than the old ones. The best thing that can be done by one who wishes to be sure of obtaining the finest works upon any given subject in the region of scientific research, is to write to a professor who teaches that subject in some good university,--a professor who has not himself written a book on the subject,--and get his judgment on the matter.

[85] Physical health is the basis of all life and activity, and it is of the utmost importance to secure at once the best knowledge the world has attained in relation to its procurement and preservation. This matter has far too little attention. If a man is going to bring up chickens, he will study chicken books no end of hours to see just what will make them lay and make them fat and how he may produce the finest stock; but if he only has to bring up a few children, he will give no time to the study of the physical conditions of their full and fine development. Some few people, however, have a strange idea that a child is nearly as valuable as a rooster. There is no book as yet written which gives in clear, easily understood language the known laws of diet, exercise, care of the teeth, hair, skin, lungs, etc., and simple remedies. Perhaps Dalton's "Physiology," Flint's "Nervous System,"

Cutter's "Hygiene," Blaikie's "How to get Strong," and Duncan's "How to be Plump," Beard's "Eating and Drinking," Bellows' "Philosophy of Eating," Smith on Foods, Holbrook's "Eating for Strength," "Fruit and Bread," "Hygiene for the Brain," "How to Strengthen the Memory," and Kay's book on the Memory, Walter's "Nutritive Cure," Clark's "s.e.x in Education," Alice Stockham's "Tokology" or "Hygiene for Married Women,"

and Naphy's "Transmission of Life" will together give some idea of this all-valuable subject, though none of these books except the first are in themselves, apart from their subject, worthy of a place on the first shelf.

[86] Dr. Strong's little book, "Our Country," is of the most intense interest to every American who loves his country and wishes its welfare.

(U. S., 19th cent.)

[88] The "Federalist" was a series of essays by Hamilton, Jay, and Madison, in favor of the Federal Const.i.tution, and is the best and deepest book on the science of government that the world contains.

(Amer., 1788.)

[89] Bryce on the American Commonwealth is a splendid book, a complete, critical, philosophic work, an era-making book, and should be read by every American who wishes to know how our inst.i.tutions appear to a genial, cultured, broad-minded foreigner. Mr. Bryce has the chair of Political Economy in Oxford, and is a member of Parliament. His chief criticism of our great republic is that it is _hard to fix responsibility_ for lawlessness under our inst.i.tutions, which is always an encouragement to wrongdoers. His book should be read with De Tocqueville. (Eng., 19th cent.)

[90] Montesquieu's "Spirit of Laws" is a profound a.n.a.lysis of law in relation to government, customs, climate, religion, and commerce. It is the greatest book of the 18th century. Read with it Bagehot's "Physics and Politics."

[91] Mill's "Logic" and "Political Economy" are simply necessities to any, even moderately, thorough preparation for civilized life in America. (Eng., 19th cent.)

[92] Read Bain on the "Emotions and the Will," "Mind and Body," etc.

(Eng., 19th cent.)

[93] Herbert Spencer is the foremost name in the philosophic literature of the world. He is the Shakspeare of science. He has a grander grasp of knowledge, and more perfect _conscious_ correspondence with the external universe, than any other human being who ever looked wonderingly out into the starry depths; and his few errors flow from an over-anxiety to exert his splendid power of making beautiful generalizations. Read his "First Principles," "Data of Ethics," "Education," and "Cla.s.sification of the Sciences," at any rate; and if possible, all he has written.

Plato and Spencer are brothers. Plato would have done what Spencer has, had he lived in the 19th century.

[94] Darwin's "Origin of Species" stands in history by the side of Newton's "Principia." The thought of both has to a great extent become the common inheritance of the race; and it is perhaps sufficient for the general reader to refer to a good account of the book and its arguments, such as may be found in the "Encyclopaedia Britannica." (Eng., 19th cent.)

[95] Read Herschel and Proctor in Astronomy, to broaden and deepen the mind with the grand and beautiful conceptions of this most poetic of the sciences. Proctor's books are more fascinating than any fiction. (Eng., 19th cent.)

[96] For a knowledge of what has been going on in this dim spot beneath the sun, in the ages before man came upon the stage, and for an idea about what kind of a fellow man was when he first set up housekeeping here, and how long ago that was, read Lyell's "Geology;" Lubbock's "Prehistoric Times," "Origin of Civilization and Primitive Condition of Man," and Lyell's "Antiquity of Man" (Eng., 19th cent.); and Dawson's "Chain of Life." (U. S., 19th cent.)

[97] Read Wood's beautiful and interesting books on Natural History; especially his "Evidences of Mind in Animals," "Out of Doors,"

"Anecdotes of Animals," "Man and Beast," "Here and Hereafter." (Eng., 19th cent.)

[98] Whewell's "History of the Inductive Sciences" is a very broadening book.

[99] De Tocqueville's "Democracy in America" is one of the great books, and is superior in depth and style even to Bryce. The two books supplement each other. See note 89: (France, 18th cent.)

[100] "Const.i.tutional History of the United States." (Ger., 19th cent.)

[101] "Wealth of Nations," "Moral Sentiments." (Eng., 18th cent.)

[102] "Principles of Population." One of the most celebrated of books.

(Eng., 18th cent.)

[103] "Principles of Social Philosophy." (Eng., 19th cent.)

[104] "Essays on Political Economy," "Leading Principles of Political Economy." (Eng., 19th cent.)

[105] "Comparative Politics." (Eng., 19th cent.)

[106] "The Theory of Political Economy," "The Logic of Statistics."

(Eng., 19th cent.)

[107] "The Nation, the Foundation of Civil Order and Political Life in the United States." (U. S., 19th cent.)

[108] "Leviathan." See note 190. (Eng., 16th cent.)

[109] "The Prince." (Italy, 1469-1527.)

[110] "Chips from a German Workshop," and various works on Philology.

(Ger., 19th cent.)

[111] "Study of Words," etc. (Eng., 19th cent.)

[112] "Words and Places." (Eng., 19th cent.)

[113] "Natural History of Selborne." (Eng., 19th cent.)

[114] "Animal Kingdom." (France, early 19th cent.)