Showing results by author "Mentor New York" in All Categories

The turmoil of the world we cannot avoid, but the disturbances of mind we can overcome. The duties and difficulties of life claim our attention, but we can rise above all anxiety concerning them. Surrounded by noise, we can yet have a quiet mind; involved in responsibilities, the heart can be at rest; in the midst of strife, we can know the abiding peace. The twenty pieces which comprise this book, unrelated as some of them are in the letter, will be found to be harmonious in the spirit, in that they point the reader towards those heights of self-knowledge and self-conquest which, rising above...

Originally written in Sanskrit by Somdev Bhatt, the Vetala Panchavimshati or Baitâl Pachchisi, also popularly known as Vikram Betal is a collection of tales and legends from India. Set in the 11th century, the tales intend to impart moral/social lessons. The practices may not be viable anymore to the letter but the basic message may still act as a guide to help live good lives. - Summary by dc

This collection will put in one place, all the Farewell (or last) Addresses made by each of the 43 ex-US presidents. The first, George Washington's "Farewell Address", issued as a public letter in 1796, was one of the most influential statements of republicanism. Drafted primarily by Washington himself, with help from Hamilton, it gives advice on the necessity and importance of national union, the value of the Constitution and the rule of law, the evils of political parties, and the proper virtues of a republican people. He called morality "a necessary spring of popular government". He said, "...

The Adventures of Buster Bear is another set of children’s stories by the conservationist, Thornton W. Burgess. Buster Bear has many adventures and misadventures as he meets the different characters in the Green Forest near the Laughing Brook. Along the way, we learn about the habits of Buster and his friends and we learn little lessons about life such as the importance of sharing, not stealing, making friends and not sticking one's head into tin pails. (Summary by John Lieder)

These are three imaginative SF stories by an author I admire a lot, William Tenn. Venus is a Man's World, (Galaxy Science Fiction, July 1951), Project Hush (Galaxy Science Fiction, 1954_ and Of All Possible Worlds. (Galaxy, Sept 1956) - Summary by phil chenevert

The First Anglo–Afghan War was fought between British India and Afghanistan from 1839 to 1842. It was one of the first major conflicts during the Great Game, the 19th century competition for power and influence in Central Asia between the United Kingdom and Russia, and also marked one of the worst setbacks inflicted on British power in the region after the consolidation of British Raj by the East India Company. (Summary by Phil)

In this essay, the author directs our attention on the African continent and describes how the exploitation and colonization of Africa by European powers contributed to the then-ongoing World War. Without a just and measured settlement of African concerns, the promise is for continued warfare among nations even after the peace to be negotiated at the close of the European conflict. - Summary by KevinS

This wonderful collection of poems showcases the incredible talent of the some of the greatest poets in the world. These creative masterpieces are truly the best of the best, the crème de la crème, one hundred of the most awe inspiring and magnificent examples of poetic skill - works that will live forever in the annals of great literature. Embracing the most influential names in poetry we have all come to love, respect and revere, this exceptional compilation has a verse for every occasion, a theme for each day of existence and poetic instances for all of life's varied circumstances. ...

Raffaele Ansolini is down on his luck: living in Paris is not quite so amazing if there are no funds to finance the amusement. So Ansolini has taken radical steps to support himself. Shaving off his hair, he uses his bald head as advertising space for a local theatre. This is not the costume in which to meet the most beautiful woman in Paris. Will he be able to find her again? - Summary by Carolin

Bishop Pendle is the Church of England bishop in a small fictitious English cathedral town. Several years into his work, he receives a visit from a disreputable-looking visitor. The bishop is much upset. What transpired between them that has so upset the good churchman? And then there is the murder. Fergus Hume was one of the most prolific and most popular of 19th century novelists. "Mr. Hume won a reputation second to none for plot of the stirring, ingenious, misleading, and finally surprising kind, and for working out his plot in vigorous and picturesque English. In "The Bishop's Secret," ...

The Benson Murder Case – A Philo Vance Story is the first of a series of twelve popular mysteries set in New York during the Jazz Age. S. S. Van Dine is the nom de plume of prominent art critic, and member of New York’s avant-garde, W. H. Wright. He rapidly became one of the country’s best-selling authors and the series remained immensely popular for decades, as Philo Vance was featured in dozens of movies, plays and radio shows. Van Dine’s novels marked a sharp departure from earlier detective fiction. To begin with, the hero represents the antithesis of the familiar hard-boiled ...

Remember the story of the Ant and the Grasshopper? the Fox and the Sour Grapes? The Boy who Cried Wolf? These wonderful tales and hundreds more have been passed down to us over the centuries. The man credited with writing them, Aesop, was an Ancient Greek slave born about 620 B.C. Aesop is known as a fabulist or story teller credited with a number of fables shining glaringly true light on our human foibles now collectively known as Aesop's Fables. Although no writings by him survive, numerous tales credited to him were gathered across the centuries and in many languages in a storytelling ...

A collection of shorter works written during the early decades of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often known in that time as Mormons. Three key works from the prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. discussing his history, his theology, and his politics bookend the anthology as it moves from a discussion of the Prophet's validity by Orson Pratt, to some foundational doctrine by Morgan and Wilson, to apologetics by Smith and Pratt, Whitney, and Talmage, and finally a discussion of governance, both in the church and in secular society, from Taylor, Pratt, and Smith. - Summary by James ...

This collection of 20 public domain newspaper articles comprises volume 2 of Historic Newspaper Articles in the LibriVox collection. Both U.S. and U.K. newspapers are represented here. The articles span from 1848 to 1920. Topics covered (e.g., the Triangle Shirt Waist Factory Fire, the troubles of ‘Typhoid Mary’, how to dress for the seashore) vary in length and tone. Although the writers display a range of diverse styles, their words give today's readers a sense of the tenor of the times. (summary by Lee Ann Howlett)

Harry Wethermill, the brilliant young scientist, a graduate of Oxford and Munich, has made a fortune from his inventions, and is taking a vacation at Aix-les-Bains. There he meets, and immediately falls in love with, the young and beautiful Celia Harland, who serves as companion to the aging but warm-hearted Madam Dauvray of Paris. All this is observed by Julius Ricardo, a retired financier from the City of London, who spends every August at Aix, expecting there to find a pleasant and peaceful life. Imagine his consternation when he learns that Mme. Dauvray has been brutally murdered, and ...

Written under pseudonym of Edith Van Dyne. The story continues the adventures of three cousins, Louise, Patsy and Beth,with their debuts in society and the appearance of suitors, one of whom is rejected and kidnaps Louise. (Summary by Lynne Thompson)

This volume of the Reformation collection begins with a summary of Protestant belief in the form of the Belgic Confession and John Calvin's 'cover letter' to Francis I of France requesting that he read Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion to understand the Protestant doctrine from its source rather than secondhand. 100 aphorisms summarising the contents of the Institutes follow as well as some instructions given by Thomas Cranmer showing the effect of the Reformation for clergy and parishes, as does a short protestation from the reformer William Tyndale expressing the Reformation ...

You can call me Dr. Fathom. Or Count Fathom. But I'm not who I say I am. And can you blame me? My mother was a soldiers' harlot who pocketed extra loot by wandering through the battlefield stripping the dead and dying of valuables. I don't even know who my father was, except he must have had my handsome looks. People liked looking at me. And people liked how I talked too. Early on, I learned that telling the truth didn't get you the same quick reward as telling them what they wanted to hear, being assiduously charming, dissimulating. In a word, lying. I became good at it. And I became the ...

A Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Alice Adams chronicles the attempts of a lower middle class American midwestern family at the turn of the 20th century to climb the social ladder. The eponymous heroine is at the heart of the story, a young woman who wants a better place in society and a better life. As Gerard Previn Meyer has stated, "Apart from being the contribution to social history its author conceived it to be, [Alice Adams] is something more, that something being what has attracted to it so large a public: its portrait of a (despite her faults) 'lovable girl'." (Summary by Jeannie)

Betty Gordon found herself an orphan at age twelve. She became the ward of her uncle, Richard Gordon. She immediately came to love her uncle dearly. Unfortunately, his job took him on travels regularly. Therefore, he decided to send Betty to spend the summer with an old friend, Agatha Peabody, at Bramble Farm. Little did Uncle Dick or Betty know, that Bramble Farm was not a welcoming or joyful place to live, as Agatha's husband was a miserly and sour man. The only bright spot in Betty's summer was her friendship with Bob, a poor orphan, bound to work tirelessly upon the farm. - Summary by ...