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An inscription dating to around 1020 A.D. about the Northern Song Dynasty (960 - 1127).

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The Urantia Book (sometimes called the Urantia Papers or The Fifth Epochal Revelation) is a spiritual and philosophical book that originated in Chicago sometime between 1924 and 1955. The authorship remains a matter of speculation. The authors introduce the word "Urantia" as the name of the planet Earth and state that their intent is to "present enlarged concepts and advanced truth." The book aims to unite religion, science and philosophy, and its enormous amount of material about science is unique among literature claimed to be presented by higher intelligences. Among other topics, the book discusses the origin and meaning of life, humankind's place in the universe, the purpose of evil and suffering, the relationship between God and people, and the life of Jesus. The Urantia Foundation, a U.S.-based non-profit group, first published The Urantia Book in 1955. In 2001, a jury found that the English book's copyright was no longer valid after 1983. The English text became a public domain work in the United States, and in 2006 the international copyright expired....

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World Factbook is similar to an encyclopedia or almanac.

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World Factbook is similar to an encyclopedia or almanac.

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World Factbook is similar to an encyclopedia or almanac.

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World Factbook is similar to an encyclopedia or almanac.

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Ecumenical creeds is an umbrella term used in the western church to refer to the Nicene Creed, the Apostles' Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. The ecumenical creeds are also known as the universal creeds. These creeds are accepted by almost all mainstream Christian denominations in the western church, including the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican churches and Lutheran churches. A creed by definition is a summary or statement of what one believes it originates from the Latin credo meaning I Believe....

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Religion

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Beowulf. [Translated by Francis Barton Gummere].This is a short but beautiful book, and the Gummere translation really captures the feel of the Old English. Beowulf tells the story of a mysterious young warrior who saves the Spear-Danes from the terrible monster Grendel and his venomous mother. Long a mainstay of English Literature 101 courses at universities around the world, it is not only one of the oldest, but one of the most exciting English folktales ever invented. (Summary by Caeristhiona)...

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Adventure, Poetry

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Starters, main courses and desserts from around the world, one dish for every day of the year. From Turkey to China, from India to England, from Austria to Egypt, a wide variety of mouth-watering cuisines are represented. Each recipe is described in one short paragraph, making this book perfect for dipping into when you’re seeking inspiration on what to cook. (Summary by Lucy Perry)...

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Cookery, Advice, Instruction

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The Christian Book of Concord was published in 1580 as a collection of eleven documents: Three Ecumenical Creeds and eight documents from the Reformation Era. Here is the Preface to the entire work together with the Saxon Visitation Articles from 1592. (Summary by Jonathan Lange)...

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Religion

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One of the Pseudepigrapha, the Psalms of Solomon is a group of eighteen psalms (religious songs or poems) that are not part of any scriptural canon (they are, however, found in copies of the Peshitta). The Psalms of Solomon were referenced in Early Christian writings, but lost to modern scholars until a Greek manuscript was rediscovered in the 17th century. Politically, the Psalms of Solomon are anti-Maccabee, and some psalms in the collection show a clear awareness of the Roman conquest of Jerusalem under Pompey in 63 BCE, metaphorically treating him as a dragon who had been sent by God to punish the Maccabees. The Odes of Solomon is a collection of 42 odes attributed to Solomon. Various scholars have dated the composition of these religious poems to anywhere in the range of the first three centuries AD. The original language of the Odes is thought to have been either Greek or Syriac, and to be generally Christian in background....

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Religion, Poetry

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A Holy Day in 1495. Join the crowd streaming towards a temporary outdoor stage and be entertained (and maybe even instructed) by a performance of Everyman by the Guild of Readers. Cast:(in order of appearance) Narrator - /newcatalog/people_public.php?peopleid=2544>Annise Messenger - Elli God - Neeru Iyer Death - /newcatalog/people_public.php?peopleid=26>Denny Sayers Everyman - /newcatalog/people_public.php?peopleid=3433>Bob Shearman Fellowship - /newcatalog/people_public.php?peopleid=3157>Tricia G Cousin - /newcatalog/people_public.php?peopleid=4586>Chris Caron Kindred - /newcatalog/people_public.php?peopleid=2911>David Lawrence Goods - Elizabeth Klett Good-Deeds - /newcatalog/people_public.php?peopleid=3290>Marian Martin Strength - /newcatalog/people_public.php?peopleid=4218>David Cole Discretion - /newcatalog/people_public.php?peopleid=1066>Laurie Anne Walden Five-Wits - /newcatalog/people_public.php?peopleid=3664>Barry Eads Beauty - Lucy Perry...

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A book of short fables with morals. (Summary by DSayers)

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Children

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The Didache is the common name of a brief early Christian treatise (dated by most scholars to the late first or early second century), containing instructions for Christian communities. The text, parts of which may have constituted the first written catechism, has three main sections dealing with Christian lessons, rituals such as baptism and eucharist, and Church organization. It was considered by some of the Church Fathers as part of the New Testament but rejected as spurious or non-canonical by others, eventually not accepted into the New Testament canon with the exception of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church broader canon. The Roman Catholic Church has accepted it as part of the collection of Apostolic Fathers. The Didache, or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, is an early Christian text. Scholars knew of the Didache through references in other texts, but the text itself had been lost. It was rediscovered in 1873 by Philotheos Bryennios. (Summary by Wikipedia, modified by Sam Stinson)...

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Religion

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The House that Jack Built is a standard of juvenile literature that delights children and adults alike with the increasingly lengthy sentences, stretched to the breaking point, that make up its narrative. Through a chain of events, beginning with a rodent eating some grain and culminating in a festive wedding, children learn that playing with grammar can be fun! You can read along with this recording by linking to the facsimile edition of an 1880 publication at the

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Children, Fairy tales, Short stories

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The Dhammapada is is a Buddhist scripture, containing 423 verses in 26 categories. According to tradition, these are verses spoken by the Buddha on various occasions, most of which deal with ethics. It is is considered one of the most important pieces of Theravada literature. Despite this, the Dhammapada is read by many Mahayana Buddhists and remains a very popular text across all schools of Buddhism. - Excerpted from Wikipedia...

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Religion, Philosophy

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This is an intriguing collection of folklore from the Santal Parganas, a district in India located about 150 miles from Calcutta. As its preface implies, this collection is intended to give an unadulterated view of a culture through its folklore. It contains a variety of stories about different aspects of life, including family and marriage, religion, and work. In this first volume, taken from Part I, each story is centered around a particular human character. These range from the charmingly clever (as the character, The Oilman, in the story, The Oilman and His Sons), to the tragically comical (as the character, Jhore, in the story Bajun and Jhore). In later parts, the stories will focus on other subjects, including spirits, animals, and legends from this culture....

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Children, Fairy tales, Animals, Short stories

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A recording of the first 2000 prime numbers (2-17389). Recommended listening for all math geeks and insomniacs!

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Science

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The tale of Sweeney Todd has had many incarnations, most famously the stage and movie musical by Stephen Sondheim. But it all started in 1846 with a serialized telling of the story titled “The String of Pearls” in the weekly magazine “The People's Periodical and Family Library”. Called by some a romance, by others a horror story, it is one of the earliest murder mysteries. In “The String of Pearls”, Sweeney Todd is less sympathetic than in some of his later incarnations – a perfect villain, totally self-seeking with no redeeming qualities. How the deeds of Todd are uncovered and how he is brought to justice make a most intriguing tale, but one probably not suited for the very young and certainly not for the squeamish. (Summary by John Lieder)....

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Mystery, Horror/Ghost stories

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The original document is in Latin so this can only be a fairly rough approximation of the actual content. The text used is the first version in the Gutenberg collection. - Magna Carta is the most significant early influence on the long historical process that has led to the rule of constitutional law today. Magna Carta was originally created because of disagreements between the Pope, King John and his English barons over the rights of the King. Magna Carta required the king to renounce certain rights and respect certain legal procedures and to accept that the will of the king could be bound by law. (Summary by Jim Mowatt/Wikipedia)...

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Essay/Short nonfiction, History

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Translated from the Anglo-Saxon of the Exeter Book.

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A modernized version or translation, retaining the alliterative style, and close to the original, but eliminating archaisms which would require explanatory notes....

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Part I Part II Part III Part IV

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Translated from the Anglo-Saxon of the Exeter Book.

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The charming 13th century French ‘chantefable’.

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Introduction It is of Aucassin and Nicolette

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Biographies of four famous Elizabethans: Essex, Marlowe, Raleigh and Donne, within the context of the history of ideas, with reference to poetry, astrology, history, and mythology including the concept of the Goddess....

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I The Elizabethan Age II Essex III Marlowe IV Raleigh V Donne VI The Idea of the Goddess

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century Middle English alliterative romance outlining an adventure of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. In the tale, Sir Gawain accepts a challenge from a mysterious warrior who is completely green, from his clothes and hair to his beard and skin. The Green Knight offers to allow anyone to strike him with his axe if the challenger will take a return blow in a year and a day. Gawain accepts, and beheads him in one blow, only to have the Green Knight stand up, pick up his head, and remind Gawain to meet him at the appointed time. The story of Gawain's struggle to meet the appointment and his adventures along the way demonstrate the spirit of chivalry and loyalty. (Wikipedia) This 20th Century rendering is by WA Neilson....

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Fiction, Literature

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"Mechanic" (Unknown), "Voting by Classes" (October 13, 1863) . In Columbus [Georgia] Daily Sun, October 13,1863, p. 1.

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An Eyewitness Account of the Flour Riot in New York (February 1837). First printed in the Commercial Register (New York, New York), February 14, 1837, and then in Niles' Weekly Register (Baltimore, Maryland), 5th series, voL 1, no. 26 (February 25, 1837), pp. 433-44....

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Das Nibelungenlied ist ein mittelalterliches Heldenepos und wurde oft als „Nationalepos der Deutschen“ bezeichnet. Es entstand zu Beginn des 13. Jahrhunderts und wurde in der damaligen Volkssprache Mittelhochdeutsch geschrieben. Das Epos erzählt von der Liebe zwischen dem Drachentöter Siegfried und der burgundischen Prinzessin Kriemhild, von der Brautwerbung des burgundischen Königs Gunther um die isländische Königin Brunhild, vom Verrat der Burgunden an Siegfried und dessen Ermordung durch Hagen. Später ist der Schauplatz der Handlung das Land der Hunnen unter König Etzel, den Kriemhild in zweiter Ehe geheiratet hat. Kriemhild benutzt ihre neue Position, um mithilfe der Hunnen Siegfrieds Tod an Hagen und allen Burgunden zu rächen. Die Übersetzung Karl Joseph Simrocks gehört zu den bekanntesten Übertragungen des alten Textes in die neuhochdeutsche Sprache. The Nibelungenlied (Song of the Nibelungs) is a medieval epic poem and has been often referred to as the German “national epic”. It was written down in the early 13th century in Middle High German, the vernacular of the time. The epic tells of the love between the dragon-slayer Si...

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Adventure, Classics (antiquity)

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A new translation from the Old English.

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Part I Prologue and Sections: I-IV Lines 1-319 Part II Sections: V-IX Lines 320-661 Part III Sections: X-XV Lines 662-1049 Part IV Sections: XVI-XX Lines 1050-1382 Part V Sections: XXI-XXVI Lines 1383-1816 Part VI Sections: XXVII-XXXI Lines 1817-2220 Part VII Sections: XXXII-XXXV Lines 2221-2601 Part VIII Sections: XXXVI-XXXVIII Lines 2602-2820 Part IX Sections: XXXIX-XLIII Lines 2821-3182...