Classic Books: Nonfiction

The Histories

The History of the Peloponnesian War

The Art of War

The Republic

Poetics

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

The Confessions

Democracy in America

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

The true story of an individual's struggle for self-identity, self-preservation, and freedom, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl remains among the few extant slave narratives written by a woman. This autobiographical account chronicles the remarkable odyssey of Harriet Jacobs (1813-1897) whose dauntless spirit and faith carried her from a life of servitude and degradation in North Carolina to liberty and reunion with her children in the North. Written and published in 1861 after Jacobs' harrowing escape from a vile and predatory master, the memoir delivers a powerful and unflinching portrayal of the abuses and hypocrisy of the master-slave relationship. Jacobs writes frankly of the horrors she suffered as a slave, her eventual escape after several unsuccessful attempts, and her seven years in self-imposed exile, hiding in a coffin-like "garret" attached to her grandmother's porch. A rare firsthand account of a courageous woman's determination and endurance, this inspirational story also represents a valuable historical record of the continuing battle for freedom and the preservation of family.

Walden, Civil Disobedience, and Other Writings

On Liberty

The Origin of Species

History of the United States of America

The Interpretation of Dreams

The Elements of Style

The Meaning of Relativity

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Out of Africa

Dusk of Dawn

The Mathematical Theory of Communication

Silent Spring

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

The Guns of August

In Cold Blood

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

God Is Red