A Modern Utopia is a novel by H. G. Wells. Because of the complexity and sophistication of its narrative structure A Modern Utopia has been called "not so much a modern as a postmodern utopia." The novel is best known for its notion that a voluntary order of nobility known as the Samurai could effectively rule a "kinetic and not static" world state so as to solve "the problem of combining progress with political stability." To this planet "out beyond...

1906 best-seller shockingly reveals intolerable labor practices and unsanitary working conditions in the Chicago stockyards as it tells the brutally grim story of a Slavic family that emigrates to America full of optimism but soon descends into numbing poverty, moral degradation, and despair. A fiercely realistic American classic that will haunt readers long after they've finished the last page. Published privately by Sinclair in 1906 after commercial...

Today, war is more complicated than it has ever been. When considering military strategy, a commander must be aware of several theaters of war. There's ground strength, air power, naval combat and even cyber warfare. In the late 19th century, however, the true military might of a nation rested primarily on the strength of its navy. In 1890, United States Navy Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan published a book titled "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History."...

Known as the Communist Manifesto, this work was commissioned by the Communist League, an organization with which both Marx and Engels were associated. The two teamed up to write this relatively short treatise on the league's goals. It included an analysis of class struggle with particular interest in the problems with capitalism. Ever since its release, the Manifesto has been widely read. It is now regarded as one of the most influential political...

"An infamous Renaissance classic, The Prince shocked Europe upon publication with its ruthless tactics for gaining absolute power and its abandonment of conventional morality. Niccolo Machiavelli even came to be regarded by some as an agent of the Devel, his name taken for the intriguer "Machevill" of Jacobean tragedy. For his treatise on statecraft Machiavelli drew upon his own experience of office under the turbulent Florentine republic, rejecting...

This vintage book contains a fascinating and insightful analysis of socio-economic conditions written more than a hundred years ago. In it, Tolstoy explores the flaws of the division of labour, progress, greed, economic theories, wage slavery, and more in astonishing detail. This volume is highly recommended for those with an interest in socialism, capitalism, and economic history. Contents include: "Goods-Porters who Work Thirty-Seven Hours", "Society's...

This concise book lends a brief military history of war in the Middle Ages, beginning with a chapter on the Gothic, German and Hunnic tribes' methods of warfare and how they differed from that of the Romans'.

This 1689 work by English philosopher John Locke (first published anonymously) argues against absolute monarchy and emphasizes the importance of individual consent to governments. Known as the "Father of Classical Liberalism," Locke conceived natural rights that are inherent to all individuals. These rights would greatly influence the writing of both the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. James Madison mentioned Locke directly in...

G.K. Chesterton's Wine, Water and Song is a collection of poems and songs from his popular novel, The Flying Inn. A volume angling for the failure of the Temperance movement in England, The Flying Inn takes place in a future England where the ban on alcohol has allowed "Progressive" Islam to take over the country's social and political life. The story centers around two men who hope to unravel the corrupt political system and restore the legality...

Common Sense by Thomas Paine (Bauer World Press) In his 1776 pamphlet Common Sense, Thomas Paine presents a compelling and erudite argument for the independence of the American colonies from the British Crown. With sagacious prose, Paine explicates the inherent injustices and impracticalities of the colonial system, and passionately advocates for the establishment of a new, independent nation. Pane's incisive logic addresses the economic,...