H.L. Mencken was the most provocative and influential journalist and cultural critic in twentieth-century America. In this volume and a companion, The Library of America presents all six series of Prejudices (1919-1927), the iconoclastic collections that helped blast American literature out of its complacency and into a new age of frankness and maturity. The fantastic linguistic inventiveness, full-bodied humor, and unwaveringly fierce courage of...

This is the most comprehensive volume of Walt Whitman (1819-1892) ever published. It includes all of his poetry and what he considered his complete prose. This is also the only collection that includes, in exactly the form in which it appeared in 1855, the first edition of Leaves of Grass. This was the book, a commercial failure, that prompted Emerson's famous message to Whitman: "I greet you at the beginning of a great career". These twelve poems,...

Contains writings, debates, and speeches from 1787-88 expressing views on the United States Constitution, both for and against ratification.

A two-volume set that contains more than 270 speeches, sketches, short stories, maxims, and other writings by Mark Twain.

This volume includes 13 of the stories written by American novelist and screenwriter Raymond Chandler (1888-1959), that were not included in any of his full-length novels. Typically, his short stories chronicle the cases of Philip Marlowe and other down-on-their-luck private detectives or Good Samaritans. These stories reflect how Chandler adapted the violent conventions of the pulp magazines - with their brisk exposition and rapid-fire dialog - to...

"In a few years of extraordinary creative energy, Dashiell Hammett invented the modern American crime novel. The five novels that Hammett published between 1929 and 1934, collected here in one volume, have become part of modern American culture, creating archetypal characters and establishing the ground rules for a whole tradition of hardboiled writing. Each novel is distinct in mood and structure. Red Harvest (1929), a raucous and nightmarish evocation...

"Drawn from letters, diaries, newspaper articles, public declarations, contemporary narratives, and private memoranda, The American Revolution brings together over 120 pieces by more than 70 participants to create a unique literary panorama of the War of Independence. From Paul Revere's own narrative of his ride in April 1775 to an account of George Washington's resignation from command of the Army in December 1783, the volume presents firsthand all...

France and England in North America is a two-volume history of the European colonization of North America written by Francis Parkman between 1865 and 1892, which highlights the military struggles between France and Great Britain. It was well regarded at the time of publication, and continues to enjoy a reputation as a literary masterpiece. While it is still useful in a limited capacity as an historical study, Parkman took many liberties in describing...

A collection of essential writings features Thoreau's poetry and essays on nature, materialism, conformity, and politics; including such works as "Slavery in Massachusetts," "Civil Disobedience," "A Winter Walk," and "Life Without Principle."