From detective stories and penny dreadfuls to skeletons, slang, and patriotism, G. K. Chesterton offers fresh perspectives on a remarkable range of subjects. The master essayist addresses each topic-planets, humility, nonsense, ugly things-with his characteristic combination of wit, paradox, and good humor. Chesterton's "defenses" of seemingly innocuous matters reveal many of the hidden assumptions and dogmas of his time. The first collection of the...

Embark on an intellectual odyssey through the pages of G. K. Chesterton's profound work, "Heretics," a literary masterpiece that challenges conventional thought and confronts the prevailing ideologies of the early 20th century. In this enlightening exploration, Chesterton delves into the realms of heresy, questions established norms and sparks a thought-provoking conversation about the nature of skepticism and belief. In "Heretics," Chesterton skillfully...

William T. Sherman, Joseph Hooker, George McClellan, William Seward, Charles Sumner, and others come to life in these1914-1916 psychological portraits. He wrote: "From the complex of fleeting experiences that make up the total of man's or woman's life [I or the author] endeavors to extricate those permanent habits of thought and action which constitute what we call character...."

Excerpt: "Mumbo-Jumbo is that department in the ruling of men which is made of dead, false, apparatus; unreasonable; contemptible to the free; unworthy of authority-and Mumbo-Jumbo is the most necessary ingredient in all government. All government is by persuasion. Odd it is that so many do not yet see this! Perhaps not so odd after all; for words trick the mind, and the words of government are not the words of persuasion. But think of the matter...