Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 061


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Seventeen short nonfiction works in the public domain independently chosen by the readers. Volume 61 features articles and essays on both current and timeless topics, ranging from whether marijuana is addictive (U.S. Gov.) to what constitutes foolish behavior (Erasmus, Gelett Burgess). Sermons in Stone, an essay by Oscar Wilde on classic sculptures displayed at the British Museum, is complemented by an actual sermon (The Carnal Mind, Enmity Against God by Spurgeon), while Frederick William Shelton muses on the fleeting beauty of a ripe peach (Incidents in a Retired Life). Truth and lies, luck, and individuality are essay topics by Mark Twain and John Stuart Mill.

Festive food (a recipe for Snow Pudding and Chocolate Sauce) is juxtaposed to a graphic account of Poisoning by Canned Goods, while A.A. Milne writes on the joys of fresh celery as an Autumn treat. Vol. 61 includes two historical accounts of tragedies: the wreck of the steamship Princess Sophia off the coast of Alaska in 1918 and the murder of abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy in Alton, Illinois in 1837. Finally, a retelling of how British landscape artist John Constable sold his first painting rounds out this nonfiction collection. - Summary by Sue Anderson (4 hr 5 min)

Chapters

The American Invasion 10:33 Read by Peter Thomlinson (1940-2022)
The Carnal Mind, Enmity Against God, Sermon #20 46:15 Read by Leighton Garner
Classification of Fools 4:25 Read by Dale Grothmann
Elijah Lovejoy, Abolitionist Journalist, Killed at Alton, Illinois, 1837 37:48 Read by Sue Anderson
Incidents In A Retired Life 11:23 Read by Dale Grothmann
Individuality As One Of The Elements Of Well-Being 5:18 Read by Dale Grothmann
Is Marijuana Addictive? 4:43 Read by Craig Campbell
John Constable Sells His First Landscape Painting (1814) 4:04 Read by Sue Anderson
Luck 12:13 Read by Dale Grothmann
Marijuana's Lasting Effects on the Brain 8:53 Read by Craig Campbell
My First Lie 20:13 Read by Dale Grothmann
Poisoning by Canned Goods 36:58 Read by Colleen McMahon
Sermons in Stone at Bloomsbury the New Sculpture Room at the British Museum 6:37 Read by Peter Thomlinson (1940-2022)
Snow Pudding and Chocolate Sauce 2:46 Read by Availle
The Use of Fools 8:46 Read by Dale Grothmann
A Word For Autumn 6:51 Read by Dale Grothmann
Wreck of Princess Sophia Report 17:30 Read by Phil Schempf