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Episodes
Former President of Harvard University Charles W. Eliot wrote in his introduction to the Harvard Classics, "In my opinion, a five-foot shelf would hold books enough to give a liberal education to any one who would read them with devotion, even if he could spare but fifteen minutes a day for reading." Here you are, you can easily listen to his entire 15-minutes-a-day study guide while commuting to and from work (most of us spend far more than 15 minutes a day commuting each day), doing mundane work in the office, washing dishes at home, or doing most of the things day in and day out. It is so easy, so entertaining, and so educational that they can be listened to again and again, until they permeate into our own thinking and into our characters. Perhaps, in one year's time, you will become someone you barely recognize, all for the better. Who knows?
-- Rich E Book
Episodes
Mar 6, 2022
Mar 6, 2022
Mar 6, 2022
9 min
Edgar Allan Poe was expelled from West Point and disinherited. So poor was he that when his young wife lay dying, he could not afford a fire to warm her. The weirdness and despair of "The Raven" is particularly symbolic of his life. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)
Poe expelled from West Point, March 6, 1831.
Mar 5, 2022
Mar 5, 2022
Mar 5, 2022
27 min
Prison walls were the least of Cellini's troubles. "Lock me well up and watch me, for I shall certainly contrive to escape." In spite of this warning, the utmost care of the jailers only furnished amusement for the dauntless Cellini. (Volume 31, Harvard Classics)
Mar 4, 2022
Mar 4, 2022
Mar 4, 2022
19 min
Penn, true to Quaker beliefs, came before the king with his hat on. The king overlooked this and later made him governor of Pennsylvania. A sagacious Penn is revealed in his writings. (Volume 1, Harvard Classics)
King Charles grants Penn charter of Pennsylvania, March 4, 1681.
Mar 3, 2022
Mar 3, 2022
1 min
From the Introduction to The Life of Mr. George Herbert by Izaak Walton (Volume 15, Harvard Classics)
Mar 3, 2022
Mar 3, 2022
27 min
Isaak Walton, famed patron of fishermen, appreciated other arts and hobbies. He writes of George Herbert, a preacher whose hobby was poetry. (Volume 15, Harvard Classics)
George Herbert died March 3, 1633.
Mar 2, 2022
Mar 2, 2022
4 min
Introductory note on Richard Henry Dana, Jr. (Volume 23, Harvard Classics)
Mar 2, 2022
Mar 2, 2022
21 min
"A sailor's liberty is but for a day," as Dana explains. Dressed in his Sunday best, the sailor feels like a dashing Beau Brummel; and sets out to enjoy his freedom. "While it lasts it is perfect. He is under no one's eye and can do whatever he pleases." (Volume 23, Harvard Classics)