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Here are some of the most-loved poems in the English language, chosen not merely for their popularity, but for their literary quality as well. Dating from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, these splendid poems remain evergreen in their capacity to engage our minds and refresh our spirits. Among them are Marlowe: "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love"; Shakespeare: "Sonnet XVIII" ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"); Donne: "Holy Sonnet X" ("Death, be not proud"); Shelley: "Ode to the West Wind"; Longfellow: "The Children's Hour"; Poe: "The Raven"; Tennyson: "The Charge of the Light Brigade"; Whitman: "O Captain! My Captain!"; Dickinson: "This Is My Letter to the World"; Frost: "The Road Not Taken." Works by many other poets--Milton, Blake, Burns, Coleridge, Byron, Keats, Emerson, the Brownings, Hardy, Housman, Kipling, Pound, and Auden among them--are included in this treasury, a perfect companion for quiet moments of reflection.

Beloved for its bawdy humor, this 18th-century masterpiece traces the adventures of its lusty, good-hearted hero as he seeks his fortune amid thieves, whores, soldiers, and other vividly drawn characters.

A systematic treatment of the question, "What is knowledge?", this masterpiece from Plato's later period features a dialogue between Socrates and his student, Theaetetus. Translation by Francis M. Cornford, who provides extensive commentaries.

Acclaimed by D. H. Lawrence as "the loveliest and best" of Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, this adventure recaptures the danger and excitement of frontier life during the French and Indian Wars.

Six selections from the famed Russian showcase his natural aptitude for detail, dialogue, humor, and compassion. Includes "The Darling," a poignant piece supporting the claim that life has no meaning without love; as well as "The Kiss," "Anna on the Neck," "The Man in a Case," "The Malefactor," and the title story.

This 19th-century literary and philosophical masterpiece introduces the controversial doctrine of the Ubermensch, or "superman," a term later perverted by Nazi propagandists. A provocative work, designed to inspire readers.

In this classic example of the chivalric tradition, a stranger in green armor issues a challenge to the knights of the Round Table and Sir Gawain volunteers to do battle for his uncle, King Arthur. Includes the original poem and a prose translation.

A cold, unsparing look at peasant life and a moving portrait of its poverty and ignorance, this drama centers on a character whose crimes progress from adultery to murder.

A deranged and abusive sea captain perpetrates a shipboard atmosphere of increasing violence that ultimately boils into mutiny. This 1904 maritime classic depicts the clash of materialistic and idealistic cultures with gritty realism and sublime lyricism.

Until the beginning of the twentieth century, most people considered dreams unworthy of serious consideration. Sigmund Freud, however, had noticed that they formed an active part in the analysis of his patients, and he gradually came to believe that they represent struggles by the unconscious to resolve conflicts. In this classic of psychology, Freud explains the dual nature of dreams―their apparent content and their true, if hidden, meaning―as well as the concept of wish fulfillment and a universal language for interpreting dreams.This groundbreaking work also contains Freud's introduction of the notion that sexuality plays an important role in childhood, a theory that deeply shocked his contemporaries. Psychological journals rejected the book, and scientific publications ignored it, but the author recognized it as containing his greatest insights. The Interpretation of Dreams eventually helped set the stage for psychoanalytic theory, and it remains Freud's most original work.

A parody of chivalric romances, this story of an elderly knight and his loyalsquire offers a strikingly modern narrative that also reflects the historicalrealities of 17th-century Spain.

Landmark collection of essays, originally published in 1918, explores the conflict between primitive feelings and the demands of civilization, i.e., the struggle to reconcile unconscious desires with socially acceptable behavior.

In the early nineteenth century, a French sociologist and political scientist undertook a seven-month journey throughout the newly formed United States. Alexis de Tocqueville surveyed the young nation's religious, political, and economic character and reported his findings in two volumes, published in 1835 and 1840. Two centuries later, Democracy in America remains among the most astute and influential surveys of American politics and society. de Tocqueville focuses on why republican representative democracy prevailed in the United States, tracing its success from the state of equality established by the early Puritan settlers through the American Revolution and adoption of the Constitution. His speculations on the future of democracy offer prescient, thought-provoking reading, and his classic work remains a touchstone for modern thinkers on government. This edition is based on the earliest approved translation, which has served as the standard version for over a century and comes closest to reflecting the author's insights as perceived by his contemporaries. www.doverpublications.com

A shape-shifting grifter boards a Mississippi riverboat to expose the pretenses, hypocrisies, and self-delusions of his fellow passengers. Melville's comic allegory challenges the optimism and materialism of mid-nineteenth century America.