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The Summa Theologica is a compendium of theology written by Thomas Aquinas between 1265 and 1273. In Roman Catholicism it is the sum of all known learning and doctrine, of all that can be known about God and humanity's relations with God -- a landmark in the history of theology that famously offers five proofs of God's existence, the first three of which are cosmological arguments; the fourth, a moral argument; and the fifth, a teleological argument.

The third quarter of the thirteenth century marked the first decisive philosophical encounter between Hellenism and Christianity. The rediscovery of Aristotle's works after the Dark Ages ushered in a new era of intellectual fervor in Europe, and the work of Thomas Aquinas is a commentary on Aristotle, whose writings were lost to the non-Arabic world until the beginning of the Thirteenth Century. To many, Aristotle's worldview was a pagan threat to Christianity. To Aquinas, it provided an exciting cosmological framework on which to build an all-encompassing Christian worldview.
His thoughts unfolding with a calmness of order and an assurance of judgment, Aquinas explores in the Summa the primary role of the senses in the acquisition of knowledge and the metaphysical analysis of things in terms of matter and form. But unlike Aristotle's "God," who did not care one whit about the world, the God of Christianity, insisted Aquinas, is a personal God. Like Aristotle, Aquinas believed that each human being has a soul and that all created things have a purpose. For Christians, all are part of a divine plan.

This dazzling synthesis of Catholic doctrine has had a profound impact on Christian thinking since the thirteenth century and has become the de facto official teaching of the Catholic Church -- the intellectual underpinning of the Church to this day.

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The Praise of Folly - Erasmus - Translated by John Wilson In Praise of Folly, sometimes translated as In Praise of More, is an essay written in Latin in 1509 by Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam and first printed in 1511. Inspired by Italian humanist Faustino Perisauli's De Triumpho Stultitiae, it is a satirical attack on superstitions and other traditions of European society as well as on the western Church. Erasmus revised and extended the work, which he originally wrote in the space of a week while sojourning with Sir Thomas More at More's estate in Bucklersbury. In Praise of Folly is considered one of the most notable works of the Renaissance and played an important role in the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation.

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The Trojan Women is a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides. Produced in 415 BC during the Peloponnesian War, it is often considered a commentary on the capture of the Aegean island of Melos and the subsequent slaughter and subjugation of its populace by the Athenians earlier that year (see History of Milos). 415 BC was also the year of the scandalous desecration of the hermai and the launch of the Athenians' second expedition to Sicily, events which may also have influenced the author.

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This is Goethe's first novel, published in 1774. Written in diary form, it tells the tale of an unhappy, passionate young man hopelessly in love with Charlotte, the wife of a friend - a man who he alternately admires and detests. 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' became an important part of the 'Sturm und Drang movement, and greatly influenced later 'Romanticism'. The work is semi-autobiographical - in 1772, two years before the novel was published, Goethe had passed through a similar tempestuous period, when he lost his heart to Charlotte Buff, who was at that time engaged to his friend Johann Christian Kestner.

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Tragedy, although sometimes described as a romance or melodrama, by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides, written sometime between 414 BCE and 412 BCE. It describes the chance meeting of Iphigenia (daughter of Agamemnon and now the priestess of Artemis on the wild shores of Tauris) and her long lost brother, Orestes, and the siblings’ escape from of the local custom of ritual sacrifice. The story follows that of Euripides‘ “Iphigenia at Aulis” by about twenty years, although it was actually written several years earlier.

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The classic work of philosophy from Epictetus.

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In the Alcestis, the title character sacrifices her own life to save that of her husband, Admetus, when he is presented with the opportunity to have someone die in his place. Alcestis compresses within itself both tragedy and its apparent reversal, staging in the process fascinating questions about gender roles, family loyalties, the nature of heroism, and the role of commemoration. Alcestis is Euripides's earliest complete work and his only surviving play from the period preceding the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. Currently dominant post-structuralist models of Greek tragedy focus on its 'oppositional' role in the discourse of war and public values. This study challenges not only this politicised model of tragic discourse but also both traditional masculinist and more recent feminist readings of the discourse and performance of gender in this remarkable play. The play survived in the performance repertoire of antiquity into the Roman period. Euripides' version strongly influenced the reception of the myth through the middles ages into the Renaissance, and the story enjoyed a lively afterlife through opera.

Alcestis' contested reception in the last two centuries charts our changing understanding of tragedy. Niall Slater's study explores the reception and afterlife of the play, as well as its main themes, the myth before the play, the play's historical and social context and the central developments in modern criticism.

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This book covers the basics of numerical methods, while avoiding the definition-theorem-proof style and instead focusing on numerical  examples and simple pseudo-codes.

The book is divided into ten chapters. Starting with floating number calculations and continuing up to ordinary differential equations, including "Euler backwards". The final chapter discusses practical error estimations. Exercises (including several in MATLAB) are provided at the end of each chapter. Suitable for readers with minimal mathematical knowledge, the book not only offers an elementary introduction to numerical mathematics for programmers and engineers but also provides supporting material for students and teachers of mathematics.

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The preparation of the series of works published under the general title Geology of the Voyage of the 'Beagle' occupied a great part of Darwin's time during the ten years that followed his return to England. The second volume of the series, entitled Geological Observations on Volcanic Islands, with Brief Notices on the Geology of Australia and the Cape of Good Hope, made its appearance in 1844.

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Dive into the life of Marcus Tullius Cicero through W. Lucas Collins’ compelling narrative in "Cicero," a detailed exploration of one of Rome's most famed orators and statesmen. Originally published in the 19th century. 

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Summaries of the lives of some of the most significant individuals of the period we label "Antiquity." The author's subjects in include the eminent philosophers who brought order and logic to man's search for understanding of his world; poets who gave life form and beauty; soldiers and rulers who defended, conquered, and ruled great civilizations.

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In his introduction, Darwin reveals that for many years he had no intention of publishing his notes on this topic, 'as I thought that I should thus only add to the prejudices against my views'. By 1871, he felt that his fellow scientists would show a greater openness of mind to his arguments, even when taken to their logical conclusion and applied to the descent of man from the apes – the aspect of his theory which had been so widely mocked since the notorious question asked by Bishop Wilberforce at the Oxford debate of 1860: was it through his grandmother or his grandfather that Thomas Huxley, Darwin's champion, considered himself descended from a monkey? However, the book's focus on the area of sexual selection and the evolutionary importance of secondary sexual characteristics across the animal kingdom meant that the book was received without the public outrage that Darwin had feared.

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Charles Darwin's Autobiography was first published in 1887, five years after his death. It was a bowdlerized edition: Darwin's family, attempting to protect his posthumous reputation, had deleted all the passages they considered too personal or controversial. The present complete edition did not appear until 1959, one hundred years after the publication of The Origin of Species. Upon its appearance, Loren Eiseley wrote:

"No man can pretend to know Darwin who does not know his autobiography. Here, for the first time since his death, it is presented complete and unexpurgated, as it exists in the family archives. It will prove invaluable to biographers and cast new light on the personality of one of the world's greatest scientists. Nora Barlow, Darwin's granddaughter, has proved herself a superb editor. Her own annotations make fascinating reading."

The daring and restless mind, the integrity and simplicity of Darwin's character are revealed in this direct and personal account of his life―his family, his education, his explorations of the natural world, his religion and philosophy. The editor has provided page and line references to the more important restored passages, and previously unpublished notes and letters on family matters and on the controversy between Samuel Butler appear in an appendix.

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"Il Convito" (The Banquet) is a work by Dante Alighieri, the renowned Italian poet and author of "The Divine Comedy." Written in the early 14th century, "Il Convito" is a collection of philosophical and allegorical essays presented as a series of banquets or feasts. The work consists of fourteen chapters, each centered around a different theme, where Dante explores various philosophical and ethical concepts.

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'Selections from the Principles of Philosophy' by René Descartes is a synthesis of the 'Discourse on Method' and 'Meditations on First Philosophy' It was written in Latin, published in 1644 and dedicated to Elisabeth of Bohemia, with whom Descartes had a long-standing friendship. A French version followed in 1647. It set forth the principles of nature—the Laws of Physics—as Descartes viewed them.

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Delve into the early medieval world with Early Lives of Charlemagne, an enlightening account of one of history’s most influential rulers. This volume, meticulously translated and edited by Professor A. J. Grant, presents two contrasting narratives about the legendary Frankish king, Charlemagne, written within a century of his death. Einhard, a close associate of Charlemagne, offers a restrained and factual biography, providing unparalleled insights into the king’s life, his exploits, and the grandeur of his reign. In stark contrast, The Monk of St Gall presents a more fantastical and anecdotal tale, filled with the myths and legends that quickly grew around Charlemagne’s figure.

The book brings together the starkly different styles and perspectives of Einhard and The Monk of St Gall. Einhard’s account, often hailed for its accuracy and detail, captures the essence of Charlemagne’s administrative prowess, military conquests, and cultural contributions. Meanwhile, The Monk of St Gall’s narrative, though less reliable historically, offers a glimpse into the legendary status Charlemagne attained and the medieval mindset of the time.

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Two revealingly different accounts of the life of the most important figure of the Roman Empire

Charlemage, known as the father of Europe, was one of the most powerful and dynamic of all medieval rulers. The biographies brought together here provide a rich and varied portrait of the king from two perspectives: that of Einhard, a close friend and adviser, and of Notker, a monastic scholar and musician writing fifty years after Charlemagne's death.

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A collection of letters by Cicero.

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Discourse on Method is Descartes’s attempt to explain his method of reasoning through even the most difficult of problems. He illustrates the development of this method through brief autobiographical sketches interspersed with philosophical arguments.

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Scipio's Dream; or, The Dream of Scipio (Latin, Somnium Scipionis), written by Cicero, is the sixth book of De re publica, and describes a fictional dream vision of the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus, set two years before he commanded at the destruction of Carthage in 146 BC.
Laelius de Amicitia, or simply De Amicitia is a treatise on friendship by the Roman statesman and author Marcus Tullius Cicero, written in 44 BC.
Odin’s Library Classics is dedicated to bringing the world the best of humankind’s literature from throughout the ages. Carefully selected, each work is unabridged from classic works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama.

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Charles Darwin was a British naturalist whose theory or evolution by natural selection became the basis of modern theories of evolution. Darwin shocked the Victorians by suggesting that humans and animals shared the same ancestry. The Origin of Species is his most famous work. Darwin was aboard the Beagle in the Indian Ocean when he formulated his theory about the formation of coral reefs. Darwin theorized that coral reefs grew on sinking mountain rims. The delicate coral built up, compensating for the drowning land, so as to remain within optimal heat and lighting conditions.

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The Tusculanae Disputationes (also Tusculanae Quaestiones; English: Tusculan Disputations) is a series of five books written by Cicero, around 45 BC, attempting to popularise Greek philosophy in Ancient Rome, including Stoicism. It is so called as it was reportedly written at his villa in Tusculum. His daughter had recently died and in mourning Cicero devoted himself to philosophical studies. The Tusculan Disputations consist of five books, each on a particular theme: On the contempt of death; On pain; On grief; On emotional disturbances; and whether Virtue alone is sufficient for a happy life.

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Brutus gives an account of the Roman tradition of public and lawcourt speeches from its beginning to what Cicero described as the polished and entertaining speeches of his own day. Along the way Cicero has interesting things to say about the influence of the speaker's audience on his style and technique. Also notable here is an autobiographical sketch.

Cicero's own very wide practical experience informs Orator, which depicts the ideal speaker. Here he details the principles of eloquent oratory and quotes instructive examples. Both works date from 46 BCE and are dedicated to the author's promising young friend, Brutus, later famous in the conspiracy against Caesar.

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Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous was written by the scholarly Anglo-Irish Anglican bishop George Berkeley and published in 1713. Upon becoming acquainted with works by René Descartes, John Locke, and other philosophers, Berkeley was immediately impressed, but also deeply repelled by many of their ideas, which he felt put forth a lurking threat of skepticism and atheism—two forces that his life’s work combated. In his Three Dialogues, Berkeley advocates for his approach of idealism to counter these threats.

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Boethius (Boetius)--Anicius Manlius Severinus--Roman statesman and philosopher (ca. 480-524 CE), was son of Flavius Manlius Boetius, after whose death he was looked after by several men, especially Memmius Symmachus. He married Symmachus's daughter, Rusticiana, by whom he had two sons. All three men rose to high honours under Theodoric the Ostrogoth, but Boethius fell from favour, was tried for treason, wrongly condemned, and imprisoned at Ticinum (Pavia), where he wrote his renowned The Consolation of Philosophy. He was put to death in 524, to the great remorse of Theodoric. Boethius was revered as if he were a saint and his bones were removed in 996 to the Church of S. Pietro in Ciel d'Oro, and later to the Cathedral. The tower in Pavia where he was imprisoned is still venerated.

Boethius was author of Latin translations of Aristotle, commentaries on various philosophical works, original works on logic, five books on music, and other works. His The Consolation of Philosophy is the last example of purely literary Latin of ancient times--a mingling of alternate dialogue and poems. His Theological Tractates are also included in this volume.

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In Greek mythology, Atreus was a king of Mycenae in the Peloponnese, the son of Pelops and Hippodamia, and the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus. Collectively, his descendants are known as Atreidai or Atreidae.
Atreus and his twin brother Thyestes were exiled by their father for murdering their half-brother Chrysippus in their desire for the throne of Olympia. They took refuge in Mycenae, where they ascended to the throne in the absence of King Eurystheus, who was fighting the Heracleidae. Eurystheus had meant for their stewardship to be temporary, but it became permanent after his death in battle.
According to most ancient sources, Atreus was the father of Pleisthenes, but in some lyric poets Pleisthenides is used as an alternative name for Atreus himself.

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1348. The Black Death is sweeping through Europe. In Florence, plague has carried off one hundred thousand people. In their Tuscan villas, seven young women and three young men tell tales to recreate the world they have lost, weaving a rich tapestry of comedy, tragedy, ribaldry and farce. Boccaccio's Decameron recasts the storytelling heritage of the ancient and medieval worlds into perennial forms that inspired writers from Chaucer and Shakespeare down to our own day. Boccaccio makes the incredible believable, with detail so sharp we can look straight into the lives of people who lived six hundred years ago. His Decameron hovers between the fading glories of an aristocratic past - the Crusades, the Angevins, the courts of France, the legendary East - and the colourful squalor of contemporary life, where wives deceive husbands, friars and monks pursue fleshly ends, and natural instincts fight for satisfaction. Here are love and jealousy, passion and pride - and a shrewd calculation of profit and loss which heralds the rise of a dynamic merchant class. These stories show us early capitalism during a moment of crisis and revelation.