The Floating Press imprint: 2252 books

Who needs tall tales, legends, and myths when the turmoil and tribulation that resulted in the birth of the United States is chock-full of inspiring deeds and triumphs? In this volume, noted historian and statesman Henry Cabot Lodge compiles a collection of tales from different points in American...

Gain an intimate understanding of one of the key figures in American history in this detailed biography of Thomas Jefferson. It is virtually impossible to overstate the influence that Jefferson exerted during and after the formation of the United States, ranging from his stint as president to his formation...

A fearsome foe on the battlefield, a lovestruck romancer at night -- Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the most fascinating and polarizing figures in history. This detailed biography by John Gibson Lockhart captures the famed French warlord and emperor in all of his dazzling complexity. Fans of French history and military strategy should put this volume on their must-read list.

Regarded by critics and fans alike as one of the masters of English fiction, Joseph Conrad is known for novels and works of fiction such as The Heart of Darkness, Victory, and Lord Jim. The collection A Set of Six brings together a number of Conrad's shorter pieces, featuring a swashbuckling cast of characters that will appeal to fans of the action-adventure genre.

Travel around the world with Jack London, the famed master of the action-adventure genre who penned the beloved novel Call of the Wild. This collection of rollicking and thought-provoking tales includes some of London's best-known short works. In the title story, an intrepid Yukon explorer uses his wits to escape the clutches of his nefarious captors.

Erasmus of Rotterdam wrote the essay The Praise of Folly during a week at Sir Thomas More's estate in Bucklersbury. He later refined and extended the piece. In it he personifies Folly as a god, whose companions are likewise-personified sins and human weaknesses. His work criticizes the Catholic Church,...

Kaiser William II was the last Emperor of Germany, and ruled that country and the kingdom of Prussia during the tumultuous period that marked the transition from the nineteenth century to the twentieth. Known as an impetuous and highly opinionated leader, William holds nothing back in this detailed autobiography.

Henry Bibb was born in Kentucky in 1815 to an enslaved mother, and it was rumored that his father was the white Kentucky state senator James Bibb. When he was in his late 20s, Henry Bibb managed to make his way to Detroit, and from there, he slipped over the border to Canada, where he settled and founded...

In American popular culture, the name "Woodstock" brings to mind images of the famed outdoor music festival that occurred in upstate New York in 1969. In the context of early American history, however, the town of Woodstock in what is now Connecticut played an important role in the settlement of New...

Ancient Greek historian and soldier Xenophon was a friend, admirer, and avid follower of the philosopher Socrates, perhaps the single most influential thinker of the period. As the two spent a great deal of time together, often deep in dialogue, Xenophon became one of the chief chroniclers of Socrates'...

William Wells Brown's Clotel or, The President's Daughter is often considered the first novel by an African-American. When the book was published, Brown himself was legally the property of someone else within the United States, having escaped from slavery in Kentucky when he was younger. In this story...

At the turn of the 17th century, English writer and explorer Sir Walter Scott read an account of a great golden city in South America. He set out to explore the area, now Venezuela, and on his return he published The Discovery of Guiana. He is considered to have greatly exaggerated his findings, and his work contributed to the El Dorado legend.

American author, journalist and all-around renaissance man Joel T. Headley was a detail-oriented historian and interpreter of cultures and events who wrote about dozens of conflicts, historical figures, and geographical locations during the course of his remarkable career. This exhaustive account of the War of 1812 will enthrall history buffs and fans of blow-by-blow battlefield action.

Settle in for nonstop wartime action in this encyclopedic account of the War of 1812. The first of two volumes penned by esteemed author and journalist Joel T. Headley on the topic, this book takes you right onto the battlefield and then zooms out for an analytical take on tactics and strategy.