The Floating Press: 2252 books

With candid memoirs like I, Mary MacLane, this controversial Canadian writer helped to usher in a new era of confessional autobiography -- and to remake the notion of what constituted acceptable subject matter for female essayists and authors. Setting down thoughts and events both quotidian and scandalous...

The most unique aspect of Charles Dickens' skill as a writer -- and the characteristic that propelled him to unprecedented heights of literary fame -- was his ability to immerse readers in the quotidian details of his characters' lives, loves, and struggles. That strength shines through in this vast collection of short pieces culled from Dickens' tenure as a newspaper columnist.

Russian writer Maxim Gorky is known for his gritty depictions of life in his home country. In the gripping novella "Creatures That Once Were Men," he conveys an unforgettable portrait of people crushed by the machinations of a system much larger than themselves. Includes an illuminating introduction from beloved English author G.K. Chesterton.

Although much of her literary activity was centered in the genre of nonfiction essays, author Helen H. Gardener (the pen name of Alice Chenoweth) also dabbled in fiction, with several of her short stories achieving widespread acclaim. A Thoughtless Yes is a collection of Gardener's best short-form fiction, spanning an array of topics, styles, and themes.

In this detailed travelogue, author Henry Howard Harper recounts his extended tour through the Mexican regions of Campeche, Tabasco, and Yucatan, conveying a vivid sense of the country's rugged landscape, vibrant cultural traditions, and unique history.

Today, Leo Tolstoy is best remembered for his masterpieces War and Peace and Anna Karenina, both epic, sweeping works that unfold on a grand scale. But Tolstoy also dabbled in short-form fiction, and the results are similarly remarkable. This volume brings together a number of Tolstoy's shorter pieces, including "A Russian Proprietor" and "The Three Deaths."

In this rollicking novel from respected British humorist Jerome K. Jerome, a group of four friends decide to stake their claim to literary fame by writing a book together. However, amidst writer's block, creative spats, and other assorted high jinks, the project never seems to move past the planning stages.

Margaret Catchpole was a fascinating real-life figure who was born in Suffolk and was later deported to Australia as a criminal. This fictionalized account of her life is a rip-roaring adventure from start to finish, detailing Catchpole's exploits as a horse thief, escape artist, and amateur historian and writer in her own right.

Although he was an important novelist, poet and playwright in his own right, William Dean Howells also played a major role in shaping the literary landscape of America in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in his capacity as a critic. In this important essay from 1901, Howells holds forth on a then-current crop of novels dealing with social issues.

The searing indictment of man-made inequality in all its many forms that Rousseau offers in Discourse on Inequality is a must-read for philosophy buffs and supporters of social justice. This artfully composed argument sets forth the core elements of Rousseau's philosophical views, including his unique take on Hobbes' concept of nature and natural law.

Today, anarchism is often dismissed as a poorly-thought-out excuse for mayhem used by miscreants bent on destruction. However, in truth, the concept of anarchism has been explored -- and sometimes championed -- by many of history's most important political thinkers. This fascinating volume takes a detailed look at this often-misunderstood political philosophy.

Along with several collaborators, Russian-born chemist Wilhelm Ostwald is regarded as one of the key figures in developing the field now known as physical chemistry. In 1909, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work on catalysis and several other key processes. In this comprehensive volume, Ostwald...

Even today, atheism is a controversial subject, so it's not surprising that the 1895 publication of British thinker and activist Annie Besant's My Path to Atheism caused quite a stir. In the book, Besant lays out a compelling case for secularism and details her own spiritual journey -- one that eventually led to her disavowal of the Christian concept of God.

When you're in the mood for suspense, nothing delivers like a collection of mystery and detective stories. These tales have been culled from the golden age of the genre, when masters like Charles Dickens, Thomas De Quincey, Laurence Sterne, and William Makepeace Thackeray were producing stories at a...