Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 08

This eighth volume of the monumental late 19th-century anthology opens with a substantive introduction to John Calvin, the ferocious French theologian whose "Institutes of the Christian Religion" redrew the map of Western religious thought. From there, the collection unfolds like a Victorian gentleman's grand tour of human creativity: ancient Mesopotamian myths of Tiamat's revolt and Etana's flight, the aching letters between Abelard and Heloise, Portuguese Camoens, and Thomas Campbell's polished verse. The American founding fathers make their appearance too, John Adams's diary entries from the French court, Abigail Adams's fierce letters to her husband during the Revolution, and young John Quincy's astonishing diplomatic correspondence at age ten. Addison contributes his graceful essays on English society; Crawford H. Toy renders Akkadian literature accessible for the first time to many readers. This is a compendium designed for the 1890s reader who wanted to hold the entire sweep of civilization in their hands. It remains a remarkable time capsule of what educated Americans once considered essential reading.