Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 13

This is Volume 13 of a sweeping Victorian enterprise to gather the world's greatest literature between two covers. Spanning thousands of years and countless civilizations, the anthology moves from Babylonian creation myths and Assyrian royal inscriptions to the intimate letters of American founding fathers, Joseph Addison's witty essays, and fragments of ancient texts newly translated in the 19th century. The editors were attempting something audacious: to survey global literary achievement for American households, creating a curated window into what Victorians considered the finest writing humanity had produced. What emerges is a fascinating artifact of literary canon formation, a snapshot of 19th-century taste, the era's appetite for ancient Near Eastern discoveries, and the deliberate choices about which voices deserved preservation. For readers interested in how literary canons get built, or those curious about what educated Victorians read and valued, this volume offers an idiosyncratic treasure map through centuries of human creativity.