Ocean State Libraries

Though Mark Twain is best remembered as perhaps the quintessential American humor writer, he was also a keen observer and critic of cultural and social trends. In this vein, he undertook a book-length discussion and analysis of Christian Science and New Thought, both of which enjoyed immense popularity in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the United States. The controversial text was originally rejected by Twain's publisher, a gesture

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"In Landwhale, Jes Baker delves into her coming-of-age--including her 6 ways to hate your body (#2: Worship teen periodicals), her top tactics for reframing the malicious animal comparisons hurled repeatedly at fat women (see "Elephant: Everyone knows elephants are basically the coolest animals ever. Try again."), and as a bonus, Jes answers the Internet's most pressing question of all time: "So, have you ever thought about dieting?" With biting wit...

"A portrait of the passionate performer and civil rights advocate Josephine Baker, the woman who worked her way from the slums of St. Louis to the grandest stages in the world. Meticulously researched by both author and artist, Josephine's powerful story of struggle and triumph is an inspiration and a spectacle, just like the legend herself." --

Historical recollections of life in upstate New York from Edmund Wilson, one of America's preeminent literary critics of the twentieth century.