Ocean State Libraries

Once again, David Sedaris brings together a collection of essays so uproariously funny and profoundly moving that his legions of fans will fall for him once more. He tests the limits of love when Hugh lances a boil from his backside, and pushes the boundaries of laziness when, finding the water shut off in his house in Normandy, he looks to the water in a vase of fresh cut flowers to fill the coffee machine. From armoring the windows with LP covers...

This collection of Emerson's essays covers the contents of two volumes originally published in 1841 and 1844. Annotation. Our most eloquent champion of individualism, Emerson acknowledges at the same time the countervailing pressures of society in American life. Even as he extols what he called "the great and crescive self," he dramatizes and records its vicissitudes. Here is a collection of his classic essays, including the exhortation to "Self-Reliance"...

Collects the best of the author's essays from five decades of the "Irish Times" to reflect a changing culture as well as her observations on such topics as the royal wedding, waitressing, and boring airline companions.

Embark on an intellectual odyssey through the pages of G. K. Chesterton's profound work, "Heretics," a literary masterpiece that challenges conventional thought and confronts the prevailing ideologies of the early 20th century. In this enlightening exploration, Chesterton delves into the realms of heresy, questions established norms and sparks a thought-provoking conversation about the nature of skepticism and belief. In "Heretics," Chesterton skillfully...

"Bringing his cosmic perspective to civilization on Earth, Neil deGrasse Tyson shines new light on the crucial fault lines of our time--war, politics, religion, truth, beauty, gender, and race--in a way that stimulates a deeper sense of unity for us all"--

Thirty-one of E.B. White's essays grouped under such headings as "The Farm," "The Planet," "Memories," and "Books, Men, and Writing." "When E.B. White received the Gold Medal for Essays and Criticism from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the following citation, here quoted in part, accompanied the award: 'If we are remembered as a civilized era, I think it will be partly because of E.B. White. The historians of the future will decide that...

"An enthralling collection of nonfiction essays on a myriad of topics--from art and artists to dreams, myths, and memories--observed in #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman's probing, amusing, and distinctive style. An inquisitive observer, thoughtful commentator, and assiduous craftsman, Neil Gaiman has long been celebrated for the sharp intellect and startling imagination that informs his bestselling fiction. Now, The View from the Cheap...

"In 1976 Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene caused a seismic shift in our understanding of biology by proffering the gene-centered view of evolution and was called 'The best work of popular science ever written" by the New York Review of Books. Then in 2006, Dawkins wrote The God Delusion, transforming the world's cultural and intellectual landscape once again with this takedown of religious faith. In this carefully curated collection of forty-two...

"Personal essays share the author's adventures after buying a vacation house on the Carolina coast and his reflections on middle age and mortality." --