Best of
Non-Fiction

1930

Number: The Language of Science


Tobias Dantzig - 1930
    Tobias Dantzig shows that the development of math—from the invention of counting to the discovery of infinity—is a profoundly human story that progressed by “trying and erring, by groping and stumbling.” He shows how commerce, war, and religion led to advances in math, and he recounts the stories of individuals whose breakthroughs expanded the concept of number and created the mathematics that we know today.

The Romantic Agony


Mario Praz - 1930
    This wide spread mood in literature had a major effect on 19th-century poets and painters, and the affinities between them and their 20th-centurycounterparts makes this account of the Romantic-Decadents an indispensible guide to the study of modern literature.

The Conquest of Happiness


Bertrand Russell - 1930
    First published in 1930, it pre-dates the current obsession with self-help by decades. Leading the reader step by step through the causes of unhappiness and the personal choices, compromises and sacrifices that (may) lead to the final, affirmative conclusion of 'The Happy Man', this is popular philosophy, or even self-help, as it should be written.

The Anatomy of Bibliomania


Holbrook Jackson - 1930
    These three volumes, now back in print, are a leisurely, luxuriant confabulation on "the usefulness, purpose, and pleasures that proceed from books." In The Anatomy of Bibliomania, Jackson inspects the allure of books, their curative and restorative properties, and the passion for them that leads to bibliomania ("a genial mania, less harmful than the sanity of the sane"). His sparkling commentary addresses why we read, where we read (on journeys, at mealtimes, on the toilet—this has "a long but mostly unrecorded history"—in bed, and in prison) and what happens to us when we read. He touches on bindings, bookworms, libraries, and the sport of book hunting, as well as the behavior of borrowers, embezzlers, thieves, and collectors. Francis Bacon, Anatole France, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Leigh Hunt, Marcel Proust, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Shakespeare, and scores of other luminaries chime in on books and their love for them. Violent reactions to books, whether from jealous wives, political hacks, or righteous church leaders, indicate books' power over readers and their ability to inspire change. The Fear of Books interweaves Jackson's thoughts with the words of others to consider the trials and tribulations—burning, pulping, shredding, and censoring—to which books have been subjected throughout history and the fears that lead to such behavior. In The Reading of Books, Jackson focuses on the relationship between author and reader, describing reading as "the art of extracting essences from books for our own, not the author's benefit." Reading should be "a courtship ending in a collaboration"—a creative process in which readers not only share the writers' aesthetic experiences but also distill them into something more personal. As Jackson says, reading is not a duty, and if it is not a pleasure it is a waste of time. Entertaining as well as instructive, his "books on books" provide inveterate readers with all things needful: vindication, inspiration, cogitation, and delectation. "Mr. Jackson's cross-lights and unexpected illuminations are fascinating . . . among all his good things from other writers, his own good things should not be overlooked." — The Times Literary Supplement"The Reading of Books is a library in itself and will be a constant source of pleasure to all who give themselves the satisfaction of owning a copy." —E. M. Sowerby, Christian Science Monitor

Stories of the Great Operas and Their Composers


Ernest Newman - 1930
    Illustrated Partwork about Berlioz, Gluck, Brahms, Haydn and Wolf.

Edison As I Know Him


Henry Ford - 1930
    Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

The Island of Penguins


Cherry Kearton - 1930
    His film, Dassan: An Adventure in Search of Laughter Featuring Nature's Greatest Little Comedians and the book the Island of Penguins were the results.With Forty-Six Photographs and a Map.He is the master of the art of bird-watching and of drawing conclusions from what he has seen - The NaturalistLike all Mr. Kearton's work, it is quite wonderfully illustrated with close-up photographs, and written with a verve and humour that are quite inimitable. These photographs keep one in a state of continuous hilarityThe Daily TelegraphAltogether delightful- The Daily MailA really delightful entertainment. The photographs are superb - The Evening StandardFrom the cover of the 1932 edition.

Shooting


J. Henry Fitzgerald - 1930
    Shooting, originally published in 1930, was the culmination of Fitz's work in the firearms field. In it he discusses his work with law enforcement and the courts, his theories and practices about practical shooting of the "one hand gun" and his thoughts about target and exhibition shooting, hunting and home defense. This was the only book FitzGerald ever wrote, but his life was clearly dedicated to all aspects of handgun shooting. While his written work might be unfamiliar to some of you, those who are reading this work for the first time should be very familiar with the writings of Elmer Keith, Charles Askins Jr., Ashley Haines and Chauncey Thomas. All these men were friends of FitzGerald and thought highly of his methods and approach. After reading this book, you will feel the same way. Paladin is pleased to add this long-out-of-print volume by one of America's most renowned and colorful shooters to its Combat Classics library. The new forewords by FitzGerald scholars Timothy J. Mullin and Kevin Williams, as well as the addition of a number of never-before published photos, shed new light on FitzGerald the man and the shooter.

Ingenious Mechanisms for Designers and Inventors (4-Volume Set) (Ingenious Mechanisms for Designers & Inventors)


Franklin Day Jones - 1930
    The books are similar in size and general character, but the contents are different. The mechanisms described are grouped into chapters according to general types. Together with the complete index, this arrangement by function makes it easy to find the class of movement desired, and enables you to compare mechanisms which are similar in purpose but different in design. The descriptions and illustrations are confined to the important and fundamental elements, so that time is not wasted reading a lot of useless or irrelevant detail. Readers are told plainly and briefly what each mechanism consists of, how it operates, and the features which make it of special interest. The particular mechanisms have been selected because they have stood the test of actual practice. Among the mechanisms described and illustrated by working diagrams are: cam applications and special cam designs; intermittent motions from gears and cams; interlocking devices; valve diagrams; reversing mechanisms of special design; tripping or stop mechanisms; drives of crank type for reciprocating driven members; feeding mechanisms and auxiliary devices; feeding and ejecting mechanisms; and many, many more.

Astronomy: An Introduction


Robert H. Baker - 1930