Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 061

Seventeen short nonfiction works in the public domain independently chosen by the readers. Volume 61 features articles and essays on both current and timeless topics, ranging from whether marijuana is addictive (U.S. Gov.) to what constitutes foolish behavior (Erasmus, Gelett Burgess). Sermons in Stone, an essay by Oscar Wilde on classic sculptures displayed at the British Museum, is complemented by an actual sermon (The Carnal Mind, Enmity Against God by Spurgeon), while Frederick William Shelton muses on the fleeting beauty of a ripe peach (Incidents in a Retired Life). Truth and lies, luck, and individuality are essay topics by Mark Twain and John Stuart Mill.

Festive food (a recipe for Snow Pudding and Chocolate Sauce) is juxtaposed to a graphic account of Poisoning by Canned Goods, while A.A. Milne writes on the joys of fresh celery as an Autumn treat. Vol. 61 includes two historical accounts of tragedies: the wreck of the steamship Princess Sophia off the coast of Alaska in 1918 and the murder of abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy in Alton, Illinois in 1837. Finally, a retelling of how British landscape artist John Constable sold his first painting rounds out this nonfiction collection. — Summary by Sue Anderson