Acknowledgments　First and foremost, to my friend and editor, Jason Kaufman, for working so hard on this project and for truly understanding what this book is all about. And to the inparable Heide Lange-tireless champion of The Da Vinci Code, agent extraordinaire, and trusted friend.　I cannot fully express my gratitude to the exceptional team at Doubleday, for their generosity, faith, and superb guidance. Thank you especially to Bill Thomas and Steve Rubin, who believed in this book from the start. My thanks also to the initial core of early in-house supporters, headed by Michael Palgon, Suzanne Herz, Janelle Moburg, Jackie Everly, and Adrienne Sparks, as well as to the talented people of D　

　　December 29th:　A lone figure, hunched down against the howling winter wind, moved step by frozen step through the Colorado wilderness. He was ill clad for such a winter trek, wearing soft thin boots and a clinging mauve with-sparkles tunic. His only defenses against the cold were an engineer cap on his platinum-blond thin hair and a scarf made of an old piece of furniture fabric wrapped several times around his thin pale neck.　The wanderer was nearly frozen to death, his cracked and bleeding gloveless hands shoved into small pockets lined with tissue paper. His pale face, buried in the fabric of the scarf, was likewise a mass of cracks. His reddish albino eyes were swollen. Anyone could t　

CORIOLANUSLegendary, 5th Century B.C.by Plutarchtranslated by John DrydenTHE patrician house of the Marcii in Rome produced many men ofdistinction, and among the rest, Ancus Marcius, grandson to Numa byhis daughter, and king after Tullus Hostilius; of the same family werealso Publius and Quintus Marcius, which two conveyed into the city thebest and most abundant supply of water they have at Rome. Aslikewise Censorinus, who, having been twice chosen censor by thepeople, afterwards himself induced them to make a law that nobodyshould bear that office twice. But Caius Marcius, of whom I now write,...　

BUTTERCUP GOLD AND OTHER STORIESBUTTERCUP GOLDAND OTHER STORIESEllen Robena Field1- Page 2-BUTTERCUP GOLD AND OTHER STORIESThe Little New YearOne cold morning Maurice awoke from his dreams and sat up in bedand listened. He thought he heard a knock at his window; but though themoon was shining brightly, Jack Frost had been so busily at work thatMaurice could not see through the thickly painted panes. So he creptsleepily out of bed, and opened the window, and whispered: "Who is...　

The Higher Learning In America: A Memorandum On the Conduct ofUniversities By Business Menby Thorstein Veblen1918PREFACEIt is something more than a dozen years since the followingobservations on American academic life were first assembled inwritten form. In the meantime changes of one kind and anotherhave occurred, although not such as to alter the course of policywhich has guided American universities. Lines of policy whichwere once considered to be tentative and provisional have sincethen passed into settled usage. This altered and more stable...　

　　OXFORD　　　　　　ONE　　THE DECANTER OF TOKAY　　　　　　Lyra and her daemon moved through the darkening hall, taking care to keep to one side, out of sight of the kitchen. The three great tables that ran the length of the hall were laid already, the silver and the glass catching what little light there was, and the long benches were pulled out ready for the guests. Portraits of former Masters hung high up in the gloom along the walls. Lyra reached the dais and looked back at the open kitchen door, and, seeing no one, stepped up beside the high table. The places here were laid with gold, not silver, and the fourteen seats were not oak benches but mahogany chairs with velvet cushions....　

MARCELLUS268?-208 B.C.by Plutarchtranslated by John DrydenTHEY say that Marcus Claudius, who was five times consul of theRomans, was the son of Marcus; and that he was the first of his familycalled Marcellus; that is, martial, as Posidonius affirms. He was,indeed, by long experience, skilful in the art of war, of a strongbody, valiant of hand, and by natural inclinations addicted to war.This high temper and heat he showed conspicuously in battle; inother respects he was modest and obliging, and so far studious ofGreek learning and discipline, as to honour and admire those that...　

Annajanska, the Bolshevik Empressby George Bernard ShawANNAJANSKA is frankly a bravura piece. The modern variety theatredemands for its "turns" little plays called sketches, to lasttwenty minutes or so, and to enable some favorite performer tomake a brief but dazzling appearance on some barely passabledramatic pretext. Miss Lillah McCarthy and I, as author andactress, have helped to make one another famous on many seriousoccasions, from Man and Superman to Androcles; and Mr CharlesRicketts has not disdained to snatch moments from his paintingand sculpture to design some wonderful dresses for us. We threeunbent as Mrs Siddons, Sir Joshua Reynolds and Dr Johnson might...　

AN INQUIRY INTO THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF THE WEALTH OF NATIONSby Adam Smith1776BOOK FIVEOF THE REVENUE OF THE SOVEREIGN OR COMMONWEALTHCHAPTER IOf the Expenses of the Sovereign or CommonwealthPART 1Of the Expense of DefenceTHE first duty of the sovereign, that of protecting thesociety from the violence and invasion of other independentsocieties, can be performed only by means of a military force.But the expense both of preparing this military force in time of...　

FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENWHAT THE MOON SAWby Hans Christian AndersenINTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTIONIT is a strange thing, when I feel most fervently and most deeply,my hands and my tongue seem alike tied, so that I cannot rightlydescribe or accurately portray the thoughts that are rising within me;and yet I am a painter; my eye tells me as much as that, and all myfriends who have seen my sketches and fancies say the same.I am a poor lad, and live in one of the narrowest of lanes; butI do not want for light, as my room is high up in the house, with an...　

FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENTWO MAIDENSby Hans Christian AndersenHAVE you ever seen a maiden? I mean what our pavers call a maiden,a thing with which they ram down the paving-stones in the roads. Amaiden of this kind is made altogether of wood, broad below, andgirt round with iron rings. At the top she is narrow, and has astick passed across through her waist, and this stick forms the armsof the maiden.In the shed stood two Maidens of this kind. They had their placeamong shovels, hand-carts, wheelbarrows, and measuring-tapes; and toall this company the news had come that the Maidens were no longer...　

Ernest HemingwayIt was very late and everyone had left the cafe except an old man who sat in the shadow the leaves of the tree made against the electric light. In the day time the street was dusty, but at night the dew settled the dust and the old man liked to sit late because he was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he felt the difference. The two waiters inside the cafe knew that the old man was a little drunk, and while he was a good client they knew that if he became too drunk he would leave without paying, so they kept watch on him."Last week he tried to commit suicide," one waiter said."Why?""He was in despair.""What about?""Nothing.""How do you know it was nothing?"...