It is easy to imagine Plato’s Symposium as a group of philosophers gathered in quiet contemplation, and while calling it a big drunken homoerotic party would be intentionally provocative, that doesn’t mean it isn’t entirely inaccurate.
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Marcus Aurelius totally never intended Meditations to become one the most influential books in all of history. The dude was just trying to journal his thoughts so he could separate facts from his emotions — just like many modern therapists and self-care content tell us to do all the time.
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Long before detective fiction became dominated by Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, G. D. H. Cole and Margaret Cole launched their celebrated mystery-writing partnership with The Death of a Millionaire (1925), an elegant Golden Age detective novel built on logic, deception, and carefully concealed motives.
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Jack London published a lot of bangers — from Call of the Wild to The Sea-Wolf and White Fang — and Martin Eden is another demonstration of his genius.
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Jack London wrote a kinda weird novel from the point of view of a person having memories of living in prehistoric times called Before Adam.
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Let’s talk about Jack London’s memoir of drinking, John Barleycorn. Published in 1913, this book predates Dr. Bob Smith’s Alcoholics Anonymous and Bill Wilson by a few decades, written way before we had a better understanding what alcoholism can do.
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Let’s talk about Jack London’s 1908 novel The Iron Heel, a dystopian novel that influenced George Orwell’s 1984.
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Before forensic science became the foundation of modern criminal investigation, Dr. John Thorndyke was solving mysteries through meticulous observation, scientific reasoning, and careful attention to physical evidence. In A Silent Witness, celebrated mystery writer R. Austin Freeman presents another ingenious case for his pioneering detective, whose methodical approach would influence generations of crime fiction.
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Before Albert Campion became one of Britain’s most beloved detectives, Margery Allingham was already crafting atmospheric mysteries filled with danger, deception, and unforgettable settings.
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