After reading three Homeric extended similes in a row (Source: sodahead.com)
Because they're old enough to be in the public domain, the source books listed here are free to download. The archaic language might make your eyes cross, but many of the ideas they contain continue to stand the test of time. It's well worth the slog through these antiquated pages to mine nuggets that will add depth to your understanding of literature and delight to your life as a closet nerd.
Happy reading!
- Adams, William Henry Davenport. Egypt Past and Present, 1894.
- Bain, Alexander. English Composition and Rhetoric. Vol. II, Emotional Qualities of Style, 1888.
- Bowman, R. C. The Tribune Cartoon Book for 1902.
- Cynicus, The Humours of Cynicus, 1891.
- D'Israeli, Isaac. Curiosities of Literature, 1835.
- Eschenburg, Johann Joachim. Manual of Classical Literature, 1836.
- Holmes, John. Rhetoric Made Easy, 1755.
- Hudson, Henry Norman. Classical English Reader, 1888.
- Kames, Henry Home. Elements of Criticism, 1848.
- Minto, William. Plain Principles of Prose Composition, 1893.
- Myers, Philip Van Ness. Ancient History, 1904.
- Parker, R. G. Progressive Exercises in English Composition, 1864.
- Shakespeare, William. Introduction by W. J. Rolfe. Antony and Cleopatra, 1891.
- Swinton, William. Sixth or Classic English Reader, 1885.
- Willson, Marcius. The Sixth Reader of the United States Series, 1882.
