February Series of the Month: The Five Foot Shelf of Classics

Celebrate the shortest month of the year by reading Cosimo's February Series of the Month: The Five Foot Shelf of Classics, collected by Charles William Eliot.

Originally published between 1909 and 1917 under the name "Harvard Classics," this stupendous 51-volume set (a collection of the greatest writings from literature, philosophy, history, and mythology) was assembled by American academic Charles William Eliot (1834-1926), Harvard University's longest-serving president. Also known as "Dr. Eliot's Five Foot Shelf," it represented Eliot's belief that a basic liberal education could be gleaned by reading from an anthology of works that could fit on five feet of bookshelf.

Eliot compiled these titles to serve as a "home educator" -- for people who couldn't attend Harvard so they too could get a literary education with some of the best and most well-known classics around the world.

Eliot’s collection was even featured in the memoir: What the Great Books Taught Me About Life, Death, and Pretty Much Everything Else, in which author Christopher Beha details how he turned to these great works for comfort and inspiration during a time of personal struggle. Beha’s memoir illustrates what Eliot believed about The Five Foot Shelf: that the great works of literature are still worth consulting, as a source not just of education, but of edification in every sense of the word.

Cosimo offers this series by individual volume at leading online bookstores or as a full set in hardcover or paperback, especially of interest to historians, collectors, who like to expand their personal library, professional librarians, or for parents wanting their high school kids to learn more before going off to college. Actually it is a must for those of you who want to know the fundamentals of literature, philosophy and history without being muddled by a multitude of platitudes in social media, gaming and never-ending TV shows. If you are interested in purchasing the full set, please contact us.

The collection includes titles such as:

• The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
• The Complete Poems of John Milton
• Ben-Hur
• The Origin of Species
• Don Quixote
• The Odyssey
• Beowulf
• Aeneid, and many more

The paperback retail list price for this series is: $1209.49, but now our price is: $969.99 (you save $239.50 or a 20 percent discount)

The hardcover retail list price for this series is: $1784.49, but now our price is: $1429.99 (you save $354.5 or a 20 percent discount)

August Classic of the Month, Ben Hur, Releases in Theaters Next Week!

More than fifty years since its last adaption, Ben-Hur will be remade once again. The film, which releases August 19 in the United States in 2D, 3D, RealD 3D, Digital 3D and IMAX 3D, will star Boardwalk Empire actor Jack Huston alongside legendary Morgan Freeman, Toby Kebbell, Nazanin Boniadi, Haluk Bilginer and Rodrigo Santoro.

Once the best-selling and most widely read American novel by Lew Wallace, and the first work of fiction to be blessed by the Pope, Ben-Hur has given rise to numerous stage and film adaptions since its creation. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ chronicles the journey of Judah Ben-Hur and the life of Jesus, from Ben-Hur's quest for vengeance against the Romans and his search for his imprisoned family to the birth of Jesus in the manger and the Crucifixion. Cleverly connecting two story-lines to create both an exciting tale of adventure---with shipwrecks, chariot races, and duels---and a compelling story of love and spiritual growth, Ben-Hur has continued to engage readers and entertain audiences for more than a century.

Cosimo is proud to offer this title in both hardcover and paperback at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (hardcover, paperback) and Amazon (hardcover, paperback).

Celebrate our August Classic of the Month by reading this great book before grabbing your popcorn and heading to a movie theater near you!

Ben-Hur Movie Remake Scheduled

More than fifty years since its last adaption, Ben-Hur has been scheduled to be remade once again. The film, which is expected to be released on February 19th, 2016 in the UK and February 26th in the US, will star Boardwalk Empire actor Jack Huston alongside legendary Morgan Freeman.

Once the best-selling and most widely read American novel by Lew Wallace, and the first work of fiction to be blessed by the Pope, Ben-Hur has given rise to numerous stage and film adaptions since its creation. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ chronicles the journey of Judah Ben-Hur and the life of Jesus, from Ben-Hur's quest for vengeance against the Romans and his search for his imprisoned family to the birth of Jesus in the manger and the Crucifixion. Cleverly connecting two story-lines to create both an exciting tale of adventure---with shipwrecks, chariot races, and duels---and a compelling story of love and spiritual growth, Ben-Hur has continued to engage readers and entertain audiences for more than a century.

Cosimo is proud to offer this title in both hardcover and paperback at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (hardcover, paperback) and Amazon (hardcover, paperback).