September Series of the Month: Five Foot Shelf

Get back into the swing of the school year by reading our September 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)

September Book of the Month: Classroom Struggles

This September, Cosimo is celebrating Classroom Struggles as our book of the month. This eye-opening work, originally published by Transitions and TOL Chalkboard, provides a collection of news and feature articles written by young journalists in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Russia.

Each informative article exposes the political and socio-cultural issues that hinder educational growth and prosperity in these regions. This collection offers insight with essays such as "Talking Past Another: Students in Crimea can learn in a variety of languages. Most choose Russian," "Running in Place: Despite Efforts to distance itself from Soviet times, the Ukrainian education system can't kick its old habits," and "A Terrible Thing to Waste: Education in Russia is becoming another tool of the ruling party."

Classroom Struggles: Education Reporting and Analysis from Transitions offers compelling insight into the classrooms of multiple areas around the world. This collection is a fascinating source for anyone interested in political issues, educational reform, and/or the mentioned regions.

About Transitions
Transitions is a nonprofit organization established to strengthen the professionalism, independence and impact of the news media in the post-communist countries of Europe and the former Soviet Union. Based in Prague, the organization does this through a combination of journalism and media training programs, and the publication of Transitions Online (www.tol.org) magazine.

Cosimo is proud to offer Classroom Struggles in paperback at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (paperback) and Amazon (paperback).

Cosimo B2B is Cosimo's services unit, that offers publishing services to organizations such as Transitions, who are considering setting up their own publishing company, in order to reach worldwide readership and enhance their brand name. We welcome those organizations and institutions that are aligned with Cosimo's mission of creating a smarter and more sustainable society by connecting people with valuable ideas. If your organization wants to know more about the benefits of having its own imprint and is interested in working with us to create such an imprint, please visit our private imprint page.

September Classic of the Month: The Child and the Curriculum

For many children and teachers across the United States, today marks the first day of school! In celebration of new pencils, fresh textbooks, clean notebooks, and little minds eager to learn, we happily present our September Classic of the Month, The Child and the Curriculum by John Dewey.

In a time when memorization and recollection were the primary expectations in a child’s education, John Dewey discovered that essential components lacked within the classroom walls – exploration, curiosity, and ultimately, the ability to experience. He found that how children were expected to learn, greatly differed from the innate learning process we are all naturally inclined to follow— that the growth of knowledge is spurred through manipulation of one’s environment and one’s reflection upon it. It is in his words that readers can grapple the conclusion of his thoughts:“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”

In this fascinating single volume, two of John Dewey’s insightful essays on education in America are presented, which display ground-breaking theory that has provided a foundation to modern education.

About the Author
American educator and philosopher John Dewey (1859–1952) helped found the American Association of University Professors. He served as a professor of philosophy at Columbia University from 1904 to 1930 and authored numerous books, including How We Think (1910),
Reconstruction in Philosophy (1919), and Human Nature and Conduct (1922).

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

September Book of the Month: Democracy and Education

In celebration of the new school year, Cosimo is excited to present Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education by John Dewey as its Book of the Month.

John Dewey was one of the most influential figures in the education movement of the early 20th
century. This 1916 volume presents his profoundly revolutionary ideas about how best to teach young minds to be vigorous citizens of a truly democratic society. Reconciling classic philosophies of Rousseau and Plato with the needs and demands of the modern world, Dewey emphasizes critical thinking, problem solving, and learning through practical applications of complex concepts. His efforts were with one goal in mind: to create an integrated, holistic approach to the educational process.

Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education is available in ebook and paperback at leading online bookstores, including Amazon (paperback).


About the Author:

John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey, along with Charles Sanders Peirce and William James, is recognized as one of the founders of the philosophy of pragmatism and of functional psychology. He was a major representative of the progressive and progressive populist philosophies of schooling during the first half of the 20th century in the USA.

Although Dewey is known best for his publications concerning education, he also wrote about many other topics, including experience, nature, art, logic, inquiry, democracy, and ethics.

September Organization of the Month: Transitions

Cosimo is excited to announce Transitions (TOL) as our Organization of the Month for September.

Transitions is a nonprofit organization established to strengthen the professionalism, independence and impact of the news media in the post-communist countries of Europe and the former Soviet Union.

Based in Prague, the organization does this through a combination of journalism and media training programs, blogs, and the publication of Transitions Online magazine.

The first book to be published by the Transitions imprint was Classroom Struggles: Education Reporting and Analysis from Transitions. Classroom Struggles is a collection of news and feature articles written by young journalists in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Russia. The articles expose the political and socio-cultural roadblocks education faces in those regions. As tensions between Ukraine and Russia have been rising over the last year, this collection is a compelling source for understanding the role of education in that region. It offers a information and discussion for readers interested in these regions, political scientists, and journalists. Classroom Struggles is available for purchase at leading online bookstores around the world including Barnes & Noble and Amazon.


About Transitions
TOL was established in April 1999, after the final issue of its print predecessor, Transitions Magazine, was published. Four of the former print magazine’s staff members established Transitions Online as a means of keeping the widely respected, cross-border coverage of the magazine alive.

Cosimo B2B 
Cosimo B2B is Cosimo's services unit, that offers publishing services to organizations such as TOL and others, who would like to present books to a worldwide readership and enhance their brand name. We welcome those organizations and institutions that are aligned with Cosimo's mission of creating a smarter and more sustainable society by connecting people with valuable ideas. If your organization wants to know more about the benefits of publishing with us or having its own imprint set up by us, please visit our private imprint page.

September Classic of the Month: The Child and the Curriculum

Just in time for the start of the school year, Cosimo presents our September Classic of the Month, The Child and the Curriculum by John Dewey.

In a time when memorization and recollection were the primary expectations in a child’s education, John Dewey discovered that essential components lacked within the classroom walls – exploration, curiosity, and ultimately, the ability to experience. He found that how children were expected to learn, greatly differed from the innate learning process we are all naturally inclined to follow— that the growth of knowledge is spurred through manipulation of one’s environment and one’s reflection upon it. It is in his words that readers can grapple the conclusion of his thoughts: “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” 

In this fascinating single volume, two of John Dewey’s insightful essays on education in America are presented, which display ground-breaking theory that has provided a foundation to modern education.

About the Author

American educator and philosopher John Dewey (1859–1952) helped found the American Association of University Professors. He served as a professor of philosophy at Columbia University from 1904 to 1930 and authored numerous books, including How We Think (1910),
Reconstruction in Philosophy (1919), and Human Nature and Conduct (1922). 

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

September Book of the Month: Classroom Struggles by Transitions

This September, Cosimo is celebrating Classroom Struggles as its book of the month. This eye-opening work, originally published by Transitions and TOL Chalkboard, provides a collection of news and feature articles written by young journalists in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Russia. Each informative article exposes the political and socio-cultural issues that hinder educational growth and prosperity in these regions. In these days after the recent annexation of Crimea and with the ongoing conflict in Eastern-Ukraine, this collection offers insight in this region with essays such as "Talking Past Another: Students in Crimea can learn in a variety of languages. Most choose Russian", "Running in Place: Despite Efforts to distance itself from Soviet times, the Ukrainian education system can't kick its old habits" and " A Terrible Thing to Waste: Education in Russia is becoming another tool of the ruling party."

 
Cosimo B2B

Classroom Struggles: Education Reporting and Analysis from Transitions offers compelling insight into the classrooms of multiple areas around the world. This collection is a fascinating source for anyone interested in political issues, educational reform, and/or the mentioned regions.

About Transitions:

Transitions is a nonprofit organization established to strengthen the professionalism, independence and impact of the news media in the post-communist countries of Europe and the former Soviet Union. Based in Prague, the organization does this through a combination of journalism and media training programs, and the publication of Transitions Online (www.tol.org) magazine.

Cosimo is proud to offer Classroom Struggles in paperback at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (paperback) and Amazon (paperback).

Cosimo B2B is Cosimo's services unit, that offers publishing services to organizations such as Transitions, who are considering setting up their own publishing company, in order to reach worldwide readership and enhance their brand name. We welcome those organizations and institutions that are aligned with Cosimo's mission of creating a smarter and more sustainable society by connecting people with valuable ideas. If your organization wants to know more about the benefits of having its own imprint and is interested in working with us to create such an imprint, please visit our private imprint page.

Classic of the Month: The Child and the Curriculum

Students and teachers recently returned to the classroom for a new school year, and in honor of their return to chalkboards, term papers, and exams, we've chosen John Dewey's The Child and the Curriculum: Including, The School and Society as September's Classic of the Month.

The essays that comprise this collection represent two of Dewey's most groundbreaking works on educational reform in the American school system.

"Abandon the notion of subject-matter as something fixed and ready-made in itself, outside of the child's experience."

A prolific philosopher, educational reformer, and professor, Dewey's essays meld his interests into profound philosophical meditations on the relationships between curriculum and student, teacher and student, as well education and democracy. Dewey believed that students should learn by doing: by interacting with the world and relating the concepts of a given curriculum to their lived experience. The ultimate goal of a teacher, Dewey believed, was not to produce a classroom of students with a shared knowledge set, but to produce a classroom of students who would ultimately realize their personal potentials and positively contribute to society.

A seminal work by one of the most respected educational reformers in American history, The Child and the Curriculum is an absolute Must Read for American educators. It is available for purchase in paperback.