Journey through Harvard University president Charles Eliot’s “five-foot shelf” of classics. This collection, first published in the early 1900s, remains one of the most comprehensive and well-researched anthologies of all time. Making good on earlier claims that he could fit the elements of a liberal education on a five-foot shelf, Eliot gathered this collection of key works, together with English professor William Neilson—who selected editions and wrote introductions. The massive collection covers major literary figures, philosophers, theologians, folklore, and historical subjects through the end of the nineteenth century. Originally published as a 51-volume collection of classics, the rise of modernism prompted Dr. Eliot to create an additional 20-volume collection of fiction—“The Shelf of Fiction”—to supplement his first collection. These two collections come together to create The Harvard Classics and Fiction Collection (71 vols.). Among...

First published by brothers Wilhelm & Jakob Grimm in 1812 as a collection of retold Germanic folk stories, this collection transports listeners to a realm where “Once upon a time” often ends up “happily ever after,” and in the process reveals multifaceted truths about human nature.

Immerse yourself in compelling stories of faith and imagination. The Audiobook Literature Collection lets you enjoy hours of fiction, poetry, and novels. Listen to classics by authors like John Milton, Dante Alighieri, and John Bunyan. Discover powerful reflections on faith, morality, and spirituality with works by Wendell Berry and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Hear classic fairy tales as told by the Brothers Grimm. With the Audiobook Literature Collection, you can listen to some of the most important literature ever written, wherever you go.

Volume 17 of the Harvard Classics compiles famous pieces of folklore and fable. Peruse the often-repeated fables of ancient Greek slave and storyteller, Aesop. Explore the German fairy tales preserved by brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in their Household Tales, first published in 1812. You’ll also find the immensely popular fairy tales of Danish writer, Hans Christian Andersen, creator of such frequently reinterpreted stories as “The Little Mermaid,” “The Ugly Duckling,” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Though not particularly fond of children, oddly enough, Andersen had a marvelous knack of entertaining them by repeating old folk tales of the type collected by the Grimms. His success in this led him to attempt inventing new ones—stories that have remained popular since their publication in the mid 1800s. The Harvard Classics Journey through “Dr. Eliot’s Five Foot Shelf.” This massive collection, designed to provide the elements of a liberal education, was compiled by...

Teach and train the next generation with this library of resources devoted to helping young people become better grounded in Scripture and the classics. Build on the foundation laid by those who came before using digital tools that enhance the great deposit of the past.