Reflections and Comments 1865-1895

Godkin, Edwin Lawrence, 1831-1902Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 413K words
Chapters: 42

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Reflections and Comments 1865-1895 by Edwin Lawrence GodkinAuthor: Godkin, Edwin Lawrence, 1831-1902,Language: English, Class: AC: General Works: Collections, Series, Collected works, Pamphlets, Release Date: Jan 1, 2005

Editor's review

This book gathers Edwin Lawrence Godkin's reflections and comments published between 1865 and 1895. Godkin was an influential nineteenth-century American editor and political writer, and this period coincided with Reconstruction after the Civil War, advancing industrialization, and frequent political corruption, so his commentary carries a distinctly topical and argumentative quality. The pieces center largely on public affairs, political mores, social ethics, and the role of the press; the language is polished and the arguments direct, letting readers see how intellectuals of the time understood the tests facing republican institutions. Its value lies not in offering systematic theory but in preserving a voice of on-the-spot public debate: readers can observe the concerns, rhetoric, and value disagreements of late nineteenth-century American opinion. It is best read as historical essays rather than a present-day general survey, with attention to the author's stance and period limitations; those interested in political writing, press history, or nineteenth-century American public thought will find many quotable observations and models of expression.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in nineteenth-century American political and public-opinion history
Writers studying press commentary and editorial writing who need historical samples
History enthusiasts who want to sense the social atmosphere of Reconstruction through contemporary commentary
Learners with good English reading ability willing to read argumentative prose closely

Not a good fit for

Beginners seeking a systematic theoretical framework or general historical narrative
Readers unfamiliar with the specific historical background who are unwilling to look up events
Readers who prefer light narrative or literary storytelling and have little patience for political essays

Reading tips

First gain a general outline of American Reconstruction and industrialization from 1865 to 1895, then read in chronological order to understand what each comment responds to.
For each piece, read the title and opening paragraph first to identify the issue under discussion, then read the argument, avoiding misreading the stance out of context.
Keep brief notes on recurring themes and the author's attitudes to compare how concerns shift across years.
Read alongside works on contemporary press history or American political history, placing individual comments back in the arena of public debate.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What issues do these comments mainly discuss?

The material indicates this is a collection of Godkin's reflections and comments from 1865 to 1895, belonging to the general essay category. Given his role as an editor and political writer and the era in which he lived, the content largely concerns public affairs, political mores, and social ethics. The themes of specific pieces should be determined by the original table of contents and should not be presumed to be a single special topic.

Can someone without a background in American history read this book?

Yes, but understanding will suffer. These writings respond to specific current events; without knowledge of Reconstruction, party politics, and industrialization, one may mistake the arguments for abstract discussion. It is advisable to first read a concise background introduction, or look up events and figures while reading, before entering the main text.

Do the views in the book represent mainstream opinion of the time?

Not simply. Godkin was an editor and commentator with pronounced positions; his writings reflect the observations and judgments of a particular intellectual, not a consensus of the whole society. When reading, separate the author's stance, the events under discussion, and the disagreements in contemporary opinion, and avoid taking one man's view as the whole picture of the era.

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About the author

Godkin, Edwin Lawrence, 1831-1902 Author · American · 1831–1902

Edwin Lawrence Godkin (1831–1902) was an Irish-born American journalist and an influential figure in the history of American journalism. He founded The Nation and served for many years as editor of the New York Evening Post, earning a reputation for rigorous, incisive political commentary. The library holds his Reflections and Comments 1865–1895, a collection of essays and commentary on the political and social issues of his day, which shows his clear, restrained, and argumentative style. Because public information is limited, details of his life remain sparse, yet this work reveals his skill at taking a position in short pieces, direct in tone and measured in judgment, and his considerable influence on public opinion.