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John Arthur Thomson, The Outline of Science: A Plain Story Simply Told (4 vol.)
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 This is a massive 4 volume work completed in 1922. It explains basically everything known to scientific world in 1922. It covers this history of the universe, early earth, animals, insects, birds, electricity, radio, light, seasons, the moon, ESP, human body, electrons, and chromosomes, and much more.I think this book is equivalent to any high school earth science class. In nearly all cases the book was not found to be wrong due to it's age. The only difference is that science is more complete now, but not by much! There were some things that were completely odd though. For instance this book says we have 6 senses, the 6th being the sense of balance. Also I found this passage to be VERY strange: Vol 2. Chapter "The body machine and it's work" pg 319: We know from fossil remains and from examining the bodies of living reptiles that in remote ages-somewhere about the era of the Coal Forests-there were animals with a third eye, in the top of the head. We find this third or pineal eye in the heads of a few reptiles today, but the skin has grown over it, and it is degenerating. In the birds and mammals it has sunk still deeper into the head, and degenerated further. In man it has become a small body, about the size of a hazel-nut, rising from the middle of the brain. We call it the "pineal body." It is a mysterious little organ, and we will not say positivley that it has no function. But, whether it has or no, we clearly trace it to the third eye of millions of years ago. Volume 1 at Gutenberg(of 4) Here is a rough online copy of volume 2. You may also be interested in the Free Science Videos and Lectures website. |
Logan Clendening, The Human Body
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 I cannot locate this book online. The interestng note here is that this book nearly entirely contradicts what is taught in the next book. This one discusses things like no matter what you do with your body you'll live the same length of time while the "New Diatetics" explains that taking proper care of your body you can live forever. This book mostly covers the anatomy of the human body.The author Logan Clendening has a very colorful way of thought regarding the human body. To give you an idea of what I mean I will provide the first chapter of the book for you here: Chapter 1 The human body is an animal organism, differeing in only a few respects from other animal organisms, and fitted, by the processes of selection and evolution, for the performance of the two main functions: (1) The conversion of food and air into energy and into tissue. (2) The reproduction of other individuals of its species. As a physiologist I have no data upon which to base a belief that it has been designed for any other purpose or destiny. Why it has been developed to its present state upon this tiny globule of dust in this obscure corner of the universe, why it continues monotonously repeating itself generation after generation, for no other apparent object than to litter up the verdure of the earth with images of its obscene gods, with its hideous habitations, and with the poignant mementoes of its dead - what these things mean are matters to which I have not been made privy. Certainly there is no clue in the structure or functions of the body itself. As a philosopher I may engage in some speculation on the subject in the company of Plato, Schopenhauer, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, but it is to be recognized that when I do so, my speculation are themselves based upon speculations and not upon anything resembling observed facts. Sentimentalists will complain that my definition omits two of their favourite themes - one, the operation of man's intellect, and the other, the tribulations of his spirit. In short, it leaves out mind and soul. But I think that, on the contrary, it includes them. For in the twofold function that he is called upon to perform he first must have the need to acquire food to supply his energy, and shelter to preserve it, and secondly, in order to reproduce, a mate must be secured. And I submit that to do the first is a particular function of the mind, and to do the second is the particular function of the soul. I recognize that in a state of civilization such as exists to-day both of these things have become absurdly easy, and the mind and soul. being restless peices of machinery, are perverted into other channels. When a man is no longer under the grinding necissity of acquiring food for his next meal, he will turn to other things - to the operations of the stock exchange, to politics, racehorses, or the gathering of first editions. When a woman no longer needs to exert any mystical fascination of limb or lip to capture a sugar-broker, she turns to lyric poetry or dyspepsia. But in none of the variegated depravities of the mind or soul - the plan of the battle of Austerlitz, the Fifth Symphony, the ritual of the Holy Communion, the belfry tower at Bruges, the organization of the Standard Oil Company, the "Ode on a Grecian Urn," or Rob Haselton's collection of postage stamps - can I discern anything but a weak disguise either of the means to acquire food and shelter that they may be converted into energy and tissue, or of the means to acquire a mate in order that another individual may be reproduced. Human Physiology textbook at Wikibooks This is NOT the same book, but teaches nearly the exact same thing. |
John Harvey Kellogg, The New Dietetics, pp 1-531, 975-1011
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 Yes that is the man who invented corn flake cereal today known as Kellogg's frosted flakes. This book advocates vegetarianism and was written in 1927. It talks about the proper diet humans should have and how each organ of the body responds to proper and improper diet. Kellogg however is very fanatic about his beliefs and claims all condements are poisons, and even goes so far to say sex is very bad for you too. He was married for 40 years but never had sex with his wife.A proper website explaining the reason for vegetarianism and proper foods should be found to be equivalent to this book. It should also be noted that he does not use animal rights as any reason to be vegetarian. Center for Science in the Public Interest covers this topic fairly well (despite them recently covering a story about sueing Kellogg's cereal. |
William James, Principles of Psychology (2 vol.)
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 The beauty of this list is that each book builds off one another. After defining the machinery of the human body in the previous books on the list this one teaches how the body reacts to the outside world. What happens when you replace blood with saline in a frog? What happens if a part of the body is removed like the left half of the brain or the mouth (in which case Pavlov was able to insert food into a dogs stomach directly.) This book discusses all of this but I found it to be no different than a normal Psychology class in college. Again I cannot find this book online. I think by visiting Wikipedia's entry on Psychology it will direct you to learning about everything that is covered in this book. |
Herbert George Wells, The Outline of History
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| This massive 2 volume work covers the entire history of mankind! For the introductory, it's mentioned to just read the beginning about where humans came from and up until the babylonians. The Outline of History |
William Graham Sumner, Folkways
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 Folkways, term coined by William Graham Sumner in his treatise Folkways (1906) to denote those group habits that are common to a society or culture and are usually called customs. The word provided a useful contribution to the development of the concept of culture and is still used in its technical sense in sociological literature. Fashions in clothing or modes of recreation exemplify folkways. The term has failed to maintain the currency it once enjoyed among the other social sciences but has gained acceptance as a colloquial term.(website needed) Book is relatively easy to get and is usually less than US$5. |
James Frazer, The Golden Bough (1 vol. abridged) (1906) |
 The study of religion, mysticisim, magic, and mythology. This is a popular book that looks upon the beliefs of magic compared to religion, and attempts to demistify it all. I know Jim Morrison liked this book, chapter 60 is titled "Not to touch the earth, not to see the sun". Wikipedia: The Golden Bough Online book |
Introductory