Showing results by narrator "Mark Owen" in All Categories

Chosen for inclusion in William Evans Burton's Cyclopediae of Wit and Humor of 1857, The Lightning-Rod Man was the one Melville tale to be available throughout his lifetime, thanks to reissues of this volume. More a parable than a character-driven story, the Lightning-Rod man is a charlatan who tries to profit by selling fearful people lightning-rods during thunderstorms. The narrator has a difficult encounter with the Lightning-Rod man in this story about overcoming fear and superstition.

Considered to be the least characteristic of Melville's stories, somewhat resembling the work of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe, The Bell-Tower is a dark literary work that explores, though never fully reveals, its central mystery. An eccentric artist and architect dreams up plans for a magnificent bell tower. After receiving approval from the city, he happily begins construction. When city residents begin to notice strange occurrences associated with the project, their complaints eventually force the city magistrates to investigate.

David Steinman, the director of the Chemical Toxin Working Group and one of America’s premier environmental activists, shows how today’s most popular items—from bubble bath to cereal to cleaning products to snack foods—are contaminated with unacceptable levels of chemical toxins and pesticides, and he proposes alternatives and substitutes to keep your family safe. Steinman reveals never-before-seen test results for major brands like Johnsons & Johnsons, Kellogg, Tide, Clairol, and General Mills that identify exactly which products contain dangerous ingredients.