The Ruling Passion: Tales of Nature and Human Nature

by Henry Van Dyke, W. Appleton CLARK (Illustrator)

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

324 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1901

About the author

Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933) was an American Presbyterian clergyman, educator, and author. He graduated from Princeton in 1873, and from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1874. He was pastor of the Brick Presbyterian Church, New York City (1883-99), professor of English literature at Princeton (1899-1923), and U.S. minister to the Netherlands (1913-16).

Among his popular inspirational writings is the Christmas story The Other Wise Man (1896). As President Wilson's ambassador to the Netherlands from 1913, Van Dyke was a first-hand witness to the outbreak of World War I and its progress, and was a key player in the President's diplomatic efforts to keep the U.S. out of the conflict.

Not to be confused with his father, Henry J. Van Dyke (1822-1891).

For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/van-dyke...

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a jauntily written and charming collection of short stories, anecdotal in nature, primarily concerning the lives and adventures of various rural French Canadians near the close of the 19th century. Although the stories nearly all end with the obligatory Victorian Era happy ending, they are rarely the ending you are expecting, which makes for a very satisfying reading experience. This is the perfect book to pick up in the morning and read one story over a cup of coffee before commencing your day.

[Verum Ex Libris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nature/nurture, love and many tales of it. This is not a masterpiece but a masterwork just the same. I recommend it.

[HelenA33 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This charming book is full of delightful short stories, all with a moral in their tale. A treat.