Featuring Essays by Benjamin Franklin • Ralph Waldo Emerson • W.E.B. Du Bois  • Albert Einstein • Gloria Steinem • Henry David Thoreau • Martin Luther King, Jr. • Mark Twain • Erma Bombeck • Abraham Lincoln • John F. Kennedy • and More... These are Americans who had something important to say—and said it in powerful, convincing ways. A compendium of commentary, criticism, and oratory excellence from throughout the nation’s history, The Signet Book of American Essays is a perfect resource for those searching for the most timeless essays ever conceived by America’s notable scientists, philosophers, politicians, and writers. From the wisdom of Benjamin Franklin to the outspoken empowerment of Gloria Steinem, from the biting satire of Mark Twain to the grave seriousness of Franklin D. Roosevelt, this collection offers the opportunity to learn the subtle arts of persuasion and rational argument as exemplified in these great American dissertations crafted by some of the country’s most brilliant and intriguing citizens. M. Jerry Weiss is the Distinguished Service Professor of Communications emeritus at New Jersey City University. He is the author or editor of numerous works on literature and education, including  Lost and Found: Award-Winning Authors Sharing Real-Life Experiences through Fiction  with Helen Weiss. They live in Upper Montclair, New Jersey. Helen Weiss is the editor of  The Signet Book of American Essays, Big City Cool: Short Stories About Urban Youth, From One Experience to Another: Award-Winning Authors Sharing Real-Life Experiences Through Fiction, Dreams and Visions: Fourteen Flights of Fantasy , and more.