The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll

Robert Green Ingersoll (1833–1899) was the most celebrated orator of nineteenth-century America and the most prominent advocate for agnosticism during the Golden Age of Freethought. Known as “the Great Agnostic,” he drew audiences of thousands to lectures that combined wit, erudition, and a passionate defense of reason against religious orthodoxy.

The Dresden Edition, published in 1909 by C. P. Farrell, is the most complete collection of Ingersoll’s works, comprising twelve volumes. The first four volumes contain his lectures; the remaining volumes contain interviews, articles, tributes, and legal arguments.

About Ingersoll

Born in Dresden, New York, Ingersoll served as a colonel in the Civil War and as Illinois Attorney General before devoting himself to the lecture circuit. In an era when oratory was the dominant form of public entertainment, he was the unchallenged master of the form — seen and heard by more Americans than any other figure before the age of radio.

He championed abolitionism, women’s suffrage, the separation of church and state, and the scientific method. He revived Thomas Paine’s reputation at a time when Paine was widely reviled. He opposed capital punishment and racial discrimination.

His influence on the freethought movement was immeasurable. As one contemporary put it: “Ingersoll died, but his work goes on.”