PREFACE

THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK

SIDE-LIGHTS ON GREAT WRITERS

'TO DRIVE DULL CARE AWAY'

THE STUDY OF LITERATURE

THE DECISIVE PERIODS IN LITERATURE

NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

THE DIVISIONS OF LITERATURE

POETRY

FICTION

HISTORY

BIOGRAPHY

ESSAY

HUMOR

FOR THE CHILDREN

TRAVEL

DRAMA

ORATORY

PHILOSOPHY AND SCIENCE

RELIGION

FROM SEVEN TO TWENTY-ONE

THE INDEX AND THE BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

LITERARY CRITICISM

STUDIES OF GREAT AUTHORS

ROBERT BURNS

SIR WALTER SCOTT

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE

GEORGE GORDON, LORD BYRON

PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

JOHN KEATS

ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON

ROBERT BROWNING

ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING

WASHINGTON IRVING

EDGAR ALLAN POE

NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE

WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT

HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER

JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES

HOMER

VERGIL

DANTE ALIGHIERI

JOHN MILTON

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE

FRIEDRICH VON SCHILLER

CHARLES DICKENS

WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY

SAMUEL JOHNSON

OLIVER GOLDSMITH

THOMAS GRAY

EDMUND BURKE

DANIEL WEBSTER

PLATO

AURELIUS

FRANCIS BACON

THOMAS CARLYLE

JOHN RUSKIN

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

HEINRICH HEINE

PLINY