Introductory note on Ralph Waldo Emerson (Volume 5, Harvard Classics)

Emerson startled the world by fearlessly declaring his beliefs. Such apparent paradoxes as we find in his inspirational essay, "Heroism," makes him the most stimulating yet profound thinker America has produced. (Volume 5, Harvard Classics)

Emerson born May 25, 1803.

Introductory note on Adam Smith (Volume 10, Harvard Classics)

Debts were not always paid in money. Not so long ago the butcher paid for his keg of beer with a slab of beef, and oxen were exchanged for land and wives. Adam Smith tells the interesting story of the origin and use of money. (Volume 10, Harvard Classics)

Introductory note on Thomas Hood (Wikipedia)

From the river her body was tenderly lifted --- the girl who could find no place in the vast city. Thomas Hood pleads for her --- eloquently and justly. Read this gem of pathos. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)

Thomas Hood born May 23, 1799.

Introductory note on Alessandro Manzoni (Volume 21, Harvard Classics)

Because of a fancy for a peasant girl, the tyrannical lord of an Italian village sent desperadoes to threaten the priest if he married the girl to her village lover. (Volume 21, Harvard Classics)

Manzoni died May 22, 1873.

Introductory note on Alexander Pope (Wikipedia)

The sharp tongue of Alexander Pope made him celebrated, yet widely feared. In a representative product of his versatile pen, he gracefully combines his flashing wit with sage advice. (Volume 40, Harvard Classics)

Alexander Pope born May 21, 1688.