Introductory note on Edmund Burke (#3) (Volume 24, Harvard Classics)

Beauty is an important factor in the attraction between man and woman. It is knowing beauty that differentiates man from the animals, which only require that their mates be of the same species. (Volume 24, Harvard Classics)

Introductory note on Homer (Volume 22, Harvard Classics)

This is another of those marvelous and unforgetable tales of the wandering Odysseus. The fantasy takes him into regions where he discourses with deceased heroes. (Volume 22, Harvard Classics)

Introductory note on Andrew Marvell (Wikipedia)

The many-sided Marvell, who wielded a pen that was both feared and courted, is seen at his best in stirring verse. "A Garden," "Prospect of Flowers," with the "Horatian Ode upon Cromwell," show the power of his genius. (Volume 40, Harvard Classics)

Marvell entered Cambridge, Dec. 14, 1633.

Introductory note on Sir Francis Drake (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)

A famous voyage was Sir Francis Drake's around the world. Drake's crew, the first white men to visit many parts of the world, received amazing receptions from the natives. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)

Sir Francis Drake embarked for South Seas, Dec. 13, 1577.

Introductory note on Robert Browning (the Ridpath Library of Universal Literature)

Three brave men began the heroic ride from Ghent to Aix. Only one man arrived to tell the thrilling story of the tempestuous ride. In one of his most bewitching poems, in lines that haunt the memory, Browning retells the story. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)

Robert Browning died Dec. 12, 1889.