Introductory note on Charles Lamb (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)

Charles Lamb, favorite essayist, thought that no stage could do justice to Shakespeare's tragedies. He advocated reading the plays, and with the imagination costuming the players and building the gorgeous scenery in a way equaled by no scene painter or costumer. (Volume 27, Harvard Classics)

Introductory note on Thomas Dekker (Volume 47, Harvard Classics)

We are indebted to Thomas Dekker for one of the most humorous characters in all Elizabethan literature; namely, Simon Eyre, an old shoemaker whose affairs became hilariously involved with those of the gentry. (Volume 47, Harvard Classics)

Introductory note on Charles Darwin (Volume 11, Harvard Classics)

The signal for the beginning of a great controversy, still raging, was the publication of Darwin's "Origin of Species." This was the first complete statement of the evolution theory, which had been privately advanced but never publicly taught. A new epoch in science dates from this great work. (Volume 11, Harvard Classics)

"Origin of Species" published Nov. 24, 1859.

Introductory note on Blaise Pascal (Volume 48, Harvard Classics)

According to Pascal, a man is not even as significant as a speck of star dust in the universe. Pascal's thoughts on the subject are startling to the modern reader, and they furnish rich food for the imagination. (Volume 48, Harvard Classics)

Pascal begins writing his "Thoughts," Nov. 23, 1654.

Introductory note on Virgil (Volume 13, Harvard Classics)

Deserted by her lover, Queen Dido applied to her heart the only balm that could ease her pain. (Volume 13, Harvard Classics)