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

The Hottentot thinks his wife beautiful. Every American believes his wife also to be beautiful. But the American and the Hottentot are quite different. What, after all, is Beauty? (Volume 24, Harvard Classics)

Introductory note on Richard Henry Dana, Jr. (Volume 23. Harvard Classics)

In the days when sailing ships plied the seven seas, common sailors were often subject to a brutal captain whose whim was law. Dana, a Boston college boy, makes an exciting story of his sea experiences. (Volume 23, Harvard Classics)

Introductory note on Saint Augustine (Volume 7, Harvard Classics)

A certain man was willed a Bible. He scorned the legacy until one day, penniless and downcast, he turned to the book for consolation. Imagine his amazement on finding hundred dollar bills between the pages. St. Augustine explains how he found even greater treasures in the Bible. (Volume 7, Harvard Classics)

Introductory note on John Milton (Volume 4, Harvard Classics)

Driven from Heaven, Satan meditated revenge. He decided his greatest opportunity to injure God was to bring sin to mankind. Satan's plot against Eve is told by Milton. (Volume 4, Harvard Classics)

"Paradise Lost" published Aug. 20, 1667.

Introductory note on Ambroise Paré (Volume 38, Harvard Classics)

Astonishing treatments and cures are related by Ambroise Paré, famed surgeon of the fifteenth century. One remedy, for instance, used to cure a distinguished nobleman, was red roses boiled in white wine, – and it was effective. (Volume 38, Harvard Classics)