Introductory Note: John Woolman
Introductory note on John Woolman (Volume 1, Harvard Classics)

Introductory note on John Woolman (Volume 1, Harvard Classics)
John Woolman was the foremost leader of the early Quakers and contributed much to the spiritual life of the American Colonies. He was a pioneer in the crusade against slavery. (Volume 1, Harvard Classics) John Woolman died Oct. 7, 1772.
Introductory note on Edmund Burke (#2) (Volume 24, Harvard Classics)
Wakened by the death cries of her sentry, Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, fled by a secret passage from the fury of a vile mob. The royal family was arrested and taken to Paris to await their fate. (Volume 24, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on John Henry Newman (Volume 28, Harvard Classics)
A boxer in public games desired to study philosophy at Athens. There were no furnaces to tend, no tables to wait on, no books or magazines to peddle, yet this sturdy young Greek managed to work his way through college. (Volume 28, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on Plutarch (Volume 12, Harvard Classics)
The man who put pebbles in his mouth and orated to the sea, shaved one-half of his head so that he would be obliged to stay at home until he had perfected his oratory -- a strange method of attaining eminence, but a successful one. (Volume 12, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on English poetry (Volume 40, Harvard Classics)
When polite English society conversed in French -- considering English a vulgar tongue, fit only for servants and working people -- Chaucer, nevertheless, wrote poems in this "vulgar" English, which charm us because of their quaint words. (Volume 40, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on Charles Darwin (#2) (Volume 29, Harvard Classics)
Just before Darwin visited Bahia Blanca, an Indian insurrection had been ruthlessly put down. A veteran of the Indian war told Darwin how Indians had been treated. (Volume 29, Harvard Classics) Darwin returns from South America, Oct. 2, 1836.
Introductory note on Niccolo Machiavelli (Volume 36, Harvard Classics)
To-day the chief duty of a prince is to be the nation's friend maker. Years ago princes desired supreme power and, by fair means or foul, strove for control. Machiavelli was a guide for such ambitious princes. (Volume 36, Harvard Classics) Machiavelli's model prince sent to France as papal legate, Oct. 1, 1498.
Introductory note on Ralph Waldo Emerson (Volume 5, Harvard Classics)
An etiquette book and a good tailor do not always produce a gentleman - neither does the Social Register include only gentlemen. Emerson by quaint stories tells how fashion and manners combine to make that rare product -- a gentleman. (Volume 5, Harvard Classics) Emerson's first marriage, Sept. 30, 1829.
Introductory note on Confucius (Volume 44, Harvard Classics)
Confucius was a Chinese magistrate in 500 B. C. He lost the favor of the Emperor and wandered from city to city, teaching and giving counsel. After his death, Emperor and people alike bowed before his shrine. (Volume 44, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on Louis Pasteur (Volume 38, Harvard Classics)
Proof that germs cause many contagious diseases was established by Louis Pasteur. His discoveries revolutionized modern science and lessened the ravages of every type of disease. (Volume 38, Harvard Classics) Louis Pasteur died Sept. 28, 1895.
Introductory note on Blaise Pascal (Volume 48, Harvard Classics)
To-day we have Fundamentalists and Modernists, each striving for the same goal. Pascal, two hundred and fifty years ago, gave his precepts of the fundamentals of religious thought. (Volume 48, Harvard Classics) Pascal confers with Descartes, Sept. 27, 1647.
Introductory note on Miguel de Cervantes (Volume 14, Harvard Classics)
The gaunt lunatic, Don Quixote, saw the world through glasses colored with romanticism that had gone out of style hundreds of years before he was born. Cervantes made the world laugh at the exaggerated stories it had been devouring. (Volume 14, Harvard Classics) Printing of Cervantes' "Don Quixote" licensed, Sept. 26, 1604.
Introductory note on John Stuart Mill (Volume 25, Harvard Classics)
John Stuart Mill in his autobiography boldly tells of his love for his friend's wife. After twenty years, she was freed from her first husband and was happily married to John Stuart Mill. Read the account of Mill's courtship. (Volume 25, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on Plutarch (Volume 12, Harvard Classics)
When the serpent of Minerva disappeared from her temple, the priests said that the goddess had left Athens for the sea. Moreover, the oracles urged the Athenians to seek safety in their ships. Themistocles prompted these deceits. Why? (Volume 12, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on Michel de Montaigne (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)
The Romans made an art of dying. The Egyptians looked on death with complacency. Moderns fear it. Montaigne argues that the purpose of philosophy is to teach men how to die. (Volume 32, Harvard Classics)