Introductory Note: The Destruction of Dá Derga’s Hostel
Introductory note on The Destruction of Dá Derga’s Hostel (Volume 49, Harvard Classics)

Introductory note on The Destruction of Dá Derga’s Hostel (Volume 49, Harvard Classics)
There she was undoing her hair -- the loveliest woman the eyes of men ever beheld, the light of wooing in her regal eyes. A longing for her overwhelmed the warrior-king. (Volume 49, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on Thomas Carlyle (Volume 25, Harvard Classics)
Many sons of Scotland have striven eagerly for the great place held by Sir Walter Scott. Carlyle describes the qualities that combined to make him the idol of his people and the master of historical romance. (Volume 25, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on Charles Darwin (Volume 11, Harvard Classics)
Just as the individual has a definite length of life, so have species a limited duration. The progress and transition of the world, Darwin declares, will see the extinction of certain variants of human life. (Volume 11, Harvard Classics) Darwin first outlines his theory of natural selection, Sept. 5. 1857.
Introductory note on Voltaire (Volume 34, Harvard Classics)
Voltaire's daring courage led him to publish a series of letters which contained unfavorable comparisons of French customs with the English. For this he was threatened with the Bastille. (Volume 34, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on American Historical Documents (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
Until 1783 the British refused to believe that the Liberty Bell had rung. Then they signed a treaty formally recognizing the Colonies as free and independent states. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics) Treaty between England and the United States signed Sept. 3, 1783.
Introductory note on John Dryden (Volume 18, Harvard Classics)
While his soldiers fought the battle of Actium, Antony fled to the arms of Cleopatra. By his flight he forfeited his right to an empire. Dryden's story of Antony's love makes us realize the folly of his infatuation for the Nile siren. (Volume 18, Harvard Classics) Battle of Actium, Sept. 2, 31 B. C.
Introductory note on William Penn (Volume 1, Harvard Classics)
While at Oxford, Penn rejected the student's gown and thereby created a furore. Later he founded a city where he sought to put his new ideas into practice. (Volume 1, Harvard Classics) Penn arrested for preaching in London, Sept. 1, 1670.
Introductory note on Ralph Waldo Emerson (Volume 5, Harvard Classics)
Emerson was included in Dr. Eliot's recent selection of the world's ten greatest educators of all time. Here the great thinker discusses this force within man that makes him a scholar. (Volume 5, Harvard Classics) Emerson delivers "American Scholar" lecture, Aug. 31, 1837.
Introductory note on Marcus Aurelius (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)
Every luxury, all the wealth in the world at his command – yet Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of haughty Rome, led a simple life even in a palace. He left his secret in his "Meditations." (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on Plutarch (Volume 12, Harvard Classics)
Cleopatra rode to meet Antony in a gilded barge with sails of purple; oars of silver beat time to the music of flutes and fifes and harps. She went as Venus, and her attendants were dressed as Cupids and Nymphs. (Volume 12, Harvard Classics) Cleopatra dies after Antony's suicide, Aug. 29, 30 B. C.
Introductory note on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Volume 19, Harvard Classics)
"Almighty God, I am undone." With this cry of despair, Margaret witnessed the fiendish work of Faust, her lover, who bartered his immortal soul for worldly pleasure. A thrilling drama, based on a famous medieval legend. (Volume 19, Harvard Classics) Johann Wolfgang Goethe born Aug. 28, 1749.
Introductory note on Robert Burns (Volume 6, Harvard Classics)
"A man's a man for a' that." "Should auld acquaintance be forgot." "To see her is to love her and love but her forever." "Flow gently, sweet Afton." Every stanza of Burns is treasured. How many have you stored up? (Volume 6, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on Jean Froissart (Volume 35, Harvard Classics)
A brilliant victory for the English king was gained in this battle, a fight in which vast numbers of French nobility, many princes, and the aged King John of Bohemia were slain. Froissart describes all in detail. (Volume 35, Harvard Classics) Battle of Crecy, Aug. 26, 1346.
Introductory note on Sir William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) (Volume 30, Harvard Classics)
We to-day know that there is a direct relation between the moon and tides. When Julius Cæsar went to conquer Britain his transports were wrecked because he did not know the tides on the English coast; a knowledge of which might have changed the whole course of history. (Volume 30, Harvard Classics) Kelvin delivers lecture on "Tides," Aug. 25, 1882.
Introductory note on Pliny the Younger (Volume 9, Harvard Classics)
The eruption of Vesuvius that demolished Pompeii and buried thousands of people was witnessed by Pliny. He describes his panic-stricken flight with his mother from the doomed villa through falling ashes and sulphurous fumes. His famous uncle, the elder Pliny, lost his life while investigating the eruption and aiding refugees. (Volume 9, Harvard Classics)