Introductory Note: Lord Byron
Introductory note on Lord Byron (Wikipedia)

Introductory note on Lord Byron (Wikipedia)
England's romantic poet died while fighting against the Turks on the side of the Greeks. His poems, "The Isles of Greece" and "The Prisoner of Chillon," proclaim freedom. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics) At Missolonghi, Greece, 37 guns honor Byron, April 20, 1824.
Introductory note on Ralph Waldo Emerson (Volume 5, Harvard Classics)
Dr. Eliot says of the opening stanza of the "Concord Hymn": "In twenty-eight words here are the whole scene and all the essential circumstances... what an accurate, moving, immortal description is this!" (Volume 42, Harvard Classics) Battle of Concord fought April 19, 1775.
Reading too many romances of knights and valorous deeds caused a poor Spanish gentleman to polish up his great-grandfather's armor, rechristen his old nag, and sally forth. "Don Quixote," besides holding a secure niche in literature as the work that quashed the romantic school of knight-errantry, is at the same time one of the most widely-read stories in the world. (Volume 14, Harvard Classics) Cervantes receives the last sacraments April 18, 1616.
Introductory note on Miguel de Cervantes (Volume 14, Harvard Classics)
In 1731 there were not many books in America. Franklin saw the need for more books and by house-to-house canvassing persuaded Philadelphians to aid him in founding a public library which to-day stands as a lasting memorial to Franklin. (Volume 1, Harvard Classics) Benjamin Franklin died April 17, 1790.
Introductory note on Benjamin Franklin (Volume 1, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on Dante Alighieri (Volume 20, Harvard Classics)
The city of Dis, within the gates of Hell, was guarded by monsters and surrounded by a moat filled with the tormented. Dante, protected by Virgil, entered the forbidden city, and viewed sights never before seen by living man. (Volume 20, Harvard Classics) Dante urges attack on the city of Florence, April 16, 1311.
Introductory note on Walt Whitman (the Ridpath Library of Universal Literature)
The rugged, genuine Lincoln was idealized by Walt Whitman - the founder of the new school of American poetry. Two of Whitman's finest poems were inspired by Lincoln. (Volume 42, Harvard Classics) Lincoln died April 15, 1865.
Spanish towns in the New World were rich in treasure and tempting booty for English soldiers of fortune, who were venturesome and merciless. "Ho! for the Spanish Main!" was the rallying cry for all freebooters and buccaneers. (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on Drake’s Great Armada (Volume 33, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on Benvenuto Cellini (Volume 31, Harvard Classics)
Kings, emperors, the greatest artists and sculptors of the Renaissance at its most magnificent period, walk through the pages of his autobiography --- not as cold, austere, historical characters but as the intimate friends of Cellini. (Volume 31, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on George Berkeley (Volume 37, Harvard classics)
You would doubtless like to know how to hold your own in any argument. Read what Leslie Stephen declares the finest specimen in our language of the conduct of argument. (Volume 37, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Volume 19, Harvard Classics)
The virgin beauty of Margaret enchanted Faust, who dazzled her with the brilliance of many gems. Margaret innocently took his gifts, believing that beauty should not "blush unseen" - but unmindful of consequences to follow. (Volume 19, Harvard Classics)
Before English adventurers could attempt settlement in America it was necessary first to get permission from the King. The charter of King James to the oldest American colony is an extremely important historical document. (Volume 43, Harvard Classics) King James grants charter to Virginia, April 10, 1606.
Introductory note on American Historical Documents (Volume 43, Harvard Classics)
West of Peru there was reported to be a land where Truth and Science were used to promote the happiness and freedom of man. Here is Bacon's description of this ideal commonwealth. (Volume 3, Harvard Classics) Francis Bacon died April 9, 1629.
Introductory note on The New Atlantis by Francis Bacon (Volume 3, Harvard Classics)
Introductory note on Aeschylus (Volume 8, Harvard Classics)
Orestes, holding an avenging sword over his mother, is told: "Beware thy mother's vengeful hounds." How he pays for disregarding his mother's warning is told in this drama where a mother is slain to avenge a father's ghost. (Volume 8, Harvard Classics)
Wordsworth was so closely in touch with Nature that the simple beauty of flowers, woods, and fields is reflected in his poems as if Nature herself took up the pen and wrote. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics) Wordsworth born April 7, 1770.
Introductory note on William Wordsworth (Wikipedia)
Introductory note on Marcus Aurelius (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)
Badness has many interpretations, a different definition has been the dictate of each new generation. The solution of the eternal riddle was earnestly sought by Marcus Aurelius. (Volume 2, Harvard Classics) Marcus Aurelius born April 6, 121 A. D.