Patrick J. Sloyan

On stage, Roebuck Ramsden, an old man of money and affairs, emerges. The maid, dressed in a beautiful mourning suit, announces Octavius Robinson, a young poet. Ramsden cautions the young poet about his companion, John Tanner.

The Twelve Caesars is the most detailed book ever written about the personal lives of the twelve Caesars. Suetonius goes to considerable pains to expose the true nature of these men as human beings. Each emperor’s deeds beyond politics and professionalism are analyzed.

Charles Dickens’ American Notes for General Circulation details his 1842 tour to North America. He functioned as a critical observer of North American society, reporting on their advancement. Four years later, in Pictures from Italy, he wrote like a traveler.

“His Last Bow” by Arthur Conan Doyle is an espionage thriller, not a detective mystery. The narrative might have been written to bolster public morale during World War I. It is recounted in the third person, rather in the first person like in a Sherlock Holmes tale.

The four selections in this volume span his entire writing career and are one of his most famous stories. These include: “The Infamous Leaping Frog in Calaveras County”, one of Twain’s most entertaining folk humor, first published in 1865.