TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: In the anecdote "DISADVANTAGEOUS CORRECTION", the point of the tale depends on the difference between an i with a macron (long vowel) and an i with a breve (short vowel) These have been represented as [=i] and [)i] respectively. Two changes have been made to the text: In the anecdote "DR. JOHNSON'S CRITICISMS", one instance of the word "by" was deleted from the passage: "just by by chance". In "THE MERMAID CLUB", Johnson was changed to Jonson in the passage: "Beaumont fondly lets his thoughts wander in his letter to Jonson..." [Illustration: FINDING THE MANUSCRIPT DIARY OF JOHN EVELYN. _Page 7._] [Illustration: Edinburgh: W. P. Nimmo.] BOOKS AND AUTHORS: Curious Facts and Characteristic Sketches EDINBURGH: WILLIAM P. NIMMO. EDINBURGH: MURRAY AND GIBB, PRINTERS TO HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE. CONTENTS. PAGE Ale, Bishop Still's Praise of 83 A Learned Young Lady 149 Alfieri's Hair 153 Authors, Hard Fate of 59 Authorship, Pains and Toils of 125 Bad's the Best--Canning's Criticism 50 "Beggar's Opera," Origin of the 140 Bell, Death of Sir Charles 46 Blue-Stocking Club, the 10 Boar's Head Tavern, East Cheap, Relics of 115 Boileau's, A Carouse at 147 Bolingbroke at Battersea 112 Bolingbroke, his Creed 55 Booksellers in Little Britain 27 Boswell as the "Bear-leader" 118 Boswell's "Life of Johnson" 99 "Boz" (Dickens), Origin of the Word 99 Bottled Ale, Accidental Origin of 49 Bulwer's Pompeian Drawing-room 84 Bunyan's Copy of the "Book of Martyrs" 53 Bunyan's Escapes 57 Bunyan's Preaching 56 Burney, Miss, her "Evelina" 66 Butler and Buckingham 143 Byron, Lord, his Graceful Apology 39 Byron's "Corsair" 26 Byron and "My Grandmother's Review" 95 Byron's Personal Vanity 37 Canning, A Ludicrous Estimate of 50 Chalmers'(Dr.) Industry 103