TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. Bold text is denoted by =equal signs=. Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within the text and consultation of external sources. More detail can be found at the end of the book. THE LIBRARY OF ENTERTAINMENT A THOUSAND HOURS OF ENJOYMENT WITH THE WORLD'S GREAT WRITERS HANDBOOK BY JOHN CHILTON SCAMMELL, A.B. CHICAGO AND BOSTON GEO. L. SHUMAN & CO. MCMXX COPYRIGHT, 1915, BY GEO. L. SHUMAN & CO. _Norwood Press_ _J. S. Cashing Co.--Berwick & Smith Co._ _Norwood, Mass., U.S.A._ _Boston Bookbinding Co., Cambridge, Mass._ CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE v THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK xi PART I SIDE-LIGHTS ON GREAT WRITERS 1 'TO DRIVE DULL CARE AWAY' 12 PART II THE STUDY OF LITERATURE 17 THE DECISIVE PERIODS IN LITERATURE 19 NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS 28 THE DIVISIONS OF LITERATURE 36 FROM SEVEN TO TWENTY-ONE 54a THE USE OF THE INDEX AND THE BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 54m LITERARY CRITICISM 55 PART III STUDIES OF GREAT AUTHORS 61 BURNS 61 SCOTT 64 WORDSWORTH 67 COLERIDGE 70 BYRON 72 SHELLEY 76 KEATS 78 TENNYSON 81 BROWNING, R. 83 BROWNING, E. B. 86 IRVING 89 POE 91 HAWTHORNE 94 BRYANT 97 LONGFELLOW 99 WHITTIER 102 LOWELL 104 HOLMES 107 HOMER 109 VERGIL 113 DANTE 116 MILTON 119