What a wonderful way to find and/or rediscover the greats. I'm ashamed to say I didn't know everyone, so I have to vet reading––especially the late 20th-century writers. The hard part will be finding the best translations, though I trust the reviewers here at Goodreads will show me the way. ( )

Overall, I loved this book. There are some flaws though. This book starts with Dante, which is fine, but they skip over a ton of writer that came before. This book was also clearly published in Britian. Again, not a huge issue, but as an American it's clear they are missing writers (only a paragraph to the Harlem Renaissance) and gave a page only to some important American writers like Mark Twain. It did make me want to look at some of these writers works or maybe find bigger biographies of ones I like. I skim read most of this because it's a reference book, so I'll go back to writer after I read their books. ( )

A wonderful book on prominent authors down the ages, often illustrated with striking portraits, and a good synopsis of their work. One wishes it covered more authors, but what they have done is superb.
I discovered Anton Chekhov was a practicing doctor as well as an author and playwright. "Medicine is my lawful wife", he once said, "and literature is my mistress.
How George Orwell wrote other books than 'Animal Farm' and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', eg 'The Road to Wigan Pier' and 'Coming Up for Air'. To gather first-hand experience of working-class life he dressed and lived the part in London and Paris then relaying the experience in 'Down and Out in Paris and London'.
A problem in reading about all these authors, my ‘want to read list’ is longer than ever.

Magnificent ( )