Project Gutenberg 2021-04-03 Public domain in the USA. 269 Birrell, Augustine 1850 1933 Men, Women, and Books Dean Swift -- Lord Bolingbroke -- Sterne -- Dr. Johnson -- Richard Cumberland -- Alexander Knox and Thomas De Quincey -- Hannah More -- Marie Bashkirtseff -- Sir John Vanbrugh -- John Gay -- Roger North's autobiography -- Books old and new -- Book-binding -- Poets laureate -- Parliamentary candidates -- The bonâ-fide traveller -- 'Hours in a library' -- Americanisms and Briticisms -- Authors and critics. E-text prepared by Martin Pettit and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) "Men, Women, and Books" by Augustine Birrell is a collection of literary essays written in the early 20th century. This engaging work presents reflections on various notable literary figures, tackling their works, personalities, and the impact they've had on literature and society. The essays delve into the complexities and nuances of the authors' lives, including their strengths, weaknesses, and peculiarities, while Birrell's sharp wit adds vibrancy to the discourse. The opening of the book introduces readers to the compelling life and works of Dr. Jonathan Swift. Birrell examines Swift’s complexities, describing him as both a brilliant literary figure and a deeply flawed individual. The narrative highlights Swift's notorious coarseness and the dark humor in his writings, contrasting his ability to evoke admiration and disdain in equal measure. Birrell also touches on the impactful relationships Swift had, particularly with women, such as Stella, and shares anecdotes that illustrate the dichotomy of Swift's character. The beginning sets the stage for a series of insightful critiques that blend literary analysis with engaging storytelling. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 67.0 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en English literature -- History and criticism PR Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches 233547 2025-07-25T14:19:28.625886 text/html 219949 2024-10-18T12:39:02 text/html 331811 2025-07-25T14:19:32.594836 application/epub+zip 331429 2025-07-25T14:19:29.361891 application/epub+zip 168119 2025-07-25T14:19:28.976883 application/epub+zip 406686 2025-07-25T14:19:35.266899 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 376159 2025-07-25T14:19:32.115891 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 213209 2022-09-29T08:49:16.259322 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 207542 2025-07-25T14:19:28.270897 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 187649 2024-10-18T12:39:02 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16338 2025-07-25T14:19:35.410849 application/rdf+xml 7479 2025-07-25T14:19:29.057894 image/jpeg 1690 2025-07-25T14:19:29.017894 image/jpeg 273684 2025-07-25T14:19:28.653874 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia