These short studies of authors whom I have known more or less intimately, and have observed with curiosity and admiration, base whatever value they may possess on their independence. They are imperfect, perhaps erroneous, but they are not second-hand. Whether they are the result of a few flashing glimpses, or of the patient scrutiny of many years, in either case they are my own. I hope that some of them, at least, may be found to possess the interest which attaches to even a rude pencil sketch of a famous person, drawn ...
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These short studies of authors whom I have known more or less intimately, and have observed with curiosity and admiration, base whatever value they may possess on their independence. They are imperfect, perhaps erroneous, but they are not second-hand. Whether they are the result of a few flashing glimpses, or of the patient scrutiny of many years, in either case they are my own. I hope that some of them, at least, may be found to possess the interest which attaches to even a rude pencil sketch of a famous person, drawn faithfully from the life. The persons dealt with are of widely differing importance, and it is probable that posterity will intensify the distinction between them. Some names are here included which history may neglect altogether here are others which we believe will become more and more luminous with the passage of years. But the men discussed in the following pages had the common characteristic of devotion to literature all were writers, and each had, in his own time and way, a serious and even a passionate con ception of the responsibilities of the art of writing. They were all, in their various capacities, engaged vin Jfretace in keeping bright, and in passing on unquenched, the torch of literary tradition. In the case of such men of letters, there has always seemed to me to be a singular interest in observing how personal character acts upon the work performed. It is less entertaining, for instance, to dwell exclusively on the verses of a poet, or ex clusively on the incidents of his life, than to attempt the more complicated study of these elements in inter-relation to one another, as has been done, but only too rarely, in the best critical biographies. M. Paul Desjardins, in an amusing and illuminating phrase, speaks of la cinematographic dune abeille dans le mystere de la mellification. This, I confess, is what I like best in a literary biography, and it is what I have attempted to produce. To analyse the honey is one thing, and to dissect the bee another but I find a special pleasure in watching him, myself unobserved, in the act of building up and filling the cells. In what I have recorded, I have tried to concentrate attention, not on vague anecdotes and empty tricks of conduct, but on such traits of character as throw light on the mans intellect and imagination, and are calculated to help us in the enjoyment of his work. And while I hope I have never courted sensation by recounting anything scandalous, I have not hesitated to tell what I believe to be the truth, nor glossed over pecu liarities of temperament when they help us to comprehend the published writings. Of all the human beings whom I have known Fretace ix I think that Algernon Swinburne was the most extraordinary.
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Add this copy of Portraits and Sketches (Essay Index Reprint ) to cart. $12.00, fair condition, Sold by Dunaway Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Saint Louis, MO, UNITED STATES, published 1977 by Books for Libraries Press.
Add this copy of Portraits and Sketches to cart. $16.50, good condition, Sold by Priceless Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Urbana, IL, UNITED STATES, published 1912 by Scribner.
Add this copy of Portraits and Sketches (Essay Index Reprint Ser. ) to cart. $17.00, good condition, Sold by Looking for Books? rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Corpus Christi, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1969 by Books for Libraries.
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Seller's Description:
Good+ with no dust jacket. Book is clean and tight with typical library markings. Spine and corners are bumped and shelf worn. Some of the essays are on: Swinburne, Tennyson, Whittier, Creighton, Lang, Balestier, Snoilsky, and Gide.; Ex-Library.
Add this copy of Portraits and Sketches to cart. $27.00, very good condition, Sold by Between the Covers-Rare Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gloucester City, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1969 by Books For Libraries Press.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Reprint. Very good plus+. Hardcover, no dust jacket, very nice condition, couple of light scratches on front board. Please Note: This book has been transferred to Between the Covers from another database and might not be described to our usual standards. Please inquire for more detailed condition information.
Add this copy of Portraits and Sketches to cart. $36.00, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published by William Heinemann.
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Ex-Library copy with typical library marks and stamps. First edition. Cover and binding are worn but intact. A reading copy in fair condition. 1912 London: William Heinemann NAP stated. Brown cloth. Pasted in newspaper artice The Sunday Times 1926. Secure packaging for safe delivery.
Add this copy of Portraits and Sketches to cart. $66.74, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Wentworth Press.
