As the author of these 33 sketches says in her Preface, "They are devoted chiefly to the home life of the various authors, -- which, though an instructive and fascinating study, seems commonly neglected in popular biographies". Though a few somewhat obscure names are included, mostly the subjects are well-known 18th and 19th century writers, including Burns, Scott, Hugo, Hawthorne, the Brownings, Poe and Dickens. 385 pages. Moderate fraying of cover corners, shallow cloth loss at spine head, small tears at both spine ends; front free end paper has been torn out, all other pages intact, though front hinge is moderately split at bottom, giving first few pages a loose feel; back pastedown has a minor tear near gutter, but hinge/pages are not affected; a few light page corner creases and a few small stains on pages; erasure on back pastedown, otherwise book apears unmarked.
This is probably the second printing of the book (the first was in 1886). The title is very scarce in vintage editions.