Familiar Studies of Men and Books (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

A companion to his earlier Virginibus Puerisque, this 1882 collection is the more critical volume of the two. “The readings of a literary vagrant,” according to the author, these conversational essays read more like short stories about their subjects. Included among the nine pieces are, “Victor Hugo’s Romances,” “Some Aspects of Robert Burns,” “Henry David Thoreau: His Character and Opinions,” and “Charles of Orleans.”