t\ I UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LI8RARY REESE LIBRARY OF THE NIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. Class —u—u—u—u—u—u—u—u u u—u—u—u—u—o—\r—u—u—u—u—u—u—u-rv— "•*» I* !# mm*** •'* • L.'< \M s x $) r c f a c e. 77/z.s- /////<? volume is not a universal index to literature. It lays no claim to being exhaustive in any department. Its design is simply to furnish a handy-book for ascertain- ing or verifying the authorship of famous poems, plays, essays, novels, romances, philosophical and literary treatises, and the like, so far as they bear a specific and distinctive title. An elegy like Adonais, a scientific treatise like Cos- mos, a book of travels like Eothen, come fairly within the grasp of the work ; while a History of England (as Froudcs), a Dictionary of the English Language (as Johnsons), a volume of Essays (as Bacons) or Sermons (as Tillotsous), and other the like books, have titles altogether too general and indiscrete to bring them properly within its scope. Of course an undertaking of this sort — wholly novel as it is believed to be — must inevitably and from its very nature yield imperfect results. The compiler, in doubtful cases, must exercise his own judgment ; yet however cau- tiously he may do so, lie will sometimes err, both in what he admits and what he excludes. The very copiousness of the materials with which he has to deal will prove a dis- traction and a snare. He will find himself, as Taiue says " of the critic of English novels, in danger of being swamped, as it were, in this abundance: he must select in order to grasp the whole, and confine himself to a few in order to 2 PREFACE. * embrace all." The scholar, it is true, may fail to obtain from this little manual the information respecting some old and half-forgotten treatise, which has long baffled his search, and the lover of light literature will often look in vain for the title of some popular but epJiemcral novel (and it is in the that department of prose-fiction the greatest difficulty in selection has been experienced), yet it is hoped and confi- dently believed that the general reader, recognizing at once the such a usefulness of work, and the difficulties insepara- ble from its successful execution, will kindly allow its merits, excuse its defects, and receive it as the cotivenient vade- mecum it is intended to be. In the preparation of this Index, use has been made of Appletou's and Chambers's Encyclopedias, Hoefcrs Nouvclle Biographic Generate, Midland's Biographie Universelle, Thom- as's Biographical Dictionary, Payne's Index of Biography, and other similar standard works of reference. A thorough examination has also been made of the catalogues of the Boston Public Library and of the Library of Congress, as well as of works specially devoted to the various branches of literary history. — of which it will be sufficient to name no more than A Ilibone's Dictionary of Authors, Hallams Introduction to the Literature of E?trope, Craik's Cyclopedia of English Literature, Duyckiuck's Cyclopedia of American Literature, Lougfclloivs Poets and Poetry of Europe, Dana's Household Book of Poetry, Hedge's Prose Writers of Ger- many, and Ticknors History of Spanish Literature. WILLIAM A. WHEELER. * Le critique se trouve comtne noye dans cette ahondance ; il doit choisir pour saisir VttutmbU, ei se rtdniri a quelquis-uns pour let embrasser tons. — Histoire de la litterature *• Paris, 1864. T. 4, p. 72. NOTE. The preface above given had been printed, and the first part of the manu- script of this Index had been finally revised for the printer, when the work was interrupted by the death of Mr. William A. Wheeler. Attention had first been called to the book (then in preparation) in the preface to his Dictionary of the Noted Names of Fiction, L865, and it was afterwards announced by the publishers as soon to be issued under the title of Who Wrote It? Since these announcements a work bearing the same has been title, but wholly unlike this both in scope and contents, published in England. Two other English works (both republished in this country), which apparently cover a part of the same ground as this Index, and one of which seems to have embodied to a large extent both the plan and contents of Mr. Wheeler's Dictionary of (la- Noted Names of Fiction, have also ap- peared since public notice was given of the intended publication of Who Wrote It f But notwithstanding some points of similarity, neither of these works fills the place which this little manual is designed to occupy, and it is confidently believed that no work exists, which aims, like this, to present in ^a condensed form a synoptic view of the more noted works in ancient and modern literature. In the notes which are appended to some of the articles the purpose has merely been to give a few facts (sometimes of an historical character) which it is thought may be interesting to the general reader, and which it is hoped may in some cases save the necessity of further research. No attempt has been made to give the plots of novels and dramas, or to furnish descriptions of those works about which an ordinary reader may easily inform himself. In the preparation of these notes the statements have been carefully collated from independent sources, and no hesitation has been felt in using an au- thor's exact words when the information needed has been found already expressed in what seemed the best language. Some familiar first lines of English poetry have been included in the work. The end in view, as stated in the original preface, being the preparation of a small manual, not of a general index, it has of course ' a impossible to include the popular books of the day, and comparatively few are inserted 3 4 . NOTE. which have been published in the latter half of the present century. Let the reader who does not find the work about which he seeks information ask himself two questions: Is it one of the More Noted (and not very recent) works of literature? Has it a specific and distinctive title? Doubtless some of the older works here included may seem to have a very questionable right to admission, and to be so far forgotten as to rank with the rauci Theseide Codri which lives only in the line of Juvenal, but in general such works have had a certain fame which gives them a recognized place in the history of literature. Likewise a few ephemeral works of more recent date may now and then have gained admission for one or another reason, but because of these insertions no responsibility is felt for the omission of thousands of a similar class, or in fact for the exclusion of any works which are not famous. In accordance with the original plan, and in continuation of this book, the editor has now in an advanced state of preparation a companion-voliune, intended to include a class of works which do not properly come within the scope of this book, but which it is believed will meet the wants of readers who do not find here in all cases the information they seek. It merely remains to add that the present editor has endeavored to carry out the work in accordance with the in so original design ; that, doing, his aim has been to secure the highest practicable degree of aecttrticy,. compre- and that corrections hensiveness, practical utility ; and, finally, any or sug- gestions which may be sent to him will be gratefully received, and used in the preparation of a future edition. CHARLES G. WHEELER. Boston, 1881. [Titles are entered, as a rule, imder the first word not an article. Excep- tion is however made in case of some names of which the first word is not commonly known or not especially prominent, e. g., Adam Smith's Inquiry into (he Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations will be found under Wealth of Nations, the title by which it is popularly known.] UNIVERSITY WHO WROTE IT? A. Absentee, The. Tale. Maria Edge- worth (1767-1810). Talcs Fashionable . Abbot, The. Novel. Sir Walter Scott One of the of Lif of. Sec Anatomy (1771-1832). Abuses, Anatomy Abuses. In part a continuation of The Monastery. of Relates to the imprisonment of Mary, queen Abuses Stript and Whipt. Poetical her sub- of ScofS, in the castle of Eochleven, satires. George Wither (1588-1667). and the battle of sequent escape, Langside. Tins.- satires, in which he inveighs against Abbot of Canterbury. See King the manners of the times, caused the impris- John and the Abbot. onment of Wither in the Marshalsea prison, wrote his rds' Bunting. Abdullah. Novel. Ludwig Tieck where he Shepht Bride of. See Bkide of (1773-is:>3). Abydos, Abderiten, Die. [The Abderites.] Abydos. Humorous work. Christoph Martin Wie- Academica. [Academics.] Upon. Cicero land 11733-1813). the Academic philosophy. (106- There is an English translation, entitled 43 B.C.) The Republic of Fools ; being tin History of Written at his estate of Academia, between Hi State and People ofAbdera, in Thraa . Lake Avernus and Puteoli. Abel, Death of. See Tod Abels. Academicae Qunestiones (Dispu- Abele. Tragedy. Vittorio Alfieri tation es). [Academic Questions (Dis- (1749-1803). putations).] See Academica. Abencerages, Aventures du Accidents, Chapter of. See Chap- dernier des. [Adventures of the last ter, of Accidents. of the Abencerrages.] Novel.