Excerpt from Oliver Goldsmith As in the case of my edition of Macaulay's Life of Johnson, the notes to this Life of Goldsmith consist mainly of illustrative details drawn from writers to whom Macaulay was indebted for his materials. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Goldsmith Innocently to amuse the imagination in this dream of life is wisdom. So wrote Oliver Goldsmith; and. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from In the Days of Goldsmith Goldsmith is one of the authors who has suffered at the hands of his biographers. In the attempt to make his life picturesque and interesting there has been the temptation to place too much emphasis upon little anecdotes relating to the authors eccentricities and the more absurd events of his career. This is not due entirely to choice on the part of his chroniclers. Much of the material for his life has come from the pages of Boswell's "Johnson," or similar anecdotal sources. There is no doubt that the essence of these anecdotes is true, but in making up Goldsmith's life they have been given far too great prominence. Right proportion would greatly reduce them in the perspective of his career. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Goldsmith's Roman History X promote the reputation of the writer. Instead L therefore of pressing forward among the ambi tious, I only claim the merit of knowing my\ own strength, and falling back among the hind most ranks with conscious inferiority. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from The Life of Oliver Goldsmith This is the Oliver Goldsmith whom we know through his works, and we think that the man himself cannot have been different. But when we read some accounts of him, transmitted to us bya few Of his contemporaries, we are amazed to find that we are mistaken in our assumption. We are told that he was a vain empty coxcomb, so overwhelmed with self-conceit that he could not hear without envy of the success Of another man, no matter in what direction it was achieved - that he was ungrateful to those who had befriended him most - that he was an accomplished liar, a contemptible braggart, an un dutiful son, and a bit of a hypocrite into the bargain. He was a plagiarist when he was at his best, and a fool when he was at his worst. He affected a wisdom to which he had no claim, and a learning which he did not possess. He only failed to be an impostor because of his want of ability to frame any scheme that would impose upon the most credulous of humanity. We find, in short, that the man Goldsmith was in every respect exactly the opposite to Goldsmith the writer. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Goldsmith: The Traveller and the Deserted Village Oliver, second son of the Rev. Charles Goldsmith, was born in the year 1728, in the village of Pallasmore, in the county of Longford, Ireland, of which village his father was the clergyman. About two years after Oliver's birth his father was promoted to a better living in the next county, but at no great distance from Pallasmore. At Lissoy, a village in Mr. Goldsmith's new parish where the family removed on his promotion, Oliver lived till his seventeenth year. Of his extreme fondness for this village and its inhabitants there is ample proof in his writings, but care must be taken in identifying the "Deserted Village" with Lissoy. The following extract from H. Crabb Robinson's Diary illustrates the uncertainty which exists on this subject. "April 16th, 1821, (on a visit to the Pattisons at Witham) - I walked to Hatfield Cross with William. Looked into the church. The vicar, Bennet, was our cicerone. He spoke of Goldsmith as a man he had seen. Goldsmith had lodged at Springfield with some farmers. He spent his forenoon in his room, writing, and breakfasted off water gruel without bread. In his manners he was a bear. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Goldsmith's Roman History: Abridged by Himself, for the Use of Schools Attempts to acquire fame, satisfied with being obscurely useful, After such a number of Roman Histories, in all languages, cient and modern, it would be but imposture' to pretend new. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.