“One wonders why I should be so impressed with a book, much of which is about characters I’ve never heard of. In it were included, in alphabetical order no less, epochal figures in history going back to ancient Rome. There are film directors and actors, jazz musicians, a fashion designer (Coco Chanel), an opera singer (Zinka Milanov) and, like James himself, a television host (Dick Cavett) as well as philosophical thinkers such as Kant, Hegel or Raymond Aron.

The essays are brief. ...”

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