Literary Friends and Acquaintance; a Personal Retrospect of American Authorship

"Literary Friends and Acquaintances: A Personal Retrospect of American Authorship" by William Dean Howells is a journey through the author’s experiences with famous writers in late 19th-century America. The story captures Howells' early days as a journalist in Ohio before his move to the heart of New England's literary scene. Driven by a love for poetry, he recounts his first visit to this area, sharing his amazement at meeting literary giants like Longfellow, Lowell, and Emerson, while also focusing on his goals as a young writer, his feelings, his dreams, and the cultural setting that molded his literary desires, setting the stage for a deep look into the relationships and events that defined his journey among literary greats.