Great moments in literature, 1.

"That Longfellow is said to have declined an invitation to the Adirondacks because he was told that Emerson was to carry a gun is really far more delightful, and I may add, valuable, information than to know the exact date of the birth of either."

-- Vincent Starrett [quoting Edwin Watts Chubb], Books Alive 9

About the photo: The cautious Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.