Billy Collins

Painting of Thomas Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes

(1588 - 1679)

Painting of Jean de la Bruyère wearing a red cape.

Jean de La Bruyère

(1645 - 1696)

Black and white photograph of American entertainer Joan Rivers.

Joan Rivers

(1933 - 2014)

Painting of François Rabelais.

François Rabelais

(1494 - 1553)

Robert Benchley

Robert Benchley

(1889 - 1945)

Black and white photograph of Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud with cigar.

Sigmund Freud

(1856 - 1949)

Ukrainian-born Russian novelist Nikolai Gogol.

Nikolai Gogol

(1809 - 1852)

Japanese diarist and poet Sei Shōnagon.

Sei Shonagon

(c. 966 - c. 1025)

Depiction of Greek philosopher Plato.

Plato

(c. 427 BC - c. 347 BC)

Classical engraving of Aristophanes with a long beard.

Aristophanes

(c. 446 BC - c. 386 BC)

Joseph Heller

Joseph Heller

(1923 - 1999)

Stanley Kubrick

(1929 - 1999)

Photograph of American author Ben Tarnoff.

Ben Tarnoff

Juvenal

(c. 60 - c. 130)

Black and white photo of Harry S. Truman holding a newspaper with the headline "Dewey defeats Truman"

Harry S. Truman

(1884 - 1972)

Black and white photo of Lenny Bruce being frisked by an officer

Lenny Bruce

(1925 - 1966)

Oil painting portrair Michel de Montaigne in red robes and white collar

Michel de Montaigne

(1533 - 1592)

Samuel Beckett, 1977. Photograph by Roger Pic.

Samuel Beckett

(1906 - 1989)

Black and white photograph of Mencken looking over his shoulder at the camera

H.L. Mencken

(1880 - 1956)

Black and white image of French classical author La Rochefoucauld.

La Rochefoucauld

(1613 - 1680)

Painting of Charles Lamb wearing a black suit against a red backdrop.

Charles Lamb

(1775 - 1834)

Color mosaic of earl Church father St. John Chrysostom.

St. John Chrysostom

(347 - 407)

Sepia toned photograph of Lewis Carroll in a suit, reading a book

Lewis Carroll

(1832 - 1898)

Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift

(1667 - 1745)

Image of French poet François Villon.

François Villon

(1431 - c. 1463)

Black and white photo of Herbert Spencer with long, hairy mutton chops and a stern expression

Herbert Spencer

(1820 - 1903)

Color photograph of comedian and writer Rob Delaney.

Rob Delaney

Lewis Lapham at his desk

Lewis H. Lapham

(1935 - 2024)

color photograph of Victor Frankl with his hand on his chin looking pensive

Victor Frankl

(1905 - 1997)

Charlie Chaplin

(1889 - 1977)

Photograph of President Abraham Lincoln sitting in a chair.

Abraham Lincoln

(1809 - 1865)

Photograph of English professor and author Andrew McConnell Stott.

Andrew McConnell Stott

black and white photo of Groucho Marx wearing glasses and smoking a cigar from the side of his mouth

Groucho Marx

(1890 - 1977)

black and white photo of James Thurber lighting a cigarette in the new york times office

James Thurber

(1894 - 1961)

Abu Nuwas

(c. 755 - c. 814)

Woody Allen in thick black rim glasses

Woody Allen

Portrait bust of presumed author of the Iliad and the Odyssey Homer.

Homer

(c. 800 BC - 725 BC)

Frances Warfield

(1884 - 1969)

Photograph of African-American poet and writer Langston Hughes.

Langston Hughes

(1902 - 1967)

Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Bierce

(1842 - c. 1914)

Photograph of Soviet author Mikhail Zoshchenko in military uniform.

Mikhail Zoshchenko

(1895 - 1958)

Portrait of George Vasey in a suit with a long white beard

George Vasey

(1822 - 1893)

color oil painting of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in a red tunic with gray hair

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

(1756 - 1791)

Flann O'Brien in an overcoat standing next to a Dublin Diversion sign

Flann O’Brien

(1911 - 1966)

Calvin Trillin standing in front of a refrigerator in a black and white photograph

Calvin Trillin

Kurt Vonnegut

(1922 - 2007)

black and white photo of Steve Martin wearing a white dinner jacket and black tie

Steve Martin

Engraving of William Shakespeare from the first folio edition.

William Shakespeare

(1564 - 1616)

Black and white photograph of a young Mark Twain with dark hair.

Mark Twain

(1835 - 1910)

Dorothy Parker working at her typewriter.

Dorothy Parker

(1893 - 1967)

Sepia colored photo of Oscar Wilde sitting on a rock with a book in his hand

Oscar Wilde

(1854 - 1900)

black and white pencil drawing of Moliere in an ornate frame

Molière

(1622 - 1673)

Henri Bergson

Henri Bergson

(1859 - 1941)

Image of Renaissance humanist and scholar Poggio Bracciolini.

Poggio Bracciolini

(1380 - 1459)

photograph of David Foster Wallace speaking at a podium

David Foster Wallace

(1962 - 2008)

Daniil Kharms looking serious with an intent stare

Daniil Kharms

(1905 - 1942)

black and white photograph of Sara Silverman performing at the Upright Citizens Brigad

Sarah Silverman

Portrait of Chinese fiction writer Pu Songling.

Pu Songling

(1640 - 1715)

Italian courtier, diplomat, and writer Baldassare Castiglione.

Baldassare Castiglione

(1478 - 1529)

Don DeLillo standing outside in a jacket, black and white photo

Don DeLillo

Pastel drawing of George Eliot.

George Eliot

(1819 - 1880)

Illustration of Plautus with red robes and hat

Plautus

(c. 254 BC - c. 184 BC)

Photograph of Charles Baudelaire

Charles Baudelaire

(1821 - 1867)

Color drawing of Jane Austen sitting in a chair wearing a blue dress

Jane Austen

(1775 - 1817)

Colorized engraving of Voltaire wearing a wig.

Voltaire

(1694 - 1778)

Portrait of Philip Dormer Stanhope wearing a blue sash.

Philip Dormer Stanhope

(1694 - 1773)

Photo of stone Aristotle statue face

Aristotle

(384 BC - 322 BC)

David Simon sitting outside wearing an Irish driver cap

David Simon

American feminist, activist, and editor Gloria Steinem.

Gloria Steinem

Sculpture bust of Roman teacher and writer Quintilian.

Quintilian

(35 - c. 96)

Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes.

Miguel de Cervantes

(1547 - 1616)