This 1897 edition of Dobson's 1874 work was revised and extended by Griffin. It was originally intended to assist candidates in preparation for civil service examinations but under Griffin the volume took on a more general cast. As he wrote in his introduction, "it is simply designed to give a concise and, as a rule, chronological record of the principal English authors." The book covers the years 600-1896—discussing the most important literary figures.