Eva March Tappan’s “A Friend in the Library” series is a comprehensive guide to the writings of six seminal American writers, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, James Russell Lowell, John Greenleaf Whittier, and Oliver Wendell Holmes. Religion has no small part to play in the history and development of American literature, and perhaps nowhere more interestingly than in the works of these great writers. In volume eight, Tappan takes a detailed look at the religious references and themes present in their work, illustrating the differences and similarities between the writer’s views. This fascinating volume is not to be missed by those with an interest in the history of American literature. Eva March Tappan (1854 – 1930) was an American author and teacher. Other notable works by this author include: “Adventures & Achievements” (1900), “Poems & Rhymes” (1900), and “In the Days of Queen Elizabeth” (1902). Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author. This book was first published in 1909.