To write this book, I used my voice to dictate the content and control my computer. When I retired, I became engrossed in classics available free on the Internet. I noticed how the novels were taking me into history, to times when dentists were surgeons, when an accepted medical treatment for a wound was vinegar and brown paper ala nursery rhyme, "Jack and Jill." I thought it might be worthwhile to write a book that pulled history from the pages of the classics in my electronic library. I found that I had to stitch quotes together with liberal use of the Internet to set the historical context. I dreamed that this would be a book that could be used in literature or history classes or even interdisciplinary studies. My history includes travel in Europe/New Zealand/Australia. Taught school in Nigeria and Somalia. Counseled 12 years in two colleges. Trained VISTA Volunteers in Arizona and Alaska.. BA political science/history, U Illinois; Masters Work, Russian Institute, Columbia