Woody Allen in thick black rim glasses

Woody Allen

Photograph of Soviet author Mikhail Zoshchenko in military uniform.

Mikhail Zoshchenko

(1895 - 1958)

Image of French poet François Villon.

François Villon

(1431 - c. 1463)

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

Lenny Bruce

(1925 - 1966)

Black and white photograph of American entertainer Joan Rivers.

Joan Rivers

(1933 - 2014)

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

Steve Martin

Samuel Beckett, 1977. Photograph by Roger Pic.

Samuel Beckett

(1906 - 1989)

Photograph of President Abraham Lincoln sitting in a chair.

Abraham Lincoln

(1809 - 1865)

Colorized engraving of Voltaire wearing a wig.

Voltaire

(1694 - 1778)

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

Victor Frankl

(1905 - 1997)

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

Calvin Trillin

Photograph of American author Ben Tarnoff.

Ben Tarnoff

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

Sarah Silverman

Henri Bergson

Henri Bergson

(1859 - 1941)

Lewis Lapham at his desk

Lewis H. Lapham

Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift

(1667 - 1745)

photograph of David Foster Wallace speaking at a podium

David Foster Wallace

(1962 - 2008)

Photo of stone Aristotle statue face

Aristotle

(384 BC - 322 BC)

Color mosaic of earl Church father St. John Chrysostom.

St. John Chrysostom

(347 - 407)

Painting of François Rabelais.

François Rabelais

(1494 - 1553)

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

George Vasey

(1822 - 1893)

Portrait of Chinese fiction writer Pu Songling.

Pu Songling

(1640 - 1715)

Illustration of Plautus with red robes and hat

Plautus

(c. 254 BC - c. 184 BC)

Dorothy Parker working at her typewriter.

Dorothy Parker

(1893 - 1967)

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

Don DeLillo

David Simon sitting outside wearing an Irish driver cap

David Simon

Photograph of English professor and author Andrew McConnell Stott.

Andrew McConnell Stott

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

Charles Lamb

(1775 - 1834)

black and white pencil drawing of Moliere in an ornate frame

Molière

(1622 - 1673)

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

Oscar Wilde

(1854 - 1900)

Photograph of Charles Baudelaire

Charles Baudelaire

(1821 - 1867)

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

Groucho Marx

(1890 - 1977)

Image of Renaissance humanist and scholar Poggio Bracciolini.

Poggio Bracciolini

(1380 - 1459)

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

Harry S. Truman

(1884 - 1972)

Abu Nuwas

(c. 755 - c. 814)

Frances Warfield

(1884 - 1969)

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

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

(1756 - 1791)

Charlie Chaplin

(1889 - 1977)

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

James Thurber

(1894 - 1961)

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

Flann O’Brien

(1911 - 1966)

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

H.L. Mencken

(1880 - 1956)

Pastel drawing of George Eliot.

George Eliot

(1819 - 1880)

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

Lewis Carroll

(1832 - 1898)

Sculpture bust of Roman teacher and writer Quintilian.

Quintilian

(35 - c. 96)

black and white head shot of Robert Benchley looking thoughtful with his hand to his chin

Robert Benchley

(1889 - 1945)

Color photograph of comedian and writer Rob Delaney.

Rob Delaney

Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Bierce

(1842 - c. 1914)

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

Herbert Spencer

(1820 - 1903)

Italian courtier, diplomat, and writer Baldassare Castiglione.

Baldassare Castiglione

(1478 - 1529)

Black and white image of French classical author La Rochefoucauld.

La Rochefoucauld

(1613 - 1680)

black and white photo of Kurt Vonnegut sitting over coffee and a book

Kurt Vonnegut

(1922 - 2007)

Painting of Jean de la Bruyère wearing a red cape.

Jean de La Bruyère

(1645 - 1696)

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

Jane Austen

(1775 - 1817)

Classical engraving of Aristophanes with a long beard.

Aristophanes

(c. 446 BC - c. 386 BC)

Joseph Heller

Joseph Heller

(1923 - 1999)

Painting of Thomas Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes

(1588 - 1679)

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

Michel de Montaigne

(1533 - 1592)

Daniil Kharms looking serious with an intent stare

Daniil Kharms

(1905 - 1942)

Portrait of Philip Dormer Stanhope wearing a blue sash.

Philip Dormer Stanhope

(1694 - 1773)

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

Mark Twain

(1835 - 1910)