Thomas Carlyle

Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) was a Scottish essayist and historian. He is no stranger to Chinese readers: his major works include The French Revolution, which retells the revolutionary course in impassioned prose, and On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History, which explores faith and action through heroic figures from history. These works established his standing as an important literary figure of the Victorian era, and made his rhetorical, elaborately repetitive style—often carrying a tone of moral exhortation—widely known. On the Choice of Books, collected here, concerns reading and self-cultivation and belongs to the inspirational and personal-growth category, showing another side of him as a writer addressing ordinary readers. Public information is limited, so this note only outlines his identity and main works without adding biographical details.