Carlyle, Thomas, 1795-1881

Carlyle's humorous, idiosyncratic Sartor Resartus (1836) presents spiritual and philosophical reflections in the form of a biography of the fictional professor Diogenes Teufelsdröckh. The French Revolution (1837) offered a dramatic reassessment of recent historical events that presented the revolution as an inevitable consequence of bad government. On Heroes, Hero-Worship & the Heroic in History (1841) argues that idolization of charismatic heroes is the foundation of all loyalties.

Capponi, Gino, 1792-1876

A wealthy Italian statesman, historian, Catholic liberal, and influential figure in the Italian Unification movement, Gino Capponi's salon in Florence was said to be a hub for leading European liberals. Capponi founded two periodicals, L'Antologia ("Anthology") and Archivio storico italiano ("Italian Historical Review"), as well as his 1875 masterpiece, Storia della repubblica di Firenze ("History of the Republic of Florence").

Di Belmonte, E. C. (Ernesto Capocci), 1798-1864

Italian author, astronomer, mathematician, and politician. Capocci published his fiction under the name "Belmonte" to avoid damaging his reputation as a professional. Under this name he published his historical novel Il primo vicerè di Napoli in 1837. He also authored a science fiction novella called Relazione del viaggio alla Luna fatto da una donna nell'anno di grazia 2057 (Report of the Trip to the Moon done by a Woman in the Year of our Lord 2057)