D'Israeli, Isaac, 1766-1848

A British writer, essayist, and scholar, Isaac D'Israeli created such works as Curiosities of Literature (1791) and The Literary Character of Men of Genius, Drawn From Their own Feelings and Confessions (1818), a revision of An Essay on the Manners and Genius of the Literary Character (1795).

Digges, West, 1720?-1786

English actor and theatre manager whose most popular roles include Jaffeir in Thomas Otway's Venice Preserv'd, Sir John Brute in John Vanbrugh's The Provoked Wife, and the eponymous hero of Joseph Addison's Cato, as well as several Shakespearean characters such as Macbeth, Shylock, King Lear, and Wolsey.

Diderot, Denis, 1713-1784

Philosopher, novelist, playwright, translator, and critic, Diderot was for his rationalism, religious skepticism, and scientific empiricism a key figure in the Enlightenment. His Encyclopédie stands as a landmark in the systemization and popular dissemination of technical and scientific knowledge.