I think some people wished I'd kept myself out of the book. But I kind of insist on it because I want the reader to share my engagement with the material, if you like, not pretend that I'm doing it completely intellectually.
| Steve Allen, Entertainer (1921) |
| Charles Babbage, Mathematician (1792) |
| Evan Bayh, Politician (1955) |
| Alejo Carpentier, Novelist (1904) |
| Elizabeth David, Writer (1913) |
| Gray Davis, Politician (1942) |
| Gnassingbe Eyadema, Statesman (1937) |
| Carlton Fisk, Athlete (1947) |
| Kit Harington, Actor (1986) |
| Joyce Jillson, Celebrity (1946) |
| Melvil Dewey, Inventor (1931) |
| Gerald R. Ford, President (2006) |
| Doug Harvey, Athlete (1989) |
| Elsa Lanchester, Actress (1986) |
| Kenneth Scott Latourette, Historian (1968) |

