The invention of the picture postcard around the end of the nineteenth century marked the first time in history that even the poorest people could see faraway places—and the famous people who lived there—in color. Then, as now, readers hungered to know what their favorite celebrities looked like. And in the age before television and movie stars, among the most popular collectible subjects were cards with images of literary authors, and the places where they lived, worked and died—even the monuments that had been erected in their honor. Literary Postcards is a selection of cards from an extensive and beautiful collection. Here are portraits of the artists as they were seen by their contemporaries: Baudelaire, Proust, J.M. Barrie, Charlotte Bronte and Robbie Burns are among the hundreds of literary stars commemorated in this unique gallery. Detailed captions explain the significance of the scene or person pictured, providing a brief cultural history of Europe.

GREG GATENBY is the founder and former director of the Toronto International Authors Festival, an event attended by many Booker Award-winning authors, often before they became famous enough to warrant their pictures on postcards.