Charles Warner was an American essayist in the late 1800 s. As a boy he lived in Charlemont, Massachusetts: the scene of the experiences pictured in his study of childhood, Being a Boy (1877). He traveled widely, lectured frequently, and was actively interested in prison reform, city park supervision, and other movements for the public good. Warner has written a travel book in which he wanders throughout Europe at a slow pace taking note to the insignificant and local color. Warner says that there are many travel books covering the major sites and he is more interested in a leisurely saunter."