<DIV><DIV>The tales that make up <I>Seven Men and Two Others</I> start out as a set of "faux" memoirs set amid London literary life in the precious fin de siècle era and proceed into deliciously absurd fantasy. With a sense of fun, a hint of nostalgia, razor-sharp satire, and pitch-perfect parody, Beerbohm tugs at the affected nature of the whole literary scene—lamentable authors, wily agents, and preposterous weekend salons.</DIV></DIV>