Published in 1890, "Over the Teacups" is the last of Oliver Wendell Holmes’s fabled “table talk” books. A collection of charming and witty essays, written in the form of a novel, with Holmes’s characteristic engaging voice, this is a tour de force from Holmes, who was nearly eighty years old when he began composing these pieces.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (August 29, 1809 – October 7, 1894) was an American physician, poet, and polymath based in Boston. A member of the Fireside Poets, he was acclaimed by his peers as one of the best writers of the day. His most famous prose works are the "Breakfast-Table" series, which began with The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table (1858). He was also an important medical reformer. In addition to his work as an author and poet, Holmes also served as a physician, professor, lecturer and inventor and, although he never practiced it, he received formal training in law. (Excerpt from Wikipedia)