In the last years of the 18th century, the Reverend Charles Stearns became “Lincoln’s first author of note” when he published several books of poetry and moralistic dramas. Stearns and some of his neighbors joined to form the private subscription “Social Library of the Town of Lincoln.” This small beginning led, in 1884, to Lincoln resident George Grosvenor Tarbell donating $27,000 for a handsome Victorian red brick library designed by noted Boston architect Wiilliam G. Preston as a public library for the use of all residents: The Lincoln Public Library. This afternoon I had occasion to pass by the library while returning from a meeting in Waltham and decided, despite the drizzling rain and poor light, to pause for a photo.