Parallel Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans is a sequence of biographies of prominent individuals, organized in tandem to emphasize their shared moral strengths or faults. It was translated by Bernadotte Perrin and read by LibriVox volunteers. The original work dates from 45-120 AD and is written by Plutarch in Greek. Among those who have benefited from this translation are American schoolchildren who have read about great Americans such as Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Thomas Edison, and Eleanor Roosevelt in the series called "The Lives of Great Americans". Plutarch's Parallel Lives has been praised for its use of parallel narratives to illustrate similar and contrasting themes within each life story. This literary technique is considered important for encouraging readers to think critically and independently. Great writers often draw upon themselves and others for inspiration. For example, Shakespeare used stories he had read and characters he had known to create new works that have remained popular for many years thereafter. Similarly, it is believed that Plutarch drew upon his own life for material in these essays, which is why they are also called "Autobiographies". Although written in Greek, Parallel Lives has been interpreted by many different translators over time because it was not published until 1873.