The Wombat File Is Yours to Keep

A simple task today-- three opening passages, each from a short story by a well-known writer. You are almost certainly familiar with the names; you are less likely to have read these pieces before, although none is by any means truly obscure.

1. In the millennium an educational genius will write a book to be given to every young man on the date of his disillusion. This work will have the flavor of Montaigne's essays and Samuel Butler's note-books -- and a little of Tolstoi and Marcus Aurelius. It will be neither cheerful nor pleasant but will contain numerous passages of striking humor. Since first-class minds never believe anything very strongly until they've experienced it, its value will be purely relative ... all people over thirty will refer to it as "depressing."

2. Mrs. Lidcote, as the huge menacing mass of New York defined itself far off across the waters, shrank back into her corner of the deck and sat listening with a kind of unreasoning terror to the steady onward drive of the screws.

3. After her mother's death, Ruma's father retired from the pharmaceutical company where he had worked for many decades and began traveling in Europe, a continent he'd never seen. In the past year he had visited France, Holland and most recently Italy. They were package tours, traveling in the company of strangers, riding the bus through the countryside, each meal and museum and hotel prearranged.

Who are the three writers? Bonus: name the titles of any of the three stories.

First correct guess of each posted to comments wins an autographed copy of the Wombat's own first short work of fiction, "The Giant Egg" (Plot summary: Giant egg, mysteriously originating atop a mountain peak, is tumbled to the bottom by unspecified forces, resulting in a Paul Bunyan's-camp-style breakfast feast; illustrated). No Googling or programming your Lego Mindstorm kit to reconstruct the ideal reader of Montaigne, Butler and Marcus Aurelius. One guess at each part per comment, but comment as often as handsome does.