literature and classics by this method with great eagerness and delight. Twenty-seven standard writers have been selected to represent the literature of Great Britain, and twentythree that of America. The author does not claim that the list is complete: many may differ with him also in the choice of selections to be studied; but the field from which to glean is so extended that it would be absurd for any one to claim that he alone has made the best choice. To the fifty standard writers have been added the chief contemporaries of each Age, many of whom might properly be included among the representative writers did not the limited size of the book prevent. The book does not aim to be a complete history of English Literature: it seeks, rather, to combine the study of English Classics with the study of the history of English Literature, and thus awaken such an interest as will lead the student not only to read biography, but also to seek culture through the study of masterpieces of English style and thought. The author desires to express his acknowledgment to various American publishing-houses for permission to make selections from their copyright editions of American authors; also to Miss Harriet B. Swineford, Teacher of English Literature, English Grammar, and Rhetoric in the Central State Normal School at Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, whose untiring industry and excellent literary taste have greatly aided him in the production of this book. ALBERT N. RAUB. LOCK HAVEN, PA.,} April 5, 1882. |