NOTE. The admirable and thoroughly characteristic Preface to the present volume was written by Mr. RUSKIN on the occasion of beginning the publication of a new and revised edition of his works, in 1871. The Preface is given here entire, with the exception of two short passages relating to other volumes of the series; and these omissions are denoted by asterisks or points. 6 PREFACE. I. BEING DEING now fifty-one years old, and little likely to change my mind hereafter on any important subject of thought (unless through weakness of age), I wish to publish a connected series of such parts of my works as now seem to me right, and likely to be of permanent use. In doing so I shall omit much, but not attempt to mend what I think worth reprinting. A young man necessarily writes otherwise than an old one, and it would be worse than wasted time to try to recast the juvenile language; nor is it to be thought that I am ashamed even of what I cancel, for a great part of my earlier work was rapidly written for temporary purposes, and is now unnecessary, though true, even to truism. What I wrote about religion was, on the contrary, painstaking, and I think, forcible as compared with most religious writing, especially in its frankness |