If we are to believe the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who recently described, to a gaping audience at the Halifax Mechanics' Institute, the contents of one of the railway book-stalls that engaged his attention, even those great patrons of cheap literature, the railway travellers, are but indifferently catered for; for the Chancellor seems to have stumbled upon a volume of Thucydides and a Treatise on Logarithms, side by side with shilling Novels, of the usual soporific character.

It is true that Dr. Johnson, on his Tour to the Hebrides, bought a Cocker's Arithmetic to beguile the tedium of the journey, and when Boswell expressed surprise at his choice, the sage silenced him with this ready reply: "Why, sir, if you are to have but one book with you upon a journey, it should be a book of science. When you have read through a book of entertainment, you know it, and it can do no more for you; but a book of science is inexhaustible." It is in the belief, however, that most people are not Dr. Johnsons, and that they require a somewhat lighter literary fare to suit their mental digestion, that this series of Readable Books is published. Their distinguishing feature will be found to be a certain vivacity of style or subject, suitable alike to the family circle, and the solitary student-to the idler suffering from ennui, and the man weary with work-to the sedentary stayer at home, and the more mercurial traveller on river, road, and rail.

Preface.

THE fables of the "Old Man and his Ass," and "The Painter and his Picture," are satires upon the folly of those who aim to please the multitude, under the ridicule of which, the projector of the present series of books supposes he must be considered to lie. Most people have their own notions as to what constitutes a "Readable Book." The late Chancellor of the Exchequer, on the memorable occasion alluded to in the Prospectus of this series, gave the palm to Thucydides, an opinion in which many a grave old University Fellow will very likely coincide. Dr. Dryasdust, F.S.A., would prefer a black-letter volume, and the more diversified the orthography, the more entertaining he would consider it to be. An unfledged student of the law would incline to "Punch" and "The Gent," though more mature Mr. Briefless would possibly pronounce in favour of Blackstone or Chitty. Lady Theresa Angelus would select a volume of the Rev. Mr. Oriel's Sermons, or Dr. Dove's Tracts. Mr. Cobden has more than once expressed an opinion in behalf of the Daily Newspaper, and Major Rawlinson, if appealed to, would doubtless choose a stamped brick from Nineveh. Some worthy men would be all for Popular Science, and others for "Progress" Essays; while we question if a commercial traveller would hear of anything but the Time-Tables of Bradshaw.

In opposition, then, to such a multitude of authorities, this volume is put forth by the Publisher, as his idea of a "Readable Book." The public will pronounce how far they coincide in opinion with him. Possibly he might have begun with a better work, but this was ready to his hand, and strange to say, although most people in the world of literature have long been familiar with, and admired these remarkable Tales and Poems, and although, moreover, many of the former have been translated into various European languages, the work had been overlooked by the buccaneers of the book trade-those gentry who treat the public to three separate editions of every work they see cried up on the other side of the Atlantic, no matter how dull it may be, and, in their predatory haste, occasionally fail to respect the legal copyrights of others.

Having said thus much by way of preface to an American reprint, the publisher would take the opportunity of intimating that but few of the works he has in preparation are importations from the American market.