This condition of eagerness to give the best, and of ignorance of how or where to find the best is the justification for the publication of this set of books. The attempt has been made in a series of twelve volumes to bring together in convenient form the fairy stories, myths, and legends which have fed the children of many generations in the years when the imagination is awakening and craving stimulus and material to work upon --that age of myth-making which is a prelude to the more scientific uses of the mind and of immense importance in an intensely practical age --a group of tales of standard quality and an interest and value which have placed them among the permanent possessions of English literature a careful selection of stories of animal life a natural history, familiar in style and thoroughly trustworthy in fact an account of those travels and adventures which have opened up the earth and made its resources available, and which constitute one of the most heroic chapters in the history of the long struggle of men to possess the earth and make it a home for the highest kind of civilization a record of heroism taken from the annals of the patriots and of those brave men who, in all ages, ranks of society and occupations, have dared to face great dangers in the path of duty and science, with special attention to that everyday heroism in which the age is specially rich and of which so many good people are grossly ignorant a survey of scientific achievement, with reports of recent discoveries in knowledge and adaptation of knowledge to human need a group of biographies of the men and

women--mostly Americans--who are the most stimulating companions for boys and girls a volume on the Fine Arts dealing with music, painting, sculpture, architecture, in a way to instruct young readers and making accessible a large number of those songs which appeal in the best way to children in schools and homes a collection of the best poetry for the youngest and oldest readers, chosen not only for excellence from the standpoint of art, but deep and abiding human interest and a volume devoted to the occupations and resources of the home, addressed to parents no less than to children, with practical suggestions about books and reading, games and amusements, exercise and health, and those kindred topics which have to do with making the home wholesome and attractive.

These twelve volumes aim, in brief, to make the home the most inspiring school and the most attractive place for pleasure, and to bring the best the world has to offer of adventure, heroism, achievement and beauty within its four walls.

About Author:

The expression various authors, abbreviated with the acronym Aa.Vv., is rarely used in English except by non-native speakers, who look for an exact equivalent to similar terms (usually abbreviated Vv.Aa.) in Italian, Spanish, and some other languages. In English it is much more common to describe the authors of such a compilation collectively, for example by saying for what occasion the texts were written or by naming one writer, for example the first one in the alphabet, and then adding et al.. The expansion of the acronym is the Latin expression auctores varii.