CONTENTS.
Introductory Remarks. PAGE
Purposes of the book briefly stated [1]
System in reading [2]
Purposes of reading [2]
Its influence on health and mind [2]
on character [3]
on beauty and accomplishments [4]
Its pleasures [5]
Quantity and quality of reading [5]
Selection of books [6]
Order of reading [7]
Method of reading [8]
Importance of owning the books you read [9]
Effect of bad books [10]
useless books [11]
Abbreviations used in this Work [16]
The First Two Shelves of the World's Library (Table.) [18]-[19]
Poetry and the Drama [25]-[41]
Fables and Fairy Tales [71]-[73]
Glimpses of the Great Fields of Thought, Arranged for the purpose of securing breadth of mind (Table II.) [82]-[83]
A Series of Brief but very Choice Selections from general literature, constituting a year's course for the formation of a true literary taste (Table III.) [84]-[93]
Groups I. and II., Poetry [85]-[91]
Group IV., Wit and Humor [93]
A Short Course Supplementary to the Last (Table IV.) [94]-[95]
What To Give the Children [97]-[127]
The Distribution of the World's Great Authors in time and space, with a parallel column of contemporaneous noted historic events (Table V.) [128]-[132]
Remarks on Table V. [133]-[148]
Definitions and divisions [133]-[135]
Eight tests for the choice of books [135]-[139]
Periods of English Literature [150]-[160]
The Pre-Shakspearian age [150]-[152]
The Shakspearian age [152]-[155]
The Post-Shakspearian age [155]-[160]
The novelists, historians, and scientists [159]-[160]
The greatest names of other literatures:—Greece, Rome, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Persia, Portugal, Denmark, Russia [161]-[164]
The fountains of national literatures:—Homer, Nibelungenlied, Cid, Chansons, Morte D'Arthur, etc. [165]-[167]
APPENDIX I.
The Best Thoughts of Great Men about Books and Reading [171]-[190]
APPENDIX II.
Books Used in the Boston Public Schools as Supplementary Reading, Text-Books, etc. [191]-[207]