e. means easy; that is, of such character as to be within the easy comprehension of one having no more than a grammar-school education or its equivalent; and it applies to all books that can be understood without either close attention or more than an ordinary New England grammar-school training.
m. means medium; that is, of such character as to require the close attention called "study," or a high-school education, or both; and it applies to books the degree of whose difficulty places them above the class e. and below the class d.
d. means difficult; that is, beyond the comprehension of an ordinary person having only a New England high-school education or its equivalent, even with close study, unless the reader already has a fair understanding of the subject of the book. In order to read with advantage books that are marked d., the mind should be prepared by special reading of simpler books in the same department of thought.
TABLE I.
NOTE OF EXPLANATION.
Transcriber's note: The original format of the table exceeded the width requirements for e-text. Therefore the table was reformatted. It is now organized from top to bottom in the order of importance. The first shelf and second shelf are arranged side by side.
Table I. contains a list of authors whose books, on principle and authority, have the strongest claims on the attention of the average reader of English. They are arranged from left to right in the order of importance of the divisions of the subject matter regarded as wholes, and from above downward in the order of their value in relation to the highest standard in their own department. The numbers have nothing to do with the ranking, but refer to notes that will be found on the pages following the table. There is also, at the head of the notes relating to each column of the table, a special note on the subject matter of that column.
The upper part of the table represents the first shelf of the world's library, and contains the books having the very strongest claims upon the attention of all,—books with which every one should endeavor to gain an acquaintance, at least to the extent indicated in the notes.