Excerpt from American Writers of to-Day As a reflection on breakfast and an insult to dinner. In a similar spirit, one might define a preface as a reflection on the author's skill and an insult to his readers' intelligence; for, if a book requires elaborate exegesis, if its purpose demands careful explanation, something must needs be wrong with either book or reader. Nobody need feel under the slightest Obligation, therefore, to read this pref ace; but should it occur to some one to glance a second time at this page, let him be assured that these studies Of contemporary American literature make no pretence Of being complete, comprehensive, exhaustive. There was a vague purpose in the author's mind, when he began writing, to supplement these chapters with some attempt at a general sur vey Of the American literature Of our own time, after the manner Of Mrs. Oliphant's Victorian Age Of English Literature. This would have given them more formal completeness, even if it did not other wise add to their value. Should the reception Of his. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.