The preface to this first volume of a 45-volume set announces a plan that is both simple and novel: to present American households with a mass of good reading drawn from all literatures and all times. The editors emphasize that the work is not a mere reference library but one to be read, arranged alphabetically by author to secure variety and contrast. They promise interpretation through essays by scholars, and aim to suit a great variety of tastes.

This editorial note examines how the opening, middle, and later excerpts guide a first reading of the volume, focusing on the preface's stated intentions and the sample of narrative prose included.

The Preface as a Reader's Map

The preface, written by editor Charles Dudley Warner, lays out the work's distinctive features. It states that the selections do not represent the partialities of any one person but the sober judgment of many minds. The alphabetical arrangement, the preface explains, avoids the heaviness of a chronological mass and gives a sense of varieties and contrasts. This opening statement prepares the reader to encounter a wide range of authors and periods side by side, and to expect that each selection is chosen for its quality and representativeness, not merely its historical importance.

A Sample of Narrative Variety

The excerpt from a historical novel—set in 16th-century Paris—shows the kind of vivid, dramatic prose the volume includes. The scene depicts a confrontation between university scholars and royal officials, with the scholars shouting, "To the wall with them—to the wall!" and threatening the rector. The language is energetic and colloquial, with references to historical figures like the Duc d'Anjou and Queen Elizabeth. This passage demonstrates that the anthology does not confine itself to solemn classics but embraces lively storytelling and period detail.

Alphabetical Juxtaposition and Its Effects

Because the volume is alphabetical, a reader might find an ancient author followed by a modern one, or a poet followed by a historian. The preface acknowledges this, noting that the arrangement secures variety and contrast. For a first reader, this means that each turn of the page can bring a shift in tone, era, and genre. The excerpt from the historical novel, for instance, might appear alongside a philosophical essay or a lyric poem. This method encourages browsing and serendipitous discovery, rather than a linear historical survey.

What the Excerpts Reveal About Editorial Taste

The preface claims the selections are made by many minds, and the excerpt bears this out: it is not a canonical masterpiece but a piece of popular historical fiction, chosen for its readability and period color. The editors aimed to include works that are instructive, entertaining, or amusing, and this passage is clearly the latter two. The vivid dialogue—"We hold them cheap enough"—and the detailed setting suggest that the editors valued narrative energy and historical atmosphere as much as literary prestige.

Readers approaching this first volume should treat the preface as a reliable guide to the editors' intentions: expect variety, contrast, and a mix of the instructive and the entertaining. The alphabetical arrangement rewards browsing, and the sample excerpt shows that even lesser-known works can offer vivid reading. The volume is best enjoyed not as a systematic course but as a cabinet of curiosities, where each entry invites exploration on its own terms.