Excerpt from The Journals of Washington Irving
The original manuscript journals of Washington Irving from which this work is printed, consist of twenty-four small volinnes, mostly measuring four by six inches, bound in calfskin. They are written chiefly in pencil, though partly in ink, and range from 1815 to 1842. After remaining ensconced. In the archives of the Irving family for many years, they were recently purchased by Mr. George S. Hellman from Irving’s grandnephew, Mr. Irving Van Wart, and soon thereafter they passed into the collection of the late Isaac N. Seligman. The rights of publication were, however, reserved by Mr. Hell man, from whom The Bibliophile Society acquired them.
As to the contents of the volumes, it would be superfluous to dwell at length here, since the salient features have been referred to by the editors in their joint Introduction. And on this point it may be remarked that it has been the usual custom of editors and authors to proportion the length and argumenta tive ferce of their introductory matter to the merit of the book, always expostulating at greatest length and vehemence upon a dull work, with the feeling, perhaps, that what the book lacks in interest should be made up to the reader in the front matter. It only remains to be said that the editors of this Work have made their Introduction very short, though very readable; and neither in phraseology ’nor extentdoes it come Within the stricture that Jonathan Swift passed upon this ancient method of advertising the contents of a book when he said: I do utterly dis approve and declare against that pernicious custom, of making the preface a bill of fare to the book. For I have always looked upon it as a high point of in discretion in monstermongers, and other retailers of strange sights, to hang out a fair large picture over the door, drawn after the life, with a most eloquent description underneath. This hath saved me many a three-pence for my curiosity was fully satisfied, and I never offered to go in, though often invited by the urging and attending orator, with his last moving and standing piece of rhetoric, ‘sir, upon my word, we are just going to begin.’ Such is exactly the fate, at this time, of Prefaces, Epistles, Advertisements, Introductions, Prolegomenas, and Apparatus To the Readers. This expedient was admirable at first. Our great Dryden has long carried it as far as it would go, and with incredible success. He hath often said to me in confidence, that the world would have never suspected him to be so great a poet, if he had not assured them so frequently in his prefaces, that it was impossible they could either doubt or forget it. Perhaps it may be so: however, _i much fear, his instructions have edified out of their place, and taught men to grow Wiser in certain points, where he never intended they should; for it is lamentable to behold with what a lazy scorn many of the yawning readers in, our age do nowadays twirl over forty or fifty pages of preface and dedica tion (which is the usual modern stint), as if it were so much Latin.
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